Method and apparatus for peripheral vehicle position calculation

• US 20050065715A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hisayuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A signal processing unit of a radio communication section of a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle broadcasts first sets of data, each set of data including a vehicle speed and a traveling direction of the vehicle at a predetermined period when the vehicle changes the vehicle speed or the traveling direction. The signal processing unit broadcasts second sets of data including the current vehicle position, the vehicle speed, and the traveling direction of the vehicle at predetermined timing. When receiving the first data and the second data from a peripheral vehicle, the signal processing unit calculates a position of the peripheral vehicle in accordance with the first and second sets of data.

Claims

1. A peripheral vehicle position calculation method, comprising the acts of:

providing in a vehicle-mounted device operable to calculate a position of a peripheral vehicle near the vehicle in accordance with information included in a message received via inter-vehicle communication;

broadcasting a first set of data including a vehicle speed and a traveling direction of the vehicle at a predetermined period via the inter-vehicle communication when the vehicle changes the vehicle speed or the traveling direction;

broadcasting a second set of data including a current vehicle position, the vehicle speed, and the traveling direction of the vehicle at predetermined timing via the inter-vehicle communication; and

calculating the position of the peripheral vehicle in accordance with the first and second set of data when receiving the first data and the second data from the peripheral vehicle.

2. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, wherein:

the act of broadcasting a first set of data occurs at a first period when the vehicle changes speed at an amount less than or equal to a predetermined amount of speed change; and

the act of broadcasting a second set of data occurs at a second period having a shorter length of time than the first period when the vehicle changes speed at an amount greater than the predetermined amount of speed change.

3. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 2, wherein the second period is increased in length in accordance with a reduction in the vehicle speed.

4. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 2, wherein movement of the peripheral vehicle toward the vehicle is determined by evaluating a frequency of reception of a plurality of first sets of data from the peripheral vehicle.

5. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 2, wherein movement of the vehicle toward a vehicle ahead is determined by evaluating a frequency of transmission of a plurality of first sets of data from the vehicle and the frequency of transmission of a plurality of first sets of data from the vehicle ahead.

6. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, wherein:

the act of broadcasting a first set of data occurs at a first period when the vehicle changes direction at an amount less than or equal to a predetermined amount of direction change; and

the act of broadcasting a second set of data occurs at a second period having a shorter length of time than the first period when the vehicle changes direction at an amount greater than the predetermined amount of direction change.

7. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 6, wherein movement of the peripheral vehicle toward the vehicle is determined by evaluating a frequency of reception of a plurality of first sets of data from the peripheral vehicle.

8. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 6, wherein movement of the vehicle toward a vehicle ahead is determined by evaluating a frequency of transmission of a plurality of first sets of data from the vehicle and a frequency of transmission of a plurality of first sets of data from the vehicle ahead.

9. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, further comprising the act of storing reception times when the first set of data and the second set of data are received from the peripheral vehicle.

10. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, further comprising the act of broadcasting the second set of data when said vehicle turns at an intersection or stops.

11. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, wherein a request for the second set of data is sent to the peripheral vehicle;

and

the position of the peripheral vehicle is acquired using positional information included in the second set of data distributed in response to the request.

12. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, further comprising the act of terminating the monitoring of a position of a non-transmission vehicle that fails to send the first set of data or the second set of data within a predetermined time.

13. The peripheral vehicle position calculation method of claim 1, further comprising the act of distinguishably displaying the calculated position of the peripheral vehicle on a navigation map display.

14. A vehicle-mounted device for calculating a position of a peripheral vehicle near the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted device comprising:

a sending/receiving unit operable to send or receive information to and from a vehicle-mounted device of a peripheral vehicle;

a vehicle position detection unit operable to acquire information on a vehicle position, a vehicle speed, and a traveling direction; and

a signal processing unit operable to generate a first set of data at a predetermined period from the information acquired from the vehicle position detection unit when said vehicle changes the vehicle speed or the traveling direction, the first set of data including the vehicle speed and the traveling direction of the vehicle, operable to generate a second set of data at a predetermined period, the second set of data including the vehicle position, the vehicle speed and the traveling direction of said vehicle, and operable to calculate the position of the peripheral vehicle from first and second sets of data for the vehicle and first and second sets of data from the peripheral vehicle;

wherein the sending/receiving unit is operable to send the first set and second sets of data for the vehicle and to receive the first and second sets of data from a peripheral vehicle.

15. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein:

the signal processing unit broadcasts the first set of data at a first period when an amount of speed change is less than or equal to a predetermined amount of speed change and the amount of direction change is less than or equal to a predetermined amount of direction change; and

the signal processing unit broadcasts the first data at a second period, the second period having a shorter length than the first period when the amount of speed change exceeds the predetermined amount of speed change or when the amount of direction change exceeds the predetermined amount of direction change.

16. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 15, wherein the signal processing unit increases the length of the second period in accordance with a reduction in the vehicle speed.

17. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 15, wherein:

the signal processing unit determines that the peripheral vehicle is approaching the vehicle by calculating the frequency of reception of first sets of data from the peripheral vehicle; and

the signal processing unit warns against approach of the peripheral vehicle when the peripheral vehicle is approaching said vehicle.

18. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 15, wherein:

the signal processing unit determines whether the vehicle is approaching a vehicle ahead by calculating the frequency of transmission of the first sets of data from the vehicle and the frequency of transmission of the first sets of data from the vehicle ahead; and

the signal processing unit warns against approach to the vehicle ahead when said vehicle is approaching the vehicle ahead.

19. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein the signal processing unit stores reception times when the first sets of data and the second sets of data are received from the peripheral vehicle.

20. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein the signal processing unit broadcasts a second set of data when said vehicle turns at an intersection or stops.

21. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein:

the signal processing unit sends a request for the second data to the peripheral vehicle; and

the signal processing unit acquires the position of the peripheral vehicle using positional information included in a second set of data received in response to the request.

22. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein:

the signal processing unit terminates monitoring of a position of a non-transmission vehicle that fails to send a first set of data or a second set of data with a predetermined time.

23. The vehicle-mounted device of claim 14, wherein the signal processing unit distinguishably displays the calculated position of the peripheral vehicle on a navigation map display.