JP2020113228A - Communication apparatus, communication system, vehicle, platooning system, server, communication method, information management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus for a vehicle capable of continuing inter-vehicle communication even in a lane change, a left or right turn at an intersection or the like, and curving, etc. in a moving path.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus disposed in a first vehicle movable in a moving path in order to perform inter-vehicle communication with another second vehicle in the moving path performs wireless communication with the second vehicle by forming a directional beam toward the second vehicle by a directional antenna. When communication disconnection caused by the second vehicle going out of the range of the directional beam is predicted, the communication apparatus controls to start tracking of the directional beam toward the second vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device for performing inter-vehicle communication such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a communication method and a program, a communication system including the communication device, a mobile body and a platooning system, and a server for managing information of the mobile body, It relates to an information management method.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a communication device which is provided in a moving body such as a vehicle moving on a moving route such as a road and performs inter-vehicle communication with another moving body moving on the moving route.

Patent Document 1 discloses an inter-vehicle communication device capable of varying a communicable range of inter-vehicle communication and selectively using a plurality of communication systems according to circumstances. According to Patent Document 1, one or more vehicles can be skipped and inter-vehicle communication can be relayed.

In Patent Document 2, a transmitter of a preceding vehicle (first moving body) transmits a wireless signal indicating identification information of the preceding vehicle and a traveling direction, and a receiver of a succeeding vehicle (second moving body) transmits the wireless signal. The driving direction in which the preceding vehicle is present by recognizing the transmission direction of the wireless signal and identifying the direction in which the preceding vehicle is present, and outputting the identification information and the traveling direction of the preceding vehicle represented by the received wireless signal to the driving support device. A support information transmission system is disclosed. According to Patent Document 2, in a driving assistance device for a succeeding vehicle (second moving body), a peripheral image acquired by a vehicle-mounted stereo camera or a radar is searched for an object that matches the traveling direction represented by the wireless signal. It is said that the processing amount for recognizing the preceding vehicle can be reduced and the recognition accuracy can be improved.

JP, 2005-038202, A International Publication No. 2017/104224

In conventional vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it is possible to use a directional antenna to perform wireless communication using a direct wave of a directional beam in order to avoid interference. However, when wireless communication is performed using direct waves of a directional beam, wireless communication with the vehicle of the communication partner is interrupted due to lane change of the vehicle or the vehicle of the communication partner, right/left turn at an intersection, etc. , It may not be possible to continue inter-vehicle communication.

A communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a first moving body that can move along a moving route, and when the first moving body moves along the moving route, the communication device is connected to another second moving body. A communication device that performs communication. The communication device includes a wireless communication unit that forms a directional beam toward the second mobile unit by a directional antenna and performs wireless communication with the second mobile unit, and the second mobile unit within a range of the directional beam. A control unit that controls the wireless communication unit so as to start widening the angle of the directional beam when it is predicted that a communication disconnection occurs.
In the communication device, the second mobile unit may further include a prediction unit that predicts a possibility that the second mobile unit may deviate from the range of the directional beam, and the control unit may include the prediction information that indicates a prediction result of the prediction unit. It may be controlled to start the widening of the directional beam.
Here, the prediction unit calculates an index value indicating a degree of possibility that the second moving body deviates from the range of the directional beam, and the control unit sets the index value calculated by the prediction unit to a threshold value or more. When it is also high, control may be performed so as to start widening the angle of the directional beam.
In the communication device, the control unit receives, from a server or another vehicle, prediction information indicating a prediction result of predicting a possibility that the second moving body will deviate from the range of the directional beam, and based on the prediction information. Then, it may be controlled to start the widening of the directional beam.
In the communication device, the control unit may provide control information for widening the angle of the directional beam to the server or another when the second mobile unit is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. The control may be performed so as to widen the angle of the directional beam based on the control information received from the vehicle.
In the communication device, the possibility that the second moving body deviates from the range of the directional beam is the traveling state information indicating the traveling state of the first moving body or the second moving body, the first moving body, or the traveling state information. Movement route information including the shape of the movement route on which the second moving body is traveling, position information of the first moving body or the second moving body, navigation information of the first moving body or the second moving body, the At least one information of communication state information indicating a state of inter-moving body communication between the first moving body and the second moving body, and image information captured by the first moving body or the second moving body. You may make a prediction based on
Here, at least one of the traveling state information, the position information, the movement route information, the navigation information, the communication state information, and the image information is repeatedly acquired, and the second moving body is the directional beam. The likelihood of being out of range may be predicted based on whether the at least one piece of information has changed from the information immediately preceding it.
In the communication device, the control unit may perform control so as to end the widening of the directional beam when the second moving body enters the range of the directional beam before the widening of the angle. ..
In the communication device, the directional antenna of the wireless communication unit is an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements are arranged, and the control unit controls the phase of a signal to the antenna element so as to widen the directional beam. May be controlled.
In the communication device, the wireless communication unit includes a plurality of directional antennas having beam widths of the directional beams different from each other, and the control unit includes a plurality of directional antennas for widening the angle of the directional beams. The switching of the active antenna may be controlled.
In the communication device, the control unit may control the directional beam to be tracked with respect to the second moving body when the directional beam is widened.
In the communication device, the frequency band of the inter-mobile body communication may be a high frequency band of 1 GHz or higher.
In the communication device, the communication device may be a vehicle.

