Information processing apparatus and method

Abstract

The invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method. An information processing device mounted on a first vehicle performs the following operations: acquiring one or a plurality of pieces of first information including a travel route from one or a plurality of vehicles existing in the surroundings via vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, as a relay device for connection by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a second vehicle scheduled to travel on at least partially the same path as a first path scheduled to travel by the first vehicle from among the one or more vehicles on the basis of the one or more pieces of first information; and a connection to the relay device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Background Art

[0002] A vehicle position estimating device that exchanges information related to the vehicle's traveling direction through inter-vehicle communication to determine whether another vehicle is on the same road as the vehicle is disclosed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-109795). Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device and method capable of providing more stable communication with an external network through inter-vehicle communication.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, wherein the information processing device includes a control unit that performs the following operations:

[0005] Acquiring one or more first information including a travel route from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings via inter-vehicle communication;

[0006] Based on the one or more first information, selecting a second vehicle from the one or more vehicles as a relay device connected by the inter-vehicle communication, the second vehicle being a vehicle scheduled to travel on a path at least partially identical to a first path scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle; and

[0007] Connected to the relay device.

[0008] One of other aspects of the present disclosure is a method executed by an information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, wherein the method includes:

[0009] Acquiring one or more first information including a travel route from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings via inter-vehicle communication;

[0010] Based on the one or more first information, selecting a second vehicle from the one or more vehicles as a relay device connected by the inter-vehicle communication, the second vehicle being a vehicle scheduled to travel on a path at least partially identical to a first path scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle; and

[0011] Connected to the relay device.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, more stable communication to an external network can be provided through inter-vehicle communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inter-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment;

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle;

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional structure of a vehicle; and

[0017] Figure 4 This is an example of a flowchart of the vehicle connection selection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] For example, when vehicle A uses vehicle B existing in the vicinity as a relay device of a WiFi mesh to communicate with an external network, vehicle A may be out of the communication range of vehicle B due to the movement of vehicle A and vehicle B. In this case, vehicle A connects to another vehicle C as a new relay device to communicate. Thus, in communication using another vehicle such as a WiFi mesh as a relay device, communication disconnection and switching of the relay device as the connection destination may occur frequently.

[0019] In one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, in view of the above-mentioned problem, a vehicle selects a vehicle with a high possibility of being connected for a longer time from a plurality of other vehicles existing in the surroundings to use as a relay device. More specifically, one of the embodiments of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle. The information processing device includes a control unit, which performs the following actions: obtaining one or more first information including a driving path from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings via inter-vehicle communication; based on the one or more first information, selecting a second vehicle scheduled to travel on a path at least partially the same as the first path scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle from the one or more vehicles as a relay device connected via inter-vehicle communication; and connecting to the relay device.

[0020] The information processing device is, for example, a data communication module (DCM) mounted on the vehicle, an electronic control unit (ECU) with vehicle-to-vehicle communication function, or a car navigation system. In addition, the information processing device may also include a smartphone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, and a portable game console that may be carried by the user and loaded on the vehicle. The control unit may also be, for example, a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU), as well as a circuit such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0021] The inter-vehicle communication is, for example, mesh WiFi. However, it is not limited to this, and any communication method that supports mesh connection can be applied. Methods of inter-vehicle communication include, for example, cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X), dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), etc. The path that is the same as the first path includes not only a path that is completely consistent with the first path, but also a path that is consistent with a portion of the path from the current position of the first vehicle to the predetermined location, and a path that travels on a road near the first path, and other similar paths.

[0022] According to one of the modes of the present disclosure, by connecting the second vehicle scheduled to travel on the same path as the first vehicle as a relay device, the possibility that the first vehicle will be within the communication range of the second vehicle for a longer period of time becomes higher even if it moves. As a result, the frequency of disconnection and switching caused by the movement of the first vehicle in the communication using other vehicles as relay devices can be reduced. Therefore, according to one of the modes of the present disclosure, stable communication can be provided to the first vehicle.

