Radio map updating apparatus, and communication quality determining apparatus

Abstract

The radio wave map updating device includes: a storage unit (201) that stores a radio wave map including reference position information indicating a reference position, reference blockage information indicating a reference blockage state of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station at the reference position and the reference blockage state; a reception unit (202) that receives communication quality information between a probe information transmission device mounted on a mobile body and the first base station or the second base station; and an update unit (211) that updates the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit using the communication quality information.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-172339, filed on October 13, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to apparatuses related to radio charts, namely, radio chart providing apparatuses that are mainly implemented by servers as radio chart updating apparatuses and communication quality determination apparatuses, radio chart utilizing apparatuses that are mainly mounted on mobile bodies as communication quality determination apparatuses, and methods implemented by these apparatuses and programs executed by these apparatuses. Background Technology

[0004] With the widespread adoption of wireless communication, opportunities for communication using wireless communication in various settings are increasing. In particular, technologies using wireless communication for driving assistance and autonomous driving control in mobile vehicles are gaining attention, and the so-called vehicle connectivity is constantly developing. Specifically, by adopting fifth-generation mobile communication systems (hereinafter referred to as 5G) for vehicle communication, high-speed and high-capacity communication between vehicle-mounted communication devices and base stations can be expected.

[0005] However, although 5G utilizes high-frequency band communication technology, high-frequency radio waves are known to have high straightness. The communication quality of 5G, despite its high straightness, is affected by obstructions in the communication path, therefore, it is necessary to consider these obstructions when communicating.

[0006] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that uses previously generated obstruction history information. According to the communication device of Patent Document 1, in cases where there is a risk of communication quality degradation due to obstruction, the communication device's connection destination is controlled to avoid communication quality degradation due to obstruction.

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-022089

[0008] Here, the inventors have discovered the following issues.

[0009] Considering that between mobile entities such as vehicles and base stations, in addition to fixed objects such as buildings, there are also movable objects such as vehicles that act as obstructions in the communication path. However, in previous technologies, the degradation of communication quality caused by moving obstructions was not considered, so there is a possibility that vehicles cannot accurately predict the future degradation of communication quality when communicating. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to generate radio waveforms that take into account the degradation of communication quality caused by movable obstructions.

[0011] Furthermore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide and utilize radio waveforms corresponding to the occlusion conditions caused by a movable occluder.

[0012] One aspect of the radio wave map updating apparatus disclosed herein includes: a storage unit that stores a radio wave map having reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; a receiving unit that receives communication quality information between a detection information transmitting device mounted on a mobile body and the first base station or the second base station; and an updating unit that updates the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit using the communication quality information.

[0013] The communication quality determination apparatus of this disclosure in another manner includes: a storage unit that stores reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; a predetermined position information acquisition unit that acquires predetermined position information indicating a predetermined movement position of a mobile body equipped with a radio chart utilizing device communicating with the first base station or the second base station; an obstruction prediction unit that, based on the predetermined position information, predicts obstruction of communication between the radio chart utilizing device and the first base station due to a movable obstruction body, and generates predicted obstruction information indicating a predicted obstruction condition; a radio chart determination unit that determines the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information and determines the reference obstruction information indicating the reference obstruction condition corresponding to the predicted obstruction condition; and a communication quality determination unit that determines the reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information and the reference obstruction information.

[0014] The other radio wave map updating method disclosed herein is a radio wave map updating method executed by a radio wave map updating device, which includes: a storage unit that stores a radio wave map having reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; receives communication quality information between a detection information transmitting device mounted on a mobile body and the first base station or the second base station; and updates the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit using the communication quality information.

[0015] The other radio wave map update program disclosed herein is a radio wave map update program that can be executed by a radio wave map update device, which includes: a storage unit that stores a radio wave map having reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or the second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; receives communication quality information between a detection information transmitting device mounted on a mobile body and the first base station or the second base station; and updates the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit using the communication quality information.

[0016] The other communication quality determination method disclosed herein is a communication quality determination method executed by a communication quality determination device that determines the communication quality of a radio wave map. The communication quality determination device includes: a storage unit that stores a radio wave map having reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first or second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; acquiring predetermined position information indicating a predetermined movement position of a mobile body equipped with a radio wave map utilizing device communicating with the first or second base station; predicting, in the predetermined position information, obstruction of communication between the radio wave map utilizing device and the first base station due to a movable obstruction body; generating predicted obstruction information indicating a predicted obstruction condition; determining the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information; determining the reference obstruction information indicating the reference obstruction condition corresponding to the predicted obstruction condition; and determining the reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information and the reference obstruction information.

[0017] The other communication quality determination procedure disclosed herein is a communication quality determination procedure that can be executed by a communication quality determination device that determines the communication quality of a radio wave map. This communication quality determination device includes: a storage unit that stores a radio wave map having reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first or second base station under the reference position and the reference obstruction condition; a predetermined position information indicating a predetermined movement position of a mobile body equipped with a radio wave map utilizing device communicating with the first or second base station; predicting, in the predetermined position information, obstruction of communication between the radio wave map utilizing device and the first base station due to a movable obstruction body; generating predicted obstruction information indicating a predicted obstruction condition; determining the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information; determining the reference obstruction information indicating the reference obstruction condition corresponding to the predicted obstruction condition; and determining the reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information and the reference obstruction information.

[0018] Furthermore, the numbers in parentheses attached to the constituent elements of the invention described in the claims indicate the correspondence between the invention and the embodiments described later, but do not limit the invention.

[0019] With the configuration described above, it is possible to generate a radio wave pattern that takes into account the degradation of communication quality caused by movable obstructions.

[0020] Furthermore, with the configuration described above, it is possible to provide and utilize radio waveforms corresponding to the blocking conditions caused by the movable blocking body. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration shared by all embodiments of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device, namely the detection information transmitting device and the radio wave map utilization device, according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the radio wave pattern generated and utilized in the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the occlusion situation of the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the radio wave map updating apparatus and the radio wave map providing apparatus of the server apparatus as a first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the detection information transmitting device and the radio wave map updating device according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the radio wave image utilization device and the radio wave image providing device according to the first embodiment.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the detection information transmitting device and the radio wave map utilizing device of the vehicle-mounted device as a second embodiment.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the radio wave map updating apparatus and the radio wave map providing apparatus as a server device in the second embodiment.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the radio wave image utilization device and the radio wave image providing device according to the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Furthermore, the invention described below refers to the invention as set forth in the claims and is not limited to the embodiments described below. Additionally, at least the statements enclosed in quotation marks refer to the statements set forth in the claims and are similarly not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0033] The configurations and methods described in the dependent claims are any configurations and methods in the invention described in the independent claims. The configurations and methods of embodiments corresponding to the configurations and methods described in the dependent claims, and configurations and methods not described in the claims but only described in the embodiments, are arbitrary configurations and methods in this invention. Configurations and methods described in embodiments where the scope of the claims is broader than that of the embodiments are also examples of the configurations and methods of this invention; in this sense, they are arbitrary configurations and methods in this invention. In all cases, the configurations and methods required by the independent claims become essential to the invention.

[0034] The effects described in the embodiments are effects under the configuration of embodiments that serve as examples of the present invention, and are not necessarily effects of the present invention.

[0035] In the case of multiple implementations, the configurations disclosed in each implementation are not limited to that specific implementation, but can be combined across implementations. For example, the configurations disclosed in one implementation can be combined with those in other implementations. Alternatively, the configurations disclosed in multiple implementations can be combined in a centralized manner.

[0036] The subject matter described in this disclosure is not a known subject matter, but a subject matter discovered independently by the inventor, and together with the structure and method of this disclosure, it affirms the inventiveness of the invention.

[0037] 1. Overall structure shared by all implementation methods

[0038] First use Figure 1 The overall configuration of the equipment used in each implementation method and their interrelationships will be explained.

