JP2001283381A - Inter-vehicle communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable all vehicles to previously recognize the generation of traffic states/abnormal events of a road on which infrastructure facilities of a high cost are not installed. SOLUTION: In an inter-vehicle communication system 1 capable of communicating information among plural vehicles 2 traveling on a road on which infrastructure equipment having sensors and a computer for control and communication processing is not installed, each vehicle 2 is provided with a drive aiding camera 10 (11, 12), mounted on the vehicle 2 itself as drive aid, for photographing images around the vehicle 2 itself and a controller 15 and a communication part 19 for executing processing for detecting traveling related information including at least one of traffic conditions around the vehicle 2 itself and an abnormal event on the basis of the photographed peripheral images and processing for wirelessly transmitting the detected traveling related information to other vehicles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inter-vehicle communication system capable of directly and indirectly communicating information relating to the traveling of each vehicle between vehicles (vehicles) traveling on a road.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Demand for road traffic is rapidly increasing with the development of society. Improving the safety of road traffic is a major problem that must be solved from now to the future.

[0003] Under these circumstances, in recent years, IT
S (Intelligent Transport S
system (Intelligent Transportation System) is being actively pursued.

[0004] In order to realize such ITS, information related to the running of the vehicle (running-related information), including collection of traffic conditions such as traffic congestion and events causing abnormal running of the vehicle, is detected at an early stage. It is very important to feed back the detection information to the driver of each vehicle.

[0005] Infrastructure equipment for collecting traffic conditions and detecting abnormal events includes image processing such as a visible light camera (for example, a CCD camera) or the like, which is installed at predetermined intervals on the road side of a road including an intersection or the like. A sensor including a sensor and a computer for control / communication processing which are provided one by one for each sensor and which perform control relating to detection processing of the sensor and processing for transmitting detection data to the traffic control center are required.

On the other hand, a vehicle-mounted system for monitoring information fed back from a traffic control center generally uses a display previously mounted on a vehicle as a part of a car navigation system.

[0007]

As described above, one control / communication processing computer is required for each sensor to collect traffic conditions and detect abnormal events. In infrastructure equipment (sensors and computers for control and communication processing) that must be widely used, the amount of information to be processed increases, and the capacity required for computers for control and communication processing in proportion to the increase in the amount of information As a result, the cost of infrastructure equipment including one sensor also increases.

That is, it is ideal for ITS to install the above-mentioned infrastructure equipment (detector and computer for control / communication processing) on all roads. However, the cost and installation cost of each of the above-mentioned infrastructure equipment itself are required. In addition, on roads and intersections where traffic volume is low, even if the above-mentioned infrastructure equipment is installed, waste time will be long and inefficient, so roads and roads with heavy traffic
It is designed to be installed only at intersections.

Therefore, it is difficult to collect traffic conditions and detect abnormal events on roads and intersections where the traffic volume is small and no infrastructure equipment including the sensors and the control / communication processing computer is installed. .

[0010] As a result, even if an accident, traffic congestion, or a dangerous situation such as a falling rock or a landslide occurs on a road or an intersection where the above-mentioned infrastructure equipment is not installed, a vehicle passing through the place, The vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, and the like cannot recognize the accident, the traffic congestion, the occurrence of the danger situation, and the like in advance, hindering the improvement of road traffic safety and deteriorating the operation efficiency of road traffic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is not intended for roads without high-cost infrastructure equipment including sensors and computers for control / communication processing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inter-vehicle communication system in which all vehicles passing through the road / intersection can recognize in advance the occurrence of a traffic situation and an abnormal event occurring at the intersection.

[0012]

In recent years, as a vehicle-mounted equipment, a driving support camera for detecting an obstacle on a road, detecting a lane, preventing collision, etc. (CCD camera (TV camera), etc.)
Research and development have been carried out to improve the safety of road traffic by supporting the driving of a driver by mounting the vehicle in each vehicle.

Therefore, the present inventors have devised the present invention by paying attention to the fact that the driving support camera is mounted on each vehicle.

