JP4032976B2 - Failure notification device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a failure notification device that notifies a failure status of a mobile communication terminal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for providing a user with communication status information of a mobile communication device at a traveling position of a host vehicle has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). This is based on the reception sensitivity signal of the input mobile phone and the call area information read from the memory to determine the current communication status of the mobile phone, that is, the connection status to the Internet. The user is notified of the connection status of the mobile phone to the Internet via the display device. Thereby, it is possible for the user to confirm whether or not the information acquired through the mobile communication device is reliable.
[0003]
In addition, a technique for self-diagnosis of a call function of an in-vehicle telephone has been proposed (see Patent Document 2). This is a device that performs self-diagnosis of an in-vehicle telephone connected to an in-vehicle device via an in-vehicle telephone adapter unit. The in-vehicle telephone transmits to its own station and whether a busy signal can be received from the in-vehicle telephone. Diagnose with This makes it possible to easily perform self-diagnosis of the call function of the in-vehicle phone without incurring a call charge, and to detect the vehicle without noticing that the emergency call system for the vehicle has become unusable due to a failure of the in-vehicle phone. It can be prevented from operating.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-131066
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-324042
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in these conventional technologies, when the mobile communication terminal cannot be used for some reason, the cause is that the mobile communication terminal is out of the communicable area, or the mobile communication terminal is in the communicable area. It is impossible to determine whether or not a malfunction has occurred due to a failure and notify the user.
[0007]
An object of this invention is to enable a user to detect the failure condition of a mobile communication terminal in view of the said point.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a determination means for determining a failure status of a mobile communication terminal, and based on the determination means determining a failure status of the mobile communication terminal. It is a failure notification device comprising notification means for notifying the information of a failure status of the mobile communication terminal. Then, the determination means confirms the failure status of the mobile communication terminal by checking whether the mobile communication terminal is in a state where communication is not possible and the position where the mobile communication terminal is normally within a communicable area. The determination means determines that the position where the mobile communication terminal is located is normally within a communicable area based on the successful connection of the mobile communication terminal with the base station at the same position in the past. It is characterized by that.
[0009]
Thus, when the determination unit determines the failure status of the wireless communication terminal, the notification control unit notifies the notification unit of the failure status based on this, so that the user who has received the notification can detect the failure status of the mobile communication terminal .
[0010]
Note that the failure state is a concept including, for example, a failure state, a state that is highly likely to be a failure, and the like.
[0013]
The “same position” does not mean the exact same point, but is within the same position range if it is close to a certain extent (for example, 10 m).
[0014]
Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the failure notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination means can communicate if the mobile communication terminal is in a state where communication is impossible and the position where the mobile communication terminal is located is normal. It is characterized in that the failure status of the mobile communication terminal is determined by determining a predetermined number of times that the mobile communication terminal is within a certain area.
The invention according to claim 3 is the failure notification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the same position is a position within a predetermined distance from a position where the mobile communication terminal is located. To do.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the failure notification device according to the third aspect, the predetermined distance is determined based on positioning accuracy of a position where the mobile communication terminal is located. And
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a failure notification device 1 and the like according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The failure notification device 1 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a position information acquisition unit 11, a failure determination control unit 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15, and is wired to the mobile communication terminal 2. It is connected.
[0016]
The position information acquisition unit 11 is a device that specifies the current position of the vehicle on which the failure notification device 1 is mounted, that is, the host vehicle, and outputs the specified current position information to the failure determination control unit 12. Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 11 uses a radio wave from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite to calculate the current position of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor that measures the vehicle speed, and the vehicle. It consists of a gyro sensor that detects the inclination of the car, and uses these to measure the current position such as latitude and longitude, and outputs information on the current position to the failure determination control unit 12.
[0017]
The storage unit 13 includes a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and the like (not shown), and outputs information recorded in the ROM, RAM, and flash memory to the failure determination control unit 12 by read control from the failure determination control unit 12, and Information input by the write control from the failure determination control unit 12 is recorded in the RAM and flash memory.
[0018]
The display unit 14 displays a video to the user of the failure notification device 1 based on the video signal input from the failure determination control unit 12 or sounds based on the audio signal input from the failure determination control unit 12. It consists of an output speaker.
[0019]
The operation unit 15 includes buttons, switches, and the like, and outputs a signal to the failure determination control unit 12 based on operations of these buttons, switches, and the like by the user.
[0020]
The failure determination control unit 12 operates by reading an operation program from the ROM or flash memory of the storage unit 13 and executing the read program. The failure determination control unit 12 reads information from the ROM, RAM, and flash memory as necessary for the operation, and writes information to the RAM and flash memory. In addition, the failure determination control unit 12 exchanges signals for control, information transmission, and the like with the mobile communication terminal 2, the position information acquisition unit 11, the storage unit 13, and the display unit 14 in its operation.
