JP2001043491A - Vehicle communication equipment and vehicle state management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide vehicle communication equipment and a state management system, by which a state is managed with a high density, by evading the concentration of reception in a base station and surely executing communication between the base station and a vehicle. SOLUTION: The on-vehicle device 3 of the vehicle is provided with a plurality of communication media consisting of MCA(multi-channel access) radio equipment 7, a portable telephone set 8, a PHS 9 and satellite communication terminal 10, they are selected in accordance with a previously fixed priority order and, then, communication is executed with the base station. The optimum medium capable of communication is automatically selected in such a way that, for example, the portable telephone set 8 in a succeeding priority order is selected when it is impossible for the MCA radio equipment 7 to communicate owing to a line jam and the PHS 9 is selected when communication is impossible for the portable telephone set 8. Then data are surely transmitted from the vehicle to the base station.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle communication device mounted on a vehicle such as a transportation truck for performing wireless communication with a base station, and a vehicle dynamics management system using the same. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a dynamic management system which communicates between a vehicle and a base station to grasp the operation status of the vehicle. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a base station, for example, a sales office of a transportation company. 21, 22, 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a transportation truck, and each transportation truck has:
In-vehicle devices 31 and 3 for communicating with the base station 1
2, 33 are mounted.

A wireless device is provided in each of the on-vehicle devices 31, 32, and 33, and data relating to the current position, work status, and the like is transmitted from the vehicle to the base station 1 via the wireless device. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the state of this communication, in which (a), (b), and (c) show timings at which the transport trucks 21, 22, and 23 of FIG. ing. As can be seen from the figure, data is transmitted from each transport truck at intervals of time T, and the base station 1 grasps the dynamics of each vehicle based on this data, and as necessary, transport trucks 21, 22, An instruction to dispatch a vehicle or the like is given to the vehicle 23.

[0004]

However, in the conventional system, there is only one kind of communication medium (telephone or the like) of the wireless device mounted on the in-vehicle devices 31, 32, and 33. For this reason, when communication is simultaneously performed from each vehicle to the base station 1 at a fixed communication interval T via a communication medium, reception at the base station 1 is concentrated, and a single communication line is capable of supporting capacity. Can not be done.

If the communication medium is only one type, for example, the communication medium is a PHS (Personal Handyphone System).
In the case of m), since the communication area is limited, the transport truck 23 traveling outside the area A of FIG.
Communication was not possible, and the dynamics of the vehicle could not be completely understood. If the communication medium is a satellite communication terminal,
When the vehicle enters the tunnel, it cannot capture the communication satellite, so that communication with the base station 1 is similarly impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and avoids the concentration of reception at the base station and ensures communication between the base station and the vehicle, thereby increasing the dynamic density. It is an object to provide a vehicle communication device and a movement management system that can be managed.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle communication device according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of types of communication media, and automatically selects a communicable one of these communication media. In this case, the communication is selected.

As a plurality of types of communication media, for example, an MCA (Multi Channel Access) radio, a mobile phone, a PHS, a satellite communication terminal, and the like can be provided.
These are used as communication media for wirelessly transmitting various types of vehicle data to a base station in addition to voice communication.

By doing so, for example, MCA
If the wireless device cannot communicate due to line congestion, a mobile phone is automatically selected and communication using the mobile phone as a communication medium is performed. If the mobile phone cannot communicate, the PHS is selected, and if the PHS also cannot communicate, the satellite communication terminal is selected, so that the communication medium is automatically switched. . Thus,
By selecting a communicable medium from among a plurality of communication media, concentration of reception at the base station can be avoided and communication can be reliably performed.

[0010] In selecting a communication medium, priorities can be determined in advance. As described above, by selecting the communication medium in accordance with the priority order, it is possible to select the optimum communication medium and perform communication.

The priorities can be made different between normal and emergency situations. By doing so, the communication medium can be selected according to the situation, and communication can be reliably performed even in an emergency.

Further, a vehicle dynamics management system according to the present invention includes the above-described vehicle communication device and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for receiving position information from a geostationary satellite. The present position data of the vehicle obtained from the position information is transmitted to the base station via the communication medium selected by the vehicle communication device.

[0013] By doing so, the current position data of the vehicle is reliably transmitted to the base station, so that the base station can grasp the vehicle position in detail and can perform dynamic management with high density. .

