JP6791718B2 - Communication equipment, in-vehicle systems and communication methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication devices, in-vehicle systems and communication methods.

For example, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is known in which the own vehicle and other vehicles existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle communicate with each other. The communication device that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication communicates with a plurality of other vehicles existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2007-129521

However, the conventional communication device merely communicates with a plurality of other vehicles. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the conventional communication device in that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is efficiently performed with a plurality of other vehicles.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device, an in-vehicle system, and a communication method capable of efficiently performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the communication device of the present invention includes a communication unit, an acquisition unit, and a control unit. The communication unit performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle via the antenna unit. The acquisition unit acquires information on the plurality of other vehicles. The control unit controls at least one of the gain and directivity of the antenna unit based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

According to the present invention, vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be efficiently performed.

FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a communication method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a communication method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram showing a communication method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an arrangement example of the radar device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an arrangement example of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of grouping performed by the grouping unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of grouping performed by the grouping unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of grouping performed by the grouping unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the position information of the group according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining the position information of the group according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8B is a diagram for explaining the position information of the group according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a beam pattern of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of beam information stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing candidates for an inter-vehicle communication device used for beam formation according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of selection of an inter-vehicle communication device by the directivity control unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the communication process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the surrounding situation of the own vehicle C. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of target information generated by the radar information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of other vehicle communication information generated by the communication information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating object information generated by the information generation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a generation process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to a modified example of the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, the in-vehicle system, and the communication method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below.

[1. First Embodiment]
First, the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment will be described. The in-vehicle system according to the present embodiment includes an inter-vehicle communication device, a control device, and a radar device. The control device of the present embodiment controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device so as to efficiently perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication by acquiring information about another vehicle from the radar device.

[1.1. Communication method]
The communication method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C. 1A to 1C are explanatory views showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a communication method is executed by, for example, a plurality of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 mounted on the own vehicle C and a control device 10 for controlling the plurality of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 mounted on the own vehicle C perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices (not shown) mounted on the other vehicles C1 to C3 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C). Further, for example, a plurality of radar devices 21 to 24 are mounted on the own vehicle C. Radar devices 21 to 24 detect the positions of other vehicles C1 to C3.

Here, first, the communication range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the detection range of the radar devices 21 to 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are arranged, for example, around the own vehicle C.

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 include a directional antenna (not shown). In FIG. 1A, the communication ranges R11 to R18 around the own vehicle C of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are shown.

Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 1A, the directivity of the antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 is the traveling direction (forward) of the own vehicle C. The directivity of the antenna of the other vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 15 is opposite to the traveling direction of the own vehicle C (rear), the directivity of the antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 12 is the left front of the own vehicle C, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 18 The directivity of the antenna is the right front of the own vehicle C, the communication range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13 is the left side of the own vehicle C, the directivity of the antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 17 is the right side of the own vehicle C, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The directivity of the antenna of the device 14 is to the left rear side of the own vehicle C, and the directivity of the antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 16 is to the right rear side of the own vehicle C. In this way, each antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 has directivity and emits a radio wave (beam) in each direction.

As shown in FIG. 1A, when the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 transmit the transmitted wave with the same gain, the range in which the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can communicate with the other vehicles C1 to C3 is the own vehicle. The communication range R0 (hereinafter referred to as the reference communication range R0) is the entire circumference of the own vehicle C centered on C.

Further, by adjusting the gain and phase of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, the communication range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be set to a range different from the reference communication range R0.

The radar devices 21 to 24 are arranged around the own vehicle C, such as the side surface of the own vehicle C. The radar devices 21 to 24 transmit radio waves and also receive reflected waves from targets existing in the detection ranges R21 to R24 shown in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the radar devices 21 to 24 detect position information such as distances and azimuths to other vehicles C1 to C3 existing in the detection ranges R21 to R24 based on the reflected waves. In the example shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the detection range of the radar devices 21 to 24 is wider than the reference communication range R0 of the entire vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18, and outside the reference communication range R0 of the entire vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18. Other vehicles C1 and C2 existing in the vehicle can be detected.

The directivity of the radar device 21 is the traveling direction (forward) of the own vehicle C, and its detection range includes the entire range of the communication range R11 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11, the communication range R12 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 12, and the detection range. It is a range including a part of the communication range R18 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 18. Further, the directivity of the radar device 23 is opposite to the traveling direction of the own vehicle C (rearward), and the detection range thereof is the entire range of the communication range R15 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 15 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14. It is a range including a part of the communication range R16 of the communication range R14 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 16.

The directivity of the radar device 22 is to the left side of the own vehicle C, and its detection range is the entire range of the communication range R13 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13, the communication range R12 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 12, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14. It is a range including a part of the communication range R14 of. The directivity of the radar device 24 is to the right side of the own vehicle C, and its detection range is the entire range of the communication range R17 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 17, the communication range R16 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 16, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 18. It is a range including a part of the communication range R18 of.

In the communication method according to the present embodiment, the control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the information about the other vehicles C1 to C3 acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24, whereby the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are controlled. 18 enables efficient vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3. Specifically, in the communication method according to the present embodiment, the control device 10 adjusts the communication range of the entire vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the information about the other vehicles C1 to C3 acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24. Therefore, the efficiency of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3 is improved.

When the control device 10 acquires the position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 as information about the other vehicles C1 to C3 from the radar devices 21 to 24, the vehicle so that the beam is directed to the other vehicles C1 to C3 based on the position information. It controls the directivity of the entire inter-vehicle communication device 11-18. In the example of FIG. 1C, the control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 to communicate, that is, to radiate radio waves from the antenna of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14, so that the beam is directed to the other vehicle C3. To do so.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1C, the control device 10 forms one beam with respect to the other vehicles C1 and C2 having a short distance between the other vehicles by using the antennas of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12. The directivity of the entire vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is controlled so that one beam is directed to the other vehicles C1 and C2. The control device 10 adjusts, for example, the power and phase of the transmitted waves transmitted from the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 so that the beam pattern of the communication range R31 is formed. For example, the control device 10 faces a point P in which the directivity of the composite wave formed by the transmitted waves radiated from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 is substantially the center between the vehicle width directions of the other vehicles C1 and C2. Adjust the power and phase of the transmitted wave so that. As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 can form a beam pattern of the communication range R31 including the other vehicles C1 and C2.

By forming one beam pattern using the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12, the communication distance becomes long. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1C, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can also communicate with other vehicles C1 and C2 that cannot be communicated by one vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11.

Further, the control device 10 reduces the gain of the antenna included in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13, 15 to 18, which are not used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3. The control device 10 reduces the gain of the antenna included in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13, 15 to 18, for example, by reducing the amplification factor of the amplifier used for transmission of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13, 15 to 18.

As a result, the entire communication range of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 becomes the range R1 including at least a part of the other vehicles C1 to C3 as shown in FIG. 1C. As described above, in the communication method according to the present embodiment, the control device 10 controls at least one of the directivity and the gain of the entire vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the position information acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24. .. Therefore, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can direct the beam to the other vehicles C1 to C3 and can suppress unnecessary radiation in the direction in which the other vehicles C1 to C3 do not exist, so that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is efficient. Can be done well.

