JP2012253605A - Communication device and communication control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for improving security when a communication device including a plurality of communication means connects to a network.SOLUTION: There is provided a communication device comprising: a plurality of communication means for connecting to a network; a security level of the communication means; and communication control means for determining importance of communication data to be transmitted/received or necessity for security of a communication destination and switching the communication means for connecting to the network according to a result of the determination.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication control method.

  As a method of connecting to a network from an in-vehicle device such as a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, in addition to a method of directly connecting to a network through a dedicated communication module possessed by the in-vehicle device, communication of a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a smartphone There is a method to connect to the network using the function. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses that a data communication network of a mobile carrier is used for communication between an information providing terminal device mounted on a vehicle and an information providing server.

Japanese Patent No. 3711986

  In recent in-vehicle devices, those having a plurality of means for communicating with a network have become widespread. In an in-vehicle device having a plurality of communication means, it is general that a user selects a communication means, and after the selection, the communication means consistently connects to the network. On the other hand, the plurality of communication means have different security levels, and the security level of the selected communication means may be lower than the security level of the other communication means. When connecting to a network by such a communication means having a lower security level than other communication means, there is a concern that security problems such as leakage of personal information may increase depending on the purpose of connection to the network.

  In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for further improving security when a communication apparatus having a plurality of communication means is connected to a network.

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, the security level for each communication means for connecting to the network, the importance of communication data or the necessity of security of the communication destination are determined, and the communication means is determined according to the determination result. It was decided to switch.

  More specifically, the present invention determines a plurality of communication means connected to a network, security levels of the plurality of communication means, importance of communication data to be transmitted / received, or necessity of security of a communication destination, and determination A communication control unit that switches communication units connected to the network according to a result.

In the communication apparatus according to the present invention, for example, when the importance of communication data is high but the security level of the communication means is low, the communication means can be switched to a communication means with a high security level. For example, when the communication destination (server or Web) requires security but the security level of the communication means is low, the communication means can be switched to a communication means with a high security level. Thus, according to the communication apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the security when connecting to a network from a communication apparatus having a plurality of communication means. For example, when the importance of communication data is low but the security level of the communication means is high, or the communication destination does not need security but the security level of the communication means is high, switch to a communication means with a low security level. Also good. Such processing can be performed when communication by a communication means with a high security level requires a higher communication cost than communication by another communication means, and the original communication speed cannot be secured in communication by a communication means with a high security level. This is effective when circumstances arise.

  Here, the communication control unit determines a relative security level of the plurality of communication units, and determines whether the communication data is highly important communication data or whether the communication destination requires security. When the communication data is highly important communication data, or when the communication destination requires security, the communication means connected to the network is switched to a communication means with a relatively high security level. Also good. The relative security level of the communication means can be determined based on the standard of the communication means. The importance of the communication data can be determined by setting the importance of the communication data in advance. The necessity of security at the communication destination can be determined by whether or not the communication destination is a predetermined one regardless of transmission / reception of communication data. A communication destination requiring security can be determined based on past communication history, importance of past communication data transmitted / received to / from the communication destination, and the like. When the communication data is highly important communication data or the communication destination needs security, the communication device connected to the network is switched to the communication device having a relatively high security level, so that the communication device can change the network. The security when connecting to can be further improved.

  The communication control unit may determine that the communication data is communication data having high importance when the communication data includes predetermined information that is a criterion for determining importance. For example, it is possible to determine the importance of communication data by predetermining keywords or the like as default information.

  The communication control unit may determine that the communication data is highly important communication data when a predetermined operation is performed on the communication device. The default operation for the communication device is an operation for designating an address of a website where transmission / reception of communication data with high importance such as personal information is predicted, or an operation for selecting a button for determining transmission / reception of communication data with high importance. Is exemplified.

  Further, the communication control means acquires update information related to security levels of the plurality of communication means via the network, and determines relative security levels of the plurality of communication means based on the acquired update information. It may be. The security level can be set in advance based on the standard of the communication means or the like, but it is also assumed that the security level changes with the passage of time and the time. In the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine the security level by acquiring update information for the security level via the network.

