JP7108442B2 - Information processing device, in-vehicle device, and display control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an in-vehicle device, and a display control system.

There is a technique for judging danger and reflecting it in an output image when there are a plurality of following vehicles.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology related to a driving support device. In paragraph [0011] of the same document, "The camera 20 captures an image of the rear side of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the own vehicle) in which the in-vehicle system 1 is mounted. For example, it is attached to the rearview mirror or the side of the vehicle body facing backward so that the lane in which the vehicle is traveling and the lane adjacent to it (hereinafter referred to as the adjacent lane) are within the imaging range." In addition, in paragraph [0027], "In the next S204, the control unit 11 calculates the distance and the relative speed between the n-th and n+1-th following vehicles calculated in S200, and the speed of the own vehicle. Determine the degree of danger between two following vehicles." In addition, in paragraph [0029], "The control unit 11 uses the judgment result in S206 for the area on the captured image corresponding to the range separated by a predetermined distance from each following vehicle in the middle of the two following vehicles. A highlighted display image is created in a display mode corresponding to any of certain risk levels 1 to 3.”.

JP 2015-101282 A

In a device for displaying an image of the surroundings of a vehicle, when there are following vehicles traveling in parallel, the second and subsequent following vehicles may be hidden by the leading following vehicle and may not be displayed in the image. In such a case, it is difficult to say that the situation around the vehicle is properly displayed.

The driving support device described in Patent Literature 1 uses an on-vehicle camera to detect following vehicles, but cannot output information about the second and subsequent following vehicles following the first following vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing device, an in-vehicle device, and a display control system that appropriately output the situation of a vehicle traveling around the vehicle.

The present application includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems, and examples thereof are as follows.

In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus communicably connected to an in-vehicle apparatus via a network, comprising: an information processing apparatus communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle apparatus; Information on a traveling vehicle, which is a vehicle traveling within a certain range from a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device and traveling in the same direction as the vehicle, is received from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit, and the vehicle travels in a group. and a group vehicle information generation unit that generates group vehicle information about a vehicle that travels in a vehicle group, and receiving inquiry information as to whether or not a certain traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit. a group vehicle determination unit that determines whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information; a determination result output unit that outputs a determination result of the vehicle group determination unit using the information processing device communication unit; and the group vehicle information generation unit includes information about a plurality of traveling vehicles including a certain traveling vehicle and other traveling vehicles detected within a predetermined time after the traveling vehicle is detected. Vehicle information is received from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit, and the group vehicle information is generated in association with the vehicle that has transmitted the continuous vehicle information .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an in-vehicle device, and a display control system that appropriately output the situation of a vehicle traveling around the vehicle.

Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

It is a figure showing an example of functional block composition of a display control system. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of group vehicle information. It is information which shows an example of the data structure of node information. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of link information. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a server apparatus. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of an in-vehicle apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the warning display process of an in-vehicle apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of group vehicle information generation processing of a server apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the display assistance process of a server apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which vehicle A has detected a traveling vehicle; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen when traveling vehicles are not included in a group of vehicles. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen when traveling vehicles are included in a group of vehicles;

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a display control system. The display control system 1 includes a server device 10 and an in-vehicle device 20, and the server device 10 is communicably connected to one or more in-vehicle devices 20 via a network n. Hereinafter, a vehicle having the in-vehicle device 20 will be described as a vehicle A. As shown in FIG.

The server device 10 is an information processing device such as a server computer or a PC (Personal Computer), and is operated by a display control service provider using the display control system 1, for example.

The in-vehicle device 20 is a computer device mounted on the vehicle A, and may be part of a navigation device that provides route information to the driver, for example. The in-vehicle device 20 in the present embodiment is assumed to be an information processing device capable of standalone operation. However, the in-vehicle device 20 is not limited to the in-vehicle device 20 shown in the drawing, and may be, for example, various control devices incorporated in a moving object such as a vehicle.

In addition, the in-vehicle device 20 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone device owned by a driver or passenger of a mobile body, such as a smartphone, a feature phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a laptop computer, a server device, or It may be a tablet terminal or the like.

The server device 10 includes a control section 110 , a storage section 120 and a communication section 130 . The control unit 110 centrally controls the server device 10 as a whole. Storage unit 120 stores information necessary for processing by control unit 110 . The communication unit 130 transmits and receives information to the in-vehicle device 20 .

The control unit 110 includes a vehicle comparison unit 111 , a vehicle group information generation unit 112 , a vehicle group determination unit 113 , a continuity possibility information generation unit 114 , and a determination result output unit 115 . The vehicle comparison unit 111 compares information regarding a plurality of vehicles and determines whether or not the vehicles match. More specifically, the vehicle comparison unit 111, in response to an inquiry specifying a traveling vehicle transmitted from the in-vehicle device 20, determines whether the traveling vehicle matches any of the vehicles in group vehicle information described later. judge.

In addition, the vehicle comparison unit 111 determines whether or not a continuous vehicle included in the continuous vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 20 matches any of the vehicle groups in the vehicle group information. The vehicle comparison unit 111 compares vehicles using vehicle feature information and vehicle position information included in each piece of information to determine whether or not the vehicles match, the details of which will be described later. .

