JP2006157304A - Information communication system and on-vehicle information communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to easily identify the state, etc. of a local spot communication network. <P>SOLUTION: An on-vehicle information communication apparatus includes a GPS receiver 4, a broad communication apparatus 5, and a local spot communication apparatus 6. The on-vehicle information communication apparatus has a database 10 for holding data about the local spot communication network. If a vehicle reaches the vicinity of the communication area of the local spot communication network, the display showing the communication area is displayed on a display screen. The information about the local spot communication network can be received through the broad communication apparatus 5 from the local spot generalization part, the information of the communication area can be updated and a practical display can be performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information communication system and an in-vehicle information communication apparatus that enable acquisition of information by moving a vehicle into an area.

  In recent years, with the development of wireless technology, not only communication systems that enable wide-area communication, such as mobile phones, but also comparisons of DSRC (Delicate Short Range Communication) adopted by Bluetooth, ETC, etc. Communication systems that enable local spot communication in a narrow range are also rapidly spreading. An automobile equipped with a communication function for performing such local spot communication has also been developed.

  By moving a vehicle equipped with a local spot communication device to a communicable area of the local spot, information can be exchanged between the vehicle and the base station of the local spot. For example, by moving a car to the dealer's premises which is a local spot station, various information on the car is automatically acquired by the dealer's information processing device, or conversely, in the dealer's various databases. It is also possible to transfer information to the car.

Furthermore, it is conceivable that information can be effectively acquired while using a car by setting a store or public institution having a parking lot as a local spot.
JP 2002-291848 A

  However, it is difficult for the user to know the local spots that can communicate with the in-vehicle information communication device during driving of the automobile, except for the limited local spots. For example, even if a list in which local spots are described in advance is owned, it is difficult to check in which local spot in the list the communicable area of the vehicle is located. Moreover, in the case of an in-vehicle communication system, depending on the position of the in-vehicle antenna, the orientation of the vehicle, etc., communication may not be possible even within the local spot communicable area. It is also possible that a failure of the device may occur, and it is extremely difficult to know the range of local spots that can be communicated.

  Although Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying a communicable area of a mobile phone and a route to the mobile phone, this proposal cannot know a communicable area of a local spot.

  The present invention provides information that can promote the use of a communicable local spot in an in-vehicle communication device by enabling the display of the communicable area of the local spot and the updating of the communicable area information of the local spot. An object is to provide a communication system and an in-vehicle information communication device.

  The in-vehicle information communication apparatus according to the present invention includes a database in which information about local spots and map data are stored, a position detection unit that detects the position of the vehicle, the map data read from the database, and the position detection unit. Based on the information of the detected position of the own vehicle, a first display means for displaying a display indicating the position of the own vehicle on a map, and a communicable area of the local spot on the map by the first display means And a second display means for displaying a display indicating the above.

  In addition, the information communication system according to the present invention includes a local spot control unit that holds information about a local spot communication network provided by a local spot base station, and communication with the local spot communication network and a wide area communication network that are mounted on a vehicle. And an in-vehicle information communication device capable of communicating with the local spot control unit via the network.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, utilization of the local spot which can communicate can be promoted in a vehicle-mounted information communication apparatus by enabling the display of the communicable area of a local spot, and the update of the information of the communicable area of a local spot. It has the effect.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vehicle information communication apparatus employed in an information communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  This embodiment is an example in which a communicable area of a local spot can be presented by a car navigation device mounted on an automobile.

  In FIG. 1, the in-vehicle information communication device is mounted on a vehicle and includes a GPS receiving unit 4, a wide area communication device 5, and a local spot communication device 6. The GPS receiver 4 receives a position detection signal from an unillustrated GPS satellite via the antenna 1. The GPS receiver 4 outputs the received position detection signal to the position detector 7. The position detector 7 is provided with a position detection signal from the GPS receiver 4 and can determine the exact position of the vehicle. The detection result of the position detector 7 is given to the control circuit 9. The GPS receiver 4, the position detector 7 and the control circuit 9 constitute a position detector.

