Vehicle-to-vehicle communication device

• US 9,620,143 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, SEONG-AH A
• Application Number:
  US13/746,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 704275, 704201, 704257, 704 9, 370342, 380270, 342 52, 701 45, 701117, 701301
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device generates voice information that includes a voice message and added information regarding an output of the voice message. The voice information is transmitted in one direction of a subject vehicle via a transmission unit, and voice information from another vehicle is received via a reception unit. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device plays the voice message of the voice information received by the reception unit based on the added information of the voice information. In such manner, information regarding a travel situation is appropriately transmitted by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device.

Claims

1. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device disposed in a vehicle for transmitting and receiving information from an other vehicle, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device comprising:

a microphone that receives an utterance spoken by a user in the vehicle and generates a voice message based on the utterance spoken by the user;

a processor configured to generate voice information in response to the voice message which is generated by the microphone, the voice information includes both (i) the voice message generated by the microphone and (ii) added information regarding an output of the voice message, the added information regarding plural levels of a priority setting of the output of the voice message is automatically generated based on contents extracted from the voice message, the plural levels of the priority setting including at least a high priority level setting and a low priority level setting;

a transceiver transmitting the voice information generated by the processor in one direction of the vehicle, the one direction regarding the transmission of the voice information is determined based on the contents extracted from the voice message; and

receiving the voice information transmitted by a transmission unit of the other vehicle; and

a speaker outputting the voice message included in the voice information received by the transceiver based on the added information of the voice information received by the transceiver,

the processor is further configured to output the voice message based on the priority setting identified in the added information in the voice information, the output of the voice message is (i) for the high priority level setting, immediately performed without waiting for an operation of a user, and (ii) for the low priority level setting, performed according to the operation of the user.

2. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the processor automatically sets, as the added information, an output timing of when the voice message included in the voice information to be transmitted by the transceiver is to be outputted based on the contents of the voice message, and

the speaker outputs the voice message according to the output timing of the voice information received by the transceiver.

3. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the processor automatically determines whether the voice message includes safety related information of the vehicle based on the contents of the voice message, and sets the safety attribute in the added information based on the determination result as the added information, and

the speaker outputs the voice message according to the safety attribute included in the voice information received by the transceiver.

4. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the processor is further configured to provide a notification of the added information included in the voice information received by the transceiver;

and

the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device further comprises a switch receiving an input operation in response to the notification by the processor for determining the output of the voice message of the voice information received, wherein

the speaker outputs the voice message according to the input operation from the switch.

5. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the transceiver identifies a receiving direction of the voice information, and

the transceiver forwards the voice information that is received by the transceiver in a direction that is different from the receiving direction.

6. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the processor suppresses the generation of the voice information when the voice message includes at least one of a preset forbidden word and a user-specified forbidden word.

7. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the speaker suppresses the output of the voice message when the voice message is determined as including at least one of a preset forbidden word and an user-specified forbidden word.

8. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the transceiver of the vehicle mutually communicates with a transceiver of the other vehicle;

the transceiver of the vehicle mutually communicates with the transceiver of the other vehicle; and

a transmission range of the transceiver is an inter-vehicle distance for traveling.

9. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the processor generates the voice message in the voice information by converting the spoken voice message input to the microphone to a text data format, the voice information which is transmitted to the other vehicle includes the voice message which is in the text data format;

and

the processor converts the voice message in the voice information which is received by the transceiver from the other vehicle, by using a text-to-speech function, and the processor provides the voice message which is converted to speech to the speaker to output the voice message as sound.

10. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the received voice message is relayed to one of a lead vehicle and a following vehicle, according to an urgency level of the received voice message.

11. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 10, wherein

when the urgency level of the received voice message is determined to be high, the relay to the one of the lead vehicle and the following vehicle is performed without requiring an operation of a driver of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the received voice message is relayed to one of a lead vehicle and a following vehicle, according to a location of an emergency.

13. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the transceiver comprises a short range front transceiver provided on a front part of the vehicle, and a short range rear transceiver provided on a rear part of the vehicle, configured to transmit the voice information in the one direction of the vehicle which was determined based on the contents extracted from the voice message.

14. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 1, wherein

the transceiver comprises at least one short range transceiver provided on the vehicle that transmits the voice information in the one direction of the vehicle which was determined based on the contents extracted from the voice message.

15. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication device of claim 4, wherein

the notification of the added information included in the voice information received by the transceiver is provided by being displayed on a screen display, or is provided by being output from the speaker.