JP7313806B2 - Pedestrian device, vehicle-mounted device, inter-pedestrian communication system, and safety confirmation support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pedestrian device carried by a pedestrian, an in-vehicle device mounted in a vehicle, a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system for performing inter-pedestrian communication between the pedestrian device and the in-vehicle device, and a safety confirmation support method for assisting pedestrian safety confirmation by exchanging information between the pedestrian device and the in-vehicle device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, studies have been made toward the practical application and popularization of a safe driving support wireless system using ITS (Intelligent Transport System). In this safe driving support wireless system, ITS communication (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication) is performed between an in-vehicle terminal installed in a vehicle and a pedestrian terminal carried by a pedestrian, thereby exchanging location information of the vehicle and the pedestrian, determining the risk of collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian, and alerting the driver of the vehicle and the pedestrian to avoid an accident.

If the pedestrian is already aware of the vehicle, such a warning to the pedestrian makes the pedestrian feel annoyed and uncomfortable. Therefore, there is known a technique of detecting the orientation of a pedestrian's face and notifying the pedestrian of the approach of the vehicle when the pedestrian is not looking in the direction in which the vehicle is present (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-198295 A

If the pedestrian is not looking in the direction in which the vehicle is present, it is assumed that the pedestrian is unaware of the approaching vehicle. In such a case, the approaching vehicle can be made to be noticed by the pedestrian by notifying the approaching vehicle as in the conventional art. However, simply notifying an approaching vehicle does not show which direction the vehicle is approaching, so pedestrians have to look around, which poses the problem of not being able to adequately assist pedestrians in confirming their safety. Moreover, even when the pedestrian is not looking at the direction in which the vehicle exists, the pedestrian may be sufficiently aware of the surrounding vehicles.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian device, an in-vehicle device, an inter-vehicle communication system, and a safety confirmation support method that can alert pedestrians at appropriate timing and appropriately support safety confirmation of pedestrians.

A pedestrian device of the present invention is a pedestrian device that exchanges information with an in-vehicle device through inter-pedestrian communication to support safety confirmation of pedestrians, and includes an inter-pedestrian-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle device, a control unit,A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;wherein the controller transmits position information of the pedestrian from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and the pedestrian approaches the vehicle within a predetermined distance.and the in-vehicle device determinedwhen the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit receives the guide direction information transmitted from the in-vehicle device in this case, performing control to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists, based on the guide direction information;Viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the pedestrian's head direction and the object that the pedestrian is viewing, measured by the wearable deviceto getIncludes head orientation and eye distanceVisual condition information is transmitted from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and if the pedestrian is not visually observing the vehicle,the in-vehicle deviceWhen the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit receives the alert information transmitted from the in-vehicle device in the case of determination, control is performed to alert the pedestrian based on the alert information.

Further, an in-vehicle device of the present invention is an in-vehicle device that exchanges information with a pedestrian device through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication to support the safety confirmation of pedestrians, and comprises a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the pedestrian device, and a control unit,of the in-vehicle deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian, and if the pedestrian has approached within the predetermined distance from the vehicle, guide direction information for guiding the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists,of the in-vehicle devicetransmitted to the pedestrian device by the inter-pedestrian communication unit;Includes the head orientation of the pedestrian and the distance to the object the pedestrian is viewing, measured by a wearable device that is attached to the pedestrian's head and detects the visual state of the pedestrian.visual condition information, of the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, based on the visual condition information, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, attention calling information for executing a warning to the pedestrian,of the in-vehicle deviceThe information is transmitted to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit.

Further, a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system of the present invention is a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device to support pedestrian safety confirmation, wherein the pedestrian device includes an inter-pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle device, a control unit,A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;withof the pedestrian deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the pedestrian deviceTransmitted from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the vehicleand the in-vehicle device determinedGuidance direction information transmitted from the in-vehicle device whenof the pedestrian deviceWhen received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit, based on the guidance direction information, control is performed to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists,Viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the pedestrian's head direction and the object that the pedestrian is viewing, measured by the wearable deviceto getIncludes head orientation and eye distancevisual condition informationof the pedestrian deviceTransmit from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the vehiclethe in-vehicle deviceAlert information transmitted from the in-vehicle device when determinedof the pedestrian deviceWhen received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit, based on the alert information, the in-vehicle device performs control to execute inter-pedestrian communication with the pedestrian device, and a control unit,of the in-vehicle deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian.of the in-vehicle deviceThe pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit transmits the visual condition information to the pedestrian device.of the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it determines whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the visual condition information, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, the warning information is sent.of the in-vehicle deviceThe information is transmitted to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit.