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the dynamic management system according to the present invention is the same as that of FIG. 6, and will be described below with reference to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows FIG.
1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of in-vehicle devices 31, 32, and 33 (hereinafter, represented by reference numeral 3) mounted on transportation trucks 21, 22, and 23 of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a portion surrounded by a dotted line constitutes a vehicle communication device 18 according to the present invention. A control device 4 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the entire on-vehicle device 3. A communication interface 5 is connected to the control device 4. The communication interface 5 has a selector 6 for selecting a communication medium.
Is connected. The selector 6 together with the control device 4
It constitutes the selection means in the present invention. Reference numerals 7 to 10 denote a plurality of types of communication media in the present invention, 7 is an MCA radio, 8 is a mobile phone, 9 is a PHS, and 10 is a satellite communication terminal. The in-vehicle device 3 transmits predetermined data to the base station 1 via these communication media.

A GPS receiver 11 receives a radio wave from a communication satellite 13 via an antenna 12. Communication satellite 13
A so-called geostationary satellite transmits data relating to position information such as latitude and longitude to the ground. The vehicle-mounted device 3 can know the current position of the vehicle from the position information.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a display for displaying various information, which is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display. Reference numeral 15 denotes a card processing device including a card reader / writer, into which a memory card 16 is inserted. The memory card 16 is a semiconductor storage element (RAM)
, In which operation data of the vehicle, work contents, and the like are recorded. Reference numeral 17 denotes a sensor including a speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the engine, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a device installed in the base station 1. As shown in FIG. In the figure, 41
Is a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer),
Reference numerals 42 to 45 denote wireless devices provided corresponding to the respective communication media of the vehicle. Reference numeral 42 denotes an MCA wireless device that communicates with the MCA wireless device 7. Reference numeral 43 denotes a mobile phone that communicates with the mobile phone 8. A wireless device, 44 is a PHS wireless device that communicates with the PHS 9, and 45 is a satellite communication wireless device that communicates with the satellite communication terminal 10 via a communication satellite.

Each of these wireless devices 42 to 45 is connected to a personal computer 41, and the data received by each wireless device from the vehicle is taken into the personal computer 41 and displayed on a screen. Also, the message created by the personal computer 41 can be transmitted from each of the wireless devices 42 to 45 to the communication media 7 to 10 of the vehicle. The in-vehicle device in FIG. 1 and the device of the base station in FIG. 2 constitute a dynamic management system according to the present invention.

The truck driver receives the memory card 16 at the start of operation, inserts the memory card 16 into the card processing device 15 of the vehicle-mounted device 3 provided in the driver's seat, and starts crew.
During the operation of the truck, various operation data calculated by the control device 4 is recorded on the memory card 16. When the ride is completed, the driver removes the memory card 16 from the card processing device 15 and inserts the memory card 16 into a reading device (not shown) installed in the business office.
The read operation data of the memory card 16 is processed by the computer, and a daily operation report is automatically created.

The on-vehicle device 3 receives the position information transmitted from the communication satellite 13 by the GPS receiver 11 via the antenna 12. The control device 4 includes a GPS receiver 11
Determines the current position (latitude / longitude) of the vehicle based on the acquired position information, and stores the current position data in the communication medium 7.
The transmission is made to the corresponding wireless device 42 to 45 of the base station 1 by any one of the following: In this case, the communication medium is selected by the selector 6 according to a predetermined priority, and communication is performed by the selected one communication medium. The details will be described later. In addition,
In addition to the current position data, data such as vehicle operation data and baggage collection / delivery status may be transmitted.

Upon receiving the transmission data from the vehicle, the base station 1 wirelessly instructs the vehicle to dispatch the vehicle, if necessary. In this case, the vehicle allocation information may be displayed on the display unit 14, or the mobile phone 8 or the like may be called and transmitted by voice. In the former case, the display 1
4 displays the name and address of the destination, and the contents of work (collection / delivery, etc.). Further, the display 14 can display a map, a traveling route, and the like as necessary. By looking at the dispatch information displayed on the display 14, the driver can accurately grasp the destination and route to go to next.

Next, selection of a communication medium will be described.
Priorities for communication media 7 to 10 are determined in advance as shown in FIG. This priority is incorporated in the processing program of the control device 4. Here, as an example, the priority in the normal state is the order of the MCA radio 7, the mobile phone 8, the PHS 9, and the satellite communication terminal 10, and the MCA radio 7 has the highest priority.
The satellite communication terminal 10 has the lowest priority.

