JP4710575B2 - Inter-vehicle communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inter-vehicle communication system that communicates information between a plurality of vehicles traveling on a road, and more particularly, to extract traffic information related to the periphery of a vehicle from a captured image and to transmit the traffic information By setting the information value to the traffic information extracted from the state of the other vehicle that becomes and sending the traffic information to the other vehicle based on the set information value, priority is given only to the traffic information necessary for the driver Alternatively, the present invention relates to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that enables selection and transmission.

In general, the information that a driver who drives a vehicle can obtain from his / her five senses is quite limited. In particular, when the road is congested and other vehicles are running or stopped close to the front and back of the vehicle, or when driving on a road with poor visibility, the forward and backward visibility is blocked. And it has been a very difficult task for a driver to perform an appropriate driving in a situation where driving must be performed within such limited information.
Therefore, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges information between vehicles by wireless communication has been proposed. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-283181, a driving support camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the host vehicle is provided, and an image captured by the driving support camera is wirelessly transmitted to another vehicle. An inter-vehicle communication system capable of transmitting in advance the occurrence of an abnormal event occurring above to another vehicle is described.
According to the above system, since information can be shared among a plurality of vehicles, it becomes possible for the driver to grasp information that cannot be recognized from the own vehicle based on information provided from other vehicles. It becomes possible to travel appropriately.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-283181 (pages 4 to 7, FIGS. 1 to 4)

Here, as in the inter-vehicle communication system described in Patent Document 1 described above, providing information between vehicles using a camera image captured by a camera is more specific information around the current vehicle. However, the image data has a very large amount of information compared to character information or the like. As a result, the time required for the communication processing between the vehicles is increased, and the processing load on the control device is also increased.
On the other hand, in the case where information is shared among a plurality of vehicles by simply transmitting only text information, the driver cannot obtain sufficient information about the surroundings of the vehicle, and it is still possible to perform appropriate traveling It was difficult.
Further, the traffic information acquired by each vehicle includes traffic information that hardly affects the travel of other vehicles. If such traffic information is also transmitted uniformly, the number of communications between the vehicles is extremely large, and the processing load on the control device is increased. In addition, it is difficult to grasp information originally necessary for the driver by uniformly outputting to the driver traffic information that hardly affects the driver.
However, it is difficult to determine whether the traffic information acquired by each vehicle is necessary traffic information for other vehicles, and a new inter-vehicle communication system capable of selecting and transmitting only necessary traffic information. Was desired.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and among the traffic information extracted based on the captured image, only the traffic information necessary for other vehicles is prioritized or selected and transmitted. This makes it possible for the driver to travel appropriately even in situations where it is necessary to drive within limited information, and to reduce the communication time and processing load related to information communication. An object of the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle communication system.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system (1) according to claim 1 of the present application is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system in which information is communicated between a plurality of vehicles (2) traveling on a road. An image pickup means (5) for picking up an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and detecting a position of the object relative to the traveling direction of the own vehicle as a state of the object located in the periphery of the own vehicle from an image picked up by the image pickup means an object state detecting means (7) for the state and the traffic information extraction means for extracting a traffic information (7) of the object, the subject that transmits the traffic information of a different object from the object as the state of another vehicle, before the other vehicle is the between the vehicle and the state obtaining means for obtaining or running the opposite lane or running on a same lane (7), detected by the object state detecting means Wherein the traffic information extracting unit value setting means for setting the information value to the extracted traffic information (7), the value set based on the state of the other vehicle acquired by the state and the state acquisition section of the object Traffic information transmitting means (3) for transmitting the traffic information to the other vehicle based on the information value set by the means.
Here, the “traffic information” is information that affects driving when the vehicle travels on the road. Specifically, a traveling vehicle, a parked vehicle, a right turn vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicycle, This is information on the position and type of objects such as road obstacles and signs under construction.
Further, “information value” means a parameter or flag used as a criterion for determining whether or not traffic information has value as information to be transmitted and provided to other vehicles.

  Further, the inter-vehicle communication system (1) according to claim 2 is the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the information value set by the value setting means (7) of the vehicle (2) is a predetermined value. It has value judging means (7) for judging whether or not it is above, and the traffic information transmitting means (3) is said information value when it is judged by the value judging means that the information value is not less than a predetermined value. Is transmitted to the other vehicle.

Also, inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 3 (1), in the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the vehicle (2), the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle wherein the incoming traffic information receiving means (3), to have a, a traffic information output means (6) for outputting traffic information relating to the periphery of the vehicle based on the received traffic information by the traffic information receiving means And

  The inter-vehicle communication system (1) according to claim 4 is the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 3, wherein the traffic information output means (6) gives priority to traffic information to which high information value is added. It is characterized by outputting.

In the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 having the above-described configuration, the periphery of the vehicle is imaged by the imaging unit, the state of the object located around the vehicle is detected from the captured image , and the state of the detected object is detected. is extracted as the traffic information, by setting the information value based on the state of another vehicle to be transmitted and the state of the detected object, it is transmitted based on the information set value of the extracted traffic information Because information is communicated between multiple vehicles, it is possible to select and share only traffic information that seems to be necessary for other vehicles, among traffic information based on images captured between multiple vehicles. Become. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication time and processing load related to information communication without reducing the amount of traffic information necessary for the driver.
In addition, since the selection of the traffic information to be transmitted is performed based on the state of the other vehicle constituting the traffic information, it is possible to select the appropriate information according to the state of the other vehicle.
In addition, limited information such as when the road is congested due to traffic information sharing and other vehicles are traveling or stopping near the front and rear of the vehicle, or when traveling on a road with poor visibility Even in a situation where it is necessary to drive in the vehicle, the driver can travel appropriately.

  Further, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, since the traffic information determined that the set information value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value is transmitted to the other vehicle, it is based on images captured between a plurality of vehicles. It is possible to select and share only traffic information that is considered necessary for other vehicles, among traffic information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication time and processing load related to information communication without reducing the amount of traffic information necessary for the driver.

  In the inter-vehicle communication system according to the third aspect, the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle is received and the traffic information related to the periphery of the vehicle is output based on the received traffic information. Traffic information around the vehicle based on the captured image can be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to drive in limited information, such as when the road is congested and other vehicles are running or stopped in the vicinity of the vehicle, or when driving on a road with poor visibility. Even under certain circumstances, the driver can appropriately travel by referring to the output traffic information.

  Further, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 4, since traffic information with high information value is preferentially output, even when a large amount of traffic information is output, necessary traffic information can be easily obtained. It becomes possible to grasp. Accordingly, the driver can appropriately travel with reference to the acquired traffic information.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on first to third embodiments embodied.

(First embodiment)
First, a schematic configuration of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the vehicle 2 in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment is constituted by a plurality of vehicles 2 traveling on a road, and communication devices (traffic information transmitting means, traffic information) provided in each vehicle 2. The receiving means 3) enables mutual information communication between the vehicles 2.

