JP4133114B2 - Inter-vehicle communication device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, and is particularly suitable for use in a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device configured to display the position of the other vehicle together with the position of the vehicle on the map screen of the display device by communicating with the other vehicle. It is a thing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a positioning device that measures the position of a vehicle, a navigation device has been provided that provides travel guidance for the vehicle so that a driver can easily reach a desired destination. In this navigation device, the current position of the vehicle is detected using a self-contained navigation sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and the like, and a map of the vicinity is displayed on the screen, and the vehicle is placed at a predetermined location on the map screen. A vehicle position mark indicating the position is superimposed and displayed.
[0003]
In the conventional navigation apparatus, only the position information of the own vehicle on which the navigation apparatus is mounted is displayed on the map screen. However, for example, when taking a group action with multiple vehicles such as delivery trucks or taxis, or when traveling to a holiday resort etc. distributed over multiple vehicles, in addition to the location information of the own vehicle, the location information of other vehicles It is very convenient to display them on the map screen. Therefore, in order to respond to such a request, a device has been proposed in which the position information is obtained from another vehicle using communication means, and the position of the other vehicle is displayed together with the own vehicle position on the map screen. .
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-described conventional technique merely displays the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle with predetermined marks or symbols. For this reason, it is possible to grasp the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, but it is hardly possible to grasp what kind of opponent the other vehicle displayed on the map screen is.
[0005]
In the future, we will not only display the position of other vehicles on the map screen, but also develop applications such as selecting any other vehicle from the display screen for voice communication and exchanging various data. Is also possible. However, in the above conventional technique, when there are a plurality of other vehicles as communication partners on the map screen, there arises a problem that it is not possible to easily identify the other party with whom the user wants to communicate.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily identify a communication partner displayed as other vehicle information together with own vehicle information on a map screen.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, vehicle position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, vehicle position information detected by the vehicle position detection means, and a vehicle image of the vehicle are obtained. Transmitting / receiving means for transmitting profile information including the outside and receiving profile information including other vehicle position information and vehicle images of other vehicles sent from the outside, and the own vehicle position detected by the own vehicle position detecting means A map corresponding to the vehicle position is displayed on the screen, the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit is displayed on the map screen, and the vehicle position information received by the transmission / reception unit is displayed. Control means for controlling to display the vehicle image of the other vehicle at a position on the map screen. According to the present invention configured as described above, the information related to the other vehicle presented to the user reflects the profile information of the other vehicle, so it is easy to understand what profile the other vehicle has. It becomes possible to do.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the entire system to which the inter-vehicle communication device of this embodiment is applied. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a figure which shows an example of the navigation screen displayed as a result of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication by this embodiment.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 1, navigation devices 1 _-1 to 1 _-4 to which the inter-vehicle communication device of this embodiment is applied are mounted on a plurality of vehicles 4 _-1 to _{4 -4} , respectively. Each navigation device 1 _-1 to _1-4 has GPS antennas 2 _-1 to 2 _-4 , receives GPS radio waves sent from the GPS satellite 5, and based on the GPS signal, the current position of the vehicle (Absolute position of latitude and longitude), moving speed, moving direction, altitude and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as “GPS information”) are detected.
[0010]
Each of the navigation devices 1 _-1 to _1-4 has terrestrial antennas 3 _{-1 to} 3 _-4. The GPS information of the own vehicle detected as described above, the profile information of the own vehicle stored in advance, and To other cars. Moreover, the GPS information of the other vehicle sent from another vehicle and the profile information of the other vehicle are received using the terrestrial antennas 3 _{-1 to} 3 _-4 . The profile information transmitted / received here includes vehicle information including, for example, the vehicle type and color, and the name of the passenger.