  Note that the GPS receiving unit 4, the position detecting unit 7, the control circuit 9, and the database 10 and the display unit 11, which will be described later, can be configured using an existing car navigation system. In addition to the current position information obtained by the GPS receiver 5, the control circuit 9 is also provided with signals from a vehicle speed sensor, a direction sensor, etc. (not shown). It can be used as guidance data.

  The database 10 can be constituted by a CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk, or the like, and stores map data and various information. Based on the current position information from the position detector 7 and information from various sensors, the control circuit 9 generates route guidance display data for displaying a mark indicating the position of the vehicle on the map. The control circuit 9 as the first display means can display a route guidance display on the display unit 11.

  In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle information communication device includes a wide area communication device 5 and a local spot communication device 6. The wide area communication device 5 can transmit and receive signals to and from the wide area communication network BR (see FIG. 2) via the antenna 2. For example, as the wide area communication network BR, a cellular phone network, a PHS telephone network, or a wide area wireless LAN can be considered. In the present embodiment, it is necessary for the wide area communication device 5 to reliably send and receive signals to and from a relatively wide area wide area network BR, and it is desirable to use a mobile phone network.

  The local spot communication device 6 can transmit and receive signals to and from one or more local spot communication networks L1, L2,... (See FIG. 2) via the antenna 3. For example, as the local spot communication networks L1, L2,..., There are a Bluetooth communication network, a DSRC communication network, and the like capable of near field communication.

  The communication processing unit 8 performs predetermined signal processing on the received signals from the wide area communication device 5 and the local spot communication device 6 and then outputs the signals to the control circuit 9, and performs predetermined signal processing on the transmission signals from the control circuit 9. And output to the wide area communication device 5 and the local spot communication device 6.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an information communication system including a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle information communication device and a local spot.

  The local spot communication networks L1, L2,... (Hereinafter, representatively L) are constructed in a space near a public facility or store where a car can be stopped (for example, a parking lot) or a car dealer. By stopping the automobiles T1, T2,... In this space, the local spot communication device 6 can perform near field communication via the local spot communication network L. The local spot communication networks L1, L2,... Are managed by local spot base stations ST1, ST2,... (Hereinafter, representatively ST), and the local spot communication devices 6 of the automobiles T1, T2,. Can communicate only with base stations ST1, ST2,... That manage local spot communication networks L1, L2,.

  The wide area communication network BR is set in a very wide range, for example, if it is a mobile phone network. The wide area communication network base station BA manages the wide area communication network BR, and permits communication between terminals connected to the wide area communication network. In the example of FIG. 2, the wide area communication network base station BA makes a wide area communication apparatus 5 in each automobile T1, T2,... And a wide area communication apparatus (not shown) in the local spot base stations ST1, ST2,. It enables communication between the general managers LM.

  The local spot management unit LM holds information about each local spot communication network L1, L2,... (Hereinafter referred to as local spot data) as a database. Further, the local spot management unit LM communicates with the base stations ST1, ST2,... That sequentially manage the local spot communication networks L1, L2,. To update). For example, the local spot data includes location information of the local spot communication network, information indicating that communication is disabled due to a failure, and the like.

  When an inquiry about the local spot communication network to which each car currently belongs is issued from the wide area communication device 5 of each car, the local spot management unit LM sends local spot data on the target local spot to each car. It can be sent.

  The control circuit 9 can establish communication between the local spot communication device 5 and the local spot base station ST by controlling the communication processing unit 8. Further, the control circuit 9 can establish communication between the wide area communication device 5 and another wide area communication device via the wide area communication network BR by controlling the communication processing unit 8.

  As described above, the database 10 holds map data and local spot data for each of the local spot communication networks L1, L2,. The control circuit 9 is configured to update the database 10 with the received local spot data when the local spot data is given from the local spot managing unit LM via the wide area communication network BR. The display unit 11 is controlled by the control circuit 9 as the second display means, and can display a display indicating a communicable area (hereinafter referred to as a communication area) of the local spot communication network on the map. ing.

  Note that the wide area communication device 5 and the local spot communication device 6 may each support a plurality of types of communication methods.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a display process for displaying a communicable area (communication area) of the local spot communication network. 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams showing display examples of communication area display.

