Communication device for automotive vehicle

A communication device for an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a traffic information possessing means for possessing a traffic information regarding a self vehicle;
• a zoning means for dividing a predetermined area into a plurality of zones in a two-dimensional grid;
• a target zone specifying means for specifying a single target zone or a plurality of target zones from a plurality of zones, wherein the single target zone or each of a plurality of target zones includes a target communication device as an acquisition object of the traffic information;
• a positioning data acquiring means for acquiring a positioning data of the self vehicle;
• a communicating means for communicating with at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices by wireless, wherein a plurality of cooperative communication devices is disposed around the self vehicle;
• a data request message transmitting/controlling means for transmitting a data request message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating means, wherein the data request message defines a data request vehicle identification information, the single target zone or a plurality of target zones, and an information for specifying the traffic information of the acquisition object, and wherein the data request vehicle identification information defines an identification information of a data request vehicle;
• a data request message receiving/controlling means for receiving the data request message, which is transmitted from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating means;
• a data request message transferring/controlling means for transferring the data request message received by the data request message receiving/controlling means to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a data response message transmitting/controlling means for transmitting a data response message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating means in a case where the self vehicle is disposed in the single target zone or a plurality of target zones defined in the data request message received by the data request message receiving/controlling means and where the traffic information of the acquisition object defined in the data request message is capable of transmitting and retrieving from the traffic information possessed in the traffic information possessing means, wherein the data response message defines the data request vehicle identification information defined in the data request message and the traffic information of the acquisition object defined in the data request message;
• a data response message receiving/controlling means for receiving the data response message through the communicating means from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a data response message transferring/controlling means for transferring the data response message received by the data response message receiving/controlling means to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating means in a case where an identification information of the self vehicle does not correspond to the data request vehicle identification information defined in the data response message received by the data response message receiving/controlling means;
• a data outputting means for outputting the traffic information of the acquisition object included in the data response message received by the data response message receiving/controlling means in a case where the identification information of the self vehicle corresponds to the data request vehicle identification information defined in the data response message received by the data response message receiving/controlling means;
• a request vehicle zone specifying means for specifying a request vehicle zone, in which the request vehicle is disposed, on the basis of the positioning data acquired by the positioning data acquiring means;
• and
• a message transfer zone specifying means for specifying a message transfer zone defined by a part of a plurality of zones, which includes the request vehicle zone specified by the request vehicle zone specifying means and the single target zone or a plurality of target zones specified by the target zone specifying means, wherein
• the part of a plurality of zones is adjacent together so that the part of a plurality of zones links the request vehicle zone and the single target zone or a plurality of target zones,
• the data request message transmitting/controlling means transmits the data request message together with an information regarding the request vehicle zone specified by the request vehicle zone specifying means and the single target zone or a plurality of target zones specified by the target zone specifying means,
• the data response message transmitting/controlling means transmits the data response message together with an information regarding the request vehicle zone and the single target zone or a plurality of target zones, which are defined in the data request message,
• the message transfer zone specifying means specifies the message transfer zone on the basis of the information regarding the request vehicle zone and the single target zone or a plurality of target zones, which are defined in the data request message or in the data response message,
• the data request message transferring/controlling means determines whether the data request message is transferred or not on the basis of the message transfer zone specified by the message transfer zone specifying means and the positioning data acquired by the positioning data acquiring means, and
• the data response message transferring/controlling means determines whether the data response message is transferred or not on the basis of the message transfer zone specified by the message transfer zone specifying means and the positioning data acquired by the positioning data acquiring means.

A communication device for acquiring a traffic information of an acquisition object, wherein the communication device is mounted on an automotive vehicle, the device comprising:

• a communicating element for communicating with at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices, which is disposed around the communication device;
• a request message transmitting element for transmitting a request message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating element, wherein the request message includes a request vehicle identification information, a target zone information and an information for specifying the traffic information of the acquisition object, wherein the request vehicle identification information defines an identification information of a request vehicle, which requests the traffic information of the acquisition object, and wherein the target zone information defines a target zone, in which a target communication device as the acquisition object is disposed;
• a request message receiving element for receiving the request message, which is transmitted from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a request message transferring element for transferring the request message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices, the request message received by the request message receiving element;
• a response message transmitting element for transmitting a response message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices when the automotive vehicle is disposed in the target zone and when the traffic information of the acquisition object is capable of transmitting and retrieving from the traffic information in the communication device of the automotive vehicle, wherein the response message includes the request vehicle identification information and the traffic information of the acquisition object;
• a response message receiving element for receiving the response message from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a response message transferring element for transferring the response message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices when the automotive vehicle is not the request vehicle;
• an outputting element for outputting the traffic information of the acquisition object to an external circuit when the automotive vehicle is the request vehicle;
• a request vehicle zone specifying element for specifying a request vehicle zone, in which the request vehicle is disposed;
• and
• a message transfer zone specifying element for specifying a message transfer zone, which includes the request vehicle zone and the target zone so that the message transfer zone links the request vehicle zone and the target zone, wherein
• the request message transmitting element transmits the request message together with an information of the message transfer zone,
• the response message transmitting element transmits the response message together with the information of the message transfer zone,
• the request message transferring element determines whether the request message is transferred or not on the basis of the information of the message transfer zone and a position of the automotive vehicle, and
• the response message transferring element determines whether the response message is transferred or not on the basis of the information of the message transfer zone and the position of the automotive vehicle.

A communication device for acquiring a traffic information of an acquisition object, wherein the communication device is mounted on an automotive vehicle, the device comprising:

• a communicating element for communicating with at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices, which is disposed around the communication device;
• a request message transmitting element for transmitting a request message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices through the communicating element, wherein the request message includes a request vehicle identification information, a target zone information and an information for specifying the traffic information of the acquisition object, wherein the request vehicle identification information defines an identification information of a request vehicle, which requests the traffic information of the acquisition object, and wherein the target zone information defines a target zone, in which a target communication device as the acquisition object is disposed;
• a request message receiving element for receiving the request message, which is transmitted from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a request message transferring element for transferring the request message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices, the request message received by the request message receiving element;
• a response message transmitting element for transmitting a response message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices when the automotive vehicle is disposed in the target zone and when the traffic information of the acquisition object is capable of transmitting and retrieving from the traffic information in the communication device of the automotive vehicle, wherein the response message includes the request vehicle identification information and the traffic information of the acquisition object;
• a response message receiving element for receiving the response message from at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices;
• a response message transferring element for transferring the response message to at least one of a plurality of cooperative communication devices when the automotive vehicle is not the request vehicle;
• an outputting element for outputting the traffic information of the acquisition object to an external circuit when the automotive vehicle is the request vehicle;
• a request vehicle zone specifying element for specifying a request vehicle zone, in which the request vehicle is disposed;
• and
• a message transfer zone specifying element for specifying a message transfer zone, which includes the request vehicle zone and the target zone so that the message transfer zone links the request vehicle zone and the target zone, wherein
• the request message transmitting element transmits the request message together with an information of the request vehicle zone and the s target zone,
• the message transfer zone specifying element specifies the message transfer zone on the basis of the information of the request vehicle zone and the target zone, which are defined in the request message or in the response message,
• the request message transferring element determines whether the request message is transferred or not on the basis of the message transfer zone and a position of the automotive vehicle, and
• the response message transferring element determines whether the response message is transferred or not on the basis of the message transfer zone and the position of the automotive vehicle.