The vehicle group information generation unit 112 receives information about vehicles traveling within a certain range from the vehicle A from the in-vehicle device 20 using the communication unit 130 described later, and is information about the vehicle group traveling in a group. Group vehicle information is generated and stored in the storage unit 120 . Group vehicle information includes one or more pieces of sequential vehicle information about sequential vehicles. Continuous vehicle information is information about a plurality of vehicles that run continuously. The in-vehicle device 20 generates continuous vehicle information about a plurality of vehicles continuously traveling within a certain range from the vehicle A, and transmits the continuous vehicle information to the server device 10 . The group vehicle information generation unit 112 uses the continuous vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 20 to generate group vehicle information.

When the group vehicle determination unit 113 receives inquiry information as to whether a traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information from the in-vehicle device 20 using the communication unit 130, the group vehicle determination unit 113 determines whether the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the group vehicle. determine whether or not

The continuation possibility information generation unit 114 uses at least one of the information indicating the status of the traveling vehicle specified in the inquiry and the information included in the vehicle group information to determine whether the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group. Generate continuation possibility information that indicates the possibility. The information indicating the status of the traveling vehicle includes, for example, position information regarding the traveling vehicle and time information regarding detection of the traveling vehicle. For example, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 uses at least one of the location information included in the inquiry, the detection time of the traveling vehicle, and the number of times of reception indicating the number of consecutive vehicle detections to determine the continuation possibility. Calculate the value shown.

The continuity possibility information generation unit 114 calculates, for example, such that the closer the time information included in the group vehicle information and the time information included in the inquiry, the higher the value indicating the continuity possibility. Further, for example, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 calculates the value indicating the continuation possibility to be higher as the position information included in the vehicle group information and the position information included in the inquiry are closer. Further, for example, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 calculates such that the value indicating the continuation possibility increases as the number of times of receiving consecutive vehicles increases.

The determination result output unit 115 outputs the determination result of the group vehicle determination unit 113 using the communication unit 130 . The determination result output unit 115 outputs the determination result including the continuity possibility information generated by the continuity possibility information generation unit to the in-vehicle device 20 that made the inquiry.

The storage unit 120 stores group vehicle information 121 and road information 122 . The group vehicle information 121 is, as described above, information related to group vehicles. The road information 122 has node information 1221 and link information 1222 . The node information 1221 is information relating to a node, such as an intersection, indicating a connection relationship of roads. A link means, for example, a road such as an intersection that connects nodes, and the link information 1222 stores information about such a road. The road information 122 is not limited to this format, and may be information in other formats as long as road information is included.

The in-vehicle device 20 includes a control section 210 , a communication section 220 and an output section 230 . The control unit 210 centrally controls the entire in-vehicle device 20 . The communication unit 220 transmits and receives information to and from the server device 10 . The output unit 230 outputs information to an output device such as a display. The output unit 230 outputs a warning regarding the running vehicle. The warning is output differently depending on whether the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group or not. That is, the output unit 230 outputs warnings with different output modes according to the determination result. The output unit 230 outputs the warning in an output mode determined using, for example, the continuation possibility described later.

The control unit 210 includes a vehicle detection unit 211 , a continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 and a request unit 213 . The vehicle detection unit 211 detects a traveling vehicle traveling within a certain range from the vehicle A using a sensor module, which will be described later. The vehicle detection unit 211 acquires information that can identify a traveling vehicle. Note that the traveling vehicle is a vehicle that travels in parallel with the vehicle A. For example, the vehicle detection unit 211 acquires a photographed image of the front portion of the following traveling vehicle. Further, for example, the vehicle detection unit 211 acquires a photographed image of the side portion of the traveling vehicle.

The vehicle detection unit 211 analyzes the acquired information and acquires information that enables individual recognition of the traveling vehicle. For example, the vehicle detection unit 211 analyzes the captured image and determines the vehicle type and the color of the vehicle body. Further, for example, the vehicle detection unit 211 analyzes the captured image and determines the vehicle body number (number). Known image recognition technology and sensing technology can be used to analyze the acquired information.

The continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 generates continuous vehicle information specifying the plurality of running vehicles when detecting a plurality of continuous running vehicles within a certain period of time. The generated continuous vehicle information is transmitted to the server device 10 via the communication unit 220 .

When a traveling vehicle is detected, the request unit 213 transmits inquiry information indicating an inquiry specifying the traveling vehicle to the server device 10, and obtains a determination result as to whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group. .

In this embodiment, when the in-vehicle device 20 detects continuous vehicles, it generates continuous vehicle information and transmits it to the server device 10 . The server device 10 generates group vehicle information 121 using the continuous vehicle information received from one or more in-vehicle devices 20 .

When the in-vehicle device 20 detects a traveling vehicle, it transmits inquiry information to the server device 10 as to whether the detected traveling vehicle is included in a group of vehicles. The server device 10 searches the group vehicle information 121 to determine whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle, and transmits the determination result to the in-vehicle device 20 that made the inquiry. At that time, the server device 10 generates continuity possibility information indicating whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group, and includes it in the determination result and transmits it. A high possibility of continuation means that there is a high possibility that another vehicle will follow the traveling vehicle.

The in-vehicle device 20 outputs a warning, for example, when a traveling vehicle is detected. The in-vehicle device 20 outputs different warnings depending on whether the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group or not.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of group vehicle information 121. As shown in FIG. The vehicle group information 121 includes a group identifier, a vehicle identifier, an order, feature information, position information, direction, time, and group count.

