JP2005138625A - Inter-vehicle communication method and inter-vehicle communication facility - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for performing two-way communication with an unspecified vehicle in order to improve mutual understanding between vehicle drivers. <P>SOLUTION: An on-vehicle ECU 11, an adapter 20, a portable telephone 21, a monitor 22 and a vehicle body side antenna 14 are arranged on a vehicle 1. The on-vehicle ECU 11 performs relay or conversion of information between apparatuses and antennas. The adapter 20 is a stand for the portable telephone 21 used for transmitting and receiving a message with a relay facility. When the portable telephone 21 is attached on the adapter 20, the portable telephone 21 and the on-vehicle ECU 11 are connected. The monitor 22 is constituted by a display part 23 for displaying a menu and an operation part 24 for selecting the message. The vehicle body side antenna 14 performs radio communication with an air pressure sensor unit 3 of a tire 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication method and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication facility for improving driver communication between vehicles.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a vehicle travels, a direction indicator (blinker) is used to notify other vehicles of departure, right / left turn, lane change, stop, and the like in accordance with traffic rules such as the Road Traffic Law. In addition, it is not a traffic rule, but as a convention or common sense among drivers, not only a direction indicator, but also a horn, passing, hazard, etc. Lamps, hand signals, etc. are used.
In addition, radio communication such as amateur radio, civil radio, and mobile phone is used as a method for a driver or passenger to communicate between vehicles. Moreover, transmission / reception of information between vehicles by packet transfer is also performed (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2001-358541 A (paragraphs 0007 to 0012, FIG. 1)

  However, in the method using a direction indicator, a horn, etc., there are few kinds of messages for communicating intentions, and misunderstandings may occur between drivers, which may cause trouble. There was a problem. In addition, in the method using amateur radio or mobile phone, it is possible to communicate with a specific vehicle that knows the frequency and telephone number, but it is possible to communicate with an unspecified vehicle that does not know the frequency and telephone number. There was a problem that it was impossible. The same applies to packet transfer. In addition, there is a problem that it is not preferable to make a call while driving.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide means for performing bidirectional communication with an unspecified vehicle in order to improve communication between drivers between vehicles.

  Of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 communicates with a tire pressure monitoring system mounted on a vehicle, an inter-vehicle communication facility using a wireless communication device provided in the vehicle, and the wireless communication device. The inter-vehicle communication method in the inter-vehicle communication system configured to transmit and receive information between the vehicles, wherein the own vehicle is connected to the other vehicle via the tire pressure monitoring system. Or, receiving the ID information, which is a number unique to the tire pressure monitoring system of the other vehicle, from the other vehicle, and the vehicle establishes the communication connection state with the communication relay facility via the wireless communication device and receives it. Transmitting the received ID information to the communication relay facility, and the communication relay facility receives the ID information, and the received ID information corresponds to the ID information. A communication connection state between the step of converting into data necessary to communicate with the wireless communication device included in the vehicle and the wireless communication device included in the other vehicle by the communication relay facility using the converted data. The step of establishing and wireless communication of the own vehicle under the communication connection state established between the wireless communication device and the communication relay facility of the own vehicle and between the communication relay facility and the wireless communication device of the other vehicle. And transmitting / receiving predetermined information to / from another vehicle via the communication device, the communication relay facility, and the wireless communication device of the other vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 2 relays communication between vehicles by communicating with a tire pressure monitoring system mounted on a vehicle, an inter-vehicle communication facility using a portable terminal possessed by a driver of the vehicle, and the portable terminal. An inter-vehicle communication facility in an inter-vehicle communication system configured to transmit and receive information between vehicles, the inter-vehicle communication facility including a tire pressure monitoring system mounted on the vehicle, the communication relay facility, and wireless communication A portable terminal connecting means for connecting a portable terminal for performing the operation, and connected to the tire pressure monitoring system, transmitting and receiving information to and from other vehicles via the tire pressure monitoring system, and connected to the portable terminal connecting means for connecting the portable terminal It is characterized by comprising a communication relay facility and control means for transmitting and receiving information via a portable terminal connected to the means.

