JP6736636B2 - Vehicle movement control device, vehicle movement control method, vehicle, system and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle having a wireless communication device that communicates with a mobile communication base station, a vehicle movement control device that controls movement of the vehicle, a vehicle movement control method, a system, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a vehicle that has a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with the outside and can move on a moving route such as a highway.

Patent Document 1 discloses an inter-vehicle communication vehicle including a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a front vehicle located in the front direction and a rear vehicle located in the rear direction. This inter-vehicle communication vehicle includes a first antenna provided with an antenna height h2 from the road surface and having a main beam directed substantially in the forward direction, and a main antenna provided with an antenna height h1 from the road surface and directed substantially in the backward direction. A second antenna having a beam is provided at different heights (h1≠h2). A wireless communication device is used to wirelessly communicate with a front vehicle and a rear vehicle to receive information on an antenna height h1 of the front vehicle and an antenna height h2 of the rear vehicle, and a distance between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle. Rd is calculated and the first inter-vehicle distance R1 between the preceding vehicle and the second inter-vehicle distance R2 between the inter-vehicle communication vehicle and the rear vehicle are controlled. According to this vehicle-to-vehicle communication vehicle, it is possible to reduce the received power of the interference wave by shielding the interference wave that comes from the road surface and arrives.

JP, 2005-018581, A

When the wireless communication device of the vehicle communicates with the mobile communication base station, there are the following problems. Depending on the positional relationship between the vehicle traveling on a moving route such as an expressway and the base station and the frequency of the radio wave used for wireless communication, the direct wave directly reaching the vehicle from the base station and the moving route transmitted from the base station There is a possibility that the reflected waves that arrive at the vehicle after being reflected by the surface of the above interfere with each other, and the reception level of the downlink wireless communication is lowered. In addition, in uplink wireless communication from the vehicle to the base station, the direct wave that directly reaches the base station from the vehicle and the reflected wave that is transmitted from the vehicle and reflected on the surface of the travel route and reaches the base station interfere with each other. However, the reception level may decrease.

A vehicle movement control device according to an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle movement control device that controls movement of a vehicle on a movement route, and includes a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a base station for mobile communication. Receiving by interference of a direct wave passing through a direct propagation path between the base station and the first vehicle and a reflected wave passing through a reflection propagation path involving reflection by the moving path in a planned travel range on the moving path. When determining that there is a reception level decrease prediction position and a determination unit that determines whether there is a level decrease prediction position, the first vehicle on the travel route when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease prediction position. The first vehicle and the second vehicle which are predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by a second vehicle moving in front of or behind the first vehicle at a position closer to the base station than the vehicle. And a positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level reduction predicted position, and the target positional relationship. Therefore, a control unit that controls the speed of at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is provided.

In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle movement control device is provided in the first vehicle, and the vehicle position determination unit causes the second vehicle to operate when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path is determined, and the control unit determines the first vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The first vehicle may be controlled to be accelerated or decelerated so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range.
In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle movement control device is provided in the first vehicle, and the vehicle position determination unit causes the second vehicle to operate when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path is determined, and the control unit determines the first vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The second vehicle may be requested to accelerate or decelerate so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range.
In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle movement control device is provided in the second vehicle, and the vehicle position determination unit causes the second vehicle to operate when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path is determined, and the control unit determines the first vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. You may control so that a 2nd vehicle may accelerate or decelerate so that a 2nd vehicle may be located in the said reflected wave suppression position range.
In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle movement control device is provided in the second vehicle, and the vehicle position determination unit causes the second vehicle to operate when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path is determined, and the control unit determines the first vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The first vehicle may be requested to accelerate or decelerate so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range.

In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle position determination unit may calculate and determine the reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle based on at least the height dimension of the second vehicle.
In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle position determination unit receives information including a height dimension of the second vehicle from the second vehicle, and a reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle is at least the first position. It may be calculated and determined based on the height dimension of the two vehicles.
In the vehicle movement control device, the vehicle position determination unit estimates a height dimension of the second vehicle based on an image of the second vehicle captured by an image capturing device, and determines a reflected wave suppression position of the second vehicle. The range may be calculated and determined based on at least the height dimension of the second vehicle.

In the vehicle movement control device, when the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the first Control may be performed to accelerate or decelerate at least one of the vehicle and the second vehicle.

A vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention includes any one of the vehicle movement control devices described above.

A system according to still another aspect of the present invention includes any one of the vehicle movement control devices, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle.
In the system, the vehicle movement control device may be provided in each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.
The system may further include the base station, and the base station may transmit information including a tilt angle and an altitude of an antenna of the base station to the vehicle movement control device.
The system may further include the base station, and the base station may include the vehicle movement control device.
The system may further include a server capable of communicating with the first vehicle and the second vehicle via the base station, and the server may include the vehicle movement control device.

