Communication device and communication method

Abstract

To provide a communication device that allows a user to easily visually grasp from which vehicle around the user's vehicle communication information is received.SOLUTION: A communication device 100 has: a communication information receiving unit 110 that receives, from a communication vehicle that is a vehicle present around a user's vehicle and communicating with the communication device, communication information including the details of communication and position information or vehicle information; a communication vehicle specification unit 120 that specifies the communication vehicle by using the communication information; a symbol acquisition unit 130 that acquires a symbol that is an image simulating the specified communication vehicle; and a display control unit 150 that displays the symbol and the details of communication on a screen of a display. When a plurality of communication vehicles are present, the display control unit 150 displays the details of communication related to the plurality of communication vehicles sequentially in the order according to the distances between the plurality of communication vehicles and the user's vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method, and more particularly to a communication device and a communication method capable of performing inter-vehicle communication. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for easily specifying a party to talk to via short-distance wireless communication between vehicles. In the wireless communication device disclosed in Patent Document 1, The wireless communication unit communicates with other wireless communication units to exchange position information and The image processing unit receives predetermined information related to the wireless communication unit. The image processing unit then converts the information into an image to generate image information. The wireless communication unit displays image information on the display unit based on the position information of the other wireless communication unit received. The display position is determined, and the image information is displayed at the determined position on the display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-82409 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position information of other wireless communication units, i.e., other vehicles, is used. The position where the image of the other vehicle is displayed on the display unit is determined. On the other hand, more appropriate vehicle-to-vehicle communication is realized. To achieve this, it is necessary to make it easier for users such as drivers to recognize which vehicle the communication information was received from. It is necessary to recognize this.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a communication device and a communication method that allow a user to visually and easily understand from which vehicles around the vehicle communication information is received. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The communication device of the present invention has a communication information receiving unit that receives communication information including communication content and location information or vehicle information from a communication vehicle that is a vehicle that is located around the vehicle and is communicating, a communication vehicle identification unit that identifies the communication vehicle using the communication information, a symbol acquisition unit that acquires a symbol that is an image that resembles the identified communication vehicle, and a display control unit that displays the symbol and communication content on the screen of a display device, and when there are multiple communication vehicles, the display control unit sequentially displays the communication content for each of the multiple communication vehicles in an order according to the distance between each of the multiple communication vehicles and the vehicle.

[0007] In addition, the communication method of the present invention includes a communication information reception step of receiving communication information including communication content and location information or vehicle information from a communication vehicle that is located around the vehicle and is communicating, a communication vehicle identification step of identifying the communication vehicle using the communication information, a symbol acquisition step of acquiring a symbol that is an image that resembles the identified communication vehicle, and a display control step of displaying the symbol and communication content on the screen of a display device, and is characterized in that if there are multiple communication vehicles, the communication content for each of the multiple communication vehicles is displayed sequentially in an order according to the distance between each of the multiple communication vehicles and the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device and a communication method that allow a user to visually and easily grasp from which vehicle around the user's own vehicle communication information has been received. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the interior of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment and a communication system including the communication device; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating communication information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart showing a communication method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a communication method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication device and a communication system including the communication device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing a communication method according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The elements are numbered the same.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes: 1 shows an example in which the camera 2 has two or more cameras 2 and the communication device 100. The plurality of cameras 2 may be provided on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle 1, respectively. The camera 2 may be, for example, a visible light camera. It should be noted that in the first embodiment, the camera may be a camera used in a video recorder. In the following description, it is assumed that the communication device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1. However, the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 1. For example, the communication device 100 may be a smartphone owned by a driver. It may be installed in an information terminal such as the above.

[0012] The communication device 100 may be installed at any position in the vehicle 1. Equipped with CAN (Control Area Network) and GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver The communication device 100 may be connected to a location detection device such as a vehicle. The communication information received from the communication vehicle is used to visually display the characteristics of the communication vehicle. A communication vehicle symbol (first symbol) which is an image represented by The communication vehicle symbol is, for example, a shape corresponding to the model of the communication vehicle. The icon may be formed by a color corresponding to the color of the communicating vehicle. The communication vehicle symbol may be, for example, a thumbnail image of an exterior image of the communication vehicle. The chest image may be, for example, an image of the front of the vehicle or an overhead image.

[0013] Hereinafter, the vehicle 1 may be referred to as the "own vehicle." It also means "image data representing an image" as a processing target in information processing. " is not limited to still images, but includes moving images. Also, the term "audio" is used in information processing. It also means "audio data representing audio" as the object to be processed.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the interior of the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment. This is a view of the driver's cab seen from the driver's seat toward the front of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 has a steering wheel 1 0, dashboard 12, windshield 14, center console 16, vehicle operation It has a cluster panel 18 that displays the speed and engine revolutions, etc. The center console 16 is provided with a center display unit 20 that displays a navigation screen and the like. The vehicle 1 may have a head-up display on the top of the cluster panel 18. A head-up display unit 22 may be provided on which an image is displayed by a head-up display. If the head-up display is a combiner type, The display unit 22 is a combiner. Also, a head-up display is mounted on the windshield 14. When a virtual image is displayed on the windshield 14, the head-up display unit 22 The vehicle 1 also has a rear view monitor 24. The rear view monitor 24 is a rear view mirror for checking the rear of a general vehicle. , that is, near the center of the upper part of the windshield 14.

[0015] FIG. 3 shows a communication device 100 according to the first embodiment and a communication system including the communication device 100. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 50 according to a first embodiment. The communication system 50 includes a camera 2, The system includes a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a communication device 100. The communication device 100 includes a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, and a speaker. 8. The communication device 100 is connected to the camera 2 and the position detection device 4. The communication system may include at least one of a display device 6, a microphone 7, and a speaker 8. At least one or all of the components of the stem 50 are integrated into the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the device may be detached from the vehicle 1 and carried around. The same applies to the embodiment.

