FR3106433A1 - Vehicle communication method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method and device for a vehicle. To this end, information representative of the activation of a pre-collision system of a first vehicle (10) is transmitted over a wireless connection; this information is, for example, information representative of modification of the safety parameters of the first vehicle (10), information representative of the configuration of the ground connection parameters of the first vehicle (10). This transmission of information helps to minimize the risk of accident or accident. Figure for the abstract: Figure 1

Description

Vehicle communication method and device

The invention relates to communication methods and devices for vehicles, in particular of the automotive type. The invention also relates to methods and devices for preventing the risk of collision for vehicles, and more particularly for avoiding collisions between two vehicles.

Technology background

Road safety is an important issue for our societies. With the increase in the number of users, whether vehicles, pedestrians or even cyclists, on the road networks around the world, the risks of accidents and incidents caused by these same users have never been as important.

To improve safety on the roads, new technologies are emerging that allow the exchange of information between vehicles and/or between vehicles and the infrastructure that surrounds them. Thus, new information and communication technologies applied to the field of transport have appeared, such as the ITS G5 (from the English "Intelligent Transportation System G5" or in French "Système de transport intelligent G5") in Europe or DSRC (from the English "Dedicated Short Range Communications" or in French "Communications dedicates à courte range") in the United States of America which are both based on the IEEE 802.11p standard or technology based on cellular networks named C-V2X (from the English “Cellular – Vehicle to Everything” or in French “Cellulaire – Vehicule vers tout”) which is based on 4G based on LTE (from the English “Long Term Evolution” or in French “Evolution in the long term”) and soon 5G.

However, the communication devices used to protect users, in particular during the activation of pre-collision systems, remain largely perfectible.

An object of the present invention is to improve road safety.

Another object of the invention is to improve the prevention of collisions between vehicles.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a communication method for a vehicle, the method comprising a step of transmission by a first vehicle to at least one second vehicle, of at least one piece of information representing the activation of a pre-collision system of the first vehicle, according to a vehicle-to-everything type communication mode, called V2X, the at least one piece of information representative of activation of the pre-collision system being obtained or corresponding to at least one piece of information belonging to a set of information including:

- information representative of the opening of the openings;

- information representing the configuration of ground link parameters;

- information representative of the predisposition of the airbags;

- information representative of modification of security parameters.

According to a variant, the method further comprises a step of determining, by the first vehicle, at least one guidance instruction of the first vehicle, the at least one guidance instruction corresponding to:

- an instruction to increase speed;

- an emergency start instruction; and or

- a left or right shift instruction.

According to another variant, the at least one guidance instruction for the first vehicle is determined from at least one item of information representative of an environment of the first vehicle, received from at least one sensor on board the first vehicle.

According to yet another variant, the method further comprises a step of transmission, by the first vehicle, of the at least one piece of information representative of the activation of the pre-collision system to at least one remote server, using a wireless connection.

According to a particular variant, the method further comprises a step of reception, by the at least one second vehicle, of the at least one piece of information representative of activation of the pre-collision system of the first vehicle according to the vehicle-to-vehicle type communication mode. everything, says V2X.

According to an additional variant, the method further comprises a step of determining information representative of the speed of the second vehicle in order to avoid any collision following the reception of the at least one information representative of activation of the pre-collision system .

According to a last variant, the information representative of speed is determined from at least one information representative of an environment of the second vehicle, received from at least one sensor on board the second vehicle.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a transmission and/or reception device for a vehicle, the device comprising a memory associated with at least one processor configured for the implementation of the steps of the method according to the first and/or the second aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle, for example of the automobile type, comprising a device as described above according to the third aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first and/or the second aspect of the invention, this in particular when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.

Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or even a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.

On the other hand, this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or hertzian radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways. The computer program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from an Internet-type network.