Further, the safety confirmation support method of the present invention exchanges information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device to support pedestrian safety confirmation, wherein the pedestrian device transmits location information of the pedestrian to the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device determines whether the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian, and when the pedestrian has approached within the predetermined distance from the vehicle, guides the pedestrian to look in the direction of the vehicle. guidance direction information is transmitted to the pedestrian device, and the pedestrian device performs control to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists based on the guidance direction information;By performing short-range communication with a wearable device mounted on the head of the pedestrian and detecting the visual state of the pedestrian, the wearable device acquires the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object the pedestrian is viewing, and transmits visual state information including the head direction and the viewpoint distance to the in-vehicle device;The in-vehicle device determines whether or not a pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the visual condition information, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, sends attention calling information for calling attention to the pedestrian to the pedestrian device, and the pedestrian device performs control to call attention to the own pedestrian based on the attention calling information.

According to the present invention, even if the pedestrian is guided to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists, the pedestrian does not look at the vehicle, that is, when it is assumed that the pedestrian does not notice the vehicle, the pedestrian's attention is called. As a result, the pedestrian's attention can be called at an appropriate timing, and the safety confirmation of the pedestrian can be appropriately supported.

Overall configuration diagram of the safety confirmation support system according to the first embodiment FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the operation procedure of the safety confirmation support system according to the first embodiment; Block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wearable terminal 2 according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle terminal 3 according to the first embodiment; FIG. Explanatory diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the guidance direction determination unit 65 according to the first embodiment. Explanatory diagram showing an outline of processing performed by the visual guidance control unit 24 of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of processing performed by the viewpoint distance measuring unit 42 of the wearable terminal 2 according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of processing performed by the vehicle visual determination unit 66 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment; Flow chart showing the operation procedure of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing operation procedures of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment; A sequence diagram showing an overview of the operation procedure of the safety confirmation support system according to the second embodiment. Explanatory diagram showing a screen displayed on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 according to the third embodiment Explanatory diagram showing vehicle body information stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the third embodiment. Explanatory diagram showing image display setting information stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the third embodiment. A sequence diagram showing an outline of the operation procedure of the safety confirmation support system according to the third embodiment. Explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration diagram of the safety confirmation support system according to the fourth embodiment

A first invention made to solve the above-mentioned problems is a pedestrian device that exchanges information with an in-vehicle device by inter-pedestrian communication to support safety confirmation of pedestrians, comprising: an inter-pedestrian communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle device; a control unit;A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;wherein the controller transmits position information of the pedestrian from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and the pedestrian approaches the vehicle within a predetermined distance.and the in-vehicle device determinedwhen the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit receives the guide direction information transmitted from the in-vehicle device in this case, the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit performs control to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists, based on the guide direction information;Viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the pedestrian's head direction and the object that the pedestrian is viewing, measured by the wearable deviceto getIncludes head orientation and eye distanceVisual condition information is transmitted from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and if the pedestrian is not visually observing the vehicle,the in-vehicle deviceWhen the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit receives the alert information transmitted from the in-vehicle device in the case of determination, control is performed to alert the pedestrian based on the alert information.

According to this, even if the pedestrian is guided to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists, the pedestrian does not look at the vehicle, that is, when it is assumed that the pedestrian does not notice the vehicle, the pedestrian's attention is called. As a result, the pedestrian's attention can be called at an appropriate timing, and the safety confirmation of the pedestrian can be appropriately supported. In addition, since the visual state of the pedestrian is detected by the wearable device, highly accurate visual state information can be obtained. Furthermore, in the in-vehicle device, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle.

In a second invention, the controller controls at least one of a vibrator, a speaker, and a display provided in the wearable device, and guides the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists.

According to this, it is possible to appropriately guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists.

In a third invention, the control unit displays a virtual vehicle image on a display provided in the wearable device.