Here, the communication device 3 is a communication device that communicates information in a wireless manner using, for example, millimeter wave radio waves. And with other vehicles (subsequent vehicle, forward vehicle, oncoming vehicle, etc.) located in a wireless communicable range (for example, a range up to a radius of 1 km centered on the own vehicle position) with respect to the own vehicle position It is possible to communicate information wirelessly.
The information transmitted and received between the vehicles by the communication device 3 includes traffic information extracted from an image of the front environment of the vehicle 2 captured by the front camera 5 provided in the vehicle 2 and a current position of the vehicle, as will be described later. There is information about.

  In the communication between the vehicles 2 in the inter-vehicle communication system 1, in addition to directly transmitting / receiving information between the vehicles 2, information is transmitted via a communication facility such as the communication center 4 as shown in FIG. 1. It is also possible to send and receive.

  Next, the configuration of one vehicle 2 constituting the inter-vehicle communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the communication device 3 described above, the vehicle 2 includes a front camera (imaging means) 5, a liquid crystal display (traffic information output means) 6, and a communication processing ECU (traffic information extraction means, status acquisition). (Means, value setting means, value determination means, object state detection means) 7, current position detection unit 8, information DB 9, vehicle ECU 10, and the like.

  The front camera 5 uses a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, for example, and is attached near the upper center of a license plate mounted in front of the vehicle 2 and is installed with the line-of-sight direction slightly below the horizontal. . Then, the front side of the vehicle that is the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is traveling is imaged (see FIG. 6). The captured image is subjected to predetermined processing by the communication processing ECU 7 so that traffic information around the vehicle 2 is extracted as described later, and the extracted traffic information is transmitted to other vehicles. . Here, the traffic information in the first embodiment is an object to be particularly careful when the vehicle 2 travels (for example, a traveling vehicle, a parked vehicle, a right turn vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicycle, an obstacle on the road, a signboard under construction). ), Specifically, information on the type of the object imaged by the front camera 5 and information on the position of the object.

  The liquid crystal display 6 is provided on the center console or panel surface of the vehicle 2 and displays a map image showing the type and position of an object specified on the map based on traffic information transmitted from another vehicle. Display (see FIG. 7). The liquid crystal display 6 may also be used for a navigation device.

  The communication processing ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 7 performs predetermined processing on the image captured by the front camera 5 to thereby obtain information on the object located around the vehicle 2 captured in the image (i.e., , Traffic information), and the information value is set in the traffic information based on the state of the other vehicle that is the transmission target when the traffic information is transmitted and the state of the object. The detailed configuration of the communication processing ECU 7 will be described later.

  In addition, the current location detection unit 8 receives the radio wave generated by the artificial satellite, thereby detecting the current location and current time of the vehicle 2 on the earth, and the absolute direction of the vehicle 2 by measuring the geomagnetism. It comprises a geomagnetic sensor 12 to be detected and a map DB 13 in which map data is stored (see FIG. 3), and the current location and the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 can be specified on the map. Note that a navigation device may be used as the current location detection unit 8.

  Further, the information DB 9 displays a map image in which a mark for identifying the type and position of an object is superimposed on a map around the own vehicle based on image data captured by the front camera 5 and traffic information transmitted from another vehicle. Storage means for storing display data for display. In the first embodiment, a hard disk is used as a storage medium for the information DB 9, but a magnetic disk, memory card, magnetic tape, magnetic drum, CD, MD, DVD, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, etc. Can also be used as an external storage device.

The vehicle ECU 10 is an electronic control unit of the vehicle 2 that controls operations of an engine, a transmission, a brake, and the like, and various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor 15, a steering angle sensor 16, and a gyro sensor 17 are connected thereto.
Here, the vehicle speed sensor 15 is composed of an active wheel speed sensor attached to the wheel of the vehicle 2, detects the rotational speed of the wheel, and outputs a speed signal to the vehicle ECU 10.
The steering angle sensor 16 is mounted inside the steering device, and detects the amount of rotation of the steering column shaft by an optical sensor or the like. And a steering angle at the time of turning a steering wheel is detected, and a steering angle signal is outputted to vehicle ECU10.
Further, the gyro sensor 17 detects the turning angle of the vehicle 2 and outputs a turning angle signal to the vehicle ECU 10. As the gyro sensor 17, for example, a gas rate gyro, a vibration gyro, or the like is used.
As a result, the vehicle ECU 10 detects the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 15, and detects the steering angle of the vehicle 2 based on the output signal of the steering angle sensor 16. Further, by integrating the turning angle detected by the gyro sensor 17, the vehicle direction can be detected.

Next, the structure which concerns on the control system of the vehicle 2 which comprises the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated based on FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the vehicle 2 constituting the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 3, the control system of the vehicle 2 is configured on the basis of the communication processing ECU 7 and each control means of the vehicle ECU 10, and each peripheral device described above is connected to each control means.

  Here, the communication processing ECU 7 is configured with the CPU 21 as a core, and a ROM 22 and a RAM 23 which are storage means are connected to the CPU 21. The ROM 22 stores the vehicle information extracted from the image captured by the front camera 5 to the other vehicle based on the information value (see FIG. 9), and the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle. Traffic information display processing program for displaying traffic information around the vehicle on the liquid crystal display 6 (see FIG. 11), traffic information information on the object based on the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted A first value setting table 22A (FIG. 4) and a second value setting table 22B (FIG. 5) for setting values, and various programs necessary for controlling the liquid crystal display 6 and the like are stored. The RAM 23 is a memory for temporarily storing various data calculated by the CPU 21. In the first embodiment, the RAM 23 is a traffic information table 23A that cumulatively stores traffic information extracted from images captured by the front camera 5. (FIG. 7), information on the type of vehicle 2 (for example, minicar, sedan, wagon, truck, etc.) used when setting the information value for traffic information and personal information (age etc.) of the driver Stored.

Next, the first value setting table 22A stored in the ROM 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first value setting table 22A according to the first embodiment.
Here, the first value setting table 22A includes the state of the target object (specifically, the type and position of the target object) detected from the image captured by the front camera 5, and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted. It is a table that sets the information value of traffic information (whether or not it has value as information to be transmitted) based on (specifically, the relative travel position of the other vehicle to the host vehicle).

