Vehicle communication device and control method thereof

Abstract

A vehicle communication device and a control method thereof according to an embodiment are disclosed. The vehicle communication device includes an antenna unit including a first antenna and a plurality of second antennas; a first switch for switching between a first path to the first antenna and a second path to each of the plurality of second antennas; a second switch for switching between the second path to one of the plurality of second antennas; a length adjustment unit connected to the second path to one second antenna connected to the second switch and adjusting a resonant length of the connected second antenna; and a communication control unit for generating a switching signal for connecting the first antenna to one of the plurality of second antennas according to a state of the first antenna.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiment relates to a vehicle communication device having a communication recovery function and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] An antenna is a device used to efficiently radiate radio waves into space for wireless communication. In particular, the proportion of wireless communication compared to wired communication has been increasing exponentially in recent years, making antennas increasingly important.

[0003] Since automobiles contain many electronic components as well as mechanical components, antennas are essential.

[0004] 1a and 1b are diagrams for explaining problems with a conventional vehicle communication device.

[0005] 1a and 1b, a conventional vehicle communication device may include a communication control unit 10 and an antenna 20. The communication control unit 10 includes a plurality of communication modems, and the plurality of communication modems may be respectively connected to a plurality of antennas 20 provided according to a supported communication method, for example, 5G, V2X, GPS, BT / WiFi, Radio, DMB, etc., to communicate.

[0006] At this time, the antenna may be damaged due to an emergency situation such as a vehicle accident or damage, but even if there are other undamaged antennas in the vehicle, they cannot be used because there is no connection path, and even if there are connection paths to some undamaged antennas, it is difficult to confirm whether the antenna is damaged or not, and they cannot be linked because the resonance points are different. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0027944 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0091891 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The embodiment can provide a vehicle communication device having a communication recovery function and a control method thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle communication device according to the embodiment may include an antenna unit including a first antenna and a plurality of second antennas; a first switch for switching between a first path to the first antenna and a second path to the plurality of second antennas; a second switch for switching between a second path to any one of the plurality of second antennas; a length adjustment unit connected to the second path to one second antenna connected to the second switch and adjusting the resonant length of the connected second antenna; and a communication control unit for generating a switching signal for connecting the first antenna to any one of the plurality of second antennas depending on the state of the first antenna.

[0010] The length adjusting unit includes a plurality of circuits, and the plurality of circuits include: The amplifier may include a bypass circuit for maintaining the resonance length; a first adjustment circuit for decreasing the resonance length; and a second adjustment circuit for increasing the resonance length.

[0011] The first adjustment circuit may include at least one capacitor, and the second adjustment circuit may include at least one inductor.

[0012] The vehicle communication device may further include a third switch connected between the second switch and the length adjuster, and configured to switch one second antenna connected to the second switch to be connected to any one of the plurality of circuits.

[0013] The communication control unit may sequentially connect each of the plurality of second antennas to each of the plurality of circuits, detect the level of a received signal, select one second antenna and one circuit with the highest detected signal level, and generate a switching signal to connect the selected one second antenna and one circuit.

[0014] The second switch may select one second antenna from the plurality of second antennas, the third switch may be connected to one end of a selected one of the circuits to be connected to the selected one of the second antennas, and the first switch may be connected to the other end of the selected one of the circuits.

[0015] The communication control unit detects a level of a signal received through the first antenna, checks whether the first antenna is connected based on the detected signal level, and, if the first antenna is not normally connected, controls the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch to connect a second antenna selected from the plurality of second antennas to a second path to one circuit.

[0016] The communication control unit can perform a primary check of the status of the first antenna using the level of the signal received through the first antenna, a secondary check of the status of the first antenna depending on whether the first antenna is connected or not, and determine the status of the first antenna based on the results of the primary check and the results of the secondary check.

[0017] A control method for a vehicle communication device according to an embodiment may include a step of determining the state of the first antenna when the first antenna is connected to perform communication; a step of sequentially connecting one of a plurality of second antennas to one of a plurality of circuits for adjusting the resonant length of the one second antenna when the first antenna is in a state where it cannot operate normally; and a step of detecting a level of a signal received through the connected second antenna, selecting one of the plurality of second antennas based on the detected signal level, and connecting to the selected second antenna to communicate.