That is, according to the invention for achieving the above object, there is provided an inter-vehicle communication system capable of communicating information between a plurality of vehicles traveling on a road, wherein each of the vehicles is used for driving assistance. Image capturing means mounted on the own vehicle and capturing an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle, and travel-related information including at least one of a traffic situation around the own vehicle and an abnormal event based on the captured surrounding image. The vehicle includes a detecting means for detecting, and a wireless transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting the travel-related information detected by the detecting means to another vehicle.

In the present invention, each of the vehicles includes a receiving means for receiving travel-related information transmitted from another vehicle to the own vehicle, and a display means for displaying the received travel-related information. .

In the present invention, when at least one of a following vehicle and an oncoming vehicle exists within a wireless communication range of the own vehicle, the wireless transmission means transmits the travel-related information to at least one of the vehicles. Is directly transmitted.

In the present invention, the wireless transmission means has means for directly transmitting the travel-related information to all vehicles existing within a wireless communication range of the own vehicle.

In the present invention, when the plurality of vehicles are arranged on the road at a required inter-vehicle distance,
The receiving means of the plurality of vehicles receives the traveling-related information when the traveling-related information is transmitted from a preceding vehicle on the front side in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and transmits the received traveling-related information to the own vehicle. Means for direct transmission to the vehicle.

In the present invention, the wireless transmission means includes means for transmitting the travel-related information to an oncoming vehicle on an oncoming lane passing by the own vehicle.

In the present invention, the wireless transmission means includes a plurality of recording and communication devices for recording and communication of travel-related information, which are installed near the road at predetermined intervals so as to be able to communicate with each other; Determining means for determining whether or not another vehicle exists within the wireless communication range of the vehicle; and, as a result of the determination by the determination means, when the other vehicle does not exist, the travel-related information is transmitted to the wireless communication range of the own vehicle. Transmitting means for transmitting to the recording communication device located in the recording communication device, the recording communication device recording the transmitted travel-related information, and transmitting the recorded travel-related information to another adjacent recording communication device. First transmitting means for transmitting to the device, receiving means for receiving travel-related information transmitted from another recording communication device, and heading for the travel-related information detection point following the travel-related information detection vehicle. To other vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the own recording communication apparatus for, and a second transmission means for transmitting the driving-related information received by the receiving means.

In the present invention, the wireless transmission means is connected to the plurality of communication devices for traveling-related information communication installed at predetermined intervals near the road, and is communicably connected to the communication devices. An information management device for managing the travel-related information; a determination unit for determining whether or not another vehicle exists within a wireless communication range of the own vehicle; and as a result of the determination by the determination unit, there is no other vehicle. Means for transmitting the travel-related information to a communication device located within a wireless communication range of the host vehicle, wherein the communication device transmits the travel-related information transmitted by the transmission unit to the information management device. The information management apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the transmitted travel-related information to another communication device around the communication device of the transmission source, the information management device comprising: Is Transmitting the travel-related information transmitted from the information management device to another vehicle traveling near the other communication device in order to head to the travel-related information detection point following the line-related information detection vehicle. 2 transmission means.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to this embodiment.

According to FIG. 1, an inter-vehicle communication system 1 comprises:
An inter-vehicle communication unit 3 mounted on each vehicle 2 for performing direct and indirect communication between vehicles (between vehicles), and records information transmitted from the vehicle 2 during indirect communication between vehicles. And a communication recording unit 4 having an information communication function.

In this embodiment, the communication recording unit 4
Are installed at predetermined intervals on roads and roadsides where there is no infrastructure equipment including sensors and computers for control / communication processing, and intersections.

The inter-vehicle communication unit 3 includes a driving support camera 10 for detecting an obstacle on a road, detecting a lane, and preventing a collision. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a camera 11 for detecting an obstacle in front of each vehicle 2 is mounted on the vehicle body front side of the own vehicle (for example, above a number plate) as the driving support camera 10, further,
As the driving assistance camera 10, side obstacle detection cameras 12 for detecting obstacles on both sides of the own vehicle are attached to both sides of the vehicle body of each vehicle 2 (for example, left and right sides in front of the vehicle body). ing.