[0023] In one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit may also obtain one or more second information related to the travel of the vehicle from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings. In addition, when there is no second vehicle, the control unit may also select a third vehicle that has the same travel direction as the first vehicle from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings as a relay device based on the one or more second information. The second information includes, for example, the position information, speed, and travel direction of the vehicle. By selecting the third vehicle traveling in the same direction as the relay device, the possibility that the first vehicle can be connected to the third vehicle for a longer period of time becomes higher.

[0024] In addition, when there are a plurality of second vehicles, a plurality of third vehicles, or neither a second vehicle nor a third vehicle, the control unit may select, based on the second information acquired from the surrounding vehicles, a vehicle that satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the vehicle is traveling in a lane of the same type as the lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, or the vehicle has a travel speed within a predetermined range from the speed of the first vehicle, as a relay device. Examples of lane types include a straight lane, a right-turn lane, and a left-turn lane. Thus, a vehicle that is likely to travel near the first vehicle for a longer period of time can be selected as a relay device.

[0025] Alternatively, when there are multiple second vehicles, multiple third vehicles, or neither the second vehicle nor the third vehicle exists, the control unit may select a vehicle with fewer hops to a base station or access point, a vehicle with fewer vehicles currently connected, or a vehicle with a stronger intensity of received radio waves from a base station, access point, or surrounding vehicles as a relay device based on one or more third information related to communication acquired from surrounding vehicles. The third information may include, for example, the number of hops to a base station or access point, the number of vehicles currently connected to the vehicle, and the intensity of received radio waves received by the vehicle from other devices. Thus, a vehicle that can provide more stable communication can be selected as a relay device.

[0026] As one of the other aspects, the present disclosure can define the processing performed by the above-mentioned information processing devices as a method executed by a computer. As one of the other aspects, the present disclosure can also be defined as a program for causing a computer to execute the above-mentioned method, and a non-volatile and computer-readable recording medium recording the program.

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. The structures of the following embodiments are illustrative only, and the present disclosure is not limited to the structures of the embodiments. First Embodiment

[0028] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the inter-vehicle communication system 100 of the first embodiment. The inter-vehicle communication system 100 includes a plurality of vehicles 1 that can directly communicate with each other in a predetermined communication method. It should be noted that being able to directly communicate means being able to communicate with the device of the communication partner without passing through any relay device. Figure 1 In the figure, for convenience, only one vehicle is indicated by a reference numeral. In the following, when the vehicle is not distinguished, it is expressed as vehicle 1. When distinguished from the vehicle, the vehicle other than the target vehicle is expressed as vehicle 1B.

[0029] In the first embodiment, each vehicle 1 included in the inter-vehicle communication system 100 communicates via mesh WiFi. In the inter-vehicle communication system 100, a plurality of vehicles 1 operate as relay devices that relay connections to a base station or an access point. For example, when a vehicle 1 is connected to an external network such as the Internet, it selects a vehicle 1B to be used from a plurality of surrounding vehicles 1B that operate as relay devices, and connects to the external network via the selected vehicle 1B.

[0030] Vehicle 1 sends vehicle driving information related to the driving of vehicle 1, driving plan information related to the driving plan of vehicle 1, and vehicle communication information related to the communication of vehicle 1 at a predetermined period by broadcasting or multicasting, and exchanges with surrounding vehicles 1B. Vehicle driving information includes, for example, the location information, speed, direction of travel, and state of turn signals of vehicle 1. Driving plan information includes, for example, the destination set in the car navigation system of vehicle 1 and the driving route to the destination. Vehicle communication information includes, for example, the number of hops to a base station or access point, information about base stations, access points, and other vehicles from which vehicle 1 receives radio waves, the strength of received radio waves from each other vehicle, and the number of terminals connected to vehicle 1. It should be noted that the information contained in each of the vehicle driving information, driving plan information, and vehicle communication information is not limited to the above information.