[0039] Vehicle-mounted devices A and C, which are mounted on a vehicle that is a "mobile body", are connected to server device B via a communication network.

[0040] Here, "moving body" refers to an object capable of movement at any speed. It also includes situations where the moving body is stationary. Examples include, but are not limited to, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, ships, airplanes, and the goods carried on them.

[0041] In addition, "mounted" includes not only cases where it is directly fixed to a moving body, but also cases where it moves with the moving body even though it is not fixed to it. For example, cases where it is carried by a person riding on the moving body, or cases where it is mounted on goods placed on the moving body.

[0042] The vehicle-mounted device A is equivalent to the detection information transmitting device of the various embodiments described below, and transmits the information needed to generate the radio wave map, i.e., the detection information, to the server device B via a communication network.

[0043] Server device B is equivalent to the radio wave map updating device in each embodiment. It receives detection information from vehicle-mounted device A via a communication network and updates or generates a "radio wave map" based on the detection information.

[0044] Here, "radio map" refers to a set of communication quality status or estimates at a specific location, such as a map that maps each grid point on a map to the average bit rate (bps) or RSSI per unit time.

[0045] In addition, server device B is equivalent to the radio wave map providing device in each embodiment, and sends the radio wave map or a portion of the information contained in the radio wave map updated or generated by the radio wave map updating device to vehicle device C via a communication network.

[0046] The vehicle-mounted device C is equivalent to the radio wave image utilization device in each embodiment, which receives and utilizes radio wave image information from the server device B.

[0047] Vehicle-mounted device A and vehicle-mounted device C receive positioning signals from satellite positioning systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System) to obtain their respective location information.

[0048] Vehicle-mounted device A and vehicle-mounted device C communicate wirelessly with the base station.

[0049] In the following implementation, it is assumed that 5G is used as the wireless communication method with the base station. However, in addition to 5G, other wireless communication methods can also be used, such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), HSPA (High Speed ​​Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution Advanced), 4G, etc. Alternatively, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) can be used.

[0050] In addition to the wireless communication methods mentioned above, communication networks can also use wired communication methods. For example, LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, and landline telephone lines can be used. When using wired communication methods, assume the vehicle is parked at home or in another parking lot, or at a repair shop.

[0051] Wireless communication networks can also combine wireless and wired communication methods. For example, vehicle-mounted device A can be connected to a base station via 5G wireless communication, while the connection from the base station can be established via the backbone of a telecommunications operator or wired communication methods such as the Internet.

[0052] Furthermore, although examples of vehicle-mounted device A and vehicle-mounted device C being mounted in different vehicles have been described, they can also be mounted in a single vehicle. In this case, vehicle-mounted device A and vehicle-mounted device C can of course be installed as separate devices, or the functions of vehicle-mounted device A (detection information transmission device) and vehicle-mounted device C (radio waveform utilization device) can be combined into one vehicle-mounted device.

[0053] Furthermore, although an example has been described in which server device B has the functions of both the radio wave map updating device and the radio wave map providing device of this embodiment, they can also be set separately in different server devices.

[0054] 2. First Implementation Method

[0055] (1) Composition of vehicle-mounted devices (detection information transmission device 1100, radio wave map utilization device 1150)

[0056] use Figure 2 The configuration of the vehicle-mounted device in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the vehicle-mounted device is configured to perform the functions of both the detection information transmitting device 1100 and the radio wave pattern utilization device 1150 (corresponding to the "communication quality determination device").

[0057] The vehicle-mounted device includes a location information acquisition unit 101, a wireless communication unit 102, a communication quality information acquisition unit 103, an obstruction cause information acquisition unit 104, a control unit 105, a transmission unit 106, a predetermined location information acquisition unit 107, a receiving unit 108, and a storage unit 109. Furthermore, the control unit 105 implements a communication interruption determination unit 110, an obstruction prediction unit 111, a radio wave pattern determination unit 112, a communication quality determination unit 113, and a communication control unit 114.

[0058] The vehicle-mounted system can consist of a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), volatile memory such as RAM, non-volatile memory such as ROM, flash memory or hard disk, various interfaces, and internal buses connecting them. Furthermore, it can be configured to execute software on this hardware to enable… Figure 2 The functions of each module described herein will be explained later. Figure 5 The same applies to the server device shown and the device described in the second embodiment. Of course, the vehicle-mounted device can also be implemented using dedicated hardware such as LSI.

[0059] In this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device is assumed to be in the form of an electronic control unit (ECU, hereinafter referred to as ECU) as a semi-finished product, but it is not limited to this. For example, as a component, it can be a semiconductor circuit or a semiconductor module, and as a finished product, it can be a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a navigation system.

[0060] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device can be composed of multiple ECUs, in addition to a single ECU. For example, a communication ECU can be responsible for communication with the outside world. Alternatively, different ECUs can be used to construct the detection information transmission device 1100 and the radio wave map utilization device 1150.

[0061] Figure 2 The vehicle-mounted device includes modules specifically used by the detection information transmitting device 1100, modules specifically used by the radio wave map utilizing device 1150, and modules used by both the detection information transmitting device 1100 and the radio wave map utilizing device 1150. Hereinafter, the modules used by the detection information transmitting device 1100 will be described first, followed by the modules used by the radio wave map utilizing device 1150.

[0062] First, the module used by the detection information transmitting device 1100 will be explained.

[0063] The location information acquisition unit 101 acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle. The location information acquisition unit 101 mainly consists of a positioning receiver from a satellite positioning device. Only a positioning receiver compatible with the satellite system being used needs to be installed. In addition to the positioning receiver, the location information acquisition unit 101 also includes a device for providing correction information for refining the location information. For example, inertial sensors such as gyroscopes or accelerometers, laser sensors, and map information databases can also be acquired by the location information acquisition unit 101.

[0064] The wireless communication unit 102 communicates wirelessly with external communication devices, and in this embodiment with a base station, to send and receive necessary information. In this embodiment, a 5G communication device is assumed to be the wireless communication unit 102, but it could also be an LTE communication device, a V2X communication device, or a Wi-Fi communication device. Furthermore, although a 5G base station is assumed to be the external communication device communicating with the wireless communication unit 102, it could also be an access point (AP) in the case of Wi-Fi, or other vehicles or roadside units in the case of V2X. Of course, it can also support multiple communication methods. When multiple base stations are available for connection, the wireless communication unit 102 automatically selects the base station to communicate with.

[0065] The communication quality information acquisition unit 103 acquires "communication quality information," which indicates the communication quality of wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 102 and the base station at the current location of the vehicle, as acquired by the location information acquisition unit 101. For example, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 can use a device that measures communication speed as communication quality. Alternatively, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 can also acquire communication quality information from an external communication device or the like.

[0066] Here, "communication quality information" refers to the state or estimation result of wireless communication. As indicators representing this information, in addition to the average bit rate (bps) per unit time, other indicators such as RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, SIR, BER, propagation function, and propagation path matrix can be listed.

[0067] In order to obtain information for evaluating the communication quality of the uplink, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 can acquire information related to the transmission status in the frequency band allocated to the uplink. For example, the average transmission bit rate (bps) per unit time corresponds to this information. Alternatively, it can receive the RSSI, RISP, and RSRQ of a reference signal measured at the base station from the base station. By using this information, the radio wave map update device 1200 of the server device can generate or update the transmission radio wave map at a specific location on the map.

[0068] Furthermore, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 acquires information related to the reception status in the frequency band allocated to the downlink in order to obtain information for evaluating the communication quality of the downlink. For example, the RSSI, RSRP, and RSRQ of the reference signal correspond to this information. By using this information, the received radio wave map at a specific location on the map can be generated or updated in the radio wave map update device 1200 of the server device.

[0069] In the following embodiments, an example of communication quality information for the uplink is described, but this disclosure can also be applied to the communication quality of the downlink. Alternatively, the communication quality information may show both the uplink and downlink communication quality simultaneously.