[0021]
The mobile communication terminal 2 includes an antenna 3 and performs communication via a radio communication base station using the antenna 3. In addition, the mobile communication terminal 2 periodically tries to connect to the base station, and if the connection is successful, the mobile communication terminal 2 indicates that the mobile communication terminal 2 is within the communication range, and if the connection fails, the mobile communication terminal 2 indicates that the connection is outside the communication range. The data is written in a memory (not shown) of the mobile communication terminal 2. Further, when the mobile communication terminal 2 receives an inquiry signal from within the communication range / out of service area from the failure determination control unit 12, the failure determination control unit 12 displays information indicating that the communication range or out of communication range is written in the memory. Output to. In the present embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 2 is a mobile phone.
[0022]
Even if such a mobile communication terminal 2 outputs information indicating that the mobile communication terminal 2 is out of the communication range to the failure determination control unit 12, whether or not the mobile communication terminal 2 is actually out of the communication range of the base station, Alternatively, it cannot be determined whether the mobile communication terminal 2 is out of order even though it is within the communicable range. In this embodiment, being out of communication range means that the mobile communication terminal 2 cannot communicate with the base station, and the mobile communication terminal 2 is not necessarily within the communicable range of the base station. It does not mean that.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the failure determination control unit 12 will be described. When the power of the failure notification device 1 is turned on, the failure determination control unit 12 reads a predetermined program from the ROM of the storage unit 13 and executes it. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of this program.
[0024]
In step 205, the program initializes a variable called the number of determinations to zero and sets it in the RAM of the storage unit 13.
[0025]
In step 210, the current position information is acquired from the position information acquisition unit 11.
[0026]
In step 215, an inquiry signal indicating whether the communication area is within or outside the communication area is output to the mobile communication terminal 2, and information indicating that the communication area is within or outside the communication area is received from the mobile communication terminal 2 as a response.
[0027]
In step 220, it is determined whether the received information is out of communication range or within communication range. If it is within the communication range, the process proceeds to step 225 and the state information at the current position is recorded in the flash memory of the storage unit 13. The status information is information indicating that the current position such as latitude and longitude, and the communication range or out of communication range received in step 215. In this step 225, if state information at the same position has already been recorded in the flash memory, new state information is recorded by overwriting the recorded state information. Further, when the status information at a different position is already recorded in the flash memory, the status information is recorded in the flash memory without being erased. When the process of step 225 ends, the process returns to step 210.
[0028]
If it is determined in step 220 that the communication area is out of the communication range, the process proceeds to step 230, in which the state information recorded in the flash memory is referred to, and in step 235, it is determined whether there is a history regarding the current position. Specifically, the determination as to whether or not there is a history regarding the current position is made by comparing the current position acquired in step 210 with the current position of each status information recorded in the flash memory, and at least one predetermined distance If there is an item within the predetermined distance, it is determined that there is no history, and if there is no item within a predetermined distance, it is determined that there is no history. The predetermined distance is recorded in advance in the ROM or flash memory of the storage unit 13, and a specific value is, for example, 10 m. The predetermined distance may be determined based on the positioning accuracy of the position information acquisition unit 11.
[0029]
When it is determined that there is no history, the process proceeds to step 225 and the state information at the current position is recorded in the flash memory.
[0030]
When it is determined that there is a history, the process proceeds to step 240, and among the state information referred to in step 230, the one in which the distance between the position included in the state information and the current position is within a predetermined distance is communicated with the communication area. It is determined whether information outside the service area is included.
[0031]
If it is determined that information indicating that the communication area is out of the communication range is included, it means that the vicinity of this position was out of the communication area in the past, and in this case, the process returns to step 210.
[0032]
When it is determined that the information indicating the communication range is included, it means that the vicinity of this position was in the communication range in the past. That is, although it was in the communication range in the past, it is now out of the communication range. In this case, the process proceeds to step 245, and the value of the number of determinations in the RAM initialized in step 205 is rewritten to a value obtained by adding 1 to the current value.
[0033]
In step 250, it is determined whether or not the value of the number of determinations has reached an upper limit value. The upper limit value is set in advance in the ROM or flash memory, and a specific value is, for example, 5. If the upper limit value has been reached, the process proceeds to step 255, and a video signal or audio signal for notifying that there is a high possibility of failure in the mobile communication terminal 2 is output to the display unit 14. That is, the display unit 14 is notified of the failure status of the mobile communication terminal 2. If the upper limit has not been reached, the process returns to step 210.
