Information processing method

Abstract

An information processing method in V2X communication executed by an information processing device of a mobile body includes: setting a group ID relating to a group including at least one other mobile body satisfying a predetermined condition; and performing data communication in the V2X communication by adding the group ID.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for performing attention arousal, danger notification, etc. through V2X communication such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and pedestrian-vehicle communication has been known. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224946, a pedestrian terminal device is disclosed which can achieve power saving of the pedestrian terminal device in pedestrian-vehicle communication. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The following technique is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224946: When a plurality of pedestrian-vehicle communication terminals held by pedestrians approach each other, a pedestrian terminal group is formed and a pedestrian terminal representing the group is determined. And a technique in which a representative terminal communicates with a vehicle on behalf of the group. In particular, the technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224946 attempts power saving and avoids communication interruption by determining a terminal to be a communication representative based on the battery level etc. of the terminal. However, in the technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224946, since communication is performed between non-representative terminals within the group via the representative terminal, communication between a non-representative terminal within the group and a vehicle is delayed compared to the case of direct communication with the vehicle. On the other hand, if attention arousal, danger notification, etc. are performed by one-to-one communication or broadcast communication, it is necessary to sufficiently secure communication resources and computing resources, and these resources may be insufficient. Thus, there is room for improvement in V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication technology.

[0004] In view of these circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve V2X communication technology.

[0005] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing method in V2X communication executed by an information processing device included in a moving body, and includes: setting a group ID related to a group including at least one other moving body that satisfies a specified condition, in V2X communication, performing data communication with the group ID attached.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, V2X communication technology is improved. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Hereinafter, features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and in the drawings: Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an information processing apparatus; Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing apparatus; Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for setting a group ID; Figure 5 shows a specific example of a group; and Figure 6 shows a conceptual diagram of communication in the case where a group ID is set. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] Hereinafter, the technology related to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be appropriately omitted or simplified.

[0010] First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described. The technology related to the embodiments of the present disclosure is an information processing method in V2X communication executed by an information processing apparatus included in a moving body. The information processing apparatus sets a group ID related to a group including at least one other moving body that satisfies a specified condition. In addition, the information processing apparatus attaches the group ID to data in V2X communication. That is, the information processing apparatus performs data communication by attaching the group ID to data in V2X communication.

[0011] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus included in the moving body sets a group ID common to a group including at least one other moving body that satisfies a specified condition, and performs data communication by attaching the group ID to data in V2X communication. By attaching the group ID to data in V2X communication, devices that perform this data communication can utilize the group ID. For example, the group ID can be used to specify the destination of data transmission. In addition, it is easy to determine whether the data is destined for itself using the group ID. In this way, the V2X communication technology is improved in that a group ID common to a group including a plurality of moving bodies can be utilized in V2X communication.

[0012] Here, the moving body is, for example, a vehicle, a pedestrian, or the like. For example, when the moving body is a vehicle, the information processing device 20 may be a dedicated device mounted on the moving body or the like. When the moving body is a pedestrian, the information processing device may be a portable terminal such as a smartphone carried by the pedestrian. When the information processing device is mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle and the information processing device may be connected by wire through a Controller Area Network (CAN) or the like. In addition, the standard of the wired connection in the case of a wired connection is not limited to CAN. The vehicle is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited thereto, and may be any vehicle, and may also be a motorcycle, a bicycle, or the like. Configuration of the system

[0013] Refer to Figure 1 , the outline of the system 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the case where the moving body is a vehicle will be described. The system 1 includes vehicles 10a, 10b, 10c, information processing devices 20a, 20b, and 20c. The information processing devices 20a, 20b, and 20c are communicably connected to a network 30 including the Internet, a mobile body communication network, and the like, for example. In this specification, when the vehicles 10a, 10b, and 10c are not distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the vehicle 10. In addition, in this specification, when the information processing devices 20a, 20b, and 20c are not distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the information processing device 20.

