Vehicle-mounted communication device, and method of controlling same

1. A vehicle-mounted communication device comprising:

a controlling unit;

a modem connected to the controlling unit to receive control data and performing wireless communication; and

a power source switching unit connected to the modem and the controlling unit, and performing a supply of electric power,

wherein the controlling unit includes a communication part, a judgment part, and a judging timing determination part,

the communication part performs wireless communication through the modem,

the judgment part controls the modem and judges whether the communication part is in a wireless communicable state in accordance with communication propriety information transmitted from the modem,

the judging timing determination part controls the power source switching unit to shift to a first low power consumption mode for limiting the supply of the electric power when the judging timing determination part receives the communication propriety information showing a communicable state in the wireless communication from the judgment part while a driving source of a vehicle is stopped, and

the judging timing determination part controls the power source switching unit to shift to a second low power consumption mode when the judging timing determination part receives the communication propriety information showing an incommunicable state in the wireless communication from the judgment part while the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, and stops the judgment part from operating of judging whether the communication part is in the wireless communicable state by operating the communication part, until a condition predetermined based on a change in a reception electric field intensity of a portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped is satisfied.

2. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the communication part includes a first communication part, which is configured to perform communication via the portable communication network, and a second communication part, which is configured to receive a GPS signal that is transmitted from a GPS satellite, and

wherein the judging timing determination part determines the condition predetermined based on at least one of the change in the reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped and a change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the second communication part receives the GPS signal, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped.

3. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part stops the judgment operation of the judgment part until a condition surrounding the vehicle is judged as being changed, based on information that is obtained from the vehicle, when the change in the reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being greater than a first threshold value.

4. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part receives at least one of information of the intensity of light that is received by the vehicle, which is detected by an optical sensor, and a surrounding image of the vehicle as the information obtained from the vehicle, and

wherein the judging timing determination part makes the judgment part judge whether the wireless communication is in an enabled state, when at least one of a change in the intensity of the light and a change in the surrounding image of the vehicle is detected.

5. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part makes the judgment part execute the judgment operation at a predetermined time interval when the change in the reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being not greater than the first threshold value.

6. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part stops the judgment operation of the judgment part until a condition surrounding the vehicle is judged as being changed, based on information that is obtained from the vehicle, when the change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the GPS signal is received, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being greater than a second threshold value.

7. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part makes the judgment part execute the judgment operation at a predetermined time interval when the change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the GPS signal is received, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being not greater than the second threshold value.

8. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the judging timing determination part stops the supply of the power source to the communication part when the judging timing determination part receives the communication propriety information showing an incommunicable state in the wireless communication from the judgment part while the driving source of the vehicle is stopped.

9. A method for controlling a vehicle-mounted communication device which includes a controlling unit connected to a modem and a power source switching unit which performs a supply of electric power, the method comprising the steps of:

performing wireless communication by a communication part of the controlling unit through the modem;

judging by a judgement part of the controlling unit whether the communication part is in a wireless communicable state in accordance with communication propriety information transmitted from the modem;

controlling the power source switching unit by a judging timing determination part of the controlling unit and shifting to a first low power consumption mode for limiting the supply of the electric power when the judging timing determination part receives the communication propriety information showing a communicable state in the wireless communication from the judgment part while a driving source of a vehicle is stopped; and

controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part of the controlling unit and shifting to a second low power consumption mode when the judging timing determination part receives the communication propriety information showing an incommunicable state in the wireless communication from the judgment part while the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, and stopping the judging processing in the step of judging whether the communication part is in the wireless communicable state by operating the communication part, until a condition predetermined based on a change in a reception electric field intensity of a portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped is satisfied.

10. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 9 ,

wherein the step of performing wireless communication by the communication part includes performing communication via the portable communication network in a first communication part, and receiving a GPS signal that is transmitted from a GPS satellite in a second communication part, and

wherein the condition is determined in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode based on at least one of a change in a reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped and a change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the second communication part receives the GPS signal, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped.

11. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 10 ,

wherein the judging processing in the step of judging is stopped until a condition surrounding the vehicle is judged as being changed, based on information that is obtained from the vehicle, when the change in the reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being greater than a first threshold value in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode.

12. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 11 ,

wherein at least one of information of the intensity of light that is received by the vehicle, which is detected by an optical sensor, and a surrounding image of the vehicle is input as the information obtained from the vehicle in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode, and

wherein judging in the step of judging is executed when at least one of a change in the intensity of the light and a change in the surrounding image of the vehicle is detected.

13. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 10 ,

wherein the judging processing in the step of judging is executed at a predetermined time interval when the change in the reception electric field intensity of the portable communication network before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being not greater than the first threshold value in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode.

14. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 10 ,

wherein the judging processing in the step of judging is stopped until a condition surrounding the vehicle is judged as being changed, based on information that is obtained from the vehicle, when the change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the GPS signal is received, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being greater than a second threshold value in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode.

15. The method for controlling the vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 10 ,

wherein the judging processing in the step of judging is executed at a predetermined time interval when the change in the number of the GPS satellites, from which the GPS signal is received, before the driving source of the vehicle is stopped, is judged as being not greater than the second threshold value in the step of controlling the power source switching unit by the judging timing determination part and shifting to the second low power consumption mode.