WO2006027843A1

WO2006027843A1 - Vehicle communication control apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2006027843A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/013188
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takaharu Abe; Seiji Asano; Akihiro Ohkawa; Hitoshi Terasawa
Original assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-09-03
Filing date: 2004-09-03
Publication date: 2006-03-16
Also published as: JPWO2006027843A1

Abstract

A vehicle communication control apparatus wherein the apparatus structure is not complicated; while a communication standby state is maintained during a halting of the engine, the power consumption of the vehicle battery can be minimized; and further the battery can be prevented from being over-discharged. A vehicle communication control apparatus (10) comprises a plurality of communication circuits (3), when connected to a power supply, becoming capable of communicating with the outside of a vehicle (100); and switching means (2) capable of switching between connection and disconnection of the power supply to and from the communication circuits. The communication control apparatus (10) further comprises vehicle status determining means (12) for determining the status of the vehicle; and switching control means (13) for selecting, based on the vehicle status, a communication circuit (3) from which the power supply is to be disconnected, and for outputting a disconnection signal to the switching means (2).

Description

Vehicle communication control device Technical Field

The present invention relates to a communication control apparatus for a vehicle, and relates to a communication circuit for maintaining a standby state for communication when the engine is stopped and suppressing power consumption of the vehicle battery.

The present invention relates to a vehicle communication control device that controls supply of power to a vehicle. Technical background

Mobile phones are now in widespread use in society, and are now in a state of having one by one. Such a mobile phone is used not only as a call means for talking but also as an information transfer means for transmitting information such as electronic mail. And the mobile phone communication system is changing to a communication system with higher information transfer speed. Along with this increase in speed, in-vehicle communication modules have been developed for mounting mobile phones in vehicles and exchanging information with the outside of the vehicle. Such communication modules are used in information terminals such as navigation systems, and when receiving services that use communication modules while the engine is running, the power consumption of the communication modules is much less than that of batteries such as batteries. Does not affect. However, when receiving services to be used while the engine is stopped, such as a remote control engine starter, power is continuously consumed as standby power in a standby state where communication is not performed. It is desirable to hold it down.

On the other hand, even in a general communication system, it is regarded as a problem that power such as a battery is consumed in such a standby state. In order to reduce the standby power consumption, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-166487 includes a mobile phone and a caller, and the call monitoring is performed with less power consumption. The mobile phone is put into a sleep mode, and when the caller receives a call, the mobile phone is turned on to receive power. An integrated communication device is described.

In addition to this, in order to reduce battery power consumption, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2 00 0-2 3 2 6 8 3 discloses a PDC communication unit, a PHS communication unit, and a power source for these communication units. A wireless communication device including a battery to be supplied, wherein the wireless communication device performs communication by switching from a PDC communication unit with high power consumption to a PHS communication unit with low power consumption when the remaining capacity of the battery decreases. A wireless communication device is described. Such a communication system is provided with a paging machine or a PHS communication unit with low power consumption to reduce standby power consumption. However, in order to install these devices, the hardware devices of the conventional communication system must be greatly modified or expanded, which not only increases the manufacturing cost but also complicates the device configuration.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to minimize the power consumption of the vehicle battery while maintaining the communication standby state when the engine is stopped without complicating the device configuration, and further, the battery is overdischarged. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device for a vehicle that can prevent the occurrence of an accident. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle communication control device according to the present invention includes a plurality of communication circuits capable of communicating with the outside of a vehicle by turning on the power, and turning on the power to each of the communication circuits. A vehicle communication control device comprising: switching means capable of switching switching; and the communication control device shuts off the power supply based on vehicle state detection means for detecting a vehicle state, and on the vehicle state. And a switching control means for selecting a communication circuit to be output and outputting a cut-off signal to the switching means.

The vehicle communication control apparatus configured as described above selects a circuit to cut off the power based on the state of the vehicle and cuts off the power to the circuit, so that the power consumption of the power can be reduced. At the same time, communication can be awaited with minimum power consumption. As a result, it is possible to prevent the battery from being overdischarged. In particular, as a communication circuit, it is more effective for a circuit that performs communication using a diversity method with high power consumption. The vehicle communication control device according to the present invention is characterized in that the vehicle state detecting means detects the stop of the engine of the vehicle as the state of the vehicle, and the engine stop is operated by operating the engine key. The engine stop may be detected from an in-vehicle device such as an engine control unit. The vehicle communication control device configured as described above is selectively configured after the engine is stopped. By shutting off the power supply to the communication circuit, it is possible to reduce power consumption while maintaining the communication standby state, and to suppress the discharge of the power supply of the vehicle battery or the like. This can prevent the power source from being overdischarged, especially when the engine is stopped and the power source cannot be charged.

In the vehicle communication control device according to the present invention, when the communication circuit is communicating with the outside, the switching control means outputs the cutoff signal when the communication is completed. It is said.

Since the vehicle communication control device configured as described above waits for communication such as a call and data communication to be completed after the engine is stopped, the communication circuit is selected and a cut-off signal is output. It is possible to wait for communication with minimum power consumption without causing any problems.

