JP7215989B2 - Gateway device and gateway system mounted on a mobile object - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a gateway device mounted on a mobile object such as a vehicle and connected to a network outside the mobile object.

Conventionally, by mounting or installing an on-vehicle device having a wireless communication function in a moving object such as a vehicle, it is possible to connect with a computer system outside the vehicle.

JP 2008-298490 A

To provide a gateway device capable of suppressing a decrease in communication time due to disconnection/reconnection of communication via a wireless LAN access point or a base station of a mobile communication network caused by fluctuations in radio waves when connecting to a network outside a mobile object. do.

The gateway device of the embodiment is mounted on a mobile body and can be connected to a network outside the mobile body. The gateway device includes a wireless communication device connectable to a wireless LAN (Wireless LAN) access point, a wireless communication control unit that performs connection processing between the access point and the wireless communication device, wireless communication monitoring for generating wireless LAN connection state information for judging the communication state of the connected wireless LAN by accumulating the radio wave intensity of the access point that changes accordingly, and using a plurality of time-series successive radio wave intensities; and a communication route control unit that selects a route so as to maintain external communication via the wireless LAN based on the communication state determination result using the wireless LAN connection state information. Here, the wireless communication monitoring unit extracts a predetermined number of radio wave intensities in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities and calculates the average value thereof. The oldest radio wave intensity in chronological order from the group of the predetermined number calculated is excluded from the calculation target, and the average value of the predetermined number of groups obtained by adding the latest radio wave intensity is the wireless LAN communication state information can be generated as Then, if the latest connected radio wave intensity is smaller than a radio communication radio wave threshold value for maintaining communication, and if the average value is greater than the radio communication radio wave threshold value, the connected wireless LAN is valid, and if both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value are smaller than the radio wave threshold for wireless communication, the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is determined to be invalid. can do.

1 is a network configuration diagram to which an in-vehicle gateway device of a first embodiment is applied; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing configuration blocks of an in-vehicle gateway device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of communication connection Config setting information according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing update registration processing of Config setting information according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing connection processing according to the first embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating the functional structure of the communication device of 1st Embodiment, and a communication control part outside a vehicle. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique in wireless communication; FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining wireless LAN communication state information generation processing according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining communication path control based on communication state determination of a connected wireless LAN using an average value of radio wave intensity according to the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the radio|wireless-communications control processing of 1st Embodiment. 11 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of WI-FI connection processing (including search processing) in step S132 shown in FIG. 10; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of multiple wireless channels for different access points of the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of each communication state status for each wireless communication device, wireless communication status, and selected wireless channel according to the first embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating the collation process of the search process result and AP list|wrist of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the collation process of the search process result and AP list|wrist of a 1st modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of WI-FI connection processing of the first modified example; It is a figure for demonstrating the functional structure of the communication device of a 2nd modification, and a communication control part outside a vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram to which an in-vehicle gateway device 100 (hereinafter referred to as an in-vehicle GW device) of the first embodiment is applied. The in-vehicle GW device 100 is an in-vehicle device that is directly connected to an in-vehicle data source (not shown) or connected to an in-vehicle network to which the data source is connected. In this embodiment, a vehicle will be described as an example of a moving object, but the present invention can also be applied to other moving objects (trains, robots that are automatically or manually remotely controlled by radio, flying objects, bicycles, etc.). It is possible.

The in-vehicle GW device 100 can be connected to a network outside the vehicle, and is configured as a network node that relays between inside and outside the vehicle. The in-vehicle GW device 100 mainly has two external communication methods. One is a wireless communication method conforming to wireless LAN standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) via an access point, and the other is 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE (Long Term Evolution) etc. relayed by a base station. mobile communication (mobile phone communication) system.

The network outside the vehicle is, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) network. The in-vehicle GW device 100 can be connected to the service providing device 500 via an IP network. The in-vehicle GW device 100 can upload various data acquired from an in-vehicle data source to the service providing device 500 and receive various data from the service providing device 500 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing configuration blocks of the in-vehicle GW device 100. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle GW device 100 includes, as a hardware configuration, a communication device 110 and a control device 120 that controls the entire in-vehicle GW device 100 . The communication device 110 includes an external communication (external communication) interface 111 such as wireless communication and mobile communication.

The control device 120 is composed mainly of functional units operated by software. The control device 120 includes a gateway control section (GW control section) 121 , a Config setting control section 122 and a storage section 123 . The GW control unit 121 includes an external communication control unit 1210 , a communication monitoring unit 1211 and a communication path control unit 1212 . External communication control unit 1210 performs communication path selection control based on the order of priority of a plurality of external communication paths based on Config setting information. The communication monitoring unit 1211 monitors the wireless communication statuses of “unconnected”, “connected”, “connected”, and “disconnected”, measures the radio wave intensity of the access point, and displays the measurement results in time series. accumulate in

The Config setting control unit 122 receives various Config information provided from the service providing apparatus 500 and stores the information in the storage unit 123 . In addition, in cooperation with an input operation device (for example, an in-vehicle information terminal) provided in the vehicle, the Config setting control unit 122 can control the input, storage, etc. of information related to the Config information input from the input operation device. can be configured to

The storage unit 123 stores various data processed by the control device 120, information used for each process, data and information received from an external network, and the like. In the example of FIG. 2, the storage unit 123 is built in the in-vehicle GW device 100, but the storage unit 123 may be externally attached to the in-vehicle GW device 100, for example.

