JP2011019066A - Communication apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve low power consumption in a communication apparatus for vehicle use.SOLUTION: The communication apparatus for vehicle use includes: an on-board device (10) communicable with a mobile terminal (20); a repeater (11), at least one or more of which is arranged in a vehicle interior of a vehicle, and can perform wireless communication with the mobile terminal and also can communicate with the on-board device so as to relay the mobile terminal and the on-board device; a setting means (103) which can set a communication path between the mobile terminal and the on-board device, including setting as to whether to relay by the repeater, in accordance with the arrangement of a movable object existing in the vehicle interior; a detecting means (300) for detecting the movement of the movable object; and a control means (102) for controlling the setting means so as to set the communication path again when the movement is detected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of an in-vehicle communication device that performs communication with a mobile terminal in a vehicle interior, for example.

  As this type of device, Patent Document 1 discloses a device including an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Controlled Unit) disposed on the front side in a vehicle interior and a repeater with an antenna disposed on the rear side. This repeater is installed in a place with good visibility such as a ceiling in a vehicle cabin, and the directivity of the antenna can be switched according to the radio wave condition. Thereby, it is supposed that it can communicate flexibly corresponding to various types of vehicles having different vehicle interior structures.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus that can switch between a hands-free call and a handset call by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) when a vehicle occupant brings a mobile phone into the passenger compartment. .

  In Patent Document 3, a patch antenna for relaying short-range wireless communication between a car navigation device installed in the vicinity of a front panel and a mobile communication terminal is provided in a ceiling in a vehicle interior in accordance with a radio wave state. An apparatus for switching patch antennas is disclosed.

JP 2008-103821 A JP-A-2005-354122 JP 2008-44489 A

  There is a general demand for lower power consumption in devices mounted on this type of vehicle, and this demand is very strong under recent eco-promotion.

  However, according to the various background arts described above, the personnel arrangement of the passengers, the loading position of the luggage, the seat so that the communication stability is not impaired by shielding the communication radio wave by the person or the seat. Depending on the position and the like, the measurement of the radio wave condition in the vehicle and the setting of the communication path are always performed. Since such measurement of radio wave conditions and communication path setting involve a power consumption that cannot be ignored, it is inherently difficult to achieve both stability of communication and low power consumption. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, for example, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle communication device that is excellent in low power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention has at least one in-vehicle device capable of communicating with a mobile terminal and at least one in a vehicle cabin, and relays between the mobile terminal and the in-vehicle device. In addition, a repeater that can communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal and can communicate with the in-vehicle device, and a setting for whether or not the communication path between the mobile terminal and the in-vehicle device is relayed by the repeater are included. A setting unit that can be set according to the arrangement of the movable object existing in the vehicle interior, a detection unit that detects the movement of the movable object, and the communication path is reset when the movement is detected. As described above, a control means for controlling the setting means is provided.

  According to the vehicle-mounted communication device according to the present invention, when the mobile terminal is brought into the vehicle compartment and used, it operates as follows. Here, the “portable terminal” according to the present invention is typically a mobile phone, but may be other portable devices such as mobile devices and small personal computers that can be carried in the vehicle interior. The “in-vehicle device” according to the present invention is, for example, an in-vehicle navigation device, and is fixed in advance at a predetermined position of the vehicle, for example, near the control panel, near the dashboard, or near the front window on the front side of the vehicle interior. Various functions such as an audio function and a long-distance wireless communication function may be optionally provided.

  First, an in-vehicle device can communicate with a mobile phone using, for example, wireless communication such as short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). If there are no obstacles, communication is possible without requiring relaying with a repeater. For example, as an initial state, communication between the mobile terminal and the in-vehicle device is established without relaying with a repeater. Alternatively, as described below, communication between the mobile terminal and the in-vehicle device is established by relaying with a repeater after setting the communication path performed last time. The communication between the in-vehicle device and the repeater may be wired communication using a cable wired in the vehicle interior or the vehicle body because the repeater is fixed at a predetermined position in the vehicle interior. It can also be performed by communication.