[0070] The communication quality information acquisition unit 103 can also function as the wireless communication unit 102. Furthermore, the communication quality information acquired and output by the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 may not be the absolute value of each measured value, but rather calculated based on standardized relative values. For example, it could be a value where the maximum speed extracted under ideal communication conditions without radio interference is set to 100, and the minimum speed is set to 0.

[0071] It is assumed that the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 acquires the communication quality information between the wireless communication unit 102 and one of the connected base stations. However, if there are multiple base stations at the current location of the vehicle where the wireless communication unit 102 can perform wireless communication, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 can also acquire the communication quality information between each of the multiple base stations.

[0072] If the communication interruption determination unit 110 (described later) determines that a communication interruption has occurred between the wireless communication unit 102 and the connected base station, the obstruction cause information acquisition unit 104 acquires obstruction cause information. The obstruction cause information indicates information about an obstruction that is blocking communication with the base station, such as still images or videos of the vehicle's surroundings captured by a vehicle-mounted camera. The obstruction cause information may also be image information from the direction of the base station in the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera, indicating the communication interruption. Other examples include measurement information of the vehicle's surroundings detected by a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system mounted on the vehicle, or information about other vehicles traveling around the vehicle received through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Furthermore, the obstruction cause information acquisition unit 104 may also acquire a combination of the above-mentioned information as the obstruction cause information.

[0073] The control unit 105 controls the operation of the location information acquisition unit 101, the wireless communication unit 102, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103, the obstruction cause information acquisition unit 104, and the transmission unit 106. Furthermore, the control unit 105 itself implements the communication interruption determination unit 110.

[0074] The communication interruption determination unit 110 determines, based on the communication quality information acquired by the communication quality information acquisition unit 103, whether a communication interruption has occurred between the wireless communication unit 102 and the connected base station (corresponding to the "first base station"). For example, the communication interruption determination unit 110 may also determine that a communication interruption has occurred between the wireless communication unit 102 and the base station if a predetermined number of RLF (Radio Link Failure) events have occurred.

[0075] The transmitting unit 106 transmits the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 101, the communication quality information acquired by the communication quality information acquisition unit 103, the occlusion cause information acquired by the occlusion cause information acquisition unit 104, and the communication interruption determination result of the communication interruption determination unit 110 as detection information to the radio wave map updating device 1200. For example, in this embodiment, the following information is transmitted as detection information.

[0076] (Detection information)

[0077] Timestamp: The moment (UTC) when the probe information was generated.

[0078] Location information: Vehicle location coordinates obtained via GPS, etc.

[0079] Communication quality information: Communication speed with the base station in the communication [Mbps]

[0080] Base station ID: The base station ID used in communication

[0081] Whether or not obstruction occurs: Whether or not communication interruption occurs with the base station.

[0082] Obstruction cause information: Information about the vehicle's surroundings at the time of the communication interruption.

[0083] In the example above, the base station ID represents the base station that the wireless communication unit 102 is communicating at its current location, and the communication quality information is the communication quality information of the base station represented by the base station ID. Although it is expected that the base station represented by the base station ID, that is, the base station in communication, is a base station that does not cause obstruction (corresponding to "second base station"), it can also be a base station that causes obstruction (corresponding to "first base station").

[0084] In addition, other information can also be sent as probe information. For example, in the event of a communication interruption with a base station, the probe information may further include the ID of the base station that caused the communication interruption. Furthermore, besides the control unit 105, information that can be generated and sent as probe information can also be generated by a specific module.

[0085] According to the detection information transmitting device 1100 of this embodiment, obstruction cause information is transmitted as detection information along with communication quality information. Therefore, in the radio wave map updating device 1200 that receives the detection information, radio wave maps corresponding to the obstruction conditions caused by the obstruction body indicated by the obstruction cause information can be generated.

[0086] Next, the module used by the radio wave diagram utilization device 1150 will be described.

[0087] The predetermined location information acquisition unit 107 "acquires" "determined location information," which indicates the predetermined location where the vehicle is scheduled to move in the future. For example, in the case of an autonomous driving vehicle, the autonomous driving system calculates the movement path to the vehicle's destination in advance. Furthermore, even when the vehicle is manually operated by the driver, a recommended movement path to the destination is provided to the driver via a navigation system. Therefore, the predetermined location information acquisition unit 107 acquires predetermined location information based on the movement path calculated in advance by the autonomous driving system or the navigation system.

[0088] Here, "reserved location information" only needs to include information about the location where the mobile body is scheduled to move. For example, it can also be information indicating the destination of the mobile body or information indicating the mobile body's movement plan.

[0089] "Acquisition" includes cases where predetermined location information is acquired from external communication devices or the like, and cases where predetermined location information is acquired by the radio wave map utilization device itself.

[0090] The transmitting unit 106 transmits the predetermined location information acquired by the predetermined location information acquisition unit 107 to the radio wave map providing device 1250. The transmitting unit 106 may also transmit a radio wave map request for transmission along with the predetermined location information.

[0091] The receiving unit 108 receives a radio wave map from the radio wave map providing device 1250. Here, the radio wave map received by the receiving unit 108 is a radio wave map of the position corresponding to the predetermined position information transmitted by the transmitting unit 106.

[0092] Storage unit 109 stores the radio wave diagrams received by receiving unit 108. Figure 3 An example of a radio waveform of this embodiment is shown.

[0093] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the radio wave diagram includes reference location information, frequency information, connectable base station ID, obstruction status number, obstructing base station ID, connected base station ID, and reference communication quality information. Hereinafter, the connectable base station ID, obstructing base station ID, connected base station ID, and obstruction status number will be used as the reference obstruction information. Figure 3 The radio waveform shown is an example; for instance, reference occlusion information may also include information beyond that.

[0094] Reference location information refers to the reference location of the point from which the reference communication quality described later is obtained, such as latitude, longitude, altitude, or the ID of a grid point on a map. Reference location information may not be information representing a specific location, but may also be information representing a range on a map (e.g., a range of latitude X to Y).

[0095] Frequency information indicates the wireless frequency used for wireless communication at the reference location shown in the reference location information.

[0096] Connectable base station ID represents the base station that can conduct wireless communication at the reference location; that is, the ID of the connectable base station.

[0097] The obstruction situation number represents the "obstruction situation" (hereinafter referred to as the baseline obstruction situation) of communication with the base station at a reference location, caused by a movable obstruction. Different numbers are assigned based on the baseline obstruction situation. For example, the obstruction situation number can also be assigned based on a combination of base stations whose communication is obstructed by movable obstructions and base stations whose communication is not obstructed by movable obstructions. Figure 3 In the example, values ​​1000, 1001, and 1002 are assigned as occlusion condition numbers. Details of the baseline occlusion conditions represented by each occlusion condition number will be described later.

[0098] The obstructing base station ID represents the ID of a base station whose communication at a reference position is obstructed by a movable obstruction.

[0099] The connected base station ID represents the base station that can be connected to for wireless communication at the reference location; that is, the ID of the connected base station.

[0100] The reference communication quality information represents the reference communication quality with the connected base station obtained at the reference location and under reference obstruction conditions.

[0101] Here, "obstruction conditions" naturally include objects that obstruct communication, the environment that causes obstruction, and the fact that obstruction exists.

[0102] Figure 4 An example of a baseline occlusion condition corresponding to an occlusion condition number is shown. Figure 4 (a) shows Figure 3 The occlusion situation shown is number 1000. Figure 4 (b) shows the case with occlusion number 1001. Figure 4 (c) shows the baseline occlusion condition for occlusion condition number 1002.

[0103] Figure 4 (a) shows the situation where, at reference positions X1, Y1, there are no movable obstructions between base stations BS100, BS200, and BS300. For example... Figure 4 As shown in (a), in this embodiment, occlusion situation number 1000 indicates an occlusion situation where there is no obstruction between any of the base stations BS100, BS200, and BS300. Figure 4 In (a), there is no base station obstructing wireless communication, and wireless communication is conducted with BS100. Therefore, in Figure 3 In the radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and obstruction situation number (1000), there is no obstructing base station ID, and the connected base station ID is represented by (100). According to... Figure 3 The radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and occlusion condition number (1000), yields a reference communication quality of 100 Mbps.