A vehicle movement control method according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle movement control method for controlling movement of a vehicle on a movement route, the first vehicle having a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a base station for mobile communication. Interference of a direct wave passing through a direct propagation path between the base station and the first vehicle and a reflected wave passing through a reflection propagation path involving reflection by the moving path, in the planned travel range on the moving path Determining whether or not there is a reception level decrease predicted position according to, and determining that the reception level decrease predicted position exists, the first vehicle on the moving route when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. The first vehicle and the second vehicle which are predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by a second vehicle moving in front of or behind the first vehicle at a position closer to the base station than one vehicle. Determining a target positional relationship with the vehicle, and the positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position becomes the target positional relationship. Thus, controlling the speed of at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

A program according to still another aspect of the present invention is a program executed by a computer or a processor included in a vehicle movement control device that controls movement of a vehicle on a movement route, and is wireless for wirelessly communicating with a base station for mobile communication. For a planned travel range on the travel route of the first vehicle having a communication device, a direct propagation wave between the base station and the first vehicle through a direct propagation path and a reflection propagation path accompanied by reflection by the travel path are provided. When the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, the program code for determining the presence or absence of the reception level decrease predicted position due to the interference with the reflected wave via It is predicted that a second vehicle moving in front of or behind the first vehicle at a position closer to the base station than the first vehicle on the travel route will block at least a part of the reflection propagation path. A program code for determining a target positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. A program code for controlling the speed of at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle so that the positional relationship becomes the target positional relationship.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in reception level due to interference between a direct wave and a reflected wave due to a moving path in wireless communication between a base station and a vehicle, without providing a reflected wave prevention member or a diversity antenna. it can.

Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the relationship between the vehicle and base station which concern on this embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the direct wave and reflected wave from the base station which arrives at the mobile station of the vehicle which is moving on the road. The functional block diagram which shows an example of the main structures of the vehicle and base station which concern on this embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the vehicle movement control which the vehicle of FIG. 3 performs. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of vehicle movement when the vehicle movement control of FIG. 4 is being performed. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of vehicle movement when the vehicle movement control of FIG. 4 is being performed. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams each showing an example of vehicle movement when the vehicle movement control of FIG. 4 is being performed. The functional block diagram which shows the other example of the main structures of the vehicle and base station which concern on this embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the relationship between the vehicle and base station which concern on this embodiment. The functional block diagram which shows the further another example of the main structures of the vehicle and base station which concern on this embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the vehicle movement control which the vehicle of FIG. 10 and a base station cooperate and perform.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the relationship between the vehicle and the base station according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as a “following vehicle”) 10 as a first vehicle traveling on a road 90, which is a traveling route, in a direction approaching the base station 80, performs mobile communication via an antenna 12. The mobile station 11 as a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the base station 80. In front of the vehicle 10 on the road 90, another vehicle (hereinafter, also referred to as “preceding vehicle”) 20 as a second vehicle is traveling in the same direction (direction approaching the base station 80).

The road 90 has many portions in the line of sight where the antenna 81 of the base station 80 can be seen through wireless communication between the base station 80 and the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10, and the road surface thereof receives radio waves from the base station 80 and the mobile station 11. Can be reflected. The road 90 is, for example, a highway.

The vehicles 10 and 20 are automobiles such as passenger cars, trucks and buses. The vehicles 10 and 20 may be a plurality of vehicles traveling in a row.

The mobile station 11 may be a wireless communication device called a user equipment (UE), a user terminal, a terminal, a terminal device, a mobile device, or the like. The mobile station 11 may be a device that is used while being carried by the user in the vehicle, or may be a device that is installed by being installed in the vehicle.

The base station 80 forms one or a plurality of cells (also called sectors or sector cells). The cells may be formed two-dimensionally on the ground or the sea, or may be formed three-dimensionally from the sky to the ground or the sea. The cell may be a macro cell, a small cell, a femto cell, a pico cell, a large cell, or the like. The plurality of cells may form a cellular structure in which they are distributed so as to be adjacent to each other in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional manner, or may form a hierarchical cell structure in which some or all of them are hierarchically overlapped. .. The base station 80 is a macro cell base station, a small cell base station, a femto cell base station, a pico cell base station, a large cell base station, a fixed base station fixedly installed on the ground, etc. Type base station or the like. The base station 80 may be a wireless communication device called an eNodeB (evolved Node B: eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), an en-NodeB (en-gNB), an access point, or the like.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the direct wave 310 and the reflected wave 320 from the base station 80 that reach the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10 moving on the road 90. In FIG. 2, for example, when the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10 moving on the road 90 receives the downlink radio signal from the base station 80, the antenna 81 of the base station 80 to the antenna of the mobile station 111 of the vehicle 10 are used. The direct wave 310 through the direct propagation path 31 that directly reaches 12 and the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10 through the reflection propagation path 32 that is transmitted from the antenna 81 of the base station 80 and is reflected by the road surface of the road 90. And a reflected wave 320 reaching

The reflected wave 320 is mainly generated by specular reflection (regular reflection) having the same incident angle and the same outgoing angle at the reflection point P2 on the road surface of the road 90. The reflected wave 320 may include scattered reflection in the vicinity of the reflection point P2 on the road surface of the road 90.