  In such a state, the detection means detects the movement of a movable object such as a person, a luggage, or a seat in response to a predetermined type of trigger or event periodically or irregularly. Here, “movement is detected” means that at least the presence or absence of movement is detected, and it is optional to detect movement details (for example, identification of movable objects, types and contents of movement). is there. “Detection” means that the movement is specified based on one or a plurality of physical quantities (or parameters) having a causal relationship or correlation with “movement of the movable object” in some form. For example, it includes detecting, specifying or estimating directly or indirectly based on output values of one or a plurality of sensors. As described above, the “detecting means” includes, for example, such a sensor and a processor for processing the output value.

  When the movement of the movable object is detected in this way, for example, by a setting unit that can variably set a communication path between the portable terminal and the in-vehicle device under the control of a control unit including a controller, a processor, a memory, and the like. The communication path is reset according to the arrangement of the movable object existing in the vehicle interior.

  Here, “reset the communication path according to the arrangement of the movable object” means that among the plurality of communication path candidates set in advance or up to the previous time, the arrangement of the movable object is more than the other candidates. This means that a suitable (ideally, most suitable) one is selected anew, or such one communication path is newly determined, and includes setting whether or not to relay by a repeater. Furthermore, when there are a plurality of repeaters, the setting of which relay device to select may be included. Furthermore, when each repeater has multiple antennas, it is possible to set which antenna is used as the antenna that is more suitable (ideally most suitable) than the other antennas for the arrangement of moving objects. For the antenna to be used, setting of a more suitable or most suitable transmission power value, and further setting of physical numerical values related to transmission / reception of radio waves such as delay spread and minimum reception power may be included. As described above, the “setting unit” includes, for example, a detection unit such as a sensor that detects the sensitivity of each antenna and each repeater, a determination unit that determines whether the sensitivity is high or low, and a memory that stores communication paths set in the past. And the like, and is configured to set a communication path with the highest or most stable communication while suppressing power consumption. For example, the communication stability is set so as to reduce the power consumption to the limit under the condition that the specification can be satisfied with a certain margin. Such “setting means” may include, for example, a controller, a processor, a memory, or the like that is common to or different from (ie, dedicated to) the control means.

  The “repeater” according to the present invention is capable of short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal and wired communication with an in-vehicle device. Built in the body ECU at each door (for example, four locations for a four-door vehicle and five locations for a five-door vehicle) and behind the vehicle interior (near the rear window on the rear side of the rear seat) It may be provided.

  Therefore, for example, if the initial state is a state where the relay device does not relay, when the radio wave sensitivity in the in-vehicle device deteriorates, the deterioration is detected by the detection means as indirectly indicating the movement of the movable object. Thus, the communication path for relaying by the repeater is reset by the setting means. Such a radio wave condition may be checked or monitored regularly or irregularly by the detection means.

  As described above, when the movement of the movable object is detected, various operations related to the resetting of the communication path are performed with power consumption that cannot be ignored. On the contrary, when the movement of the movable object is not detected, basically, various operations relating to the resetting of the communication path are not performed, so that the power consumption can be reduced. Moreover, if the communication path is not reset, it can be assumed that the currently set (i.e., initially set or previously set) communication path is still valid because the movable object has not moved, Even if various operations related to the resetting of the communication path are not performed, there is little or no possibility that the stability of the communication is threatened in a practical sense.

  As a result, communication stability is not impaired by shielding radio waves for communication by people or seats, and it is necessary depending on the personnel arrangement of the passenger, the loading position of the luggage, the seat position, etc. In some cases, radio wave conditions in the passenger compartment are measured and communication paths are set as appropriate. Therefore, it becomes possible to achieve both the stability of communication and the reduction of power consumption, and meet the social demand for eco promotion.