  Now, it is assumed that the A city hall provides a local spot communication network, and the automobile T11 equipped with the in-vehicle information communication device of FIG. 1 is located in the vicinity of the A city hall. FIG. 4 shows a communication area display of the display unit 11 in this case.

  The control circuit 9 executes the process of FIG. 3 to display the communication area display. That is, in step S1, the control circuit 9 controls the position detector 7 and acquires position data indicating the current position. The position detector 7 outputs position data detected by the received signal of the GPS receiver 4 to the control circuit 9.

  Next, the control circuit 9 accesses the database 10 and acquires map data in step S2. In this case, the control circuit 9 acquires map data around the current position. Next, in step S <b> 3, the control circuit 9 acquires information on the local spot communication network near the current position from the database 10.

  The control circuit 9 generates display data for displaying the communication area based on the current position data, map data, and local spot data (step S4). In step S5, the control circuit 9 gives display data to the display unit 11 to display the communication area display.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the communication area display. In FIG. 4, it turns out that the own vehicle T11 is located in the A city hall vicinity as it faced the A city hall. The City Hall A provides two communication areas. In FIG. 4, each communication area is indicated by a network line or a hatched area. These communication areas A11 and A12 have different communication methods. For example, the communication area A11 (communication a in FIG. 4) is based on a Bluetooth communication network, and the communication area A12 (communication b in FIG. 4) is DSRC. This is due to the communication network.

  FIG. 5 shows a communication area display when the automobile T11 stops in the communication area A11. When the A city hall is functioning normally as the local spot base station ST in FIG. 2, information can be exchanged with the A city hall by stopping the automobile in the communication areas A11 and A12. it is conceivable that.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the communicable area of the local spot communication network near the current position of the host vehicle can be displayed on the map, and the user can move the car while viewing the communication area display. Communication via a local spot communication network can be performed.

  By the way, since the local spot communication network employs relatively weak near field communication, the communication area is affected by various conditions. Furthermore, there may be an error in the information on the communication area of the local spot communication network stored in the database 10, and the communication area may fluctuate under various conditions and may be different from the information stored in the database 10. is there. Further, communication may be disabled due to a failure of an in-vehicle information communication apparatus mounted on the vehicle or a base station providing a local spot communication network.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the reason for the inability to communicate is determined and presented to the user. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the diagnostic processing flow in this case, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are explanatory diagrams showing display examples of the diagnostic result display.

  The control circuit 9 acquires position data in step S11 of FIG. Next, the control circuit 9 acquires local spot data in step S12. In the next step S13, the control circuit 9 compares the position of the local spot communication network, that is, the communication area based on the local spot data held in the database 10 with the current position of the vehicle. If the current position of the host vehicle is not within the communication area, the processes of steps S11 to S13 are repeated.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the automobile T11 'stops in the communication area of the local spot communication network. The control circuit 9 determines that the current position of the vehicle is within the communication area, and starts communication via the local spot communication network in the next step S14.

  That is, the control circuit 9 controls the communication processing unit 8 to cause the local spot communication device 6 to transmit a communication request to a local spot communication device (not shown) in the A city hall that is a local spot base station. A local spot communication device that provides a local spot communication network is configured to respond to communication from a vehicle, and in response to a communication request, a predetermined response signal is sent to the local spot communication device 6 in the corresponding vehicle. Send.

  Note that the communication mode is not limited to responding to communication from the vehicle, but the local spot side can always detect the presence of the vehicle in the communication area and start communication from the local spot side.

  This response signal is received by the local spot communication device 6 in the automobile T <b> 11 ′ and supplied to the control circuit 9 via the communication processing unit 8. Thereby, the control circuit 9 determines that communication has been established. That is, the control circuit 9 proceeds from step S16 to step S17 and determines that communication within the local spot communication network is normally performed.

  Here, it is assumed that the automobile T11 'cannot establish communication through the local spot communication network due to a failure of the communication device of the city hall A that provides the local spot communication network. In this case, the process proceeds from step S16 to step S18. That is, the control circuit 9 determines that the in-vehicle information communication apparatus or the local spot base station side that provides the local spot communication network has a failure.