A group identifier is identification information that identifies a group of vehicles. A vehicle identifier is identification information that identifies a vehicle included in a group of vehicles identified by the group identifier. Vehicles associated with the same group identifier are said to belong to the same group. The order is a value indicating the running order of the vehicles identified by the vehicle identifiers within the group.

The characteristic information is information indicating the external characteristics of the vehicle identified by the vehicle identifier. The feature information includes, for example, color, vehicle type, and number. The color is information indicating the color of the vehicle body. The color may be not only the color of the vehicle body but also the color of the driver's helmet or clothes. The vehicle type is information indicating the type of vehicle. trucks”, “buses”, and the like. The number is information such as the registration number written on the license plate of the vehicle.

The position information is information indicating the position where the group of vehicles was detected. The position information is represented by coordinate information such as latitude and longitude, for example. The position information is, for example, information indicating the position of the vehicle A when the leading vehicle of the group of vehicles is detected. The position information may be information indicating the position of the leading vehicle, which is estimated from the position of vehicle A. FIG.

The direction is information indicating the direction in which the vehicle A travels when, for example, the leading vehicle of the group of vehicles is detected. The time is information indicating, for example, the time when a group of vehicles was detected. Note that the time may be, for example, the transmission time of continuous vehicle information used for generating group vehicle information. The group count is information indicating the number of times a group of vehicles composed of the same vehicles has been detected (that is, the number of times continuous vehicle information has been received).

In the group vehicle information 121 shown in FIG. 2, a group having the same group identifier is associated with one piece of position information, direction, time, and group count. In this way, position information, direction, time, and group count may be associated with one piece of information per group. That is, the position, direction, and detection time of the vehicle A that detects the leading vehicle among the vehicles that make up the vehicle group are treated as the position, direction, and time information of the vehicle group. Note that the position information, the direction, and the time may be obtained for each vehicle that constitutes a group of vehicles, and the obtained information may be associated with each vehicle identifier.

FIG. 3 is information showing an example of the data structure of the node information 1221 . Node information 1221 includes a node identifier and coordinates. A node identifier is identification information that identifies a node. Coordinates are coordinate information specifying the position of a node.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the link information 1222. As shown in FIG. Link information 1222 includes a link identifier, a start node, and an end node. A link identifier is identification information that identifies a link. The starting node is identification information that identifies the node that is the starting point of the link. The end node is identification information that identifies the node that is the end point of the link. Even if the road is the same, different link identifiers are assigned to the up lane and the down lane because the start node and the end node are different.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the server device 10. As shown in FIG. The server device 10 includes an arithmetic processing unit 140 and a network I/F (Interface) 144 . The arithmetic processing unit 140 is a central unit in the server device 10 and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 141 , a RAM (Random Access Memory) 142 and a nonvolatile memory 143 . Each element constituting the arithmetic processing unit 140 is connected by a bus. Network I/F 144 is an interface for connecting server apparatus 10 to network n or external equipment.

The CPU 141 executes processing according to programs stored in the RAM 142 or the nonvolatile memory 143 . The RAM 142 is a storage device and functions as a storage area from which programs and data are temporarily read. The nonvolatile memory 143 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and is used as a storage destination for programs and various data.

In the server device 10 , processing is performed by the CPU 141 that operates according to the program read out on the RAM 142 or nonvolatile memory 143 . Each processing unit constituting the control unit 110 realizes each function when the CPU 141 executes a program. Also, the function of the storage unit 120 is realized by the RAM 142 or the nonvolatile memory 143 . Note that the function of the storage unit 120 may be realized by a storage device on the network n. Moreover, the function of the communication unit 130 is realized by the network I/F 144 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the in-vehicle device 20. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle device 20 includes an arithmetic processing unit 240 , a sensor module 250 , an output device 260 , a positioning signal receiving device 270 and a network I/F 280 . The arithmetic processing unit 240 is a central unit in the in-vehicle device 20 and includes a CPU 241 , a RAM 242 and a nonvolatile memory 243 . Each component is connected by a bus.

The CPU 241 executes processing according to programs stored in the RAM 242 or the nonvolatile memory 243 . The RAM 242 is a storage device and functions as a storage area from which programs and data are temporarily read. The nonvolatile memory 243 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and is used as a storage destination for programs and various data.

The sensor module 250 is, for example, a camera capable of acquiring images. The sensor module 250 may be a sensor such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a temperature sensor. The output device 260 is, for example, a display such as an LCD (liquid crystal display). The output device 260 may be, for example, a projection device used for a projector. In that case, the output device 260 has a laser light source and scans the laser light to display an image on the projection surface.

The positioning signal receiver 270 receives signals from satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, and measures the distance between the mobile object and the satellites and the rate of change in the distance for three or more satellites. to measure the current position, traveling speed, and traveling direction of the moving object. Note that the positioning signal receiving device 270 may receive a positioning signal from a quasi-zenith satellite system or the like that is used to calculate the current position with higher accuracy than GPS satellites. Network I/F 280 is an interface for connecting in-vehicle device 20 to network n or external equipment.

In the in-vehicle device 20 , processing is performed by the CPU 241 that operates according to the program read out on the RAM 242 or nonvolatile memory 243 . Each processing unit constituting the control unit 110 realizes each function when the CPU 241 executes a program. Also, the function of the storage unit 120 is realized by the RAM 242 or the nonvolatile memory 243 . Note that the function of the storage unit 120 may be realized by a storage device on the network n.

