JP5347137B2 - In-vehicle information processing apparatus, base station, and vehicle platoon information acquisition method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To identify the context of a vehicle in the periphery of a place where a vehicle is traveling, with respect to an information device loaded on a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The passage sequence information of a vehicle is generated by accumulating the vehicle ID of a passing vehicle in a base station 3, and the base station 3 distributes front rank information based on the passage sequence information to an in-vehicle information processor 1 of a vehicle passing through the base station 3, and an in-vehicle information processor 1 of each vehicle which has obtained the front rank information obtains vehicle ID of the front vehicle by referring to the front rank information, and transmits the vehicle ID of the self-vehicle to the front vehicle. Thus, it is possible to make the front vehicle obtain the behind rank information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

  Conventionally, there is a technique for performing operation control using a wide-area or narrow-area wireless communication means instead of the inter-vehicle communication means when a vehicle-to-vehicle communication failure or abnormality occurs (see Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology that allows a vehicle behind the vehicle to notify danger information by reflecting a radio signal using a door mirror or a rearview mirror of the vehicle (see Patent Document 2). There is a technique for specifying a vehicle position by receiving information acquired using GPS (Global Positioning System) by inter-vehicle communication (see Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-217074 A JP 2004-13413 A JP 2008-065481 A

  Conventionally, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, in which information is transmitted and received between traveling vehicles, has been studied. Here, the vehicle is traveling in a row on a normal road, and in order to send and receive useful information between vehicles, according to the content and character of the information, as well as the context and status of the vehicle, It is preferable that information is transmitted and received between appropriate vehicles. For example, the transmission destination of the accident information is the vehicle behind.

  However, it is difficult to specify the vehicle traveling order (contextual relationship) in wireless communication, and the vehicle traveling order during vehicle traveling due to various factors such as overtaking, road branching, and vehicle stopping. Changes.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to identify a vehicle front-rear relationship in the vicinity of a place where the vehicle is traveling in an information device mounted on the vehicle.

  The present invention distributes information accumulated in the base station through which the vehicle passes for the convoy information in front of the vehicle, and for the front vehicle obtained from the information distributed from the base station for the convoy information behind the vehicle. By transmitting information from the rear vehicle, the information device mounted on the vehicle can identify the front-rear relationship of the vehicle in the vicinity of the place where the vehicle is traveling.

  Specifically, the present invention generates vehicle passing order information by accumulating identification information of a vehicle passing through a base station in the base station, and the base station applies to a vehicle passing through the base station. By distributing the passing order information as formation information indicating the traveling order of vehicles in front of the passing vehicle, the vehicle passing through the base station acquires the front formation information and acquires the front formation information. Each vehicle that has obtained the identification information of the forward vehicle by referring to the forward row information and transmits the identification information of the own vehicle to the forward vehicle, so that the backward row information is transmitted to the forward vehicle. This is a method for acquiring vehicle platoon information.

  The base station has a communication function with an in-vehicle information processing device mounted on a vehicle, and is installed so as to be communicable with a vehicle passing through a predetermined range of the road. Then, the base station acquires and accumulates vehicle identification information from the passing vehicle. In addition, it is preferable that a method suitable for the embodiment is adopted as a method for the base station to acquire the vehicle identification information. For example, a method by wireless communication between the base station and the in-vehicle information processing apparatus may be used, or a method in which the base station acquires identification information by, for example, photographing a passing vehicle with a camera. In addition, the predetermined range set by the base station that can communicate with the passing vehicle is narrow enough to prevent two or more vehicles from entering in order to accurately grasp the passing order of the vehicles, and the vehicle finishes passing. It is preferable that the setting is made so that the communication necessary until the completion is completed.

  Here, the vehicle identification information is a unique identifier (ID) assigned to each vehicle in order to identify the individual vehicle. In the present invention, the base station accumulates the identification information of the passing vehicle, thereby grasping the order in which the vehicle has passed the base station. The identification information may be used as destination information or transmission source information when the vehicle communicates with the base station or another vehicle.

  Further, when the vehicle passes through the base station, the base station distributes the passing order information grasped by the accumulation of the identification information to the passing vehicle as the formation information. The vehicle that has received the distribution information acquires the order of the vehicles indicated in the formation information as the traveling order of other vehicles ahead. Hereinafter, the traveling order of other vehicles in front of the host vehicle is referred to as “front row information”.

  A vehicle that has acquired front row information obtains identification information of a vehicle traveling ahead by referring to this row information. And the identification information of the own vehicle is notified to the preceding vehicle by transmitting the identification information of the own vehicle with the obtained identification information as a destination. When each vehicle that has passed through the base station executes such notification processing, each vehicle obtains the identification information of the vehicle that travels behind the host vehicle, and acquires the traveling order of other vehicles behind the vehicle. I can do it. Hereinafter, the traveling order of other vehicles behind the host vehicle is referred to as “rear formation information”.

  When the rear vehicle notifies the preceding vehicle of the identification information of the own vehicle, the notification method is to notify the preceding vehicle of the identification information, and the vehicle that has received the notification sequentially forwards the preceding vehicle. And a method of notifying the number of vehicles ahead of the destination vehicle together with the identification information, etc. It is preferable to adopt a method suitable for each.

  Further, the present invention may be grasped as an invention of an in-vehicle information processing apparatus. That is, the present invention is an in-vehicle information processing apparatus, and notifies the base station of the identification information of the mounted vehicle on which the on-vehicle information processing apparatus is mounted to the base station through which the mounted vehicle has passed. The base station accumulates identification information notifying means for accumulating the identification information of the vehicles that have passed through the base station in the order of passage, and the identification information of the preceding vehicle notified from the preceding vehicle of the mounted vehicle to the base station. A convoy information obtaining means for obtaining, from the base station, the passage order information of the forward vehicle generated by the time the vehicle passes through the base station as the convoy information indicating the traveling order of the vehicle in front of the equipped vehicle; , The platoon information holding means for holding the platoon information of the vehicle in front of the mounted vehicle acquired from the base station, and the identification information of the forward vehicle acquired from the platoon information as a destination, Before Vehicle-to-vehicle transmission processing for transmitting the identification information of the mounted vehicle, and the rear transmitted from the rear vehicle that has obtained the identification information of the mounted vehicle by obtaining the formation information including the identification information of the mounted vehicle from the base station. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication means for executing vehicle-to-vehicle reception processing for receiving vehicle identification information, and the platoon information holding means uses the received rear vehicle identification information for the vehicle behind the mounted vehicle. This is an in-vehicle information processing apparatus that is held as formation information.

