JP2016173856A - Terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for improving accuracy in presuming a travelling direction before a right turn or a left turn, regardless of timing to give direction indication.SOLUTION: A terminal device 14 may be installed in a vehicle. An acquisition section 64 acquires the travelling direction of the vehicle in which the terminal device is installed and an indication direction indicated by a direction indicator. When the acquisition section 64 starts acquiring the indication direction, a trigger control section 80 stores the travelling direction acquired by the acquisition section 64 in a storage section 82. When the travelling direction acquired by the acquisition section 64 is changed to an opposite direction to the indication direction after the acquisition section 64 starts acquiring the indication direction, the trigger control section 80 updates the travelling direction stored in the storage section 82. On the other hand, when the travelling direction acquired by the acquisition section 64 is changed to the indication direction, the trigger control section 80 keeps the travelling direction stored in the storage section 82.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification technique, and more particularly to a terminal device that outputs a notification according to predetermined information.

  The vehicle information including position information and the like is exchanged by wireless communication between a plurality of vehicles, and the collision risk is determined based on the information. In such a system, when the host vehicle tries to make a right turn at an intersection or the like, the driver is warned to suppress the start of the right turn operation in order to avoid a collision with another vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane. The start of the right turn of the own vehicle is generally detected based on information such as the traveling direction of the own vehicle and the state of the direction indicator. Also, since the traveling direction of the vehicle changes with time during the right turn operation, the traveling direction before starting the right turn operation is stored in order to suppress erroneous determination of the positional relationship with other vehicles. The situation is judged based on this. For example, when it is detected that the vehicle has started a right turn operation, the detection target area (region that becomes the opposite lane) of another vehicle set before the start of the right turn operation is continuously used (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-22671 A

  The traveling direction before starting the right turn operation is stored at the timing when the right turn is indicated by the direction indicator (hereinafter also referred to as “right winker on”). However, the timing when the right winker is made varies depending on the driver. For example, it may be when going straight ahead or when entering a right turn lane. Therefore, the traveling direction before starting the right turn operation differs depending on the timing of the right winker on.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a condition, The objective is to provide the technique which improves the precision which estimates the advancing direction before a right turn or a left turn irrespective of the timing which gives a direction instruction | indication.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a terminal device according to an aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that can be mounted on a vehicle, and includes a traveling direction of the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted and a pointing direction indicated by a direction indicator. And a control unit that stores the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit in the storage unit when the acquisition unit starts acquiring the instruction direction. The control unit updates the traveling direction stored in the storage unit and acquires in the acquisition unit when the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit changes to the opposite direction after the acquisition unit starts acquiring the pointing direction. When the travel direction changes to the direction of the designated direction, the travel direction stored in the storage unit is maintained.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the precision which estimates the advancing direction before a right turn or a left turn can be improved irrespective of the timing which issues a direction instruction | indication.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the base station apparatus of FIG. FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams showing frame formats defined in the communication system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the terminal device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the collision prevention assistance at the time of the right turn in the assistance part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the encounter collision prevention support in the assistance part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the collision prevention assistance at the time of the right turn in the assistance part of FIG. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing an outline of processing in the trigger control unit of FIG. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing another processing outline in the trigger control unit of FIG. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing still another processing outline in the trigger control unit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the memory | storage procedure of the advancing direction by the trigger control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the update procedure of the advancing direction by the trigger control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the clear procedure of the instruction | indication direction by the trigger control part of FIG.

  Prior to specific description of the embodiments of the present invention, the underlying knowledge will be described. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a communication system that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between terminal devices mounted on a vehicle, and also executes road-to-vehicle communication from a base station device installed at an intersection or the like to a terminal device. Such a communication system is also called ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems). The communication system uses an access control function called CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Aviation), as well as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compliant with a standard such as IEEE 802.11. Therefore, the same radio channel is shared by a plurality of terminal devices. On the other hand, in ITS, it is necessary to transmit information to an unspecified number of terminal devices. In order to efficiently perform such transmission, the communication system broadcasts a packet signal.

  That is, as inter-vehicle communication, the terminal device broadcasts a packet signal that stores information such as the position, speed, and traveling direction of the vehicle. In addition, the other terminal device receives the packet signal and recognizes the approach of the vehicle based on the above-described information. Here, in order to reduce interference between road-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the base station apparatus repeatedly defines a frame including a plurality of subframes. The base station apparatus selects any of a plurality of subframes for road-to-vehicle communication, and broadcasts a packet signal in which control information and the like are stored during the period of the head portion of the selected subframe.

  The control information includes information related to a period for the base station apparatus to broadcast the packet signal (hereinafter referred to as “road vehicle transmission period”). The terminal device specifies a road and vehicle transmission period based on the control information, and broadcasts a packet signal by the CSMA method in a period other than the road and vehicle transmission period (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle transmission period”). As a result, road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication are time-division multiplexed. Note that a terminal device that cannot receive control information from the base station device, that is, a terminal device that exists outside the area formed by the base station device transmits a packet signal by the CSMA method regardless of the frame configuration.

  Under such circumstances, the terminal device according to the present embodiment derives the support that satisfies the support generation condition based on the information included in the packet signal received from another terminal device or the base station device. The terminal device and the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted are collectively referred to as “own vehicle”, and the other terminal device and the vehicle on which the other terminal device is mounted are collectively referred to as “other vehicle”. An example of the information included in the packet signal is information such as the state of the vehicle from another terminal device, such as information such as the state of the vehicle from the base station device, road shape, and signal information. Furthermore, the support is to assist the driver in driving, for example, to notify the presence of another vehicle that is facing the vehicle when the host vehicle turns right.

