COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20150281023A1
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: FUNABASHI, JUNICHIRO, ITO, TOSHIYUKI
• Granted Patent: US 9,985,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/046 involving vehicles, e.g. floating traffic data [FTD] or vehicle traffic prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

A communication system including a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus is provided. The first communication apparatus includes a communication portion. The second communication apparatus includes a communication portion. The first communication apparatus includes a first transmission portion. The first transmission portion transmits a first signal to another communication apparatus. The first signal at least includes information enabling to specify the first communication apparatus. The second communication apparatus includes a second transmission portion. The second transmission portion transmits a second signal to the first communication apparatus. The first communication apparatus includes a malfunction determination portion. The malfunction determination portion determines whether the communication portion of the first communication apparatus is out of order. The communication system includes a congestion determination portion. At least one of the first signal and the second signal is transmitted.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first communication apparatus including a communication portion that enables to perform wireless communication; and

a second communication apparatus including a communication portion that enables to perform wireless communication, wherein

the first communication apparatus includes a first transmission portion,

the first transmission portion transmits a first signal to an other communication apparatus,

the first signal at least includes information enabling to specify the first communication apparatus,

the second communication apparatus that corresponds to the other communication apparatus receiving the first signal includes a second transmission portion,

the second transmission portion transmits a second signal to the first communication apparatus when the second communication apparatus receives the first signal,

the first communication apparatus includes a malfunction determination portion,

the malfunction determination portion determines whether the communication portion of the first communication apparatus is out of order according to a reception status of the second signal,

the communication system includes a congestion determination portion determining a congestion degree of communication in at least one of the communication portion of the first communication apparatus and the communication portion of the second communication apparatus, and

the first transmission portion transmits the first signal, or the second transmission portion transmits the second signal, or the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion transmit the first signal and the second signal respectively when the congestion determination portion determines that the congestion degree is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first signal corresponds to a response request signal that requests a transmission of a response signal to the first communication apparatus, and

the second signal corresponds to the response signal responding to the response request signal.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the second communication apparatus further includes an elapse determination portion,

the elapse determination portion determines whether a predetermined time elapses after the second transmission portion transmits the second signal, and

the second transmission portion transmits the second signal to the first communication apparatus when the elapse determination portion determines that the predetermined time elapses and the second communication apparatus receives the first signal.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the congestion determination portion determines that the congestion degree is high as a total number of wireless packets received within a predetermined time are larger or as a usage rate of a wireless bandwidth is higher.

5. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the first communication apparatus further includes an existence determination portion,

the existence determination portion determines whether an other communication apparatus exists in a predetermined range around the first communication apparatus, and

the first transmission portion transmits the response request signal when the existence determination portion determines that the other communication exists in the predetermined range.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the malfunction determination portion performs a malfunction determination with respect to the communication portion of the first communication apparatus based on a condition where the communication portion of the first communication apparatus receives the second signal and/or the communication portion of the first communication apparatus does not receive the second signal.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein

the first communication apparatus includes a position specification portion that specifies a position of the first communication apparatus,

the second communication apparatus includes the position specification portion that specifies a position of the second communication apparatus,

the second signal includes information indicating the position of the second communication apparatus, and

the malfunction determination portion determines that the first communication apparatus receives the second signal and the malfunction determination portion performs the malfunction determination of the communication portion of the first communication apparatus when the communication portion of the first communication apparatus receives the second signal, which is transmitted from a position separated from the first communication apparatus by a predetermined distance or longer.

8. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein

the first communication apparatus includes a position specification portion that specifies a position of the first communication apparatus,

the second communication apparatus includes the position specification portion that specifies a position of the second communication apparatus,

the first signal includes information indicating the position of the first communication apparatus, and

the second transmission portion transmits the second signal to the first communication apparatus when the communication portion of the second communication apparatus receives the first signal, which is transmitted from a position separated from the second communication apparatus by a predetermined distance or longer.

9. A communication apparatus having a function of the first communication apparatus in the communication system according to claim 1.

10. A communication apparatus having a function of the second communication apparatus in the communication system according to claim 1.