Vehicular communication apparatus

• US 9,042,875 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Saito, Soichi
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US13/614,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 701/470, 345/156, 455/419, 455/3.06, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/345, 455/346, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/575.9, 455/418, 455/525, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A vehicular communication apparatus establishes, by a narrow area communication channel establishment unit, a narrow area communication channel to a cellular phone that is brought into a vehicle compartment, and establishes a wide area communication channel to an access point outside of a vehicle. Upon detecting a stop condition of the vehicle by using a stop detection unit, the vehicular communication apparatus disconnects the narrow area communication channel by using a narrow area communication channel disconnection unit.

Claims

1. A vehicular communication apparatus comprising:

a narrow area communication channel establishing unit for establishing a narrow area communication channel to a communication device brought into a vehicle compartment of a vehicle;

a wide area communication channel establishing unit for establishing a wide area communication channel to an access point outside of the vehicle;

a stop detection unit for detecting a stop condition of the vehicle, and

a narrow area communication channel disconnection unit for disconnecting the narrow area communication channel having been established by the narrow area communication channel establishing unit, wherein

when the stop detection unit detects the stop condition of the vehicle, the narrow area communication channel disconnection unit disconnects the narrow area communication channel and the wide area communication channel establishing unit establishes a wide area communication channel to the access point outside of the vehicle.

2. The vehicular communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stop detection unit detects the stop condition of the vehicle when the vehicle is parked.

3. The vehicular communication apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a hands-free call placement unit for placing a hands-free call through a cellular phone when (i) the communication device is the cellular phone and (ii) the narrow area communication channel establishing unit establishes a narrow area communication channel to the cellular phone, wherein,

the narrow area communication channel disconnection unit disconnects the narrow area communication channel after one of (i) ending the hands-free call and (ii) transferring, to the cellular phone, call continuation information that is required for continuation of the call, when the hands-free call placement unit is having a hands-free call at a time of detecting the stop condition of the vehicle by the stop detection unit.

4. The vehicular communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stop determination unit detects any stop condition of the vehicle.

5. The vehicular communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stop detection unit detects the stop condition of the vehicle regardless of a stop condition of an engine of a vehicle.

6. The vehicular communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a stop condition of the vehicle has ended, the narrow area communication channel disconnection unit reconnects the narrow area communication channel.