  There are a plurality of types of such support, and support generation conditions are specified for each support. An example of the support defined by a plurality of types is a right-turn collision prevention support through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and an encounter collision prevention support through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Collision prevention support when turning right is performed when the right turn signal is on and the vehicle and the other vehicle pass each other. If executed. For example, a situation in which another vehicle is approaching from the front of the host vehicle that is running corresponds to a passing relationship, and thus a collision prevention support during a right turn is provided. In that case, the driver is urged to pay attention to the other vehicle that is facing when turning right. When turning right, if the vehicle turns to the right, the passing relationship changes to a crossing relationship. In that case, the driver is urged to pay attention to other vehicles entering from the side. In this way, if the content of the alert for the same other vehicle changes during the operation for making a right turn, the driver may be confused.

  In order to prevent this, as described above, the traveling direction before starting the right turn operation is stored at the timing when the right turn signal is turned on. It is used to determine whether the stored direction of travel corresponds to either a right turn collision prevention support or an encounter collision prevention support, so even if the vehicle turns to the right, The relationship is maintained. Therefore, there is no change from the collision prevention support at the time of right turn to the collision prevention support at the encounter.

  However, in such a process, when the vehicle turns right at an intersection having a right turn exclusive lane, the situation in which the traveling direction changes when entering the right turn exclusive lane from the straight lane is not considered. When entering the right turn lane, the traveling direction of the vehicle once swings to the right with respect to the road direction, and then turns to the road direction again. For example, in a system that considers when the right turn signal of the vehicle is turned on as the start of a right turn operation, if the right turn signal turns on before or after entering the right turn lane, the direction of travel of the vehicle is directed toward the road. ing. Therefore, an oncoming vehicle is recognized as an oncoming vehicle in the collision prevention support during a right turn. However, if the right turn signal is turned on when the direction of travel changes to the right so that the vehicle enters the right turn lane, that direction is considered as the direction of travel, so the actual oncoming vehicle is the side of the vehicle. Will be recognized as another car entering from.

  In order to maintain an appropriate direction of travel no matter what timing it is determined to start a right turn in a situation where the vehicle enters a right turn exclusive lane when making a right turn at an intersection, the terminal device according to the present embodiment has so far been On the street, at the timing when the right turn signal is turned on, the traveling direction is stored. Thereafter, when the traveling direction changes to the left rather than the stored traveling direction, the terminal device updates the stored traveling direction. This is because the vehicle travels along the right turn lane after the direction of travel when the right turn signal is turned on when the direction of the vehicle changes to the right to enter the right turn lane. This corresponds to the case where the traveling direction is corrected.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This corresponds to a case where one intersection is viewed from above. The communication system 100 includes a base station device 10, a first vehicle 12a, a second vehicle 12b, a third vehicle 12c, a fourth vehicle 12d, a fifth vehicle 12e, a sixth vehicle 12f, and a seventh vehicle 12g, collectively referred to as a vehicle 12. , The eighth vehicle 12h, and the network 202. Here, only the first vehicle 12 a is shown, but each vehicle 12 is equipped with a terminal device 14. An area 212 is formed around the base station apparatus 10, and an outside area 214 is formed outside the area 212.

  As shown in the drawing, the road that goes in the horizontal direction of the drawing, that is, the left and right direction, intersects the vertical direction of the drawing, that is, the road that goes in the up and down direction, at the central portion. Here, the upper side of the drawing corresponds to the direction “north”, the left side corresponds to the direction “west”, the lower side corresponds to the direction “south”, and the right side corresponds to the direction “east”. The intersection of the two roads is an “intersection”. The first vehicle 12a and the second vehicle 12b are traveling from left to right, and the third vehicle 12c and the fourth vehicle 12d are traveling from right to left. Further, the fifth vehicle 12e and the sixth vehicle 12f are traveling from the top to the bottom, and the seventh vehicle 12g and the eighth vehicle 12h are traveling from the bottom to the top.

  In the communication system 100, the base station apparatus 10 is fixedly installed at an intersection. The base station device 10 controls communication between terminal devices. The base station apparatus 10 receives a frame including a plurality of subframes based on a signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite (not shown) or a frame formed by another base station apparatus 10 (not shown). Generate repeatedly. Here, the road vehicle transmission period can be set at the head of each subframe.

  The base station apparatus 10 selects a subframe in which the road and vehicle transmission period is not set by another base station apparatus 10 from among a plurality of subframes in the frame. The base station apparatus 10 sets a road and vehicle transmission period at the beginning of the selected subframe. The base station apparatus 10 notifies the packet signal in the set road and vehicle transmission period. In the road and vehicle transmission period, a plurality of packet signals may be notified. The packet signal includes, for example, accident information, traffic jam information, signal information, and the like. Note that the packet signal also includes information related to the timing when the road and vehicle transmission period is set and control information related to the frame.

  As described above, the terminal device 14 is mounted on the vehicle 12 and is movable. When receiving the packet signal from the base station apparatus 10, the terminal apparatus 14 estimates that the terminal apparatus 14 exists in the area 212. When the terminal device 14 exists in the area 212, the terminal device 14 generates a frame based on the control information included in the packet signal, in particular, the information on the timing when the road and vehicle transmission period is set and the information on the frame. As a result, the frame generated in each of the plurality of terminal devices 14 is synchronized with the frame generated in the base station device 10. The terminal device 14 notifies the packet signal in the vehicle transmission period that is a period different from the road and vehicle transmission period. Here, CSMA / CA is executed in the vehicle transmission period. On the other hand, when it is estimated that the terminal apparatus 14 exists outside the area 214, the terminal apparatus 14 notifies the packet signal by executing CSMA / CA regardless of the frame configuration. The terminal device 14 recognizes the approach of the other vehicle 12 on which the other terminal device 14 is mounted based on the packet signal from the other terminal device 14.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the base station apparatus 10. The base station apparatus 10 includes an antenna 20, an RF unit 22, a modem unit 24, a processing unit 26, a control unit 28, and a network communication unit 30. Further, the processing unit 26 includes a frame defining unit 32, a selecting unit 34, and a generating unit 36.

