JP2007102690A - Travel support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel support system capable of performing prompt communication connection with other vehicle and promptly recognizing other vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The travel support system 1 has a communication center 2 and onboard units 3A, 3B which are mounted on a vehicle, can communicate with the communication center 2 and perform communication between vehicles. A controller 11 of the onboard unit 3A can adjust antenna beam orientation of communication equipment 8, obtains travel information such as the own-vehicle position and a travel state when the own-vehicle enters a specific section. etc., transmits the travel information and a connecting destination of the communication between vehicles of the own-vehicle to the communication center 2, the communication center 2 determines the optimal antenna beam orientation in each vehicle to transmit antenna beam orientation data and a connecting destination of communication between vehicles of other vehicle when the travel information in the specific area is received from the onboard unit 3A and furthermore, the controller 11 adjusts the antenna beam orientation based on the antenna beam orientation data transmitted from the communication center 2 to control communication to other vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support system that includes a communication center and a vehicle-mounted device that is mounted on a vehicle and can communicate with the communication center, and recognizes another vehicle based on communication with the communication center.

Conventionally, as one of the driving assistance systems, there is a collision prevention system for preventing a collision of a vehicle. This collision prevention system includes a communication center and a vehicle-mounted device that is mounted on a vehicle and can communicate with the communication center and can communicate between vehicles, and the other vehicle based on communication with the communication center and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. There is a collision prevention system that prevents a collision with the robot (for example, Patent Document 1).
In the collision prevention system described above, when the host vehicle enters a specific area (such as an intersection), the vehicle-mounted device transmits the travel information such as the host vehicle position and the speed of the host vehicle and the travel direction. When the travel information of the vehicle in the specific area is received, the communication center transmits the travel information of the other vehicle to the vehicle-mounted device of the transmission source vehicle. In the vehicle-mounted device that has received the travel information of the other vehicle, a process for avoiding a collision by performing inter-vehicle communication with the other vehicle is performed.

By the way, in order to avoid a collision, when performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with another vehicle, it is required to achieve a quick communication connection.
In addition, in order to avoid a collision, some have a collision prevention radar. In this case, when traveling information of another vehicle is transmitted from the communication center, the operation of the radar is started to find the target vehicle. However, in this case as well, finding the target vehicle quickly is extremely effective in preventing a collision.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object thereof includes a communication center and an on-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and can communicate with the communication center and can perform inter-vehicle communication. In a driving support system that supports traveling by recognizing other vehicles based on communication with the communication center and the inter-vehicle communication, the vehicle can quickly establish a communication connection with other vehicles and can recognize the other vehicles quickly. A support system is provided, and a second object is to provide a communication center and a vehicle-mounted device that is mounted on a vehicle and can communicate with the communication center, and further includes a radar having an antenna that recognizes another vehicle. Provided is a traveling support system that supports traveling based on communication and recognition of the position of another vehicle by a radar, and is capable of quickly confirming the other vehicle by the radar and quickly recognizing the other vehicle. In the door.