In the description of this embodiment, the details of the connection with the data source in the vehicle and the details of data communication are omitted. In other words, any in-vehicle gateway device may be used as long as it realizes communication for transmitting data collected from a data source in the vehicle to a network outside the vehicle and communication for receiving data from outside the vehicle. Known techniques (for example, International Publication No. WO2017/204232) can be appropriately applied to the detailed configuration of the in-vehicle data source and the external service providing device 500 .

For example, the in-vehicle GW device 100 can appropriately include an in-vehicle communication (internal communication) interface (Ethernet, CAN, UART, USB, short-range wireless communication, etc. corresponding to communication methods of various data sources) (not shown). In addition, data sources include, for example, microphones (sound collectors), sensor devices such as human sensors and vital sensors worn by users, drive recorders equipped with cameras (shooting devices), and in-vehicle cameras that shoot inside the vehicle. In-vehicle information terminals such as navigation systems equipped with display means such as in-vehicle cameras and liquid crystal display devices, in-vehicle LANs (in-vehicle LANs to which data sources such as vehicle control system ECUs and multimedia audio devices are connected), etc. be.

It can also be configured to include various functions such as routing control, protocol conversion, and security control. Routing control when sending data collected from each data source to the external network, routing control when transmitting data received from the external network to each data source, and routing control between data sources within the in-vehicle network It is also possible to perform routing control in data communication. Security control such as protocol conversion processing according to the communication method for each data source and SSL/TLS communication (encryption processing, decryption processing) between the in-vehicle network and the external network can be performed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of communication connection Config setting information. Communication connection Config settings include communication path settings when data is transmitted from the in-vehicle network to the in-vehicle network, and communication path settings when data is received from the in-vehicle network to the in-vehicle network. communication routing; and

Communication connection settings include automatic setting and/or priority setting. The in-vehicle GW device 100 can be connected to an external network via a plurality of communication scheme paths. For example, it is possible to select one of two routes, Wi-Fi and 3G/LTE, or set priority to the two routes. Also, the priority of “automatic” can be arbitrarily determined in advance such as Wi-fi>3G/LTE, for example.

Communication connections for data transmission from the in-vehicle network to the external network include, for example, a communication path for uploading vital information, a communication path for uploading vehicle information, and a communication path for uploading log information. Also, a communication path for updating videos and images captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 300B can be included. Also in these communication paths, automatic setting and/or priority setting can be similarly performed.

The communication connection Config settings include valid/invalid settings for each of the plurality of external communication paths used by the in-vehicle GW device 100 . Wi-Fi communication use settings and 3G/LTE communication use settings can be enabled (ON)/disabled (OFF). At this time, when a communication path is selected according to the set priority order, it is possible to give priority to valid/invalid communication use setting and control so as not to select an invalid communication path.

Further, the communication connection Config setting includes URL designation (registration) of the service providing device 500 to which the external network is connected. When the in-vehicle GW device 100 connects with a plurality of service providing devices 500, a plurality of URLs are specified. Note that each data node may be configured to connect to a different service providing apparatus 500 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing update registration processing of Config setting information. The in-vehicle GW device 100 can be activated by being supplied with electric power from the vehicle's battery or the like in conjunction with the activation of the vehicle (S101). The in-vehicle GW device 100 can connect to the service providing device 500 at the time of activation and acquire the Config setting information updated/registered directly in the service providing device 500 . At this time, the in-vehicle GW device 100 performs communication route selection processing based on the communication connection Config setting information shown in FIG. 3 (S102).

The in-vehicle GW device 100 transmits a Config setting information acquisition request to the service providing device 500 through the selected communication path (S103). The service providing apparatus 500 transmits Config setting information in response to the request (S502). The in-vehicle GW device 100 updates the received Config setting information (S104).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing connection processing based on communication connection Config setting information. After being activated, the in-vehicle GW device 100 (external communication control unit 1210) acquires the communication connection Config setting information shown in FIG. 3 from the storage unit 123 (S110). The in-vehicle GW device 100 performs connection processing for the communication path whose connection flag is ON (S111). The connection flag is enabled (ON)/disabled (OFF) in the communication usage setting of each communication method.