According to the present invention, each vehicle traveling on the road and passing through the base station includes identification information notification means, formation information acquisition means, formation information holding means, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication means, so that formation information ahead of the base station is provided. And the rear row information is constructed by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the front-rear relationship of the vehicle in the vicinity of the place where the mounted vehicle is traveling can be identified.

  The on-vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a communication state monitoring unit that monitors a communication state between a vehicle whose identification information is included in the formation information and the mounted vehicle, and the identification information is included in the formation information. It may further comprise a platoon change determining means for determining that the platoon indicated in the platoon information has changed when the communication state relating to any of the vehicles has changed.

  By determining the change in the formation based on the communication status between the vehicles, it is possible to change the formation information using the configuration for inter-vehicle communication without providing a separate means for measuring the position and distance of each vehicle. It can be judged that there was.

  Further, in the present invention, the communication state monitoring means monitors whether a vehicle whose identification information is included in the formation information is in a communication area or out of the communication area, and the formation change determination means has other information in the formation information. When the communication state monitoring means detects that a vehicle that is farther from the mounted vehicle than the vehicle outside the communication range is in the communication range, or closer to the mounted vehicle than other vehicles within the communication range in the formation information When the communication state monitoring means detects that the vehicle is out of the communication range, it may be determined that the platoon change relating to the vehicle has occurred.

  The communication state of vehicle-to-vehicle communication can change due to various factors such as a change in the distance between vehicles or a vehicle in communication entering a side road. However, in the formation information, if a vehicle that is farther from the installed vehicle than the other vehicle outside the communication range is in the communication range, the vehicle that should have been farther than the vehicle outside the communication range is in the communication range, It can be estimated that the change in the communication state is caused by the change (overtaking) in the traveling order of the vehicle. Similarly, when a vehicle closer to the installed vehicle than the other vehicles in the communication range is out of the communication range in the formation information, the vehicle that should have been closer to the vehicle in the communication range is out of the communication range. It can be presumed that the change in the communication state is also caused by the change (overtaking) in the vehicle traveling order. In the present invention, by determining based on such conditions, it is determined that the formation information has changed using the configuration for inter-vehicle communication.

  Note that the communication area does not necessarily indicate a range in which radio waves for wireless communication reach. For example, the range in which communication can be satisfactorily performed may be determined as the communication range by comparing the reception sensitivity of the antenna with a predetermined threshold.

  Further, in the present invention, the platoon change determining means detects by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle that is farther away from the installed vehicle than the other vehicles outside the communication area in the formation information is in the communication area. If the speed of the vehicle in the communication range is slower than the speed of the mounted vehicle, it is determined that the vehicle in the communication range has been overtaken by a vehicle outside the communication range, and in the formation information, the vehicle out of the other communication range If the communication state monitoring means detects that a vehicle that is far behind from the installed vehicle is in the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle in the communication range is faster than the speed of the installed vehicle, It may be determined that the new vehicle has overtaken the vehicle outside the communication range.

Further, in the present invention, the platoon change determining means detects that the vehicle closer to the mounted vehicle than the vehicles in other communication areas in the formation information is out of the communication area, and the communication state monitoring means When the speed of the vehicle that has become faster than the speed of the vehicle in the communication range, it is determined that the vehicle that has been out of the communication range has overtaken the vehicle in the communication range, and the mounted vehicle is higher than the vehicle in the other communication range in the formation information When the communication state monitoring unit detects that a vehicle close to the communication range is out of the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle out of the communication range is slower than the speed of the vehicle in the communication range, It may be determined that the vehicle has been overtaken by the vehicle within the communication range.

  That is, in the present invention, in addition to the change in the communication state, whether the vehicle related to the change in the communication state overtakes another vehicle or has been overtaken by another vehicle by comparing the traveling speed between the vehicles. Is going to judge. According to the present invention, in addition to the change in the communication state, the comparison result of the vehicle speed is also added to the determination condition, so that the change contents of the formation information can be determined more accurately.

  The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a platoon information updating unit that changes the order of the vehicles indicated by the platoon information according to a result of the determination by the platoon change determining unit.

  By providing the formation information update means, according to the present invention, the change in the traveling order determined based on the above-described conditions is reflected in the formation information, and the latest formation information is obtained through the next base station. During this period, the formation information can be managed in the correct state.

  In the present invention, the inter-vehicle communication means may transmit the change information of the platoon determined by the platoon change determination means to the vehicles before and after acquiring the identification information with reference to the platoon information.

  When it is determined that the formation has been changed by the formation change determination means, by sending information related to this change to the preceding and following vehicles, the change in the formation is notified even to vehicles at a distance where this change cannot be grasped. The formation information can be kept up-to-date.

  Further, the present invention may be grasped as an invention of a base station. That is, the present invention is a base station installed so as to be communicable with a vehicle passing through a predetermined range of a road, the identification information acquiring means for acquiring the identification information of the passing vehicle from the passing vehicle, and the acquired By storing the identification information of the passing vehicle in the order of passing of the vehicle, the identification information storage means for generating the passing order information of the vehicle, and by the time the passing vehicle passes the base station with respect to the passing vehicle It is a base station provided with formation information distribution means for distributing the generated passing order information as formation information indicating the traveling order of vehicles in front of the passing vehicle.

  According to the present invention, in an information device mounted on a vehicle, it is possible to identify the front-rear relationship of the vehicle around the place where the vehicle is traveling.