  The invention according to claim 3 is an inter-vehicle communication facility on the vehicle side that transmits a message, and the control means is a number unique to the tire pressure monitoring system of the other vehicle from at least another vehicle via the tire pressure monitoring system. Receives certain ID information, establishes a communication connection state between the portable terminal connected to the portable terminal connection means and the communication relay facility, and receives it via the portable terminal under the established communication connection state The ID information and the predetermined message are transmitted to the communication relay facility.

  The invention according to claim 4 is an inter-vehicle communication facility on the vehicle side that transmits a message, and the inter-vehicle communication facility is connected to the control unit, and a message menu display unit that displays a message menu that is a message selection menu; Message selecting means for selecting a predetermined message from the message menu displayed on the message menu display means, and the control means received from the communication relay equipment when transmitting the predetermined message to the communication relay equipment, or The message menu data stored in the predetermined storage means provided in the control means is displayed on the message menu display means, the message selected by the operation of the message selection means by the driver is specified from the displayed message menu, and the specified Send a message to a communication relay facility And it features.

  The invention according to claim 5 is an inter-vehicle communication facility on the vehicle side that receives a message, the inter-vehicle communication facility is connected to the control means, and includes message display means for displaying the message, and the tire pressure monitoring system includes at least ID information that is a number unique to the tire pressure monitoring system is periodically transmitted, and the control means receives a predetermined message from the communication relay facility via the mobile terminal connected to the mobile terminal connection means, The received message is displayed on a message display means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the tire pressure monitoring system and the wireless communication device already provided in the vehicle are used, transmission / reception of information between the vehicles can be realized at low cost. In addition, since the ID information unique to the vehicle or the tire pressure monitoring system of the vehicle to be transmitted on the spot is acquired and the acquired ID information and a predetermined message are transmitted to the communication relay facility, the communication relay facility has the ID By converting information into data necessary to communicate with the wireless communication device provided in the vehicle corresponding to the ID information, and transmitting a message to the wireless communication device using the converted data, Information can be sent and received. Furthermore, since the communication relay facility relays communication between vehicles, it is not necessary for the host vehicle to input data (such as a mobile phone number) necessary for communication with wireless communication devices of other vehicles. Can protect the privacy of the person.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the tire pressure monitoring system already installed in the vehicle and a portable terminal (such as a mobile phone) that is widely used are used, transmission / reception of information between vehicles can be realized at low cost. Can do. Moreover, the use range of the tire pressure monitoring system and the portable terminal is expanded, and the cost performance thereof is improved.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, ID information unique to the vehicle or the tire pressure monitoring system of the vehicle to be transmitted on the spot is acquired, and the acquired ID information and a predetermined message are transmitted to the communication relay facility. Therefore, the communication relay equipment can transmit the message to an unspecified vehicle by converting the ID information into a terminal number and transmitting the message to the mobile terminal having the converted terminal number.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the driver of the vehicle can determine the message to be transmitted to the other vehicle by the message menu display means and the message selection means. In addition, by simply clarifying the content of the message displayed on the message menu display means, the driver can quickly reflect his / her judgment in the message.

  According to the invention according to claim 5, the vehicle driver can refer to the message received from the other vehicle via the communication relay facility by the message display means, and therefore recognizes the traffic situation intended by the message. can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention relates to a communication function of a tire pressure sensor unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “pressure sensor unit”) of a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), a wireless communication device (for example, a mobile phone), and a communication relay facility. Is used to realize an inter-vehicle communication system.

