Mobile communication device and communication medium information generating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10863409-B2
Application number	US-201616092345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A mobile communication device includes: a monitoring unit that monitors conditions of communication media; a control unit that controls switching communication media based on information indicating a communication medium having a good condition in each of a plurality of travel sections; and a switching unit that switches the communication medium to be used, wherein when a mobile object moves from a first section to a second section, the control unit causes the monitoring unit to monitor, in an area including a boundary between the first and second sections, radio wave conditions of a first communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the first section and a second communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the second section, and instructs the switching unit to perform switchover from the first communication medium to the second communication medium, based on results from the monitoring unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile communication device to be mounted on a mobile object and perform radio communication with a ground base station, the mobile communication device comprising:
a radio wave condition monitor capable of monitoring radio wave conditions of a plurality of communication media that use different respective communication schemes for communication with the ground base station;
a storage to store communication medium information, the communication medium information indicating a communication medium having a good radio wave condition in each of a plurality of travel sections into which a route is divided, the mobile object traveling on the route;
a switching controller to perform control for switching a communication medium to be used, on the basis of the communication medium information and position of the mobile object when the travel section in which the mobile object is traveling is changed; and
a radio communication switch to switch the communication medium to be used, under control of the switching controller, wherein
when the mobile object moves from a first travel section to a second travel section, the switching controller causes the radio wave condition monitor to monitor, in a monitoring area, a radio wave condition of a first communication medium and a radio wave condition of a second communication medium, the first communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the first travel section, the second communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the second travel section, the monitoring area being a preset area including a boundary between the first travel section and the second travel section, the switching controller instructing the radio communication switch to perform switchover from the first communication medium to the second communication medium, on the basis of monitoring results provided by the radio wave condition monitor, wherein
the switching controller controls the radio wave condition monitor not to monitor any of the radio wave conditions of the communication media outside the monitoring area.

2. A mobile communication device to be mounted on a mobile object and perform radio communication with a ground base station, the mobile communication device comprising:
a radio wave condition monitor capable of monitoring radio wave conditions of a plurality of communication media that use different respective communication schemes for communication with the ground base station;
a storage to store communication medium information, the communication medium information indicating a communication medium having a good radio wave condition in each of a plurality of travel sections into which a route is divided, the mobile object traveling on the route;
a switching controller to perform control for switching a communication medium to be used, on the basis of the communication medium information and position of the mobile object when the travel section in which the mobile object is traveling is changed; and
a radio communication switch to switch the communication medium to be used, under control of the switching controller, wherein
when the mobile object moves from a first travel section to a second travel section, the switching controller causes the radio wave condition monitor to monitor, in a monitoring area, a radio wave condition of a first communication medium and a radio wave condition of a second communication medium, the first communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the first travel section, the second communication medium having a good radio wave condition in the second travel section, the monitoring area being a preset area including a boundary between the first travel section and the second travel section, the switching controller instructing the radio communication switch to perform switchover from the first communication medium to the second communication medium, on the basis of monitoring results provided by the radio wave condition monitor, wherein
when an instruction position being a position on the route at which the switching controller has instructed the radio communication switch to perform switchover from the first communication medium to the second communication medium is different from the boundary, the switching controller stores information on a difference between the instruction position on the route and the boundary into the storage.

3. The mobile communication device according to claim 2 , wherein
to collect information on the radio wave conditions of the communication media to be used for generation of the communication medium information, the switching controller controls the radio wave condition monitor to monitor the radio wave conditions of the communication media on the route, and stores the information on the radio wave conditions of the communication media into the storage.

4. The mobile communication device according to claim 3 , wherein
the switching controller changes a size of the monitoring area on the basis of the information on the difference.

5. The mobile communication device according to claim 2 , wherein
the switching controller changes a size of the monitoring area on the basis of the information on the difference.

6. A communication medium information generating device comprising:
an obtainer to acquire the information on the radio wave conditions of the plurality of communication media collected by the mobile communication device according to claim 2 ; and
a generator to generate communication medium information by using the information on the radio wave conditions of the plurality of communication media acquired by the obtainer.

7. The communication medium information generating device according to claim 6 , wherein
the obtainer acquires the information on the difference from the mobile communication device, and
the generator modifies the communication medium information by using the information on the difference.

8. A mobile communication device to be mounted on a mobile object and perform radio communication with a ground base station, the mobile communication device comprising:
a radio wave condition monitor capable of monitoring radio wave conditions of three or more communication media to be used for communication with the ground base station;
a storage to store communication medium information, the communication medium information indicating a communication medium having a good radio wave condition in each of three or more travel sections into which a route is divided, the mobile object traveling on the route;
a switching controller to perform control for switching a communication medium to be used, on the basis of the communication medium information when the travel section in which the mobile object is traveling is changed; and
a radio communication switch to switch the communication medium to be used, under control of the switching controller, wherein
when the mobile object travels on the route, the switching controller causes the radio wave condition monitor to monitor, in each monitoring area being a preset area including a boundary between the travel sections, a radio wave condition of the communication medium among the communication media that has a good radio wave condition in the travel section located rearward in a traveling direction of the mobile object closest to the boundary and a radio wave condition of the communication medium among the communication media that has a good radio wave condition in the travel section located forward in the traveling direction of the mobile object closest to the boundary, and the switching controller instructs the radio communication switch to perform switchover from the communication medium having the good radio wave condition in the rearward located travel

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Ogawa Yuji
• Goto Yuji

Classifications

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W36/322

  by location data · CPC title

• H04W36/302

  due to low signal strength · CPC title

• H04W84/005 Primary

  Moving wireless networks · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title