A front obstacle detection camera (hereinafter abbreviated as a front camera) 11 captures an image of the front side of the vehicle,
The side obstacle detection camera (hereinafter, abbreviated as a side camera) 12 captures an image of the side of the host vehicle.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 3 includes a controller 15 for controlling the entire unit, a memory 16 for storing a processing program of the controller 15 and data necessary for processing, and a display for displaying images. 17 are provided.

The controller 15 of the inter-vehicle communication unit 3
Is based on the function of controlling the photographing process of the front camera 11 and the side camera 12, the front image photographed by the front camera 11, and the side image photographed by the side camera 12, for example, the brightness of each pixel value. Automatically detect front and side obstacles including on the front road plane due to differences in colors and colors, based on captured front and side images, for example, difference processing and pattern matching A function for automatically detecting whether or not traffic congestion has occurred on a road ahead and on a side lane (an oncoming lane, etc.) by processing or the like, and a function for storing the captured front image and side image in the memory 16. And a function of displaying the photographed front image and side image alternately or side by side on the display 17.

That is, based on an image taken by at least one of the front camera 11 and the side camera 12, the controller 15 detects an abnormal event such as the presence of an obstacle in at least one of the front and side thereof. It is possible to detect information (running related information) related to running of the own vehicle and other vehicles including traffic conditions such as traffic and traffic jams.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 3 is connected to the controller 15 and operates, for example, a driver or a passenger in the vehicle 2 to transmit an information transmission command or the like indicating traffic conditions and occurrence of abnormal events to the controller 15. ,
An input unit 18 for inputting a command such as an image transmission command indicating the occurrence of the traffic condition and the abnormal event.

Further, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 3 includes a communication unit 19 capable of communicating information in a wireless manner using, for example, millimeter wave radio waves.

The controller 15 and the communication unit 19 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 3 according to the present embodiment are located in a wireless communication range (for example, a range up to a radius of several tens of meters) predetermined with respect to the position of the vehicle. Vehicles (followers,
A function of wirelessly communicating information with a preceding vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, and the like, and a function of transmitting information such as a captured image to the communication recording unit 4 located within a wireless communication range with respect to the position of the own vehicle And a function of sending an information transmission command to the communication recording unit 4 arranged at a position where wireless communication is possible with respect to the own vehicle position.

On the other hand, the plurality of communication recording units 4 (communication devices 25 described later) installed at predetermined intervals on the road side of the road and the intersection, the adjacent units 4 themselves (communication devices 25 described later) are mutually connected. Cable 24 for communication
Connected by

The communication recording unit 4 includes a communication device 25 for performing an information communication process with the vehicle 2 and an information communication process with the traffic control center T, and a communication device 25 transmitted from the vehicle 2 via the communication device 25. A recording device 26 for recording information such as the received captured image.

Next, the overall operation of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

The overall operation of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the present embodiment includes (1) a case where there is no other vehicle (an oncoming vehicle, a following vehicle, etc.) around the own vehicle and direct communication between the vehicles is difficult.
(2) Other vehicles (oncoming vehicles, following vehicles, etc.) around the own vehicle
Exists, and can be roughly classified into cases where direct communication between vehicles is possible. Therefore, the above two cases will be described below.

(1) When Direct Communication is Difficult For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a certain vehicle 2a does not have the infrastructure equipment including the above-mentioned sensors and the computer for control / communication processing, and the communication recording unit 4 (4a1) , 4
a2) travels between intersections C1 and C2 on the road R provided at each of the intersections Ca1, Ca2,..., and neither the following vehicle nor the oncoming vehicle travels around the own vehicle 2a. And

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a rockfall has occurred as an abnormal event, and an obstacle (rockfall) S has been placed on the road ahead of the vehicle 2a. Since the traffic volume is small, the distance between the intersections C1 and C2 is long, and the distance between the intersections C1 and C2 and the rockfall S is also long.
Is impossible to recognize.

At this time, the controller 15 of the vehicle 2a
Automatically detects the falling rock S as an obstacle by the obstacle detection processing based on the front image (displayed on the display 17) captured by the front camera 11 (FIG. 4, step S1).