In addition, in FIGS. 1A to 1C, in order to make the drawings easier to see, the communication ranges R11 to R18 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 do not overlap each other, but the communication ranges R11 to R18 are adjacent to each other. It may overlap with the communication range R11 to R18 of 11 to 18. Similarly, although the detection ranges R21 to R24 of the radar devices 21 to 24 do not overlap each other, each detection range R21 to R24 overlaps with the detection ranges R21 to R24 of the adjacent radar devices 21 to 24. You may.

Hereinafter, the in-vehicle system S1 including the control device 10, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the radar devices 21 to 24 to which the above-mentioned communication method is applied will be described more specifically.

[1.2. In-vehicle system]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the in-vehicle system S1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, only the components necessary for explaining the features of the present embodiment are represented by functional blocks, and the description of general components is omitted.

In other words, each component shown in FIG. 2 is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. For example, the specific form of distribution / integration of each functional block is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of the functional blocks are functionally or physically distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. -It is possible to integrate and configure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle system S1 includes a control device 10, vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 (an example of a communication unit), and radar devices 21 to 24. The in-vehicle system S1 is mounted on the own vehicle C, for example. The control device 10 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 function as communication devices.

[1.2.1. Radar device]
The radar devices 21 to 24 detect information about other vehicles C1 to C3 existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle C (hereinafter, referred to as other vehicle information). Since the radar devices 21 to 24 have the same configuration except for the detection ranges R21 to R24 (see FIG. 3 described later), the radar device 21 will be described here. The radar device 21 includes a transmitting antenna 211, a receiving antenna 212, and a lead-out unit 210.

[Transmitting antenna and receiving antenna]
The transmitting antenna 211 and the receiving antenna 212 are arranged around the own vehicle C, respectively. The transmitting antenna 211 transmits a transmitted wave toward the periphery of the own vehicle C. The receiving antenna 212 is an array antenna and has a plurality of antenna elements. The receiving antenna 212 receives the reflected wave whose transmitted wave is reflected on the object. In FIG. 2, the number of antenna elements of the receiving antenna 212 is 4, but the number is not limited to this. If the receiving antenna 212 is an array antenna, the number of antenna elements may be less than 4 or more than 4.

For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the radar device 21 is arranged at the front portion of the own vehicle C. The transmitting antenna 211 of the radar device 21 transmits the transmitted wave toward the front direction of the own vehicle C, and the receiving antenna 212 receives the reflected wave reflected by the object existing in the front direction. The radar device 22 is arranged on the left side portion of the own vehicle C, transmits a transmitted wave toward the left side of the own vehicle C, and receives a reflected wave reflected by an object existing in the left direction.

Further, the radar device 23 is arranged at the rear portion of the own vehicle C, transmits a transmitted wave toward the rear direction of the own vehicle C, and receives the reflected wave reflected by an object existing in the rear direction. Further, the radar device 24 is arranged on the right side portion of the own vehicle C, transmits a transmitted wave toward the right side of the own vehicle C, and receives a reflected wave reflected by an object existing in the right direction. Note that FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an arrangement example of the radar devices 21 to 24 according to the present embodiment.

[Derivation part]
Return to FIG. The derivation unit 210 derives information on the target at a predetermined cycle based on the reception signal received by the reception antenna 212 of the radar devices 21 to 24. The derivation unit 210 generates a transmission signal and transmits it as a transmission wave via the transmission antenna 211.

Further, the derivation unit 210 derives the distance to the target, the relative velocity, and the azimuth as information on the target based on the transmission signal and the reception signal received via the reception antenna 212. The derivation unit 210 derives the distance to the target and the relative velocity based on, for example, the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method or the pulse method.

Further, the derivation unit 210 derives the azimuth angle based on an angle estimation method such as ESPRIT (Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Techniques), MUSIC (Multiple Signal Classification), and PRISM (Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping). To do.

In this way, the derivation unit 210 of the radar devices 21 to 24 generates information about the target as other vehicle information, thereby accurately generating other vehicle information including position information such as the distance to the object and the azimuth angle. Can be done.

[1.2.2. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication device]
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3. Further, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 change at least one of the directivity and the gain of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on other vehicle information detected by the radar devices 21 to 24 when performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication. To do.

As described above, the radar devices 21 to 24 detect the positions of other vehicles (for example, other vehicles C1 to C3 shown in FIG. 1B) existing around the own vehicle C. In this case, the control device 10 controls the communication range R11 to R18 (beam pattern) of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24. For example, the control device 10 is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 so that radio waves are radiated to a region around the positions of other vehicles C1 to C3 detected by radar devices 21 to 24 and radio waves are not radiated to other regions. Adjust the power and phase for. As a result, a communication range having a shape in which the beam faces the other vehicles C1 to C3 is formed.

As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can radiate radio waves toward the other vehicles C1 to C3, and can suppress unnecessary radiation of radio waves to a region where the other vehicles C1 to C3 do not exist. .. Therefore, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can efficiently perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3, and the power consumption of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be suppressed.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 each include an antenna unit 112 and a communication processing unit 111. Since the configurations of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are the same, the configuration of the inter-vehicle communication device 11 will be mainly described, and the description of the other overlapping configurations of the inter-vehicle communication devices 12 to 18 will be omitted. ..

[Antenna part]
The antenna unit 112 transmits a signal to the other vehicles C1 to C3 and receives a signal from the other vehicles C1 to C3. FIG. 2 illustrates a case where the antenna unit 112 has one antenna, that is, a transmitting / receiving antenna, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the antenna unit 112 may have a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 is provided, for example, in the front center of the own vehicle C. The antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed in the forward direction. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 12 is provided, for example, on the front left side of the own vehicle C, and has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed in the left oblique front direction.

Further, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13 is provided, for example, in the center on the left side of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed to the left. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 is provided, for example, on the rear left side of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed to the left oblique rear direction. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 15 is provided, for example, in the rear center of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 15 has a beam pattern in which the beam points in the rear direction.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 16 is provided, for example, on the rear right side of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 16 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed to the right oblique rear direction. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 17 is provided, for example, in the center of the right side of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 17 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed to the right. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 18 is provided, for example, on the front right side of the own vehicle C, and the antenna portion 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 18 has a beam pattern in which the beam is directed to the right obliquely forward direction. Note that FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an arrangement example of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 according to the present embodiment.

As described above, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 have beam patterns having different beam directions. When signals are transmitted from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 with the same gain, beams are radiated around the own vehicle C, so that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 as a whole are omnidirectional (see FIG. 1A). Further, by adjusting the gain of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the phase of the transmitted wave, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 as a whole have a beam pattern having directivity (see FIG. 1C). The control device 10, which will be described later, directs the beam direction in a predetermined direction by adjusting the gain of the antenna units 112 of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the phase of the transmitted wave. As a result, the directivity of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is controlled.

[Communication processing unit]
The communication processing unit 111 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3 via the antenna unit 112. The communication processing unit 111 has functions required for inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles C1 to C3, such as a filter, an amplifier, and an A / D converter (not shown). Further, each communication processing unit 111 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can transmit the same signal from the antenna unit 112 based on, for example, an instruction from the control device 10. At this time, the beam pattern formed by the antenna portions 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be changed by adjusting the amplification factor of the amplifier, the phase of the signal, and the like.

