Communication device, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To facilitate exchange of information between vehicles.SOLUTION: A communication device mounted on a movable body comprises: first communication means that receives a radio signal transmitted using a first radio system; second communication means that performs radio communication using a second radio system; generation means that generates a communication identifier used for the radio communication using the second radio system based on an information element included in the radio signal received by the first communication means; transmission means that transmits information on the movable body through the second communication means with the addition of the communication identifier; and receiving means that receives a radio signal from an external device added with the communication identifier through the second communication means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to connection control for wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, wireless communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and NR (New Radio) have been developed. Among these standards, a specification for wireless communication between devices, called sidelink communication, which does not involve a mobile communication network (core network), has been developed. Specifically, this is direct wireless communication between devices using an interface called PC5. In sidelink communication, L2ID (Layer-2 ID) is used as an identifier for the source and destination devices. Furthermore, systems are being developed that use sidelink communication between vehicles to obtain information about surrounding vehicles (e.g., position, speed, and vehicle control information) and provide driving assistance as needed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a technology in which a server acquires location information and speed information of moving vehicles and creates map information that associates the current location of the vehicle with the L2ID assigned to the vehicle.It also proposes a technology in which vehicles communicate with each other using the L2ID based on this map information and exchange information between the vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-015354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, since the L2ID is received from the server device via a public line, the L2ID cannot be obtained in places where the public line is not available. Therefore, under such circumstances, there is a problem that the desired information exchange between vehicles cannot be realized.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a technique that facilitates information exchange between vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a communication device according to the present invention has the following configuration: First wireless method in Sent can a first communication means for receiving a wireless signal; a second communication means for performing wireless communication in a second wireless system; Information elements included in the radio signal received by the first communication means and an acquisition means for acquiring the Using the information elements, a generating means for generating a communication identifier to be used in wireless communication in the second wireless system; Information relating to the mobile object and the communication identifier A radio signal containing a transmitting means for transmitting via the second communication means; From an external device, the communication identifier Contains a receiving means for receiving a wireless signal via the second communication means; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that facilitates information exchange between vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an inter-vehicle communication system. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a roadside unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation in the inter-vehicle communication system. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing in an in-vehicle device. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating data transmission in a Broadcast / Groupcast system. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating data transmission in a unicast system. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a roadside unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an L2ID. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] (First embodiment) As a first embodiment of a communication device according to the present invention, an inter-vehicle communication system using roadside units will be described below as an example.

[0012] <System configuration> 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, in which vehicles 102 and 103 equipped with on-board devices are traveling along a road on which a roadside device 101 is installed at the side of the road.

[0013] The roadside device 101 is a device that notifies the surrounding area of ​​information that it detects itself or information stored in a server on the Internet via wireless communication. The roadside device 101 is a device that notifies information to other wireless devices using any of wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ETC, cellular (5G and LTE), and Sidelink. In Fig. 1, the wireless communication area (wireless connectable range) of the roadside device 101 is exemplarily shown by a dashed line.

[0014] Vehicles 102 and 103 are vehicles that are moving bodies that travel on roads. On-vehicle devices 104a and 104b (hereinafter referred to as on-vehicle device 104) are on-vehicle devices mounted on vehicles 102 and 103. On-vehicle device 104 is a device that acquires and displays information from outside the vehicle via wireless communication, and acquires vehicle information and shares the information with external devices via wireless communication. On-vehicle device 104 acquires and uses information from sensors and cameras mounted on the vehicle as vehicle information. In addition, on-vehicle device 104 can analyze traffic information from information acquired from sensors mounted on the vehicle and information obtained by analyzing camera images, and transmit the information to other wireless devices.

[0015] <Functional configuration of roadside unit and in-vehicle unit> Next, the functional configuration of the roadside device 101 and the in-vehicle device 104 will be described. Note that the configuration of the functional blocks described below is merely an example. Some (or in some cases all) of the functional blocks described may be replaced with other functional blocks that perform similar functions, some functional blocks may be omitted, or further functional blocks may be added. Furthermore, one functional block shown in the following description may be divided into multiple functional blocks, or multiple functional blocks may be integrated into one functional block.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the roadside unit 101. The camera 201 grasps the traffic conditions on the road. The memory unit 202 stores images from the camera 201 and information obtained through communication. The control unit 203 controls the operation of the roadside unit 101. The detected information processing unit 204 processes information obtained by the camera 201 and sensors to determine the traffic conditions. The wireless communication unit 205 transmits and receives information to and from external wireless devices. The wired communication unit 206 is connected to the Internet or the like via a wired connection to obtain information from other devices such as servers.

