JP2011254300A - Communication system and communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system and a communication device whose adjustment work do not affect a traffic flow by automatically adjusting direction of an antenna used in a road traffic information system and not performing adjustment work manually by use of equipment such as a bucket vehicle.SOLUTION: A communication system 1 comprises a communication station 10A which is placed on the road and includes an antenna 11A; and a communication station 10B which is placed on the road and includes an antenna 11B, and communicates a radio signal regarding traffic information between the antenna 11A and the antenna 11B. The communication station 10A comprises a determination unit 13a which determines whether communication quality of a radio signal received from the communication station 10B meets a prescribed condition; and a direction adjustment unit 15A which adjusts the direction of the antenna 11A so that the communication quality will meet the prescribed condition if the communication quality has not met the prescribed condition as a result of decision of the determination unit 13A.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication device used for communication between traffic facilities included in a road traffic information system.

  Due to the development of network technology in recent years, traffic information from road traffic conditions such as road traffic information systems is obtained, traffic congestion information etc. is provided based on the traffic information and traffic control is used. Technology to improve the efficiency of the situation has been developed.

  In these road traffic information systems, in order to acquire traffic information, control traffic lights, etc., it is necessary to provide traffic facilities on roads in various places and connect the respective traffic facilities via a network. When a wired network is used for these traffic system networks, it is necessary to perform a construction for connecting the traffic facilities installed on each road with a wired wiring. However, such a construction requires enormous costs. Thus, a wireless network may be used in a road traffic information system network.

  The communication system described in Patent Literature 1 below acquires the communication quality of the wireless communication path between the wireless communication antennas in the wireless communication between the traffic facilities, and assigns a priority to the plurality of wireless communication paths based on the communication quality. Put on. The risk of communication failure is reduced by selecting a communication path to be used from a plurality of wireless communication paths based on the priority order of the wireless communication paths.

JP 2008-205765 A

  The communication system of Patent Document 1 described above reduces the risk of communication failure by selecting and using a wireless communication path with relatively good communication quality from a plurality of wireless communication paths. When the quality deteriorates, there is a problem that a communication failure occurs. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that does not degrade the communication quality itself in wireless communication.

  In road equipment that performs wireless communication of road traffic information systems, communication devices are often installed outdoors on the road, and the direction of the antenna used for wireless communication is shifted due to external factors such as road vibration and wind and rain. As a result, communication quality may deteriorate. In addition, the environment in which the road traffic information system performs wireless communication is on a general road, and the path of a radio wave may change from time to time depending on the situation of a roadside tree or a traveling vehicle. Therefore, the communication quality of the wireless communication may deteriorate unless the antenna orientation is adjusted according to the change in the path of the radio wave.

  In many cases, these communication devices are installed on a pillar (or an arm extending from the pillar) installed on the road. However, at present, the antenna direction adjustment for preventing deterioration of communication quality is performed manually by an operator. It is done in This manual adjustment of the antenna direction by the worker is not easy because it is a high-place work using a bucket car or the like. In particular, at the time of initial installation of the antenna, it is necessary to adjust both the antenna on the master station side and the antenna on the slave station side, but adjustment using two bucket cars tends to be avoided from the cost side. In order to perform adjustment with one unit, it takes a lot of time because a plurality of antennas must be adjusted with one vehicle.

  Moreover, when adjusting the antenna using a bucket car, it becomes an operation | work which stops a bucket car on a road, and it is necessary to regulate the traffic of a road. However, if the traffic is regulated by adjusting work during the daytime when the traffic is relatively high, the traffic flow will be greatly affected. If traffic is regulated especially on routes with heavy traffic, it may cause traffic congestion. was there. On the other hand, when adjustment work is performed at night when the traffic volume is relatively low, manual adjustment of the antenna direction is performed visually and is not suitable for night work. There was a problem that time-consuming work was required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by automatically adjusting the direction of the antenna used in the road traffic information system, it is not necessary to perform manual adjustment work using a bucket car or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system and a communication device that do not affect traffic flow due to work.

  A communication system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna, and a second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna, A communication system for performing communication of radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the first communication device has a communication quality of a radio signal received from the second communication device. A determination unit that determines whether or not the condition is satisfied; and, as a result of determination by the determination unit, the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition. And a first direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the first antenna faces.

  According to the communication system according to the first aspect, the determination unit determines whether or not the communication quality of the radio signal transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device satisfies a predetermined condition. . Then, when it is determined by the determination that the communication quality of the radio signal transmitted from the second communication device to the first communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the first direction adjustment unit The direction in which the first antenna of one communication device faces is adjusted to a direction in which the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition. Therefore, even if the communication quality of the communication performed by the first communication device and the second communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition due to the orientation of the first antenna being deviated due to external factors such as traffic vibration or wind and rain, Since the one-direction adjusting means automatically adjusts the direction in which the first antenna is facing so that the communication quality when the first communication device receives a radio signal satisfies the predetermined condition, the first communication device and the second communication device It is possible to prevent the communication quality of the communication to be performed from deteriorating. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform manual adjustment work on the antenna, manual work using a bucket car and the traffic control associated therewith are unnecessary, and it is possible to avoid the adjustment work from affecting the traffic flow. Become.

  A communication system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna, and a second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna, A communication system for performing communication of radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the second communication device is information on communication quality of a radio signal received from the first communication device. Is notified to the first communication device, and the first communication device determines whether the communication quality notified by the notification device satisfies a predetermined condition. And a first direction for adjusting a direction in which the first antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determination unit Key And having a means.

  According to the communication system according to the second aspect, the notifying means of the second communication device gives the communication quality of the radio signal transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device to the first communication device. Notice. The determination unit of the first communication device determines whether or not the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition. When the determination by the determination unit determines that the communication quality of the radio signal transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the first direction adjustment unit The direction in which the first antenna of the first communication device faces is adjusted so that the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition. Therefore, even if the communication quality of communication performed by the first communication device and the second communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition due to the orientation of the first antenna being shifted due to external factors such as traffic vibration and wind and rain, the first antenna The first communication device and the second communication device are configured such that the direction adjustment means automatically adjusts the direction in which the first antenna is directed so that the communication quality when the first communication device transmits a radio signal satisfies a predetermined condition. It is possible to prevent the communication quality of the communication to be performed from deteriorating. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform manual adjustment work on the antenna, manual work using a bucket car and the traffic control associated therewith are unnecessary, and it is possible to avoid the adjustment work from affecting the traffic flow. Become.

  The communication system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the communication system according to the first or second aspect, particularly when the direction of the first antenna is changed. 1st communication apparatus side notification means which notifies the information that the direction which 1 antenna faces is changed to the said 2nd communication apparatus, The said 2nd communication apparatus is the said 1st communication apparatus side notification If the communication quality of the radio signal received from the first communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition when the notification that the direction in which the first antenna is directed is changed by the means is received, the communication quality is It further has a second direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the second antenna faces so as to satisfy the predetermined condition.

  According to the communication system according to the third aspect, when the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device is changed, the first communication device-side notifying unit has changed that the direction of the first antenna is changed. Is notified to the second communication device. The second communication device that has received this notification uses the second direction adjustment means when the communication quality of the communication signal transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition, The direction in which the second antenna of the second communication device faces is adjusted so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition. Therefore, even if the direction in which the first antenna faces is changed and the radio wave state of the wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device changes, the second communication device receives the radio signal in the direction in which the second antenna faces. It is possible to prevent the communication quality of the wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device from being deteriorated by automatically adjusting the communication quality at that time so as to satisfy a predetermined condition. When the direction adjustment of the second antenna is performed, the direction adjustment of the first antenna is also performed, and the directions of the antennas on both the transmission side and the reception side are adjusted. The communication quality of wireless communication with the device can be adjusted to a high quality.

  The communication system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the communication system according to the first or second aspect, in particular, the first communication device includes information including communication quality of a radio signal received from the second communication device. And notification of information indicating that the direction of the first antenna is changed when the direction of the first antenna is changed is notified to the second communication device. And when the second communication device receives a notification that the direction of the first antenna is changed by the first communication device-side notification device, the first communication device-side notification device. A second direction adjusting unit that adjusts a direction in which the second antenna is directed so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality notified from the terminal does not satisfy the predetermined condition; Special It is set to.

  According to the communication system according to the fourth aspect, the first communication device-side notification means of the first communication device notifies the second communication device of information on the communication quality of the radio signal received from the second communication device. . In addition, when the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device is changed, the first communication device-side notification unit notifies the second communication device of information indicating that the direction of the first antenna is changed. Notice. The second communication device that has received the notification that the direction of the first antenna has been changed uses the second direction adjustment means to determine the communication quality of the wireless communication received by the first communication device from the second communication device. The direction in which the second antenna of the second communication device faces is adjusted so as to satisfy the above condition. Therefore, even if the direction in which the first antenna faces is changed and the radio wave state of the wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device changes, the first communication device receives the radio signal in the direction in which the second antenna faces. It is possible to prevent the communication quality of the wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device from being deteriorated by automatically adjusting the communication quality at that time so as to satisfy a predetermined condition. When the direction adjustment of the second antenna is performed, the direction adjustment of the first antenna is also performed, so the directions of the antennas on both the transmission side and the reception side are adjusted. The communication quality of wireless communication with the communication device can be adjusted to a high quality.

  The communication system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the communication system according to the third or fourth aspect, a plurality of the second communication devices are provided.

  According to the communication system according to the fifth aspect, the determination unit included in the first communication device determines whether or not the communication quality of the wireless communication with the plurality of second communication devices satisfies a predetermined condition. . In the determination by the determination unit, when there is a second communication device whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the first direction adjustment unit determines that the communication quality of communication performed by the first communication device and the second communication device is high. The direction in which the first antenna faces is adjusted to a direction that satisfies a predetermined condition. Then, when the first antenna is adjusted, the first communication device-side communication unit notifies each of the plurality of second communication devices that the first antenna has been adjusted. The second communication device that has received this notification communicates the communication quality of the wireless communication between the first communication device and the second communication device (communication quality when receiving the second communication device or communication quality when transmitting the second communication device). Adjusts the direction in which the second antenna faces to satisfy a predetermined condition. Therefore, when the communication quality of the wireless communication performed by the first communication device and the second communication device deteriorates, first, the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device is adjusted, and then the plurality of second communication devices are adjusted. Since the direction in which the second antenna is directed is adjusted, it is possible to prevent the communication quality of wireless communication between the first communication device and the plurality of second communication devices from deteriorating. In addition, since the order in which the direction of the antenna is adjusted is determined so as to adjust the second antenna of the second communication device after adjusting the first antenna of the first communication device, the second communication device has a second After adjusting the direction of the antenna, the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device that communicates with the plurality of second communication devices is changed, and the communication state with the second communication device that has already been adjusted It is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation that the communication quality deteriorates due to the change of the communication quality, and to make the adjustment procedure more efficient.