Alternatively, the recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description of the non-limiting embodiments of the invention below, with reference to the appended figures 1 to 3, in which:

schematically illustrates a road environment in which a first and at least one second vehicle are moving, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates a device configured to communicate in the environment of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a communication method for a vehicle, the method being for example implemented in the device of FIG. 2, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

A communication method and device for a vehicle will now be described in the following with reference in conjunction to FIGS. 1 to 3.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a communication method for a vehicle comprises the transmission of one or more information representative of activation of a pre-collision system of the first vehicle. The pre-collision system corresponds for example to a system detecting the arrival of a following vehicle presenting a risk of collision from the rear of the first vehicle, or to any safety system detecting an imminent danger for the first vehicle and/ or implementing the on-board security means following such detection. The transmission of information is carried out for example according to a wireless link of the vehicle-to-vehicle type, V2V (from English “Vehicle-to-Vehicle” or in French “Vehicle to vehicle”). This information includes, for example, information representative of the opening of the openings, for example electric windows, information representative of the configuration of ground connection parameters, information representative of the predisposition of the airbags, and/or information representative of modification of parameters of security. The configuration of ground connection parameters corresponds for example to the control of shock absorbers, to the control of the direction of the first vehicle and/or to the control of the speed of the first vehicle. The information representative of modification of security parameters comprises for example information representative of activation of an emergency system, that is to say a parameter taking a Boolean value of 0 or 1, 1 representing for example the activation of the emergency system.

The transmission of information representative of the activation of a pre-collision system makes it possible to alert the various players in the road environment, in order to best adapt their respective speeds and to avoid, if possible, any accident or secondary accident, by leaving the first vehicle sufficient leeway. The prevention of a risk of collision and safety on the road are therefore improved.

schematically illustrates a road environment of 1 associated with a communication network of the V2X type (from the English "Vehicle-to-everything" or in French "Véhicule vers tout"), according to a particular and non-limiting example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first vehicle 10 and at least one second vehicle 11, 12 traveling for example on the same lane of a road 1000. The first vehicle 10 and the at least one second vehicle 11, 12 each carry a device communication to transmit and receive data to another vehicle and / or a server of a network infrastructure. Each communication device can be likened to a node of a network, for example an ad hoc wireless network.

The infrastructure of the network comprises for example communication devices 110, 111, each device 110, 111 corresponding for example to an antenna of a cellular network of the LTE type (from the English "Long Term Evolution" or in French "Evolution Long Term”) 4G or 5G or to a UBR (“Roadside Unit”), each corresponding to a network node, in addition to the nodes equipping vehicles or pedestrians.

The first vehicle 10 and the at least one second vehicle 11, 12 advantageously communicate using a so-called V2X communication system, for example based on the 3GPP LTE-V or IEEE 802.11p standards of ITS G5. In such a V2X communication system, each vehicle embeds a node to allow communication from vehicle to vehicle V2V (from the English "Vehicle-to-Vehicle"), from vehicle to infrastructure V2I (from the English "Vehicle-to -Infrastructure") and/or V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian) vehicles, each individual being equipped with one or more mobile devices (for example a smart phone Smartphone»)) configured to communicate with vehicles.

According to a particular embodiment, all the nodes (that is to say the communication devices associated with the vehicles 10, 11, 12 and the antennas or UBRs 110, 111) of the network form, for example, a wireless network ad hoc (also called WANET (from the English "Wireless Ad Hoc Network") or MANET (from the English "Mobile Ad Hoc Network"), corresponding to a decentralized wireless network. The ad hoc wireless network advantageously corresponds to a vehicular ad hoc network (or VANET, standing for “Vehicular Ad Hoc Network”) or to an intelligent vehicular ad hoc network (or InVANET, standing for “Intelligent Vehicular Ad Hoc Network”), also known as the “GeoNetworking” network. In such a network, two or more vehicles, each carrying a node, can communicate with each other in V2V vehicle-to-vehicle communication; each vehicle can communicate with the infrastructure set up in the context of vehicle-to-infrastructure V2I communication; each vehicle can communicate with one or more pedestrians equipped with mobile devices as part of V2P vehicle-to-pedestrian communication.

The nodes corresponding to the antennas (or UBR) 110 and 111 are advantageously connected to one or more remote servers or to the “cloud” 100 (or in French “nuage”) via a wired and/or wireless connection. The antennas or UBR 110 and 111 can thus act as a relay between the “cloud” 100 and the first vehicle 10 and/or the at least one second vehicle 11, 12.