[0031] In the first embodiment, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that can exist in the communication range for a longer time as a relay device, for example, in order to maintain the connection of the communication with the external network for a longer time. More specifically, the vehicle 1 selects a predetermined vehicle 1B that travels on the same route as the vehicle 1 as the relay device to be used based on the travel plan information received from the surrounding vehicles 1B, connects to the vehicle 1B, and communicates with the external network via the vehicle 1B. However, in the case where the destination is not set in the vehicle 1 and there is no vehicle 1B that is scheduled to travel on the same route as the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that can exist in the communication range for a longer time as the relay device to be used based on the vehicle travel information and vehicle communication information received from the surrounding vehicles 1B. As a result, when the vehicle 1 uses the surrounding vehicles 1B as relay devices for communication, the frequency of disconnection and switching of communication due to movement can be reduced.

[0032] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the hardware structure of the inter-vehicle communication system 100 is extracted from the hardware structure of the vehicle 1, and the hardware structure of the vehicle 1 is not limited to Figure 2 Example shown.

[0033] The vehicle 1 includes a DCM 110, an ECU 120, a car navigation system 130, and a sensor group 140. The DCM 110 and the ECU 120 are connected via, for example, an in-vehicle LAN. In addition, the ECU 120, the car navigation system 130, and the sensor group 140 are connected via, for example, a controller area network (CAN).

[0034] The sensor group 140 includes, for example, a position acquisition sensor, a speedometer, an acceleration sensor, an azimuth sensor, etc. The position acquisition sensor is, for example, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The position information acquired by the position acquisition sensor is, for example, latitude and longitude.

[0035] The ECU 120 is, for example, a central ECU that manages each ECU mounted on the vehicle 1, an ECU that performs processing of the ADAS system, or a multimedia ECU. However, the ECU 120 is not limited thereto. When the ECU 120 receives a request from the DCM 110 to obtain a detection value from the sensor group 140, it collects the detection value of each sensor from the sensor group 140 and sends it to the DCM 110.

[0036] The DCM 110 is responsible for the communication function of the vehicle 1. The DCM 110 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, a wireless communication unit 104, and an interface 105 with an in-vehicle network as a hardware configuration. The memory 102 and the auxiliary storage device 103 are computer-readable recording media. The DCM 110 is an example of an "information processing device".

[0037] The auxiliary storage device 103 stores various programs and data used by the processor 101 when executing each program. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a hard disk drive, or a solid state drive (SSD). The programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 include, for example, an operating system (OS), application programs, and a control program for inter-vehicle communication.

[0038] The memory 102 is a storage device that provides a storage area and a work area for loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 to the processor 101, or is used as a buffer. The memory 102 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0039] The processor 101 performs various processes by loading the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing it. The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU, a GPU, or a digital signal processor (DSP). The processor 101 is not limited to one, and a plurality of processors may be provided. The processor 101 is an example of a "control unit".

[0040] The wireless communication unit 104 is a wireless communication circuit of a wireless LAN in the first embodiment. However, the wireless communication unit 104 may also be a wireless communication circuit connected to a wireless network of a mobile wireless communication method such as 5G, LTE, or 6G. The wireless communication unit 104 measures the radio wave intensity of the received radio wave, and detects the vehicle 1 as a source of radio waves with a radio wave intensity greater than a predetermined value as a device that can be connected. It should be noted that Figure 2 The hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 shown is an example and is not limited to the Figure 2 The DCM 110 may also be a device having a dedicated field programmable gate array (FPGA) or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for executing corresponding processing.

[0041] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional structure of a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes a control unit 11 as a functional structure. In addition, the vehicle 1 retains travel plan information 12, vehicle travel information 13, and vehicle communication information 14 received from other vehicles 1. The control unit 11 is a function realized by, for example, executing a control program for inter-vehicle communication by the processor 101 of the DCM 110. The vehicle 1 is an example of a "first vehicle".

[0042] The control unit 11 generates the driving plan information, vehicle driving information, and vehicle communication information of the vehicle 1 equipped with the DCM 110 at a predetermined period, and transmits them by broadcast or multicast via the wireless communication unit 104. The driving plan information is generated by acquiring, for example, the destination and the driving route from the car navigation system 130. When the destination is not set, the driving plan information may not be generated, or the driving plan information may be empty.