[0016] The position detection device 4 detects the position of the vehicle 1. The position of the vehicle 1 is expressed, for example, by latitude and longitude. The position detection device 4 is a position detection device such as a GPS receiver. The position detection device 4 may be any satellite positioning system other than a GPS receiver. The position detection device 4 includes an acceleration sensor, a gyro, and a sensor for detecting the number of rotations of the tires of the vehicle 1. and a position detection correction device that processes signals from these sensors to improve the accuracy of detecting the position of the vehicle 1. It may also include an auxiliary processing unit (not shown).

[0017] The display device 6 is, for example, a display. The display device 6 is preferably a touch panel. The display device 6 displays an image under the control of the communication device 100. In this case, the display device 6 can be used for communication with a communication vehicle. Yaview monitor 24, cluster panel 18, center display unit 20 or head-up display The display device 6 can be realized by a spray display unit 22. This is realized by the display unit of a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The communication device 100 may be a computer built in the center console 16, for example. The communication device 1 may be a computer device or the above-mentioned mobile terminal device. When the vehicle 1 is equipped with the display device 6, the display device 6 displays the vehicle 1 while the driver of the vehicle is driving. In this case, the display device 6 is provided at a position where it can be seen by the user. This may be achieved by 08.

[0018] The microphone 7 collects the voice of a user such as a driver under the control of the communication device 100. The speaker 8 outputs sound under the control of the communication device 100. The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 are The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 are built into the display device 6. The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 may be incorporated in the communication device 100. In this case, the microphone 7 and the speaker 8 are realized by an interface unit 108 described later. Good too.

[0019] The communication device 100 includes, as its main hardware components, a control unit 102, a storage unit 104, and The control unit 1 includes a communication unit 106 and an interface unit 108 (IF). 02, the storage unit 104, the communication unit 106 and the interface unit 108 are connected via a data bus or the like. In other words, the communication device 100 has the function of a computer. do.

[0020] The control unit 102 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 102 functions as a calculation device that performs control processing, calculation processing, etc. 104 is a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk. For example, ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 104 is a control program executed by the control unit 102 or as a function of the control unit 102. The storage unit 104 has a function for storing the program and the calculation program. It has the function of temporarily storing data such as operational data.

[0021] The communication unit 106 performs the processing necessary for communication. 50 performs processing necessary for communicating with devices other than the communication device 100. In this embodiment, the communication unit 106 performs processing necessary for performing inter-vehicle communication with the communication vehicle. The communication unit 106 performs short-distance wireless communication with a communication vehicle, for example. The standard for vehicle-to-vehicle communication is optional. For example, the standard for vehicle-to-vehicle communication is DSRC (Dedicated Signal Crossing Routing). dicated Short Range Communications), or IEEE802. 11p. In addition, vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be handled in a similar manner to other P2P (peer-to-peer) communication. For example, the communication may be any communication method known as Wi-Fi Direct. The communication may be a wireless communication or a communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 106 may perform one-to-one communication with one other vehicle around the vehicle. The communication unit 106 communicates with a plurality of other vehicles around the vehicle by broadcast communication or the like. You may go.

[0022] The interface unit 108 (IF; Interface) is, for example, a user interface (UI The interface unit 108 is an input device such as a keyboard, a touch panel, or a mouse. and an output device such as a display or a speaker.

[0023] The communication device 100 includes a communication information receiving unit 110, a vehicle position acquiring unit 112, a communication vehicle A specifying unit 120, an image acquiring unit 122, a symbol acquiring unit 130, a display size determining unit 140, a table The display control unit 150 and the communication processing unit 160 are, for example, the control unit 1 This can be achieved by executing a program under the control of 02. More specifically, These components are implemented by the control unit 102 executing a program stored in the storage unit 104. This can be realized by recording the necessary programs on any non-volatile recording medium. These components can be realized by installing them as needed. The above also applies to other embodiments described later.

[0024] Furthermore, these components are limited to being realized by software programs. Any combination of hardware, firmware, and software, etc. These components may be realized by, for example, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array). Implemented using user-programmable integrated circuits such as a microgate array or a microcomputer. In this case, the integrated circuit may be used to implement a program consisting of the above components. The same applies to other embodiments described later. .

[0025] The communication information receiving unit 110 receives communication information transmitted by communication vehicles around the vehicle. The communication information is received via the communication unit 106. The communication information will be described later with reference to FIG. Both parties may transmit communication information, for example, by broadband transmission. When the receiving unit 110 receives the communication information, the communication device 100 controls the speaker 8 to A sound may be generated to notify the reception of the communication information.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating communication information according to the first embodiment. The communication content information includes information indicating the location of the communicating vehicle that transmitted the communication information, and location information. The location information is information indicating the location, specifically, the latitude and longitude. The location information can be acquired by a GPS receiver or the like. The location information includes the traveling direction of the communicating vehicle. Good too.

[0027] The content of the communication is used by the driver of the communication vehicle to communicate with surrounding vehicles. The communication content is, for example, a text input or selected by the driver of the communication vehicle. In this case, the driver of the communication vehicle may receive a text message. The text of the communication may be entered into the touch panel, or the text displayed on the touch panel may be entered into the The user may select the option indicated by the text message. Alternatively, the communication content may be generated by voice recognition from the communication vehicle driver, etc. In this case, the voice data may be transmitted to a communication vehicle. Alternatively, the communication content can be transmitted to the driver of the communication vehicle. Therefore, it may be a symbol image such as an input or selected icon, pictogram, or photograph image. stomach.

[0028] The communication information may also include vehicle information about the communication vehicle that transmitted the communication information. The two pieces of information include vehicle type information indicating the vehicle type of the communicating vehicle, color information indicating the paint color of the communicating vehicle, and vehicle I The vehicle model information may include the name (model) of the communicating vehicle. The model name of the vehicle being communicated (sedan, wagon, minivan, sports type, truck, etc.) The vehicle ID is identification information for identifying a vehicle, such as a vehicle registration number. The symbol information may be a number or a vehicle number (a so-called license plate number). The symbol information indicates a communication vehicle symbol. The icon may have a shape corresponding to the type of vehicle of the communication vehicle and a color corresponding to the color of the communication vehicle. Alternatively, the communication vehicle symbol indicated by the symbol information may be a thumbnail of an image of the exterior of the communication vehicle. It may also be a letter image.