It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and a base station. It is a figure which shows the outline of a function structure of the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and a base station. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of communication between the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and a base station. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that a vehicle ID notification message is transmitted with respect to a base station from the vehicle which passed the base station, and vehicle ID is accumulate | stored by a base station. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that a formation information notification message is transmitted from a base station with respect to the vehicle which passed the base station. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing the contents of a formation information table of an in-vehicle information processor which passed a base station and received a formation information notification message. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that an ID addition request message is transmitted with respect to the vehicle ahead. In an embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing when an in-vehicle information processor receives an ID addition request message. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that an ID addition request message is sequentially transferred with respect to the vehicle ahead. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing the contents of the formation information table of vehicle h completed by adding vehicle ID of vehicle m. In an embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing when an in-vehicle information processor receives a broadcast message. It is a figure which shows the image of the communicable range in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the formation information table of the state which the vehicle m shown by FIG. 12 received the broadcast message and set the communication possible flag in embodiment. In an embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing when a broadcast message is received from a vehicle whose communication enable flag is OFF. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing signs that a transmission source vehicle of a broadcast message has passed other vehicles and entered a communication area. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating replacement processing of a convoy information table that occurs in the situation illustrated in FIG. 15 in the embodiment. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing signs that a transmission source vehicle of a broadcast message has been overtaken by another vehicle and entered a communication area. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing exchange processing of a formation information table generated in the situation shown in FIG. In an embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing at the time of receiving a formation update message from other vehicles. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing signs that a formation update message is transferred sequentially. In an embodiment, it is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing when reception of a broadcast message from a vehicle whose communication enable flag is ON times out. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that the time-out vehicle passed the head vehicle and went out of the communication range. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing exchange processing of a formation information table generated in the situation shown in FIG. In embodiment, it is a figure which shows a mode that the time-out vehicle was overtaken by the last vehicle and went out of the communication range. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing replacement processing for a formation information table that occurs in the situation shown in FIG. 24 in the embodiment.

<Configuration of in-vehicle information processing apparatus and base station>
Embodiments of an on-vehicle information processing apparatus and a base station according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The on-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an information processing apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and capable of inter-vehicle communication with an information processing apparatus mounted on another vehicle by a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). The in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 communicates with a base station 3 installed so as to be communicable with a vehicle passing through a predetermined communication range by using a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). However, various communication methods capable of transmitting and receiving information between vehicles or between the base station 3 and the vehicle can be used for inter-vehicle communication and communication between the base station 3 and the vehicle. DSRC may be used for inter-vehicle communication. Further, a communication method other than DSRC and WLAN described in the present embodiment may be used.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 and the base station 3 according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an antenna 11, a DSRC communication apparatus 12, an inter-vehicle communication apparatus 13, a control unit 14, a memory 15, and a ROM 16, and is provided in a speed sensor 17 that is provided in the vehicle and measures the vehicle speed. It is connected. The base station 3 includes an antenna 31, a DSRC communication device 32, a control unit 33, a memory 34, and a ROM 35. Note that the ROM 16 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 records the vehicle ID of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is mounted. The vehicle ID is a unique ID assigned to each vehicle so as not to overlap between the vehicles in order to identify individual vehicles.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of functional configurations of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 and the base station 3 according to the present embodiment. In the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1, the control unit 14 executes a program developed in the memory 15 or the ROM 16 to control each configuration of the DSRC communication apparatus 12, the inter-vehicle communication apparatus 13, the memory 15, the ROM 16, and the like. , An in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 including an identification information notification unit 21, a formation information acquisition unit 22, a formation information holding unit 27, an inter-vehicle communication unit 23, a communication state monitoring unit 24, a formation change determination unit 25, and a formation information update unit 26. Function as. Further, in the base station 3, the control unit 33 executes a program developed in the memory 34 or the ROM 35, and controls each configuration of the DSRC communication device 32, the memory 34, the ROM 35, and the like, whereby the identification information acquisition unit 41 , Functioning as the base station 3 including the identification information storage unit 42 and the formation information distribution unit 43.

  The identification information notification unit 21 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 reads the vehicle ID of the mounted vehicle on which the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is mounted from the ROM 16 and notifies the base station 3 through which the mounted vehicle has passed.

  The identification information acquisition unit 41 of the base station 3 acquires the transmitted vehicle ID when the vehicle ID is transmitted by the identification information notification unit 21 of the in-vehicle information processing device 1. And the identification information storage part 42 produces | generates the passing order information of a vehicle by accumulating the vehicle ID of the acquired passing vehicle in order of the passage of a vehicle. In the present embodiment, the passing order information is information in which vehicle IDs of vehicles that have passed through the base station 3 are arranged in the passing order. In addition, the convoy information distribution unit 43 distributes the vehicle IDs for the latest N vehicles among the passing order information generated until the passing vehicle passes through the base station 3 to the passing vehicle.

  The row information acquisition unit 22 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 acquires the row information for the forward N vehicles when the vehicle ID for the N vehicles is recently distributed by the row information distribution unit 43 of the base station 3.

  The formation information holding unit 27 holds a formation information table that indicates the traveling order of vehicles for the front N vehicles and the rear N vehicles. The convoy information table is a table that records vehicle IDs, communicable flags, and speed information for a total of 2N vehicles for the front N vehicles and the rear N vehicles (see FIG. 2). Here, the vehicle IDs are arranged in accordance with the traveling order of the vehicles. The communicable flag is a flag indicating whether or not communication with each vehicle registered in the formation information table from the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is possible (in other words, whether or not each registered vehicle is within a communication range). The speed information is speed information of each vehicle received from a vehicle capable of communication.

The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 performs inter-vehicle communication by unicast or broadcast with a vehicle on which the other in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is mounted. In the case of unicast communication, the vehicle ID acquired from the convoy information table is set as the destination, and the vehicle ID of the host vehicle read from the ROM 16 is set as the transmission source. In the case of broadcast communication, a broadcast address (address indicating reception by all vehicles that have received the signal) is set as the destination, and R is set as the transmission source.
The vehicle ID of the host vehicle read from the OM 16 is set. Information that can be transmitted by unicast communication includes an ID addition request message and a formation update message. Details of each message will be described later.

  The communication status monitoring unit 24 monitors the communication status between the vehicle registered in the platoon information table and the mounted vehicle by monitoring whether or not the vehicle registered in the platoon information table is communicable. To do. In the present embodiment, the communication state determined by the communication state monitoring unit 24 is indicated by ON / OFF of the communicable flag in the formation information table.

  The formation change determination unit 25 determines the change in the formation shown in the formation information table based on the communication state of the vehicle registered in the formation information table and the speed of the vehicle. The platoon change determining unit 25 acquires the speed of the host vehicle from the speed sensor 17 and acquires the speeds of other vehicles by referring to the speed information recorded in the platoon information table.

  The formation information update unit 26 reflects the communication state determined by the communication state monitoring unit 24 and the speed information notified by the inter-vehicle communication in the formation information table. Further, the platoon information update unit 26 changes the traveling order of the vehicles registered in the platoon information table according to the determination result by the platoon change determination unit 25.