Further, the communication processing unit 111 operates by switching between the communication mode and the power saving mode based on the instruction from the control device 10. The communication mode is a mode for communicating with other vehicles C1 to C3. The power saving mode is a mode in which the power consumed by the communication processing unit 111 is reduced as compared with the case of the communication mode, for example, by reducing the gain of the amplifier. Alternatively, in the power saving mode, the power supply to the communication processing unit 111 may be stopped.

In this way, the communication processing unit 111 can reduce the power consumption of the communication processing unit 111 by switching between the communication mode and the power saving mode based on the instruction from the control device 10.

[12.3. Control device]
The control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24. The control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 120 and a control unit 130.
[Acquisition department]
The acquisition unit 120 acquires other vehicle information including the position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 from the radar devices 21 to 24. For example, the acquisition unit 120 acquires other vehicle information from the radar devices 21 to 24 at a predetermined cycle.

[Control unit]
The control unit 130 is a microcomputer provided with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit 140, and the like, and controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the entire control device 10. The control unit 130 is mounted on, for example, an ECU (Electric Control Unit). The control unit 130 includes a grouping unit 131, a directivity control unit 132, a gain control unit 133, and a communication control unit 134 as functions realized by software in a microcomputer.

[Grouping Department]
The grouping unit 131 groups a plurality of other vehicles (for example, other vehicles C1 to C3 in FIG. 1B) into at least one group based on the other vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 120. As will be described later, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 form a beam for each group grouped by the grouping unit 131. That is, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 form one beam for one group. Such a point will be described later with reference to FIG. 5A and the like.

In the grouping unit 131, the distance between the other vehicles C1 to C3 in the second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction away from the own vehicle C is equal to or less than the threshold value corresponding to the beam width of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Group other vehicles into the same group. It is assumed that the beam patterns that can be formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 have been obtained in advance by experiments, simulations, and the like, and the beam width, direction, and the like of each beam pattern are stored in the storage unit 140. Such a point will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 and the like. For example, when the beam width is represented by an angular distance, the grouping unit 131 sets the length of the beam pattern at the positions of the other vehicles C1 to C3 in the second direction as a threshold value according to the beam width. The grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicles C1 to C3 according to the known beam width in this way.

The grouping performed by the grouping unit 131 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 6. 5A to 6 are views for explaining an example of grouping performed by the grouping unit 131 according to the present embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a case where two other vehicles C1 and C2 are present in front of the own vehicle C and one other vehicle C3 is present on the rear left side will be described. In this case, the grouping unit 131 has a second distance D1 between the other vehicles C1 and C2 in the second direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 5A) substantially perpendicular to the first direction (upward direction in FIG. 5A) away from the own vehicle C. When it is 1 threshold Th1 or less, other vehicles C1 and C2 are grouped into one group G1. It can be said that the first direction in FIG. 5A is the traveling direction of the vehicle C, and the second direction is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle C.

Further, the grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicle C3 existing on the rear left side of the own vehicle C into the group G2. As described above, the number of other vehicles C1 to C3 included in the groups G1 and G2 may be one.

Further, as another example of grouping, as shown in FIG. 5B, a case where two other vehicles C4 and C5 are present on the left side of the own vehicle C will be described. In this case, the grouping unit 131 has a second distance D2 between the other vehicles C4 and C5 in the second direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5B) substantially perpendicular to the first direction (left direction in FIG. 5B) away from the own vehicle C. When it is 1 threshold Th1 or less, other vehicles C4 and C5 are grouped into one group G3.

As described above, the grouping unit 131 is a plurality of other vehicles when the distance between the plurality of other vehicles in the direction perpendicular to the beam direction of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, that is, the beam width direction is equal to or less than the first threshold value Th1. Vehicles are grouped together.

As described above, the first threshold value Th1 is a threshold value corresponding to the beam width of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. That is, the first threshold value Th1 is a threshold value according to the distance from the own vehicle C to the other vehicles C1 to C5.

The longer the communication distance of the beams formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, the narrower the beam width (see FIG. 9). Therefore, the control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so that the group farther from the own vehicle C has a narrower beam width and a longer communication distance to perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the distance D1 in the second direction between the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1 is separated, even if the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 form a beam toward the group G1. , The beam does not include other vehicles C1 and C2. In this case, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 cannot perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with both the other vehicles C1 and C2 with one beam.

Therefore, the grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicles C1 and C2 into one group G1 when the distance D1 between the other vehicles C1 and C2 in the second direction is about the beam width or less.

As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, the control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so that the beam is directed to the grouped group G1. Specifically, the storage unit 140 of the control device 10 stores a beam pattern in which transmitted waves radiated from the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are combined. For example, the storage unit 140 has all the beams of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, such as a beam pattern in which the front, left front side, and right front side are combined, and a beam pattern in which the left front side and left side beams are combined. Memorize the beam pattern of the combination of.

Then, the control device 10 selects the optimum pattern from the plurality of patterns based on the information such as the target (positions of a plurality of targets) detected by the radar devices 21 to 24 and the center position between them. .. For example, the beam width of the selected beam pattern is compared with the distance between the targets, and if the beam width is wider than the distance between the targets, the control device 10 gives an instruction to adjust the power and phase so as to obtain the beam pattern. Output to each vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11-18. As a result, the composite wave is output from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Then, the radio wave is not output to the area where the target does not exist.

As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles C1 and C2 with one beam. In this way, the grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicles C1 and C2, so that the control device 10 can appropriately allocate the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that communicate with the other vehicles C1 to C3. .. Therefore, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can efficiently perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

In this way, the grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicles C1 to C3 based on the beam width, in other words, the first threshold value Th1 according to the distance to the other vehicle. As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 1 can perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles included in the group even if the beam is formed for each group.

In the present embodiment, the control device 10 determines the plurality of beam patterns based on the information such as the targets (positions of a plurality of targets) detected by the radar devices 21 to 24 and the center position between them. As one method of selecting the optimum pattern, a plurality of targets (plurality of other vehicles C1 to C2) are grouped as described above, and position information is provided for each group as described later using FIGS. 7 to 8B. A method of selecting vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that radiate radio waves after being generated will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. However, it suffices if the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 direct the beam pattern between a plurality of other vehicles and perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with such a plurality of targets, and there is no need to perform grouping or the like. Information such as the center position between the positions of a plurality of targets may be calculated without conversion.

Next, the grouping unit 131 generates the position information of each group G1 and G2 grouped. The grouping unit 131 generates the position information of the groups G1 and G2 based on the position information of the other vehicles C1 and C3 included in the groups G1 and G2. The position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 is included in the other vehicle information acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24. In the example of FIG. 5A, when there is one other vehicle C3 included in the group G2, the grouping unit 131 generates the position information of the group G2 by setting the position Pc3 of the other vehicle C3 as the position P2 of the group G2. To do.

Further, when the grouping unit 131 includes a plurality of other vehicles C1 and C2 in one group G1, whether or not the distance between the plurality of other vehicles C1 and C2 in the first direction is less than the second threshold Th2. Generate group location information accordingly.

First, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the distance between the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1 in the first direction (upward direction of FIG. 5A) is less than the second threshold Th2, and the other vehicles C1 and C2 are the first. A case where they are almost lined up in one direction will be described.

In this case, the grouping unit 131 generates position information in which, for example, the intermediate point between the positions Pc1 and Pc2 of the other vehicles C1 and C2 is the position P1 of the group G1. As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, the control device 10 has a beam directed to a region around the position of the group G1 from all the beam patterns stored by the storage unit 140 based on the position information of the group G1. Select a pattern. The control device 10 selects a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that radiates a transmitted wave and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that does not radiate a transmitted wave so as to form a selected beam pattern. In this way, the grouping unit 131 sets the position between the other vehicles C1 and C2 as the position P1 of the group G1, so that the control device 10 directs the beam between the other vehicles C1 and the other vehicle C2. .. As a result, one beam can perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with both other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1.

Subsequently, the case where the distance D4 in the first direction (upward direction in FIG. 7) between the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1 is equal to or larger than the second threshold value Th2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8B. 7 to 8B are diagrams for explaining the position information of the group G1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the distance D4 in the first direction (upward direction in FIG. 7) is equal to or greater than the second threshold Th2, the grouping unit 131 is, for example, the positions Pc1 of the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1. , Pc2 of the other vehicle C2 far from the own vehicle C is set as the position P1 of the group G1. This point will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the grouping unit 131 generates position information in which the intermediate point M of the other vehicles C1 and C2 is the position of the group G1 regardless of the distance between the other vehicles C1 and C2 in the first direction. It shall be.

At this time, the control device 10 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so as to form a beam toward the intermediate point M. In this case, the other vehicle C1 is included in the beam of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 1, but the other vehicle C2 is not included. As described above, if the intermediate point M of the other vehicles C1 and C2 is set to the position of the group G1, the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 cannot communicate with the other vehicle C2 far from the own vehicle C.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the position Pc2 of the other vehicle C2 far from the own vehicle C is set as the position P1 of the group G1. At this time, the control device 10 selects a beam pattern directed to the position P1 of the group G1, that is, the region around the position of the other vehicle C2 from all the beam patterns stored in the storage unit 140. The control device 10 selects an inter-vehicle communication device that radiates radio waves and an inter-vehicle communication device that does not radiate radio waves so as to form a selected beam pattern. As a result, one beam can be directed to both the other vehicles C1 and C2, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles C1 and C2 with one beam.

In this way, when the distance between the other vehicles C1 and C2 in the first direction (upward in FIG. 8B) is equal to or greater than the second threshold Th2, the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1 are farther from the own vehicle C. The position information of the other vehicle C2 is used as the position information of the group G1.

As will be described later, the control device 10 radiates a transmission wave toward the region around the positions of the groups G1 and G2 based on the position information of the groups G1 and G2 generated by the grouping unit 131, and other than that. The power and phase of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are adjusted so as not to radiate the transmitted wave to the region. For example, the control device 10 selects a beam pattern including the positions of the groups G1 and G2 from all the beam patterns stored in the storage unit 140, and sets the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so as to obtain the selected beam pattern. On the other hand, adjust the power and phase. As a result, the control device 10 can appropriately assign the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that communicate with the other vehicles C1 to C3, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are other vehicles included in the groups G1 and G2. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be performed with C1 to C3.

[Directivity control unit]
Return to FIG. The directivity control unit 132 directs the transmitted wave radiated by the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 toward the groups G1 and G2 based on the position information of the groups G1 and G2 generated by the grouping unit 131. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are controlled. For example, the directivity control unit 132 selects a beam pattern directed to a region around the position of the group G1 generated by the grouping unit 131 from all the beam patterns stored in the storage unit 140. The directivity control unit 132 selects at least one vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 that radiates transmission when performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with each group G1 and G2, whereby the beam pattern of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 is selected. Controls the directivity of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so that the pattern is selected.

As described above, the beam pattern of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 changes according to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that emit the transmitted wave. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a beam pattern of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 9 describes a beam pattern facing the front of the own vehicle C, but the same applies to other directions such as the left direction and the left oblique front direction.

For example, when the antenna unit 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 radiates a transmitted wave, the beam pattern formed by the antenna unit 112 becomes a pattern of a predetermined communication range R11 as shown in FIG. Further, for example, when the antenna portions 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 radiate the transmitted wave, the beam pattern formed by the 112 is the pattern of the communication range R34 having a narrower beam width and a longer communication distance than the communication range R11. Become.

Further, for example, when the antenna portions 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11, 12, and 18 radiate the transmitted wave, the beam pattern formed by the antenna portion 112 has a narrower beam width than the communication range R34 and a long communication distance. It becomes the pattern of R35. As described above, in the beam pattern formed by the antenna unit 112, the more the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that radiate the transmitted wave, the narrower the beam width and the longer the communication distance.

Therefore, the directivity control unit 132 uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication for communication based on information (beam information) regarding all beam patterns that can be formed by combining, for example, vehicle-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 stored in the storage unit 140. Devices 11-18 are determined. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of beam information stored in the storage unit 140 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the beam information includes, for example, the beam direction (directivity), the beam width, and the communication distance when the antenna gain is maximized (maximum communication distance) for each of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Is done. The storage unit 140 stores beam information for each of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

Note that FIG. 10 shows the beam information of each of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 when the transmitted wave is radiated from one of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, but the storage unit 140 In addition to this, stores beam information when two vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are used. Further, the storage unit 140 stores beam information when, for example, three vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are used. In this way, the storage unit 140 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 1 stores all the beam patterns that can be formed by the combination of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

Further, in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the storage unit 140 stores beam information in a table format, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the beam patterns of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 may be stored as graphic information.

If the direction of the beam (beam direction) can be moved horizontally by swinging the transmitted wave radiated by the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 to the left or right, the movable range is stored as beam information. You may. The beam direction of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 may be moved by, for example, mechanically moving the antenna unit 112, or the phase of the signal transmitted through the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. It may be moved electrically by adjusting the above. Further, the antenna unit 112 may be an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements, and may be electrically moved by adjusting the phase or the like of a signal transmitted via each antenna element.

The directivity control unit 132 is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device for forming a beam toward the groups G1 and G2 based on the beam information stored in the storage unit 140 and the position information of the groups G1 and G2 generated by the grouping unit 131. 11 to 18 are determined.

First, the directivity control unit 132 selects a beam pattern including positions Pc1 to Pc3 (see FIG. 5A) of other vehicles C1 to C3 for each group G1 and G2 from, for example, beam information. When there are a plurality of beam patterns satisfying the conditions, the directivity control unit 132 selects a plurality of beam patterns as candidates.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication ranges R34 of the beam pattern and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11, 12, 18 in which the positions Pc1 and Pc2 of the other vehicles C1 and C2 of the group G1 are formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12. It is assumed that it is included in both of the communication ranges R35 of the beam pattern formed by.

