JPH04241100A - Traveling supporting device utilizing communication between cars - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To speedily grasp the flowing condition of cars and to notify the condition to a driver so as to improve driving safety by getting the drive data of the other cars adjacently driving before and behind the own car and further getting the drive data of cars driving before and behind the preceding and following cars as well through the repeaters of the adjacent cars. CONSTITUTION:A car A is equipped with an inter-car distance sensor S1 to measure a distance between the car A and the preceding car and an inter-car distance sensor S2 to measure a distance between the car A and the following car. Separately, an optical transmitter/receiver P1 is provided for communication with the preceding car, and an optical transmitter/receiver P2 is provided for communication with the following car. The output data of respective sensors S1-S6, the data of the preceding car obtained through the optical transmitter/ receiver P1, and the data of the following car obtained through the optical transmitter/receiver P2 are inputted to a processor 1 and calculated, and the result is displayed on a display D and notified to the driver by ringing an alarm B. Further, the data of the preceding car is transmitted to the following car by a repeater REL.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention utilizes inter-vehicle communication between a moving vehicle and the vehicles running in front of and behind it to track one or more vehicles in front and one or more vehicles behind. The present invention relates to a driving support device that obtains data acquired by a running vehicle at an early stage and uses the data to perform driving support such as preventing a rear-end collision.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, vehicles are equipped with inter-vehicle distance sensors that measure the inter-vehicle distance between a running vehicle and the vehicles traveling in front of and behind it, and communicate the results to the driver. A device for maintaining safety is known (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 111997/1983).

[0003] The above-mentioned inter-vehicle distance sensor has a method of measuring distance by transmitting and receiving information signals using pulse radio waves, for example, between an interrogator mounted on one's own vehicle and a transponder mounted on another vehicle. has been adopted.

0004

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, this method
It measures the inter-vehicle distance between your own vehicle and other nearby vehicles, and the data that can be obtained are: own vehicle - preceding vehicle;
Data is limited to data between nearby vehicles, such as between following vehicles. Therefore, data on the vehicle in front of the vehicle, for example, distance data between the own vehicle and the vehicle in front of the vehicle, could not be obtained.

[0005] In addition to distance data, data that is useful for assisting driving, such as whether a vehicle has stepped on the brake or is about to turn right or left, could only be obtained from data between nearby vehicles. For this reason, even if the distance between the vehicle in front of you and the vehicle in front of you decreases rapidly, your own vehicle cannot see the distance between the vehicle in front of you and the vehicle in front of you, so you cannot see the distance between the vehicle in front of you and the vehicle in front of you. No information can be obtained until the driver performs an action (for example, slamming on the brakes).

Furthermore, even if the vehicle in front of you starts decelerating to make a left turn, the vehicle in front of you cannot normally see the vehicle in front of you, so you will not receive any information until the vehicle in front of you steps on the brakes. There was a problem in that recognition was delayed, and as a result, driving safety was compromised. The present invention
This was done in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to quickly and reliably obtain data on the driving of one or more vehicles in front and one or more vehicles behind, thereby improving the performance of one's own vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device using inter-vehicle communication that can improve driving safety.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A driving support device using inter-vehicle communication according to the invention of claim 1 to achieve the above object detects the driving state of the own vehicle, and transmits the detected driving state to the own vehicle. a transmitting means for transmitting the traveling data of the other vehicle; a receiving means for receiving the traveling data of the other vehicle transmitted from the other vehicle; and a relay that relays the traveling data received by the receiving means and supplies it to the transmitting means. a command for issuing an operation command to the own vehicle based on the driving data of the other vehicle directly received by the receiving means and the driving data of the other vehicle received through the relay means of the other vehicle; It is equipped with means.

[0008] Here, the term "driving condition" refers to any condition that changes or affects the driving of the own vehicle, such as the distance between the vehicle in front of the vehicle, braking, acceleration, turning left or right, and reversing. "Operation command"
This refers to instructing the driver to perform some kind of operation, such as operating the brakes or operating the accelerator. Further, the driving support device using inter-vehicle communication according to the invention according to claim 2 for achieving the above object includes a measuring means for measuring an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle, and an inter-vehicle distance data acquired by the measuring means. a transmitting means for transmitting, a receiving means for receiving inter-vehicle distance data between the other vehicle and the vehicle in front transmitted from the preceding vehicle, inter-vehicle distance data measured by the measuring means, and received by the receiving means. and a command means for issuing an operation command to the own vehicle based on the obtained inter-vehicle distance data.