According to a specific exemplary embodiment, each vehicle 10, 11, 12 embeds for example a detection system, or even an automobile driving assistance system (also called ADAS (from the English "Advanced Driver Assistance Systems" or in French "Advanced Driving Assistance Systems")), such a system comprising for example a set of sensors arranged on the vehicle 10, 11, 12, for example at the front, at the rear and/or in the corners of the vehicle 10, 11, 12. The set of sensors comprises for example, individually or in combination, at least one camera, a radar, a LIDAR (from the English "Light Detection And Ranging" or in French "Detection et distance estimation by light”), and/or at least one ultrasonic sensor. A set of information representing the environment of the vehicle 10, 11, 12 is therefore transmitted by the sensors arranged on the vehicle 10, 11, 12, this information indicating for example the presence of other vehicles or obstacles.

According to another exemplary embodiment, each vehicle 10, 11, 12 embeds a system associated with detectors and a V2X communication system authorizing an autonomous driving mode. A vehicle authorizing such an autonomous driving mode must have an autonomous driving level at least equal to 3, whether in the classification published by the federal agency responsible for road safety in the USA which includes 5 levels or in the classification published by the International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers which includes 6 levels.

The 5 levels of the classification of the federal agency responsible for road safety are:

- level 0: no automation, the driver of the vehicle fully controls the main functions of the vehicle (engine, accelerator, steering, brakes);

- level 1: driver assistance, the automation is active for certain vehicle functions, the driver retaining overall control over the driving of the vehicle; cruise control is part of this level, like other aids such as ABS (anti-lock braking system) or ESP (programmed electro-stabilizer);

- level 2: automation of combined functions, the control of at least two main functions is combined in the automation to replace the driver in certain situations; for example, adaptive cruise control combined with lane centering allows a vehicle to be classified as level 2, as does automatic parking assistance;

- level 3: limited autonomous driving, the driver can hand over complete control of the vehicle to the automated system which will then be in charge of critical safety functions; however, autonomous driving can only take place under certain environmental and traffic conditions (only on the motorway, for example);

- level 4: complete autonomous driving under conditions, the vehicle is designed to perform all the critical safety functions on its own over a complete journey; the driver provides a destination or navigation instructions but is not required to make himself available to regain control of the vehicle;

- level 5: completely autonomous driving without driver assistance in all circumstances.

The classification of the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers is similar to that listed above, with the difference that it has 6 levels, level 3 of the American classification being divided into 2 levels in that of the International Organization of Car manufacturers.

The first vehicle 10 transmits information representative of activation of a pre-collision system, for example to the second vehicles 11, 12. This information is advantageously transmitted according to a V2V type communication mode, for example according to a direct communication mode. .

A direct communication mode is for example compliant with:

- ITS G5 in Europe or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) in the United States of America, both of which are based on the IEEE 802.11p standard;

- LTE-V Mode 4 (from English “Long-Term Evolution – Vehicle Mode 4” or in French “Evolution à long terme –véhicule Mode 4”) which allows V2V communications, also called “sidelink” communications (or in French “side link”) based on a direct communication interface of LTE called PC5; such technology is described for example in the article entitled “Analytical Models of the Performance of C-V2X Mode 4 Vehicular Communications”, written by Manuel Gonzalez-Martin, Miguel Sepulcre, Rafael Molina-Masegosa and Javier Gozalvez, and published in 2018 .

According to an alternative embodiment, the first vehicle 10 determines a set of appropriate guidance instructions following the activation of a pre-collision system. This set of guide instructions includes for example:

- an instruction to increase speed;

- an emergency start instruction; and or

- a left or right shift instruction.

According to an optional variant, the set of guidance instructions for the first vehicle 10 is determined from one or more pieces of information representative of the environment of the first vehicle 10.

According to a specific mode of implementation, the first vehicle 10 activates its pre-collision system following the detection of a risk of collision from the rear resulting from the arrival of another vehicle, for example the second vehicle 12. The first vehicle 10 transmits a message comprising information representative of the activation of the pre-collision system, for example a safety alert, its speed and its GPS coordinates. The sensors on board the first vehicle 10 make it possible to determine the presence of an obstacle in front of the first vehicle 10. The combination of detection and information representative of the environment allows, for example, an on-board computer on the first vehicle 10 to implement a shift of the first vehicle 10 to the left, to avoid or minimize a possible collision.