In the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of communication paths with connection flags ON, control is performed to maintain communication connections for all of the plurality of communication paths. That is, irrespective of monitoring control and data collection/transmission control of the in-vehicle GW device 100, control is performed so that the connection state is always maintained for all of the plurality of communication paths whose connection flags are ON. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the communication path control unit 1212 selects an appropriate communication path based on the Config setting according to the communication state of each communication path for each data source, and the external communication control unit 1210 Data communication is performed between networks.

The communication monitoring unit 1211 monitors the radio wave intensity of the communication path whose connection flag is ON, and generates connection state information for determining the communication state (S112). The communication monitoring unit 1211 outputs the connection state information of each communication path to the communication path control unit 1212 . Next, the communication monitoring unit 1211 confirms whether or not there is a monitoring end signal (for example, an OFF signal for the start switch of the vehicle) (S113). If monitoring is not to be ended, the process returns to step S111, and if the communication path with the connection flag ON is blocked, the external communication control unit 1210 is instructed to perform connection processing, and monitoring is continued. On the other hand, in step S113, if there is an input of a monitoring end signal and monitoring is to be ended, the process proceeds to step S1154 to cut off all connected communication paths.

In addition, it is also possible to perform monitoring control such as abnormality detection control for each data source, and to transmit the monitoring result to a network outside the vehicle. Also in this case, Config setting information can be set for each data source, and the monitoring control can be performed based on the Config setting information. Monitoring control based on Config setting information monitors data collected from the data source. For example, abnormality detection control detects an abnormality when data exceeding a threshold is detected, , data collection and transmission control for transmission to an off-vehicle network. In addition, the in-vehicle GW device 100 can perform notification processing, etc. for displaying the fact that an abnormality has been detected on the in-vehicle information terminal when an abnormality is detected.

FIGS. 6 to 17 explain the function of reducing the communication time between the communication device and the wireless LAN communication of the in-vehicle GW apparatus 100 of this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the functional configurations of the communication device and the vehicle-external communication control unit of this embodiment. The in-vehicle GW device 100 includes multiple wireless communication devices 1111 , 1112 , and 1113 . Each wireless communication device 1111, 1112, 1113 is a wireless communication interface apparatus that independently establishes a wireless channel with an access point. Note that each of the wireless devices 1111, 1112, and 1113 can establish wireless channels with the same access point, or can establish wireless channels with different access points. The number of wireless communication devices is not limited to three, and two or four or more wireless communication devices may be provided.

The off-vehicle communication interface 111 may also include a mobile communication device 1114 . Mobile communication device 1114 establishes a mobile communication channel with a base station of a mobile communication network (cellular network). A mobile communication network is a mobile communication service provided by a telecommunications carrier (eg, a communication carrier).

External communication control unit 1210 includes wireless communication control unit 1210A and mobile communication control unit 1210B. The wireless communication control unit 1210A controls communication through wireless channels via each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 1111, 1112, and 1113. FIG. Specifically, search processing for connectable access points (AP scan processing) based on Beacon packets from each of a plurality of access points, connection processing (authentication, association) with the searched access points, connected data transmission/reception processing with the access point of

The connection status of wireless communication includes various statuses such as "not connected", "connected", and "connected". The status "not connected" includes a state of searching for a connectable access point, and the communication state is an invalid state. The status "connected" is a state in which authentication processing with a searched connectable access point and session establishment processing based on a connection request to the access point are being performed, and the communication state is "disabled". state. For example, the wireless communication control unit 1210A transmits an "Association Request" via the first wireless communication device 1111 to the access point, and receives an "Association Response" from the access point. Perform session establishment processing. The same applies to other wireless communication devices 1112 and 1113 as well. The status "connected" is a communication state of "valid" in which connection with the access point is completed and communication can be performed.

The mobile communication control unit 1210B controls communication through the mobile communication channel via the mobile communication device 1114. FIG. Since the specific communication control is the same as the wireless communication described above, the explanation is omitted. ID information for identifying a person) is used for authentication to establish mobile data communication using a mobile phone line. Also, the status of the connection state is the same as that of the wireless communication described above.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique in wireless communication. As shown in FIG. 7, outside the effective radio wave range of the access point AP1, the state is "WI-FI not connected". , receive a Beacon packet from the access point AP1. Extracting connectable access point candidates based on one or more received Beacon packets. access point candidates. This process is the access point search process. The Beacon packet includes SSID, which is an access point identifier, Beacon transmission interval, channel (frequency) information, transfer rate, security information, and the like.

After entering the radio wave effective range of the access point AP1, the wireless communication control unit 1210A performs connection processing following the search processing. The connection processing includes an authentication request using a prestored password for each SSID, identification information of each wireless communication device, and the like, and the above-described session establishment processing after the authentication result is OK. After the session is established with the authentication result OK, the status becomes "WI-FI communication valid".

