JP2000207677A - Method and device for traffic snarl detection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traffic snarl detector which can obtain traffic snarl information related to a counter lane. SOLUTION: A vehicle M provided with an interval sensor SD travels on a lane RA in the direction of an arrow FA at a speed Va. On a counter lane RB, vehicles T1 to Tn travels in the direction of an arrow FB at a speed Vb. The vehicle M measures intervals of vehicles T1 to Tn on the counter lane RB. When there are vehicle T1 to Tn on the counter lane RB, an interval ΔJ between the vehicle M and vehicles T1 to Tn is narrow. However, the interval ΔJ is increased with respect to an inter-vehicle space ΔSP of vehicles T1 to Tn. Then, a proper threshold LS is set for the output of the interval sensor SD to obtain the number of vehicles included in a section ΔR. The vehicle M decides a position P1 as a traffic snarl start position when (the number of vehicle on the counter lane RB in the section ΔR)>(a predetermined number of snarled vehicles).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic congestion detecting device for judging traffic congestion on an opposite lane or an opposite lane.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional traffic congestion detection technique, for example, there is a traffic congestion information detecting device, a traffic congestion information system, and a traffic congestion information receiving and displaying device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-259287. This is intended to easily detect traffic congestion information without providing any equipment on the road side. FIG. 13 shows the outline thereof.
The vehicle 1 is provided with a traffic congestion information detecting device 2 and a traffic congestion information receiving and displaying device 3. The traffic congestion information detecting device 2 detects the current position of the vehicle from moment to moment by GPS navigation or the like. Then, every time the vehicle travels through a preset traveling section, the required time of the traveling section is obtained by itself. This required time is wirelessly transmitted to the traffic information center 4 together with the identification number of the traveling section that has passed.

[0003] The traffic information center 4 receives and accumulates the travel section identification number and the required time transmitted from each vehicle 1 by radio. Then, the latest required time for each traveling section is wirelessly transmitted to the surrounding vehicles 1. The traffic congestion information receiving and displaying device 3 mounted on each vehicle 1 includes a traffic information center 4
Receives information sent from. Then, a required time corresponding to the traveling section specified by the driver or the like is selected and displayed.

[0004]

However, according to the background art described above, traffic information is obtained by running a vehicle equipped with a traffic congestion information detecting device. For this reason,
Although it is possible to obtain information such as the required time of a traveling section for a traveling lane, such information cannot be obtained for the opposite lane (opposite lane).

The present invention focuses on the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a traffic congestion detection device capable of obtaining traffic congestion information on an oncoming lane.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a traffic congestion detection method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: measuring a distance between a vehicle located in a traveling lane and an object to be measured on an opposite lane side; The method is characterized in that information on traffic congestion in the oncoming lane is obtained from the measurement result obtained in the step when the vehicle is running.

The traffic congestion detecting device of the present invention is provided in a vehicle located in a traffic lane, and measures distance from an object to be measured in an opposite lane; when the vehicle is driven in the traffic lane. Traffic congestion detecting means for detecting congestion from the detection result obtained by the interval measuring means.

According to one of the main modes, the traffic congestion detecting means determines the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane in the distance section based on the detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in a preset distance section. Calculating means for calculating; congestion determining means for comparing the calculated number of vehicles with a predetermined number of congested vehicles, and determining whether or not the oncoming lane in the distance section is congested based on the comparison result; ;

According to another embodiment, the congestion detecting means includes:
Calculating means for calculating the vehicle speed of the oncoming lane in the distance section based on the detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in a predetermined distance section; the calculated vehicle speed and a predetermined congestion reference A traffic congestion determining unit that compares the speed with the speed and determines whether or not the oncoming lane in the distance section is congested based on the comparison result.

In still another form, the traffic congestion detecting means calculates the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane in the distance section based on a detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in a preset distance section. Calculation means; vehicle speed calculation means for calculating the vehicle speed of the oncoming lane in the distance section based on the detection result obtained by the distance measurement means by traveling in a preset distance section; calculated by the vehicle number calculation means While comparing the number of vehicles with a predetermined number of congested vehicles, comparing the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle speed calculating means with a predetermined congestion reference speed,
Traffic judging means for judging whether or not the oncoming lane in the distance section is congested based on the comparison results. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail. First, an outline of the present invention will be described. According to the present invention, while the vehicle is running, the distance to or from the vehicle on the opposite lane is measured. In the vehicle M for measurement, for example, as shown in a plan view in FIG. 2, an interval sensor SD is provided on the front or rear side of the opposing lane.
Either one may be used. In the illustrated example, the front interval sensor SD1 measures the distance to the obliquely forward object, and the rear interval sensor SD2 measures the distance to the almost immediately lateral object. Further, the vehicle M is provided with a traffic jam detection device, which performs a traffic jam detection process as described later.