According to this, even when the actual vehicle cannot be seen from the pedestrian, such as at a non-line-of-sight intersection, the pedestrian can virtually see the vehicle.

Also, the4The present invention is an in-vehicle device that exchanges information with a pedestrian device through inter-pedestrian communication to support pedestrian safety confirmation, comprising a pedestrian-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the pedestrian device, and a control unit,of the in-vehicle deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian, and if the pedestrian has approached within the predetermined distance from the vehicle, guide direction information for guiding the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists,of the in-vehicle devicetransmitted to the pedestrian device by the inter-pedestrian communication unit;Includes the head direction of the pedestrian and the distance to the object that the pedestrian is looking at, measured by a wearable device that is attached to the pedestrian's head and detects the visual state of the pedestrian.visual condition information, of the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, based on the visual condition information, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, attention calling information for executing a warning to the pedestrian,of the in-vehicle deviceThe information is transmitted to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit.

According to this, similar to the first invention, the pedestrian's attention can be called at an appropriate timing, and the pedestrian's safety confirmation can be appropriately supported.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, the controller does not transmit the alert information when a pedestrian looks at the own vehicle.

According to this, when the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle, that is, when it is assumed that the pedestrian is aware of the vehicle, the pedestrian is not alerted. As a result, it is possible to avoid annoyance of pedestrians due to unnecessary alerts.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the control unit determines whether or not a pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the head direction and viewpoint distance received from the pedestrian device and the body size of the own vehicle as the visual state information.

According to this, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the controller transmits a virtual vehicle image of the own vehicle, a display size and a display position for displaying the virtual vehicle image on a wearable device attached to the body of the pedestrian, and the guide direction information to the pedestrian device.

According to this, even when the actual vehicle cannot be seen from the pedestrian, such as at a non-line-of-sight intersection, the pedestrian can virtually see the vehicle.

Also, the8The present invention is a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device to support pedestrian safety confirmation, wherein the pedestrian device includes an inter-pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle device, a control unit,A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;withof the pedestrian deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the pedestrian deviceTransmitted from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the vehicleand the in-vehicle device determinedGuidance direction information transmitted from the in-vehicle device whenof the pedestrian deviceWhen received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit, based on the guidance direction information, control is performed to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists,Viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the pedestrian's head direction and the object that the pedestrian is viewing, measured by the wearable deviceto getIncludes head orientation and eye distancevisual condition informationof the pedestrian deviceTransmit from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the vehiclethe in-vehicle deviceAlert information transmitted from the in-vehicle device when determinedof the pedestrian deviceWhen received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit, based on the alert information, the in-vehicle device performs control to execute inter-pedestrian communication with the pedestrian device, and a control unit,of the in-vehicle deviceThe control unit receives the position information of the pedestrianof the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian, and if the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the guide direction information is transmitted.of the in-vehicle deviceThe pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit transmits the visual condition information to the pedestrian device.of the in-vehicle deviceWhen received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, it determines whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the visual condition information, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, the warning information is sent.of the in-vehicle deviceThe information is transmitted to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit.

According to this, similar to the first invention, the pedestrian's attention can be called at an appropriate timing, and the pedestrian's safety confirmation can be appropriately supported.

A ninth aspect of the present invention further comprises an analysis device, and the analysis device collects position information from the in-vehicle device of pedestrians who did not look at the vehicle despite being guided to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists, and sets a dangerous area based on the position information of the pedestrian.

According to this, when a pedestrian ignores visual guidance, it is in a high-risk state, and by setting a place in such a state as a dangerous area, it is possible to prevent traffic accidents.

Also, the10The present invention is a safety confirmation support method for supporting pedestrian safety confirmation by exchanging information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device, wherein the pedestrian device transmits location information of the pedestrian to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian. the pedestrian device, based on the guide direction information, controls the pedestrian device to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists;By performing short-range communication with a wearable device mounted on the head of the pedestrian and detecting the visual state of the pedestrian, the wearable device acquires the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object the pedestrian is viewing, and transmits visual state information including the head direction and the viewpoint distance to the in-vehicle device;The in-vehicle device determines whether or not a pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the visual condition information, and if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, sends attention calling information for calling attention to the pedestrian to the pedestrian device, and the pedestrian device performs control to call attention to the own pedestrian based on the attention calling information.