<Generation of formation information table>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a communication flow between the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 and the base station 3 according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the vehicle passes through the communication range of the base station 3. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

  In steps S101 to S103, the vehicle ID is transmitted and received, and the vehicle ID of the vehicle that has passed through the vicinity of the base station 3 (hereinafter referred to as “passing vehicle”) is accumulated by the base station 3. The identification information notification unit 21 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 reads the vehicle ID recorded in the ROM 16 and transmits a vehicle ID notification message to the base station 3 (step S101). The identification information acquisition unit 41 of the base station 3 receives the vehicle ID notification message transmitted from the vehicle information processing apparatus (step S102), and the identification information storage unit 42 receives the vehicle ID included in the received vehicle ID notification message. Then, it is added to the end of the passing order information that is a list of vehicle IDs of the vehicles that have passed recently (step S103). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S104.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how the vehicle ID notification message is transmitted from the vehicle that has passed through the base station 3 to the base station 3 and the vehicle ID is accumulated by the base station 3 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the vehicle ID transmitted when the vehicle 1 passes through the base station 3 is stored in the memory 34 of the base station 3. Further, according to FIG. 4, the vehicle IDs of the vehicles h, i, j, and k traveling in front of the vehicle l are stored in the memory 34 of the base station 3 in the order of passing through the base station 3. I understand.

  In step S104 to step S106, vehicle IDs of N vehicles ahead of the passing vehicle are transmitted to the passing vehicle. The row information distribution unit 43 of the base station 3 reads the vehicle IDs of N vehicles ahead of the passing vehicles from the passing order information, and transmits a row information notification message including these vehicle IDs to the passing vehicles. (Step S104).

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the formation information notification message is transmitted from the base station 3 to the vehicle that has passed through the base station 3 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, when the vehicle m passes through the base station 3, the formation information message including the vehicle IDs of the vehicles h, i, j, k, and l that have passed through the base station 3 before the vehicle m from the base station 3. Has been sent. In addition, according to FIG. 5, it turns out that the row | line | column information delivered to the vehicle from the base station 3 in this embodiment is five fronts.

  The platoon information acquisition unit 22 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 receives the platoon information notification message (step S105), and the platoon information holding unit 27 determines the vehicle IDs of N vehicles ahead included in the platoon information notification message. Extract and record in the formation information table (step S106).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of the formation information table of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 that has received the formation information notification message through the base station 3 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the vehicle m shown in FIG. 5 receives the formation information message including the vehicle IDs of the vehicles h, i, j, k, and l from the base station 3. It is shown that the car is registered in the formation information table as “the car in front of”. In this embodiment, since the convoy information for the five vehicles in front is distributed from the base station 3, the information for the five vehicles in the rear is similarly set, and the information of the vehicles for a total of ten vehicles is registered in the convoy information table. The However, it is preferable that an optimal value is appropriately adopted as the number of registered vehicles depending on the embodiment. When the received formation information is recorded in the formation information table, the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, a vehicle ID addition request message is transmitted. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 acquires the vehicle ID of the previous vehicle with reference to the formation information table, sets the acquired vehicle ID as a destination, and sets the vehicle ID of the own vehicle. An ID addition request message for requesting addition to the formation information table is transmitted. In addition, since the vehicle ID of the passing vehicle is included in this ID addition request message, the vehicle ahead passes the vehicle ID of the passing vehicle to the rear of the own vehicle in the formation information table by receiving the ID addition request message. Can be added.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an ID addition request message is transmitted to a vehicle ahead in the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the vehicle m acquires the vehicle ID of the vehicle 1 that is the previous vehicle by referring to the row information table shown in FIG. 6, and transmits an ID addition request message to the vehicle l. ing. When the transmission of the ID addition request message by the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 is completed, the processing shown in this flowchart ends. The process flow in the vehicle that has received the ID addition request message will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 receives an ID addition request message in the present embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is started when the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 receives an ID addition request message. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

  In step S201 and step S202, the ID addition request message is received, and the formation information table is updated. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 receives the ID addition request message transmitted from another vehicle, and the platoon information holding unit 27 extracts the vehicle ID included in the ID addition request message, and the own vehicle in the platoon information table. It adds to the part which stores vehicle ID of the vehicle which is behind. For example, according to the example shown in FIG. 7, when receiving the ID addition request message transmitted from the vehicle m, the row information holding unit 27 of the vehicle l extracts the vehicle ID indicating the vehicle m from the ID addition request message. , Added to the rear of the vehicle in the row information table (record of “one car after”). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S203.

In steps S203 and S204, it is determined whether or not the received ID addition request message needs to be transferred. If necessary, the ID addition request message is transferred. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 determines whether or not the record to which the vehicle ID is added in step S202 is the tail of the formation information table (in this embodiment, “five cars after”) (step S203). ) If the determination result is NO, the vehicle ID of the vehicle preceding the host vehicle is acquired with reference to the convoy information table, and the ID addition request message is transferred with this vehicle ID as the destination (step) S204).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the ID addition request message is sequentially transferred to the vehicle ahead in the present embodiment. According to the example shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle 1 that has received the ID addition request message from the vehicle m in FIG. 7 has received the vehicle m because the location where the vehicle ID of the vehicle m has been added is not the end of the formation information table. The ID addition request message is forwarded to the vehicle k. In this embodiment, the vehicle ID of the vehicle m is sequentially transferred to the vehicles l, k, j, i, and h by sequentially executing the processes shown in steps S201 to S204 in the vehicles k, j, and i. Is done. By this transfer process, the vehicle ID of the vehicle m is registered in the row information table of the vehicles h, i, j, k, and l in front. When the transfer of the ID addition request message is completed, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

  If the determination result in step S203 is YES, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 ends the processing shown in this flowchart without transferring the ID addition request message. According to the example shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle h receives the transfer of the ID addition request message of the vehicle m from the vehicle i and adds it to the column information table. It is determined that the vehicle ID of the vehicle m is not required for a further forward vehicle having a row information table of the size, and the transfer is stopped. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the platoon information table of the vehicle h completed by adding the vehicle ID of the vehicle m in the present embodiment.