[0014] The vehicle 10 is, for example, an automobile, a bicycle, or the like, but is not limited thereto, and may be any vehicle. The automobile is, for example, a gasoline vehicle, a battery electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0015] The information processing device 20 is any device used by the occupants of the vehicle 10. For example, a dedicated in-vehicle device may be used as the information processing device 20. In addition, the information processing device 20 may also be a general electronic device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

[0016] In addition, in Figure 1An example is shown in which there are three vehicles 10 and three information processing devices 20 included in the system 1, but it is not limited to this. The system 1 may also include four or more vehicles 10 and information processing devices 20.

[0017] (Configuration of Information Processing Device) Next, each configuration of the information processing device 20 will be described in detail.

[0018] As Figure 2 shown, the information processing device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an input unit 23, an output unit 24, a communication unit 25, a positioning unit 26, and a measurement unit 27.

[0019] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor dedicated to specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 21 controls each part of the information processing device 20 while performing processing related to the operation of the information processing device 20.

[0020] The storage unit 22 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of them. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 22 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a flash memory. In the storage unit 22, data for the operation of the information processing device 20 and data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 20 are stored.

[0021] The input unit 23 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, or a touch screen provided integrally with the display. Additionally, the input interface can also be, for example, a sound sensor that accepts voice input or a camera that accepts gesture input. The input unit 23 accepts operations of data used in the operation of the information processing device 20. The input unit 23 can also be connected to the information processing device 20 as an external input device instead of being provided by the information processing device 20. As a connection method, for example, any method such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0022] The output unit 24 includes at least one output interface. The output interface is, for example, a display that outputs image information. The display is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence display. The output unit 24 displays and outputs data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 20. The output unit 24 can also be connected to the information processing device 20 as an external output device instead of being provided by the information processing device 20. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0023] The communication unit 25 is equipped with a communication interface connected to a network. When the information processing device 20 is mounted on a vehicle, the communication unit 25 can also be equipped with a communication interface connected to a CAN. The communication interface connected to the network corresponds to, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle communication standards (such as V2X) or mobile communication standards, etc., but is not limited to these and can correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 of a certain mobile object is wirelessly connected to the information processing device of another mobile object via the communication unit 25 and the network 30. The communication unit 25 receives data used in the operation of the information processing device 20 and also sends data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 20.

[0024] The positioning unit 26 includes one or more devices that acquire the position information of the information processing device 20 (i.e., the position information of the vehicle 10). Specifically, the positioning unit 26 includes, for example, a receiver corresponding to GPS, but is not limited thereto and can also include a receiver corresponding to any satellite positioning system.

[0025] The measurement unit 27 includes one or more sensors. The measurement unit 27 may include a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, etc. However, the sensors are not limited to these.

[0026] The functions of the information processing device 20 are implemented by executing the program according to this embodiment in a processor equivalent to the information processing device 20. That is, the functions of the information processing device 20 are implemented by software. The program causes a computer to function as the information processing device 20 by causing the computer to execute the operations of the information processing device 20. That is, the computer functions as the information processing device 20 by executing the operations of the information processing device 20 according to the program.

[0027] In this embodiment, the program may be pre-recorded in a record medium readable by a computer. The record medium readable by a computer includes non-temporary computer-readable media, such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The distribution of the program is performed, for example, by selling, transferring, or leasing a removable record medium such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) or a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) on which the program is recorded. In addition, the distribution of the program may be performed by storing the program in a storage device of an external server and sending the program from the external server to other computers. In addition, the program may be provided as a program product.

[0028] Part or all of the functions of the information processing device 20 may also be implemented by a dedicated circuit equivalent to the control unit 21. That is, part or all of the functions of the information processing device 20 may also be implemented by hardware. Operations of the information processing device

[0029] Refer to Figure 3 the flowchart to illustrate the operations of the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] S101: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 sets a group ID related to a group including at least one other moving body that satisfies a specified condition. This group ID is identification information used to uniquely identify a group in data communication including a plurality of moving bodies. That is, the control unit 21 performs grouping related to a plurality of moving bodies. The grouping method can adopt any method as described later.

