Information processing device and method

Abstract

To provide stable communication to an external network via inter-vehicle communication.SOLUTION: An information processing device mounted on a first vehicle performs: acquiring one or more pieces of first information including a travel route from one or more vehicles existing in the periphery via inter-vehicle communication; selecting a second vehicle scheduled to travel on a route which is at least partially the same as a first route where the first vehicle is to travel among the one or more vehicles as a repeating device to be connected by the inter-vehicle communication based on the one or more pieces of first information; and performing connection to the repeating device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle-to-vehicle communications. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle position estimation device has been disclosed that exchanges information about the traveling direction of vehicles through inter-vehicle communication and determines whether other vehicles are traveling on the same road as the subject vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-109795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device and method that can provide more stable communication to an external network through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, acquiring one or more pieces of first information including a driving route from one or more surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, from among the one or more vehicles based on the one or more first information, a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel along at least a part of a first route that the first vehicle is scheduled to travel along, as a relay device to be connected via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication; connecting to the relay device; a control unit that executes The information processing device is provided with:

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing device mounted on the first vehicle, acquiring one or more pieces of first information including a driving route from one or more surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, from among the one or more vehicles based on the one or more first information, a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel along at least a part of a first route that the first vehicle is scheduled to travel along, as a relay device to be connected via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication; connecting to the relay device; This is a method for doing this. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide more stable communication to an external network through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inter-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an example of a flowchart of a vehicle connection selection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] For example, when vehicle A communicates with an external network using nearby vehicle B as a Wi-Fi mesh relay, vehicle A may move out of the communication range of vehicle B. In this case, vehicle A will connect to another vehicle C as a new relay and continue communication. In this way, in communication using other vehicles as relays, such as Wi-Fi mesh, communication disconnections and switching of the connected relay device may occur frequently.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, in consideration of the above problem, a vehicle selects a vehicle that is likely to maintain a connection for a longer period of time from multiple other vehicles present in the vicinity and uses it as a relay device. More specifically, one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on the vehicle. The information processing device includes a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring one or more first information pieces including a travel route from one or more surrounding vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, from the one or more vehicles based on the one or more first information pieces, a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel a route at least partially identical to a first route planned by the first vehicle, as a relay device to connect to via vehicle-to-vehicle communication; and connecting to the relay device.

[0011] The information processing device may be, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module) mounted on a vehicle, ECU (Electronic Control Unit) with inter-vehicle communication function or car navigation system The information processing device may be a smartphone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, or the like, which may be carried by a user and loaded into a vehicle. The control unit may include, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and The circuit may also be a circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0012] 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. Examples of inter-vehicle communication methods include C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle to Everything) and DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). The route that is the same as the first route includes a route that is completely identical to the first route. The route includes not only the route that is the same as the first route, but also similar routes, such as a route that partially matches the route from the current position of the first vehicle to a predetermined point, and a route that travels on roads near the first route.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, by connecting a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel the same route as the first vehicle as a relay device, the first vehicle is more likely to remain within the communication range of the second vehicle for a longer period of time, even if the first vehicle moves. This reduces the frequency of disconnections and switching of communication using another vehicle as a relay device due to the movement of the first vehicle. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, stable communication can be provided to the first vehicle.

[0014] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may acquire one or more pieces of second information related to the vehicle's travel from one or more surrounding vehicles. Furthermore, if there is no second vehicle, the control unit may select a third vehicle traveling in the same direction as the first vehicle as a relay device from among one or more surrounding vehicles based on the one or more pieces of second information. The second information may include, for example, vehicle location information, speed, and travel direction. By selecting the third vehicle traveling in the same direction as the first vehicle as a relay device, the first vehicle is more likely to be able to connect to the third vehicle for a longer period of time.

[0015] Furthermore, when there are multiple second vehicles, multiple third vehicles, or neither second nor third vehicles, the control unit may select, based on second information acquired from surrounding vehicles, a vehicle that satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the vehicle is traveling in the same type of lane as the lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, or the vehicle's traveling speed is within a predetermined range from the speed of the first vehicle. Types of lane include, for example, a straight lane, a right-turn lane, and a left-turn lane. This allows a vehicle that is likely to travel in the vicinity of the first vehicle for a long period of time to be selected as a relay device.