As the access point AP1 moves within the radio wave effective range, the radio wave intensity received by the connected in-vehicle GW device 100 changes in time series. For example, the strength of radio waves weakens depending on the positional relationship between a moving object and an obstacle. Even if the radio wave is within the effective radio wave range of the access point AP1, at some point in the effective radio wave range, if the radio wave intensity becomes weaker than a predetermined radio wave threshold value for maintaining communication (radio wave threshold value for wireless communication), the connected session will be terminated. process.

However, since the positional relationship of the obstacle changes with respect to the moving object, the radio wave intensity may recover after the disconnection process. In this case, since the mobile object after the disconnection process is within the effective radio wave range of the access point AP1, the wireless communication control unit 1210A performs the search process and the connection process for the access point AP1 again. For this reason, when the radio wave intensity becomes weaker than the predetermined radio wave threshold (wireless communication radio wave threshold) for maintaining communication, after the search process and connection process again, "WI-FI communication enabled (connected) , WI-FI communication cannot be performed, and there is a problem that the communication time for wireless communication is reduced (shortened) within the effective range of radio waves.

Such a phenomenon peculiar to mobile objects, that is, the value of the radio wave intensity at the timing of acquisition or measurement, temporarily decreases due to the change in position due to the movement of the mobile body, and then at the timing of acquisition or measurement A phenomenon occurs in which the value of the radio wave intensity rises and recovers due to the positional movement of . In this case, in the conventional system, the period of "wireless communication: invalid" increases even though the radio wave is within the effective range, resulting in a decrease in communication time.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the radio wave intensity of the access point that changes with the movement of the mobile object is accumulated, and a plurality of radio wave intensities that are continuous in time series are used to determine the communication state of the connected wireless LAN. Generate wireless LAN communication status information. Then, based on the determination result of the communication state using the wireless LAN communication state information, route selection is performed so as to maintain the external communication via the connected wireless LAN.

The communication monitoring unit 1211 causes the storage unit 123 to store each radio wave intensity value that is continuously acquired or measured in chronological order at predetermined intervals or at predetermined timings. Then, a predetermined number of radio wave intensities are extracted in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities, and the average value of the group of the predetermined number is calculated as the wireless LAN communication state information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the wireless LAN communication state information generation process. The processing shown in FIG. 8 is interlocked with the timing of acquisition or measurement of the radio wave intensity, and is continuously performed in chronological order at predetermined intervals or at predetermined timings of the mobile object (during activation of the in-vehicle GW device 100).

On the right side of FIG. 8, a predetermined number of groups for calculating the average value can be arbitrarily set, and five groups are set in the example of FIG. For example, the communication monitoring unit 1211 accumulates the acquired radio wave intensity values in a queue structure data structure including five areas for storing the radio wave intensity values at each acquisition timing in a first-in, first-out manner, and stores five time-series data in the queue structure. can be configured to calculate an average value using a plurality of radio wave intensity values arranged in a row.

Therefore, every time the latest radio field strength is accumulated in the queue structure, the communication monitoring unit 1211 excludes the oldest radio field strength in chronological order from among the predetermined number of groups for which the previous average value was calculated, from the calculation targets. Then, the average value of a predetermined number of groups to which the latest radio wave intensity is added is generated as the wireless LAN connection state information. That is, the average value within a predetermined period of a plurality of radio wave intensities sequentially acquired at predetermined intervals and timings is calculated based on the latest radio wave intensities, not limited to data accumulation in a queue structure.

In the example of FIG. 8, the communication monitoring unit 1211 determines whether or not the currently connected wireless channel is "WI-F communication enabled" (S151), and if "WI-FI communication is enabled" (S152 YES), acquire the radio wave intensity value. The communication monitoring unit 1211 stores the latest radio wave intensity values acquired by the first-in, first-out procedure for the data structure “queue” in acquisition chronological order. It is processed as excluded from calculation (S153).

The communication monitoring unit 1211 then determines whether or not the conditions for executing the average value calculation process are satisfied (S154). The condition used in step S154 is, for example, for confirming whether or not the number of data to be calculated is stored in the storage area for a predetermined number or more. In other words, at the timing immediately after activation or at the timing immediately after entering the radio wave effective range of the access point, a sufficient number of radio wave intensities may not be accumulated. configured to provide. It should be noted that step S154 is not an essential processing step but is optional.

In step S155, the communication monitoring unit 1211 uses a predetermined number of pieces of time-series data including the latest radio wave intensity on a first-in, first-out basis to perform processing for calculating the average value of the radio wave intensity. The communication monitoring unit 1211 stores the radio field intensity average value in the storage unit 123 as wireless LAN communication state information (S156). When the communication monitoring unit 1211 includes a plurality of wireless communication devices (a plurality of wireless channels), the communication monitoring unit 1211 performs the processing shown in FIG. 8 in parallel for each wireless communication device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining communication path control based on communication state determination of a connected wireless LAN using an average value of radio wave intensity according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, even if the radio wave intensity temporarily drops while moving within the radio wave coverage area, the effect of the temporary drop is reduced, and external communication via the connected wireless LAN is maintained. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in communication time (wireless communication: disabled state) due to disconnection processing/connection of wireless communication within the effective range of radio waves caused by fluctuations in radio waves.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the wireless communication control processing of this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the detailed flow of the WI-FI connection processing (including search processing) in step S132 shown in FIG.