≪Configuration and overview of inter-vehicle communication equipment≫
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure and outline | summary of the inter-vehicle communication equipment which concerns on embodiment of this invention are demonstrated. FIG. 1 shows the vehicle 1 as viewed from above. Hereinafter, the four tires and the members arranged corresponding to them, that is, the air pressure sensor unit and the vehicle body side antenna are collectively referred to by numerals, and the individual members depend on their arrangement positions. , FR (front right), FL (front left), RR (back right), and RL (back left) are identified by adding alphabetical signs. Therefore, hereinafter, when collectively referring to, for example, “tire 2”, when indicating individual members, for example, “tire 2FR”. Others are the same.
The vehicle 1 is equipped with four tires 2. Each tire 2 is provided with an air pressure sensor unit 3 for measuring the air pressure in the tire 2. The air pressure sensor unit 3 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle body side antenna 14 disposed in the vehicle 1 and wirelessly communicates with air pressure sensor units of other vehicles. Based on information (for example, sensor ID) acquired using this wireless communication, inter-vehicle communication via a communication relay facility is realized.

An in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 11, an adapter 20, a mobile phone 21, a monitor 22, and four vehicle body side antennas 14 are arranged inside the vehicle 1. And the adapter 20, the monitor 22, and the four vehicle body side antennas 14 are connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 11 by a predetermined wiring cable.
The vehicle-mounted ECU 11 relays and converts various information between devices and antennas connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 11. The adapter 20 is a base on which a mobile phone 21 used for transmitting / receiving messages and the like to / from the communication relay facility 4 (see FIG. 3) is mounted as an embodiment of the wireless communication device. Installed. The adapter 20 includes a dedicated connector for connecting the mobile phone 21 and the in-vehicle ECU 11 with a predetermined interface. When the mobile phone 21 is attached, the mobile phone 21 and the in-vehicle ECU 11 are connected. . The monitor 22 is disposed on the front panel in front of the driver's seat, and includes a display unit 23 that displays a message menu and an operation unit 24 that selects a message and the like. The monitor 22 may use a screen or operation panel of a navigation system that is already equipped, or may be realized by a touch panel in which a display unit and an operation unit are integrated. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the adapter 20, the mobile phone 21 and the monitor 22 are arranged. The vehicle body antenna 14 performs wireless communication with the air pressure sensor unit 3 disposed on the tire 2.
The “tire pressure monitoring system” in the claims corresponds to the air pressure sensor unit 3 and the vehicle body side antenna 14.

≪Configuration and overview of pneumatic sensor unit≫
Next, the configuration and outline of the air pressure sensor unit will be described with reference to FIG. The air pressure sensor unit 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 that performs predetermined processing while inputting / outputting data in a memory (not shown), a pressure sensor 32 that generates an output indicating tire air pressure, and an output indicating the temperature of the part. And a temperature sensor 33 for generating Outputs of the pressure sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 33 are converted into digital values via an A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion circuit (not shown) and input to the CPU 31.
The air pressure sensor unit 3 is provided with a power source (lithium battery, battery power source, etc.) 34 and functions as an operating power source for the CPU 31. In addition, a sensor-side antenna 35 is provided, and outputs of the pressure sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 33 are transmitted to the in-vehicle ECU 11 (see FIG. 1), and information transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 11 is received. The CPU 31 performs, for example, 315 MHz PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) digital transmission via the sensor-side antenna 35.
Although illustration is omitted, a voltage sensor is provided at an appropriate position of the power supply circuit between the power supply 34 and the CPU 31 and outputs a signal corresponding to the output voltage of the power supply 34. The output of the voltage sensor is also A / D converted and input to the CPU 31.
The shape of the air pressure sensor unit 3 is shown in the upper right of FIG. Since the air pressure sensor unit 3 is attached to the wheel surface of a rim (not shown), the lower surface has an arcuate shape so as to be in close contact with the wheel surface. In addition, an air hole 37 directly connected to the tire valve 39 and a sensor hole 38 communicating with the sensor portions of the pressure sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 33 are formed in the upper part. On the other hand, the tire valve 39 is attached to the side surface of the air pressure sensor unit 3 so as to be inclined. When the air pressure sensor unit 3 is attached to the wheel surface of the rim, the tire valve 39 is passed through the valve hole of the rim, and then the lower surface of the air pressure sensor unit 3 is bonded to the wheel surface. Thereafter, the tire is mounted on the wheel.