  In addition, the communication control unit determines whether the current communication is stream communication. In the case of stream communication, the communication control unit calculates a stream reproduction time, calculates a switching time necessary for communication of other communication data, and When the reproduction time exceeds the switching time, the communication means may be switched. By determining whether the communication is stream communication and switching the communication method only when the stream time exceeds the communication switching time, the stream data is executed and the communication data determined to be highly important is transmitted and received with a high security level. be able to. The communication control unit may temporarily store the communication data when the stream reproduction time is equal to or shorter than the switching time.

The plurality of communication means may include a terminal connection unit connected to a mobile terminal connectable to a network, and a communication unit connectable directly to the network. The plurality of communication means is an example, but the present invention can be suitably used for a communication apparatus having both a function of connecting to a network through such a portable terminal and a function of connecting directly to the network. Note that the plurality of communication means may have a plurality of stop portions that can be directly connected to the network. Further, the plurality of communication means may include only a plurality of terminal connection units that connect to portable terminals connectable to the network.

  Here, the present invention can also be specified as a communication control method in a communication apparatus. That is, the present invention is a communication control method in a communication apparatus including a plurality of communication means connected to a network, and the security level of the plurality of communication means and the importance of communication data to be transmitted / received or the security of the communication destination. The necessity is determined, and the communication means connected to the network is switched according to the determination result.

  Moreover, this invention can also be specified as a program which implement | achieves the process performed with the communication apparatus which concerns on this invention mentioned above. Furthermore, the present invention may be a computer-readable recording medium that records the program. In this case, the function can be provided by causing a computer or the like to read and execute the program of the recording medium. Note that a computer-readable recording medium is a recording medium that accumulates information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read from a computer or the like. Say.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the security at the time of connecting to the network from the communication apparatus which has several communication means can be improved more.

1 shows an overview of a system including an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment. The structure of the vehicle equipment which concerns on embodiment is shown. The communication switching process flow is shown. An example of a security level is shown. Another example of the security level is shown. An example of a criterion for analyzing communication data is shown. An example of a criterion setting screen is shown. The other example of a criteria setting screen is shown. An example of the image of a transmission data frame is shown.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

<Configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 1 (corresponding to the communication device of the present invention) according to the embodiment can be directly connected to a network, and is also portable by being connected to a mobile terminal 2 such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. The terminal 2 can be connected to the network. As a result, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be connected to a service center (for example, a service center that provides information to the vehicle-mounted device), the Web, an Internet service provider (ISP), etc., and receives various services via the network. be able to. The service center, Web, and Internet connection provider correspond to the connection destination of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 2 is, for example, a mobile phone or a smartphone that can be connected to a network, and has a CPU and a memory as a hardware configuration, and includes a control device that controls the mobile terminal according to a predetermined program, a display and a touch panel Device, an input device including operation buttons and a touch panel, a wireless communication device connected to the vehicle-mounted device, and a communication device connected to a network.

  The service center is configured by, for example, a server that provides the vehicle-mounted device 1 with content such as news, traffic information including traffic jam prediction, music, and video. Such a server has a CPU and a memory as a hardware configuration, and controls the server according to a predetermined program, a display device composed of a display and a touch panel, an input device composed of a keyboard and a mouse, and communication connected to a network. A device, a storage device for storing contents, and the like.

(In-vehicle device)
Next, the in-vehicle device 1 will be described taking an in-vehicle audio / visual navigation integrated device (hereinafter also referred to as an AVN integrated device) as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the embodiment includes a control unit 101, a broadcast receiving unit 102, a disc playback unit 103, an HD playback unit 104, and a navigation unit 105 (in FIG. 2, simply referred to as “navigation”). .), VICS information receiving unit 106, GPS information receiving unit 107, distribution circuit 108, image adjustment circuit 109, audio adjustment circuit 110, speaker 111, image output unit 112, display unit 113, operation unit 114, memory 115, communication device Unit 121, wireless device unit 122, and communication control unit 120.

  The control unit 101 inputs a signal from each part of the in-vehicle device 1 (AVN integrated machine) or a connected external device, an operation instruction signal from each operation unit based on a user (user) operation, and the like. Based on the signal, the respective units of the in-vehicle device 1 or external devices are comprehensively controlled. The control unit 101 of the in-vehicle device is configured by a microcomputer, for example, and operates according to a program stored in a memory such as a ROM.

