VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20130191132A1
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: TANAKA, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,620,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device generates voice information that includes a voice message and added information regarding an output of the voice message. The voice information is transmitted in one direction of a subject vehicle via a transmission unit, and voice information from another vehicle is received via a reception unit. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device plays the voice message of the voice information received by the reception unit based on the added information of the voice information. In such manner, information regarding a travel situation is appropriately transmitted by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device.

Claims

1. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device disposed in a vehicle for transmitting and receiving information from another vehicle, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device comprising:

a voice input unit inputting a voice message;

a voice information generation unit generating voice information, the voice information including the voice message from the voice input unit and added information regarding an output of the voice message;

a transmission unit transmitting the voice information generated by the voice information generation unit in one direction of the vehicle;

a reception unit receiving the voice information transmitted by the transmission unit of the other vehicle; and

a sound output unit outputting the voice message included in the voice information received by the reception unit based on the added information of the voice information received by the reception unit.

2. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the voice information generation unit sets, as the added information, an output timing of when the voice message included in the voice information to be transmitted by the transmission unit is to be outputted, and

the sound output unit outputs the voice message according to the output timing of the voice information received by the reception unit.

3. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the voice information generation unit determines whether the voice message includes safety related information of the vehicle, and sets a safety attribute based on the determination result as the added information, and

the sound output unit outputs the voice message according to the safety attribute included in the voice information received by reception unit.

4. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

a notification unit providing a notification of the added information included in the voice information received by the reception unit; and

an operation input unit receiving an input operation in response to the notification by the notification unit for determining the output of the voice message of the voice information received, wherein

the sound output unit outputs the voice message according to the input operation from the operation input unit.

5. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the reception unit identifies a receiving direction of the voice information, and

the transmission unit forwards the voice information that is received by the reception unit in a direction that is different from the receiving direction.

6. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the voice information generation unit suppresses the generation of the voice information when the voice message includes at least one of a preset forbidden word and a user-specified forbidden word.

7. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the sound output unit suppresses the output of the voice message when the voice message is determined as including at least one of a preset forbidden word and an user-specified forbidden word.