Note that, in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 5 to 9 described later, for convenience of illustration, a first angle formed by a portion closer to the base station 80 than the reflection point P2 of the reflection propagation path 32 and the road surface of the road 90 is shown. The second angle formed by the portion of the reflection propagation path 32 farther from the base station 80 than the reflection point P2 and the road surface of the road 90 is different, but the actual first angle and second angle are equal to each other or The angles are almost equal.

When the direct wave 310 and the reflected wave 320 reach the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10, the distance d between the position P1 of the antenna 12 of the vehicle 10 and the position P0 of the antenna 81 of the base station 80, each antenna 12, Depending on conditions such as the altitudes h _R and h _{T of} 81, the tilt angle θ _T of the antenna 81 of the base station 80, and the frequency f of the radio wave used for wireless communication, the direct wave 310 and the reflected wave that have reached the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 There is a risk that the reception level of the downlink wireless communication at the mobile station 11 may be lowered due to the interference with 320 and the phases opposite to each other. Also in the uplink radio communication from the vehicle 10 to the base station 80, the direct wave through the direct propagation path that directly reaches the antenna 81 of the base station 80 from the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10 and the movement of the vehicle 10 The reflected waves transmitted from the antenna 12 of the station 11 and reaching the antenna 81 of the base station 80 via the reflection propagation path accompanied by the reflection on the surface of the road 90 have mutually opposite phases and interfere with each other. The reception level may decrease.

In order to prevent the reception level from being lowered due to the interference between the direct wave 310 and the reflected wave 320, a reflected wave prevention member such as a reflected wave prevention plate that physically blocks the reflected wave 320 is installed, or an antenna for antenna diversity. However, it may be difficult to install a reflected wave prevention member or increase the number of antennas from the viewpoint of vehicle space.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction predicted position (hereinafter, referred to as “reception level reduction point”) P1 on the road 90 where the reception level reduction is expected to occur, the reception level thereof is detected. The preceding vehicle 20 is located in a range (hereinafter referred to as “reflected wave suppression area”) A of the reflected wave suppression positions P3 to P4 where it is predicted that at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32 that causes the decrease will be blocked. The speed of at least one of the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 is controlled. As a result, when the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction point P1, all or part of the reflection propagation path 32 from the base station 80 to the vehicle 10 that causes the reception level reduction is blocked by the vehicle body of the preceding vehicle 20. Therefore, at least a part of the reflected wave does not reach the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 and the direct wave 310 through the direct propagation path 31 reaches the antenna 12 as it is, so that it is possible to suppress the decrease in the received signal level due to the interference of the reflected wave. it can. Moreover, there is no need to install a reflected wave prevention member on the vehicle 10 or increase the number of antennas of the mobile station 11.

There may be a plurality of reception level lowering points P1. In this case, the speed control is performed for each of the plurality of reception level reduction points P1.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a main configuration of the vehicles 10, 20 and the base station 80 according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes the vehicle movement control device 14 and controls the speed of the vehicle (own vehicle) 10.

In FIG. 3, a vehicle 10 as a first vehicle includes a mobile station 11 capable of wirelessly communicating with a base station 80 via an antenna 12, a vehicle drive unit 13 that drives the vehicle 10, and a vehicle that controls the movement of the vehicle 10. The movement control device 14 is provided.

The mobile station 11 can receive the information of the base station 80 used for the vehicle movement control of the present embodiment from the base station 80. The information of the base station 80 includes, for example, information on the position and altitude of the antenna 81 of the base station 80, directional information such as the tilt angle of the antenna 81 (angle formed by the direction of the main beam and the horizontal plane), and the frequency of wireless communication. Information etc. The information of the base station 80 may be received from another device such as a server or a remote control device via the base station 80.

The vehicle drive unit 13 is, for example, an engine that drives the vehicle 10, a drive source such as a motor, a drive transmission device that transmits the power of the drive source to a drive output unit such as a tire, and a steering device that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. ..

The vehicle movement control device 14 includes, for example, a position information acquisition unit 141, a determination unit 142, a vehicle position determination unit 143, a control unit 144, and a preceding vehicle measurement unit 145.

The position information acquisition unit 141 acquires the current position information including the altitude of the antenna 12 of the mobile station 11 provided in the vehicle 10 based on, for example, the reception signal of the receiver of the satellite positioning system. The satellite positioning system may be GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) such as GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, or RNSS (Regional Navigation) such as a quasi-zenith satellite system for a specific area. Satellite system) or a combination of any two or more of these systems.

The determination unit 142 determines, for the planned travel range of the vehicle 10 on the road 90, a direct wave via the direct propagation path between the base station 80 and the vehicle 10 and a reflected wave via the reflection propagation path accompanied by the reflection by the road 90. The presence or absence of the reception level lowering point P1 due to the interference with is determined. This determination is, for example, information of the base station 80 received from the base station 80 via the mobile station 11 and current position information of the antenna 12 of the vehicle 10 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 141 (for example, altitude, longitude, latitude). And the ground plane reflection model of FIG. 2 can be used.