The priorities are determined based on the following grounds. That is, the MCA radio is a system in which one control station is shared by many users,
Although there is a limit on the talk time (usually within one minute) to share the frequency, there is an advantage that the charge is lower than that of a mobile phone or the like. Normally, a long talk time is not required, so that it is sufficient to transmit data using inexpensive MCA radio. Therefore, the priority of the MCA radio 7 is set to the highest.

The second rank is a mobile phone, and the third rank is a PHS.
The reason is that the mobile phone has less restrictions on the communication area than the PHS. In addition, the satellite communication terminal is the fourth
The reason that the priority is the lowest in the order is that, in the satellite communication, a radio wave reciprocates between the earth and the satellite, which causes a transmission delay time and a high communication cost.

On the other hand, the priority order in an emergency is, for example, the order of the mobile phone 8, the PHS 9, and the satellite communication terminal 10, and the mobile phone 8 has the highest priority,
The A radio 7 has the lowest priority. Here, the term “emergency” refers to, for example, a case in which a traffic accident is encountered, or a case in which a cash transport vehicle or the like has been robbed.

The priorities are determined based on the following grounds. That is, the MCA radio, which has the lowest priority in the fourth order, contrary to the normal time, requires a quick communication in an emergency and also requires a long communication time to grasp the situation. Therefore, it is not possible to cope with the MCA radio in which the line congestion is large and the talk time is limited due to the frequency sharing system.

On the other hand, the mobile phone has no time limit,
Since there is no area restriction like PHS and the cost is lower than that of satellite communication, it is set to the first rank.
The PHS is ranked second and the satellite communication terminal is ranked third because satellite communication has a transmission delay time as described above and is disadvantageous for emergency communication.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle communication device 18 described above, and shows the communication medium selecting operation of the control device 4 in a normal state. Hereinafter, this will be described. The control device 4 initializes the selector 6 and starts an operation of determining whether or not communication is possible (Step S).
1). As shown in FIG. 3, the MCA radio 7
, The selector 6 is set to select the MCA radio 7 first. Next, the MCA radio 7 is called and driven to call the base station 1, and it is determined whether or not MCA communication is possible (step S2). As a result, communication is possible if the MCA radio 7 is connected to the base station 1 (step S2 Yes), and data is transmitted to the base station 1 by the MCA radio 7 (step S7).

On the other hand, if the MCA radio 7 is not connected due to the congestion of the base station 1 or the like (step S2 No), the control device 4 switches the selector 6 to select the second-ranked mobile phone 8, and performs the same operation as described above. Then, it is determined whether communication is possible (step S3). As a result, the mobile phone 8 is connected to the base station 1
If the connection is established, communication is possible (step S3Ye).
s) The mobile phone 8 transmits data to the base station 1 (step S8).

On the other hand, if the mobile phone 8 is not connected due to the congestion of the base station 1 (No at step S3), the control device 4 switches the selector 6 to select the PHS 9 in the third order, and performs communication in the same manner as described above. It is determined whether or not it is possible (step S4). As a result, if connected to the base station 1, communication is possible (step S4 Yes), and data is transmitted to the base station 1 by the PHS 9 (step S9).

On the other hand, if the PHS 9 is not connected due to the congestion of the base station 1 or outside the area (step S
4No), the control device 4 switches the selector 6 to
The satellite communication terminal 10 in the order is selected, and it is determined whether communication is possible in the same manner as described above (step S5). As a result, communication is possible if the satellite communication terminal 10 is connected to the base station 1 via the communication satellite (step S5 Yes), and data is transmitted from the satellite communication terminal 10 to the base station 1 via the communication satellite (step S10). ).

On the other hand, when the satellite communication terminal 10 is not connected to the base station 1 because a communication satellite cannot be captured (No in step S5), communication with any communication medium is impossible. An alarm message to that effect is displayed on the display 14 (step S6). This warning message may be notified by voice.

In this way, by automatically selecting a communicable medium from a plurality of communication media, a connection cannot be established due to communication congestion or an out-of-service area cannot be established. However, communication can be performed using another communication medium. Therefore, the communication between the vehicle and the base station is not interrupted, and the data can be reliably transmitted from the vehicle to the base station, thereby enabling the base station to grasp the dynamics of the vehicle in detail. Become. Further, by selecting a communication medium in accordance with a predetermined priority, communication can be performed using an optimum communication medium.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of selecting a communication medium in an emergency. In an emergency, for example, by pressing an emergency switch in the driver's seat, the communication mode is switched from the normal mode to the emergency mode, and the procedure of FIG. 5 is executed. As shown in FIG. 3, since the mobile phone 8 has the highest priority in an emergency, the selector 6 is initially set to select the mobile phone 8 first (step S11). Then, the mobile phone 8 is called and driven to call the base station 1, and it is determined whether or not mobile phone communication is possible (step S12).