  A communication system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna, and a second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna, A communication system that performs communication of radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the second communication device includes a plurality of second communication devices, and the first communication device includes the plurality of second communication devices. Determining means for determining whether or not the communication quality of each radio signal received from the device satisfies a first predetermined condition, and as a result of the determination in the determining means, all of the communication quality is the first A first direction adjusting unit that adjusts a direction in which the first antenna is directed so that the communication quality satisfies the first predetermined condition when the predetermined condition is not satisfied; Communication A notification means for performing a predetermined notification to a second communication device whose communication quality does not satisfy the first predetermined condition when any of the qualities does not satisfy the first predetermined condition; Each of the plurality of second communication devices has a direction in which the second antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the second predetermined condition when the predetermined notification is received from the notification unit. It has the 2nd direction adjustment means to adjust, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The predetermined notification performed by the notification unit included in the communication system according to the sixth aspect of the present invention includes a notification that the second antenna should be adjusted, and communication quality information of wireless communication performed by the second communication device. The notification may be included.

  According to the communication system according to the sixth aspect, the determination means of the first communication device is configured such that the communication quality of each radio signal received by the first communication device from the plurality of second communication devices is the first predetermined condition. It is determined whether or not If the communication results of the radio signals received by the first communication device from the plurality of second communication devices all do not satisfy the first predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determination device, the first direction adjustment device The direction in which the first antenna faces is adjusted so that the communication qualities of the radio signals received by the first communication device from the plurality of second communication devices satisfy the first predetermined condition. Further, when any of the communication qualities of the radio signals received by the first communication device from the plurality of second communication devices does not satisfy the first predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determination device, the notification device A predetermined notification is given to the second communication device whose communication quality does not satisfy the first predetermined condition. The second direction adjustment means of the second communication device that has received the notification by the notification means ensures that the communication quality of each radio signal received by the second communication device from the first communication device satisfies the second predetermined condition. Adjust the direction of the second antenna. Accordingly, all the wireless signals transmitted from the plurality of second communication devices to the first communication device are caused by the orientation of the first antenna of the first communication device being shifted due to external factors such as traffic vibration and wind and rain. Wireless communication between the first communication device and the plurality of second communication devices by adjusting the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device when the communication quality of the first communication device does not satisfy the first predetermined condition. It is possible to prevent degradation of communication quality. On the other hand, the communication quality between the first communication device and any one of the plurality of second communication devices can be improved by shifting the direction of the second antenna of any second communication device. When the predetermined condition is no longer met, the communication quality with the second communication device in which the communication quality of the wireless communication with the first communication device satisfies the predetermined condition is adjusted by adjusting the direction of the first antenna of the first communication device. May deteriorate and the predetermined conditions may not be satisfied. Therefore, in this case, by adjusting only the direction of the second antenna of the second communication device in which the wireless communication with the first communication device does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the wireless communication with which the communication quality has not deteriorated is adjusted. While maintaining the communication quality, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the communication quality of the wireless communication between the second communication device and the first communication device in which the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition.

  The communication system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the communication system according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, and in particular, the first direction adjusting means or the second direction adjusting means faces the antenna. A coarse adjustment unit that performs a relatively rough adjustment of the direction; and a fine adjustment unit that performs a relatively fine adjustment in a direction in which the antenna faces after the coarse adjustment unit performs the adjustment. Yes.

  According to the communication system according to the seventh aspect, when adjusting the direction in which the antenna faces, after the coarse adjustment means adjusts the direction in which the antenna faces relatively roughly, the fine adjustment means further Since the direction in which the antenna is directed is adjusted relatively finely, it is possible to adjust the direction in which the antenna is directed to an appropriate direction more precisely than in the case of performing the adjustment only once. In addition, since rough adjustment is completed first, it is possible to stabilize the communication state of wireless communication performed during the adjustment by rough adjustment, and to easily maintain the communication during the adjustment.

  A communication device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a communication device that is installed on a road and performs communication of radio signals related to traffic information with other communication devices, the antenna used for the communication, and the other communication Determining means for determining whether or not the communication quality of the radio signal received from the device satisfies a predetermined condition; and as a result of determination in the determining means, when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, Direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the antenna faces so that communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition.

  According to the communication apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the determination means determines whether or not the communication quality when receiving the radio signal transmitted by another communication apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition. Then, when it is determined by the determination that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the direction adjustment unit adjusts the direction in which the antenna faces to a direction in which the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition. Therefore, even if the direction of the antenna shifts due to external factors such as traffic vibration or wind and rain, and the communication quality of wireless communication does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the direction adjustment means determines the direction in which the antenna is facing. Is automatically adjusted to satisfy a predetermined condition, it is possible to prevent the communication quality from deteriorating. Therefore, since it is not necessary to manually perform adjustment work on the antenna, it is not necessary to perform manual work using a bucket car or the like, and it is possible to provide a communication device that does not require traffic regulation by the adjustment work.

  A communication device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a communication device that is installed on a road and performs communication of radio signals related to traffic information with another communication device, the antenna used for the communication, and the other communication Determining means for receiving communication quality information of a radio signal received from the communication apparatus by the apparatus from the other communication apparatus, and determining whether the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition; As a result, when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, there is provided direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition. .

  According to the communication apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the determination unit receives the communication quality information of the wireless communication transmitted from the communication apparatus and received by the other communication apparatus from the other communication apparatus, and the communication quality is It is determined whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. When the determination by the determination unit determines that the communication quality of a radio signal transmitted from the communication device to another communication device does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the direction adjustment unit Is adjusted so that the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition. Therefore, even if the communication quality of communication performed with other communication devices does not satisfy the predetermined condition due to the orientation of the antenna deviating due to external factors such as traffic vibration or wind and rain, the direction adjustment means determines the direction in which the antenna is facing. By automatically adjusting the communication quality so as to satisfy a predetermined condition, it is possible to prevent the communication quality of communication performed with other communication devices from deteriorating. Therefore, since it is not necessary to manually perform adjustment work on the antenna, it is not necessary to perform manual work using a bucket car or the like, and it is possible to provide a communication device that does not require traffic regulation by the adjustment work.

  According to the present invention, by automatically adjusting the direction of the antenna used in the road traffic information system, it is not necessary to perform manual adjustment work using a bucket car or the like, and communication that does not affect traffic flow due to the adjustment work A system and a communication device can be provided.

It is the figure which represented typically the installation condition of the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the communication system in case a communication station performs radio | wireless communication one to one. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a communication station roughly. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of operation. It is the figure which showed roughly the format of the communication frame in the radio | wireless communication of a communication system. It is the figure which showed schematically the format of the communication frame provided with a test slot. It is the figure which showed typically the structure of an antenna and a direction adjustment part. It is an example of the direction of the antenna which performs test measurement, and its measurement order. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of installation. It is an example of the format of the communication frame in the radio | wireless communication which a communication system performs in the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of installation. It is an example of a format of a communication frame in test communication from a slave station to a master station. It is an example of a format of a communication frame in test communication from a master station to a slave station. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of the antenna direction adjustment process in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of the antenna direction adjustment process in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the element which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in different drawing shall show the same or corresponding element.

<Embodiment 1>
The communication system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is a system that is used in a road traffic information system that handles road traffic information, and in which communication devices communicate with each other by wireless communication. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an installation state of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 1 is connected to a wireless LAN device 20 (reference numerals 20A and 20B in FIG. 1) which is a road facility terminal installed on a road, and uses an antenna 11 (reference numerals 11A and 11B in FIG. 1). A plurality of communication stations 10 (reference numerals 10A and 10B in FIG. 1), which are communication devices that transmit and receive radio waves used for wireless communication, are provided. The plurality of communication stations 10 form a network of a road traffic information system by performing wireless communication with each other.

  In a road traffic information system in which the communication system 1 is used, information on road conditions is collected by a device such as a sensor 30 (reference numerals 30A and 30B in FIG. 1). Then, the communication station 10 performs wireless communication with each other and relays the communication, thereby transmitting the information to a central information center that performs central information processing of road traffic information. In addition, information transmitted from the central information center or the like to the terminals of each road facility is transmitted to the terminals of each road facility by the communication station 10 performing wireless communication with each other and relaying communication. In the embodiment of the present invention, a communication station 10 on the central information center side of a communication station 10 that communicates with each other serves as a communication station on the main side (master station), and a communication station 10 on the end side serves as a communication station on the slave side This is called a slave station.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the communication system 1 when the communication station 10 performs one-to-one wireless communication. The communication system 1 includes a communication station 10A and a communication station 10B, and performs wireless communication with each other using a radio signal R1 (main-side transmission signal) and a radio signal R2 (main-side reception signal). In FIG. 2, the communication station 10A is a main communication station, and the communication station 10B is a slave communication station.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the communication station 10. The communication station 10 includes an antenna 11, a transmission / reception unit 12, a determination unit 13 that is a determination unit, a control unit 14, a direction adjustment unit 15 that is a direction adjustment unit, and a notification unit 19 that is a notification unit. The direction adjustment unit 15 includes a coarse direction adjustment unit 16 that is a coarse direction adjustment unit, a fine direction adjustment unit 17 that is a fine direction adjustment unit, and a drive unit 18. Furthermore, the connection relationship of each component block of the communication system 1 will be described. A radio signal transmitted / received by the antenna 11 is input / output to / from the transmitting / receiving unit 12. An output from the transmission / reception unit 12 is input to the determination unit 13 and the control unit 14. The output of the determination unit 13 is input to the control unit 14 and the notification unit 19. The output of the control unit 14 is input to the coarse direction adjustment unit 16 and the fine direction adjustment unit 17. The output of the coarse direction adjustment unit 16 is input to the drive unit 18. The output of the narrow direction adjustment unit 17 is input to the drive unit 18. The drive unit 18 is a power unit that changes the direction in which the antenna 11 is facing. Note that the configuration and connection relationship of the communication station 10 shown in FIG. 3 are the same and have the same configuration and connection relationship in the communication station 10A and the communication station 10B. Therefore, the communication station 10A includes the antenna 11A, the transmission / reception unit 12A, the determination unit 13A, the control unit 14A, the direction adjustment unit 15A, and the notification unit 19A. The direction adjustment unit 15A includes the coarse direction adjustment unit 16A and the fine direction adjustment. It has a part 17A and a drive part 18A. The communication station 10B includes an antenna 11B, a transmission / reception unit 12B, a determination unit 13B, a control unit 14B, a direction adjustment unit 15B, and a notification unit 19B. The direction adjustment unit 15B includes a coarse direction adjustment unit 16B and a fine direction adjustment unit 17B. And a drive unit 18B.