As shown in FIG. 4, the first value setting table 22A transmits the state of the object, the receiving-side vehicle state, and traffic information related to the object having the state to the receiving-side vehicle having the state. It consists of a value added to the information value.
For example, the object detected from the captured image is “a parked vehicle parked on the shoulder on the left side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted “runs in the opposite lane to the own vehicle. If the vehicle is a vehicle that does not, the traffic information on the detected object is not valid traffic information for the other vehicle (the object does not affect the driving of the other vehicle). I will not.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a parked vehicle parked on the shoulder on the left side with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “behind the same lane as the host vehicle” If the vehicle is a vehicle that travels, the traffic information relating to the detected object is traffic information that is valid for other vehicles, so three points are added to the information value.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a parked vehicle parked on the road shoulder on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and another vehicle to be transmitted “runs in the opposite lane to the own vehicle. If the vehicle is a vehicle that performs the operation, the traffic information related to the detected object is the traffic information that is valid for the other vehicle, so three points are added to the information value.
Further, the object detected from the captured image is “a parked vehicle parked on the right shoulder of the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “behind the same lane as the own vehicle” If the vehicle is a vehicle that travels, the traffic information related to the detected object is not valid traffic information for other vehicles, and no points are added to the information value.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a pedestrian walking on the shoulder on the left side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “running a lane opposite to the own vehicle” In the case of “vehicle”, the traffic information related to the detected object is not valid traffic information for other vehicles, and is not added to the information value.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a pedestrian walking on the left shoulder to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “behind the same lane as the own vehicle. In the case of “traveling vehicle”, the traffic information regarding the detected object is traffic information that is valid for other vehicles, and therefore, 5 points are added to the information value.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a pedestrian walking on the road shoulder on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “running the opposite lane to the own vehicle. In the case of “vehicle”, the traffic information related to the detected object is traffic information that is valid for other vehicles, so 5 points are added to the information value.
In addition, the object detected from the captured image is “a pedestrian walking on the road shoulder on the right side with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle”, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is “behind the same lane as the own vehicle. In the case of the “traveling vehicle”, the traffic information related to the detected object is not valid traffic information for the other vehicle, and no additional points are added to the information value.

  In addition to the conditions shown in FIG. 4, when the target is a bicycle or a right turn vehicle, a value added to the information value may be set similarly. Then, as described later, when the information value for the traffic information becomes 5 points or more by the first value setting table 22A and the second value setting table 22B, the traffic information is transmitted to the other vehicle.

Next, the second value setting table 22B stored in the ROM 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the second value setting table 22B according to the first embodiment.
Here, the second value setting table 22B is the state of the other vehicle that is the transmission target for transmitting the traffic information related to the object detected in the image captured by the front camera 5 (specifically, the traveling speed and the vehicle type of the other vehicle). This is a table for setting the information value of traffic information (whether or not it has value as information to be transmitted and provided) based on the information of the driver and the driver.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second value setting table 22 </ b> B corresponds to items defining the state of the receiving vehicle, the receiving vehicle state, and the information value of the traffic information transmitted to the receiving vehicle having the state. And a value to be added.
For example, if the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle that travels at a traveling speed of 0 km / h or more and less than 20 km / h”, One point is added to the information value of traffic information transmitted to other vehicles.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle that travels at a traveling speed of 20 km / h or more and less than 40 km / h”, Two points are added to the information value of the traffic information transmitted to other vehicles.
Further, when the other vehicle to be transmitted for transmitting the traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle traveling at a traveling speed of 40 km / h or more”, the vehicle is transmitted to the other vehicle. Three points are added to the information value of traffic information.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information on the object detected from the captured image is a “passenger vehicle (including a mini vehicle, a sedan, a wagon)”, the other vehicle One point is added to the information value of the traffic information to be transmitted.
Further, when the other vehicle to be transmitted for transmitting the traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle of a truck having a standard loading capacity of less than 4 t”, the traffic information to be transmitted to the other vehicle. Two points are added to the information value.
Further, when the other vehicle to be transmitted for transmitting the traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is a “vehicle of a truck having a standard loading capacity of 4 t or more”, the traffic information to be transmitted to the other vehicle. 3 points are added to the information value.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted for transmitting traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is a “vehicle whose driver's age is 21 or less”, the traffic to be transmitted to the other vehicle. Two points are added to the information value of information.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle whose driver is 65 years old or older”, the traffic to be transmitted to the other vehicle. Three points are added to the information value of information.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle located within the same prefecture as the vehicle and outside the same municipality” One point is added to the information value of traffic information transmitted to other vehicles.
In addition, when the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits traffic information related to the object detected from the captured image is “a vehicle located outside the same prefecture as the vehicle”, the traffic information to be transmitted to the other vehicle. Two points are added to the information value.

  Then, as described later, when the information value for the traffic information becomes 5 points or more by the first value setting table 22A and the second value setting table 22B, the traffic information is transmitted to the other vehicle. Therefore, for example, more traffic information can be transmitted to a vehicle traveling at a high speed or a vehicle driven by an elderly driver.

  Next, a specific example of the traffic information table 23A stored in the RAM 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 together with a method for extracting traffic information from an image captured by the front camera 5. FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is a top view showing the vehicle 2 traveling on the road at a predetermined timing, and FIG. 7 shows a captured image 41 of the front environment of the vehicle 2 captured by the front camera 5 at the timing of FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a traffic information table 23A that stores traffic information extracted based on the captured image 41 of FIG.

  6 and 7, the parked vehicle 31 parked on the road shoulder, the pedestrian 32 walking behind the parked vehicle 31, and the traveling vehicle traveling in the opposite lane at the predetermined timing shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. 33 exists. As a result, the parked vehicle 31, the pedestrian 32, and the traveling vehicle 33 are projected on the captured image 41 captured by the front camera 5.

  When the traffic information is extracted from the captured image 41, the CPU 21 first corrects the brightness of the road surface and the object (the parked vehicle 31, the pedestrian 32, and the traveling vehicle 33 in FIG. 7) based on the brightness difference. I do. After that, it is possible to detect a boundary line between the road surface and the object by performing binarization processing for separating the object from the image, geometric processing for correcting distortion, smoothing processing for removing image noise, and the like. Become.

  Further, the front camera 5 is attached so that the optical axis is directed downward from the horizontal by a predetermined angle (for example, 15 degrees) so that the front can be imaged from directly above the front bumper 42 of the vehicle 2, and the imaging range is fixed. ing. Therefore, the distance from the vehicle 2 to the subject is calculated based on the position of the object (specifically, the number of pixels from the lower edge) detected in the captured image 41 shown in FIG. can do. Furthermore, it is possible to indirectly detect the position coordinates of the object from the relative positional relationship with the current position of the host vehicle detected by the GPS 11.