[0104] Furthermore, in cases where there are fixed obstructions such as buildings between the reference location and the base station, it also provides... Figure 4 (a) shows the obstruction situation number 1000. This is because, in the presence of a fixed, immovable obstruction, the radio wave diagram has a baseline communication quality based on the existence of a fixed obstruction.

[0105] In contrast, Figure 4(b) illustrates the situation where, at reference positions X1, Y1, there is a movable obstruction between the base station BS100 and the target location. Figure 4 As shown in (b), in this embodiment, the occlusion status is represented by occlusion status number 1001, indicating an obstruction of communication with base station BS100 at the reference position, but not an obstruction of communication with base stations BS200 and 300 at the reference position. Figure 3 In the radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and occlusion situation number (1001), the occluded base station ID is (100), and the connected base station ID is (300). According to... Figure 3 The radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and occlusion condition number (1001), yields a reference communication quality of 150 Mbps.

[0106] Figure 4 (c) shows the situation at reference positions X1, Y1, where there are movable obstructions between the base stations BS100 and BS300. For example... Figure 4 As shown in (c), in this embodiment, the occlusion situation number 1002 represents the occlusion situation where communication with base stations BS100 and BS300 is blocked at the reference position, but communication with base station BS200 is not blocked at the reference position. Figure 3 In the radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and occlusion situation number (1002), the occluded base station ID is (100, 300), and the connected base station ID is (200). According to... Figure 3 The radio wave diagram, with reference location information (X1, Y1) and occlusion condition number (1002), yields a reference communication quality of 50 Mbps.

[0107] also, Figure 3 , Figure 4 These are just examples of radio waveforms and baseline obstruction conditions, and are not limited to these diagrams. For example, although in Figure 3 , 4 In the example, the occlusion situation number was assigned based on a combination of an obstructing base station whose communication is blocked by a movable obstruction and a base station whose communication is not blocked by a movable obstruction. However, occlusion situation numbers can also be assigned based on parameters other than the obstructing base station and the unobstructed base station. Furthermore, other information can be included as reference occlusion information.

[0108] For example, the radio wave diagram can also include obstruction type information as reference obstruction information, indicating the type of obstruction that blocks communication with the base station. For example, if the movable obstruction is a small vehicle, although the communication quality is lower compared to the case without an obstruction, it is possible to continue wireless communication directly. On the other hand, if the movable obstruction is a large vehicle, the communication quality may be significantly reduced, so there is a possibility of needing to change the connected base station for communication. Thus, there is a possibility that the communication quality and connected base station may change depending on the type of obstruction, so it is desirable for the radio wave diagram to have information on the reference communication quality and the connectable base station ID corresponding to the type of obstruction. Therefore, the radio wave diagram can also include obstruction type information as reference obstruction information, and an obstruction situation number can be assigned according to the type of obstruction shown in the obstruction type information. Here, the obstruction type information may, for example, include information indicating the size, shape, and material of the obstruction. In addition, if the obstruction is a vehicle, the obstruction type information may also be vehicle type information.

[0109] In other examples, the radio wave diagram may further include "reference obstruction antenna information" as reference obstruction information, representing a reference antenna whose communication with a base station is obstructed due to a movable obstruction. For example, in the case where multiple antennas are used for wireless communication at a reference location, there may be antennas whose communication is obstructed by an obstruction (hereinafter referred to as reference obstruction antennas) and antennas whose communication is not obstructed by an obstruction. There is a possibility that the communication quality and the connection to the base station may vary depending on the number and combination of obstructed and unobstructed antennas, so it is desirable for the radio wave diagram to have information on the reference communication quality and the connectable base station ID corresponding to the number and combination of obstructed or unobstructed antennas. Therefore, the radio wave diagram may also include reference obstruction antenna information as reference obstruction information, and an antenna allocation obstruction situation number shown according to the reference obstruction antenna information.

[0110] Here, the "reference obstruction antenna information" representing the reference antenna blocking communication can, of course, directly show the information of the antenna blocking communication, or it can indirectly show the information of the obstructed antenna by showing the antenna that is not obstructed. In addition, besides identifying the information of the antenna blocking communication, the "reference obstruction antenna information" can also be information about the number and combination of the obstructed antennas.

[0111] Alternatively, the reference occlusion information may not include information such as connectable base station ID, connected base station ID, and occluded base station ID, but only information about the presence or absence of occlusion.

[0112] The control unit 105 controls the operation of the transmitting unit 106, the predetermined location information acquisition unit 107, the receiving unit 108, and the storage unit 109. In addition, the control unit 105 implements the occlusion prediction unit 111, the radio wave pattern determination unit 112, the communication quality determination unit 113, and the communication control unit 114 by itself.

[0113] The occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts that at a predetermined moving position of the vehicle obtained by the predetermined position information acquisition unit 107, communication between the radio waveform utilization device 1150 and the base station will be obstructed due to movable obstructions. The occlusion prediction unit 111 also predicts the occlusion condition that will occur at the predetermined moving position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the predicted occlusion condition) and generates predicted occlusion information representing the predicted occlusion condition. The generated occlusion prediction information is output to the radio waveform determination unit 112.

[0114] The occlusion prediction unit 111 can, for example, predict the occurrence of occlusion and the occlusion status based on information related to the predetermined positions of other vehicles (e.g., the travel plans of other vehicles) received via vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-road communication. In this case, the predetermined position information acquisition unit 107 acquires predetermined position information indicating the predetermined position of its own vehicle (corresponding to "first predetermined position information"), as well as predetermined position information indicating the predetermined positions of other vehicles (corresponding to "second predetermined position information"). Furthermore, based on the predetermined position information of its own vehicle and the predetermined position information of other vehicles, the occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts that the communication between the radio wave map utilization device 1150 and the base station will be blocked due to other vehicles.

[0115] The radio wave map determination unit 112 determines the reference position information in the power grid that corresponds to the predetermined "position information" obtained by the predetermined position information acquisition unit 107. The radio wave map determination unit 112 also determines the reference occlusion information that represents the reference occlusion condition predicted by the occlusion prediction unit 111.

[0116] Here, "corresponding to location information" means that the location is the same as or near the location indicated by the location information. For example, if the reference location information does not indicate a specific location but rather a range, "corresponding to location information" means that the location is included within the range.

[0117] In addition, "corresponding to the occlusion condition" means that the occlusion condition is the same or similar. For example, if the occlusion condition refers to an occluded base station and / or an unoccluded base station, "corresponding to the occlusion condition" means that the occluded base station and / or the unoccluded base station are the same.

[0118] For example, the occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts that communication between the radio chart utilization device 1150 and the base station BS100 will be obstructed at the predetermined moving position (X1, Y1) due to other vehicles, and studies the case where communication obstruction between the radio chart utilization device 1150 and the base stations BS200 and BS300 does not occur at the predetermined moving position. In this case, the radio chart determination unit 112 determines that the reference occlusion information representing the reference occlusion status indicated by occlusion status number 1001 corresponds to the predicted occlusion status. Alternatively, if the occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts that communication obstruction between the radio chart utilization device 1150 and the base stations BS100, BS200, and BS300 will not occur at the predetermined moving position (X1, Y1), the radio chart determination unit 112 determines that the reference occlusion status indicated by occlusion status number 1000 corresponds to the predicted occlusion status.

[0119] Here, when the radio wave image includes occlusion type information as reference occlusion information, the occlusion prediction unit 111 also predicts the type of occlusion object based on the occlusion cause information. Furthermore, the radio wave image determination unit 112 determines the reference occlusion information, which includes occlusion type information indicating the type of reference occlusion object that is consistent with the type of occlusion object predicted by the occlusion prediction unit 111, as corresponding to the predicted occlusion information.