A communication system according to another aspect of the present invention is a communication system including a plurality of any one of the communication devices.

A mobile body according to still another aspect of the present invention is a mobile body including any one of the communication devices.
Here, in the moving body, running state information indicating a running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information of the moving body, and inter-moving body communication between the moving body and another moving body. The communication state information indicating the state and at least one piece of information of the image information captured by the mobile body may be transmitted to the server or another mobile body that is a communication partner of the inter-mobile body communication.
In the moving body, the moving body may be a vehicle.

A platooning system according to still another aspect of the present invention is a platooning system including a plurality of any one of the communication devices described above, wherein the plurality of mobile units travel in a platoon by performing communication between mobile units.

A server according to still another aspect of the present invention is a server that manages information on a plurality of mobile objects that can communicate with each other. The server includes traveling state information indicating a traveling state of the mobile body, position information of the mobile body, navigation information including travel route information regarding a travel route on which the mobile body is traveling, and another mobile body of the mobile body. Communication state information indicating the state of inter-moving body communication between and, and an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one information of image information captured by the moving body, the traveling state information, the position information, the At least one of navigation information, the communication state information, and the image information, or control information for starting the widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information is transmitted to the mobile body. And an information transmission unit for performing the same.

A method according to still another aspect of the present invention is a communication method for performing inter-moving body communication between a first moving body and a second moving body moving on a moving route. In the communication method, the first mobile unit forms a directional beam toward the second mobile unit by a directional antenna to perform wireless communication with the second mobile unit, and the first mobile unit includes Controlling the second mobile unit to start widening the angle of the directional beam when a communication disconnection is predicted outside the range of the directional beam.
A method according to still another aspect of the present invention is an information management method for managing information on the mobile body. The information management method includes running state information indicating a running state of the mobile body, position information of the mobile body, navigation information including travel route information regarding a travel route on which the mobile body is traveling, and other navigation information of the mobile body Communication state information indicating a state of communication between mobile units with a mobile unit, and acquiring at least one information of image information captured by the mobile unit, the traveling state information, the position information, and the At least one of navigation information, the communication state information, and the image information, or control information for starting the widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information is transmitted to the mobile body. Including what to do.

A program according to still another aspect of the present invention is provided in a first moving body that can move along a moving path, and when the first moving body moves along the moving path, the moving body is moved to another second moving body. It is a program executed by a computer or a processor included in a communication device that performs intercommunication. The program includes a program code for forming a directional beam directed to the second mobile unit by a directional antenna and performing wireless communication with the second mobile unit, and the second mobile unit outside the range of the directional beam. Program code for controlling to start the widening of the directional beam when a communication disconnection is predicted.
A program according to still another aspect of the present invention is a program executed by a computer or a processor included in a server that manages information on the mobile unit. The program includes running state information indicating a running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information including moving route information regarding a moving route on which the moving body is traveling, and other moving bodies of the moving body. Communication state information indicating the state of inter-moving body communication with the mobile body, and a program code for acquiring at least one piece of information of image information captured by the mobile body, the traveling state information, the position information, and the navigation. Information, at least one of the communication state information and the image information, or control information for starting the widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information is transmitted to the mobile body. And program code.

According to the present invention, it is possible to continue communication between mobile bodies even when changing lanes on a moving route, turning right/left at an intersection or the like, or traveling on a curve.

(A) And (b) is a side view and a top view of a plurality of vehicles in line running according to this embodiment, respectively. (A) And (b) is a side view and a top view which respectively show a mode of interruption of inter-vehicle communication when a vehicle in a row running according to the present embodiment changes lanes. The functional block diagram which shows an example of the main structures of the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. The functional block diagram which shows the other example of the main structures of the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. The functional block diagram which shows an example of the main structures of the server which concerns on this embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the beam control of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication of the vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the beam control of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication by the server which concerns on this embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B are a side view and a top view, respectively, of a plurality of vehicles 10 and 20 in a row running according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the traveling lane on the left side in the traveling direction of the road 90 having two lanes on one side, which is the traveling route, is a vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as “following vehicle”) 10 as a rear first moving body (first vehicle). Vehicles (hereinafter, also referred to as “preceding vehicles”) 20 as preceding second moving bodies (second vehicles) are traveling in the same direction. The following vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 are in platooning traveling at a predetermined inter-vehicle distance while communicating with each other. The vehicles 10, 20 form a platooning system.