[0018] In the determining step, the state of the first antenna may be primarily confirmed using the level of the signal received through the first antenna, and the state of the first antenna may be secondarily confirmed depending on whether the first antenna is connected or not, and the state of the first antenna may be determined based on the results of the primary confirmation and the secondary confirmation.

[0019] In the communicating step, the level of a received signal is detected by sequentially connecting each of the plurality of second antennas to each of the plurality of circuits, and one second antenna and one circuit having the highest detected signal level is selected, and the selected one second antenna and one circuit are connected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the embodiment, when the first antenna cannot operate normally, one of a plurality of second antennas is selected and connected according to a predetermined priority, and the resonant length of the selected and connected second antenna is adjusted to a predetermined resonant length. Therefore, when an antenna is damaged due to an emergency situation, emergency communication can be restored using another antenna.

[0021] According to the embodiment, it is possible to determine a state in which the first antenna cannot operate normally, and therefore it may be possible to restore the first antenna in advance before the vehicle is put into operation.

[0022] According to the embodiment, emergency communication restoration is possible using multiple antennas arranged in the vehicle, so that costs due to the configuration of additional hardware can be minimized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1a] 1 is a diagram for explaining problems with a conventional vehicle communication device; [Figure 1b] 1 is a diagram for explaining problems with a conventional vehicle communication device; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3a] 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration principle of the first switch shown in FIG. 2; [Figure 3b] 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration principle of the first switch shown in FIG. 2; [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a length adjusting unit shown in FIG. 2; [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a first antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a second antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a control method of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram illustrating a first connection process to a second antenna shown in FIG. 7; [Figure 9] 8 is a diagram illustrating a second connection process to the second antenna shown in FIG. 7; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but may be embodied in various different forms, and one or more of the components of the embodiments may be selectively combined or substituted within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0026] Furthermore, unless otherwise clearly defined and described, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted in a way that would be commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, and commonly used terms, such as dictionary-defined terms, may be interpreted in light of the contextual meaning of the relevant art.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to explain the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0028] In this specification, the singular can also include the plural unless otherwise specified in the context, and when it is stated as "A and (and) at least one (or more) of B and C," it can include one or more of all possible combinations of A, B, and C.

[0029] Additionally, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used to describe components of embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] Such terms are merely used to distinguish a component from other components, and are not intended to limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components.

[0031] Furthermore, when a component is described as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it can include not only cases where the component is directly coupled, coupled, or connected to the other component, but also cases where the component is "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" by yet another component between the component and the other component.

[0032] Furthermore, when it is described as being formed or disposed "above or below" each component, "above" or "below" includes not only the case where two components are in direct contact with each other, but also the case where one or more other components are formed or disposed between the two components. Furthermore, when it is expressed as "above or below," it can mean not only the upper direction but also the lower direction based on one component.

[0033] In the embodiment, a new solution is proposed in which, when the first antenna cannot operate normally, one of a plurality of second antennas is selected and connected according to a predetermined priority, and the resonant length of the selected and connected second antenna is adjusted to a predetermined resonant length.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a communication control unit 100, an antenna unit 200, a first switch 310, a second switch 320, a third switch 330, and a length adjustment unit 340.

[0036] The communication control unit 100 periodically determines the state of the first antenna and can connect to the second antenna depending on the determination result. When the first antenna operates normally, the communication control unit 100 can connect to the second antenna through the first path (RF Path_1), and when the first antenna does not operate normally, the communication control unit 100 can control the first switch 310, the second switch 320, and the third switch 330 to connect to the second antenna through the second path (RF Path_2).

[0037] The communication control unit 100 can generate switching signals for switching the first switch 310, the second switch 320, and the third switch 330, respectively, to control the paths.

[0038] The communication control unit 100 detects the level of a signal received through the first antenna, primarily checks the status of the first antenna based on the detected signal level, and secondarily checks the status of the first antenna based on whether the first antenna is connected or not, thereby determining the status of the first antenna.

[0039] At this time, the communication control unit 100 can check whether the first antenna is connected by checking whether the first path to the first antenna is open using a circuit configured inside.

[0040] In the embodiment, the status of the first antenna is checked first and then checked a second time to determine the antenna. The reason for this is that even if the first antenna is operating normally, the signal level may be low in areas with weak electric field, and in such cases, a change to the second antenna is prevented.

