JP2001239894A - Vehicular information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular information processing device capable of efficiently transmitting and receiving radio waves to/from various kinds of other electronic apparatuses inside and outside a vehicle such as an automobile. SOLUTION: A body IA of an on-vehicle information processing device 1 provided with a Bluetooth function is installed in a console in a vehicle 31, and an antenna 22 for the Bluetooth is installed on the ceiling inside the vehicle 31. A Bluetooth module in the on-vehicle information processing device body 1A is connected with the antenna 22 for the Bluetooth through a coaxial cable 32. The on-vehicle information processing device body 1A is provided with functions for a car navigation device and a car audio device. The on-vehicle information processing device 1 exchanges a variety of information with various electronic devices with the Bluetooth function such as a portable telephone, a portable audio player and a portable personal computer in the vehicle 31 through the Bluetooth function.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for vehicles such as an automobile and a small boat provided with wireless communication means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various information processing apparatuses mounted on automobiles have been put to practical use. For example, a car navigation device, an in-vehicle personal computer (personal computer), a mobile phone and the like are typical examples. In these in-vehicle information processing devices, the use of wireless communication means is still required by GPS.
(Global Positioning System), which is limited to position identification in car navigation and wireless transmission of voice in mobile phones.

On the other hand, in recent years, small-sized and inexpensive short-distance wireless communication means such as Bluetooth have been put into practical use. As a technique for applying this kind of short-distance wireless communication means to in-vehicle equipment, , Yet no valid ones have been considered.

[0004]

The short-range wireless communication means provided in the in-vehicle information processing apparatus does not have very high wireless transmission performance and reception performance, so that it can communicate with other various electronic devices inside and outside the vehicle. In order to perform good communication, it is necessary to install an antenna appropriately and transmit and receive radio waves efficiently.

However, conventionally, no study has been made on installing a small and inexpensive antenna for short-range wireless communication means, such as Bluetooth, in a vehicle such as an automobile. Is not found.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a vehicle information processing apparatus capable of efficiently transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from various other electronic devices inside and outside a vehicle such as an automobile. The purpose is to do.

[0007]

A vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a vehicle information processing apparatus main body mounted on a vehicle and processing information for an electronic device, a ceiling in the vehicle or a vehicle information processing apparatus. A wireless communication antenna provided on a front panel of the device main body; and a wireless communication means provided on the vehicle information processing device main body and performing wireless communication with an electronic device via the wireless communication antenna. It is characterized by having done. According to the above configuration, efficient wireless communication with an electronic device provided with wireless communication means inside the vehicle, such as a mobile phone, a portable personal computer, a portable audio player, and a camera unit provided outside the vehicle, etc. Can be performed. In addition, by installing an antenna for wireless communication near the center of the ceiling in the vehicle, the distance to each position in the vehicle is equalized, and the communication efficiency with the electronic device at a specific position is reduced. Can be prevented. Therefore, various data can be efficiently and reliably exchanged between the vehicle information processing apparatus and other electronic devices without connecting cables each time. Also, for electronic equipment provided on the outside of the vehicle,
Since there is no need to connect a cable, it can be mounted very easily.

A vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a vehicle information processing apparatus main body mounted on a vehicle for processing information for an electronic device, and a vehicle information processing apparatus main body connected to the vehicle information processing apparatus main body. An in-vehicle communication antenna for performing wireless communication with an electronic device; an out-of-vehicle communication antenna connected to the vehicle information processing apparatus main body and performing wireless communication with an electronic device outside the vehicle; Wireless communication means provided in the main body of the information processing apparatus for performing wireless communication with electronic equipment via the in-vehicle communication antenna and the out-of-vehicle communication antenna. According to the above configuration, it is possible to efficiently and reliably communicate with an electronic device installed outside the vehicle, for example, a terminal provided with wireless communication means installed near each parking position in a parking lot. In addition, by switching between the in-vehicle communication antenna and the out-of-vehicle communication antenna in accordance with the function of executing the two, the two antennas can be efficiently switched and used.

A vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle on which a plurality of persons can ride and processes information for a portable electronic device. And a wireless communication antenna connected to the vehicle information processing device main body and installed in the vehicle information processing device main body, wherein the wireless communication antenna is provided in the vehicle information processing device main body. Wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with the portable electronic device via an antenna.