The vehicles 10 and 20 in this embodiment are automobiles such as passenger cars, trucks, and buses, and the present invention is not limited to the type and number of vehicles. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the moving body is a moving body other than a vehicle such as a flying body or a ship that moves along a moving route set above the sky or above water.

For inter-vehicle communication between the following vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, radio waves such as microwaves and millimeter waves are used. The frequency of inter-vehicle communication may be, for example, several hundred MHz lower than 1 GHz, or may be a high frequency band of 1 GHz or higher. Further, the frequency of inter-vehicle communication may be 700 MHz band (715 MHz to 725 MHz), 5.8 GHz band (5770 MHz to 5850 MHz) or the like used in ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) and CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control). ..

On the front surface of each of the vehicles 10 and 20, directional antennas 11f and 21f for inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle in front and cameras 13f and 23f as image capturing devices for capturing images of the front are provided. Similarly, directional antennas 11b and 21b for vehicle-to-vehicle communication with rear vehicles and cameras 13b and 23b as image capturing devices for capturing rear images are similarly provided on the rear surfaces of the vehicles 10 and 20, respectively. There is.

The directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, and 21b of the vehicles 10 and 20, respectively, are shown by broken lines in the figure in order to suppress interference by other radio waves such as road reflection waves other than direct waves during vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Form a narrow beam. The narrow beam may be, for example, a beam having a beam width of 20 degrees or less. The directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, 21b may be configured by a single antenna element or may be an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements are arranged one-dimensionally, two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally.

In addition, the directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, and 21b of the vehicles 10 and 20, respectively, are provided on, for example, a turntable whose rotation can be controlled, and are configured to be rotatable so that the direction of the directional beam is changed. The directional antennas may be rotationally controlled so as to track the vehicle of the communication partner.

When array antennas are used for the directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, and 21b, respectively, the directional beam tracks the vehicle of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication or changes the beam width of the directional beam ( For example, the phase of the signal to each antenna element may be controlled so as to widen the angle of the directional beam.

Further, each of the directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, 21b has a plurality of directional antennas in which the directions of the directional beams are different from each other, and the directional beams track the vehicle of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication. The switching of the plurality of directional antennas may be controlled. Here, control may be performed to change the beam width of the directional beam (for example, to widen the angle of the directional beam) when the directional beam is tracked by the vehicle of the communication partner.

Each of the directional antennas 11f, 21f, 11b, and 21b has a plurality of directional antennas having beam widths of directional beams different from each other so as to change the beam width of the directional beams (for example, The switching of multiple directional antennas may be controlled (so as to achieve a wide angle). Here, when changing the beam width of the directional beam (when widening the angle of the directional beam), the directional beam may be controlled to be tracked by the vehicle of the communication partner.

When vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed using a narrow beam, a synchronization system that performs beam matching using a pilot signal may be used. For example, the pilot signal from the following vehicle 10 is transmitted to the preceding vehicle 20 in a narrow beam, the preceding vehicle 20 detects the narrow beam pilot signal in the wide beam mode or the omnidirectional beam mode, and the preceding signal is detected based on the detection result. The direction of the narrow beam of the vehicle 20 is adjusted.

When wireless communication is performed by a direct beam of a narrow beam using a directional antenna for vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicles 10 and 20, the vehicle 10 or 20 may change lanes, turn right or left at an intersection or the like, or turn on a curve to cause the vehicle 10 to travel. , 20 may be interrupted, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication may not be continued.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, when the preceding vehicle 20 forming a narrow beam and performing inter-vehicle communication changes lanes to the lane on the right side in the traveling direction, a wireless propagation path for inter-vehicle communication is provided. May be cut off and vehicle-to-vehicle communication may not be possible.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following vehicle 10 starts tracking of the directional beam with respect to the preceding vehicle 20 when the preceding vehicle 20 is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. Similarly, the preceding vehicle 20 starts tracking the directional beam with respect to the following vehicle 10 when the following vehicle 10 is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the following vehicle 10 starts to widen the directional beam with respect to the preceding vehicle 20 when the preceding vehicle 20 is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. Similarly, the preceding vehicle 20 starts to widen the directional beam with respect to the following vehicle 10 when the following vehicle 10 is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. Here, the widening of the angle of the directional beam is performed, for example, by changing the beam width of the directional beam from an ordinary angle of 20 degrees to an angle in the range of 21 degrees to 90 degrees.

As described above, when the preceding vehicle 20 and the following vehicle 10 are performing inter-vehicle communication, the vehicle of the other party of communication is changed to a directional beam by changing lanes of the vehicles 10 and 20, turning right/left at an intersection, etc. By starting at least one of tracking and widening of the directional beam when a communication disconnection is predicted out of the range, the vehicles 10, 20 can change lanes, turn right/left at an intersection, etc. Even in the horse riding, it is possible to avoid the interruption of the wireless propagation path of the inter-vehicle communication, so that the inter-vehicle communication can be continued.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the main configuration of the vehicle (subsequent vehicle) 10 according to the present embodiment. Note that the configuration of the preceding vehicle 20 traveling in front of the vehicle 10 is the same as the configuration of the following vehicle 10 in FIG.

In FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes a communication device 100 for performing inter-vehicle communication with a vehicle ahead or behind, and a vehicle drive unit 150 that drives the vehicle 10. The vehicle drive unit 150 is, for example, an engine that drives the vehicle 10, a drive source such as a motor, a drive transmission device that transmits the power of the drive source to a drive output unit such as a tire, and a steering device that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. ..

The communication device 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, a position information acquisition unit 120, a navigation information acquisition unit 122, a traveling state information acquisition unit 124, a front imaging unit 130f and a rear imaging unit 130b as image information acquisition units, And a control unit 140. A communication device for inter-vehicle communication is configured by the communication device of the following vehicle 10 traveling in a row and the communication device of the preceding vehicle 20.

The wireless communication unit 110 includes a front antenna unit 111f and a rear antenna unit 111b each having directional antennas 11f and 11b, and a communication processing unit 112.

The wireless communication unit 110 forms a directional beam consisting of a narrow beam directed to another vehicle that is a communication partner in the front or the rear by using the directional antennas (the front antenna 11f, the rear antenna 11b), and wirelessly communicates with the other vehicle. To do. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 forms a directional beam, which is a narrow beam, toward the rear antenna 21b of the preceding vehicle 20 that is a communication partner in front by the front antenna 11f, and performs wireless communication with the preceding vehicle 20.

The wireless communication unit 110 also functions as a communication state information acquisition unit that acquires communication state information (for example, reception level information) indicating the state of inter-vehicle communication. Based on the acquired communication state information (for example, reception level information), control of tracking a directional beam used for inter-vehicle communication or starting the widening of the beam width may be performed. For example, the tracking of the directional beam or the widening of the beam width may be started when the reception level information of the inter-vehicle communication falls below a predetermined threshold value.

The wireless communication unit 110 receives, from the preceding vehicle 20, prediction information indicating a prediction result of predicting the possibility that the preceding vehicle 20 as the second moving body, which is a communication partner, will deviate from the range of the directional beam of the own vehicle 10. It may function as a prediction information receiving unit. In addition, the wireless communication unit 110 sets the directional beam of the host vehicle 10 when the preceding vehicle 20 as the second moving body, which is the communication partner, is out of the range of the directional beam of the host vehicle 10 and the communication disconnection is predicted. The control information for causing the preceding vehicle 20 to track or the control information for widening the angle of the directional beam may function as a prediction information receiving unit that receives from the preceding vehicle 20.

The front antenna section 111f and the rear antenna section 111b respectively include a front antenna 11f and a rear antenna 11b, and a beam control mechanism that controls the beam of each antenna. For example, in the case of mechanical antenna beam control, the beam control mechanism is configured by using an antenna rotating device that rotates the front antenna 11f and the rear antenna 11b around one axis or a plurality of axes and a rotation control device. Further, in the case of electronic antenna beam control, the beam control mechanism is configured by using an ABF (analog beam forming) device, a DBF (digital beam forming) device, a hybrid device in which ABF and DBF are combined, and the like. The ABF includes a phased array using a phase shifter and a multi-beam antenna using a Butler matrix.

The communication processing unit 112 amplifies a signal transmitted/received via the front antenna unit 111f and the rear antenna unit 111b, encodes/modulates data by a predetermined encoding/modulation method to generate a transmission signal, Data is generated by decoding/demodulating the received signal.

The position information acquisition unit 120 receives a signal from an artificial satellite of GNSS (Global Positioning Satellite System) such as GPS, and based on the reception result, position information of the vehicle 10 (for example, information on latitude, longitude and altitude). ) Can be output.

The navigation information acquisition unit 122 acquires road-related information such as map information, road information as moving route information regarding roads, and route information about planned travel from the navigation system mounted on the vehicle 10. The road-related information includes information about the shape of the road 90 such as a T-shaped road and a curve, and real-time traffic information such as construction and accidents on the road 90.

The traveling state information acquisition unit 124 acquires information indicating the traveling state such as traveling speed information, brake information, steering angle information, winker information, etc. of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle drive unit 150 of the vehicle 10.

The front image capturing unit 130f and the rear image capturing unit 130b each include cameras 13f and 23f as image capturing devices that capture images of the front or rear of the vehicle of the communication partner, and can acquire image information of the vehicle of the communication partner. it can. The lane change, right turn, left turn, curve running, etc. of the vehicle can be determined from the blinking of the direction indicator lamp, whether or not the brake lamp is turned on, the inclination of the vehicle, etc., which are included in the image information of the vehicle.