  The RF unit 22 receives a packet signal from a terminal device 14 (not shown) or another base station device 10 by the antenna 20 as a reception process. The RF unit 22 performs frequency conversion on the received radio frequency packet signal to generate a baseband packet signal. Further, the RF unit 22 outputs a baseband packet signal to the modem unit 24. In general, baseband packet signals are formed by in-phase and quadrature components, so two signal lines should be shown, but here only one signal line is shown for clarity. Shall be shown. The RF unit 22 includes an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), a mixer, an AGC, and an A / D conversion unit.

  As a transmission process, the RF unit 22 performs frequency conversion on the baseband packet signal input from the modem unit 24 to generate a radio frequency packet signal. Further, the RF unit 22 transmits a radio frequency packet signal from the antenna 20 during the road-vehicle transmission period. The RF unit 22 also includes a PA (Power Amplifier), a mixer, and a D / A conversion unit.

  The modem unit 24 demodulates the baseband packet signal from the RF unit 22 as a reception process. Further, the modem unit 24 outputs the demodulated result to the processing unit 26. The modem unit 24 also modulates the data from the processing unit 26 as a transmission process. Further, the modem unit 24 outputs the modulated result to the RF unit 22 as a baseband packet signal. Here, since the communication system 100 corresponds to an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) modulation scheme, the modem unit 24 also performs FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) as reception processing and IFFT (Inverse Fast Trans) as transmission processing. Also execute.

  The frame defining unit 32 receives a signal from a GPS satellite (not shown), and acquires time information based on the received signal. In addition, since a well-known technique should just be used for acquisition of the information of time, description is abbreviate | omitted here. The frame defining unit 32 generates a plurality of frames based on the time information. For example, the frame defining unit 32 generates ten “100 msec” frames by dividing the “1 sec” period into ten on the basis of the timing indicated by the time information. By repeating such processing, the frame is defined to be repeated. The frame defining unit 32 may detect control information from the demodulation result and generate a frame based on the detected control information. Such processing corresponds to generating a frame synchronized with the timing of the frame formed by another base station apparatus 10.

  3A to 3D show frame formats defined in the communication system 100. FIG. FIG. 3A shows the structure of the frame. The frame is formed of N subframes indicated as the first subframe to the Nth subframe. This can be said that the terminal device 14 forms a frame by multiplexing a plurality of subframes that can be used for notification for a plurality of hours. For example, when the frame length is 100 msec and N is 8, a subframe having a length of 12.5 msec is defined. N may be other than 8. The description of FIGS. 3B to 3D will be described later and returns to FIG.

  The selection part 34 selects the sub-frame which should set a road and vehicle transmission period among several sub-frames contained in the flame | frame. More specifically, the selection unit 34 receives a frame defined by the frame defining unit 32. The selection unit 34 receives an instruction regarding the selected subframe via an interface (not shown). The selection unit 34 selects a subframe corresponding to the instruction. Apart from this, the selection unit 34 may automatically select a subframe. At this time, the selection unit 34 inputs a demodulation result from another base station device 10 or the terminal device 14 (not shown) via the RF unit 22 and the modem unit 24. The selection part 34 extracts the demodulation result from the other base station apparatus 10 among the input demodulation results. The selection unit 34 specifies the subframe that has not received the demodulation result by specifying the subframe that has received the demodulation result.

  This corresponds to specifying a subframe in which the road and vehicle transmission period is not set by another base station apparatus 10, that is, an unused subframe. When there are a plurality of unused subframes, the selection unit 34 selects one subframe at random. When there is no unused subframe, that is, when each of a plurality of subframes is used, the selection unit 34 acquires reception power corresponding to the demodulation result, and gives priority to subframes with low reception power. Select

  FIG. 3B shows a configuration of a frame generated by the first base station apparatus 10a (not shown). The first base station apparatus 10a sets a road and vehicle transmission period at the beginning of the first subframe. Moreover, the 1st base station apparatus 10a sets a vehicle transmission period following a road and vehicle transmission period in a 1st sub-frame. The vehicle transmission period is a period during which the terminal device 14 can notify the packet signal. That is, the first base station apparatus 10a can notify the packet signal in the road and vehicle transmission period which is the first period of the first subframe, and the terminal apparatus in the vehicle and vehicle transmission period other than the road and vehicle transmission period in the frame. It is specified that 14 can broadcast the packet signal. Furthermore, the first base station apparatus 10a sets only the vehicle transmission period from the second subframe to the Nth subframe.

  FIG. 3C shows a configuration of a frame generated by the second base station apparatus 10b (not shown). The second base station apparatus 10b sets a road and vehicle transmission period at the beginning of the second subframe. Also, the second base station apparatus 10b sets the vehicle transmission period from the first stage of the road and vehicle transmission period in the second subframe, from the first subframe and the third subframe to the Nth subframe. FIG. 3D shows a configuration of a frame generated by a third base station apparatus 10c (not shown). The third base station apparatus 10c sets a road and vehicle transmission period at the beginning of the third subframe. In addition, the third base station apparatus 10c sets the vehicle transmission period from the first stage of the road and vehicle transmission period in the third subframe, the first subframe, the second subframe, and the fourth subframe to the Nth subframe. As described above, the plurality of base station apparatuses 10 select different subframes, and set the road and vehicle transmission period at the head portion of the selected subframe. Returning to FIG. The selection unit 34 outputs the selected subframe number to the generation unit 36.