[0120] Furthermore, when the radio wave map includes reference obstruction antenna information as reference obstruction information, the obstruction prediction unit 111 further predicts the obstruction antennas among the multiple antennas provided by the radio wave map utilization device 1150 that are obstructed from communication by an obstruction body. Moreover, the radio wave map determination unit 112 determines the reference obstruction information, which includes reference obstruction antenna information indicating a reference obstruction antenna that is consistent with the obstruction antenna predicted by the obstruction prediction unit 111, as corresponding to the predicted obstruction information.

[0121] The communication quality determination unit 113 determines and stores the reference communication quality information that corresponds to the reference position information and reference obstruction information determined by the radio wave pattern determination unit 112 among the reference communication quality information possessed by the radio wave pattern.

[0122] Based on the reference communication quality information determined by the communication quality determination unit 113, the communication control unit 114 controls the wireless communication of the radio wave pattern utilization device 1150 at the predetermined mobile location. For example, if the reference communication quality information determined by the communication quality determination unit 113 indicates a significantly low communication quality, the wireless communication unit 102 may experience communication delays if it wants to transmit a large amount of data at the predetermined mobile location. Therefore, when the reference communication quality information indicates a low communication quality, the communication control unit 114 controls communication to suppress communication at that location or does not transmit or receive large amounts of data.

[0123] For example, the study investigates the scenario where the occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts that at the vehicle's predetermined moving position (X1, Y1), other vehicles will obstruct the wireless communication with base stations BS100 and BS300. Based on Figure 3 The radio wave diagram shown indicates that the communication quality determination unit 113 determines that the communication quality obtained at the predetermined mobile location (X1, Y1) is 50 Mbps. If the communication quality is insufficient when transmitting data at 50 Mbps, the communication control unit 114 controls the transmission to not transmit data at the location (X1, Y1), but to transmit the data at a location where higher communication quality can be obtained.

[0124] As described above, the radio wave pattern utilization device 1150 of this embodiment can predict the occurrence of obstruction at a predetermined position of vehicle movement and obtain communication quality information corresponding to the possible future obstruction conditions. Therefore, it can predict communication quality with high accuracy and perform wireless communication based on the communication quality. The radio wave pattern utilization device 1150 of this embodiment is a device for determining communication quality corresponding to obstruction conditions, and therefore can be used as a communication quality determination device.

[0125] (2) Configuration of the server device (radio wave map updating device 1200, radio wave map providing device 1250)

[0126] use Figure 5 The configuration of the server device in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, an example of configuring the server device to implement the functions of both the radio wave map updating device 1200 and the radio wave map providing device 1250 will be described.

[0127] The server device includes a storage unit 201, a receiving unit 202, a control unit 203, and a transmitting unit 204. The control unit 203 performs the functions of a determination unit 210, an update unit 211, and a radio wave pattern extraction unit 212.

[0128] In this embodiment, the server device is assumed to be in the form of a finished server device, but it is not limited to this. For example, as a component, semiconductor circuits and semiconductor modules can be listed, and as a finished product, personal computers (PCs), workstations, smartphones, and mobile phones can be listed.

[0129] Figure 5 The server device includes modules specifically used by the radio wave map update device 1200, modules specifically used by the radio wave map providing device 1250, and modules used by both the radio wave map update device 1200 and the radio wave map providing device 1250. Hereinafter, the modules used by the radio wave map update device 1200 will be described first, followed by the modules used by the radio wave map providing device 1250.

[0130] First, the module used by the radio wave map update device 1200 will be explained.

[0131] Storage unit 201 is a memory for storing radio waveforms, and is composed of non-volatile devices such as HDDs and flash memory. The radio waveforms stored in storage unit 201 are compared with those stored in... Figure 3 The radio wave diagram described herein is the same, and includes reference location information, frequency information, connectable base station ID, obstruction status number, obstructing base station ID, connected base station ID, and reference communication quality information.

[0132] The receiving unit 202 receives detection information from the detection information transmitting device 1100, which includes vehicle location information, obstruction cause information, and communication quality information. The detection information used in this embodiment is the same as that described in (1).

[0133] The control unit 203 controls the operation of the storage unit 201 and the receiving unit 202. In addition, the control unit 203 implements the determination unit 210 and the update unit 211 by itself.

[0134] The determination unit 210 determines the reference position information corresponding to the position information contained in the detection information received by the receiving unit 202.

[0135] The determination unit 210 further estimates the obstruction status of communication between the detection information transmitting device 1100 and the base station caused by the obstruction cause information shown in the obstruction cause information included in the detection information, and determines the reference obstruction information that represents the reference obstruction status corresponding to the estimated obstruction status. Here, estimating the obstruction status of communication includes estimating which base station communication is obstructed due to the obstruction, whether the obstruction is a movable obstruction, the type of obstruction, and / or the antenna obstructed by the obstruction.

[0136] For example, if the occlusion cause information is that image information of the vehicle's surroundings has been captured, and the image information includes other vehicles, the determination unit 210 estimates that the other vehicles included in the image information are obstructions to communication with the base station, and estimates the occlusion status based on the relative positions of the vehicle, other vehicles, and the base station. As an example of the occlusion status, it estimates base stations whose communication is obstructed by other vehicles and base stations whose communication is not obstructed. Furthermore, it determines an occlusion status number and a connected base station ID that represent a baseline occlusion status corresponding to the estimated occlusion status.

[0137] Furthermore, if the determination unit 210 determines that the occlusion is not caused by a movable occlusion object after analyzing the occlusion cause information such as image information, the occlusion condition number representing the corresponding baseline occlusion condition is determined to be 1000.

[0138] The updating unit 211 uses the communication quality information contained in the detection information to update the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit 201, which corresponds to the reference position information and reference occlusion information determined by the determination unit 210.

[0139] The update method can be any method. For example, the update unit 211 uses the communication quality information contained in the probe information to update the value calculated by averaging the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit 201, and uses this value as the new reference communication quality information. Alternatively, the update can be performed by replacing the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit with the communication quality information contained in the probe information.

[0140] Furthermore, although the term "update" is used in this embodiment, it can also be understood as the generation of a new radio wave diagram. That is, the radio wave diagram updating device refers to a device that generates or updates a radio wave diagram.

[0141] For example, if the determination unit 210 determines that there is no reference position information corresponding to the position information in the radio wave map, or reference occlusion information that represents the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the occlusion condition caused by the occlusion body shown in the occlusion cause information, the update unit 211 may also generate (i.e. update) a new radio wave map using the received detection information.

[0142] According to the radio wave map updating apparatus of this embodiment, it is possible to generate and update a radio wave map that, in addition to reference location information and reference communication quality information, also has reference occlusion information indicating the reference occlusion status.

[0143] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the radio wave map update device 1200 receiving communication quality information from the detection information transmission device 1100 has been described. However, the radio wave map update device 1200 may also receive communication quality information between the wireless communication unit 102 of the detection information transmission device 1100 and the base station. In other words, it may also be configured such that the base station obtains communication quality information by measuring the received power of the signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit 102 and sends this information to the radio wave map update device 1200.

[0144] Next, the module used by the radio wave diagram providing device 1250 will be described.

[0145] The storage unit 201 stores the radio wave diagram as described in the radio wave diagram updating device 1200.

[0146] The receiving unit 202 receives the predetermined location information of the vehicle equipped with the radio wave map utilizing device 1150 from the radio wave map utilizing device 1150. The receiving unit 202 may also receive a radio wave map request together with the predetermined location information.

[0147] The control unit 203 controls the operation of the storage unit 201, the receiving unit 202, and the transmitting unit 204. Furthermore, the control unit 203 itself implements the radio wave pattern extraction unit 212.