When determining that there is the reception level lowering point P1, the vehicle position determination unit 143 calculates and determines the reflected wave suppression area A of the preceding vehicle 20 when the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1. The preceding vehicle 20 is a vehicle moving ahead of the vehicle at a position closer to the base station 80 than the vehicle 10 on the road 90.

When the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction point P1, the reflection wave suppression area A is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32 that causes the reception level reduction, and the reflection wave suppression positions P3 to P4. Is the range of the area. The reflected wave suppression area A can be calculated, for example, based on the position information of the reception level lowering point P1, the position information of the antenna 81 of the base station 80, the position information of the antenna 12 of the vehicle 10, the information of the preceding vehicle 20, and the like. it can.

In this example, since the vehicles 10 and 20 are traveling so as to approach the base station 80, the reflected wave suppression position P3 near the base station 80 in the reflected wave suppression area A is, for example, the upper rear end of the preceding vehicle 20. It is a position predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32. The reflected wave suppression position P4 far from the base station 80 in the reflected wave suppression area A is, for example, a position where the upper tip of the preceding vehicle 20 is predicted to block at least a part of the reflected propagation path 32.

When the vehicles 10 and 20 are traveling away from the base station 80, the reflected wave suppression position P3 near the base station 80 in the reflected wave suppression area A is, for example, reflected and propagated at the upper rear end of the following vehicle 10. The position is predicted to block at least a part of the road 32. The reflected wave suppression position P4 far from the base station 80 is, for example, a position where the upper tip of the following vehicle 10 is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32.

The information on the preceding vehicle 20 includes, for example, the following distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, the height dimension of the uppermost portion of the preceding vehicle 20 (vehicle height), the length of the preceding vehicle 20 in the traveling direction (vehicle length), and the preceding vehicle 20. It is a relative speed or an absolute speed of the vehicle 20 with respect to the vehicle 10. The information on the preceding vehicle 20 can be obtained by measuring, for example, by the preceding vehicle measuring unit 145.

The shape, altitude, and position of the road 90 between the base station 80 and the vehicles 10 and 20 are used to calculate the reception level lowering point P1, determine whether the reception level lowering point P1 is present, and calculate the reflected wave suppression area A. , Inclination, etc. may be taken into consideration.

Further, in the present example, the position information acquisition unit 141 of the vehicle 10 calculates and determines the reflected wave suppression area A, but it is calculated by an external device such as a server, a remote control device, or an on-board device of another vehicle. The reflected wave suppression area A may be received and determined.

The control unit 144 controls the vehicle drive unit 13 to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle 10 so that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A when the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction point P1.

The preceding vehicle measurement unit 145 includes, for example, a sensor that detects the position and speed of the preceding vehicle 20 with respect to the vehicle 10, an image capturing device such as a camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle 10, or a combination thereof. The preceding vehicle measuring unit 145 measures the distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, the height dimension (vehicle height) of the uppermost part of the preceding vehicle 20, the relative speed or the absolute speed of the preceding vehicle 20 with respect to the vehicle 10, and the like. The preceding vehicle measurement unit 145 may estimate the vehicle height of the preceding vehicle 20 based on the image of the preceding vehicle 20 captured by the image capturing device.

Further, the preceding vehicle measuring unit 145 may measure the length (vehicle length) of the preceding vehicle 20 in the traveling direction. The vehicle length of the preceding vehicle 20 may be estimated by acquiring vehicle type information of the preceding vehicle 20 based on the image of the preceding vehicle 20 and calculating based on the vehicle type information.

If at least one of the height dimension (vehicle height) and the length (vehicle length) of the preceding vehicle 20 cannot be measured or estimated from the image, a preset value is used for the calculation of this control. May be. For example, a value such as 1.5 m may be preset as the height dimension (vehicle height) of the preceding vehicle 20.

The base station 80 includes an information storage unit (DB) 801 that stores information about the base station 80, and an information transmission unit 802 that transmits information about the base station 80 to the vehicle 210. As described above, the information on the base station 80 is, for example, information on the position and altitude of the antenna 81 of the base station 80, directional information such as the tilt angle of the antenna 81, and information on the frequency of wireless communication.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of vehicle movement control executed by the vehicle 10 of FIG. 5 to 7 are explanatory views each showing an example of the vehicle movement when the vehicle movement control of FIG. 4 is being performed.

In FIG. 4, the determination unit 142 of the vehicle 10 receives the information of the base station 80 of Table 1 (frequency of wireless communication, altitude of antenna 81, longitude and latitude) from the base station 80 to which the mobile station 11 is connected. (S101; refer to FIG. 5A).