[0029] The vehicle position acquisition unit 112 (FIG. 3) acquires the vehicle position information from the position detection device 4. The communicating vehicle identification unit 120 uses the communication information to identify the communicating vehicle that transmitted the communication information. Specifically, the communicating vehicle identification unit 120 determines the location of the communicating vehicle from the location information of the communicating vehicle included in the communication information. The communicating vehicle identifying unit 120 may identify the position of the communicating vehicle relative to the own vehicle. Using the position information of the vehicle and the position information of the communicating vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the communicating vehicle is calculated. The communicating vehicle identification unit 120 may also identify the distance between the vehicles. Using the position information of both vehicles and the position information of the communicating vehicle, the direction of the communicating vehicle relative to the vehicle is identified. The distance between vehicles and the direction of the communicating vehicle may be determined based on the position information of the own vehicle and the This can be calculated by a geometric method using the vehicle's position information.

[0030] The image acquisition unit 122 acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle from the camera 2. The unit 122 captures at least the position of the communicating vehicle identified by the communicating vehicle identifying unit 120. In other words, when multiple cameras 2 are mounted on the vehicle 1, In this case, the image acquisition unit 122 acquires an image from the camera 2 that can capture the position of the identified communicating vehicle. Get it.

[0031] The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires a communication vehicle symbol. If the received communication information includes vehicle model information and color information, the symbol acquisition unit 130 Using the vehicle type information and color information, the image is formed in a shape corresponding to the vehicle type of the communication vehicle and in the color of the communication vehicle. An icon colored in a corresponding color may be generated. If the information contains symbol information, the symbol acquiring unit 130 extracts the symbol from the communication information. The symbol acquiring unit 130 may extract the communication information received from the communication vehicle. Symbol information indicating the symbol corresponding to the information can be obtained from a database (not shown). Alternatively, the information may be acquired from a server via a network.

[0032] Furthermore, the symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires a communication symbol from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 122. A thumbnail image of a vehicle symbol may be generated. Specifically, the symbol acquisition unit 13 0 is determined in the image from the position and direction of the communicating vehicle identified by the communicating vehicle identification unit 120. Then, the images of the communicating vehicles are extracted and thumbnail images are generated. Here, since the shooting direction, angle of view, magnification, etc. of the camera 2 are known, a geometric method It is possible to detect a communicating vehicle in an image based on its position and direction. For example, the direction of the communicating vehicle relative to the own vehicle identified by the communicating vehicle identification unit 120 and the direction of the own vehicle The inter-vehicle distance, which is the distance between the vehicle and the communication vehicle, and the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 122 are used to It is possible to determine whether the calculated position and direction of the communicating vehicle match. The image acquired by 122 is used by the symbol acquisition unit 130 to generate a thumbnail image. Therefore, when the symbol acquisition unit 130 does not generate a thumbnail image from an image, The image acquisition unit 122 is not an essential component.

[0033] The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance obtained by the communicating vehicle identification unit 120. Specifically, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size of the communicating vehicle symbol. If the distance between vehicles is long, the display size of the communicating vehicle symbol is reduced. On the other hand, if the distance between the vehicles is short, the display size determination unit 140 determines the size of the communication vehicle symbol. The display size is determined so that the display size of the ball becomes larger.

[0034] The display size is defined by the number of pixels in the width and height of the image representing the communication vehicle symbol, for example. The display size may be defined in units of inches or other dimensions. The size of the screen of the device 6 can be determined relative to the size of the screen of the device 6. Even if the screen size is the same, the display size will be smaller when the screen size is large than when the screen size is small. For example, if the distance between vehicles is L and the screen size is D, the communication vehicle system The symbol display size S is S = a × D / L (1) It can be expressed as follows, where a is a proportionality constant.

[0035] In addition, the size s of the communication vehicle symbol acquired by the symbol acquisition unit 130 is The display size may be determined according to the vehicle body dimensions, etc. In this case, the display size determination unit 140 The display magnification of the communication vehicle symbol that is actually displayed may be determined. The determining unit 140 may determine the display magnification b when S in the above formula 1 is expressed as S=b×s. .

[0036] The display control unit 150 performs communication at the display size determined by the display size determination unit 140. The vehicle symbol is displayed on the screen of the display device 6. Specifically, the display control unit 150 A display image to be displayed on the screen of the communication vehicle 6 is generated. The size of the communication vehicle symbol in the display image is determined by the The display size is as follows:

[0037] Furthermore, the display control unit 150 determines whether the communication vehicle identified by the communication vehicle identification unit 120 exists. A communicating vehicle symbol may be displayed so that the current direction can be visually perceived. In this case, the display control unit 150 displays a communicating vehicle symbol at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located. As a result, the display control unit 150 generates a display image as shown in FIG. A communicating vehicle symbol is displayed on the screen at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located.

[0038] Here, the upward position on the screen may be associated with the front of the vehicle. In addition, the downward position on the screen may be associated with the rear of the vehicle. The position on the screen in the right direction may be associated with the right direction of the vehicle. The leftward position in the map may be associated with the leftward position of the host vehicle.

[0039] For example, if the direction of the communicating vehicle is in front of the vehicle itself, that is, along the direction of travel, In this case, the display control unit 150 may display a communicating vehicle symbol at the top center of the screen. In addition, when the direction of the communicating vehicle is to the right of the vehicle, that is, to the right of the traveling direction, The display control unit 150 may display a communicating vehicle symbol on the top right of the screen. When the direction of the receiving vehicle is behind the own vehicle, that is, in the opposite direction to the traveling direction, the display control unit 150 may display a communicating vehicle symbol at the bottom center of the screen.

[0040] In addition, a communicating vehicle symbol is displayed so that the direction of the communicating vehicle can be visually perceived. The method of displaying the communicating vehicle symbol is to position it in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located. For example, the display control unit 150 may display a symbol of the communicating vehicle near the communicating vehicle symbol. Alternatively, an arrow pointing in a direction corresponding to the direction of the object may be displayed. A display image showing the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located may be generated using the above.

