Telematics controller, vehicle, and telematics control method

• US 9,532,203 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Okawa, Akihiro, Kanamori, Miho
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHAVAL V
• Application Number:
  US14/761,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/411, 455/558, 455/456.1, 455/466, 455/404.1, 455/426.2, 340/4.61, 340/870.02, 701/1, 701/29.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to enable a SIM interface to be selected more appropriately. A telematics controller according to the present invention includes a vehicle information collecting unit that collects vehicle information about a vehicle mounted with the telematics controller, a SIM switching unit that enables one of a plurality of SIM interfaces to communicate, and a switching instructing unit that instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to a SIM interface associated in advance according to the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collecting unit.

Claims

1. A telematics controller comprising:

a vehicle information collecting unit that collects vehicle information about a vehicle mounted with the telematics controller;

a SIM switching unit that enables one of a plurality of SIM interfaces to communicate; and

a switching instructing unit that instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to a SIM interface associated in advance according to the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collecting unit;

wherein the SIM interface includes a SIM interface communicating for emergency support, and

the switching instructing unit instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to the SIM interface communicating for emergency support when the vehicle information represents a predetermined emergency state.

2. A telematics controller comprising:

a vehicle information collecting unit that collects vehicle information about a vehicle mounted with the telematics controller;

a SIM switching unit that enables one of a plurality of SIM interfaces to communicate; and

a switching instructing unit that instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to a SIM interface associated in advance according to the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collecting unit;

wherein the SIM interface includes a plurality of SIM interfaces communicating for emergency support,

the telematics controller comprises a storage unit in which service area information specifying a service available area is stored for each of the SIM interfaces communicating for emergency support, and

the switching instructing unit specifies a SIM interface for which a present location specified by the vehicle information is included in the service available area, and instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface.

3. The telematics controller according to claim 2,

wherein priority information specifying priority between one SIM interface and another SIM interface of the SIM interfaces is stored in the storage unit, and

the switching instructing unit specifies a SIM interface communicating with a high priority in communication based on the SIM interface for which a present location specified by the vehicle information is included in the service available area, and instructs the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface.

4. The telematics controller according to claim 3,

wherein when the SIM switching unit is instructed to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface while communicating on the basis of the SIM interface having a priority lower than that of the specified SIM interface, the SIM switching unit disconnects the communication based on the communicating SIM interface, starts communication based on the specified SIM interface, and ends a processing unit communicating on the basis of the SIM interface having a lower priority.

5. A telematics control method based on a telematics controller which includes a SIM switching unit that enables one of a plurality of SIM interfaces to communicate, the telematics control method comprising:

a vehicle information collecting step of collecting vehicle information; and

a switching instructing step of instructing the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to a SIM interface associated in advance according to the vehicle information collected in the vehicle information collecting step;

wherein the SIM interface includes a SIM interface communicating for emergency support, and

in the switching instructing step, when the vehicle information represents a predetermined emergency state, the SIM switching unit is instructed to switch the SIM interface to the SIM interface communicating for emergency support.

6. A telematics control method based on a telematics controller which includes a SIM switching unit that enables one of a plurality of SIM interfaces to communicate, the telematics control method comprising:

a vehicle information collecting step of collecting vehicle information; and

a switching instructing step of instructing the SIM switching unit to switch the SIM interface to a SIM interface associated in advance according to the vehicle information collected in the vehicle information collecting step;

wherein the SIM interface includes a plurality of SIM interfaces communicating for emergency support,

the telematics controller includes a storage unit in which service area information specifying a service available area is stored for each of the SIM interfaces communicating for emergency support, and

in the switching instructing step, a SIM interface for which a present location specified by the vehicle information is included in the service available area is specified, and the SIM switching unit is instructed to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface.

7. The telematics control method according to claim 6,

wherein priority information specifying priority between one SIM interface and another SIM interface of the SIM interfaces is stored in the storage unit, and

in the switching instructing step, a SIM interface communicating with a high priority in communication based on the SIM interface for which a present location specified by the vehicle information is included in the service available area is specified, and the SIM switching unit is instructed to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface.

8. The telematics control method according to claim 7,

wherein when the SIM switching unit is instructed to switch the SIM interface to the specified SIM interface while communicating on the basis of the SIM interface having a priority lower than that of the specified SIM interface, the SIM switching unit performs a SIM switching step in which the SIM switching unit disconnects the communication based on the communicating SIM interface, starts communication based on the specified SIM interface, and ends a processing unit communicating on the basis of the SIM interface having a lower priority.