The wireless communication control unit 1210A refers to the communication connection Config setting information described above, and confirms whether the Wi-Fi communication use setting is valid (ON) or invalid (OFF) (S131). If it is determined that the Wi-Fi communication use setting is valid (ON) (YES in 131), WI-FI connection processing is performed (S132). At this time, if a plurality of wireless communication devices are provided, the connection processing of each wireless channel is repeated (or in parallel processing) for each wireless communication device, that is, for the number of wireless channels that can be established independently. conduct.

Then, the wireless communication control unit 1210A confirms the communication status of each wireless channel (each WI-FI channel) for which connection processing has been performed (S133). The radio communication control unit 1210A determines whether or not the communication state status of one or more radio channels among the radio channels is "valid" (S134), and determines whether the communication state status of at least one radio channel is "valid". If so (YES in S134), the process proceeds to step S135, and if there are two or more wireless channels with the communication state status "valid", the communication state status is "valid" based on the preset priority. one of the wireless channels is set as the wireless communication path to be used (S135). The wireless communication control unit 1210A stores a flag indicating “valid” as the wireless communication status in the storage unit 123 along with the setting of the connected wireless channel to be used as the wireless communication path.

On the other hand, in step S134, if the communication status statuses of all wireless channels are "invalid" (NO in S134), the process proceeds to step S137, and wireless communication control section 1210A sets a flag indicating "invalid" as the wireless communication status. Stored in the storage unit 123 .

Subsequently, in the connection process of step S132 (FIG. 11), first, the communication state status of the connected wireless channel is determined using the radio wave intensity average value described in FIG. 8 (S141). The step S141 is a process of determining the communication state of the connected radio channel. 8 is not performed for an unconnected wireless channel (S151), the communication state is determined to be "invalid", and the process proceeds to step S143 in the determination of step S142. If it is determined in step S141 that the communication state status of the connected wireless channel is "valid", the process proceeds to step S149 in the determination of S142, and the communication state status of the connected wireless channel is maintained "valid".

Here, the communication state determination processing of the connected radio channel in step 141 will be described. The communication monitoring unit 1211 determines whether or not the latest connected radio wave intensity is smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold value for maintaining communication. is determined to be "effective". On the other hand, when it is determined that the latest radio wave intensity is smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold, it is determined whether or not the average value of the radio wave intensity is greater than the wireless communication radio wave threshold. "effective". That is, when it is determined that both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value of radio wave intensity are smaller than the radio wave threshold for wireless communication, the communication state of the connected wireless channel is determined to be "invalid", If either the latest radio wave intensity or the radio wave intensity average value is greater than the wireless communication radio wave threshold, it is determined that the communication state is "effective".

A connected wireless channel whose communication state is determined to be "invalid" or a wireless channel in an unconnected state (including the initial connection) proceeds to step S143, and access point search processing is executed.

The wireless communication control unit 1210A of the present embodiment performs search processing for connectable access points based on each Beacon packet from a plurality of access points (S143), and an AP list in which a plurality of connectable access points are set in advance. match with FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the matching process between the search process result and the AP list. The wireless communication control unit 1210A performs connection processing (first connection processing) for connecting to an access point that matches the AP search result (S144). The connection process is the session establishment process described above.

The AP list is list data in which a plurality of access points are registered in advance, including the SSID and security information (authentication information such as a password) shown in FIG. The AP list can be received from the external service providing device 500 at any timing, and the vehicle-external communication control unit 1210 stores (updates) the received AP list storage unit 123 . Note that the AP list can be updated as appropriate according to the location information of the mobile unit. For example, mobile object information such as the current position, traveling direction, and planned route of a mobile object (in-vehicle GW device 100) is transmitted to the service providing device 500, and the service providing device 500 extracts an access point that matches the mobile object information. It is also possible to create an AP list and transmit (provide) it to the in-vehicle GW device 100 .

The wireless communication control unit 1210A determines the result of the connection with the access point in the connection process (S145). It is updated to "valid" (S146). On the other hand, if the result of the connection with the access point in the connection process is the state of "disabled" in which communication cannot be performed (NO in S145), the matching process of the access point search process result and the AP list is performed. to determine whether connection processing with other access points set in the AP list is possible (S147). If an access point that matches the AP list has been searched (YES in S147), the process returns to step S144 to perform connection processing with the searched access point that matches the AP list. On the other hand, if no access point matching the AP list has been found (NO in S147), the connection status of the wireless channel is updated to "invalid" (S148).