  Transmission data (TPMS signal) from the air pressure sensor unit 3 is combined in the order of sensor ID, pressure sensor output, temperature sensor output, and voltage sensor output, for example, a 56-bit signal (sensor ID is 32 bits, pressure sensor The output, temperature sensor output, and voltage sensor output are each 8 bits). The sensor ID is individually attached to each of one set (four tires) 2 corresponding to the four pneumatic sensor units 3. That is, the sensor ID is separately assigned to each of the four tires 2 when the vehicle 1 is shipped from the factory, and further separately when the vehicle 1 is different. Accordingly, one sensor ID identifies one tire in the target vehicle group.

≪Configuration and overview of communication relay equipment≫
With reference to FIG. 3, the structure and outline | summary of a communication relay installation are demonstrated. The communication relay facility 4 relays communication between the wireless communication devices by communicating with a wireless communication device (for example, a mobile phone) provided in the vehicle 1, and is installed in a so-called wireless relay station or the like. The The communication relay facility 4 includes a CPU 41, a transmission / reception antenna 42, correspondence data storage means 43, and message menu storage means 44. The CPU 41 is responsible for the control function of the communication relay facility 4 and transmits / receives messages to / from the mobile phone 21 of the vehicle 1 via the transmission / reception antenna 42, or the corresponding data storage means 43 and message menu storage as necessary. The data stored in the means 44 is referred to and input. The transmitting / receiving antenna 42 performs wireless communication with the mobile phone 21 of the vehicle 1. The correspondence data storage means 43 stores sensor ID / phone number correspondence data (hereinafter simply referred to as “correspondence data”) that associates the sensor ID of the vehicle 1 with the telephone number of the mobile phone possessed by the driver of the vehicle 1. To do. In this correspondence data, four sensor IDs and one telephone number are associated with each other. The message menu storage unit 44 stores message menu data displayed on the display unit 23 of the monitor 22 included in the vehicle 1. The correspondence data storage unit 43 and the message menu storage unit 44 are realized by a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk device or a flash memory.

≪Menus displayed on the monitor≫
Next, a menu displayed on the vehicle monitor will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a vehicle menu that displays other vehicles located around the vehicle 1. The vehicle menu displays information specific to the surrounding vehicle on the display unit 23 of the monitor 22 in accordance with the TPMS signal received by the air pressure sensor unit 3 disposed in each tire 2. As information unique to the vehicle, for example, a sensor ID included in measurement data such as tire pressure is displayed. In the “right front” of the vehicle menu, a sensor ID “XXXX” included in the TPMS signal received by the air pressure sensor unit 3FR (see FIG. 1) is displayed. Further, in the “front left” of the vehicle menu, the sensor ID “1aXX” included in the TPMS signal received by the air pressure sensor unit 3FL (see FIG. 1) is displayed. Then, the driver of the vehicle 1 operates the operation unit 24 to select a vehicle for which inter-vehicle communication is desired from the vehicle menu.