The broadcast receiving unit 102 selectively receives a broadcast wave having a specific frequency from the broadcast wave received by the antenna, demodulates it, and outputs an audio signal and an image signal (in the case of television broadcast) of the broadcast. The disc playback unit 103 reads data stored on the disc by a pickup, and an audio signal and an image signal (for example, DVD or BD (Blu-ray Disc) based on the read data)
Output). The HD playback unit 104 stores music data such as MP3 files, image data such as JPEG files, map data for navigation, and the like on a hard disk (HD), which is a magnetic recording medium, and obtains desired data from various stored data. Read out, output image signal, audio signal, character signal.

  The navigation unit 105 displays the position of the vehicle and the route to the destination on the map, provides a direction of travel such as a right or left turn by voice or the like at an intersection, etc., and also provides traffic information, The vehicle position information is obtained from the GPS information receiving unit 107 and displayed, and route guidance to the destination is performed. The VICS information receiving unit 106 receives traffic information related to the traffic information communication system (VICS (registered trademark)) and outputs the received traffic information. The GPS information receiving unit 107 detects the vehicle position based on the GPS signal from the GPS (registered trademark) satellite, and outputs the detected current location information.

  The distribution circuit 108 outputs audio signals and image signals of various sources (disc reproducing unit 103, broadcast receiving unit 102, HD reproducing unit 104, and navigation unit 105) designated to be output by the control signal of the control unit 101. The data is output to the adjustment circuit 110 and the image adjustment circuit 109. The image adjustment circuit 109 adjusts the brightness, color tone, contrast, and the like of the input image signal according to the control signal of the control unit 101, and outputs each adjusted image signal.

  The sound adjustment circuit 110 adjusts the volume and sound of the input sound signal according to the control signal of the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle device, and outputs the adjusted sound signal. The speaker 111 outputs the audio signal input from the audio adjustment circuit 110 as audio.

  The image output unit 112 inputs the image signal input from the image adjustment unit and the display image signal to be displayed on the display unit from the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle device, performs processing such as image synthesis, and performs the processing The display unit 113 is driven based on the image signal. The image output unit 112 includes, for example, an image ASIC that is an arithmetic processing circuit specialized for an image that performs image processing by arithmetic processing, a video memory that stores image data for image processing and output, and an image output video memory It comprises an image drive circuit that drives the display unit based on the stored image data. In the present embodiment, the image output unit 112 functions to display various images on the display unit 113 of the in-vehicle device.

  The display unit 113 displays an image based on the image signal input by the image output unit 112. The display unit 113 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, a cold cathode flat panel display, or the like. The display unit 113 of this embodiment is configured by a touch panel.

  The operation unit 114 is operated by the user of the apparatus. The operation unit 114 includes, for example, a touch panel, a push button switch, a rotation operation switch, a joystick, and the like. The operation unit of the present embodiment includes a touch panel and various buttons.

  The memory 115 is a memory (storage medium) that stores various data and control programs, and includes, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a rewritable flash memory, and the like.

  The communication device unit 121 is a dedicated module connected to a network, and is configured by, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module).

The wireless device unit 122 realizes connection to the network via the mobile terminal 2 by wireless connection with the mobile terminal 2. The wireless device unit 122 includes a Bluetooth module (Bluetooth is a registered trademark; hereinafter, the Bluetooth module is simply referred to as Bluetooth), a WiFi module (WiFi: Wireless Fidelity; the WiFi module is simply referred to as WiFi below), and the like. Is done.

  The communication control unit 120 is realized by a computer including a CPU and a memory and a program executed on the computer. The CPU of the communication control unit controls the communication device unit 121 and the wireless device unit 122. The communication control unit 120 determines the security level of the communication device unit 121 and the wireless device unit 122 and the importance of communication data transmitted / received via the communication device unit 121 or the wireless device unit 122, and determines the network according to the determination result. The communication means (communication device unit 121, wireless device unit 122) to be connected to is switched. In the present embodiment, the communication control unit is configured as a dedicated processor different from the control unit, but the communication control unit 120 may be incorporated in the control unit 101. Details of processing executed by the communication control unit 120 will be described later.

<Processing flow>
Next, communication switching processing performed in the in-vehicle device 1 according to the embodiment will be described based on the drawings.

