Communication apparatus

• US 7,181,343 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2003
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukaiyama, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/726,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701117-119, 701/200, 701/207, 701/211, 701/213, 701300-302, 340/425.5, 340435-436, 340/471, 340/825.36, 340/992
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A vehicular communication apparatus in accordance with the invention, which is installed in a vehicle and designed to establish bidirectional communication with a foreign moving object, includes a collection device that collects a plurality of pieces of information obtained from the vehicle, a selection device that selects from the collected pieces of information those to be transmitted to the foreign moving object, and a transmission device that transmits only the selected pieces of information to the foreign moving object.

Claims

1. A vehicular communication apparatus that is installed in a vehicle and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with a foreign moving object, in which a plurality of pieces of information are repeatedly transmitted and received in a constant cycle, comprising:

a collection device that collects the plurality of pieces of information on the vehicle;

a selection device that selects selected pieces of information to be transmitted to the foreign moving object from the collected pieces of information on the vehicle; and

a transmission device that transmits only the selected pieces of information to the foreign moving object,

wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with an emergency level which is determined in accordance with a situation between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

2. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with a type of the foreign moving object.

3. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with a request made by the foreign moving object.

4. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with a relationship between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

5. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with a relationship between the vehicle and the foreign moving object and a circumstance in which the vehicle runs.

6. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an emergency level determination device that determines an emergency level of bidirectional communication with the foreign moving object on the basis of a relationship between the vehicle and the foreign moving object, wherein the selection device adds the emergency level determined by the emergency level determination device to the selected pieces of information to be transmitted.

7. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the emergency level is determined in accordance with a possibility that concerns a collision or a scrape between the vehicle and the foreign moving object and that is predicted on the basis of the relationship between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

8. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a communication frequence-degree change device that changes a degree of frequence of communication with the foreign moving object in accordance with the determined emergency level.

9. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a communication object determination device that determines, in accordance with the determined emergency level, a foreign moving object to establish communication with.

10. A communication apparatus installed in a moving object and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with the vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 7, comprising:

a moving-object reception device that receives the selected pieces of information transmitted from the vehicular transmission device of the vehicular communication apparatus;

a moving-object emergency level evaluation device that evaluates the emergency level included in the received pieces of information; and

a moving-object processing change device that changes a method of processing the received pieces of information in accordance with the emergency level.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the emergency level is determined in accordance with a possibility that concerns a collision or a scrape between the vehicle and the foreign moving object and that is predicted on the basis of a relationship between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

12. The communication according to claim 10, wherein the vehicular communication apparatus further comprises communication frequence-degree change device that changes a degree of frequence of communication with the foreign moving object in accordance with the determined emergency level.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a moving-object emergency level determination that determines an emergency level of bidirectional communication with the vehicular communication apparatus on the basis of a relationship between the moving object and the vehicle, wherein the moving-object processing change device changes a method of processing the received pieces of information in accordance with the determined emergency level and the emergency level included in the received pieces of information.

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

a moving-object collection device that collects a plurality of pieces of information on the moving object;

a moving-object selection device that selects selected pieces of information to be transmitted to the vehicular communication apparatus from the collected pieces of information on the moving object; and

a moving-object frequence-degree change device that changes a degree of frequence of communication with the vehicular communication apparatus in accordance with at least one of the emergency level included in the received pieces of information and the determined emergency level.

15. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with a circumstance in which the vehicle runs.

16. A vehicular communication apparatus that is installed in a vehicle and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with a foreign moving object, in which a plurality of pieces of information are repeatedly transmitted and received in a constant cycle, comprising:

a transmission device that transmits a certain piece of information including an identification code allowing the foreign moving object to identify the vehicle;

a reception device that receives the piece of information including the identification code from the foreign moving object;

a detection device that detects establishment of bidirectional communication between the vehicle and the foreign moving object on the basis of a result of identification of the identification code;

a collection device that collects the plurality of pieces of information on the vehicle obtained therefrom; and

a selection device that selects selected pieces of information to be transmitted to the foreign moving object from the collected pieces of information on the vehicle,

wherein the transmission device transmits the selected pieces of information selected by the selection device to the foreign moving object if the detection device detects establishment of bidirectional communication and wherein the selection device selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with an emergency level which is determined in accordance with a situation between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

17. A vehicular communication apparatus that is installed in a vehicle and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with a foreign moving object, in which a plurality of pieces of information are repeatedly transmitted and received in a constant cycle, comprising:

collection means for collecting the plurality of pieces of information on the vehicle;

selection means for selecting selected pieces of information to be transmitted to the foreign moving object from the collected pieces of information on the vehicle;

transmission means for transmitting only the selected pieces of information to the foreign moving object; and

emergency level determination means for determining an emergency level of bidirectional communication with the foreign moving object on the basis of a situation between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.

18. The vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the selection means adds the emergency level determined by the emergency level determination means to the selected pieces of information to be transmitted.

19. A communication apparatus installed in a moving object and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with the vehicular communication apparatus according to claim 18, comprising:

moving-object reception means for receiving the selected pieces of information transmitted from the vehicular transmission means of the vehicular communication apparatus;

moving-object emergency level evaluation means for evaluating the emergency level included in the received pieces of information; and

moving-object processing change means for changing a method of processing the received pieces of information in accordance with the emergency level.

20. A vehicular communication apparatus that is installed in a vehicle and that is designed to establish bidirectional communication with a foreign moving object, in which a plurality of pieces of information are repeatedly transmitted and received in a constant cycle, comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a certain piece of information including an identification code allowing the foreign moving object to identify the vehicle;

reception means for receiving the piece of information including the identification code from the foreign moving object;

detection means for detecting establishment of bidirectional communication between the vehicle and the foreign moving object on the basis of a result of identification of the identification code;

collection means for collecting the plurality of pieces of information on the vehicle; and

selection means for selecting selected pieces of information to be transmitted to the foreign moving object from the collected pieces of information on the vehicle,

wherein the transmission means transmits the selected pieces of information selected by the selection means to the foreign moving object if the detection means detects establishment of bidirectional communication and wherein the selection means selects the selected pieces of information to be transmitted in accordance with an emergency level which is determined in accordance with a situation between the vehicle and the foreign moving object.