Vehicle Communication Control Device Cycle Synchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing vehicle communication control systems lack synchronization between the cycles for acquiring the position of nearby and subject vehicles, leading to discrepancies in calculated time delays and dissatisfaction with driving assistance timing for drivers.

Innovation Solution

The system adjusts the generation cycles of both nearby and subject vehicle information to minimize the difference between their acquisition times, ensuring more accurate reflection of the actual running conditions between vehicles, thereby improving the accuracy of driving assistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the position acquisition cycles of nearby and subject vehicles are kept independent, then each vehicle can operate autonomously, but the time delay calculation becomes inaccurate and driving assistance timing becomes unsynchronized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving assistance accuracyVSAvoidcycle synchronization mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the position acquisition cycles of nearby and subject vehicles by making the subject vehicle's acquisition cycle a common multiple of both cycles. This synchronization ensures that position data from both vehicles is captured at coordinated intervals, eliminating timing mismatches in the driving assistance system while maintaining autonomous operation of each vehicle's sensing system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Measurement precision

If the position acquisition cycle of the subject vehicle is shortened to match the nearby vehicle's cycle, then timing accuracy improves, but energy consumption and system load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime delay measurement accuracyVSAvoidenergy consumption for position acquisition
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent dynamically adjusts the subject vehicle's position acquisition cycle based on the nearby vehicle's cycle characteristics. By setting the acquisition cycle to a common multiple relationship, the system achieves synchronized timing and accurate time delay measurement without continuously operating at the highest frequency, thus optimizing energy consumption while maintaining measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3432289B1Vehicle communication control device
Publication Date: 2022.07.27 DENSO CORP
  • EP3432289B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3432289B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3432289B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle communication control device used for a vehicle includes a nearby vehicle information acquirer (171), a subject vehicle information generator (103), an assistance information generator (174), a difference calculator (173), and a cycle changer (108, 108a). The nearby vehicle information acquirer successively acquires nearby vehicle information representing running condition of a nearby vehicle and generation time of the nearby vehicle information. The nearby vehicle information and the generation time are generated in an in-vehicle unit mounted on the nearby vehicle and successively transmitted by communication from outside the subject vehicle. The subject vehicle information generator cyclically generates subject vehicle information representing running condition of a subject vehicle. The assistance information generator generates assistance information for driving assistance of the subject vehicle by using the nearby vehicle information and the subject vehicle information. The difference calculator calculates a difference between generation time of the most recent subject vehicle information and generation time of the most recent nearby vehicle information. The cycle changer changes a generation cycle of the subject vehicle information so as to decrease the difference.