The vehicle communication control device according to the present invention may be configured such that the vehicle state detection unit includes a vehicle charging system in which the power supply charge / discharge balance does not match the vehicle state, the power supply is deteriorated, or the like. When the abnormality is detected in the charging system, the switching control means selects a communication circuit to cut off the power supply and outputs the cut-off signal.

When the vehicle communication control device configured as described above determines that there is an abnormality in the charging system, it eliminates the primary trouble that is abnormal and reduces power consumption. Secondary troubles such as becoming can be avoided.

In the vehicle communication control device according to the present invention, the vehicle state detection unit detects the position of the vehicle as the vehicle state, and the switching control unit is configured to control the communication based on the vehicle position. Determining the radio wave environment received by the receiving circuit of the circuit, When it is determined that the radio wave environment is bad, the cutoff signal is output to all the communication circuits that are turned on.

The vehicle communication control device configured as described above determines whether the radio wave environment in the area where the vehicle is located is good or bad from the vehicle position information, and when the radio wave environment is poor and communication is not possible, the communication control device waits for communication. Since it is determined that this is not possible, the power supply to all circuits is cut off, so that the standby power consumption of the circuit can be reduced. In addition, if such control is performed after the engine is stopped, it is possible to prevent the power source such as the battery from being overdischarged.

Further, in the vehicle communication control device according to the present invention, the plurality of communication circuits include a transmission circuit and a plurality of reception circuits, and the switching control means has an electrolytic strength that is received among the plurality of reception circuits. On the basis of this, a receiving circuit to cut off the power supply is selected, and the cut-off signal is output.

The vehicle communication control apparatus configured as described above determines that communication is not possible when it is determined that the electric field strength is weak and the radio wave environment is poor (does not satisfy a certain electric field strength), Since the power supply may be cut off or a receiving circuit with relatively weak electric field strength may be selected to cut off the power supply, it is possible to effectively save power. Since the power supply is operated based on the electric field strength indicating the state of the radio wave, the power supply can be turned on or off with good balance according to the communication environment. The switching control means is characterized in that the blocking signal is output after a predetermined time has elapsed after detecting the end of the communication.

The vehicle communication control apparatus configured as described above is in a state where the engine is stopped, supplies power to the communication circuit for a certain period of time, and is ready to receive signals. Therefore, even after the engine is stopped, the transmitted signal is not transmitted. High-speed communication can be performed reliably, and then power to some circuits is shut off, reducing power consumption. In the vehicle communication control device according to the present invention, after the switching control means outputs the shut-off signal, all shut-off signals for shutting off power to all the communication circuits, and a plurality of communication circuits A turn-on signal for turning on power to some or all of the circuits, Is output alternately at predetermined time intervals. Since the vehicle communication control device configured as described above is in an intermittently communicable state with the engine stopped, even if data or the like is transmitted from a base station or the like while the vehicle is stopped, It is possible to reliably receive the transmitted signal. After that, the power to all communication circuits is cut off, so that power consumption can be reduced.

In the vehicle communication control device according to the present invention, the switching control means further includes engine start detection means for detecting start of the engine of the vehicle, and when the start of the engine is detected, The communication control device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that a power-on signal is output to the switching means so that a power supply is turned on to a communication circuit whose power is cut off. Based on the signal received from the outside, determines whether it is necessary to receive diversity, and outputs a turn-on signal to turn on the power to the communication circuit that has been turned off based on the decision result It is said.

Since the vehicle communication control apparatus configured as described above determines the optimal reception method based on the state of the engine and preferably the type of received data transmitted from the outside, the efficiency of the reception circuit is improved. Power can be turned on.

The vehicle communication control device according to the present invention is characterized in that the switching means includes manual operation means that can be manually operated. The vehicle communication control apparatus configured as described above can determine the necessity of communication according to the driver's preference. Furthermore, when the driver finds that there is an obvious communication abnormality, the driver can prevent the power source from being overdischarged by performing a manual operation.

The vehicle communication control device according to the present invention includes a plurality of communication circuits connected to a mobile phone network using radio waves and capable of radio wave communication with the mobile phone network by turning on the power. Switching means capable of switching on or off the power to each communication circuit; and controlling the switching means and performing data communication with a ground station by the communication circuit. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle communication control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a control flow diagram of the first embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a control flow diagram of the second embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the third embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a control flow diagram of the fourth embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a control flowchart of the fifth embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a control flowchart of the sixth embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a control flow diagram of the seventh embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a control flowchart of the eighth embodiment of the communication control apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a control flowchart for returning the diversity reception of the communication control device shown in FIG. 1 when the engine is started.

Fig. 12 is a control flow diagram showing how to start up the receiving circuit in the data standby state after the engine is stopped.

Fig. 13 is a control flow diagram when an incoming mail is received in Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a control flow diagram when E V—D O data is received in Fig. 12.

