Communication device for a movable body

• US 20060181431A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Konishi, Yoshichika, Niwa, Eiji, Yamamoto, Yasumasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,443,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

A communication device for a movable body mounted to each of movable bodies for exchanging information among the movable bodies includes a surrounding detecting device for detecting a surrounding of the movable body, an appropriateness of relay determining device for determining an appropriateness of relay, a first transmitting process device for transmitting a first signal, a first receiving process device for receiving the first signal sent by the first transmitting process device, a second transmitting process device for determining whether or not the relay is required, and a second receiving process device for receiving the second signal sent by the second transmitting process device.

Claims

1. A communication device for a movable body mounted to each of movable bodies for exchanging information among the movable bodies comprising:

a surrounding detecting means for detecting a surrounding of the movable body;

an appropriateness of relay determining means for determining an appropriateness of relay on the basis of the result detected by the surrounding detecting means;

a first transmitting process means for transmitting a first signal including information indicating a condition of the movable body and the result determined by the appropriateness of relay determining means;

a first receiving process means for receiving the first signal sent by the first transmitting process means and memorizing the first signal in a memorizing means;

a second transmitting process means for determining whether or not the relay is required on the basis of the first signal memorized in the memorizing means, and transmitting a second signal including information of a movable body assigned to be requested to relay the signal; and

a second receiving process means for receiving the second signal sent by the second transmitting process means in order to determine whether or not the relay request exists, and relaying the signal to the movable body assigned to be requested to relay the signal.

2. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding detecting means includes a capturing means that is mounted to the movable body.

3. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 2 further includes a wireless transceiver, in which the first transmitting process means, the second transmitting process means, the first receiving process means and the second receiving process means are mounted to each of the plural movable bodies.

4. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 1 wherein the appropriateness of relay determining means determines an appropriateness of relay at the processing device, which is connected to a navigation device and a displaying device.

5. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 1, wherein information indicating the movable body'"'"'s condition includes a current position, which is detected by the navigation device, a traveling direction and a traveling state of a user'"'"'s movable body.

6. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 5, wherein an identification number and a data serial number is assigned to information of the current location, the traveling direction and a movable body'"'"'s speed, and the information is sent as the first signal by the first transmitting process means to movable bodies around the use'"'"'s movable body at every predetermined time period.

7. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 3, wherein the surrounding detecting means includes a camera, and on the basis of an image signal sent by the camera, it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle, which interrupts a wireless communication, around the user'"'"'s movable body.

8. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 7, wherein the appropriateness of relay determining means determines that the relay is appropriate when there in no obstacle around the movable body, and determines that the relay is not appropriate when an obstacle exist around the movable body.

9. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 1, wherein the appropriateness of relay determining means examines an appropriateness of relay relative to the movable body, which is located within a first range and also located out of a second range, which is smaller than the first range.

10. The communication device for a movable body according to claim 9, wherein the movable body, which is determined as appropriate for relaying, is assigned as a relay requested movable body.