  In this case, the control circuit 9 can display, for example, a diagnostic display shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 7, the message “The system is operating but cannot communicate. Please change the parking location” is displayed.

  The control circuit 9 starts self-diagnosis in the next step S19. Various self-diagnosis systems are installed in the vehicle, and a failure of the local spot communication device 6, the communication processing unit 8, the database 10, or the like can be detected. If it is determined by failure diagnosis that these devices are not broken (step S20), the control circuit 9 can communicate with the local spot communication network due to a failure on the local spot base station side. It is determined that there has not been (step S22).

  In this case, in step S23, the failure of the local spot is notified using the wide area communication network, and for example, a diagnostic display shown in FIG. 8 is displayed (step S24). In FIG. 8, in order to indicate that a problem has occurred in the local spot base station, an X mark is displayed in the area of the communication area A11, and a message “Communication system is stopped. Is displayed.

  On the other hand, the control circuit 9 can communicate with the local spot communication network due to the failure on the in-vehicle information communication device side when the failure diagnosis detects that the device has failed (step S20). Judge that there was no. In this case, in step S24, for example, the diagnostic display shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In FIG. 9, a cross is displayed in the area of the communication area A11 without displaying a message display.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is also possible to actively acquire information on failures of local spot base stations by using a wide area communication network.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining this operation. In FIG. 10, the same steps as those in FIG.

  As described above, the local spot management unit LM that controls each local spot communication network sequentially communicates with each local spot base station to acquire information on the local spots (step S35). Then, the local spot management unit LM constructs a local spot database based on the data acquired in step S36. Note that the local spot management unit LM updates the local spot database at an appropriate timing.

  If the control circuit 9 of the in-vehicle information communication device cannot establish communication with the local spot base station in step S16 even though the position of the vehicle is within the communication area, Is used to inquire about the state of the local spot communication network to which the local spot management unit LM belongs.

  That is, in step S31, the control circuit 9 controls the communication processing unit 8 to transmit data for state inquiry from the wide area communication device 5.

  This inquiry is supplied to the local spot management unit LM via the wide area communication network BR. The local spot management unit LM creates information on the target local spot communication network based on the local spot database created in advance (step S38). In the next step S39, the local spot management unit LM transmits a response to the wide-area communication device 5 of the car that has made the inquiry. When an inquiry about a local spot occurs, the local spot management unit LM makes an inquiry to the target local spot base station to acquire the latest information, and then the wide area of the automobile that has inquired about the acquired information. You may make it transmit with respect to the communication apparatus 5. FIG.

  When receiving the answer (step S32), the control circuit 9 determines whether or not the target local spot base station is out of order based on the information from the local spot managing unit LM (step S33). The control circuit 9 displays a diagnostic display corresponding to the cause of the communication failure (step S34).

  By the way, as described above, in the local spot communication network, the reception level may be significantly different depending on the direction of the antenna or the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the direction of the antenna that is optimal for reception, that is, the recommended direction of the automobile when the vehicle is stopped is presented to the user.

  The control circuit 9 reads information about the state of the local spot communication network at the current position from the database 10. Based on the read information, the control circuit 9 calculates the direction of the vehicle for obtaining a sufficient reception level or a maximum reception level within the target communication area. The control circuit 9 creates display data indicating the obtained vehicle direction and outputs the display data to the display unit 11.

  11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams showing display examples in this case. In FIG. 11, for the communication areas A11 and A12, the orientation of the vehicle for obtaining a sufficient reception level or the maximum reception level is shown by filling. The vertex of the filled isosceles triangle corresponds to the front of the vehicle. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the automobile T11 stops in the communication area A11 (reference numeral T11 ').

  Further, as described above, communication using the local spot communication network may not be possible even in the communication area due to the performance of the antenna and the receiver of the vehicle, or due to a problem of GPS accuracy. Therefore, the information on the communication area of the local spot communication network can be changed according to the actual communication state of the vehicle.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in this case. In FIG. 13, the same steps as those in FIG.