[0041] The antenna unit 200 may include a first antenna 210 and a plurality of second antennas 220. For example, the first antenna may be a 4G / 5G antenna_1, and the second antennas may be a V2X antenna_2, a GPS antenna_3, a BT / WiFi antenna_4, a Radio antenna_5, and a DMB antenna_6.

[0042] The first switch 310 can switch between a first path to the first antenna 210 and a second path to each of the plurality of second antennas 220. Here, the first switch 310 can be, for example, an SPXT (Single Pole Multi Throw) switch. The first switch 310 can generate a default path by maintaining a state in which the communication control unit 100 is connected to the first antenna 210.

[0043] The reason for creating such a default path is to prevent insertion loss in the switch and path, because excessive insertion loss can cause the transmission power level to increase and the linear performance to deteriorate, resulting in a decrease in communication quality.

[0044] The first switch 310 is switched on a second path to the plurality of second antennas 220, but can be switched on a second path to any one of the plurality of second antennas 220.

[0045] 3a and 3b are diagrams illustrating the configuration principle of the first switch shown in FIG.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 3a, when the first switch 310 according to the embodiment is designed to be located on the first path (RF Path_1), the first path to the first antenna can be completely blocked.

[0047] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3b, if the first switch 310 is designed to be located on the second path (RF Path_2), the first path to the first antenna may not be completely blocked, resulting in a stub, an impedance mismatch, and signal loss.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first switch 310 is designed to have the structure shown in FIG. 3a.

[0049] The second switch 320 can switch the second path to any one of a plurality of second antennas. The second switch 320 can be, for example, an SPXT or XPXT (multi-pole multi-throw) switch. In this case, when the second switch 320 is used as an XPXT switch instead of an SPXT switch, two or more antennas are used instead of one antenna.

[0050] The third switch 330 may be switched by one circuit in the length adjuster 340 to adjust the resonant length of the connected second antenna. The third switch 330 may be, for example, an SPXT switch.

[0051] The length adjuster 340 can adjust the resonance length of the second antenna to a predetermined resonance length. The resonance length needs to be adjusted because the resonance points of the antennas are different.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the length adjusting unit shown in FIG.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 4, the length adjusting unit 340 according to the embodiment includes a plurality of circuits, which may include a first circuit 341, a second circuit 342, and a third circuit 343.

[0054] The first circuit 341 can maintain the resonance length of the antenna as it is without adjusting it.

[0055] The second circuit 342 can reduce the resonant length of the antenna, and may be implemented, for example, with at least one capacitor to reduce the resonant length of the antenna.

[0056] The third circuit 343 can increase the resonant length of the antenna, and may be implemented with, for example, at least one inductor to increase the resonant length of the antenna.

[0057] Although the adjustment circuit is embodied using a capacitor and an inductor as an example, the type and number of elements constituting the adjustment circuit may be varied.

[0058] At this time, the first circuit 341, the second circuit 342, and the third circuit 343 in the length adjusting unit 340 may be selected by the first switch 310 and the third switch 330. For example, the first switch 310 may be switched to connect to one end of the second circuit 342, and the third switch 330 may be switched to connect to the other end of the second circuit 342, thereby selecting the second circuit 342.

[0059] Therefore, the first switch 310 and the third switch 330 can be switched by the same circuit.

[0060] As another example, a path corresponding to each second antenna candidate may be included in the length adjuster. Each corresponding path may include an element having a characteristic value for impedance matching of the corresponding antenna. For example, when a specific antenna is selected as the second antenna by the second switch, a path for impedance matching of the specific antenna may be switched to and formed in the first switch.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a connection state of a first antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a connection state of a second antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] 5, the communication control unit 100 according to the embodiment is connected to the first antenna 210. When the first switch 310 is connected to the first path, the communication control unit 100 is connected to the first antenna 210 and can perform communication through the connected first antenna 210.

[0063] 6, the communication control unit 100 according to the embodiment is shown to be connected to antenna_2 of the second antenna 220 when the first antenna is damaged due to a vehicle accident and cannot operate normally. With the second switch 320 connected to the second path, the communication control unit 100 is connected to the second antenna 220 and can perform communication through the connected second antenna 220.

[0064] When the first antenna does not operate normally, the communication control unit 100 may detect signal levels by sequentially connecting all second paths that can be connected to the plurality of second antennas in a predetermined order. At this time, the second paths to each of the plurality of second antennas may be further divided into three paths depending on whether or not the resonant length is adjusted.