The vehicle M provided with such an interval sensor SD
Is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The vehicle travels in the direction at a speed Va (m / sec). On the other hand, oncoming lane R
On the B side, the vehicles T1 to Tn move at a speed Vb (m / se
You are driving in c). In such a situation, the vehicle M
The vehicle travels in the lane RA from the left end to the right end in (A), and measures the distance between the vehicles T1 to Tn in the oncoming lane RB. And furthermore
The number of vehicles on the oncoming lane RB in the section ΔR is calculated.

FIG. 3B is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed travel time of the vehicle M and the interval obtained based on the detection signal of the interval sensor SD. As shown in the drawing, when the vehicles T1 to Tn are present in the oncoming lane RB, the interval ΔJ between the vehicle M and the vehicles T1 to Tn becomes narrow. But,
For the inter-vehicle space ΔSP of the vehicles T1 to Tn, the interval Δ
J increases. Therefore, by setting an appropriate threshold value LS for the output of the interval sensor SD, the number of vehicles included in the section ΔR shown in FIG. 3A can be obtained.
Then, in the vehicle M, “the oncoming lane RB in the section ΔR
When the number of vehicles exceeds the predetermined number of congested vehicles, for example, the position P1 shown in FIG. 3A is determined and stored as the congestion start position.

The vehicle M repeatedly performs the above-described processing while traveling on the lane RA. Then, when it is determined that the traffic congestion has started, when “the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane RB in another section <the predetermined number of congested vehicles”, it is determined that the traffic congestion has ended, and the end position of the section at the time of the judgment is determined. Is stored as the traffic congestion end position.

In the vehicle M, information such as the congestion start position, the congestion end position, the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane between the congestion start position and the congestion end position, and the congestion speed of the oncoming lane are obtained as described above. These pieces of information are transmitted to an information center (not shown) by a switch operation by a user (driver) of the vehicle M or automatically after the end of the traffic jam determination. The information center, based on the transmitted information,
It transmits traffic congestion information such as which lane is experiencing traffic congestion.

Next, the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a traffic jam detection device 1 mounted on a vehicle M.
A configuration of 0 is shown. In FIG. 1, a traffic congestion detection device 10 mainly includes a traffic congestion detection control unit 12 such as an ECU, and includes a timer unit 14, the interval sensor SD, a traveling distance measurement unit 16, a transmission unit 18, a display unit 20, an input unit Part 2
2, a memory 24, a calculation unit 26, and a position measurement unit 28.

Of these, the congestion detection control unit 12
It is mainly composed of a PU and has a function of executing a program for congestion detection control as well as on / off control of various flags. The clock unit 14 is for measuring time. The interval sensor SD is a known distance sensor using an ultrasonic wave, an infrared ray, a laser, or the like. The traveling distance measurement unit 16 is a so-called distance meter, and measures the traveling distance of the vehicle M. The transmission unit 18 is for transmitting the obtained congestion information to a center or the like. The display unit 20 is for performing various displays such as a menu. The input unit 22 includes appropriate input means such as a button switch, a remote control switch, a touch panel, and a voice input. The memory 24 stores a program to be executed by the congestion detection control unit 12, and also secures a work area at the time of execution. Further, the obtained various information is also stored. The arithmetic unit 26 is for performing various arithmetic processes such as calculating the signal length based on the result of the clocking by the clocking unit 14. Position measurement unit 28
Is for measuring the position of the vehicle using GPS or the like.

Next, the operation of the traffic congestion detecting device 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an oncoming vehicle detection processing routine will be described with reference to FIG. When the user of the vehicle M selects “congestion detection on the oncoming lane RB” with reference to the menu display on the display unit 20, the congestion detection control unit 12 turns on the oncoming lane congestion detection flag FG1 (step). S10). Then, the congestion detection control unit 12 detects a vehicle in the oncoming lane RB by the interval sensor SD (Step S12). When the signal ctn shown in FIG. 3B is detected from the output signal of the interval sensor SD (Y in step S12), the position of the vehicle at the time of the detection is stored in the memory 24.
(Step S14). For example, in the example of FIG. 3, if the signal ct1 is detected, the position P1 is the detection position.