  Thereafter, the CPU 21 enlarges or reduces the image size of the object detected from the captured image 41 at an enlargement ratio or a reduction ratio determined according to the distance of the object. Then, the type of the object detected in the captured image 41 is calculated by pattern-matching the image of the object whose size has been adjusted with each template image stored in the ROM 22. Furthermore, it is also possible to determine the traveling state (parked vehicle, traveling vehicle, right turn vehicle) of the vehicle when the object is a vehicle from the moving direction and moving speed in the captured image 41 of the subsequent object.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the parked vehicle 31, the pedestrian 32, and the traveling vehicle 33 that are objects detected from the captured image 41 are recorded together with the position coordinates in the traffic information table 23 </ b> A.
Here, the position coordinates are specified from the image of the object in the captured image 41 captured by the front camera 5 and the current position of the host vehicle 2 as described above.
On the other hand, the type of the object is any one of the predetermined types (for example, a traveling vehicle, a parked vehicle, a right turn vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicycle, an obstacle on the road, and a signboard under construction) as previously described. Identified and memorized. In particular, regarding the vehicle, the vehicle type (light car, sedan, wagon, truck, etc.) is also specified. Note that the types of objects (including the type of vehicle) are stored in the traffic information table 23A by codes (numbers) that specify the types of objects. For example, “1” is a pedestrian, “ “2” is a sedan parked vehicle, “3” is a truck parked vehicle, “4” is... Moreover, when communicating traffic information between vehicles, especially regarding transmission / reception of the type of the object, it is performed by transmitting / receiving these codes. Therefore, it is necessary to store a correspondence table in which the code and the type of the object are associated with each other on the transmission side vehicle and the reception side vehicle.
In addition, in the traffic information table 23A, instead of a code (number) for specifying the type of the object or the vehicle type, a symbol or pattern for specifying the type of the object or the type of the vehicle (for example, ○, The sedan parked vehicle may store □) and send and receive traffic information by sending and receiving those symbols and patterns. Further, the color and size of the object may be recognized from the captured image 41 and stored.

  Next, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program detects an object from a captured image captured by the front camera 5 when the vehicle 2 travels on a road, extracts information relating to the object as traffic information, and extracts the extracted traffic. Control to transmit information to other vehicles is performed. 9 is stored in the ROM 22 or the RAM 23 provided in the communication processing ECU 7, and is executed by the CPU 21 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 4 ms).

  In the inter-vehicle communication processing program, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1, the CPU 21 images the front environment of the vehicle 2 with the front camera 5. Subsequently, in S2, the image captured by the front camera 5 in S1 is captured and analyzed, and image recognition for detecting objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, other vehicles, and other obstacles located around the vehicle 2 is performed. Process.

  Specifically, first, an image captured by the front camera 5 is input using analog communication means such as NTSC or digital communication means such as i-link, and is converted into a digital image format such as jpeg or mpeg. . Next, the CPU 21 corrects the brightness of the road surface and the object in the captured image based on the brightness difference. Thereafter, a binarization process for separating the object from the image, a geometric process for correcting distortion, a smoothing process for removing image noise, and the like are performed to detect a boundary line between the road surface and the object. Thereby, it is possible to detect an object located around the vehicle 2.

  Next, in S3, it is determined whether or not any object has been detected from the captured image as a result of the image recognition process in S2. If it is determined that some object is detected (S3: YES), the process proceeds to S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that no object is detected (S3: NO), it is transmitted to another vehicle. Since there is no traffic information to be processed, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program is terminated.

Next, in S4, the current position of the host vehicle 2 is detected using the GPS 11. Thereafter, in S5, the distance to the subject is calculated from the position of the object (specifically, the number of pixels from the lower edge) detected by the image recognition process in S2, and the own vehicle detected in S4 is further calculated. The position coordinates of the object are indirectly detected from the relative positional relationship with the current position.
Further, as a method of detecting the position coordinates of the target object, in addition to the method of detecting based on the above-described captured image, for example, a millimeter wave radar that transmits a millimeter wave is provided in the vehicle 2 and reflected by the target object. The distance from the vehicle 2 to the object may be detected by measuring the millimeter wave, and the position coordinates of the object may be detected from the current position of the vehicle 2.

Subsequently, in S6, the state of the object detected in the image recognition process in S2 is detected. Here, the state of the object is specified by “object type (parked vehicle, pedestrian, etc.)” and “relative position of the object with respect to the transmitting vehicle that detected the object (left shoulder, right shoulder, etc.)” Is done.
Specifically, the image size of the detected object is enlarged or reduced at an enlargement rate or reduction rate determined according to the distance from the host vehicle to the object calculated in S5. Then, the type of the object detected in the image is calculated by pattern-matching the image of the object whose size has been adjusted with each template image stored in the ROM 22. Furthermore, from the moving direction and moving speed in the captured image 41 of the target object thereafter, the relative position of the target object with respect to the vehicle traveling state (parked vehicle, traveling vehicle, right turn vehicle) and the transmitting vehicle when the target object is a vehicle. Also detect (left shoulder, right shoulder, etc.). If none of the template images stored in the ROM 22 matches, it is determined that the detected object does not need to be transmitted to other vehicles as traffic information, and the inter-vehicle communication processing program ends. . Note that S6 corresponds to the processing of the object state detection means.

  In S7, the CPU 21 extracts the position coordinates of the object detected in S5 and the type of the object specified in S6 as traffic information, and stores it in the traffic information table 23A of the RAM 23 (S8). . In addition, said S2-S7 is corresponded to the process of a traffic information extraction means.

Next, in S9, the state of each other vehicle is acquired by communicating with each other vehicle located around the own vehicle (for example, a range of 1 km radius centered on the own vehicle position) via the communication device 3. . Here, the state of the object is “relative position of another vehicle (opposite lane traveling, backward traveling in the same lane)”, “traveling speed”, “vehicle type (passenger car, basic load 4t) Less than 4 t trucks), “driver's age” and “address of current position of other vehicle”.
Specifically, “the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the transmission side vehicle” and “the address of the current position of the other vehicle” receive the detection result of the GPS 11 provided in the other vehicle, and further, the own vehicle position detected in S4 It acquires with reference to the map information memorize | stored in map DB13.
The “traveling speed” is acquired by receiving the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 15 provided in the other vehicle.
The “vehicle type” and “driver's age” are acquired by receiving stored information stored in advance in the RAM 23 of the other vehicle.
Here, FIG. 9 shows the positions of the own vehicle 51 and the other vehicles 52 to 58 running around the own vehicle 51 (for example, a radius of 1 km around the own vehicle position) at a predetermined timing while traveling on the road. It is the schematic diagram which showed the relationship. In the process of S9, the host vehicle 51 communicates with each of the other vehicles 52 to 58 to acquire the states of the other vehicles 52 to 58. In that case, it is acquired that especially the other vehicles 53 and 55 are vehicles which drive | work an oncoming lane, and the other vehicles 56 and 57 are vehicles which drive the same lane back. Note that S9 corresponds to the processing of the state acquisition unit.

  Thereafter, in S10, the information value of the traffic information extracted in S7 based on the state of the object detected in S6 and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits the traffic information acquired in S9. Is set for each other vehicle to be transmitted using the first value setting table 22A (see FIG. 4) and the second value setting table 22B (see FIG. 5). For example, in S6, it is detected that the object constituting the traffic information is a parked vehicle parked on the left shoulder, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is a passenger vehicle traveling at 45 km / h behind the same lane. If the driver is 35 years old and the address of the current position of the other vehicle is outside the prefecture of the sending vehicle, 9 points are the information value of the traffic information transmitted to the other vehicle. Set as Note that S10 corresponds to the processing of the value setting means.