[0041] For example, when the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located is the direction in front of the own vehicle, the display control unit 150 Display the communicating vehicle symbol in the center of the screen and move the upward arrow near the communicating vehicle symbol. In addition, when the direction of the communicating vehicle is in front of the vehicle to the right, In this case, the display control unit 150 displays the communicating vehicle symbol in the center of the screen and an arrow pointing to the upper right. may be displayed near the communicating vehicle symbol (for example, in the upper right corner). If the direction is behind the vehicle, the display control unit 150 displays the communicating vehicle symbol in the center of the screen. and a downward-pointing arrow may be displayed adjacent to (e.g., below) the communicating vehicle symbol. Even when an arrow is used to indicate the direction of a communicating vehicle, the display of the communicating vehicle symbol The indicated position may be a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located.

[0042] Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays a message near the communicating vehicle symbol on the screen of the display device 6. In this case, the display control unit 150 displays the communication contents on the screen. A speech bubble may be displayed near the symbol, and the communication content may be displayed in the speech bubble. That is, the display control unit 150 displays a speech bubble near the communicating vehicle symbol, and For example, a display image may be generated in which the communication content is displayed in the middle of the message. If the symbol is "You go first," the display control unit 150 displays "You go first" near the communicating vehicle symbol. The displayed speech bubble may be displayed. For example, the communication vehicle of the communication vehicle may be output by voice. In this case, when the communication vehicle symbol is touched, the display control unit 150 displays the touched communication vehicle symbol. The contents of the communication of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol may be output by voice. When the received signal is a symbol image, the display control unit 150 displays a symbol image in the vicinity of the communicating vehicle symbol. Alternatively, a symbol image may be displayed.

[0043] The communication processing unit 160 performs processing to enable communication with the communication vehicle in a predetermined case. Specifically, when the communication vehicle symbol is touched on the screen of the display device 6, the communication processing unit 160 If the touched communication vehicle symbol is not displayed, communication with the communication vehicle corresponding to the touched communication vehicle symbol is started. The communication processing unit 160 controls the communication unit 106 to establish a wireless communication path with the communication vehicle. The communication processing unit 160 receives the communication information of the vehicle via the communication unit 106 and the established wireless communication path. In this case, the communication processing unit 160 transmits the communication information exemplified in FIG. In other words, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit a symbol indicating the own vehicle. The communication processing unit 160 may transmit the host vehicle symbol to the communication vehicle. If only one communication vehicle symbol is displayed on the screen of 6, the communication vehicle symbol Even if it is not touched, communication with the vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol may be initiated. stomach.

[0044] Then, the communication processing unit 160 receives the following from the communication vehicle via the wireless communication path and the communication unit 106: After wireless communication is established, the communication information sent and received includes location information. It may or may not include information.

[0045] For example, the communication processing unit 160 receives information input to the touch panel of the display device 6 by the driver or the like. Alternatively, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the text data as the communication content. The driver can select from a range of options such as text data and symbol images displayed on the touch panel. In other words, the screen of the display device 6 may be operated to select the desired content and transmit it as the communication content. The communication content may be input by creating a new message.

[0046] The communication processing unit 160 also detects speech uttered by the driver or the like and collected by the microphone 7. In this case, the communication processing unit 160 may transmit the information to the communication vehicle as the communication content. The speech may be converted into text data by speech recognition and transmitted to the communication vehicle. The processing unit 160 outputs the communication content transmitted from the communication vehicle to the display device 6 or the speaker 8. You may do so.

[0047] Note that communication with the communication vehicle can be performed in a manner that does not interfere with the driving operation of the vehicle itself. Depending on the driving situation of the vehicle, the output method of the communication content of the communicating vehicle and the communication content of the vehicle are For example, when the vehicle is traveling, the communication processing unit 160 In this case, only voice input and voice output may be possible as the input and output method of communication content. When the vehicle is stopped, the communication content input / output method is voice input and voice output. In addition, the touch panel of the display device 6 may be made available.

[0048] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to the first embodiment. 110 receives communication information from communication vehicles that are present around the vehicle and are communicating ( (Step S102) The communicating vehicle identifying unit 120 uses the communication information to identify the vehicle that transmitted the communication information. As described above, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 The communicating vehicle identifying unit 120 may identify the distance between the vehicles. may be specified.

[0049] The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires the communication vehicle symbol by the above-described method (step The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance by the above-described method. The display size of the communicating vehicle symbol acquired in the process of S106 is determined (step S10 8) The inter-vehicle distance may be calculated by the display size determination unit 140.

[0050] The display control unit 150 displays the image on the screen of the display device 6 at the display size determined in the process of S108. The communicating vehicle symbol is displayed (step S110). When there are multiple communicating vehicles, the display control unit 150 displays multiple communicating vehicle symbols as follows: The information may be displayed on the screen of the display device 6. In addition, the communication vehicle identification unit 120 When the direction of the vehicle is identified, the display control unit 150 displays the direction of the vehicle as described above. A communicating vehicle symbol may be displayed so that the direction is visually perceptible. The display control unit 150 displays the following on the screen of the display device 6 at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located: A communicating vehicle symbol may be displayed.

[0051] Furthermore, as described above, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol in the vicinity of the communication vehicle symbol. A balloon or symbol image showing the communication content of the communicating vehicle corresponding to the vehicle symbol is displayed. This allows the driver and others to visually recognize the content of communication from the communicating vehicle. In particular, when multiple communication vehicle symbols are displayed, the communication In this case, multiple voices overlap, making it easy to recognize the content. Furthermore, in this case, even if Even if the meaning of each voice can be understood, it is difficult to know which voice corresponds to which communication vehicle. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, The communication content of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol is displayed near the communication vehicle symbol. By displaying the speech bubbles, the problem of outputting communication contents by voice can be solved. In addition, when multiple communication vehicle symbols are displayed, the communication contents are displayed in a speech bubble or other similar display. The display may overlap, making it difficult to see. The communication contents of the communication vehicles corresponding to the communication vehicle symbols are not displayed simultaneously, but sequentially. In that case, the display order may be, for example, in order of earliest reception time. However, there are various ways to do this, such as giving priority to the display of communication content from vehicles that are close to the vehicle. In addition, when the communication contents of the communication vehicle corresponding to the communication vehicle symbol are displayed, The communication vehicle symbol or symbol image can be used to more easily identify which vehicle is displaying the communication content. For example, the display control unit 150 may The entire communicating vehicle symbol corresponding to the content or a part of the symbol such as an edge may be displayed in a flashing manner. Alternatively, the display control unit 150 may display the entire symbol image or a part of the symbol image such as an edge in a blinking manner. Alternatively, the display control unit 150 may display a message corresponding to the displayed communication content. All communication vehicle symbols other than the communication vehicle symbol are displayed in gray with reduced display brightness. You may do so.

