JP2019040458A - Communication apparatus, communication system and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus, a communication system and a communication method capable of transmitting emergency information regarding an emergency state of a vehicle even when the vehicle being outside a communication area is in an emergency state.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment comprises a communication unit, an estimation unit, and a transmission unit. The communication unit communicates with a vehicle-purposed apparatus mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles including a preceding vehicle and a succeeding vehicle following the preceding vehicle. The estimation unit estimates that the other vehicle is in an emergency state in the case where after both the preceding vehicle and the succeeding vehicle that were in the communication area capable of communicating with the communication unit move out of the communication area, one of the preceding and following vehicles returns from outside of the communication area to the communication area, and the other one does not return to the communication area. The transmission unit transmits emergency information on the emergency state of the other vehicle when the estimation unit estimates that the other vehicle is in an emergency state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, and a communication method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a vehicle falls into an emergency state due to an accident or the like, for example, a technique for transmitting emergency information related to an emergency state of the vehicle from an in-vehicle device to an emergency call center via a wireless communication network is known (for example, Patent Documents). 1). When the emergency call center receives such emergency information, it makes a request for dispatch of a police vehicle or an ambulance vehicle, for example, to related organizations.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-176666

  However, the vehicle may travel outside the communication area as well as within the communication area that can communicate with the emergency call center described above. Therefore, in the prior art, for example, when the vehicle exists outside the communication range, the above emergency information cannot be transmitted to the emergency call center.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a communication device and communication capable of transmitting emergency information related to an emergency state of a vehicle even when the vehicle existing outside the communication range is in an emergency state It is an object to provide a system and a communication method.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention includes a communication unit, an estimation unit, and a transmission unit in a communication device. The communication unit communicates with a vehicle apparatus mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles including a preceding vehicle and a succeeding vehicle following the preceding vehicle. The estimation unit is configured such that one of the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle is out of communication range after both the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle that have been in the communication range capable of communicating with the communication unit move out of the communication range. When the vehicle returns to the communication range and the other vehicle does not return to the communication range, it is estimated that the other vehicle is in an emergency state. When the estimation unit estimates that the other vehicle is in an emergency state, the transmission unit transmits emergency information regarding the emergency state of the other vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a case where the vehicle which exists out of a communication range will be in an emergency state, the emergency information regarding the emergency state of a vehicle can be transmitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a communication method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration including the communication system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the communication apparatus. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by the communication apparatus. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle device according to a modification. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication apparatus according to a modification. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of point information. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by the communication apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication device, a communication system, and a communication method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

(First embodiment)
<1. Outline of communication method using communication device>
Below, the outline | summary of the communication method which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a communication method according to the first embodiment.

  The communication method according to the first embodiment is executed by the communication device 50. The communication device 50 is a server or the like that transmits / receives various types of information to / from the vehicle device of the vehicle 1 via a wireless communication network such as a mobile phone communication network.

  The communication device 50 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle devices of the plurality of vehicles 1. In the example of FIG. 1, as shown on the left side of the drawing, the communication device 50 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle device of the preceding vehicle 1a and the succeeding vehicle 1b that follows the preceding vehicle 1a. The detailed configuration of the communication device 50 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  By the way, on the road R on which the vehicle 1 including the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b travels, the section located in the communication area A that can communicate with the communication device 50 and the emergency call center (described later), and the outside of the communication area where communication is impossible. The section located in B may be included. In the road R shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle 1 travels from the left side to the right side of the figure, the section in the communication area A, the section outside the communication area B, and the section in the communication area A are in order. Shall.

  Therefore, for example, when the vehicle 1 falls outside the communication range B and falls into an emergency state due to an accident or the like, the vehicle device of the vehicle 1 cannot transmit emergency information regarding the emergency state to the emergency call center. Therefore, in the communication device 50 according to the present embodiment, when it is estimated that the vehicle 1 existing outside the communication range B is in an emergency state, the emergency information of the vehicle 1 is transmitted to the emergency call center. .

  More specifically, the communication device 50 first communicates with the vehicle devices of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b (step S1). Thereby, the communication device 50 can detect that a plurality of (here, two) vehicles 1 are traveling on the road R in the communication area A. In other words, the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b communicate with each other. It can be detected that it exists in the area A.

  Subsequently, in the example of FIG. 1, the communication device 50 detects that both the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b that existed in the communication area A have moved out of the communication area B as shown in the center of the figure. (Step S2). For example, if the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b that existed in the communication area A continue to travel on the road R, the communication device 50 enters the section outside the communication area B. Communication is not possible. Thereby, the communication apparatus 50 can detect that the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b have moved out of the communication area B.

