Vehicle communication apparatus and system for supporting vehicles passing through narrow road

• US 7,394,400 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tauchi, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins; Davetta W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McNally; Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US11/362,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20060208923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 340/904, 340/905, 340/906, 340/928, 340/935, 340/435, 340/436, 340/988, 701/1, 701/200, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

In the car navigation system including a vehicle communication apparatus mounted on a vehicle, different diffusion codes are assigned to each road such as a single lane road and a road with double lanes. In data transmission to other vehicles, each vehicle switches to and uses the diffusion codes assigned to the road on which own vehicle currently travels. Even if many on-coming vehicles travel in line, radio wave interference between the vehicles does not occurs and the lacking of communication channels also does not occurs because each vehicle uses the diffusion codes assigned to the road on which own vehicle travels.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication apparatus mounted on a vehicle configured to communicate with other vehicles using transmission channels and receiving channels, wherein different transmission channels are assigned to roads, respectively, and the roads include a single lane road, a first approach road, and a second approach road, one end of the single lane road is joined to the first approach road, the other end of the single lane road is joined to the second approach road, wherein the single lane road is characterized by two vehicles being substantially unable to pass each other thereon, wherein the first and second approach roads are characterized by two vehicles being able to pass each other thereon, the vehicle communication apparatus comprising:

road recognition means configured to recognize a road on which the vehicle equipped with the vehicle communication apparatus exists or is running;

transmission channel switching means configured to switch to a transmission channel assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means when a transmission of information is initiated to other vehicles; and

vehicle communication means configured to communicate with on-coming vehicles among the other vehicles which travel on at least one of the single lane road and the second approach road using the transmission channel switched to by the transmission channel switching means.

2. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

road data memory means configured to store road data including position data regarding positions of the single lane road, the first and second approach roads, and transmission channel data indicating the transmission channels assigned to the single lane road and the first and second approach roads; and

position detection means configured to detect a current position of the vehicle on the road,

wherein the road recognition means recognizes the road corresponding to the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means.

3. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising transmission channel recognition means configured to recognize the transmission channel assigned to the road which is recognized by the road recognition means based on the road data including the transmission channel data, wherein the transmission channel switching means switches to the transmission channel recognized by the transmission channel recognition means as the transmission channel to be used by the vehicle communication means.

4. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads includes a predetermined number of different transmission channels, and

the transmission channel switching means switches to a currently unused transmission channel of the predetermined number of different transmission channels assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means.

5. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads includes a predetermined number of different transmission channels, and

the transmission channel switching means switches to a currently unused transmission channel of the predetermined number of different transmission channels assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means.

6. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads includes a predetermined number of different transmission channels, and

the transmission channel switching means switches to a currently unused transmission channel of the predetermined number of different transmission channels assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means.

7. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transmission channel switching means switches to one of the transmission channels of the predetermined number of different transmission channels even if all of the transmission channels assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means are currently used, and

the vehicle communication means further comprises transmission inhibiting means configured to halt the transmission of information using the transmission channel switched by the transmission channel switching means while this transmission channel is used.

8. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein vehicle communication means receives information transferred from the other vehicles using the transmission channels assigned to the single lane road and the first and second approach roads regardless of inhibition of the transmission of information by the transmission inhibiting means.

9. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle communication means transmits and receives information based on a spectrum communication scheme using diffusion codes, and

the transmission channel switching means switches to a diffusion code as the different transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads, and

the vehicle communication means transmits and receives information using the diffusion code to be used for the transmission channel switched by the transmission channel switching means.

10. A system for assisting a plurality of vehicles passing through a single lane load, where one end of the single lane road is joined to a first approach road and the other end of the single lane road is joined to a second approach road, wherein the single lane road is characterized by two vehicles being unable to pass each other thereon, wherein the first and second approach roads are characterized by two vehicles being able to pass each other thereon, wherein each of the plurality of vehicles is equipped with a vehicle communication apparatus capable of communicating with other vehicles of the plurality of vehicles using different transmission channels assigned to the single lane road, the first approach road, and the second approach road, respectively, the vehicle communication apparatus comprising:

road recognition means configured to recognize the first approach road on which the vehicle of the vehicle communication apparatus is currently disposed;

transmission channel switching means configured to switch to a transmission channel assigned to the first approach road recognized by the road recognition means when the vehicle initiates a transmission of information to other vehicles of the plurality of vehicles; and

vehicle communication means configured to communicate with the other vehicles including on-coming vehicles disposed on at least one of the single lane road and the second approach road using the transmission channel switched by the transmission channel switching means,

wherein a vehicle stop request signal is transmitted to the on-coming vehicles on the second approach road when the vehicle is disposed on the first approach road and is going to enter the single lane road, and

each of the on-coming vehicles on the second approach road transmits a response signal to the vehicle when receiving the vehicle stop request signal and stops based on the vehicle stop request signal received.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle on the first approach road transfers the vehicle stop request signal to the other vehicles when the vehicle stops within a given distance measured from a joint point between the first approach road and the single lane road.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle receives response information from each on-coming vehicle on the single lane road using the transmission channel assigned to the single lane road, and determines that no on-coming vehicle is disposed on the single lane road when no response information is received using the transmission channel assigned to the single lane road.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle transmits start information that the vehicle is entering the single lane road to the on-coming vehicles on the second approach road when no response information is received using the transmission channel assigned to the single lane road.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the vehicle transmits the start information to the on-coming vehicles on the second approach road using a transmission channel assigned to the second approach road.

15. A vehicle communication apparatus mounted on a vehicle configured to communicate with other vehicles using transmission channels and receiving channels, wherein different transmission channels are assigned to roads, respectively, and the roads include a single lane road, a first approach road, and a second approach road, one end of the single lane road is joined to the first approach road, the other end of the single lane road is joined to the second approach road, wherein the single lane road is characterized by two vehicles being substantially unable to pass each other thereon, wherein the first and second approach roads are characterized by two vehicles being able to pass each other thereon, the vehicle communication apparatus comprising:

road recognition means configured to recognize a road on which the vehicle equipped with the vehicle communication apparatus is currently disposed as one of the single lane road, the first approach road, and the second approach road;

transmission channel switching means configured to switch to a transmission channel assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means when a transmission of information is initiated to the other vehicles; and

vehicle communication means configured to;

communicate with on-coming vehicles among the other vehicles which travel on at least one of the single lane road and the second approach road using the transmission channel switched to by the transmission channel switching means when the road on which the vehicle is currently disposed is recognized as the first approach road by the road recognition means;

transmit a vehicle stop request signal to the on-coming vehicles on the second approach road when the road on which the vehicle is currently disposed is recognized as the first approach road by the road recognition means and the vehicle is going to enter the single lane road; and

transmit a response signal in response to a received vehicle stop request signal indicating that the vehicle will stop when the road on which the vehicle is currently disposed is recognized as the second approach road by the road recognition means.

16. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the vehicle communication means transmits and receives information based on code division multiple access (CDMA) using a plurality of diffusion codes,

the transmission channel switching means switches to a different diffusion code of the plurality of diffusion codes as the different transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads, and

the vehicle communication means transmits and receives information using the different diffusion code for the transmission channel switched to by the transmission channel switching means.

17. The vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the transmission channel assigned to each of the single lane road and the first and second approach roads includes a predetermined number of different transmission channels accessible by a predetermined number of code division multiple access (CDMA) diffusion codes, and

the transmission channel switching means switches to a currently unused transmission channel of the predetermined number of different transmission channels assigned to the road recognized by the road recognition means.