(Communication switching process)
FIG. 3 shows a communication switching process flow. The communication switching process is executed when power is supplied to the in-vehicle device 1 and communication by the communication device unit 121 or the wireless device unit 122 is started. Further, communication control, in other words, transmission / reception of communication data is separately performed by the CPU of the control unit 101 in the background of communication switching processing described below, for example. In the following description, transmission data is described as an example of communication data. However, communication data includes reception data in addition to transmission data.

  In step S01, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 acquires the security level of the communication means. That is, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 accesses the memory 115 and acquires the security level stored in the memory 115.

Here, FIG. 4A shows an example of the security level. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the security level of the communication device unit (DCM) is “high”, and the security level of the wireless device unit (WiFi (WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy)) and the wireless device unit (Bluetooth) is “low”. It is. These security levels can be obtained in advance from a DCM standard, a wireless LAN standard (IEEE 802.11), or a PAN (Personal Area Network) standard (IEEE 802.15). DCM is an in-vehicle communication standard developed exclusively for telematics services, and is considered to have a high security level. WEP is used to encrypt IEEE802.11b communications and is said to have a low security level. Here, FIG. 4B shows another example of the security level. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the security level of WPA is “medium” and the security level of WPA2 is “high”. As described above, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) that employs an encryption method having a higher security level than WEP, or WPA2 that is a stronger encryption method than WPA may be included. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless standard in a narrower range than a LAN, and is highly versatile, but has a low security level. If a security level is acquired, it will progress to step S01-1.

  In step S01-1, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines whether there is an instruction to access the network and there is transmission data in the memory 115. If there is, the access destination or the transmission data is a security item. Determine if it is necessary. Whether there is an instruction to access the network can be determined based on whether there is a user instruction from the display unit 113 or the operation unit 11. Whether or not there is transmission data can be determined by accessing an area for storing transmission data in the memory 115 and determining whether or not there is transmission data in the memory 115. Whether the access destination requires security is determined in advance by specifying an access destination (for example, a server or Web) that requires security, and storing the address of the specified access destination in the memory 115 as security information. This can be determined by the CPU of the unit 120 accessing the memory 115. Whether the transmission data requires security can be determined by analyzing whether the transmission data contains personal information such as a predetermined card number or name. The analysis standard can be set in advance. FIG. 5 shows an example of a criterion for analyzing data. In the criterion data shown in FIG. 5, a card number, an address, and a name are set as the importance (high) of transmission data. Also, the nickname, age, and birthplace are set as the importance (low) of the transmission data. The determination reference data can be stored in the memory 115 in advance. The CPU of the communication control unit 120 accesses the memory 115, reads the determination criteria when the importance of the transmission data is high, and analyzes whether the read determination criteria (for example, keywords) are included in the transmission data. Note that the criteria for determining the importance of the transmission data can be determined from the viewpoint of whether or not the information can identify an individual. Other than the above, current location information, account number, and the like are exemplified.

Here, the setting of the determination reference data will be described. FIG. 6 shows an example of the determination criterion setting screen. The determination criterion data described above can be set via the display unit 113 or the operation unit 11 on the determination criterion setting screen shown in FIG. Specifically, for example, a determination criterion setting program for executing determination criterion setting or the like is stored in the memory 115, and the CPU of the communication control unit 120 selects a predetermined button for calling the determination criterion setting program. The program is started and a determination criterion setting screen as shown in FIG. Next, when an input from the user is received via the display unit 113 or the operation unit and the determination button is selected, the input keyword is stored in the memory 115 as determination criterion data. As described above, the determination reference data is set. Note that a determination criterion setting program may be developed on the server so that the same setting can be performed on the Web page. In this case, the setting can be made via the portable terminal 2 connectable to the network or an input device of another computer.

  Further, the determination criterion may be, for example, a predetermined operation instead of the keyword. Examples of the default operation include an operation of designating an address of a website where transmission / reception of highly important communication data such as personal information is predicted, and an operation of selecting a button for determining transmission / reception of communication data having high importance. The FIG. 7 shows another example of the determination criterion setting screen. FIG. 7 shows an example of a setting screen for setting a purchase button on a Web page as a determination criterion when setting a determination criterion other than a keyword. In the example of FIG. 7, a “purchase” button on a shopping website where music can be downloaded is set as a determination criterion. Such a setting can be realized by the following processing, for example. That is, when a predetermined button for calling the determination criterion setting program is selected while the Web page is displayed, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 starts the program and displays a determination criterion setting screen as shown in FIG. It is displayed on the display unit 113. Next, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 receives a user designation on the display unit 113, and when a purchase button is designated, obtains coordinates of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) corresponding to the designated purchase button. Then, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 stores the acquired coordinates and the address of the Web page in the memory together. As described above, the determination reference data is set.