[0009]

[Operation] According to the invention of claim 1, the driving condition of not only other vehicles but also other vehicles can be detected through the relay means. Be able to make appropriate operational decisions. According to the invention of claim 2 above, each vehicle is designated by the symbol A.
, B, C, ..., the own vehicle (referred to as vehicle A) can know the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the vehicle B in front of it, as well as the distance between the vehicle B in front of it and the vehicle C in front of it. You can know the distance between the two cars. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance between vehicle A and vehicle C can also be calculated, so that it is possible to quickly and appropriately determine operations while driving based on this inter-vehicle distance information.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a driving support device. Vehicle A includes an inter-vehicle distance sensor S1 that measures the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle in front, an inter-vehicle distance sensor S2 that measures the inter-vehicle distance to the rear vehicle, and a steering angle sensor S that detects the steering angle of the front wheels.
3. Rotation speed sensor S4 that detects the rotation speed of the wheels, Brake sensor S5 that is linked to the brake lamp, Right/Left turn sensor S6 that is linked to the left/right turn indicator, Optical transceiver P1 that communicates with the vehicle in front, An optical transceiver P2 that communicates with the vehicle, and an optical signal/electrical signal converter T1 connected to the optical transceiver P1.
, R1, optical signal/electrical signal converters T2, R2 connected to the optical transceiver P2, output data of each sensor S1 to S6,
Input the data of the vehicle traveling ahead obtained through the optical transceiver P1 and the data of the vehicle traveling behind obtained through the optical transceiver P2, perform the calculations described later, and send the results to C.
RT, display on display D such as liquid crystal display,
A processor 1 that sounds an alarm B, and an optical transceiver P that transmits data about the vehicle in front obtained through an optical transceiver P1.
It is equipped with a relay REL that transmits information to the rear vehicle through 2.

[0011] The inter-vehicle distance sensors S1 and S2 are sensors that measure the distance to other vehicles by emitting pulsed light and reflecting it off other vehicles and measuring the time the reflected light is received. The structure is, for example, Utility Model Application No. 62-145177.
It is shown in the publication No. The steering angle sensor S3 detects the rotation angle of a steering shaft or a handle shaft.

The rotational speed sensor S4 is attached to a wheel disc and outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheel. The brake sensor S5 detects whether or not the brake has been depressed by interlocking with the on/off of the brake lamp (data indicating that the brake has been depressed is referred to as brake operation data).

The right/left turn sensor S6 is linked to the right/left turn indicator to detect whether the vehicle is about to turn right or left (data indicating that the vehicle is about to turn right or left is called right/left turn data). ). "Data on a vehicle traveling ahead obtained through the optical transceiver P1" refers to, for example, inter-vehicle distance data between the vehicle in front and the vehicle in front, detected by an inter-vehicle distance sensor of the vehicle in front; Refers to steering angle data, vehicle speed data of the vehicle in front, brake operation data of the vehicle in front, and right/left turn data of the vehicle in front. In this case, "vehicle in front"
This includes not only the vehicle running just in front of own vehicle A, but also a plurality of vehicles running ahead of it.

"Data of a vehicle traveling behind obtained through the optical transmitter/receiver P2" refers to, for example, inter-vehicle distance data between the rear vehicle and the vehicle in front, detected by an inter-vehicle distance sensor of the rear vehicle; steering angle data of the vehicle behind, vehicle speed data of the vehicle behind, brake operation data of the vehicle behind,
Refers to left/right turn data of the vehicle behind. In this case, the term "vehicles behind" includes not only the vehicle running immediately behind own vehicle A, but also a plurality of vehicles running behind it.

[0015] When transmitting the data of the preceding vehicle obtained through the optical transmitter/receiver P1 to the rear vehicle through the optical transmitter/receiver P2, the repeater REL increments by one a counter included in the data indicating that the data has been relayed. do. Thereby, when receiving the relayed data, it is possible to know how many previous vehicles the data is from. Next, the basic operation of the processor 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that vehicles C, B, and A are traveling in this order from the beginning. Vehicles B and C are equipped with the same driving support device as vehicle A.