Next, in S11, it is determined whether or not another vehicle that is a target for transmitting the traffic information extracted in S7 is located around the own vehicle.
When it is determined that there is another vehicle to be transmitted (S11: YES), the process proceeds to S12. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no other vehicle to be transmitted (S11: NO), it is determined that there is no other vehicle that needs to transmit traffic information at the present time, and the target object is not related to the other vehicle. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program is terminated without transmitting such information.

  In S12, it is determined whether or not there is traffic information equal to or greater than a predetermined value (5 points or more in the first embodiment) with the information value set in S10. And when it determines with there being information value more than predetermined value (S12: YES), it memorize | stores in the traffic information table 23A by communicating via the communication apparatus 3 with respect to the other vehicle used as transmission object. The traffic information thus transmitted is transmitted (S13). Thereafter, the transmitted traffic information is deleted from the traffic information table 23A. Even if it is not transmitted, when a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since the traffic information was stored in the traffic information table 23A, it is similarly deleted as unnecessary past information. Note that S12 corresponds to the processing of the value determination means.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no information value equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S12: NO), it is determined that there is no worthy traffic information to be transmitted to the other vehicle, and the target object is not transmitted to the other vehicle. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program is terminated without transmitting such information.

  Next, a traffic information display processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the traffic information display processing program in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, the traffic information display processing program performs control for displaying traffic information around the host vehicle on the liquid crystal display 6 based on traffic information transmitted from another vehicle. The program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is stored in the ROM 22 or RAM 23 provided in the communication processing ECU 7, and is executed by the CPU 21 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 4 ms).

  In the traffic information display processing program, first, in S21, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the traffic information transmitted from another vehicle has been received in S13 of the inter-vehicle communication processing program. And when it determines with having received traffic information (S21: YES), while moving to S22, when it determines with not having received traffic information (S21: NO), the said traffic information display process Exit the program.

  In S22, the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle is analyzed. Specifically, the type and position coordinates of the object stored as traffic information are specified. Further, in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, position information related to the same type of object (for example, a parked vehicle or a pedestrian) within a predetermined distance (for example, within 20 m) with respect to traffic information transmitted from another vehicle. When there are three or more, the position coordinates of the start point and the end point of the object located successively are specified. The position coordinates of the start point and end point may be specified on the transmitting vehicle side (for example, in the processing of S7 and S8 in FIG. 8).

Next, in S23, traffic information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 based on the analysis result of the traffic information analyzed in S22. The traffic information displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 in the process of S22 continues until a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses or until traffic information is transmitted from another vehicle next time. Is displayed.
However, when the traffic information is transmitted from a plurality of different other vehicles within a predetermined interval (for example, 30 seconds), the transmitted traffic information may be displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 at the same time. desirable.

  Here, FIGS. 12 to 14 are diagrams showing a total of three patterns of traffic information display screens in which traffic information transmitted from other vehicles is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the traffic information display screens 61 to 63 display a map of the area around the current position of the host vehicle based on the map DB 13. On the displayed map, the vehicle mark 64 indicating the current position of the vehicle, the object marks 65 to 69 indicating the position and type of the object, the object section 70, the object moving areas 71 to 73, and the like. Are superimposed on each other.

  For example, the object mark 65 shown in FIG. 12 indicates that a truck-type traveling vehicle is traveling right in front of the host vehicle. The object mark 66 indicates that the wagon-type parked vehicle is parked on the road shoulder ahead of the host vehicle. The object mark 67 indicates that the sedan-type right turn vehicle is stopped to make a right turn at an intersection ahead of the host vehicle. The object marks 68 and 69 indicate that the pedestrian is walking at a predetermined point in front of the host vehicle.

FIG. 13 shows an example of traffic information using an object section 70 instead of an object mark. Here, in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, with respect to traffic information transmitted from other vehicles, positions related to the same type of object (for example, a parked vehicle or a pedestrian) within a predetermined distance (for example, within 20 m). When there are three or more pieces of information, the position coordinates of the start point and end point of the object are specified in the traffic information analysis process of S22, and the space between the position coordinates is displayed by the segment.
In the object section 70 shown in FIG. 13, it is shown that a plurality of parked vehicles are continuously parked in a predetermined section on the road shoulder located in front of the host vehicle. In this way, when the target object is continuously located, displaying the target object in segments makes it possible to display the target mark in an easy-to-understand manner rather than displaying the target mark continuously superimposed. It becomes.

On the other hand, FIG. 14 is an example in which traffic information is shown using object movement areas 71 to 73 instead of object marks. Here, the object movement areas 71 to 73 indicate the movement prediction range of the object together with the position of the object. This takes into account the range in which the target object may move before the host vehicle travels to the target point recognized by the other vehicle. A possible target object is set to be wider (for example, parked vehicle → pedestrian → bicycle → right turn vehicle → running vehicle in this order).
And the object moving area 71 shown in FIG. 14 has shown that the pedestrian is walking in the predetermined area ahead of the own vehicle. The object movement area 72 indicates that the bicycle is traveling in a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle. The object movement area 73 indicates that the traveling vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle.

  In the traffic information display screens 61 to 63 shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, when the traffic information having different information values is displayed at the same time, particularly when the mark, segment and area of the object indicated by the respective traffic information overlap. The traffic information for which higher information value is set is displayed with priority or emphasis.

Here, FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing display examples particularly when the object marks 81 and 82 are overlapped. For example, in FIG. 15A, when the traffic information relating to the object indicated by the object mark 81 has a higher information value than the traffic information relating to the object indicated by the object mark 82, the object is traffic information having a high information value. The mark 81 is displayed so as to overlap the object mark 82. Thereby, it becomes possible to inform the driver of more important information in an easy-to-understand manner.
In FIG. 15B, when the traffic information related to the object indicated by the object mark 81 has a higher information value than the traffic information related to the object indicated by the object mark 82, the object is traffic information having a low information value. The mark 82 is not displayed. Thereby, it becomes possible to inform the driver of more important information in an easy-to-understand manner.
In addition to the above display patterns, traffic information with high information value can be displayed by changing the color of the mark of the object indicated by high information value traffic information to other marks or adding a frame around the mark. You may make it display more emphasized than other traffic information.

  And a driver | operator can grasp | ascertain easily the traffic information of the area which cannot be confirmed from the own vehicle by visually checking the traffic information display screens 61-63 displayed on the liquid crystal display 6. FIG. The traffic information may be output to the user by voice guidance using a speaker in addition to the display on the liquid crystal display 6. Even in the case of outputting by voice guidance, it is desirable to output traffic information having a high information value in preference to traffic information having a low information value. For example, when outputting traffic information “There is a parked vehicle in front of 100m” and traffic information “There is a vehicle waiting for a right turn in front of 150m” at the same time, If the information value of the traffic information is "There are vehicles," the information value is high, such as "There are three parked vehicles on the left side in front of 100m. There are vehicles waiting to turn right after that." Output the traffic information first with detailed contents. Further, the traffic information “There is a vehicle waiting for a right turn in front of 150 m” may not be output.

