Vehicle-to-vehicle communication system

• US 7,499,675 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Azuma, Kazuyoshi, Tsuzuki, Kiyoshi, Yoshida, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMIN, BHAVESH V
• Application Number:
  US11/593,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/301, 700/304, 370/342, 370/343, 342/357.06, 342/455, 340/903, 340/531, 340/870.18, 340/853.1, 340/853.2, 340/853.3, 340/853.9, 340/855.3, 340/855.4, 34087001-87044, 340901-905, 340/426.16, 340/435, 340/436, 340445-448, 340502-540, 340825-82502, 340 21- 39, 340/825.36, 340/825.39, 340 71- 763, 340/825.49, 340/825.53, 398/125, 455462-466, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/500, 455/90.2, 4551791-2001
• US Class Current: 455/73
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A vehicle-to-vehicle communication device mounted in a subject vehicle includes (i) a transmitter-receiver for communication with other vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices mounted in other vehicles, (ii) a memory that stores communication wavelengths assigned to the other vehicles, and (iii) a communication control unit. When a certain vehicle is determined to be within a dangerous distance from the subject vehicle, the communication control unit refers to a communication wavelength assigned to the certain vehicle stored in the memory. When the communication wavelength assigned to the certain vehicle is identical to a communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle, the communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle is changed to another communication wavelength different from the communication wavelength assigned to the certain vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system including a plurality of vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices that are mounted in vehicles and communicate with one another, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device provided in a subject vehicle, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device provided in the subject vehicle comprising:

a communication wavelength storing unit that stores communication wavelengths assigned to the subject vehicle and nearby vehicles;

a communication condition storing unit that stores communication conditions with respect to communication wavelengths stored in the communication wavelength storing unit;

a communicating unit for communication with other vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices mounted in the nearby vehicles;

a communication controlling unit that

(i) refers to the communication conditions stored in the communication condition storing unit,

(ii) controls the communicating unit under a communication condition corresponding to a communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle to transmit information to other vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices, and

(iii) controls the communicating unit under a communication condition corresponding to a communication wavelength assigned to a nearby vehicle to receive information transmitted from a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device mounted in the nearby vehicle;

an identity determining unit that refers to data stored in the communication wavelength storing unit and determines whether or not a communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle and a communication wavelength assigned to a nearby vehicle are identical with each other; and

a first storage controlling unit that, when it is determined by the identity determining unit that the communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle and the communication wavelength assigned to the nearby vehicle are identical with each other, changes the communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle so that a new communication wavelength is not identical with the communication wavelength assigned to the nearby vehicle, and updates data stored in the communication wavelength storing unit with the new communication wavelength newly assigned to the subject vehicle,

wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device provided in the subject vehicle further comprises;

a vehicle speed detecting unit that detects a running speed of the subject vehicle;

a detection range setting unit that sets a detection range for detecting nearby vehicles according to the running speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting unit; and

a nearby vehicle determining unit that determines whether or not a vehicle is present within the detection range set by the detection range setting unit, and

wherein when it is determined by the nearby vehicle determining unit that a certain vehicle is present within the detection range, the communication controlling unit defines the certain vehicle as a nearby vehicle and communicates selectively with a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device mounted in the certain vehicle.

2. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication conditions with respect to the nearby vehicles include information to allow the communication controlling unit of the subject vehicle to change an own communication wavelength.

3. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein at least four different communication wavelengths are included in the communication wavelengths.

4. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the detection range setting unit expands the detection range when the running speed of the subject vehicle increases and narrows the detection range when the running speed of the subject vehicle decreases.

5. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device provided in the subject vehicle further comprises:

a variability determining unit that determines whether or not a nearby vehicle determined to be present within the detection range by the nearby vehicle determining unit is in a distance variable state, and

wherein when it is determined by the variability determining unit that a certain nearby vehicle is in a distance variable state, the communication controlling unit does not change a communication wavelength assigned to the subject vehicle based on a communication wavelength assigned to the certain nearby vehicle.

6. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication devices provided in the subject vehicle further comprises:

a second storage controlling unit that, when the communicating unit receives notice that a communication wavelength assigned to a nearby vehicle has been changed from a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device mounted in the nearby vehicle, updates data stored in the communication wavelength storing unit with a new communication wavelength newly assigned to the nearby vehicle.