The control unit 140 includes a processor such as a CPU, a memory, and the like, and performs various controls such as the wireless communication unit 110 and the vehicle drive unit 150 by reading and executing a predetermined control program. For example, the control unit 140 starts at least one of directional beam tracking and widening of the directional beam with respect to the preceding vehicle 20 when the preceding vehicle 20 is out of the range of the directional beam of the host vehicle 10 and communication disconnection is predicted. As described above, the wireless communication unit 110 is controlled. With this control, a narrow beam of radio waves is made to reach the rear antenna 11b of the preceding vehicle 20 even when the lane of the own vehicle 10 or the preceding vehicle 20 of the communication partner changes on the road 90, makes a right/left turn at an intersection or the like, or makes a curve. Therefore, the inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle 20 can be continued.

The control unit 140, based on at least one of the traveling state information of the vehicles 10 and 20, navigation information, position information, communication state information of inter-vehicle communication, and image information, the preceding vehicle 20 that is a communication partner of inter-vehicle communication. May also function as a predicting unit that predicts the possibility of deviating from the range of the directional beam of the vehicle 10. The control unit 140 controls the wireless communication unit 110 to start at least one of tracking and widening the angle of the directional beam based on the prediction information indicating the prediction result predicted by itself.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 140 causes the wireless communication unit 110 to end the tracking and widening of the directional beam when the vehicles 10, 20 return to the normal platooning state on the straight road 90. May be controlled. For example, when the vehicles 10 and 20 have returned to the normal platooning state on the straight road 90, the control unit 140 ends the tracking of the directional beam and reduces the direction of the directional beam in order to reduce the control load. The wireless communication unit 110 may be controlled so that the vehicle is fixed in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. In addition, when the vehicles 10 and 20 return to the normal platooning state on the straight road 90, the control unit 140 ends the widening of the directional beam in order to suppress a decrease in the reception level of the inter-vehicle communication. The wireless communication unit 110 may be controlled so that the beam width of the directional beam is returned to the original beam width in the initial setting state.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing another example of the main configuration of the vehicle (following vehicle) 10 according to the present embodiment. The configuration of the preceding vehicle 20 traveling in front of the vehicle 10 is the same as the configuration of the following vehicle 10 in FIG. Further, in FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the example of FIG. 4, a network communication unit 126 for communicating with a server that manages information of a plurality of vehicles traveling in a platoon via a mobile communication network is provided. The network communication unit 126 can be configured using a user apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “UE”) that can communicate via a mobile communication network. The UE may be a wireless communication device called a user terminal, a terminal, a terminal device, a mobile station, a mobile device, or the like.

The network communication unit 126 is, for example, a prediction information receiving unit that receives prediction information indicating a prediction result of predicting the possibility that the preceding vehicle 20 will deviate from the range of the directional beam of the own vehicle 10 from the server via the mobile communication network. Function. In this case, the control unit 140 controls the wireless communication unit 110 so as to start at least one of tracking and widening the angle of the directional beam based on the prediction information indicating the prediction result received from the server.

Further, the network communication unit 126 controls information for causing the preceding vehicle 20 to track the directional beam of the own vehicle 10 when the preceding vehicle 20 is out of the range of the directional beam of the own vehicle 10 and communication disconnection is predicted. Alternatively, the control information for widening the angle of the directional beam may function as a prediction information receiving unit that receives from the server via the mobile communication network. In this case, the control unit 140 controls the wireless communication unit 110 based on the control information received from the server so as to start at least one of tracking and widening the angle of the directional beam.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the main configuration of the server 40 according to this embodiment. The server 40 of FIG. 5 is a server that manages information on a plurality of vehicles traveling in a row. The server 40 is provided in, for example, a base station of a mobile communication network, and is capable of processing various data transmitted/received to/from communication devices of a plurality of vehicles via the base station. ) Is a device. The server 40 including the MEC device may be provided outside the core network or a node between the base station and the core network of the mobile communication network.

The server 40 includes a network communication unit 400, a storage unit 410, and a beam remote control unit 420. The network communication unit 400 communicates with each of the vehicles 10, 20 traveling in a row via a base station of the mobile communication network. The storage unit 410 stores various information acquired by the beam remote control unit 420 and information (prediction information, control information) generated by the beam remote control unit 420.

The beam remote control unit 420 includes a position information acquisition unit 421, navigation information acquisition unit 422, a traveling state information acquisition unit 423, an image information acquisition unit 424, and a control unit 425.
The position information acquisition unit 421 receives and acquires position information (for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude information) of each vehicle 10, 20 from a plurality of vehicles 10, 20 traveling in a row via the network 400. ..
The navigation information acquisition means 422 includes map information output from the navigation system of each vehicle 10, 20 via a network 400 from a plurality of vehicles 10, 20 traveling in a row, road information as moving route information regarding a road, and the like. The road related information of is received and acquired.
The traveling state information acquisition unit 423 obtains traveling states such as traveling speed information, brake information, steering angle information, winker information, etc. of each vehicle 10, 20 from a plurality of vehicles 10, 20 traveling in a row via the network 400. Receives and obtains the indicated information.
The image information acquisition unit 424 receives and acquires the image information of the front and the rear captured by each vehicle from the plurality of vehicles 10 and 20 traveling in a row via the network 400.