Next, the controller 15 of the vehicle 2a
A signal (vehicle recognition signal) for wirelessly recognizing another vehicle is transmitted to the vicinity of the own vehicle 2a via the communication unit 19, and it is determined whether or not there is another vehicle capable of receiving information. (Step S2).

As described above, there is no other vehicle (oncoming vehicle, following vehicle, etc.) capable of wirelessly communicating information around the own vehicle 2a at the current traveling position of the own vehicle 2a (near rockfall S), and therefore step S2 is performed. Is NO, the vehicle 2a
The controller 15 transmits a signal (unit recognition signal) for wirelessly recognizing the communication recording unit 4 to the periphery of the own vehicle 2a via the communication unit 19, and receives information. Is determined (step S3).

The current traveling position of the own vehicle 2a (near rockfall S)
Since there is no communication recording unit capable of wirelessly communicating information in the vicinity, the determination in step S3 is NO.
The controller 15 repeatedly performs the determination processing of steps S2 to S3 according to the progress (travel) of the vehicle 2.

On the other hand, the traveling of the vehicle 2a progresses and the own vehicle 2a
Approaches the intersection C2, and when the communication recording unit 4a2 is located within the wireless information communicable range of the vehicle 2a, a response signal to the recognition signal is transmitted from the communication device 25 of the communication unit 4a2 to the vehicle 2a.

When the response signal is transmitted from the communication recording unit 4a2 and received via the communication unit 19, the determination in step S3 of the controller 15 of the own vehicle 2a is YES, and the controller 15 is photographed by the processing in step S1. The rockfall S detection information including the image in which the rockfall S is displayed is transmitted to the communication recording unit 4 located within the wireless communication range.
a2 (step S4, see FIG. 5).

The communication device 25 of the communication recording unit 4a2
Records the transmitted rockfall S detection information in the recording device 26, and transmits the rockfall S detection information to the communication device 25 of the adjacent communication recording unit (for example, the communication recording unit 4a1). To the traffic control center T (step S5).

The communication device 25 of the communication recording unit 4a1
Records the sent rockfall S detection information in the recording device 26 (step S6).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that the following vehicle 2b travels on the road R toward the intersection C1, and the oncoming vehicle 2c travels toward the intersection C2 in the oncoming lane.

At this time, the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a installed on the roadsides of the intersections C1 and C2, respectively.
The second communication device 25 transmits a signal (vehicle recognition signal) for wirelessly recognizing the vehicle around the own units 4a1 and 4a2, and determines whether the vehicle has traveled. (Step S7).

Here, the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a
If the vehicle capable of wirelessly communicating information has not traveled around a2, the determination in step S7 is NO, and the communication device 15 repeats the step S7 determination process.

Now, when the communication recording unit 4a1 is located in the wireless communication range of the following vehicle 2b and the communication recording unit 4a2 is located in the wireless communication range of the oncoming vehicle 2c, the controller 15 of the following vehicle 2b and the oncoming vehicle 2c sends a signal. A response signal to the vehicle recognition signal is transmitted to the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 via the communication unit 19, respectively.

When the response signal is transmitted from vehicles 2b and 2c, the determination process of communication device 25 in step S7 is YE
At S, the communication devices 25 of the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 read the rock fall S detection information recorded on the recording device 26, and transmit the information to the corresponding succeeding vehicle 2b and oncoming vehicle 2c, respectively (step S8).

The controller 15 of the following vehicle 2b and the oncoming vehicle 2c receives the transmitted rockfall S detection information via the communication unit 19, and displays the received rockfall S detection information on the display 17 (step S9). .

That is, the falling rock S obtained by the vehicle 2a
The detection information is indirectly transmitted to other vehicles (the following vehicle 2b and the oncoming vehicle 2c) via the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 installed on the road side of the road R, and is displayed on the display 17.

As a result, the driver who drives vehicles 2b and 2c operates display 1 in own vehicles 2b and 2c.
7, it is possible to recognize in advance that there is a rockfall S ahead of the intersections C1 and C2 in the traveling direction, and to turn right and left at the intersections C1 and C2 (FIG. 6). (See a two-dot chain line) to detour the road R including the falling rock S.

