COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND CONTROLLER

• US 20150140995A1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamiya, Masachika
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A communication system includes checking means for performing a check to detect whether a mobile device carried by a user of a vehicle is in the vehicle via wireless communication between an onboard device and the mobile device when a door of the vehicle has changed from being open to being closed; detecting means for detecting an operating state of an onboard electrical load when the check is performed by the checking means; and changing means for changing a maximum value of a number of rechecks, which is the number of times the check is allowed to be repeatedly performed by the checking means, according to the operating state of the onboard electrical load detected by the detecting means, when it has not been detected that the mobile device is in the vehicle by the check performed by the checking means.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

checking means for performing a check to detect whether a mobile device carried by a user of a vehicle is in the vehicle via wireless communication between an onboard device and the mobile device when a door of the vehicle has changed from being open to being closed;

detecting means for detecting an operating state of an onboard electrical load when the check is performed by the checking means; and

changing means for changing a maximum value of a number of rechecks, which is the number of times the check is allowed to be repeatedly performed by the checking means, according to the operating state of the onboard electrical load detected by the detecting means, when it has not been detected that the mobile device is in the vehicle by the check performed by the checking means.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the changing means sets the maximum value of the number of rechecks larger when an onboard electrical load that generates a large amount of noise when operating is operating, compared to when an onboard electrical machine that generates a small amount of noise when operating is operating.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit sets the maximum value of the number of rechecks larger when an engine is operating, compared to when a wiper is operating.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit sets the maximum value of the number of rechecks larger when a wiper is operating continuously, compared to when the wiper is operating intermittently.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising

alarm issuing means for issuing an alarm to the user of the vehicle when it is not detected that the mobile device is in the vehicle, even when the check is performed the maximum value of the number of rechecks by the checking means.

6. A communication method comprising:

performing a check to detect whether a mobile device carried by a user of a vehicle is in the vehicle via wireless communication between an onboard device and the mobile device when a door of the vehicle has changed from being open to being closed;

detecting an operating state of an onboard electrical load when the check is performed; and

changing a maximum value of a number of rechecks, which is the number of times the check is allowed to be repeatedly performed, according to the operating state of the onboard electrical load, when it has not been detected that the mobile device is in the vehicle by the check.

7. A controller comprising:

a checking portion that performs a check to detect whether a mobile device carried by a user of a vehicle is in the vehicle via wireless communication between an onboard device and the mobile device when a door of the vehicle has changed from being open to being closed;

a detecting portion that detects an operating state of an onboard electrical load when the check is performed by the checking portion; and

a changing portion that changes a maximum value of a number of rechecks, which is the number of times the check is allowed to be repeatedly performed by the checking portion, according to the operating state of the onboard electrical load detected by the detecting portion, when it has not been detected that the mobile device is in the vehicle by the check performed by the checking portion.