  Thereafter, as shown on the right side of FIG. 1, for example, when the following vehicle 1b returns to the communication range A from the non-communication range B, and the preceding vehicle 1a does not return to the communication range A, the preceding vehicle 1a Is in an emergency state (step S3). That is, in the present embodiment, although one vehicle 1 (here, the following vehicle 1b) of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b has returned to the communication area A, the other vehicle 1 (here, the preceding vehicle 1b). When the car 1a) does not return to the communication area A, it is estimated that the other vehicle 1 has entered an emergency state while traveling in the section outside the communication area B.

  In the above description, the case where the following vehicle 1b returns to the communication range A and the preceding vehicle 1a does not return to the communication range A has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, for example, when the preceding vehicle 1a returns to the communication range A and the subsequent vehicle 1b does not return to the communication range A, the communication device 50 may estimate that the subsequent vehicle 1b is in an emergency state.

  And when it is estimated that the preceding vehicle 1a is an emergency state, the communication apparatus 50 transmits the emergency information regarding the emergency state of the preceding vehicle 1a to an emergency call center (step S4). The emergency information may include position information of the preceding vehicle 1a (for example, position information of a section outside the communication range B) in addition to information indicating that the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state.

  Thereby, in the communication device 50 according to the present embodiment, even when the vehicle 1 existing outside the communication range B is in an emergency state, emergency information regarding the emergency state of the vehicle 1 can be transmitted. .

<2-1. Overall configuration including communication system>
Next, the configuration of the communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration including the communication system.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the communication system 100 includes a vehicle device 10 and a communication device 50, which are communicably connected via a communication network N such as the above-described mobile phone communication network or the Internet network. . An emergency call center 200 is communicably connected to the vehicle device 10 and the communication device 50 via the communication network N.

  Upon receiving emergency information transmitted from the vehicle device 10 or the communication device 50, the emergency notification center 200, for example, an operator (not shown) sends a request for dispatch of a police vehicle or an ambulance vehicle to related organizations according to the emergency information. Against. Communication system 100 may include emergency call center 200.

<2-2. Configuration of Vehicle Device>
The vehicle device 10 is mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles 1 (see FIG. 1) including a preceding vehicle 1a and a following vehicle 1b. The plurality of vehicle apparatuses 10 may be configured to be able to transmit and receive various types of information to each other by short-range wireless communication such as inter-vehicle communication. In addition, the apparatus 10 for vehicles is not limited to the apparatus installed in the vehicle 1, For example, you may include the terminal device etc. which were brought in in the vehicle 1, such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, and a personal computer.

  The configuration of the vehicle apparatus 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle device 10. In FIG. 3 and other block diagrams to be described later, only constituent elements necessary for explaining the features of the present embodiment are represented by functional blocks, and descriptions of general constituent elements are omitted.

  In other words, each component illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 3 and the like is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. For example, the specific form of distribution / integration of each functional block is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof is functionally or physically distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions.・ It can be integrated and configured.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle device 10 includes a vehicle communication unit 11, a positioning unit 12, a collision detection unit 13, an airbag device 14, and a control device 20.

  The vehicle communication unit 11 is connected to the communication network N and transmits / receives information to / from the communication device 50 or the emergency call center 200, for example. The positioning unit 12 receives a radio wave transmitted from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and obtains the position of the vehicle device 10 obtained based on the received radio wave, in other words, position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 (for example, Latitude and longitude) are output to the control device 20. In addition to the GPS, the positioning unit 12 may receive a radio wave transmitted from a satellite of a satellite positioning system such as Galileo, Glonas (ERA-GLONASS), Compass, or Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. .

  The collision detection unit 13 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor provided at the front rear side, the side, or the like of the vehicle 1. When the output value of the acceleration sensor exceeds a threshold value, the collision detection unit 13 detects a collision of the vehicle 1 and outputs a collision signal indicating that the collision is detected to the control device 20.

  When the collision detection unit 13 detects a collision of the vehicle 1, the airbag device 14 protects passengers in the vehicle 1 by, for example, instantaneously inflating (deploying) an airbag stored in a handle or the like. I do.

  The control device 20 includes a control unit 30 and a storage unit 40. The control unit 30 is a microcomputer that includes an information acquisition unit 31, an airbag control unit 32, and a communication control unit 33, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The storage unit 40 is a storage unit configured by a storage device such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk drive, and stores various programs, setting data, and the like.

  The information acquisition unit 31 acquires the position information of the vehicle 1 output from the positioning unit 12, and outputs the acquired position information of the vehicle 1 to the communication control unit 33. When a collision signal is input from the collision detection unit 13, the airbag control unit 32 activates the airbag device 14 and protects the occupant. Further, when the airbag device 14 is activated, the airbag control unit 32 outputs an activation signal indicating that the airbag device 14 has been activated to the communication control unit 33.