[0148] The radio wave pattern extraction unit 212 extracts a radio wave pattern that includes reference position information corresponding to predetermined position information. When the receiving unit 202 receives multiple predetermined position information, the radio wave pattern extraction unit 212 extracts multiple radio wave patterns corresponding to the multiple predetermined position information.

[0149] The transmitting unit 204 transmits the radio wave image extracted by the radio wave image extraction unit 212 to the radio wave image utilization device 1150.

[0150] According to the radio wave image providing device 1250 of this embodiment, it is possible to provide a radio wave image of a predetermined moving position of the mobile body to the radio wave image utilizing device 1150 mounted on the mobile body. Furthermore, since the radio wave image provided by the radio wave image providing device 1250 has reference occlusion information indicating reference occlusion conditions, it is possible to provide a usable radio wave image based on possible future occlusion conditions.

[0151] (3) Operation of the detection information transmitting device 1100 and the radio wave map updating device 1200 in the radio wave map generation process

[0152] Both the detection information transmitting device 1100 and the radio wave map updating device 1200 participate in the generation of the radio wave map. Hereinafter, using... Figure 6 The flowchart below explains the operation of the detection information sending device 1100 and the radio wave map updating device 1200 in the radio wave map generation process of this embodiment.

[0153] Furthermore, the following actions not only illustrate the detection information transmission method performed by the detection information transmission device 1100, but also the processing sequence of the detection information transmission procedure that can be executed by the detection information transmission device 1100. Additionally, the following actions not only illustrate the radio wave map generation and update method performed by the radio wave map update device 1200, but also the processing sequence of the radio wave map generation and update procedure that can be executed by the radio wave map update device 1200. Moreover, these processes are not limited to… Figure 6 The order shown. That is, as long as there are no constraints such as a relationship where a step utilizes the result of a previous step, the order can be changed.

[0154] In S101, the location information acquisition unit 101 of the detection information transmission device 1100 acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle.

[0155] In S102, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 acquires communication quality information between the vehicle's current location and the connected base station.

[0156] In S103, the communication interruption determination unit 110 determines whether a communication interruption has occurred with the connected base station based on the communication quality information acquired by the communication quality information acquisition unit 103. Here, if the communication interruption determination unit 110 determines that a communication interruption has occurred (S103: Yes), the obstruction cause information acquisition unit 104 acquires obstruction cause information (S104).

[0157] Then, in S105, the communication quality information acquisition unit 103 acquires the communication quality information between the newly connected base station and the base station that replaced the base station that caused the communication interruption.

[0158] Then, in S106, the transmitting unit 106 sends the location information acquired in S101 and the communication quality information between the newly connected base station acquired in S105 as detection information to the radio wave map updating device 1200. Here, if it is determined in S103 that a communication interruption has occurred, the obstruction cause information acquired in S104 is also sent as detection information.

[0159] Furthermore, if there are no other base stations capable of communication besides the one that caused the communication interruption, in S105, it is also possible to send probe information containing communication quality information with the base station that caused the communication interruption instead of acquiring communication quality information.

[0160] In S201, the receiving unit 202 of the radio wave map updating device 1200 receives detection information from the detection information transmitting device 1100.

[0161] In S202, the determination unit 210 determines the reference position information corresponding to the position information contained in the detection information.

[0162] In S203, the determination unit 210 further estimates the occlusion status of the communication between the vehicle and the base station caused by the occlusion cause information shown in the occlusion cause information based on the occlusion cause information contained in the detection information, and determines the reference occlusion information that represents the reference occlusion status corresponding to the estimated occlusion status.

[0163] In S204, the reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information determined by the determination unit 210 in S202 and the reference obstruction information determined by the determination unit 210 in S203 is updated using the communication quality information contained in the detection information. As described above, the update of the reference communication quality information in S204 can also be the generation of a new radio wave pattern.

[0164] By performing such processing, it is possible to generate and update radio wave maps that take into account the occlusion conditions caused by movable obstructions.

[0165] (4) Operation of radio wave map providing device 1250 and radio wave map utilizing device 1150 in the radio wave map utilization process

[0166] Both the radio wave image providing device 1250 and the radio wave image utilizing device 1150 participate in the utilization of the radio wave image. Hereinafter, the use of... Figure 7 The flowchart describes the operation of the radio wave image providing device 1250 and the radio wave image utilization device 1150 in the radio wave image utilization process of this embodiment.

[0167] Furthermore, the following operations illustrate not only the radio image providing method executed by the radio image providing device 1250, but also the processing sequence of the radio image providing procedure that can be executed by the radio image providing device 1250. Additionally, the following operations illustrate not only the radio image utilization method executed by the radio image utilization device 1150, but also the processing sequence of the radio image utilization procedure that can be executed by the radio image utilization device 1150. Moreover, these processes are not limited to... Figure 7 The order shown in the figure. That is, the order can be changed as long as there are no constraints such as the relationship between a step and the result of the previous step.

[0168] In S151, the radio wave map utilization device 1150 acquires the predetermined position information indicating the predetermined position of the vehicle's movement by the predetermined position information acquisition unit 107.

[0169] In S152, the predetermined location information obtained in S151 is sent to the radio wave map providing device 1250.

[0170] In S251, the receiving unit 202 of the radio wave map providing device 1250 receives predetermined position information.

[0171] In S252, the radio wave image extraction unit 212 extracts the radio wave image stored in the storage unit 201, which contains reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information.

[0172] In S253, the transmitting unit 204 transmits the radio wave map extracted in S252 to the radio wave map utilization device 1150.

[0173] In S153, the radio wave diagram is received by the receiving unit 108 of the device 1150.

[0174] In S154, the occlusion prediction unit 111 predicts the occlusion of communication with the base station caused by a movable occluder at the predetermined position of the vehicle's movement, as well as the occlusion status, and generates occlusion prediction information.

[0175] In S155, the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined moving position is determined.

[0176] In S156, reference occlusion information is determined, which represents the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the occlusion condition predicted in S154.

[0177] In S157, reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information determined in S155 and the reference occlusion information determined in S156 is determined.

[0178] In S158, the communication control unit 114 uses the reference communication quality information determined in S157 to control the wireless communication in the wireless communication unit 102.

[0179] 3. Second Implementation Method

[0180] In the first embodiment, a configuration was described in which an in-vehicle device, as a radio wave map utilization device, predicts the obstruction of communication between the vehicle and the base station based on a predetermined position of the vehicle's movement. In this embodiment, a configuration in which a server device, instead of an in-vehicle device, predicts the obstruction of communication between the vehicle and the base station will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0181] (1) Composition of vehicle-mounted devices (detection information transmission device 2100, radio wave map utilization device 2150)

[0182] use Figure 8 The configuration of the vehicle-mounted device in this embodiment will be described. Figure 8 As shown, the vehicle-mounted device of this embodiment and Figure 2 The vehicle-mounted device shown is different and does not have the occlusion prediction unit 111, the radio wave pattern determination unit 112, and the communication quality determination unit 113. The configuration of the detection information transmission device 2100 in this embodiment is the same as that of the detection information transmission device 1100 in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

[0183] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 108 of the radio wave diagram utilization device 2150 receives reference communication quality information from the predetermined location information transmitted by the transmitting unit 106. Then, the storage unit 109 stores the reference communication quality information received by the receiving unit 108.

[0184] Then, the communication control unit 114 controls the wireless communication in the wireless communication unit 102 based on the reference communication quality information stored in the storage unit 109.

[0185] (2) Configuration of the server device (radio wave map updating device 2200, radio wave map providing device 2250)

[0186] use Figure 9 The configuration of the server device in this embodiment will be described. Figure 9 As shown, the server device in this embodiment and Figure 5The server device shown is different and does not have a radio image extraction unit 212. Instead, the server device of this embodiment has an occlusion prediction unit 213, a radio image determination unit 214, and a communication quality determination unit 215. The configuration of the radio image update device 2200 of this embodiment is the same as that of the radio image update device 1200 of the first embodiment, so the description is omitted. Hereinafter, the configuration of the radio image providing device 2250 of this embodiment (corresponding to the "communication quality determination device") will be described. Furthermore, as shown below, the radio image providing device 2250 of this embodiment is a device for determining communication quality based on occlusion conditions, so it can also be used as a communication quality determination device.

