KR20020079166A - Apparatus for communication between vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A communication device between cars is provided to perform wireless voice communication between a communication device of other car and a driver by using a Bluetooth module, thereby implementing exact communication between drivers without another base stations or repeaters. CONSTITUTION: A microphone(152) located in a car dashboard(150) inputs a voice of a driver. A speaker(154) outputs a voice signal inputted from a communication device of other car as an audible sound. A voice signal processor(120) converts voice signals inputted/outputted from the microphone(152) and the speaker(154) into digital/analog signals. A wireless unit(110) wirelessly transmits voice data supplied from the voice signal processor(120) to communication devices of other peripheral cars, and supplies voice data transmitted from the other peripheral cars to the voice signal processor(120). A controller(140) controls operations of each unit.

Description

Apparatus for communication between vehicles}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to wireless communication between vehicles, and more particularly, to a communication device for exchanging information about a driver's voice and various driving states of a vehicle between vehicles.

Basic communication between vehicle drivers while driving is achieved by flashing lights and horns. In addition, when the driver of the surrounding vehicle asks for directions or informs of various emergencies, a window is opened to communicate by hand gestures or voice.

However, such communication is not only difficult to convey the detailed or exact meaning, but also the risk of a traffic accident.

Accordingly, for example, in the case of accompanying specific vehicles, a wireless communication system has been developed to be equipped with a pre-promised wireless device, such as a car phone, to communicate with each other, and has been applied to a transport company vehicle. However, such a wireless communication system is typically employed by a particular company or a driver engaged in a specific task due to the need of the company or task, there is a limit to communicate to any driver. Of course, any driver may have such a wireless system in his vehicle, but it has not been useful in terms of cost and utility.

In addition, a wireless communication system has been developed that allows a vehicle driver to communicate using a mobile terminal (for example, a cellular phone or a personal mobile phone) possessed by the vehicle driver. Be aware of the numbers, which also limited the freedom to communicate freely to any driver. Also, in this case, the communication is usually only 1: 1.

Moreover, in the case of the system using the car phone or the wireless terminal, the base stations (also called roadside base stations) for relaying mobile communication on the roadside are often required to be provided in advance at regular intervals.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle communication device that enables accurate communication to any vehicle driver in the vicinity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of communication between vehicles without the provision of a separate repeater or base station.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an inter-vehicle communication device that enables simple communication to all of a plurality of surrounding vehicle drivers.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an apparatus for inter-vehicle communication, comprising: a microphone, a speaker, a voice signal processor for processing a voice signal input or output from the microphone and a speaker, and a voice signal processor. The voice signal is converted into a Bluetooth format for wireless transmission, and the Bluetooth module converts a wirelessly received signal into a signal that can be processed by the voice signal processing unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of each function unit collectively. It is characterized by.

1 is a block diagram of an inter-vehicle communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention

2 is a view for explaining a wireless communication operation between vehicles employing a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as specific components are shown, which are provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and it is understood that these specific details may be changed or changed within the scope of the present invention. It is self-evident to those of ordinary knowledge in Esau.

1 is a block diagram of an inter-vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a device according to the present invention is provided at an appropriate portion of a vehicle dashboard 150 to receive a driver's voice and a voice signal input from another vehicle's communication device as an audible sound. A voice signal processor 120 for performing signal processing such as a digital / analog conversion on a speaker 154, the microphone 152 and a voice signal input or output from the speaker 154, and a voice signal processor 120 The wireless unit 110 randomly wirelessly transmits the voice data provided from) to a communication device of another vehicle around the vehicle, and provides the voice data wirelessly transmitted from the communication device of another vehicle to the voice signal processing unit 120. And a controller 140 that collectively controls the operation of each functional unit.

In addition, the communication device may include an on / off switch 170 for receiving operation on / off from the driver. The on / off switch 170 may be installed in the vehicle instrument panel 150 or the like. The operation signal of the on / off switch 170 is provided to the controller 140, and the controller 140 accordingly operates the device. Control on / off. In addition, the communication device preferably operates with battery power of the vehicle, and is provided with a power converter (not shown) for receiving the battery power of the vehicle and converting the same into operating power.