  When the wireless communication performed by the communication system 1 is in an operating state, wireless communication is performed by the wireless signal R1 transmitted by the communication station 10A and the wireless signal R2 transmitted by the communication station 10B, and the transmission / reception unit 12A of the communication station 10A. And the transmitting / receiving unit 12B of the communication station 10B transmit / receive data to / from each other. However, since the communication station 10 according to the communication system 1 of the present invention is installed outdoors on the road, the direction in which the antenna 11 faces may change due to external factors such as road vibration and wind and rain. When the direction in which the antenna 11 faces changes, the radio wave reception state changes, and the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation deteriorates. Therefore, in order to prevent the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation from being deteriorated, the communication system 1 performs an antenna direction adjustment process during operation. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the antenna direction adjustment processing during operation. The operation of the antenna direction adjustment process during operation performed by the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step SP100, the transmission / reception unit 12A of the communication station 10A performs reception processing of wireless communication when the wireless signal R2 received by the antenna 11A is input in wireless communication in operation. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12A measures the communication quality at the time of reception in the reception process, and outputs the measurement result including the communication quality information of the wireless communication being operated to the determination unit 13A as the quality information S1. . The determination unit 13A to which the quality information S1 is input determines whether or not the communication quality at the time of reception of wireless communication performed by the communication station 10A satisfies a predetermined standard.

  The communication quality used for determination by the determination unit 13 may be a reception level of a radio signal received by the antenna 11. When the reception level is used for determination performed by the determination unit 13, when the reception level of the radio signal does not satisfy a predetermined condition in a predetermined period (for example, when the average value of reception levels for five minutes is −70 dBm or less) It may be determined that the communication quality has deteriorated.

Further, the communication quality used by the determination unit 13 for determination may be a communication error rate of the communication. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a format of a communication frame in the wireless communication of the communication system 1. In the wireless communication performed in the communication system 1, a plurality of slots are provided in a communication frame, and a maintenance slot (in FIG. 5, a transmission side) transmits and receives information for specifying a wireless communication protocol and synchronizing communication. The maintenance slot is indicated as “maintenance S”, the maintenance slot on the receiving side is indicated as “maintenance R”), and the data slot for transmitting and receiving data communicated by wireless communication operation (in FIG. Communication is performed by “data S” as a slot and “data R” as a data slot on the receiving side. Even when data is communicated by wireless communication during operation, there are empty slots (slots 4 to 9 in FIG. 5) in the communication frame. Therefore, the communication error rate of the communication may be measured by using the empty slot as a test slot for transmitting / receiving test data for measuring the communication error rate. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a format of a communication frame including a test slot. In FIG. 6, the test slot on the transmission side is “test S” and the test slot on the reception side is “test R”. By transmitting and receiving test data using these test slots, it is possible to measure the communication error rate of wireless communication. Then, when the communication error rate in the predetermined period does not satisfy the predetermined condition (for example, when the average of the bit error rate for 5 minutes is 1 × 10 ⁻³ or more), it is determined that the communication quality has deteriorated. Good.

  Referring to FIG. 4, in step SP100, determination unit 13A determines that the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation has deteriorated (that is, the determination result in step SP100 is “YES”). ), The determination unit 13A outputs the determination information S2 and the determination information S8 including information indicating that the communication quality has deteriorated toward the control unit 14A and the notification unit 19A. Then, the communication station 10A performs an operation of step SP110 described later. On the other hand, when the determination unit 13A determines that the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation has not deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP100 is “NO”), the communication system 1 It is not necessary to adjust the direction of the antenna 11A, and the antenna direction adjustment process during operation ends.

  When the determination result in step SP100 is “YES” and the determination unit 13A determines that the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation has deteriorated, in step SP110, the notification unit 19A displays the determination information S8. Based on this, notification information S9 for starting adjustment of the antenna direction is output to the transmitting / receiving unit 12A. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12A transmits the input notification information to the communication station 10B using the antenna 11A. The transmission / reception unit 12B of the communication station 10B that has received the notification information using the antenna 11B transmits a response signal indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11A is performed to the communication station 10A. Transmission and reception of the notification information and the reply signal performed at this time may be performed by wireless communication using the maintenance slot shown in FIG. Then, the communication station 10B switches the operation mode from “operation mode” to “operation adjustment mode”. Here, the “operation mode” is a mode in which the communication station 10 of the communication system 1 performs wireless communication in order to transmit and receive data in normal operation. This is a mode in which the communication stations 10 adjust the direction in which the antennas face while transmitting and receiving data.

  Next, referring to FIG. 4, when there is a reply from communication station 10B in step SP120 (that is, when the determination result in step SP120 is “YES”), communication station 10A changes the operation mode to “ Switching from “operation mode” to “operation adjustment mode”, the transmission / reception unit 12A outputs reception information S10 including information indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11A is ready to the control unit 14A. And the communication system 1 performs operation | movement of below-mentioned step SP130. On the other hand, when there is no reply from the communication station 10B (that is, when the determination result at step SP120 is “NO”), the communication system 1 returns to the operation at step SP110 described above, and there is a reply from the communication station 10B. Until step SP110 and step SP120 are repeated. Here, when there is no reply from the communication station 10B for a predetermined time, the communication station 10A indicates communication error information indicating that communication with the communication station 10B cannot be performed, and road traffic information in which the communication system 1 is used. You may notify with respect to the management apparatus of the central management center of a system.

  If the determination result in step SP120 is “YES” and there is a reply from the communication station 10B, in step SP130, the control unit 14A controls the narrow direction adjustment unit 17A to adjust the antenna direction in the operating state. For this, a control signal S6 including control information for adjusting the antenna direction in the operating state is output. The narrow direction adjustment unit 17A that has received the input of the control signal S6 performs test measurement of communication quality in order to search for an antenna direction suitable for wireless communication.

  Next, test measurement performed by the communication station 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the antenna 11 and the direction adjustment unit 15. The antenna 11 is installed on the direction adjustment unit 15, and the drive unit 18 of the direction adjustment unit 15 performs a vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the road surface) and a horizontal direction (a direction horizontal to the road surface) of the antenna 11. ) Can be adjusted by changing the angle. In the communication quality test measurement at step SP130, the narrow direction adjustment unit 17A outputs an angle control signal S7 to the drive unit 18A so as to change the angle of the antenna in order. Then, at each antenna angle, the transmission / reception unit 12A performs communication using the test slot shown in FIG. 6, and sequentially measures communication quality in each antenna direction (for example, average reception level for one minute, communication error rate, etc.). To go.

  FIG. 8 is an example of the direction of the antenna for performing test measurement and the order of measurement. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the antenna angle change in the test measurement is performed by setting the antenna direction at the time when the test measurement is started as the reference direction P0, the direction P1 moved 5 degrees in the horizontal right direction, and the vertical direction. Direction P2 moved 5 degrees upward, direction P3 further moved 5 degrees horizontally left, direction P4 further moved 5 degrees horizontally left, direction P5 further moved 5 degrees vertically downward, and further vertically downward Alternatively, the direction may be changed in the order of the direction P6 moved 5 degrees, the direction P7 moved further 5 degrees in the horizontal right direction, and the direction P8 moved further 5 degrees in the horizontal right direction. That is, the test measurement may be performed in nine antenna directions from the direction P0 to the direction P8.

  In the measurement of the communication quality in the test measurement, not only the communication quality at the time of reception of the communication transmitted from the communication station 10B as the slave station to the communication station 10A as the master station but also the slave station from the communication station 10A as the master station. You may measure the communication quality at the time of transmission of the communication transmitted to the communication station 10B. In this case, the communication quality of the radio signal R1 transmitted by the antenna 11A of the communication station 10A and received by the antenna 11B of the communication station 10B is measured simultaneously with the measurement of the communication quality in the above-described test measurement (that is, P0 to P0 in FIG. 8). In the antenna direction of P8), the transmission / reception unit 12B measures. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 12B transmits the communication quality to the communication station 10A using a maintenance slot for wireless communication. The transmission / reception unit 12A, to which the wireless signal including the transmission communication quality measured by the transmission / reception unit 12B is input, is determined as the quality information S1 including the communication quality information in the test measurement together with the reception communication quality measured by itself. Output toward the unit 13A.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, in step SP140, determination unit 13A determines, based on the input quality information S1, in at least one direction among the communication qualities in each direction of antenna 11A that performed the test measurement. Then, it is determined whether the communication quality at the time of transmission or the communication quality at the time of reception satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, the average reception level is −70 dBm or higher, the average error bit rate is 1 × 10 ⁻³ or lower, etc.). In this determination, when the transmission communication quality and the reception communication quality satisfy predetermined conditions in at least one of the directions of the antennas 11A on which the test measurement has been performed (that is, the determination result in step SP140 is In the case of “YES”), the determination unit 13A includes information on the antenna direction in which the communication quality at the time of transmission and the communication quality at the time of reception satisfy a predetermined condition among the directions of the antenna 11A on which the test measurement has been performed, and the antenna Determination information S2 including communication quality information in each direction is output to control unit 14A. On the other hand, when the communication quality at the time of transmission or the communication quality at the time of reception does not satisfy the predetermined condition in all the directions of the antenna 11A for which the test measurement has been performed (that is, when the determination result in step SP140 is “NO”) ), The determination unit 13A outputs determination information S8 including information indicating that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, toward the notification unit 19A.

  When the determination result in step SP140 is “YES” and the communication quality at the time of transmission and the communication quality at the time of reception satisfy predetermined conditions in at least one of the directions of the antennas 11A on which the test measurement has been performed In step SP150, based on the input determination information S2, the control unit 14A selects the optimum direction (for example, the reception communication quality among the directions in which the transmission communication quality and the reception communication quality satisfy predetermined conditions). Alternatively, the communication quality during transmission, or the antenna direction in which the average is the best) is selected, and a control signal S6 including angle information regarding the optimum direction is output to the fine direction adjustment unit 17A. Then, the narrow direction adjustment unit 17A causes the drive unit 18A to change the direction in which the antenna 11A faces to the optimal direction based on the input angle information.

  Next, in step SP160, the notification unit 19A outputs notification information S9 indicating that the adjustment in the direction in which the antenna 11A is facing has been completed to the transmission / reception unit 12A. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12A transmits the notification information to the communication station 10B using the antenna 11A, and the communication station 10B receives the notification that the adjustment of the direction in which the antenna 11A faces is finished. Switch the operation mode to “operation mode”. Further, the communication station 10A also switches the operation mode to the “operation mode”, ends the antenna direction adjustment process during operation, and returns to the operation state of wireless communication.