  Note that an address of an access destination (for example, a server or Web) that requires security can be set via the display unit 113 or the operation unit 11. In addition, for setting an address of an access destination (for example, server or Web) that requires security, communication history data is stored in the memory 115, and the CPU of the communication control unit 120 performs security based on the communication history data. May be specified and stored in the memory 115. For example, when access is being made to a predetermined address and transmission data including personal information is transmitted, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 can store the predetermined address in the memory 115.

  If it is determined that security is necessary, the process proceeds to step S02. If it is determined that security is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S01-2.

  In step S02, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 performs default communication settings. For example, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 sets WiFi (WEP) as a default. On the other hand, in step S01-2, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 sets DCM as the high security communication setting. The communication setting default can be arbitrarily set by the user. When the default communication setting is performed, the process proceeds to step S03. On the other hand, when the high security communication setting is performed, the process proceeds to step S07. As described above, in this embodiment, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 does not establish communication with the default communication setting for the first time, but actually starts communication when starting communication from a non-communication state. Communication means are set according to the security needs of the data to be processed.

In step S03, it is periodically determined whether or not there is an instruction to access another network and whether or not the memory 115 has transmission data to be transmitted. When there is no access instruction to another network or transmission data to be transmitted from the memory 115, the process returns to step S02. On the other hand, if there is an instruction to access another network or transmission data to be transmitted in the memory 115, the process proceeds to step S04.

  In step S04, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 acquires the next transmission data as transmission data to be transmitted. The next transmission data is transmission data next to past transmission data acquired from the memory 115 immediately before. Here, FIG. 8 shows an example of an image of a transmission data frame. If the transmission data 01 is past transmission data acquired immediately before, the Web data 02 corresponds to the next communication data. Although not shown in FIG. 8, each transmission data is composed of frame control, time, addresses 1 to 4, and data from the top. When the next transmission data is acquired, the process proceeds to step S05.

  In step S05, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 analyzes the next transmission data. For example, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 analyzes whether the next transmission data 02 includes a predetermined card number or name. That is, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 accesses the memory 115, reads out the determination criterion when the importance of the transmission data is high, and does the next transmission data include the read determination criterion (for example, keyword)? To analyze.

  When the analysis of the transmission data is executed, the process proceeds to step S06, and the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines whether security is necessary, in other words, whether the importance of the next transmission data is high. Specifically, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 accesses the memory 115, reads the determination criterion when the importance of the next transmission data is high, and the determination criterion (for example, keyword) read for the next transmission data is If it is included, it is determined that security is necessary. If it is determined that security is necessary, the process proceeds to step S07. On the other hand, if it is determined that security is not required, the process returns to step S02.

  In step S07, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines whether or not the current communication is stream communication. That is, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines whether the current communication is a stream communication (connection is established between the communication data providing source and the in-vehicle device 1 depending on the presence or absence of a control signal included in the case of stream communication in the communication data. Type communication). In the case of stream communication, the process proceeds to step S08. On the other hand, if it is not stream communication, the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S08, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 calculates a communication switching time. The CPU of the communication control unit 120 analyzes the data communication speed and the data structure of the transmission data, and calculates a communication switching time as a time necessary for transmitting the transmission data determined to be high in importance. In the example of FIG. 8, the CPU of the control unit 101 determines the communication switching time as the time when communication of communication data including a card number and name is started, the time when the communication data is determined to be highly important communication data based on the determination criteria, Calculation is based on the communication speed and the amount of communication data. When the communication switching time is calculated, the process proceeds to step S09.

