Emergency notification system and vehicle

Abstract

To enhance executability of emergency notification by urging a relay vehicle to stop when receiving notification information in the emergency notification via the relay vehicle.SOLUTION: An emergency notification system provided in a vehicle capable of performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the emergency notification system comprising: a control unit; and a communication unit configured to transmit and receive notification information, wherein the control unit of the vehicle that receives the notification information determines whether the vehicle can stop when the communication unit starts receiving the notification information, and executes stop processing to stop the vehicle until the reception of the notification information is completed when it is determined that the vehicle can stop.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency call system and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when an emergency occurs in a vehicle, such as an occupant becoming ill or an accident, and an emergency call needs to be made via wireless communication, if the vehicle is not within the network communication range and cannot make the emergency call via wireless communication, an emergency call system is known in which the call information is sent to another vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the other vehicle within the network communication range makes the emergency call (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-065838 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, for example, in environments with poor communication conditions due to many obstacles, such as mountain roads or rough roads, or when the vehicle receiving the notification information (hereinafter referred to as the relay vehicle) is traveling at a high speed, the relay vehicle may drive away from the inter-vehicle communication range before the inter-vehicle communication regarding the notification information is completed, and the inter-vehicle communication may not be completed.

[0005] In particular, for a vehicle in an emergency situation in a location with low traffic volume, it is necessary to reliably complete the transmission of notification information to a vehicle that is now able to communicate with the relay vehicle. In order for the relay vehicle to reliably complete the reception of notification information, it is desirable for the relay vehicle to be stopped during vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed to address these circumstances, and aims to improve the feasibility of emergency calls by encouraging relay vehicles to stop when communicating call information between vehicles in emergency calls via relay vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve such problems, the emergency notification system of the present invention is an emergency notification system that is provided in a vehicle capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and is equipped with a control unit and a communication unit that sends and receives notification information, and the control unit of the vehicle that receives the notification information determines whether the vehicle can be stopped when the communication unit starts receiving the notification information, and if it determines that the vehicle can be stopped, executes a stopping process and stops the vehicle until reception of the notification information is complete. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an emergency call system having such characteristics, when an emergency call is made via a relay vehicle, it is possible to prompt the relay vehicle to stop when communicating the call information between vehicles, thereby increasing the feasibility of the emergency call. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle equipped with an emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating communication between a vehicle equipped with an emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention and a call center; [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a control process for a vehicle in which an emergency occurs in the emergency call system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a V2V bucket brigade control process in the emergency notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram illustrating a control process for a vehicle that receives notification information in the emergency notification system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6]5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating processing when stopping is not possible in the emergency call system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals denote parts having the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in the drawings will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] Each ECU and each controlled device that constitutes an emergency call system 1 in this embodiment will be described using Figure 1. The emergency call system 1 in this embodiment is composed of a plurality of controlled devices mounted on a vehicle 2 and ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that are control units for these controlled devices. The controlled devices and ECUs are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network 4 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) and a central gateway (CGW) 3 that serves as a relay device. Note that the system may be configured without the CGW 3, in which the ECUs communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0012] In the emergency notification system 1, information indicating the operating state of the control target device that is the control target is output from each ECU to the in-vehicle network 4. Furthermore, each ECU controls the operation of the control target device based on information from other ECUs acquired from the in-vehicle network 4.

[0013] Each ECU includes a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), which executes various processes. Each ECU also includes volatile storage elements, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily processes data used by the processor, and non-volatile storage elements, such as ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs executed by the processor. Note that some or all of the operations executed by each ECU can also be implemented by hardware, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0014] 1 illustrates only the emergency call ECU 10, the communication ECU 20, the camera ECU 30, the drive ECU 40, and the notification ECU 50 out of the multiple ECUs, and omits the illustration of the other ECUs. Furthermore, of the multiple control target devices and switches, etc., only the emergency call button 11, the communication device 21, the in-vehicle camera 31, the drive unit 41, and the notification unit 51 are illustrated, and the illustration of the other control target devices and switches, etc. In this embodiment, detailed explanations and illustrations of ECUs and control target devices, etc. that are not involved in the function and operation of the emergency call system 1 are omitted even if they are included in the emergency call system 1.