The control unit 425, based on at least one of the traveling state information, navigation information, position information, vehicle-to-vehicle communication state information and image information of the plurality of vehicles 10, 20 traveling in a row, each vehicle 10, For 20, the network communication unit 400 is controlled so as to predict the possibility that the vehicle of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication will deviate from the range of the directional beam, and transmit the prediction information indicating the prediction result to the vehicles 10 and 20.

The control unit 425 transmits the control information for starting at least one of tracking and widening the directional beam of each vehicle 10, 20 to the vehicle 10, 20 based on the prediction result. 400 may be controlled. In addition, the control unit 425 informs the vehicles 10 and 20 of control information for ending the tracking and widening of the directional beam when the vehicles 10 and 20 return to the normal platooning state on the straight road 90. The network communication unit 400 may be controlled to transmit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of beam control for inter-vehicle communication of the vehicle (subsequent vehicle) 10 according to the present embodiment. The same beam control as in this example may be performed on the preceding vehicle 20 that is performing inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 10.

In FIG. 6, the vehicle 10 acquires various kinds of information including the above-mentioned position information, navigation information, running state information, and communication state information (S101), and determines whether or not each information has a difference from the immediately preceding information. It is determined (S102). For example, it is determined whether or not the traveling speed information, the brake information, or the winker information, which is the traveling state information of the host vehicle (vehicle) 10 or the preceding vehicle 20, is different from the information immediately before it. Here, the various information described above may be acquired from the preceding vehicle 20 that is a communication partner of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or may be acquired from the server 40 described above.

When it is determined in step S102 that there is a difference from the immediately preceding information (YES in S102), the vehicle 10 further predicts whether there is a possibility of disconnecting the inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle 20 (step S102). S103). For example, the inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle 20 is disconnected based on the steering angle information or winker information which is the traveling state information of the own vehicle (vehicle) 10 or the preceding vehicle 20, the navigation information, and the antenna pattern information of the directional beam. It is predicted and determined whether or not there is a possibility (S103). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S102 that there is no difference from the immediately preceding information (NO in S102), the vehicle 10 repeats steps S101 and S102.

When it is predicted/determined that the inter-vehicle communication may be disconnected in step S103 (YES in S103), the vehicle 10 starts controlling the directional beam used in the inter-vehicle communication (S104). For example, the vehicle 10 controls to start the tracking of the directional beam with respect to the preceding vehicle 20 which is a communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication. The vehicle 10 may be controlled to start widening of the directional beam instead of tracking the directional beam with respect to the preceding vehicle 20 of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication. In addition, the directional beam may be tracked to the preceding vehicle 20 of the communication partner of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the directional beam may be controlled to start widening. After starting the control of the directional beam used for the inter-vehicle communication, the vehicle 10 repeats the above steps S101 to S103.

When it is predicted/determined that there is no possibility of disconnection of the inter-vehicle communication in step S103 (NO in S103), the vehicle 10 further determines whether or not the direction of the directional beam is within the range of the initial setting ( S105).

When it is determined in step S105 that the direction of the directional beam is not within the default range (NO in S105), the vehicle 10 repeats steps S101 to S105 while maintaining the direction and beam width of the directional beam. .. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S105 that the direction of the directional beam is within the range of the initial setting (NO in S105), the vehicle 10 controls the directional beam (tracking, widening angle, or both controls). ) Is ended (S106), and steps S101 to S105 are repeated.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of remote beam control for inter-vehicle communication by the server 40 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 7, the server 40 acquires various information including the above-mentioned position information, navigation information, running state information, and communication state information from a plurality of vehicles 10 and 20 that are running in a row while performing inter-vehicle communication. (S201), it is determined whether or not each piece of information of each vehicle is different from the immediately preceding piece of information (S202). For example, it is determined whether or not the traveling speed information, the brake information, or the winker information, which is the traveling state information of the following vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, is different from the information immediately before it.

If it is determined in step S202 that there is a difference from the immediately preceding information (YES in S102), the server 40 may further disconnect the inter-vehicle communication between the following vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20. It is predicted whether or not (S203). For example, based on the steering angle information or winker information, which is the traveling state information of the following vehicle 10 or the preceding vehicle 20, the navigation information, and the antenna pattern information of the directional beam, whether there is a possibility of disconnecting the inter-vehicle communication. Is predicted and determined (S203). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that there is no difference from the immediately preceding information (NO in S202), the server 40 repeats steps S201 and S202.