(2) When Direct Communication is Possible In FIG. 3, the communication recording unit 4a is located at the intersection C2.
Consider the case where 2 is not installed.

At this time, in the vehicle 2a traveling between the intersections C1 and C2, the controller 15 of the vehicle 2a detects the falling rock S by the processing of step S1, and in steps S2 and S3, the vehicle 2a It is determined whether there is another vehicle or communication recording unit capable of receiving information.

The current running position of the vehicle 2a (near rockfall S)
Since there is no other vehicle capable of wirelessly communicating information in the vicinity, the determinations in steps S2 and S3 are both NO, and the controller 15 determines the determination process in steps S2 to S3 as the traveling (running) of the vehicle 2. Repeat according to (2).

Then, when the vehicle 2a crosses the intersection C2, the oncoming vehicle 2
It is assumed that d is traveling toward the intersection C2, and the oncoming vehicle 2e has entered the wireless information communicable range of the vehicle 2a.

At this time, the result of the determination made by the controller 15 of the vehicle 2a in step S2 is YES, and the controller 15 determines that the falling rock S
The rock fall S detection information including the display image is transmitted to the oncoming vehicle 2d via the communication unit 19 (step S10).

The controller 15 of the oncoming vehicle 2d receives the transmitted rockfall S detection information via the communication unit 19, and displays the received rockfall S detection information on the display 17 (step S11).

That is, the falling rock S obtained by the vehicle 2a
The detection information is transmitted directly to the other vehicle (oncoming vehicle) 2d and displayed on the display 17.

As a result, the driver driving the oncoming vehicle 2d looks at the rockfall S detection information displayed on the display 17 of the own vehicle 2d, and determines in advance that there is a rockfall S ahead in the traveling direction of the intersection C2. Can be recognized,
Turn right or left at intersection C2 (see FIG. 7; two-dot chain line)
As a result, the road R including the falling rock S can be bypassed.

In the processing of steps S2 and S3 described above, the controller 15 of the vehicle 2a transmits a signal for recognizing another vehicle or a communication recording unit around the own vehicle 2a and receives a response signal, thereby receiving information. Although it is automatically determined that another vehicle or a communication recording unit exists within a possible range, that is, within a wireless communication range, the present invention is not limited to this. Manually detecting and judging that another vehicle or a communication recording unit is present within the possible range, and operating the input unit 18 to detect a falling rock S for another vehicle or communication recording unit located within the wireless communication possible range. An information transmission command can be transmitted to the controller 15. At this time, in response to the transmitted rockfall S detection information transmission command, the controller 15 transmits the rockfall S detection information to another vehicle or the communication recording unit located within the wireless communication range, as in step S4 or step S10. It is supposed to.

In the processing of step S7 described above, the communication device 2 of the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2
5 transmits the vehicle recognition signal and receives the response signal, so that the vehicles 2b and 2c are within the wireless communication range.
Automatically determines that the vehicle has traveled, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, instead of step S7, the vehicle 2b
And 2c manually and visually detect and determine that the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 are present within the wireless communication range of the vehicle, and operate the input unit 18 to perform communication located within the wireless communication range. An information transmission request may be transmitted to the recording units 4a1 and 4a2.

At this time, when the information transmission request is transmitted, the communication device 25 of the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 determines YES in step S7 and performs the rock fall S detection information transmission process in step S7. ing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
When one vehicle detects the occurrence of an abnormal event (falling rock) on a road or intersection where no high-cost infrastructure equipment including sensors and a computer for control and communication processing is installed, the driving assistance camera detects this event. The detected abnormal event occurrence information is indirectly or directly transmitted to another vehicle (subsequent vehicle, oncoming vehicle, etc.) heading for the next abnormal event occurrence point via a communication recording unit installed on the roadside of the road. Since the vehicle can be transmitted in advance, even if the other vehicle does not have high-cost infrastructure equipment including the sensor and the computer for control and communication processing installed on the road, the abnormal event occurrence information can be transmitted to the abnormal event occurrence point. Can be obtained in advance rather than at the time of arrival.