[0015] 1, the emergency call ECU 10 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, and an I / F 104, and executes various processes based on programs stored in the ROM 102 by the CPU 101 to perform control processes in the emergency call system 1. The ROM 102, which is provided as a non-volatile storage element, stores information about other ECUs acquired from the in-vehicle network 4, programs for executing processes in the emergency call system 1 based on input from an emergency call button 11 (described later) or the like, and various data required to execute these programs.

[0016] The RAM 103, which is provided as a volatile storage element, is used as a work area when the CPU 101 executes various processes. Therefore, various pieces of information output from the ECUs and the like are temporarily stored in the RAM 103 as needed.

[0017] The I / F 104 controls the input and output of various information and control signals used in the emergency call ECU 10. That is, it accepts input of information output from each ECU to the in-vehicle network 4 and information output from the emergency call button 11 (described later) and the like. The I / F 104 also outputs control signals generated in the CPU 101 to an output destination according to the control content.

[0018] The CPU 101 performs control processing in the emergency notification system 1 by loading a program stored in the ROM 102 into a memory such as the RAM 103 and executing the program.

[0019] Although illustrations and explanations will be omitted in the following explanation, the communication ECU 20, camera ECU 30, drive ECU 40, and alarm ECU 50, like the emergency call ECU 10, are equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and I / F, and control the controlled devices by having the CPU execute various processes based on programs stored in the ROM.

[0020] The emergency call button 11 is, for example, a push button switch or a touch-operable liquid crystal display button displayed on a CID (Center Information Display) or the like, provided in the interior of the vehicle 2. When an occupant of the vehicle 2 becomes ill or causes an accident, by operating the emergency call button 11, it is possible to send a report from the vehicle 2 to the report center H. The occupant of the vehicle 2 can easily report to the report center H and request rescue without having to make a phone call or the like.

[0021] When the emergency call ECU 10 detects the operation of the emergency call button 11, it can acquire information from the communication ECU 20 and the camera ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 4 and generate call information based on the acquired information. The generation of call information and other specific control processes will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0022] The communication ECU 20 controls the communication device 21 to perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication) and communication via a network L. The communication device 21 includes at least a satellite receiving unit 211, a NW communication unit 212, and a V2V communication unit 213. The satellite receiving unit 211 receives radio waves from an artificial satellite at predetermined time intervals and can identify the current position of the vehicle 2, for example, by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The NW communication unit 212 can transmit and receive information via the network L if the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L. The NW communication unit 212 can communicate with a reporting center H via the network L, and reporting information is transmitted from the NW communication unit 212 to the reporting center H. The V2V communication unit 213 is a communication unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication), and can communicate between vehicles 2 that are within each other's communication range.

[0023] The camera ECU 30 controls the in-vehicle camera 31. The in-vehicle camera 31 includes at least an in-vehicle camera (not shown) that captures images of the inside of the vehicle and is used in a DMS (Driver Monitoring System) that captures images of the driver, and an outside camera (not shown) that is used as a drive recorder and captures images of the outside of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera and the outside camera are capable of capturing still images and moving images. The camera ECU 30 outputs information on the still images and moving images captured by the in-vehicle camera 31 to the in-vehicle network 4.

[0024] The drive ECU 40 controls the drive unit 41. Specifically, the drive unit 41 is configured to include a shift lever (not shown), an accelerator pedal (not shown), a brake pedal (not shown), etc., as well as a drive system related to the driving of the vehicle 2, and the drive ECU 40 controls the driving of the vehicle 2 by controlling the drive unit 41 including these components. The drive ECU 40 outputs information (hereinafter, driving information) related to the driving state of the vehicle 2 based on the operation of the drive unit 41 (for example, operation of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, etc.) to the in-vehicle network 4.

[0025] The notification ECU 50 controls the notification unit 51 to notify the occupants of the vehicle 2. The notification unit 51 includes at least a display unit 511 and a speaker 512. Specifically, the display unit 511 is, for example, a CID or an instrument panel, and when notifying the occupants, the notification content is displayed on the display unit 511. In addition, the speaker 512 is capable of outputting audio, and when notifying the occupants, the notification content is output as audio from the speaker 512.