According to another variant embodiment, the first vehicle 10 transmits information representative of activation of a pre-collision system to a remote server. This remote server is for example an emergency call center, a remote assistance platform, or a "cloud" server 100. The transmission of information is advantageously carried out according to a wireless connection, for example in a cellular network of the 4G LTE type, according to a V2I type communication mode, or even according to an eCall emergency call system (from the English “emergency call” or in French “appel d'urgence”).

According to another specific mode of implementation, the first vehicle 10 is located behind the second vehicle 11 and activates its pre-collision system. The first vehicle transmits a message comprising information representative of the activation of the pre-collision system, for example information representative of the activation of an emergency system, its speed and its direction control. This transmission is simultaneously intended for the second vehicle 11 and a remote assistance platform, and makes it possible, for example, to alert road users to the behavior of the first vehicle 10, or even to notify a service as quickly as possible. rescue in the event of an accident linked to the activation of a pre-collision system.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the at least one second vehicle 11, 12 receives information representative of activation of the pre-collision system of the first vehicle 10. This information is received according to a wireless communication mode, by example a direct communication mode with the first vehicle 10 traveling on the same road 1000, or a V2X type communication mode.

According to a variant embodiment, the at least one second vehicle 11, 12 determines information representative of appropriate speed following the reception of information representative of detection of a risk of collision from the rear. This information representative of speed corresponds for example to:

- an acceleration instruction for the second vehicle 11, or a deceleration instruction for the second vehicle 12;

- an emergency start instruction for the second vehicle 11, or an instruction for activating an emergency braking system for the second vehicle 12.

According to an optional variant, the information representative of the speed of at least one second vehicle 11, 12 is determined from one or more information representative of the environment of the first vehicle 10.

According to a particular mode of implementation, the second vehicle 11 is stationary at an intersection on the road 1000, and receives information representative of a detection of a risk of collision from the rear, coming from a vehicle located behind the second vehicle 11. The sensors on board the second vehicle 11 make it possible to determine the possible progress with respect to the traffic identified at the level of the intersection. The combination of this information allows for example an on-board computer in the second vehicle 11 to control an on-board cruise control system, to move the second vehicle 11 forward and avoid or minimize a possible collision.

According to yet another particular mode of implementation, the second vehicle 12 receives information representative of a detection of a risk of collision from the rear, comprising GPS coordinates indicating a vehicle located further ahead in the traffic. The information representative of the environment of the second vehicle 12, coupled with information representative of the presence of other vehicles, for example obtained through a V2V communication mode with these other vehicles, allows an on-board computer in the second vehicle 12 to establish a braking path taking into account the traffic. This braking trajectory is for example implemented by a speed limiter system on board the second vehicle 12.

schematically illustrates a device 2 configured for the transmission and reception of information in a wireless communication system, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The device 2 corresponds for example to a device on board the first vehicle 10 and/or in the at least one second vehicle 11, 12, for example a computer. The device 2 is for example configured to transmit and/or receive data according to a V2V type link.

The device 2 is for example configured for the implementation of the operations described with regard to FIG. 1 and/or the steps of the method described with regard to FIG. 3. Examples of such a device 2 comprise, without being limited thereto , on-board electronic equipment such as a vehicle's on-board computer, an electronic computer such as an ECU ("Electronic Control Unit"), a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, a server. The elements of device 2, individually or in combination, can be integrated in a single integrated circuit, in several integrated circuits, and/or in discrete components. The device 2 can be made in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or else a combination of electronic circuits and software modules. According to different particular embodiments, the device 2 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems, for example via a communication bus or via dedicated input/output ports.

