INFORMATION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20180172471A1
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Published: 06/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Seiji, MIYADERA, Natsuko, YOSHIDA, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,533,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems

Abstract

An information communications system (100) for a vehicle includes an on-vehicle information device (10). The on-vehicle information device (10) includes: an information collection unit (11) which collects vehicle information from an on-vehicle device (41, 42, 43, 44), communication interfaces (14A, 14B) connected to mobile terminals (20) having a communication function and being brought inside the vehicle, and a control unit (12) which transfers the vehicle information collected by the information collection unit (11) to any one of the mobile terminals (20) via any one of the communication interfaces (14A, 14B). If one of the mobile terminals (20) currently selected as a destination of the vehicle information satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit (12) switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal (20). The mobile terminal (20) which received the vehicle information transfers the vehicle information thus received to a center device (30).

Claims

1. An information communications system for a vehicle, the system comprising an on-vehicle information device, wherein

the on-vehicle information device includes:

an information collection unit which collects vehicle information from an on-vehicle device;

a plurality of communication interfaces connected to a plurality of mobile terminals having a communication function and being brought inside the vehicle; and

a control unit which transfers the vehicle information collected by the information collection unit to any one of the plurality of mobile terminals via any one of the plurality of communication interfaces,

if one of the mobile terminals currently selected as a destination of the vehicle information satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal which received the vehicle information transfers the vehicle information thus received to a center device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

if the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information has a battery level lower than a predetermined value, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

if there is a heavy communication load between the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information and the on-vehicle information device, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

if the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information is not connectable to a carrier network, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein

if a communication environment setting of the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information does not permit connection between the mobile terminal and the on-vehicle information device, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.

6. The system of any one of claim 3, wherein

if a communication environment setting of the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information does not permit connection between the mobile terminal and the on-vehicle information device, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.

7. The system of any one of claim 4, wherein

if a communication environment setting of the mobile terminal currently selected as the destination of the vehicle information does not permit connection between the mobile terminal and the on-vehicle information device, the control unit switches the destination of the vehicle information to a different mobile terminal.