  In addition, the determination result in step SP140 is “NO”, and the communication quality at the time of transmission or the communication quality at the time of reception did not satisfy the predetermined condition at all angles in the respective directions of the antenna 11A where the test measurement was performed. In this case, in step SP170, the notification unit 19A has communication quality deteriorated with respect to the management device of the central management center of the road traffic information system in which the communication system 1 is used, based on the input determination information S8. You may notify that. Then, the communication system 1 ends the operation antenna direction adjustment process. Note that the notification in step SP170 may be via the wired network when the communication station 10A is connected to the wired network.

  As described above, the communication system 1 performs the antenna direction adjustment process during operation. The antenna direction adjustment process during operation is performed periodically or at any time when the communication system 1 is in an operating state, and communication quality of the communication system 1 (communication quality during reception and communication during transmission by the communication station 10A). The direction in which the antenna 11A faces is adjusted so that (quality) does not deteriorate. In addition, although the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of operation for the antenna 11A of the communication station 10A has been described as an example, the communication station 10B having the same configuration as the communication station 10A can perform the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of operation. By adjusting the direction in which the antenna 11B faces, it is possible to prevent deterioration in communication quality of wireless communication that is in operation.

  Further, the antenna direction adjustment function of the communication system 1 is not only during the operation of wireless communication, but also the initial setting of the antenna direction when the communication station 10 is installed, or the resetting of the antenna direction during maintenance of the communication station 10 It can also be used in this case. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of installation antenna direction adjustment processing performed when the communication station 10 is installed. The operation of the installation antenna direction adjustment process performed by the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step SP200, the notification unit 19A of the communication station 10A as the main station outputs information indicating that adjustment of the antenna direction at the time of installation is started as notification information S9 to the transmission / reception unit 12A. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12A transmits the input notification information to the communication station 10B using the antenna 11A. The transmission / reception unit 12B of the communication station 10B that has received the notification information using the antenna 11B transmits a reply signal indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11A and the antenna 11B is performed to the communication station 10A. At this time, the communication station 10B sets the operation mode to “setting mode”. The “setting mode” referred to here is a mode in which the communication station 10 of the communication system 1 adjusts the direction in which the antenna faces when the communication station 10 is newly installed.

  Next, in step SP210, when there is a reply from the communication station 10B (that is, when the determination result in step SP210 is “YES”), the communication station 10A sets the operation mode to “setting mode”, and the transmission / reception unit 12A outputs reception information S10 including information indicating that preparation for adjustment of the antenna direction is complete toward the control unit 14A. And the communication system 1 performs operation | movement of step SP220 mentioned later. On the other hand, when there is no reply from the communication station 10B (that is, when the determination result at step SP210 is “NO”), the communication system 1 returns to the operation at step SP200 described above, and there is a reply from the communication station 10B. Until step SP200 and step SP210 are repeated. Here, when there is no reply from the communication station 10B for a predetermined time, the communication station 10A indicates communication error information indicating that communication with the communication station 10B cannot be performed, and road traffic information in which the communication system 1 is used. You may notify with respect to the management apparatus of the central management center of a system.

  When the determination result in step SP210 is “YES” and there is a reply from the communication station 10B, in step SP220, the communication system 1 performs coarse direction adjustment of the main antenna. Specifically, the control unit 14A outputs a control signal S3 including control information for adjusting the antenna direction toward the coarse direction adjustment unit 16A in order to adjust the antenna direction. The coarse direction adjustment unit 16A that has received the input of the control signal S3 sequentially changes the antenna direction at a relatively coarse angle, and the transmission / reception unit 12A sequentially tests and measures the communication quality for each antenna direction.

  The test measurement performed in step SP220 may be the same as the test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. However, in the test measurement performed in step SP220, the direction in which the antenna faces is changed, for example, by test measurement. The antenna direction at the time of start is set as a reference direction, the direction moved 10 degrees horizontally right, the direction further moved 10 degrees vertically upward, the direction further moved 10 degrees horizontally left, and further 10 left horizontally In the order of the direction moved 10 degrees in the vertical direction, the direction moved 10 degrees in the vertical downward direction, the direction moved 10 degrees in the vertical downward direction, the direction moved 10 degrees in the horizontal right direction, and the direction moved 10 degrees in the horizontal right direction. The antenna direction is changed at a rough angle as compared with the change of the antenna direction performed by the narrow direction adjustment unit 17, and communication is performed in each antenna direction. To measure the quality.

  FIG. 10 is an example of a format of a communication frame in wireless communication performed by the communication system 1 during the antenna direction adjustment process during installation. As in the format shown in FIG. 10, in the wireless communication at the time of installation, there may not be a data slot necessary for transmitting and receiving data communicated by normal wireless communication performed during operation. Further, FIG. 11 is an example of a format of a communication frame in the test communication from the slave station to the master station performed in step SP220. Using the test slot of the format shown in FIG. 11, the test data is transmitted from the communication station 10B to the communication station 10A, and the transmission / reception unit 12A of the communication station 10A that has received the test data receives the communication quality at the time of reception. Measure.

  Then, the reception information S10 including information on the communication quality measured by the transmission / reception unit 12A and the antenna direction is output to the control unit 14A, and the control unit 14A is the most out of the antenna directions in which the test measurement is performed. An antenna direction with good communication quality is selected, and a control signal S3 including angle information related to the antenna direction is output to the coarse direction adjustment unit 16A. Further, the coarse direction adjustment unit 16A causes the drive unit 18A to change the direction in which the antenna 11A faces based on the input angle information. When the direction of the antenna 11A is changed to the direction with the best communication quality of the wireless communication received by the communication station 10A (main side), the notification unit 19A notifies the notification information S9 that the coarse direction adjustment of the antenna 11A has been completed. Is output to the transmission / reception unit 12A. And 12 A of transmission / reception parts transmit this notification information toward the communication station 10B using the antenna 11A.

  Referring to FIG. 9, next, in step SP230, communication station 10B that has received notification information that antenna 11A direction rough adjustment has been completed using antenna 11B performs direction coarse adjustment of the slave antenna. . The coarse direction adjustment of the slave antenna may be similar to the coarse adjustment of the antenna direction of the antenna 11A performed by the communication station 10A in step SP220. The communication station 10B changes the direction in which the antenna 11B faces in order, Test measurement is performed using test data transmitted from the communication station 10A, and the direction in which the antenna 11B faces is adjusted in the direction in which the communication quality at the time of reception is the best.

  FIG. 12 is an example of a communication frame format in the test communication from the master station to the slave station performed in step SP230. The test data is transmitted from the communication station 10A to the communication station 10B using the test slot having the format shown in FIG. 12, and the transmission / reception unit 12B of the communication station 10B that receives the test data transmits the communication quality at the time of reception. To measure the direction of the slave antenna. When the direction of the antenna 11B is changed to the direction with the best communication quality of the wireless communication received by the slave side, the notification unit 19B sends notification information S9 indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11B has been completed to the transmission / reception unit. Output to 12B. And the transmission / reception part 12B transmits this notification information toward 10 A of communication stations using the antenna 11B.

  Referring to FIG. 9, next, in step SP240, the communication system 1 performs fine direction adjustment of the main antenna. Specifically, in order to adjust the antenna direction, the control unit 14A outputs a control signal S6 including control information for adjusting the antenna direction toward the fine direction adjustment unit 17A. The fine direction adjustment unit 17A that has received the input of the control signal S6 changes the antenna direction at a relatively finer angle than the change of the antenna direction performed by the coarse direction adjustment unit 16A, and the transmission / reception unit 12A sequentially communicates for each antenna direction. Test and measure quality.

  The test measurement performed in step SP240 may be the same as the test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. However, the change of the direction of the antenna is, for example, the direction of the antenna when the coarse adjustment is completed as the reference direction, the direction moved 5 degrees horizontally right, further moved 5 degrees vertically upward, and further left horizontal Direction moved 5 degrees in the direction, further moved 5 degrees in the horizontal left direction, further moved in the vertical downward direction 5 degrees, further moved in the vertical downward direction 5 degrees, and further moved 5 degrees in the horizontal right direction The direction may be changed in the order of the direction moved further 5 degrees in the horizontal right direction, and the antenna direction is changed at a fine angle as compared with the change of the antenna direction performed by the coarse direction adjustment unit 16. In the test measurement performed in step SP240, the communication quality is measured in each of these antenna directions.

  Further, the format of the communication frame in the test communication for fine adjustment of the direction of the main antenna may be the format illustrated in FIG. The test data is transmitted from the communication station 10B to the communication station 10A, and the transmission / reception unit 12A of the communication station 10A that has received the test data measures the communication quality at the time of reception. Reception information S10 including information on the communication quality measured by the transmission / reception unit 12A and the antenna direction is output to the control unit 14A. The control unit 14A selects the antenna direction with the best communication quality from the antenna directions in which the test measurement is performed, and outputs a control signal S6 including angle information regarding the antenna direction to the fine direction adjustment unit 17A. Then, the narrow direction adjustment unit 17A causes the drive unit 18A to change the direction in which the antenna 11A faces based on the input angle information. When the direction of the antenna 11A is changed to the direction with the best communication quality, the notification unit 19A outputs notification information S9 indicating that the direction fine adjustment of the antenna 11A has been completed to the transmission / reception unit 12A. And 12 A of transmission / reception parts transmit this notification information toward the communication station 10B using the antenna 11A.

  Next, referring to FIG. 9, in step SP250, communication station 10B that has received notification information that antenna 11A direction fine adjustment has been completed using antenna 11B performs direction fine adjustment of the slave antenna. . The direction fine adjustment of the slave antenna may be the same as the fine adjustment of the antenna direction of the antenna 11A performed by the communication station 10A in step SP240, and the communication station 10B changes the direction of the antenna 11B to the communication station 10A. The adjustment is performed at a finer angle than the coarse adjustment in the direction in which the communication quality at the time of receiving the test data transmitted from is the best.

  In addition, the format of the communication frame in the test communication for adjusting the direction of the slave antenna may be the format shown in FIG. The test data is transmitted from the communication station 10A to the communication station 10B, and the transmission / reception unit 12B of the communication station 10B that has received the test data measures the communication quality at the time of reception and performs fine adjustment of the direction of the slave antenna. Do. When the direction of the antenna 11B is changed to the direction with the best communication quality, the notification unit 19B outputs notification information S9 that the fine adjustment of the direction of the antenna 11B is completed to the transmission / reception unit 12B. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12B transmits this notification information to the communication station 10A using the antenna 11B. When the transmission / reception unit 12A of the communication station 10A receives the notification information that the direction adjustment of the slave antenna has been completed, the communication station 10A and the communication station 10B end the “setting mode”, whereby the communication system 1 is installed. The operation of the antenna direction adjustment process is terminated.