According to the above configuration, the distance between the radio communication antenna and the portable electronic device in the vehicle is equalized, and it is ensured that the communication efficiency between the electronic device at a specific position is reduced. Can be prevented.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an in-vehicle information processing apparatus for an automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show examples of antenna installation in the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between the in-vehicle information processing apparatus and various electronic devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 10, an internal bus 11, a ROM 12 storing various programs, a RAM 13,
VRAM 14, LCD controller 15, LCD 16,
Touch panel 17, GPS antenna 18, GPS device 1
9. DVD-R storing music information, map information, etc.
OM 20, large-capacity flash memory (semiconductor disk) 21 for storing music information, etc., Bluetooth antenna 2
2, composed of a Bluetooth module 23, a vehicle information input interface 24, and a music player 25,
In addition to having a tooth function, it has functions of a car navigation device and a car audio device.

The CPU 10 is connected to each section via the internal bus 11 and controls the entire information processing apparatus 1 for the vehicle. By executing a program stored in the ROM 12, various functions such as a car navigation system are performed. Device and car audio device.

The ROM 12 is a read-only memory device for storing a program for operating the CPU 10 and various initial data, and stores programs for realizing various functions. In the present embodiment, for example, a program for realizing a car navigation device, a car audio device, and the like, a program for performing wireless communication with another electronic device, and the like are stored.

The RAM 13 is a memory device readable and writable by the CPU 10 and is used as a work area for temporarily storing various data. For example, data received via the Bluetooth module 23 and input from the vehicle information input interface 24. Data and the like are temporarily stored. The LCD controller 15 converts various information written in the VRAM 14 under the control of the CPU 10, for example, map information of a car navigation device, or various information such as song names and status information in a car audio device into an LC.
The display control for displaying on D16 is performed.

The LCD 16 is constituted by, for example, a color display panel, and displays various information under the control of the LCD controller 55.

The touch panel 17 is provided on the front of the LCD 16, and is used in a car navigation device or a car audio device operating at that time.
Data input is performed by touching a selection item, an instruction item, or the like displayed on the CD 16.

The GPS antenna 18 receives a radio wave from a GPS satellite, and inputs the received signal to a GPS device 19. The GPS device 19 operates under the control of the CPU 10, and receives GPS signals received by the GPS antenna 18.
Car navigation function is realized by determining the current position of the vehicle based on the PS radio wave, reading map information stored in DVD-ROM 20 from the current position, and displaying it on LCD 16 via VRAM 14 and LCD controller 15. I do.

The Bluetooth antenna 22 performs wireless communication between the Bluetooth module 23 and various portable electronic devices in the vehicle, for example. Blue
The tooth module 23 controls wireless signals transmitted and received by the Bluetooth antenna 22. Blueto above
The oth module 23 uses Bluetooth as a wireless communication method. It should be noted that Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication standard, and a 2.4 GHz band ISM (Industrial Sc
ience Medical) band to realize wireless communication within 10 m. In Bluetooth, a frequency hopping method is used as a spread spectrum technique, and up to eight devices can be connected by a time division multiplex method.

The vehicle information input interface 24 inputs vehicle information detected by the sensor, for example, speed information to the system. The music reproducing device 25 has a music reproducing function of, for example, MP3, and realizes a car audio function by reproducing music data stored in the DVD-ROM 20 or the large-capacity flash memory 21.

The in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 configured as described above has, for example, a car navigation function,
Displays an initial menu such as a car audio function and a communication function with other electronic devices. The user such as the driver of the vehicle 31 selects an arbitrary function from the display menu by performing a touch operation. Thereafter, a menu or the like corresponding to the selected function is displayed, and each function operates according to the operation.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the Bluetooth antenna 22 is installed on the ceiling in the vehicle 31.
In this case, the main body 1A of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is mounted on a vehicle console, and the Bluetooth module 23 and the Bluetooth antenna 2 in the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1A are mounted.
2 are connected by a coaxial cable 32.

When the Bluetooth antenna 22 is installed on the ceiling in the vehicle 31 as shown in FIG. 2, there are the following advantages. (A) Regarding the device at any position in the vehicle 31, there are few shields in between and the transmission rate of radio waves is high. (B) Since the Bluetooth antenna 22 is located at a high position in the vehicle 31, the radio wave transmission efficiency is relatively high even when wirelessly communicating with an electronic device outside the vehicle. (C) Since it is installed in the vehicle 31, installation is relatively easy.

The Bluetooth antenna 22 is connected to the vehicle 3
When installed near the center of the ceiling in the vehicle 1, the distance from each position in the vehicle 31 is equalized, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in communication efficiency with the electronic device at a specific position. The area to be equalized is a car that can take five people,
The space from the ceiling to the floor corresponds to an area where the distance from each person has no significant difference in wireless communication. In other words, when the passenger operates the portable electronic device, it is a place where the same wireless communication quality can be obtained irrespective of where he gets on. Particularly, in the case of a ceiling, there is no shield such as a sheet, which is excellent in communication.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the vehicle console 3.
3 shows an example in which the Bluetooth antenna 22 is installed on the front panel 34 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus main body 1A attached to the main body 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the Bluetooth antenna 22 is installed on the front panel 34 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus main body 1A, there are the following advantages. (A) Since the Bluetooth antenna 22 is directly attached to the in-vehicle information processing apparatus main body 1A, installation work for the antenna is not required. (B) The front panel 34 to which the Bluetooth antenna 22 is attached faces the inside of the vehicle, and the transmission efficiency of radio waves between electronic devices in the vehicle is relatively high.

