JP2021033944A - Communication device, communication method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication device capable of visually and easily grasping from which vehicle around an own vehicle communication information is transmitted.SOLUTION: A communication information receiving unit 110 receives communication information transmitted by a communication vehicle around an own vehicle. A communication vehicle identification unit 120 uses the communication information to identify the communication vehicle that has transmitted the communication information. A symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires a communication vehicle symbol. A display size determination unit 140 determines a display size of the communication vehicle symbol according to a distance between vehicles. A display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol on a screen of a display device 6 with the display size determined by the display size determination unit 140.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to communication devices, communication methods and programs, and more particularly to communication devices, communication methods and programs capable of inter-vehicle communication.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication device capable of easily designating a party to make a call by short-range wireless communication between vehicles. In the wireless communication device according to Patent Document 1, the own wireless communication unit communicates with another wireless communication unit and receives the position information of the other wireless communication unit and predetermined information about the other wireless communication unit. The image processing unit generates image information by imaging predetermined information received by its own wireless communication unit. Then, the image processing unit determines the position to display the image information on the display unit based on its own position information and the position information of the other wireless communication unit received by its own wireless communication unit, and the determined display unit. Display image information at the upper position.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-82409

In the technique according to Patent Document 1, the position where the image of the other vehicle is displayed on the display unit is determined based on the position information of the other wireless communication unit, that is, the other vehicle. On the other hand, in order to realize more appropriate inter-vehicle communication, it is required that a user such as a driver more easily recognizes from which vehicle the communication information is received.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device, a communication method and a program capable of visually and easily grasping from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received. And.

The communication device according to the present invention includes a communication information receiving unit that receives at least communication information including the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from a communication vehicle that exists around the own vehicle and is communicating. A communication vehicle identification unit that identifies the communication vehicle using the communication information, a symbol acquisition unit that acquires a first symbol that is an image that visually represents the characteristics of the specified communication vehicle, and the own vehicle. The first symbol is used according to the distance between the own vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires the position information, the communication vehicle position information, and the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained by the position information of the own vehicle. It has a display size determining unit that determines the display size, and a display control unit that displays the first symbol on the screen of the display device with the determined display size.

Further, the communication method according to the present invention receives at least communication information including the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from a communication vehicle which is a vehicle existing around the own vehicle and communicating, and the communication information. To identify the communication vehicle, acquire a first symbol which is an image visually representing the characteristics of the identified communication vehicle, acquire the position information of the own vehicle, and obtain the position information of the communication vehicle. The display size of the first symbol is determined according to the distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained from the position information of the own vehicle, and the determined display size is used to determine the display size of the first symbol. Display the symbol on the screen of the display device.

Further, the program according to the present invention includes a step of receiving at least communication information including the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from a communication vehicle which is a vehicle existing around the own vehicle and communicating, and the communication. A step of identifying the communication vehicle using information, a step of acquiring a first symbol which is an image visually representing the characteristics of the identified communication vehicle, and a step of acquiring the position information of the own vehicle. The step of determining the display size of the first symbol is determined according to the position information of the communication vehicle and the distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained from the position information of the own vehicle. The computer is made to perform the step of displaying the first symbol on the screen of the display device with the display size.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device, a communication method and a program capable of allowing a user to visually easily grasp from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received.

It is a figure which shows the vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the inside of the vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system which comprises the communication device and the communication device which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure which illustrates the communication information which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication method which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the communication method which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system which comprises the communication device and the communication device which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a flowchart which shows the communication method which concerns on Embodiment 3. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The substantially same components are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the vehicle 1 has one or more cameras 2 and a communication device 100. Two or more cameras 2 may be provided. Then, the plurality of cameras 2 may photograph the front and rear and the left and right of the vehicle 1, respectively. The camera 2 is, for example, a visible light camera. Further, the camera 2 may be a camera used in a drive recorder. In the first embodiment, the camera 2 is not always necessary. Further, in the following description, an example in which the communication device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1 is shown, but the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment does not need to be mounted on the vehicle 1. For example, the communication device 100 may be mounted on an information terminal such as a smartphone owned by the driver.

The communication device 100 can be installed at any position on the vehicle 1. The communication device 100 may be connected to a position detection device such as a CAN (Control Area Network) and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver included in the vehicle 1. The communication device 100 uses the communication information received from the communication vehicle, which is a vehicle communicating around the vehicle 1, to visually represent the characteristics of the communication vehicle, which is a communication vehicle symbol (first symbol). Is displayed on the screen of the display device. Details will be described later. The communication vehicle symbol may be, for example, an icon formed in a shape corresponding to the vehicle type of the communication vehicle and colored with a color corresponding to the color of the communication vehicle. Alternatively, the communication vehicle symbol may be, for example, a thumbnail image of an image of the appearance of the communication vehicle. The thumbnail image may be, for example, an image of the front of the own vehicle or a bird's-eye view image.

Hereinafter, the vehicle 1 may be referred to as a "own vehicle". Hereinafter, the term "image" also means "image data indicating an image" as a processing target in information processing. The term "image" is not limited to still images and includes moving images. The term "voice" also means "voice data indicating voice" as a processing target in information processing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the inside of the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the driver's cab inside the vehicle 1 as viewed from the driver's seat in the front direction of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes a steering wheel 10, a dashboard 12, a windshield 14, a center console 16, a cluster panel 18 for displaying the traveling speed of the vehicle, an engine speed, and the like. Further, the center console 16 may be provided with a center display unit 20 for displaying a navigation screen or the like. The vehicle 1 may be provided with a head-up display display unit 22 on which an image is displayed by the head-up display on the upper part of the cluster panel 18. When the head-up display is a combiner type, the head-up display display unit 22 is a combiner. When the head-up display displays a virtual image on the windshield 14, the head-up display display unit 22 is an area where the virtual image is presented on the windshield 14. Further, the vehicle 1 may have a rear view monitor 24. The rear view monitor 24 is arranged at the same position as the rear view mirror for rearward confirmation in a general vehicle, that is, near the upper center of the windshield 14.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication device 100 and a communication system 50 having the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment. The communication system 50 according to the first embodiment includes a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a communication device 100. The communication device 100 is communicably connected to the camera 2, the position detection device 4, the display device 6, the microphone 7, and the speaker 8. The communication device 100 may include at least one of a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, and a speaker 8. Further, at least one component or all the components of the communication system 50 may be incorporated in the vehicle 1 or may be detached from the vehicle 1 and portable. This also applies to other embodiments described later.