Therefore, other vehicles such as the following vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can travel appropriately in response to the occurrence of the above-mentioned abnormal event such as the above-mentioned detour, so that the safety and operation efficiency of road traffic are improved. Can be done.

According to this embodiment, the communication device 25 of each of the communication recording units 4a1 and 4a2 transmits the abnormal event occurrence information such as the falling rock S detection information transmitted from the vehicle 2a to the traffic control center T. The traffic control center T takes a long time to grasp / recognize on roads / intersections where high-cost infrastructure equipment including the above-mentioned sensors and control / communication processing computers are not installed. Can easily and quickly grasp and recognize the occurrence of an abnormal event that has occurred in the road, so that the measures corresponding to the abnormal event that has occurred can be taken promptly, further improving the safety and operating efficiency of road traffic. be able to.

In this embodiment, the abnormal event is taken as a rock fall. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. For example, sudden natural phenomena such as landslides, storm surges, debris flows, etc., or human accidents such as traffic accidents may occur. Incidental events are also included.

In this embodiment, the occurrence of an abnormal event (rock fall) is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to detect traffic conditions such as traffic congestion. It is.

For example, as shown in FIG.
Is traveling toward the intersection C3 on the road RA on which the infrastructure equipment including the above-mentioned sensor and the computer for control / communication processing is not installed, and the traffic condition on the road RA (the traffic signal at the intersection C3 is yellow, It is assumed that the oncoming vehicle 2i that turns right) is obstructed by the large forward vehicle 2j and is blind from the driver of the own vehicle 2h (out of view).

Also in this case, steps S1 and S1 in FIG.
2, S10 and the same as the processing in step S11 (rock fall S
The detection information is changed to traffic condition detection information).
The traffic condition detection information including the front image photographed by the driving support camera 10 (the front camera 11) of j, that is, the image representing the traffic condition on the front side of the own vehicle is transmitted to the controller 15.
Is transmitted to the following vehicle 2h located within the wireless communication range of the preceding vehicle 2j (see steps S1, S2 and S10) and displayed on the display 17 in the following vehicle 2h.

As a result, the driver of the following vehicle 2h sees the traffic condition detection information displayed on the display 17, and finds the traffic condition outside the visual field, that is, the intersection C3.
Can be recognized in advance that the traffic light is yellow and that there is an oncoming right-turning vehicle 2i, so that it is possible to cope with a sudden signal change with a margin, and to collide with the oncoming right-turning vehicle 2i. And the like can be avoided, and the safety and operation efficiency of road traffic can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which each of the other vehicles such as the following vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is one, but the present invention is not limited to this.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), the vehicle 2m1 and the oncoming vehicle 2n whose traffic condition or abnormal event is detected by the driving support camera 10 mounted on the own vehicle.
1 and a plurality of following vehicles 2m2, 2m3,... And following vehicles 2n2, 2n3,... Are respectively running, and the traffic situation / abnormal event detection information is received from the detected vehicles 2m1 and 2n1. Following vehicle 2m2
And 2n2 are the following vehicles 2m3 and 2n3 of the own vehicle.
It is also possible to transmit traffic condition / abnormal event detection information to the following vehicles sequentially. As a result, all subsequent vehicles can acquire traffic condition / abnormal event detection information in advance, which can contribute to improvement of road traffic safety and operation efficiency.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, a plurality of vehicles (forward vehicles) are within the radio information transmission range of the vehicle 2sk in which a traffic condition or an abnormal event is detected by the driving support camera 10 mounted on the own vehicle. Vehicle 2sk-2, 2sk-1, following vehicle 2sk + 1, oncoming vehicle 2tk-1, 2tk, 2tk +
When 1) is traveling, the detected vehicle 2sk is
All vehicles within the wireless transmission range (front vehicle 2sk
-2, 2sk-1, following vehicle 2sk + 1, oncoming vehicle 2t
It is also possible to transmit traffic condition / abnormal event detection information to (k-1, 2tk, 2tk + 1). As a result,
Traffic condition / abnormal event detection All vehicles traveling within the wireless transmission range of the vehicle can acquire traffic condition / abnormal event detection information, contributing to improvement of road traffic safety and operation efficiency. it can.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (C), the vehicle 2x in which a traffic situation or an abnormal event is detected by the driving support camera 10 mounted on the own vehicle and the vehicle 2y in the oncoming lane.
Are the oncoming vehicles 2yk, 2yk + 1,.
It is also possible to transmit traffic condition / abnormal event detection information when passing each other with respect to the oncoming vehicles 2xk, 2xk + 1,. As a result, all oncoming vehicles passing by the traffic condition / abnormal event detection vehicle can acquire the traffic condition / abnormal event detection information in advance, which contributes to improvement of road traffic safety and operation efficiency. it can.