When it is predicted/determined that the inter-vehicle communication may be disconnected in step S203 (YES in S203), the server 40 starts control of the directional beam used for inter-vehicle communication in the following vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20. The control information for doing so is generated and transmitted to each vehicle 10, 20 (S204). For example, the server 40 controls to generate control information for starting the tracking of the directional beam with respect to the vehicle of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication and transmit the control information to the vehicles 10, 20. The server 40 may generate control information for starting the widening of the directional beam and transmit the control information to the vehicles 10, 20 instead of tracking the directional beam with respect to the vehicle of the communication partner of the inter-vehicle communication. .. Further, control information for starting the widening of the directional beam may be generated and transmitted to each of the vehicles 10 and 20 together with the tracking of the directional beam with respect to the communication partner vehicle of the inter-vehicle communication. After generating and transmitting the control information, the server 40 repeats the above steps S201 to S203.

When the server 40 predicts/determines that there is no possibility of disconnection of the inter-vehicle communication in step S203 (NO in S203), the server 40 further determines whether the direction of the directional beam of each vehicle 10 or 20 is within the default range. It is determined whether or not (S205).

When it is determined in step S205 that the direction of the directional beam of each vehicle 10, 20 is not within the default range (NO in S205), the server 40 determines the direction and beam width of the directional beam of each vehicle 10, 20. The above steps S201 to S205 are repeated while maintaining. On the other hand, when determining in step S205 that the direction of the directional beam is within the range of the initial setting (NO in S205), the server 40 controls the directional beam (tracking, widening angle, or both of them). ) Is generated and transmitted to each of the vehicles 10 and 20 (S206), and steps S201 to S205 are repeated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed between a plurality of vehicles 10 and 20 that are running in a row, interference of other radio waves such as road surface reflected waves on the surface of the road 90 is generated. In addition to avoiding the above, it is possible to continue the wireless communication with the vehicle of the communication partner even when the lane is changed on the road 90, the vehicle is turned right or left at an intersection, etc.

It should be noted that the processing steps and components of the communication device described in this specification can be implemented by various means. For example, these steps and components may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

With regard to hardware implementation, means such as a processing unit used to implement the above steps and components in an entity (for example, various wireless communication devices, Node Bs, terminals, hard disk drive devices, or optical disk drive devices) One or more application specific ICs (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processors (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors , Controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, electronic device, other electronic unit designed to perform the functions described herein, a computer, or a combination thereof.

Also, for firmware and/or software implementation, means such as processing units used to implement the components described above may be programs (eg, procedures, functions, modules, instructions) that perform the functions described herein. , Etc.) may be implemented. In general, any computer/processor readable medium embodying firmware and/or software code, means, such as a processing unit, used to implement the steps and components described herein. May be used to implement. For example, firmware and/or software code may be stored in memory and executed by a computer or processor, eg, at the controller. The memory may be mounted inside the computer or the processor, or may be mounted outside the processor. The firmware and/or software code may be, for example, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM). ), FLASH memory, floppy disk, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), magnetic or optical data storage device, etc. Good. The code may be executed by one or more computers or processors and may cause the computers or processors to perform the functional aspects described herein.

Further, the medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. Further, the code of the program may be readable and executable by a computer, a processor, or another device or machine, and its format is not limited to a particular format. For example, the code of the program may be any of source code, object code and binary code, or may be a mixture of two or more of these codes.

Also, the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be admitted to the widest extent consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

10 vehicles (following vehicles)
11f Front antenna (directional antenna)
11b Rear antenna (directional antenna)
13f, 13b camera 20 vehicle (preceding vehicle)
21f Front antenna (directional antenna)
21b Rear antenna (directional antenna)
23f, 23b camera 40 server 100 communication device 110 wireless communication unit 111f front antenna unit 111b rear antenna unit 120 position information acquisition unit 122 navigation information acquisition unit 124 running state information acquisition unit 126 network communication unit 130f front imaging unit (image information acquisition unit) )
130b Rear image pickup unit (image information acquisition unit)
140 control unit 150 vehicle drive unit

Claims (22)