[0031] S102: In V2X communication, the control unit 21 attaches a group ID to the data. And the control unit 21 performs data communication with the attached group ID. By attaching the group ID to the data in V2X communication, the devices performing this data communication can utilize the group ID with each other. For example, the destination of data transmission can be specified using the group ID. In addition, it is easy to determine whether the data is destined for itself using the group ID. In this way, the V2X communication technology is improved in that the group ID common to the group including multiple moving bodies can be utilized in V2X communication. Method for setting group ID

[0032] The above method for setting the group ID can adopt any method. Refer to Figure 4 The flowchart of shows an example of the method for setting the group ID. Hereinafter, an example of the operation of setting the group ID will be described for the host-client communication between the information processing device of the moving body that determines the group ID (hereinafter, also referred to as the host) and the information processing devices of other moving bodies belonging to the group (hereinafter, also referred to as the client). In addition, here, it is assumed that the host is the information processing device 20a mounted on the vehicle 10a and the client is the information processing device 20b mounted on the vehicle 10b for explanation. Hereinafter, the components included in the information processing device 20a are set as the control unit 21a, the storage unit 22a, the input unit 23a, the output unit 24a, the communication unit 25a, the positioning unit 26a, and the measurement unit 27a. The components included in the information processing device 20b are set as the control unit 21b, the storage unit 22b, the input unit 23b, the output unit 24b, the communication unit 25b, the positioning unit 26b, and the measurement unit 27b.

[0033] S201: The control unit 21a of the information processing device 20a as the host broadcasts a packet request signal through ITS direct communication. The packet request signal is a signal including an ID indicating a packet request in the service ID. The packet request signal includes a specified condition. For example, the specified condition can be that the position of the client moving body is within a specified radius (hereinafter, also referred to as the group radius) from the host moving body. In other words, the specified condition can include that its own position is within the group radius from the host moving body. In this case, the packet request signal includes the position information of the host and the information of the group radius. The position information related to the host is obtained by the positioning unit 26a.

[0034] In addition, the group request signal may also include the type of the group (hereinafter, also referred to as the group category). The group category is information indicating the category of the moving body. For example, the group category is a car, a bicycle, a pedestrian, etc. When the group request signal includes the group category, the specified conditions may include: the own group category matches the group category included in the group request signal. The group category may be stored in the storage unit 22 of each information processing device 20. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the specified conditions are that the own position is within the group radius from the host moving body and the own group category matches the group category included in the group request signal for explanation. In addition, the group request signal may be sent, for example, periodically in a certain cycle. Thus, the group is re-evaluated regularly. In addition, for example, the group request signal may be sent only before starting a specific service. In addition, for example, the group request signal may change the transmission cycle according to the return status of the consent signal described later.

[0035] S202: The control unit 21b of the information processing device 20b makes a determination related to its own group category and a determination related to its own position according to the group category and the group radius. When it is determined that it is an object to be grouped (an object for setting a group ID), the control unit 21b returns a consent signal to the host. In other words, the client that satisfies the specified conditions returns a consent signal to the host. In addition, the control unit 21b obtains its own position from the positioning unit 26b and performs the above determination process. The consent signal includes the moving body ID of the client. The moving body ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the moving body and is stored in the storage unit 22.

[0036] S203: When the return of the consent signal is received from the client, the control unit 21a of the information processing device 20a as the host notifies the group ID with the moving body ID of the client as the destination. The group ID notified by the host can be set by any method. For example, the host may also store a default group ID in the storage unit 22a. In this case, the host may notify the default group ID to the client.