In this case, the directivity control unit 132 selects, for example, the beam patterns of the communication ranges R34 and R35 as candidates. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the directivity control unit 132 uses the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 as candidates for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device forming the beam pattern facing the group G1, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the candidate Ca1. Candidate Ca2 using devices 11, 12, and 18 are selected.

Further, the directivity control unit 132 includes a candidate Ca1 that uses the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 as a candidate for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that forms a beam pattern toward the group G2, a candidate Ca2 that uses the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13. , 14 is selected as a candidate Ca3. Note that FIG. 11 is a diagram showing candidates for vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 used for beam pattern formation.

If there is no beam pattern candidate for the group G1 including the plurality of other vehicles C1 and C2, the grouping unit 131 may perform grouping again. At this time, the grouping unit 131 shall group the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1 so that they do not belong to the same group.

By grouping again in this way, even if the beam pattern facing the group G1 cannot be formed, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 form beam patterns facing the other vehicles C1 and C2, respectively. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can communicate with other vehicles C1 and C2.

Next, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that radiate the transmitted wave from the plurality of candidates.

For example, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 having a small number of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that emit transmission waves from a plurality of candidates. For example, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 and 12 that form the beam pattern facing the group G1. As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can form a beam pattern facing between the other vehicles C1 and C2 included in the group G1, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that radiate the transmitted wave are efficient. Often assigned.

Further, the directivity control unit 132 determines, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that form a beam pattern in which the beam direction is closer to the positions P1 and P2 of the groups G1 and G2 from among a plurality of candidates. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the beam direction B4 of the beam pattern formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 is closer to the position P2 of the group G2 than the beam direction B3 of the beam pattern formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 13. In this case, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 as the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that forms the beam pattern toward the group G2. Note that FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of selection of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 by the directivity control unit 132 according to the present embodiment.

In this way, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 having a communication range R14 in which the beam direction is more oriented toward the position P2 of the group G2. Thereby, for example, even when the gain of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 14 is lowered to shorten the communication distance, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can communicate with the other vehicle C3. Therefore, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can communicate with the other vehicle C3 while reducing the power consumption.

Further, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 to be used in order from the group G1 including the other vehicles C1 and C2 which are far from the own vehicle C. This is because it is necessary to increase the number of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that emit transmitted waves as the distance from the own vehicle C increases, and there is a high possibility that there are few options for vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

In this way, by determining the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 in order from the group G1 including the other vehicles C1 and C2 that are far from the own vehicle C, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 have more other vehicles C1 to. It becomes possible to communicate with C3.

Alternatively, the directivity control unit 132 may determine the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 to be used in order from the group G1 having the smallest number of candidates for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. In this case as well, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can communicate with more other vehicles C1 to C3.

Further, when the directivity control unit 132 can move the beam direction of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, the beam direction of the beam formed by using the determined vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is the position P1 of the groups G1 and G2. , The vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are controlled so as to face P2.

For example, the directivity control unit 132 controls the beam direction of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 by determining the phase difference between the determined vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Alternatively, when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are mechanically moved to control the beam direction, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 are controlled by determining the amount of movement of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

In this way, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication and the beam adjustment amount (phase difference or movement amount of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 to be used). Therefore, it is possible to control the directivity of the beam of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

As described above, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 to be used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication based on, for example, the position information and beam information of the other vehicles C1 to C3 included in the groups G1 and G2. To do. As a result, the directivity of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be controlled, and a beam in which the beam direction is directed can be formed in the groups G1 and G2.

[Gain control unit]
Return to FIG. The gain control unit 133 is based on the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 determined by the position information and directivity control units 132 of the groups G1 and G2 to be used for communication, and is based on the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Control the gain.

The gain control unit 133 determines the distance between vehicles according to the distance between the own vehicle C and the positions P1 and P2 so that the beams of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 reach the areas around the positions P1 and P2 of the groups G1 and G2, for example. The gain of the antenna unit 112 of the communication devices 11, 12, and 14 is determined.

In this way, the gain control unit 133 determines the gain of the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11, 12, and 14 used for communication according to the distance between the own vehicle C and the groups G1 and G2. Is not unnecessarily increased, and an increase in power consumption of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be suppressed.

Further, the gain control unit 133 makes the gain of the antenna units 112 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13, 15 to 18 that are not used for communication small. As a result, unnecessary radiation from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13, 15 to 18 that are not used for communication can be suppressed, and an increase in power consumption of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can be suppressed.

In this way, the gain control unit 133 controls the gain of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the position information of the other vehicles C1 to C3. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and efficiently perform communication.

[Communication control unit]
The communication control unit 134 controls the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the decisions of the directivity control unit 132 and the gain control unit 133. The communication control unit 134 operates the communication processing units 111 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13 and 15 to 18 determined not to be used by the directional control unit 132 in the power saving mode, whereby the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 13 and 15 to 18 are operated. The gain of the antenna portion 112 of the above is reduced.

Further, the communication control unit 134 performs communication processing of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11, 12, and 14 determined to be used by the directivity control unit 132 so as to generate a transmission signal having a phase difference determined by the directivity control unit 132, for example. The unit 111 is controlled. As a result, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 form a beam directed to the groups G1 and G2, that is, a beam directed between the other vehicle C1 and the other vehicle C2, and a beam directed toward the other vehicle C3.

[Memory]
The storage unit 140 stores information necessary for processing performed by each unit of the control unit 130, such as beam information. Further, the storage unit 140 stores the results of processing performed by each unit of the control unit 130, such as candidates for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 selected by the directivity control unit 132. The storage unit 140 is, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[1.3. Communication processing]
An example of communication processing performed by the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a communication process according to the present embodiment. The control device 10 repeatedly executes the communication process shown in FIG. 13, for example, at a predetermined cycle.

First, the control device 10 acquires other vehicle information from the radar devices 21 to 24 (step S101). The control device 10 determines whether or not the other vehicles C1 to C3 exist in the vicinity of the own vehicle C based on the acquired other vehicle information (step S102). When there are no other vehicles C1 to C3 in the vicinity (step S102; No), the control device 10 ends the process.

When other vehicles C1 to C3 are present in the vicinity (step S102; Yes), the control device 10 groups the other vehicles C1 to C3 (step S103) and generates position information of the groups G1 and G2 (step S104).

The control device 10 selects vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that form a beam pattern for each of the groups G1 and G2 (step S105). Further, the control device 10 controls the gains of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the result selected in step S105 (step S106).

As described above, the control device 10 according to the present embodiment controls at least one of the directivity and the gain of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the other vehicle information acquired from the radar devices 21 to 24 to control the vehicle. The directivity of the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is directed toward the other vehicles C1 to C3. Therefore, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can suppress unnecessary radiation in the direction in which the other vehicles C1 to C3 do not exist, and can efficiently perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[1.4. Modification example]
In the first embodiment described above, after the grouping unit 131 groups the other vehicles C1 to C3, the directivity control unit 132 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 corresponding to the groups G1 and G2. However, it is not limited to this.

For example, the directivity control unit 132 may determine the inter-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 corresponding to the other vehicles C1 to C3, and then the grouping unit 131 may group the other vehicles C1 to C3. In this case, the grouping unit 131 groups the same vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 so that the other vehicles C1 to C3 correspond to the same group.