According to this, similar to the first invention, the pedestrian's attention can be called at an appropriate timing, and the pedestrian's safety confirmation can be appropriately supported.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a safety confirmation support system according to the first embodiment.

This safety confirmation support system (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system) supports pedestrian safety confirmation, and includes a pedestrian terminal 1 (pedestrian device), a wearable terminal 2 (wearable device), an in-vehicle terminal 3 (in-vehicle device), and a car navigation device 4, and ITS communication (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication) is performed between the pedestrian terminal 1 and the in-vehicle terminal 3.

ITS communication (road-walking communication) is wireless communication using a frequency band (for example, 700 MHz band or 5.8 GHz band) employed in a safe driving support wireless system using ITS (Intelligent Transport System).

The pedestrian terminal 1 is possessed by a pedestrian. The pedestrian terminal 1 transmits/receives a message including position information to/from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 by ITS communication (inter-pedestrian communication) to determine the risk of collision between the pedestrian and the vehicle.

The wearable terminal 2 is worn on the body of a pedestrian. This wearable terminal 2 is connected to the pedestrian terminal 1, and based on the control of the pedestrian terminal 1, when there is a risk of collision, uses the functions of vibration output, audio output, and image display to alert pedestrians.

The vehicle-mounted terminal 3 is mounted on the vehicle. The in-vehicle terminal 3 transmits/receives a message including position information and the like to/from the pedestrian terminal 1 by ITS communication (inter-vehicle communication) to determine the risk of collision between the pedestrian and the own vehicle.

The car navigation device 4 provides route guidance to the driver and is mounted on the vehicle. The car navigation device 4 is connected to the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, and under the control of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, uses the functions of voice output and image display to alert the driver when there is a risk of collision.

Next, an overview of operation procedures of the safety confirmation support system according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the operation procedure of the safety confirmation support system.

In this embodiment, when a pedestrian approaches a vehicle, the pedestrian is guided to look in the direction of the vehicle, and if the pedestrian does not look at the vehicle, the pedestrian's attention is called.

The wearable terminal 2 is worn on the head of the pedestrian, measures the head orientation (orientation of the face) of the pedestrian, and transmits head orientation information, which is the measurement result, to the pedestrian terminal 1 . Also, the wearable terminal 2 measures the distance (viewpoint distance) to an object (visual object) that the pedestrian is looking at, and transmits viewpoint distance information, which is the measurement result, to the pedestrian terminal 1 .

The wearable terminal 2 may always measure and transmit the head direction and the viewpoint distance at predetermined intervals, or may perform the measurement and transmission in response to a request from the pedestrian terminal 1 . Moreover, when performing according to the request|requirement from the pedestrian terminal 1, it should just continue until predetermined time passes after receiving a request|requirement.

The pedestrian terminal 1 first transmits a normal message to the in-vehicle terminal 3 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This normal message includes the terminal ID and location information (latitude and longitude) of the own device, and the pedestrian's head direction information acquired from the wearable terminal 2 .

When the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 receives a normal message from the pedestrian terminal 1 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, it determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m) from the own vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian included in the message and the position information of the own vehicle measured by the own device (pedestrian approach detection). Then, when the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, the direction (guidance direction) in which the own vehicle exists as seen from the pedestrian is determined based on the pedestrian's position information, the own vehicle's position information, and the pedestrian's head direction information included in the received message (guidance direction determination).

Next, the in-vehicle terminal 3 transmits a visual guidance message to the pedestrian terminal 1 by pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This visual guidance message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to be notified and guidance direction information that is the result of the guidance direction determination.

When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives the visual guidance message from the on-vehicle terminal 3 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, the wearable terminal 2 controls the wearable terminal 2 so as to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction of the vehicle based on the guidance direction information included in the message. In this embodiment, a pedestrian is notified of the direction in which the vehicle is present by visual guidance operations such as voice output, vibration output, and image display.

Next, the pedestrian terminal 1 transmits a visual condition report message to the in-vehicle terminal 3 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This viewing state report message includes the terminal ID and position information of the own device, and the pedestrian's viewing state information (head direction information and viewpoint distance information) acquired from the wearable terminal 2 .