[0043] The vehicle driving information is generated by acquiring the detection values ​​of each sensor from the sensor group 140. It should be noted that the method for acquiring the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 included in the vehicle driving information may also be any of the existing acquisition methods. In addition, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 may be acquired on the sensor group 140 side or calculated by the DCM 110 based on the detection values ​​of the sensors.

[0044] The vehicle communication information is generated by acquiring identification information of a device such as a source of radio waves and the strength of received radio waves from the wireless communication unit 104. When the travel plan information, vehicle travel information, and vehicle communication information are transmitted, the identification information of the vehicle 1 is also transmitted as information indicating the source of transmission. It should be noted that the travel plan information, vehicle travel information, and vehicle communication information can be transmitted independently of each other or collectively.

[0045] In addition, the control unit 11 receives the driving plan information, vehicle driving information, and vehicle communication information transmitted from the surrounding vehicle 1B, and stores them in the auxiliary storage device 103 as the driving plan information 12, the vehicle driving information 13, and the vehicle communication information 14, respectively. The driving plan information 12, the vehicle driving information 13, and the vehicle communication information 14 are deleted after a predetermined time has passed. The vehicle 1B that is the source of the driving plan information, the vehicle driving information, and the vehicle communication information received by the vehicle 1 is recognized by the vehicle 1 as existing, and can be said to be a vehicle that the vehicle 1 can connect to. The driving plan information is an example of "first information". The vehicle driving information is an example of "second information". The vehicle communication information is an example of "third information".

[0046] When a predetermined event occurs, the control unit 11 executes a connection destination selection process for selecting a relay device from the surrounding vehicles 1B. The following events are examples of events that trigger the start of the connection destination selection process. However, the following events are not limited to the following events.

[0047] (Event 1) Generation of a communication request to an external network.

[0048] (Event 2) The connection with the relay device in communication is disconnected.

[0049] (Event 3) Detection of a sign of departure of the vehicle 1B serving as the relay device in communication.

[0050] The sign that the vehicle 1B, which is the relay device in communication, has left is, for example, that one of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1B, which is the relay device, has turned on the turn signal but the other has not, or that both the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1B have turned on the turn signals but the directions indicated by the turn signals are different, etc. In addition, the sign may be detected in combination with not only the state of the turn signal but also the speed of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1B, which is the relay device, etc.

[0051] In the connection selection process, when the destination is set for the vehicle 1, the control unit 11 refers to the travel plan information 12 and selects the vehicle 1B scheduled to travel on the same travel route as the vehicle 1 as a relay device. It should be noted that in the same travel route as the vehicle 1, in addition to the route where the destinations of the vehicles 1 and 1B and the routes to the destinations are completely consistent, there are also similar routes such as a route where a part of the route is different but the route is parallel to the route where the vehicle 1 is traveling, and a route where a part of the route from the current location to a predetermined location such as a relay location is the same although the destination is different. For example, the longer the distance consistent with the route from the current location of the vehicle 1 is, the higher the priority of the vehicle 1B is. Alternatively, the higher the similarity with the route of the vehicle 1 is, the higher the priority of the vehicle 1B is. The vehicle 1B scheduled to travel on the same travel route as the vehicle 1 is an example of the "second vehicle".

[0052] When the destination is not set for the vehicle 1 and there is no vehicle 1B scheduled to travel on the same travel route as the vehicle 1, the control unit 11 refers to the travel plan information 12 and the vehicle travel information 13, and selects the vehicle 1B with the same travel direction as the vehicle 1 as the relay device. When the travel plan information 12 includes the travel route, the travel direction of the vehicle 1B can also be determined based on the travel route. In this way, for example, oncoming vehicles can be excluded from the options as relay devices. The vehicle 1B with the same travel direction as the vehicle 1 is an example of the "third vehicle".