In addition, the sensor module 250, the output device 260, and the positioning signal receiving device 270 may be vehicle control devices mounted on the vehicle A. In that case, the sensor module 250, the output device 260, the positioning signal receiving device 270, and the in-vehicle device 20 are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network), a connection interface, or the like.

The function of the vehicle detection unit 211 is realized by the sensor module 250 . Also, the function of the output unit 230 is realized by the output device 260 . Also, the function of the communication unit 220 is realized by the network I/F 280 .

The processing of each component of the server device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 may be executed by one piece of hardware, or may be executed by a plurality of pieces of hardware. Further, the processing of each component of the server device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 may be realized by one program or may be realized by a plurality of programs.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of warning display processing of the in-vehicle device 20. As shown in FIG. The processing of this flowchart is executed while the vehicle A is running, for example.

First, the vehicle detection unit 211 determines whether or not a traveling vehicle has been detected (step S101). When the vehicle detection unit 211 determines that the traveling vehicle is not detected (“NO” in step S101), the vehicle detection unit 211 repeats the process of step S101 until the traveling vehicle is detected.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which vehicle A has detected a traveling vehicle. Vehicle B1 approaches from the rear of vehicle A. When the vehicle detection unit 211 of the vehicle A detects the vehicle B1 traveling within a certain range from the vehicle A using the sensor module 250, the vehicle detection unit 211 acquires information that can identify the vehicle B1. The vehicle detection unit 211 acquires, for example, an image of the front of the vehicle B1.

Vehicle A shown in FIG. 10 is a passenger car, while vehicle B1 and vehicle B2 are two-wheeled vehicles. The vehicle A having the in-vehicle device 20 and the vehicle B1 and the vehicle B2, which are traveling vehicles, are not limited to the example shown in this figure. Further, depending on the type of vehicle B1, it may not be possible to specify the vehicle B1 from the front image. In that case, the vehicle detection unit 211 may acquire an image of the front side surface of the vehicle B1 when the vehicle B1 is approaching enough to be identified. Further, in this figure, the vehicle B2 is running following the vehicle B1, but the in-vehicle device 20 does not have to detect the vehicle B2.

Returning to FIG. In step S101, when the vehicle detection unit 211 determines that a traveling vehicle has been detected ("YES" in step S101), the request unit 213 transmits inquiry information to the server device 10 (step S102). Specifically, when the vehicle detection unit 211 detects a traveling vehicle, the vehicle detection unit 211 uses the sensor module 250 to acquire information about the traveling vehicle. The vehicle detection unit 211 analyzes the acquired information and acquires information that enables individual recognition of the traveling vehicle (for example, the vehicle type, color, etc. of the traveling vehicle). The request unit 213 generates inquiry information including the acquired information, and transmits the inquiry information to the server device 10 via the communication unit 220 .

Next, the request unit 213 receives a response to the inquiry (step S103). The response includes information indicating whether or not the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the vehicle group, and a value indicating the possibility of continuity when the traveling vehicle is included in the vehicle group as the determination result.

Next, the request unit 213 determines whether or not the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the vehicle group (step S104). The request unit 213 refers to the response acquired in step S103 and executes determination.

When the requesting unit 213 determines that the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the vehicle group ("YES" in step S104), the requesting unit 213 determines whether the continuity possibility is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. (step S105). Note that this step may be omitted.

When the requesting unit 213 determines in step S104 that the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is not included in the vehicle group ("NO" in step S104), the requesting unit 213 shifts the process to step S107. Further, when the requesting unit 213 determines in step S105 that the continuity possibility is less than the predetermined value ("NO" in step S105), the requesting unit 213 causes the process to proceed to step S107.

In step S107, the output unit 230 displays a warning. In this step, the output unit 230 outputs information warning the traveling vehicle to be careful.

FIG. 11 is a warning screen 181 shown in FIG. 11 in which an area 182 displays information for calling attention to the traveling vehicle.

Returning to FIG. In step S105, when the request unit 213 determines that the continuation possibility is equal to or greater than the predetermined value ("YES" in step S105), the output unit 230 displays a warning to call attention to the vehicle group ( step S106).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen when traveling vehicles are included in a group of vehicles. If the traveling vehicle is included in a group of vehicles, the in-vehicle device displays a display to call attention to the group of vehicles. In the warning screen 181 shown in FIG. 12, information for calling attention to the traveling vehicle is displayed in an area 182 . In addition, in the warning screen 181 shown in FIG. 12, information is displayed in an area 183 to call attention to group vehicles.

Note that the display mode of the warning is not limited to the example shown in this figure. Any display may be used as long as it is a display that draws attention to other vehicles that run in succession to a vehicle that is running in the vicinity of vehicle A.

Returning to FIG. In step S106, after the warning display for calling attention to the group vehicle is performed, or in step S107, after the warning display for the traveling vehicle is performed, the vehicle detection unit 211 detects the next traveling vehicle within a predetermined time. It is determined whether or not (step S108). The vehicle detection unit 211 refers to the information acquired by the sensor module 250 to determine whether or not a traveling vehicle other than the traveling vehicle detected in step S101 has been detected. Note that when the vehicle detection unit 211 detects another traveling vehicle continuously traveling within a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) after detecting a certain traveling vehicle, the plurality of traveling vehicles are treated as consecutive vehicles. be

In the example shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicle detection unit 211 detects the vehicle B2 within a predetermined time after detecting the vehicle B1, the vehicle B1 and the vehicle B2 are treated as consecutive vehicles.