The processing shown in FIG. 11 is repeated or executed in parallel for each wireless communication device (wireless channel), and the communication state status of the wireless channel is recorded as “valid”/“invalid” for each wireless communication device.

8, 10, and 11 are executed for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices, and the wireless communication control unit 1210A performs connection processing to the same or different access points for each of the plurality of wireless communication devices. I do. Then, the communication monitoring unit 1211 accumulates, for each wireless communication device, the radio wave intensity of each connected access point that changes as the mobile body moves, and uses a plurality of time-series continuous radio wave intensities to monitor each wireless communication. Wireless communication connection state information for each device is generated, and the communication state of each wireless communication device is determined based on each wireless communication connection state information. Then, if the communication status of at least one wireless communication device is valid, the communication path control unit 1212 performs path selection so as to maintain external communication via the wireless channel.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of wireless channels for a plurality of different access points, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of each communication state status for each wireless communication device, wireless communication status, and selected wireless channel. be. In this embodiment, a plurality of wireless communication devices 1111, 1112, 1113 are provided, and these wireless communication devices can be connected to different access points.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, in an area where the radio wave effective area of the access point AP1 and the radio wave effective area of the access point AP2 overlap, the first radio channel CH1 is connected to the access point AP1, and the second radio channel CH1 is connected to the access point AP1. CH2 is connected to access point AP2. In an area where the radio wave effective area of the access point AP1, the radio wave effective area of the access point AP2, and the radio wave effective area of the access point AP3 overlap, the first radio channel CH1 is connected to the access point AP1, and the second radio channel CH1 is connected to the access point AP1. A channel CH2 is connected to the access point AP2, and a third radio channel CH3 is connected to the access point AP3.

The state of communication between the moving mobile body, the access point, and each radio channel changes in time series, as shown on the left side of FIG. Then, as described above, if the communication status of at least one wireless channel is "valid", the wireless communication status of the in-vehicle GW device 100 is maintained as "valid", and wireless communication is maintained (or selection) is performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, if there are a plurality of radio channels whose communication status is "effective", one of them is selected based on the preset priority of the radio channels.

Also, in areas where radio wave effective areas do not overlap among multiple access points, multiple wireless communication devices can be configured to connect to one access point. Note that when the first wireless communication device 1111 establishes a session with the access point AP1 and the communication state is "valid", the second wireless communication device 1112 is controlled to connect to another access point different from the access point AP1. Alternatively, in step S144 of FIG. 11, the matching process with the AP list can be performed so that the access point other than the access point to which the other wireless communication device is currently connected becomes the connection destination.

In this embodiment, it is possible to suppress "disconnection" of wireless communication due to a temporary decrease in radio wave intensity due to the influence of obstacles within the radio wave effective range of one access point, thereby suppressing a decrease in communication time. It should be noted that the same applies even if a plurality of wireless communication devices are provided, and each wireless communication device also links a wireless channel to one access point as long as the radio wave effective areas do not overlap. For this reason, in the conventional mechanism, even if a plurality of wireless communication devices are provided, "disconnection" of wireless communication due to a temporary decrease in radio wave intensity due to the influence of obstacles cannot be avoided. By applying the time reduction suppression function, it is possible to secure more communication time within the effective radio wave range.

Also, even if a plurality of wireless communication devices are provided, only one route is selected as a wireless channel. In other words, since communication is not performed simultaneously using multiple wireless channels, more communication time can be secured for one wireless channel, and the number of times of switching to another wireless channel (wireless device) can be reduced. can. Of course, if the communication status of multiple wireless channels is "enabled", when the communication status of the currently selected communication channel becomes "disabled", the other wireless channel whose communication status is "enabled" Furthermore, after switching to another wireless channel, by performing connection processing for a wireless communication device whose communication state is "invalid", the communication time in wireless communication is increased and a stable communication environment is achieved as a whole. can be realized.

Also, in the above description, a wireless channel by a wireless communication device was explained as an example, but it is also applicable to external communication on a mobile communication channel by a mobile communication device. That is, the in-vehicle GW apparatus 100 includes a mobile communication device 1111 connectable to a mobile communication network via a base station, and a mobile communication control unit 1210B that performs connection processing between the base station and the mobile communication device. , is equipped with Then, the communication monitoring unit (mobile communication monitoring unit) 1211 accumulates the radio wave intensity of the connected base station that changes as the mobile body moves, and uses a plurality of time-series continuous radio wave intensities to monitor the connection. Mobile communication state information for determining the communication state of the mobile communication network can be generated based on the processing shown in FIG. The communication route control unit 1212 can perform route selection so as to maintain external communication via the connected mobile communication network based on the communication state determination result using the mobile communication state information.