As described above, there are different advantages depending on the mounting position of the Bluetooth antenna 22.
It is desirable to select an installation method according to the situation.

As shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 includes various electronic devices such as a Bluetooth
mobile phone 41 with oth function, microphone unit 42 with Bluetooth function attached to handle, Bluetooth
Portable audio player 43 with function, portable personal computer 44 with Bluetooth function, personal information equipment with Bluetooth function (PDA: Personal Digital Assistants)
For example, various information such as voice, image, and computer program data can be exchanged with the Bluetooth 45 via the Bluetooth function. As a result, data can be exchanged between the in-vehicle information processing device 1 and another electronic device without connecting a cable each time.

As shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 includes a Bl
Distance measuring unit 47 with uetooth function, and vehicle 31
It is possible to wirelessly transmit distance data and image data to and from a camera unit 48 having a monitor Bluetooth function provided at the rear of the camera. The distance measuring unit 47
Is used for monitoring approach of another vehicle or another object. Further, the camera unit 48 is used for monitoring the rear of the vehicle 31.

The electronic devices such as the distance measuring unit 47 and the camera unit 48 provided on the outer side of the vehicle 31 as described above
By providing the uetooth function, there is no need to install a data transfer cable each time, and the installation of the equipment can be performed very easily.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an in-vehicle information processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an installation example of an antenna in the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, a vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of antennas,
A Bluetooth antenna 51 and an external Bluetooth antenna 52 are provided.
It is configured to be connected to the uetooth module 23. The antenna switching / combining circuit 53 combines the signals of the two antennas 51 and 52 and uses them simultaneously.
Alternatively, one of the antennas is used depending on the application. That is, in the in-vehicle information processing device 1, the vehicle 3
1 enables the in-vehicle Bluetooth antenna 51 when the application for communicating with the electronic device in the device 1 is operating, and when the application for communicating with the device outside the vehicle is operating, the Bluetooth antenna for the outside vehicle is active. Enable only 52.

The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so that the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 7 shows an example of installation of the Bluetooth antenna 51 for the inside of the vehicle and the Bluetooth antenna 52 for the outside of the vehicle. That is, the in-vehicle Bluetooth antenna 51 is provided on the front panel 34 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus main body 1A as in the case of FIG. 3, and the out-of-vehicle Bluetooth antenna 52 is provided on the front end portion of the outer top plate of the vehicle 31. An example is shown. In this case, Bluetooth outside the car
The feeder of the antenna 52 for the vehicle through the inside of the vehicle 31,
The power supply unit and the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus main body 1A are connected by a coaxial cable 54.

The on-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 having the external Bluetooth antenna 52 is an electronic device installed outside the vehicle, for example, a fueling device 61 with a Bluetooth function at a gas station as shown in FIG. Device 6
Communication with a terminal 62 with a Bluetooth function installed near the stop position corresponding to No. 1 or a terminal with a Bluetooth function (not shown) installed corresponding to each parking position in the parking lot.

By providing the Bluetooth antenna 52 for outside the vehicle together with the Bluetooth antenna 51 for inside the vehicle as described above, it is possible to efficiently and surely communicate with electronic devices installed outside the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the case where Bluetooth is used as the wireless communication means has been described. However, it goes without saying that other short-range wireless communication means may be used. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a vehicle as a vehicle is described. However, the present invention can be applied to a small boat or the like in the same manner as the above-described embodiment.

[0038]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a vehicle information processing device for processing information for various electronic devices is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and a wireless information processing device provided in the vehicle information processing device is provided. Since the communication antenna is installed on the ceiling in the vehicle or on the front panel of the vehicle information processing device, the mobile phone, the portable personal computer, the portable audio player, and the It is possible to efficiently perform wireless communication with various electronic devices such as a camera unit provided outside the vehicle. Also,
By installing an antenna for wireless communication near the center of the ceiling in the vehicle, the distance to each position in the vehicle is equalized, and the communication efficiency with electronic equipment at a specific position is reduced. Can be prevented.

