In-vehicle device and communication control method

• US 8,725,217 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitahara, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US12/708,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20100216401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.2, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An in-vehicle device is provided. A wireless communication section is configured to perform wireless communication with a plurality of mobile terminal devices in a vehicle. A specifying section is configured to specify each of the mobile terminal devices based on radio waves which are transmitted from the mobile terminal devices carried in the vehicle and are received by an antenna provided in the vehicle. An information acquiring section is configured to acquire service specifying information for specifying available services for each of the mobile terminal devices from each of the mobile terminal devices specified by the specifying section. A share setting section is configured to set whether or not to share at least one of the available services among the mobile terminal devices based on the service specifying information acquired by the information acquiring section.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device comprising:

a wireless communication section configured to perform wireless communication with a plurality of mobile terminal devices in a vehicle;

an identifying section configured to identify each of the mobile terminal devices based on characteristics of received signals which are transmitted from the mobile terminal devices carried in the vehicle and are received by an antenna installed in the vehicle;

an information acquiring section configured to acquire service restricting information for restricting available services for each of the mobile terminal devices from each of the mobile terminal devices identified by the identifying section, the service restricting information contained on each of the mobile terminal devices in a function restriction list file; and

a share setting section configured to set whether or not to share at least one of the available services of a first mobile terminal device with a second mobile terminal device based on the service restricting information acquired by the information acquiring section.

2. The in-vehicle device as set forth in claim 1,

further comprising a restricting section configured to restrict the mobile terminal devices from sharing the at least one of the available services through the wireless communication based on a setting of the share setting section.

3. The in-vehicle device as set forth in claim 1,

further comprising a display control unit configured to merge the service restricting information acquired by the information acquiring section and control to display a list of the merged service restricting information.

4. The in-vehicle device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the in-vehicle device is connectable to an input device configured to receive an input operation, and

wherein the share setting section sets whether or not to share the at least one of the available services of a first mobile terminal device with a second mobile terminal device based on setting information input through the input device.

5. The in-vehicle device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the available services include a hands-free service and at least one of an advance music streaming service, a dial-up service and a mobile navigation service.

6. The in-vehicle device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a function restriction list file managing unit configured to manage the function restriction list file for each of the mobile terminal devices, wherein when the information acquiring section acquires the service restricting information from each of the mobile terminal devices, the function restriction list file managing unit updates the function restriction list file.

7. A communication control method which an in-vehicle device performs, the communication control method comprising:

performing wireless communication with a plurality of mobile terminal devices in a vehicle;

identifying each of the mobile terminal devices based on characteristics of received signals which are transmitted from the mobile terminal devices carried in the vehicle and are received by a wireless receiving device installed in the vehicle;

acquiring service restricting information for restricting available services for each of the mobile terminal devices from each of the mobile terminal devices identified in the identifying step, the service restricting information contained on each of the mobile terminal devices in a function restriction list file;

setting whether or not to share at least one of the available services of a first mobile terminal device with a second mobile terminal device based on the service restricting information acquired in the acquiring step; and

restricting the mobile terminal devices from sharing the at least one of the available services based on a setting in the setting step.

8. The communication control method as set forth in claim 7,

wherein the available services include a hands-free service and at least one of an advance music streaming service, a dial-up service and a mobile navigation service.

9. The communication control method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

managing, in the in-vehicle device, the function restriction list file for each of the mobile terminal devices; and

updating, in the in-vehicle device, the function restriction list file when acquiring the service restricting information from each of the mobile terminal devices.