In this embodiment, for example, a radio wave in the millimeter wave band is used as a medium for inter-vehicle wireless communication, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is different from radio waves such as infrared rays. A medium can also be used.

In the present embodiment, the communication recording unit has a recording device, and the traffic condition / abnormal event detection information is recorded in the recording device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the communication recording unit of the present embodiment, a communication unit having a communication function (relay function) with the traffic control center T having only the above-described communication device may be used.

In the case where this communication unit is used, when traffic condition / abnormal event detection information is transmitted from a predetermined vehicle via a certain communication unit (transmission source communication unit) to the traffic control center, By transmitting the traffic condition / abnormal event detection information to a communication unit (destination communication unit) around the transmission source communication unit from the transmission communication unit, each destination communication unit can be transmitted to another vehicle such as a vehicle following the predetermined vehicle. Since the traffic condition / abnormal event detection information can be transmitted from the server, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image of the front camera is used as the traffic condition / abnormal event detection image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image of the side camera or both may be used. It is also possible to use a camera image.

In this embodiment, an obstacle detection camera is used as a driving assistance camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a lane detection camera, a collision prevention camera, or the like may be used. Other driving assistance cameras may be used.

[0085]

As described above, according to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of the present invention, high-cost infrastructure equipment including sensors and a computer for control / communication processing does not generate abnormal events or traffic on roads where no high-cost infrastructure equipment is installed. When one vehicle detects driving-related information such as a situation by the driving support image photographing means, the detected driving-related information is indirectly transmitted through a recording communication device or a communication device installed near the road. Alternatively, since the data can be transmitted directly to another vehicle such as a following vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, the other vehicle is provided with high-cost infrastructure equipment including the sensor and the computer for control / communication processing on the road. Even without such information, traveling-related information such as abnormal events and traffic conditions can be obtained in advance.

[0086] Therefore, drivers such as the following vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can appropriately drive their own vehicle in accordance with the obtained travel-related information, thereby improving the safety and operating efficiency of road traffic. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inter-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an installation position of the driving support camera with respect to the vehicle in the inter-vehicle communication system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an indirect abnormal event detection information communication processing operation between vehicles running on a road where an infrastructure system including a sensor and a control / communication processing computer is not installed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the overall operation of the inter-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment in connection with the indirect abnormal event detection information communication process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an indirect abnormal event detection information communication processing operation between vehicles running on a road where an infrastructure system including a sensor and a control / communication processing computer is not installed.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an indirect abnormal event detection information communication processing operation between vehicles running on a road where no infrastructure system including a sensor and a control / communication processing computer is installed.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a direct abnormal event detection information communication processing operation between vehicles running on a road on which an infrastructure system including a sensor and a control / communication processing computer is not installed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a direct traffic situation detection information communication processing operation between vehicles running on a road where no infrastructure system including a sensor and a control / communication processing computer is installed.

FIG. 9A shows an example of the development of direct inter-vehicle communication.
The figure which shows the operation | movement which transmits abnormal event / traffic situation detection information to the following vehicle sequentially, (B) is an example of development of direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and all the abnormal event / traffic situation detection vehicles are within the wireless communication possible range. The figure which shows operation | movement which transmits abnormal event / traffic situation detection information to a vehicle, (C) shows abnormal event / traffic as an example of development of direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication with respect to the oncoming vehicle where abnormal event / traffic situation detection vehicles pass each other. The figure which shows operation | movement which transmits situation detection information.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Communication system between vehicles 2, 2a-2d, 2h-2j, 2m1-2m3, 2n1
~ 2n3, 2sk-2 ~ 2sk + 1, 2tk-1 ~ 2t
k + 1, 2y, 2yk to 2yk + 2, 2xk, 2xk +
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 3 Inter-vehicle unit 4 Communication recording unit 10 Driving support camera 11 Front obstacle detection camera 12 Side obstacle detection camera 15 Controller 16 Memory 17 Display 18 Input unit 19 Communication unit 25 Communication device 26 Recording device T Traffic Traffic control center