Therefore, various data can be efficiently and reliably exchanged between the vehicle information processing apparatus and other various electronic devices without connecting cables. Further, since there is no need to connect a cable to an electronic device provided on the outer side of the vehicle, the installation can be performed very easily.

Further, in the present invention, since the in-vehicle communication antenna and the out-of-vehicle communication antenna are provided as the antenna of the wireless communication means, for example, when the present invention is implemented as an in-vehicle information processing device, it is installed outside the vehicle. It is possible to communicate efficiently and reliably with an electronic device, for example, a refueling device provided with wireless communication means in a gas station, or a terminal provided with wireless communication means installed near a stop position corresponding to the refueling device.

Further, according to the present invention, an in-vehicle communication antenna and an out-of-vehicle communication antenna are connected to wireless communication means via an antenna switching / synthesizing circuit, so that the in-vehicle information processing apparatus performs functions in the vehicle. Since the communication antenna and the off-vehicle communication antenna are switched and used, the two antennas can be efficiently switched and used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing an installation example of an antenna according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a view showing another installation example of the antenna according to the embodiment in the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing an example of communication between the in-vehicle information processing apparatus and various electronic devices in the vehicle in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing an example of communication between the in-vehicle information processing apparatus and an electronic device provided outside the vehicle in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of installation of an in-vehicle Bluetooth antenna and an out-of-vehicle Bluetooth antenna in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a Bluetoot installed outside the vehicle according to the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication with various electronic devices having the h function.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Onboard information processing apparatus 1A Onboard information processing apparatus main body 10 CPU 11 Internal bus 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 VRAM 15 LCD controller 16 LCD 17 Touch panel 18 GPS antenna 19 GPS device 20 DVD-ROM 21 Large-capacity flash memory 22 Bluetooth antenna 23 Bluetooth Module 24 Vehicle Information Input Interface 25 Music Playback Device 31 Vehicle 32 Coaxial Cable 33 Vehicle Console 34 Front Panel of In-Vehicle Information Processing Device 41 Mobile Phone with Bluetooth Function 42 Microphone Unit with Bluetooth Function 43 Portable Audio with Bluetooth Function Player 44 Personal computer with Bluetooth function 45 Personal information equipment (PDA) with Bluetooth function 46 Front bumper 47 Ranging unit with Bluetooth function 48 With Bluetooth function Bluetooth antenna 53 antenna switching / combining circuit 54 coaxial cable 61 Bluetooth function of the fuel supply device 62 Bluetooth function of the terminal of the camera unit 51 for Bluetooth antenna 52 outside of the in-vehicle

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (Reference) H04L 12/28 H04L 11/00 310B F-term (Reference) 3D020 BA06 BA13 BB01 BC03 BC04 BD05 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB13 FF05 FF22 FF27 FF33 5K033 AA01 BA06 CB01 DA19 DB01 DB04 DB21 5K067 AA23 AA34 BB36 BB41 CC04 CC10 EE35 JJ56 KK03 KK13 KK15

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle information processing apparatus main body mounted on a vehicle and processing information for an electronic device, and a wireless communication antenna installed on a ceiling in the vehicle and connected to the vehicle information processing apparatus main body. And a wireless communication unit provided in the vehicle information processing apparatus main body and configured to perform wireless communication with an electronic device via the wireless communication antenna. 2. The vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication antenna is installed near a center of a ceiling in the vehicle. 3. A vehicle information processing device mounted on a vehicle for processing information for an electronic device, a wireless communication antenna installed on a front panel of the vehicle information processing device main body, and the vehicle information processing device. And a wireless communication means provided on the main body for performing wireless communication with an electronic device in the vehicle via the wireless communication antenna. 4. A vehicle information processing apparatus main body mounted on a vehicle and processing information for an electronic device, and a vehicle connected to the vehicle information processing apparatus main body and performing wireless communication with an electronic device in the vehicle. An internal communication antenna, an external vehicle communication antenna connected to the vehicle information processing device main body, and performing wireless communication with an electronic device outside the vehicle; and A wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with an electronic device via an internal communication antenna and an external vehicle communication antenna, and an information processing apparatus for a vehicle. 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle information processing apparatus main body includes switching means for switching between an in-vehicle communication antenna and an out-of-vehicle communication antenna according to a function to be performed. Information processing device. 6. The vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile. 7. A vehicle information processing apparatus main body mounted on a vehicle on which a plurality of persons can ride and processing information for a portable electronic device, and equalizing distances from positions of the plurality of persons in the vehicle. A wireless communication antenna installed in an area to be connected and connected to the vehicle information processing device main body; and a portable electronic device provided in the vehicle information processing device main body via the wireless communication antenna. An information processing apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: wireless communication means for performing wireless communication between them.