Next, in the congestion detection control section 12, the timer flag FG2 is set to "ON" (step S16), and the timer section 14 starts measuring the signal ct1. That is, timer timing is started at timing ta shown in FIG. Further, in the traffic jam detection control unit 12,
The oncoming vehicle detection flag FG3 is turned on (step S18), and the inter-vehicle space detection routine of the oncoming vehicle shown in FIG. 5 is executed (step S20).

In FIG. 5, when the inter-vehicle space ΔSP is detected in the oncoming lane RB (step S22), the timer flag FG2 is turned off in the congestion detection control unit 12 (step S24), and the process starts at step S16 in FIG. The time measurement performed ends. That is, the timing (corresponding to the signal ct1) from the timing ta to the timing tb shown in FIG. 3B ends. Further, in the congestion detection control unit 12, the timer flag FG2 is set to "ON" again (step S26).
Then, the timing of the signal bt1 is started by the timing section 14.
The congestion detection control unit 12 sets the space detection flag FG4 to “ON” (step S28).
An inter-vehicle space detection routine shown in FIG. 6 is executed (step S40). On the other hand, the time (corresponding to the signal ct1) from the start of time measurement in step S16 in FIG. 4 to the end of time measurement in step S24 in FIG. 5 is calculated by the calculation unit 26 (step S30). It is memorized.
Thus, the oncoming vehicle detection process ends, and the oncoming vehicle detection flag FG3 is turned off (step S32).

In FIG. 6, when the vehicle T is detected in the oncoming lane RB (step S42), the timer flag FG2 is turned off in the congestion detection control unit 12 (step S4).
4), the time measurement started in step S26 of FIG. 5 ends. That is, from the timing tb shown in FIG.
The time counting up to c (corresponding to the signal bt1) ends. Further, in the traffic jam detection control unit 12, the timer flag FG2 is set to "ON" again (step S46). Then, the clock unit 14 starts measuring the signal ct2. The congestion detection control unit 12 executes the oncoming vehicle detection routine shown in FIG. 5 by setting the oncoming vehicle detection flag FG3 to “ON” (step S48) (step S20).
On the other hand, the time (corresponding to the signal bt1) from the start of time measurement in step S26 in FIG. 5 to the end of time measurement in step S44 in FIG. 6 is calculated by the calculation unit 26 (step S50). It is memorized. by this,
The inter-vehicle space detection processing ends, and the space detection flag F
G4 is turned off (step S52).

By repeatedly performing the above processing sequentially, the signals ct1 to ctn and bt1 to btn are sequentially calculated by the calculation unit 26 and stored in the memory 24.

Next, a processing routine for judging the start of traffic congestion will be described with reference to FIG. The congestion detection control unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle M has traveled a preset fixed distance section (step S60). As the starting point of the fixed distance section, appropriate position information such as a vehicle position at the time of engine start, a vehicle position at the time of merging with the main road, and a vehicle position at the time of setting by the user of the vehicle M is used. When the traveling distance measuring unit 16 measures a certain distance from the starting point, the congestion detection control unit 12 counts the number of times n the signal ct is detected in the certain distance section with reference to the memory 24. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the number of signals ct is "5" between P1 and P2. This count value is compared with a preset traffic jam reference number (step S6).
2).

When the counted value of the signal ct> the reference number of traffic jams, the following calculation is further performed by the calculation unit 26 (step S64). That is, the total length Ln of the vehicle Tn in the oncoming lane RB is obtained by Va × ctn with respect to the average vehicle speed Va of the vehicle M traveling for a certain distance. Therefore, the average overall length AV (L) of the vehicles T1 to Tn is (sum of Ln) /
n. The average AV (ct) of the signal ct is (c
tn) / n. Furthermore, the traffic speed is AV
(L) / AV (ct) -Va. When the congestion speed is smaller than the preset congestion reference speed (congestion speed <congestion reference speed) (step S66), it is determined that the vehicle is in a congestion state, and the congestion detection control unit 12 sets a congestion start flag FG5. Turn “ON” (step S68).
Thus, the congestion end determination processing routine shown in FIG. 8 is executed (step S70).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of times of the signal ct within a certain distance, in other words, not only the number of vehicles, but also
The traffic congestion detection is performed in consideration of the speed. This is because even if a vehicle having a traffic congestion reference value or higher is detected in the oncoming lane RB within a certain distance, if the speed of the detected vehicle is higher than the traffic congestion reference speed, it is not necessarily congestion. It is to eliminate.