<Broadcast message transmission>
When the formation information table is completed, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 of the in-vehicle information processing device 1 of each vehicle identifies the vehicle ID of the own vehicle, A broadcast message including the vehicle speed is transmitted. The broadcast message is a message whose destination is not specified, and is received and processed by the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of all the vehicles received within the communication range. In the present embodiment, the broadcast message plays a role as a so-called beacon by being transmitted periodically (for example, every minute).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 receives a broadcast message in the present embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is started when the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 receives a broadcast message. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

  In steps S301 to S303, the first broadcast message received after the broadcast message transmission source vehicle is registered in the formation information table is processed. When the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 receives the broadcast message (step S301), the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 confirms the vehicle ID of the message transmission source. If this vehicle ID is registered in the convoy information table, the broadcast received first from this vehicle is received. It is determined whether it is a message (step S302). If it is determined that the broadcast message is the first received from the transmission source vehicle, the formation information update unit 26 adds the broadcast message to the record in which the vehicle ID of the transmission source vehicle is registered in the formation information table. The included speed information is added, and the communicable flag is set to a state indicating “communicable” (step S303).

As a method for determining whether or not the broadcast message is first received from the transmission source vehicle, a method suitable for the embodiment is preferably adopted from various methods that can be adopted by those skilled in the art. . For example, a flag for determining whether or not a broadcast message has already been received from each vehicle may be recorded in the convoy information table, and this may be referred to (not shown) or It is good also as determining whether the broadcast message was received from the applicable vehicle by referring to the communication history.

  By turning on the communicable flag when receiving the first broadcast message, the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of each vehicle can know which vehicle in the platoon information table is within the communication range. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an image of a communicable range in the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the broadcast message transmitted from the vehicles j and p reaches the vehicle m (see the solid line circle in the figure), but the broadcast message transmitted from the vehicles i and q does not arrive. No (see dashed circle in the figure). For this reason, in the convoy information table of the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus 1 of the vehicle m, the communicable flag is turned on for the vehicle jp, but the communicable flag is not turned on for the vehicles h, i, q, and r. .

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a convoy information table in a state in which the vehicle m shown in FIG. 12 receives a broadcast message and sets a communicable flag in the present embodiment. As can be seen from FIG. 13, for the vehicle jp that has received the broadcast message, the communicable flag is set to ON and the speed information is stored.

  In step S304 and step S305, the second and subsequent broadcast messages from the transmission source vehicle are processed. The communication status monitoring unit 24 refers to the convoy information table and determines whether or not the communicable flag of the vehicle related to the vehicle ID of the message transmission source is in a communicable state (ON) (step S304). When it is determined that the communicability flag of the transmission source vehicle is ON, the formation information update unit 26 newly receives the speed information of the record in which the vehicle ID of the transmission source vehicle is registered in the formation information table. The broadcast information is updated with the speed information included in the broadcast message (step S305). Thereafter, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

  If it is determined in step S304 that the communicable flag of the transmission source vehicle is OFF, the process proceeds to the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 (see connector A in the flowchart).

<Update of formation information table>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when a broadcast message is received from a vehicle whose communication enable flag is OFF in the present embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is started when it is determined in step S304 shown in FIG. 11 that the communicable flag of the transmission source vehicle is OFF. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

The processing shown from step S306 to step S308 is processing for detecting that the transmission source vehicle of the broadcast message has passed the other vehicle and entered the communication area (see FIG. 15). The platoon change determining unit 25 refers to the platoon information table, so that a vehicle that has newly entered the communication range, that is, a transmission source vehicle of the broadcast message is not allowed to communicate with other vehicles behind the own vehicle on the platoon information table. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is a vehicle further rearward than the vehicle (the vehicle whose communication enable flag is OFF) (step S306). When the transmission source vehicle is a vehicle further behind the other communication disabled vehicles, the formation change determination unit 25 further includes the speed of the transmission source vehicle included in the broadcast message and the speed of the own vehicle acquired from the speed sensor 17. If the speed of the transmission source vehicle is faster than the speed of the host vehicle, it is determined that the transmission source vehicle has passed the other communication disabled vehicle and has entered the communication range (step S307).

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a broadcast message transmission source vehicle has overtaken other vehicles and entered a communication area in the present embodiment. FIG. 15 shows that the vehicle m for which the communicable flag has been set to OFF has entered a range (communication range) where a broadcast message can reach the vehicle h. Here, if the vehicle m is a vehicle immediately after the communicable vehicle k behind the vehicle h, it is considered that the vehicle m has newly entered the communication range due to reasons such as a reduction in the distance between the vehicles (this The process in this case will be described later as a process in step S313). Since the vehicle m is a vehicle further behind the vehicle l, which is another non-communication vehicle behind the vehicle h, it overtakes the vehicle l that is still outside the communication range. It is thought that it has entered the communication range. However, in the present embodiment, in order to determine the situation more accurately, the speed of the vehicle h that is the host vehicle is compared with the speed of the vehicle m included in the broadcast message, and the speed of the vehicle m is higher. It is determined that the vehicle m has entered the communication range due to overtaking.

  If it is determined in the determination processing of step S306 and step S307 that the transmission source vehicle has passed the other communication disabled vehicle and entered the communication range, the formation information update unit 26 updates the formation information table. The formation information update unit 26 adds the speed information of the transmission source vehicle to the formation information table, sets the communication enable flag of the transmission source vehicle to ON, and further determines that the transmission source vehicle has been overtaken. The arrangement of the vehicles on the platoon information table with the non-communication vehicles is changed (step S308).

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a replacement process of the formation information table that occurs in the present embodiment in the situation shown in FIG. In FIG. 16, the vehicle m that is further behind the vehicle l that cannot communicate is newly communicable, and the speed of the vehicle m, 90 km / h, exceeds the speed of the vehicle h (for example, 70 km / h). , It is shown that the arrangement of “four cars after” (vehicle l) and “five cars after” (vehicle m) on the formation information table of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of the vehicle h is switched. Yes. When the update of the formation information table is completed, the process proceeds to step S312.

  The processing shown in steps S309 to S311 is processing for detecting that the transmission source vehicle of the broadcast message has been overtaken by another vehicle and has entered the communication area (see FIG. 17). The platoon change determining unit 25 refers to the platoon information table, so that the vehicle that has newly entered the communication range, that is, the transmission source vehicle of the broadcast message is not allowed to communicate with other vehicles in front of the own vehicle on the platoon information table. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is a vehicle ahead of the vehicle (the vehicle whose communication enable flag is OFF) (step S309). When the transmission source vehicle is a vehicle further ahead of other communication disabled vehicles, the formation change determination unit 25 further includes the speed of the transmission source vehicle included in the broadcast message and the speed of the own vehicle acquired from the speed sensor 17. If the speed of the transmission source vehicle is slower than the speed of the host vehicle, it is determined that the transmission source vehicle has passed the other communication-disabled vehicle and has entered the communication range (step S310).