  The invention of claim 1 includes a communication center and a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and capable of communicating with the communication center and capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the other is based on the communication with the communication center and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. A driving support system that recognizes a vehicle and supports driving, wherein the vehicle-mounted device detects own vehicle position, vehicle-to-vehicle communication means having a directional antenna, and control. And an antenna beam adjusting means capable of adjusting the directivity direction of the antenna, and the control means detects that the own vehicle has entered a specific area based on the own vehicle position detecting means. The travel information such as the vehicle position and the travel situation is acquired, and the travel information and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination of the vehicle are transmitted to the communication center. The communication center transmits the travel information in the specific area. The transmission source antenna beam directing direction is determined based on the direction information in each vehicle so as to obtain an optimum propagation path with, for example, another vehicle, and the antenna beam directing direction is determined on the vehicle-mounted device of the transmission source vehicle. Notification means for transmitting direction data and inter-vehicle communication connection destinations of other vehicles, and the control means, via the antenna beam adjustment means, based on the antenna beam directivity direction data transmitted from the communication center The antenna beam directing direction is adjusted, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection destination of the other vehicle is controlled via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the own vehicle enters a specific area such as an intersection without a signal, the traveling information of the own vehicle is transmitted to the communication center, and the communication center is based on the direction information in each vehicle. The antenna beam directing direction of the transmission source is determined so as to obtain, for example, an optimal propagation path with another vehicle, and the antenna beam directivity direction data and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination of the other vehicle are received from the communication center. Since the antenna beam directing direction of the communication means is adjusted so as to be directed to the optimal antenna beam direction, for example, the direction of the other vehicle, the other vehicle can be quickly recognized and the other vehicle can be recognized quickly. In the present invention, the vehicle refers to all movable bodies that can travel.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication center, a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and capable of communicating with the communication center, and a radar having an antenna for recognizing another vehicle. A vehicle driving support system that supports driving based on recognition of the position of another vehicle by the vehicle-mounted device, and the vehicle-mounted device is capable of adjusting the vehicle position detection means for detecting the vehicle position and the antenna beam pointing direction of the radar. An antenna beam adjusting unit and a control unit, and the control unit detects the vehicle position and the traveling situation when the vehicle detects that the vehicle has entered a specific area based on the vehicle position detection unit. Information is acquired, and this travel information data is transmitted to the communication center. When the communication center receives the travel information in the specific area, Notification means for determining the antenna beam directivity direction of the transmission source based on the direction information to be transmitted, and transmitting the antenna beam directivity direction data to the vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle of the transmission source, and the control means further comprises the communication center The antenna beam directivity direction is adjusted via the antenna beam adjustment means based on the antenna beam directivity direction data transmitted from, and the other vehicle recognition by the radar is controlled.

  According to the invention of claim 2, when the own vehicle enters a specific area such as an intersection without a signal, the traveling information of the own vehicle is transmitted to the communication center, and the antenna beam directivity direction data is received from the communication center. Since the antenna beam pointing direction of the radar is adjusted and directed toward the other vehicle, the other vehicle can be recognized quickly.

In this case, the specific area includes an intersection, and the specific area is divided into a first area of the intersection portion, and a second area and a third area in a direction away from the intersection. The control means connects the communication center and the communication when detecting that the vehicle has entered the third area, and when detecting that the vehicle has entered the second area, the control information such as the vehicle position and the driving situation May be transmitted to the communication center, and the antenna beam pointing direction may be adjusted via the antenna beam adjusting means when entering the first area (invention of claim 3).
According to the third aspect of the present invention, predetermined control is sequentially performed at each stage of entering a specific area called an intersection, thereby reliably preventing communication timing delay and antenna beam pointing direction adjustment delay.

  Further, the notification means of the communication center may select and transmit notification contents according to a predetermined situation in addition to transmitting the antenna beam directivity direction data (invention of claim 4). . According to the invention of claim 4, the communication center can notify the optimum notification content selected according to various situations in addition to the antenna beam directivity direction data. For example, in the situation of midnight, the traveling information of all vehicles entering the specific area is transmitted, and when the entering vehicle is traveling abnormally, the traveling information of the vehicle is transmitted and specified according to the operation of the host vehicle. Only the travel information of the vehicle is transmitted (when the host vehicle makes a left turn, travel information data of only the motorcycle is transmitted).

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a driving support system 1. The driving support system 1 includes a communication center 2 and a large number of vehicle-mounted devices (two for convenience) 3A and 3B. The communication center 2 is composed of, for example, a server, which may be provided singly or in a distributed manner. The communication center 2 stores a network communication device 5 that communicates with each of the vehicle-mounted devices 3A and 3B via a network (wide area communication network) 4, a control program, determination criteria for situation determination, or map data. And a control device 7 for controlling communication and data exchange. The control device 7 is a notification means, and includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

  The vehicle-mounted device 3A is mounted on a vehicle, and includes a communication device 8 as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication means, a network communication device 9 that communicates with the communication center 2 via the network 4, a storage device 10 that stores map data and the like. , A control device 11 for controlling communication and data exchange, a position detection device 12 as a vehicle position detection means, for example, a display device 13 comprising an LCD, an audio output device 14 and an operation switch group 15. The communication device 8 includes a Bluetooth (registered trademark), a wireless LAN, and the like, and includes a communication control unit 8a, a plurality of (for example, four) antennas (array antennas) 8b, and an antenna beam pointing direction adjustment unit 8c. It becomes. The communication control unit 8a creates communication data according to a command from the control device 11, transmits the communication data from the antenna 8b via the antenna beam directivity direction adjustment unit 8c, and adjusts the signal received by the antenna 8b to adjust the antenna beam directivity direction. Obtained via the unit 8c, decoded, and transferred to the control device 11. The network 4 includes a cellular phone network.