  The communication control unit 33 transmits the position information of the vehicle 1 input from the information acquisition unit 31 to the communication device 50 via the vehicle communication unit 11. Further, when the activation signal is input from the airbag control unit 32, the communication control unit 33 determines that the vehicle 1 is in an emergency state, and transmits emergency information including the position information of the vehicle 1 via the vehicle communication unit 11. To the emergency call center 200. However, the communication control unit 33 can transmit emergency information to the emergency call center 200 when the vehicle 1 is in the communication area A (see FIG. 1). 1), the emergency information cannot be transmitted to the emergency call center 200.

<2-3. Configuration of communication device>
Next, the configuration of the communication device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the communication device 50.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication device 50 includes a communication unit 51 and a control device 60. The communication unit 51 is connected to the communication network N and communicates with, for example, the vehicle device 10 and the emergency call center 200 to transmit and receive information.

  The control device 60 includes a control unit 70 and a storage unit 80. The control unit 70 is a microcomputer that includes a communication control unit 71, a predicted return time calculation unit 72, an estimation unit 73, and a transmission unit 74, and includes a CPU. The storage unit 80 is a storage unit configured by a storage device such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk drive, and stores travel information 81.

  The communication control unit 71 performs communication processing on the vehicle device 10 continuously or intermittently via the communication unit 51. For example, the communication control unit 71 communicates with the vehicle device 10 and receives the position information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle device 10. Then, the communication control unit 71 associates the received position information with time information indicating the received time, and stores it in the storage unit 80 as travel information 81. Since the communication device 50 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle devices 10 of the plurality of vehicles 1 as described above, the traveling information related to the plurality of vehicles 1 is accumulated in the traveling information 81. Become.

  The predicted return time calculation unit 72 calculates the predicted return time of the vehicle 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the estimated return time calculation unit 72 moves to the communication area A after the vehicle 1 that has moved from the communication area A to the non-communication area B (that is, the central vehicle 1 in the figure). A predicted return time predicted to be required before returning is calculated.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 determines that the preceding vehicle 1 a and the succeeding vehicle 1 b move to the communication range A after the preceding vehicle 1 a and the subsequent vehicle 1 b move to the outside B within the communication range. The time predicted to be required is calculated as the predicted return time. In other words, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 calculates the predicted time required for the preceding vehicle 1a and the subsequent vehicle 1b that have moved to the outside communication range B to pass through the section outside the communication range B as the estimated return time.

  For example, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 can calculate the predicted return time based on the travel information 81 described above. That is, in the travel information 81, travel information of the vehicle 1 that has actually moved to outside the communication area B and then returned to the communication area A is accumulated as a history. Therefore, the estimated return time calculation unit 72 can calculate the time actually required for the return to the communication area A based on the travel information 81 and calculate the calculated time as the estimated return time. In addition, when the time actually required for the return for the plurality of vehicles 1 is obtained, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 may calculate an average value, a mode value, a median value, etc. of the plurality of times as the predicted return time. Yes, but not limited to this.

  When the communication control unit 71 can perform communication processing with the vehicle 1, the estimation unit 73 determines that the vehicle 1 exists in the communication area A. In other words, the estimation unit 73 determines that the vehicle 1 has moved from the communication area A to the out-of-communication area B when the communication process with the vehicle 1 cannot be performed. To do. Then, the estimation unit 73 estimates the emergency state of the vehicle 1 based on the communication state with the vehicle 1.

  Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the estimation unit 73 determines whether the preceding vehicle 1 a and the following vehicle 1 b have moved after the preceding vehicle 1 a and the following vehicle 1 b that existed in the communication range A have moved to the outside B within the communication range. When one of the vehicles 1 (here, the following vehicle 1b) returns from the communication area B to the communication area A and the other vehicle 1 (here, the preceding vehicle 1a) does not return to the communication area A, the other vehicle 1 Estimate that it is an emergency.

  Further, the estimation unit 73 may estimate the emergency state of the vehicle 1 based on the predicted return time calculated by the predicted return time calculation unit 72 in addition to the communication state with the vehicle 1. For example, the estimation unit 73 may estimate the return time corresponding to the other vehicle 1 after the other vehicle 1 (the preceding vehicle 1a in the example of FIG. 1) of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b moves to the outside B within the communication range. If the other vehicle 1 does not return to the communication area A, it may be estimated that the other vehicle 1 is in an emergency state.

  Thereby, the estimation part 73 can estimate accurately that the vehicle 1 is an emergency state. That is, since the estimated return time is a time calculated based on the time actually required to return to the communication area A in the past, if the vehicle 1 normally travels in the section outside the communication area B, There is a high possibility of returning to the communication area A within the estimated return time. In other words, if the vehicle 1 does not return to the communication area A even though the estimated return time has elapsed, there is a high possibility that the vehicle 1 cannot normally travel in the section outside the communication area B. Therefore, the estimation unit 73 can accurately estimate that the vehicle 1 is in an emergency state by using the predicted return time.