[0053] When the vehicle 1B as the relay device is not determined under the above conditions, the control unit 11 uses, for example, the following conditions to give priority to the surrounding vehicles 1B and select the vehicle 1B as the relay device. The following conditions 1 to 5 are conditions with higher priority. The following conditions 1 to 5 can also be used in any one or more combinations. When used in a combination of multiple conditions, the order of determination of the conditions can also be any order.

[0054] (Condition 1) Driving in a lane of the same type as the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling. For example, the types of lanes include a straight lane, a right turn lane, and a left turn lane. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the straight lane, the vehicle 1B traveling in the right turn lane or the left turn lane is excluded. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the right turn lane, the vehicle 1B traveling in the straight lane or the left turn lane is excluded. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the left turn lane, the vehicle 1B traveling in the straight lane or the right turn lane is excluded.

[0055] (Condition 2) The traveling speed is within the range of ±α of the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 .

[0056] (Condition 3) The number of hops to a base station or access point is smaller.

[0057] (Condition 4) The number of vehicles in the connection is smaller.

[0058] (Condition 5) The radio wave strength with the base station, access point, and surrounding vehicle 1B is stronger.

[0059] Conditions 1 and 2 are conditions under which the priority of vehicle 1B, which is likely to be around vehicle 1 for a longer period of time, becomes higher. Conditions 1 and 2 are determined, for example, based on vehicle travel information 13. Conditions 3 to 5 are conditions under which the priority of vehicle 1B, which is capable of providing more stable communication, becomes higher. Conditions 3 to 5 are determined, for example, based on vehicle communication information 14. It should be noted that the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 5 are conditions under which the priority becomes higher, but a condition under which the priority becomes lower may be set, or a combination of conditions under which the priority becomes higher and conditions under which the priority becomes lower may exist.

[0060] For example, the control unit 11 may obtain scores for conditions 1 to 5 for each of the surrounding vehicles 1B and determine the priority of the surrounding vehicles 1B based on the total value of the scores. The scores obtained for conditions 1 to 5 may be larger or smaller, indicating a higher priority.

[0061] After the vehicle 1B serving as the relay device is selected by the connection selection process, the control unit 11 executes a process for connecting to or switching the connection to the selected vehicle 1B. Figure 3 Example shown.

[0062] Figure 4 This is an example of a flowchart of the connection selection process of the vehicle 1 . Figure 4 The illustrated processing starts when an event occurs as a start trigger. Figure 4 The processing shown is executed by, for example, the processor 101 of the DCM 110 , but for convenience, the description will be mainly based on functional components.

[0063] In OP101, the control unit 11 determines whether a destination is set in the car navigation system 130. If a destination is set in the car navigation system 130, there is information about a travel route to the destination that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel in the future. If a destination is not set in the car navigation system 130, there is no information about a route that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel in the future. If a destination is set (OP101: Yes), the process proceeds to OP102. If a destination is not set (OP101: No), the process proceeds to OP104.

[0064] In OP102, the control unit 11 determines whether there is a vehicle 1B in the vicinity whose future travel route is the same as that of the vehicle 1 based on the travel plan information 12. If there is a vehicle 1B in the vicinity whose future travel route is the same as that of the vehicle 1 (OP102: Yes), the process proceeds to OP103. In OP103, the control unit 11 extracts the vehicle 1B whose future travel route is the same as that of the vehicle 1.

[0065] If there is no vehicle 1B whose future travel path is the same as that of the vehicle 1 (OP102: No), the process proceeds to OP104. In OP104, the control unit 11 determines whether there is a vehicle 1B whose travel direction is the same as that of the vehicle 1 in the surroundings based on the vehicle travel information 13. If there is a vehicle 1B whose travel direction is the same as that of the vehicle 1 in the surroundings (OP104: Yes), the process proceeds to OP105. In OP105, the control unit 11 extracts the vehicle 1B whose travel direction is the same as that of the vehicle 1. If there is no vehicle 1B whose travel direction is the same as that of the vehicle 1 in the surroundings (OP104: No), the process proceeds to OP108.