[0011]
In each of the navigation devices 1 _-1 to _1-4 , map data corresponding to the vehicle position detected by itself is read from the recording medium and displayed on the screen. Further, the vehicle position is displayed on the map screen, and information on the other vehicle is obtained based on the GPS information and the profile information of the other vehicle received from the other vehicle via the terrestrial antennas 3 _{-1 to} 3 _-4. indicate. For example, the vehicle image specified based on the vehicle information and the name of the passenger are displayed together at the position corresponding to the other vehicle position information on the map screen.
[0012]
FIG. 2 shows a screen display example of the navigation device 1 _-i mounted on a certain vehicle 4 _-i . As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle position detected based on the GPS signal is displayed on the map screen as the vehicle position mark 6. Further, information 7 _{-1 to} 7 _-3 related to other vehicles corresponds to other vehicle position information based on GPS information and profile information of other vehicles received from other vehicles via the terrestrial antenna 3 _-i. The vehicle image and the name of the passenger are displayed together at the position. At this time, the vehicle image is displayed in a direction corresponding to the moving direction of the other vehicle.
[0013]
The inter-vehicle communication using the terrestrial antennas 3 _{-1 to} 3 _-4 is performed using communication means such as a so-called wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and a specific power saving radio. In these communication means, the communicable distance range is limited. In this embodiment, communication is performed only between vehicles within the communicable range, and the screen display as shown in FIG. 2 is performed only for other vehicles that have actually received GPS information and profile information.
[0014]
At this time, the navigation screen so that the own vehicle position detected by itself and all other vehicle positions received from other vehicles via the terrestrial antennas 3 _{-1 to} 3 _-4 are at least within one map screen. The display scale may be variably controlled. For example, if a map screen of a relatively narrow range is displayed at a larger scale, and if a communication is received from another vehicle that exists in a location that exceeds the map range, the other vehicle will enter the map screen. In addition, control is performed so that the scale is reduced and a relatively wide range is displayed.
[0015]
In the displayed navigation screen as in FIG. 2, to move the cursor (not shown) by operating the operating element, such as a remote controller, in the information 7 _-1 to 7 _-3 regarding other vehicles It is possible to select any one from the above and selectively execute a desired process on the selected other vehicle. For example, it is possible to set the current position information of the selected other vehicle as a destination, and perform a process of searching and guiding a guidance route from the vehicle position to the destination.
[0016]
In the example of FIG. 2, by selecting the other car of Mr. Kondo and selecting the route guidance process, the guidance route 8 is drawn from the own vehicle position mark 6 to the other car information 7 _{-2 of} Mr. Kondo. Show. In FIG. 2, for the convenience of the drawing, the guide route 8 is shown for a relatively short distance. However, when the map screen is displayed in the wide area mode and the distance between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is relatively large. This route guidance process is particularly useful.
[0017]
Kondo's other car selected in the current example is parked in the parking lot, but the selected other car may be moving. In the route guidance processing in this case, the destination is updated as needed according to the other vehicle position information that changes as the other vehicle moves, and the search for the guidance route to the updated destination is repeated. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to track the said other vehicle, updating the guidance route to the other vehicle in motion in real time.
[0018]
Further, by selecting an arbitrary other vehicle and selecting a process such as a call, it is possible to perform voice communication or data communication with the selected other vehicle. Communication in this case may be performed using communication means such as the above-described wireless LAN, Bluetooth, specific power-saving radio, or may be performed using a telephone line.
[0019]
When using a telephone line, it is possible to connect the navigation device and the hands-free device, and automatically make a call from the hands-free device to another vehicle selected on the navigation screen. The telephone number required in this case may be acquired in advance from another vehicle by inter-vehicle communication as part of the profile information described above.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the navigation devices 1 _-1 to _1-4 shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a map storage medium such as a DVD-ROM, which stores various map data necessary for map display, route search, and the like. Although the DVD-ROM 11 is used here, other recording media such as a CD-ROM and a hard disk may be used. A DVD-ROM control unit 12 controls reading of map data from the DVD-ROM 11.
