JP2008225897A - Communication apparatus and communication system for vehicle driving support - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To implement more reliable communication between a communication apparatus for driving support and vehicles running on roads. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus 10 for vehicle driving support includes a communication means 12 for communication with vehicles passing through a first communication range on a road, an access vehicle information acquisition means 15 for acquiring access vehicle information representing the presence of a vehicle accessing the road without passing through the first communication range, and a communication range setting means 14 for setting the communication range of the communication means to a second communication range in the direction of the access vehicle when the access vehicle information acquisition means acquires the access vehicle information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device for driving support of a vehicle installed on a roadside, and a communication system including the communication device.

An example of a communication system that performs driving support of a vehicle is shown in a conventional document (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-288893). In this communication system, a communication device installed on the road side communicates with a vehicle traveling on a road, thereby notifying the vehicle of a traffic jam in a poor visibility section.
JP 2003-288893 A

  In the communication system of the above-described conventional document, the communication device installed on the road side can communicate only with a vehicle within the communication range of the communication device, so that the road without passing through the communication range of the communication device. Vehicles that have entered can not be notified of traffic jams in poor visibility sections.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel support communication device and a communication system capable of more reliably communicating with a vehicle traveling on a road. To do.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a communication device installed on the road side, which communicates with a vehicle passing through the first communication range on the road, and passes through the first communication range. The approaching vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring approaching vehicle information indicating the presence of a vehicle entering the road without entering, and the approaching vehicle information acquisition means by the approaching vehicle information acquisition means, the communication range of the communication means is Communication range setting means for setting the second communication range in the direction.

  According to the vehicle travel support communication device described above, the communication range of the communication means is switched from the first communication range to the second communication range when the vehicle enters the road without passing through the first communication range. Therefore, the communication unit can communicate with the approaching vehicle, and the traveling of the entering vehicle can be supported.

  Further, it is preferable that the communication range setting means changes the directivity of the antenna. According to this configuration, the communication device for driving support of the vehicle adjusts the direction of the directivity even when a directional antenna with a narrow communication range is used, and the communication means communicates with the approaching vehicle. It is possible to make it possible to support the traveling of the approaching vehicle.

  The approaching vehicle information acquisition means preferably acquires information from the vehicle detection sensor. According to this configuration, the communication device for supporting driving of the vehicle acquires information from the vehicle detection sensor, thereby reliably recognizing the presence of the approaching vehicle, and sets the communication range of the communication means from the first communication range to the first communication range. Two communication ranges can be switched.

  The approaching vehicle information acquisition unit preferably acquires information from a camera or a radar. According to this configuration, the communication device for driving support of the vehicle acquires information from the camera or the radar, thereby reliably recognizing the presence of the approaching vehicle, and sets the communication range of the communication means from the first communication range to the first communication range. Two communication ranges can be switched.

  The approaching vehicle information acquisition means preferably acquires information indicating that a vehicle entering the road from an approach path different from the road is detected. According to this configuration, the vehicle travel support communication device can support the travel of the approaching vehicle entering from the approach path.

  In addition, the present invention is a communication system for driving support of a vehicle, and communicates with a vehicle passing through a first communication range on the road, and enters the road without passing through the first communication range. Vehicle detection means for detecting the vehicle, and communication range setting means for setting the communication range of the communication means to the second communication range in the direction of the vehicle entering the road when the vehicle detection means detects the vehicle. It is characterized by that.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the communication apparatus and communication system for driving assistance of a vehicle which can communicate more reliably with the vehicle which drive | works a road can be provided.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a communication system 1 set on the road side in order to support traveling of a vehicle. A road-to-vehicle communication device 10 capable of communicating with a vehicle passing through the first communication range R1 is installed on the road side of the straight portion W1 of the main road. Further, a road condition grasping device 20 capable of detecting traffic congestion in the curve portion W2 that is a poor-sight line section is installed on the road side of the curve portion W2 of the main road. In addition, the approach road W3 is coupled to the straight road portion W1 of the main road at a position closer to the curve portion W2 than the first communication range R1, and before the connection position with the main road W1 in the approach road W3, A vehicle detection sensor 30 capable of detecting a vehicle passing through the connection position is installed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the communication system 1 described above. As described above, the vehicle travel support communication system 1 includes the road-to-vehicle communication device 10, the road condition grasping device 20, and the vehicle detection sensor 30. With reference to FIG. 2, each structure of the communication system 1 is demonstrated in detail.