[0016] Alternatively, if there are multiple second vehicles, multiple third vehicles, or neither second nor third vehicles, the control unit may select as a relay device a vehicle with the fewest number of hops to a base station or access point, a vehicle with the fewest number of currently connected vehicles, or a vehicle with the strongest received radio waves from a base station, access point, or surrounding vehicles, based on one or more pieces of 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 received radio wave strength of radio waves received by the vehicle from other devices. This allows a vehicle that can provide more stable communication to be selected as a relay device.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a method in which a computer executes the processes executed by each of the information processing devices. Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0019] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 100 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 100 includes a plurality of vehicles 1 that can communicate directly with each other using a predetermined communication method. Note that being able to communicate directly means that communication can be performed without any relay device between the communication partner device. For convenience, only one vehicle is shown in FIG. 1 with a reference numeral. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the vehicles, the vehicle will be referred to as vehicle 1. When there is a need to distinguish between the vehicles, a vehicle other than the target vehicle will be referred to as vehicle 1B.

[0020] In the first embodiment, each vehicle 1 included in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 100 communicates using mesh WiFi. In the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 100, multiple vehicles 1 operate as relay devices that relay connections to base stations or access points. For example, when connecting to an external network such as the Internet, a vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B to use from multiple surrounding vehicles 1B operating as relay devices, and connects to the external network through the selected vehicle 1B.

[0021] Vehicle 1 transmits 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 by broadcast or multicast at predetermined intervals, and exchanges this information with surrounding vehicles 1B. Vehicle driving information includes, for example, vehicle 1's position information, speed, direction of travel, and blinker status. 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, the base stations and access points from which vehicle 1 receives radio waves, information on other vehicles, and the strength of the radio waves received from each, and the number of terminals to which vehicle 1 is connected. Note that vehicle driving information, driving plan information, and vehicle communication information are The information included in each piece of information is not limited to the information described above.

[0022] In the first embodiment, for example, in order to maintain a communication connection with an external network for a longer period of time, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that can remain within the communication range for a longer period of time as a relay device. More specifically, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that is scheduled to travel the same route as the vehicle 1 based on travel plan information received from the surrounding vehicles 1B as a relay device to use, connects to the vehicle 1B, and communicates with the external network through the vehicle 1B. However, if a destination is not set for the vehicle 1 or if there is no vehicle 1B that is scheduled to travel the same route as the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 selects a vehicle 1B that can remain within the communication range for a longer period of time as a relay device to use based on the vehicle travel information and vehicle communication information received from the surrounding vehicles 1B. This reduces the frequency of communication disconnections and switching due to movement when the vehicle 1 communicates using the surrounding vehicles 1B as a relay device.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the vehicle 1. Note that Fig. 2 illustrates an extracted hardware configuration related to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 100 from the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1, and the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 is not limited to the example illustrated in Fig. 2.

[0024] The vehicle 1 includes a DCM 110, an ECU 120, a car navigation system 130, and a group of sensors 140. The DCM 110 and the ECU 120 are connected to each other, for example, via an in-vehicle LAN. The ECU 120, the car navigation system 130, and the group of sensors 140 are also connected to each other, for example, via a CAN (Controller Area Network). is connected.

[0025] The sensor group 140 includes, for example, a position acquisition sensor, a speedometer, an acceleration sensor, an azimuth angle sensor, and other sensors. The position acquisition sensor is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. The position information acquired by the position acquisition sensor includes, for example, latitude and and longitude.

[0026] The ECU 120 is, for example, a center ECU that manages each ECU mounted on the vehicle 1, an ECU that processes an ADAS system, or a multimedia ECU. However, the ECU 120 is not limited to these. When the ECU 120 receives a request from the DCM 110 to the sensor group 140 to acquire detection values, the ECU 120 collects the detection values ​​of each sensor from the sensor group 140 and transmits them to the DCM 110.

[0027] The DCM 110 is responsible for the communication function of the vehicle 1. The DCM 110 has, as its hardware configuration, 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. 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."