The device 2 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 20 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the method and/or the execution of the instructions of the software or software embedded in the device 2. The processor 20 can include the integrated memory, an input/output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 2 further comprises at least one memory 21 corresponding for example to a volatile and/or non-volatile memory and/or comprises a memory storage device which can comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM , PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

The computer code of the on-board software or software comprising the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored on the first memory 21.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 2 comprises a block 22 of interface elements for communicating with external devices, for example a remote server or the “cloud”, other nodes of the ad hoc network. Block 22 interface elements include one or more of the following interfaces:
- RF radiofrequency interface, for example of the Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® type, LTE (from English "Long-Term Evolution" or in French "Evolution à Long Terme"), LTE-Advanced (or in French "LTE- advance");
- USB interface (from English “Universal Serial Bus” or “Universal Serial Bus” in French);
- HDMI interface (from the English “High Definition Multimedia Interface”, or “High Definition Multimedia Interface” in French).

Data are for example loaded to the device 2 via the interface of block 22 using a Wi-Fi® network such as according to IEEE 802.11, an ITS G5 network based on IEEE 802.11p or a mobile network such as a 4G network (or LTE-Advanced according to 3GPP release 10 – version 10) or 5G, in particular an LTE-V2X network.

According to another particular embodiment, the device 2 comprises a communication interface 23 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices (such as other computers of the on-board system when the device 2 corresponds to a computer of the on-board system ) via a communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and/or data via the communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a wired network of the CAN type (from English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs") or CAN FD (from English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs à Flow flexible data”).

According to an additional particular embodiment, the device 2 can supply output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen, one or more loudspeakers and/or other peripherals respectively via interfaces output not shown.

illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a communication method for a vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The method is for example implemented by a device on board the first vehicle 10 or by the device 2 of FIG. 2.

In a step 31, one or more pieces of information representative of activation of a pre-collision system are transmitted according to a V2X communication mode. by a first vehicle to at least one second vehicle. This or this information is for example obtained or corresponds to one or more of the following information:

- information representative of the opening of the openings;

- information representing the configuration of ground link parameters;

- information representative of the predisposition of the airbags;

- information representative of modification of security parameters.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but extends to a method for determining a set of guidance instructions and to the device configured for the implementation of such a method. , to a method and device for implementing the set of guidance instructions, or even to a method and device for transmitting information representative of activation of a pre-collision system to a server remote, to a method and device for receiving information representative of activation of a pre-collision system, or even to a method and device for controlling speed.

The invention also relates to a vehicle, for example an automobile or more generally a land motor vehicle, comprising the device 2 of FIG. 2.

Claims (10)

Communication method for a vehicle, said method comprising a step of transmission (31), by a first vehicle (10) to at least one second vehicle (11, 12), of at least one piece of information representative of activation of a pre-collision system of said first vehicle (10), according to a vehicle-to-everything type communication mode, called V2X, said at least one piece of information representative of activation of said pre-collision system being obtained or corresponding to at least one piece of information belonging to a set of information including:
- Information representative of the opening of the openings;
- information representing the configuration of ground link parameters;
- information representative of the predisposition of the airbags;
- information representative of modification of security parameters. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining, by said first vehicle (10), at least one guidance instruction of said first vehicle (10), said at least one guidance instruction corresponding to:
- a speed increase instruction;
- an emergency start instruction; and or
- a left or right shift instruction. Method according to claim 2, for which said at least one guidance instruction of said first vehicle (10) is determined from at least one item of information representative of an environment of said first vehicle (10), received from at least one sensor on board said first vehicle (10). Method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a step of transmitting, by said first vehicle (10), said at least one piece of information representative of said activation of said rear pre-collision system to at least one server remote (100), according to a wireless connection. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a step of reception (41) by said at least one second vehicle (11, 12) of said at least one piece of information representative of activation of said pre-collision system of said first vehicle (10) according to said vehicle-to-everything communication mode, called V2X. Method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of determining information representative of the speed of said second vehicle (11, 12) in order to avoid any collision following said reception of said at least one information representative of activation of said pre-crash system. Method according to claim 6, for which said information representative of speed is determined from at least one information representative of an environment of said second vehicle (11, 12), received from at least one sensor on board said second vehicle ( 11, 12). Device (2) comprising a memory (21) associated with at least one processor (20) configured for implementing the steps of the method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7. Vehicle (10, 11, 12) comprising the device according to claim 8. Computer program product comprising instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.