When the vehicle detection unit 211 determines that the next traveling vehicle has been detected within the predetermined time ("YES" in step S108), the continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 stores information on the traveling vehicle (step S109). ). Specifically, when the vehicle detection unit 211 detects a traveling vehicle, the vehicle detection unit 211 uses the sensor module 250 to acquire information about the traveling vehicle. The vehicle detection unit 211 analyzes the acquired information and acquires information that enables individual recognition of the traveling vehicle. The continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 stores the information, which is acquired by the vehicle detection unit 211 and enables individual recognition of the traveling vehicle, in a buffer (not shown) of the in-vehicle device 20 . Thereafter, control unit 210 returns the process to step S108.

When the vehicle detection unit 211 determines that the next traveling vehicle has not been detected within the predetermined time ("NO" in step S108), the output unit 230 terminates the display of the warning. Specifically, the output unit 230 terminates the display of the warning screen 181 displayed in step S106 or the warning screen 181 displayed in step S107. Note that the display termination timing of the warning is not limited to this example, and the display may be terminated, for example, after a certain period of time has elapsed after the start of display.

Next, the continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 generates continuous vehicle information using the information of the traveling vehicle (step S111). Specifically, when the information about the traveling vehicle is stored in step S109, the continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 generates the information that can identify the traveling vehicle, which is acquired by the vehicle detection unit 211 in steps S102 and S109. is used to generate continuous vehicle information. In step S108, if the next traveling vehicle is not detected within the predetermined time, that is, if the information of the traveling vehicle is not stored in step S109, the process of this step is not performed.

Further, the continuous vehicle information generator 212 identifies the current position of the vehicle A using the positioning signal receiver 270, and identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle A using a gyro sensor or a direction sensor. As with the group vehicle information 121 shown in FIG. 2, the continuous vehicle information includes a vehicle identifier, the order of traveling vehicles, characteristic information, position information and direction of vehicle A, and time information related to the continuous vehicle information. included.

Note that the position information does not have to indicate the current position of the vehicle A. For example, it may indicate the position of the first traveling vehicle among a plurality of traveling vehicles forming a series of vehicles. Alternatively, it may indicate the position of each of a plurality of traveling vehicles that constitute a series of vehicles. Similarly, the time information may be the time at which continuous vehicles are detected, or the time at which continuous vehicle information is transmitted to the server device 10 in step S112, which will be described later.

Next, the continuous vehicle information generator 212 transmits the continuous vehicle information to the server device 10 (step S112). The continuous vehicle information generation unit 212 transmits the continuous vehicle information generated in step S111 to the server device 10 via the communication unit 220 . After that, the control unit 210 returns the process to step S101.

According to the present embodiment, different warnings are output depending on whether the detected traveling vehicle is not a series of vehicles or if it is one of the series of vehicles. That is, when there is another vehicle running in succession to the detected running vehicle, the presence of the other vehicle can be recognized by the warning. It is possible to pay attention to

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of group vehicle information generation processing of the server device 10. As shown in FIG.

First, the communication unit 130 receives continuous vehicle information from the in-vehicle device 20 (step S201). This processing indicates that the continuous vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 20 communicably connected to the server device 10 has been received in step S112 of FIG.

Next, the vehicle group information generator 112 selects one group from the vehicle group information 121 that has not yet been selected (step S202). Specifically, the vehicle group information generator 112 selects one group identifier that has not yet been selected from the vehicle group information 121 .

Next, the vehicle comparison unit 111 compares the vehicles in the continuous vehicle information and the vehicles in the vehicle group information 121 (step S203). Specifically, the vehicle comparison unit 111 compares the feature information of the vehicle whose order is "1" among the continuous vehicle information received in step S201 and the vehicle group information 121 which is selected in step S202 whose order is "1". is compared with the characteristic information of the vehicle, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle matches. The vehicle comparison unit 111 determines, using the feature information, whether each of the continuous vehicles included in the continuous vehicle information matches each of the vehicles forming the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202.

In addition, the vehicle comparison unit 111 regards the difference between the time when the vehicle group associated with the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202 is detected and the current time as the estimated travel time, and multiplies the estimated travel time by the legal speed, Obtain the estimated mileage of the group of vehicles. At that time, the vehicle comparison unit 111 can identify the legal speed at which the vehicles constituting the vehicle group traveled by referring to legal speed information (not shown) associated with the road information 122 .

The vehicle comparison unit 111 also refers to the node information 1221 and the link information 1222 using the position information, the direction, and the calculated estimated travel distance of the vehicle group information 121, and predicts the current traveling position of the vehicle group. . That is, the vehicle comparison unit 111 estimates the travel positions at which the vehicles included in the group vehicle information are traveling at the time according to the time information of the continuous vehicles. The vehicle comparison unit 111 determines whether continuous vehicles exist within a predetermined distance range from the predicted current position.

If all the vehicles in the continuous vehicle information match all the vehicles in the group vehicle information 121, and if the vehicle group exists within a predetermined distance range from the current position predicted for the group vehicle, the vehicle comparison unit 111 Determine that the vehicles are exactly the same.