  The control circuit 9 acquires position data of the current position of the vehicle and local spot data, and grasps the positional relationship between the vehicle and the local spot. When the own vehicle is located in the vicinity including the communication area of the target local spot, the control circuit 9 starts communication by the local spot communication device 6 in step S15. The control circuit 9 determines whether or not communication is possible in step S16.

  In the present embodiment, the process proceeds to step S41 when communication through the local spot communication network is possible at the current position, and the process proceeds to step S43 when communication is not possible. For example, if it is determined that communication via the local spot communication network is possible, the control circuit 9 determines whether or not the current position is within the communicable area in step S41. When the current position of the host vehicle is within the communication area, it is considered that the information on the communication area stored in the database 10 is correct.

  On the other hand, when the current position of the vehicle is not within the communication area, it is possible that communication is possible in a wider range than the communication area based on the information stored in the database 10. Therefore, the control circuit 9 changes the information of the communication area so as to include the current position in the communication area, and updates the database 10 (step S42).

  If the control circuit 9 determines in step S16 that communication using the local spot communication network is impossible, it determines in step S43 whether or not the current position is within the communicable area. When the current position of the vehicle is outside the communication area, the information on the communication area stored in the database 10 is considered correct.

  On the other hand, when the current position of the host vehicle is within the communication area, it is conceivable that the communicable range is narrower than the communication area based on the information stored in the database 10. Therefore, the control circuit 9 updates the database 10 by changing the information on the communication area so as to remove the current position from the communication area. The control circuit 9 generates display data based on the updated database (step S45), and displays it on the display unit 11 (step S46).

  FIG. 14 shows a display example when the process of step S44 of FIG. 13 is executed in the display state of FIG. FIG. 14 shows that the position of the vehicle T11 'parked in the communication area A11 is removed from the communication area. In the example of FIG. 14, the control circuit 9 displays a message “Change the area because the system is in operation but communication is not possible. Please change the parking location”.

  As a result, the communication area shown in FIG. 14 is subsequently displayed as the communication area of the local spot communication network provided by the A city hall for the vehicle.

  Further, by changing the display of the communication area according to the vehicle type, antenna performance, etc., it is possible to more easily grasp the communication state with respect to the local spot communication network.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an operation flow for this purpose.

  It is conceivable that the communication performance changes significantly depending on the direction of the vehicle and the form of the vehicle. For example, depending on the type of sedan, wagon, truck,.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the influence on communication by the type of vehicle.

  The vehicle 21 in FIG. 16A shows a sedan. For the vehicle 21, the antenna 22 is disposed on the front side of the vehicle, for example. The sedan is fitted with glass in front of the driver seat and behind the rear seat, and the antenna 22 can receive both radio waves from the front of the vehicle 21 and radio waves from the rear. In the example of FIG. 16, since the antenna 22 is arranged on the front side, the reception performance is better when radio waves arrive from the front of the vehicle than when the radio waves arrive from the rear.

  The vehicle 25 in FIG. 16B shows a truck. For the vehicle 25, for example, an antenna 26 is disposed on an instrument panel in front of the vehicle 25. In the case of a truck, it has a metal carrier at the rear, and radio waves coming from the rear of the vehicle 25 are significantly attenuated and incident on the antenna 26. Therefore, in the truck vehicle 25, it is considered that the antenna 26 can only receive radio waves from the front of the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, the reception electric field level is set stepwise for each direction of the vehicle, and the display of the communication area is changed according to each reception electric field level. For example, the smaller the received electric field level, the smaller the display of the communication area.

  Tables 1 and 2 below show reception level maps for sedans and tracks, respectively. The reception level map indicates the relationship between the vehicle direction, the received electric field level, and the display (display size), and is stored in the database 10 of each vehicle, for example. Each automobile only needs to hold a reception level map corresponding to the type of the own vehicle.