[0017] The roadside unit 101 processes images captured by the camera 201 in a detection information processing unit 204 and notifies an external wireless device of the processing result via a wireless communication unit 205. The roadside unit 101 also acquires traffic information and the like from an external server via a wired communication unit 206, processes the acquired information in the detection information processing unit 204, and transmits it to the external wireless device via the wireless communication unit 205. The wireless communication unit 205 is configured to be capable of communicating using one or more first wireless methods such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ETC, cellular communication (5G and LTE), and Sidelink communication, depending on the installation location, the device to be notified, and the like.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 104. The Sidelink communication unit 301 executes Sidelink communication, which is a second wireless method, using a specified L2ID. The memory unit 302 stores information necessary for the in-vehicle device 104 to operate. The control unit 303 controls the operation of the in-vehicle device 104. The display unit 304 displays the status of the vehicle itself, the status of other vehicles, traffic information, etc. The wireless communication unit 305 performs wireless communication with external devices. The vehicle information acquisition unit 306 acquires information about the vehicle in which the in-vehicle device 104 is installed. The communication identifier generation unit 307 generates an L2ID, which is a communication identifier used by the Sidelink communication unit 301. The video processing unit 308 analyzes video acquired from a camera installed in the in-vehicle device 104 or an external camera to determine traffic conditions, etc.

[0019] The in-vehicle device 104 acquires information about the wireless signal (i.e., the wireless signal of the first wireless system) from the roadside device 101 using the wireless communication unit 305, and generates an L2ID using the communication identifier generation unit 307. The generated L2ID is then notified to the sidelink communication unit 301, which operates to perform sidelink communication with other devices (i.e., transmission and reception of the wireless signal of the second wireless system).

[0020] When information to be notified to an external device is generated in the vehicle information acquisition unit 306, the communication identifier generation unit 307 generates an L2ID to which the information to be notified is added. Similarly, when information to be notified to an external device is generated in the video processing unit 308, the communication identifier generation unit 307 generates an L2ID to which the information to be notified is added.

[0021] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a 3-byte L2ID generated by the communication identifier generation unit 307. In the example of FIG. 9, the on-board device 104 processes the wireless communication identifier obtained from the roadside device 101 using a hash function or the like, and sets the value (0000 to FFFF in hexadecimal) of the upper two bytes (the second byte and the first byte) of the L2ID to a numerical value obtained. Note that a network identifier (SSID) or a source address (BSSID / MAC address) can be used as the wireless communication identifier. In addition, a value corresponding to the status information of the vehicle stored in the on-board device 104 is set as the value (00 to FF in hexadecimal) of the lower byte (the zeroth byte) of the L2ID. Examples of the vehicle status include information on vehicle attributes such as an emergency vehicle or a broken-down vehicle, and information on driving attributes such as a planned right turn or planned merging.

[0022] <Hardware configuration of roadside unit and in-vehicle unit> 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the roadside device 101. The roadside device 101 includes a CPU 801, a ROM 802, a RAM 803, an auxiliary storage device 804, a communication I / F 805, a device I / F 806, and a bus.

[0023] The CPU 801 controls the entire roadside device 101 using computer programs and data stored in the ROM 802 or RAM 803, thereby realizing each function of the roadside device 101 shown in Fig. 2. Note that the roadside device 101 may have one or more pieces of dedicated hardware different from the CPU 801, and at least part of the processing by the CPU 801 may be executed by the dedicated hardware. Examples of the dedicated hardware include an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), and a DSP (digital signal processor).

[0024] The ROM 802 stores programs that do not require modification. The RAM 803 temporarily stores programs and data supplied from an auxiliary storage device 804, as well as data supplied from the outside via a communication I / F 805. The auxiliary storage device 804 is configured, for example, by a hard disk drive or the like, and stores various types of data.

