A wired/wireless composite communication method executed by a wired/wireless composite communication system including a first communication device including a controller, a storage unit, a first wired communication interface unit and a first wireless communication interface unit, and a second communication device communicably connected to the first communication device in a wired manner and a wireless manner and including a controller, a storage unit, a second wired communication interface unit and a second wireless communication interface unit, a communication in the wired manner including an electric communication by an electric signal and an optical communication by an optical signal, the storage unit of the first communication device and the storage unit of the second communication device each including a data priority information storage unit that stores therein data priority information that sets priority for each type of communication data transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device provided within a vehicle, the method comprising:
- a data type determination step of determining a type of the communication data to be transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a transmission data priority identification step of identifying the priority corresponding to the type of the communication data determined at the data type determination step by referring to the data priority information stored in the data priority information storage unit of the first communication device, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a data division step of, on the basis of the priority identified at the transmission data priority identification step, dividing pieces of communication data into communication data having high priority and communication data having low priority, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a wired communication data generation step of generating the communication data having high priority determined at the data division step as wired communication data communicable in the wired manner, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a wireless communication data generation step of generating the communication data having low priority determined at the data division step as wireless communication data communicable in the wireless manner, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a wired transmission control step of transmitting the wired communication data generated at the wired communication data generation step to the second communication device via the first wired communication interface unit, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a wired reception control step of receiving the wired communication data transmitted at the wired transmission control step from the first communication device via the second wired communication interface unit, executed by the controller of the second communication device;
- a wireless transmission control step of transmitting the wireless communication data generated at the wireless communication data generation step to the second communication device via the first wireless communication interface unit, executed by the controller of the first communication device;
- a wireless reception control step of receiving the wireless communication data transmitted at the wireless transmission control step from the first communication device via the second wireless communication interface unit, executed by the controller of the second communication device;
- a reception data priority identification step of identifying the priority corresponding to each of the wired communication data received at the wired reception control step and the wireless communication data received at the wireless reception control step by referring to the data priority information stored in the data priority information storage unit of the second communication device, executed by the controller of the second communication device;
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- a data coupling step of, on the basis of the priority of the wired communication data and the priority of the wireless communication data identified at the reception data priority identification step, coupling the wired communication data and the wireless communication data to each other to reconstruct the communication data.