Communication system, communication device mounted in vehicle, and switching apparatus

• US 9,125,023 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kanno, Yasunori, Hayashi, Keisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Prez-Gutirrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, JOSHUA L
• Application Number:
  US13/238,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20120077471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/418, 455/419, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42212 Call pickup comprising simultaneous alerting H04M3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In a communication system for conducting wireless communication between communication units mounted in vehicles, workload information indicating a workload of a driver of each vehicle is generated. When a communication request for requesting communication is transmitted from the communication unit of a first vehicle, it is determined whether the workload of a driver of the first vehicle and the workload of a driver of a second vehicle are lower than a predetermined level. When the workload of the driver of the first vehicle and the workload of the driver of the second vehicle are determined lower than the predetermined level, an incoming call is notified to the driver of the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A communication system for conducting wireless communication between a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

a first communication unit disposed in the first vehicle including a first communication device connected to a first communication terminal;

a second communication unit disposed in the second vehicle including a second communication device connected to a second communication terminal;

a first workload information generating element disposed in the first communication unit, the first workload information generating element determines a first workload information based on a first planned travel route, a first driver'"'"'s current operation, and a correlation between the first planned travel route and the driver'"'"'s current operation;

a second workload information generating element disposed in the second communication unit, the second workload information generating element determines a second workload information based on a second planned travel route, a second driver'"'"'s current operation, and a correlation between the second planned travel route and the second driver'"'"'s current operation information;

a workload state determining element that determines whether a simultaneous low-load period has been received after the first communication unit generates a communication request, the simultaneous low-load period being the first workload information and the second workload information are lower than a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time; and

an incoming call notifying element that notifies the second driver of an incoming call only when the simultaneous low-load period has arrived, wherein when the communication request is transmitted from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, the first communication device permits the first communication terminal to transmit the first workload information, and the second communication device uses the workload state determining element to determine whether the simultaneous low-load period arrives, and uses the notifying element to notify the second driver of an incoming call on condition that the simultaneous low-load period has arrived.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a workload information acquiring element that acquires the workload information together with the communication request, wherein

when the first communication unit generates the communication request, the second communication unit uses the workload information acquiring element to acquire the first workload information together with the communication request, and uses the workload state determining element to determine whether the simultaneous low-load period arrives.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the second communication device permits the second communication terminal to transmit the second workload information to the first communication terminal, when the workload state determining element determines that the simultaneous low-load period is not arrived, and

the first communication device detects the simultaneous low-load period using the workload state determining element when the first communication terminal receives the second workload information from the second communication device, and notifies the first driver of a period of time until the simultaneous low-load period arrives.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a switching apparatus that is disposed external to the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the switching apparatus permitting to initiate wireless communication between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, wherein

the first communication device permits the first communication terminal to transmit the first workload information to the switching apparatus,

the second communication device permits the second communication terminal to transmit the second workload information to the switching apparatus,

when the first communication terminal transmits the communication request to the switching apparatus, the switching apparatus detects the arrival of the simultaneous low-load period using the workload state determining element, and transmits the communication request to the second communication terminal on condition that the simultaneous low-load period has arrived.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the switching apparatus transmits delay information to the first communication terminal, the delay information indicating delay of transmission of the communication request to the second communication terminal due to the simultaneous low-load period being not arrived, and

the first communication device notifies the first driver of the delay of the transmission of the communication request to the second communication terminal when the first communication terminal receives the delay information.

6. A communication device to be mounted in a first vehicle and connected to a first communication terminal that conducts wireless communication with a second communication terminal, which is connected to another communication device mounted in a second vehicle, the communication device comprising:

a workload information generating element that generates workload information based on a planned travel route, a driver'"'"'s current operation, and a correlation between the planned travel route and the driver'"'"'s current operation;

a workload information acquiring element that acquires a workload information regarding a driver of the second vehicle via the first communication terminal, when the first communication terminal receives a communication request from the second communication terminal;

a low-load period detecting element that detects a simultaneous low-load period where the workload of the driver of the first vehicle after the first communication terminal receives the communication request from the second communication terminal and the workload of the driver of the second vehicle are lower than a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time; and

an incoming call notifying element that notifies the driver of the first vehicle of an incoming call on condition that the simultaneous low-load period arrives.

7. A switching apparatus for initiating wireless communication between at least first and second communication terminals, the first communication terminal being connected to a first communication device mounted in a first vehicle, the second communication terminal being connected to a second communication device mounted in a second vehicle, the switching apparatus comprising:

a workload information receiving element that receives workload information generated in the first and second communication devices through the first and second communication terminals, respectively, the workload information indicating a change in a workload that a driver undergoes when operating a corresponding vehicle along a planned travel route;

a low-load period detecting element that detects a simultaneous low-load period where the workload of the first vehicle and the workload of the second vehicle are lower than a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time based on the workload information received by the workload information receiving element, when receiving a communication request transmitted from the first communication terminal for requesting initiation of communication with the second communication terminal; and

an initiation timing control element that transmits the communication request to the second communication terminal on condition that the simultaneous low-load period arrives.

8. A communication device to be mounted in a vehicle and connected to a communication terminal that conducts wireless communication with another communication terminal, the communication device comprising:

a workload information generating element that generates workload information based on a planned travel route, a driver'"'"'s current operation, and a correlation between the planned travel route and the driver'"'"'s current operation

a low-load period detecting element that detects a low-load period where the workload of the driver is lower than a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time based on the workload information, when an instruction to transmit a communication request for initiating communication with another communication terminal from the communication terminal is made; and

a transmitting element that permits the communication terminal to transmit the communication request on condition that the low-load period arrives.

9. The communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a notifying element that notifies the communication terminal of a period of time until the low-load period arrives.