  In one aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, a plurality of the repeaters are arranged at different locations in the vehicle interior, and the setting means includes any one of the plurality of arranged repeaters. The communication path is reset, including whether to use for relay.

  According to this aspect, for example, one repeater is built in one body ECU, and such a repeater includes a right front door, a left front door, a right rear door, a left rear door, the rear of a rear seat, and the like. A plurality of them are arranged.

  During the operation, if the movement of the movable object is detected, the communication is performed under the control of the control means, including setting of which one of a plurality of repeaters to be used for relaying by the setting means. The route is reset. That is, of the plurality of repeaters, one repeater that is more suitable (ideally most suitable) than the other repeaters is used. Moreover, the resetting including the selection of the relay device is performed when the movement of the movable object is detected, and various operations relating to the unnecessary or unnecessary resetting are performed little or not.

  In another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the repeater includes a radio wave receiving unit that has variable directivity with respect to a communication radio wave transmitted to and received from the mobile terminal, and the setting unit includes: The communication path is reset including the directivity setting.

  According to this aspect, for example, one repeater is incorporated in one body ECU, and has radio wave receiving means including a plurality of antennas whose directivities are variable.

  During the operation, when the movement of the movable object is detected, the communication path is reset by the setting means, including setting of which antenna to use, under the control of the control means. That is, among the plurality of antennas provided in one repeater, one antenna that is more suitable (ideally most suitable) than the other antennas is used. In other words, the setting unit may select an optimal or suitable antenna. Further, the communication path may be set including the setting of the optimum or preferable transmission power when using the one antenna. In addition, the resetting including the selection of the antenna is performed when the movement of the movable object is detected, and various operations relating to the unnecessary or unnecessary resetting are performed little or not.

  In addition, information regarding selection of a repeater, selection of an antenna, transmission power, and the like constituting a communication path set in such a manner may be held by the repeater, or after being transmitted from the repeater to the in-vehicle device. It may be held on the device side.

  In another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the setting unit selects one from a plurality of communication path candidates set in advance or in advance according to the arrangement of the movable object. , Reset the communication path.

  According to this aspect, for example, in advance (that is, prior to the setting operation) or in advance (that is, prior to the setting operation), which is indicated by the communication path information stored in the storage unit such as the memory included in the setting unit or the relay or the in-vehicle device. From the plurality of reset communication path candidates (at the previous resetting opportunity), the setting unit selects one suitable for the current arrangement of the movable object.

  Therefore, the resetting can be executed efficiently or quickly.

  In another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the detection unit detects the movement based on a change in radio wave sensitivity in the in-vehicle device or the repeater of communication radio waves transmitted and received with the mobile terminal.

  According to this aspect, the movement of the movable object is detected by the detection unit based on the change in the radio wave sensitivity of the communication radio wave. In other words, if there is no change in the radio wave sensitivity, it is assumed that there is no movement of the movable object to which the communication path should be reset, and if there is a change in the radio wave sensitivity, there is no movement of the movable object to which the communication path should be reset. Treat as moving.

  For example, when the movement of a movable object is detected due to a change in radio wave sensitivity in a state where the communication path is set not to be relayed by the repeater under the control of the control means, the setting means relays by the repeater The communication path is reset.

  Alternatively, when the movement of the movable object is not detected due to the change of the radio wave sensitivity in the state where the communication path is set not to be relayed by the repeater under the control of the control means, the communication path is reset by the setting means. The communication path is maintained.

  Then, by performing communication according to the information related to the communication path reset last time as it is, the operation related to the resetting of the communication path, including the search for the optimum antenna and the search for the optimum repeater, is omitted. Power consumption can be reduced.