In the communication device of the present invention having the above configuration, the wireless unit 110 may be configured using a Bluetooth module as an embodiment, and may wirelessly communicate with a communication device of another vehicle using the Bluetooth module. The configuration and operation of the wireless unit 110 using the Bluetooth module will be described in more detail below.

First, "bluetooth" is defined as a professional communication code by Ericsson of Sweden, and communication and office equipment between devices that emphasizes the compactness and portability gradually in accordance with the recent trend of wireless communication development. It provides the basis for eliminating complicated connecting cables between the two. Bluetooth has defined technical characteristics that optimize the usage model of portable computers and communication devices, and is specifically designed to provide low cost, robustness, efficiency, and high capacity, especially voice and data networking.

A short range wireless communication system employing Bluetooth can transmit voice and data in real time through a wireless link between communication devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and desktops located within 10 meters. Local area wireless communication system employing Bluetooth is generally composed of a master for transmitting voice and / or data and a plurality of slaves for receiving voice and / or data. The role changes according to the data transmission subject.

The detailed transmission standard of the wireless link method proposed for Bluetooth has the advantage of protecting the information and protecting it from interference. In addition, since the Bluetooth wireless device can be manufactured in the form of a small microchip, it can be easily coupled to communication devices and operates in the 2.4GHz band, which is a globally compatible frequency band. The Bluetooth standard defines two power levels, of which the low voltage level specifies that it can only operate within a distance of the room, and the high voltage level specifies that it can operate throughout the house. In the communication device according to the present invention, the Bluetooth module preferably operates at a high voltage level.

Bluetooth wireless technology supports both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. In the communication device mounted on each vehicle according to the present invention, the Bluetooth module operates as a master.

The Bluetooth module is a module that enables communication with a Bluetooth device according to the above Bluetooth standard. The Bluetooth module has an interface called HCI (Host Control Interface) defined and sends and receives a message corresponding to the control command. Send and receive results and user data. The HCI packet is divided into a command, an event, and a data packet. Among them, the command packet provides about 60 commands to variously utilize the Bluetooth module.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the wireless unit 110 using the Bluetooth module in the communication device according to the present invention converts voice data output from the voice signal processing unit 120 into an HCI packet and wirelessly transmits it to a communication device of another vehicle. And converts the HCI packet data transmitted from the communication device of another vehicle into the original voice data and provides the converted voice data to the voice signal processor 120.

The radio unit 110 modulates and demodulates the signals transmitted and received by the RF transmitter 112 and the RF receiver 116 and the RF transmitter 112 and the RF receiver 116 to wirelessly transmit and receive HCI data packets according to the Bluetooth standard. The baseband processing unit 114 and the Bluetooth control unit 118 to control the overall operation of the module is provided with a memory such as operation program storage ROM and various data storage RAM therein.

Meanwhile, various operation modes are defined in the Bluetooth system, which includes an inquiry mode in which an address of a peripheral Bluetooth device is determined before connection is established, and a paging for connection setting operation at the baseband side between peripheral Bluetooth devices. ) Mode, data transfer mode, and hold mode to sleep for some time.

The wireless unit 110 of the inter-vehicle communication apparatus according to the present invention identifies the Bluetooth module provided in the communication apparatus of the surrounding vehicle through the inquiry mode, and communicates with the surrounding vehicles through the paging mode and the data transmission mode. do. At this time, the inter-vehicle communication device according to the present invention is characterized in that the communication to any vehicle driver around the driver vehicle, it is possible to connect, only connect the Bluetooth module of the communication device of one particular vehicle in the paging mode Rather than a point-to-multipoint method, the communication device is connected to a Bluetooth module of a communication device of a plurality of vehicles in the vicinity.

An operation of the inter-vehicle communication device of the present invention having the above configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 2 is a view for explaining a wireless communication operation between vehicles employing a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the driver of the nearby vehicle 220, 230, 240, or 250 asks for directions, the driver speaks while operating the on / off switch 170 of the communication device of his vehicle 210 in the on state. Done. The driver's voice is provided to the voice signal processor 120 through the microphone 152, and is digitally processed by the voice signal processor 120 to be provided to the wireless unit 110. The wireless unit 110 converts the received voice data into a Bluetooth format and wirelessly transmits the received voice data to a communication device of a nearby vehicle 220, 230, 240, or 250. The communication device of the nearby vehicles 220, 230, 240, and 250 outputs the received voice data through the speaker to the corresponding driver as an audible sound, and wirelessly transmits data about the response voice of the driver of each vehicle. According to this operation, wireless communication between vehicles using the communication device of the present invention is performed.