[0026] Next, communication between a vehicle 2 equipped with the emergency notification system 1 and notification center H will be described using FIG. 2. Notification information is transmitted from the vehicle 2 to notification center H via network L. Based on the received notification information, notification center H transmits it to emergency services (emergency hospital, police, fire department, etc.) and guides them to the scene. As an example, in FIG. 2, a vehicle 2 in which an emergency has occurred is illustrated as abnormal vehicle 2A, a vehicle 2 that receives the notification information from abnormal vehicle 2A and relays the notification information is illustrated as relay vehicle 2B, and a vehicle 2 that receives the notification information from relay vehicle 2B and relays the notification information is illustrated as relay vehicle 2C. All vehicles 2 are equipped with the emergency notification system 1.

[0027] 2, the lines connecting the network L with the vehicle 2 and the reporting center H indicate the connection state of the network L between the vehicle 2 and the reporting center H. A solid line indicates a state of connection to the network L, and a dotted line indicates a state of not being connected to the network L. In other words, in the situation in FIG. 2, the abnormal vehicle 2A and the relay vehicle 2B are not connected to the network L, and the relay vehicle 2C and the reporting center H are connected to the network L.

[0028] In the situation shown in Figure 2, when the emergency call button 11 is operated on the abnormal vehicle 2A, the abnormal vehicle 2A attempts to send call information to the call center H via the network L. However, because the abnormal vehicle 2A is not within the communication range of the network L, it is unable to send call information to the call center H via the network L. In this case, the abnormal vehicle 2A performs V2V communication with a nearby vehicle 2 that is capable of communication, and sends call information. In the situation shown in Figure 2, the abnormal vehicle 2A performs V2V communication with the relay vehicle 2B, and sends call information.

[0029] Relay vehicle 2B, which has received the report information from abnormal vehicle 2A, attempts to transmit the received report information to report center H via network L. However, because relay vehicle 2B is not within the communication range of network L, it is unable to transmit the report information to report center H via network L. In this case, relay vehicle 2B performs V2V communication with a nearby vehicle 2 that can communicate, and transmits the report information. In the situation shown in Figure 2, relay vehicle 2B performs V2V communication with relay vehicle 2C, and transmits the report information.

[0030] Relay vehicle 2C, which has received the report information from relay vehicle 2B, attempts to transmit the received report information to report center H via network L. Because relay vehicle 2C is within the communication range of network L, it is possible to transmit the report information to report center H via network L. In this case, the report information is transmitted from relay vehicle 2C to report center H via network L.

[0031] In this way, when a vehicle 2 in an emergency situation cannot make an emergency call directly, the call information can be relayed to surrounding vehicles 2 using V2V communication, and the call information can be transmitted from a vehicle 2 within the communication range of network L to call center H.

[0032] Next, the control process for the vehicle 2 in which an emergency has occurred (hereinafter, abnormal vehicle 2A) in the emergency notification system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0033] The emergency call ECU 10 monitors the operation of the emergency call button 11 (step A01). The emergency call button 11 is operated by an occupant of the abnormal vehicle 2A when, for example, the occupant becomes ill or needs rescue due to a traffic accident or the like.

[0034] When the emergency call ECU 10 detects the operation of the emergency call button 11 (step A01-YES), it acquires abnormality information (step A02). Specifically, the emergency call ECU 10 acquires, as abnormality information, information on the current location acquired by the communication device 21 when the emergency call button 11 was operated, and information on still images and moving images captured by the in-vehicle camera 31. The moving image information may be, for example, moving images from about 15 seconds after the emergency call button 11 was operated.

[0035] When the emergency call ECU 10 has completed acquiring the abnormality information, it generates report information based on the acquired abnormality information (step A03). The report information may include the time when the emergency call button 11 was operated, the acquired abnormality information, and, if user information of the vehicle 2 or external features of the vehicle 2 are registered, such information. When the emergency call ECU 10 has completed generating the report information, it transmits the report information to the communication ECU 20 via the in-vehicle network 4.

[0036] When the communication ECU 20 acquires the notification information, it determines whether the abnormal vehicle 2A is within the network communication range (step A04). If the abnormal vehicle 2A is within the network communication range (step A04-YES), the communication ECU 20 transmits the generated notification information from the NW communication unit 212 to the notification center H via the network L (step A05).