The processor 1 of the vehicle A includes a rotation speed sensor S.
The number of rotations of the wheel is obtained by counting the number of output pulse signals obtained from step 4 with a counter, and the count output data output from the counter is multiplied by a predetermined constant indicating the distance per count using a multiplier. By doing so, the vehicle speed vA is calculated, and the steering angle θ obtained from the steering angle sensor S3 and the inter-vehicle distance Lab from the preceding vehicle B obtained from the inter-vehicle distance sensor S1 are calculated. Furthermore, the following distance Lab
By differentiating the relative speed vab with respect to the vehicle in front,
Calculate. vab=dLab/dt Then, it is determined whether the value of the inter-vehicle distance Lab is appropriate by comparing it with the relative speed vab with respect to the vehicle in front. For example, when the relative speed vab is negative (the distance to the vehicle in front is shortening) and the following distance Lab is small, there is a risk of collision with the vehicle in front, so do not step on the brake or throttle. A command to close (relax the accelerator) (referred to as a deceleration command) is displayed on display D, and alarm B is sounded. If the relative speed vab is positive or if the inter-vehicle distance Lab is large even if the relative speed vab is negative, there is no risk of a collision, so a deceleration command is not issued. The above criteria are shown in a graph as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, the processor 1 of the vehicle A transmits information about the vehicle B and the vehicle C that the vehicle B has acquired through the optical transceiver P1.
and the relative speed vbc between vehicles B and C obtained by differentiating the inter-vehicle distance Lbc.
Obtain data of vbc=dLbc/dt. This acquisition is possible because vehicle B is constantly transmitting inter-vehicle distance data Lbc and the like.

The processor 1 of vehicle A determines the inter-vehicle distance Lac
=Lbc+Lab+L (L is the length of the vehicle and is considered a constant value) and the relative speed of vehicle A vac vac=d(Lbc+Lab+L)/dt=vbc+v
It is determined whether the inter-vehicle distance Lac is appropriate by comparing the distance Lac and the vehicle distance Lac. For example, if the relative velocity vbc is negative (
(the distance to vehicle C is shortening), and the following distance La
When c is small, a deceleration command is issued.

In this way, by considering not only the data on the distance between the vehicle B in front of the vehicle but also the distance data with the vehicle C in front of the vehicle in front, it is possible to reduce the speed of the vehicle C, for example. Even if the driver of B is absent-minded and does not notice this (therefore, there is a possibility that vehicle B will rear-end vehicle C), vehicle A will be able to calculate the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between vehicle C and vehicle A. You can always keep track of this and prepare for it (even if vehicle B rear-ends vehicle C, vehicle A will not rear-end vehicle B).

[0020] If the processing described above is drawn in a flowchart, it will be as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the processor 1 of the vehicle A processes the information of the preceding vehicle B obtained from the inter-vehicle distance sensor S1.
By calculating the inter-vehicle distance Lab and differentiating the inter-vehicle distance Lab, the relative speed vab with respect to the preceding vehicle is calculated (step (1)). Next, the relationship between the inter-vehicle distance Lab and the relative speed vab is evaluated (step (2)
). The evaluation formula is expressed as f (vab). f (vab
) As an example, the one already shown in FIG. 3 can be mentioned. In step (2), if it is determined that there is a risk of rear-end collision with the vehicle in front, a deceleration command is issued (step (
3) ). If it is determined in step (2) that there is no risk of rear-end collision with the vehicle in front, proceed to step (4).
The relationship between inter-vehicle distance Lac and relative speed vac=vbc+vab is evaluated. The evaluation formula is g (vbc, va
b) Expressed as: In step (4), if it is determined that there is a risk of rear-end collision with the vehicle in front, a deceleration command is issued (step (5)). If it is determined in step (4) that there is no risk of rear-end collision with the vehicle in front, the process returns to the start.

In the above process, vehicle A uses inter-vehicle distance data Lab obtained from its own vehicle and inter-vehicle distance data Lbc obtained from vehicle B, so vehicle B's repeater REL is not necessarily necessary. There wasn't. However, vehicle C
Inter-vehicle distance data between the vehicle B and the vehicle in front (not shown) can be obtained through the repeater of vehicle B, or inter-vehicle distance data of the vehicle further in front can be obtained through the repeaters of vehicles on the way. , it is also possible to make an even earlier judgment.