  In step S09, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 calculates the stream playback time. The stream playback time means, for example, when music data is received, the music playable time calculated from the buffered data amount. The CPU of the communication control unit 120 calculates the stream playback time based on the total capacity of communication data (music data) and the communication speed. When the stream reproduction time is calculated, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines whether the stream reproduction time exceeds the communication switching time. When it is determined that the stream reproduction time exceeds the communication switching time, the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the stream playback time is equal to or shorter than the communication switching time, the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S11, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 switches the communication method. Specifically, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 switches to communication by the communication device unit 121 (DCM) having a high security level. As a result, communication of communication data determined to require security with a high security level, that is, communication data including a card number and name can be performed. Further, by switching to a communication means with a high security level and performing data transmission, for example, even if downloading of music data stops, during a period in which transmission data is transmitted using a communication means with a high security level. It is possible to continue playing using the buffered music data, and to prevent the music from being interrupted. When the communication method is switched, the switching process ends.

  On the other hand, in step S <b> 12, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 temporarily stores communication data in the memory 115. If the communication means is switched when the stream reproduction time is shorter, the music reproduction is interrupted during the period in which the data is transmitted using the communication means with a higher security level. Therefore, in step S12, communication switching is not performed, and the transmission data to be transmitted is stored as the next transmission data without being transmitted. When the communication data is stored in the memory 115 in step S12, the process proceeds to step S02 again. In step 02, since the default communication setting is executed, the communication method is switched to the wireless device unit 122 (WiFi (WEP)). The method for storing transmission data that has not been transmitted is not particularly limited. However, when there is other transmission data, it is preferable to store the transmission data that has not been transmitted so that the transmission data is transmitted with priority.

  Note that after the switching of the communication method is completed, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 may proceed to step S03 again and start determining whether or not communication data is received. The processing from step S03 to step S12 after the end of switching the communication method is repeatedly executed as appropriate until the power of the in-vehicle device 1 is turned off.

<Effect>
In the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the embodiment described above, the importance of communication data is determined, and when the importance of communication data is high, the communication means is automatically switched to a high communication means. Therefore, the security at the time of connecting to the network from the in-vehicle device 1 having a plurality of communication means can be further improved without the user being aware of it. That is, eavesdropping, tampering of communication data, impersonation, etc. can be prevented. In addition, it is determined whether or not the stream communication is performed, and the communication level is switched only when the stream time exceeds the communication switching time. It can transmit and receive in a high state.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines the security level based on the security level recorded in advance in the memory 115. However, the CPU of the communication control unit 120 determines, for example, in the determination in step S06. Further, it is further determined whether there is update information in the security level, and when there is update information, the security level may be determined in consideration of the update information. The update information includes information on temporary malfunctions provided via the network, and information on security level degradation that changes over time. By determining the security level in consideration of such update information, a more accurate security level can be determined.

  Further, for example, when there are a plurality of communication means having the same security level, a priority order may be set in advance and switched to a communication means having a higher priority order. The priority order can be determined by, for example, radio wave intensity, communication speed, communication cost, and the like.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment and the modification of this invention were described, the vehicle equipment which concerns on this invention can include these combinations as much as possible not only in these.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle equipment 2 ... Portable terminal 120 ... Communication control part 121 ... Communication apparatus part 122 ... Wireless apparatus part

Claims (6)

A plurality of communication means for connecting to a network;
A communication control means for determining a security level of the plurality of communication means, importance of communication data to be transmitted / received or necessity of security of a communication destination, and switching communication means connected to the network according to the determination result; A communication device provided.   The communication control means determines a relative security level of the plurality of communication means, determines whether the communication data is highly important communication data, or whether a communication destination requires security, and The communication means connected to the network is switched to a communication means having a relatively high security level when the communication data is highly important communication data or the communication destination requires security. Communication equipment.   The said communication control means determines that the said communication data is communication data with high importance, when the default information used as the determination criterion of importance is contained in the said communication data, The communication data of Claim 1 or 2 Communication device.   The communication control unit acquires update information related to security levels of the plurality of communication units via the network, and determines a relative security level of the plurality of communication units based on the acquired update information. The communication apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3.   The communication control means determines whether the current communication is stream communication, and in the case of stream communication, calculates a stream reproduction time, calculates a switching time required for communication of other communication data, and determines the stream reproduction time. 5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, when the switching time exceeds the switching time, the communication unit is switched. A communication control method in a communication device comprising a plurality of communication means for connecting to a network,
A communication control method for determining a security level of a plurality of communication means and importance of communication data to be transmitted / received or a necessity of security of a communication destination, and switching communication means connected to the network according to a determination result.

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