[0037] On the other hand, if the abnormal vehicle 2A is not within the communication range of the network L (step A04—NO), the communication ECU 20 uses the V2V communication unit 213 to search for nearby vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication (step A06). Once the search for vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication is complete (step A06—YES), the communication ECU 20 of the abnormal vehicle 2A executes V2V bucket brigade processing (step A07). The V2V bucket brigade processing is a process of transmitting notification information to nearby vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication when the vehicle 2 is not within the communication range of the network L, as described in FIG. 2. Specific processing of the V2V bucket brigade processing will be described using FIG. 4.

[0038] Furthermore, if an abnormal vehicle 2A moves into the communication range of network L during the search for a vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication (step A06—NO, step A04—YES), the generated notification information is transmitted from the NW communication unit 212 to the notification center H via network L (step A05).

[0039] Upon completion of the transmission of the notification information in step A05 or completion of the V2V bucket brigade processing in step A07, the notification ECU 50 notifies the occupant of the abnormal vehicle 2A that the transmission of the notification information has been completed (step A08). The notification in step A08 may be a notification by display on the display unit 511, a notification by voice through the speaker 512, or both. The content of the notification may simply be a notification that the transmission of the notification information has been completed, or the content of the notification may be changed depending on the situation. For example, if the notification is made after step A05, the notification may be a notification that the transmission of the notification information to the notification center H has been completed, and if the notification is made after step A07, the notification may be a notification that the transmission of the notification information to the surrounding vehicles 2 has been completed. By receiving the notification in step A08, the occupant of the abnormal vehicle 2A can know that the notification information has been successfully transmitted, thereby reducing anxiety.

[0040] In the processing of the emergency call system 1 described with reference to Fig. 3, the emergency call ECU 10 acquires abnormality information when it detects the emergency call button 11 being pressed. However, instead of detecting the emergency call button 11, it may be possible to acquire abnormality information by detecting an emergency situation from, for example, an image from an in-vehicle camera 31 provided in the vehicle 2. For example, it may be possible to start acquiring abnormality information and make an emergency call when it detects that an occupant is in poor physical condition based on an image from an in-vehicle camera, or when it detects an accident based on an image from an outside-vehicle camera or the deployment of an airbag (not shown), etc.

[0041] Next, the V2V bucket brigade processing in the emergency notification system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The V2V bucket brigade processing is processing that is executed when a search for a vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication is completed in the processing of step A06 in Fig. 3, step C10 in Fig. 5 (described later), and step D06 in Fig. 6 (described later).

[0042] The communication ECU 20 establishes communication with a vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication (for example, the relay vehicle 2B for the abnormal vehicle 2A in FIG. 2, or the relay vehicle 2C for the relay vehicle 2B) that was searched for in the processing of step A06 in FIG. 3, step C10 in FIG. 5 (described later), or step D06 in FIG. 6 (described later) (step B01). When the communication connection is completed, the communication ECU 20 starts transmitting notification information and also transmits a vehicle stop request notification (step B02).

[0043] When the communication ECU 20 starts transmitting the notification information and transmits a stop request notification (step B02), the communication ECU 20 determines whether the communication destination vehicle 2 (for example, the relay vehicle 2B for the abnormal vehicle 2A in FIG. 2 or the relay vehicle 2C for the relay vehicle 2B) will stop (step B03). The determination of whether the communication destination vehicle 2 will stop is made based on whether a non-stop notification transmitted from the communication destination vehicle 2 is received. The non-stop notification is a notification transmitted from the communication destination vehicle 2 that has received the stop request notification. A specific description of the non-stop notification will be given later with reference to FIG. 6. If the communication ECU 20 receives the non-stop notification and determines that the communication destination vehicle 2 will not stop (step B03—NO), the process proceeds to step B04. On the other hand, if the communication ECU 20 does not receive the non-stop notification and determines that the communication destination vehicle 2 will stop (step B03—YES), the process proceeds to step B05. Note that the transmission of the notification information to the communication destination vehicle 2 continues even while the determination in step B03 is being made.