When receiving the visual condition report message from the pedestrian terminal 1 through inter-vehicle communication, the in-vehicle terminal 3 determines whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the location information of the pedestrian terminal 1, the pedestrian's head direction information and viewpoint distance information included in the message, and the position information of the own device (vehicle visual determination).

Next, when the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 transmits a warning message to the pedestrian terminal 1 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This warning message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to be notified, and warning information for urging the pedestrian to be careful of the vehicle. On the other hand, when the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle, no warning message is sent.

When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives a warning message from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 by inter-pedestrian communication, it controls the wearable terminal 2 so as to perform a warning activation operation for urging the pedestrian to pay attention to the vehicle based on the warning information included in the message. In the present embodiment, the wearable terminal 2 is made to perform an alerting action by vibration output, sound output, image display, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the wearable terminal 2 is caused to perform the alerting operation for the pedestrian, but the pedestrian terminal 1 itself or a mobile information terminal (not shown) such as a smartphone possessed by the pedestrian (not shown). It may be made to perform the alerting operation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 determines the guidance direction, but the pedestrian terminal 1 may determine the guidance direction. In this case, when the in-vehicle terminal 3 detects that a pedestrian has approached the own vehicle, it transmits a visual guidance instruction message to the pedestrian terminal 1. When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives the visual guidance instruction message from the in-vehicle terminal 3, it determines the guidance direction, and controls the wearable terminal 2 to perform a visual guidance operation according to the determination result. Since the position information of the vehicle is necessary for determining the guidance direction, the position information of the vehicle may be added to the visual guidance instruction message and transmitted to the pedestrian terminal 1 .

Next, a schematic configuration of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the pedestrian terminal 1. As shown in FIG.

The pedestrian terminal 1 includes a positioning unit 11 , an ITS communication unit 12 (road-walking communication unit), a short-range communication unit 13 , a control unit 14 and a storage unit 15 .

The positioning unit 11 measures the position of its own device using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) to acquire position information (latitude and longitude) of its own device.

The ITS communication unit 12 transmits and receives messages to and from the in-vehicle terminal 3 by ITS communication (inter-vehicle communication).

The short-range communication unit 13 performs short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with the wearable terminal 2 .

The storage unit 15 stores a terminal ID of its own device, a program executed by a processor constituting the control unit 14, and the like.

The control unit 14 includes a message control unit 21 , a collision determination unit 22 , a warning control unit 23 , and a visual guidance control unit 24 . The control unit 14 is configured by a processor, and each unit of the control unit 14 is realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 15 by the processor.

The message control unit 21 controls transmission of messages to the in-vehicle terminal 3 .

The collision determination unit 22 determines whether there is a risk of the vehicle colliding with the pedestrian based on the location information of the pedestrian acquired by the positioning unit 11 and the location information of the vehicle included in the message received from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3.

The alerting control unit 23 controls the wearable terminal 2 to perform a predetermined alerting operation for the pedestrian. In this embodiment, when the collision determination unit 22 determines that there is a risk of collision or when a message for attention is received from the in-vehicle terminal 3, the wearable terminal 2 is caused to perform an attention activation operation. It should be noted that if a warning message is received and there is a risk of collision, the warning action may be performed. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary alerting actions.

Based on the visual guidance information received from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, the visual guidance control unit 24 controls the wearable terminal 2 to perform a visual guidance operation that guides the pedestrian to look in the direction of the vehicle.

Next, a schematic configuration of the wearable terminal 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the wearable terminal 2. As shown in FIG.

The wearable terminal 2 includes an orientation sensor 31 , a line-of-sight sensor 32 , a distance measuring sensor 33 , a short-range communication section 34 , left and right vibrators 35 a and 35 b , left and right speakers 36 a and 36 b , a display 37 , a control section 38 and a storage section 39 .

The azimuth sensor 31 detects the geomagnetic azimuth. From the detection result of the direction sensor 31, the head direction (face direction) of the pedestrian wearing the wearable terminal 2 can be obtained.

The line-of-sight sensor 32 detects the line of sight of the pedestrian. From the detection result of this line-of-sight sensor 32, the coordinates of the viewpoint in the line-of-sight detection area defined by the XY orthogonal coordinate system can be obtained.