[0028] 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 EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a hard disk drive, or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 include, for example, These include an operating system (OS), application programs, and control programs for vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

[0029] The memory 102 provides the processor 101 with a storage area and a working area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103, and is also used as a buffer. The memory 102 is a storage device and includes, for example, semiconductor memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0030] The processor 101 executes various processes by loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing them. The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU, a GPU, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The number of processors 101 is not limited to one, and multiple processors 101 may be provided. The processor 101 is an example of a "control unit."

[0031] In the first embodiment, the wireless communication unit 104 is a wireless communication circuit for a wireless LAN. However, the wireless communication unit 104 may also be a wireless communication circuit that connects to a wireless network of a mobile wireless communication system such as 5G, LTE, or 6G. The wireless communication unit 104 measures the radio wave intensity of received radio waves and detects the vehicle 1 that is the source of radio waves with a radio wave intensity equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a connectable device. Note that the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 2 is an example and is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2. The DCM 110 may also be a device that includes an electric circuit such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) dedicated to executing the relevant processing.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of vehicle 1. Vehicle 1 includes a control unit 11 as a functional configuration. Vehicle 1 also holds driving plan information 12, vehicle driving information 13, and vehicle communication information 14 received from other vehicles 1. The control unit 11 is a function achieved, for example, by processor 101 of DCM 110 executing a control program for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Vehicle 1 is an example of a "first vehicle."

[0033] The control unit 11 generates, at a predetermined interval, driving plan information, vehicle driving information, and vehicle communication information for the vehicle 1 equipped with the DCM 110, and transmits them by broadcast or multicast via the wireless communication unit 104. The driving plan information is generated by acquiring, for example, a destination and a driving route from the car navigation system 130. If a destination is not set, the driving plan information does not need to be created, or may be empty.

[0034] The vehicle travel information is generated by acquiring the detection values ​​of each sensor from the sensor group 140. The method for acquiring the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 included in the vehicle travel information may be any of the existing acquisition methods. The traveling direction of the vehicle 1 may be acquired by the sensor group 140 or by the DCM. 110 may calculate it from the detected value of the sensor.

[0035] The vehicle communication information is generated by acquiring, for example, identification information of the device that is the source of the radio waves and the received radio wave intensity 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 the transmission. Note that the travel plan information, vehicle travel information, and vehicle communication information may be transmitted individually or collectively.

[0036] The control unit 11 also receives trip plan information, vehicle travel information, and vehicle communication information transmitted from surrounding vehicles 1B, and stores them in the auxiliary storage device 103 as trip plan information 12, vehicle travel information 13, and vehicle communication information 14, respectively. The trip plan information 12, vehicle travel information 13, and vehicle communication information 14 are deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed. Vehicle 1B, which is the source of the trip plan information, vehicle travel information, and vehicle communication information received by vehicle 1, is recognized by vehicle 1 and can be said to be a vehicle to which vehicle 1 can connect. The trip plan information is an example of "first information." The vehicle travel information is an example of "second information." The vehicle communication information is an example of "third information."

[0037] When a predetermined event occurs, the control unit 11 executes a connection destination selection process to select a relay device from the surrounding vehicle 1B. Events that trigger the start of the connection destination selection process include, for example, the following events. However, the events that trigger the start of the connection destination selection process are not limited to the following events.

[0038] (Event 1) A communication request occurs to an external network. (Event 2) The connection with the relay device during communication is lost. (Event 3) Detection of signs that vehicle 1B, which is a relay device during communication, is moving away.

[0039] Signs that vehicle 1B, which is a relay device during communication, is moving away include, for example, one of vehicle 1 and vehicle 1B, which is a relay device, turning on its turn signal while the other is not, or both vehicle 1 and vehicle 1B have their turn signals on but the turn signals are pointing in different directions, etc. Furthermore, the signs may be detected based not only on the state of the turn signals but also on the speeds of vehicle 1 and vehicle 1B, which is a relay device, etc.

[0040] In the connection selection process, when a destination is set for vehicle 1, control unit 11 refers to driving plan information 12 and selects vehicle 1B, which is scheduled to travel the same driving route as vehicle 1, as a relay device. The same driving route as vehicle 1 includes routes in which the destinations of vehicle 1 and vehicle 1B and the routes to the destinations are completely identical, as well as similar routes in which vehicle 1 travels on roads parallel to the roads traveled by vehicle 1, even though some of the roads traveled are different, and routes in which the destinations are different but some of the routes from the current location to a predetermined point such as a relay point are the same. For example, the longer the distance that vehicle 1B matches the route from the current location of vehicle 1, or the higher the similarity to the route of vehicle 1, the higher the priority of vehicle 1B may be. Vehicle 1B, which is scheduled to travel the same driving route as vehicle 1, is an example of a "second vehicle."