The position detection device 4 detects the position of the vehicle 1. The position of vehicle 1 can be represented, for example, by latitude and longitude. The position detection device 4 is a position detection device such as a GPS receiver. The position detection device 4 may be any satellite positioning system other than the GPS receiver. Further, the position detection device 4 is an acceleration sensor, a gyro, a sensor that detects the number of rotations of the tire of the vehicle 1, and a position detection auxiliary processing unit that processes signals from these sensors to improve the detection accuracy of the position of the vehicle 1. (Not shown) and the like may be included.

The display device 6 is, for example, a display or the like. The display device 6 is preferably a touch panel. The display device 6 displays an image under the control of the communication device 100. In this embodiment, the display device 6 can be used for communication with a communication vehicle. The display device 6 can be realized by, for example, a rear view monitor 24, a cluster panel 18, a center display unit 20, or a head-up display display unit 22. Further, the display device 6 may be realized by a display unit of a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal capable of communicating with the communication device 100. Further, the communication device 100 may be, for example, a computer device built in the center console 16 or the like, or may be the mobile terminal device described above. Further, when the communication device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1, the display device 6 is provided inside the vehicle 1 at a position that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle while driving. In this case, the display device 6 may be realized by the interface unit 108 described later.

The microphone 7 collects the voice of a user such as a driver under the control of the communication device 100. The speaker 8 outputs voice under the control of the communication device 100. The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 can be used for communication with a communication vehicle. The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 may be incorporated in the display device 6. Further, when the microphone 7 and the speaker 8 are incorporated in the communication device 100, the microphone 7 and the speaker 8 may be realized by the interface unit 108 described later.

The communication device 100 has a control unit 102, a storage unit 104, a communication unit 106, and an interface unit 108 (IF; Interface) as a main hardware configuration. The control unit 102, the storage unit 104, the communication unit 106, and the interface unit 108 are connected to each other via a data bus or the like. That is, the communication device 100 has a function as a computer.

The control unit 102 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 102 has a function as an arithmetic unit that performs control processing, arithmetic processing, and the like. The storage unit 104 is a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 104 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 104 has a function for storing a control program, an arithmetic program, and the like executed by the control unit 102 or as a function of the control unit 102. In addition, the storage unit 104 has a function for temporarily storing processed data and the like.

The communication unit 106 performs processing necessary for performing communication. The communication unit 106 performs processing necessary for communicating with a device other than the communication device 100 in the communication system 50. Further, in the present embodiment, the communication unit 106 performs the processing necessary for performing inter-vehicle communication with the communication vehicle. The communication unit 106 performs short-range wireless communication with, for example, a communication vehicle. The standard for inter-vehicle communication is arbitrary. The standard for inter-vehicle communication may be, for example, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) adopted in Japan or IEEE802.11p adopted in Europe and the United States. Further, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication may be any other communication called P2P (peer-to-peer) communication. For example, the communication may be called Wi-Fi Direct, or may be communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 106 may perform one-to-one communication with one other vehicle around the own vehicle. Alternatively, the communication unit 106 may communicate with a plurality of other vehicles around the own vehicle by broadcast communication or the like.

The interface unit 108 (IF; Interface) is, for example, a user interface (UI). The interface unit 108 includes an input device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, or a mouse, and an output device such as a display or a speaker.

Further, the communication device 100 includes a communication information receiving unit 110, a own vehicle position acquisition unit 112, a communication vehicle identification unit 120, an image acquisition unit 122, a symbol acquisition unit 130, a display size determination unit 140, a display control unit 150, and a communication processing unit. Has 160. These components can be realized, for example, by executing a program under the control of the control unit 102. More specifically, these components can be realized by the control unit 102 executing the program stored in the storage unit 104. Further, these components may be realized by recording the necessary programs on an arbitrary non-volatile recording medium and installing them as needed. The above is the same in other embodiments described later.

Further, these components are not limited to being realized by software by a program, and may be realized by a combination of hardware, firmware, software, or the like. Further, these components may be realized by using a user-programmable integrated circuit such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or a microcomputer. In this case, this integrated circuit may be used to realize a program composed of each of the above components. The above is the same in other embodiments described later.

The communication information receiving unit 110 receives the communication information transmitted by the communication vehicles around the own vehicle via the communication unit 106. Communication information will be described later with reference to FIG. The communication vehicle may transmit communication information by, for example, broadband transmission. Further, when the communication information receiving unit 110 receives the communication information, the communication device 100 may control the speaker 8 to generate a voice notifying that the communication information has been received.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating communication information according to the first embodiment. The communication information includes communication content information indicating the communication content and location information. The position information is information indicating the position of the communication vehicle that transmitted the communication information, specifically, the latitude and longitude. The position information can be acquired by a GPS receiver or the like mounted on the communication vehicle. Further, the position information may include the traveling direction of the communication vehicle.

