# US 10,455,478 B2 · Vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device and communication method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,478 B2 - Document ID: US10455478B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/933,816 - Filed: 2018-03-23 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-30 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Seii Sai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455478B2 ## CPC - H04W 40/22: using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 4/46: for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring a relay request that requests relay of communication from a first communication partner, a detection unit for detecting directions of the first communication partner and a second communication partner that are viewed from the vehicle, and a communication control unit for performing control such that, in the case where the relay request is received from the first communication partner and it is possible to communicate with the second communication partner, communication, in which a communication time longer than a communication time set for another direction is set for each of the directions of the first communication partner and the second communication partner, is performed, and communication between the first communication partner and the second communication partner is relayed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device mounted on a vehicle and performing communication while temporally changing a communication direction by using an antenna unit capable of changing directivity, the device comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a relay request that requests relay of communication from a first communication partner; a detection unit configured to detect directions of the first communication partner and a second communication partner that are viewed from the vehicle; and a communication control unit configured to perform control such that, in a case where the relay request is received from the first communication partner and it is possible to communicate with the second communication partner, communication, in which a communication time longer than a communication time set for another direction is set for each of the directions of the first communication partner and the second communication partner, is performed, and communication between the first communication partner and the second communication partner is relayed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication partner is a mobile communication device, and wherein the second communication partner is a roadside communication device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit performs control such that, in the case where the relay request is received from the first communication partner and it is possible to communicate with the second communication partner, communication, in which a long communication time is set for each of the directions of the first communication partner and the second communication partner, and communication, in which communication times that are equal to each other are set for all directions, are performed alternately. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a direction of a communication partner, based on a communication direction when communication by millimeter wave communication is established. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a direction of a communication partner, based on position information of the communication partner received through communication. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the directions of the first communication partner and the second communication partner, based on sensor information obtained from a sensor mounted on the vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second communication partner is the roadside communication device, and wherein the detection unit detects the direction of the roadside communication device, based on pre-stored installation information including an installation position and a communication direction of the roadside communication device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: an antenna unit having a plurality of fixed antennas directed in different directions, wherein the communication control unit changes, when the plurality of fixed antennas are switchably used, a setting of the communication time of each direction by adjusting a selection time period. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: an antenna unit having a rotary antenna, wherein the communication control unit changes a setting of the communication time of each direction by adjusting a rotation speed of the rotary antenna. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second communication partner is the roadside communication device, the vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device further comprising: a communication volume storage unit configured to store a volume of the relayed communication between the first communication partner and the second communication partner; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the volume of the relayed communication to a server device that grants a reward in accordance with the volume of the relayed communication. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A millimeter wave communication system comprising: the vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device according to claim 10; and a server device, wherein the server device includes a reward grant unit configured to grant a reward to a user of the vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device in accordance with a volume of relayed communication received from the vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device. ### Claim 12 A communication control method in a vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave communication device mounted on a vehicle and performing communication while temporally changing a communication direction by using an antenna unit capable of changing directivity, the method comprising: acquiring a relay request that requests relay of communication from a first communication partner; detecting directions of the first communication partner and a second communication partner that are viewed from the vehicle; and performing control such that, in a case where the relay request is received from the first communication partner and it is possible to communicate with the second communication partner, communication, in which a communication time longer than a communication time set for another direction is set for each of the directions of the first communication partner and the second communication partner, is performed, and communication between the first communication partner and the second communication partner is relayed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to claim 12.