[0044] If the communication ECU 20 receives a non-stop notification in step B03 and determines that the communication destination vehicle 2 will not stop (step B03—NO), the communication ECU 20 reduces the amount of information in the notification information to be transmitted (step B04). Specifically, for example, the amount of information in the notification information to be transmitted is reduced by excluding large-volume information such as moving images from the notification information to be transmitted. By reducing the amount of information in the notification information and reducing the amount of data to be communicated, it is possible to complete the transmission of the notification information early, before the communication destination vehicle 2 drives out of the range where V2V communication is possible. Once the reduction of the notification information to be transmitted is completed, proceed to step B05. On the other hand, if the communication ECU 20 does not receive a non-stop notification and determines that the communication destination vehicle 2 will stop in step B03 (step B03—YES), proceed to step B05 without reducing the amount of information.

[0045] When it is determined that the communication destination vehicle 2 is stopping (step B03—YES), or when the amount of notification information to be transmitted is reduced (step B04), the communication ECU 20 waits for the completion of transmission of the notification information (step B05). When the transmission of the notification information is completed (step B05—YES), the communication ECU 20 ends V2V communication (step B06), and ends the series of processes.

[0046] As described above, the reduction in the amount of information in the notification information to be transmitted in step B04 is performed to complete the transmission of the notification information before the destination vehicle 2 moves out of the range where V2V communication is possible when the destination vehicle 2 does not stop. However, if the destination vehicle 2 is traveling at a high speed or in an environment with many obstacles between the vehicles and poor communication conditions, the destination vehicle 2 may move out of the range where V2V communication is possible before the transmission of the notification information is completed (step B07—NO). In this case, the communication ECU 20 terminates the V2V communication (step B08), and the processing in the emergency notification system 1 returns to the processing that was being performed immediately before the V2V bucket brigade processing was executed. Specifically, if the bucket brigade processing was being executed in step A07, the processing returns to step A06 after step B08 (see FIG. 3). Similarly, if the bucket brigade processing was being executed in step C11, the processing returns to step C10 after step B08 (see FIG. 5). Similarly, if the bucket brigade process has been executed in step D07, the process returns to step D06 after the process in step B08 (see FIG. 6).

[0047] As explained above using Figure 4, in the emergency notification system 1, when a vehicle 2 is not within the communication range of the network L, a V2V bucket brigade process is performed to transmit notification information to a nearby vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication.

[0048] Next, using Figure 5, we will explain the control processing of a vehicle 2 that receives notification information in the emergency notification system 1 of this embodiment (for example, relay vehicle 2B that receives from abnormal vehicle 2A in Figure 2, or relay vehicle 2C that receives from relay vehicle 2B).

[0049] When V2V communication is connected (step C01—YES), the communication ECU 20 starts receiving notification information from the communication destination vehicle 2 (for example, the abnormal vehicle 2A for the relay vehicle 2B in FIG. 2 or the relay vehicle 2B for the relay vehicle 2C), and also receives a stop request notification (step C02). When the communication ECU 20 receives the stop request notification, the notification ECU 50 notifies the driver of the vehicle 2 that the stop request notification has been received, and urges the driver to stop the vehicle 2 (step C03). The notification in step C03 may be performed by displaying on the display unit 511, by audio notification from the speaker 512, or by both.

[0050] After issuing a notification to the driver of vehicle 2 urging the driver to stop, the emergency call ECU 10 determines whether vehicle 2 can be stopped (step C04). In the determination in step C04, it is determined whether the driver who received the notification in step C3 intends to stop vehicle 2, i.e., whether vehicle 2 can be stopped. Specifically, using a voice recognition function provided in vehicle 2, it determines whether vehicle 2 can be stopped based on the driver's response regarding whether or not it is possible to stop. Specifically, if a statement by the driver to stop is detected, it is determined that vehicle 2 can be stopped, and if a statement to not stop is detected or there is no response, it is determined that vehicle 2 cannot be stopped. Alternatively, a display asking whether or not to stop may be displayed on the CID, and it may determine whether or not vehicle 2 can be stopped based on the driver's operation of the CID.