  When the estimation unit 73 estimates that the other vehicle 1 (the preceding vehicle 1a in the example of FIG. 1) is in an emergency state, the transmission unit 74 sends emergency information regarding the emergency state of the other vehicle 1 to the emergency call center 200. Send. Thereby, for example, even when the vehicle 1 exists outside the communication range B and emergency information cannot be transmitted to the emergency call center 200, the transmission unit 74 can transmit emergency information to the emergency call center 200. .

<2-4. Control Process of Communication Device According to First Embodiment>
Next, a specific processing procedure of the communication device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by the communication device 50.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 70 of the communication device 50 executes communication processing with the vehicle device 10 (step S <b> 10). Next, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the communication with the preceding vehicle 1a existing in the communication area A is interrupted and the preceding vehicle 1a has moved to the outside communication area B (step S11).

  When it is determined that the preceding vehicle 1a has not moved out of the communication range B (No at Step S11), the control unit 70 returns to the process at Step S10. When it is determined that the preceding vehicle 1a has moved out of the communication range B (step S11, Yes), the control unit 70 calculates a predicted return time of the preceding vehicle 1a (step S12).

  Next, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the communication with the following vehicle 1b existing in the communication area A has been interrupted and the subsequent vehicle 1b has moved out of the communication area B (step S13). When it is determined that the following vehicle 1b has not moved out of the communication range B (No at Step S13), the control unit 70 repeats the process at Step S13. In addition, the control part 70 may complete | finish a process as it is, when the preceding vehicle 1a returns to the communication area A from the non-communication area B in the middle of repeating the process of step S13.

  When it is determined that the succeeding vehicle 1b has moved out of the communication range B (step S13, Yes), the control unit 70 calculates a predicted return time of the succeeding vehicle 1b (step S14). Next, the control unit 70 determines whether one of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b has returned to the communication area A (step S15).

  When it is determined that one vehicle 1 has not returned to the communication area A (No at Step S15), the control unit 70 repeats the process at Step S15. When it is determined that one vehicle 1 has returned to the communication area A (step S15, Yes), the control unit 70 determines whether the other vehicle 1 has returned to the communication area A (step S16).

  When it is determined that the other vehicle 1 has returned to the communication range A (step S16, Yes), that is, when both the preceding vehicle 1a and the subsequent vehicle 1b have returned to the communication range A, the control unit 70 Skip processing.

  When it is determined that the other vehicle 1 has not returned to the communication area A (No in step S16), the control unit 70 corresponds to the other vehicle 1 from the time when the other vehicle 1 moves to the outside communication area B. It is determined whether the predicted return time has elapsed (step S17).

  When it is determined that the estimated return time has not elapsed (step S17, No), the control unit 70 returns to the process of step S16. Further, when it is determined that the predicted return time has elapsed (step S17, Yes), the control unit 70 estimates that the other vehicle 1 is in an emergency state (step S18). And the control part 70 transmits emergency information to the emergency call center 200 (step S19).

  As described above, the communication device 50 according to the first embodiment includes the communication unit 51, the estimation unit 73, and the transmission unit 74. The communication unit 51 communicates with the vehicle device 10 mounted on each of the plurality of vehicles 1 including the preceding vehicle 1a and the succeeding vehicle 1b following the preceding vehicle 1a. The estimation unit 73 determines whether one of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b after the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b that existed in the communication range A that can communicate with the communication unit 51 have moved to the outside B within the communication range. If 1 returns from outside the communication area B to the communication area A and the other vehicle 1 does not return to the communication area A, it is estimated that the other vehicle 1 is in an emergency state. When the estimation unit 73 estimates that the other vehicle 1 is in an emergency state, the transmission unit 74 transmits emergency information regarding the emergency state of the other vehicle 1. Thereby, in the communication device 50, even when the vehicle 1 existing outside the communication area B is in an emergency state, emergency information regarding the emergency state of the vehicle 1 can be transmitted.

(Modification)
<3-1. Configuration of Vehicle Device According to Modification>
Next, modifications will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle apparatus 10 according to the modification. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the vehicle device 10 according to the modification further includes a vehicle speed detection unit 15 and an imaging unit 16. The vehicle speed detection unit 15 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1, for example. The vehicle speed detection unit 15 outputs vehicle speed information indicating the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 obtained from the vehicle speed sensor to the information acquisition unit 31.