FIG. 15 is a control block diagram of the communication control apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a control block diagram of the communication control apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is a control block diagram of the communication control apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a control block diagram of the communication control apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, several embodiments of a vehicle communication control device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of a vehicle communication control device (vehicle communication module). 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle communication control device 10 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle 1 0 0 communicates with the outside of the vehicle 1 0 0 (onboard) communication module 1 0, vehicle battery (power supply) 2 0, antennas 4 1 and 4 2, rear equipment (on-vehicle Equipment) 5 0 (not shown).

The in-vehicle communication module 10 is activated when power is supplied from the vehicle battery 20, and transmits the radio signal received from the mobile phone network or the like via the antenna 4 1, 4 2 to the rear device 50. For receiving the output signal output from the rear device 50 and transmitting the output signal to the outside of the vehicle (cell phone network, etc.) via the antennas 41 and 42 using radio waves. It is a device, and mainly comprises a main control means 1, a switching means 2, and a communication circuit 3 composed of a plurality of circuits for performing communication.

The main control means 1 has a communication line 51 as an interface of a rear device 50 composed of a telephone, an engine control unit (ECU), a navigation system or the like. Connected to the secondary device 50. Further, the main control means 1 is connected to a communication circuit 3 for data communication with a ground station or the like. The communication circuit 3 is a receiving circuit (main receiving circuit 6 and sub-receiver) that receives radio waves from a cellular phone network. It comprises a receiving circuit 7) and a transmitting circuit 8 for transmitting radio waves to the mobile phone network. Specifically, the main receiving circuit 6 and the transmitting circuit 8 are connected to the main antenna 41 via the main antenna terminal 4, and the sub receiving circuit 7 is connected to the sub antenna 4 via the sub antenna terminal 5. Connected to 2. In addition, these circuits 6 to 8 are activated when the power is turned on by switching means 2 described later.

With such a device configuration, a signal received from the outside can be received by the diversity method through the main antenna 41 and the sub-antenna 42 (dipersity antenna) in order to prevent a decrease in signal level. The received signal is transmitted to the rear device 50 via the communication line 51. Further, the signal output from the rear device 50 is sent to the transmission circuit 8 via the main control means 1, and the transmission circuit 8 transmits the signal to the outside via the antenna.

In addition, the main control means 1 determines that the operation position of the engine key 30 is changed to the accessory position (AC) by the act of operating the engine key 30 of the operator (user). It is connected to the accessory line (ACC line) to which power is supplied when it reaches the C position) or the ignition position (IGN position). The electric power from the ACC line 22 is supplied to the main control means 1 through a voltage converter 9A that converts the battery voltage 12 V to 3.3 V.

The main control means 1 controls the switching means 2 described later based on the state of radio waves received from the outside, the output signal from the rear device 50, the voltage signal of the vehicle battery 20 by key operation, etc. The control signal to output is output.

The switching means 2 is connected to the battery line (BAT line) 2 1 to which power is directly supplied from the vehicle battery 20, and the power from the BAT line 2 1 converts the battery voltage 12 V to 5 V. The voltage is supplied to the switching means 2 through the voltage converter 9B. Switching means 2 converts the converted 5 V power into an internal power supply (3.3 V, 5 V, etc.) that can be supplied to each circuit 6-8. The switching means 2 is provided with a switch 2A that can turn on or off the power in each of the circuits 6 to 8, and according to a control signal (turn-on signal or cut-off signal) output from the main control means 1 described later. Turn on or off the internal power supply for each circuit 6-8.

FIG. 2 shows a control block diagram of the main control means 1 shown in FIG. The main control means 1 includes transmission / reception control means 11, vehicle state detection means 12, and switching control means 13. The transmission / reception control means 11 receives a signal from the communication circuit 3 (reception circuits 6 and 7) and transmits a signal to be transmitted to the subsequent device 50 in order to perform data communication, command communication, etc. with the rear device 50. In addition to controlling, the control is performed to receive the output signal from the rear device 50 and transmit the data to the communication circuit 3 (transmission circuit 8). The transmission / reception control means 1 1 also detects the communication status such as the electric field strength received by the antennas 4 1 and 4 2, the radio wave environment, and whether the communication circuit 3 is operating. Is output to the switching control means 13 as a detection signal.

The vehicle state detection means 12 is a means for detecting the state of the vehicle. The vehicle state detection means 12 is an output signal from the rear device 50 via the communication line 51 and the engine key 30 via the ACC line 12. The voltage signal obtained by the operation of Based on the signal, the start / stop of the engine is detected as the state of the vehicle. Then, the vehicle state detected by the vehicle state detection means 12 is output to the switching control means 13 as a detection signal.

The switching control means 1 3 is a means for controlling the switch 2 A of the switching means 2, and based on the state of communication from the transmission / reception control means 11 and the state of the vehicle from the vehicle state detection means 1 2 Select the circuits 6 to 8 that should be switched on or off, and output a control signal (switch-on signal or cut-off signal) to the switching means 2 based on the selected result.

In addition to this, the switching control means 13 calculates a timing for outputting a control signal to be output to the switching means 2 based on the signal input from the transmission / reception control means 11 or the vehicle state detection means 12. A control signal is output according to the calculation result.