Next, the group vehicle determination unit 113 determines whether or not the vehicles are completely the same (step S204). The vehicle group determination unit 113 determines whether the vehicle comparison unit 111 selects all vehicles that constitute the continuous vehicle related to the continuous vehicle information received in step S201 and the vehicle group related to one group in the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202. If all the vehicles that make up the vehicle match, the process proceeds to step S205.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that the vehicles are completely the same ("YES" in step S204), the vehicle group information generation unit 112 changes the information regarding the time and traveling position to generate the vehicle group information 121. is updated (step S205). Specifically, the vehicle group information generation unit 112 associates the group identifier of the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202 with the position information, direction, and time included in the continuous vehicle information received in step S201. to update the group vehicle information 121 .

Also, the vehicle group information generator 112 increases the number of receptions of the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202. For example, the group vehicle information generator 112 increments (adds 1 to) the group count associated with the group identifier selected in step S202. As a result, the position information, the direction, the time, and the group count of the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202 are updated. After that, the group vehicle information generation unit 112 ends the processing of this flowchart.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that the vehicles are not exactly the same ("NO" in step S204), the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines whether the vehicles are partially the same (step S206). ). Specifically, in step S203, the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that some of the traveling vehicles included in the continuous vehicle information received by the vehicle comparison unit 111 in step S201 are included in the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202. If it is determined that the group vehicle is included, the process proceeds to step S207.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that some of the vehicles are the same ("YES" in step S206), the vehicle group information generation unit 112 changes the information about the vehicle to generate the vehicle group information 121. Update (step S207). Specifically, the vehicle group information generator 112 updates the vehicle group information 121 by associating the continuous vehicle information received in step S201 with the group identifier of the vehicle group information 121 selected in step S202. That is, the vehicle group information 121 is updated using the information about the continuously traveling vehicles that constitute the continuous vehicle information received in step S201.

Note that the group count of the vehicle group information 121 updated in step S206 is the initial value (for example, "1"). As a result, of the group vehicle information 121 selected in step S202, the group identifier is maintained, and the information regarding each vehicle constituting the group vehicle, the position information, the direction, the time, and the group count are updated. . After that, the group vehicle information generation unit 112 ends the processing of this flowchart.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that some of the vehicles are not the same ("NO" in step S206), that is, the vehicles included in the vehicle group information 121 among the plurality of traveling vehicles included in the continuous vehicle information When determining that there is no vehicle group, the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines whether or not all groups in the vehicle group information 121 have been selected (step S208). Specifically, the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines whether or not all group identifiers included in the vehicle group information 121 have been selected.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that all groups in the vehicle group information 121 have not been selected ("NO" in step S208), the vehicle group determination unit 113 returns the process to step S202.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that all groups in the vehicle group information 121 have been selected ("YES" in step S208), the vehicle group information generation unit 112 generates the vehicle group information 121 using continuous vehicle information. is updated (step S209). Specifically, the vehicle group information generator 112 assigns a new vehicle group identifier to the continuous vehicle information received in step S201, includes it in the vehicle group information 121, and stores it in the storage unit 120. FIG. After that, the group vehicle information generation unit 112 ends the processing of this flowchart.

Note that the vehicle group information generation unit 112 may delete the record related to the vehicle group from the vehicle group information 121 when a certain period of time has passed since the time included in the vehicle group information 121 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when continuous vehicles are detected, the group vehicle information 121 of the server device 10 is updated. As a result, whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the group of vehicles is determined based on new information at all times, and the reliability of the display control service is improved.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of display support processing of the server apparatus 10. As shown in FIG.

First, the group vehicle determination unit 113 of the server device 10 receives inquiry information from the in-vehicle device 20 (step S301). The inquiry information received in this process is the inquiry transmitted by the in-vehicle device 20 in step S102 shown in FIG. That is, the information received by the server device 10 includes information that can identify the traveling vehicle, position information, direction, and time information.

Next, the group vehicle determination unit 113 selects one vehicle that has not yet been selected in the group vehicle information 121 (step S302). Specifically, the vehicle group determination unit 113 selects one vehicle identifier that has not yet been selected from the plurality of vehicle identifiers included in the vehicle group information 121 .

Next, the vehicle comparison unit 111 estimates the current position of the selected vehicle (step S303). Specifically, the vehicle comparison unit 111 uses the time associated with the vehicle identifier selected in step S302 in the vehicle group information 121 and the time included in the inquiry received in step S301 to identify the estimated travel time. do. The estimated travel time is, for example, the difference between the time associated with the vehicle identifier selected in step S302 and the time included in the inquiry.

The vehicle comparison unit 111 obtains the estimated travel distance of the vehicle selected in step S302 by multiplying the estimated travel time by the legal speed. As in the case described above, the vehicle comparison unit 111 refers to the legal speed information (not shown) associated with the road information 122 to specify the legal speed at which the vehicles constituting the vehicle group traveled.

The vehicle comparison unit 111 refers to the node information 1221 and the link information 1222 using the position information, the direction, and the calculated estimated travel distance of the vehicle group information 121, and predicts the current position of the vehicle selected in step S302. . That is, the vehicle comparison unit 111 estimates the current position where the vehicle group is traveling at the time included in the inquiry information.

Note that when there is a vehicle identifier that is not associated with time as in the vehicle group information 121 shown in FIG. treat the time as the time associated with the specified vehicle identifier.

