JP7790303B2 - Vehicle communication control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle communication control system.

A communication control system for vehicles is known that controls the placement of antennas so as not to degrade communication quality.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless device equipped with two movable antennas, a communication antenna and a measurement antenna, which changes the position of the communication antenna based on the optimal communication conditions found using the measurement antenna.

JP 2013-017156 A

However, with wireless communications, the quality can change for various reasons and fall below a predetermined standard value. To avoid such a drop in communication quality, it is necessary to understand the optimal communication conditions and control the antenna placement accordingly. However, in a moving vehicle, communication quality changes from moment to moment. Therefore, even if the optimal communication conditions can be identified and the antenna placement changed based on those conditions, the vehicle will continue to move, and the communication conditions will change. In other words, it is difficult to maintain optimal communication conditions and always maintain high-quality actual communications.

To avoid the above problems, it is possible to predict the communication situation a certain amount of time in the future and control the antenna placement based on the results.

This specification discloses a vehicle communication control system that acquires information about the antenna placement, including the position of the antenna selected by another vehicle and the angle of the selected antenna, as the communication status of the other vehicle, and controls the placement of the antenna of the vehicle itself based on the communication status.

The vehicle communication control system disclosed in this specification is a vehicle communication control system for wireless communication between a vehicle and another vehicle, and is characterized by comprising: multiple communication antennas; a communication status acquisition unit that acquires information about the antenna arrangement, including the position of the antenna selected by the other vehicle and the angle of the selected antenna, as the communication status of the other vehicle; an antenna drive unit that drives the multiple communication antennas of the vehicle; and an antenna control unit that controls the antenna drive unit to select an antenna to drive from the multiple communication antennas and change the angle of the selected antenna based on the communication status of the other vehicle, thereby controlling the arrangement of the multiple communication antennas.

The vehicle communication control system disclosed in this specification can change the position of the vehicle's antenna based on the acquired communication status of other vehicles, thereby improving communication quality.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a vehicle equipped with a communication control system. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a communication control system. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in the communication control system according to the embodiment.

The communication control system will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in Figure 1, "Fr," "Up," and "W" indicate the front, top, and width directions of the vehicle, respectively. Furthermore, the left and right directions in the width direction of the vehicle are those when looking forward at the vehicle.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a communication control system. Vehicle 10 is equipped with a communication control system 12. Communication control system 12 is a system that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication to exchange various information with other vehicles in the vicinity of vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as "subject vehicle 10"), and controls the placement of the communication antenna of subject vehicle 10 based on the communication status of the other vehicles.

As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 is equipped with multiple antennas 14a-14e for wireless communication. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the antennas 14a-14e, they will be collectively referred to simply as antenna 14. While Figure 1 shows an example in which the antenna 14 is installed outside the vehicle, this is merely an example; the antenna 14 may be formed as a pattern on the surface of the glass using printed lines, or may be installed on the inside of the glass. In this example, the vehicle 10 is equipped with five antennas, 14a-14e, but the number of antennas is not limited to this.

Next, the communication control system 12 will be described in more detail using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the communication control system 12. The communication control system 12 includes a host device 16, a communication status acquisition unit 18, an antenna control unit 20, communication devices 22, a multiport switch 24, and antenna driving units 26a-26e.

The host device 16 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls each component of the communication control system 12. The host device 16 may also have the function of controlling various other devices installed in the vehicle 10. The communication status acquisition unit 18 acquires the communication status of other vehicles around the vehicle 10. In this example, the other vehicle is a vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "vehicle traveling ahead"), which is a vehicle on the route the vehicle 10 will travel. The vehicle traveling ahead is, for example, a vehicle traveling in the same direction ahead, but it may also be a vehicle on the route to the left or right of the vehicle 10 if the route is known. Furthermore, the traveling direction may be opposite, or there may be multiple directions. The communication status acquisition unit 18 acquires information on the antenna position selected by the other vehicle, including the antenna arrangement, including the angle of the selected antenna, and information on the reception level, as the communication status of the other vehicle. Note that although the communication status acquisition unit 18 is shown in FIG. 2 as being independent of the host device 16, it may also be included within the host device 16 as one of its functions.

The antenna control unit 20 controls the multiport switch 24 and antenna drivers 26a-26e (described below) based on the communication status of other vehicles. While the antenna control unit 20 is shown in Figure 2 as being separate from the host device 16, it may also be included within the host device 16 as one of its functions.