[0065] For example, if there are three second antennas, the communication control unit 100 can detect signal levels for a total of nine paths since there are three paths per antenna.

[0066] The communication control unit 100 compares the detected signal levels and can select one second antenna connected to the second path having the highest signal level based on the comparison result.

[0067] When the second antenna is selected, the communication control unit 100 can generate a first switching signal, a second switching signal, and a third switching signal for controlling the first switch 310, the second switch 320, and the third switch 330, respectively, and apply them to each switch.

[0068] For example, when the second antenna connected to the second circuit that reduces the resonant length is selected, the communication control unit 100 switches the second switch 320 by the second switching signal to connect it to antenna_2 of the second antennas, switches the third switch 330 by the third switching signal to connect it to one end of the second circuit, and switches the first switch 310 by the first switching signal to connect it to the other end of the second circuit to connect it to antenna_2.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for controlling a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 7, the vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a first antenna by default (S701) and can transmit and receive signals through the first antenna.

[0071] When the vehicle communication device receives a signal through the first antenna (S702), it can detect the level of the received signal (S703), which may be a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) level.

[0072] The vehicle communication device may first check whether the detected signal level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S704). If the detected signal level is less than the threshold, it may indicate that the communication device is located in a weak electric field area. Alternatively, the vehicle communication device may use the threshold as a criterion for determining whether the antenna is damaged.

[0073] If the detected signal level is less than the threshold value, the vehicle communication device may secondarily check whether the first antenna is connected (S705). Whether the first antenna is connected indicates whether the first path is open or shorted.

[0074] If the vehicle communication device determines that the first antenna is not connected and is not operating normally, the vehicle communication device can connect any one of the plurality of second antennas (S706).

[0075] The vehicle communication device may perform communication through the second antenna (S707). For example, the vehicle communication device may be capable of emergency communication through the second antenna.

[0076] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first connection process to the second antenna shown in FIG.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 8, a vehicle communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention can connect the mth path to the nth second antenna, i.e., second antenna_{n, m}, among the predetermined number of antennas and second antennas {N, M} of circuits, when the first antenna does not operate normally (S801).

[0078] At this time, the path to the nth second antenna can be divided into m paths depending on whether or not the resonant length is adjusted.

[0079] When the vehicle communication device receives a signal through the m-th path to the n-th connected second antenna (S802), it can detect the level of the received signal (S803), which may be an RSSI level.

[0080] The vehicle communication device may store the level of the signal detected from the m-th path to the n-th second antenna (S804).

[0081] The vehicle communication device checks whether m=M is ​​satisfied (S805), and if it finds that m=M is ​​not satisfied, it changes the route order to m+1 (S806) and repeats the process of connecting the (m+1)th route to the nth second antenna.

[0082] On the other hand, if m=M is ​​satisfied, the vehicle communication device determines that all paths to the nth second antenna have been checked, and can check whether n=N is satisfied (S807).

[0083] If n=N is not satisfied, the vehicle communication device changes the order of the antennas to n+1 (S808) and repeats the process from connecting the m-th path to the n+1-th second antenna.

[0084] On the other hand, if n=N is satisfied, the vehicle communication device can select the mth route to the nth second antenna with the highest signal level based on the stored signal levels (S809).

[0085] The vehicle communication device can connect the m-th path to the n-th second antenna (S810).

[0086] In addition, in this embodiment, antennas to be connected because of their good signal quality are first classified using a predetermined threshold value, and one of the classified antennas is selected. In this case, only one threshold value or two or more threshold values ​​may be set.

[0087] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second connection process to the second antenna shown in FIG.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 9, a vehicle communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention can connect the mth path to the nth second antenna, i.e., second antenna_{n, m}, among the predetermined number of antennas and circuits {N, M}, when the first antenna does not operate normally (S901).

[0089] When the vehicle communication device receives a signal through the m-th path to the n-th connected second antenna (S902), it can detect the level of the received signal (S903).

[0090] The vehicle communication device may check whether the detected signal level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S904).

[0091] If the detected signal level is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the vehicle communication device may store the signal level detected from the m-th path to the n-th second antenna (S905).

[0092] The vehicle communication device checks whether m=M is ​​satisfied (S906), and if it finds that m=M is ​​not satisfied, it changes the route order to m+1 (S907) and repeats the process of connecting the (m+1)th route to the nth second antenna.

