Vehicular communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10764372-B2
Application number	US-201916262028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2019
Priority date	May 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A vehicular communication device is communicable with each of an external communication device disposed outside a vehicle and at least one electronic control device. The vehicular communication device: receives the data from the external communication device and transmits the data to the at least one electronic control device; calculates an estimated power amount for writing the data into the at least one electronic control device; obtains a remaining battery power in a battery; and determines execution or suspension of data transfer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular communication device communicable with an external communication device disposed outside a vehicle and at least one electronic control unit mounted in the vehicle, the vehicular communication device comprising:
a processor with memory configured to:
receive a write target data, which is to be written in at least one write target device among the at least one electronic control unit, from the external communication device; and
transmit the write target data to the at least one write target device so as to write the write target data into the at least one write target device;
wherein the processor calculates an estimated electric power amount as an estimated value of an electric power consumption in the vehicle, which is required for transmitting and writing the write target data from the external communication device into to the write target device via the vehicular communication device;
obtains a battery remaining amount which is an electric power amount stored in a battery as a power supply source for supplying electric power to the at least one electronic control unit and the vehicular communication device; and
determines whether the write data transfer is executed or suspended, based on an obtained battery remaining amount and the estimated electric power amount calculated by the processor, wherein the processor calculates the estimated electric power amount according to at least:
a first communication speed between the external communication device and the vehicular communication device;
a second communication speed between the write target device and the vehicular communication device; and
electric power consumption of the write target device and the vehicular communication device.

2. The vehicular communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to:
execute the write data transfer when determining that the obtained battery remaining amount is larger than the estimated electric power amount, based on the obtained battery remaining amount and the estimated electric power amount calculated by the processor; and
suspend the write data transfer when determining that the obtained battery remaining amount is not larger than the estimated electric power amount, based on the obtained battery remaining amount and the estimated electric power amount calculated by the processor.

3. The vehicular communication device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to:
switch the power supply source to another battery different from the battery when the processor determines that the battery remaining amount is not larger than the estimated electric power amount; and

perform the write data transfer.

4. The vehicular communication device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to:
charge the battery when the processor determines that the battery remaining amount is not larger than the estimated electric power amount;
determine whether the battery remaining amount of the battery which is charged for a predetermined time is larger than the estimated electric power amount; and
perform the write data transfer when determining that a charged battery remaining amount is larger than the estimated electric power amount.

5. The vehicular communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor calculates necessary time for transferring the write target data from the external communication device to the write target device using the first communication speed, the second communication speed, and the data amount; and
the processor calculates the estimated electric power amount according to a calculated necessary time and the electric power consumption.

6. The vehicular communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor calculates the estimated power amount and determines whether the write data transfer is executed or suspended before the processor starts a write data transfer.

7. The vehicular communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor is configured to repeatedly operate the calculation of the estimated power amount and the determination of whether the write data transfer is executed or suspended in a period when the processor performs a write data transfer; and
the processor is configured to calculate the estimated electric power amount from a present time in the period that the processor calculates the estimated power amount and determines whether the write data transfer is executed or suspended.

8. The vehicular communication device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the processor transmits the write target data for each of the plurality of write target devices in a predetermined order when the at least one write target device includes a plurality of write target devices;
the processor is configured to calculate the estimated electric power amount for each of the plurality of write target devices; and
the processor determines whether the write data transfer for each of the write target devices is executed or suspended, based on each estimated electric power amount calculated by the processor and an obtained battery remaining amount.

9. The vehicular communication device according to claim 8 , wherein:
the predetermined order is a priority order of the write target data for each of the write target devices.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Kashima Hideki

Classifications

• H04B1/1615 Primary

  Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely (battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34) · CPC title

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04B1/082

  to be used in vehicles (H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02) · CPC title

• H04B1/38

  Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title