Vehicle communication system and vehicle control device

A vehicle control device comprising:

• at least one electronic control unit configured to:
• recognize a position of a host vehicle on a map;
• acquire section information on a communication established section and a communication interrupted section via communication with a communication server configured to communicate with a plurality of communication vehicles, the communication vehicles being vehicles configured to communicate with the communication server, the communication established section and the communication interrupted section being set on the map by the communication server based on a status of communication with the communication vehicles;
• determine in which section, either the communication established section or the communication interrupted section, the host vehicle is traveling, based on the position of the host vehicle on the map and the section information;
• perform vehicle control of the host vehicle using an actuator mounted on the host vehicle, in such a way that system driven control of the host vehicle is performed, when the host vehicle travels in the determined communication established section;
• and
• perform driver driven control of the host vehicle when the host vehicle travels in the determined communication interrupted section.

A vehicle communication system comprising:

• a communication server configured to communicate with a plurality of communication vehicles, the communication vehicles being vehicles configured to communicate with the communication server, the communication server being configured to:
• recognize positions of communicating communication vehicles on a map via communication with the communication vehicles, the communicating communication vehicles being included in the plurality of communication vehicles and being in communication with the communication server, and
• set a communication established section and a communication interrupted section on the map, based on the positions of the communicating communication vehicles on the map;
• and
• a vehicle control device configured to communicate with the communication server and configured to perform vehicle control of a host vehicle using an actuator mounted on the host vehicle,
• the vehicle control device including
• at least one electronic control unit configured
• to recognize a position of the host vehicle on the map,
• to acquire section information on the communication established section and the communication interrupted section,
• to determine in which section, either the communication established section or the communication interrupted section, the host vehicle is traveling, based on the position of the host vehicle on the map and the section information,
• to perform a driving assistance when the host vehicle travels in the determined communication interrupted section, and
• to perform high-level driving assistance, the high-level driving assistance having a higher level of intervention in driving control of the vehicle control device than the driving assistance, when the host vehicle travels in the determined communication established section.