Optical communication equipment and vehicle control method

• US 7,383,121 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shinada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/004,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20050137782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1125 using a single common optical path

Abstract

The present invention relates to optical communication equipment and a vehicle control method, and in particular, the present invention is applied to a system utilizing inter-vehicle communication equipment via optical communication to notify information of traffic regulation utilizing optical communication according to an inter-vehicle communication system so that traveling of a vehicle can be controlled easily and reliably even in such a complicated place where a plurality of roads intersect as in urban cities or the like.

Claims

1. An optical communication system for controlling traveling of a vehicle comprising:

inter-vehicle communication equipment installed in a first vehicle for transmitting and/or receiving various information to and from similar equipment installed in other vehicles via optical communication, and

a vehicle controller for automatically controlling the operation of the first vehicle,

wherein information of traffic regulations is transmitted to the vehicle via the optical communication so as to be receivable by said inter-vehicle communication equipment, and

wherein the vehicle controller, on the condition that a user has selected an automated control mode, automatically controls the operation of the vehicle to be in accordance with said received traffic regulations.

2. The optical communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein said optical communication equipment is installed in a road sign.

3. The optical communication system of claim 1, wherein:

on the condition that the received traffic regulations include a speed limitation, the vehicle controller prevents the vehicle from exceeding the speed limit when the user operates an acceleration pedal.

4. The optical communication system of claim 1, wherein:

on the condition that the received traffic regulations include a prohibition on U-turns, the vehicle controller causes a steering wheel to become harder to operate when the user attempts to perform a U-turn.

5. Optical communication equipment installed in a vehicle, comprising:

a light emitter for transmitting a communication light used in optical communication;

an encoder for operating said light emitter;

a light receiver for receiving said communication light from similar equipment installed in other vehicles or road signs;

a decoder for decoding a light reception result in said light receiver;

an operation unit for accepting operations by a user of the vehicle; and

a controller for processing a decoding result by said decoder and controlling operation of said encoder, wherein;

said controller controls said encoder in response to an operation by a user to transmit a desired message via said optical communication, notifies the user of the decoding result in a case where the decoding result by said decoder is the one from said similar equipment installed in other vehicles via optical communication, and controls the vehicle in accordance with the decoding result in a case where the decoding result by said decoder is related to information of traffic regulation.

6. The optical communication equipment according to claim 5, wherein said controller notifies the user of the information of said traffic regulation and, in a case where a condition defined by said traffic regulation changes, notifies the user of contents of the change.

7. The optical communication equipment of claim 5, wherein:

in a case where the decoding result by said decoder is related to a speed limitation, said controller prevents the vehicle from exceeding the speed limitation when the user operates an acceleration pedal.

8. The optical communication equipment of claim 5, wherein:

in a case where the decoding result by said decoder is related to a prohibition on U-turns, said controller causes a steering wheel to become harder to operate when the user attempts to perform a U-turn.

9. A vehicle control method for controlling traveling of a vehicle comprising:

a first step of installing inter-vehicle communication equipment in the vehicle for transmitting/receiving various information to and from similar equipment installed in other vehicles via optical communication

a second step of transmitting information of traffic regulations via the optical communication so as to be receivable by said inter-vehicle communication equipment, and

a third step of automatically controlling the operation of the vehicle, via a vehicle controller apparatus, to be in accordance with said received traffic regulations.

10. The vehicle control method according to claim 9, wherein said information of traffic regulation is transmitted from a road sign.

11. The vehicle control method of claim 9, wherein:

the third step further comprises, on the condition that the received traffic regulations include a speed limitation, the vehicle controller apparatus preventing the vehicle from exceeding the speed limit when the user operates an acceleration pedal.

12. The vehicle control method of claim 9, wherein:

the third step further comprises, on the condition that the received traffic regulations include a prohibition on U-turns, the vehicle controller apparatus causing a steering wheel to become harder to operate when the user attempts to perform a U-turn.