Next, the congestion detection control section 12 further determines whether or not the vehicle travels in a certain distance section (step S7).
2). This fixed distance section is the same as in FIG. In addition, as the start point of the fixed distance section, step S6 in FIG.
8 is the position of the vehicle M at the time when the traffic jam start flag FG5 is set to “ON”. Then, the number n of the signal ct while the vehicle M is traveling a fixed distance is compared with the traffic jam reference number. As a result, when the number n of the signal ct> the reference number of traffic jams, it is determined that the traffic congestion state continues (N in step S74). Conversely, when the number n of the signal ct <the reference number of traffic jams, the congestion ends. (Y in step S74). Then, the vehicle M at this time
Is stored in the memory 24 as the congestion end position (step S76). Thereafter, in the traffic jam detection control unit 12, the traffic jam start flag FG5 is turned off (step S78).

FIG. 9 shows the fixed distance sections WA to WN for the above-described congestion detection. For example, if the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the traffic jam reference speed in the distance section WC and it is detected that there is a traffic jam, the position PC becomes the traffic jam start position.
PC1 which is the center of the distance section WC or PC2 which is the end point may be set as the congestion start position. When the number n of the signal ct in the distance section WM becomes smaller than the reference number of congestion, it is determined that the congestion has ended, and the position PM becomes the congestion end position. PM1 which is the center of the distance section WM and P which is the starting point
M2 may be the congestion end position.

Next, the handling of information on traffic congestion obtained as described above will be described. Information such as the traffic congestion start position, the traffic congestion end position, and the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane detected in the fixed distance section, which are stored in the memory 24, are automatically transmitted by the user of the vehicle M or after the traffic congestion end determination. The information is transmitted from the transmission unit 18 to an information center (not shown). The information center determines the vehicle density on each road or intersection based on the received information on the traffic congestion. Other vehicles make a request for the vehicle density to the information center by designating a point or a road section where the congestion information is required. Then, the information center transmits the information of the corresponding vehicle density to the vehicle that has transmitted the request. The vehicle that has received the vehicle density information transmitted from the information center displays a map of the corresponding point or road section, and displays that the corresponding portion is congested by animation or the like. Alternatively, output is made by voice. As a result, it is possible to accurately convey a traffic congestion location and a traffic congestion state to another vehicle.

Further, in the above embodiment, the traffic congestion situation in the oncoming lane of the vehicle M is detected. However, a speed sensor and an inter-vehicle distance sensor are provided in front of and behind the vehicle M, respectively. The vehicle M itself determines whether the vehicle is at the head, whether the vehicle M is at the end of the congestion, the speed of the congestion, the passing speed between specific points, and the like. Then, they are similarly transmitted to the information center. The information center transmits the information to the requesting vehicle as described above.

FIG. 10 shows an example of detecting such a traffic congestion state in the traveling lane of the vehicle M. As shown in FIG. 1A, a front inter-vehicle distance sensor 50 and a rear inter-vehicle distance sensor 52 are provided in front of and behind the vehicle M, respectively. These inter-vehicle distance sensors 50 and 52
As shown in FIG. 4B, the speed sensor 54 of the vehicle M
In addition, it is connected to the above-described congestion detection control unit 12. Further, a navigation unit 58 that performs general route guidance and the like is also connected to the traffic jam detection control unit 12. As the inter-vehicle distance sensors 50 and 52, various types such as those using laser, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, etc., image processing systems, inter-vehicle communication systems, and the like may be used.

Next, a procedure for determining traffic congestion in the traveling lane of the vehicle M will be described. If you get caught in traffic,
When the vehicle M is usually located at the end of the congested vehicle row and the congestion is resolved, it is considered that the vehicle M is often located at the forefront of the congested vehicle row. Therefore, the procedure for determining the start of traffic congestion will be described first with reference to FIG. The congestion detection control unit 12 acquires driving information such as a traveling road and a speed limit from the navigation unit 58 (step S100), and obtains and stores the current speed by the speed sensor 54 (step S102).

Next, the traffic congestion detection control unit 12 refers to the information obtained as described above and the detection results of the inter-vehicle distance sensors 50 and 52 and the speed sensor 54 to perform braking or engine braking (EG braking).
Whether the vehicle speed is reduced (step S104), whether the vehicle is on a highway or a road without traffic light (step S106), whether the vehicle speed is 30% or less of the speed limit of the traveling road (step S108), It is determined whether the average inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle is 10 m or less (step S110) or no following vehicle (step S112). If any of the above cases applies, it is determined that the own vehicle has been involved in traffic jam, the traffic jam flag FG10 is turned on, and the current position is stored as the last position of the traffic jam (step S114).

