COMMUNICATION CONTROL SYSTEM WITH AD HOC WIRELESS COMMUNICATION FUNCTION

• US 20130039357A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: AKITA, Hidenori, Saito, Toshiya
• Granted Patent: US 8,913,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 Manipulation of direct-mode connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

In a communication control apparatus wirelessly communicable with a plurality of wireless communication units respectively installed in a plurality of vehicles, a first determiner determines at least one wireless communication unit in a number of wireless communication units in the plurality of wireless communication units as a first enabling unit that enables wireless communications with the communication control apparatus if information transmitted from the at least one wireless communication unit is second type information including a piece of vehicle information that includes at least the identifier of the corresponding vehicle. A second determiner determines a wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units as a second enabling unit, which enables wireless communications with the communication control apparatus, if information transmitted from the wireless communication unit is not included in the information transmitted from the first enabling unit.

Claims

1. A communication control apparatus wirelessly communicable with a plurality of wireless communication units respectively installed in a plurality of vehicles, the plurality of wireless communication units including at least one first type wireless communication unit having a centralized communication function and an ad hoc wireless communication function, and at least one second type wireless communication unit having the centralized communication function without the ad hoc wireless communication function, the communication control apparatus comprising:

a receiver that receives information transmitted from a number of wireless communication units of a number of vehicles based on their centralized communication functions in the plurality of wireless communication units,

the information transmitted from a vehicle in the number of vehicles being one of first-type information and second-type information,

the first-type information including a piece of vehicle information including at least an identifier of the vehicle itself and a piece of vehicle information including an identifier of at least one other vehicle obtained based on the ad hoc wireless communication function of the vehicle,

the second-type information including a piece of vehicle information including at least the identifier of the vehicle itself;

a first determiner that determines at least one wireless communication unit in the number of wireless communication units as a first enabling unit if the information transmitted from the at least one wireless communication unit is the second type information, the first enabling unit enabling wireless communications with the communication control apparatus; and

a second determiner that determines a wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units in the number of wireless communication units as a second enabling unit if the information transmitted from the wireless communication unit is not included in the information transmitted from the first enabling unit, the second enabling unit enabling wireless communications with the communication control apparatus.

2. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if there are plural wireless communication units each having transmitted the information that is not included in that transmitted from the first enabling unit, the second determiner is configured to determine, as the second enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units having transmitted the information including a maximum number of pieces of the vehicle information in the plural wireless communication units.

3. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if there are plural wireless communication units each having transmitted the corresponding information different from that transmitted from the first enabling unit, the second determiner is configured to determine, as the second enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units, the one of the plural wireless communication units having a lowest frequency bandwidth required to transmit the corresponding information in the plural wireless communication units.

4. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitted from each of the number of communication units has a moving speed of a corresponding vehicle, and if there are plural wireless communication units each having transmitted the corresponding information different from that transmitted from the first enabling unit, the second determiner is configured to determine, as the second enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units using the corresponding information of each of the plural wireless communication units, the one of the plural wireless communication units having a lowest moving speed of the corresponding vehicle in the plural wireless communication units.

5. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control apparatus has a predetermined first communicable region according to a centralized communication function thereof, each of the plurality of wireless communication units being communicable with the communication control apparatus if a corresponding vehicle is located within the first communicable region, the communication control apparatus further comprising:

a non-overlap region extractor that;

estimates, for each of the first enabling unit and the second enabling unit, a second communicable region within which ad hoc wireless communications are allowed based on the corresponding ad hoc wireless communication function; and

extracts at least one non-communicable region within the first communicable region, the at least one non-communicable region being external to the second communicable region for each of the first enabling unit and the second enabling unit;

a calculator that calculates, for each of the remaining one or more wireless communication units in the number of wireless communication units, a third communicable region within which ad hoc wireless communications are allowed based on the corresponding ad hoc wireless communication function; and

a third determiner that determines a wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units as a third enabling unit that enables wireless communications with the communication control apparatus if the third communicable region of the wireless communication unit has an overlap with the extracted at least one non-communicable region.

6. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, if there are plural wireless communication units whose third communicable regions have an overlap with the extracted at least one non-communicable region, the third determiner is configured to determine, as the third enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units, the one of the plural wireless communication units having transmitted the corresponding information including a maximum number of pieces of the vehicle information in the plural wireless communication units.

7. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, if there are plural wireless communication units whose third communicable regions have an overlap with the extracted at least one non-communicable region, the third determiner is configured to determine, as the third enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units, the one of the plural wireless communication units having a lowest frequency bandwidth required to transmit the corresponding information in the plural wireless communication units.

8. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information transmitted from each of the number of communication units has a moving speed of a corresponding vehicle, and if there are plural wireless communication units whose third communicable regions have an overlap with the extracted at least one non-communicable region, the third determiner is configured to determine, as the third enabling unit, one of the plural wireless communication units using the corresponding information of each of the plural wireless communication units, the one of the plural wireless communication units having a lowest moving speed of the corresponding vehicle in the plural wireless communication units.

9. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to repeatedly transmit the corresponding information to the communication control apparatus, the non-overlap region extractor is configured to:

estimate, as the second communicable region, a corrected second communicable region within which ad hoc wireless communications are allowed at next transmission timing based on the corresponding ad hoc wireless communication function; and

extract, as the at least one non-communicable region, at least one corrected non-communicable region within the first communicable region, the at least one corrected non-communicable region being external to the corrected second communicable region for each of the first enabling unit and the second enabling unit, and

the third determiner is configured to determine a wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units as the third enabling unit if the third communicable region of the wireless communication unit has an overlap with the extracted at least one corrected non-communicable region.

10. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the non-overlap region extractor is configured to perform the estimation of the second communicable region and extraction of the at least one non-communicable region when a preset time has elapsed since the first enabling unit being determined by the first determiner.

11. The communication control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the non-overlap region extractor is configured to:

when communication disabling information indicative of disabling of communications of one of the first and second enabling units is transmitted from the corresponding one of the first and second enabling units, estimate, for the other of the first and second enabling units, a fourth communicable region within which ad hoc wireless communications are allowed based on the corresponding ad hoc wireless communication function; and

extract the at least one non-communicable region such that the at least one non-communicable region is external to the fourth communicable region for the other of the first and second enabling units.

12. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a disabling unit that disables an operation of the first determiner upon the number being lower than a preset threshold; and

a fourth determiner that determines all the number of wireless communication units as fourth enabling units that enable wireless communications with the communication control apparatus upon the disabling unit disabling the operation of the first determiner.

13. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth determiner that determines all the number of wireless communication units as fifth enabling units that enable wireless communications with the communication control apparatus upon a preset time having elapsed since the first enabling unit being determined by the first determiner; and

a retrying unit that retries a sequence of operations by the receiving unit, the first determiner, and the second determiner after all the number of wireless communication units are determined as the fifth enabling units.

14. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control apparatus has a predetermined first communicable region according to a centralized communication function thereof, each of the plurality of wireless communication units being communicable with the communication control apparatus if a corresponding vehicle is located within the first communicable region, the communication control apparatus further comprising:

a sixth determiner that determines at least one wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units in the number of wireless communication units as a sixth enabling unit that enables wireless communications with the communication control apparatus upon the at least one wireless communication unit being located close to a boundary of the first communicable region.

15. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication units respectively installed in a plurality of vehicles, the plurality of wireless communication units including at least one first type wireless communication unit having a centralized communication function and an ad hoc wireless communication function, and at least one second type wireless communication unit having the centralized communication function without the ad hoc wireless communication function; and

a communication control apparatus as defined in claim 1.

16. A wireless communication system according to claim 15, wherein the communication control apparatus further comprises:

an enabling instruction sender that sends, to each of the first and second enabling units, an enabling instruction for enabling wireless communications with the communication control apparatus; and

a disabling instruction sender that sends, to at least one wireless communication unit in the remaining one or more wireless communication units in the number of wireless communication units, a disabling instruction for disabling wireless communications with the communication control apparatus, and

each of the plurality of wireless communication units comprises;

an enabling unit that enables transmission of corresponding information of one of the first-type information and the second-type information upon receipt of the enabling instruction from the communication control apparatus; and

a disabling unit that disables transmission of corresponding information of one of the first-type information and the second-type information upon receipt of the disabling instruction from the communication control apparatus.

17. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication units respectively installed in a plurality of vehicles, the plurality of wireless communication units including at least one first type wireless communication unit having a centralized communication function and an ad hoc wireless communication function, and at least one second type wireless communication unit having the centralized, communication function without the ad hoc wireless communication function; and

a communication control apparatus as defined in claim 11,

wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication units comprises a communication stop information transmitter that transmits, to the communication control apparatus, the communication stop information indicative of stop of communications of a corresponding one of the plurality of wireless communication units upon determination of stopping communications of the corresponding one of the plurality of wireless communication units using the centralized communication function.