Vehicle communication device and method of controlling the same

• US 7,414,541 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byoung Chul Bahn
• Original Assignee: Byoung Chul Bahn
• Inventors: Bahn, Byoung Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/410,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20060244633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902, 340/903, 340/904, 340/933, 340/426.16, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 356/5.02, 701/41, 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 180/169
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A vehicle communication device includes a plurality of transmitting and receiving sensors respectively are installed in the front and back side and the left and right side of a vehicle so as to transmit/receive driving information to/from neighboring vehicles, a left/right rotation signal detecting section detects a left or right rotation signal generated by a driver of the vehicle, a wheel angle detecting section detects a wheel rotation angle of the vehicle, a central control section transmits the driving information of the vehicle, including lane change or increase and reduction in speed, to the neighboring vehicle through the corresponding transmitting and receiving sensor, when a left or right rotation signal is detected through the left/right rotation signal detecting section, the detected wheel rotation angle of the vehicle changes more than a predetermined angle, or the detected speed of the vehicle changes more than or less than predetermined speed, and that outputs positional information of the neighboring vehicle with an alarm signal, when receiving the lane change or speed change information of the neighboring vehicle from an arbitrary transmitting and receiving sensor; and a driver information section that, when receiving the positional information of the neighboring vehicle with the alarm signal from the central control section, inform a driver of the information.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication device comprising:

a plurality of transmitting and receiving sensors that respectively are installed in the front and back side and the left and right side of a vehicle so as to transmit and receive driving information to and from neighboring vehicles;

a left/right rotation signal detecting section that detects a left or right rotation signal generated by a driver of the vehicle;

a wheel angle detecting section that detects a wheel rotation angle of the vehicle;

a vehicle speed detecting section that detects the speed of the vehicle;

a central control section that transmits the driving information of the vehicle, including lane change or increase and reduction in speed, to the neighboring vehicle through the corresponding transmitting and receiving sensor, when a left or right rotation signal is detected through the left/right rotation signal detecting section, the wheel rotation angle of the vehicle detected through the wheel angle detecting section changes more than a predetermined angle, or the speed of the vehicle detected through the vehicle speed detecting section changes more than or less than predetermined speed, and that outputs positional information of the neighboring vehicle with an alarm signal, when receiving the lane change or speed change information of the neighboring vehicle from an arbitrary transmitting and receiving sensor; and

a driver information section that, when receiving the positional information of the neighboring vehicle with the alarm signal from the central control section, inform a driver of the information.

2. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the driver information section includes:

a voice output section that informs the positional information of the neighboring vehicle and the corresponding alarm signal as a voice or alarm signal;

an LCD display panel that displays the positional information of the neighboring vehicle and the corresponding alarm signal as a text or figure; and

a alarm lamp that is lit up when the alarm signal is input from the central control section.

3. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1,

wherein any one of the plurality of transmitting and receiving sensors installed in the back side of the vehicle emits an ultrasonic signal within 60 cm so as to detect whether a backward vehicle approaches and then outputs the detected situation to the central control section, and

when informed of the detected situation from the corresponding transmitting and receiving sensor, the central control section outputs the situation to the driver information section.

4. The vehicle communication device according to claim 1 further including

a computer system that, when a driver input information for informing the neighboring vehicle as a voice or text, outputs the information to the central control section so as to exchange driver information between the vehicle and the neighboring vehicle.

5. The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further including

an automatic braking device that automatically drives a brake when a forward vehicle which is moving is suddenly braked.

6. A method of controlling a vehicle communication device by which the information is exchanged between a vehicle and other neighboring vehicles, the method comprising:

judging whether a left or right rotation signal of the vehicle is detected or not;

judging whether a wheel rotation angle of the vehicle is detected to be more than a left or right critical value, when a left or right rotation signal of the vehicle is not detected;

judging whether the speed of the vehicle is increased at more than a reference value or reduced at less than the reference value, when the wheel rotation angle of the vehicle is not detected to be more than a left or right critical value;

judging whether a driver inputs information for informing the other neighboring vehicles as a voice or text through a computer system, when the speed of the vehicle is not increased or reduced; and

returning the step, when the driver does not input information for informing the other neighboring vehicles as a voice or text through the computer system, and transmitting the information to the other neighboring vehicles through arbitrary transmitting and receiving sensors, when the driver inputs the information.

7. The method of controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 6 further including

transmitting lane change information to the other neighboring vehicles through the transmitting and receiving sensors installed in the left and back side of the vehicle, when a left or right rotation signal of the vehicle is detected and the detected signal is a left rotation signal, and transmitting lane change information to the other neighboring vehicles through the transmitting and receiving sensors installed in the right and back side of the vehicle, when the detected signal is a right rotation signal.

8. The method of controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 6 further including

transmitting lane change information to the other neighboring vehicles through the transmitting and receiving sensors installed in the left and back side of the vehicle, when the detected wheel rotation angle is more than a left critical value, and transmitting lane change information to the other neighboring vehicles through the transmitting and receiving sensors installed in the right and back side of the vehicle, when the detected wheel rotation angle is more than a right critical value.

9. The method of controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 6 further including

transmitting speed-increase information to the forward neighboring vehicle through the transmitting and receiving sensor installed in the front side of the vehicle, when it is judged that the speed of the vehicle is increased, and transmitting speed-reduction information to the backward neighboring vehicle through the transmitting and receiving sensor installed in the back side of the vehicle, when it is judged that the speed of the vehicle is reduced.

10. A method of controlling a vehicle communication device by which the information is exchanged between a vehicle and other neighboring vehicles, the method comprising:

judging whether the vehicle and the backward vehicle approaches each other or not;

judging whether information on lane change or speed change of the other neighboring vehicles is received through arbitrary transmitting and receiving sensors, when it is judged that the vehicle and the backward vehicle do not approach each other; and

returning the step when information on lane change or speed change of the other neighboring vehicles is not received through arbitrary transmitting and receiving sensors, informing the driver of the information on lane change or speed change of the other neighboring vehicles with the positional information thereof when the information is received, and transmitting the driving situation of the vehicle in the direction where the information is received, through the transmitting and receiving sensor.

11. The method of controlling a vehicle communication device according to claim 10 including

when it is judged that the vehicle and the backward vehicle approach each other, informing the driver of the situation through a driver information section.