  As the imaging unit 16, for example, a camera that images outside the vehicle can be used. The imaging unit 16 outputs the captured image outside the vehicle to the information acquisition unit 31 as vehicle outside image information. In addition, the vehicle apparatus 10 provided with the imaging part 16 is each mounted in the some vehicle 1 as above mentioned. Here, in the modified example and the second embodiment described later, the plurality of vehicles 1 may include “oncoming vehicles” of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b. Therefore, for example, the vehicle outside image information captured by the imaging unit 16 mounted on the oncoming vehicle may include images of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b.

  The information acquisition unit 31 outputs the vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1 output from the vehicle speed detection unit 15 and the image information outside the vehicle output from the imaging unit 16 to the communication control unit 33. Then, the communication control unit 33 transmits vehicle speed information and vehicle exterior image information of the vehicle 1 to the communication device 50 via the vehicle communication unit 11.

<3-2. Configuration of Communication Device According to Modification>
Next, the configuration of the communication device 50 according to the modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the communication device 50 according to the modification.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the control device 60 of the communication device 50, the control unit 70 further includes an inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 75 and an image acquisition unit 76. The storage unit 80 further stores road information 82 and emergency state image information 83.

  Here, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 according to the modification obtains the vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle device 10 described above, and calculates the predicted return time based on the speed of the vehicle 1 as the vehicle speed information. May be. Thereby, the return prediction time calculation unit 72 can calculate the return prediction time with high accuracy.

  Specifically, the estimated return time calculation unit 72 uses the estimated return time obtained from the travel information 81 to the speed of the vehicle 1 before moving from the communication area A to the outside communication area B (for example, immediately before moving to the outside communication area B). Based on the speed of the vehicle 1). That is, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 calculates the predicted return time in consideration of the speed of the vehicle 1 before moving from the communication area A to the non-communication area B, for example.

  Therefore, for example, when the speed of the vehicle 1 before moving to the out-of-communication area B is faster than the speed corresponding to the predicted return time obtained from the travel information 81, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 is shortened. On the contrary, when it is late, it correct | amends so that return prediction time may become long. As a result, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 can accurately calculate the predicted return time according to the speed of the vehicle 1 outside the communication range B.

  The predicted return time calculation unit 72 may calculate the predicted return time based on the road information 82. Thereby, the return prediction time calculation unit 72 can calculate the return prediction time with high accuracy.

  More specifically, the road information 82 is road information of a traveling road R (see FIG. 1) on which the vehicle 1 travels outside the communication range B, for example. Here, the road information 82 includes lane number information 82a, branch road information 82b, and point information 82c.

  The road information 82 does not need to include all these three pieces of information 82a to 82c. For example, the road information 82 may include one or two pieces of information among the three pieces of information 82a to 82c. Road information may be included.

  The lane number information 82a is information indicating the number of lanes of the traveling road R in the non-communication area B, for example. The predicted return time calculation unit 72 may calculate the predicted return time based on the lane number information 82a. For example, when the lane number information 82a is information indicating that the number of lanes on the traveling road R is two or more lanes, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 is set to be longer than the predicted return time obtained from the travel information 81. to correct.

  That is, for example, the succeeding vehicle 1b may overtake the preceding vehicle 1a in a section outside the communication area B having two or more lanes, and as a result of the overtaking, the following vehicle 1b may return to the communication area A before the preceding vehicle 1a. is there. In such a case, since the overtaken preceding vehicle 1a has a high possibility of returning to the communication area A later than the succeeding vehicle 1b, the return prediction time calculation unit 72 performs correction to increase the return prediction time.

  As a result, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 can accurately calculate the predicted return time according to the number of lanes outside the communication range B. As a result, in the estimation unit 73, if the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state, It is possible to suppress the presumption.

  The branch road information 82b is information indicating the presence or absence of a branch road on the traveling road R outside the communication range B, for example. The predicted return time calculation unit 72 may calculate the predicted return time based on the branch path information 82b. For example, when the branch road information 82b is information indicating that there is a branch road on the traveling road R, the return predicted time calculation unit 72 corrects the return predicted time so as to be longer than the predicted return time obtained from the travel information 81.

  That is, for example, when there is a branch road on the traveling road R outside the communication range B, the vehicle 1 returns to the communication range A at a position different from the communication range A assumed when the predicted return time is obtained from the travel information 81. There is a case. In such a case, the return predicted time calculation unit 72 corrects the return predicted time to be longer because there is a possibility that the return will take longer than the expected return within the communication area A.

  Accordingly, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 can accurately calculate the predicted return time according to the presence or absence of the branch road of the traveling road R outside the communication range B. As a result, the estimation unit 73 returns to the communication range A. It can suppress that the vehicle 1 which does not carry out being estimated that it is an emergency state carelessly.