[0066] In OP106, the control unit 11 determines whether there are multiple vehicles 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105. If there are multiple vehicles 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105 (OP106: Yes), the process proceeds to OP108. If there are not multiple vehicles 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105 (OP106: No), the process proceeds to OP107.

[0067] In OP107, the control unit 11 selects one vehicle 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105 as a relay device. Figure 4 The processing shown ends. In OP108, the control unit 11 assigns priorities to the multiple vehicles 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105 using the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 5, for example, and selects the vehicle 1B with the highest priority as the relay device. Figure 4 The shown processing ends.

[0068] Effects of the first embodiment

[0069] In the first embodiment, when the surrounding vehicles 1B are used as relay devices for communication, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that is likely to be in the communication range for a longer time, such as a vehicle 1B having the same driving path or traveling direction, as a relay device to be used. This can reduce the frequency of disconnection with the vehicle 1B serving as a relay device or switching to another vehicle 1B during communication, and can provide more stable communication. Other Implementations

[0070] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be implemented with appropriate changes without departing from the gist of the disclosure.

[0071] The technology described in the first embodiment is applied to inter-vehicle communication, and the connection destination selection process is performed by the DCM 110 mounted on the vehicle 1, but it is not limited to this. For example, it can also be applied to the communication between user terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, wearable terminals, and PCs carried by passengers of the vehicle 1, and between the user terminals and the vehicle, and the connection destination selection process can also be performed by these terminals. In this case, the information included in the driving plan information, vehicle driving information, and vehicle communication information generated by the user terminal can also be appropriately replaced with information that can be obtained by the user terminal.

[0072] The processes and components described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0073] In addition, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change the hardware structure (server structure) by which each function is implemented.

[0074] The present disclosure can also be implemented in the following manner: a computer program having the functions described in the above embodiments is provided to a computer, and one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer via a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or can be provided to the computer via a network. Non-volatile computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk (floppy disk (registered trademark), hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An information processing device, mounted on a first vehicle, wherein: The information processing device includes a control unit that performs the following operations: Acquiring one or more first information including a travel route from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings via inter-vehicle communication; Based on the one or more first information, selecting a second vehicle from the one or more vehicles as a relay device connected by the inter-vehicle communication, the second vehicle being a vehicle scheduled to travel on a path at least partially the same as a first path scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle; as well as Connected to the relay device.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit acquires one or more second information related to the driving of the vehicle from the one or more vehicles via the inter-vehicle communication. When the second vehicle does not exist, the control unit selects a third vehicle from the one or more vehicles as the relay device based on the one or more second information, the third vehicle being a vehicle traveling in the same direction as the first vehicle.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: In the case where there are multiple second vehicles, in the case where there are multiple third vehicles, or in the case where neither the second vehicle nor the third vehicle exists, the control unit selects, based on the one or more second information, at least one of the multiple second vehicles, the multiple third vehicles, or the one or more vehicles that satisfies the requirement of being traveling on a lane of the same type as the lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, or having a traveling speed within a predetermined range from the speed of the first vehicle as the relay device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit acquires one or more third information related to communication from the one or more vehicles via the inter-vehicle communication. In the case where there are multiple second vehicles, in the case where there are multiple third vehicles, or in the case where neither the second vehicle nor the third vehicle exists, the control unit selects, based on the one or more third information, a vehicle among the multiple second vehicles, a multiple third vehicles, or the one or more vehicles that has fewer hops to the base station or access point, a vehicle that has fewer vehicles currently connected, or a vehicle that has a stronger intensity of received radio waves from the base station, access point or surrounding vehicles as the relay device.

5. A method executed by an information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, wherein: The method includes: Acquiring one or more first information including a travel route from one or more vehicles existing in the surroundings via inter-vehicle communication; Based on the one or more first information, selecting a second vehicle from the one or more vehicles as a relay device connected by the inter-vehicle communication, the second vehicle being a vehicle scheduled to travel on a path at least partially identical to a first path scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle; and Connected to the relay device.

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