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the transmission source vehicle of the broadcast message is overtaken by another vehicle and enters the communication area in the present embodiment. FIG. 17 shows that the vehicle m for which the communicable flag has been set to OFF has entered a range (communication range) where a broadcast message reaches the vehicle r. Here, if the vehicle m is a vehicle immediately before the communicable vehicle o in front of the vehicle r, it is considered that the vehicle m has newly entered the communication range due to reasons such as a reduction in the distance between vehicles (this The process in this case will be described later as a process in step S313). Since the vehicle m is a vehicle further ahead of the vehicle n, which is another non-communication vehicle in front of the vehicle r, it is overtaken by the vehicle n that is still outside the communication range. It is thought that it has entered the communication range. However, in the present embodiment, in order to determine the situation more accurately, the speed of the vehicle r that is the host vehicle is compared with the speed of the vehicle m included in the broadcast message, and the speed of the vehicle m is slower. It is determined that the vehicle m has been overtaken and has entered the communication range.

  If it is determined in step S309 and step S310 that the transmission source vehicle has been overtaken by another communication disabled vehicle and has entered the communication area, the formation information update unit 26 updates the formation information table. The formation information update unit 26 adds the speed information of the transmission source vehicle to the formation information table, sets the communication enable flag of the transmission source vehicle to ON, and further determines that the transmission source vehicle has been overtaken. The arrangement of the vehicles on the platoon information table with the non-communication vehicles is switched (step S311).

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing replacement processing of the formation information table that occurs in the situation shown in FIG. 17 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 18, the vehicle m that is further ahead of the vehicle n that cannot communicate is newly communicable, and the speed of the vehicle m, 60 km / h, exceeds the speed of the vehicle r (for example, 70 km / h). , It is shown that the arrangement of “four cars before” (vehicle n) and “five cars before” (vehicle m) on the formation information table of the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus 1 of the vehicle r is switched. Yes. When the update of the formation information table is completed, the process proceeds to step S312.

  In step S313, the convoy information table is updated without changing the order of the vehicles. If the determination process shown in steps S306, S307, S309, and S310 does not satisfy the condition for determining that the overtaking has occurred, the platoon change determining unit 25 determines that the transmission source The column information update unit 26 determines that the vehicle has newly entered the communication range, and adds the speed information of the transmission source vehicle to the column information table without changing the vehicle order of the column information table, so that the communication of the transmission source vehicle is performed. Set the enable flag to ON. Thereafter, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

  In step S312, a convoy update message is transmitted to the preceding and following vehicles. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 uses the vehicle ID to designate the vehicle replaced in step S308 or step S311 and transmits a platoon update message instructing to replace the arrangement on the platoon information table of the designated vehicle. To do. At this time, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 refers to the formation information table, and sets the vehicle ID of the vehicle immediately before the own vehicle and the vehicle ID of the vehicle after the own vehicle as destinations of the formation update message. To do. Thereafter, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

  The convoy update message transmitted in step S312 is forwarded to a further preceding or further vehicle by the received vehicle. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when a convoy update message is received from another vehicle in this embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the formation update message transmitted in step S312 shown in FIG. 14 or step S506 in FIG. 21 described later is received. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

In step S401 and step S402, a formation update message is received and the formation information table is updated. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 receives the convoy update message transmitted from the other vehicle (step S401), and the convoy information update unit 26 indicates the vehicle ID indicated as the replacement target from the convoy update message received. Are extracted and the order of these vehicle IDs is changed on the convoy information table (step S402). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S403.

  In step S403 to step S406, it is determined whether or not the received formation update message needs to be transferred, and if necessary, the formation update message is transferred. The inter-vehicle communication unit 23 determines whether or not the vehicle ID related to the replacement in step S402 is the vehicle ID recorded at the head or the tail of the platoon information table (step S403). If the vehicle ID related to the replacement is the head or the last vehicle ID, it can be determined that the further forward or further rear vehicle does not have the vehicle ID to be replaced on the formation information table. The update message is not transferred, and the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

  When the replaced vehicle ID is not the first or last vehicle ID, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 refers to the platoon information table, and the transmission source of the platoon update message received in step S401 is the preceding vehicle. It is determined whether the vehicle is behind the vehicle (step S404). When the transmission source of the formation update message is a front vehicle, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 transfers the formation update message to the vehicle behind one vehicle (step S405). When the transmission source of the convoy update message is a rear vehicle, the inter-vehicle communication unit 23 transfers the convoy update message to the preceding vehicle (step S406). When the transfer of the formation update message is finished, the processing shown in this flowchart is finished.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the formation update messages are sequentially transferred in the present embodiment. In this way, in the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of each vehicle, the transfer process shown in FIG. 19 is executed, so that the vehicle IDs to be replaced (in the example shown in FIG. The vehicle ID is replaced in all the vehicles whose vehicle ID) is recorded in the formation information table.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the present embodiment when reception of a broadcast message from a vehicle whose communication enable flag is ON has timed out. The process shown in this flowchart is started in order to monitor the reception state of a broadcast message that should be periodically received after the formation information table is generated. Note that the processing order shown in this flowchart is an example, and it is preferable that the specific processing order is appropriately optimized according to the embodiment.

  In step S501, it is determined whether a broadcast message reception timeout has occurred. The communication status monitoring unit 24 sets a timer for each of the plurality of vehicles registered in the formation information table and having the communication enable flag set to ON, and within a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) set for each timer. . It is determined whether a broadcast message is received from a vehicle having a vehicle ID related to this timer. The process shown in step S501 is repeated until a timeout is detected. If a timeout occurs for any vehicle, the process proceeds to step S502.

  In step S502 and step S503, it is determined whether the vehicle that has timed out the reception of the broadcast message (hereinafter referred to as “timeout vehicle”) is the head or tail of the communicable vehicle, and is the head or tail. In this case, the formation information table is updated. The platoon change determining unit 25 refers to the platoon information table, and the vehicle ID of the time-out vehicle is a vehicle registered in the platoon information table, and the first or last vehicle among the vehicles whose communication enable flag is set to ON. It is determined whether the vehicle ID is the tail vehicle (step S502).