  The point information 82c is, for example, point information around the traveling road R outside the communication range B. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the spot information 82c. As shown in FIG. 8, the point information 82c includes, for example, facilities or sightseeing spots that exist around the traveling road R outside the communication range B and that the vehicle 1 traveling on the traveling road R may stop by. Contains information. The point information 82c also includes information on predicted stay time that indicates a predicted stay time when the vehicle 1 stops at a facility, a sightseeing spot, or the like.

  In the example of FIG. 8, when the location name is “facility A”, the predicted stay time “X minutes” is associated. Moreover, although facilities A and B are facilities, such as a restaurant, a shopping center, and a gas station, for example, it is not restricted to these.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 7, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 may calculate the predicted return time based on the point information 82c. For example, when the location information 82 c includes information such as a facility where the vehicle 1 may stop, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 corrects the predicted return time so as to be longer than the predicted return time obtained from the travel information 81. For example, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 corrects the return predicted time by adding the estimated stay time included in the spot information 82c. The predicted stay time added to the predicted return time may be part or all of the predicted stay time included in the point information 82c.

  That is, for example, when the vehicle 1 stops at a facility or the like around the traveling road R outside the communication range B, the possibility that the vehicle 1 returns to the communication range A within the estimated return time obtained from the travel information 81 is compared. Low. Therefore, the predicted recovery time calculation unit 72 performs correction to increase the predicted recovery time.

  Accordingly, the predicted return time calculation unit 72 can accurately calculate the predicted return time according to the facility or the like where there is a possibility of stopping. As a result, in the estimation unit 73, the vehicle 1 that does not return to the communication area A is urgent. It can suppress that it is estimated that it is in a state carelessly.

  If the explanation of FIG. 7 is continued, the inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 75 calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle 1a and the subsequent vehicle 1b. For example, the inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 75 acquires vehicle speed information in each of the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b before moving from the communication area A to the non-communication area B, time information moving to the non-communication area B, and the like.

  Then, the inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 75 calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle 1a and the subsequent vehicle 1b before moving from the communication area A to the non-communication area B based on the acquired vehicle speed information and the like, and the calculated inter-vehicle distance Is output to the estimation unit 73.

  Then, the estimation unit 73 estimates the emergency state of the vehicle 1 based on the inter-vehicle distance. Thereby, the estimation part 73 can estimate accurately that the vehicle 1 is an emergency state.

  That is, for example, when the preceding vehicle 1a returns to the communication range A from the out-of-communication zone B and travels a distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance after the preceding vehicle 1a returns, If traveling normally, there is a high possibility of returning to communication range A. In other words, if the following vehicle 1b does not return to the communication area A even though it has traveled a distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance after the preceding vehicle 1a has returned, the following vehicle 1b normally moves the section outside the communication area B. There is a high possibility that the car has not been able to run.

  Therefore, when the preceding vehicle 1a travels a distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance after the preceding vehicle 1a returns from the non-communication area B to the communication area A, and the subsequent vehicle 1b does not return to the communication area A, the following vehicle 1b Estimate that it is an emergency. Thus, the estimation unit 73 can accurately estimate that the subsequent vehicle 1b is in an emergency state by using the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle 1a and the subsequent vehicle 1b.

  The image acquisition unit 76 acquires vehicle exterior image information captured by the imaging unit 16 mounted on the vehicle 1, and outputs the acquired vehicle exterior image information to the estimation unit 73. Here, the image acquisition unit 76 can acquire image information outside the vehicle from the imaging unit 16 mounted on the vehicle 1 that has returned from the communication area B to the communication area A.

  In other words, the vehicle 1 that has returned to the communication area A is the vehicle 1 that has finished traveling in the section outside the communication area B. Therefore, the outside-vehicle image information captured by the imaging unit 16 of the vehicle 1 may include, for example, an image of the vehicle 1 that has fallen into an emergency state outside the communication range B. The vehicle 1 that has returned to the communication range A includes oncoming vehicles other than the preceding vehicle 1a and the following vehicle 1b.

  Therefore, the estimation unit 73 estimates the emergency state of the vehicle 1 based on the outside image information. Thereby, the estimation part 73 can estimate accurately that the vehicle 1 is an emergency state.

  That is, for example, the estimation unit 73 estimates the emergency state of the vehicle 1 using the vehicle outside image information acquired from the vehicle 1 that has returned from the communication outside B to the communication range A and the emergency state image information 83. The emergency state image information 83 is stored in the storage unit 80 in advance, and the emergency state image information 83 includes an image of a vehicle in an emergency state such as a collided vehicle or a rollover vehicle, but is not limited thereto. It is not something.