[0021]
The map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 11 is managed in a hierarchical manner in units called levels, from a high-level map for overlooking a wide area to a low-level map describing a narrow area in detail. Each level is divided in units of rectangular areas called sections partitioned by predetermined longitude and latitude. The map data of each section can be specified and read by specifying the section number. The display scale of the map screen is switched by switching the level to be used.
[0022]
The map data for each section includes a drawing unit composed of various data necessary for map display, a road unit composed of data necessary for various processes such as map matching, route search, route guidance, and detailed data on intersections. And an intersection unit consisting of. The drawing unit described above includes background layer data necessary for displaying buildings, rivers, and the like, and character layer data necessary for displaying city names, road names, and the like.
[0023]
In addition, the road unit described above includes a unit header for identifying a road unit, a connection node table storing detailed data of nodes corresponding to points where a plurality of roads intersect, such as intersections and branches, and a connection. Includes a node table that shows the storage location of the node table, and a link table that contains detailed data on links corresponding to roads and lanes that connect between a node on the road and other nodes adjacent to it. It is.
[0024]
The link table stores a link record including information such as a link ID, a node number, a link distance, a link cost, a road attribute flag, a road type flag, and a route number. The node number indicates a number that identifies two nodes located at both ends of the link. The link distance indicates the actual distance of the actual road corresponding to the link. The link cost is obtained by calculating the required time for traveling the link from the road type or the like, and indicating the time required for passing the link in minutes, for example.
[0025]
Reference numeral 13 denotes a position measuring device that measures the current position of the vehicle, and includes a self-contained navigation sensor, a GPS receiver, a position calculation CPU, and the like. The self-contained navigation sensor includes a vehicle speed sensor (distance sensor) that outputs a single pulse for each predetermined travel distance to detect the travel distance of the vehicle, and an angular velocity sensor such as a vibration gyro that detects the rotation angle (movement direction) of the vehicle. (Relative orientation sensor). The self-contained navigation sensor detects the relative position and direction of the vehicle using these vehicle speed sensor and angular velocity sensor.
[0026]
The position calculation CPU calculates the absolute own vehicle position (estimated vehicle position) and vehicle direction based on the relative position and direction data of the own vehicle output from the self-contained navigation sensor. The GPS receiver receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites by a GPS antenna and performs a three-dimensional positioning process or a two-dimensional positioning process to calculate the absolute position and direction of the vehicle (the vehicle direction is The calculation is based on the current vehicle position and the current vehicle position one sampling time ΔT before).
[0027]
A map information memory 14 temporarily stores map data read from the DVD-ROM 11 under the control of the DVD-ROM control unit 12. That is, the DVD-ROM control unit 12 inputs information on the current vehicle position from the position measurement device 13 and outputs an instruction to read out map data in a predetermined range including the current vehicle position, thereby displaying a map display or guidance route. Map data necessary for the search is read from the DVD-ROM 11 and stored in the map information memory 14.
[0028]
Reference numeral 15 denotes an operation unit such as a remote controller, in which the user sets various information (for example, a route guidance destination) to the navigation device, or performs various operations (for example, a menu or other vehicle selection operation, enlargement / Various operators (buttons, joysticks, etc.) for performing a reduction operation, manual map scrolling, numerical input, etc. are provided. Reference numeral 16 denotes a remote control interface, which receives an infrared signal corresponding to the operation state from the remote control 15.
[0029]
Reference numeral 17 denotes a processor (CPU) that controls the entire navigation device. Reference numeral 18 denotes a ROM which stores various programs (vehicle-to-vehicle communication program, guidance route search processing program, etc.). Reference numeral 19 denotes a RAM which temporarily stores data obtained during various processes and data obtained as a result of various processes. Details of processing performed by the CPU 17 will be sequentially described below.
[0030]
Reference numeral 20 denotes a guidance route memory, which stores guidance route data searched by the CPU 17. The guidance route data stores the position of each node and an intersection identification flag indicating whether each node is an intersection, corresponding to each node from the departure point to the destination.