Next, the vehicle comparison unit 111 compares the traveling position and feature information of the vehicle related to the inquiry and the identified vehicle (step S304). Specifically, the vehicle comparison unit 111 determines whether or not the vehicle related to the inquiry exists within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the vehicle estimated in step S303. In addition, the vehicle comparison unit 111 compares the characteristic information of the specified vehicle and the characteristic information of the vehicle related to the inquiry.

Next, the vehicle comparison unit 111 determines whether or not the vehicles match (step S305). Specifically, the vehicle comparison unit 111 determines that the two vehicles match when their feature information matches each other and when the vehicle related to the inquiry is within the aforementioned predetermined distance range.

When the vehicle comparison unit 111 determines that the vehicles match ("YES" in step S305), the continuity possibility information generation unit 114 generates continuity possibility information using the travel position and the group count. (Step S306). Specifically, the continuation possibility information generating unit 114 creates a travel route starting from the location information in the vehicle group information 121 associated with the vehicle identifier selected in step S302 and ending at the location information associated with the inquiry in step S301. It is estimated by referring to the road information 122 .

The continuation possibility information generator 114 specifies the number of branches, which is the number of road branches, on the travel route. The continuation possibility information generation unit 114 calculates so that the continuation possibility becomes lower as the number of branches increases. Note that even when there is a facility that can be visited on the travel route, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 counts the number of branches because there is a possibility that the facility has been visited.

The calculation is performed so that the greater the number of branches, the lower the possibility of continuity. , the possibility of leaving the same group at the current time increases.

In addition, the longer the estimated travel time calculated in step S303, the higher the probability that other vehicles forming the same group as the vehicle selected in step S302 have left the group. , is calculated so that the possibility of continuation is low. Alternatively, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 may calculate the continuation possibility so that the longer the estimated traveled distance calculated in step S303, the lower the continuation possibility.

Further, the continuation possibility information generation unit 114 identifies a group identifier associated with the vehicle identifier selected in step S302, and identifies a group count associated with the group identifier. The continuation possibility information generation unit 114 calculates so that the continuation possibility increases as the group count (that is, the number of times of reception) increases, assuming that the possibility of traveling in a group of the same vehicles increases. The continuity possibility information generation unit 114 generates continuity possibility information including the calculated continuity possibility value.

Next, the determination result output unit 115 transmits the information indicating the vehicle group and the continuity possibility information to the in-vehicle device 20 (step S307). Specifically, the determination result output unit 115 transmits information indicating that the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the vehicle group and the continuity possibility information generated in step S306 to the in-vehicle device 20 as the determination result. do. After that, the control unit 110 terminates the processing of this flowchart.

In step S305, when the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that the vehicles do not match ("NO" in step S305), the vehicle group determination unit 113 selects all vehicles in the vehicle group information 121. It is determined whether or not (step S308). If there is a vehicle identifier that has not been selected among the vehicle identifiers included in the vehicle group information 121, the vehicle group determination unit 113 has not selected all the vehicles in the vehicle group information 121 (step S308). If "NO"), the process returns to step S302.

When the vehicle group determination unit 113 determines that all vehicles in the vehicle group information 121 have been selected ("YES" in step S308), the determination result output unit 115 outputs information indicating that the vehicle is not a vehicle group. , is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 as a determination result (step S309). After that, the control unit 110 terminates the processing of this flowchart.

The determination result transmitted in step S307 and the determination result transmitted in step S309 are received by the in-vehicle device 20 in step S103 of FIG.

According to this embodiment, when the in-vehicle device 20 detects a traveling vehicle, the server device 10 can appropriately determine whether or not there is a vehicle following the traveling vehicle. As a result, the in-vehicle device 20 can output an appropriate warning to the driver of the vehicle A even when the following vehicle is in the blind spot of the preceding vehicle.

Although the embodiments and modifications according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the examples of the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described exemplary embodiments are described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to those having all the configurations described herein. Also, part of the configuration of one example of an embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another example. Also, it is possible to add another example configuration to one example configuration of a certain embodiment. In addition, addition, deletion, and replacement of other configurations can also be performed for a part of the configuration of one example of each embodiment. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them using an integrated circuit. In addition, the control lines and information lines in the drawing indicate what is considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily indicate all of them. It may be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

For example, the server device 10 may record the number of times each vehicle included in the vehicle group information 121 has been detected as one of the vehicle groups. The continuation possibility information generation unit 114 of the server device 10 determines that the greater the number of times vehicles are detected as a vehicle group, the higher the possibility that the vehicle is part of a vehicle group during travel. can be calculated as

Further, the functional configurations of the server device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 described above are classified according to main processing contents for easy understanding. The present invention is not limited by the method of classifying the constituent elements or their names. The configurations of the server device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 can also be classified into more components according to the processing content. Also, one component can be grouped to perform more processing.

