IN-VEHICLE RELAY APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20140297110A1
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: OKADA, Hiroshi, NODA, Tetsuya
• Application Number:
  US14/227,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297110A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40006 Architecture of a communication node current supply arrangements H04L12/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An in-vehicle relay apparatus can restrict transmission of identification information with which a vehicle can be specified to the outside of the vehicle. A vehicle internal communication unit may communicate with at least one in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle, and a vehicle external communication unit may communicate with a vehicle external communication device disposed outside of the vehicle. A communication processing unit may add identification information to relay information that is transmitted to the vehicle external communication device. The identification information may regard a transmission source of relay information by which the vehicle external communication device determines the transmission source of the relay information. Additionally, the communication processing unit may transmit, using the vehicle external communication device, the relay information to the vehicle external communication device. A determination unit may determine which information is used as the identification information based on stored access authority levels.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle relay apparatus for relaying communication between an in-vehicle device and a vehicle external communication device disposed outside of the vehicle, the in-vehicle relay apparatus comprising:

a vehicle internal communication unit configured to communicate with at least one in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle;

a vehicle external communication unit configured to communicate with the vehicle external communication device;

a communication processing unit configured to (1) add identification information to relay information to be transmitted to the vehicle external communication device, the identification information regarding a transmission source of the relay information by which the vehicle external communication device can determine the transmission source of the relay information, and to (2) transmit to the vehicle external communication device, using the vehicle external communication unit, the relay information to which the identification information is added;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire first information stored in a storage unit;

a creation unit configured to create second information that is different from the first information; and

a determination unit configured to determine which of the first information and the second information the communication processing unit is to use as the identification information,

wherein the communication processing unit is further configured to transmit the relay information to the vehicle external communication device using, as the identification information, either the first information or the second information depending on a result of the determination unit.

2. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a discard determination unit configured to determine, after having communicated with the vehicle external communication device using the second information created by the creation unit, whether to discard the second information based on whether a predetermined condition is satisfied,

wherein, if the discard determination unit determines that the second information is to be discarded, the second information is discarded.

3. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition includes information:

(i) that communication between the vehicle external communication device and the vehicle external communication unit is terminated, (ii) that communication between the vehicle external communication device and the vehicle external communication unit has not been performed for a predetermined period of time, (iii) that a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the creation unit created the second information, (iv) that a request is given from the vehicle external communication device, or (v) that a switch for starting a motor of the vehicle is switched to a predetermined state.

4. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a program storage unit that stores at least one information transmission processing program that executes processing for transmitting, to the vehicle external communication device, information that the vehicle internal communication unit has received from the at least one in-vehicle device;

a processing unit configured to execute the information transmission processing program stored in the program storage unit; and

an access authority level storage unit that stores an access authority level for each information transmission processing program,

wherein the determination unit is configured to perform the determination based on the access authority level stored in the access authority level storage unit.

5. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the determination unit is configured to:

determine that communication with the vehicle external communication device by a said information transmission processing program has a low access authority level is performed using the second information created by the creation unit, and

determine that communication with the vehicle external communication device by a said information transmission processing program has a high access authority level is performed using the first information.

6. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the access authority level is based on a transmission destination to which the information transmission processing program transmits information.

7. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information is information that is specific to the vehicle.

8. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creation unit is configured to create the second information using a random number.

10. The in-vehicle relay apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein if the access authority level of a said information transmission processing program is lower than an access permission level, the in-vehicle relay apparatus does not permit transmission of the relay information by this said information transmission processing program.

9. A communication system comprising:

at least one in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle;

a vehicle external communication device disposed outside of the vehicle; and

an in-vehicle relay apparatus that relays communication between the at least one in-vehicle device and the vehicle external communication device,

the in-vehicle relay apparatus comprising;

a vehicle internal communication unit that communicates with the at least one in-vehicle device;

a vehicle external communication unit that communicates with the vehicle external communication device;

a communication processing unit configured to (1) add identification information to relay information to be transmitted to the vehicle external communication device, the identification information regarding a transmission source of the relay information by which the vehicle external communication device can determine the transmission source of the relay information, and to (2) transmit to the vehicle external communication device, using the vehicle external communication unit the relay information to which the identification information is added;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire first information stored in a storage unit;

a creation unit configured to create second information that is different from the first information; and

a determination unit configured to determine which of the first information and the second information the communication processing unit is to use as the identification information,

wherein the communication processing unit is further configured to transmit the relay information to the vehicle external communication device using, as the identification information, either the first information or the second information depending on a result of the determination unit.