  FIG. 4B shows a message menu for displaying a plurality of messages to be transmitted to other vehicles. The in-vehicle ECU 11 of the vehicle 1 receives the message menu data stored in the message menu storage means 44 of the communication relay facility 4 and displays the received data on the display unit 23 of the monitor 22. is there. In this message menu, message menu data stored in a predetermined storage unit included in the in-vehicle ECU 11 may be displayed. In the upper part of FIG. 4B, as the message, “passing” indicating that the vehicle ahead is about to be overtaken or about to overtake, an emergency vehicle is displayed. “Emergency vehicle approaching” indicating that the vehicle is approaching, and “taillight extinguishing” indicating that the vehicle taillight is turned off at night are exemplified. Further, in the middle and lower stages of FIG. 4B, “left turn” indicating that the vehicle behind the vehicle is to turn left from now on, “light is bright” indicating that the light from the vehicle behind is dazzling, and the like are illustrated. Has been. When “Right front” or “Left front” is selected in the vehicle menu of FIG. 4A, a message for the preceding vehicle is displayed as shown in the upper part of the message menu of FIG. When "Rear" or "Left Left" is selected, a message for the vehicle behind the vehicle as shown in the middle and lower parts of the message menu may be displayed. In this way, if the message menu is switched depending on the direction in which the message is transmitted, messages that are not used are not displayed, so that the driver can easily select the message. Further, other messages may be displayed in this message menu. For example, for a vehicle traveling at a slow speed in an overtaking lane, a message “Please change lane” can be considered. In addition, when multiple vehicles are traveling with each other, messages such as "rest in the next parking area", "get off at the next interchange", "turn right at the next traffic light intersection" It is done. Then, the driver of the vehicle 1 operates the operation unit 24 to select a message to be transmitted to another vehicle from the message menu.

≪Operation of inter-vehicle communication≫
Next, the operation of the inter-vehicle communication according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described along the flowchart of FIG. 5 (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 as appropriate). Here, as shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that a message “passing” is transmitted from the rear vehicle 1b to the front vehicle 1a traveling in front of the left side of the vehicle 1b. Hereinafter, “a” is given as a subscript for each component of the vehicle 1a. Similarly, “b” is given as a subscript for each component of the vehicle 1b.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, first, in the vehicle 1b, the driver activates the inter-vehicle communication by operating the operation unit 24b of the monitor 22b (step S501). The in-vehicle ECU 11b detects the start operation of the inter-vehicle communication and requests the air pressure sensor units 3FRb, 3FLb, 3RRb, and 3RLb to receive the TPMS signal via the vehicle body side antennas 14FRb, 14FLb, 14RRb, and 14RLb. In response to the request, the air pressure sensor units 3FRb, 3FLb, 3RRb, and 3RLb receive the TPMS signal data periodically transmitted from the air pressure sensor units of the surrounding vehicles (step S502). It transmits to vehicle-mounted ECU11b via vehicle body side antenna 14FRb, 14FLb, 14RRb, and 14RLb. The in-vehicle ECU 11b extracts the sensor ID from the received data of the TPMS signal, and displays the extracted sensor ID at a position corresponding to the position of each air pressure sensor unit in the vehicle menu of the display unit 23b (step S503). For example, if the data is received by the air pressure sensor unit 3FLb, the sensor ID extracted from the data is displayed in the “front left” of the vehicle menu (see FIG. 4A). Then, the driver of the vehicle 1b selects, for example, a “left front” vehicle by operating the operation unit 24b (step S504). The vehicle-mounted ECU 11b detects the operation that has selected “front left” and transmits a sensor ID corresponding to “front left” to the mobile phone 21b. After receiving the sensor ID, the mobile phone 21b establishes a connection (connection state for data communication) with the communication relay facility 4 by calling the communication relay facility 4. Then, the mobile phone 21b transmits the received sensor ID to the communication relay facility 4 (step S505).

  In the communication relay facility 4 (see FIG. 3), the CPU 41 receives the sensor ID from the vehicle 1b via the transmission / reception antenna. Then, with reference to the correspondence data stored in the correspondence data storage means 43, the received sensor ID is converted into a mobile phone number (step S506). The converted telephone number data is held in a memory inside the CPU 41. Subsequently, the message menu data stored in the message menu storage unit 44 is input, and the input data is transmitted to the vehicle 1b via the transmission / reception antenna 42 (step S507). When there is no sensor ID in the correspondence data referenced in step S506, the CPU 41 transmits a message to that effect to the vehicle 1b (not shown). In the vehicle 1b, the vehicle-mounted ECU 11b receives the message menu data via the mobile phone 21b, and displays the received data on the display unit 23b of the monitor 22b (see step S508, FIG. 4B). At this time, message menu data stored in a predetermined storage unit included in the in-vehicle ECU 11b may be displayed. Then, the driver of the vehicle 1b selects, for example, “passing” by operating the operation unit 24b (step S509).