[0031]
The operation when selecting any other vehicle from the screen shown in FIG. 2 and searching for a guidance route is as follows. First, when a desired other vehicle is selected by operating the remote controller 15 and a route search is instructed, the CPU 17 sets the other vehicle position information included in the GPS information received from the other vehicle regarding the other vehicle as the destination. The destination data is stored in the guide route memory 20. Further, the host vehicle position when the route search instruction is issued is set as the departure point data and stored in the guidance route memory 20.
[0032]
Then, the travel route connecting the departure point and the destination stored in the guidance route memory 20 is searched under the conditions specified by the operation of the remote controller 15. For example, the guide route that minimizes the cost under any of the conditions such as the shortest time, the shortest distance, and the shortest charge is searched and set. As a typical method of route search, a depth-first search (DFS) method, a breadth-first search (BFS) method, and a Dijkstra method, which is a kind of breadth-first search, are known.
[0033]
Reference numeral 21 denotes an intersection enlarged map memory, which temporarily stores enlarged map data of all guidance target intersections in the guidance route (intersection enlarged map for guiding a vehicle toward a destination, destination, and image of a traveling direction arrow). To store. The data of this enlarged intersection view is also appropriately read from the DVD-ROM 11 under the control of the DVD-ROM control unit 12.
[0034]
Reference numeral 22 denotes a host vehicle profile information memory, which stores the above-described profile information (vehicle information including vehicle type and color, passenger name, telephone number, etc.) relating to the host vehicle. This profile information can be arbitrarily set and registered by operating the operation unit 15. A vehicle image memory 23 stores in advance a plurality of image data of various vehicles corresponding to various vehicle types and colors.
[0035]
Reference numeral 24 denotes a transmission / reception unit that uses the terrestrial antenna to transmit the GPS information of the vehicle detected by the position measurement device 13 and the vehicle profile information stored in advance in the vehicle profile information memory 22 to the outside (others). To the car). In addition, the transmission / reception unit 24 receives the GPS information of the other vehicle and the profile information of the other vehicle transmitted from the other vehicle via the terrestrial antenna. Reference numeral 25 denotes an other vehicle information memory, which stores the GPS information of the other vehicle received by the transmission / reception unit 24 and the profile information of the other vehicle.
[0036]
A display controller 26 generates map image data necessary for display on the display device 32 based on the map data stored in the map information memory 14. A video RAM 27 temporarily stores map image data generated by the display controller 26. That is, the map image data generated by the display controller 26 is temporarily stored in the video RAM 27, and the map image data for one screen is read and output to the image composition unit 31.
[0037]
A menu generation unit 28 generates and outputs a menu image necessary for performing various operations using the remote controller 15. Reference numeral 29 denotes a guidance route generator, which generates guidance route data by using the processing result of the guidance route search processing program stored in the guidance route memory 20. That is, the guidance route data stored in the guidance route memory 20 is selectively read out that is included in the map area drawn in the video RAM 27 at that time, and the guidance is overlaid on the map image and highlighted with a predetermined color. Draw a route. When the vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance from the guidance intersection in front of the guidance route, an image of the guidance map of the approaching intersection is generated based on the enlarged intersection map data stored in the enlarged intersection map memory 21. And output.
[0038]
A mark generation unit 30 generates and outputs a vehicle position mark to be displayed at the vehicle position, various landmarks to display a gas station, a convenience store, etc., information about other vehicles, and the like. Information relating to other vehicles is generated by the CPU 17 by reading out necessary information from the vehicle image memory 23 and the other vehicle information memory 25. That is, the passenger's name information and vehicle information are read from the other vehicle information memory 25, and the vehicle image data corresponding to the vehicle information is read from the vehicle image memory 23, and these are combined and displayed as shown in FIG. Car information 7 _{-1 to} 7 _-3 is generated.