  The generation unit 36 receives a subframe number from the selection unit 34. The generation unit 36 sets a road and vehicle transmission period in the subframe of the received subframe number, and generates a packet signal to be notified during the road and vehicle transmission period. When a plurality of packet signals are transmitted in one road and vehicle transmission period, the generation unit 36 generates them. The packet signal is composed of control information and a payload. The control information includes a subframe number in which a road and vehicle transmission period is set. The payload includes, for example, accident information, traffic jam information, signal information, and the like. These data are acquired from the network 202 (not shown) by the network communication unit 30. The processing unit 26 broadcasts the packet signal to the modem unit 24 and the RF unit 22 during the road and vehicle transmission period. The control unit 28 controls processing of the entire base station device 10.

  This configuration can be realized in terms of hardware by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of any computer, and in terms of software, it can be realized by a program loaded in the memory, but here it is realized by their cooperation. Draw functional blocks. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms only by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the terminal device 14. The terminal device 14 includes an antenna 50, an RF unit 52, a modem unit 54, a processing unit 56, and a control unit 58. The processing unit 56 includes a timing specification unit 60, a transfer determination unit 62, an acquisition unit 64, a generation unit 66, a support unit 68, a display unit 70, a trigger control unit 80, and a storage unit 82. The timing specification unit 60 includes an extraction unit. 72 and a carrier sense unit 74. The terminal device 14 can be mounted on the vehicle 12 as described above. The antenna 50, the RF unit 52, and the modem unit 54 execute the same processing as the antenna 20, the RF unit 22, and the modem unit 24 in FIG. Here, the difference will be mainly described.

  The modem unit 54 and the processing unit 56 receive a packet signal from another terminal device 14 or the base station device 10 (not shown) in the reception process. As described above, the modem unit 54 and the processing unit 56 receive a packet signal from the base station apparatus 10 during the road-to-vehicle transmission period, and receive packet signals from other terminal apparatuses 14 during the vehicle-to-vehicle transmission period. To do. The packet signal from the other terminal device 14 includes at least the presence position, traveling direction, moving speed, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as “position information”) of the other vehicle 12 on which the other terminal device 14 is mounted. It is.

  When the demodulation result from the modem unit 54 is a packet signal from the base station apparatus 10 (not shown), the extraction unit 72 specifies the timing of the subframe in which the road and vehicle transmission period is arranged. In that case, the extraction part 72 estimates that it exists in the area 212 of FIG. The extraction unit 72 generates a frame based on the timing of the subframe and the content of the message header of the packet signal, specifically, the content of the road and vehicle transmission period length. Note that the generation of the frame only needs to be performed in the same manner as the frame defining unit 32 described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. As a result, the extraction unit 72 generates a frame synchronized with the frame formed in the base station device 10. When the packet signal notification source is another terminal device 14, the extraction unit 72 omits the process of generating a synchronized frame, but extracts the location information included in the packet signal and provides the location information to the support unit 68. Output to.

  On the other hand, when the extraction unit 72 has not received a packet signal from the base station apparatus 10, the extraction unit 72 estimates that the extraction unit 72 exists outside the area 214 in FIG. When it is estimated that the extraction unit 72 exists in the area 212, the extraction unit 72 selects the vehicle transmission period. When it is estimated that the extraction unit 72 exists outside the area 214, the extraction unit 72 selects a timing unrelated to the frame configuration. When the vehicle transmission period is selected, the extraction unit 72 outputs information on the frame and subframe timing and the vehicle transmission period to the carrier sense unit 74. When selecting the timing unrelated to the frame configuration, the extraction unit 72 instructs the carrier sense unit 74 to execute carrier sense.

  The carrier sense unit 74 receives information about the timing of the frames and subframes and the vehicle transmission period from the extraction unit 72. The carrier sense unit 74 determines the transmission timing by starting CSMA / CA within the vehicle transmission period. On the other hand, when the carrier sense unit 74 is instructed by the extraction unit 72 to execute carrier sense not related to the frame configuration, the carrier sense unit 74 performs transmission timing by executing CSMA / CA without considering the frame configuration. To decide. The carrier sense unit 74 notifies the modem unit 54 and the RF unit 52 of the determined transmission timing, and broadcasts the packet signal.

  The transfer determination unit 62 controls transfer of control information. The transfer determination unit 62 extracts information to be transferred from the control information. The transfer determination unit 62 generates information to be transferred based on the extracted information. Here, the description of this process is omitted. The transfer determination unit 62 outputs information to be transferred, that is, a part of the control information, to the generation unit 66.

  The acquisition unit 64 includes a GPS receiver (not shown), a gyroscope, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like. Based on data supplied from these, the location of the vehicle 12 (not shown), that is, the position of the vehicle 12 on which the terminal device 14 is mounted, the progress The direction, moving speed, etc. (as described above, collectively referred to as “position information”) are acquired. The existence position is indicated by latitude and longitude. The traveling direction is indicated by an azimuth angle, with north as a reference azimuth (0 degree) and clockwise as a positive angle. Since a known technique may be used for these acquisitions, description thereof is omitted here. The moving speed is also referred to as a traveling speed.