[0051] Alternatively, it may be determined whether or not vehicle 2 can be stopped based on driving information of vehicle 2 acquired from drive ECU 40 via in-vehicle network 4. For example, if driving information is acquired indicating that the accelerator pedal has been less depressed (vehicle speed has decreased) or that the brake pedal has been operated within a predetermined time after the notification of step C03 has been made to the driver, it may be determined that vehicle 2 can be stopped. On the other hand, if driving information is acquired indicating that the accelerator pedal has not been depressed (vehicle speed has not changed) or that the accelerator pedal has been depressed more strongly (vehicle speed has increased) within a predetermined time after the notification of step C03, it may be determined that vehicle 2 cannot be stopped.

[0052] Furthermore, if the determination in step C04 shows that vehicle 2 is in autonomous driving, the autonomous driving AI may automatically determine whether or not to stop the vehicle. Specifically, for example, information on whether or not there are other vehicles around vehicle 2 (e.g., whether or not there are any following vehicles) based on detection information from a sensor (not shown) that detects information about the surroundings of vehicle 2, or information on whether or not the road on which vehicle 2 is traveling is an expressway, may be acquired as driving information of vehicle 2, and whether or not vehicle 2 can stop may be automatically determined based on the acquired driving information. In the above example, it is determined that stopping is possible if there are no following vehicles or the road on which vehicle 2 is traveling is not an expressway. On the other hand, it is determined that stopping is not possible if there are following vehicles or the road on which vehicle 2 is traveling is an expressway. Note that if vehicle 2 is in autonomous driving, it is not necessary to notify the driver in step C03.

[0053] Alternatively, the determination in step C04 may be based on the connection strength of the communication radio waves of the V2V communication unit 213. During V2V communication, the connection strength of the communication radio waves decreases as the distance between vehicles increases. Specifically, the determination in step C04 may be such that it is determined that stopping is possible if the connection strength of the communication radio waves connected by the V2V communication unit 213 does not fall below a threshold value within a predetermined time period, or if the rate of decrease in the connection strength of the communication radio waves per hour is below a threshold value. On the other hand, it may be such that it is determined that stopping is impossible if the connection strength of the communication radio waves connected by the V2V communication unit 213 falls below a threshold value within a predetermined time period, or if the rate of decrease in the connection strength of the communication radio waves per hour is above a threshold value.

[0054] If it is determined based on the criteria described above that the vehicle 2 can stop (step C04—YES), the process proceeds to step C05. If it is determined that the vehicle 2 cannot stop (step C04—NO), the process proceeds to step C12.

[0055] If it is determined that vehicle 2 can be stopped (step C04—YES), the stopping process is initiated (step C05) and waits for completion of reception of the notification information (step C06). For example, if vehicle 2 is not in autonomous driving mode, the stopping process may include issuing a notification to the driver to stop vehicle 2, and issuing a notification to keep vehicle 2 stopped after vehicle 2 has stopped until reception of the notification information is complete. If vehicle 2 is in autonomous driving mode, the process may search for a place where vehicle 2 can be stopped around vehicle 2, automatically stop vehicle 2, and continue stopping vehicle 2 after vehicle 2 has stopped until reception of the notification information is complete. Furthermore, in vehicle 2 in autonomous driving mode, a notification may be issued to the occupants informing them that the vehicle is stopped because notification information is being received. The stopping process continues until reception of the notification information is complete (step C06—NO).

[0056] When reception of the notification information is completed (step C06—YES), the V2V communication is terminated and the vehicle stopping process is terminated (step C07). Then, the communication ECU 20 determines whether the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L (step C08). If the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L (step C08—YES), the NW communication unit 212 transmits the received notification information to the notification center H via the network L (step C09).

[0057] On the other hand, if the vehicle 2 is not within the communication range of the network L (step C08—NO), the communication ECU 20 uses the V2V communication unit 213 to search for nearby vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication (step C10). When the communication ECU 20 completes the search for vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication (step C10—YES), the communication ECU 20 executes the V2V bucket brigade process described in FIG. 4 (step C11), and ends the series of processes.

[0058] Furthermore, if the vehicle 2 moves into the communication range of the network L during the search for the vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication (step C10—NO, step C08—YES), the received notification information is transmitted from the NW communication unit 212 to the notification center H via the network L (step C09).

