Patent ID: 7206615

Claim:
A vehicle communication system provided with a transceiver disposed in a vehicle and a mobile device for transmitting and receiving specified signals to and from the vehicle equipped with the transceiver, wherein the transceiver includes: a first transmitting means for outputting a first request signal toward a first communication area, the first request signal requesting a response from the mobile device; a second transmitting means for outputting a second request signal toward a second communication area different from the first communication area, a receiving means for receiving a response signal transmitted from the mobile device in response to the first request signal or the second request signal; and a control means for controlling operations of the first transmitting means, the second transmitting means and the receiving means; wherein the mobile device transmits the response signal to the receiving means in the case of receiving the first request signal transmitted from the first transmitting means or the second request signal transmitted from the second transmitting means; and wherein the control means: detects a position of the mobile device based on a communication result between the mobile device and the receiving means in response to the first and second request signals transmitted from the first and second transmitting means; controls a notifying means for outputting information used to specify the position of the mobile device to a user based on a detection result of the position of the mobile device; judges that the mobile device is located in the first communication area and causes the notifying means to output information representing that the mobile device is located in the first communication area if the receiving means has received the response signal from the mobile device in response to the first request signal transmitted from the first transmitting means; judges that the mobile device is located in the second communication area excluding the first communication area and causes the notifying means to output information representing that the mobile device is located in the second communication area excluding the first communication area if the receiving means has received no response signal from the mobile device in response to the first request signal transmitted from the first transmitting means, but has received the response signal from the mobile device in response to the second request signal transmitted from the second transmitting means; and judges that the mobile device is located outside the first and second communication areas and causes the notifying means to output information representing that the mobile device is located outside the first and second communication areas if the receiving means has received no response signal from the mobile device in response to the first and second request signals transmitted from the first and second transmitting means.