In this way, for example, when a vehicle state such as engine stoppage is detected, the circuit 6 to 8 to be shut off is selected by the engine stop detection signal and connected to the selected circuit. By outputting a cut-off signal to the switch 2A, the power supplied to the circuit can be cut off, and the power consumption of the vehicle battery 20 can be reduced.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 10 are control flow diagrams when the vehicle state detection means 12 shown in FIG. 2 detects stop of the engine of the vehicle as detection of the state of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the first embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped.

First, as shown in Fig. 3, when the vehicle stops and the driver operates the engine key 30 of the vehicle from the IGNON position to the OFF position in step 3 0 1, the vehicle is moved in step 3 0 2. The engine at 1 0 0 stops, and at step 3 0 3 the vehicle's ACC line 2 2 goes from 1 2 V to 0 V.

In step 3 0 4, the main control means 1 detects that the engine has stopped because the ACC line has become 0 V, and proceeds to step 3 0 5. In step 3 0 5, the main control means 1 determines whether a call or communication is in progress. If a call or communication is in progress at this time, the call or communication is terminated to maintain the current communication state. Repeat steps 3 0 and 5 until determined. If it is determined in step 3 0 5 that the telephone call or communication is not being performed, the process proceeds to step 3 0 6. In Step 3 06, the main control means 1 selects the sub-reception circuit 7 as a circuit whose power is to be shut off, and outputs a shut-off signal for shutting off the power of the sub-reception circuit 7 to the switching means 2. Based on this cutoff signal, the switching means 2 switches the switch 2 A to OFF in order to shut off the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7. In this way, the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 is shut off after waiting for the engine to stop and communication to end, so that the communication standby state is established without causing any trouble in communication, and the vehicle battery 20 is saved. Electricity can be achieved.

FIG. 4 is a control flow diagram of the second embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. First, as shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle 1 0 0 stops, and the driver operates the engine key 3 0 of the vehicle from the IGNON position to the OFF position in step 4 0 1, the vehicle in step 4 0 2 In step 4 0 3, the two ACC lines 2 2 are changed from 12 V to 0 V. Then, in step 40 4, the navigation system or the rear device 50 such as an engine control unit (ECU) detects the engine stop by operating the engine key 30. In step 4 0 5, an engine stop command is transmitted from the rear device 50 to the main control means 1 of the communication module 10.

In step 40 6, the main control means 1 receives the engine stop command from the rear device 50, detects engine stop, and proceeds to step 40 7. In Step 40 07, the main control means 1 determines whether a call or communication is in progress, and repeats the determination in Step 40 07 until the call or communication ends. If it is determined in step 4 0 7 that the call or communication is not performed (or the call is terminated), the process proceeds to step 4 0 8. In Step 4 0 8, the main control means 1 selects the sub-reception circuit 7 as a circuit whose power is to be shut off, and outputs a shut-off signal for shutting off the power of the sub-reception circuit 7 to the switching means 2. 0 Go to 9. In Step 4 0 9, the switching means 2 switches the switch 2 A to OF F to shut off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 based on this cutoff signal.

In this way, the engine stops and waits for the communication to end. Since the power supply of the sub-reception circuit 7 is shut off, the communication standby state is entered without causing any trouble in communication, and power saving of the vehicle battery 20 can be achieved. In this control flow diagram, the engine stop is directly detected from the rear equipment 50 related to the engine such as the ECU, so that it is more reliable that the vehicle battery 20 is overdischarged (increased). Can be prevented.

FIG. 5 is a control flow diagram of the third embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. In steps 5 0 1 to 5 0 7 of FIG. 5, the first embodiment (steps 3 0 1 to 3 of FIG. 3 0 4) and the second embodiment (steps 4 0 1 to 4 0 6 in FIG. 4), it is possible to detect the engine stop at either step. Further, the determination of whether or not data communication is in progress in step 5 08 is the same determination step as in the previous examples. Further, step 5 09 is different from the first and second embodiments. In step 5 09, the main control means 1 shifts to a standby state so that l x communication can be performed. That is, the power to the receiving circuit of either the main receiving circuit 6 or the sub receiving circuit 7 is shut off so that lx communication is possible, and a reception signal is awaited so that lx communication can be performed.

FIG. 6 is a control flow diagram of the fourth embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. Steps 6 0 1 to 6 0 8 in FIG. 6 are the same as those in the third embodiment (Steps 5 0 1 to 5 in FIG. This is the same control step as 5 0 8), but the steps after step 6 9 are different. In Step 6 09 and later, after the engine detects a stop, the receiver circuit that should shut off the power supply is determined based on the strength of the radio waves detected by the receiver circuits 6 and 7 (the electric field strength received by the antennas 41 and 42). Selected.

In step 6 0 9, the main control means 1 receives the radio waves received from both of the main receiver circuit 6 and the sub-receiver circuit 7 ′ (for example, obtained from the electric field strength of the antenna) in order to select which power source should be cut off. Compare the strength of. Then, if it is determined that the radio wave of the main receiving circuit 6 is stronger, the process proceeds to Step 6 10. In step 6 1 0, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and based on this cutoff signal, in step 6 1 1, the switching means 2 Switch 2 A to OFF to shut off the power of sub-receiving circuit 7. If it is determined in step 6 0 9 that the radio wave of main reception circuit 6 is weaker, go to step 6 1 2 In the same way that the power of the secondary receiver circuit 7 was turned off in steps 6 1 0 and 6 1 1, the power of the main receiver circuit 6 was turned off in steps 6 1 2 and 6 1 3.