[0052] The display control unit 150 is configured to detect when the communication vehicle symbol displayed on the screen of the display device 6 is touched. If the communication vehicle symbol is touched (step S112), it is determined whether or not the communication vehicle symbol is touched (step S113). 2) If YES, the communication processing unit 160 detects the communication vehicle corresponding to the touched communication vehicle symbol. In this way, the communication vehicle system performs a process to enable communication with the vehicle (step S114). When the symbol is touched, communication with the communication vehicle is enabled, allowing the driver to communicate. In other words, the driver can specify the vehicle with which he or she does not want to communicate. It is possible to prevent communication with the communication vehicle.

[0053] 6 to 9 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a state in which a vehicle 90 equipped with the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment is connected to a communication vehicle 92. 1. It is to be noted that the host vehicle 90 is a view showing a first example of a state in which communication information is received from the host vehicle 90 shown in FIG. In the example of Figure 6, the vehicle is driving in one lane of a two-lane road with left-hand traffic. Both vehicles 90 are traveling, and a communicating vehicle 92 is traveling in the opposite lane. He is about to turn right just before Shinkansen train 92.

[0054] In the example of FIG. 6, the communication vehicle 92 transmits the position information of the communication vehicle 92 and the communication content "Please go ahead." In addition, the communication information includes the distance between the vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92. The communication vehicle 92 is located to the right of the traveling direction of the host vehicle 90. It exists in front.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the first example shown in FIG. 6, which is performed by the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image displayed by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. The position of the communicating vehicle 92 relative to the vehicle 90 is determined using the information and the position information of the communicating vehicle 92. The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires a communication vehicle symbol that visually represents the characteristics of the communication vehicle 92. The display size determination unit 140 obtains the distance between the host vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92. The display size S1 of the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im is determined according to the distance L1. The display size S1 of both symbols 92Im is determined by the distance L1 between the vehicles and the screen size D of the screen 6a. In the example of FIG. 7, the display size S can be determined according to the communication vehicle symbol 92Im The horizontal size of the screen 6a is defined as the horizontal size of the screen 6a. The display size S may be set to the vertical or diagonal direction of the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im. Similarly, the screen size D may be defined as the size of the vertical or diagonal direction of the screen 6a. The same applies to the examples shown in the other figures.

[0056] The display control unit 150 determines the display size S1 determined by the display size determination unit 140. The display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im on the screen 6a. 6a, the position corresponding to the direction of the communicating vehicle 92 identified by the communicating vehicle identification unit 120. In the example of FIG. 6, the communicating vehicle 92 is the own vehicle 92. Since the vehicle is located to the right of the vehicle 0, the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen 6a. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the communication content "Go ahead" near the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im. Display speech bubble 72Im with "Please" inside.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a vehicle 90 equipped with the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment is connected to a communication vehicle 94. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of a state in which communication information is received from a vehicle traveling on the left side of the road. The vehicle 90 is traveling in one lane of a road, and the communication vehicle 94 is traveling in the opposite lane. Then, the host vehicle 90 is about to make a right turn just before the communicating vehicle 92.

[0058] In the example of FIG. 8, the communication vehicle 94 transmits the position information of the communication vehicle 92 and the communication content "Please go ahead." In addition, the communication information includes the distance between the vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94. Here, L2>L1. The distance between the two vehicles 94 is assumed to be longer than the distance between the own vehicle 90 and the communicating vehicle 92. The receiving vehicle 92 is located to the right and in front of the host vehicle 90 in the traveling direction.

[0059] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the second example shown in FIG. 8, which is performed by the communication device 100 according to the first embodiment. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image displayed by the communication vehicle identification unit 120. The position of the communicating vehicle 94 relative to the vehicle 90 is determined using the information and the position information of the communicating vehicle 94. The symbol acquisition unit 130 acquires a communication vehicle symbol that visually represents the characteristics of the communication vehicle 94. The display size determination unit 140 obtains the distance between the host vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 94. The display size S2 of the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im is determined according to the distance L2. The display size S2 of both symbols 94Im is determined by the distance L2 between the vehicles and the screen size D of the screen 6a. It can be determined depending on the

[0060] The display control unit 150 performs communication at the display size determined by the display size determination unit 140. The display control unit 150 displays the vehicle symbol 94Im on the screen 6a. at a position corresponding to the direction of the communicating vehicle 94 identified by the communicating vehicle identification unit 120. In the example of FIG. 8, the communicating vehicle 94 displays the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im. Since the vehicle is located in front of the vehicle on the right, the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen 6a. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the communication content "How about going first?" in the vicinity of the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im. A speech bubble 74Im is displayed with the message "So" inside.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the display control unit 150 controls the communication between vehicles with a long distance. The communication vehicle symbol 94Im corresponding to the vehicle 94 corresponds to the communication vehicle 94 with a short inter-vehicle distance. The display image is generated so that the symbol is displayed smaller than the corresponding communicating vehicle symbol 92Im. Therefore, the display control unit 150<L2であるときにS1> S2, the communication vehicle In this way, the display size of the communicating vehicle symbol increases as the distance between the vehicles increases. The smaller the distance between vehicles, the larger the display size of the communicating vehicle symbol. The driver or the like can intuitively grasp the distance to the communicating vehicle that transmitted the communication information by visually. This allows the driver or the like to know which vehicles around the vehicle 90 are transmitting communication information. You can intuitively understand what has happened.