  The road condition grasping device 20 includes a road condition grasping sensor 21 for detecting a traffic jam in the curved portion W2 of the main road, a transmission processing unit 22 for transmitting the detection result of the road condition grasping sensor 21 to the road-to-vehicle communication device 10, It has. The road condition grasping sensor 21 detects the trailing position of a traffic jam end vehicle or a low-speed traveling vehicle and its moving speed in a traffic jam frequent portion of the curve portion W2 which is a poor-sight line section. The transmission processing unit 22 transmits the traffic jam end information (road condition information) detected by the road condition grasping sensor 21 to the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 via the cable K. The road condition grasping sensor 21 may be of any type as long as it can detect traffic congestion at the curve portion W2. For example, a camera or radar having a distance measuring function may be used as the road condition grasp sensor 21. In the present embodiment, the road condition grasping sensor 21 for detecting traffic congestion is described as an example. However, the road condition grasping sensor 21 may detect other road conditions such as the presence or absence of an obstacle or a crossing person on the road. Good.

  The vehicle detection sensor 30 includes a communication processing unit 31 that communicates with an approaching vehicle that is about to enter the main road W1 from the approaching route W3, and an approaching vehicle information generation unit 32 that generates approaching vehicle information for notifying the presence of the approaching vehicle. And a transmission processing unit 33 that transmits approaching vehicle information to the road-to-vehicle communication device 10. When the vehicle arrives at the installation position of the vehicle detection sensor 30, the communication processing unit 31 communicates with the vehicle to obtain vehicle information (position information, vehicle speed information, blinker information, route information of the navigation system, and destination) of the vehicle. Information). The approaching vehicle information generation unit 32 determines whether the approaching vehicle turns to the left and goes to the poor-sightline section based on the vehicle information, and only when the approaching vehicle determines to go to the poor-sightline section, the approaching vehicle information generation unit 32 Generate. For example, the approaching vehicle information generation unit 32 generates approaching vehicle information when determining the left turn of the approaching vehicle based on the blinker information or when determining the passage of the poor-sightline section based on the route information of the navigation system. . The transmission processing unit 33 transmits approaching vehicle information to the road-vehicle communication device 10 periodically (for example, every 100 msec). Note that the approaching vehicle information transmitted by the transmission processing unit 33 is an ON signal, and when the approaching vehicle information is not generated, the transmission processing unit 33 transmits an OFF signal.

  The road-vehicle communication device 10 includes a road condition information acquisition unit 11, a communication processing unit 12, a directional antenna 13, a communication range setting unit 14, and an approaching vehicle information acquisition unit 15.

  The road condition information acquisition unit 11 acquires the road condition information by taking in the road condition information from the road condition grasping device 20. The road condition information acquisition unit 11 includes an interface connected to the cable K.

  The communication processing unit 12 communicates with the vehicle C1 passing through the first communication range R1 via the directional antenna 13 for spot communication, and transmits traffic jam tail information to the vehicle C1. The vehicle C1 is equipped with a vehicle-mounted terminal for spot communication (not shown), and the traffic jam end information provided from the roadside by road-to-vehicle communication is sent to the vehicle C1 through an appropriate time via a human machine interface (HMI) such as voice or video. To the driver. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication range of the communication processing unit 12 is not only the first communication range R1 immediately before the road-to-vehicle communication device 10, but also the second communication range R2 in the direction of the approaching vehicle C2. It can be set.

  In road-to-vehicle communication, it is desirable to narrow the communication range as much as possible in order to prevent leakage radio waves as much as possible. For this reason, by using the directional antenna 13 for spot communication, the minimum communication range is set in consideration of the traveling speed of the vehicle C1 and the road-vehicle communication capacity. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that the communication processing unit 12 communicates simultaneously with both communication ranges of the first communication range R1 and the second communication range R2 via the directional antenna 13.

  In order to provide the latest traffic jam tail information to the vehicle C1, it is desirable that the first communication range R1 is as close as possible to the poor visibility zone W2. However, assuming that the congestion end position is at the start position of the poor visibility section W2, it is necessary to provide the congestion end information at a timing at which the service target vehicle 13 can safely stop before the start position of the poor visibility section W2. . Therefore, it is necessary to set the first communication range R1 by a distance calculated from the start position of the poor visibility section W2 in consideration of vehicle braking.

  By doing in this way, when there is a traffic jam in the poor visibility section W2, the driver of the vehicle C1 entering the poor visibility section W2 receives provision of the traffic jam tail information via the HMI of the in-vehicle terminal device, The vehicle can be stopped at the start position of the poor visibility zone W2 by the normal deceleration. In particular, it is possible to prevent a rear-end collision at the end of the traffic jam in the poor visibility section W2 and to realize safe road traffic.

  On the other hand, the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit 15 takes in approaching vehicle information from the vehicle detection sensor 30 and acquires approaching vehicle information. The approach vehicle information acquisition unit 15 includes an antenna that receives radio waves from the vehicle detection sensor 30. In place of the vehicle detection sensor 30 of the present embodiment, a camera or radar that images the vicinity of the connection position between the main road W1 and the approach road W3 and detects the approach vehicle C2 is provided as a part of the road-to-vehicle communication device 10. Then, the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit 15 may acquire the detection result by this camera or radar as approaching vehicle information.