The processing of the processor 1 explained above is just one example, and various other processing can be considered. In the above example, a deceleration command is issued based on the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed. It is also conceivable to process this by issuing a deceleration command. FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting this process,
The processor 1 of the vehicle A issues a deceleration command (step (12)) when brake operation data is obtained from the brake sensor S5 of the preceding vehicle B through the optical transceiver P1 (step (11)). In step (11), the previous vehicle B
Even if brake operation data is not obtained from the brake sensor S5 of the vehicle B, if the brake operation data of the preceding vehicle C is obtained through the relay REL of the vehicle B in step (13), a deceleration command is issued ( Step (14)
).

With the process shown in FIG. 5, even if the driver cannot see the brake lights of the vehicle C in front, the driver can check the relay R of the vehicle B in front.
Brake operation data of vehicle C can be acquired through EL. Therefore, even if vehicle C steps on the brake and vehicle B accidentally forgets to step on the brake, the driver of vehicle A can know from the beginning that vehicle C has stepped on the brake, and can prevent a rear-end collision. .

In addition to the above example, it is also conceivable to obtain right/left turn data of the vehicle in front or the vehicle in front of the vehicle and issue a deceleration command. This is because when turning left or right, the vehicle slows down, so it can be handled in the same way as stepping on the brakes. In the above process, the running data of the vehicle in front of vehicle C (not shown) is obtained through the relays of vehicles C and B, or the running data of the vehicle further in front is sequentially transmitted to the repeater of the vehicle on the way. It is also possible to increase the amount of data and make even earlier decisions.

Further, in the above embodiment, the medium for inter-vehicle data transmission is light, but other means such as radio waves, infrared rays, and ultrasonic waves may be used. Although the present invention has been described above with reference to Examples, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various design changes are possible without changing the gist of the invention.

[0026]

As described above, a vehicle equipped with the driving support device of the invention according to claim 1 not only acquires driving data of other vehicles running adjacent to each other in the front and rear, but also acquires driving data through the relay of the adjacent vehicle. Furthermore, by acquiring driving data of vehicles traveling in front and behind, the situation of vehicle flow can be quickly acquired and informed to the driver, thereby increasing the safety level of driving.

[0027] Furthermore, the vehicle equipped with the driving support device of the invention of claim 2 not only acquires inter-vehicle distance data of the vehicle running in front of it, but also acquires inter-vehicle distance data of the vehicle running in front of it through the vehicle. By also acquiring information, the situation of vehicle flow can be quickly acquired and the driver can be informed, thereby increasing the safety level of driving.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a driving support device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of multiple vehicles.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating criteria for determining whether to issue a deceleration command.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a driving support procedure performed by the processor 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a driving support procedure performed by the processor 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

A, B, C Vehicle S1, S2　Following distance sensor S5 Brake sensor S6 Right/left turn sensor P1, P2 Optical transceiver P1 D Display B Alarm B REL repeater 1 Processor

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A driving support device mounted on a vehicle and used to support the driving of the vehicle, which detects the driving condition of the own vehicle and transmits the detected driving condition as driving data of the own vehicle. a transmitting means for transmitting, a receiving means for receiving running data of the other vehicle transmitted from another vehicle, a relaying means for relaying the running data received by the receiving means and supplying it to the transmitting means, and command means for issuing an operation command to the own vehicle based on the traveling data of the other vehicle directly received by the means and the traveling data of the other vehicle received through the relay means of the other vehicle. A driving support device using vehicle-to-vehicle communication, which is characterized by: 2. A driving support device mounted on a vehicle and used to support the driving of the vehicle, comprising: a measuring means for measuring an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle; and an inter-vehicle distance obtained by the measuring means. a transmitting means for transmitting data; a receiving means for receiving inter-vehicle distance data between the other vehicle and the vehicle in front transmitted from the preceding vehicle; inter-vehicle distance data measured by the measuring means; and a receiving means. 1. A driving support device using inter-vehicle communication, characterized by comprising: command means for issuing an operation command to a vehicle of its own vehicle based on inter-vehicle distance data received by the vehicle.