  As described above, the communication system 1 first adjusts the direction in which the main antenna and the slave antenna are directed at a relatively rough angle, and then relatively adjusts the direction in which the master antenna and the slave antenna are directed. Since the adjustment is performed at an angle, the direction in which the main antenna and the subordinate antenna are oriented more precisely changes to an appropriate direction with good communication quality compared to when adjusting the direction only with a rough angle. Is possible. In addition, since the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle before the direction adjustment is performed at a fine angle, a certain level of communication quality can be secured when the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle, and a certain level of communication can be achieved in the antenna direction adjustment. It is possible to shorten the time until communication with assured quality can be performed. In addition, although the case where the antenna direction adjustment is performed in two stages of the coarse adjustment and the fine adjustment has been described as an example, in the present invention, when the antenna direction is adjusted with gradually increasing accuracy in a plurality of stages, The adjustment is not limited to the stage, but may be performed in three or more stages.

  The communication system 1 performs the above-described antenna direction adjustment during operation and antenna direction adjustment during installation, so that the communication stations 10 perform a direction in which the antennas of the communication stations 10 included in the communication system 1 face when the antenna is installed. It is possible to automatically adjust the communication quality of the wireless communication in a direction in which the communication quality is good. Further, even when the wireless communication of the communication system 1 is in operation, when communication quality deteriorates due to the antenna direction deviating from the installation direction, the antenna direction is adjusted to prevent the communication quality from being deteriorated by automatic adjustment. it can. Therefore, by using the communication system 1 of the present invention, it is possible to automatically adjust the antenna of the communication device of the road traffic information system and prevent the communication quality of the wireless communication network from deteriorating.

  Therefore, if the communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention is used in a road traffic information system that is installed on the road and is frequently exposed to external factors such as traffic vibration and wind and rain, communication is performed by automatic adjustment of the antenna direction. Since deterioration of quality can be prevented in advance, there is no need for manual adjustment using a bucket car or the like, and the adjustment work does not affect the traffic flow. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor and cost for manual adjustment work and to provide a communication system that does not affect traffic flow such as traffic congestion during adjustment.

  Note that the format of the communication frame shown in the first embodiment of the present invention is merely an example, and the number of slots and the slot number in the communication frame are not limited in the present invention. Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the order and amount of change of the antenna angle in the test measurement performed by the coarse direction adjustment unit 16 and the fine direction adjustment unit 17 are not limited to those illustrated, but the communication quality Satisfying a predetermined condition and can perform a test measurement that can determine the direction of the antenna with relatively good communication quality.

  Further, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the case where the communication system 1 performs coarse adjustment and fine adjustment of the antenna direction in the installation antenna direction adjustment process is illustrated. The direction of the antenna may be adjusted with gradually increasing accuracy in a plurality of stages (including three or more stages) such as two-stage adjustment of coarse adjustment and fine adjustment.

<Embodiment 2>
A communication system 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is used in a road traffic information system that handles road traffic information, and is a system in which communication stations as communication devices communicate with each other by wireless communication. FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of the communication system 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The communication system 2 includes a communication station master station 10C and communication station slave stations 10D to 10F, and the master station 10C performs wireless communication with the slave stations 10D to 10F. Further, the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F have the same configuration as that of the communication station 10 shown in FIG. That is, the main station 10C includes an antenna 11C, a transmission / reception unit 12C, a determination unit 13C, a control unit 14C, a direction adjustment unit 15C, and a notification unit 19C. The slave station 10D includes an antenna 11D, a transmission / reception unit 12D, a determination unit 13D, a control unit 14D, a direction adjustment unit 15D, and a notification unit 19D. The slave station 10E includes an antenna 11E, a transmission / reception unit 12E, a determination unit 13E, a control unit 14E, a direction adjustment unit 15E, and a notification unit 19E. The slave station 10F includes an antenna 11F, a transmission / reception unit 12F, a determination unit 13F, a control unit 14F, a direction adjustment unit 15F, and a notification unit 19F. However, the antenna 11C is an omnidirectional antenna, and the antennas 11D to 11F are directional antennas.

  In the communication system 2, the master station 10C and the plurality of slave stations 10D to 10F perform wireless communication and transmit / receive data to / from each other. However, since the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F are installed outdoors on the road, the direction in which the antenna 11 faces may change due to external factors such as road vibration and wind and rain. If the direction in which the antenna 11 faces changes, the radio wave reception state changes, and the communication quality of the radio communication deteriorates. Therefore, the communication system 2 performs antenna direction adjustment processing in order to prevent deterioration in communication quality of wireless communication. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of antenna direction adjustment processing performed by the communication system 2. The operation of the antenna direction adjustment process performed by the communication system 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step SP300, the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F of the slave stations 10D to 10F perform reception processing of wireless communication received by the slave stations 10D to 10F from the master station 10C. Then, the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F measure the communication quality at the time of reception of the wireless communication at the time of the reception process, and the measurement results including the communication quality information of the wireless communication in operation are used as the quality information as the slave stations 10D to 10D. It outputs with respect to each determination part 13D-13F which 10F has. Then, each of the determination units 13D to 13F determines whether or not the communication quality at the time of reception of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition based on the input quality information and the communication quality is deteriorated. Determine whether. The predetermined conditions used for determination and determination of communication quality performed by the determination units 13D to 13F may be the same as the determination of communication quality and the predetermined condition performed in step SP100 described above.

  In step SP300, when any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the communication quality at the time of reception of wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition and the communication quality has deteriorated ( That is, when the determination result in step SP300 is “YES”, each of the determination units 13D to 13F that has determined that the communication quality has deteriorated indicates that the communication quality of the wireless communication from the main station 10C has deteriorated. Is output to the notification units 19D to 19F included in each slave station. And the communication system 2 performs operation | movement of step SP310 mentioned later. On the other hand, when all the determination units 13D to 13F determine that the communication quality at the time of reception of communication with the main station 10C has not deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP300 is “NO”). The communication system 2 performs an operation of step SP305 described later.

  When the determination result in step SP300 is “YES” and any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the communication quality during reception of wireless communication with the main station 10C has deteriorated, in step SP310 The notification units 19D to 19F to which the determination information including information indicating that the communication quality of the wireless communication from the station 10C has deteriorated are input, based on the input determination information, the notification units 19D to 19F The notification information indicating that adjustment is to be performed is output to each of the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F of each slave station. Receiving the notification information, each of the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F transmits the notification information to the main station 10C.

  When the determination result in step SP300 is “NO” and all of the determination units 13D to 13F determine that the communication quality at the time of reception of communication performed with the main station 10C has not deteriorated, in step SP305 The transmitting / receiving unit 12C of the station 10C performs reception processing for wireless communication received from the slave stations 10D to 10F. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12C measures the communication quality at the time of reception of the wireless communication at the time of the reception process, and the measurement result including the information on the communication quality of the wireless communication in operation is sent to the determination unit 13C as quality information. Output. Then, based on the input quality information, the determination unit 13C determines whether or not the communication quality at the time of reception of communication performed with each of the slave stations 10D to 10F does not satisfy a predetermined condition and the communication quality is deteriorated. judge. The predetermined conditions used for determination and determination of communication quality performed by the determination unit 13C may be the same as the determination of communication quality and the predetermined condition performed in step SP100 described above.

  In step SP305, when the determination unit 13C determines that any of the communication qualities in the wireless communication from the slave stations 10D to 10F has deteriorated (that is, the determination result in step SP305 is “YES”). ), The communication system 2 performs the operation of step SP320 described later. On the other hand, when the determination unit 13C determines that all the communication qualities of the wireless communication with the slave stations 10D to 10F have not deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP305 is “NO”), the communication system 2 finishes the antenna direction adjustment process, assuming that wireless communication in the communication system 2 has not deteriorated and adjustment of the antenna direction is not necessary.

  In step SP305, when the determination unit 13C determines that any of the communication qualities in the wireless communication from the slave stations 10D to 10F has deteriorated, or in step SP310, which of the slave stations 10D to 10F When notification information indicating that the antenna direction of the antenna 11C should be adjusted is received from the car, in step SP320, the notification unit 19C of the main station 10C notifies the start of the direction adjustment of the antenna 11C included in the main station 10C. The information is output toward the transmission / reception unit 12C. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12C transmits the input notification information to the slave stations 10D to 10F using the antenna 11C. The transmission / reception units 12D to 12F of the slave stations 10D to 10F that have received the notification information using the antennas 11D to 11F respectively have a reply signal indicating that the adjustment of the antenna direction is performed toward the master station 10C. Send each. The slave stations 10D to 10F switch the operation mode from the “operation mode” to the “antenna adjustment mode”. The “antenna adjustment mode” here is a mode in which the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F of the communication system 2 adjust the direction in which the antenna faces while transmitting and receiving data.

  Next, in step SP325, if there is a reply from all the slave stations 10D to 10F (that is, if the determination result in step SP325 is “YES”), the master station 10C changes the operation mode from “operation mode” to “ Switching to the “antenna adjustment mode”, the transmission / reception unit 12C outputs reception information including information indicating that preparation for adjusting the direction of the antenna 11C is complete toward the control unit 14C. And the communication system 2 performs operation | movement of below-mentioned step SP330. On the other hand, when there is no reply from any of the slave stations 10D to 10F (that is, when the determination result of step SP325 is “NO”), the communication system 2 returns to the operation of the above-described step SP320, and the slave stations 10D to 10F Steps SP320 and SP325 are repeated until there is a reply from all. Here, if there is no reply from the slave station that made the notification for a predetermined time, the main station 10C indicates communication error information indicating that communication with the slave station that has not made the reply cannot be performed. You may notify with respect to the management apparatus etc. of the central management center of the road traffic information system used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the main station 10C is connected to the wired network.

  When the determination result in step SP325 is “YES” and replies are received from all the slave stations 10D to 10F, in step SP330, the control unit 14C controls the direction adjustment unit in order to adjust the antenna direction in the operating state. A control signal including control information for adjusting the antenna direction in the operating state is output toward 15C. Upon receiving this control signal, the direction adjustment unit 15C performs communication quality test measurement in order to find an appropriate antenna direction for the antenna 11C.

  The communication quality test measurement performed in step SP330 may be the same as the communication quality test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. Then, the transceiver unit 12C of the master station 10C receives the test data transmitted from the slave stations 10D to 10F while sequentially changing the direction of the antenna 11C, so that the slave stations 10D to 10F for each direction in which the antennas face each other. Measure each communication quality. Information on the communication quality for each antenna direction of the slave stations 10D to 10F for each direction in which the antenna faces is output toward the determination unit 13C.