Thereafter, as in the normal case, if communication is possible, data is transmitted to the base station 1 by the portable telephone 8 (step S17). If communication is not possible, the selector 6 is switched and the second Select PHS9 in the ranking and PHS
It is determined whether communication is possible (step S13). If the PHS communication is possible, the data is transmitted to the base station 1 by the PHS 9 (step S18).
To select the third-ranked satellite communication terminal 10,
It is determined whether satellite communication is possible (step S14).

If satellite communication is possible, the satellite communication terminal 10 transmits data to the base station 1 (step S19),
If communication is not possible, the selector 6 is switched to select the fourth-ranked MCA radio 7, and it is determined whether or not MCA communication is possible (step S15). If MCA communication is possible, data is transmitted to base station 1 by MCA radio 7 (step S2).
0), if communication is not possible, an alarm message is displayed on the display 14 (step S16).

In this way, even in an emergency, by selecting a plurality of communication media in accordance with a predetermined priority order, the most suitable communication media that can be communicated is automatically selected. The data can be transmitted quickly and reliably to the station, and the base station can take an appropriate action corresponding to an emergency.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, but can take various other forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, four types of communication media have been described, but other communication media may be used instead or in addition thereto. The above-described order of the communication media is also an example, and various orders can be determined depending on the situation.

In the above embodiment, the case where data is transmitted from the vehicle to the base station is described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to the case where data is transmitted from the base station to the vehicle.

Further, the selection of the communication medium may be varied according to the current position of the vehicle using the position information acquired by the GPS receiver 11. For example, if the current position of the vehicle is out of the PHS communication area or in a tunnel, PHS or satellite communication is excluded from the selection target,
An optimal communication medium may be selected from the remaining communication media.

The selection of the communication medium can be changed depending on the time zone. For example, in the daytime when a line is easily congested, a mobile phone or the like is preferentially selected over the MCA radio, and at night when the line is free, the MCA radio is preferentially selected, so that efficient communication can be performed.

In the above-described embodiment, a transport truck is taken as an example of a vehicle. However, the present invention can be applied to an operation management system such as a bus or a taxi.

[0044]

According to the present invention, communicable ones are automatically selected from a plurality of types of communication media, so that communication between the vehicle and the base station is interrupted due to line congestion or area. Can be avoided, and data can be transmitted reliably. As a result, the dynamics of a high-density vehicle can be grasped.

Further, by selecting a communication medium in accordance with a predetermined priority order, it is possible to select and communicate with an optimum communication medium. The most suitable communication medium can be selected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted device including a vehicle communication device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a device installed in a base station.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing selection priorities of communication media.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a communication medium selection operation in a normal state.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a communication medium selection operation in an emergency.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a dynamic management system.

FIG. 7 is a time chart showing a state of communication between a vehicle and a base station.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 base station 3 on-board device 4 control device 5 communication interface 6 selector 7 MCA radio 8 mobile phone 9 PHS 10 satellite communication terminal 11 GPS receiver 13 communication satellite 18 vehicle communication device 41 personal computer 42 MCA radio device 43 mobile phone Wireless device 44 PHS wireless device 45 Satellite communication wireless device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5H180 AA01 AA15 BB05 BB12 BB17 CC12 FF05 FF13 FF33 5J062 AA08 BB01 CC07 5K067 AA34 BB03 BB21 DD13 DD27 DD51 EE04 EE10 FF03 GG01 GG11

Claims (4)

[Claims] A vehicle communication device mounted on a vehicle and performing wireless communication with a base station, automatically selecting a plurality of types of communication media and a communicable one of these communication media. A communication device for a vehicle, comprising: selection means for performing communication using a communication medium selected by the selection means. 2. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection means selects a communicable communication medium in accordance with a predetermined priority. 3. The vehicle communication device according to claim 2, wherein priorities are different between a normal time and an emergency. 4. A vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver for receiving position information from a geostationary satellite.
A dynamic management system for a vehicle, wherein current position data of a vehicle obtained from the position information received by the GPS receiver is transmitted to a base station via a communication medium selected by the vehicle communication device.