1: Display control system, 10: Server device, 20: In-vehicle device, 110: Control unit, 111: Vehicle comparison unit, 112: Group vehicle information generation unit, 113: Group vehicle determination unit, 114: Continuity possibility information generation unit , 115: determination result output unit, 120: storage unit, 121: group vehicle information, 122: road information, 130: communication unit, 140: arithmetic processing unit, 141: CPU, 142: RAM, 143: non-volatile memory, 144 : network I/F, 181: warning screen, 182/183: area, 210: control unit, 211: vehicle detection unit, 212: continuous vehicle information generation unit, 213: request unit, 220: communication unit, 230: output unit , 240: arithmetic processing unit, 241: CPU, 242: RAM, 243: non-volatile memory, 250: sensor module, 260: output device, 270: positioning signal receiving device, 280: network I/F, 1221: node information, 1222: link information, n: network, A/B1/B2: vehicle

Claims (9)

An information processing device communicably connected to an in-vehicle device via a network,
an information processing device communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle device;
receiving information on a traveling vehicle, which is a vehicle traveling within a certain range from a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device and traveling in the same direction as the vehicle, from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit; a group vehicle information generation unit that generates group vehicle information about traveling vehicles;
When inquiry information as to whether or not a certain traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information is received from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit, it is determined whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information. a group vehicle determination unit for determining;
a determination result output unit that outputs the determination result of the group vehicle determination unit using the information processing device communication unit ,
The group vehicle information generation unit generates continuous vehicle information including information on a plurality of the traveling vehicles including a certain traveling vehicle and other traveling vehicles detected within a predetermined time after the traveling vehicle is detected. is received from one or more of the in -vehicle devices using the information processing device communication unit, and the group vehicle information is generated. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
When the inquiry information is received, information indicating the possibility that another vehicle will follow the traveling vehicle using at least one of the information of the traveling vehicle included in the inquiry information and the group vehicle information . a continuation possibility information generation unit that generates continuation possibility information that is
The determination result output unit provides information indicating that the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry is included in the group vehicle information when the group vehicle determination unit determines that the traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information. and the continuation possibility information as the determination result using the information processing device communication unit. The information processing device according to claim 2 ,
The group vehicle information generation unit generates the group vehicle information including the number of times of reception when the continuous vehicle information including the same traveling vehicle is received a plurality of times,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the continuity possibility information generating unit generates the continuity possibility information such that the value of the continuity possibility information increases as the number of times of reception increases. The information processing device according to claim 2 ,
The inquiry information includes at least one of position information related to the running vehicle and time information related to detection of the running vehicle,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the continuity possibility information generation unit generates the continuity possibility information using at least one of the position information and the time information. The information processing device according to claim 4 ,
Equipped with a storage unit that stores road information,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the continuity possibility information generating unit generates the continuity possibility information using the position information and the road information when the position information is included in the inquiry information. The information processing device according to claim 5 ,
The continuity possibility information generating unit counts the number of branches of a route between the position information included in the vehicle group information and the position information included in the inquiry information, and the greater the number of branches, the more likely the continuity possibility is. An information processing apparatus, wherein the continuity possibility information is generated so that the value of the information is low. a vehicle detection unit that detects a traveling vehicle traveling within a certain range from a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device and traveling in the same direction as the vehicle;
a continuous vehicle information generation unit that determines that the positions of the plurality of running vehicles are continuous when the vehicle detection unit detects a plurality of the running vehicles within a predetermined period of time, and generates continuous vehicle information;
an in-vehicle device communication unit that transmits the continuous vehicle information to an information processing device;
a request unit that generates inquiry information using information about the traveling vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit;
and an output unit that outputs a warning about the running vehicle,
The in-vehicle device communication unit transmits the inquiry information to the information processing device, and determines whether the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry information is included in group vehicle information generated using one or more pieces of the continuous vehicle information. received as information in response to the inquiry whether or not
The in-vehicle device, wherein the output unit outputs the warning in a different output mode according to the information in response to the inquiry. A display control system having an information processing device and an in-vehicle device that are communicably connected to each other via a network,
The information processing device is
an information processing device communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle device;
receiving information on a traveling vehicle, which is a vehicle traveling within a certain range from a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device and traveling in the same direction as the vehicle, from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit; a group vehicle information generation unit that generates group vehicle information about traveling vehicles;
When inquiry information as to whether or not a certain traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information is received from the in-vehicle device using the information processing device communication unit, it is determined whether or not the traveling vehicle is included in the group vehicle information. a group vehicle determination unit for determining;
a determination result output unit that outputs the determination result of the group vehicle determination unit using the information processing device communication unit,
The in-vehicle device
a vehicle detection unit that detects the traveling vehicle related to the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device;
a continuous vehicle information generation unit that determines that the positions of the plurality of running vehicles are continuous when the vehicle detection unit detects a plurality of the running vehicles within a predetermined period of time, and generates continuous vehicle information;
an in-vehicle device communication unit that transmits the continuous vehicle information to the information processing device;
a request unit that generates inquiry information using information about the traveling vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit;
and an output unit that outputs a warning about the running vehicle,
The in-vehicle device communication unit transmits the inquiry information to the information processing device, and determines whether the traveling vehicle related to the inquiry information is included in group vehicle information generated using one or more pieces of the continuous vehicle information. Receive the determination result indicating whether or not as information in response to the inquiry,
The display control system, wherein the output unit outputs the warning in a different output mode according to the determination result. The display control system according to claim 8 ,
The information processing device is
When the inquiry information is received, information indicating the possibility that another vehicle will follow the traveling vehicle using at least one of the information of the traveling vehicle included in the inquiry information and the group vehicle information . a continuation possibility information generation unit that generates continuation possibility information that is
The determination result includes the continuity possibility information,
The display control system, wherein the output unit of the in-vehicle device outputs the warning in the output mode determined using the continuity possibility information.

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