A communication device which is provided in a first moving body that can move along a moving route and which performs inter-moving body communication with another second moving body when the first moving body moves along the moving route,
A wireless communication unit that forms a directional beam toward the second mobile body by a directional antenna and performs wireless communication with the second mobile body;
A control unit that controls the wireless communication unit so as to start widening the angle of the directional beam when the second mobile unit is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. Characterized communication device. The communication device according to claim 1,
Further comprising a prediction unit that predicts a possibility that the second moving body will deviate from the range of the directional beam,
The communication device, wherein the control unit controls to start widening the angle of the directional beam based on prediction information indicating a prediction result of the prediction unit. The communication device according to claim 2,
The predicting unit calculates an index value indicating a degree of possibility that the second moving body deviates from the range of the directional beam,
The communication device, wherein the control unit controls to start widening the directional beam when the index value calculated by the prediction unit is higher than a threshold value. The communication device according to claim 1,
The control unit receives, from the server or another vehicle, prediction information indicating a prediction result of predicting a possibility that the second moving body deviates from the range of the directional beam, and based on the prediction information, the directivity. A communication device characterized by controlling to start widening of a beam. The communication device according to claim 1,
The control unit receives, from the server or another vehicle, control information for widening the angle of the directional beam when the second mobile unit is out of the range of the directional beam and communication disconnection is predicted. A communication device, characterized in that control is performed so as to widen the angle of the directional beam based on the control information. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The possibility that the second moving body deviates from the range of the directional beam is determined by the running state information indicating the running state of the first moving body or the second moving body, the first moving body or the second moving body. Travel route information including the shape of the travel route that is traveling, position information of the first mobile body or the second mobile body, navigation information of the first mobile body or the second mobile body, the first mobile body, Prediction based on communication state information indicating a state of inter-moving body communication with the second moving body, and at least one information of image information captured by the first moving body or the second moving body And a communication device. The communication device according to claim 6,
At least one information of the traveling state information, the position information, the movement route information, the navigation information, the communication state information and the image information is repeatedly acquired,
The communication device, wherein the possibility that the second moving body is out of the range of the directional beam is predicted based on whether or not the at least one information has changed from the information immediately before it. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The communication device, wherein the control unit controls to end the widening of the directional beam when the second moving body enters the range of the directional beam before the widening of the angle. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The directional antenna of the wireless communication unit is an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements are arranged,
The said control part controls the phase of the signal with respect to the said antenna element so that the said directional beam may be wide-angled, The communication apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The wireless communication unit has a plurality of directional antennas having different beam widths of the directional beams,
The communication device, wherein the control unit controls switching of the plurality of directional antennas so as to widen the angle of the directional beam. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The communication device, wherein the control unit controls to track the directional beam with respect to the second moving body when the directional beam is widened. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The communication device is characterized in that the frequency band of the mobile communication is a high frequency band of 1 GHz or higher. A communication system comprising a plurality of the communication devices according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A mobile body comprising the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and performing inter-mobile body communication with another mobile body located at least one of a front side and a rear side in a traveling direction of the own vehicle. .. The moving body according to claim 14,
Running state information indicating the running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information of the moving body, communication state information indicating the state of inter-moving body communication between the moving body and another moving body, And a mobile unit that transmits at least one piece of information of image information captured by the mobile unit to a server or another mobile unit that is a communication partner of the inter-mobile unit communication. The moving body according to claim 14 or 15,
The moving body is a vehicle. A platooning system comprising a plurality of moving bodies according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the plurality of moving bodies carry out platooning by performing communication between the moving bodies. A server for managing information on a mobile body according to any one of claims 14 to 16,
Running state information indicating a running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information including moving route information regarding a moving route on which the moving body is traveling, and between the moving body and other moving bodies. Communication state information indicating a state of communication between mobile units, and an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one information of image information captured by the mobile unit,
At least one information of the traveling state information, the position information, the navigation information, the communication state information and the image information, or to start widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information An information transmitting unit that transmits the control information of 1. to the mobile body. A communication method for performing inter-mobile body communication between a first mobile body and a second mobile body moving on a moving route,
The first moving body forms a directional beam toward the second moving body by a directional antenna to perform wireless communication with the second moving body;
The first moving body starts widening the directional beam when the second moving body is out of the range of the directional beam and a communication disconnection is predicted;
A communication method comprising: An information management method for managing information of a mobile body according to claim 14,
Running state information indicating a running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information including moving route information regarding a moving route on which the moving body is traveling, and between the moving body and other moving bodies. Communication state information indicating a state of communication between mobile bodies, and acquiring at least one information of image information captured by the mobile body,
At least one information of the traveling state information, the position information, the navigation information, the communication state information and the image information, or to start widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information Transmitting control information of the above to the mobile body,
An information management method comprising: A computer or processor provided in a communication device that is provided in a first moving body that can move along a moving route and performs inter-moving body communication with another second moving body when the first moving body moves along the moving route The program to be executed,
A program code for forming a directional beam toward the second mobile unit by a directional antenna and performing wireless communication with the second mobile unit;
A program code for starting the widening of the directional beam when the second mobile unit is out of the range of the directional beam and a communication disconnection is predicted;
A program characterized by including. A program executed by a computer or a processor provided in a server that manages information of a mobile body according to any one of claims 14 to 16,
Running state information indicating a running state of the moving body, position information of the moving body, navigation information including moving route information regarding a moving route on which the moving body is traveling, and between the moving body and other moving bodies. Communication state information indicating a state of communication between mobile bodies, and a program code for acquiring at least one information of image information captured by the mobile body,
At least one information of the traveling state information, the position information, the navigation information, the communication state information and the image information, or to start widening of the directional beam generated based on the at least one information Control code of the program code for transmitting to the mobile,
A program characterized by including.

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