Alternatively, for example, the directivity control unit 132 may omit the grouping process by selecting a beam pattern directed between the other vehicles C1 to C3 according to the distance between the other vehicles C1 to C3. .. In this way, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 radiate the transmitted wave between the other vehicles C1 to C3 according to the distance between the other vehicles C1 to C3, so that a plurality of other vehicles have one beam pattern. It suffices if vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be performed with C1 and C2, and the grouping process by the grouping unit 131 can be omitted.

Further, in the first embodiment, the control device 10 acquires information on other vehicles from the radar devices 21 to 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control device 10 only needs to be able to acquire position information of the other vehicle such as the distance to the other vehicle and the direction in which the other vehicle exists. For example, a radar device 21 to 24 mounted on the own vehicle C such as an imaging device (not shown). Other vehicle information may be acquired from an in-vehicle sensor other than the above.

Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the transmitted wave is mainly transmitted from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 has been described, but when the received wave is received, the phase and the received power of the received wave are similarly adjusted. , The communication range can be adjusted, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be performed efficiently.

Further, in the first embodiment, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the control device 10 function as communication devices, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, radar devices 21 to 24 may be included in the communication device.

[2. Second Embodiment]
Next, the in-vehicle system S2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the in-vehicle system S1 according to the first embodiment, the control device 10 controls the beam patterns of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 based on the other vehicle information generated by the radar devices 21 to 24 to efficiently perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Do. On the other hand, in the in-vehicle system S2 according to the present embodiment, the radar devices 21 to 24 detect by using the information about other vehicles with which the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 communicate (hereinafter, referred to as other vehicle communication information). This is to improve the detection accuracy of other vehicles. Specifically, the control device 10a of the in-vehicle system S2 generates information about an object existing around the own vehicle C based on the other vehicle communication information and the information about the target detected by the radar devices 21 to 24. As a result, the detection accuracy can be improved as compared with the case where another vehicle is detected only by the radar devices 21 to 24.

[2.1. In-vehicle system]
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system S2 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle-mounted system S2 according to the present embodiment includes vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, control devices 10a, and radar devices 21 to 24.

It should be noted that the communication range R11 to R18 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is wider than the detection range R21 to R24 of the radar devices 21 to 24, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 depend on the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24. Since the configurations and operations of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the radar devices 21 to 24 are the same as those of the first embodiment except that the beam pattern is not changed, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof will be omitted.

Further, for simplification of the explanation, as shown in FIG. 15, in the present embodiment, there are two other vehicles C1 and C2 in front of the own vehicle C (in the direction of travel), and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 is provided. It is assumed that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is being performed with other vehicles C1 and C2. Further, although the detection range R21 of the radar device 21 includes the other vehicles C1 and C2, the detection accuracy of the radar device 21 is low because the distance between the other vehicles C1 and C1 and the own vehicle C is long, and the own vehicle C It is possible to detect the existence of obstacles in front of, but it is not possible to detect the type and number of obstacles. Note that FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the surrounding situation of the own vehicle C.

[2.1.1. Control device]
The control device 10a generates information (object information) about an object existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle C based on the information about the target detected by the radar devices 21 to 24. At this time, the control device 10a generates object information according to the communication status performed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 in addition to the information regarding the target.

For example, the control device 10a is another vehicle (other vehicles C1 and C2 in the example of FIG. 15; hereinafter collectively referred to as another vehicle C0) existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle C based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Describe.) Generate other vehicle communication information. The control device 10a generates information about an object existing around the own vehicle C based on the information about the target and the communication information of other vehicles. In this way, it is possible to improve the recognition accuracy of the object based on the radar devices 21 to 24 by using the information based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. The control device 10a includes a radar information generation unit 310, a communication information generation unit 311 and an information generation unit 313.

[Radar information generator]
The radar information generation unit 310 generates information (target information) about an object (target) existing around the own vehicle C based on the information about the target generated by the radar devices 21 to 24. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of target information generated by the radar information generation unit 310. As shown in FIG. 16, for example, the radar information generation unit 310 generates direction information in which the target exists, distance information to the target, target type information, and target number information.

For example, the radar information generation unit 310 generates "forward direction" as direction information when the radar device 21 arranged in front of the own vehicle C detects a target. Further, the radar information generation unit 310 generates "100 m" as distance information based on, for example, the distance to the target detected by the radar devices 21 to 24. The radar information generation unit 310 generates "other vehicle", "stationary object", etc. as target type information based on, for example, the relative speed of the target detected by the radar devices 21 to 24, and the distance to the target is, for example. When the detection accuracy of the target type is low for a long time, the target type information is set as an “obstacle” as shown in FIG. Further, the radar information generation unit 310 generates target number information based on the number of targets detected by the radar devices 21 to 24. For example, when the distance to the target is long and the detection accuracy of the number is low, the number of targets is low. The information is "unknown".

If the object information related to the other vehicle C0 is generated only based on the information from the radar devices 21 to 24, the type and number of targets cannot be detected, for example, when the distance to the target is long, and the recognition accuracy of the target is lowered. .. Therefore, the control device 10a improves the recognition accuracy of the target using the radar devices 21 to 24 by using the information based on the vehicle-to-vehicle communication by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

In FIG. 16, the radar information generation unit 310 collects a plurality of targets into one to generate communication information for other vehicles. For example, the radar information generation unit 310 generates communication information for other vehicles such as direction information and distance information for each target. It may be generated for each direction.

[Communication information generator]
The communication information generation unit 311 generates other vehicle communication information based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 when at least one of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

The communication information generation unit 311 generates other vehicle communication information regarding other vehicles C1 and C2 that are performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, for example, based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of other vehicle communication information generated by the communication information generation unit 311. As shown in FIG. 17, for example, the communication information generation unit 311 generates direction information in which the target exists, distance information to the target, target type information, and target number information.

The communication information generation unit 311 generates direction information in which the other vehicle exists based on the beam pattern formed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 that receive signals from the other vehicle. For example, when at least one of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 forms a beam pattern toward the front, which is the traveling direction of the own vehicle C, and performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication, communication information is generated as shown in FIG. The unit 311 sets the direction information as "forward direction". The communication information generation unit 311 makes the distance to another vehicle C0 that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication unknown. If the distance to the other vehicle C0 can be calculated using the received power or the like, the calculated distance may be used as the distance information. The communication information generation unit 311 generates "another vehicle" as the type information of the target that is performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Further, the communication information generation unit 311 uses the number of other vehicles C0 (“2” in the example of FIG. 16) in which vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed as the target number information.

In FIG. 17, the communication information generation unit 311 collects a plurality of targets into one to generate target information, but for example, even if other vehicle communication information such as direction information and distance information is generated for each target. It may be generated well or for each direction.

[Information generator]
The information generation unit 313 weights the target information generated by the radar information generation unit 310 and the other vehicle communication information generated by the communication information generation unit 311, and based on the weighting result, information about an object existing around the own vehicle C. (Hereinafter, also referred to as object information) is generated. For example, the information generation unit 313 assigns a score to each information included in the target information and the other vehicle communication information, and totals each score. The information generation unit 313 generates object information by determining the total score as a threshold value.