As described above in detail, in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, the state and position coordinates of an object located around the host vehicle based on the image of the front environment of the vehicle imaged by the front camera 5. Are detected as traffic information (S7), the state of the other vehicle is acquired (S9), and the information value set based on the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle is predetermined. If it is determined that the value is greater than or equal to the value (S12: YES), the extracted traffic information is transmitted to another vehicle (S13), so traffic information based on images captured between a plurality of vehicles (specifically, the target) It is possible to select and share only the traffic information that seems to be necessary for other vehicles among the information on the type and position of the object). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication time and processing load related to information communication without reducing the amount of traffic information necessary for the driver.
In addition, when traffic information is transmitted from another vehicle, a map around the host vehicle is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, and traffic information (specifically, the type of the target object) around the host vehicle is displayed on the displayed map. And information on the position) (S23), the driver can obtain traffic information around the vehicle based on the image captured by the other vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to drive in limited information such as when the road is congested and other vehicles are running or stopped in the vicinity of the vehicle, or when driving on a road with poor visibility. Even under certain circumstances, the driver can appropriately travel by referring to the displayed traffic information.
In addition, since the received traffic information is displayed with priority given to traffic information with a high information value (see FIGS. 15A and 15B), even when a large number of traffic information is output, The driver can easily grasp necessary traffic information.
Further, since the selection of the traffic information to be transmitted is performed based on the state of the object constituting the traffic information and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted, an accurate response according to the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle. Information can be selected.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. In the following description, the same reference numerals as those of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 15 are the same as those of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. The corresponding part is shown.

The schematic configuration of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Various control processes are also substantially the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.
However, when the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment transmits the traffic information extracted from the image captured by the front camera 5 from the transmission side vehicle to the reception side vehicle, the traffic information stored in the RAM 23 is stored. It is determined whether or not the information value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S12), and only traffic information determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value is transmitted to the receiving vehicle by communicating with the receiving vehicle (S13). On the other hand, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment, the transmission-side vehicle uniformly transmits traffic information together with the information value to a communicable area that can be communicated by the communication device 3, while receiving the traffic information. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication according to the first embodiment in that the receiving vehicle in the possible area determines whether the information value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and outputs only the traffic information determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value. It is different from the stem 1.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 16 and 17 below are stored in the ROM 22 and the RAM 23 provided in the communication processing ECU 7, and are executed by the CPU 21 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 4 ms).

  Here, since the process performed in S101-S110 is the same process as the process of S1-S10 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program (FIG. 9) which the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment performs. The description is omitted.

In S111, the information value set in S110 is added in correspondence with the traffic information and stored in the RAM 23.
Thereafter, in S112, for all areas communicable by the communication device 3 (for example, areas within a radius of 1 km from the vehicle 2), all traffic regardless of the content of the traffic information stored in the traffic information table 23A in S108. Send information and added information value. Thereafter, the transmitted traffic information and information value are deleted from the traffic information table 23A.

  Next, a traffic information display processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a traffic information display processing program in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment.

  In the traffic information display processing program, first, in S121, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the traffic information transmitted from another vehicle has been received in S111 of the inter-vehicle communication processing program. And when it determines with having received traffic information (S121: YES), it transfers to S122, and when it determines with not receiving traffic information (S121: NO), the said traffic information display process Exit the program.

In S122, the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle is analyzed. Specifically, the type and position coordinates of the object stored as traffic information are specified. It also identifies the information value of traffic information.
Furthermore, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment, regarding the traffic information transmitted from another vehicle, the position information related to the same type of object (for example, a parked vehicle or a pedestrian) is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 20 m). When there are three or more, the position coordinates of the start point and the end point of the successively located object are specified. The position coordinates of the start point and end point may be specified on the transmitting vehicle side (for example, in the processing of S107 and S108 in FIG. 16).

Next, in S123, based on the information value of the traffic information specified in S122, it is determined whether or not there is traffic information of a predetermined value or more (5 points or more in the second embodiment) in the transmitted traffic information. Is done. If it is determined that the information value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S123: YES), the traffic information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 based on the analysis result of the traffic information analyzed in S122. (S124). In addition, since the display method of the traffic information with respect to the liquid crystal display 6 is the same as that of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment (refer FIGS. 12-14), the description is abbreviate | omitted here.
The traffic information displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 in the process of S122 continues until a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses or until traffic information is transmitted from another vehicle next time. Is displayed.
However, when the traffic information is transmitted from a plurality of different other vehicles within a predetermined interval (for example, 30 seconds), the transmitted traffic information may be displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 at the same time. desirable.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S123 that there is no traffic information of a predetermined value or more (S123: NO), it is determined that the transmitted traffic information is not traffic information that needs to be output at the present time. The traffic information display processing program is terminated without displaying the traffic information on the liquid crystal display 6.

As explained in detail above, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment, the state and position coordinates of the object located around the subject vehicle are determined based on the image of the front environment of the vehicle imaged by the front camera 5. It detects (S102-S106), extracts as traffic information (S107), acquires the state of the other vehicle (S109), and sets the information value set based on the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle to the traffic information. (S112). On the other hand, when it is determined that the information value of the received traffic information is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S123: YES), the vehicle 2 that has received the traffic information displays the received traffic information on the liquid crystal display 6 (S124). Therefore, among the traffic information extracted based on the images captured by each vehicle, the driver can select and obtain only the traffic information that seems particularly necessary. Therefore, it is necessary to drive in limited information such as when the road is congested and other vehicles are running or stopped in the vicinity of the vehicle, or when driving on a road with poor visibility. Even under certain circumstances, the driver can travel appropriately by referring to the acquired traffic information.
In the display of traffic information, a map around the host vehicle is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, and traffic information related to the periphery of the host vehicle is displayed on the displayed map (specifically, information on the type and position of the object). Since this is done by displaying, the driver can obtain traffic information around the vehicle based on an image captured by another vehicle.
Furthermore, since the received traffic information is displayed with priority given to the traffic information with high information value (see FIGS. 15A and 15B), even if a lot of traffic information is output, The driver can easily grasp necessary traffic information.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same reference numerals as those of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 15 are the same as those of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. The corresponding part is shown.

The schematic configuration of the inter-vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Various control processes are also substantially the same as the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.
However, when the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment detects an object in the image captured by the front camera 5 (S3: YES), the traffic information extracted from the image is continuously transmitted from the transmission-side vehicle. In contrast to the transmission to the receiving vehicle (S13), in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment, the traffic information extracted from the image when the object is detected in the image captured by the front camera 5 is displayed. The vehicle-to-vehicle distance according to the first embodiment is such that when the other vehicle is located in the transmittable range, the traffic information accumulated and stored up to that point is transmitted to the other vehicle. It is different from the communication system 1.