The in-vehicle ECU 11b of the vehicle 1b transmits the selected “passing” data to the mobile phone 21b via the adapter 20b. At this time, it is assumed that the data “passing” is transmitted to the mobile phone 21b in a coded state. The mobile phone 21b receives the “passing” data and transmits the received data to the communication relay facility 4 as a message (step S510). After receiving the data, the CPU 41 of the communication relay facility 4 makes a call to the telephone number held in the internal memory, thereby establishing a connection with the mobile phone 21a of the vehicle 1a. Then, the “passing” data received as a message is transmitted to the vehicle 1a (step S511).
In the vehicle 1a, the in-vehicle ECU 11a receives “passing” data as a message via the mobile phone 21a, and decodes the received data. Then, the decoded data is displayed on the display unit 23a of the monitor 22a (step S512). The driver of the vehicle 1a refers to the “passing” message displayed on the display unit 23a, recognizes the traffic situation indicated by the message, and operates the operation unit 24a to thereby display “acknowledge response”. "Is intended (step S513). For example, the input is performed by pressing a key corresponding to “response of understanding”. The in-vehicle ECU 11a detects the input of the “acknowledgment response” and transmits an acknowledgment message indicating the “acceptance response” to the communication relay facility 4 via the mobile phone 21a (step S514).
The communication relay facility 4 receives an acknowledgment message from the vehicle 1a via the transmission / reception antenna 42, and transmits the received acknowledgment message to the vehicle 1b (step S515).
In the vehicle 1b, the in-vehicle ECU 11b receives the approval message from the communication relay facility 4 via the mobile phone 21b, and displays the received approval message on the display unit 23b of the monitor 22b (step S516). The driver of the vehicle 1b can recognize that the driver of the vehicle 1a understands “passing” by referring to the displayed acknowledgment message, and can overtake the vehicle 1a.

<< Other embodiments >>
An example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be considered.
(1) Although it has been described that the air pressure sensor units 3 communicate with each other wirelessly in the TPMS communication, the vehicle-mounted ECUs 11 may perform wireless communication via the vehicle body side antenna 14 without using the air pressure sensor unit 3. . Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted ECU 11 of one vehicle may wirelessly communicate with the air pressure sensor unit 3 of the other vehicle via the vehicle body side antenna 14 of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle body side antenna 14 may be incorporated in a door mirror or a door handle.
(2) Although the sensor ID unique to the air pressure sensor unit 3 is described as being received by the TPMS signal and displayed on the vehicle menu, the vehicle registration number unique to the vehicle 1 may be received and displayed. . At this time, the correspondence data storage means 43 of the communication relay facility 4 stores data in which the vehicle registration number is associated with the mobile phone number.
(3) Although the message transmitted from the vehicle 1b to the vehicle 1a via the communication relay facility 4 is described as character code data, it may be image data such as pictographs, and alerts the driver. It may be voice data. Further, a normal voice conversation may be performed using the mobile phone 21 attached to the adapter 20.
(4) Although the example of the mobile phone has been described as the wireless communication device, other wireless communication devices may be used. For example, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) having a wireless communication function, or an amateur radio device may be used. At this time, the correspondence data storage means 43 of the communication relay facility 4 corresponds to the sensor ID or the vehicle registration number and the transmission destination data (for example, PHS number, frequency, etc.) necessary for communication with the wireless communication device. The attached data is stored.