Next, the determining unit 142, in the planned travel range of the vehicle 10 on the road 90, the direct propagation wave 32 between the base station 80 and the vehicle 10 via the direct propagation path 31 and the reflection propagation path 32 accompanied by the reflection by the road 90. The reception level lowering point P1 due to the interference with the reflected wave via is calculated, and the presence or absence thereof is determined (S102, S103, see FIG. 5B). For example, based on the information of the base station 80 (the altitude of the antenna 81 of the base station 80 and the frequency of wireless communication) of Table 2 and the altitude of the antenna of the vehicle 10, the position of the reception level lowering point P1 illustrated in Table 3 ( The distance from the base station 80) is calculated. When there are a plurality of reception level lowering points P1, the positions of the plurality of reception level lowering points P1 are calculated. Longitude and latitude may be calculated as the position of the reception level reduction point P1. Further, as illustrated in Table 3, the position of the reception level lowering point P1 and the position of the reflection point P2 on the road 90 in the reflection propagation path 32 corresponding to the reception level lowering point P1 (distance from the base station 80, Alternatively, the longitude/latitude) may be calculated.

If it is determined in step S103 that there is no reception level lowering point P1, this control ends.

If there is the reception level lowering point P1 in the determination of step S103, the position information acquisition unit 141 acquires the current position information (for example, longitude and latitude) (S104), and the vehicle position determination unit 143 of the vehicle 10 acquires the position information. Based on the current position information (for example, longitude and latitude) of the vehicle 10 acquired by the unit 141, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 has approached the reception level reduction point P1 (S105, see FIG. 6A). For example, the distance of the vehicle 10 from the base station is calculated, the calculation result is compared with a preset threshold Dth (distance from the base station), and the position D of the vehicle 10 (distance from the base station) D is the threshold Dth. It may be determined that the vehicle 10 has approached the reception level lowering point P1 when the vehicle reaches the position P5 which has become.

The determination as to whether the vehicle 10 has approached the reception level lowering point P1 is made by changing the reception intensity measured by the mobile station 11 of the vehicle 10 connected to the base station 80 (for example, RSRP (reference signal reception power). ) Value change)). For example, it may be determined that the vehicle 10 has approached the reception level reduction point P1 when the reception intensity at the mobile station 11 starts to suddenly decrease and falls below a predetermined threshold value.

The threshold value Dth may be set in advance according to the speed of the vehicle 10. For example, when the speed of the vehicle 10 is 80 km/h or more and less than 100 km/h, the threshold Dth is set to 300 m, and when the speed of the vehicle 10 is 40 km/h or more and less than 80 km/h, the threshold Dth is set. May be set to 100 m.

When the vehicle 10 approaches the reception level reduction point P1 (YES in S105), the vehicle position determination unit 143 of the vehicle 10 confirms whether or not the preceding vehicle exists based on the measurement result of the preceding vehicle measurement unit 145 ( 106, S107, see FIG.

If it is determined in step S107 that there is no preceding vehicle, this control ends.

When the preceding vehicle 20 exists in the determination of step S107, the vehicle 10 acquires the information of the preceding vehicle 20. For example, the vehicle 10 uses the preceding vehicle measurement unit 145 to measure the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, the height dimension (vehicle height) and length (vehicle length) of the uppermost portion of the preceding vehicle 20, and the preceding vehicle. The relative speed or the absolute speed of 20 with respect to the vehicle 10 is measured and acquired (S108).

Next, the vehicle position determination unit 143 of the vehicle 10 is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32 that causes a reduction in the reception level of the vehicle 10, based on the measurement result of the preceding vehicle measurement unit 145. The reflected wave suppression area A that is the range of the reflected wave suppression positions P3 to P4 is calculated and determined (S109; see FIG. 7A).

Next, the control unit 144 of the vehicle 10 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle 20 is located within the reflected wave suppression area A, assuming that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction point P1 (S110). This determination is made, for example, on the assumption that the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 have traveled at the current vehicle speed.

When it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1 and it is determined that the preceding vehicle 20 is not located in the reflected wave suppression area A (NO in S110), the vehicle 10 is at the reception level lowering point P1. The vehicle 10 is controlled to be accelerated or decelerated so that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A at a predetermined timing when the vehicle 10 is located at (S111).

For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, when it is assumed that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1, the preceding vehicle 20 is not located in the reflected wave suppression area A and the base station is more than the reflected wave suppression area A. When it is determined that the vehicle 10 is located in an area close to 80, control is performed to accelerate the vehicle 10 so that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A at the above-described predetermined timing to approach the preceding vehicle 20.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1, it is determined that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in an area farther from the base station 80 than the reflected wave suppression area A (an area near the vehicle 10), At the above-mentioned predetermined timing, the control is performed such that the vehicle 10 is decelerated so that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A and is moved away from the preceding vehicle 20.

When it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1 and it is determined that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A (YES in S110; see FIG. 7C), the vehicle 10 is detected. Runs at the same speed.

If YES in step S110, thereafter, the speed of the preceding vehicle 20 or the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle 20 is periodically detected, and if the speed or the inter-vehicle distance of the preceding vehicle 20 changes, the steps S108 to S111 described above are performed. The control may be repeated.