15 and 16 are diagrams showing a first modified example of this embodiment, in which the AP list contains location information of each access point. In the description of FIG. 16, the same processing as in FIG. 11 is given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The wireless communication control unit 1210A acquires the current location information of the mobile object (in-vehicle GW device 100) from the GPS device or the like (S143A in FIG. 16), and acquires location information of a plurality of connectable access points for the current location. match against the containing AP list (Fig. 15). The wireless communication control unit 1210A does not perform the search processing shown in FIG. 11, but performs connection processing (second connection processing, S144B in FIG. 16) to the access point in the AP list that matches the current position of the mobile unit ).

The GPS device that acquires the current location information of the moving object (in-vehicle GW device 100) is configured to be provided in the in-vehicle GW device 100, or is connected to the in-vehicle GW device 100 from a data source (vehicle information terminal, etc.) may be provided with a GPS device.

As described above, in the first modification, the above-described session establishment processing can be performed directly without performing the processing of searching for an access point that has the current position of the moving object (in-vehicle GW device 100) within the effective range of radio waves. . Therefore, the time required for search processing can be reduced, and an environment in which it is easier to secure communication time can be realized.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a second modification, and is a diagram for explaining the functional configurations of the communication device and the vehicle-external communication control unit. FIG. 17 illustrates an external communication interface 112 comprising a plurality of mobile communication devices 1124,1125 and a plurality of wireless communication devices 1121,1122. Also in the second modified example, the communication time reduction suppression function of the present embodiment can be applied.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the in-vehicle gateway device 100 can be configured as an in-vehicle gateway system. For example, the communication device 110 and the control device 120 can be configured as separate devices and configured as an in-vehicle gateway system that interconnects them. Similarly, each functional unit of the control device 120 can also be configured as an individual processing device as appropriate and configured as an in-vehicle gateway system.

Each function of the control device 120 can be realized by a program, and a computer program prepared in advance for realizing each function is stored in the auxiliary storage device, and a control unit such as a CPU is stored in the auxiliary storage device. The program read out to the main storage device is read out, and the program read out to the main storage device is executed by the control unit, so that the function of each unit can be operated.

Also, the program can be provided to the in-vehicle GW device 100 in a state of being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include optical discs such as CD-ROMs, phase-change optical discs such as DVD-ROMs, magneto-optical discs such as MO (Magnet Optical) and MD (Mini Disk), floppy (registered trademark) discs, and the like. Examples include magnetic disks such as removable hard disks, compact flash (registered trademark), smart media, SD memory cards, memory cards such as memory sticks. Further, a hardware device such as an integrated circuit (IC chip, etc.) specially designed and configured for the purpose of the present invention is also included as a recording medium. Further, it is also possible to provide a program for realizing each unit to the in-vehicle GW device 100 from an external network via the communication device 110 and install the program.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

100 in-vehicle gateway device (in-vehicle GW device)
110 Communication device 111 External communication interface 120 Control device 121 Gateway control unit (GW control unit)
1210 External communication control unit 1210A Wireless communication control unit 1210B Mobile communication control unit 1211 Communication monitoring unit 1212 Communication path control unit 122 Config setting control unit 123 Storage unit 500 Service providing device

Claims (7)