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Maeda 1 Toshiba-cho, Komukai Toshiba-cho, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba R & D Center Co., Ltd. At Toshiba Research & Development Center Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsuto Maki 1 at Komukai Toshiba-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Toshiba Research & Development Center Co., Ltd. No. 1 Komukai Toshiba Town F-term in Toshiba R & D Center (reference) 5H180 AA01 BB04 CC04 DD04 FF32 LL01 LL02

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An inter-vehicle communication system capable of communicating information between a plurality of vehicles traveling on a road, wherein each of the vehicles is mounted on the own vehicle for driving assistance and an image around the own vehicle is provided. Image sensing means for shooting the vehicle, detection means for detecting travel-related information including at least one of a traffic situation around the own vehicle and an abnormal event based on the shot surrounding image, and detection by the detection means. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, comprising: wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting travel-related information to another vehicle. 2. Each of the vehicles includes a receiving unit that receives travel-related information transmitted from another vehicle to the own vehicle,
The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, further comprising: display means for displaying the received travel-related information. 3. When at least one of a following vehicle and an oncoming vehicle is present within a wireless communication range of the own vehicle, the wireless transmission means directly transmits the travel-related information to at least one of the vehicles. 3. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, further comprising transmission means. 4. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, wherein said wireless transmission means includes means for directly transmitting said travel-related information to all vehicles existing within a wireless communication range of the own vehicle. Communications system. 5. When the plurality of vehicles are lined up on the road at a required inter-vehicle distance, the receiving means of the plurality of vehicles, from the preceding vehicle on the front side in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, perform the travel-related operation. 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising means for receiving the travel-related information when the information is transmitted, and for directly transmitting the received travel-related information to a vehicle following the own vehicle. Inter-vehicle communication system. 6. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, wherein said wireless transmission means includes means for transmitting said travel-related information to an oncoming vehicle on an oncoming lane passing by the own vehicle. 7. A plurality of recording and communication devices for recording and communication of the travel-related information, which are installed in the vicinity of the road at predetermined intervals so as to be able to communicate with each other;
Determining means for determining whether or not another vehicle exists within the wireless communication range of the own vehicle; and, as a result of the determination by the determining means, when the other vehicle does not exist, the travel-related information is wirelessly transmitted to the own vehicle. Transmitting means for transmitting to the recording communication device located within the communicable range, the recording communication device comprising: a recording means for recording the transmitted travel-related information; First transmitting means for transmitting to the recording communication device, receiving means for receiving traveling-related information transmitted from another recording communication device, and the traveling-related information detection point following the traveling-related information detection vehicle. And a second transmission unit for transmitting the travel-related information received by the reception unit to another vehicle traveling near the self-recording communication device in order to travel to the self-recording communication device. 2 described Vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. 8. The communication device, comprising: a plurality of communication devices for traveling-related information communication installed at predetermined intervals near the road; and the traveling device connected to the communication device for information communication. An information management device for managing related information, a determining means for determining whether or not another vehicle exists within the wireless communication range of the own vehicle, and as a result of the determination by the determining means, when there is no other vehicle, Means for transmitting the travel-related information to a communication device located within a wireless communication range of the host vehicle, wherein the communication device transmits the travel-related information transmitted by the transmission means to the information management device. The information management apparatus further includes means for transmitting the transmitted travel-related information to another communication apparatus around the transmission source communication apparatus, and the other communication apparatus includes: The driving related information check Second transmission means for transmitting the travel-related information transmitted from the information management device to another vehicle traveling near the other communication device in order to head to the travel-related information detection point following the vehicle 3. The inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, comprising: