JP4844486B2 - Wireless communication apparatus and inter-vehicle communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system using the wireless communication device.

  Conventionally, as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, each vehicle detects the position and speed of its own vehicle, generates vehicle data representing the position and speed of its own vehicle, and transmits the generated vehicle data to other vehicles wirelessly. Those are known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Based on the received vehicle data, the vehicle that has received the vehicle data, for example, determines the risk of collision with another vehicle, and executes vehicle control so that the vehicle does not collide with another vehicle. A warning is output. According to this inter-vehicle communication system, a collision between vehicles can be prevented in advance, and the safety of vehicle occupants can be ensured.

  Conventionally, as a wireless communication system for a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, a narrow-range wireless communication system with a limited communication range such as DSRC, UWB, BlueTooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN, and millimeter wave communication is known. .

  However, in a wireless communication system with a limited communication range, a high-rise building becomes a radio wave obstruction, and direct wireless communication cannot be performed between vehicles traveling on intersecting roads. It may not be possible.

For this reason, conventionally, each vehicle is provided with a function of retransmitting the received vehicle data to the external space, and by relaying the vehicle data between the vehicles, the influence of the radio wave obstacle can be minimized and received directly. Vehicle data can be exchanged appropriately between vehicles that cannot.
JP 2005-227978 A

  However, the conventional inter-vehicle communication system has the following problems. That is, in the conventional inter-vehicle communication system, each vehicle is provided with a function of retransmitting the received vehicle data to the external space. Therefore, when the vehicle density near the intersection is high, the influence of the radio wave obstacle is Although the vehicle data can be exchanged without missing between the vehicles sufficiently, if the vehicle density is low, there are few or no vehicles relaying the vehicle data, so between the vehicles located across the radio obstacle, There was a problem that vehicle data could not be exchanged properly.

  Therefore, in the conventional system, there is a problem that the situation around the vehicle cannot be accurately grasped in the vicinity of the intersection where the vehicle density is low, and the collision risk determination or the like cannot be accurately executed in each vehicle. It was.

  In addition, even when vehicle data cannot be exchanged between vehicles due to radio interference, the degree of radio interference will be reduced if vehicles are brought close to each other, and vehicle data can be exchanged between vehicles. However, in the conventional system, even if vehicle data that could not be received due to radio interference can be received with the approach of the vehicle, this vehicle data is processed in the order received without special handling. Execution of processing necessary for collision avoidance may be delayed.

  That is, in the conventional system, since the vehicle data is processed in the order of reception, even if the vehicle data indicating that the danger of a collision is imminent is received, if the processing after reception is delayed, based on this vehicle data, There is a problem in that it is impossible to promptly notify the vehicle occupant that the danger of a collision is imminent, or to quickly execute vehicle control for avoiding a collision. Moreover, such a problem may occur not only when radio interference occurs but also when the vehicle is moving at high speed.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of appropriately processing received vehicle data and avoiding a collision between vehicles as compared with the conventional art.

Wireless communication device of the present onset bright has been made in order to achieve the above objects, in inter-vehicle communication system for exchanging data between vehicles, a radio communication apparatus mounted on each vehicle, the vehicle vehicle state A detecting means for detecting the data, a data sending means, a data receiving means, a process executing means, and a priority setting means.

  In this wireless communication apparatus, the data transmission means wirelessly transmits vehicle data representing the vehicle state of the own vehicle to the external space as the vehicle data of the own vehicle based on the detection result of the detection means. Further, the data receiving means receives vehicle data transmitted wirelessly from a wireless communication device of another vehicle, and the process executing means performs a predetermined process using the vehicle data for each vehicle data received by the data receiving means. Execute the process.

  On the other hand, the priority setting means sets the priority for each vehicle data with respect to the vehicle data received by the data receiving means. That is, the process execution means executes the predetermined process using the vehicle data in order from the vehicle data with the higher priority set by the priority setting means.

  The predetermined process includes a process for controlling the vehicle based on the vehicle data, a process for outputting an alarm based on the vehicle data, and a process for transmitting the vehicle data to an electronic control unit (ECU) in the vehicle. Can do.

  According to this wireless communication apparatus, priority is set for each vehicle data, and the vehicle data is processed in order of priority, not in the order of reception. Accordingly, the received vehicle data can be processed in an appropriate order according to its importance. For example, processing necessary for collision avoidance can be executed by processing the vehicle data of vehicles having a high collision risk in order. Therefore, if the inter-vehicle communication system is constructed using the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention, it is very useful for avoiding collision between vehicles.

Specifically, when constructing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, the above-described wireless communication device is installed in each vehicle, and in each vehicle, vehicle data is exchanged between vehicles through these wireless communication devices. not good if you build the communication system. If a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system is constructed in this way, collisions between vehicles can be avoided with higher probability than in the past.

The detection means may, as a vehicle state of the vehicle, vehicle position and the vehicle of a speed and vehicle velocity vector, at least one of Ru can be configured to detect.
In addition, the inter-vehicle communication system is configured to include a relay device that receives vehicle data transmitted from each vehicle wirelessly to the external space and retransmits the received vehicle data wirelessly to the external space. door not good. If this relay device is installed at an intersection with poor visibility, etc., the function of the relay device can remove the electromagnetic blind spot, and the occurrence of omissions in vehicle data exchanged between vehicles can be suppressed as much as possible. .

  In particular, if the relay device is fixedly installed at an intersection or the like, the vehicle data can be retransmitted in four directions from the relay device even if there is no vehicle passing through the intersection, compared to a system that relays vehicle data between vehicles. The vehicle blind spot does not change depending on the vehicle density, and vehicle data can be exchanged between vehicles stably.

Moreover, when constructing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system using a relay device, the wireless communication device may be configured as follows. That is, the wireless communication device includes a relay determination unit that determines whether or not the received vehicle data is data retransmitted from the relay device, and the priority of each vehicle data is determined based on the determination result of the relay determination unit. not good when it is in the configuration to set up.

  There is a possibility that vehicle data can be received only via a relay device between vehicles where radio interference has occurred in high-rise buildings, etc. It matches the blind spot. In other words, it is highly likely that the vehicle data transmission source vehicle that can be directly received between the vehicles can be visually confirmed by the occupant of the destination vehicle, but the vehicle data that cannot be directly received There is a high possibility that the transmission source vehicle cannot be visually confirmed from the occupant of the reception destination vehicle.

  Therefore, if the wireless communication device is configured as described above and the vehicle data received via the relay device is preferentially processed, the collision avoidance operation for the vehicle that cannot be visually confirmed is preferentially executed. The processes necessary for collision avoidance can be executed in an appropriate order.

Specifically, the priority setting means relays the priority of the vehicle data determined by the relay determination means to be retransmitted from the relay device among the vehicle data received by the data receiving means. have good When the structure is set higher than the priority of the vehicle data is determined not to be re-transmitted data from the relay apparatus by means.

  If the priority setting means is configured in this way, the priority of the vehicle data that can be received directly from the transmission source vehicle is lowered, and the priority of the vehicle data received via the relay device is increased, the collision risk is increased. It is possible to preferentially process the vehicle data of a vehicle having a high value, and it is possible to execute processes necessary for avoiding a collision in an appropriate order.

The wireless communication device is more preferably configured as follows. In other words, the wireless communication device directly receives whether or not the vehicle data received by the data receiving means is vehicle data that cannot be directly received from the wireless communication device of the transmission source vehicle without passing through the relay device. It is determined whether the priority of the vehicle data determined to be vehicle data that cannot be directly received by the direct reception determination unit is not the above data among the vehicle data received by the data reception unit. It has preferably Once the configurations to be set higher than the priority of the vehicle data.

  By configuring the wireless communication device in this way, vehicle data that cannot be directly received from the transmission source vehicle can be preferentially processed, and processing necessary for collision avoidance can be executed in a more appropriate order. Can do. That is, according to this wireless communication device, it is possible to preferentially process the vehicle data on a vehicle having a high collision risk that is difficult to be recognized by a vehicle occupant due to a high-rise building or the like, and appropriately prevent a collision between vehicles. be able to.

In addition, when the data receiving means receives the vehicle data, the wireless communication apparatus determines whether or not the vehicle data and the transmission source vehicle have received the same vehicle data within a predetermined period in the past. The determination means may be provided. Further, the priority setting means indicates the priority of the vehicle data determined by the transmission source determination means that it has not been received in the past predetermined period among the vehicle data received by the data reception means. have good When the structure is set higher than the priority of the vehicle data is determined to have previously received within a past predetermined time period by.

  If vehicle data has been received from the same vehicle within a predetermined period in the past, a process for avoiding a collision is performed using the received vehicle data at the time of reception of the vehicle data in the past. be able to. For example, the vehicle occupant can be informed of the presence of a dangerous vehicle based on the vehicle data. On the other hand, when the vehicle data is received for the first time, the process for avoiding the collision cannot be executed before that. For this reason, when the processing of the vehicle data is postponed, the risk of collision increases.

  For the above reason, this wireless communication device increases the priority of the vehicle data determined to have not been received within a predetermined period in the past. According to the wireless communication device that sets the priority in this way, it is possible to process the vehicle data that is important for collision avoidance in order, and quickly process the vehicle data before the collision accident occurs, Can be prevented in advance.

The priority setting means determines that the vehicle data received by the data receiving means is data retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determining means, and is within the past predetermined period by the sending source determining means. Vehicle data determined not to have been received, vehicle data determined not to be retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determination means, and received within a predetermined past period by the transmission source determination means When the structure is set higher than the priority of the determined vehicle data is that there is not more preferable.

  If vehicle data is received via the relay device in a state where vehicle data has not been received from the same vehicle within a predetermined period in the past, there is a high possibility that the sending vehicle is in a position that cannot be seen by the vehicle occupant. Furthermore, there is a high possibility that the vehicle occupant does not recognize the transmission source vehicle. Further, when vehicle data has not been received from the same vehicle in the past, it is obvious that processing necessary for collision avoidance cannot be executed using the vehicle data by the time of reception.

Therefore, if this type of vehicle data is preferentially processed, the occurrence of a collision accident can be prevented more reliably.
In addition, the wireless communication device may be configured as follows. That is, the wireless communication device has the number C1 of vehicle data that is determined to be vehicle data received by the data receiving unit within a predetermined period and retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determining unit, and data The number C2 of vehicle data that is determined to be vehicle data received by the receiving unit within a predetermined period and not retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determining unit is calculated for each vehicle data transmission source vehicle. a reception frequency calculation unit, the priority of each vehicle data, on the basis of the value C1, C2 determined for sending the original vehicle vehicle data, but it may also be a configuration of setting.

  By configuring the wireless communication device in this way, it is possible to evaluate the degree of radio interference based on the size of C1 and C2, and preferentially processing from vehicle data of vehicles that are greatly affected by radio interference, Processing for collision avoidance can be executed. In other words, according to this wireless communication device, it is possible to preferentially execute a process for avoiding a collision from vehicle data on a high-risk vehicle that is obstructed by a high-rise building and is not easily recognized by a vehicle occupant. it can.

Hereinafter, reference examples of the present invention and embodiments of the present invention will be described as first to seventh embodiments with reference to the drawings. However, this invention is not limited to the Example demonstrated below, A various aspect can be taken.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. The inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the present embodiment performs transmission and reception of packets including vehicle information between the vehicles 3 through the wireless communication device 50 mounted on each vehicle 3. In this inter-vehicle communication system 1, a relay device 10 is provided in an area where packets cannot be directly exchanged between vehicles due to a radio wave obstruction (high-rise building H or the like). The relay device 10 receives a packet transmitted from each vehicle 3 to the external space wirelessly, and retransmits the received packet to the external space. Thereby, the relay device 10 transfers the packet to the vehicle 3 that cannot directly receive the packet from the transmission source vehicle 3.

  In addition, the relay apparatus 10 is installed so that it may protrude in the center of an intersection through the pole P standing on the road side, for example. As another example, the relay device 10 is attached to a traffic light or the like.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a packet transmitted from the wireless communication device 50 mounted on the vehicle 3. As shown in FIG. 2, in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the present embodiment, a vehicle comprising a packet number, transmission source ID information, vehicle position information, vehicle speed information, speed vector information, transfer route information, and transfer count information. A packet in which information is stored is transmitted from the wireless communication device 50 to an external space wirelessly.

  Specifically, the packet number is assigned to the transmitted packet by a serial number. The transmission source ID information represents the vehicle ID of the packet transmission source vehicle. In this embodiment, each vehicle 3 is given a unique vehicle ID, and this vehicle ID is described in the packet as the transmission source ID information.

  The vehicle position information represents the position (latitude / longitude) of the packet transmission source vehicle, and the vehicle speed information represents the speed (scalar value) of the packet transmission source vehicle. In addition, the speed vector information represents a vector (speed vector) in which the traveling direction of the packet transmission source vehicle is represented by a vector direction and the vehicle speed is represented by a length.

  In addition, the transfer route information includes a packet transmission source vehicle ID and a relay device ID. However, the device ID of the relay device is given when the packet is relayed by the relay device 10. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a unique device ID is assigned to each relay device 10.

  In addition, the transfer count information takes a value “1” as an initial value, and is rewritten to a value “2” when relayed by the relay device 10. In the present embodiment, a packet including such vehicle information is transmitted and received between vehicles through the wireless communication device 50.

  Next, detailed configurations of the relay device 10 and the wireless communication device 50 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the relay device 10. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the relay device 10 includes a wireless communication unit 11, a transmission buffer 13, a reception buffer 15, and a relay processing unit 17.

  The wireless communication unit 11 includes a transmission processing unit 11a, a reception processing unit 11b, and an antenna 11c, performs wireless communication according to a predetermined protocol, and outputs a transmission target packet from the antenna 11c in the form of a wireless signal. At the same time, a radio signal transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the external space is received through the antenna 11c, and a packet is extracted from the signal.

  Specifically, the transmission processing unit 11a processes the packets to be transmitted stored in the transmission buffer 13 in the order stored in the transmission buffer 13, and processes the packets in the form of a radio signal through the antenna 11c in the external space. Output to.

  On the other hand, the reception processing unit 11b extracts a packet superimposed on the radio signal from the radio signal received through the antenna 11c, and stores it in the reception buffer 15 in order. The transmission buffer 13 and the reception buffer 15 are configured as FIFO buffers.

  In addition, the relay processing unit 17 repeatedly executes the relay processing shown in FIG. 4 to update the vehicle information included in the packet received from the vehicle 3 through the wireless communication unit 11 and store the updated vehicle information. The transmitted packet is retransmitted to the external space through the wireless communication unit 11. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing relay processing repeatedly executed by the relay processing unit 17.

  When the relay processing is started, the relay processing unit 17 extracts one packet stored in the reception buffer 15 from the reception buffer 15 (S110), extracts vehicle information from the extracted packet, and updates the vehicle information. (S120).

  Specifically, the relay processing unit 17 updates the transfer path information to information obtained by adding the device ID of the own device, and updates the value indicated by the transfer count information to a value incremented by one. Specifically, the value “1” is updated to the value “2”.

  When the vehicle information is updated in this way, the relay processing unit 17 generates a packet storing the updated vehicle information (S130), and inputs the generated packet to the transmission buffer 13 (S140). As a result, the generated packet is retransmitted to the external space through the antenna 11c.

  When the processing in S140 is completed, the relay processing unit 17 once ends the relay processing. Then, the relay processing is started again from S110, and if there is a next packet in the reception buffer 15, the processing after S120 is executed for the packet. On the other hand, if there is no next packet in the reception buffer 15, the process waits until a new packet is stored in the reception buffer 15. When the packet is stored in the reception buffer 15, the processing from S120 onward is performed on the packet. Execute. The above is the operation content of the relay apparatus 10.

  Next, the configuration of the wireless communication device 50 mounted on each vehicle 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless communication device 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless communication device 50 of this embodiment includes a wireless communication unit 51, a transmission buffer 53, a reception buffer 55, a position detector 57, a speed detector 58, and an azimuth detector 59. A control unit 60, a CAN communication unit 61, a high-priority transmission buffer 63, a low-priority transmission buffer 64, and a reception buffer 65.

  The wireless communication unit 51 has the same configuration as the wireless communication unit 11 of the relay apparatus 10 and includes a transmission processing unit 51a, a reception processing unit 51b, and an antenna 51c. Then, wireless communication is performed according to the above protocol, and a packet to be transmitted is output from the antenna 51c in the form of a wireless signal, and also transmitted from the wireless communication device 50 or the relay device 10 of the other vehicle to the external space. Is extracted through the antenna 51c, and a packet is extracted from the signal.

  Specifically, the transmission processing unit 51a processes the packets to be transmitted stored in the transmission buffer 53 in the order stored in the transmission buffer 53, and processes the packets through the antenna 51c in the form of a radio signal in the external space. Output to. On the other hand, the reception processing unit 51b extracts a packet superimposed on the radio signal from the radio signal received through the antenna 51c, and stores the packet in the reception buffer 55 in order.

In addition, the position detector 57 detects the position of the host vehicle on which the wireless communication device 50 is mounted, and inputs the position information of the host vehicle to the control unit 60 according to the detection result. The position detector 57 is composed of, for example, a GPS receiver.

  The speed detector 58 detects the speed of the host vehicle, and inputs speed information of the host vehicle to the control unit 60 according to the detection result. The direction detector 59 determines the direction of the host vehicle. The absolute direction is detected, and the direction information of the host vehicle is input to the control unit 60 according to the detection result.

  Further, the control unit 60 performs overall control of the wireless communication device 50. The control unit 60 stores the vehicle information of the host vehicle based on the position information, the speed information, and the direction information of the host vehicle acquired from the position detector 57, the speed detector 58, and the heading detector 59. A packet is generated and input to the transmission buffer 53, and the wireless communication unit 51 transmits the packet to the external space as a wireless signal.

  In addition, the control unit 60 acquires the packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 through the reception buffer 55 and transfers it to the ECU connected to the in-vehicle LAN through the CAN communication unit 61. In addition, the control unit 60 communicates with the ECU connected to the in-vehicle LAN through the CAN communication unit 61, and executes a process corresponding to a command input from the communication destination ECU.

  The control unit 60 is connected to the navigation device 80 through a serial interface (not shown), and operates in cooperation with the navigation device 80 to display various information on the monitor 81 included in the navigation device 80.

  For example, based on the vehicle information included in the packet received from the wireless communication unit 51, the control unit 60 displays the position information of other vehicles located around the host vehicle on the monitor 81 included in the navigation device 80 (details will be described later). .

  In addition, the CAN communication unit 61 includes a transmission processing unit 61a and a reception processing unit 61b, and communicates with an ECU connected to the in-vehicle LAN according to the CAN protocol. Specifically, the reception processing unit 61b receives a packet addressed to its own device sent to the in-vehicle LAN, and stores the received packet in the reception buffer 65.

  In addition, the transmission processing unit 61 a sends the transmission target packets stored in the high priority transmission buffer 63 and the low priority transmission buffer 64 to the in-vehicle LAN in order from the packets stored in the high priority transmission buffer 63. The high-priority transmission buffer 63, the low-priority buffer 64, and the reception buffer 65 are configured as FIFO buffers.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a transmission control process repeatedly executed by the transmission processing unit 61a. The transmission target packets stored in the high priority transmission buffer 63 and the low priority transmission buffer 64 are subjected to the transmission control process shown in FIG. 6 and are transmitted to the in-vehicle LAN.

  When the transmission control process is started, the transmission processing unit 61a determines whether or not the high-priority transmission buffer 63 is empty (that is, no transmission target packet is registered in the high-priority transmission buffer 63). (S210) If it is determined that the high priority transmission buffer 63 is not empty (No in S210), one packet is extracted from the high priority transmission buffer 63 and sent to the in-vehicle LAN (S220). When this process is finished, the process proceeds to S210.

  In this way, the transmission processing unit 61a repeatedly performs an operation of extracting one packet from the high priority transmission buffer 63 and sending it to the in-vehicle LAN until the high priority transmission buffer 63 becomes empty.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the high priority transmission buffer 63 is empty (Yes in S210), the transmission processing unit 61a proceeds to S230, determines whether or not the low priority transmission buffer 64 is empty, and low priority. If it is determined that the transmission buffer 64 is not empty (No in S230), one packet is extracted from the low priority transmission buffer 64 and sent to the in-vehicle LAN (S240). When this process is finished, the process proceeds to S210.

  In this way, when the high priority transmission buffer 63 is not empty, the transmission processing unit 61a preferentially transmits the packet registered in the high priority transmission buffer 63, and only when the high priority transmission buffer 63 is empty. The packets registered in the low priority transmission buffer 64 are transmitted in order. When both the high priority transmission buffer 63 and the low priority transmission buffer 64 become empty (Yes in S230), the transmission control process is temporarily terminated. Thereafter, the transmission control process starts again from S210.

Then, the vehicle information transmission process which the control part 60 performs is demonstrated. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a vehicle information transmission process repeatedly executed by the control unit 60.
When the vehicle information transmission process is started, the control unit 60 acquires the position information of the host vehicle from the position detector 57 (S310), acquires the speed information of the host vehicle from the speed detector 58 (S320), and further, The direction information of the host vehicle is acquired from the direction detector 59 (S330). Further, based on the speed information acquired from the speed detector 58 and the direction information acquired from the direction detector 59, a speed vector of the host vehicle is calculated (S340).

  And the packet (refer FIG. 2) which stored the vehicle information of the said structure is produced | generated from such information (S350). Specifically, the packet number is indicated, the vehicle ID of the host vehicle is indicated as the transmission source ID information, the position information acquired from the position detector 57 is indicated as the vehicle position information, and the speed detector is indicated as the vehicle speed information. 58, the speed information of the host vehicle calculated in S340 is described as the speed vector information, the vehicle ID of the host vehicle is described as the transfer route information, and the value “1” is described as the transfer count information. Then, a packet storing the vehicle information is generated.

  When this process is completed, the control unit 60 inputs the generated packet to the transmission buffer 53 (S360), and causes the wireless communication unit 51 to transmit the packet to the external space wirelessly. Thereafter, the vehicle information transmission process is temporarily terminated. In this way, the control unit 60 repeatedly transmits the vehicle information of the host vehicle to the external space by repeatedly executing the vehicle information transmission process.

  In addition, the control part 60 provides the packet which the wireless communication part 51 received from the other vehicle 3 or the relay apparatus 10 to the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a vehicle information transfer process repeatedly executed by the control unit 60.

  When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S410), analyzes the packet, and transmits the packet via the relay device 10. It is determined whether it has been received (S420). That is, it is determined whether the received packet is a packet retransmitted from the relay apparatus 10.

  In S420, it can be determined whether or not the packet is received via the relay device 10 by determining whether or not the device ID of the relay device is added to the transfer path information included in the packet. In addition, it may be determined whether or not the packet is received via the relay device 10 by determining whether or not the transfer count information included in the packet is the value “2”.

  If it is determined that the packet has been received via the relay device 10 (Yes in S420), the control unit 60 proceeds to S430 and executes the high priority process shown in FIG. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the packet has not been received via the relay device 10 and has been received directly from the transmission source vehicle (No in S420), the control unit 60 proceeds to S440 and performs the low-priority processing shown in FIG. 9B. Execute. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. In this way, the control unit 60 repeatedly performs the vehicle information transfer process, thereby providing the packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the other vehicle 3 or the relay device 10 to the transfer and display process.

Next, high priority processing executed by the control unit 60 will be described. FIG. 9A is a flowchart showing high priority processing executed by the control unit 60.
When the high priority processing is started, the control unit 60 attaches priority information representing a value of “high priority” to the vehicle information based on the vehicle information written in the packet taken out from the reception buffer 55, Generate transfer vehicle information. Then, the transfer vehicle information is stored in the packet, and a packet addressed to the specific ECU connected to the in-vehicle LAN is generated (S510). Specifically, a packet addressed to the collision avoidance ECU 90 is generated.

  When the collision avoidance ECU 90 receives the packet in which the transferred vehicle information is stored from the wireless communication device 50 through the in-vehicle LAN, the collision avoidance ECU 90 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN for vehicle control necessary for the collision avoidance based on the transferred vehicle information. It is executed in cooperation with other ECUs (engine ECU, brake ECU, etc.).

  Specifically, the collision avoidance ECU 90 processes the transfer vehicle information in which the value “high priority” is written as priority information in preference to the transfer vehicle information in which the value “low priority” is written. When vehicle control is necessary, vehicle control necessary for collision avoidance is executed.

  When the processing in S510 is completed, the control unit 60 inputs the packet generated here to the high priority transmission buffer 63 (S520), and sends the packet to the CAN communication unit 61 toward the collision avoidance ECU 90. Send it out. In addition, the control unit 60 registers a display job (details will be described later) for the vehicle information described in the packet extracted from the reception buffer 55 in the high priority queue (S530). Thereafter, the high priority process is terminated.

  In addition, FIG. 9B is a flowchart showing a low priority process executed by the control unit 60. When starting the low priority process, the control unit 60 attaches priority information representing a value of “low priority” to the vehicle information based on the vehicle information written in the packet taken out from the reception buffer 55, Generate transfer vehicle information. And the packet which stored the said transfer vehicle information, Comprising: The packet addressed to specific ECU (collision avoidance ECU90) connected to in-vehicle LAN is produced | generated (S610).

  When the process in S610 is completed, the control unit 60 inputs the generated packet to the low priority transmission buffer 64 (S620), and sends the packet to the CAN communication unit 61 toward the collision avoidance ECU 90. Let When this process is finished, the control unit 60 registers the display job for the vehicle information in the low priority queue (S630). Thereafter, the low priority process is terminated.

The control unit 60 executes the high-priority processing and the low-priority processing with such contents in S430 and S440, so that the packet received via the relay device 10 is preferentially transmitted to the in-vehicle LAN, and the relay device Display jobs for packets (vehicle information) received via 10 are preferentially processed.

  Specifically, the control unit 60 processes the display job by executing the information display process shown in FIG. FIG. 10A is a flowchart showing information display processing repeatedly executed by the control unit 60.

  When the information display process is started, the control unit 60 determines whether or not a display job is registered in the high priority queue (S710), and determines that a display job is registered in the high priority queue (Yes in S710). ), One display job registered in the high priority queue is set as a processing target job, and based on the vehicle information of the processing target job, the symbol (icon) of the vehicle from which the vehicle information is transmitted is monitored by the navigation device 80. It is displayed on 81 (S720).

  Specifically, on the map screen around the current location displayed on the monitor 81 by the navigation device 80 based on the position of the transmission source vehicle indicated by the vehicle information, a specific area on the screen corresponding to the actual position of the transmission source vehicle The symbol (icon) of the transmission source vehicle is displayed. In particular, here, the display color of the symbol is set to red, and the vehicle occupant is notified through the color that the vehicle is a vehicle with a high risk of collision.

  FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the map screen on which the symbol SY2a of the transmission source vehicle is mapped. As shown in FIG. 10B, in this embodiment, the symbol SY2 of the other vehicle is displayed in color on the map screen on which the symbol SY1 of the own vehicle is displayed, thereby arranging the vehicles around the own vehicle. The vehicle occupant is notified together with information on the collision risk.

  However, when the symbol of the vehicle is already displayed on the map screen by the process based on the vehicle information received from the packet transmission source vehicle in the past, in S720, instead of newly displaying the symbol, A process of updating the position of a symbol that has already been displayed is performed.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the already displayed symbol is displayed in blue indicating that the vehicle has a low collision risk, the symbol is updated from blue to red under the following conditions. Specifically, the symbol is updated from blue to red when the corresponding symbol has not been updated in the process of S740 within a predetermined time T1 retroactive to the present. On the other hand, if the symbol has been updated in the process of S740 within the predetermined time T1, the symbol is displayed in blue without being changed to red.

  In this way, when the processing in S720 is completed, the control unit 60 proceeds to S710 and determines whether or not the next display job is registered in the high priority queue. If it is determined that a display job is registered in the high priority queue (Yes in S710), the process of S720 is executed. On the other hand, when the high priority queue is empty (No in S710), the process proceeds to S730.

  In S730, it is determined whether or not a display job is registered in the low priority queue. If it is determined that a display job is registered in the low priority queue (Yes in S730), the display registered in the low priority queue is performed. One job is set as a processing target job, and based on the vehicle information of the processing target job, a symbol (icon) of the vehicle information transmission source vehicle is displayed on the monitor 81 of the navigation device 80 (S740).

That is, on the map screen around the current location displayed on the monitor 81 by the navigation device 80 based on the position of the transmission source vehicle indicated by the vehicle information, the transmission is sent to a specific area on the screen corresponding to the actual position of the transmission source vehicle. The original vehicle symbol (icon) is displayed. In particular, here, the display color of the symbol is set to blue, and the vehicle occupant is notified through the color that the vehicle is a vehicle with a low collision risk.

  However, in S740, if the symbol of the vehicle information transmission source vehicle corresponding to the job to be processed is already displayed on the map screen, the symbol position that is already displayed is not displayed, but a new symbol is added. Update processing is performed. If the already displayed symbol is displayed in red indicating that the vehicle has a high collision risk, the display color of the symbol is updated from red to blue.

  Thus, when the process in S740 is completed, the control unit 60 proceeds to S710. If it is determined that the next display job is registered in the high priority queue (Yes in S710), the process proceeds to S720. On the other hand, if it is determined that the next display job is not registered in the high priority queue and the next display job is registered in the low priority queue (Yes in S730), the process proceeds to S740. When both the high priority queue and the low priority queue are empty (No in S730), the information display process is temporarily terminated. Thereafter, the information display process starts again from S710.

  As described above, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment has been described. However, in the wireless communication device 50 of the present embodiment, priority is set for packets received by the wireless communication unit 51, and packets are processed in the order of reception. Instead, packets are processed in order of priority (transmission control process (FIG. 6) and information display process (FIG. 10)). In particular, in this embodiment, there is a possibility that the vehicle 3 is obstructed by the high-rise building H or the like and may not be recognized by other vehicle occupants, so that packets received via the relay device 10 are preferentially processed. .

  Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 50 of the present embodiment, the received packets can be processed in an appropriate order from the viewpoint of collision avoidance, and this wireless communication device 50 is very useful for avoiding collision between vehicles.

  In the inter-vehicle communication system 1, the relay device 10 is installed in an area with poor visibility so that packets can be exchanged via the relay device 10 even when packets cannot be directly exchanged between vehicles. Therefore, according to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 of the present embodiment, the relay device 10 can remove the electromagnetic blind spot, and it is possible to suppress as much as possible the loss of packets transmitted and received between vehicles.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the relay device 10 is fixedly installed at an intersection or the like, a packet can be retransmitted from the relay device 10 in all directions even if there is no vehicle passing through the intersection. Compared to a conventional system that relays vehicle information between vehicles, the dead angle in terms of radio waves does not change depending on the vehicle density, and vehicle information can be exchanged between vehicles stably.

  In this embodiment, the position detector 57, the speed detector 58, the azimuth detector 59, and the processing of S310 to S340 executed by the control unit 60 realize the function as the detection means of the present invention. ing. The data transmission means is realized by the wireless communication unit 51 (transmission processing unit 51a), the transmission buffer 53, and the processes of S350 and S360 executed by the control unit 60, and the data reception unit is the wireless communication unit 51. (Reception processing unit 51b), the reception buffer 55, and the processing of S410 executed by the control unit 60.

In addition, the process execution means, transmission control processing CAN communication unit 61 executes (see FIG. 6), the control unit 60 the information display processing to be executed (see FIG. 10), it is realized by.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, since all the packets received via the relay device 10 are set to “high priority”, only packets that cannot be directly received from the transmission source vehicle are particularly preferential. It cannot be processed. Therefore, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 may be configured as follows (second embodiment).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the relay process executed by the relay processing unit 17 of the relay device 10 in the second embodiment. 12 is a flowchart showing a vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a high priority process executed by the control unit 60. It is.

  The inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the second embodiment is basically the same except that the contents of the relay process executed by the relay processing unit 17 and the contents of the vehicle information transfer process and the high priority process executed by the control unit 60 are different. In particular, it has the same configuration as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, as the description of the second embodiment, only the contents of the process executed by the relay processing unit 17 and the contents of the process executed by the control unit 60 will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the relay processing unit 17 of the relay device 10 executes the relay process shown in FIG. 11 instead of the relay process shown in FIG. However, it is assumed that the relay processing unit 17 of the second embodiment includes a built-in RAM and a relay device reception list described later.

  When the relay processing shown in FIG. 11 is started, the relay processing unit 17 initializes the relay device reception list stored in the RAM (S800). That is, all records registered in the relay device reception list are deleted. When this processing is completed, one packet stored in the reception buffer 15 is extracted from the reception buffer 15 (S810), vehicle information is extracted from the extracted packet, and extracted by the same method as the processing in S120. The updated vehicle information is updated (S820).

When the vehicle information is updated, the updated vehicle information is additionally registered in the relay device reception list as a new record (S830). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S840.
In addition, when the process proceeds to S840, the relay processing unit 17 determines whether or not the transmission time of the relay apparatus reception list has arrived, and when it determines that the transmission time has arrived (Yes in S840), the process proceeds to S850. If it is determined that the transmission time has not arrived (No in S840), the process proceeds to S810. Then, the vehicle information of the next packet stored in the reception buffer 15 is updated, and a record representing this vehicle information is additionally registered in the relay device reception list (S810 to S830).

  Note that the determination in S840 can be realized, for example, by determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous relay device reception list was transmitted. That is, if the predetermined time has elapsed since the relay device reception list was transmitted, it is determined that the transmission time has arrived (Yes in S840), and the predetermined time has elapsed since the relay device reception list was transmitted. If not, it is determined that the transmission time has not arrived (No in S840).

When it is determined that the transmission time has arrived and the process proceeds to S850, the relay processing unit 17 generates a packet storing the relay device reception list stored in the RAM, and inputs the generated packet to the transmission buffer 13. (S860), the wireless communication unit 11 is caused to send the packet to the external space. Thereafter, the relay process is temporarily terminated. And again, S8
Relay processing starts from 00.

  Then, the content of the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of the radio | wireless communication apparatus 50 performs is demonstrated. In the second embodiment, the control unit 60 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 12 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG.

  When the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 12 is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S910), and the packet includes a relay device reception list. It is determined whether or not (S920). When it is determined that the extracted packet is a packet including the relay device reception list (Yes in S920), the process proceeds to S930. On the other hand, if it is determined that the extracted packet is a packet including normal vehicle information that does not include the relay device reception list (No in S920), the process proceeds to S950.

  In S950, the control unit 60 additionally registers the vehicle information included in the received packet as a new record in the own device reception list. It is assumed that the control unit 60 of this embodiment has its own device reception list in the same format as the relay device reception list in the built-in RAM. Also, records registered in the local device reception list are deleted in order from the oldest registration time when the total number of records registered in the local device reception list exceeds a predetermined number by the operation of the control unit 60. Shall be.

  When the process in S950 is finished, the control unit 60 proceeds to S960 and executes the low priority process shown in FIG. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. Then, the vehicle information transfer process is started again from S910.

  On the other hand, when the packet including the relay device reception list is received and the process proceeds to S930, the control unit 60 compares each record registered in the received relay device reception list with each record registered in the own device reception list. Then, all records that are in the relay device reception list but not in the local device reception list are extracted. Note that, here, records with matching packet numbers and sender ID information are regarded as the same record, and all records that are in the relay device reception list but not in the local device reception list are extracted.

Then, when the extraction of the corresponding record ends, the control unit 60 proceeds to S940 and executes the high priority process shown in FIG.
When the high-priority processing shown in FIG. 13 is started, the control unit 60 first determines whether or not there is an unprocessed record that has not been used for the processing after S1030 in the records extracted in S930 (S1010). ). If it is determined that there is an unprocessed record (Yes in S1010), the process proceeds to S1020.

  On the other hand, when determining that there is no unprocessed record (No in S1010), the control unit 60 ends the high priority process. If no corresponding record can be extracted in S930, the control unit 60 determines that there is no unprocessed record in S1010, and ends the high priority process.

  In S1020, the control unit 60 sets the record with the oldest reception time among the unprocessed records as the process target record. Then, priority information indicating a value of “high priority” is attached to the vehicle information indicated by the processing target record to generate transfer vehicle information, and the transfer vehicle information is stored in the in-vehicle LAN. A packet addressed to the connected collision avoidance ECU 90 is generated (S1030).

  When this process is completed, the control unit 60 inputs the generated packet to the high priority transmission buffer 63 (S1040), and causes the CAN communication unit 61 to send the packet to the collision avoidance ECU 90. When the process in S1040 is completed, the control unit 60 registers the vehicle information display job indicated by the process target record in the high priority queue (S1050). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1010.

And if the process of S1030-S1050 is performed about all the records, it will be judged as No by S1010 and the said high priority process will be complete | finished.
In addition, when the high priority process in S940 is ended in this way, the control unit 60 once ends the vehicle information transfer process. The control unit 60 of the second embodiment processes the packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the other vehicle 3 or the relay device 10 by repeatedly executing the vehicle information transfer process having such contents.

  The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the second embodiment has been described above. In the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1, the wireless communication device 50 compares the relay device reception list with its own device reception list, and the wireless communication device 1 Since the vehicle information that could not be received directly from the communication device 50 is selectively extracted and the extracted vehicle information is preferentially processed, the vehicle information is processed in a more appropriate order from the viewpoint of collision avoidance. be able to.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, the vehicle information of other vehicles that cannot be visually recognized by the vehicle occupant due to the radio wave obstacle such as the high-rise building H is preferentially processed and transmitted to the collision avoidance ECU 90. Therefore, it is possible to cause the collision avoidance ECU 90 to preferentially execute the vehicle control necessary for the collision avoidance from the one having the high risk of collision. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the symbol for the vehicle having a high collision risk can be preferentially updated, the danger of the collision can be quickly and accurately transmitted to the vehicle occupant.

  By the way, in the information display process of the first embodiment, the symbol displayed in blue is switched to red only when a predetermined condition is satisfied in S720. However, in the second embodiment, the symbol is displayed in blue. The wireless communication device 50 may be configured to unconditionally switch red symbols to red in S720 (the same applies to third to seventh embodiments described later).

  In this way, the symbol of a vehicle that can receive vehicle information only via the relay device 10 can be quickly switched to red, and information about a vehicle with high risk of collision is quickly transmitted to the vehicle occupant. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, the function as the direct reception determination unit of the present invention is realized by the processing of S930 executed by the control unit 60. Further, the priority setting means is realized by the processing of S940 and S960 executed by the control unit 60.

  Further, the wireless communication device 50 may be configured to preferentially process a packet received from the vehicle when no packet has been received from the same vehicle within the past predetermined time (third embodiment).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing vehicle information transfer processing executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the third embodiment. In the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the third embodiment, the content of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 is different from that of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. This is basically the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 in the example. Therefore, below, the content of the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 performs is selectively demonstrated as description of a 3rd Example.

  In the third embodiment, the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 14 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S1110), and the vehicle described as the transmission source ID information in the extracted packet. The ID is associated with the reception time of the packet and registered in the reception history database (S1120). Note that the control unit 60 of this embodiment has a reception history database in a built-in RAM.

  When the processing in S1120 is completed, the control unit 60, for the first time, within the predetermined time, the vehicle ID described as the transmission source ID information in the extracted packet is based on the contents registered in the reception history database. Then, it is determined whether or not the vehicle ID is received as the transmission source ID information (S1130).

  If it is determined that the vehicle ID is received for the first time within a predetermined time (Yes in S1130), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1140. On the other hand, when the same vehicle ID is received as the transmission source ID information within the past predetermined time, the control unit 60 determines No in S1130 and proceeds to S1160. In S1160, the low priority process shown in FIG. 9B is executed, and then the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  After shifting to S1140, the control unit 60 determines whether or not a packet has been received via the relay device 10 by the same method as in S420 (S1140). If it is determined that the packet has been received via the relay device 10 (Yes in S1140), the high priority process shown in FIG. 9A is executed (S1150). Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the packet has not been received via the relay device 10 and has been received directly from the transmission source vehicle (No in S1140), the process proceeds to S1160, and low priority processing shown in FIG. 9B is executed. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. In this way, by repeatedly executing the vehicle information transfer process, the control unit 60 preferentially processes the packet received from the vehicle when no packet has been received within the past predetermined time from the same vehicle.

  As described above, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment has been described. In this embodiment, when the wireless communication device 50 has not received a packet from the same vehicle within the past predetermined time, the packet received from the vehicle is received. Was processed preferentially. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, packets can be processed in an appropriate order from the viewpoint of collision avoidance, and the occurrence of a collision accident can be prevented.

  That is, if vehicle information has been received from the same vehicle within a predetermined time in the past, the symbol of the transmission source vehicle is displayed on the monitor 81 using the received vehicle information at the time of receiving the vehicle information in the past. Although it is possible to notify the vehicle occupant of the presence of the dangerous vehicle, the vehicle symbol cannot be displayed on the monitor 81 before the vehicle information is received for the first time.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, when a packet has not been received from the same vehicle within the past predetermined time, the priority of the packet received from the vehicle is increased, and a symbol is displayed. The processing for this is executed quickly.

  Note that, for a packet received for the first time in the past predetermined time, regardless of whether the packet is routed through the relay device 10, the priority may be increased and the packet may be preferentially processed. If the packet is a packet that can be directly received without going through the relay device 10, it is highly likely that the transmission source vehicle of the packet is directly visible from the vehicle occupant, and there is a risk of collision with this vehicle. The degree is not so high.

  On the other hand, when a packet is received from this vehicle via the relay device 10 even though no packet has been received within the past predetermined time, the position where the packet transmission source vehicle is not visible to the vehicle occupant There is a high possibility that the vehicle occupant does not recognize the vehicle.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the packet received via the relay device 10 is processed particularly preferentially even though the packet has not been received from the same vehicle within the past predetermined time. Therefore, according to the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the present embodiment, packets can be processed in an appropriate order from the viewpoint of collision avoidance, and collision avoidance can be realized with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the function as the transmission source determination unit of the present invention is realized by the processing of S1120 and S1130 executed by the control unit 60. The relay determination unit is realized by the process of S1140 executed by the control unit 60, and the priority setting unit is realized by the processes of S1150 and S1160 executed by the control unit 60.

  In the inter-vehicle communication system 1, the packet priority is switched based on the number C1 of packets received via the relay device 10 and the number C2 of packets directly received without going through the relay device 10. It is also possible (fourth embodiment).

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the fourth embodiment. In the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the fourth embodiment, the content of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 is different from that of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. This is basically the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 in the example. Therefore, the contents of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 will be selectively described below as an explanation of the fourth embodiment.

  In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 15 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S1210), and the vehicle ID described as the transmission source ID information in the extracted packet. Is associated with the reception time of the packet and registered in the reception history database (S1220). In this embodiment, the control unit 60 has a reception history database in a built-in RAM.

  When the processing in S1220 is finished, the control unit 60 first determines that the vehicle ID described as the transmission source ID information in the extracted packet is based on the information registered in the reception history database within a predetermined time. It is determined whether or not the vehicle ID is received as the sender ID information (S1230).

If it is determined that the vehicle ID is received for the first time within a predetermined time (Yes in S1230), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1240 and sets the number of received packets C1 and C2 for the vehicle ID to zero (C1 = 0, C2 = 0). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1250. On the other hand, when determining that the vehicle ID is not received for the first time within a predetermined time (No in S1230), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1250 without executing the process of S1240.

  In step S1250, the control unit 60 determines whether a packet is received via the relay device 10 in the same manner as in step S420. If it is determined that the packet is received via the relay device 10 (Yes in S1250), the number of received packets C1 of the vehicle ID of the packet transmission source vehicle is incremented by 1 (S1260). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the received packet number C1 is larger than the received packet number C2 for the vehicle ID (S1270). If it is determined that C1> C2 (Yes in S1270), the process proceeds to S1280. The high priority process shown in FIG. 9A is executed. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that C1 ≦ C2 (No in S1270), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1300 and executes the low priority process shown in FIG. 9B. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  In addition, if the control unit 60 determines that the packet has not been received via the relay device 10 and has been received directly (No in S1250), the received packet number C2 of the vehicle ID of the packet transmission source vehicle is incremented by one. (S1290). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1300, the low priority process shown in FIG. 9B is executed, and the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  The control unit 60 repeatedly performs the vehicle information transfer process having the above contents to calculate the received packet numbers C1 and C2 for each packet transmission source vehicle, and the packets are sent via the relay device 10. Packets received from a vehicle with a lot of traffic are processed preferentially.

  The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the fourth embodiment has been described above. In the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1, packets received from vehicles that are often sent via the relay device 10 are preferentially processed. Therefore, it is possible to preferentially process packets received from high-risk vehicles that would be difficult for the vehicle occupant to see, and from the point of collision avoidance, receive packets can be processed in an appropriate order. Thus, the possibility of a collision accident can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the function as the reception frequency calculation means of the present invention is realized by the processing of S1230, S1240, S1260, and S1290 executed by the control unit 60. The relay determination unit is realized by the process of S1250 executed by the control unit 60, and the priority setting unit is realized by the processes of S1270, S1280, and S1300 executed by the control unit 60.

  The wireless communication device 50 may be configured to determine the priority of the received packet based on the relationship between the position of the packet transmission source vehicle and the host vehicle and the traveling direction (fifth embodiment).

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the fifth embodiment. In the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the fifth embodiment, the content of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 is different from that of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. This is basically the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 in the example. Therefore, the contents of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 will be selectively described below as an explanation of the fifth embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 16 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S1310), and executes the risk determination process shown in FIG. 17 using this packet. (S1320). FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a risk determination process executed by the control unit 60.

  When the risk determination process is started, the control unit 60 first acquires the position information of the host vehicle from the position detector 57 (S1410), and acquires the speed information of the host vehicle from the speed detector 58 (S1420). Furthermore, direction information of the host vehicle is acquired from the direction detector 59 (S1430). Based on the acquired speed information and direction information, a speed vector V1 of the host vehicle is calculated (S1440).

  When this process is finished, the control unit 60, based on the speed vector V2 of the packet transmission source vehicle described as speed vector information in the extracted packet, and the speed vector V1 of the own vehicle calculated in S1440, An angle θ formed by the speed vector V2 with respect to the speed vector V1 is calculated (S1450). Here, as shown in FIG. 17, the angle θ is measured clockwise.

  When the process in S1450 is completed, the control unit 60 proceeds to S1460, and the position and speed vector V1 of the host vehicle, the position of the packet transmission source vehicle described in the packet taken out from the reception buffer 55, and Based on the above, the presence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is determined. Specifically, it is determined whether the packet transmission source vehicle exists in the front area, the left area, the right area, or the rear area.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram relating to the determination method of the existence region, and is a diagram illustrating the sections of the front region, the left region, the right region, and the rear region. In the present embodiment, in a state where the speed vector V1 is arranged with the position of the host vehicle as the base point Ps, a region opposite to the direction of the speed vector V1 from the straight line LN1 passing through the base point Ps and orthogonal to the speed vector V1 is Determined in the area.

  Further, a region that is opposite to the base point Ps from the straight line LN2 and does not belong to the rear region with respect to the straight line LN2 that is parallel to the velocity vector V1 and that passes a predetermined distance to the left side from the base point Ps is defined as a left side region. Determined in the area. Similarly, a region that is opposite to the base point Ps from the straight line LN3 and does not belong to the rear region with respect to the straight line LN3 that passes through a position that is a predetermined distance to the right side from the base point Ps and is parallel to the velocity vector V1. Is defined in the right region. Here, the left and right are determined based on the direction of the velocity vector V1.

  When the determination in S1460 is completed, the control unit 60 proceeds to S1470 and determines whether or not the presence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is a “front area” according to the determination result. Then, if it is determined that the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is the “front area” (Yes in S1470), the process proceeds to S1480, and the angle θ obtained in S1450 satisfies the inequality π−α1 ≦ θ ≦ π + α2. Determine whether or not.

  In this way, in S1480, it is determined whether or not the packet transmission source vehicle is a vehicle that is located in front of the host vehicle and is traveling toward the host vehicle. The constants α1 and α2 are determined in advance at the setting stage to values corresponding to the width of the front area determined in consideration of the road width.

  When it is determined that the angle θ satisfies the inequality π−α1 ≦ θ ≦ π + α2 (Yes in S1480), the control unit 60 is a vehicle in which the packet transmission source vehicle is traveling from the front of the host vehicle toward the host vehicle. As a result, the process proceeds to S1550, where it is determined that the degree of risk is “high”. Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the angle θ does not satisfy the inequality π−α1 ≦ θ ≦ π + α2 (No in S1480), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1490 and the angle θ is inequality 0 ≦ θ ≦ β1 or 2π−β2. It is determined whether or not ≦ θ ≦ 2π is satisfied. In this way, in S1490, it is determined whether or not the packet transmission source vehicle is a vehicle that is located in front of the host vehicle and is traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle. Note that the constants β1 and β2 are determined in advance in the setting step to values corresponding to the lateral width of the front region, like the constants α1 and α2.

  If it is determined that the angle θ does not satisfy the inequality 0 ≦ θ ≦ β1 or 2π−β2 ≦ θ ≦ 2π (No in S1490), the packet transmission source vehicle is not traveling toward the own vehicle, but is Assuming that the vehicle is not traveling in the same direction as the vehicle, the flow shifts to S1560, where it is determined that the degree of risk is “low”. Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  In addition, if it is determined that the angle θ satisfies the inequality 0 ≦ θ ≦ β1 or 2π−β2 ≦ θ ≦ 2π (Yes in S1490), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1500 and the absolute value of the speed of the host vehicle ( The length of the speed vector V1) is compared with the absolute value of the speed of the packet transmission source vehicle (the length of the speed vector V2), and it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling faster than the packet transmission source vehicle. to decide.

  Then, if it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling faster than the packet transmission source vehicle (Yes in S1500), the risk that the host vehicle may collide from the rear with respect to the transmission source vehicle positioned in front is determined as the risk level. Is determined to be “large” (S1550). Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling slower than the packet transmission source vehicle (No in S1500), the control unit 60 may collide from the rear with respect to the transmission source vehicle located in front. Therefore, it is determined that the degree of risk is “low” (S1560). Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the presence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is not the “front area” (No in S1470), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1510 and determines whether the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is the “left area”. Judge whether or not. If it is determined that the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is the “left side area” (Yes in S1510), the process proceeds to S1520 to determine whether the angle θ satisfies the inequality 0 <θ <π. . In this way, the control unit 60 determines whether or not the packet transmission source vehicle located in the left region is a vehicle that is traveling in a direction approaching the host vehicle.

  If it is determined that the angle θ satisfies the inequality 0 <θ <π (Yes in S1520), it is determined that the degree of risk is “high” because the packet transmission source vehicle is traveling in the direction approaching the host vehicle. (S1550). On the other hand, if it is determined that the angle θ does not satisfy the inequality 0 <θ <π (No in S1520), the control unit 60 assumes that the packet transmission source vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the own vehicle, and is dangerous. It is determined that the degree is “small” (S1560). Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  In addition, if it is determined that the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is not the “left area” (No in S1510), the control unit 60 determines whether the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is the “right area”. If it is determined that the existence region of the packet transmission source vehicle is the “right region” (Yes in S1530), it is determined whether or not the angle θ satisfies the inequality π <θ <2π (S1540). . In this way, the control unit 60 determines whether or not the packet transmission source vehicle located in the right region is traveling in a direction approaching the host vehicle.

  When it is determined that the angle θ satisfies the inequality π <θ <2π (Yes in S1540), the control unit 60 determines that the packet transmission source vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the host vehicle, and the degree of risk. Is determined to be “large” (S1550). On the other hand, if it is determined that the angle θ does not satisfy the inequality π <θ <2π (No in S1540), the control unit 60 assumes that the packet transmission source vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the own vehicle, and is dangerous. It is determined that the degree is “small” (S1560). Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  Further, when the control unit 60 determines that the existence area of the packet transmission source vehicle is not the “right area” (No in S1530), the risk degree is set to “rear area”. "Small" (S1560). Thereafter, the risk determination process ends.

  When the risk determination process in S1320 is completed, the control unit 60 proceeds to S1330 and determines whether or not the determination result in the risk determination process is a determination result that the risk level is “high”. If it is determined that the determination result is the determination result of the risk level “high” (Yes in S1330), the process proceeds to S1340 and the high priority process illustrated in FIG. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the determination result in the risk determination process is a determination result that the risk is “low” (No in S1330), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1350, and the low level shown in FIG. Execute priority processing. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. In this way, the control unit 60 of the present embodiment determines the risk level of the packet transmission source vehicle, and preferentially processes the packet determined to have a high risk level.

  Although the fifth embodiment has been described above, according to this embodiment, in the wireless communication device 50, based on the position and speed vector of the host vehicle and the position and speed vector of the packet transmission source vehicle indicated by the received packet, The collision risk between the host vehicle and the packet transmission source vehicle is determined, and the packet is processed with a priority according to the collision risk. Therefore, information on the vehicle with a high risk is updated and displayed with priority on the map screen. The latest information can be notified to the vehicle occupant. In addition, the collision avoidance ECU 90 can preferentially process the packet, and vehicle control for collision avoidance can be executed quickly.

  The inter-vehicle communication system 1 may be configured to determine a packet to be preferentially processed based on the relative distance between the vehicles (sixth embodiment).

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the sixth embodiment. In the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the sixth embodiment, the content of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 is different from that of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. This is basically the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 in the example. Therefore, the contents of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 will be selectively described below as an explanation of the sixth embodiment.

In the sixth embodiment, the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 19 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG.
When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S1610), and acquires the position information of the host vehicle from the position detector 57 ( S1620). Then, based on the acquired position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the transmission source vehicle indicated by the extracted packet, a relative distance between the transmission source vehicle and the own vehicle is calculated (S1630).

  When this process is finished, the control unit 60 determines whether or not the relative distance is less than a threshold (for example, 100 m) (S1640), and determines that the relative distance is less than the threshold (Yes in S1640). , The process proceeds to S1650, and the high priority process shown in FIG. 9A is executed. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 60 determines that the relative distance is equal to or greater than the threshold (No in S1640), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1660 and executes the low priority process illustrated in FIG. 9B. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. When the packet transmission source vehicle exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, the control unit 60 preferentially processes the packet received from the vehicle by repeatedly executing the vehicle information transfer process having such contents.

  As described above, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the sixth embodiment has been described. In this embodiment, the wireless communication device 50 preferentially processes packets received from vehicles existing within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle. I made it.

  As a matter of course, the degree of danger is higher for vehicles in close proximity than vehicles located far away. Therefore, if packets sent from nearby vehicles are preferentially processed, packets of vehicles with high risk of collision can be preferentially processed, and processing necessary for collision avoidance can be quickly performed. Can be executed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the occurrence of a collision accident can be prevented as much as possible.

  In addition, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 may be configured to preferentially process packets received from a vehicle moving at high speed in the wireless communication device 50 (seventh embodiment).

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 in the seventh embodiment. In the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 of the seventh embodiment, the content of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 is different from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 of the first embodiment. This is basically the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 in the example. Therefore, the contents of the vehicle information transfer process executed by the control unit 60 will be selectively described below as an explanation of the seventh embodiment.

In the seventh embodiment, the control unit 60 of the wireless communication device 50 executes a vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG. 20 instead of the vehicle information transfer process shown in FIG.
When the vehicle information transfer process is started, the control unit 60 extracts one packet received by the wireless communication unit 51 from the reception buffer 55 (S1710), and the speed of the transmission source vehicle indicated by the extracted packet is a threshold value (for example, It is determined whether or not the speed exceeds 60 km / h (S 1720).