[0039]
An image composition unit 31 synthesizes and outputs various images. In other words, the map image data read out by the display controller 26 is overlaid with the image data output from each of the menu generating unit 28, the guide route drawing unit 29, and the mark generating unit 30, and image synthesis is performed. 32. Thereby, on the screen of the display device 32, as shown in FIG. 2, the map information around the own vehicle is displayed together with the own vehicle position mark 6, the other vehicle information 7 _{-1 to} 7 _{-3, and the} like. Further, when the route search is performed, the guidance route 8 is displayed on this map.
[0040]
Reference numeral 33 denotes a voice generation unit that utters a voice for intersection guidance, a voice for various operation guidance, and the like. Reference numeral 34 denotes a speaker, which outputs the sound generated by the sound generator 33 to the outside. Reference numeral 35 denotes a bus, which is used for exchanging data between the various functional configurations described above.
[0041]
As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, in addition to other vehicle position information, other vehicle profile information is also acquired, and information related to the other vehicle is displayed on the map screen together with the own vehicle position based on the profile information. Therefore, it is possible to grasp at a glance what kind of profile the other vehicle displayed on the screen has, and it is possible to easily specify a desired partner to communicate with.
[0042]
In the above embodiment, each of the navigation devices 1 _-1 to _1-4 includes the vehicle image memory 23, stores a large number of image data suitable for various vehicle types and colors, and vehicle information transmitted and received between the vehicles. One of the image data is selectively read based on the above. On the other hand, the image data of the own vehicle may be stored in the own vehicle profile information memory 22 as a part of the profile information, and the own vehicle image data may be transmitted / received instead of the vehicle information described above. In this way, the vehicle image memory 23 for storing a large number of image data can be eliminated.
[0043]
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which transmits / receives GPS information and profile information directly between vehicles, you may make it transmit / receive via a center apparatus etc.
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which performs inter-vehicle communication using a terrestrial antenna, you may make it transmit / receive using a satellite antenna.
[0044]
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which displays in the aspect which processed the other vehicle image based on the profile information of another vehicle when displaying the other vehicle position with the own vehicle position on a map screen, It is not limited. For example, the profile information of other vehicles existing in a predetermined range around the vehicle position may be output by voice.
[0045]
In addition, the embodiment described above is merely an example of actualization in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the other vehicle position information, the profile information of the other vehicle is also acquired, and information related to the other vehicle is output based on the profile information. It is possible to immediately grasp what kind of person the car is, and it is possible to easily identify a desired person to communicate with.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an entire system to which an inter-vehicle communication device of an embodiment is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed as a result of inter-vehicle communication according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the navigation device shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 _-1 to 1 _-4 navigation device 2 _-1 to 2 _-4 GPS antenna 3 _-1 to 3 _-4 terrestrial antenna 4 _-1 to 4 _-4 vehicle 5 GPS satellites 6 vehicle position mark 7 _-1 to 7 _{- 3} Information about other vehicles 8 Guide route 11 DVD-ROM
12 DVD-ROM control unit 13 Position measuring device 14 Map information memory 15 Remote control 16 Remote control interface 17 CPU
18 ROM
19 RAM
20 Guide route memory 21 Enlarged intersection memory 22 Vehicle profile information memory 23 Vehicle image memory 24 Transmitter / receiver 25 Other vehicle information memory 26 Display controller 27 Video RAM
28 Menu generation unit 29 Guide route generation unit 30 Mark generation unit 31 Image composition unit 32 Display device 33 Sound generation unit 34 Speaker 35 Bus

Claims (1)

Own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the current position of the own vehicle;
Profile information including the vehicle position information detected by the vehicle position detection means and profile information including the vehicle image of the vehicle, and a profile including the other vehicle position information and the vehicle image of the other vehicle sent from the outside Transmitting and receiving means for receiving information;
A map corresponding to the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection means is displayed on the screen, the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection means is displayed on the map screen, and the transmission / reception means is displayed. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device comprising: control means for controlling to display a vehicle image of the other vehicle at a position on the map screen corresponding to the other vehicle position information received by the vehicle.

Images