  The antenna beam directing direction adjusting unit 8 serves as an antenna beam adjusting unit. As shown in FIG. 2, a low noise amplifier 8b1, a power attenuator 8b2, and a phase variable unit 8b3 are provided for each antenna 8b, and a control unit is provided. The antenna beam pointing direction of the transmission / reception system can be adjusted by weighting the transmission signal and the reception signal of the power attenuator 8b2 and the phase variable unit 8b3 by 8b4.

  The storage device 10 is composed of a large-capacity storage device such as a DVD drive or a hard disk drive. In the stored map data, an intersection without a traffic signal is set in advance as a specific zone Z. As shown in FIG. 3, the area of the intersection is set as the first zone Z1 zone, and in the direction away from the intersection, the second zone Z2 zone and the third zone Z3 zone are set. is doing.

The control device 11 is a control means, and includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The position detection device 12 includes a GPS receiver, a gyro, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like, and detects the vehicle position. The operation switch group 15 includes a remote controller (not shown), a touch panel switch on the screen of the display device 13, and the like.
The control device 11, the storage device 10, the position detection device 12, the display device 13, the audio output device 14, and the operation switch group 15 constitute a navigation device 16, and a destination setting operation is performed from the operation switch group 15. Then, the route from the current position to the destination is calculated, the route is set, and route guidance is performed by the display device 13 and the voice output device 14 during traveling. In addition, it is possible to simply display the traveling position of the host vehicle.

The vehicle-mounted device 3B mounted on another vehicle has the same configuration as the vehicle-mounted device 3A.
Now, the control contents of the control device 11 in the vehicle-mounted device 3A and the control device 7 in the communication center 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. At the time of route guidance or when the traveling position of the host vehicle is displayed, the control device 11 performs a control operation as shown in FIG. 4, and the control device 7 performs a control operation as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the control device 11 first detects the vehicle position by the position detection device 12 (step S1), determines whether or not the vehicle has entered the Z3 zone (step S2), and the vehicle enters the Z3 zone. Then, communication is connected to the communication center 2 via the network communication device 9 (step S3), and the connection state is maintained (step S4).

  Thereafter, when the host vehicle enters the Z2 zone (determined in step S5), the travel information of the host vehicle at this time (including host vehicle position information, speed information, movement track information, turn indicator right / left turn information, etc.) ) Is transmitted to the communication center 2 and the traveling information and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination (connection unique ID) of the host vehicle are transmitted (step S6), and information transmission from the communication center 2 is awaited (step S7). .

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 7 of the communication center 2 waits for travel information from the vehicle (step T <b> 1), and when the travel information is received, based on the travel information of each vehicle, Antenna beam directivity direction data necessary for the antenna beam directivity direction is created (step T2). For example, when another vehicle is about to enter or is entering the Z3 zone, an antenna beam directing direction (antenna) that obtains an optimum propagation path and the other vehicle direction for one vehicle and another vehicle. Antenna beam directivity direction data is created. And the notification content notified to each vehicle according to a driving | running | working condition is selected (step T3). This “notification content according to the driving situation” is, for example, (a) to (c). (A) In the situation where the time is late at night, the travel information of all vehicles entering the intersection is used as the notification content. (B) When the traveling state of the approaching vehicle is estimated and an abnormal state (such as wobbling or excessive speed) is estimated, the traveling information of the approaching vehicle is used as the highest priority notification content. (C) When the vehicle turns left, the traveling information of the motorcycle is used as notification content for the vehicle.