The weighting performed by the information generation unit 313 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21. For example, the information generation unit 313 generates target number information, target type information, direction information, and distance information as object information.

[Target number information]
As shown in FIG. 18, the information generation unit 313 assigns a score according to the recognition rate of the radar devices 21 to 24 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 for each target number and weights the target number. Generate information. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit 313. As shown in FIG. 18, the information generation unit 313 gives points for each number of targets. For example, when the recognition rate of the radar devices 21 to 24 is low and the target number information generated by the radar information generation unit 310 based on the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24 is unknown (see FIG. 16), the information generation unit 313 is 0. "3 points" will be given to all units such as 1 unit, 2 units, and so on.

Further, when the target number information generated by the communication information generation unit 311 based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is "2" (see FIG. 17), the information generation unit 313 is set to "2 units". "5 points" will be given. The information generation unit 313 calculates the total score of each vehicle and determines the threshold value to determine the number of targets existing around the own vehicle C. Assuming that the threshold value is 7 points in the example of FIG. 18, the information generation unit 313 uses "2 units" having a total score of 8 points as the target number information.

[Target type information]
As shown in FIG. 19, the information generation unit 313 assigns a score according to the recognition rate of the radar devices 21 to 24 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 to 18 for each target type and weights the target type. Generate information. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit 313. As shown in FIG. 19, the information generation unit 313 assigns a score for each of the “fixed object” and the “other vehicle” as the target type. For example, when the recognition rate of the radar devices 21 to 24 is low and the target type information generated by the radar information generation unit 310 based on the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24 is "unknown" (see FIG. 16), the information generation unit 313. Gives "3 points" to "fixed objects" and "4 points" to "other vehicles" as target types detected by radar devices 21 to 24 as shown in FIG.

Further, when the target type information generated by the communication information generation unit 311 based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is "another vehicle" (see FIG. 17), the information generation unit 313 is set to "another vehicle". Give "3 points". The information generation unit 313 calculates the total score for each type and determines the threshold value to determine the target type existing around the own vehicle C. Assuming that the threshold value is 7 points in the example of FIG. 19, the information generation unit 313 uses the “other vehicle” having a total score of 7 points as the target type information.

[Direction information]
As shown in FIG. 20, the information generation unit 313 assigns points according to the recognition rates of the radar devices 21 to 24 and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 for each direction in which the target exists and weights them. Generates direction information where the target exists. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating weighting performed by the information generation unit 313. As shown in FIG. 20, the information generation unit 313 assigns a score for each of the "forward", "rear", "right", and "left" directions in which the target exists. For example, when the radar device 21 detects an obstacle, the radar information generation unit 310 generates "forward direction" as direction information (see FIG. 16). In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, the information generation unit 313 assigns "8 points" to the "forward direction" as the direction in which the target detected by the radar devices 21 to 24 exists.

Further, when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 is communicating with another vehicle C0, the communication information generation unit 311 generates "forward direction" as direction information (see FIG. 17). In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, the information generation unit 313 assigns "3 points" to the "forward direction", "2 points" to the "rear direction", "right direction", and "left direction", respectively. This is because even when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 11 directs the beam pattern in the forward direction and communicates with another vehicle C0, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed due to the influence of multiple reflections by, for example, trees and buildings. This is because the other vehicle C0 is not always in the forward direction. As described above, the recognition rate of the direction in which the other vehicle C0 exists by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 is not high. Therefore, the information generation unit 313 gives points not only to the "forward direction" generated by the communication information generation unit 311 as direction information, but also to the "rear direction", the "right direction", and the "left direction".

The information generation unit 313 calculates the total score in each direction and determines the threshold value to determine the direction in which the target exists. Assuming that the threshold value is 7 points in the example of FIG. 20, the information generation unit 313 uses the "forward direction" with a total score of 11 points as the direction information.

[Distance information]
As described above, the communication information generation unit 311 makes the distance to the other vehicle C0 unknown (see FIG. 17). Therefore, the information generation unit 313 generates distance information based on the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24. For example, when the radar information generation unit 310 sets the distance information to "100 m" based on the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24 (see FIG. 16), the information generation unit 313 generates "100 m" as the distance information. When the communication information generation unit 311 generates the distance information based on the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, the radar device 21 is weighted in the same manner as the target number information, the target type information, and the direction information described above. Distance information can also be generated based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 in addition to the detection results of ~ 24.

As described above, the information generation unit 313 generates information about the objects existing around the own vehicle C based on the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the information generation unit 313 generates "other vehicle" as target type information, "2" as target number information, "forward direction" as direction information, and "100 m" as distance information. Note that FIG. 21 is a diagram showing object information generated by the information generation unit 313.

[Notification unit]
In response to the object information generated by the information generation unit 313, the notification unit 314 notifies the driver of another vehicle C0 existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle C via a display, a speaker, or the like (not shown).

For example, the object information generated by the information generation unit 313 may be output to the radar devices 21 to 24. In this case, the radar devices 21 to 24 adjust, for example, a threshold value used when detecting a target, etc., based on the object information received from the information generation unit 313. In this way, the radar devices 21 to 24 detect the target based on the object information generated by the information generation unit 313, so that the detection accuracy of the target of the radar devices 21 to 24 can be further improved.

[2.2. Generation process]
The object information generation process performed by the control device 10a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a generation process according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that the control device 10a repeatedly executes the generation process shown in FIG. 22, for example, in the same cycle as the period in which the radar devices 21 to 24 detect the target.

The control device 10a determines whether or not the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 can perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication (step S201). For example, when vehicle-to-vehicle communication cannot be performed because there is no other vehicle that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication around the own vehicle C (step S201; No), the process ends.

On the other hand, when other vehicles are present in the vicinity of the own vehicle C and vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be performed (step S201; Yes), the control device 10a communicates with other vehicles according to the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18. Information is generated (step S202). Further, the control device 10a generates target information based on the information about the target generated by the radar devices 21 to 24 (step S203).

The control device 10a weights the other vehicle communication information and the information related to the target, and generates the object information by determining the threshold value (step S204). The control device 10a notifies the driver of information about the target existing around the own vehicle C according to the generated object information (step S205).

In steps S202 and S203, the order of processing may be changed, or processing may be performed at the same time.

As described above, the control device 10a according to the present embodiment generates object information by using the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 in addition to the detection results of the radar devices 21 to 24. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the object information using the radar devices 21 to 24 can be improved.

[2.3. Modification example]
In the second embodiment described above, it is assumed that the other vehicle communication information generated by the control device 10a according to the communication status of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 includes direction information and distance information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information acquired from the other vehicle C0 by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 may be included by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Examples of such information include type information of the other vehicle C0 indicating the vehicle type of the other vehicle C0.

Hereinafter, a modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system S3 according to this modification. The vehicle-mounted system S3 according to this modification includes radar devices 21 to 24, vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18, a control device 10b, and an image pickup device 5. Of the components of the vehicle-mounted system S3 shown in FIG. 23, the same components as those of the vehicle-mounted system S2 shown in FIG. 14 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The image pickup device 5 has, for example, a camera arranged around the own vehicle C, and takes an image of the periphery of the own vehicle C at a predetermined cycle. The image pickup device 5 outputs the captured image to the control device 10b.