Meanwhile, as described above, the inter-vehicle communication apparatus using the wireless unit 110 may be modified to transmit various inter-vehicle signals as well as the user's voice. As an example, the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1 discloses a configuration in which a horn signal of a vehicle is wirelessly transmitted to be visually displayed to a driver of another vehicle.

In general, in order to inform an emergency or emergency, the driver operates the horn to sound the horn to give attention to the driver of the surrounding vehicle. There is a case where it is not communicated well. Accordingly, the communication device of the present invention further has a configuration that visually informs the driver of another vehicle that the horn of the vehicle is sounded.

In such a configuration, the communication device of the present invention may be provided in the instrument panel 150, and the horn indicator 156 composed of a light emitting lamp or the like, and the horn indicator driver 130 for driving the horn indicator 156. Is provided, the control unit 140 is configured to receive an operation signal of the vehicle horn 160.

The control unit 140 transmits a radio signal to another vehicle indicating that the horn is input when the driver's horn 160 is operated, and when the horn signal transmitted wirelessly is received by the communication device of the other vehicle, the horn The indicator light 156 controls the operation of the horn indicator driver 130 to emit light. Accordingly, the driver can more easily recognize that the horn indicator 156 emits a horn in any vehicle around. In this case, the horn signal wirelessly transmitted and received between communication devices may be set by using an undefined part of the HCI command specification of Bluetooth.

By the above configuration and operation can be made between the vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication device according to the features of the present invention, in the above description of the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, various modifications are carried out without departing from the scope of the invention Can be.

For example, referring back to FIG. 1, a voice recognizer 121 may be provided in (or outside of) the voice signal processor 120. The voice recognizer 121 recognizes voice data provided from the wireless unit 110 and converts the voice data into text data, and outputs the text data. The output text data includes a liquid crystal display installed at an appropriate position near the vehicle instrument panel 150. The display unit 180 is output to the screen. The driver can check the words of the drivers of the surrounding vehicles by text while looking at the text output on the display unit 180.

There may be many different embodiments as such, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be defined by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

As described above, the present invention enables wireless communication between a driver's voice and a communication device of another vehicle using a Bluetooth module. It can be delivered.

Claims (6)

In an inter-vehicle communication device, A voice signal processor for processing an input or output voice signal; Converts the voice signal processed by the voice signal processing unit into a wireless transmission signal and randomly wirelessly transmits to any other vehicle, and a signal capable of processing the signal randomly wirelessly received from the other vehicle by the voice signal processing unit. Wireless unit for converting and outputting, And a controller configured to collectively control operations of the respective functional units. The method of claim 1, Horn light using a light emitting lamp, Further comprising a driving unit for driving the horn indicator light, The control unit receives the operation signal of the vehicle horn and checks if there is an operation of the horn, and controls to wirelessly transmit a preset horn signal through the wireless unit, and when the horn signal is received from the communication device of another vehicle, And controlling the operation of the horn indicator driver so that the horn indicator emits light. The method of claim 1, A voice recognition unit for recognizing voice data output from the wireless unit and converting the voice data into text data; And an additional display unit for outputting the text data output from the voice recognition unit to a screen. The inter-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication device further comprises an on / off switch for receiving operation on / off from a driver. In an inter-vehicle communication device, Horn light using a light emitting lamp, A driving unit for driving the horn indicator light, A wireless unit which converts the input data into a wireless transmission signal and randomly wirelessly transmits it to any other vehicle, and restores the signal randomly wirelessly received from the other other vehicle to generate output data; Control the operation of each functional unit as a whole, and receives the operation signal of the vehicle horn to check the case of the operation of the horn to control the wireless transmission of the preset horn signal through the wireless unit, the communication of other vehicles And a control unit controlling an operation of the horn indicator driving unit to emit the horn indicator when the horn signal is received from the device. 6. The inter-vehicle communication device according to claim 5, wherein the communication device further comprises an on / off switch for receiving operation on / off from a driver.