[0025] The communication I / F 805 is used for communication with an external device. For example, the wireless communication unit 205 uses the communication I / F 805 to perform wireless communication with the in-vehicle device 104, which is an external device. The device I / F 806 connects various devices. For example, the device I / F 806 can be connected to a display device that enables an administrator to check information managed by the roadside device 101, a sensor or a camera mounted on the roadside device 102, etc. Although an example of the hardware configuration of the roadside device 101 has been described above with reference to Fig. 8, the in-vehicle device 104 may also be realized by a similar hardware configuration. For example, when the in-vehicle device 104 has the hardware configuration as shown in Fig. 8, an imaging unit having a mechanism for performing imaging or a vehicle sensor may be connected to the device I / F 806.

[0026] <Device Operation> 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. When the vehicle 102 moves into the wireless connection range of the roadside unit 101, the on-board unit 104a installed in the vehicle 102 establishes a Wi-Fi connection with the roadside unit 101 (F401). The on-board unit 104a then extracts information elements such as the SSID of the Wi-Fi communication (F402) and generates an L2ID to be used in vehicle-to-vehicle sidelink communication from the information elements (F403). The on-board unit 104a starts reporting information about the vehicle 102 and waiting for sidelink communication from on-board units 104 of other vehicles using the generated L2ID (F404).

[0027] Similarly, when the vehicle 103 moves into the wireless connection range of the roadside unit 101, the in-vehicle unit 104b installed in the vehicle 103 establishes a Wi-Fi connection with the roadside unit 101 (F405). The in-vehicle unit 104b then extracts information elements such as the SSID for Wi-Fi communication (F406) and generates an L2ID to be used in sidelink communication between vehicles from the information elements (F407). The in-vehicle unit 104b starts reporting information about the vehicle 103 and waiting for sidelink communication from in-vehicle units 104 of other vehicles using the generated L2ID (F408).

[0028] When vehicle 102 and vehicle 103 approach within a distance where Sidelink communication is possible, a Sidelink connection is established (F409). Then, information is exchanged between vehicle 102 and vehicle 103 as needed (F410). The information exchanged includes host vehicle information generated by vehicle information acquisition unit 306 and video processing unit 308, and / or road traffic information such as the presence or absence of accidents, congestion, emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, or vehicles operating abnormally.

[0029] Thereafter, when the vehicle 102 moves out of the wireless communication range of the roadside device 101, the in-vehicle device 104a detects that the Wi-Fi has been disconnected (F411). Then, the in-vehicle device 104a ends the notification of information about the vehicle 102 and standby for the L2ID associated with the disconnected Wi-Fi (F412), and deletes the L2ID (F413).

[0030] Similarly, when the vehicle 103 moves out of the wireless communication range of the roadside device 101, the in-vehicle device 104b detects that the Wi-Fi has been disconnected (F414). Then, the in-vehicle device 104b ends the notification of information about the vehicle 103 and standby for the L2ID associated with the disconnected Wi-Fi (F415), and deletes the L2ID (F416).

[0031] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing in the in-vehicle device 104.

[0032] In S501, the in-vehicle device 104 detects a Wi-Fi wireless signal from the roadside device using the wireless communication unit 305. For example, when a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 104 enters a wireless connectable range of the roadside device 101, the wireless signal is detected. When the signal is detected, the process proceeds to S502.

[0033] In S502, the in-vehicle device 104 connects to the Wi-Fi network of the roadside device via the wireless communication unit 305. In S503, the in-vehicle device 104 acquires the SSID included in the signal from the connected Wi-Fi network and stores it as an information element in the storage unit 302. In S504, the in-vehicle device 104 uses a value generated by inputting the acquired SSID into a hash function or the like and information held by the in-vehicle device to generate an L2ID required for transmitting and receiving Sidelink communication by the communication identifier generation unit 307. More specifically, the in-vehicle device 104 generates an L2ID to be used as a source identifier and a destination identifier for Sidelink communication.

[0034] In S505, the in-vehicle device 104 starts the notification of its own vehicle information and standby by the Sidelink communication unit 301 using the generated L2ID.

[0035] In S506, the in-vehicle device 104 determines whether or not a device to be a partner in Sidelink communication has been found. If found, the process proceeds to S507, and if not found, the process proceeds to S509.

[0036] In S507, the in-vehicle device 104 establishes a Sidelink connection with the discovered counterpart device. Then, in S508, the in-vehicle device 104 executes the exchange of vehicle information via Sidelink communication with the counterpart device for which the Sidelink connection has been established.