  For example, the estimation unit 73 calculates the similarity by comparing the acquired image information outside the vehicle and the emergency state image information 83, and if the similarity is equal to or greater than a reference value, the vehicle 1 included in the image information outside the vehicle is emergency. Presumed to be in a state. As described above, the estimation unit 73 uses the outside image information captured by the vehicle 1 that has returned to the communication area A, so that the vehicle 1 that exists outside the communication area B and is different from the returned vehicle 1 is in an emergency state. This can be estimated with high accuracy.

(Second Embodiment)
<4-1. Configuration of Vehicle Device According to Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, for example, when the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state, the vehicle device 10 of the preceding vehicle 1a sends a signal indicating that it is in an emergency state to the following vehicle 1b or the oncoming vehicle. It was made to transmit via near field communication. The vehicle device 10 such as the succeeding vehicle 1b that has received the signal transmits a signal to the communication device 50 when it returns to the communication area A.

  This will be described in detail below. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the vehicle apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the communication control unit 33 includes a first signal transmission unit 33a and a second signal transmission unit 33b.

  When the vehicle 1 on which the first signal transmission unit 33a is mounted is in an emergency state outside the communication range B, the vehicle 1 is in an emergency state with respect to the vehicle 1 different from the vehicle 1 on which the first signal transmission unit 33a is mounted. An emergency signal indicating is transmitted via short-range wireless communication.

  As an example, when the first signal transmission unit 33a is mounted on the preceding vehicle 1a, when the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state outside the communication range B, the preceding vehicle 1b is preceded by at least one of the following vehicle 1b and the oncoming vehicle. An emergency signal indicating that the car 1a is in an emergency state is transmitted.

  When the second signal transmission unit 33b receives an emergency signal transmitted from the first signal transmission unit 33a of the vehicle 1 different from the vehicle 1 on which the second signal transmission unit 33b is mounted, the second signal transmission unit 33b transmits the received emergency signal to the communication device 50 in the communication area A. Via the communication network N (see FIG. 2).

  The case where the second signal transmission unit 33b is mounted on an oncoming vehicle and an emergency signal is transmitted from the first signal transmission unit 33a of the preceding vehicle 1a will be described as an example. When the emergency signal transmitted from the first signal transmission unit 33a is received, the received emergency signal is transmitted to the communication device 50 when the oncoming vehicle returns to the communication area A.

  And the estimation part 73 receives the emergency signal transmitted from the 2nd signal transmission part 33b of the oncoming vehicle which returned to the communication range A from the communication outside B, and when the preceding vehicle 1a does not return to the communication range A, It is estimated that the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state. Thereby, the estimation unit 73 can accurately estimate that the vehicle 1 (here, the preceding vehicle 1a) is in an emergency state.

  In addition, the first signal transmission unit 33a described above selects a predetermined vehicle based on the state of the plurality of vehicles 1 from the plurality of vehicles 1 including the following vehicle 1b and the oncoming vehicle. An emergency signal may be transmitted.

  The vehicle 1 to which the emergency signal is transmitted transmits the emergency signal to the communication device 50 when returning to the communication area A as described above. Therefore, the first signal transmission unit 33a selects the vehicle 1 that is likely to return to the communication area A early as a predetermined vehicle based on the state of the vehicle 1 from among the plurality of vehicles 1. And the 1st signal transmission part 33a can make it easy to transmit an emergency signal to the communication apparatus 50 at an early stage by transmitting an emergency signal with respect to the selected predetermined vehicle.

  In addition, the first signal transmission unit 33a may select a predetermined vehicle from the plurality of vehicles 1 based on the respective speeds of the plurality of vehicles 1. Thereby, for example, the first signal transmission unit 33a can select the vehicle 1 having a high speed from the plurality of vehicles 1 as the predetermined vehicle, and as a result, the predetermined vehicle quickly returns to the communication area A, The emergency signal can be easily transmitted to the communication device 50 earlier.

<4-2. Control Process of Communication Device According to Second Embodiment>
Next, a specific processing procedure of the communication apparatus 50 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by the communication device 50 according to the second embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the control unit 70 of the communication device 50 performs processes similar to those in the first embodiment in steps S <b> 10 to S <b> 16. In the second embodiment, when it is determined that the other vehicle 1 has not returned to the communication area A (No in step S16), the control unit 70 transmits from the second signal transmission unit 33b of the other vehicle 1. It is determined whether or not the received emergency signal has been received (step S16a).

  When it is determined that the emergency signal has been received (step S16a, Yes), the control unit 70 proceeds to the processing of steps S18 and 19 to estimate that the other vehicle 1 is in an emergency state and transmits emergency information. . Moreover, when it determines with the control part 70 not receiving the emergency signal (step S16a, No), it progresses to the process of step S17.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, for example, when the preceding vehicle 1a is in an emergency state, the vehicle device 10 of the preceding vehicle 1a transmits an emergency signal to the succeeding vehicle 1b, etc. The vehicle device 10 such as the succeeding vehicle 1b that has received the signal transmits an emergency signal to the communication device 50 when returning to the communication area A. Thereby, the estimation part 73 of the communication apparatus 50 can estimate accurately that the preceding vehicle 1a is an emergency state, for example.