As described above, according to the examples of FIGS. 3 to 7, when the vehicle 10 connected to the base station 80 is moving to approach the base station 80, the vehicle 10 independently controls the speed of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the reception level due to the interference between the direct wave in the wireless communication between the base station 80 and the vehicle 10 and the reflected wave from the road surface of the road 90.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing another example of the main configuration of the vehicle and the base station according to this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 8, the vehicle (own vehicle) 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 each include a vehicle movement control device 14, and the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 cooperate with each other to control the speed of at least one of the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20. This is an example. The example of FIG. 8 is suitable when a plurality of vehicles travel in a row. Note that, in FIG. 8, description of the same parts as in FIG. 3 is omitted.

In FIG. 8, the preceding vehicle 20 as the second vehicle controls the movement of the vehicle 20, the mobile station 21 that can wirelessly communicate with the base station 80, the vehicle drive unit 23 that drives the vehicle 20, and the movement of the vehicle 20, like the vehicle 10. The vehicle movement control device 24 is provided.

Further, when the vehicles 10 and 20 approach each other, radio waves such as microwaves and millimeter waves (for example, 760 MHz used in ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) and CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control)) or optical radio are used. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication units 146 and 246 for communication are provided.

The vehicles 10 and 20 can transmit and receive, via the inter-vehicle communication units 146 and 246, the reception level lowering point P1, the reflected wave suppression area A, the inter-vehicle distance information, etc., which are used for the vehicle movement control of this example, to be shared. .. These pieces of information may be included in, for example, the CACC information transmitted/received by the inter-vehicle communication.

In an example of the vehicle movement control executed by the vehicles 10 and 20 of FIG. 8 in cooperation with each other, when the preceding vehicle 20 exists, the vehicle 10 uses information about the preceding vehicle 20 (for example, an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20). , The height dimension (vehicle height) and length (vehicle length) from the road installation surface of the preceding vehicle 20 to the uppermost portion, and the speed of the preceding vehicle 20 are received from the preceding vehicle 20 by inter-vehicle communication and acquired. can do. Therefore, the accuracy of the calculation of the reflected wave suppression area A can be improved, and the decrease in the reception level due to the interference between the direct wave and the reflected wave can be suppressed more reliably.

Further, since it is not necessary to measure the information of the preceding vehicle 20 with the vehicle 10, the processing speed of the calculation of the reflected wave suppression area A and the subsequent control can be increased, so that the speed of the vehicles 10 and 20 is increased. At this time, it is possible to reliably suppress a decrease in the reception level due to the interference between the direct wave and the reflected wave.

In another example of the vehicle movement control executed by the vehicles 10 and 20 of FIG. 8 in cooperation with each other, the preceding vehicle 20 is not located within the reflected wave suppression area A when it is assumed that the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level reduction point P1. When it is determined (NO in S210), not only the vehicle 10 is accelerated or decelerated so that the preceding vehicle 20 is located in the reflected wave suppression area A at a predetermined timing when the vehicle 10 is located at the reception level lowering point P1. , The vehicle 20 is controlled to be accelerated or decelerated (S211). Therefore, when the speed of the vehicles 10 and 20 becomes high, it is possible to more reliably suppress the decrease in the reception level due to the interference between the direct wave and the reflected wave.

In yet another example of the vehicle movement control executed by the vehicles 10 and 20 in FIG. 8 in cooperation with each other, the preceding vehicle 20 connected to the base station 80 as shown in FIG. It is possible to respond promptly when traveling. In this case, when the preceding vehicle 20 is located at the reception level reduction point P1 on the road 90 where the reception level of the mobile station 21 mounted on the preceding vehicle 20 is expected to occur, it causes the reception level to decrease. A vehicle (subsequent vehicle) such that the vehicle (subsequent vehicle) 10 located between the preceding vehicle 20 and the base station is located in the reflected wave suppression area A where it is predicted that at least a part of the reflection propagation path is blocked. The speed of at least one of the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20 is controlled.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing still another example of the main configuration of the vehicle and the base station according to this embodiment. The example of FIG. 10 is an example in which the base station 80, the vehicle 10, and the preceding vehicle 20 cooperate with each other. Note that in FIG. 10, description of the same parts as those in FIGS. 3 and 8 is omitted.

In FIG. 10, the base station 80 includes an information calculation unit 803 and an information transmission/reception unit 804. The information transmission/reception unit 804 acquires information on the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20. The information calculation unit 803 calculates the reception level reduction point P1 and the reflected wave suppression area A described above. The information transmitting/receiving unit 804 transmits the calculation results of the reception level reduction point P1 and the reflected wave suppression area A calculated by the information calculation unit 803 to the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of vehicle movement control executed by the vehicle of FIG. 10 and the base station in cooperation with each other. In addition, in FIG. 11, the description of the same parts as those in FIG. 4 will be omitted.

In FIG. 11, when the vehicle 10 is moving so as to approach the base station 80, the base station 80 transmits information of the vehicle 10 (information of the altitude of the antenna 12 of the vehicle 10) to the vehicle 10 by the information transmitting/receiving unit 804. The information is received via the station 11 and stored in the information storage unit 801 (S201).