[0037] S204: When the control unit 21b of the information processing device 20b as the client receives the group ID from the host, it sets the group ID as the group ID of the group to which it belongs. In other words, the client sets the group ID based on the notification from the host. Specifically, the control unit 21b stores the group ID in the storage unit 12b. In addition, when the control unit 21b performs ITS communication by itself thereafter, it performs data communication by attaching the group ID in addition to its own moving body ID.

[0038] According to the above S201 to S204, the group IDs of the host and the client are set and used in subsequent data communication of V2X communication. Here, the host-client relationship after group formation may or may not be maintained. For example, in the case of maintaining the host-client relationship, the host of the group can manage the number, type, location, etc. of the grouped moving bodies. In addition, the host of the group can also send a packet request service to confirm whether the group is maintained after group formation. The client side can also receive the packet request signal for confirmation and confirm whether it belongs to the group.

[0039] On the other hand, for example, in the case of not maintaining the host-client relationship, the information processing device of any moving body within the group can send a packet request signal. When it is a packet object at the time of reception and already has the same group ID, the information processing device of this moving body replies. That is to say, in this case, it becomes a mechanism in which the host is constantly replaced while continuously confirming whether it is a packet object with each other. In addition, it can also be that an information processing device outside the group receives the packet request signal sent by any information processing device within the group and spreads it between groups.

[0040] Figure 5 A specific example of packet is shown. In this example, both vehicle 10a and vehicle 10b are bicycles, and vehicle 10c is an automobile. In addition, information processing devices 20a, 20b, and 20c are mounted on vehicle 10a, vehicle 10b, and vehicle 10c respectively. The group categories of information processing devices 20a and 20b are both bicycles. Region 100a represents the region within the packet radius when information processing device 20a is the host. In addition, region 100b represents the region within the packet radius when information processing device 20b is the host. As Figure 5 shown, information processing device 20b exists in the region within the packet radius when information processing device 20a is the host. Therefore, when a packet request signal is sent from information processing device 20a, information processing device 20b replies with an approval signal. Thereby, a common group ID is set for information processing devices 20a and 20b. Specifically, in Figure 5 it, "109" is set as the group ID for information processing devices 20a and 20b. In addition, vehicle IDs 10a and 10b are respectively set for vehicle 10a and vehicle 10b. When information processing devices 20a and 20b send data in V2X communication, they attach the group ID to the data. Thereby, the receiving side of V2X communication can grasp the group ID related to information processing devices 20a and 20b.

[0041] The conceptual diagram of the communication in the case where the group ID is set is shown in Figure 6As described above, since the information processing device 20a and the information processing device 20b attach the group ID to the data in V2X communication, the information processing device 20c of the vehicle 10c can grasp the group IDs of the information processing device 20a and the information processing device 20b. Therefore, the information processing device 20c can send data with the group ID as the destination. In Figure 6 FIG. Figure 6 shows an example in which the information processing device 20c mounted on the vehicle 10c notifies a group of vehicles with a group ID of 109 of data. For example, in an operation related to at least one of the information processing device 20a and the information processing device 20b, when the notification condition for at least one of the information processing device 20a and the information processing device 20b is satisfied, the information processing device 20c sends data with the group ID attached. As a result, both the information processing device 20a and the information processing device 20b can receive the notification. Specifically, for example, when the speed of the vehicle 10a equipped with the information processing device 20a is equal to or higher than a specified speed and the notification condition for the attention arousal information is satisfied, the attention arousal information related thereto is also notified to the information processing device 20b mounted on the vehicle 10b existing near the intersection, and the information processing device 20b also receives the warning signal.

[0042] As described above, the information processing device 20 according to the present embodiment attaches a group ID to data in V2X communication. By attaching a group ID to the data in V2X communication, the devices performing this data communication can utilize the group ID. For example, the destination of data transmission can be specified using the group ID. In addition, it is easy to determine whether the data is destined for itself using the group ID. In this way, the V2X communication technology is improved in that the group ID common to a group including a plurality of moving bodies can be utilized in V2X communication.