[0059] Returning to step C04, if it is determined in the processing of step C04 that the vehicle 2 cannot stop (step C04-NO), a process when stopping is not possible is executed (step C12), and the series of processes ends. The process when stopping is not possible will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0060] Next, the process when stopping is not possible in step C12 of Fig. 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The process when stopping is not possible is a process executed when it is determined that the vehicle 2 cannot stop in the process of step C04 described in Fig. 5 (step C04-NO).

[0061] If it is determined that vehicle 2 cannot stop (step C04-NO), a non-stop notification is sent to the communication destination vehicle 2 (for example, abnormal vehicle 2A for relay vehicle 2B in FIG. 2, or relay vehicle 2B for relay vehicle 2C) (step D01). In the V2V bucket brigade processing described in FIG. 4, the determination in step B03 of whether the communication destination vehicle 2 (for example, relay vehicle 2B for abnormal vehicle 2A in FIG. 2, or relay vehicle 2C for relay vehicle 2B) will stop is made based on whether the non-stop notification sent in step D01 is received.

[0062] After transmitting the non-stop vehicle notification, the communication destination vehicle 2 waits for completion of reception of the notification information (step D02). Upon receiving the non-stop vehicle notification transmitted in step D1, the communication destination vehicle 2 reduces the amount of information in the notification information to be transmitted (step B04). Therefore, the notification information awaiting completion of reception in step D02 is notification information with a reduced amount of information.

[0063] When the reception of the notification information is completed (step D02—YES), the V2V communication is terminated (step D03). Then, the communication ECU 20 determines whether the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L (step D04). If the vehicle 2 is within the network communication range (step D04—YES), the NW communication unit 212 transmits the received notification information to the notification center H via the network L (step D05).

[0064] On the other hand, if the vehicle 2 is not within the communication range of the network L (step D04—NO), the communication ECU 20 uses the V2V communication unit 213 to search for nearby vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication (step D06). If the vehicle 2 moves into the communication range of the network L during the search for vehicles 2 capable of V2V communication (step D06—NO, step D04—YES), the NW communication unit 212 transmits the generated notification information to the notification center H via the network L (step D05).

[0065] When the search for the vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication is completed (step D06--YES), the communication ECU 20 of the vehicle 2 executes the V2V bucket brigade process (step D07), and ends the series of processes.

[0066] Also, in step D02, if vehicle 2 moves out of the range where V2V communication is possible before the reception of the notification information is completed (step D02-NO, step D08-NO), V2V communication is terminated (step D09) and the series of processes is terminated.

[0067] If the vehicle 2 receiving the notification information goes out of the range where V2V communication is possible (step D02—NO), the destination vehicle 2 (vehicle 2 transmitting the notification information) determines NO in step B07 and terminates V2V communication (step B08), and then performs the processing before the V2V bucket brigade processing as described above. In other words, even if the vehicle 2 receiving the notification information does not stop and reception of the notification information is not completed, the vehicle 2 transmitting the notification information returns to the processing of steps A06, C10, and D06, searches for a vehicle with which communication is possible again, and transmits the notification information.

[0068] In this way, each vehicle 2 executes the processes described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, and thus it becomes possible to transmit the report information generated by the abnormal vehicle 2A to the report center H in the end.

[0069] As described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the emergency call system 1 in this embodiment is a system provided in vehicles capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and includes a control unit (ECU) provided in vehicle 2 and a communication unit (communication device 21) that transmits and receives call information. When the communication unit starts receiving call information, the control unit of the vehicle receiving the call information determines whether the vehicle can be stopped, and if it determines that the vehicle can be stopped, executes a stop process and stops the vehicle until reception of the call information is complete. By performing such a process, it becomes easier to complete the transmission and reception of call information between vehicles, thereby improving the feasibility of making an emergency call.

[0070] Furthermore, in the emergency notification system 1, the control unit of the vehicle receiving the notification information determines whether the vehicle can stop, and if it determines that the vehicle cannot stop, it transmits a non-stop notification to the vehicle transmitting the notification information. Then, when the control unit of the vehicle transmitting the notification information receives the non-stop notification, it reduces the amount of notification information being transmitted. By performing such processing, even if the vehicle receiving the notification information does not stop, the amount of notification information to be transmitted can be reduced, and transmission of the notification information can be completed before the receiving vehicle enters the vehicle-to-vehicle communication range, thereby improving the feasibility of emergency notifications.

