Abstract:
Provided herein is a communication system and method capable of performing visible light communication and optic networking, the system performing visible light communication with an electronic device inside a vehicle and accessing an optic network inside the vehicle. Accordingly, RF interference and distortion is removed, and thus not effecting use of a wireless device inside the vehicle, thereby reducing malfunction/error of a electronic control device and enabling real time data transceiving in the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0098709, filed on Sep. 6, 2012, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The following description relates to a vehicle communication system and method, and more particularly, to a vehicle communication system and method for communicating with a device/network inside the vehicle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In the past, inside a vehicle, data used to be transmitted and received via wires, but when wired communication systems are applied to numerous services, there occurs a problem of increased wires and increased weight of the vehicle. 
     The RF system was introduced to resolve this problem. However, during data transmission using an RF transceiving system inside a vehicle, there are problems that RF signals may be deteriorated by shielding environments inside the vehicle, and interference and distortion of RF signals may occur due to increased wireless devices using limited frequency bandwidths inside the vehicle. 
     In addition, an emerging problem is that as the number of electronic control components inside a vehicle increases, there emerges an effect by the signal interference of wireless devices applied inside the vehicle. 
     Not only that, most of the conventional RF transceiving systems are configured to be centered around packet transmitting, thereby causing problems in data transmitting. Currently, there is a need for obtaining real time images inside vehicles, real time monitoring related to vehicles, and real time image transmitting according to vehicle accidents. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention was devised to resolve the aforementioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide real time images without any RF interference or distortion by providing a vehicle communication system and method for performing visible light communication with electronic devices inside vehicles, and accessing light network inside vehicles. 
     In one general aspect, there is provided a vehicle communication system comprising: a first communicator configured to perform visible light communication with an electronic device inside the vehicle; a second communicator configured to access an optic network inside the vehicle; and a processor configured to process data received from the electronic device through the first communicator, and to process data received from the optic network through the second communicator. 
     In addition, the processor may transmit the data received from the electronic device through the first communicator to the optic network through the second communicator, and transmit the data received from the optic network through the second communicator to the electronic device through the first communicator. 
     Furthermore, a frame used in the visible light communication may have a same structure as a frame used in the optic network. 
     In addition, the second communicator may be used for accessing the optic network inside the vehicle when an optic cable is connected, and may be used for performing visible light communication with the electronic device inside the vehicle, when light source is exposed outside. 
     In one general aspect, there is provided a vehicle communication system further comprising a display configured to display an image received from the electronic device through the first communicator or an image received from the optic network through the second communicator. 
     In another general aspect, there is provided a vehicle communication method comprising: performing visible light communication with an electronic device inside a vehicle; accessing an optic network inside the vehicle; and processing data received from the electronic device through visible light communication, and processing the data received from the optic network through optic communication. 
     As explained above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to perform visible light communication with an electronic device inside a vehicle, and access an optic network inside the vehicle. Accordingly, RF interference and distortion is removed, and thus not effecting use of a wireless device inside the vehicle, thereby reducing malfunction/error of an electronic control device. 
     In addition, it is possible to perform real time data transceiving in the vehicle, enabling traffic accident management, monitoring driver&#39;s state, real time traffic situation management, and real time vehicle state management etc. 
     Not only that, it is possible to use in common the light source used in accessing an optic network and visible light communication inside the vehicle, thereby making the vehicle lighter due to reduced optic component elements. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view provided for explaining the concept of a vehicle communication system capable of performing visible light communication and optical networking according to a desirable exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an example applied to a visible light communication inside a vehicle; 
         FIG. 3  is a view illustrating another example applied to a visible light communication inside a vehicle; 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed block diagram of a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed block diagram of a vehicle communication system where MOST networking and visible light communication are embodied in a common module; and 
         FIG. 6  is a view illustrating an example of a frame structure that may be used in both optical communication and MOST networking. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated for clarity, illustrating, and convenience. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein. Accordingly, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein will be suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness. 
       FIG. 1  is a view provided for explaining the concept of a vehicle communication system capable of performing visible light communication and light networking according to a desirable exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment performs optical communication based MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) networking. 
     In addition, a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment may interlock an electronic device mounted on a docking unit to a MOST network. Not only that, a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment may perform visible light communication with electronic devices inside a vehicle using a VLC (Visible Light Communication) module. 
     In a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment, optical communication is adopted as means for substituting RF communication in order to remove RF interference and distortion and to guarantee real time transmission of data. 
     Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to embody a frame standard used in visible light communication and a frame standard used in MOST networking and present interoperability between the two, thereby enabling high volume, high resolution multimedia data processing/storing in the entirety of the vehicle. 
       FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an example applied to a visible light communication inside a vehicle.  FIG. 2  illustrates a situation where multimedia data created by a vehicle black box is transmitted to a VLC module using visual light communication. 
