DSRC car-mounted equipment

• US 6,337,622 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugano, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US09/614,190
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/439, 340/425.5, 340/440, 340/901, 340/905, 340/825.5, 340/928, 238/384, 238/378, 238/380, 455/507, 455/517, 342/380, 342/381, 342/382, 343/713, 343/711
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A DSRC car-mounted equipment which prevents, in advance, inconvenience caused by disorder in the antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment. A DSRC car-mounted equipment comprises a main body 1 of a car-mounted equipment having a control unit 10 and an antenna unit 12 for executing radio communication with an on-the-road equipment, information output means 13, 14 connected to the control unit, a checking unit 2 having a checking circuit unit 20 and a checking antenna unit 21 for executing radio communication with the antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment, and an antenna-judging means for judging the communication ability of the antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment based on the communication state of check signal waves D between the antenna unit 12 of the car-mounted equipment and the checking antenna unit 21, wherein the antenna-judging means produces an alarm signal when the communication ability of the antenna unit 12 of the car-mounted equipment is smaller than a predetermined value, and the control unit 10 of the car-mounted equipment drives the information output means 13, 14 in response to the alarm signal to produce an alarm.

Claims

1. A DSRC car-mounted equipment comprising:

a main body of a car-mounted equipment having a control unit and an antenna unit for executing radio communication with an on-the-road equipment installed on a road on which a vehicle travels;

information output means connected to said control unit;

a checking unit arranged in the vehicle so as to be positioned between said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment and a radio equipment of the road side of said on-the-road equipment, and having a checking circuit unit and a checking antenna unit for executing radio communication with said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment; and

an antenna-judging means for judging the communication ability of said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment based on the communication state of check signal waves between said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment and said checking antenna unit;

wherein

said antenna-judging means produces an alarm signal when the communication ability of said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment is smaller than a predetermined value; and

said control unit of the car-mounted equipment drives said information output means in response to said alarm signal to produce an alarm.

2. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said antenna-judging means produces said alarm signal when the reception intensity at said checking antenna unit of the check signal waves transmitted from said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment is smaller than a predetermined value.

3. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said antenna-judging means produces said alarm signal when the reception intensity at said antenna unit of the check signal waves transmitted from said checking antenna unit is smaller than a predetermined value.

4. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein the intensity for transmitting said check signal waves is set to a value smaller than a normal transmission intensity of from said antenna unit of the car-mounted equipment to said radio equipment of the road side.

5. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said check signal waves are transmitted when the power source circuit is closed.

6. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed detector unit for detecting the speed of said vehicle, and a stop-judging means for judging the halted state of said vehicle based on said vehicle speed, wherein said check signal waves are transmitted when said vehicle is brought into a halt.

7. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said information output means includes at least either a display unit or a voice output unit.

8. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said main body of the car-mounted equipment is arranged near the dashboard of said vehicle, and the checking unit is arranged near the windshield of said vehicle.

9. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a cable for electrically connecting said main body of the car-mounted equipment to said checking unit, wherein said control unit of the car-mounted equipment transmits said check signal wave transmission timing to said checking unit through said cable.

10. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said checking unit is isolated from said main body of the car-mounted equipment, and said equipment control unit of the car-mounted equipment transmits the check signal wave transmission timing to said checking unit by radio communication.

11. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 10, wherein said antenna-judging means produces an alarm signal when no response signal is obtained from said checking unit at the time of transmitting said check signal waves.

12. A DSRC car-mounted equipment according to claim 1, wherein said control unit of the car-mounted equipment transmits and receives data related to the toll collection to and from the on-the-road equipment installed on a toll road, and automatically receives the toll based on said data related to the toll collection.