The communication device 22 is a device that performs the signal processing required for communication with devices external to the vehicle 10. For example, it performs signal processing for wireless communication and signal processing for connecting to a network such as the Internet and communicating with devices on the network. The communication device 22 also performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles via direct wireless communication in accordance with a predetermined protocol. Note that vehicle-to-vehicle communication may also be performed via various communication networks. In the communication control system 12, the host device 16, antenna control unit 20, and multiport switch 24 exchange various types of information via the communication device 22.

The multiport switch 24 is a switch controlled by the antenna control unit 20, and although omitted in Figure 2, it comprises five switches, SWa-SWe. Although partially omitted in Figure 2, the switches SWa-SWe are connected to the antennas 14a-14e, respectively. The antenna to be driven is selected from the antennas 14a-14e under the control of the antenna control unit 20 (i.e., by switching the switches SWa-SWe on and off). Note that hereinafter, when no particular distinction is needed, the switches SWa-SWe will be collectively referred to as switches SW.

The antenna drivers 26a-26e drive the antennas 14a-14e, respectively. Although partially omitted in Figure 2, the antenna drivers 26a-26e are connected to the antennas 14a-14e, respectively. Note that hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the antenna drivers 26a-26e will be collectively referred to as the antenna driver 26. Under the control of the antenna control unit 20, the antenna driver 26 drives the antenna 14. Specifically, in order to maintain good communication conditions for the vehicle 10 at all times, the antenna driver 26 changes the angle of the antenna 14 under the control of the antenna control unit 20.

As described above, the antenna control unit 20 controls the antenna drive unit 26 to select an antenna to drive from the multiple antennas 14 and change the angle of the selected antenna to control the antenna placement. This antenna placement control is based on the communication conditions of other vehicles (i.e., vehicles traveling ahead) acquired by the communication condition acquisition unit 18. To maintain optimal communication conditions and ensure consistently high-quality actual communications, it is possible to predict the communication conditions for a certain time period ahead and control the antenna placement accordingly. Therefore, the communication control system 12 disclosed in this specification utilizes the communication conditions of a vehicle traveling ahead that is traveling a certain time period ahead (in other words, the location where the vehicle is about to travel). The utilization of the communication conditions of a vehicle traveling ahead will be explained in more detail with reference to the flowchart in Figure 3. Here, antenna placement refers to a combination of both the antenna to be used and the angle of that antenna. Signals received from multiple antennas may also be used in parallel. Furthermore, when referring to the communication conditions from a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, it is preferable to determine the antenna placement by also referring to information about the vehicle's direction of travel. It is also a good idea to obtain location information from other vehicles and use the communication status from those other vehicles that corresponds to the current location of your vehicle 10. In this case, by obtaining information from multiple vehicles, you can obtain data over time about the communication status at a specific location and refer to the changes in that status.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in the communication control system 12 according to the embodiment. In the communication control system 12, first, the communication conditions of the host vehicle 10 with the current antenna arrangement are measured (S10). Here, the current antenna arrangement is referred to as antenna arrangement a1, and the measured result is referred to as measurement result A. Next, it is determined whether the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A are better than a predetermined standard (i.e., whether the communication conditions are of high quality) (S12). This communication quality determination can be made by comprehensively assessing the received signal level, the degree of error occurrence in the demodulated signal, and other factors. If the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A are better than the standard (Yes in S12), the antenna arrangement is not changed, and communication continues with the current antenna arrangement a1. Then, processing returns to step S10. On the other hand, if the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A are not better than the standard (No in S12), processing proceeds to step S16.

Next, it is determined whether antenna information of the vehicle traveling ahead can be acquired (S16). If antenna information of the vehicle traveling ahead cannot be acquired (No in S16), the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if antenna information of the vehicle traveling ahead can be acquired (Yes in S16), the communication status acquisition unit 18 acquires information about the antenna arrangement, including the position of the antenna selected by the vehicle traveling ahead and the angle of the selected antenna, as the communication status of the vehicle traveling ahead. Then, the antenna control unit 20 controls the antenna drive unit 26 to change the antenna arrangement of the host vehicle 10 (S18). Here, the changed antenna arrangement is referred to as antenna arrangement b1.

Next, the communication conditions of the host vehicle 10 at antenna arrangement b1 are measured (S20). Here, the measured result is referred to as measurement result B. Next, it is determined whether the communication conditions indicated by measurement result B are better than the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A (S22). If the communication conditions indicated by measurement result B are better than the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A (Yes in S22), communication is initiated using the changed antenna arrangement b1 (S24). In other words, communication is continued using the antenna arrangement b1 of the vehicle traveling ahead. Then, processing returns to step S10. On the other hand, if the communication conditions indicated by measurement result B are not better than the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A (No in S22), processing proceeds to step S26.