Subsequently, in response to the traffic jam flag FG10 being turned on, the traffic jam detection control unit 56 determines the end of the traffic jam shown in FIG. 12 (step S116). That is, whether the average inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is 10 m or more (step S118), whether the own vehicle speed is 60% or more of the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (step S120), and whether the state continues for 30 seconds or more (Step S1
22), are determined. If any of the above is true, it is determined that the traffic jam has been resolved, the traffic jam flag FG10 is turned off, and the current position is stored as the head position of the traffic jam (step S124).

The tail position and the head position of the congestion thus obtained are transmitted to the information center as described above. The information is further transmitted to the vehicle requested by the information center.

The present invention has many embodiments and can be variously modified based on the above disclosure. For example, the following is also included. (1) In the above embodiment, the traffic congestion is determined in consideration of not only the number of vehicles in a certain distance section of the oncoming lane but also the speed thereof. However, the presence or absence of congestion is determined only by the number of vehicles or only by the speed. It does not hinder. (2) The traffic jam detection device of the present invention may be included in a navigation system.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the interval on the oncoming lane side of the measurement vehicle is measured, there is an effect that the congestion status regarding the oncoming lane can be accurately grasped and congestion information can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traffic jam detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a manner of mounting an interval sensor according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a situation of an oncoming lane during a traffic jam and an example of detecting an interval signal.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an oncoming vehicle detection processing routine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an oncoming vehicle detection processing routine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an inter-vehicle space detection processing routine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a congestion start determination processing routine according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a congestion end determination processing routine according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a fixed distance section and a position at which traffic congestion starts and ends in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an apparatus configuration for detecting traffic congestion in a traveling lane according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting traffic congestion in a traveling lane.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting traffic congestion in a traveling lane.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a background art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Congestion detection apparatus 12 ... Congestion detection control part 14 ... Time measuring part 16 ... Driving distance measuring part 18 ... Transmission part 20 ... Display part 22 ... Input part 24 ... Memory 26 ... Calculation part 28 ... Position measuring part 50 ... Front distance between vehicles Sensor 52: Rear inter-vehicle distance sensor 54: Speed sensor 58: Navigation unit bt, ct: Signal ta, tb: Timing FG1: Oncoming traffic jam detection flag FG2: Timer flag FG3: Oncoming vehicle detection flag FG4: Space detection flag FG5: Traffic congestion Start flag FG10: Traffic jam flap M: Vehicle P: Position RA: Lane RB: Oncoming lane SD: Interval sensor T: Vehicle Va: Speed Vb: Speed WA-WN: Detection interval ΔJ: Interval ΔR: Interval ΔSP: Inter-vehicle space

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A step of measuring a distance between a vehicle located in a traveling lane and an object to be measured on an opposite lane side; based on a measurement result obtained in the step when the vehicle is traveling in the traveling lane, Traffic congestion detection method characterized by obtaining traffic congestion information. 2. An interval measuring means provided on a vehicle located in a traveling lane, for measuring an interval from an object to be measured on an opposite lane side; A traffic congestion detection device comprising: traffic congestion detection means for detecting traffic congestion from the obtained detection result. 3. The congestion detecting means calculates the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane in the distance section based on the detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in a preset distance section; The number of vehicles
3. A traffic congestion judging means for comparing a predetermined number of congested vehicles and judging whether or not the oncoming lane in the distance section is congested based on the comparison result. Detection device. 4. An arithmetic unit for calculating a vehicle speed of an oncoming lane in the distance section based on a detection result obtained by the interval measuring unit by traveling in a preset distance section; And a congestion determining means for comparing the determined vehicle speed with a predetermined congestion reference speed and determining whether or not the oncoming lane of the distance section is congested based on the comparison result. The traffic jam detection device according to claim 2. 5. A vehicle number calculating means for calculating the number of vehicles in an oncoming lane in the distance section based on a detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in a preset distance section; Vehicle speed calculating means for calculating the vehicle speed of the oncoming lane in the distance section based on the detection result obtained by the distance measuring means by traveling in the set distance section; the number of vehicles calculated by the vehicle number calculating means While comparing the determined number of congested vehicles, comparing the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle speed calculating means with a predetermined congestion reference speed, the oncoming lane in the distance section is congested based on the comparison results. 3. The traffic congestion detection device according to claim 2, further comprising a traffic congestion determination unit that determines whether there is a traffic jam.