[0041] If a destination is not set for vehicle 1, and if there is no vehicle 1B scheduled to travel the same travel route as vehicle 1, control unit 11 refers to travel plan information 12 and vehicle travel information 13 and selects vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1 as a relay device. If the travel route is included in travel plan information 12, the travel direction of vehicle 1B may be determined from the travel route. This makes it possible to exclude, for example, oncoming vehicles from options for relay devices. Vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1 is an example of a "third vehicle."

[0042] If vehicle 1B cannot be determined as a relay device even when the above conditions are satisfied, control unit 11 uses, for example, the following conditions to prioritize surrounding vehicles 1B and selects vehicle 1B as a relay device. Conditions 1 to 5 below are conditions with higher priority. Conditions 1 to 5 below may be used alone or in combination. When multiple combinations are used, the order of determining the conditions may be any order.

[0043] (Condition 1) Vehicle 1 is traveling in the same type of lane as the lane in which it is traveling. For example, lane types include a straight lane, a right-turn lane, and a left-turn lane. When vehicle 1 is traveling in the straight lane, vehicle 1B traveling in the right-turn lane or the left-turn lane is excluded. When vehicle 1 is traveling in the right-turn lane, vehicle 1B traveling in the straight lane or the left-turn lane is excluded. When vehicle 1 is traveling in the left-turn lane, vehicle 1B traveling in the straight lane or the right-turn lane is excluded. (Condition 2) The traveling speed is within ±α of the traveling speed of vehicle 1. (Condition 3) The number of hops to the base station or access point is reduced. (Condition 4) The number of connected vehicles is smaller. (Condition 5) The signal strength between the base station, the access point, and the surrounding vehicle 1B is strong. thing.

[0044] 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, is increased. Conditions 1 and 2 are determined, for example, based on vehicle driving information 13. Conditions 3 to 5 are conditions under which the priority of vehicle 1B, which can provide more stable communication, is increased. Conditions 3 to 5 are determined, for example, based on vehicle communication information 14. Note that, although the above conditions 1 to 5 are conditions under which the priority is increased, conditions under which the priority is decreased may also be set, or conditions under which the priority is increased and conditions under which the priority is decreased may be mixed.

[0045] For example, the control unit 11 may acquire a score for each of the surrounding vehicles 1B for the conditions 1 to 5, and determine the priority of the surrounding vehicles 1B based on the total score. The scores acquired for the conditions 1 to 5 may indicate a higher priority, or may indicate a lower priority.

[0046] After selecting the vehicle 1B to be used as a relay device by the connection selection process, the control unit 11 executes a process to connect to or switch the connection to the selected vehicle 1B. Note that the functional configuration of the vehicle 1 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0047] Fig. 4 is an example of a flowchart of the connection selection process of the vehicle 1. The process shown in Fig. 4 is started when an event that serves as a start trigger occurs. The process shown in Fig. 4 is executed by, for example, the processor 101 of the DCM 110, but for convenience, the process will be described mainly with reference to the functional components.

[0048] In OP101, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a destination has been set in the car navigation system 130. If a destination has been set in the car navigation system 130, information about a route to the destination along which the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel is available. If a destination has not been set in the car navigation system 130, information about a route along which the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel is unavailable. If a destination has been set (YES in OP101), the process proceeds to OP102. If a destination has not been set (NO in OP101), the process proceeds to OP104.

[0049] In OP102, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a vehicle 1B in the vicinity that has the same future driving route as the vehicle 1, based on the driving plan information 12. If there is a vehicle 1B in the vicinity that has the same future driving route as the vehicle 1 (OP102: YES), the process proceeds to OP103. In OP103, the control unit 11 extracts the vehicle 1B that has the same future driving route as the vehicle 1.