[0093] On the other hand, if m=M is ​​satisfied, the vehicle communication device determines that all paths to the nth second antenna have been checked, and can check whether n=N is satisfied (S908).

[0094] If n=N is not satisfied, the vehicle communication device changes the order of the antennas to n+1 (S909) and repeats the process from connecting the m-th path to the n+1-th second antenna.

[0095] On the other hand, if n=N is satisfied, the vehicle communication device can select the mth route to the nth second antenna with the highest signal level based on the stored signal levels (S910).

[0096] The vehicle communication device can connect the m-th path to the n-th second antenna (S911).

[0097] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to select an antenna with a good signal level from among the plurality of second antennas.

[0098] The term "module" used in this embodiment refers to software or hardware components, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC, that perform a certain function. However, the term "module" is not limited to software or hardware. A "module" may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium or to execute one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, "module" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and "modules" may be combined into fewer components and "modules" or further separated into additional components and "modules." Furthermore, the components and "modules" may be embodied to execute one or more CPUs within a device or security multimedia card.

[0099] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 100: Communication control unit 200: Antenna section 210: First antenna 220: Second antenna 310: First switch 320: Second switch 330: Third switch 340: Length adjustment section

Claims

1. an antenna unit including a first antenna and a plurality of second antennas; a first switch for switching between a first path to the first antenna and a second path to each of the plurality of second antennas; a second switch that switches the second path to any one of the plurality of second antennas; a length adjusting unit connected to the second path to one second antenna connected to the second switch, and adjusting a resonance length of the connected second antenna; and a communication control unit that generates a switching signal for connecting to one of the plurality of second antennas according to a state of the first antenna, the length adjusting unit includes a plurality of circuits; The plurality of circuits include: a first circuit for maintaining said resonance length; a second circuit for reducing the resonant length; and a third circuit for increasing the resonant length; The communication control unit sequentially connecting each of the plurality of second antennas to each of the plurality of circuits and detecting the level of a received signal; The vehicle communication device selects the second antenna and the circuit with the highest detected signal level.

2. the second circuit includes at least one capacitor; 2. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the third circuit includes at least one inductor.

3. 2. The vehicle communication device of claim 1, further comprising a third switch connected between the second switch and the length adjustment unit, the third switch configured to switch one second antenna connected to the second switch to be connected to any one of a plurality of circuits constituting the length adjustment unit.

4. The communication control unit 4. The vehicle communication device according to claim 3, further comprising: a switching signal for connecting the selected one second antenna to one circuit.

5. the second switch selects one second antenna from the plurality of second antennas; the third switch is connected to one end of one circuit selected to be connected to the selected one second antenna; 5. The vehicle communication device according to claim 4, wherein the first switch is connected to the other end of the selected one of the circuits.

6. The communication control unit Detecting a level of a signal received through the first antenna, and determining whether or not the first antenna is connected based on the detected signal level; 5. The vehicle communication device according to claim 4, wherein, when the first antenna is not normally connected, the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are controlled to connect one second antenna selected from the plurality of second antennas to the second path to one circuit.

7. The communication control unit a first confirmation of the state of the first antenna using a level of a signal received through the first antenna; Secondarily checking the state of the first antenna based on whether the first antenna is connected or not; 2. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the state of the first antenna is determined based on the results of the primary confirmation and the secondary confirmation.

8. determining a state of the first antenna when the first antenna is connected and performing communication; When the first antenna is in a state where it cannot operate normally, sequentially connecting one of the plurality of second antennas to one of the plurality of circuits for adjusting the resonance length of the one second antenna; and detecting a level of a signal received through the connected second antenna, selecting one of a plurality of second antennas based on the detected signal level, and connecting to the selected second antenna to communicate.

9. In the determining step, a first confirmation of the state of the first antenna using a level of a signal received through the first antenna; Secondarily checking the state of the first antenna based on whether the first antenna is connected or not; 9. The method for controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 8, further comprising determining a state of the first antenna based on the results of the primary confirmation and the secondary confirmation.

10. In the communicating step, sequentially connecting each of the plurality of second antennas to each of the plurality of circuits and detecting the level of a received signal; Selecting one second antenna and one circuit with the highest detected signal level; 9. The method for controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 8, further comprising connecting one selected second antenna to one circuit.

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