  Furthermore, the acquisition unit 64 is connected to the direction indicator of the vehicle 12 on which the terminal device 14 is mounted, and acquires the indication direction indicated by the direction indicator. The indication direction corresponds to, for example, the right winker on and the left winker on, and is also called winker information. The acquisition unit 64 also acquires the acceleration of the vehicle 12 on which the terminal device 14 is mounted. The acceleration may be measured by an acceleration sensor (not shown) or may be calculated from a change in travel speed over time. The acquisition unit 64 also acquires the azimuth displacement of the vehicle 12 on which the terminal device 14 is mounted, and after starting the acquisition of the indicated direction, that is, after turning on the right winker. Such azimuth displacement is derived by integrating the change in azimuth after the right winker is turned on. The acquisition unit 64 outputs these pieces of information to the generation unit 66, the support unit 68, and the trigger control unit 80.

  The generation unit 66 receives information from the acquisition unit 64 and receives a part of control information from the transfer determination unit 62. The generation unit 66 generates a packet signal including these, and broadcasts the generated packet signal via the modem unit 54, the RF unit 52, and the antenna 50 at the transmission timing determined by the carrier sense unit 74. To do. This corresponds to inter-vehicle communication.

  The support unit 68 derives support to be provided from among a plurality of types of support based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 64 and the information from the extraction unit 72. The multiple types of support are, for example, right-turn collision prevention support, left-turn collision prevention support, encounter collision prevention support, and the like. Here, the explanation will be on collision prevention support during right turn and encounter collision prevention support.

  First, collision prevention support (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) during a right turn will be described. In this assistance, when the host vehicle turns to the right, the driver is notified of the presence of an approaching vehicle (an oncoming vehicle) when an oncoming vehicle is approaching. FIG. 5 shows an outline of the right-turn collision prevention support in the support unit 68. The host vehicle 300 waits for the start of a right turn after moving from the left to the right in the figure, and the other vehicle 302 moves from the right to the left in the figure. Here, the support unit 68 includes, as information from the own vehicle 300, (i) the position / velocity / acceleration / azimuth angle of the own vehicle 300 from (GPS) or an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), and (ii) CAN. Or the turn signal information of the own vehicle 300 from other means is acquired.

  Further, the support unit 68 acquires position / velocity / acceleration / azimuth / blinker information of the other vehicle 302 as information from the other vehicle 302. Based on these pieces of information, the support unit 68 (i) the speed of the own vehicle 300 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, (ii) the right turn signal of the own vehicle 300 is turned on, and (iii) the own vehicle 300 And (iv) when the host vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 meet within a predetermined time, the right-turn collision prevention support is determined.

  Next, encounter collision prevention support (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) will be described. In this support, when the host vehicle goes straight, the driver is notified of the presence of an approaching vehicle when other vehicles are approaching so as to cross each other. FIG. 6 shows an outline of the encounter collision prevention support in the support unit 68. The own vehicle 300 is moving from the bottom to the top in the drawing, and the other vehicle 302 is moving from the right to the left in the drawing. Here, the support unit 68 acquires the position / velocity / acceleration / azimuth angle of the vehicle 300 from GPS or CAN as information from the vehicle 300.

  Further, the support unit 68 acquires the position / velocity / acceleration / azimuth angle of the other vehicle 302 as information from the other vehicle 302. Based on these pieces of information, the support unit 68 (i) the positional relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 is an intersection, and (ii) the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 meet within a predetermined time. If so, decide to help prevent encounters. In addition, it may be added that the speed of the own vehicle 300 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed as a condition for generating the encounter collision prevention support.

  Since the present embodiment relates to a collision prevention support during a right turn, this will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows the collision prevention support for the right turn in the support unit 68. As described above, the right-turn collision prevention support is performed when the other vehicle 302 that is likely to collide is detected when the host vehicle 300 makes a right turn.

  The information provision target area 400 indicates a position where the time until the host vehicle 300 reaches the assumed collision position 404 is longer than 5 seconds and within 8 seconds. In the information provision target area 400, the own vehicle 300 decelerates before turning right while turning on the right turn signal. That is, the own vehicle 300 is in the right winker on and at a low speed. Here, the low speed is 3 m / sec or less. In addition, there is another vehicle 302 traveling in the reverse direction in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 300. Here, when the other vehicle 302 is at a certain speed or higher, for example, 1.5 m / sec or higher, the support unit 68 determines that the other vehicle 302 may collide with the own vehicle 300. The reason why the speed exceeds a certain speed is to exclude situations where the other vehicle 302 is likely to stop. In the information provision target area 400, the support unit 68 makes the driver aware of the presence of another vehicle, such as making a short sound.

  The attention target area 402 indicates a position where the time until the own vehicle 300 reaches the collision position is within 5 seconds. At that time, the support unit 68 urges the driver to be alerted by screen display & audio reproduction or the like as alerting.

  The trigger control unit 80 acquires an instruction direction, a traveling speed, and a traveling direction from the acquiring unit 64. Here, the indication direction is information on the right winker on in particular. In addition, the trigger control unit 80 starts acquisition from the state where the right winker is not acquired, and causes the storage unit 82 to store the traveling direction when the traveling speed is smaller than the threshold value. Here, such a process will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B show an outline of processing in the trigger control unit 80. FIG. FIG. 8A shows a case where the storage process in the trigger control unit 80 is not performed, and is a comparison target of the present embodiment. The own vehicle 300 is turned to the right winker at the position of the first point 410. An arrow at the first point 410 indicates the traveling direction of the host vehicle 300 input to the support unit 68. Therefore, at the first point 410, the relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 passes, so the support unit 68 performs the right turn collision prevention support.