  Next, in step SP340, based on the result of the test measurement, the determination unit 13C determines that all the communication qualities of the wireless communication transmitted from the slave stations 10D to 10F to the master station 10C are obtained for each direction in which the antenna faces. It is determined whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. As a result of this determination, the angle information in the direction in which the antenna faces in which all the communication qualities of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F satisfy the predetermined condition is obtained from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F in the antenna direction. Is output to the control unit 14C as determination information together with information on the average value of the communication quality of the wireless communication. Then, the control unit 14C selects the direction of the antenna having the best average value of the wireless communication quality from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F from the input determination information so that the antenna 11C faces the direction. It outputs toward the direction adjustment part 15C as a control signal to drive. Then, the direction adjusting unit 15C adjusts the antenna 11C in the direction in which the average value of the communication quality of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F is the best. Further, when the direction adjustment of the antenna 11C is completed, the notification unit 19C outputs notification information S9 indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11C has been completed to the transmission / reception unit 13C. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 13C transmits the notification information to the slave stations 10D to 10F. Further, at the time of this notification, the transmission / reception unit 13C may transmit the communication quality information of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F to each of the slave stations 10D to 10F performing the wireless communication.

  In step SP340, in the determination performed by the determination unit 13C, when the communication quality of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F does not satisfy the predetermined condition in all the antenna directions to be tested and measured, the master station 10C May notify the communication error information that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition to the management device of the central management center of the road traffic information system in which the communication system 2 is used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the main station 10C is connected to the wired network.

  Next, in step SP350, the communication system 2 determines whether or not all communication qualities of wireless communication received by the slave stations 10D to 10F from the master station 10C satisfy a predetermined condition. Specifically, the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F included in each of the slave stations 10D to 10F measure the communication quality of the wireless communication received by each of the slave stations 10D to 10F from the master station 10C, and measurement results including information on the respective communication quality Is output to the determination units 13D to 13F included in the slave stations 10D to 10F as quality information. And each determination part 13D-13F determines whether the communication quality at the time of reception of the radio | wireless communication performed with 10 C of main stations satisfy | fills predetermined conditions based on the input quality information. The predetermined conditions used for determination and determination of communication quality performed by the determination units 13D to 13F may be the same as the determination of communication quality and the predetermined condition performed in step SP100 described above.

  In step SP350, when all of the determination units 13D to 13F have determined that the reception communication quality of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C satisfies a predetermined condition (that is, the determination in step SP350). When the result is “YES”), the communication system 2 assumes that the communication quality of the wireless communication between the master station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F satisfies a predetermined condition and the communication quality is improved. The operation mode of the slave stations 10D to 10F is returned from the “antenna adjustment mode” to the “operation mode”, and the antenna direction adjustment processing is ended. On the other hand, when any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the reception communication quality of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition (that is, the determination result in step SP350 is “NO”). ”), The communication system 2 performs an operation of Step SP360 described later.

  When the determination result in step SP350 is “NO”, and any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the communication quality at the time of reception of wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition, In step SP360, the notification unit 19 of the slave station that has determined that the communication quality at the time of reception of the wireless communication performed with the master station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition performs the direction adjustment of the antenna 11 of the slave station. The notification is transmitted toward the main station 10C. Then, the master station 10C that has received the notification replies to the slave station that has transmitted the notification that it has acknowledged that the antenna adjustment is performed.

  Next, in step SP365, when there is a reply from the master station 10C in response to the notification of each slave station for which it was determined in step SP360 that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition (that is, in step SP365) When the determination result is “YES”), the communication system 2 performs an operation of step SP370 described later. On the other hand, when there is no reply from the main station 10C in response to the notification (that is, when the determination result of step SP365 is “NO”), the communication system 2 returns to the operation of the above-described step SP360 and returns from the main station 10C. Step SP360 and step SP365 are repeated until a reply is received. Here, if there is no reply from the master station 10C for a predetermined time, the slave station that has determined that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition cannot communicate with the master station 10C. You may notify communication error information with respect to the management apparatus etc. of the central management center of the road traffic information system in which the communication system 2 is used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the main station 10C is connected to the wired network.

  Next, in step SP370, each slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition performs test measurement of communication quality for adjusting the antenna 11 of each slave station to an appropriate antenna direction. The test measurement for obtaining an appropriate antenna direction performed by each slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition may be the same as the test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. Specifically, for example, when the communication quality of the slave station 10D does not satisfy a predetermined condition and the direction of the antenna 11D of the slave station 10D is adjusted, the transmission / reception unit 12D of the slave station 10D determines the direction in which the antenna 11D faces. While changing the order, the test data transmitted from the main station 10C is received, and the communication quality at the time of reception is output to the determination unit 13D as quality information. Based on the input quality information, the determination unit 13D determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied in at least one antenna direction out of the communication qualities in each antenna direction. In the determination, when the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition in at least one antenna direction, the determination unit 13D determines the information on the direction of the antenna 11D where the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition and the communication quality at that time. The determination information including the information is output toward the control unit 14D. In addition, this test measurement is performed in the same manner in all the slave stations whose communication quality did not satisfy the predetermined condition, and the communication quality satisfied the predetermined condition in the antenna direction in which each slave station performed the test measurement. The determination information including the information on the direction of the antenna 11 of the slave station and the information of the communication quality at that time is output toward the control unit 14 of the slave station.

  Note that the test measurement in step SP370 is the same as the test measurement performed in step SP130, only the communication quality at the time of reception of communication transmitted from the master station 10C to the slave station whose communication quality did not satisfy the predetermined condition. Instead, the communication quality at the time of transmission transmitted from the slave station that does not satisfy the predetermined condition to the master station 10C may be measured. In this case, the transmission / reception unit 12C measures the communication quality of the radio signal transmitted by the slave station 11 whose communication quality did not satisfy the predetermined condition and received by the antenna 10C of the master station 10C. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 10C transmits the communication quality to each slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy a predetermined condition using a wireless communication maintenance slot or the like. The transmission / reception unit 12 of each slave station in which the communication quality in which the radio signal including the transmission communication quality measured by the transmission / reception unit 10C is input does not satisfy the predetermined condition is tested together with the communication quality during reception measured by itself. As the quality information S1 including the communication quality information in the measurement, the information is output toward each determination unit 13. Therefore, in determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied in at least one antenna direction among the communication qualities in each antenna direction in step SP370, the communication quality at the time of reception or the communication quality at the time of transmission, or an average thereof is a predetermined value. It may be determined whether the condition is satisfied.

  Next, in step SP380, the slave station that has undergone the test measurement in step SP370 determines the direction in which each antenna 11 faces based on the communication quality obtained in the test measurement, and moves the antenna in the determined direction. adjust. For example, when test measurement is performed in the slave station 10D, when the antenna direction of the antenna 11D of the slave station 10D is adjusted, the control unit 14D of the slave station 10D receives from the input determination information from the master station 10C. The direction of the antenna with the best communication quality of the wireless communication is selected, and a control signal for driving the antenna 11D to face the direction is output to the direction adjustment unit 15D. Then, the direction adjusting unit 15D adjusts the direction of the antenna 11D in the direction in which the communication quality of the wireless communication with the main station 10C is the best. The adjustment of the antenna direction is performed in the same manner in all the slave stations that have been subjected to the test measurement in step SP370. Therefore, in the slave stations whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the direction in which the antenna 11 of each slave station faces is in an appropriate direction with good communication quality (communication quality during reception or communication quality during transmission, or an average thereof). And adjusted. When the adjustment of the antenna direction is completed in the slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the master station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F switch the operation mode from the “antenna adjustment mode” to the “operation mode”, and the communication system 2 Ends the antenna direction adjustment process.

  In step SP370, in the determination performed by the determination unit 13 of each slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the wireless communication communication from the master station 10C is performed in all antenna directions of the antenna 11 of each slave station. When the quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, each slave station performs communication error information indicating that the communication quality with the master station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition, as a central management of the road traffic information system in which the communication system 2 is used. You may notify to the management apparatus of a center, 10C of main stations, etc.

  As described above, the communication system 2 performs the antenna direction adjustment process. And this antenna direction adjustment process is performed periodically or at any time when the communication system 2 is in an operating state, so that the communication quality at the time of transmission and the communication quality at the time of reception of each wireless communication of the communication system 2 are not deteriorated. The direction in which each antenna 11 faces is adjusted. Therefore, by using the communication system 2, even when one communication station (master station 10C) and a plurality of communication stations (slave stations 10D to 10F) perform wireless communication, the direction in which each antenna 11 faces is adjusted. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration in communication quality of wireless communication.

  Further, when adjusting the direction of the antenna 11C, the master station 10C uses the notification unit 19C to notify the slave stations 10D to 10F that the antenna direction is to be adjusted. -10F can adjust the directions of the antennas 11D to 11F included in the slave stations 10D to 10F in response to the change in the antenna direction of the counterpart station used for communication. Therefore, even if the communication quality of the wireless communication received by the slave stations 10D to 10F changes due to the change of the antenna direction of the antenna 11C of the master station 10C, the directions of the antennas 11D to 11F of the slave stations 10D to 10F are adjusted. Thus, it is possible to prevent the communication quality of the wireless communication in the communication system 2 from deteriorating.

  Further, in the communication system 2, when the communication quality in the wireless communication between the master station 10C and all the slave stations 10D to 10F deteriorates, first, the direction of the antenna 11 included in the master station 10C is changed to all the slave stations 10D to 10F. After adjusting the communication quality (communication quality at transmission and communication quality at reception) in the wireless communication of the above to satisfy the predetermined condition and the average value of each communication quality is the best, adjust the antenna direction of each slave station I do. Therefore, after adjusting the antenna direction of the slave stations 10D to 10F, changing the antenna direction of the master station 10C may deteriorate the communication quality of the wireless communication with the slave station that has already finished adjusting the antenna direction. And the efficiency of the adjustment procedure can be improved.

  In addition, the direction adjustment part 15 concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention is equipped with the rough direction adjustment part 16 and the fine direction adjustment part 17 similarly to the direction adjustment part 15 concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. The antenna direction in the second embodiment may be adjusted, after performing the antenna direction rough adjustment described in the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of installation according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and then performing a fine adjustment in the antenna direction. Adjustments may be made. In this case, first, the direction of the antenna 11 is adjusted by a relatively coarse angle, and then the directions of the main antenna and the slave antenna are adjusted by a relatively fine angle. As compared with the above, it is possible to adjust the direction in which the main antenna and the sub antenna are directed to an appropriate direction with good radio communication quality. In addition, since the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle before the direction adjustment is performed at a fine angle, a certain level of communication quality can be secured when the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle, and a certain level of communication can be achieved in the antenna direction adjustment. It is possible to shorten the time until communication with assured quality can be performed. In addition, although the case where the antenna direction adjustment is performed in two stages of the coarse adjustment and the fine adjustment has been described as an example, in the present invention, when the antenna direction is adjusted with gradually increasing accuracy in a plurality of stages, The adjustment is not limited to the stage, but may be performed in three or more stages.