  If it is determined that the speed of the transmission source vehicle exceeds the threshold (Yes in S1720), the process proceeds to S1730, and the high priority process shown in FIG. 9A is executed. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 60 determines that the speed of the transmission source vehicle is equal to or lower than the threshold (No in S1720), the control unit 60 proceeds to S1740 and executes the low priority process shown in FIG. Thereafter, the vehicle information transfer process is temporarily terminated. In the seventh embodiment, the control unit 60 repeatedly executes the vehicle information transfer process having such contents to process the received packet from the other vehicle 3.

  The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the seventh embodiment has been described above. In this embodiment, packets received from a vehicle traveling at a speed exceeding a threshold value are preferentially processed. A vehicle traveling at a high speed has a longer travel distance per unit time than a vehicle traveling at a low speed, so in order to avoid a collision with this vehicle, a collision avoidance can be achieved in a short time after receiving a packet. It is necessary to execute processing for

  Therefore, if the packets received from the vehicle traveling at high speed are preferentially processed as in this embodiment, the processing for collision avoidance can be executed in order from the dangerous vehicle, the processing is delayed, It is possible to prevent the vehicle from being in danger.

It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the inter-vehicle communication system 1. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the packet in which vehicle information was stored. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device 10. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing relay processing executed by a relay processing unit 17; 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication device 50. FIG. It is a flowchart showing the transmission control process which the transmission process part 61a performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transmission process which the control part 60 performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 performs. It is a flowchart showing the high priority process (a) and the low priority process (b) which the control part 60 performs. It is explanatory drawing (b) showing the structure of the screen (a) showing the information display process which the control part 60 performs, and the screen updated by this process. It is a flowchart showing the relay process which the relay process part 17 of a 2nd Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of a 2nd Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the high priority process which the control part 60 of a 2nd Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of a 3rd Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of 4th Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of 5th Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the risk determination process which the control part 60 of 5th Example performs. It is explanatory drawing regarding the determination method of an existing area. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of 6th Example performs. It is a flowchart showing the vehicle information transfer process which the control part 60 of 7th Example performs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inter-vehicle communication system, 3 ... Vehicle, 10 ... Relay device, 11, 51 ... Wireless communication part, 11a, 51a, 61a ... Transmission processing part, 11b, 51b, 61b ... Reception processing part, 11c, 51c ... Antenna, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13, 53 ... Transmission buffer, 15, 55, 65 ... Reception buffer, 17 ... Relay processing part, 50 ... Wireless communication apparatus, 57 ... Position detector, 58 ... Speed detector, 59 ... Direction detector, 60 ... Control part , 61 ... CAN communication unit, 63 ... High priority transmission buffer, 64 ... Low priority transmission buffer, 80 ... Navigation device, 81 ... Monitor, 90 ... Collision avoidance ECU

Claims (7)

A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges data between vehicles by wireless communication, receives the vehicle data transmitted from each vehicle wirelessly to the external space, and wirelessly transmits the received vehicle data to the external space In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system equipped with a relay device for re-sending to a wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle,
Detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, data transmission means for wirelessly sending vehicle data representing the vehicle state of the own vehicle to the external space as vehicle data of the own vehicle;
Data receiving means for receiving vehicle data of the other vehicle transmitted wirelessly from the wireless communication device of the other vehicle;
For each vehicle data received by the data receiving means, a process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the vehicle data;
Priority setting means for setting priority for each vehicle data with respect to the vehicle data received by the data receiving means;
Direct reception availability determination means for determining whether the vehicle data received by the data reception means is vehicle data that cannot be directly received from the wireless communication device of the transmission source vehicle without passing through the relay device ;
With
The priority setting means directly receives the priority of the vehicle data determined to be vehicle data that cannot be directly received by the direct reception availability determination means among the vehicle data received by the data reception means. Set higher than the priority of the vehicle data determined not to be vehicle data that cannot be directly received by the determination unit ,
It said processing execution means, the priority order from the set high priority vehicle data by setting means, that radio communications device you said being to configured to perform the predetermined processing. In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges data between vehicles by wireless communication, a wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle,
Detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, data transmission means for wirelessly sending vehicle data representing the vehicle state of the own vehicle to the external space as vehicle data of the own vehicle;
Data receiving means for receiving vehicle data of the other vehicle transmitted wirelessly from the wireless communication device of the other vehicle;
For each vehicle data received by the data receiving means, a process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the vehicle data;
Priority setting means for setting priority for each vehicle data with respect to the vehicle data received by the data receiving means;
When the data receiving means receives the vehicle data, the transmission source determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle data and the transmission source vehicle have received the same vehicle data within a predetermined period in the past ;
With
The priority setting means sets the priority of the vehicle data determined by the transmission source determination means that it has not been received in the past predetermined period among the vehicle data received by the data reception means. Set higher than the priority of the vehicle data determined to have been received in the past predetermined period by the determination means ,
It said processing execution means, the priority order from the set high priority vehicle data by setting means, that radio communications device you said being to configured to perform the predetermined processing. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges data between vehicles by wireless communication, receives the vehicle data transmitted from each vehicle wirelessly to the external space, and wirelessly transmits the received vehicle data to the external space In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system equipped with a relay device for re-sending to a wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle,
Detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, data transmission means for wirelessly sending vehicle data representing the vehicle state of the own vehicle to the external space as vehicle data of the own vehicle;
Data receiving means for receiving vehicle data of the other vehicle transmitted wirelessly from the wireless communication device of the other vehicle;
For each vehicle data received by the data receiving means, a process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the vehicle data;
Priority setting means for setting priority for each vehicle data with respect to the vehicle data received by the data receiving means;
Relay determination means for determining whether the vehicle data received by the data receiving means is data retransmitted from the relay device;
When the data receiving means receives the vehicle data, the transmission source determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle data and the transmission source vehicle have received the same vehicle data within a predetermined period in the past ;
With
The priority setting means determines that the vehicle data received by the data receiving means is data retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determining means, and the transmission source determining means determines the past predetermined data. Vehicle data determined not to have been received within the period, vehicle data determined not to be retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determination unit, and past predetermined data by the transmission source determination unit period radio communications device you characterized and Turkey be set higher than the priority of the vehicle data is determined it may be received within. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges data between vehicles by wireless communication, receives the vehicle data transmitted from each vehicle wirelessly to the external space, and wirelessly transmits the received vehicle data to the external space In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system equipped with a relay device for re-sending to a wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle,
Detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the vehicle;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, data transmission means for wirelessly sending vehicle data representing the vehicle state of the own vehicle to the external space as vehicle data of the own vehicle;
Data receiving means for receiving vehicle data of the other vehicle transmitted wirelessly from the wireless communication device of the other vehicle;
For each vehicle data received by the data receiving means, a process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the vehicle data;
Priority setting means for setting priority for each vehicle data with respect to the vehicle data received by the data receiving means;
Relay determination means for determining whether the vehicle data received by the data receiving means is data retransmitted from the relay device;
The vehicle data received by the data receiving means within a predetermined period, the number C1 of vehicle data determined by the relay determining means to be retransmitted from the relay device, and the data receiving means The number C2 of vehicle data received within a predetermined period and determined not to be data retransmitted from the relay device by the relay determination means is calculated for each vehicle data transmission source vehicle. Means for calculating the number of receptions;
With
The priority setting means sets the priority of each vehicle data based on the number C1 and the number C2 for the transmission source vehicle of the vehicle data calculated by the reception frequency calculation means ,
It said processing execution means, the priority order from the set high priority vehicle data by setting means, that radio communications device you said being to configured to perform the predetermined processing. It said detecting means, said a vehicle state of the vehicle, according to claim 1, the velocity vector of the position and the vehicle speed and the vehicle of the vehicle, at least one of, characterized in that it is the configuration for detecting The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4 . A plurality of wireless communication devices according to claim 2 mounted on a vehicle,
A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, wherein the vehicle data is exchanged between vehicles through the wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle. A plurality of wireless communication devices according to claim 1 or claim 3 or claim 4 mounted on a vehicle,
A relay device that receives the vehicle data transmitted from each vehicle wirelessly to the external space and retransmits the received vehicle data wirelessly to the external space,
A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, wherein vehicle data is exchanged between vehicles through the relay device and the wireless communication device mounted on each vehicle.