  At the second point 412, the vehicle 300 starts turning in the right direction. Therefore, the traveling direction at the second point 412 is inclined to the right as compared with the traveling direction at the first point 410. At the third point 414, the host vehicle 300 further turns to the right. The traveling direction at the third point 414 is inclined to the right with respect to the traveling direction at the second point 412. Therefore, at the third point 414, the relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 is regarded as an intersection. As a result, the support unit 68 executes the encounter collision prevention support instead of the right turn collision prevention support. As described above, when the right turn collision prevention support is changed to the encounter collision prevention support, the content of the alert to the driver also changes, which may confuse the driver.

  FIG. 8B shows a case where a storage process is performed in the trigger control unit 80. The own vehicle 300 is turned to the right winker at the position of the first point 410. As in FIG. 8A, at the first point 410, the relationship between the host vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 passes, so that the support unit 68 performs the right-turn collision prevention support. Further, the traveling direction at the first point 410, that is, the traveling direction indicated by the arrow is stored in the storage unit 82. At the second point 412 and the third point 414, the host vehicle 300 turns to the right. However, as the traveling directions at the second point 412 and the third point 414, the traveling direction stored at the first point 410 is used for the aforementioned determination. Therefore, at the second point 412 and the third point 414, the relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 remains passing. As a result, the support unit 68 maintains the execution of the right-turn collision prevention support without changing the right-turn collision prevention support to the head-on collision prevention support. Returning to FIG.

  After the acquisition unit 64 starts acquiring the right winker on, the trigger control unit 80 stores the storage unit 82 when the traveling direction of the host vehicle 300 changes in the direction opposite to the indicated direction, that is, when the traveling direction changes to the left. The traveling direction memorized in is updated with the changed traveling direction. In particular, the trigger control unit 80 updates the traveling direction stored in the storage unit 82 when the traveling direction changes in a direction opposite to the traveling direction from the instruction direction stored in the storage unit 82. This corresponds to storing the maximum value of the pointing direction changed in the direction opposite to the traveling direction in the storage unit 82. On the other hand, after the acquisition unit 64 starts acquiring the right winker on, the trigger control unit 80 stores the storage unit 82 when the traveling direction of the host vehicle 300 changes to the indicated direction, that is, when the traveling direction changes to the right. The direction of travel memorized in is maintained. Here, such a process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show another processing outline in the trigger control unit 80. FIG. 9A shows a process in which the traveling direction at the timing when the acquisition of the right winker is started is stored, as in FIG. 8B. The own vehicle 300 travels straight on to the first point 420 and changes from the first point 420 to the right turn lane via the second point 422. In addition, the own vehicle 300 travels to the third point 424 in the right turn exclusive lane and turns right so as to pass the fourth point 426. Here, a situation is assumed in which the right turn signal is turned on at the second point 422 when the own vehicle 300 is changing from a straight lane to a right turn lane. At the second point 422, the vehicle 300 has a traveling direction that is directed to the right from the traveling direction of the road. Therefore, the traveling direction that is directed to the right from the traveling direction of the road is stored in the storage unit 82. This traveling direction is also maintained as it is at the third point 424 and the fourth point 426. As a result, the relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 does not pass each other, and the right-turn collision prevention support may not be executed. That is, the relationship between the own vehicle 300 and the other vehicle 302 is regarded as an intersection, and the right-turn collision prevention support may be changed to the head-on collision prevention support.

  FIG. 9B shows a process in which the stored traveling direction is updated. Similarly to FIG. 9A, the right winker is turned on at the second point 422 when the own vehicle 300 is changing the lane from the straight lane to the right turn lane. Therefore, the traveling direction at the second point 422 and directed to the right from the traveling direction of the road is stored in the storage unit 82. Following this, when the vehicle 300 travels in the right turn lane, the traveling direction is directed to the traveling direction of the road. That is, the traveling direction changes from the stored traveling direction to the left. In response to this change, the trigger control unit 80 updates the stored traveling direction to the changed traveling direction. Therefore, at the third point 424, the traveling direction facing the traveling direction of the road is stored. At the fourth point 426, the traveling direction of the host vehicle 300 changes to the right, which is the same direction as the right winker on. Therefore, since the trigger control unit 80 maintains the stored traveling direction without storing it, the traveling direction facing the traveling direction of the road is stored. As described above, the stored traveling direction is updated, and even if the own vehicle 300 starts turning to the right for a right turn, the traveling direction does not change. Returning to FIG.

  Furthermore, after the acquisition unit 64 starts acquiring the right winker on, the trigger control unit 80 automatically detects when the acceleration is greater than the threshold value and the acquired azimuth displacement is greater than the threshold value. It is considered that the car 300 has started crossing the right turn, and even if the actual right turn signal is on, the acquisition unit 64 clears that the right turn signal has been acquired. The threshold value compared with the acceleration and the threshold value compared with the azimuth displacement may be different values. Here, clearing that the right turn signal has been acquired corresponds to causing the support unit 68 to release the right turn collision prevention support. The trigger control unit 80 outputs the fact that it has been cleared to the support unit 68. Here, such processing will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 10A to 10B show still another processing outline in the trigger control unit 80. FIG. FIG. 10A is a comparison target of this embodiment, and shows a case where the acquisition of the right winker on is cleared when the actual right winker is turned off. In the own vehicle 300, the right winker is turned on at the first point 430 and the right winker is turned off at the second point 432. In this case, in the own vehicle 300, the right turn collision prevention support continues to be executed until the crossing of the road is completed. On the other hand, the collision prevention support at the time of right turn should be made in order to call attention before starting the actual right turn, and it is desirable to cross the road promptly when the actual right turn is started. Therefore, it is desirable that the acquisition of the right winker is cleared before the actual right winker is turned off.

