Vehicle communication system and vehicle-mounted device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10425176-B2
Application number	US-201615768295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle communication system comprising a vehicle-mounted device that transmits signals from a plurality of transmitting antennas on a vehicle; and a mobile device that receives signals transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device and transmits a response signal including received signal strengths of received signals. The transmitting antennas include: a first transmitting antenna in the vehicle cabin which is deviated in one direction in the width direction of the vehicle from the central portion in the width direction; and a second transmitting antenna nearer to the other side surface in the width direction of the vehicle. The device determines whether or not the mobile device is present inside an area containing the vehicle interior space and having a boundary surface following at least one side surface in the width direction of the vehicle, based on received signal strengths of signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle communication system comprising:
a vehicle-mounted device having a microcomputer that transmits signals from a plurality of transmitting antennas provided on a vehicle, the plurality of transmitting antennas including:
a first transmitting antenna provided in a vehicle cabin nearer to a first side surface in a width direction of the vehicle from a central portion, and
a second transmitting antenna provided nearer to a second side surface in the width direction of the vehicle; and
a mobile device that receives the signals transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device and transmits a response signal including received signal strengths of the received signals, in which the vehicle-mounted device receives the response signal transmitted from the mobile device and determines whether the mobile device is present inside the vehicle cabin or not based on the received signal strengths included in the received response signal, wherein
the microcomputer is configured to:
determine whether or not the mobile device is present inside an area containing a vehicle interior space and having a boundary surface following at least the first side surface in the width direction of the vehicle, based on the received signal strengths of the signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna, respectively,
adding the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, and
determine whether the mobile device is present inside the area based on a value obtained by adding the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, such that a concave of an other side surface of the area in the width direction of the vehicle is corrected without distortion of the boundary surface of the area following one side surface in the width direction of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the microcomputer multiplies the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna, by a weight coefficient that is less than one, and adds the weighted received signal strength to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna.

3. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of transmitting antennas include a third transmitting antenna provided in the vehicle cabin,
the microcomputer determines a third value by adding the received signal strength of a signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to a received signal strength of a signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna,
the microcomputer determines a fourth value by adding the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to a received signal strength of a signal transmitted from the third transmitting antenna, and
the microcomputer determines whether the third and fourth values satisfy a predetermined determination expression or not.

4. The vehicle communication system according to claim 3 , wherein the microcomputer is configured to:
multiply the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna by a first weight coefficient that is less than one, and add a weighted received signal strength to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, and
multiply the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna by a second weight coefficient that is less than one, and add a weighted received signal strength to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the third transmitting antenna.

5. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of transmitting antennas include a third transmitting antenna provided in the vehicle cabin,
the microcomputer calculates a scalar determination value for determining whether the mobile device is present inside the area or not, based on the received signal strengths of the signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, the second transmitting antenna and the third transmitting antenna, respectively, and
the microcomputer compares the calculated scalar determination value with a predetermined threshold value.

6. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the area includes an entirety of the vehicle interior space and part of the outside of the vehicle and having a boundary surface following the first side surface in the width direction of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle-mounted device that transmits signals from a plurality of transmitting antennas provided on a vehicle to a mobile device and determines whether the mobile device is present inside a vehicle cabin or not based on received signal strengths of the signals received by the mobile device, the plurality of transmitting antennas including: (i) a first transmitting antenna provided in a vehicle cabin nearer to a first side surface in a width direction of the vehicle from a central portion, and (ii) a second transmitting antenna provided nearer to a second side surface in the width direction of the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted device comprising:
a microcomputer configured to:
determine whether or not the mobile device is present inside an area containing a vehicle interior space and having a boundary surface following at least the first side surface in the width direction of the vehicle, based on the received signal strengths of the signals transmitted from the first transmitting antenna and the second transmitting antenna, respectively,
add the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, and
determine whether the mobile device is present inside the area based on a value obtained by adding the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second transmitting antenna to the received signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first transmitting antenna, such that a concave of an other side surface of the area in the width direction of the vehicle is corrected without distortion of the boundary surface of the area following one side surface in the width direction of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Hamada Yoshihiro
• Saburi Makoto
• Yoshida Ryota

Classifications

• H04B17/27

  for locating or positioning the transmitter · CPC title

• B60R25/245

  where the antenna reception area plays a role · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• B60R25/24

  using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user · CPC title

• B60R25/209

  Remote starting of engine · CPC title