  The communication range setting unit 14 operates the directional antenna 13 to switch the communication range of the communication processing unit 12. Specifically, when approaching vehicle information is acquired by the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit 15 (ON signal), the communication range setting unit 14 changes the communication range of the communication processing unit 12 from the first communication range R1 to the second communication range. Switch to R2. Moreover, if approach vehicle information is not acquired by the approach vehicle information acquisition part 15 (off signal), the communication range setting part 14 will switch the communication range of the communication process part 12 from 2nd communication range R2 to 1st communication range R2.

  If the approach vehicle information is provided in the second communication range R2 to the vehicle C1 that travels at a high speed on the main road W1, the vehicle C1 may not be able to stop at the start position of the poor visibility section W2. Therefore, in order to reliably prevent a rear-end collision at the tail end of the traffic jam in the poor visibility section W2, it is necessary to provide approach vehicle information in the first communication range R1 to the vehicle C1 traveling on the main road W1. On the other hand, even if the approach vehicle information is provided in the second communication range R2 to the approach vehicle C2 entering the main road W1 from the approach road W3, the approach vehicle C2 travels at a low speed when entering the main road W1, The approaching vehicle C2 can stop at the start position of the poor-sight line section W2.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the driving support process by the communication system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the driving support process.

  In step 401, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 acquires traffic jam tail information from the road condition grasping device 20. In step 402, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 acquires information from the vehicle detection sensor 30. In step 403, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 determines whether the information from the vehicle detection sensor 30 is an on signal (entrance vehicle information) or an off signal. If the signal is an on signal, the process of the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 proceeds to step 404, while if the signal is an off signal, the process of the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 proceeds to step 406.

  In step 404, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 determines whether the state is set to the first communication range or the state set to the second communication range. Here, when it is the state set to the 1st communication range, the road-vehicle communication apparatus 10 operates the directional antenna 13, and switches from a 1st communication range to a 2nd communication range (S405).

  On the other hand, in step 406, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 determines whether the state is set to the second communication range or the first communication range. Here, when the state is set to the second communication range, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 operates the directional antenna 13 to switch from the second communication range to the first communication range (S407).

  In step 408, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 starts communication with the vehicle. In step 409, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 provides traffic jam end information to the vehicle. In step 410, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 ends the communication with the vehicle.

  According to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, when the vehicle C1 travels on the straight road W1, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 can provide a travel support service in the first communication range R1. On the other hand, when the vehicle C2 enters the straight road from the approach road, the road-to-vehicle communication device 10 switches the communication range from the first communication range R1 to the second communication range R2, and supports driving in the second communication range R2. Service can be provided. Therefore, in the conventional driving support communication system 1, the driving support service can be provided by changing the communication range even for the approaching vehicle C2 that is normally out of service.

  In the above-described embodiment, the communication system 1 is applied to a situation where the approaching vehicle C2 enters the straight road W1 from the approach road W3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication system 1 may be applied to a situation where the approaching vehicle C2 enters the straight road W1 from a parking lot, or may be applied to another situation. Further, the communication range of the communication system 1 is switched to any one of the first communication range R1 and the second communication range R2, but may be switched to any one of three or more communication ranges.

It is the schematic which shows the communication system for driving | running | working assistance of a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a communication system. It is the schematic which shows another state of the communication system for driving assistance of a vehicle. It is a flowchart of the driving | running | working assistance process by a communication system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Road-to-vehicle communication apparatus, 11 ... Road condition information acquisition part, 12 ... Communication processing part, 13 ... Directional antenna, 14 ... Communication range setting part, 15 ... Approach vehicle information acquisition part, 20 ... Road Situation grasping device, 30 ... vehicle detection sensor, R1 ... first communication range, R2 ... second communication range, C1 ... vehicle, C2 ... approaching vehicle.

Claims (6)

A communication device installed on the road side,
Communication means for communicating with a vehicle passing through the first communication range on the road;
Approach vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring approach vehicle information indicating the presence of a vehicle entering the road without passing through the first communication range;
A communication range setting unit that sets a communication range of the communication unit to a second communication range in the approaching vehicle direction when the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit acquires the approaching vehicle information;
A communication device for driving support of a vehicle.   The vehicle travel support communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication range setting unit changes the directivity of an antenna.   The communication device for driving support for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit acquires information from a vehicle detection sensor.   The vehicle approaching communication device according to claim 1, wherein the approaching vehicle information acquisition unit acquires information from a camera or a radar.   The said approach vehicle information acquisition means acquires the information which shows having detected the vehicle which approachs the said road from the approach path different from the said road, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Communication device for driving support of a vehicle. A communication system for driving support of a vehicle,
Communication means for communicating with a vehicle passing through the first communication range on the road;
Vehicle detection means for detecting a vehicle entering the road without passing through the first communication range;
A communication range setting means for setting a communication range of the communication means to a second communication range in the direction of the vehicle entering the road when a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detection means;
A communication system for driving support of a vehicle, comprising:

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