<Embodiment 3>
A communication system 3 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is used in a road traffic information system that handles road traffic information, and is a system in which communication stations as communication devices communicate with each other by wireless communication. The configuration of the communication system 3 may be the same as the configuration of the communication system 2 shown in FIG. Therefore, the main station 10C includes an antenna 11C, a transmission / reception unit 12C, a determination unit 13C, a control unit 14C, a direction adjustment unit 15C, and a notification unit 19C. The slave station 10D includes an antenna 11D, a transmission / reception unit 12D, a determination unit 13D, a control unit 14D, a direction adjustment unit 15D, and a notification unit 19D. The slave station 10E includes an antenna 11E, a transmission / reception unit 12E, a determination unit 13E, a control unit 14E, a direction adjustment unit 15E, and a notification unit 19E. The slave station 10F includes an antenna 11F, a transmission / reception unit 12F, a determination unit 13F, a control unit 14F, a direction adjustment unit 15F, and a notification unit 19F. However, the antenna 11C is an omnidirectional antenna, and the antennas 11D to 11F are directional antennas.

  In the communication system 3, the master station 10C and the plurality of slave stations 10D to 10F perform wireless communication and transmit / receive data to / from each other. However, since the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F are installed outdoors on the road, the direction in which the antenna 11 faces may change due to external factors such as road vibration and wind and rain. If the direction in which the antenna 11 faces changes, the radio wave reception state changes, and the communication quality of the radio communication deteriorates. Therefore, the communication system 3 performs antenna direction adjustment processing in order to prevent deterioration in communication quality of wireless communication. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of antenna direction adjustment processing performed by the communication system 3. The operation of the antenna direction adjustment process performed by the communication system 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step SP400, when the radio signals R4 to R6 received by the antenna 11C are input in the radio communication in operation, the transmission / reception unit 12C of the main station 10C performs a radio communication reception process. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12C of the main station 10C measures the communication quality at the time of reception of each radio signal at the time of the reception process, and uses the measurement result including the information on the communication quality of the radio communication in operation as the quality information. It outputs toward the determination part 13C of the main station 10C. The determination unit 13C of the master station 10C to which the quality information is input determines whether or not all the communication qualities at the time of reception of wireless communication performed with the slave stations 10D to 10F satisfy a predetermined condition. Note that this communication quality determination may be the same as the communication quality determination performed in step SP100 described above, and determines whether or not the communication quality has deteriorated.

  In step SP400, the determination unit 13C determines that all communication qualities of the wireless communication with respect to the respective slave stations 10D to 10F have deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP400 is “YES”). The determination unit 13C outputs determination information including information indicating that the communication quality of all the slave stations 10D to 10F has deteriorated toward the control unit 14C and the notification unit 19C. Then, the main station 10C performs an operation of step SP410 described later. On the other hand, when the determination unit 13C determines that the communication quality of all the wireless communication with respect to the respective slave stations 10D to 10F has not deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP400 is “NO”), The determination unit 13C performs an operation of step SP405 described later.

  When the determination result in step SP400 is “YES” and the determination unit 13C determines that all the communication qualities of the wireless communication with respect to the respective slave stations 10D to 10F have deteriorated, in step SP410, the notification unit 19C Based on the input determination information, notification information indicating that the direction adjustment of the antenna 11C of the main station 10C is started is output to the transmission / reception unit 12C. Then, the transmission / reception unit 12C transmits the input notification information to the slave stations 10D to 10F using the antenna 11C. The transmission / reception units 12D to 12F of the slave stations 10D to 10F that have received the notification information using the antennas 11D to 11F respectively have a reply signal indicating that the adjustment of the antenna direction is performed toward the master station 10C. Send each. The slave stations 10D to 10F switch the operation mode from the “operation mode” to the “antenna adjustment mode”. The “antenna adjustment mode” here is a mode in which the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F of the communication system 3 adjust the direction in which the antenna faces while transmitting and receiving data.

  Next, in step SP415, when there is a reply from all the slave stations 10D to 10F (that is, when the determination result in step SP415 is “YES”), the master station 10C changes the operation mode from “operation mode” to “ Switching to the “antenna adjustment mode”, the transmission / reception unit 12C outputs reception information including information indicating that preparation for adjusting the direction of the antenna 11C is complete toward the control unit 14C. And the communication system 3 performs operation | movement of step SP420 mentioned later. On the other hand, when there is no reply from any of the slave stations 10D to 10F (that is, when the determination result of step SP415 is “NO”), the communication system 3 returns to the operation of the above-described step SP410, and the slave stations 10D to 10F Steps SP410 and SP415 are repeated until a reply is received from all. Here, if there is no reply from the slave station that made the notification for a predetermined time, the main station 10C indicates communication error information indicating that communication with the slave station that has not made the reply cannot be performed. You may notify with respect to the management apparatus etc. of the central management center of the road traffic information system used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the main station 10C is connected to the wired network.

  When the determination result in step SP415 is “YES” and replies are received from all the slave stations 10D to 10F, in step SP420, the control unit 14C controls the direction adjustment unit to adjust the antenna direction in the operating state. A control signal including control information for adjusting the antenna direction in the operating state is output toward 15C. Upon receiving this control signal, the direction adjustment unit 15C performs communication quality test measurement in order to find an appropriate antenna direction for the antenna 11C.

  The communication quality test measurement performed in step SP420 may be the same as the communication quality test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. Then, the transceiver unit 12C of the master station 10C receives the test data transmitted from the slave stations 10D to 10F while sequentially changing the direction of the antenna 11C, so that the slave stations 10D to 10F for each direction in which the antennas face each other. Measure each communication quality. Information on the communication quality for each antenna direction of the slave stations 10D to 10F for each direction in which the antenna faces is output toward the determination unit 13C.

  Next, in step SP430, based on the result of the test measurement, the determination unit 13C determines that all the communication qualities of the wireless communication transmitted from the slave stations 10D to 10F to the master station 10C are obtained for each direction in which the antenna faces. It is determined whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. As a result of this determination, the angle information in the direction in which the antenna faces in which all the communication qualities of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F satisfy the predetermined condition is obtained from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F in the antenna direction. Is output to the control unit 14C as determination information together with information on the average value of the communication quality of the wireless communication.

  The control unit 14C selects the direction of the antenna having the best average value of the communication quality of the wireless communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F from the input determination information, and in the direction with respect to the direction adjustment unit 15C. A control signal for driving the antenna 11C to face is output. Then, the direction adjustment unit 15C adjusts the antenna 11C in the direction in which the average value of the communication quality of communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F is the best.

  In step SP430, in the determination performed by the determination unit 13C, when the communication quality of communication from each of the slave stations 10D to 10F does not satisfy the predetermined condition in all the antenna directions to be tested and measured, the main station 10C The communication error information indicating that the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition may be notified to the management device of the central management center of the road traffic information system in which the communication system 3 is used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the main station 10C is connected to the wired network.

  Next, in step SP440, the communication system 3 determines whether or not all communication qualities of wireless communication received by the slave stations 10D to 10F from the master station 10C satisfy a predetermined condition. Specifically, the transmission / reception units 12D to 12F included in each of the slave stations 10D to 10F measure the communication quality of the wireless communication received by each of the slave stations 10D to 10F from the master station 10C, and measurement results including information on the respective communication quality Is output to the determination units 13D to 13F included in the slave stations 10D to 10F as quality information. And each determination part 13D-13F determines whether the communication quality at the time of reception of the radio | wireless communication performed with 10 C of main stations satisfy | fills predetermined conditions based on the input quality information. The predetermined conditions used for determination and determination of communication quality performed by the determination units 13D to 13F may be the same as the determination of communication quality and the predetermined condition performed in step SP100 described above.

  In step SP440, all of the determination units 13D to 13F determine that the reception communication quality of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C satisfies a predetermined condition (that is, the determination in step SP440). When the result is “YES”), the communication system 3 assumes that the communication quality of the wireless communication between the master station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F satisfies a predetermined condition and the communication quality is improved. The operation mode of the slave stations 10D to 10F is returned from the “antenna adjustment mode” to the “operation mode”, and the antenna direction adjustment processing is ended. On the other hand, when any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the reception communication quality of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition (that is, the determination result in step SP440 is “NO”). ”), The communication system 3 performs an operation of step SP450 described later.

  When the determination result in step SP400 is “NO” and the determination unit 13C determines that all the communication qualities of the wireless communication for each slave station have not deteriorated, in step SP405, the determination unit 13C Then, it is determined whether or not the communication quality of any of the wireless communications with respect to each slave station has deteriorated. Note that this communication quality determination may be the same as the communication quality determination performed in step SP100 described above.

  In step SP405, the determination unit 13C determines that the communication quality of any of the wireless communication with each slave station has deteriorated (that is, if the determination result in step SP405 is “YES”). The determination unit 13C outputs determination information including information indicating which slave station the communication quality has deteriorated to the notification unit 19C. The notification unit 19C to which the determination information is input transmits a notification indicating that the direction of the antenna 11 of the slave station to be adjusted is a predetermined notification to the slave station whose communication quality is deteriorated. . Then, the main station 10C performs an operation of step SP450 described later. On the other hand, when the determination unit 13C determines that any communication quality of wireless communication with each slave station has not deteriorated (that is, when the determination result in step SP405 is “NO”), the communication system 3 Terminates the antenna direction adjustment process on the assumption that the communication quality of the wireless communication performed between the main station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F has not deteriorated and adjustment of the antenna direction is not necessary.

  When the determination result in step SP405 is “YES” and the determination unit 13C determines that any communication quality of wireless communication with each slave station has deteriorated, or the determination result in step SP440 is If “NO” and any of the determination units 13D to 13F determines that the reception communication quality of the wireless communication performed with the main station 10C does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the communication quality is determined in step SP450. Is deteriorated slave station (the slave station that has received notification that the direction in which the antenna 11 faces should be adjusted in step SP405, or the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as determined by the determination unit 13 in step SP440) The notification unit 19 of the slave station for which the determination of the effect has been made sends a notification to the effect that the direction of the antennas 11 of each of them is to be adjusted to the master station 10C. Toward to send. Then, the master station 10C that has received the notification replies to the slave station that has transmitted the notification that it has acknowledged that the antenna adjustment is performed.

