Mobile body communication device

• US 7,110,728 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Kamada, Seiji, Mizui, Seiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US10/349,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/456.1, 455/509, 455/517, 455/524, 455/12.1, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/95, 455/99, 455/423, 455/425, 455/507, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 340/455, 340/463, 340/464, 340/988
• US Class Current: 455/99
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to avoid communication congestion by varying the transmission times of a plurality of mobile bodies while maintaining standardization in the software to be installed in the plurality of mobile bodies. A detection is made in a plurality of vehicles 31, 32, 33 . . . that a specific event has occurred in a vehicle, for example a communication terminal 56 has been installed, or in other words power from a power source 63 has been applied to the communication terminal 56. The power application time is then measured by a calendar and timer in the interior of the vehicle. An individual automatic transmission time for each vehicle is then set with the power application time of the vehicle as a reference.

Claims

1. A mobile body communication device for transmitting information from a plurality of mobile bodies to a terminal device, wherein:

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is provided with information gathering means for gathering information relating to its own mobile body;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to measure a time at which a specific event occurs in the own mobile body, set an individual automatic transmission time for itself with the measured time as a reference and, when the automatic transmission time is reached, transmit the information gathered by the information gathering means from the own mobile body to the terminal device; and

a time at which power is applied to said communication device which performs communication with the terminal device is measured, and the automatic transmission time of the mobile body is set with the power application time of the own mobile body as a reference.

2. The mobile body communication device according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of mobile bodies are each operable to transmit information to the terminal device at intervals of a fixed time period; and

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to set the individual automatic transmission time for itself within a range in the vicinity of the time that comes at intervals of the fixed time period.

3. The mobile body communication device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to take a time after elapse of a fixed time from the measured time as the individual automatic transmission time for itself.

4. A mobile body communication device for transmitting information from a plurality of mobile bodies to a terminal device wherein:

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is provided with information gathering means for gathering information relating to its own mobile body;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to measure a time at which a specific event occurs in the own mobile body, set an individual automatic transmission time for itself with the measured time as a reference and, when the automatic transmission time is reached, transmit the information gathered by the information gathering means from the own mobile body to the terminal device; and

the mobile body is a mobile body in which an engine is operated as a driving source, a time at which the engine is last switched off is measured, and the automatic transmission time of the mobile body is set with the time at which the engine was last switched off in the own mobile body as a reference.

5. The mobile body communication device according to claim 4, wherein:

the plurality of mobile bodies are each operable to transmit information to the terminal device at intervals of a fixed time period; and

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to set the individual automatic transmission time for itself within a range in the vicinity of the time that comes at intervals of the fixed time period.

6. The mobile body communication device according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to take a time after elapse of a fixed time from the measured time as the individual automatic transmission time for itself.

7. A mobile ody communication system comprising a plurality of mobile communication devices respectively provided in a plurality of mobile bodies, wherein:

said plurality of mobile communication devices are operable to transmit information from the plurality of mobile bodies to a terminal device;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is provided with information gathering means for gathering information relating to its own mobile body;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to measure a time at which a specific event occurs in the own mobile body, and set an individual automatic transmission time for itself with the measured time as a reference;

when the automatic transmission time is reached, said mobile communication device provided in the own mobile body is operable to transmit the information gathered by the information gathering means from the own mobile body to the terminal device; and

a time at which power is applied to said mobile body communication device which performs communication with the terminal device is measured, and the automatic transmission time of the mobile body is set with the power application time of the own mobile body as a reference.

8. The mobile body communication system according to claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of mobile bodies are each operable to transmit information to the terminal device at intervals of a fixed time period; and

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to set the individual automatic transmission time for itself within a range in the vicinity of the time that comes at intervals of the fixed time period.

9. The mobile body communication system according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to take a time after elapse of a fixed time from the measured time as the individual automatic transmission time for itself.

10. A mobile body communication system comprising a plurality of mobile communication devices respectively provided in a plurality of mobile bodies, wherein:

said plurality of mobile communication devices are operable to transmit information from the plurality of mobile bodies to a terminal device;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is provided with information gathering means for gathering information relating to its own mobile body;

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to measure a time at which a specific event occurs in the own mobile body, and set an individual automatic transmission time for itself with the measured time as a reference;

when the automatic transmission time is reached, said mobile communication device provided in the own mobile body is operable to transmit the information gathered by the information gathering means from the own mobile body to the terminal device; and

the mobile body is a mobile body in which an engine is operated as a driving source, a time at which the engine is last switched off is measured, and the automatic transmission time of the mobile body is set with the time at which the engine was last switched off in the own mobile body as a reference.

11. The mobile body communication system according to claim 10, wherein:

the plurality of mobile bodies are each operable to transmit information to the terminal device at intervals of a fixed time period; and

each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to set the individual automatic transmission time for itself within a range in the vicinity of the time that comes at intervals of the fixed time period.

12. The mobile body communication system according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of mobile bodies is operable to take a time after elapse of a fixed time from the measured time as the individual automatic transmission time for itself.