  In this case, for example, for each mobile terminal (that is, the radio device), the repeater may hold information indicating an optimum antenna and optimum transmission power in a built-in memory or the like. For example, you may hold | maintain in a memory etc. as a list | wrist or a table | surface (for example, relayable radio | wireless machine list | wrist) about several portable terminals. Furthermore, the repeater may have a function of communicating such information to the in-vehicle device. The repeater may have a function of searching for an optimal antenna and transmission power for each mobile terminal.

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle device may hold information indicating an optimum antenna and optimum transmission power notified from the repeater in a memory or the like. After that, when the in-vehicle device receives such information from the repeater, only when it is notified from the selected repeater, such information is made valid, and the subsequent processing based on the valid information May be executed or continued.

  It should be noted that in the resetting, information related to past communication paths that have been lacking in validity or validity as a communication path is appropriately deleted from the list, and information indicating that the communication path is not valid (for example, specific The information indicating that the repeater is no longer usable) may be displayed on the display means provided in the in-vehicle device.

  In the aspect in which the movement of the movable object is detected by the change in the radio wave sensitivity, the information indicating the radio wave feeling or the change may be displayed in a predetermined format by a display unit.

  If comprised in this way, a passenger can see the information which shows the electric wave feeling displayed or its change. Here, the “display unit” may be a part of the in-vehicle device (for example, a navigation device) or may be incorporated in the in-vehicle device. Or it may be provided in the vehicle interior as a display means independent of the in-vehicle device. Furthermore, it may be displayed on the display means that it is a repeater capable of communicating at the present time, that it is a communicable repeater and a portable terminal relayed thereby.

  Therefore, the passenger can easily change or maintain the position of the portable terminal held by the passenger while viewing the displayed information.

  In place of or in addition to the display by the display means, the information indicating the radio wave sensitivity or the change thereof may be output by the sound output means such as a peak.

  In another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the detection unit detects the movement based on whether or not the seat belt sensor of the vehicle detects attachment / detachment of a seat belt.

  According to this aspect, when the attachment / detachment of the seat belt is detected, it is detected that the movable object has moved. Seatbelt attachment / detachment is likely to correspond to an increase or decrease in the number of passengers or a change in the boarding position, so it can be moved depending on whether or not seatbelt attachment / detachment is detected in this way. If the movement of the object is detected, it can be detected reliably and relatively easily. In particular, since the output signal of the existing seat belt sensor unit can be used, the apparatus configuration is simplified, which is advantageous.

  Or in the other aspect of the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus which concerns on this invention, the said detection means detects the said movement by whether the opening / closing of a door is detected by the door sensor part of the said vehicle.

  According to this aspect, when the opening / closing of the door is detected, it is detected that the movable object has moved. The door opening / closing is likely to correspond to the increase or decrease in the number of passengers, so if the movement of the movable object is detected according to whether the opening / closing of the door is detected in this way, It can be detected relatively easily. In particular, since the output signal of the existing door sensor unit can be used, the apparatus configuration is simplified, which is advantageous.

  Alternatively, in another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the detection unit detects the movement depending on whether or not key insertion is detected by a key sensor unit of a key cylinder unit of the vehicle.

  According to this aspect, when the insertion of the key is detected, it is detected that the movable object has moved. Since the key insertion is likely to correspond to the increase in the number of passengers, it is reliable and relatively easy if the movement of the movable object is detected based on whether or not the key insertion is detected in this way. Can be detected. In particular, since the output signal of the existing key sensor unit can be used, the apparatus configuration is simplified, which is advantageous.

  Alternatively, in another aspect of the in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention, the detection unit detects the movement based on whether or not a change in an image taken in the vehicle interior is detected by a camera sensor unit of the vehicle. To do.

  According to this aspect, when a change in the image in the vehicle interior (that is, a change in time or a change from the reference image) is detected, it is detected that the movable object has moved. The difference in the image in the passenger compartment is likely to correspond to an increase or decrease in the number of passengers or a change in the boarding position. If the movement of the movable object is detected depending on whether or not, it can be detected reliably and relatively easily. In particular, if an image captured by the camera sensor unit is used, a change in the position of the passenger, luggage, seat, etc. in the passenger compartment can be appropriately set as a threshold for determining whether the image has changed, It is also possible to detect with high reliability by detecting a change in the image related to the specific part recognized by the recognition.