[0062] Specifically, on the screen 6a shown in FIG. 7, the communication vehicle symbol 92Im is relatively large. Since the vehicle number is displayed, the driver or the like can easily recognize that communication information is being sent from a relatively nearby vehicle, i.e., the communication vehicle 92. On the other hand, in the screen 6a shown in FIG. 9, the communication vehicle symbol 94Im Since the number is displayed relatively small, the driver etc. can easily see the vehicle that is relatively far away, i.e., the communication vehicle 94. Therefore, it can be understood that the communication information has been transmitted from the communication device 10 according to the first embodiment. The system allows the user to easily visually understand from which vehicles around the vehicle communication information has been received. You can get it to hold.

[0063] The display control unit 150 also controls the display of the communicating vehicle so that the direction of the communicating vehicle can be visually perceived. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, the display control unit 150 displays the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the communication vehicle symbol 94Im at the top right of the screen 6a. This allows the driver or the like to know that the communicating vehicle 92 and the communicating vehicle 94 are in the vicinity of the vehicle 9. It can be intuitively understood that it exists to the right of 0. The display control unit 150 displays an arrow indicating the direction of the communicating vehicle near the communicating vehicle symbol. Even with this method, the driver or the like can determine whether the communication vehicle 92 and the communication vehicle 94 are the same as their own vehicle. The user can intuitively grasp that the vehicle is located to the right and in front of both vehicles 90. 50 is the inter-vehicle distance L1 between the host vehicle 90 and the communication vehicle 92 and the Based on the difference in distance L2 between the communication vehicle symbol 92Im and the communication vehicle symbol 92Im, The display positions of both symbols 94Im may be changed. By displaying the m symbol higher than the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im, It is easy to visually understand that the vehicle 94 is located farther away than the communication vehicle 92.

[0064] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, not only the communication vehicle symbol but also the Instead, a vehicle symbol (second symbol) that visually represents the characteristics of the vehicle is displayed. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the hardware configuration of the vehicle 1 according to the second embodiment is The configuration of the communication device 100 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the explanation will be omitted.

[0065] The communication device 100 acquires the host vehicle symbol using the symbol acquisition unit 130. The symbol acquisition unit 130 may store the host vehicle symbol in the storage unit 104 in advance. The communication device 100 may also acquire the host vehicle symbol from a database (not shown). The vehicle symbol may be acquired from a server via a network. The icon is formed in a shape corresponding to the vehicle type and colored in a color corresponding to the vehicle's color. Alternatively, the host vehicle symbol may be, for example, a thumbnail image of an exterior image of the host vehicle. The thumbnail image may be an image of the front of the vehicle or an overhead image. If the communicating vehicle symbol is an overhead view image, the host vehicle symbol must also be an overhead view image. preferable.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a communication method according to the second embodiment. The processes of S202 to S208 are substantially the same as the processes of S102 to S108 shown in FIG. The processes in steps S212 to S214 are the same as those in FIG. Since this is substantially the same as the processing in S112 to S114 shown above, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] The display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S' of the host vehicle symbol according to the inter-vehicle distance. The display size of the vehicle symbol is determined (step S209). The method for determining the display size S of the communicating vehicle symbol may be substantially the same as the method for determining the display size S of the communicating vehicle symbol. If the inter-vehicle distance L is long, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S of the host vehicle symbol. On the other hand, the display size determination unit 140 determines the display size S' so that If the inter-vehicle distance L is short, the display size S' of the vehicle symbol is increased. The display size S' of the host vehicle symbol may be fixed.

[0068] The display control unit 150 displays the image on the screen of the display device 6 in the display size determined in the process of S208. The communicating vehicle symbol is displayed, and the host vehicle symbol is displayed in the display size determined in the process of S209. In other words, when the inter-vehicle distance is long, the display control unit 150 The communicating vehicle symbol and the vehicle symbol, which are relatively small in size, are displayed on the screen. On the other hand, when the distance between the vehicles is short, the display control unit 150 displays the communication information in a relatively large size. A vehicle symbol and a host vehicle symbol are displayed on the screen.

[0069] At this time, the display control unit 150 adjusts the distance between the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol on the screen. The communicating vehicle symbol and the own vehicle symbol are set so that the interval L' is an interval corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance L. In other words, when the distance between the vehicles is long, the display control unit 150, the communication vehicle symbol is arranged so that the interval between the communication vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol is long. The ball and the host vehicle symbol may be displayed on the screen of the display device 6. On the other hand, when the distance between the vehicles is short, If the distance between the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol is short, the display control unit 150 The communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol may be displayed on the screen of the display device 6 as shown below.

[0070] Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the following information about the host vehicle on the screen: A communicating vehicle symbol may be displayed at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located. For example, When a communicating vehicle is present in front of the host vehicle to the right, the display control unit 150 displays the host vehicle symbol A communication vehicle symbol may be displayed in the upper right corner of the vehicle. If a vehicle is present, the display control unit 150 displays the communicating vehicle symbol in the center above the host vehicle symbol. Both symbols may be displayed. Also, if there is a communicating vehicle behind the own vehicle, The display control unit 150 displays the communicating vehicle symbol below the center of the host vehicle symbol. In this case, the display position of the host vehicle symbol on the screen may be arbitrary.

[0071] 11 and 12 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 shows the first example shown in FIG. 6, in which the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment As described above, the display control unit 150 The communicating vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed at a display size S1 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. The display control unit 150 also displays the display determined in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance L1 on the display screen 6a. The host vehicle symbol 90Im is displayed on the screen 6a in a display size S1'.

[0072] Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the following on the screen 6a with respect to the host vehicle symbol 90Im: A communicating vehicle symbol 92I is displayed at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle 92 is located relative to the host vehicle 90. In the example of FIG. 6, the communicating vehicle 92 is located to the right and in front of the own vehicle 90. The transmitted vehicle symbol 92Im is displayed on the screen 6a at the upper right of the host vehicle symbol 90Im. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the communication content "Next" near the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays a speech bubble 72Im with the message "Please come to the , the distance L1' between the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im and the host vehicle symbol 90Im is equal to the inter-vehicle distance L1 The communicating vehicle symbol 92Im and the host vehicle symbol 90Im are displayed so that the intervals are in accordance with the Display it on face 6a.