     By the visible light communication between a black box and VLC module illustrated in  FIG. 2 , multimedia data created in the black box camera may not only be received/stored in another storage medium other than the black box in real time but may be applied to vehicle accident management, in-vehicle driver management, and outside traffic situation management etc. 
     Not only that, by interlocking with a MOST network, together with the state of the vehicle, black box images may be obtained, stored, and processed. The MOST network has, at its end, devices for electronic control inside the vehicle such as CAN, LIN, and FlexRay etc. 
     This may be utilized as verification information when a vehicle accident occurs, and enables subsequent checking on a driver&#39;s driving habit, and driver&#39;s condition. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating another exemplary embodiment applied to a visible light communication inside a vehicle.  FIG. 3  illustrates a situation where sound is output in real time by visible light communication to vehicle speakers to which a VLC is applied in two VLC modules provided in the vehicle. 
       FIG. 4  is a detailed block diagram of a vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the vehicle communication system according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a VLC module  100 , head unit  200 , and MOST network interface  300 . 
     The VLC module  100  is a module configured to perform visible light communication with an electronic device inside a vehicle, and has a VLC unit  110 , convertor  120 , and VLC I/F  130 . 
     The VLC unit  110  transmits and receives data to and from a black box (or an electronic device inside a vehicle such as a speaker etc.) by visible light communication. 
     The convertor  120  converts a visible light signal received from the VLC unit  110  into an electrical signal, and converts the electrical signal received from the head unit  220  through the VLC I/F  130  to the VLC unit  110 . 
     The VLC I/F  130  provides communication interface between the VLC module  100  and head unit  200 . 
     The MOST network interface  300  is communication interface means for accessing the MOST network inside the vehicle, and includes an LB I/F (Local Bus Interface)  310 , routing  320 , convertor  330 , and optical communication module  340 . 
     The LB I/F  310  provides communication interface between the MOST network interface  300  and head unit  200 . The routing  320  is means for routing data transmitted by the head unit  200  to a target on the MOST network. 
     The optical communication module  340  accesses the MOST network, and transmits and receives data based on optic communication. The convertor  330  converts an optic signal received from the optic communication module  340  into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the routing  320 , and converts the electrical signal received from the routing unit  320  into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal to the optic communication module  340 . 
     The head unit  200  processes the multimedia data received from the electronic device (for example, black box) through the VLC module  100  or transmits in real time the multimedia data to the electronic device (for example, speaker) through the VLC module  100 . 
     In addition, the head unit  200  may process the multimedia data provided through the MOST network interface  300 , or transmit in real time the multimedia data to the MOST network through the MOST network interface  300 . 
     The head unit  200  performing these functions has a display  210 , processor  220 , and docking unit  230 . 
     The display  210  is means where multimedia is reproduced, and the processor  220  may reproduce the multimedia data transmitted from the black box through the VLC module  100  or the multimedia data transmitted from the MOST network through the MOST network interface  300  on the display  210 . 
     In addition, the processor  220  performs multimedia data relay. More specifically, the processor  220  1) may process the multimedia data received from the electronic device such as a black box through the VLC module  100  and transmit in real time the processed multimedia data to the MOST network through the MOST network interface  300 , 2) process the multimedia data received from the MOST network through the MOST network interface  300  and transmit in real time the processed multimedia data to a speaker etc. 
     Not only that, the processor  220  may receive the multimedia data from the electronic device connected to the docking unit  230  and transmit the received multimedia data to the MOST network or speaker through the MOST network interface  300  or VLC module  100 . 
     On the contrary, the processor  220  may transmit in real time the multimedia data received from the MOST network or black box through the MOST network interface  300  or VLC module  100  and reproduce or store the received multimedia data. 
     Meanwhile, the wavelength of light used in visible light communication and the wavelength of light used in MOST network are embodied in the same manner. In addition, the frame used in visible light communication and the frame used in the MOST network are embodied in the same structure. Then, the light source and optic interface of the light communication module  340  becomes usable in not only the MOST networking but also in visible light communication. 
     Accordingly, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the MOST network interface  300  may be selectively used for accessing the MOST network and for performing visible light communication. In the former case, it is possible to connect an optical cable to the MOST network interface  300  and use the same, and in the latter case, it is possible to expose the light source of the MOST network interface  300  to outside and use the same. 
       FIG. 6  is a view illustrating an example of a frame structure that may be used in both optic communication and MOST networking. The most of the frame illustrated in  FIG. 6  is allocated in transmitting multimedia data in MOST networking and visible light communication, an Ethernet frame is added behind the data filed consisting of sync data and nonsync data, and their sizes are made to be adjustable elastically, thereby guaranteeing real timeness. 
     A number of examples have been described above. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.