Radio communications system for controlling a vehicle

• US 7,496,432 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Masayuki, Yoshimura, Kentaro, Shimura, Takanori, Morita, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/206,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20060089757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A radio control system for controlling a vehicle includes a transmission node for transmitting vehicle control data, the vehicle control data including at least one of a measured value of a vehicle state or a driver'"'"'s manipulated variable and a control target value of a control actuator in the vehicle, a reception node for receiving the vehicle control data, and a plurality of radio communication routes between the transmission node and the reception node. A radio communication route that satisfies communication limit time of transmission data including the vehicle control data and satisfies lowest required reliability of the transmission data is selected from among the radio communication routes.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system, comprising:

a transmission node for transmitting vehicle control data, the vehicle control data including at least one of a measured value of a vehicle state or a driver'"'"'s manipulated variable and a control target value of a control actuator in the vehicle;

a reception node for receiving the vehicle control data;

a plurality of radio communication routes between the transmission node and the reception node; and

load distribution means for selecting a radio communication route that satisfies communication limit time of transmission data, including the vehicle control data and with individually assigned required reliability levels, and satisfies a lowest required reliability of the transmission data, from among the radio communication routes.

2. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the required reliability of the transmission data is specified as a required success rate or an allowable failure rate.

3. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein if a communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is not present, a radio communication route is generated so as to satisfy the required reliability of the transmission data.

4. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein if a communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is not present, a radio communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is generated by altering a protocol for radio communication to a protocol having higher reliability.

5. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein if a communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is not present, a radio communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is generated by enhancing signal strength at time of radio communication.

6. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein if a communication route satisfying the required reliability of the transmission data is not present, the required reliability of the transmission data is lowered and a radio communication route is selected so as to satisfy the lowered required reliability, and data provided with information indicating that the required reliability of the transmission data has been lowered is transmitted, and a notice to that effect is sent to a transmission request origin of the transmission data.

7. A vehicle communication system according to claim 6, wherein the reception node that has received transmission data lowered in required reliability of the transmission data receives the transmission data lowered in required reliability a plurality of times and conducts reliability evaluation of the transmission data.

8. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein said radio communication routes include one or more communication nodes for relaying data transmission from said transmission node to said reception node, if reliability of said communication node has lowered, reliability of a radio communication route including the communication node having lowered reliability is reevaluated and the radio communication route is reestablished according to the required reliability of the transmission data.

9. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein if a first node of said communication routes has found reliability lowering in a second node of said communication routes different from the first node, the first node sends a notice of the reliability lowering information to a third node of said communication routes different from the first and second nodes.

10. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein communication between the transmission and reception nodes is conducted by jointly using electric power line carrier communication using an electric power supply line.

11. A vehicle communication system according to claim 10, wherein communication between the transmission and reception nodes is conducted by using electric power line carrier communication using an electric power supply line, at time of abnormality in radio communication.

12. A vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein said load distribution means select a radio communication route leading from the transmission node to the reception node on the basis of the required reliability of the transmission data and reliability of the radio communication routes.

13. A vehicle communication system according to claim 12, wherein said load distribution means select a radio communication route candidate having a lower value as regards reliability of radio communication route candidates as long as the radio communication route satisfies the required reliability of the transmission data.

14. A vehicle communication system according to claim 12, wherein the reliability of the radio communication routes and the required reliability of the transmission data are classified on the basis of previously evaluated thresholds.

15. A vehicle communication system according to claim 12, further comprising a relay node disposed in said radio communication route between the transmission node and the reception node, wherein the reliability of the radio communication routes is calculated on the basis of at least one of a failure rate of the relay node and a communication parameter including a communication protocol or communication strength.

16. A vehicle communication system according to claim 12, wherein reliability of the radio communication routes and the required reliability of transmission data are classified into a plurality of groups, a reliability group of selectable radio communication routes is associated with a required reliability group of transmission data, and the radio communication route from said transmission node to said reception node is selected.

17. A vehicle communication system according to claim 12, wherein, when the radio communication route from said transmission node to said reception node is to be selected on the basis of the required reliability of the transmission data and reliability of the radio communication routes, an evaluation calculation expression for evaluating a communication route on the basis of a required communication time and reliability of the radio communication route is set so as to be associated with transmission data, and a communication route having a high evaluation mark calculated by using the evaluation calculation expression is selected.