A gateway device mounted on a mobile object and connectable to a network outside the mobile object,
a wireless communication device connectable to a wireless LAN (Wireless LAN) access point;
a wireless communication control unit that performs connection processing between the access point and the wireless communication device;
Wireless LAN communication state information for judging the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is generated by accumulating the radio wave intensity of the access point, which changes with the movement of the mobile body, and using a plurality of time-series consecutive radio wave intensities. a radio communication monitoring unit to generate;
a communication path control unit that selects a path so as to maintain external communication via the wireless LAN based on the determination result of the communication state using the wireless LAN communication state information;
The wireless communication monitoring unit extracts a predetermined number of radio wave intensities in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities and calculates the average value thereof,
Each time the latest radio field strength is accumulated, the oldest radio field strength in chronological order from the predetermined number of groups for which the previous average value was calculated is excluded from the calculation target, and the latest radio field strength is added to the predetermined generating the average value of the group of numbers as the wireless LAN communication state information;
The wireless communication monitoring unit
If the latest connected radio wave intensity is smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold for maintaining communication, and if the average value is greater than the wireless communication radio wave threshold, it is determined that the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is valid. death,
A gateway device that determines that a communication state of a connected wireless LAN is invalid when both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value are smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold . The wireless communication control unit searches for the connectable access points based on each beacon packet from the plurality of access points, compares the plurality of connectable access points with a preset AP list, and searches for the connectable access points. First connection processing that performs connection processing for an access point that matches the result, or an AP list that includes location information of a plurality of access points that can be connected to the current location of the mobile object is collated, and the search processing is not performed. 2. The gateway device according to claim 1 , which performs a second connection process for connecting to the access point in the AP list that matches the current position of the mobile object. A plurality of the wireless communication devices are provided,
The wireless communication control unit performs connection processing to the access points that are different for each of the plurality of wireless communication devices,
The wireless communication monitoring unit accumulates, for each wireless communication device, the radio wave intensity of each of the access points that changes as the mobile body moves, and uses a plurality of time-series consecutive radio wave intensities to monitor each wireless communication. generating the wireless LAN communication state information for each device, and determining the communication state of each of the wireless communication devices based on the wireless LAN communication state information;
2. The communication path control unit selects a path so as to maintain external communication via the wireless LAN when the communication state of at least one of the wireless communication devices is valid. 3. The gateway device according to 2 . a mobile communication device connectable to a mobile communication network via a base station;
a mobile communication control unit that performs connection processing between the base station and the mobile communication device;
a storage unit that stores communication connection config setting information including priority settings in which the first external communication path by the wireless LAN and the second external communication path by the mobile communication network are arranged in a predetermined order of priority;
The priority setting is set such that the first external communication path has priority over the second external communication path,
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the communication path control unit performs the path selection based on a determination result using the communication connection Config setting information and the wireless LAN communication state information. Gateway device as described. A program executed by a gateway device that is mounted on a mobile body and that includes a wireless communication device connectable to a wireless LAN (Wireless LAN) access point and is connectable to a network outside the mobile body,
a first function that performs connection processing between the access point and the wireless communication device;
Wireless LAN communication state information for judging the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is generated by accumulating the radio wave intensity of the access point, which changes with the movement of the mobile body, and using a plurality of time-series consecutive radio wave intensities. a second function to generate;
realizing a third function of selecting a route so as to maintain external communication via the wireless LAN based on the determination result of the communication state using the wireless LAN communication state information ;
The second function extracts a predetermined number of radio wave intensities in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities and calculates the average value thereof,
Each time the latest radio field strength is accumulated, the oldest radio field strength in chronological order from the predetermined number of groups for which the previous average value was calculated is excluded from the calculation target, and the latest radio field strength is added to the predetermined generating the average value of the group of numbers as the wireless LAN communication state information;
The second function further comprises:
If the latest connected radio wave intensity is smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold for maintaining communication, and if the average value is greater than the wireless communication radio wave threshold, it is determined that the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is valid. death,
A program for determining that a communication state of a connected wireless LAN is invalid when both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value are smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold . A gateway system mounted on a mobile object and connectable to a network outside the mobile object,
a wireless communication device connectable to a wireless LAN (Wireless LAN) access point;
a wireless communication control unit that performs connection processing between the access point and the wireless communication device;
Wireless LAN communication state information for judging the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is generated by accumulating the radio wave intensity of the access point, which changes with the movement of the mobile body, and using a plurality of time-series consecutive radio wave intensities. a radio communication monitoring unit to generate;
a communication path control unit that selects a path so as to maintain external communication via the wireless LAN based on the determination result of the communication state using the wireless LAN communication state information ;
The wireless communication monitoring unit extracts a predetermined number of radio wave intensities in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities and calculates an average value thereof,
Each time the latest radio field strength is accumulated, the oldest radio field strength in chronological order from the group of the predetermined number for which the previous average value was calculated is excluded from the calculation target, and the latest radio field strength is added to the predetermined generating the average value of the group of numbers as the wireless LAN communication state information;
The wireless communication monitoring unit
If the latest connected radio wave intensity is smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold for maintaining communication, and if the average value is greater than the wireless communication radio wave threshold, it is determined that the communication state of the connected wireless LAN is valid. death,
A gateway system characterized by determining that a communication state of a connected wireless LAN is invalid when both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value are smaller than the wireless communication radio wave threshold . A gateway device mounted on a mobile object and connectable to a network outside the mobile object,
a mobile communication device connectable to a mobile communication network via a base station;
a mobile communication control unit that performs connection processing between the base station and the mobile communication device;
Movement for determining the communication state of the connected mobile communication network by accumulating the radio field intensity of the connected base station that changes with the movement of the mobile body and using a plurality of time-series continuous radio field intensities. a mobile communication monitoring unit that generates communication state information;
a communication route control unit that performs route selection so as to maintain external communication via the mobile communication network based on the result of determination of the communication state using the mobile communication state information ;
The mobile communication monitoring unit extracts a predetermined number of radio wave intensities in chronological order from the latest radio wave intensities and calculates an average value thereof,
Each time the latest radio field strength is accumulated, the oldest radio field strength in chronological order from the predetermined number of groups for which the previous average value was calculated is excluded from the calculation target, and the latest radio field strength is added to the predetermined generating the average value of the group of numbers as the mobile communication state information;
The mobile communication monitoring unit
If the latest connected radio wave intensity is lower than the mobile communication radio wave threshold for maintaining communication, and if the average value is greater than the mobile communication radio wave threshold, the communication state of the connected mobile communication network is valid. determined to be
A gateway device that determines that a communication state of a connected mobile communication network is invalid when both the latest connected radio wave intensity and the average value are smaller than the mobile communication radio wave threshold. .

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