Here, when it is determined that the time-out vehicle is the head or the tail of the communicable vehicle, the platoon change determining unit 25 determines that the time-out vehicle is out of the communication range due to the reason that the distance between the vehicles has increased. Without changing the vehicle order in the information table, the communicability flag of the time-out vehicle is set to OFF (step S503). Thereafter, the process returns to step S501, and the reception timeout monitoring process is repeated. If it is determined in step S502 that the time-out vehicle is not the head or tail of the communicable vehicle, the process proceeds to step S504.

  The processes shown in step S504 and step S505 are processes for detecting that a vehicle whose reception of a broadcast message has timed out has passed the leading vehicle of the communicable vehicle and has gone out of the communication range (FIG. 22). See). The platoon change determining unit 25 refers to the platoon information table to obtain the speed information at the time of the previous broadcast message reception of the time-out vehicle and the speed information of the leading vehicle among the vehicles whose communication enable flag is set to ON. Get and compare. As a result of the comparison, when the speed of the time-out vehicle is faster than the speed of the leading vehicle, the platoon change determining unit 25 determines that the time-out vehicle has passed the leading vehicle and has gone out of the communication range (step S504). If the speed of the time-out vehicle is slower than the speed of the leading vehicle as a result of the comparison in step S504, the process proceeds to step S507.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the time-out vehicle has overtaken the leading vehicle and went out of the communication range in the present embodiment. FIG. 22 shows that the vehicle m for which the communicable flag has been set to ON until then has left the range where the broadcast message does not reach the vehicle o (out of the communication range). Here, if the vehicle m is the head of the vehicles communicable with the vehicle o, it is considered that the vehicle m has gone out of the communication range because of an increase in the distance between vehicles (processing in this case) (See step S503), the vehicle m is a vehicle further behind the vehicle l that is another communicable vehicle, so it is considered that the vehicle m has overtaken the vehicle l that is still in the communication range and has left the communication range. . However, in this embodiment, in order to judge the situation more accurately, the speed of the vehicle l is compared with the speed of the vehicle m updated last time, and the vehicle m is overtaken when the speed of the vehicle m is higher. Is determined to have gone out of communication range.

  Then, the formation information update unit 26 updates the formation information table. The formation information update unit 26 deletes the speed information of the time-out vehicle from the formation information table, sets the communication flag of the time-out vehicle to OFF, and further determines that the time-out vehicle has been overtaken and the communicable vehicle that has been determined to have been overtaken. The order of the vehicles on the formation information table is switched (step S505).

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing replacement processing for the formation information table that occurs in the situation shown in FIG. 22 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 23, the vehicle m behind the vehicle l, which is the leading vehicle among the communicable vehicles, cannot communicate, and the speed of the vehicle m, 90 km / h, exceeds the speed of the vehicle l, 70 km / h. As a result, the arrangement of “two cars before” (vehicle m) and “three cars before” (vehicle l) on the column information table of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of the vehicle o may be switched. It is shown. When the update of the formation information table is completed, the process proceeds to step S506.

The processes shown in step S507 and step S508 are processes for detecting that a vehicle whose reception of a broadcast message has timed out has been overtaken by the last vehicle of a communicable vehicle and has gone out of the communication range ( (See FIG. 24). The platoon change determining unit 25 refers to the platoon information table so that the speed information at the time of the previous broadcast message reception of the time-out vehicle, the speed information of the last vehicle among the vehicles whose communication enable flag is set to ON, Get and compare. As a result of the comparison, if the speed of the time-out vehicle is slower than the speed of the last vehicle, the platoon change determining unit 25 determines that the time-out vehicle has been overtaken by the last vehicle and has gone out of the communication range (step S507). . As a result of the comparison in step S507, if the speed of the time-out vehicle is higher than the speed of the last vehicle, the process proceeds to step S509.

  FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the time-out vehicle is overtaken by the last vehicle and goes out of the communication range in the present embodiment. FIG. 24 shows that the vehicle m for which the communicable flag has been set to ON until then has left the range where the broadcast message does not reach the vehicle k (out of the communication range). Here, if the vehicle m is the last of the vehicles communicable with the vehicle k, it is considered that the vehicle m has gone out of the communication range due to reasons such as an increase in the distance between vehicles (in this case For processing, see step S503), because vehicle m is a vehicle ahead of vehicle n, which is another communicable vehicle, and is thus overtaken by vehicle n that is still in communication range and has gone out of communication range. Conceivable. However, in this embodiment, in order to judge the situation more accurately, the speed of the vehicle n is compared with the speed of the vehicle m updated last time, and the vehicle m is overtaken when the speed of the vehicle m is slower. It is determined that the user has gone out of communication range.

  Then, the formation information update unit 26 updates the formation information table. The formation information update unit 26 deletes the speed information of the time-out vehicle from the formation information table, sets the communication flag of the time-out vehicle to OFF, and further determines that the time-out vehicle has been overtaken and the communicable vehicle that has been determined to have overtaken. The order of the vehicles on the formation information table is switched (step S508).

  FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a replacement process of the formation information table that occurs in the present embodiment in the situation shown in FIG. In FIG. 25, the vehicle m ahead of the vehicle n, which is the last vehicle among the communicable vehicles, becomes unable to communicate, and the speed of 70 km / h, which is the speed of the vehicle m, falls below 80 km / h, which is the speed of the vehicle n. As a result, the arrangement of “two cars after” (vehicle m) and “three cars after” (vehicle n) on the formation information table of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 of the vehicle k is switched. It is shown. When the update of the formation information table is completed, the process proceeds to step S506.

  In step S506, a convoy update message is transmitted to the preceding and following vehicles. The details of the process are the same as step S312 described with reference to FIG. When the formation update message is transmitted, the process returns to step S501, and the reception timeout monitoring process is repeated.

  In addition, since the transmitted convoy update message is further transferred to the preceding and succeeding vehicles by the receiving vehicle, as described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, the description is omitted.

If the speed of the time-out vehicle is higher than the speed of the last vehicle as a result of the comparison in step S507, the process proceeds to step S509. In step S509, the formation information table is updated. The platoon change determining unit 25 determines that the time-out vehicle is out of the communication range for reasons other than overtaking, and sets the communication flag of the time-out vehicle to OFF without changing the vehicle order in the platoon information table. Note that reasons other than overtaking in which time-out occurs include, for example, that the distance between vehicles has widened, that the time-out vehicle has stopped, that the time-out vehicle has changed its course to a side road, and that the in-vehicle information processing apparatus 1 has a problem with the time-out vehicle. There are various reasons such as the occurrence of this. When the update of the formation information table is completed, the process returns to step S501, and the reception timeout monitoring process is repeated.