[Table 1]
Reception level map for sedan 0 degrees toward the roadside antenna Reception level 5 (display size 100%)
45 degrees reception level 4 (display size 80%)
90 degrees reception level 3 (display size 60%)
135 degrees reception level 2 (display size 40%)
180 degrees reception level 1 (display size 20%)
[Table 2]
Receiving level map for trucks Direction of car relative to roadside antenna 0 degrees Reception level 5 (Display size 100%)
45 degrees reception level 4 (display size 80%)
90 degrees reception level 3 (display size 60%)
135 degrees reception level 0 (reception impossible display)
180 degrees reception level 0 (unreceivable display)
The control circuit 9 detects the direction of the vehicle in step S51 of FIG. For this detection, for example, GPS is used. The control circuit 9 determines the reception electric field level in the next step S52. In this case, reference is made to the reception level maps in Tables 1 and 2 above. The reception level maps in Tables 1 and 2 may be registered in advance in the database 10 based on statistically obtained information, and the actually received results are stored in the database 10. It may be.

  In step S53, the control circuit 9 changes the display state of the communication area, for example, the display shape, according to the received electric field level determined according to the direction of the host vehicle. For example, in the case of Table 1, the display size is changed according to the reception levels 1 to 5. The control circuit 9 performs display on the screen of the display unit 11 with the changed display shape.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of this display.

  The example of FIG. 17 shows an example in which the vehicle T11 is stopped in the direction different from the recommended direction in the communication area A11 by 180 degrees from the state of FIG. 11 (reference numeral T11 '). In the example of FIG. 17, the control circuit 9 displays a message “The system is in operation but communication is not possible. Change the direction of the vehicle”. The user can recognize the actual range of the communication area of the local spot communication network from the display of FIG. 17 and can recognize that the received electric field level is low in the current vehicle direction.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the state of the local spot communication network, without using a wide area communication network such as a public communication network, only when the vehicle has reached the vicinity of the communication area of the local spot communication network, Information such as the communication area and the vehicle position and orientation suitable for communication can be obtained.

The block diagram which shows the vehicle-mounted information communication apparatus employ | adopted as the information communication system which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the whole information communication system containing the motor vehicle carrying a vehicle-mounted information communication apparatus, and a local spot. The flowchart which shows the display process for displaying the communicable area of a local spot communication network. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of communication area display. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of communication area display. The flowchart which shows a diagnostic processing flow. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of a diagnostic result display. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of a diagnostic result display. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of a diagnostic result display. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement when acquiring the information of the malfunction of a local spot base station actively. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display in the case of displaying the direction of the recommended vehicle. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which motor vehicle T11 stopped in communication area A11. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow of an information correction process. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display for demonstrating the change of the display accompanying an information correction process. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow of an information correction process. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the influence on the communication by the kind of vehicle. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change of the display state according to the direction of a vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1-3 ... Antenna, 4 ... GPS receiving part, 5 ... Wide area communication apparatus, 6 ... Local spot communication apparatus, 7 ... Position detection part, 8 ... Communication processing part, 9 ... Control circuit, 10 ... Database, 11 ... Display part .

      Agent Patent Attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (4)

A database storing information about local spots and map data;
Position detecting means for detecting the position of the own vehicle;
First display means for displaying a display indicating the position of the vehicle on a map based on the map data read from the database and information on the position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means;
An in-vehicle information communication apparatus comprising: a second display unit configured to display a display indicating a communicable area of the local spot on a map by the first display unit. Local spot communication means for communicating with the base station of the local spot;
Diagnostic means for diagnosing a failure of the local spot communication means,
When the second display means is incapable of communication by the local spot communication means in the communicable area and the diagnosis means has diagnosed that the local spot communication means has not failed, the second display means The in-vehicle information communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that a failure has occurred in the base station of the local spot, and a display to that effect is displayed. Local spot management means for holding information about the local spot communication network provided by the local spot base station;
An information communication system, comprising: an in-vehicle information communication device mounted on a vehicle and capable of communicating with the local spot communication network and communicating with the local spot control unit via a wide area communication network. The in-vehicle information communication device is
A database storing information about local spots and map data;
Position detecting means for detecting the position of the own vehicle;
First display means for displaying a display indicating the position of the vehicle on a map based on the map data read from the database and information on the position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means;
Second display means for displaying a display showing the communicable area of the local spot on the map by the first display means,
3. The information communication system according to claim 2, wherein the database is updated with information on the local spot provided from the local spot managing unit via the wide area communication network.

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