  Next, in step SP455, when there is a reply from the master station 10C for the notification of each slave station whose communication quality has deteriorated in step SP450 (that is, when the determination result in step SP455 is “YES”). The slave station receiving the reply sets the operation mode to “antenna adjustment mode”. And the communication system 3 performs operation | movement of below-mentioned step SP460. On the other hand, when there is no reply from the main station 10C for the notification (that is, when the determination result of step SP455 is “NO”), the communication system 3 returns to the operation of step SP450 described above and returns from the main station 10C. Step SP450 and step SP455 are repeated until there is. Here, when there is no reply from the master station 10C that has made a notification for a predetermined time, each slave station that has made a notification communicates communication error information indicating that communication with the master station 10C is no longer possible. You may notify with respect to the management apparatus etc. of the central management center of the road traffic information system in which the system 3 is used. This notification may be sent via the wired network when the slave station is connected to the wired network.

  If the determination result in step SP455 is “YES” and there is a reply from the master station 10C, the slave stations whose communication quality has deteriorated in the wireless communication with the master station 10C in step SP460 are the antennas 11 of the slave stations. Test and measure the communication quality to adjust to the appropriate antenna direction. The test measurement for obtaining an appropriate antenna direction of the antenna 11 performed by each slave station may be the same as the test measurement performed in step SP130 described above. Specifically, for example, when the communication quality of wireless communication between the master station 10C and the slave station 10D has deteriorated, the transmission / reception unit 12D transmits test data transmitted from the master station 10C while sequentially changing the direction in which the antenna 11D faces. And the communication quality at the time of reception is output to the determination unit 13D as quality information. Based on the input quality information, the determination unit 13D determines whether or not the communication quality in each antenna direction satisfies a predetermined condition in at least one antenna direction. In the determination, when the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition in at least one antenna direction, the determination unit 13D determines the information about the direction of the antenna 11D that satisfies the predetermined condition and the communication quality at that time. The determination information including the information is output toward the control unit 14D. In addition, this test measurement is performed in the same manner in all the slave stations whose communication quality did not satisfy the predetermined condition, and the communication quality satisfied the predetermined condition in the antenna direction in which each slave station performed the test measurement. The determination information including the information on the direction of the antenna 11 of the slave station and the information of the communication quality at that time is output toward the control unit 14 of the slave station.

  Next, in step SP470, the slave station for which the test measurement was performed in step SP460 determines the direction in which each antenna 11 faces based on the communication quality obtained in the test measurement, and moves the antenna in the determined direction. adjust. For example, when test measurement is performed in the slave station 10D, when the antenna direction of the antenna 11D of the slave station 10D is adjusted, the control unit 14D of the slave station 10D receives from the input determination information from the master station 10C. The direction of the antenna with the best communication quality of the wireless communication is selected, and a control signal for driving the antenna 11D to face the direction is output to the direction adjustment unit 15D. Then, the direction adjusting unit 15D adjusts the direction of the antenna 11D in the direction in which the communication quality of the wireless communication with the main station 10C is the best. The adjustment of the antenna direction is performed in the same manner in all the slave stations that have been subjected to the test measurement in step SP460. Therefore, in the slave stations whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the direction of the antenna 11 of each slave station is adjusted to an appropriate direction with good communication quality. When the adjustment of the antenna direction is completed in the slave station whose communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the master station 10C and the slave stations 10D to 10F switch the operation mode from the “antenna adjustment mode” to the “operation mode”, and the communication system 3 Ends the antenna direction adjustment process.

  As described above, the communication system 3 performs the antenna direction adjustment process. The antenna direction adjustment processing is performed periodically or as needed when the communication system 3 is in an operating state, and the direction in which each antenna 11 faces is adjusted so that the communication quality of each wireless communication of the communication system 3 does not deteriorate. To do. Therefore, by using the communication system 3, even when one communication station (master station 10C) and a plurality of communication stations (slave stations 10D to 10F) perform wireless communication, the direction in which each antenna 11 faces is adjusted. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration in communication quality of wireless communication.

  Furthermore, in the communication system 3, when the communication quality in the radio communication between the master station 10C and all the slave stations 10D to 10F deteriorates, first, the direction of the antenna 11 included in the master station 10C is changed to all the slave stations 10D to 10F. After the communication quality in the wireless communication satisfies the predetermined condition and the average value of each communication quality is adjusted to the best antenna direction, the antenna direction of each slave station is adjusted. Therefore, after adjusting the antenna direction of the slave stations 10D to 10F, changing the antenna direction of the master station 10C may deteriorate the communication quality of the wireless communication with the slave station that has already finished adjusting the antenna direction. And the efficiency of the adjustment procedure can be improved.

  Further, when the communication quality in the wireless communication between the master station 10C and all the slave stations 10D to 10F is not deteriorated, but the communication quality in the wireless communication with any of the slave stations is deteriorated, the antenna direction of the master station 10C Is not changed, and only the antenna direction of the slave station whose communication quality is deteriorated is adjusted. Therefore, the antenna direction related to the wireless communication between the slave station whose communication quality is not deteriorated and the master station 10C is not changed. The communication quality between the slave station whose quality is not degraded and the master station 10C does not change, and only the antenna direction of the slave station whose communication quality is degraded can be adjusted. Therefore, unnecessary adjustment of the antenna direction is not performed, and only adjustment of the necessary antenna direction is performed, so that adjustment of the direction in which the antenna faces can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, the direction adjustment part 15 concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention has the rough direction adjustment part 16 and the fine direction adjustment part 17 similarly to the direction adjustment part 15 concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. In the direction adjustment of the antenna 11 in the third embodiment, the antenna direction is finely adjusted after the antenna direction rough adjustment described in the antenna direction adjustment process at the time of installation of the first embodiment of the present invention is performed. Adjustments may be made. In this case, first, the direction of the antenna 11 is adjusted by a relatively coarse angle, and then the directions of the main antenna and the slave antenna are adjusted by a relatively fine angle. As compared with the above, it is possible to adjust the direction in which the main antenna and the sub antenna are directed to an appropriate direction with good radio communication quality. In addition, since the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle before the direction adjustment is performed at a fine angle, a certain level of communication quality can be secured when the direction adjustment is completed at a rough angle, and a certain level of communication can be achieved in the antenna direction adjustment. It is possible to shorten the time until communication with assured quality can be performed. In addition, although the case where the antenna direction adjustment is performed in two stages of the coarse adjustment and the fine adjustment has been described as an example, in the present invention, when the antenna direction is adjusted with gradually increasing accuracy in a plurality of stages, The adjustment is not limited to the stage, but may be performed in three or more stages.

  In the second and third embodiments of the present invention, the case where there are three slave stations is illustrated, but in the present invention, the number of slave stations is not limited to three.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

1, 2, 3 Communication system 10A, 10B Communication station 10C Master station 10D-10F Slave station 11 Antenna 12 Transmitter / receiver 13 Judgment unit 14 Control unit 15 Direction adjustment unit 16 Coarse direction adjustment unit 17 Fine direction adjustment unit 18 Drive unit 19 Notification unit 20A, 20B Wireless LAN device 30A, 30B Sensor

Claims (9)

A first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna;
A second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna;
A communication system for communicating radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna,
The first communication device is
Determining means for determining whether or not the communication quality of the radio signal received from the second communication device satisfies a predetermined condition;
First direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the first antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determining means. When,
A communication system. A first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna;
A second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna;
A communication system for communicating radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna,
The second communication device has notification means for notifying the first communication device of communication quality information of a radio signal received from the first communication device,
The first communication device is
Determination means for determining whether or not the communication quality notified by the notification means satisfies a predetermined condition;
First direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the first antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determining means. When,
A communication system. The first communication device notifies the second communication device of information indicating that the direction of the first antenna is changed when the direction of the first antenna is changed. A device-side notification means;
When the second communication device receives notification from the first communication device-side notification means that the direction of the first antenna is changed, the communication quality of the radio signal received from the first communication device is 3. The communication according to claim 1, further comprising second direction adjusting means for adjusting a direction in which the second antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. system. The first communication device changes the direction of the first antenna when a notification of information including communication quality of a radio signal received from the second communication device is changed and the direction of the first antenna is changed. Further comprising a first communication device-side notification means for performing notification of information to the second communication device,
When the second communication device receives a notification that the direction in which the first antenna faces is changed by the first communication device-side notification unit, the communication notified from the first communication device-side notification unit 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second direction adjustment unit configured to adjust a direction in which the second antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition. Communication system.   The communication system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a plurality of the second communication devices are provided. A first communication device installed on a road and having a first antenna;
A second communication device installed on the road and having a second antenna;
A communication system for communicating radio signals related to traffic information between the first antenna and the second antenna,
A plurality of the second communication devices;
The first communication device is
Determination means for determining whether or not the communication quality of each radio signal received from the plurality of second communication devices satisfies a first predetermined condition;
A direction in which the first antenna faces such that the communication quality satisfies the first predetermined condition when all of the communication quality does not satisfy the first predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determination means. First direction adjusting means for adjusting
If any of the communication qualities does not satisfy the first predetermined condition as a result of the determination by the determination means, the second communication device whose communication quality does not satisfy the first predetermined condition, A notification means for performing a predetermined notification;
Have
Each of the plurality of second communication devices adjusts a direction in which the second antenna is directed so that the communication quality satisfies the second predetermined condition when the predetermined notification is received from the notification unit. A communication system having two-way adjusting means. The first direction adjusting means or the second direction adjusting means is
Coarse adjustment means for making a relatively rough adjustment in the direction of the antenna;
Fine adjustment means for performing a relatively fine adjustment in the direction in which the antenna faces after the coarse adjustment means has adjusted, and
The communication system according to claim 1, comprising: A communication device that is installed on a road and performs communication of radio signals related to traffic information with other communication devices,
An antenna used for the communication;
Determining means for determining whether or not the communication quality of the radio signal received from the other communication device satisfies a predetermined condition;
Direction adjustment means for adjusting the direction in which the antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as a result of determination in the determination means;
A communication device comprising: A communication device that is installed on a road and performs communication of radio signals related to traffic information with other communication devices,
An antenna used for the communication;
Determining means for receiving communication quality information of a radio signal received by the other communication device from the communication device from the other communication device and determining whether the communication quality satisfies a predetermined condition;
Direction adjustment means for adjusting the direction in which the antenna faces so that the communication quality satisfies the predetermined condition when the communication quality does not satisfy the predetermined condition as a result of determination in the determination means;
A communication device comprising:

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