  According to the in-vehicle information processing device 1 and the base station 3 shown in the present embodiment, the in-vehicle information processing device 1 holds the formation information table so that, for example, the occurrence information of the accident can be transmitted only to the rear vehicle when the accident occurs. It is possible to transmit and receive information between vehicles according to the positional relationship of the vehicle, such as transmission. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the formation information can be generated and managed only by inter-vehicle communication and communication with the base station without separately providing a system for specifying the vehicle position such as GPS. It is advantageous. In particular, when a vehicle is traveling between base stations, the formation information is managed and updated by inter-vehicle communication, so the base stations are required to be distributed at wide intervals. The number of base stations can be reduced. Since the system shown in this embodiment can be operated with a small number of base stations, it is advantageous in terms of cost and can be easily introduced on a new road.

  In the present embodiment, it is determined that the traveling order has been changed (passing has occurred) using the communication state, the vehicle front-rear relationship on the formation information table, and the vehicle speed as determination conditions. However, it can be determined by referring to at least one of the above conditions that the change has occurred in the formation. For this reason, depending on the embodiment, it is not always necessary to refer to all the above conditions when managing and updating the formation information. The information used for managing and updating the formation information is preferably adopted as appropriate according to the embodiment.

  Further, the number 2N of vehicles registered in the platoon information table is preferably determined in accordance with the size of the communicable range (communication area) employed in the inter-vehicle communication. In other words, in order to perform the overtaking determination based on the communication state as described above, it is necessary that at least one vehicle outside the communication range is registered in the formation information table at least one vehicle ahead and one vehicle vehicle behind. It is. For this reason, the number 2N of vehicles registered in the convoy information table is such that at least the Nth vehicle from the own vehicle is out of the communication range in a state where N vehicles are traveling with a distance between them. The value is preferably determined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle information processing apparatus 3 Base station 21 Identification information notification part 22 Team information acquisition part 23 Inter-vehicle communication part 24 Communication state monitoring part 25 Team change judgment part 26 Team information update part 27 Team information holding part 41 Identification information acquisition part 42 Identification Information Storage Department 43 Team Information Distribution Department

Claims (9)

An in-vehicle information processing apparatus,
By notifying the base station through which the mounted vehicle has passed the identification information of the mounted vehicle on which the in-vehicle information processing apparatus is mounted, the identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the base station is transmitted to the base station in the order of passage. Identification information notifying means for storing;
Passing order information of the forward vehicle generated by the base station storing the identification information of the forward vehicle notified from the forward vehicle of the mounted vehicle to the base station by the base station being accumulated. , Formation information acquisition means for acquiring from the base station as formation information indicating the traveling order of the vehicle in front of the mounted vehicle,
Formation information holding means for holding formation information of a vehicle in front of the mounted vehicle acquired from the base station;
The vehicle-to-vehicle transmission process for setting the identification information of the preceding vehicle acquired from the column information as a destination and transmitting the identification information of the mounted vehicle to the preceding vehicle, and the column information including the identification information of the mounted vehicle Vehicle-to-vehicle reception processing for receiving the identification information of the rear vehicle transmitted from the rear vehicle that has obtained the identification information of the mounted vehicle by obtaining from the base station, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication means for performing,
The row information holding means holds the received identification information of the rear vehicle as row information of the vehicle behind the mounted vehicle.
In-vehicle information processing device. A communication state monitoring means for monitoring a communication state between the vehicle including the identification information in the formation information and the mounted vehicle;
A platoon change determining means for determining that the platoon indicated in the platoon information has changed when the communication state relating to any of the vehicles whose identification information is included in the platoon information,
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The communication state monitoring means monitors whether a vehicle whose identification information is included in the formation information is in a communication area or out of a communication area,
The row change determination means is
When it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle that is further away from the mounted vehicle than other vehicles outside the communication range in the formation information is in the communication range, or
When it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that the vehicle closer to the mounted vehicle than the vehicle in the other communication range in the formation information is out of the communication range,
It is determined that a change in the formation related to the vehicle has occurred,
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The row change determination means is
In the formation information, it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle that is farther away from the mounted vehicle than the vehicle outside the communication range is in the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle that is in the communication range is mounted. If it is slower than the vehicle speed, it is determined that the vehicle in the communication range has been overtaken by a vehicle outside the communication range,
In the formation information, it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle that is farther away from the installed vehicle than the other vehicle outside the communication range is in the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle that is in the communication range is installed. If it is faster than the vehicle speed, it is determined that the vehicle in the communication range has overtaken the vehicle outside the communication range,
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 3. The row change determination means is
In the formation information, it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle closer to the mounted vehicle than other vehicles in the communication range is out of the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle out of the communication range is the speed of the vehicle in the communication range. If it is faster than the speed, it is determined that the vehicle out of range has overtaken the vehicle in range,
In the formation information, it is detected by the communication state monitoring means that a vehicle closer to the mounted vehicle than other vehicles in the communication range is out of the communication range, and the speed of the vehicle out of the communication range is the speed of the vehicle in the communication range. If the vehicle is slower than the speed, it is determined that the vehicle that is out of communication range has been overtaken by the vehicle within communication range,
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4. In accordance with the determination result by the formation change determination means, further comprising formation information update means for changing the order of the vehicles indicated by the formation information.
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The inter-vehicle communication means transmits the change information of the platoon determined by the platoon change determination means to the vehicles before and after obtaining the identification information with reference to the platoon information.
The in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6. A base station installed so as to be able to communicate with a vehicle passing through a predetermined range of a road,
Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information of the passing vehicle from the passing vehicle;
Identification information storage means for generating the passing order information of the vehicle by storing the acquired passing vehicle identification information in the order of passing of the vehicle;
A convoy information distribution means for distributing the passing order information generated until the passing vehicle passes through the base station to the passing vehicle as the convoy information indicating the traveling order of the vehicles ahead of the passing vehicle. When,
A base station comprising: By generating identification information of vehicles passing through a base station in the base station, generating vehicle passing order information,
The base station distributes the passing order information to vehicles passing through the base station as platoon information indicating the traveling order of the vehicles in front of the passing vehicle. Get the front row information,
Each vehicle that has acquired the front row information obtains the identification information of the front vehicle by referring to the front row information, and transmits the identification information of the own vehicle to the front vehicle. Let the vehicle get rear row information,
A method for obtaining vehicle formation information.

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