In this way, by selecting and shutting off the power supply of the receiving circuit with weak received radio waves, it is possible to reduce power consumption and use only receiving circuits with strong radio waves. Stable communication can be performed. In addition, after the engine is stopped, the vehicle does not move, and the intensity of the received radio waves hardly fluctuates. Therefore, it is particularly effective to use such a determination flow for both communication control devices. FIG. 7 is a control flow diagram of the fifth embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. Steps 7 0 1 to 7 0 7 in FIG. This is the same control step as in 7), but the steps after Step 700 are different.

Steps 7 and 8 determine whether the radio wave environment detected by the receiver circuit is extremely bad. Specifically, the main control means 1 examines the electric field strength of the received radio wave. If the electric field strength is lower than a certain value, the stop position of the vehicle 100 is at the radio wave boundary (the radio wave environment And go to Steps 7 0 9 In Step 7 0 9, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the main receiving circuit 6 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this cutoff signal, in Step 7 10, the switching means 2 is To switch off the main receiver 6 power, switch 2 A is turned OFF. As described above, when it is determined that the radio wave environment is bad, it is determined that communication is not possible, the power of the main receiving circuit 6 and the sub receiving circuit 7 is shut off, and when that is not the case, the sub receiving circuit 7 Since only the power supply is shut down, standby power consumption when communication is not possible can be suppressed, and efficient communication can be performed. In the determination step 70 8, the radio wave environment is determined based on the electric field strength. However, the radio wave environment (whether communication is possible) may be determined based on received radio wave noise and the like. FIG. 8 is a control flow diagram of the sixth embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. Steps 8 0 1 to 8 0 5 in FIG. 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment (steps 3 0 1 to 3 in FIG. This is the same control step as 3 0 5), and the steps after step 8 06 are different, so step 8 0 6 and subsequent steps will be described. In step 800, after the processing in step 800, the main receiver circuit 6 and the sub-receiver circuit 7 are kept on for a predetermined time (predetermined time) (the current power supply). To maintain the state). In Step 8 0 7, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and based on this cutoff signal, in Step 8 0 8 Switching means 2 switches switch 2 A to OFF in order to shut off the power of sub-receiving circuit 7.

In this way, even when the engine is stopped and not making a call or the like, power is supplied to the receiving circuits 6 and 7 for a certain period of time in step 8 0 7 so that reception is possible. Even if it is transmitted from the base station or the like immediately after the communication in step 800 is completed, the transmitted signal can be reliably received with diversity. Further, since the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 is shut off thereafter, the power consumption can be reduced.

FIG. 9 is a control flowchart of the seventh embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. Steps 9 0 1 and 90 2 of FIG. 9 are the same as steps 3 0 1 to 3 of FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. The control steps are the same as those in 300, and the steps after step 903 are different.

In step 903, the main control means 1 turns on the power of the main reception circuit 6 and the sub-reception circuit 7 for a predetermined time (predetermined time) after the completion of the processing in step 904. Continue (maintain the current power supply state) and go to step 90. In step 9 0 4, the main control means 1 outputs a shut-off signal for shutting off the power supply of the main receiver circuit 6 and the sub-receiver circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this shut-off signal, step 9 At 0 5, the switching means 2 switches off the power of the main reception circuit 6 and the sub reception circuit 7, switches the switch 2 A to OFF, and proceeds to Step 9 0 6. In step 90, the main control means 1 shuts off the main receiver circuit 6 and the sub-receiver circuit 7 for a predetermined time (predetermined time) after the completion of the process in step 90. And go to step 9 0 7. In step 9 0 7, the main control means 1 outputs a turn-on signal for turning on the power of the main receiving circuit 6 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this turn-on signal, in step 9 0 5, the switching means 2 is Switch ON the switch 2A to turn on the power of the main receiver circuit 6 and return to step 9 0 3. And Below, repeat steps 9 0 3 to 9 0 8. By repeating this, the power supply of the secondary reception circuit 7 is kept in a new state, and only the power supply of the main reception circuit 6 is repeatedly turned on or off at a predetermined time interval.

In this way, even when the engine is stopped and no telephone call is made, power is supplied to the main receiver circuit 6 for a certain period of time in step 9 07 to enable reception. Therefore, even when data or the like is transmitted from the base station or the like while the vehicle is stopped, the transmitted signal can be reliably received. After that, the power supply of the receiving circuits 6 and 7 is cut off, so that power consumption can be reduced.

FIG. 10 is a control flow diagram of the eighth embodiment of the main control means 1 when the engine is stopped. Steps 1 ◦ 0 1 to 1 0 0 4 and 1 0 0 7 in FIG. 10 are the third embodiment. 5 are the same control steps as in steps 5 0 1 to 5 0 4 and 5 0 7 in FIG. 5, and only the other different steps will be described.