[0043] The present disclosure has been described based on the respective drawings and embodiments, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art can also make various modifications and changes based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or each step, etc. can be reconfigured logically without contradiction, a plurality of components or steps, etc. can be combined into one, or divided.

[0044] For example, in the above-described embodiment, there may be an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 are distributed to a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other. In addition, for example, there may be an embodiment in which a part or all of the constituent elements of the information processing device 20 are provided in the vehicle 10. For example, the navigation device mounted on the vehicle 10 may include a part or all of the constituent elements of the information processing device 20.

[0045] In addition, any method can be adopted to determine the group radius. For example, an inherent group radius can be set according to the group category. For example, in the case where the group categories are cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, the group radii can be different radii r1, r2, and r3 for each group. Additionally, their size relationship can be, for example, r1 > r2 > r3. Moreover, the group radius can also change dynamically according to the movement status of the moving body, such as speed and acceleration. Furthermore, in this case, a lower limit value of the group radius can be set.

[0046] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example is shown where the specified condition in grouping is that the own position is within the group radius from the moving body, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the specified condition can also include: the own traveling direction is substantially the same as the traveling direction of the moving body. In this case, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 can grasp the own traveling direction based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 27. Thereby, moving bodies with substantially the same traveling direction can be grouped, and group communication can be performed on the information processing devices possessed by these moving bodies.

[0047] In addition, for example, the specified condition can also be within a specified distance range from traffic infrastructure. Traffic infrastructure includes traffic lights at intersections, etc. In the case of grouping based on traffic infrastructure, the information processing device 20 can be mounted on the traffic infrastructure so that the information processing device 20 becomes the host to set the group ID. In this case, the specified condition of the group request signal sent by the information processing device 20 can be that the position of the client is within a specified radius (hereinafter also referred to as the group radius) from the host. In other words, this specified condition can include that the own position is within the group radius from the traffic infrastructure. Thereby, moving bodies within a specified distance from traffic lights at intersections, etc. can be grouped together, and notifications, etc. can be sent to the information processing devices 20 possessed by the moving bodies around this traffic infrastructure all at once.

[0048] Moreover, the usage method of the group ID is not limited to the above. For example, the group ID is also useful in data communication such as in-group communication. For example, in addition to sharing the position information of group members, information such as the destination and the route can be easily shared through communication using the group ID. Furthermore, in this case, it can also be set that some data is not shared within the group. For example, it can also be set to reject the sharing of personal data (position information, etc.) through the respective settings of the members.

[0049] In addition, the movement guidelines can also be shared within the group through the above-mentioned in-group communication. The movement guidelines can include, for example, hurrying to the destination, slowly going to the destination, etc.

[0050] In addition, a request for changing the host related to the setting of the group ID can also be made through the above-mentioned in-group communication. For example, in the case of communication maintaining the host-client relationship, it can also be set to change the host while maintaining the group.

[0051] In addition, the detection of emergency actions such as emergency braking / emergency steering of the members of the group can also be shared through the above-mentioned in-group communication. When a moving body belonging to the group takes an emergency action, by transmitting it to other moving bodies within the group, the possibility of avoiding danger can be increased.

Claims

1. An information processing method is an information processing method in V2X communication performed by an information processing device possessed by a mobile body, comprising: setting a group ID associated with a group including at least one other mobile body satisfying a predetermined condition; as well as In V2X communication, data communication is performed with the group ID attached.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein: Setting the group ID includes: Sending a packet request signal via broadcast; receiving a consent signal from an information processing device of at least one other mobile object that satisfies the prescribed condition; and The group ID is set for the information processing device of at least one other mobile object that satisfies the predetermined condition.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The prescribed condition includes: the position of at least one other moving object is within a group radius from the moving object.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The predetermined condition includes: a moving direction of at least one other moving object is substantially the same as a moving direction of the moving object.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The specified conditions include: at least one other mobile body is within a specified distance range from the transportation infrastructure.

Images