# US 11,910,282 B2 · Roadside communication device and road-to-vehicle communication method

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- Number: US 11,910,282 B2
- Document ID: US11910282B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/497,696
- Filed: 2021-10-08
- Published: 2022-01-27
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-15
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Inventors: Tadashi Oshima; Nobuhiro Suzuki; Yoshiaki Tsuda; Takafumi Yokoe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910282B2

## CPC

- H04W 4/44: for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
- G01S 3/46: using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
- G01S 3/74: Multi-channel systems specially adapted for direction-finding, i.e. having a single antenna system capable of giving simultaneous indications of the directions of different signals (systems in which the directions of different signals are determined sequentially and displayed simultaneously G01S3/04, G01S3/14)
- G07B 15/00: Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points (handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00)
- G08G 1/09: Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions ({railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B}; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00)
- G01S 3/043: {Receivers}
- G01S 3/48: the waves arriving at the antennas being continuous or intermittent and the phase difference of signals derived therefrom being measured
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G07B: TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

Determination is made as to whether or not to enable communications by a communication processing unit with an on-board unit, on the basis of a receive strength detected from a radio wave received via a communication antenna, and the angle of arrival and the receive strength of a direct wave and the angle of arrival and the receive strength of a reflected wave, the angles of arrival and the receive strengths being estimated from one or more radio waves received via an angle measurement antenna.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A roadside communication device connected to a first antenna used for communications with an on-board unit, and to a second antenna used for estimating angles of arrival of radio waves, the roadside communication device comprising:
processing circuitry
to detect a receive strength of a radio wave received via the first antenna from a first on-board unit;
to estimate an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a direct wave and an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a reflected wave, the direct wave and the reflected wave being included in one or more radio waves received via the second antenna from one or more on-board units; and
to determine whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, using the first antenna, on a basis of the detected receive strength, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves,
wherein if the detected receive strength exceeds a reference value, and if the estimated angle of arrival of either the direct wave or reflected wave of the radio wave shows an arrival from a communication area, then the processing circuitry determines that communications with the first on-board unit are enabled.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The roadside communication device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry detects first on-board unit identification information from the radio wave received via the first antenna,
detects second on-board unit identification information from the one or more radio waves received via the second antenna, and
determines whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, on a basis of the detected first on-board unit identification information and the detected receive strength, the detected second on-board unit identification information, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves.

### Claim 3

A roadside communication device connected to an array antenna, comprising:
processing circuitry
to combine radio waves received via multiple element antennas, which constitute the array antenna, from a first on-board unit and detect a receive strength of the combined radio waves;
to estimate an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a direct wave and an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a reflected wave, the direct wave and the reflected wave being included in one or more radio waves received via the multiple element antennas from one or more on-board units; and
to determine whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, using the array antenna, on a basis of the detected receive strength, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves,
wherein if the detected receive strength exceeds a reference value, and if the estimated angle of arrival of either the direct wave or reflected wave of the radio wave shows an arrival from a communication area, then the processing circuitry determines that communications with the first on-board unit are enabled.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The roadside communication device according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry detects first on-board unit identification information from the radio wave received via the first antenna,
detects second on-board unit identification information from the one or more radio waves received via the second antenna, and
determines whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, on a basis of the detected first on-board unit identification information and the detected receive strength, the detected second on-board unit identification information, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves.

### Claim 5

A road-to-vehicle communication method for a roadside communication device connected to a first antenna used for communications with an on-board unit, and a second antenna used for estimating an angle of arrival of a radio wave, the road-to-vehicle communication method comprising:
detecting a receive strength of a radio wave received via the first antenna from a first on-board unit;
estimating an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a direct wave and an angle of arrival and a receive strength of a reflected wave, the direct wave and the reflected wave being included in one or more radio waves received via the second antenna from one or more on-board units;
determining whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, using the first antenna, on a basis of the detected receive strength, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves;
determining that communications with the first on-board unit are enabled, if the detected receive strength exceeds a reference value, and if the estimated angle of arrival of either the direct wave or reflected wave of the radio wave shows an arrival from a communication area; and
communicating with the first on-board unit via the first antenna in accordance with the determined result.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The road-to-vehicle communication method according to claim 5, the method further comprising:
detecting first on-board unit identification information from the radio wave received via the first antenna;
detecting second on-board unit identification information from the one or more radio waves received via the second antenna; and
determining whether or not to enable communications with the first on-board unit, on a basis of the detected first on-board unit identification information and the detected receive strength, the detected second on-board unit identification information, and the estimated angles of arrival and the estimated receive strengths of the direct and reflected waves of the one or more radio waves.