  The operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the best mode for carrying out the invention described below.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the path | route setting system which the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment has. It is a schematic top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the car navigation, the repeater, etc. in the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment with a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows notionally the basic operation | movement in embodiment with a basic composition. It is a data block diagram which shows the list | wrist of the communication path | route candidate constructed | assembled in the memory | storage part referred when setting a communication path | route in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the setting process of a communication path included in the control processing of FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the basic configuration of the in-vehicle communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the in-vehicle communication apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a route setting system included in the in-vehicle communication apparatus shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the in-vehicle communication device is attached to a passenger compartment such as a passenger car, and includes a navigation device 10 and a repeater 11. The navigation device 10 and the repeater 11 are respectively connected to the portable terminal 20 if there is no person, baggage, seat, or the like that interferes with communication radio waves transmitted to and received from the portable terminal 20 brought into the vehicle interior. Are configured to be capable of near field communication.

  The mobile terminal 20 is, for example, a mobile phone, but other than that, a laptop computer, a palm computer, a pocket computer, a portable audio player, a simple mobile phone (PHS: Personal Handy-phone System), mobile information It may be a terminal (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant) or the like.

  The navigation device 10 is a car navigation device or an in-vehicle car navigation device that is an example of the “on-vehicle device” according to the present invention, and performs various car navigation operations. For example, communication with a server outside the vehicle is possible, and so-called “communication navigation” operation may be performed. In particular, the navigation device 10 is communicable with the mobile terminal 20, receives a predetermined type of command from the mobile terminal 20 side, executes a corresponding operation, or obtains it from the outside of the vehicle or holds it inside. Various data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 side.

  The repeater 11 is wired to the navigation device 10 directly or via another repeater 11 with a wired cable routed along the vehicle inner wall. Alternatively, the repeater 11 may be wirelessly connected to the navigation device 10 directly or via another repeater 11 by a short-range communication radio wave that is skipped in the passenger compartment. The repeater 11 is configured to perform relay connection between the mobile terminal 20 and the navigation device 10, as will be described in detail below, particularly when the mobile terminal 20 and the navigation device 10 cannot directly communicate with each other. The repeater 11 may be mounted on an in-vehicle ECU attached to a predetermined position of the vehicle.

  2, a route setting system 100 that controls setting of a communication route is provided in at least one of the navigation device 10 and the repeater 11 illustrated in FIG. 1, and includes a detection unit 101, a control unit 102, and a setting Unit 103 and storage unit 104. The route setting system 100 may be provided in the vehicle as a separate body from the navigation device 10 and the repeater 11.

  As an example of the “detection unit” according to the present invention, the detection unit 101 is configured to receive various sensor outputs, data, and the like, and detect the movement of the movable object based on them. More specifically, a detection signal from at least one of the reception sensitivity sensor 300, the seat belt sensor 301, the door sensor 302, the key cylinder sensor 303, the infrared sensor 304, and the camera 305 is input, and the input signal The movement of the movable object in the detection unit 101 is detected on the basis of the change or the like. Among these sensors, the reception sensitivity sensor 300 may be built in the repeater 11, and may be a sensor that detects the intensity of the radio signal from the built-in antenna, for example.

  As an example of the “control unit” according to the present invention, the control unit 102 is configured to cause the setting unit 103 to perform resetting according to the detection result by the detection unit 101 as described in detail later.

  As an example of the “setting unit” according to the present invention, the setting unit 103 is configured to set an optimal communication path between the mobile terminal 20 and the navigation device 10 in real time, as will be described in detail later. However, the setting unit 103 is configured to perform a setting operation, that is, a resetting operation only in a predetermined case under the control of the control unit 102.