  Subsequently, a traffic information storage processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a traffic information storage processing program in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment. Here, the traffic information storage processing program performs control for accumulating and storing in the RAM 23 the traffic information extracted from the captured image captured by the front camera 5 when the vehicle 2 travels on the road. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 18 to 20 below are stored in the ROM 22 and the RAM 23 provided in the communication processing ECU 7, and are executed by the CPU 21 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 4 ms).

  In the traffic information storage processing program, first, in S301, the CPU 21 images the front environment of the vehicle 2 with the front camera 5. Subsequently, in S302, the image captured by the front camera 5 in S301 is captured and analyzed, and image recognition for detecting objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, other vehicles, and other obstacles located around the vehicle 2 is performed. Process.

  Specifically, first, an image captured by the front camera 5 is input using analog communication means such as NTSC or digital communication means such as i-link, and is converted into a digital image format such as jpeg or mpeg. . Next, the CPU 21 corrects the brightness of the road surface and the object in the captured image based on the brightness difference. Thereafter, a binarization process for separating the object from the image, a geometric process for correcting distortion, a smoothing process for removing image noise, and the like are performed to detect a boundary line between the road surface and the object. Thereby, it is possible to detect an object located around the vehicle 2.

  Next, in S303, it is determined whether or not any object has been detected from the captured image as a result of the image recognition processing in S302. If it is determined that some object has been detected (S303: YES), the process proceeds to S304. On the other hand, if it is determined that no object has been detected (S303: NO), it is stored in the RAM 23. Since there is no traffic information that should be transmitted, the traffic information storage processing program is terminated.

Next, in S304, the GPS 11 is used to detect the current position of the host vehicle 2. Thereafter, in S305, the distance to the subject is calculated from the position of the object (specifically, the number of pixels from the lower edge) detected by the image recognition process in S302, and the own vehicle detected in S304. The position coordinates of the object are indirectly detected from the relative positional relationship with the current position.
As a method for detecting the position coordinates of the object, in addition to the method for detecting based on the above-described captured image, for example, a millimeter wave radar that transmits millimeter waves is provided in the vehicle 2 and reflected by the object. The distance from the vehicle 2 to the object may be detected by measuring the millimeter wave, and the position coordinates of the object may be detected from the current position of the vehicle 2.

In step S306, the state of the object detected in the image recognition process in step S302 is detected. Here, the state of the object is specified by “object type (parked vehicle, pedestrian, etc.)” and “relative position of the object with respect to the transmitting vehicle that detected the object (left shoulder, right shoulder, etc.)” Is done.
Specifically, the image size of the detected object is enlarged or reduced at an enlargement rate or reduction rate determined according to the distance from the host vehicle to the object calculated in S305. Then, the type of the object detected in the image is calculated by pattern-matching the image of the object whose size has been adjusted with each template image stored in the ROM 22. Furthermore, from the moving direction and moving speed in the captured image 41 of the target object thereafter, the relative position of the target object with respect to the vehicle traveling state (parked vehicle, traveling vehicle, right turn vehicle) and the transmitting vehicle when the target object is a vehicle. Also detect (left shoulder, right shoulder, etc.). If none of the template images stored in the ROM 22 matches, it is determined that the detected object does not need to be transmitted to other vehicles as traffic information, and the inter-vehicle communication processing program ends. .

  In S307, the CPU 21 extracts the position coordinates of the object detected in S305 and the type of the object specified in S306 as traffic information, and cumulatively stores it in the traffic information table 23A of the RAM 23. (S308).

  Next, an inter-vehicle communication processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment. Here, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program performs control for transmitting the traffic information accumulated by the traffic information storage processing program to other vehicles located in the transmission range.

  In the inter-vehicle communication processing program, first, in S311, the CPU 21 determines whether or not communication with another vehicle has been performed via the communication device 3, that is, whether or not the other vehicle is located in an area where communication with the communication device 3 is possible. judge.

  As a result, when it is determined that communication with another vehicle has been performed (S311: YES), the process proceeds to S312. On the other hand, when it is determined that communication with another vehicle has not been performed (S311: NO), Since there is no other vehicle for which traffic information is to be transmitted, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program ends.

In S312, the state of each other vehicle is acquired by communicating with each other vehicle located around the subject vehicle via the communication device 3. Here, the state of the object is “relative position of another vehicle (opposite lane traveling, backward traveling in the same lane)”, “traveling speed”, “vehicle type (passenger car, basic load 4t) Less than 4 t trucks), “driver's age” and “address of current position of other vehicle”.
Specifically, “the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the transmission side vehicle” and “the address of the current position of the other vehicle” are received by the detection result of the GPS 11 provided in the other vehicle, and further detected by the GPS 11 provided in the own vehicle. Obtained by referring to the own vehicle position and the map information stored in the map DB 13.
The “traveling speed” is acquired by receiving the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 15 provided in the other vehicle.
The “vehicle type” and “driver's age” are acquired by receiving stored information stored in advance in the RAM 23 of the other vehicle.

Subsequently, in S313, the traffic information accumulated in the traffic information table 23A stored in the RAM 23 is read as traffic information to be transmitted to other vehicles.
Thereafter, in S314, the information value of the traffic information read in S313 is determined based on the state of the object detected in S306 and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted that transmits the traffic information acquired in S312. It sets using the 1st value setting table 22A (refer FIG. 4) and the 2nd value setting table 22B (refer FIG. 5) for every other vehicle used as transmission object. For example, in S6, it is detected that the object constituting the traffic information is a parked vehicle parked on the left shoulder, and the other vehicle to be transmitted is a passenger vehicle traveling at 45 km / h behind the same lane. If the driver is 35 years old and the address of the current position of the other vehicle is outside the prefecture of the sending vehicle, 9 points are the information value of the traffic information transmitted to the other vehicle. Set as

  Next, in S315, it is determined whether or not there is traffic information equal to or greater than a predetermined value (5 points or more in the third embodiment) with the information value set in S314. And when it determines with there being information value more than predetermined value (S315: YES), it memorize | stores in the traffic information table 23A by communicating via the communication apparatus 3 with respect to the other vehicle used as transmission object. The transmitted traffic information is transmitted (S316). Thereafter, the transmitted traffic information is deleted from the traffic information table 23A. Even if it is not transmitted, when a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed since the traffic information was stored in the traffic information table 23A, it is similarly deleted as unnecessary past information.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no information value equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S315: NO), it is determined that there is no traffic information worth transmitting to the other vehicle, and the target object is not transmitted to the other vehicle. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program is terminated without transmitting such information.

  Next, a traffic information display processing program executed by the communication processing ECU 7 of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a traffic information display processing program in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment. Here, the traffic information display processing program performs control for displaying traffic information around the host vehicle on the liquid crystal display 6 based on traffic information transmitted from another vehicle.