[0073] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the second example shown in FIG. 8, which is performed by the communication device 100 according to the second embodiment. As described above, the display control unit 150 The communication vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed on the screen 6 at a display size S2 determined according to the distance L2 between the two vehicles. In addition, the display control unit 150 displays the display screen determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L2. At size S2', the host vehicle symbol 90Im is displayed on the screen 6a.

[0074] Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the following on the screen 6a with respect to the host vehicle symbol 90Im: A communicating vehicle symbol 94I is displayed at a position corresponding to the direction in which the communicating vehicle 94 is located relative to the host vehicle 90. In the example of FIG. 8, the communicating vehicle 94 is located to the right and in front of the own vehicle 90. The transmitted vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed on the screen 6a at the upper right of the host vehicle symbol 90Im. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays the communication content "Next" near the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im. Furthermore, the display control unit 150 displays a speech bubble 74Im with the message "Please come to the , the distance L2' between the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im and the host vehicle symbol 90Im is the inter-vehicle distance L2 The communicating vehicle symbol 94Im and the host vehicle symbol 90Im are displayed so that the intervals are in accordance with the Display it on face 6a.

[0075] Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment The symbol of the vehicle in question is displayed on the screen 6a together with the symbol of the communicating vehicle. When the distance between vehicles is long, the display control unit 150 displays a smaller signal than when the distance between vehicles is short. The display control unit 15 displays the transmitted vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol on the screen 6a. 0 is L1<L2であるときにS1> S2 and S1'>S2'. In this way, the longer the distance between the vehicles, the more likely it is that the vehicle will be detected. By reducing the display size of the communication vehicle symbol and the vehicle symbol, drivers, etc. Compared to the first embodiment, the distance to the communication vehicle that transmitted the communication information can be more easily determined visually. This allows the driver or the like to intuitively grasp which vehicles are around the vehicle 90. In other words, the driver can intuitively understand whether the driver has sent the communication information. It is possible to more intuitively grasp where the communication vehicle is located and what communication information has been transmitted. Also, as mentioned above, if the display size of the vehicle symbol is fixed, The longer the distance between vehicles, the smaller the display size of the communicating vehicle symbol. The display position may be set farther away from the vehicle symbol. This allows a more intuitive understanding of where the communication vehicle that transmitted the information is located.

[0076] Specifically, on the screen 6a shown in FIG. 11, the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im and the own vehicle symbol Since the symbol 90Im is displayed relatively large, the driver can see the vehicle 90 from a relatively large distance. It can be understood that the communication information has been transmitted from a nearby communication vehicle 92. On the other hand, the screen shown in FIG. In 6a, the communicating vehicle symbol 94Im and the host vehicle symbol 90Im are displayed relatively small. Therefore, the driver or the like can see that the communication information is transmitted from the communication vehicle 94 that is relatively far from the own vehicle 90. Therefore, compared with the first embodiment, the communication according to the second embodiment is The device 100 visually notifies the user from which vehicles around the vehicle the communication information has been received. It can be more easily understood.

[0077] As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment The distance L' between the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol on the screen 6a changes in response to the inter-vehicle distance L. In other words, the display control unit 150 generates a display image so that the intervals between the images are the same as those between the images on the screen 6a. In this case, the longer the inter-vehicle distance L, the longer the interval L' between the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol. The communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol are displayed on the screen 6a so that This allows the driver or the like to more easily recognize the sense of distance between the communicating vehicle and their own vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to visually show the user from which vehicles around the vehicle communication information has been received. It can be easily understood.

[0078] As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the display control unit 150 according to the second embodiment On the screen 6a, the vehicle symbol 90Im is displayed as a symbol of a vehicle communicating with the vehicle 90. The communicating vehicle symbol is displayed at a position corresponding to the direction of the vehicle. The direction of the communicating vehicle relative to the vehicle 90 can be grasped more intuitively. This makes it easier for the user to visually see from which vehicles around the vehicle communication information has been received. It can be easily understood.

[0079] (Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, a communication vehicle symbol is displayed on a map. The vehicle according to the third embodiment differs from the other embodiments in that the images are displayed in a superimposed manner. The hardware configuration of the first embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. , explanation will be omitted.

[0080] FIG. 13 shows a communication device 100 according to the third embodiment and a communication system including the communication device 100. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 50 according to a third embodiment. , a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, a map storage unit 9, and a communication The communication device 100 includes a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a The communication device 1 is communicably connected to a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a map storage unit 9. 00 includes a camera 2, a position detection device 4, a display device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a map storage unit. 9.

[0081] The map storage unit 9 is a device that stores map information indicating a map. The map information may be implemented in a car navigation system. The information includes at least the location and surrounding information indicating the surroundings of the vehicle's current location.

[0082] The communication device 100 includes a communication information receiving unit 110, a vehicle position acquiring unit 112, and a communicating vehicle identifying unit. 120, image acquisition unit 122, symbol acquisition unit 130, display size determination unit 140, display control The display control unit 350 and the communication processing unit 160 are included. Since this is substantially the same as in the above-described embodiment, the explanation will be omitted.

[0083] The display control unit 350 displays a map corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 on the screen of the display device 6. Then, the display control unit 350 displays the communication vehicle at a position on the map that corresponds to the location of the communicating vehicle. Furthermore, the display control unit 350 displays the current position of the vehicle 1 on the map. The display control unit 350 may display the host vehicle symbol at a position corresponding to the location of the host vehicle. The operation is substantially the same as that of the display control unit 150 described above. In the third aspect, the display size may be determined according to the scale of the map.

[0084] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a communication method according to the third embodiment. The processes of S102 to S308 are substantially the same as the processes of S102 to S108 shown in FIG. The process of S309 is the same as the process of S209 shown in FIG. The process of S312 to S314 is substantially the same as that of S311. These steps are substantially the same as steps S112 to S114 shown in FIG. 5, and therefore their explanations are omitted. do.

[0085] The display control unit 350 displays the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol on the map ( Step S310). At this time, as in the above-described embodiment, the display control unit 350 The communicating vehicle symbol is displayed in the display size determined in the process of S308, and the communicating vehicle symbol is displayed in the display size determined in the process of S309. The host vehicle symbol is displayed in the determined display size.