  FIG. 10B shows a case where the acquisition of the right winker on is cleared based on the criteria as in the present embodiment. The third point 434 is in front of the second point 432 (on the first point 430 side). The arrows shown at the first point 430 and the third point 434 indicate azimuth displacement. At the third point 434, since the azimuth displacement of the own vehicle 300 becomes larger than the threshold value and the acceleration becomes larger than the threshold value, it is considered that the own vehicle 300 has started a right turn crossing, and the actual Even if the right turn signal is on, the trigger control unit 80 clears that the right turn signal is acquired. As a result, the right-turn collision prevention support is terminated at the third point 434. Returning to FIG.

  The storage unit 82 stores a traveling direction or clears the stored traveling direction under the control of the trigger control unit 80. The storage unit 82 outputs the stored traveling direction to the support unit 68. Therefore, the support unit 68 uses the traveling direction received from the storage unit 82 when determining whether or not it corresponds to the right-turn collision prevention support. The display unit 70 displays a message for preventing collision at the time of right turn, for example, “attention to oncoming vehicles” on a monitor (not shown). Moreover, the display part 70 may display the map image in a car navigation system. Further, in addition to the display by the display unit 70, notification by voice or the like may be performed together.

  The operation of the communication system 100 configured as above will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of storing the direction of travel by the trigger control unit 80 in the right turn collision prevention support. When the right direction is obtained (Y in S10) and the traveling speed is smaller than the threshold (Y in S12), the trigger control unit 80 stores the traveling direction of the vehicle 12 in the storage unit 82 (S14). ). On the other hand, when the right direction is not acquired (N in S10), or when the traveling speed is not smaller than the threshold value (N in S12), the process ends.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for updating the traveling direction by the trigger control unit 80. This corresponds to the processing following FIG. The storage unit 82 stores the traveling direction of the vehicle 12 (S30). When the traveling direction changes in the direction opposite to the instruction direction (Y in S32), the trigger control unit 80 updates the traveling direction stored in the storage unit 82 (S34). When the traveling direction does not change in the direction opposite to the designated direction (N in S32) and the traveling direction changes in the same direction as the designated direction (Y in S36), the trigger control unit 80 stores the traveling direction stored in the storage unit 82. Is maintained (S38). If the traveling direction does not change in the same direction as the instruction direction (N in S36), the process ends.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for clearing the designated direction by the trigger control unit 80. The trigger control unit 80 acquires a right direction (S50). When the acceleration is greater than the threshold (Y in S52) and the azimuth displacement is greater than the threshold (Y in S54), the trigger control unit 80 clears the indicated direction (S56). If the acceleration is not greater than the threshold value (N in S52), or if the azimuth displacement is not greater than the threshold value (N in S54), the process ends.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, after starting the acquisition of the right wink-on, when the traveling direction changes to the left, the stored traveling direction is updated, and when the traveling direction changes to the right, the stored traveling direction is maintained. Therefore, the accurate traveling direction of the road can be acquired regardless of the timing when the start of the right turn operation is determined. In addition, since the accurate traveling direction of the road is acquired, the accuracy of estimating the traveling direction before the right turn can be improved. In addition, since the accuracy of estimating the traveling direction before the right turn is improved, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which the right turn collision prevention support and the encounter collision prevention support change. In addition, since the occurrence of a situation where the collision prevention support at the time of right turn and the collision prevention support at the encounter is changed is suppressed, the collision prevention support at the time of right turn can be stably provided. Further, since the acquired traveling direction is stored when the traveling speed is smaller than the threshold value, it is possible to distinguish the right turn start from the lane change. Moreover, since the right turn start and the lane change are distinguished, it is possible to accurately estimate the start timing of the right turn operation.

  Further, when the acceleration becomes larger than the threshold value, the fact that the right winker is acquired is cleared, so that the end timing of the right turn operation can be determined early. In addition, since the end timing of the right turn operation is determined early, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which the right turn collision prevention support is continued even when the right turn is finished. In addition, taking into account the case where the acquired azimuth angle displacement is greater than the threshold value, the fact that the right winker has been acquired is cleared, so that the clear determination accuracy can be improved. Further, in the right turn collision prevention support executed by the inter-vehicle communication, the accurate traveling direction of the road is acquired, which is effective even in a situation where the base station device is not installed.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each of those constituent elements or combinations of processing processes, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .

  In the present embodiment, a right turn when left-hand traffic is targeted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a left turn during right-hand traffic may be processed. In that case, the right and left relationships in the trigger control unit 80 and the support unit 68 are reversed. According to this modification, the application range of the present embodiment can be expanded.

  In this embodiment, a right turn is a processing target. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a left turn may be a processing target. In that case, the right and left relationships in the trigger control unit 80 and the support unit 68 are reversed. According to this modification, the application range of the present embodiment can be expanded.

  In the present embodiment, the trigger control unit 80 starts acquiring the right winker-on from a state in which the right winker is not acquired, and causes the storage unit 82 to store the traveling direction when the traveling speed is smaller than the threshold value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the trigger control unit 80 may store the traveling direction in the storage unit 82 when acquisition of the right winker-on is started regardless of the traveling speed. According to this modification, processing can be simplified.