  The storage unit 104 includes, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, and the like as an example of the “storage unit” according to the present invention. As will be described in detail later, a communication path candidate or actually in the past. Information indicating a used communication path that has been used is stored, and can be appropriately referred to by the setting unit 103.

  Further, the storage unit 104 stores a program for setting or resetting (in other words, appropriately changing) a communication path that will be described in detail below, a program for calculating a delay spread, and a program for calculating the minimum received power. The setting unit 103 sets a communication path including selection of the repeater 11, selection of an antenna, and the like, as will be described in detail later, according to a program stored in the storage unit 104.

  The route setting system 100 configured as described above may be built in, for example, an in-vehicle ECU on which the repeater 11 is mounted, or may be built in a controller, a processor, or the like included in the navigation device 10. Good.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of how the in-vehicle communication device having the basic configuration as described above is attached in the vehicle interior. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the car navigation system, the repeater, and the like in the in-vehicle communication device including the vehicle together with the vehicle.

  In FIG. 3, a repeater 11 a having the same configuration as the repeater 11 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted in an in-vehicle ECU provided behind the rear seat of the vehicle 200. Repeaters 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e each having the same configuration as the repeater 11 shown in FIG. 1 are mounted in an in-vehicle ECU provided near the base of each door on the left and right of the vehicle 200. The car navigation device 10 is mounted on the front panel of the vehicle 200 so as to face the vehicle interior.

  In FIG. 3, a passenger 201 f such as a driver is on the front seat of the vehicle 200, and a passenger 201 r is on the rear seat of the vehicle 200. The passenger 201r is going to use the portable terminals 20a and 20b by bringing them into the passenger compartment. The repeater 11 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) is wire-connected between the navigation device 10 and other repeaters 11 as indicated by solid arrows in the figure. Furthermore, the repeater 11 is capable of short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 20 as indicated by broken line arrows in the figure. On the other hand, the navigation device 10 can also perform short-distance wireless communication directly with the mobile terminal 20 without going through the repeater 11, as indicated by broken line arrows in the figure.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the basic operation of the in-vehicle communication apparatus configured as described above and the basic configuration related to the basic operation will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram conceptually showing the basic operation in the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a data configuration diagram showing a list of communication path candidates referred to when setting the communication path.

  As shown in FIG. 4, one repeater 11 is mounted inside one body ECU 210. The repeater 11 includes a plurality of directional antennas 110-1, ..., 110-N. It is assumed that the navigation device 10 initially performs short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 20 (20a, 20b, or 20c) as indicated by a dotted arrow in the figure. Thereafter, as shown by “x” on the dotted arrow in the figure, it is assumed that the communication here is interrupted by an obstacle such as a person, a luggage, or a seat in the vehicle compartment.

  In this case, wired communication is established between the navigation device 10 and the repeater 11 as indicated by a dotted arrow in the figure. At the same time, short-range wireless communication is established between the antennas 110-1 to 110 -N and the mobile terminal 20. At this time, the antenna 110-i (where i = 1,..., N, which has the best reception state) is selected by the communication path setting process. As a result, communication with high communication stability is established between the mobile phone 20 and the navigation device 10 through the repeater 11.

  At this time, the actual communication path is that a specific repeater 11 is selected from the plurality of repeaters 11 as shown in FIG. 3 (see FIG. 3), and a plurality of antennas as shown in FIG. Is set by selecting a specific antenna (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, a communication path from this specific repeater 11 to the navigation apparatus 10 may be established via another repeater 11. Furthermore, when one antenna 110-i of one repeater 11 is used, an optimal transmission power value determined in accordance with the current delay spread according to the positions of the repeater 11 and the mobile terminal 20 is determined. Exists. Therefore, the optimum transmission power is preferably set.