First, in step 1 0 0 5, after the engine stop is detected by a rear-end device 50 such as a navigation system or an engine control unit (ECU), these rear-end devices 50 need high-speed data communication. In some cases, the rear device 50 sends a command for the high-speed data communication mode to the main control means 1 of the communication module 10. In step 1 0 0 6, the high-speed data communication mode command is received. Then, the main control means 1 determines whether high-speed data communication is necessary at 1 0 0 8. Here, if it is determined in the determination step 1 0 0 8 that there is a need for high-speed data communication, the determination is repeated until the necessity is eliminated, and the main receiving circuit 6 And the power supplied to the sub-receiving circuit 7 is not shut off. If it is determined at decision step 1 0 0 8 that there is no need for high-speed data communication, at step 1 0 0 9 and 1 0 1 0 only the sub-reception circuit 7 is turned off. In this way, even if the engine is stopped, the necessity of high-speed data communication is judged and the switching of the power supply of the receiving circuit is controlled, so that communication between the succeeding device and the outside can be performed within an appropriate communication time. In addition, power saving can be achieved. Fig. 11 to Fig. 14 show that in some of the embodiments shown above, the power to the receiving circuit is cut off after the power to the receiving circuit is cut off (after the diversity reception is turned off). Shows the control flow diagram to restore the diversity reception by ing. Fig. 1 1 is a control flow diagram showing how to turn on the secondary receiver circuit 7 and restore the diversity reception when the engine is started with the engine key 3. The power supply of the main receiver circuit 6 Is in the on state, and the sub-receiving circuit 7 is in the cut-off state, that is, the diversity reception is in the OFF state. As shown in FIG. 11, the driver (user) force S, step 1 1 0 1 When the vehicle engine key 30 is turned ON to start the engine, the vehicle ACC line 2 2 is changed from 0 V to 12 V in step 1 1 0 2. Then, in step 1 1 0 3, the rear device 50 of the navigation system or the engine control unit detects the start of the engine by operating the engine key 30, and in step 1 1 0 4 In step 1 1 0 4, an engine start command is transmitted from the rear device 50 to the main control means 1 of the communication module 10.

In step 1 1 0 5, the main control means 1 receives the engine start command from the rear device 50, detects the start of the engine, and proceeds to step 1 1 0 7. On the other hand, at step 1 1 0 6, the main control means 1 detects the start of the engine when the A C C line becomes 12 V, and proceeds to step 1 1 0 7. In step 1 1 0 7, the main control means 1 selects the sub-reception circuit 7 as a circuit to be turned on, and outputs a turn-on signal for turning on the sub-reception circuit 7 to the switching means 2. Then go to step 1 1 0 8. In step 1 1 0 8, the switching means 2 switches the switch 2 A to ON to turn on the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 based on this input signal.

In this way, the vehicle battery 20 can be prevented from being overdischarged by turning on the power to the reception circuit that has been cut off when the engine is started. Fig. 11 is a control flow chart when starting the engine. For example, in a vehicle equipped with a theft detector in the rear device, the theft detection signal of the theft detector instead of the engine start signal. If the vehicle is equipped with a super-flow detector in the rear device, the sub-receiver circuit 7 may be turned on by the super-flow detector from the super-flow detector instead of the engine start signal. The sub-communication circuit 7 may be turned on with this signal. Fig. 12 is a control flow diagram showing how to start up the receiving circuit in the data standby state after the engine is stopped. First, in step 1 2 0 1, when communication data from the outside is received by the main reception circuit 6 with the engine stopped, the process proceeds to step 1 2 0 2. In step 1 2 0 2, the main control means 1 determines from the type of communication data received in step 1 2 0 1 whether the communication requires diversity reception. If it is determined in decision step 1 2 0 2 that the diversity reception is necessary, the process proceeds to step 1 2 0 3. In step 1 2 0 3, the main control means 1 As a result, the sub-reception circuit 7 is selected, a power-on signal for turning on the power of the sub-reception circuit 7 is output to the switching means 2, and the process proceeds to Step 1 2 0 In step 1 2 0 4, the switching means 2 switches the switch 2 A to ON to turn on the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 based on this input signal. If it is determined at decision step 1 2 0 2 that no diversity reception is required, only the main reception circuit 6 receives the data. As described above, since the optimum reception method is determined based on the type of data transmitted from the outside, it is possible to efficiently turn on the power to the reception circuit.

Fig. 1 3 is a flow chart when a mail (eg, short mail (registered trademark)) is received as small capacity data in step 1 2 0 1 shown in Fig. 1 2, and diversity reception is turned off. The case where it communicates with a state is shown.

As shown in the figure, when sending an email from a mobile phone 2 0 0 to start the engine of both cars 1 00 (used as a remote control engine starter), first, in step 1 2 0 1, the engine In the stopped state, the main receiving circuit 6 receives a mail from the mobile phone 200. Then, the process proceeds to Step 1 2 0 2, and the main control means 1 determines that no diversity reception is required since the incoming call is a mail in Step 1 2 0 1, and goes to Steps 1 2 0 3 and 1 2 0 4. The process proceeds to step 1 2 0 5, and based on the incoming mail result, the communication control circuit 1 causes the ECU to start executing the engine starter program.