[0034]
In step 250, it is determined that the upper limit has been reached, and the failure status is notified only when the upper limit has been reached. This is because even if it was within the communicable range before, it may actually be out of the communicable range later. Therefore, even if the result of the mobile communication terminal 2 changes from the communication range to the outside of the communication range at one place, it is not always due to a failure of the mobile communication terminal 2. In order to avoid erroneous determination in such a case, the accuracy of failure determination can be improved by comparing the state information of the mobile communication terminal 2 at several points.
[0035]
In step 260, it is determined whether or not a signal for requesting to end the process is input from the operation unit 15 by the operation of the operation unit 15 by the user. If it has been input, the output of the video signal or audio signal to the display unit 14 is stopped, and the process ends. If there is no input to the effect, the process returns to step 205, and the process for determining the failure is started again.
[0036]
When the failure determination control unit 12 determines the failure state of the communication function by the operation of the failure notification device 1 as described above, the display unit 14 is notified of the failure state based on this, so that the user who has received the notification moves The failure status of the communication terminal 2 can be detected.
[0037]
In addition, the failure determination control unit 12 confirms whether the mobile communication terminal 2 is currently in a state in which communication is not possible and the position where the mobile communication terminal 2 is located is within a normally communicable area. The failure status is judged. Further, it is determined based on the fact that the mobile communication terminal 2 can communicate at the same position in the past that the position where the mobile communication terminal 2 is in the normal communication area.
[0038]
2 constitutes determination means for determining the failure status of the mobile communication terminal 2.
[0039]
Further, step 255 in FIG. 2 constitutes a notification control unit that causes the notification unit to notify the failure status of the mobile communication terminal 2 based on the determination unit determining the failure status of the mobile communication terminal 2.
[0040]
As for status information, if there is no history of the status information of the mobile communication terminal 2 by itself such as land for the first time, the status information by distribution from the dedicated server is acquired via the mobile communication terminal 2 as necessary. It can be substituted. Further, by storing the state information of the mobile communication terminal 2 at each point obtained by itself in the dedicated server via the mobile communication terminal 2, the information can be provided to other users.
[0041]
The mobile communication terminal 2 is not limited to a mobile phone, and may be a wireless module part of a telematics terminal. That is, any communication device may be used as long as it can transmit information regarding whether or not it can communicate with the failure determination control unit 12. In addition, as information regarding whether self is communicable or not, it is not limited to information indicating whether it is within the communication area as in the above-described embodiment, but may be information on the reception level of the mobile communication terminal 2.
[0042]
The position information acquisition unit 11 is outside the failure notification device 1 and may be realized as a car navigation system that measures the current position of the vehicle using a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, or the like. In addition to GPS and autonomous navigation, roadside information systems such as VICS (Road Traffic Information Communication System), roadside antennas of ETC (Non-Stop Automatic Toll Payment System), wireless LAN, etc. are used. May be. That is, the position information acquisition unit 11 may be anything as long as it measures the current position and outputs it to the failure determination control unit 12.
[0043]
The storage unit 13 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and may be a hard disk. You may share with the memory | storage device which has memorize | stored the map data etc. of a car navigation system.
[0044]
The operation unit 15 is not limited to buttons and switches, and may use a voice recognition technology.
[0045]
The connection between the mobile communication terminal 2 and the failure notification device 1 is not limited to a wired connection, and may be a wireless connection such as infrared or Bluetooth.
[0046]
Further, the failure notification device 1 may be realized as one of the functions included in the car navigation system.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a failure notification device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of a failure determination control unit 12;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Failure notification apparatus, 2 ... Wireless terminal, 3 ... Antenna, 11 ... Location information acquisition part,
12 ... Failure determination control unit, 13 ... Storage unit, 14 ... Display unit, 15 ... Operation unit.

Claims (4)

Determining means for determining a failure status of the mobile communication terminal;
Based on that the determining means determines a failure state of the mobile communication terminal, the notification means for notifying information to the user, a failure notification apparatus and a notification control means for notifying the fault status of the mobile communication terminal There,
The determination means determines a failure status of the mobile communication terminal by confirming whether the mobile communication terminal is in a state where communication is not possible and the position where the mobile communication terminal is normally within a communicable area. ,
The determination means determines that the position where the mobile communication terminal is normally within a communicable area based on the successful connection of the mobile communication terminal with a base station at the same position in the past. Failure notification device. The determination means determines the failure state of the mobile communication terminal by determining a predetermined number of times that the mobile communication terminal is in a state where communication is impossible and the position where the mobile communication terminal is normally within a communicable area. The failure notification device according to claim 1 , wherein the failure notification device is determined. The failure notification device according to claim 1, wherein the same position is a position within a predetermined distance from a position where the mobile communication terminal is located. The failure notification device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined distance is determined based on positioning accuracy of a position where the mobile communication terminal is located.

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