After step T3, the created antenna beam directivity direction data, the selected notification content, and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination (specific ID for connection) of the other vehicle are transmitted in step T4. The transmission from the communication center 2 is determined to be received by the vehicle-mounted device 3A at step S7 in FIG.
In step S7, when it is determined that there is information transmission from the communication center 2, the adjustment of the antenna beam directivity direction is on standby based on the antenna beam directivity direction data from the communication center 2 and vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the partner vehicle is performed. Standby is performed (step S8). When the own vehicle enters the Z1 zone (step S9), the antenna beam directivity direction is directed to the optimum directivity direction, for example, the other vehicle (another vehicle) direction via the antenna beam directivity direction adjusting unit 8c, and communication with the other vehicle is performed. Connection is started (step S10). In this case, since the antenna beam directing direction is directed to the target other vehicle direction, communication is quickly connected. In this case, the traveling state of the host vehicle and the traveling state of the other vehicle are communicated with each other.

  Then, in step S11, the opponent vehicle is monitored (the opponent vehicle monitors the own vehicle). For example, when it is predicted that the encounter situation is likely to occur from the running situation of the own vehicle and the running situation of the other vehicle, a braking operation is prompted. Or warn the driver of the vehicle or other vehicles to prevent collisions. When the host vehicle leaves the Z1 zone (when it is determined that the host vehicle does not exist in step S12), the inter-vehicle communication is canceled and the communication with the communication center 2 is canceled.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the own vehicle enters a specific zone Z such as an intersection without a signal, the traveling information of the own vehicle and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination are transmitted to the communication center 2. Receives the travel information of other vehicles, the travel information of other vehicles, and the inter-vehicle communication connection destination, and determines the travel information of other vehicles such as the travel position, travel speed, left / right turn, straight travel, etc. Since the antenna beam directing direction of the communication device 8 is directed to the direction of the other vehicle, a quick communication connection with the other vehicle can be achieved and the other vehicle can be recognized quickly. As a result, collisions in specific areas such as intersections can be prevented.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the specific area includes an intersection, and the specific area Z includes the Z1 zone which is the first area of the intersection portion and the second area in order in a direction away from the intersection. The control device 11 is divided into a Z2 zone and a Z3 zone which is a third zone, and the control device 11 connects communication with the communication center 2 when detecting that the host vehicle has entered the Z1 zone. When it is detected that the vehicle has entered the vehicle, the vehicle information such as the vehicle position and the driving situation and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection destination are transmitted to the communication center 2 and when the vehicle enters the Z3 zone, the antenna beam directing direction adjustment is performed. Since the antenna beam directing direction adjustment is performed via the unit 8b, a predetermined control is sequentially performed at each stage of entering the specific zone Z called an intersection, thereby delaying communication or delaying the communication timing. The Nabimu orientation of the adjustment delay can be reliably prevented.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the control device 7 serving as the notification means of the communication center 2 selects and transmits the notification content according to a predetermined situation in addition to transmitting the antenna beam pointing direction data. Since it did in this way, the communication center 2 can transmit the travel information of the notification content optimal for various situations.

Next, FIGS. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this second embodiment, the on-vehicle device 3A (3B) is replaced with the radar 21 instead of the communication device 8 for inter-vehicle communication. Unlike the first embodiment, the control contents of the control device 11 and the control device 7 are slightly different. Hereinafter, main differences will be described. The radar 21 recognizes other vehicles and includes a control unit 21a, a plurality of antennas (array antennas) 21b, and an antenna beam pointing direction adjustment unit 21c. The antenna beam directivity adjustment unit 21c has the same configuration as the antenna beam directivity adjustment unit 8c in the first embodiment.
The control content of the control device 7 of the communication center 2 in the second embodiment is as shown in FIG. 8, and in this case, the control related to the inter-vehicle communication is changed to the control related to the radar operation. Different. That is, in step V2, antenna beam pointing direction data of the radar 21 is created.