The control device 10b includes a radar information generation unit 310, a communication information generation unit 311a, an information generation unit 313a, a notification unit 314, and an image information generation unit 315.

The image information generation unit 315 detects an emergency vehicle based on the image captured by the image pickup device 5. As a method of detecting an emergency vehicle from an image, for example, pattern matching and the like can be mentioned.

Further, the image information generation unit 315 detects the distance and direction to the emergency vehicle based on the position and size in the image of the emergency vehicle. The image information generation unit 315 generates image information of another vehicle in which the detected distance and direction information is associated with the emergency vehicle.

The communication information generation unit 311a generates other vehicle communication information including the type information acquired from the other vehicle C0 via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11-18. The type information is information indicating the vehicle type of the other vehicle C0, and includes, for example, information indicating that the other vehicle C0 is an emergency vehicle. In addition, the communication information generation unit 311a generates other vehicle communication information including direction information to the emergency vehicle based on the beam patterns of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18.

The information generation unit 313a generates target information based on the target information, other vehicle communication information, and other vehicle image information generated by the radar information generation unit 310. The generation method is the information generation unit described above using FIGS. 18 to 21, except that a score is given to each information detected by the image pickup apparatus 5 based on the image information of another vehicle and the score is added to the total score. It is the same as the generation method according to 313. The information generation unit 313a outputs object information including, for example, an "emergency vehicle" as type information to the notification unit.

When the notification unit 314 acquires the object information regarding the emergency vehicle, the notification unit 314 notifies the driver, for example, that the emergency vehicle exists in the vicinity of the own vehicle C via the display.

In this way, when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 acquire the vehicle type information from the other vehicle C0, the control device 10b generates the object information using the vehicle type information, so that the object corresponding to the vehicle type of the other vehicle C0 Information can be generated. In addition, it is possible to accurately generate object information corresponding to the vehicle type.

Here, it is assumed that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 acquire vehicle type information from the other vehicle C0, but the information acquired from the other vehicle is not limited to this. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 may acquire position information, vehicle speed information, and the like acquired by another vehicle C0 using, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System). In this case, the control device 10b generates object information based on the position information and vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and the position information and vehicle speed information detected by the radar devices 21 to 24. As a result, the control device 10b can accurately generate object information.

Further, here, it is assumed that the control device 10b generates other vehicle image information including information on an emergency vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The image pickup device 5 may generate image information of another vehicle. Further, it is assumed that information on the emergency vehicle is generated based on the image captured by the image pickup device 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information about the emergency vehicle may be generated by detecting the siren of the emergency vehicle with a microphone or the like.

The communication device (vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices 11 to 18 and control device 10) according to the first embodiment includes a communication unit (communication processing unit 111), an acquisition unit 120, and a control unit 130. The communication unit (communication processing unit 111) performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication via a plurality of other vehicles C1 to C3 existing around the own vehicle and an antenna unit 112. The acquisition unit 120 acquires information on a plurality of other vehicles C1 to C3. The control unit 130 controls at least one of the gain and the directivity of the antenna unit 112 based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 120.

As a result, the communication device can direct the beam to the other vehicles C1 to C3 and suppress unnecessary radiation in the direction in which the other vehicles C1 to C3 do not exist, so that vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be performed efficiently. it can.

Further effects and variations can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. For this reason, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details and representative embodiments expressed and described as described above. Therefore, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

S1 to S3 In-vehicle system 10, 10a, 10b Control device 11 to 18 Vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 21 to 24 Radar device 5 Imaging device 111 Communication processing unit 112 Antenna unit 210 Derivation unit 211 Transmission antenna 212 Reception antenna 120 Acquisition unit 130 Control unit 140 Storage unit 310 Radar information generation unit 311 Communication information generation unit 313 Information generation unit 314 Notification unit 315 Image information generation unit

Claims (10)

It is a communication device installed in the own vehicle.
A communication unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle via an antenna unit, and
An acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of the other vehicles, and
A control unit that controls at least one of the gain and directivity of the antenna unit based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.
Equipped with a,
The control unit
If the distance between the plurality of the other vehicle is below a predetermined value, the communication apparatus characterized by that controls the directivity of the antenna unit to direct one beam pattern into a plurality of the other vehicles. The acquisition unit
As information about the plurality of the other vehicles, the position information of the plurality of the other vehicles is acquired, and
The control unit
The communication according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the gain or the directivity of the antenna unit is controlled based on the position information of the other vehicle and the beam pattern of the antenna unit. apparatus. The antenna portion is
Has multiple different beam patterns,
The control unit
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the directivity of the antenna unit is controlled by switching the beam pattern of the antenna unit according to the position information of the plurality of other vehicles. The control unit
The distance between the plurality of other vehicles in the second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction away from the own vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value according to the beam width of the antenna portion, and the plurality of said vehicles in the first direction. The first to third aspects of claim 1, wherein when the distance between the other vehicles is less than the threshold value, the directivity of the antenna portion is controlled so that the direction of the beam of the antenna portion faces between the plurality of other vehicles. The communication device according to any one item. The control unit
The distance between the plurality of other vehicles in the second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction away from the own vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value according to the beam width of the antenna portion, and the plurality of said vehicles in the first direction. When the distance between other vehicles is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the directivity of the antenna unit is controlled so that the beam direction of the antenna unit faces the other vehicle farthest from the own vehicle among the plurality of other vehicles. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the communication device is characterized. The acquisition unit
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein information on a plurality of the other vehicles is acquired from a radar device mounted on the own vehicle. A derivation unit that derives information about a target based on a received signal obtained by receiving a transmitted wave transmitted to the periphery of the own vehicle and reflected by an object existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle.
A radar device including a generation unit that generates information about the object based on the information about the target derived by the derivation unit.
A communication device mounted on the own vehicle.
A communication unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle via an antenna unit, and
An acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of the other vehicles from the radar device, and
Based on the information acquired by the acquiring unit, and a control unit for controlling at least one of the gain or directivity of the antenna unit, and the communication device comprising,
Equipped with a,
The control unit
If the distance between the plurality of the other vehicle is below a predetermined value, the in-vehicle system, characterized in that that controls the directivity of the antenna unit to direct one beam pattern into a plurality of the other vehicles. The communication unit
Generate information about the other vehicle
The generator
The vehicle-mounted system according to claim 7 , wherein information about the object is generated based on the information about the other vehicle generated by the communication unit and the information about the target derived by the derivation unit. The generator
The vehicle-mounted system according to claim 8 , wherein information about the object is generated based on the information about the type of the other vehicle as the information about the other vehicle derived by the communication unit. It is a communication method using a communication device installed in the own vehicle.
A communication process for inter-vehicle communication with a plurality of other vehicles existing around the own vehicle via an antenna unit, and
An acquisition process for acquiring information on a plurality of the other vehicles, and
A control step of controlling at least one of the gain and directivity of the antenna portion based on the information acquired in the acquisition step, and
Only including,
In the control process
A communication method characterized in that the directivity of the antenna unit is controlled so as to direct one beam pattern to the plurality of other vehicles when the distance between the plurality of other vehicles is equal to or less than a predetermined value .

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