[0187] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 202 of the radio wave map providing device 2250 receives predetermined location information of the vehicle from the radio wave map utilizing device 2150. In other words, the receiving unit 202 of this embodiment also functions as a predetermined location information acquisition unit.

[0188] The occlusion prediction unit 213 generates occlusion prediction information based on the predetermined location information of the vehicle received by the receiving unit 202 and the predetermined location information of other vehicles different from the vehicle. This prediction is made by predicting the occlusion of the communication between the vehicle's wireless communication unit 102 and the base station due to movable obstructions such as other vehicles, and predicts the occlusion status (i.e., predicts the occlusion status). The occlusion prediction method of the occlusion prediction unit 213 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment. However, since the server device collects and accumulates a large amount of detection information from many vehicles, roadside units, etc., it is possible to predict the occurrence and status of occlusion more accurately than when occlusion is predicted by an on-board device.

[0189] The radio wave pattern determination unit 214 determines the reference position information of the radio wave pattern corresponding to the predetermined position information received by the receiving unit 202. The radio wave pattern determination unit 214 further determines the reference occlusion information representing the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the predicted occlusion condition predicted by the occlusion prediction unit 213.

[0190] The communication quality determination unit 215 determines and stores the reference communication quality information that establishes a correspondence with the reference position information and reference obstruction information determined by the radio wave pattern determination unit 214.

[0191] The transmitting unit 204 transmits the reference communication quality information determined by the communication quality determination unit 215 to the radio wave map utilization device 2150.

[0192] (3) Operation of radio wave map providing device 2250 and radio wave map utilizing device 2150 in the radio wave map utilization process

[0193] The following uses Figure 10The flowchart below describes the operation of the radio wave image providing device 2250 and the radio wave image utilization device 2150 in the radio wave image utilization process of this embodiment. Furthermore, the radio wave image generation process of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and its description is omitted.

[0194] In this embodiment, the radio wave map utilization device 2150 sends the predetermined location information obtained in S151 to the radio wave map providing device 2250 in S351.

[0195] In S251, the receiving unit 202 of the radio wave map providing device 2250 receives predetermined position information.

[0196] In S451, the occlusion prediction unit 213 predicts, based on the predetermined location information received in S251 and the predetermined location information of other vehicles, the occlusion of the communication between the vehicle's wireless communication unit 102 and the base station caused by a movable obstruction (e.g., other vehicles).

[0197] In S452, the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information received in S251 is determined.

[0198] In S453, reference occlusion information is determined, which represents the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the occlusion condition predicted in S451.

[0199] In S454, reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information determined in S452 and the reference occlusion information determined in S453 is determined.

[0200] In S455, the reference communication quality information determined in S454 is sent to the radio wave diagram utilization device 2150.

[0201] In S352, the receiving unit 108 of the radio wave map utilization device 2150 receives reference communication quality information from the radio wave map providing device 2250. Then, in S157, the communication control unit 114 controls the wireless communication in the wireless communication unit 102 based on the received reference communication quality information.

[0202] As described above, in this embodiment, the radio wave map utilizing device 2150 does not perform the processes of predicting occlusion at the predetermined position of the vehicle's movement, determining the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the predicted occlusion condition, and determining the reference communication quality information; instead, these processes are performed by the radio wave map providing device 2250. This reduces the processing load on the vehicle-mounted device.

[0203] Furthermore, the server device collects and accumulates a large amount of vehicle detection information and driving plans, so by making occlusion predictions based on the accumulated data, it is possible to make highly accurate predictions.

[0204] 4. Summary

[0205] The features of the detection information transmitting device, radio wave map updating device, radio wave map providing device, and radio wave map utilizing device in the various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above.

[0206] The statements used in each implementation are shown as examples, so they can also be replaced with synonymous statements or statements containing synonymous functions.

[0207] The block diagrams used to illustrate the implementation methods categorize and organize the device's configuration according to its functions. Modules representing each function are implemented by any combination of hardware or software. Furthermore, since these block diagrams represent functions, they can also be understood as disclosures of the invention of a method and the invention of a program for implementing that method.

[0208] The functional modules described in each embodiment that can be used as processes, procedures, and methods can be rearranged in order as long as they are not constrained by the relationship between the results of other steps preceding them in a step.

[0209] The first, second, to Nth (N is an integer) statements used in the various embodiments and claims are used to distinguish between two or more configurations or methods of the same kind, and do not limit the order or superiority.

[0210] Each embodiment is based on a detection information transmission device and a radio wave map utilization device mounted on a vehicle, but this disclosure also includes dedicated or general-purpose devices other than those for vehicles, except where specifically defined in the claims.

[0211] In each embodiment, the description is based on the premise that the detection information transmitting device and radio wave map utilization device disclosed in each embodiment are mounted on a vehicle, but it may also be based on the premise that a pedestrian is carrying them.

[0212] Furthermore, the following examples can be cited as examples of the form of the device disclosed herein.

[0213] As components, examples include semiconductor elements, electronic circuits, modules, and microcomputers.

[0214] As semi-finished products, they can include electronic control units (ECUs) and system boards.

[0215] As finished products, they can be categorized as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, personal computers (PCs), workstations, and servers.

[0216] In addition, this includes devices with communication functions, such as cameras, still cameras, and car navigation systems.

[0217] Additionally, antennas, communication interfaces, and other necessary functions can be added to each device.

[0218] Assume that the radio wave map updating apparatus and radio wave map providing apparatus of this disclosure are used to provide various services. With the provision of such services, the apparatus of this disclosure, the methods of this disclosure, and / or the procedures of this disclosure are used.

[0219] In addition, this disclosure can be implemented not only by dedicated hardware having the configuration and functions described in the various embodiments, but also by a combination of a program for implementing this disclosure recorded on a recording medium such as a memory or hard disk, and general-purpose hardware having a dedicated or general-purpose CPU and memory capable of executing the program.

[0220] Programs stored on non-transferable physical recording media of dedicated or general-purpose hardware (e.g., external storage devices (hard drives, USB drives, CD / BD, etc.) or internal storage devices (RAM, ROM, etc.)) can also be provided to the dedicated or general-purpose hardware via the recording media, or from a server via a communication line without using the recording media. This allows for continuous provision of the latest functionality through program upgrades.

[0221] This detection information transmission device and radio wave image utilization device are mainly described as electronic control devices for automobiles, but they can also be applied to two-wheeled motorcycles, electric bicycles, railways, and other moving bodies such as pedestrians, ships, and airplanes.

[0222] In addition, it can be applied to devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and game consoles for various purposes.

Claims

1. A radio wave image updating device, comprising: The storage unit stores radio wave diagrams, which include: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or the second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. The receiving unit receives communication quality information between the detection information transmitting device mounted on the mobile body and the first base station or the second base station. as well as The updating unit uses the aforementioned communication quality information to update the aforementioned baseline communication quality information stored in the aforementioned storage unit. The receiving unit receives detection information from the detection information transmitting device, the detection information including: Location information, indicating the position of the aforementioned moving object; and The obstruction reason information indicates a movable obstruction that is blocking the communication between the aforementioned detection information transmitting device and the aforementioned first base station. The aforementioned radio wave image updating device also includes: The determination unit determines the reference position information corresponding to the aforementioned position information, and determines the reference occlusion information that corresponds to the reference occlusion condition of the communication between the detection information transmitting device and the first base station caused by the occlusion object shown in the aforementioned occlusion cause information. The aforementioned update unit updates the reference communication quality information corresponding to the aforementioned reference location information and the aforementioned reference occlusion information.

2. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes information indicating the communication of the first base station that is obstructed at the aforementioned reference location and the communication of the second base station that is not obstructed at the aforementioned reference location.

3. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes obstruction type information indicating the type of reference obstruction body that obstructs communication with the aforementioned first base station.

4. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes reference obstruction antenna information indicating the reference antenna that obstructs communication with the first base station among the multiple reference antennas used for communication at the aforementioned reference location.

5. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned occlusion cause information is the image information surrounding the aforementioned moving object.

6. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned detection information also includes the aforementioned communication quality information. The receiving unit receives the communication quality information contained in the detection information from the detection information transmitting device.

7. The radio wave map updating device according to claim 1, wherein, The receiving unit receives the communication quality information from the first base station or the second base station.

8. A radio waveform update method, which is a radio waveform update method executed by a radio waveform update device, wherein, The aforementioned radio wave map updating device includes: a storage unit for storing radio wave maps, wherein the radio wave maps have: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. Receive communication quality information between the detection information transmitting device mounted on the mobile body and the first base station or the second base station. Using the aforementioned communication quality information, update the aforementioned baseline communication quality information stored in the aforementioned storage unit. The detection information received from the aforementioned detection information transmitting device includes: Location information, indicating the position of the aforementioned moving object; and The obstruction reason information indicates a movable obstruction that is blocking the communication between the aforementioned detection information transmitting device and the aforementioned first base station. The aforementioned radio wave image updating device also includes: The determination unit determines the reference position information corresponding to the aforementioned position information, and determines the reference occlusion information that corresponds to the reference occlusion condition of the communication between the detection information transmitting device and the first base station caused by the occlusion object shown in the aforementioned occlusion cause information. Update the reference communication quality information corresponding to the above reference location information and the above reference occlusion information.

9. A storage medium storing a radio waveform update program, which is a radio waveform update program executable by a radio waveform update device, wherein, The aforementioned radio wave map updating device includes: a storage unit for storing radio wave maps, wherein the radio wave maps have: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. The aforementioned radio wave map update program receives communication quality information between the detection information transmitting device mounted on the mobile body and the first base station or the second base station. Using the aforementioned communication quality information, update the aforementioned baseline communication quality information stored in the aforementioned storage unit. The detection information received from the aforementioned detection information transmitting device includes: Location information, indicating the position of the aforementioned moving object; and The obstruction reason information indicates a movable obstruction that is blocking the communication between the aforementioned detection information transmitting device and the aforementioned first base station. The aforementioned radio wave image updating device also includes: The determination unit determines the reference position information corresponding to the aforementioned position information, and determines the reference occlusion information that corresponds to the reference occlusion condition of the communication between the detection information transmitting device and the first base station caused by the occlusion object shown in the aforementioned occlusion cause information. Update the reference communication quality information corresponding to the above reference location information and the above reference occlusion information.

10. A communication quality determination device, comprising: The storage unit stores radio wave diagrams, which include: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or the second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. The predetermined location information acquisition unit acquires predetermined location information indicating the predetermined location of a mobile body equipped with a radio wave pattern utilization device that communicates with the first base station or the second base station. The occlusion prediction unit predicts, from the predetermined location information, that the communication between the radio wave pattern utilization device and the first base station will be blocked due to a movable occlusion body, and generates prediction occlusion information indicating the predicted occlusion status. The radio wave pattern determination unit determines the reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information, and determines the reference occlusion information indicating the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the predicted occlusion condition. as well as The communication quality determination unit determines the reference communication quality information corresponding to the reference position information and the reference obstruction information.

11. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The aforementioned communication quality determination device is a component of the aforementioned radio wave map utilization device, and further comprises: The receiving unit receives the radio wave map from the radio wave map providing device, which communicates with the radio wave map utilizing device; and The communication control unit controls the communication of the radio wave pattern utilization device at the predetermined moving position based on the reference communication quality information determined by the communication quality determination unit.

12. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The aforementioned communication quality determination device is a device included in the radio wave map providing device that communicates with the aforementioned radio wave map utilizing device. The predetermined location information acquisition unit acquires the predetermined location information from the radio wave image utilization device. The aforementioned communication quality determination device further includes a transmission unit that transmits the reference communication quality information determined by the aforementioned communication quality determination unit to the aforementioned radio wave pattern utilization device.

13. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, In addition to the predetermined position information of the moving body, i.e., the first predetermined position information, the predetermined position information acquisition unit also acquires second predetermined position information indicating the predetermined position of the obstruction. Based on the first predetermined location information and the second predetermined location information, the aforementioned occlusion prediction unit predicts the occlusion of the communication between the radio wave pattern utilization device and the first base station caused by the aforementioned occlusion body.

14. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes information indicating the communication of the first base station that is obstructed at the aforementioned reference location and the communication of the second base station that is not obstructed at the aforementioned reference location. If the occlusion prediction unit predicts that the communication between the radio chart utilization device and the first base station at the predetermined moving position will be blocked due to the occlusion body, and if the communication between the radio chart utilization device and the second base station at the predetermined moving position is not blocked, the radio chart determination unit determines that the reference occlusion condition corresponds to the predicted occlusion condition.

15. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes obstruction type information indicating the type of reference obstruction body that obstructs communication with the aforementioned first base station. If the occlusion prediction unit predicts that the type of the occlusion is the same as the type of the reference occlusion, the radio wave pattern determination unit determines that the reference occlusion condition corresponds to the predicted occlusion condition.

16. The communication quality determination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The aforementioned reference obstruction information includes reference obstruction antenna information indicating the reference antenna that obstructs communication with the first base station among the multiple reference antennas used for communication at the aforementioned reference location. The aforementioned obstruction prediction unit predicts which of the multiple antennas in the aforementioned radio wave pattern utilization device will obstruct communication due to the aforementioned obstruction body. If the above-mentioned occlusion prediction unit predicts that the above-mentioned occlusion antenna is consistent with the above-mentioned reference antenna, the above-mentioned radio wave pattern determination unit determines that the above-mentioned reference occlusion condition corresponds to the above-mentioned predicted occlusion condition.

17. A communication quality determination method, which is a communication quality determination method performed by a communication quality determination device that determines the communication quality of a radio wave pattern, wherein, The aforementioned communication quality determination device includes: The storage unit stores radio wave diagrams, which include: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. Obtain predetermined position information indicating the predetermined position of a mobile body equipped with a radio wave pattern utilizing device that communicates with the first base station or the second base station. Based on the aforementioned predetermined location information, it is predicted that communication between the radio wave pattern utilizing device and the first base station will be obstructed due to a movable obstruction, and predicted obstruction information representing the predicted obstruction status is generated. The reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information is determined, and the reference occlusion information indicating the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the predicted occlusion condition is determined. Determine the reference communication quality information corresponding to the aforementioned reference location information and the aforementioned reference occlusion information.

18. A storage medium storing a communication quality determination program, which is a communication quality determination program executable by a communication quality determination device capable of determining the communication quality possessed by a radio wave pattern, wherein, The aforementioned communication quality determination device includes: The storage unit stores radio wave diagrams, which include: reference position information indicating a reference position, reference obstruction information indicating a reference obstruction condition of communication with a first base station at the reference position, and reference communication quality information with the first base station or a second base station at the reference position and under the reference obstruction condition. The aforementioned communication quality determination procedure acquires predetermined position information indicating the predetermined position of a mobile body equipped with a radio wave pattern utilization device communicating with the first base station or the second base station. Based on the aforementioned predetermined location information, it is predicted that communication between the radio wave pattern utilizing device and the first base station will be obstructed due to a movable obstruction, and predicted obstruction information representing the predicted obstruction status is generated. The reference position information corresponding to the predetermined position information is determined, and the reference occlusion information indicating the reference occlusion condition corresponding to the predicted occlusion condition is determined. Determine the reference communication quality information corresponding to the aforementioned reference location information and the aforementioned reference occlusion information.

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