  Further, the control contents of the control device 11 of the vehicle-mounted device 3A in the second embodiment are as shown in FIG. 7, and in this case, the control related to the inter-vehicle communication is changed to the control related to the radar operation. Is different. That is, in step U8, the antenna beam directing direction adjustment of the radar 21 is put on standby and the operation start of the radar 21 is put on standby. In step U10, the antenna beam pointing direction adjustment is executed and the operation of the radar 21 is started. In step U11, another vehicle is recognized based on the radar beam. In this case, since the antenna beam directing direction is directed in the direction of the other vehicle in advance, the other vehicle can be recognized quickly.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, as a means for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a laser light communication system may be used. Further, the antenna beam pointing direction adjustment control may be a method of selecting which of a plurality of directional fixed antennas to be active. Further, the communication between the vehicle-mounted device and the communication center may not be network communication, and for example, a specific wireless communication unit having jurisdiction over only a predetermined region may be used. In this case, the communication control unit is provided for each specific communication region. It is what has been. The communication between the vehicle-mounted device and the communication center may be communication with a roadside device such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). Further, emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles, etc.) may be selected with priority, and the antenna beam may be controlled in the optimum propagation path.

1 is a block diagram of a driving support system showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Block diagram showing antenna beam pointing direction adjustment unit Figure showing the intersection The flowchart which shows the control contents of the control device of onboard equipment Flow chart showing control contents of control device of communication center FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 equivalent Figure equivalent to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a driving support system, 2 is a communication center, 3A and 3B are vehicle-mounted devices, 7 is a control device (notification means), 8 is a communication device (vehicle-to-vehicle communication means), 8b is an antenna, and 8c is an antenna beam pointing. Direction adjustment unit (antenna beam adjustment unit), 11 is a control unit (control unit), 12 is a position detection unit (own vehicle position detection unit), 21 is a radar, 21b is an antenna, 21c is an antenna beam pointing direction adjustment unit (antenna) Beam adjusting means).

Claims (4)

A communication center and a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle and capable of communicating with the communication center and capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and traveling by recognizing other vehicles based on the communication with the communication center and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. A driving support system for supporting,
The vehicle-mounted device includes a vehicle position detection unit that detects a vehicle position, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit that includes a directional antenna, a control unit, and an antenna that can adjust the direction of the antenna. With beam adjusting means,
The control means acquires traveling information such as the own vehicle position and traveling condition when detecting that the own vehicle has entered a specific area based on the own vehicle position detecting means. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection destination is configured to transmit to the communication center,
When the communication center receives the traveling information in the specific area, the communication center determines the antenna beam directing direction of the transmission source based on the direction information in each vehicle, and sends the antenna beam directing direction to the vehicle-mounted device of the transmission source vehicle. A notification means for transmitting data and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection destination of another vehicle;
Further, the control means adjusts the antenna beam directivity direction via the antenna beam adjustment means based on the antenna beam directivity direction data transmitted from the communication center, and the other vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication means. A driving support system having a configuration for controlling inter-vehicle communication to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection destination. A communication center and a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle and capable of communicating with the communication center, and a radar having an antenna for recognizing another vehicle are provided, and the vehicle travels based on communication with the communication center and recognition of the position of the other vehicle by the radar. A driving support system that supports
The vehicle-mounted device includes own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the own vehicle position, antenna beam adjusting means capable of adjusting the antenna beam directing direction of the radar, and control means.
The control means acquires travel information such as the vehicle position and travel status when detecting that the vehicle has entered a specific area based on the vehicle position detection means, and transmits the travel information data to the communication It is configured to send to the center,
When the communication center receives the traveling information in the specific area, the communication center determines the antenna beam directing direction of the transmission source based on the direction information in each vehicle, and sends the antenna beam directing direction to the vehicle-mounted device of the transmission source vehicle. A notification means for transmitting data;
Further, the control means adjusts the antenna beam directivity direction via the antenna beam adjustment means based on the antenna beam directivity direction data transmitted from the communication center, and controls other vehicle recognition by the radar. A driving support system characterized by being. In the driving support system according to claim 1 or 2,
The specific area includes an intersection, and the specific area is divided into a first area of the intersection part, and a second area and a third area in a direction away from the intersection,
The control means connects the communication center with the communication when detecting that the vehicle has entered the third area, and travels such as the vehicle position and the driving situation when detecting that the vehicle has entered the second area. A travel support system characterized in that when transmitting information to the communication center and entering the first area, the antenna beam pointing direction is adjusted via the antenna beam adjusting means. In the driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In addition to transmitting antenna beam directivity direction data, the communication center notification means selects and transmits notification contents according to a predetermined situation, and a driving support system.

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