The base station 80 receives by the information calculation unit 403 by interference between the direct wave between the base station 80 and the vehicle 10 via the direct propagation path 31 and the reflected wave via the reflection propagation path 32 that is reflected by the road 90. The level decrease point P1 is calculated, and the information transmitting/receiving unit 804 transmits the calculation result of the reception level decrease point P1 to the vehicle 10 (S202). The reception level decrease point P1 is calculated based on the information of the base station 80 (the altitude of the antenna 81 of the base station 80 and the frequency of wireless communication) and the information of the altitude of the antenna 12 of the vehicle 10 received from the vehicle 10.

When the preceding vehicle 20 exists in the determination of step S207 of FIG. 11, the base station 80 receives the information of the preceding vehicle 20 by the information transmitting/receiving unit 804 (S208). The information on the preceding vehicle 20 is, for example, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, the height dimension (vehicle height) and length (vehicle length) from the road installation surface of the preceding vehicle 20 to the top, and the preceding vehicle 20. The speed of the vehicle 20.

In the base station 80, the information calculation unit 403 suppresses the reflected waves in the range of the reflected wave suppression positions P3 to P4 in which it is predicted that at least a part of the reflected propagation path 32 that causes a decrease in the reception level in the vehicle 10 will be blocked. The area A is calculated and determined, and the information transmitting/receiving unit 804 transmits the calculation result of the reflected wave suppression area A to the vehicle 10 (S209).

In addition, when the preceding vehicle 20 is moving away from the base station 80 as shown in FIG. 9, the information of the preceding vehicle 20 (the altitude of the antenna 12 of the antenna 12 in FIG. (Information) is received via the mobile station 21 of the vehicle 20 and stored in the information storage unit 801 (S201).

In the base station 80, the information calculation unit 403 causes interference between a direct wave between the base station 80 and the preceding vehicle 20 through the direct propagation path 31 and a reflected wave through the reflection propagation path 32 that is reflected by the road 90. The reception level lowering point P1 is calculated, and the information transmitting/receiving unit 804 transmits the calculation result of the reception level lowering point P1 to the preceding vehicle 20 (S202). The reception level reduction point P1 is calculated based on the information of the base station 80 (the altitude of the antenna 81 of the base station 80 and the frequency of wireless communication) and the information of the altitude of the antenna 22 of the vehicle 20 received from the preceding vehicle 20. ..

When the vehicle (subsequent vehicle) 10 is present between the preceding vehicle 20 and the base station 80 in the determination of step S207 of FIG. 11, the base station 80 receives the information of the vehicle 10 by the information transmitting/receiving unit 804 (S208). .. The information on the vehicle 10 is, for example, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 20, the height dimension (vehicle height) and length (vehicle length) from the road installation surface to the uppermost portion of the vehicle 10, and the vehicle 10 It's speed.

In the base station 80, the information calculation unit 403 predicts that at least a part of the reflection propagation path 32 that causes a reduction in the reception level of the preceding vehicle 20 is blocked, and the reflection wave is in the range of reflection wave suppression positions P3 to P4. The suppression area A is calculated and determined, and the information transmission/reception unit 804 transmits the calculation result of the reflected wave suppression area A to the vehicle 10 (S209).

According to the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11, the base station 80 acquires the information of the vehicles 10 and 20 and calculates the reception level lowering point P1 and the reflected wave suppression area A, so that the processing load on the vehicles 10 and 20 is increased. Can be reduced.

It should be noted that the processing steps and the components of the mobile communication system described in this specification can be implemented by various means. For example, these steps and components may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

With regard to hardware implementation, means such as a processing unit used to implement the above steps and components in an entity (for example, various wireless communication devices, Node Bs, terminals, hard disk drive devices, or optical disk drive devices) One or more application specific ICs (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processors (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors , Controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, electronic device, other electronic unit designed to perform the functions described herein, a computer, or a combination thereof.

Also, for firmware and/or software implementations, means such as processing units used to implement the components described above are programs (eg, procedures, functions, modules, instructions) that perform the functions described herein. , Etc.) may be implemented. In general, any computer/processor readable medium embodying firmware and/or software code, means, such as a processing unit, used to implement the steps and components described herein. May be used to implement. For example, firmware and/or software code may be stored in memory and executed by a computer or processor, eg, at the controller. The memory may be mounted inside the computer or the processor, or may be mounted outside the processor. The firmware and/or software code may be, for example, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM). ), a FLASH memory, a floppy disk, a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a magnetic or optical data storage device, etc., and may be stored on a computer or processor readable medium. Good. The code may be executed by one or more computers or processors, or may cause a computer or processor to perform the functional aspects described herein.

Further, the medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. Further, the code of the program may be readable and executable by a computer, a processor, or another device or machine, and its format is not limited to a particular format. For example, the code of the program may be any of source code, object code and binary code, or may be a mixture of two or more of these codes.