[0037] In S509, the in-vehicle device 104 determines whether or not the disconnection of the Wi-Fi connection between the roadside unit 101 and the in-vehicle device 104 has been detected. For example, when the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 104 exits the wireless connection range of the roadside unit 101, the disconnection of the Wi-Fi connection is detected. If the disconnection is detected, the process proceeds to S510; if the disconnection is not detected, the process returns to S506. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0041] The processing examples in FIGS. 4 and 5 have been described assuming the "Groupcast communication method," but any communication method can be applied.

[0042] As described above, the information that the in-vehicle device 104 communicates with other in-vehicle devices via Sidelink communication includes the vehicle's status, travel schedule, surrounding traffic conditions detected by sensors and cameras mounted on the vehicle, sensor data, camera images, etc. Therefore, each vehicle can grasp not only the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles at a merging point, but also information about oncoming vehicles from location information, speed information, etc. For example, by transmitting and receiving information about the vehicle's status and travel schedule, it becomes possible to provide driving assistance to the driver.

[0043] In addition, Sidelink communication allows for low-latency information exchange, making it possible to control merging orders, brake control in emergencies, etc. Furthermore, Sidelink communication allows for safer driving by receiving road traffic information detected by other vehicles, such as accidents, congestion, emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, and vehicles operating abnormally, and knowing this information in advance.

[0044] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 104 generates an L2ID based on the SSID of the roadside device with which wireless communication has been established. This makes it possible to share the L2ID between appropriate vehicles even in places where public lines are not available. Furthermore, by generating an identifier that takes into account the information that can be received on the spot and the content of the information to be exchanged and using this identifier in wireless communication, it is possible to realize information exchange between appropriate combinations of communication devices.

[0045] (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0046] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 101 Roadside unit: 102, 103 Vehicle: 104a, 104b On-board device

Claims

1. A communication device mounted on a moving object, a first communication means for receiving a radio signal transmitted in a first radio system; a second communication means for performing wireless communication in a second wireless system; an acquisition means for acquiring an information element included in the wireless signal received by the first communication means; a generating means for generating a communication identifier to be used in wireless communication in the second wireless system using the information element; a transmitting means for transmitting a radio signal including information about the mobile unit and the communication identifier via the second communication means; a receiving means for receiving a wireless signal including the communication identifier from an external device via the second communication means; A communication device comprising:

2. the first wireless method is at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ETC, cellular communication, and Sidelink communication; The second wireless method is Sidelink communication.

2. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. The communication identifier is the L2ID (Layer-2 ID) in Sidelink communication.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The generating means generates the communication identifier based on an information element included in the wireless signal received by the first communication means and status information of the mobile unit.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device.

5. The information element is a network identifier or a source address included in a wireless signal transmitted in the first wireless system.

5. The communication device according to claim 4.

6. The generating means generates the communication identifier when communication via the first communication means is established, and deletes the communication identifier when communication via the first communication means is disconnected.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication device.

7. The generating means terminates transmission and reception by the transmitting means and the receiving means when communication via the first communication means is disconnected, and deletes the communication identifier when the termination of the transmission and reception is complete.

7. The communication device according to claim 6.

8. the moving body is a vehicle traveling on a road, The radio signal transmitted in the first radio system is a radio signal from a roadside unit installed on the side of the road.

8. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises: a first communication unit;

9. A method for controlling a communication device mounted on a moving object, comprising: The communication device a first communication means for receiving a wireless signal transmitted in a first wireless system; a second communication means for performing wireless communication in a second wireless system; The control method comprises: an acquisition step of acquiring an information element included in the wireless signal received by the first communication means; a generating step of generating a communication identifier to be used in wireless communication in the second wireless system using the information element; a transmitting step of transmitting a wireless signal including information about the mobile unit and the communication identifier via the second communication means; a receiving step of receiving a wireless signal including the communication identifier from an external device via the second communication means; A control method comprising:

10. A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for a communication device mounted on a moving object, The communication device a first communication means for receiving a wireless signal transmitted in a first wireless system; a second communication means for performing wireless communication in a second wireless system; The control method comprises: an acquisition step of acquiring an information element included in the wireless signal received by the first communication means; a generating step of generating a communication identifier to be used in wireless communication in the second wireless system using the information element; a transmitting step of transmitting a wireless signal including information about the mobile unit and the communication identifier via the second communication means; a receiving step of receiving a wireless signal including the communication identifier from an external device via the second communication means; A program comprising:

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