  For this reason, as shown in each row of the list shown in FIG. 5, for example, one communication path set by one setting operation is used to receive a plurality of elements (that is, communication radio waves from the mobile terminal 20). It is defined by the most preferred repeater 11, the most preferred antenna 110-i) among the multiple antennas it has.

  Therefore, conversely, the communication paths set once during the operation of the in-vehicle communication device, or the communication paths that may be experimentally or theoretically in advance, are summarized in the list or table format illustrated in FIG. And stored in the storage unit 104 (see FIG. 2). After that, when setting the communication path by the setting unit 103 (see FIG. 2), if the communication path having the best reception sensitivity at the present time is selected from the candidates for the plurality of communication paths, it is relatively simple. A communication path can be set by real-time operation. In the present embodiment, the optimum communication path is preferably set by appropriately referring to the list as illustrated in FIG.

  Note that the list illustrated in FIG. 5 may be stored in the storage unit 104 and referred to by the setting unit 103 as appropriate. Therefore, the route setting system 100 (see FIG. 2) including the storage unit 104 may be provided on the navigation device 10 side, or may be provided on a specific or each repeater 11 side.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the setting unit 103 stores various programs stored in the storage unit 104 when the movement of the movable object is detected by the detection unit 101. By executing, a communication path that is superior in communication stability or higher in reception sensitivity can be set. More specifically, for example, the setting unit 103 calculates a delay spread in the vehicle by executing the program based on various programs stored in the storage unit 104, and calculates the minimum reception power of the navigation device 10 from the delay spread. The communication path with the smallest received power is selected from the plurality of communication path candidates stored in the storage unit 104 by comparing the minimum received power with the result obtained by the setting unit 103 in this way. For example, the communication path is appropriately changed between the navigation device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 or between any one of the repeaters 11 and the mobile terminal 20.

  Next, the operation of the in-vehicle communication device according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows a control process executed in the in-vehicle communication device, and FIG. 7 shows a communication path setting process using the reception sensitivity of the communication radio wave included in the control process.

  In FIG. 6, when wireless communication is started, it is determined whether or not the movement of the movable object is detected by the detection unit 101, that is, whether or not the movable object has moved (step S201). “Moving movable objects” here refers to changes in the position of the passengers in the vehicle, changes in the number of passengers, changes in the passenger composition (gender, age, physique), changes in the load in the vehicle, changes in the load position It is a concept that encompasses all of the above.

  In this determination, for example, the movement of a movable object as an obstacle to radio waves may be detected by a change in reception sensitivity of communication radio waves at the antenna shown in FIG. 4 by the reception sensitivity sensor 300 shown in FIG. .

  Alternatively, in addition to or in addition to this, when the seat belt is attached or detached by the seat belt sensor 301 shown in FIG. 2, it may be detected that the movable object has moved. Alternatively, instead of or in addition to this, when the door sensor 302 shown in FIG. 2 detects the opening / closing of the door, it may be detected that the movable object has moved. Alternatively, when the key sensor 303 shown in FIG. 2 detects the insertion of the key, it may be detected that the movable object has moved. Alternatively, in addition to or in addition to this, if there is a change in the image captured in the vehicle interior by the camera sensor 305 shown in FIG. 2, it may be detected that the movable object has moved.

  If the movement of the movable object is detected as a result of the determination regarding the presence or absence of such detection in step S201 (step S201: Yes), various operations related to the setting of the communication path are performed (step S202), and then Processing is complete.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S201, if the movement of the movable object is not detected (step S201: No), the processing is completed as it is, that is, various operations relating to setting of the communication path are not performed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in setting the communication path in step S202, first, the in-vehicle delay spread is calculated based on the calculation formula for calculating the delay spread stored in the storage unit 7 (step S211). Subsequently, the minimum received power in the vehicle is calculated based on the calculated delay spread (step S212). The minimum received power is the received power on both the in-vehicle device side and the portable communication device side, and sets a certain communication quality and executes wireless communication. Here, more specifically, the received power of each communication path when using the communication path of the in-vehicle device-mobile terminal and each relay-mobile terminal is calculated.