  In the traffic information display processing program, first, in S321, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the traffic information transmitted from another vehicle has been received in S316 of the inter-vehicle communication processing program. If it is determined that traffic information has been received (S321: YES), the process proceeds to S322. If it is determined that traffic information has not been received (S321: NO), the traffic information display process is performed. Exit the program.

  In S322, the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle is analyzed. Specifically, the type and position coordinates of the object stored as traffic information are specified. Further, in the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the third embodiment, position information relating to the same type of object (for example, a parked vehicle or a pedestrian) within a predetermined distance (for example, within 20 m) with respect to traffic information transmitted from another vehicle. When there are three or more, the position coordinates of the start point and the end point of the object located successively are specified. The position coordinates of the start point and the end point may be specified on the transmitting vehicle side (for example, in the processing of S307 and S308 in FIG. 16).

Next, in S323, traffic information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 based on the analysis result of the traffic information analyzed in S322. The traffic information displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 in the process of S322 continues until a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses or until traffic information is transmitted from another vehicle next time. Is displayed.
However, when the traffic information is transmitted from a plurality of different other vehicles within a predetermined interval (for example, 30 seconds), the transmitted traffic information may be displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 at the same time. desirable.

  In addition, about the display screen which displays traffic information on the liquid crystal display 6, it is the same as the display screen which displays traffic information on the liquid crystal display 6 of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Since the traffic information display screens 61 to 63 displayed on the liquid crystal display 6 of the inter-vehicle communication system 1 according to the first embodiment have already been described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15, description thereof is omitted here. To do. The traffic information may be output to the user by voice guidance using a speaker in addition to the display on the liquid crystal display 6.

As described above in detail, in the inter-vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment, the state and position coordinates of the object located in the vicinity of the own vehicle based on the image of the front environment of the vehicle imaged by the front camera 5 are obtained. Detected (S302 to S306), extracted as traffic information and cumulatively stored in the RAM 23 (S308), and acquired the state of the other vehicle when communication with the other vehicle was performed (S312). When it is determined that the information value set based on the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S315: YES), the cumulatively stored traffic information is transmitted to the other vehicle (S316). Therefore, only traffic information that is considered necessary for other vehicles is selected and shared among traffic information (specifically, information on the type and position of the object) based on images captured between multiple vehicles. It can be carried out to become. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication time and processing load related to information communication without reducing the amount of traffic information necessary for the driver.
In addition, when traffic information is transmitted from another vehicle, a map around the host vehicle is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, and traffic information (specifically, the type of the target object) around the host vehicle is displayed on the displayed map. (S323) is displayed (S323), so that the driver can obtain traffic information around the vehicle based on an image captured by another vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to drive in limited information such as when the road is congested and other vehicles are running or stopped in the vicinity of the vehicle, or when driving on a road with poor visibility. Even under certain circumstances, the driver can appropriately travel by referring to the displayed traffic information.
In addition, since the received traffic information is displayed with priority given to traffic information with a high information value (see FIGS. 15A and 15B), even when a large number of traffic information is output, The driver can easily grasp necessary traffic information.
Further, since the selection of the traffic information to be transmitted is performed based on the state of the object constituting the traffic information and the state of the other vehicle to be transmitted, an accurate response according to the state of the object and the state of the other vehicle. Information can be selected.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the first to third embodiments, when the traffic information transmitted from another vehicle is received, the received traffic information is displayed on the liquid crystal display 6. May be displayed when approaching a predetermined distance (for example, 50 m) to the position of the object constituting the traffic information.

  In the first embodiment to the third embodiment, only traffic information set with an information value equal to or greater than a predetermined value is transmitted or displayed. However, traffic information is transmitted or displayed regardless of the set information value. You may do it. In this case, it is desirable to display traffic information with high information value with priority or emphasis over other traffic information. In addition, although the information value serving as a threshold for transmitting or displaying traffic information is 5 points in the first to third embodiments, the information value may be freely changed by the user.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to a first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows especially the vehicle of the inter-vehicle communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows typically the control system of the vehicles which constitute the inter-vehicle communication system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is the figure shown about the 1st value setting table which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure shown about the 2nd value setting table which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the top view which showed the vehicle which drive | works on a road at the predetermined timing. It is the schematic diagram which showed the captured image of the front environment of the vehicle imaged with the front camera at the timing of FIG. It is the figure which showed the traffic information table which memorize | stored the traffic information extracted based on the captured image of FIG. It is a flowchart of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which showed the positional relationship of the own vehicle in the predetermined timing which drive | works a road, and the other vehicle which drive | works the surroundings of the own vehicle. It is a flowchart of the traffic information display processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example of the traffic information display screen which displayed the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle on the liquid crystal display. It is the figure which showed the example of the traffic information display screen which displayed the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle on the liquid crystal display. It is the figure which showed the example of the traffic information display screen which displayed the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle on the liquid crystal display. (A) is a diagram showing a display example in which an object mark indicated by traffic information with high information value is displayed above, especially when the object mark overlaps, and (B), especially when the object mark overlaps It is the figure shown about the example of a display which displays only the target mark which traffic information with high information value shows. It is a flowchart of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart of the traffic information display processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the traffic information storage process program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to the third embodiment. It is a flowchart of the traffic information display processing program in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

1 Vehicle-to-vehicle communication system 2 Vehicle 3 Communication device 5 Front camera 6 Liquid crystal display 7 Communication processing ECU
8 Current location detection unit 11 GPS
21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
41 Captured image 65-69 Object mark 70 Object section 71-73 Object movement area

Claims (4)

In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system for communicating information between a plurality of vehicles traveling on a road,
The vehicle is
Imaging means for imaging the surroundings of the vehicle,
Object state detection means for detecting the position of the object relative to the traveling direction of the host vehicle as the state of the object located around the host vehicle from the image captured by the image pickup means;
Traffic information extracting means for extracting the state of the object as traffic information;
As the state of the other vehicle of interest to transmit the traffic information of a different object from the object, and acquires whether the other vehicle is traveling opposite lane or running the vehicle and the same lane Status acquisition means;
Setting the information value to the traffic information extracted by the traffic information extraction means based on the state of the other vehicle acquired by the state and the state acquisition means of said object detected by said object state detecting means Value setting means,
Traffic information transmitting means for transmitting the traffic information to the other vehicle based on the information value set by the value setting means;
A vehicle-to-vehicle communication system comprising: The vehicle has value determination means for determining whether the information value set by the value setting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value,
The traffic information transmitting unit transmits the traffic information in which the information value is set to the other vehicle when the value determining unit determines that the information value is not less than a predetermined value. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to 1. The vehicle is
A traffic information receiving means for receiving the traffic information transmitted from the other vehicle,
And traffic information output means for outputting the traffic information relating to the periphery of the vehicle based on the received traffic information by the traffic information receiving means,
The inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the inter-vehicle communication system is provided.   4. The inter-vehicle communication system according to claim 3, wherein the traffic information output means preferentially outputs traffic information to which high information value is added.

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