  In the above description, the communication device 50 is configured to perform transmission processing for transmitting emergency information of the vehicle 1 to the emergency call center 200 when it is estimated that the vehicle 1 existing outside the communication range B is in an emergency state. However, it is not limited to this. In other words, the above-described transmission process may be performed in the vehicle device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1 different from the vehicle 1 in the emergency state.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle apparatus 50 Communication apparatus 51 Communication part 73 Estimation part 74 Transmission part 75 Inter-vehicle distance calculation part 76 Image acquisition part 100 Communication system

Claims (12)

A communication unit that communicates with a vehicle device mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles including a preceding vehicle and a succeeding vehicle following the preceding vehicle;
After both the preceding vehicle and the succeeding vehicle that existed within the communication range capable of communicating with the communication unit have moved out of the communication range, one of the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle is within the communication range from outside the communication range. When the other vehicle does not return to the communication range, the estimation unit that estimates that the other vehicle is in an emergency state;
A transmission device, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits emergency information related to an emergency state of the other vehicle when the estimation unit estimates that the other vehicle is in an emergency state. A predicted return time calculation unit that calculates a predicted return time required for the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle to move from the outside of the communication range to return to the communication range after the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle move out of the communication range. With
The estimation unit includes
When the predicted return time corresponding to the other vehicle has elapsed since the other vehicle moved out of the communication range and the other vehicle does not return to the communication range, the other vehicle is in an emergency state. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is estimated. The expected return time calculation unit
The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predicted return time is calculated based on the speeds of the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle before moving from the communication area to the outside of the communication area. The expected return time calculation unit
The communication device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the predicted return time is calculated based on road information of a traveling road on which the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle travel outside the communication range. The road information is
The information including the number of lanes of the traveling road, the information indicating the presence or absence of a branch road on the traveling road, and the point information around the traveling road is included. 4. The communication device according to 4. The one vehicle is the preceding vehicle, the other vehicle is the succeeding vehicle,
An inter-vehicle distance calculation unit that calculates an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle before moving from the communication area to the outside of the communication area;
The estimation unit includes
When the preceding vehicle travels a distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance after returning from outside the communication range to the communication range and the subsequent vehicle does not return to the communication range, it is estimated that the subsequent vehicle is in an emergency state. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The plurality of vehicles include an oncoming vehicle of the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle,
An image acquisition unit that acquires image information outside the vehicle imaged by an imaging unit mounted on each of the plurality of vehicles;
The estimation unit includes
The emergency state of the other vehicle is estimated based on the outside image information acquired from the one vehicle or the oncoming vehicle returned from the outside of the communication range to the communication range. The communication apparatus according to one. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A communication system comprising: a vehicle device mounted on each of the plurality of vehicles. The plurality of vehicles include an oncoming vehicle of the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle,
The vehicle device of the other vehicle is
When the other vehicle is in an emergency state outside the communication range, an emergency signal indicating that the other vehicle is in an emergency state is transmitted to at least one of the one vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. With one signal transmitter,
The vehicle device for the one vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is:
A second signal transmission unit configured to transmit the received emergency signal to the communication device in a communication area when the emergency signal transmitted from the first signal transmission unit is received;
The estimation unit of the communication device is
When the emergency signal transmitted from the second signal transmitter of the one vehicle or the oncoming vehicle that has returned from outside the communication range to the communication range is received and the other vehicle does not return to the communication range, the other vehicle The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle is estimated to be in an emergency state. The first signal transmission unit includes:
Selecting a predetermined vehicle from the plurality of vehicles including the one vehicle and the oncoming vehicle based on a state of the plurality of vehicles, and transmitting the emergency signal to the selected predetermined vehicle. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the communication system is characterized. The state of the plurality of vehicles is
The communication system according to claim 10, comprising speeds of the plurality of vehicles. A communication step of communicating with a vehicle device mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles including a preceding vehicle and a succeeding vehicle following the preceding vehicle using a communication unit;
After both the preceding vehicle and the succeeding vehicle that existed within the communication range capable of communicating with the communication unit have moved out of the communication range, one of the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle is within the communication range from outside the communication range. An estimation step of estimating that the other vehicle is in an emergency state when returning and the other vehicle does not return to the communication range;
And a transmitting step of transmitting emergency information related to the emergency state of the other vehicle when the other vehicle is estimated to be in an emergency state in the estimating step.

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