The communication content is content for the driver of the communication vehicle to communicate with surrounding vehicles. The communication content may be, for example, a text message input or selected by the driver of the communication vehicle or the like. In this case, the driver or the like of the communication vehicle may input the text of the communication content on the touch panel mounted on the communication vehicle, or may select the option displayed on the touch panel. Further, the text message may be generated by voice recognition from the utterance of the driver of the communication vehicle or the like. Alternatively, the communication content may be voice data indicating an utterance of a driver or the like of a communication vehicle. In this case, the voice data can be collected and generated by a microphone mounted on the communication vehicle. Alternatively, the communication content may be a symbol image such as an icon, pictogram, or photographic image input or selected by the driver of the communication vehicle or the like.

Further, the communication information may include vehicle information about the communication vehicle that transmitted the communication information. The vehicle information may include vehicle type information indicating the vehicle type of the communication vehicle, color information indicating the paint color of the communication vehicle, vehicle ID, and symbol information. The vehicle type information may indicate the vehicle name (model) of the communication vehicle, or may indicate the model name (sedan, wagon, minivan, sports type, truck, etc.) of the communication vehicle. The vehicle ID is identification information for identifying the vehicle, and may be, for example, a vehicle registration number or a vehicle number (so-called license plate number). The symbol information is information indicating a communication vehicle symbol. The communication vehicle symbol indicated by the symbol information may be, for example, an icon having a shape corresponding to the vehicle type of the communication vehicle and a color icon corresponding to the color of the communication vehicle. Alternatively, the communication vehicle symbol indicated by the symbol information may be a thumbnail image of an image of the appearance of the communication vehicle.

The own vehicle position acquisition unit 112 (FIG. 3) acquires the position information of the own vehicle from the position detection device 4. The communication vehicle identification unit 120 uses the communication information to identify the communication vehicle that has transmitted the communication information. Specifically, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 may specify the position of the communication vehicle with respect to its own vehicle from the position information of the communication vehicle included in the communication information. Further, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 may specify the inter-vehicle distance, which is the distance between the own vehicle and the communication vehicle, by using the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the communication vehicle. Further, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 may specify the existing direction of the communication vehicle with respect to the own vehicle by using the traveling direction of the own vehicle, the position information of the own vehicle, and the position information of the communication vehicle. The distance between vehicles and the direction in which the communication vehicle exists can be calculated by a geometric method using the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the communication vehicle.

The image acquisition unit 122 acquires an image of the surroundings of the own vehicle from the camera 2. The image acquisition unit 122 can acquire at least an image in a direction in which the position of the communication vehicle specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120 can be photographed. That is, when a plurality of cameras 2 are mounted on the vehicle 1, the image acquisition unit 122 acquires an image from the camera 2 capable of capturing the position of the specified communication vehicle.

The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires the communication vehicle symbol. Specifically, when the communication information received from the communication vehicle includes vehicle type information and color information, the symbol acquisition unit 130 uses the vehicle type information and color information in a shape corresponding to the vehicle type of the communication vehicle. An icon may be generated that is formed and colored with a color corresponding to the color of the communication vehicle. Further, when the communication information received from the communication vehicle includes the symbol information, the symbol acquisition unit 130 may extract the symbol information from the communication information. Further, the symbol acquisition unit 130 may acquire symbol information indicating a symbol corresponding to the communication information received from the communication vehicle from a database (not shown) or from a server via a network.

Further, the symbol acquisition unit 130 may generate a thumbnail image which is a communication vehicle symbol from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 122. Specifically, the symbol acquisition unit 130 detects the communication vehicle in the image from the position and direction of the communication vehicle specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. Then, the image of the communication vehicle is extracted to generate a thumbnail image. Here, since the shooting direction, angle of view, magnification, and the like of the camera 2 are known, it is possible to detect the communication vehicle in the image from the position and direction of the communication vehicle by a geometric method. For example, the communication vehicle calculated from the vehicle-to-vehicle distance, which is the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120 and the distance between the own vehicle and the communication vehicle, and the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 122. It is possible to judge the match with the position and direction of. The image acquired by the image acquisition unit 122 is used by the symbol acquisition unit 130 to generate a thumbnail image. Therefore, if the symbol acquisition unit 130 does not generate a thumbnail image from the image, the image acquisition unit 122 is indispensable. It is not the composition of.

The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size of the communication vehicle symbol according to the inter-vehicle distance obtained by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. Specifically, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size so that the display size of the communication vehicle symbol becomes smaller as the distance between vehicles is longer. On the other hand, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size so that the display size of the communication vehicle symbol becomes larger when the distance between vehicles is short.

The display size may be defined by, for example, the number of vertical and horizontal pixels of the image representing the communication vehicle symbol, or may be defined by dimensions such as the number of inches. Further, the display size can be determined to be a size relative to the screen size of the display device 6. Therefore, even if the distance between vehicles is the same, the display size can be larger when the screen size is larger than when the screen size is smaller. For example, if the distance between vehicles is L and the screen size is D, the display size S of the communication vehicle symbol is
S = a × D / L ・ ・ ・ (1)
Can be represented by. Note that a is a constant of proportionality.

Further, the size s of the communication vehicle symbol acquired by the symbol acquisition unit 130 may be determined according to the vehicle body size of the communication vehicle and the like. In this case, the display size determination unit 140 may determine the display magnification of the communication vehicle symbol that is actually displayed. That is, the display size determination unit 140 may determine the display magnification b when S in the above equation 1 is represented by S = b × s.

The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 with the display size determined by the display size determination unit 140. Specifically, the display control unit 150 generates a display image to be displayed on the screen of the display device 6. Here, the displayed image generated includes the communication vehicle symbol. Then, in the display image, the size of the communication vehicle symbol is the determined display size.

Further, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol so that the existence direction of the communication vehicle specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120 can be visually perceived. Specifically, the display control unit 150 generates a display image such that the communication vehicle symbol is displayed at a position corresponding to the existence direction of the communication vehicle. As a result, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol at a position corresponding to the existing direction of the communication vehicle on the screen of the display device 6.

Here, the upward position on the screen may be associated with the front of the own vehicle. Further, the downward position on the screen may be associated with the rear of the own vehicle. Further, the position in the right direction on the screen may be associated with the right direction of the own vehicle. Further, the position in the left direction on the screen may be associated with the left direction of the own vehicle.

For example, when the existing direction of the communication vehicle is the direction in front of the own vehicle, that is, the direction along the traveling direction, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol on the center of the screen. Further, when the existing direction of the communication vehicle is to the right front of the own vehicle, that is, to the right with respect to the traveling direction, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol on the upper right of the screen. Further, when the existing direction of the communication vehicle is behind the own vehicle, that is, in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol at the lower center of the screen.

The method of displaying the communication vehicle symbol so that the existing direction of the communication vehicle can be visually perceived is not limited to the method of setting the display position of the communication vehicle symbol to the position corresponding to the existing direction of the communication vehicle. For example, the display control unit 150 may display an arrow in a direction corresponding to the existing direction of the communication vehicle in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. That is, the display control unit 150 may generate a display image showing the existing direction of the communication vehicle by using the arrow.

For example, when the presence direction of the communication vehicle is the direction in front of the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol in the center of the screen, and points an upward arrow in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol (for example, above). ) May be displayed. Further, when the presence direction of the communication vehicle is to the right front of the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol in the center of the screen and points an arrow pointing to the upper right in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol (for example, the upper right). It may be displayed in. Further, when the presence direction of the communication vehicle is behind the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol in the center of the screen and directs the downward arrow to the vicinity (for example, below) of the communication vehicle symbol. It may be displayed. Even when the arrow is used to indicate the direction in which the communication vehicle exists, the display position of the communication vehicle symbol may be a position corresponding to the direction in which the communication vehicle exists.

Further, the display control unit 150 may display the communication content in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6. In this case, the display control unit 150 may display a balloon in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol on the screen and display the communication content in the balloon. That is, the display control unit 150 may display a balloon in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol and generate a display image in which the communication content is displayed in the balloon. For example, when the communication content is "please first", the display control unit 150 may display a balloon displaying "please first" in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. For example, when the communication vehicle of the communication vehicle is output by voice, the display control unit 150 causes the communication content of the communication vehicle corresponding to the touched communication vehicle symbol to be output by voice when the communication vehicle symbol is touched. You may do so. When the communication content is a symbol image, the display control unit 150 may display the received symbol image in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol.

The communication processing unit 160 performs processing that enables communication with the communication vehicle in a predetermined case. Specifically, when the communication vehicle symbol is touched on the screen of the display device 6, the communication processing unit 160 starts communication with the communication vehicle corresponding to the touched communication vehicle symbol. Then, the communication processing unit 160 controls the communication unit 106 to establish a wireless communication path with the communication vehicle. The communication processing unit 160 transmits the communication information of the own vehicle to the communication vehicle via the communication unit 106 and the established wireless communication path. In this case, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the communication information illustrated in FIG. 4 to the communication vehicle. That is, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the own vehicle symbol, which is a symbol indicating the own vehicle, to the communication vehicle. For example, when only one communication vehicle symbol is displayed on the screen of the display device 6, the communication processing unit 160 communicates with the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol even if the communication vehicle symbol is not touched. You may start.

Then, the communication processing unit 160 receives communication information from the communication vehicle via the wireless communication path and the communication unit 106. The communication information transmitted and received after the wireless communication is established may or may not include the location information.

For example, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the text data input to the touch panel of the display device 6 by the driver or the like as the communication content. Alternatively, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit, among the options such as text data and symbol images displayed on the touch panel, selected by the driver or the like as the communication content. That is, the communication content may be input by operating the screen of the display device 6.

Further, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit information indicating the utterance emitted by the driver or the like and collected by the microphone 7 to the communication vehicle as the communication content. In this case, the communication processing unit 160 may convert the utterance into text data by voice recognition and transmit it to the communication vehicle. Further, the communication processing unit 160 may output the communication content transmitted from the communication vehicle to the display device 6 or the speaker 8.

Communication with the communication vehicle can be performed so as not to interfere with the driving operation of the own vehicle. Then, the output method of the communication content of the communication vehicle and the input method of the communication content of the own vehicle may be switched depending on the driving situation of the own vehicle. For example, when the own vehicle is traveling, the communication processing unit 160 may enable only voice input and voice output as an input / output method of communication contents. On the other hand, when the own vehicle is stopped, not only voice input and voice output but also the touch panel of the display device 6 may be used as the input / output method of the communication content.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the communication method according to the first embodiment. The communication information receiving unit 110 receives communication information from a communication vehicle that exists around the own vehicle and is communicating (step S102). The communication vehicle identification unit 120 uses the communication information to specify the communication vehicle that has transmitted the communication information (step S104). As described above, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 may specify the inter-vehicle distance. Further, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 may specify the existing direction of the communication vehicle.

The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires the communication vehicle symbol by the method described above (step S106). The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size of the communication vehicle symbol acquired in the process of S106 according to the inter-vehicle distance by the method described above (step S108). The distance between vehicles may be calculated by the display size determination unit 140.

The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 with the display size determined by the process of S108 (step S110). When there are a plurality of communication vehicles communicating with each other around the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 may display the plurality of communication vehicle symbols on the screen of the display device 6. Further, when the existence direction of the communication vehicle is specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120, as described above, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol so that the existence direction of the communication vehicle can be visually perceived. May be displayed. For example, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol at a position on the screen of the display device 6 corresponding to the direction in which the communication vehicle exists.

Further, as described above, the display control unit 150 may display a balloon or a symbol image showing the communication content of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. As a result, the driver or the like can visually recognize the communication content of the communication vehicle. In particular, when a plurality of communication vehicle symbols are displayed, the communication content can be easily recognized for each communication vehicle. Further, in this case, there is a possibility that a plurality of voices overlap each other and the meaning of each voice cannot be understood. Further, in this case, even if the meaning of each voice can be understood, it may not be easy to understand which voice corresponds to the communication content from which communication vehicle. On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, there is a problem in outputting the communication content by voice by displaying a balloon showing the communication content of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. The point can be solved. Further, when a plurality of communication vehicle symbols are displayed, the display of a balloon or the like indicating the communication content may overlap, making it difficult to visually recognize. In order to solve such a problem, the communication contents of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol may be displayed sequentially instead of being displayed at the same time. In that case, the display order is preferably displayed in the order of earliest reception timing, but there may be various forms such as preferentially displaying the communication contents of the communication vehicle close to the own vehicle. Further, when displaying the communication content of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol, the communication vehicle symbol or the symbol image may be displayed in a display form that makes it easier to understand from which vehicle the communication content is displayed. For example, the display control unit 150 may blink all of the communication vehicle symbols corresponding to the displayed communication contents, or a part of the edge or the like. Alternatively, the display control unit 150 may blink the entire symbol image or a part such as an edge. Alternatively, the display control unit 150 may display a communication vehicle symbol other than the communication vehicle symbol corresponding to the displayed communication content as a grayout display in which the display brightness is reduced.

The display control unit 150 determines whether or not the communication vehicle symbol displayed on the screen of the display device 6 has been touched (step S112). When the communication vehicle symbol is touched (YES in S112), the communication processing unit 160 performs a process for enabling communication with the communication vehicle corresponding to the touched communication vehicle symbol (step S114). In this way, by enabling communication with the communication vehicle when the communication vehicle symbol is touched, it is possible for the driver or the like to specify the communication vehicle with which he / she wants to communicate. In other words, it is possible to prevent the driver or the like from communicating with a communication vehicle that he / she does not want to communicate with.

6 to 9 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of a state in which the own vehicle 90 equipped with the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment receives communication information from the communication vehicle 92. The own vehicle 90 corresponds to the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 6, the own vehicle 90 is traveling in one lane of the two-lane round-trip road traveling on the left side, and the communication vehicle 92 is traveling in the oncoming lane. Then, the own vehicle 90 is about to turn right in front of the communication vehicle 92.

In the example of FIG. 6, the communication vehicle 92 transmits communication information including the position information of the communication vehicle 92 and the communication content “please go ahead”. Further, it is assumed that the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92 is L1 (m). Further, the communication vehicle 92 exists on the right front side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle 90.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment for the first example shown in FIG. The communication vehicle identification unit 120 identifies the position of the communication vehicle 92 with respect to the own vehicle 90 by using the position information of the own vehicle 90 and the position information of the communication vehicle 92. The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires the communication vehicle symbol 92Im that visually represents the characteristics of the communication vehicle 92. The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S1 of the communication vehicle symbol 92Im according to the distance L1 between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92. The display size S1 of the communication vehicle symbol 92Im can be determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1 and the screen size D of the screen 6a. In the example of FIG. 7, the display size S is defined by the horizontal size of the communication vehicle symbol 92Im, and the screen size D is defined by the horizontal size of the screen 6a, but the present invention is not limited to this. .. The display size S may be defined by the size of the communication vehicle symbol 92Im in the vertical direction or the diagonal direction. Similarly, the screen size D may be defined by the size of the screen 6a in the vertical direction or the diagonal direction. This also applies to the examples shown in other figures.

The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im on the screen 6a with the display size S1 determined by the display size determination unit 140. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im at a position on the screen 6a corresponding to the existence direction of the communication vehicle 92 specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. In the example of FIG. 6, since the communication vehicle 92 is located in front of the right front of the own vehicle 90, the communication vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed in the upper right of the screen 6a. Further, the display control unit 150 displays a balloon 72 Im indicating the communication content “please go first” in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol 92 Im.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of a state in which the own vehicle 90 equipped with the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment receives communication information from the communication vehicle 94. In FIG. 8, the own vehicle 90 is traveling in one lane of the two-lane round-trip road traveling on the left side, and the communication vehicle 94 is traveling in the oncoming lane. Then, the own vehicle 90 is about to turn right in front of the communication vehicle 92.

In the example of FIG. 8, the communication vehicle 94 transmits the communication information including the position information of the communication vehicle 92 and the communication content “please go ahead”. Further, it is assumed that the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94 is L2 (m). Here, L2> L1. That is, it is assumed that the distance between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94 is longer than the distance between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92. Further, the communication vehicle 92 exists on the right front side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle 90.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment for the second example shown in FIG. The communication vehicle identification unit 120 identifies the position of the communication vehicle 94 with respect to the own vehicle 90 by using the position information of the own vehicle 90 and the position information of the communication vehicle 94. The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires the communication vehicle symbol 94Im that visually represents the characteristics of the communication vehicle 94. The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S2 of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im according to the distance L2 between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94. The display size S2 of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im can be determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2 and the screen size D of the screen 6a.

The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 94 Im on the screen 6a with the display size determined by the display size determination unit 140. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 94Im at a position on the screen 6a corresponding to the existence direction of the communication vehicle 94 specified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. In the example of FIG. 8, since the communication vehicle 94 exists on the right front side of the own vehicle 90, the communication vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed on the upper right of the screen 6a. Further, the display control unit 150 displays a balloon 74 Im indicating the communication content “please go first” in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol 94 Im.

Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9, in the display control unit 150, the communication vehicle symbol 94 Im corresponding to the communication vehicle 94 having a long inter-vehicle distance corresponds to the communication vehicle 94 having a short inter-vehicle distance. A display image is generated so that it is displayed smaller than the symbol 92 Im. That is, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol so that S1> S2 when L1 <L2. In this way, the longer the distance between vehicles, the smaller the display size of the communication vehicle symbol, and the shorter the distance between vehicles, the larger the display size of the communication vehicle symbol. The distance to the vehicle can be visually and intuitively grasped. As a result, the driver or the like can intuitively grasp which vehicle around the own vehicle 90 transmits the communication information.

Specifically, since the communication vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed relatively large on the screen 6a illustrated in FIG. 7, the driver or the like can grasp that the communication information is transmitted from a relatively close vehicle, that is, the communication vehicle 92. .. On the other hand, in the screen 6a illustrated in FIG. 9, since the communication vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed relatively small, the driver or the like can grasp that the communication information is transmitted from the relatively distant vehicle, that is, the communication vehicle 94. Therefore, the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment allows the user to easily visually grasp from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received.

Further, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol so that the existence direction of the communication vehicle can be visually perceived. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the communication vehicle symbol 94Im in the upper right corner of the screen 6a. As a result, the driver or the like can intuitively grasp that the communication vehicle 92 and the communication vehicle 94 are located in front of the right front of the own vehicle 90. As described above, the display control unit 150 may display an arrow indicating the direction in which the communication vehicle exists in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. Even in such a method, the driver or the like can intuitively grasp that the communication vehicle 92 and the communication vehicle 94 are located in front of the right front of the own vehicle 90. Further, the display control unit 150 is based on the distance difference between the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L1 between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92 and the distance between the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L2 between the own vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94, and the communication vehicle symbol 92Im. And the display position of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im may be changed. Specifically, by displaying the display position of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im higher than the communication vehicle symbol 92Im, it is visually possible that the communication vehicle 94 exists at a position farther than the communication vehicle 92. Easy to grasp.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that not only the communication vehicle symbol but also the own vehicle symbol (second symbol) which is an image visually representing the characteristics of the own vehicle is displayed. The hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 and the configuration of the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment are substantially the same as those according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

The communication device 100 acquires the own vehicle symbol by the symbol acquisition unit 130. The symbol acquisition unit 130 may store the own vehicle symbol in the storage unit 104 in advance. Further, the communication device 100 may acquire the own vehicle symbol from a database (not shown) or from a server via a network. The own vehicle symbol may be, for example, an icon formed in a shape corresponding to the vehicle type of the own vehicle and colored with a color corresponding to the color of the own vehicle. Alternatively, the own vehicle symbol may be, for example, a thumbnail image of an image of the appearance of the own vehicle. The thumbnail image may be a front image or a bird's-eye view image of the own vehicle. When the communication vehicle symbol is a bird's-eye view image, it is preferable that the own vehicle symbol is also a bird's-eye view image.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the communication method according to the second embodiment. Since the processes of S202 to S208 are substantially the same as the processes of S102 to S108 shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the processes of S212 to S214 are substantially the same as the processes of S112 to S114 shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S'of the own vehicle symbol according to the distance between the vehicles (step S209). The method of determining the display size of the own vehicle symbol may be substantially the same as the method of determining the display size S of the communication vehicle symbol described above. That is, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S'so that the display size S'of the own vehicle symbol becomes smaller if the inter-vehicle distance L is long. On the other hand, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S'so that the display size S'of the own vehicle symbol becomes larger when the inter-vehicle distance L is short. Further, the display size of the own vehicle symbol may be fixed.

The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 at the display size determined by the process of S208, and displays the own vehicle symbol at the display size determined by the process of S209 (step S210). .. That is, when the distance between vehicles is long, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol of a relatively small display size on the screen. On the other hand, when the distance between vehicles is short, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol of a relatively large display size on the screen.

At this time, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 so that the distance L'between the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen is the distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance L. It may be displayed in. That is, when the distance between vehicles is long, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 so that the distance between the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol becomes longer. .. On the other hand, when the distance between vehicles is short, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6 so that the distance between the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol becomes shorter. ..

Further, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol at a position on the screen corresponding to the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle symbol. For example, when the communication vehicle exists on the right front side of the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol on the upper right side of the own vehicle symbol. Further, when the communication vehicle is present in front of the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol in the center upward direction with respect to the own vehicle symbol. Further, when the communication vehicle is present behind the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 may display the communication vehicle symbol in the downward center direction with respect to the own vehicle symbol. In this case, the display position of the own vehicle symbol on the screen may be arbitrary.

11 to 12 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment for the first example shown in FIG. As described above, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im on the screen 6a with the display size S1 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the own vehicle symbol 90 Im on the screen 6a with the display size S1'determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1.

Further, the display control unit 150 causes the communication vehicle symbol 92Im to be displayed on the screen 6a at a position corresponding to the presence direction of the communication vehicle 92 with respect to the own vehicle 90 with respect to the own vehicle symbol 90Im. In the example of FIG. 6, since the communication vehicle 92 exists in front of the right front of the own vehicle 90, the communication vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed on the upper right of the own vehicle symbol 90Im on the screen 6a. Further, the display control unit 150 displays a balloon 72 Im indicating the communication content “please go first” in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol 92 Im. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im on the screen 6a so that the distance L1'between the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im is the distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance L1. Let me.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment for the second example shown in FIG. As described above, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 94Im on the screen 6a with the display size S2 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the own vehicle symbol 90 Im on the screen 6a with the display size S2'determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2.

Further, the display control unit 150 causes the communication vehicle symbol 94Im to be displayed on the screen 6a at a position corresponding to the existence direction of the communication vehicle 94 with respect to the own vehicle 90 with respect to the own vehicle symbol 90Im. In the example of FIG. 8, since the communication vehicle 94 exists in front of the right front of the own vehicle 90, the communication vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed on the upper right of the own vehicle symbol 90Im on the screen 6a. Further, the display control unit 150 displays a balloon 74 Im indicating the communication content “please go first” in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol 94 Im. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 94Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im on the screen 6a so that the distance L2'between the communication vehicle symbol 94Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im is the distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance L2. Let me.

Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment displays the own vehicle symbol together with the communication vehicle symbol on the screen 6a. At this time, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol, which are smaller than those when the inter-vehicle distance is short, on the screen 6a when the inter-vehicle distance is long. That is, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen 6a so that S1> S2 and S1'> S2'when L1 <L2. In this way, the longer the distance between the vehicles, the smaller the display size of the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol, so that the driver or the like can perform the distance to the communication vehicle that has transmitted the communication information as compared with the first embodiment. Can be grasped more intuitively visually. As a result, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp which vehicle around the own vehicle 90 transmits the communication information. In other words, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp whether the communication information has been transmitted or where the communication vehicle exists. Further, as described above, when the display size of the own vehicle symbol is fixed, the longer the distance between the vehicles, the smaller the display size of the communication vehicle symbol and the farther the display position of the communication vehicle symbol is from the own vehicle symbol. It may be. As a result, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp where the communication vehicle that transmitted the communication information exists.

Specifically, in the screen 6a illustrated in FIG. 11, the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im are displayed relatively large, so that the driver or the like communicates from the communication vehicle 92, which is relatively close to the own vehicle 90. It can be grasped that the information has been transmitted. On the other hand, in the screen 6a illustrated in FIG. 12, since the communication vehicle symbol 94Im and the own vehicle symbol 90Im are displayed relatively small, the driver or the like transmits communication information from the communication vehicle 94, which is relatively far from the own vehicle 90. It can be grasped that it was done. Therefore, as compared with the first embodiment, the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment allows the user to visually and more easily grasp from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received. ..

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, in the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment, the distance L'between the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen 6a is the distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance L. The display image is generated so as to be. That is, on the screen 6a, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen 6a so that the longer the distance L between the vehicles, the longer the distance L'between the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol. .. As a result, the driver or the like can more easily recognize the sense of distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle. Therefore, it is possible for the user to visually and more easily grasp from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received.

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment has a position corresponding to the presence direction of the communication vehicle with respect to the own vehicle 90 with respect to the own vehicle symbol 90 Im on the screen 6a. To display the communication vehicle symbol. As a result, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle 90. Therefore, it is possible for the user to visually and more easily grasp from which vehicle around the own vehicle the communication information is received.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the other embodiments in that the communication vehicle symbol is superimposed and displayed on the map. The hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication device 100 and a communication system 50 having the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment. The communication system 50 according to the third embodiment includes a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, a map storage unit 9, and a communication device 100. The communication device 100 is communicably connected to the camera 2, the position detection device 4, the display device 6, the microphone 7, the speaker 8, and the map storage unit 9. The communication device 100 may include at least one of a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a map storage unit 9.

The map storage unit 9 is a device that stores map information indicating a map. The map storage unit 9 may be realized by, for example, a car navigation system. The map indicated by the map information includes at least the current position of the vehicle 1 and peripheral information indicating the periphery of the current position of the vehicle.

The communication device 100 includes a communication information receiving unit 110, a vehicle position acquisition unit 112, a communication vehicle identification unit 120, an image acquisition unit 122, a symbol acquisition unit 130, a display size determination unit 140, a display control unit 350, and a communication processing unit 160. Have. Since the operations of the components other than the display control unit 350 are substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The display control unit 350 displays a map corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 on the screen of the display device 6. Then, the display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol at a position corresponding to the existence position of the communication vehicle on the map. Further, the display control unit 350 may display the own vehicle symbol at a position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 on the map. Other operations of the display control unit 350 are substantially the same as the operations of the display control unit 150 described above. In the third embodiment, the display size may be determined according to the scale of the map.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the communication method according to the third embodiment. Since the processes of S302 to S308 are substantially the same as the processes of S102 to S108 shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the processing of S309 is substantially the same as the processing of S209 shown in FIG. 10, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the processes of S312 to S314 are substantially the same as the processes of S112 to S114 shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

The display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the map (step S310). At this time, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol at the display size determined by the process of S308, and displays the own vehicle symbol at the display size determined by the process of S309. Let me.

15 to 16 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment for the first example shown in FIG. FIG. 15 shows an example in which the screen 6a displays a bird's-eye view map, that is, a map 80 Im which is a three-dimensional map.

The display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im on the map 80Im displayed on the screen 6a with the display size S1 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. Further, the display control unit 350 displays the own vehicle symbol 90 Im on the screen 6a with the display size S1'determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. At this time, since the own vehicle 90 exists in front of the communication vehicle 92, the display size S1'of the own vehicle symbol 90Im may be larger than the display size S1 of the communication vehicle symbol 92Im.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a display image displayed by the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment for the second example shown in FIG. The display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol 94Im on the map displayed on the screen 6a with the display size S2 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2. Further, the display control unit 150 displays the own vehicle symbol 90 Im on the map 80 Im displayed on the screen 6a with the display size S2'determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2. At this time, since the own vehicle 90 exists in front of the communication vehicle 94, the display size S2'of the own vehicle symbol 90Im may be larger than the display size S2 of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im.

Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the display control unit 350 according to the third embodiment displays the own vehicle symbol together with the communication vehicle symbol on the screen 6a, as in the above-described embodiment. At this time, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol, which are smaller than those when the inter-vehicle distance is short, on the screen 6a when the inter-vehicle distance is long. That is, the display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the screen 6a so that S1> S2 and S1'> S2'when L1 <L2. Further, the display control unit 350 according to the third embodiment displays the communication vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol on the map 80 Im. As a result, as compared with the above-described embodiment, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp which vehicle around the own vehicle 90 transmits the communication information. In other words, the driver or the like can more intuitively grasp whether the communication information has been transmitted or where the communication vehicle exists.

In addition, by displaying the communication vehicle symbol on the map, the driver, etc. can grasp the communication vehicle that is difficult to see from the own vehicle because it exists behind an obstacle such as a building. Can be done. That is, even if the position is difficult to see from the own vehicle, the driver or the like can grasp the position on the map. Therefore, even when the communication information is received from the communication vehicle that has become a blind spot due to a building or the like, the driver or the like can grasp the position of the transmitted communication vehicle.

(Modification example)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit. For example, the order of each process in the above-mentioned flowchart can be changed as appropriate. Further, one or more of each process in the above-mentioned flowchart may be omitted. For example, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the processing of S112 and S114 may not be necessary. This also applies to the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 and 16.

Further, the communication device 100 according to the above-described embodiment identifies the communication vehicle by using the communication information including the position information of the communication vehicle, but the configuration is not limited to this. It is not necessary to use location information to identify the communication vehicle. In this case, the communication information transmitted from the communication vehicle does not have to include the position information of the communication vehicle.

For example, it is assumed that the communication information includes the vehicle ID of the communication vehicle. In this case, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 detects the license plate corresponding to the vehicle ID from the image taken by the camera 2 by using, for example, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. As a result, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 can detect the communication vehicle from the image. Therefore, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 can specify the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle. Further, when the communication system 50 has a distance sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), the communication vehicle identification unit 120 can specify the distance between vehicles by using this distance sensor. Therefore, even if the communication information transmitted from the communication vehicle does not include the position information of the communication vehicle, the display size of the communication vehicle symbol is determined according to the distance between the vehicles, and the determined display size is used. The communication vehicle symbol can be displayed.

Further, although the communication device 100 according to the above-described embodiment is intended to directly communicate with the communication vehicle, the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment is not limited to such a configuration for inter-vehicle communication. .. The communication device 100 may communicate with the communication vehicle via a roadside device (not shown), or may communicate with the communication vehicle via a server.

In addition, the programs described above can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, It includes a CD-R / W and a semiconductor memory (for example, a mask ROM, a PROM (Programmable ROM), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a flash ROM, and a RAM (random access memory)). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transient computer readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical, optical, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

1 Vehicle 2 Camera 4 Position detection device 6 Display device 6a Screen 7 Microphone 8 Speaker 9 Map storage unit 50 Communication system 100 Communication device 110 Communication information reception unit 112 Own vehicle position acquisition unit 120 Communication vehicle identification unit 122 Image acquisition unit 130 Symbol acquisition Unit 140 Display size determination unit 150 Display control unit 160 Communication processing unit 350 Display control unit

Claims (10)

A communication information receiving unit that receives at least communication information including the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from a communication vehicle that exists around the own vehicle and is communicating.
A communication vehicle identification unit that identifies the communication vehicle using the communication information,
A symbol acquisition unit that acquires a first symbol, which is an image visually representing the specified characteristics of the communication vehicle, and a symbol acquisition unit.
The own vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the own vehicle, and
A display size determining unit that determines the display size of the first symbol according to the position information of the communication vehicle and the distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained from the position information of the own vehicle.
A display control unit that displays the first symbol on the screen of the display device with the determined display size, and
Communication device with. The communication vehicle identification unit identifies the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle based on the position information of the communication vehicle and the position information of the own vehicle.
The display control unit displays the first symbol so that the direction in which the communication vehicle exists can be visually perceived.
The communication device according to claim 1. The display control unit displays the first symbol at a position on the screen corresponding to the direction in which the communication vehicle exists.
The communication device according to claim 2. The symbol acquisition unit further acquires a second symbol, which is an image visually representing the characteristics of the own vehicle.
The display size determining unit determines the display size of the second symbol according to the distance.
The display control unit causes the second symbol to be displayed on the screen with the determined display size.
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The display control unit displays the first symbol and the second symbol on the screen so that the distance between the first symbol and the second symbol on the screen is the distance corresponding to the distance. Display,
The communication device according to claim 4. On the screen, the display control unit causes the second symbol to display the first symbol at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communication vehicle exists with respect to the own vehicle.
The communication device according to claim 4 or 5. The display control unit displays a balloon in the vicinity of the first symbol on the screen, and displays the communication content in the balloon.
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a communication processing unit that enables communication with the communication vehicle when the first symbol displayed on the screen is touched. Receives communication information including at least the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from the communication vehicle which is a vehicle existing around the own vehicle and communicating.
The communication vehicle is identified using the communication information, and the communication vehicle is identified.
Acquire the first symbol, which is an image that visually represents the characteristics of the identified communication vehicle.
Acquire the position information of the own vehicle and
The display size of the first symbol is determined according to the position information of the communication vehicle and the distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained by the position information of the own vehicle.
The first symbol is displayed on the screen of the display device with the determined display size.
Communication method. A step of receiving at least communication information including the position information and communication contents of the communication vehicle from a communication vehicle which is a vehicle existing around the own vehicle and communicating.
A step of identifying the communication vehicle using the communication information,
A step of acquiring a first symbol, which is an image visually representing the identified characteristics of the communication vehicle, and
The step of acquiring the position information of the own vehicle and
A step of determining the display size of the first symbol according to the position information of the communication vehicle and the distance between the communication vehicle and the own vehicle obtained by the position information of the own vehicle.
A step of displaying the first symbol on the screen of the display device with the determined display size, and
A program that causes a computer to run.

Images