  Subsequently, an optimum communication path is set as a combination of a repeater and an antenna having the lowest received power in the communication path (step S213).

  Thereafter, a process for registering the set communication path in the list illustrated in FIG. 5, that is, a list marching process is performed (step S214), and the process for setting the communication path is completed.

  As described above, when the movement of the movable object is detected (step S201: Yes), various operations related to the resetting of the communication path (see FIG. 7) involving power consumption that cannot be ignored are performed. . On the other hand, when the movement of the movable object is not detected (step S201: No), various operations relating to the resetting of the communication path (see FIG. 7) are not performed, so that power consumption can be reduced. In any case, the re-set or currently set communication path is effective, and there is almost no possibility that the stability of communication is threatened in a practical sense. As shown in FIG. 3, even if the communication radio waves are shielded by the passengers 201f and 20-1 and the seat, it is necessary depending on the personnel arrangement of the passenger, the loading position of the luggage, the seat position, etc. In some cases, measurement of the radio wave condition of the passenger compartment and setting of the communication path are performed as appropriate, and the stability of communication is impaired by using the repeater 11 that constitutes a part of the reset optimal communication path. There is nothing. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the stability of communication in the passenger compartment and the reduction in power consumption.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used for various vehicles provided with an in-vehicle communication device, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 In-vehicle apparatus, 11 Repeater, 20 Portable terminal, 101 Detection part, 102 Control part, 103 Setting part, 104 Storage part, 200 Vehicle, 201f, 201r Passenger, 210 In-vehicle ECU, 300 Reception sensitivity sensor, 301 Seat belt sensor 302 Door sensor 303 Key cylinder sensor 304 Infrared sensor 305 Camera sensor

Claims (10)

An in-vehicle device capable of communicating with a mobile terminal;
At least one or more arranged in a vehicle interior of a vehicle, and a relay that can communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal and can communicate with the vehicle-mounted device so as to relay the mobile terminal and the vehicle-mounted device;
A setting means that can be set according to the arrangement of movable objects existing in the vehicle interior, including whether or not to relay the communication path between the portable terminal and the in-vehicle device with the repeater;
Detecting means for detecting movement of the movable object;
A vehicle-mounted communication device comprising: a control unit that controls the setting unit so as to reset the communication path when the movement is detected. A plurality of the repeaters are arranged at different locations in the vehicle interior,
2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit resets the communication path including a setting of which one of the plurality of relays arranged to be used for relaying. Communication device. The repeater has radio wave receiving means whose directivity for communication radio waves transmitted and received with the portable terminal is variable,
The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit resets the communication path including the setting of the directivity.   The said setting means sets the said communication path by selecting one according to arrangement | positioning of the said movable object from the some communication path candidates set previously or previously. The in-vehicle communication device according to any one of 1 to 3.   The said detection means detects the said movement by the change of the radio wave sensitivity in the said vehicle equipment or the said repeater of the electromagnetic wave for communication transmitted / received with the said portable terminal, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle-mounted communication apparatus described in 1.   6. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 5, wherein the information indicating the radio wave feeling or the change is displayed in a predetermined format by a display unit.   The on-vehicle unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the detection unit detects the movement based on whether or not the seat belt sensor of the vehicle detects attachment / detachment of a seat belt. Communication equipment.   The in-vehicle communication according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the detection unit detects the movement based on whether or not door opening / closing is detected by a door sensor unit of the vehicle. Machine equipment.   The said detection means detects the said movement by whether the insertion of a key is detected by the key sensor part of the key cylinder part of the said vehicle, The movement as described in any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. In-vehicle communication device.   The said detection means detects the said movement by whether the change of the image image | photographed the said vehicle interior is detected by the camera sensor part of the said vehicle, The movement as described in any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle-mounted communication device described.

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