[0050] If there is no vehicle 1B traveling along the same future travel route as vehicle 1 (OP102: NO), the process proceeds to OP104. In OP104, the control unit 11 determines, based on the vehicle travel information 13, whether or not there is a vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1 in the surrounding area. If there is a vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1 in the surrounding area (OP104: YES), the process proceeds to OP105. In OP105, the control unit 11 extracts a vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1. If there is no vehicle 1B traveling in the same direction as vehicle 1 in the surrounding area (OP104: NO), the process proceeds to OP108.

[0051] In OP106, the control unit 11 determines whether a plurality of vehicles 1B have been extracted in OP103 or OP105. If a plurality of vehicles 1B have been extracted in OP103 or OP105 (OP106: YES), the process proceeds to OP108. If a plurality of vehicles 1B have not been extracted in OP103 or OP105 (OP106: NO), the process proceeds to OP107.

[0052] In OP107, the control unit 11 selects one vehicle 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105 as a relay device. Then, the processing shown in Fig. 4 ends. In OP108, the control unit 11 prioritizes the vehicles 1B extracted in OP103 or OP105, for example, using the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 5, and selects the vehicle 1B with the highest priority as a relay device. Then, the processing shown in Fig. 4 ends.

[0053] <Effects of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, when communicating using a surrounding vehicle 1B as a relay device, the vehicle 1 selects as the relay device to be used a vehicle 1B that can be within the communication range for a longer period of time, such as a vehicle 1B that is traveling along the same route or in the same direction. This reduces the frequency of disconnection from the vehicle 1B that is the relay device or switching to another vehicle 1B during communication, thereby providing more stable communication.

[0054] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the disclosure.

[0055] The technology described in the first embodiment is applied to vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the connection destination selection process is executed by the DCM 110 mounted on the vehicle 1, but is not limited thereto. For example, the technology can also be applied to communication between user terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, wearable terminals, and PCs carried by occupants of the vehicle 1, and between the user terminals and the vehicle, and the connection destination selection process may be executed by these terminals. In this case, information included in the driving plan information, vehicle driving information, and vehicle communication information created by the user terminal may be replaced with information obtainable by the user terminal, as appropriate.

[0056] The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0057] Furthermore, 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 a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0058] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Vehicle 11 Control unit 10. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 101 Processor 102 Memory 103...Auxiliary storage device 104 Wireless Communication Unit 110··DCM 120··ECU 130··Car navigation system 140 Sensor Group

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, acquiring one or more pieces of first information including a travel route from one or more surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, from among the one or more vehicles, a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel a route at least partially the same as a first route that is scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle, as a relay device to be connected through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, based on the one or more first information; connecting to the relay device; A control unit that executes An information processing device comprising:

2. The control unit is acquiring one or more second pieces of information related to vehicle travel from the one or more vehicles through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication; When the second vehicle does not exist, a third vehicle traveling in the same direction as the first vehicle is selected as the relay device from among the one or more vehicles based on the one or more second information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is When there are a plurality of the second vehicles, when there are a plurality of the third vehicles, or when there are neither the second vehicles nor the third vehicles, select, based on the one or more pieces of second information, as the relay device, a vehicle among the plurality of the second vehicles, among the plurality of the third vehicles, or among the one or more vehicles, that satisfies at least one of the following: the vehicle is traveling in the same type of lane as the type of lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, or the traveling speed is within a predetermined range from the speed of the first vehicle; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The control unit is acquiring one or more third pieces of information related to communication from the one or more vehicles through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication; When there are a plurality of the second vehicles, when there are a plurality of the third vehicles, or when there are neither the second vehicles nor the third vehicles, based on the one or more pieces of third information, select as the relay device a vehicle among the plurality of the second vehicles, among the plurality of the third vehicles, or among the one or more vehicles, which has a smaller number of hops to a base station or an access point, a vehicle with a smaller number of currently connected vehicles, or a vehicle which receives a stronger intensity of radio waves from a base station, an access point, or surrounding vehicles; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. An information processing device mounted on a first vehicle, acquiring one or more pieces of first information including a travel route from one or more surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication; selecting, from among the one or more vehicles, a second vehicle that is scheduled to travel a route at least partially the same as a first route that is scheduled to be traveled by the first vehicle, as a relay device to be connected through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, based on the one or more first information; connecting to the relay device; How to do it.

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