It is a figure showing composition of inter-vehicle communication equipment concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the air pressure sensor unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication relay installation which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the menu displayed on the monitor which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) shows a vehicle menu. (B) shows a message menu. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the inter-vehicle communication which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of two vehicles which perform the inter-vehicle communication which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the structure of an inter-vehicle communication equipment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the dashboard of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle 2 Tire 3 Air Pressure Sensor Unit (Tire Pressure Monitoring System)
4 Communication relay equipment 11 On-vehicle ECU (control means)
14 Car body antenna (tire pressure monitoring system)
20 Adapter (portable terminal connection means)
21 Mobile phones (wireless communication devices, mobile terminals)
22 monitor 23 display section (message menu display means, message display means)
24 Operation part (message selection means)
31 CPU
35 Sensor side antenna 41 CPU
42 Transmission / reception antenna 43 Corresponding data storage means 44 Message menu storage means

Claims (5)

A tire pressure monitoring system mounted on a vehicle, an inter-vehicle communication facility using a wireless communication device provided in the vehicle, and a communication relay facility that relays communication between the vehicles by communicating with the wireless communication device. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication method in a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that transmits and receives information between,
The host vehicle receives ID information, which is a number unique to the other vehicle or the tire pressure monitoring system of the other vehicle, from the other vehicle via the tire pressure monitoring system;
The vehicle establishes a communication connection state with the communication relay facility via the wireless communication device, and transmits the received ID information to the communication relay facility;
The communication relay facility receives the ID information, and converts the received ID information into data necessary for communicating with a wireless communication device provided in a vehicle corresponding to the ID information;
The communication relay facility establishes a communication connection state with a wireless communication device provided in the other vehicle by using the converted data;
Under the communication connection state established between the wireless communication device of the own vehicle and the communication relay facility, and between the communication relay facility and the wireless communication device of the other vehicle, Transmitting and receiving predetermined information to and from the other vehicle via a wireless communication device, the communication relay facility and the wireless communication device of the other vehicle;
The inter-vehicle communication method characterized by including. A tire pressure monitoring system mounted on a vehicle, an inter-vehicle communication facility using a portable terminal possessed by the driver of the vehicle, and a communication relay facility that relays communication between vehicles by communicating with the portable terminal. , An inter-vehicle communication facility in an inter-vehicle communication system that transmits and receives information between vehicles,
The inter-vehicle communication facility is connected to a tire pressure monitoring system mounted on the vehicle, a portable terminal connection means for connecting a portable terminal that performs wireless communication with the communication relay facility, and the tire pressure monitoring system. Control means for transmitting and receiving information to and from other vehicles via a monitoring system, connected to the portable terminal connecting means, and transmitting and receiving information to and from the communication relay facility via the portable terminal connected to the portable terminal connecting means An inter-vehicle communication facility characterized by being configured. The control means includes
Via the tire pressure monitoring system, at least ID information that is a number specific to the tire pressure monitoring system of the other vehicle is received from the other vehicle;
A communication connection state is established between the portable terminal connected to the portable terminal connection means and the communication relay facility, and the received ID information and the predetermined information are transmitted via the portable terminal under the established communication connection state. The message is transmitted to the communication relay facility. The inter-vehicle communication facility according to claim 2. The inter-vehicle communication facility is
A message menu display means connected to the control means for displaying a message menu which is a selection menu of the message; and a message selection means for selecting a predetermined message from the message menu displayed on the message menu display means,
The control means includes
When transmitting the predetermined message to the communication relay facility,
Display message menu data received from the communication relay facility or stored in a predetermined storage means provided in the control means on the message menu display means,
From the displayed message menu, specify the message selected by the operation of the message selection means by the driver,
The inter-vehicle communication facility according to claim 3, wherein the specified message is transmitted to the communication relay facility. The inter-vehicle communication facility is
A message display means connected to the control means for displaying a message;
The tire pressure monitoring system periodically transmits at least ID information that is a number unique to the tire pressure monitoring system,
The control means includes
The predetermined message is received from the communication relay facility via a portable terminal connected to the portable terminal connection means, and the received message is displayed on the message display means. Inter-vehicle communication equipment.

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