If the answer is No in step S16, information about the other vehicle cannot be used. Furthermore, if the answer is No in step S22, the antenna arrangement of the other vehicle is inappropriate. Therefore, the antenna arrangement is controlled based on the information obtained in the host vehicle 10. That is, the antenna control unit 20 controls the antenna drive unit 26 to change the antenna arrangement of the host vehicle 10 (S26). Here, the changed antenna arrangement is referred to as antenna arrangement c1. Then, the communication conditions of the host vehicle 10 at antenna arrangement c1 are measured (S28). Here, the measured result is referred to as measurement result C. Next, it is determined whether the communication conditions indicated by measurement result C are better than the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A (S30). If the communication conditions indicated by measurement result C are better than the communication conditions indicated by measurement result A (Yes in S30), communication is initiated using the changed antenna arrangement c1 (S32). Processing then returns to step S10. On the other hand, if the communication conditions indicated by measurement result C are not better than those indicated by measurement result A (No in S30), processing returns to step S26 to change to another antenna arrangement. Note that even after processing for a predetermined time, if step S30 returns No, processing may return to step S10. This allows updated information on other vehicles to be used.

In this way, the communication control system 12 measures the communication conditions of the vehicle 10 with its current antenna arrangement at regular time intervals to maintain optimal communication conditions and ensure that actual communication is always of high quality. The antenna arrangement is then changed if necessary. For example, if the communication quality of the vehicle 10 is lower than standard, but another vehicle traveling several hundred meters ahead is communicating at high quality, the communication conditions of that other vehicle are used. Specifically, when the vehicle 10 reaches a position several hundred meters ahead, the antenna control unit 20 controls the antenna arrangement of the vehicle 10 to mimic the antenna arrangement of the other vehicle. Having this function in the communication control system 12 can improve communication quality.

The functions of the communication control system 12 described above are realized, for example, by a combination of hardware and software. For example, a processor (not shown) reads and executes a program stored in the memory of each device, thereby realizing the function of each device. The program is stored in memory via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD, or via a communication path such as a network.

Note that the above description is merely an example, and the communication control system 12 may control the placement of the communication antenna of the vehicle 10 based on the communication conditions of other vehicles. Therefore, other processes performed by the communication control system 12 may be changed as appropriate. For example, in step S22 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, if the communication conditions at the changed antenna placement are of lower quality than the communication conditions at the original antenna placement, the antenna placement of the vehicle 10 is changed to another antenna placement. However, in such a case, the process may return to step S10 to measure the communication conditions of the vehicle 10 at the original antenna placement again, rather than changing to another antenna placement. In wireless communication, the quality of communication changes for various reasons. Therefore, for example, the communication conditions of the vehicle 10 are changing even while the processes of steps S10 to S22 shown in FIG. 3 are being executed. Therefore, since the communication conditions at the original antenna placement may be better than the communication conditions at the new antenna placement, the process may return to step S10.

10 vehicle, 12 communication control system, 14 (14a-14e) antenna, 18 communication status acquisition unit, 20 antenna control unit, 26 (26a-26e) antenna driving unit

Claims (2)

A vehicle communication control system for wirelessly communicating between a vehicle and a vehicle traveling ahead,
a plurality of communication antennas;
a communication status acquisition unit that acquires, as a communication status of the vehicle traveling ahead, information on the arrangement of antennas, including the position of an antenna selected by the vehicle traveling ahead and the angle of the selected antenna;
an antenna driving unit that drives the plurality of communication antennas of the host vehicle;
an antenna control unit that controls the antenna drive unit based on a communication status of the vehicle traveling ahead, selects an antenna to be driven from the plurality of communication antennas, and changes an angle of the selected antenna to control the arrangement of the plurality of communication antennas;
Equipped with
When the communication quality at the current antenna arrangement a1 is lower than a specified standard, the antenna control unit changes the antenna arrangement of the host vehicle to the same arrangement b1 as the antenna arrangement of the preceding vehicle.
Vehicle communication control system. 2. The vehicle communication control system according to claim 1,
The antenna control unit
After changing the arrangement of the antenna of the vehicle to the same arrangement b1 as the arrangement of the antenna of the vehicle traveling ahead, it is determined whether the communication quality is equal to or higher than the standard;
If the difference is equal to or greater than the standard, the arrangement b1 is maintained, and if the difference is less than the standard, the arrangement of the antenna of the host vehicle is further changed.
Vehicle communication control system.