  The trigger control unit 80 in the present embodiment, when the acquisition unit 64 starts acquiring the right winker on, when the acceleration is larger than the threshold value and the acquired azimuth displacement is larger than the threshold value. The acquisition part 64 has cleared that it acquired the right turn signal. However, not limited to this, for example, the trigger control unit 80 indicates that the acquisition unit 64 has acquired the right winker on when the acceleration acquired by the acquisition unit 64 is greater than the threshold regardless of the azimuth displacement. You may clear it. According to this modification, processing can be simplified.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that a right turn is made at an intersection. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a case where a traveling road is crossed to the right and enters a parking lot or the like provided on the right side of the road. According to this modification, the application range can be expanded.

  The outline of one embodiment of the present invention is as follows. A terminal device according to an aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that can be mounted on a vehicle, and an acquisition unit that acquires a traveling direction of the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted and an indication direction indicated by a direction indicator, And a control unit that causes the storage unit to store the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit when the acquisition unit starts acquiring the instruction direction. The control unit updates the traveling direction stored in the storage unit and acquires in the acquisition unit when the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit changes to the opposite direction after the acquisition unit starts acquiring the pointing direction. When the travel direction changes to the direction of the designated direction, the travel direction stored in the storage unit is maintained.

  According to this aspect, after starting the acquisition of the indicated direction, if the advancing direction changes in the opposite direction to the indicated direction, the stored advancing direction is updated, and stored when the advancing direction changes to the indicated direction. Since the traveling direction is maintained, the traveling direction before starting the right turn operation can be accurately maintained regardless of the timing when the right turn operation start is determined.

  The control unit may update the traveling direction stored in the storage unit when the traveling direction acquired by the acquiring unit changes in a direction opposite to the traveling direction from the instruction direction stored in the storage unit. In this case, when changing in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, the state in which the direction has changed the most is stored, so that the traveling direction before starting the right turn operation can be maintained more accurately.

  The acquisition unit also acquires the traveling speed of the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted, and the control unit starts acquisition of the indicated direction by the acquiring unit and the traveling speed acquired by the acquiring unit is smaller than a threshold value In addition, the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit may be stored in the storage unit. In this case, when the traveling speed is smaller than the threshold value, the acquired traveling direction is stored, so that it is possible to accurately estimate the start timing of the right turn operation.

  The acquisition unit also acquires the acceleration of the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted, and the control unit acquires the acceleration acquired by the acquisition unit after the acquisition unit starts acquiring the information of the pointing direction, which is greater than the threshold value. The acquisition unit may clear that the indicated direction has been acquired. In this case, when the acceleration becomes larger than the threshold value, the fact that the indicated direction has been acquired is cleared, so that the end timing of the right turn operation can be determined early.

  The acquisition unit acquires the azimuth displacement of the vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted, and also acquires the azimuth displacement after the acquisition of the indicated direction is started. The control unit acquires the threshold value of the acceleration acquired by the acquisition unit. If the azimuth displacement obtained by the acquisition unit is greater than the threshold value, the acquisition unit may clear that the instruction direction has been acquired. In this case, the fact that the indicated direction has been acquired is cleared in consideration of the case where the acquired azimuth displacement is greater than the threshold value, so that the determination accuracy for clearing the indicated direction can be improved.

  10 base station device, 12 vehicle, 14 terminal device, 20 antenna, 22 RF unit, 24 modulation / demodulation unit, 26 processing unit, 28 control unit, 30 network communication unit, 32 frame definition unit, 34 selection unit, 36 generation unit, 50 Antenna, 52 RF unit, 54 modulation / demodulation unit, 56 processing unit, 58 control unit, 60 timing identification unit, 62 transfer determination unit, 64 acquisition unit, 66 generation unit, 68 support unit, 70 display unit, 72 extraction unit, 74 carrier Sense unit, 80 trigger control unit, 82 storage unit, 100 communication system.

Claims (3)

A terminal device that can be mounted on a vehicle,
An acquisition unit that acquires a traveling direction of a vehicle in which the terminal device is mounted, a traveling speed of the vehicle, and an instruction direction indicated by a direction indicator of the vehicle;
A storage unit;
The acquisition unit starts acquiring the indicated direction when the acquisition unit starts acquiring the indicated direction and the traveling speed acquired in the acquisition unit is smaller than a threshold; A control unit that causes the storage unit to store the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit;
When the relationship between the vehicle in which the terminal device is installed and the relationship between the other vehicle and the other vehicle is derived using the traveling direction of the vehicle, the presence of the other vehicle is notified. A support department that performs support;
With
After the acquisition unit starts acquiring the designated direction, the control unit changes the traveling direction acquired by the acquiring unit in a direction opposite to the designated direction with reference to the traveling direction stored in the storage unit. In this case, the traveling direction stored in the storage unit is updated to the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit, and the traveling direction acquired in the acquisition unit is the reference direction based on the traveling direction stored in the storage unit. When the direction changes, the traveling direction stored in the storage unit is maintained,
If the relationship derived using the traveling direction stored in the storage unit is a passing relationship, the support unit is not passing the relationship derived using the traveling direction acquired in the acquiring unit, A terminal device that maintains execution of support. The acquisition unit also acquires acceleration of a vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted,
When the acceleration acquired in the acquisition unit is greater than a threshold value after the acquisition unit starts acquiring the information on the indication direction, the control unit determines that the acquisition unit has acquired the indication direction. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is cleared. The acquisition unit is also an azimuth displacement of a vehicle on which the terminal device is mounted, and also obtains an azimuth displacement after starting to obtain an indication direction
When the acceleration acquired in the acquisition unit is greater than a threshold value and the azimuthal displacement acquired in the acquisition unit is greater than the threshold value, the control unit determines the indication direction. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is cleared.

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