[0071] Furthermore, after the communication ends in step D09, vehicle 2 may store the location information at which reception of the notification information started, and transmit to vehicles that subsequently become able to communicate, information that the notification information has been received and the location information at which reception of the notification information started, etc. By performing such processing, even if reception of the notification information cannot be completed, it is possible to notify other vehicles that there is a vehicle waiting to transmit the notification information, and there is a possibility that the other vehicles that receive the information will head to the location indicated by the location information, thereby improving the feasibility of making an emergency call.

[0072] In this embodiment, the series of processes of the emergency notification system 1 is completed when the V2V bucket brigade process is completed in the vehicle 2. However, after the V2V bucket brigade process is completed, monitoring may continue to determine whether the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L, and the notification information may be transmitted to the notification center H at the timing when the vehicle 2 is within the communication range of the network L. By performing such processing, the notification information can be transmitted to the notification center H more quickly.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the V2V bucket brigade processing, when the transmission of the notification information is completed in step B05, communication is terminated and the series of processing steps of the emergency notification system 1 is completed. However, if the amount of information in the transmitted notification information has been reduced by the processing in step B04, a search may be made again for a vehicle 2 capable of V2V communication, and processing may be performed until notification information without reducing the amount of information can be transmitted. By performing such processing, the likelihood that more accurate notification information is transmitted to the notification center H increases. Emergency services (emergency hospitals, police, fire departments, etc.) that receive more accurate notification information from the notification center H can perform higher quality rescue operations.

[0074] Furthermore, in the emergency call system 1 of this embodiment, the vehicle 2 is provided with an emergency call ECU 10, which detects the emergency call button 11, generates call information, and determines whether or not the vehicle 2 can be stopped. However, the emergency call system may not be provided with the emergency call ECU 10, and these processes may be executed by another ECU. That is, the emergency call system may be provided with the emergency call ECU 10 described in this embodiment, or may be provided with the functions of the emergency call ECU 10 described in this embodiment in another existing ECU.

[0075] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to the described embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes and the like within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1: Emergency notification system, 2: Vehicle, 2A: Abnormal vehicle, 2B, 2C: Relay vehicle, 3: Central Gateway (CGW), 4: In-vehicle network, 10: Emergency call ECU, 11: Emergency call button, 20: Communication ECU, 21: Communication device, 30: Camera ECU, 31: In-vehicle camera, 40: Drive ECU, 41: Drive unit, 50: Notification ECU, 51: Notification unit, 101: CPU, 102: ROM, 103: RAM, 104: I / F, 211: Satellite receiving unit, 212: Network communication unit, 213: V2V communication unit, 511: display unit, 512: speaker, L: Network, H: Reporting Center

Claims

1. An emergency call system provided in a vehicle capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, A control unit; a communication unit that transmits and receives notification information, The control unit of the vehicle that receives the notification information When the communication unit starts receiving the notification information, determining whether the vehicle can be stopped; If it is determined that stopping is possible, the stopping process is executed. An emergency notification system that stops the vehicle until reception of the notification information is complete.

2. The stopping process includes: If the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode, automatically stopping the vehicle at a location where it can be stopped; A process of continuing to stop the vehicle until reception of the notification information is completed, If the vehicle is not in autonomous driving mode, Notifying the driver to stop the vehicle; and The emergency notification system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification is for continuing the stopped state of the vehicle until reception of the notification information is completed.

3. The control unit of the vehicle that receives the notification information In the determination, If it is determined that stopping is not possible, Sending a non-stop notification to the vehicle that is sending the notification information, The control unit of the vehicle that transmits the notification information When you receive the non-stop notification, 3. The emergency notification system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the notification information being transmitted is reduced.

4. The control unit of the vehicle that receives the notification information If the communication ends before the reception of the notification information is complete, 3. The emergency notification system according to claim 1, wherein the location information indicating the start of reception of the notification information is then transmitted to the vehicle that has become able to communicate.

5. A vehicle equipped with the emergency call system according to claim 1 or 2.

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