Fig. 14 is a flow diagram when large capacity data (for example, EV-DO data) is received at step 1 2 0 1 shown in Fig. 1 2, returning from the state where diversity reception is OFF to the ON state This shows the case of communication. As shown in the figure, when the EV-DO data is received from the center 300 and the engine control routine (ECU) of the vehicle 100 is upgraded, first, in step 1 2◦ 1, the engine is stopped. In the state, EV-DO data is received. Then, proceeding to step 1202, the main control means 1 determines from the type of data received at step 1201 that it is EV-DO data, so that diversity reception is necessary.

In step 1203, the main control means 1 outputs a turn-on signal for turning on the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and proceeds to step 1 204. In step 1 204, the switching means 2 switches the switch 2 A to ON to turn on the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 based on this input signal. In step 1205, diversity reception is performed, and reception of the ECU version up program is started.

[Second Embodiment]

FIG. 15 is a control flow diagram of the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that instead of detecting the stop of the engine of the vehicle 100, the position of the vehicle is detected as the state of the vehicle. ing. Then, whether the radio wave environment is good or bad is discriminated from the position of the vehicle, and on or off of the receiving circuit is controlled based on the radio wave environment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, in step 1 501, the position information of the vehicle 100 is transmitted from the rear device 50 such as a navigation system to the communication module 10. Then, in step 1 502, the main control means 1 of the communication module 10 receives the vehicle position information, and in step 1 503, determines whether a call or communication is in progress. If the call is in progress at this time, repeat steps 1 5 03 until the call ends. When the call or communication is completed, the process proceeds to step 1504, where it is determined whether the radio wave environment is extremely bad based on the position information received in step 1502.

Determination Step 1 When it is determined that the radio wave environment is extremely bad, the power supply to the main reception circuit 6 and the sub reception circuit 7 is sequentially cut off. Specifically, in step 1 505, the main control means 1 outputs a shut-off signal for shutting off the power supply of the main receiver circuit 6 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this shut-off signal, in step 1506, the main control means 1 turns off. Switching means 2 switches switch 2 A to OFF in order to shut off the power of main receiver circuit 6. Further, in steps 1 5 0 7 and 1 5 0 6, the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 is shut off in the same manner as the power-off of the main receiving circuit 6.

In this way, the radio wave environment in the area where the vehicle is located is determined from the location information of the vehicle. If the radio wave environment is poor and communication is not possible, it is determined that communication cannot be waited, and all reception circuits are connected. The power supply of the receiver circuit can be cut off and the power consumption of the receiver circuit can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent the knot from being overdischarged by performing such control after the engine is stopped.

[Third embodiment]

Fig. 16 is a control flow diagram of the third embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that instead of detecting the stop of the engine of the vehicle as a vehicle state, an abnormality in the balance of charge and discharge of the vehicle Is detected. In the present embodiment, when there is an abnormality in the charge / discharge balance of a vehicle battery or the like, control is performed so that the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 is cut off. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, if there is an abnormality in the charging / discharging balance of the vehicle in step 1 6 0 1, then in step 1 6 0 2, the rear equipment 5 0 Detects abnormalities in support. In step 160, the rear device 50 transmits a vehicle charge / discharge abnormality command to the communication module 10. In step 1 6 0 4, the main control means 1 receives the above abnormal command, detects an abnormality in the charge / discharge balance of the vehicle, and proceeds to step 1 6 0 5. Step 1 6 0 5 determines whether a call or communication is in progress. If the call is in progress at this time, repeat steps 1 6 0 5 until the call ends. In step 1 6 0 6, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this cutoff signal, in step 1 6 0 7, the switching means 2 switches switch 2 A to OFF to shut off the power of sub-reception circuit 7.

[Fourth embodiment]

FIG. 17 is a control flow diagram of the fourth embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that instead of detecting the stop of the vehicle engine as a vehicle state, the vehicle charging system is diagnosed. is doing. In the present embodiment, when a diagnosis is made that there is an abnormality in a charging system such as a vehicle battery, control is performed so that the power of the sub-receiving circuit 7 is shut off. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 17, if there is an abnormality in the charging system such as a vehicle battery in step 1 7 0 1, then in step 1 7 0 2, the rear device 5 0 is turned into the charging system. Detect abnormalities. Then, in step 1 700, the succeeding device 50 transmits a charging system abnormality command to the communication module 10, and proceeds to step 1 700. In Step 1 7 0 4, the main control means 1 detects the abnormality of the charging system gun by receiving the above abnormal command, and in Step 1 7 0 5 determines whether or not a call or communication is in progress. . If the call is in progress, repeat steps 1700 until the call is over. In step 1 7 0 6, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and on the basis of this cutoff signal, in step 1 7 0 7, the switching means 2 Switch OFF switch 2 A to shut off the power of sub-reception circuit 7.