[0086] 15 and 16 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 shows the first example shown in FIG. 6, in which the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image displayed by the screen 6a. An example of displaying a map 80Im, which is a three-dimensional map, is shown.

[0087] The display control unit 350 displays the image of the communicating vehicle at a display size S1 determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. The symbol 92Im is displayed on the map 80Im displayed on the screen 6a. The display unit 350 displays the host vehicle symbol 9 in a display size S1' determined according to the inter-vehicle distance L1. 0Im is displayed on the screen 6a. At this time, the vehicle 90 is located in front of the communicating vehicle 92. Therefore, the display size S1' of the host vehicle symbol 90Im is the same as the display size S1' of the communicating vehicle symbol 92Im. It may be set to be larger than the display size S1.

[0088] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the second example shown in FIG. 8, which is performed by the communication device 100 according to the third embodiment. The display control unit 350 displays an image according to the inter-vehicle distance L2. The communication vehicle symbol 94Im is displayed on the screen 6a at the display size S2 determined by the The display control unit 150 also displays the display determined in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance L2. Display the vehicle symbol 90Im on the map 80Im displayed on the screen 6a in size S2'. At this time, the vehicle 90 is located in front of the communicating vehicle 94, so the vehicle symbol The display size S2' of the communication vehicle symbol 90Im is larger than the display size S2 of the communication vehicle symbol 94Im. It may be possible to make it so that

[0089] Here, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, similar to the above-described embodiment, The display control unit 350 in the third mode displays the host vehicle symbol together with the communicating vehicle symbol on the screen 6. At this time, if the inter-vehicle distance is long, the display control unit 150 displays the inter-vehicle distance When the time is short, the communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol are displayed on the screen 6a in a smaller size than when the time is short. That is, the display control unit 350<L2であるときにS1> S2 and S1'>S The communicating vehicle symbol and the host vehicle symbol are displayed on the screen 6a so that the display becomes 2'. Furthermore, the display control unit 350 according to the third embodiment displays a communicating vehicle symbol and a In this way, compared to the above-described embodiment, the driver etc. This allows the user to more intuitively grasp which vehicle around the vehicle 90 has transmitted the communication information. In other words, the driver can know where the communication information was sent and where the communication vehicle is located. This allows you to more intuitively understand how the device is functioning.

[0090] In addition, by displaying a communicating vehicle symbol on the map, it is possible to check the direction of obstacles such as buildings. Even if a communicating vehicle is difficult to see from the vehicle itself due to its location, the driver, etc. In other words, even if the location is difficult to see from the vehicle, the If it is on a map, the driver can grasp the position. Even if the driver receives communication information from a communication vehicle that has transmitted the information, the driver, etc. You can determine the location.

[0091] (Variation) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. For example, the order of the processes in the above flowchart can be changed as follows: In addition, one or more of the processes in the above-described flowcharts may be changed as needed. For example, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the processes of S112 and S114 can be omitted. This also applies to the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 and 16. do.

[0092] Furthermore, the communication device 100 according to the above-described embodiment is configured to receive a communication signal including position information of a communication vehicle. Although the communication vehicle is identified using the information, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In this case, the communication information transmitted from the communication vehicle is not required to determine the location of the vehicle. does not need to include the location information of the communicating vehicle.

[0093] For example, the communication information may include the vehicle ID of the communicating vehicle. The determination unit 120 uses, for example, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to 2 to detect the license plate corresponding to the vehicle ID from the captured image. Therefore, the communicating vehicle identification unit 120 can detect the communicating vehicle from the image. The identification unit 120 can identify the direction in which the communicating vehicle is located relative to the own vehicle. If the system 50 has a distance sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), The received vehicle identification unit 120 can identify the inter-vehicle distance using this distance sensor. When the communication information transmitted from the communication vehicle does not include the position information of the communication vehicle, The display size of the communicating vehicle symbol is determined according to the distance between the vehicles. The communicating vehicle symbol can be displayed.

[0094] The communication device 100 according to the above-described embodiment communicates directly with the communication vehicle. However, the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform such inter-vehicle communication. The communication device 100 communicates with a communication vehicle via a roadside device (not shown). Alternatively, communication with the communication vehicle may be performed via a server.

[0095] The above-mentioned program may be stored on various types of non-transitory computer-readable media (non- stored on a transitory computer-readable medium and provided to a computer. Non-transitory computer-readable media can include various types of tangible recording media (e.g., Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, Media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording Recording media (e.g., optical magnetic disk), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD -R / W, semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EP ROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory) The program may also be stored on various types of transitory computer-readable media. The information may be supplied to a computer via a computer-readable medium. Examples of computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The readable medium transmits the program via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path. It can be supplied to a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 vehicle 2 Cameras 4 Position detection device 6 Display device 6a screen 7. Mike 8 speakers 9 Map memory section 50 Communication Systems 100 Communication equipment 110 Communication information receiving unit 112 Vehicle position acquisition unit 120 Communication Vehicle Identification Department 122 Image acquisition unit 130 Symbol Acquisition Unit 140 Display size determination unit 150 Display control unit 160 Communication processing unit 350 Display control unit

Claims

1. a communication information receiving unit that receives communication information including communication content and position information or vehicle information from a communication vehicle that is a vehicle that exists around the vehicle and is communicating; a communication vehicle identification unit that identifies the communication vehicle using the communication information; a symbol acquisition unit that acquires a first symbol that is an image that resembles the identified communication vehicle; a display control unit that displays the first symbol and the communication content on a screen of a display device; and When there are a plurality of communicating vehicles, the display control unit displays the communication content of the communicating vehicle that is closest to the own vehicle with priority. Communication equipment.

2. a communication information receiving step of receiving communication information including communication content and position information or vehicle information from a communication vehicle that is a vehicle present around the vehicle and performing communication; a communicating vehicle identification step of identifying the communicating vehicle using the communication information; a symbol acquisition step of acquiring a first symbol which is an image imitating the identified communication vehicle; a display control step of displaying the first symbol and the communication content on a screen of a display device; and When there are a plurality of communicating vehicles, the communication contents of the communicating vehicles that are closest to the own vehicle are displayed with priority. Communication method.

Images