Also, the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be admitted to the widest extent consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

10 vehicle 11 mobile station 12 antenna 13 vehicle drive unit 14 vehicle movement control device 20 vehicle (preceding vehicle)
22 antenna 23 vehicle drive unit 24 vehicle movement control device 80 base station 81 antenna 141 position information acquisition unit 142 determination unit 143 vehicle position determination unit 144 control unit 145 preceding vehicle measurement unit 241 position information acquisition unit 242 determination unit 243 vehicle position determination unit 244 control unit 245 preceding vehicle measurement unit 801 information storage unit 802 information transmission unit 803 information calculation unit 804 information transmission/reception unit

Claims (17)

A vehicle movement control device for controlling movement of a vehicle on a movement route,
A direct wave through a direct propagation path between the base station and the first vehicle, for the planned travel range of the first vehicle having a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a base station for mobile communication, and A determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a reception level reduction predicted position due to interference with a reflected wave through a reflection propagation path accompanied by reflection by a moving path,
When it is determined that there is the reception level decrease predicted position, when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, the first vehicle is located at a position closer to the base station than the first vehicle on the travel route. Vehicle position determination for determining a target positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by a second vehicle moving in front of or behind the vehicle Department,
At least the first vehicle and the second vehicle such that the positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position is the target positional relationship. A vehicle movement control device comprising: a control unit that controls one speed. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle movement control device is provided in the first vehicle,
The vehicle position determination unit suppresses a reflected wave of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. Determine the position range,
The control unit performs control to accelerate or decelerate the first vehicle so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, A vehicle movement control device characterized by the above. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle movement control device is provided in the first vehicle,
The vehicle position determination unit suppresses a reflected wave of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. Determine the position range,
The control unit requests the second vehicle to accelerate or decelerate so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. And a vehicle movement control device. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle movement control device is provided in the second vehicle,
The vehicle position determination unit suppresses a reflected wave of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. Determine the position range,
The control unit performs control to accelerate or decelerate the second vehicle so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, A vehicle movement control device characterized by the above. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle movement control device is provided in the second vehicle,
The vehicle position determination unit suppresses a reflected wave of the second vehicle that is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. Determine the position range,
The control unit requests the first vehicle to accelerate or decelerate so that the second vehicle is located in the reflected wave suppression position range when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position. And a vehicle movement control device. The vehicle movement control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The vehicle movement control device, wherein the vehicle position determination unit calculates the reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle based on at least the height dimension of the second vehicle. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 3 or 5,
The vehicle position determination unit,
Receiving information including a height dimension of the second vehicle from the second vehicle,
A vehicle movement control device, wherein a reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle is calculated based on at least a height dimension of the second vehicle. The vehicle movement control device according to claim 3 or 5,
The vehicle position determination unit,
Estimating a height dimension of the second vehicle based on an image obtained by capturing an image of the second vehicle by an image capturing device;
A vehicle movement control device, wherein a reflected wave suppression position range of the second vehicle is calculated based on at least a height dimension of the second vehicle. The vehicle movement control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
When the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the predicted reception level decrease position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the first vehicle and the second vehicle A vehicle movement control device characterized by performing control to accelerate or decelerate at least one of them. A vehicle comprising the vehicle movement control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A vehicle movement control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle. The system of claim 11, wherein
The vehicle movement control device is provided in each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The system according to claim 11 or 12,
Further comprising the base station,
The base station transmits information including a tilt angle and an altitude of an antenna of the base station to the vehicle movement control device. The system of claim 11, wherein
Further comprising the base station,
The base station comprises the vehicle movement control device. The system of claim 11, wherein
Further comprising a server capable of communicating with the first vehicle and the second vehicle via the base station,
The system, wherein the server includes the vehicle movement control device. A vehicle movement control method for controlling movement of a vehicle on a movement path, comprising:
Direct propagation between the base station and the first vehicle with respect to a planned travel range on the travel route of a first vehicle that has a wireless communication device that moves on the travel route and wirelessly communicates with a base station for mobile communication. Determining the presence or absence of a reception level deterioration predicted position due to the interference of the direct wave through the path and the reflected wave through the reflection propagation path accompanied by the reflection by the moving path,
When it is determined that there is the reception level decrease predicted position, when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, the first vehicle is located at a position closer to the base station than the first vehicle on the travel route. Determining a target positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in which a second vehicle traveling in front of or behind the vehicle is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path;
At least the first vehicle and the second vehicle such that the positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position is the target positional relationship. A method of controlling vehicle movement, comprising: controlling one speed. A program executed by a computer or processor provided in a vehicle movement control device for controlling movement of a vehicle on a movement route,
Direct propagation between the base station and the first vehicle with respect to a planned travel range on the travel route of a first vehicle that has a wireless communication device that moves on the travel route and wirelessly communicates with a base station for mobile communication. A program code for determining the presence or absence of a reception level deterioration predicted position due to interference of a direct wave passing through a path and a reflected wave passing through a reflection propagation path accompanied by reflection by the moving path,
When it is determined that there is the reception level decrease predicted position, when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position, the first vehicle is located at a position closer to the base station than the first vehicle on the travel route. A program code for determining a target positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, which is predicted to block at least a part of the reflection propagation path by a second vehicle moving in front of or behind the vehicle. ,
At least the first vehicle and the second vehicle such that the positional relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the first vehicle is located at the reception level decrease predicted position is the target positional relationship. A program code for controlling one speed, and a program.

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