Communication system for communicating between moving objects and vehicular driving support apparatus

• US 20040174977A1
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanemitsu, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,057,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/219
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

In a communication system for communicating between moving objects in which a moving object determines the peripheral state based on moving object information transmitted and received using communication between moving objects, accuracy level information regarding the apparatus provided in the transmitting moving object is included in moving object information. Further, a vehicular driving support apparatus that transmits moving object information using communication between moving objects includes accuracy level information regarding the apparatus provided in a host vehicle in moving object information.

Claims

1. A communication system for communicating between moving objects, comprising:

a transmitting portion provided in at least one of first moving object, which transmits moving object information that includes accuracy level information regarding an apparatus provided in the first moving object to a second moving object using communication between moving objects;

a receiving portion provided in the second moving object, which receives the transmitted moving object information; and

a determining portion provided in the second moving object, which determines a peripheral state around the second moving object based on the received moving object information.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the accuracy level information includes information indicating whether a specified apparatus is provided in the first moving object.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the accuracy level information includes information relating to the accuracy of information regarding the specified apparatus.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determining portion determines the peripheral state using only moving object information in which an accuracy level indicated by the accuracy level information is a predetermined level of accuracy or higher.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a generating portion provided in the second moving object, which generates moving object information for the second moving object using the moving object information in which an accuracy level indicated by the accuracy level information is the highest level of accuracy among the moving object information transmitted from the transmitting portion and the moving object information of the second moving object.

6. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a transmitting portion which transmits moving object information of the vehicle using communication between moving objects; and

an information control portion which includes accuracy level information regarding an apparatus provided in the vehicle in the moving object information to be transmitted.

7. The driving support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the accuracy level information includes information indicating whether a specified apparatus is provided in the vehicle.

8. The driving support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the accuracy level information includes information relating to the accuracy of information regarding the specified apparatus.

9. A driving support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a receiving portion which receives moving object information transmitted from at least one moving object that is different from the vehicle via communication between moving objects, the moving object information including accuracy level information regarding an apparatus provided in the at least one moving object; and

a determining portion which determines a peripheral state around the vehicle using the received moving object information.

10. The driving support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the accuracy level information includes information indicating whether a specified apparatus is provided in the at least one moving object.

11. The driving support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the accuracy level information includes information relating to the accuracy of information regarding the specified apparatus.

12. The driving support apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an accuracy level analyzing portion which i) analyzes the accuracy level information included in the moving object information of the at least one moving object, which was transmitted from the at least one moving object, ii) compares an accuracy level of the accuracy level information of the vehicle with an accuracy level of the analyzed the accuracy level information, and iii) and extracts the accuracy level information having the highest accuracy level from thereamong; and

an intersecting possibility determining portion which determines the running state of the at least one moving object around the vehicle using the moving object information having the extracted accuracy level, and determines the possibility of intersection between the vehicle and the at least one moving object.

13. The driving support apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the intersecting possibility determining portion grasps the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the at least one moving object in relation to an intersection ahead of the vehicle using information of the highest accuracy from among the map data of the vehicle and all of the at least one moving object with which communication is possible, and determines the possibility of intersection between the vehicle and the at least one moving object.

14. The driving support apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the intersecting possibility determining portion determines the possibility of intersection using only positional information having a predetermined accuracy level or higher, taking into account the accuracy of all of the positional information of the vehicle and the at least one moving object revealed by the accuracy level information of the at least one moving object.

15. The driving support apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an information providing portion which provides at least one of information and a warning regarding the presence of at least one moving object with which the possibility of intersection with the vehicle is high to a driver based on the determination results of the intersecting possibility determining portion.