In this way, if it is determined that there is an abnormality in the charging system, power consumption will be reduced until the primary trouble, which is the abnormality, is resolved. Secondary traps can be avoided

[Fifth embodiment]

FIG. 18 shows the fifth embodiment, which is different from the first embodiment in that the main control means 1 detects the stop of the vehicle engine and cuts off the power of the receiving circuit instead of the user (driving) A manual operation means is provided so that the user can manually operate, and the user operates to shut off the power to the receiver circuit.

First, in Step 1 8 0 1, when the user wants to reduce the power consumption of the vehicle, for example, through the navigation system that is one of the rear devices 50 0, the power saving of the vehicle battery 30 is reduced. To achieve this, perform an operation (manual operation) that shifts to the power saving mode. Then, the process proceeds to Step 1 8 0 2, and the navigation system transmits a power saving mode transition command to the communication module 1 0. In Step 1 8 0 3, the main control means 1 of the communication module 1 0 And go to step 1 8 0 4. In step 1 8 0 4, the main control means 1 outputs a cutoff signal for shutting off the power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 to the switching means 2, and based on this cutoff signal, in step 1 8 0 5, the switching means 2 The power supply of the sub-receiving circuit 7 Switch off switch 2 A to shut off.

In this way, the necessity of communication can be determined according to user preferences. In addition, if the user finds that there is something wrong with the communication circuit or battery etc.

The power saving can be achieved by performing the above-described manual operation.

As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the spirit of this invention described in the claim. Various design changes can be made.

For example, the embodiments are classified according to the state of the vehicle detected by the vehicle state detection means. However, these embodiments may be combined, and each step of the control flow is also possible to save battery power. The order and combination of the steps are not limited as long as communication stability can be ensured. Further, the state of the detected vehicle may also detect the state of the motor generator in the hybrid vehicle, for example.

In the present embodiment, the power supply control of the reception circuit that performs the diversity reception with high power consumption has been described. However, the number of these reception circuits is not particularly limited, and the transmission circuit can communicate with the reception circuit. The power may be turned on and off as appropriate in accordance with the output signal from the state and rear-end equipment.For example, even if the circuit configuration is such that diversity transmission is performed, the circuit is supplied in the same way. It would be easy for a person skilled in the art to easily switch the power supply.

Industrial applicability

Even if the engine is stopped, it is necessary to perform communication. Even if the frequency of use of the device is reduced, it can be applied to a communication module that is not greatly affected by the communication performance. Suitable for

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. Vehicle communication comprising: a plurality of communication circuits capable of communicating with the outside of the vehicle by turning on power; and switching means capable of switching the power on or off to each communication circuit. A control device,

The communication control device selects vehicle state detection means for detecting the state of the vehicle, the communication circuit to cut off the power supply based on the state of the vehicle, and outputs a cut-off signal to the switching means. A vehicle communication control device comprising: a control means;

2. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle state detection means detects a stop of an engine of the vehicle as the state of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle communication control according to claim 2, wherein, when the communication circuit is communicating with the outside, the switching control means outputs the blocking signal when the communication is completed. apparatus.

4. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle state detection means detects the engine stop from an on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle.

5. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle state detection means detects the engine stop from an operation of the engine key.

6. The vehicle state detection means detects an abnormality in the charging system of the vehicle as the state of the vehicle, and when an abnormality is detected in the charging system, the switching control unit shuts off the power supply. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 1, wherein a communication circuit to be selected is selected and the cutoff signal is output.

7. The vehicle state detection means detects the position of the vehicle as the vehicle state, and the switching control means determines a radio wave environment received by the reception circuit of the communication circuit based on the vehicle position. 2. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the radio wave environment is bad, the cutoff signal is output to all communication circuits to which the power is turned on.

8. The plurality of communication circuits include a transmission circuit and a plurality of reception circuits, and the switching control means is configured to perform the switching based on the electrolytic strength received among the plurality of reception circuits. 3. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 2, wherein a receiving circuit to be cut off is selected and the cut-off signal is output.

9. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the switching control means outputs the blocking signal after a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the communication was detected.

1 0. The switching control means, after outputting the shut-off signal, supplies a shut-off signal for shutting off power to all the communication circuits, and supplies power to some or all of the plurality of communication circuits. 3. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 2, wherein an input signal for inputting is repeatedly output alternately at a predetermined time interval.

1 1. The switching control means further includes engine start detecting means for detecting start of the engine of the vehicle, and when detecting the start of the engine, to turn on the communication circuit that cuts off the power, 3. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 2, wherein an input signal is output to the switching means.

1 2. The switching control means determines whether or not the diversity reception is necessary based on a signal received from the outside by the communication circuit, and sets the communication circuit in which the power is cut off based on the determination result. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 2, wherein a turn-on signal is output to turn on the power.

13. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 12, wherein the communication control device includes a manual operation unit capable of manually operating the switching unit.

14. A plurality of communication circuits that are connected to a mobile phone network using radio waves and that are capable of radio wave communication with the mobile phone network by turning on the power, and the power supply to each communication circuit 3. The vehicle communication control device according to claim 2, wherein switching means capable of switching on or off of the vehicle, and controlling the switching means and performing data communication with the ground station by the communication circuit.