A distance sensor 33 measures the distance to an opposing object. The distance measuring sensor 33 may employ, for example, a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) method. In the PSD method, light emitted from a light-emitting element is reflected by an object, and the reflected light is detected by a light-receiving element. At this time, the distance to the object is measured based on the incident angle of the reflected light, which changes according to the distance to the object.

The short-range communication unit 34 performs short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with the pedestrian terminal 1 .

Vibrators 35a, 35b, speakers 36a, 36b, and display 37, based on the control of pedestrian terminal 1, perform a visual guidance operation that guides pedestrians to look in the direction of the vehicle, and an alerting operation that encourages pedestrians to pay attention to approaching vehicles.

In this embodiment, the display 37 is a transparent display through which the actual scenery can be seen, but it may be a retinal projection type projector.

The storage unit 39 stores programs and the like that are executed by the processor that constitutes the control unit 38 .

The control unit 38 includes a head orientation measurement unit 41 and a viewpoint distance measurement unit 42 . The control unit 38 is configured by a processor, and each unit of the control unit 38 is realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 39 by the processor.

The head orientation measurement unit 41 measures the head orientation (face orientation) of the pedestrian based on the detection result of the orientation sensor 31 .

The viewpoint distance measuring unit 42 measures the distance (viewpoint distance) to the object (visual object) that the pedestrian is looking at based on the detection results of the line-of-sight sensor 32 and the distance measuring sensor 33 .

Next, a schematic configuration of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 3. As shown in FIG.

The vehicle-mounted terminal 3 includes a positioning unit 51 , an ITS communication unit 52 (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit), an input/output unit 53 , a control unit 54 , and a storage unit 55 .

The positioning unit 51 measures the position of its own device using a satellite positioning system such as GPS or QZSS, and acquires its own position information (latitude and longitude).

The ITS communication unit 52 transmits and receives messages to and from the pedestrian terminal 1 through ITS communication (pedestrian-vehicle communication).

The input/output unit 53 inputs and outputs information to and from the car navigation device 4 . Based on the information output from the input/output unit 35, the car navigation device 4 performs an operation to call attention to the driver.

The storage unit 55 stores programs and the like executed by the processors constituting the control unit 54 .

The control unit 54 includes a message control unit 61 , a collision determination unit 62 , a warning control unit 63 , a pedestrian approach detection unit 64 , a guidance direction determination unit 65 , and a vehicle visual determination unit 66 . The control unit 54 is configured by a processor, and each unit of the control unit 54 is realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 55 by the processor.

The message control unit 61 controls transmission of messages to the pedestrian terminal 1 .

The collision determination unit 62 determines whether there is a risk of the vehicle colliding with a pedestrian based on the location information of the vehicle acquired by the positioning unit 51 and the location information of the pedestrian included in the message received from the pedestrian terminal 1.

The alerting control unit 63 controls the car navigation device 4 to perform a predetermined alerting operation for the driver of the own vehicle. In this embodiment, when the collision determination unit 22 determines that there is a risk of collision, the car navigation device 4 is made to perform an alerting operation (for example, voice output, screen display, etc.).

The pedestrian approach detection unit 64 detects that the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle based on the pedestrian position information received from the pedestrian terminal 1 and the own vehicle position information acquired from the positioning unit 51.

The guidance direction determination unit 65 determines the direction (guidance direction) in which the vehicle exists as seen from the pedestrian, based on the position information and head direction information of the pedestrian and the position information of the own vehicle, in order to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the vehicle is in the right or left direction as viewed from the pedestrian as the guidance direction.

The vehicle visual determination unit 66 determines whether or not a pedestrian is viewing the own vehicle based on the pedestrian's position information, the head orientation information, and the viewpoint distance information received from the pedestrian terminal 1, the own vehicle's position information acquired from the positioning unit 51, and the own vehicle's body size information stored in the storage unit 55.

Next, processing performed by the guidance direction determination unit 65 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the guidance direction determining section 65. As shown in FIG.

The guidance direction determining unit 65 of the in-vehicle terminal 3 determines the direction (guidance direction) of the vehicle as seen from the pedestrian, based on the pedestrian's position information and head direction information, and the own vehicle's position information, in order to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the vehicle is in the right or left direction as viewed from the pedestrian as the guidance direction.

At this time, based on the positional information (latitude and longitude) of the pedestrian and the vehicle, the azimuth of the vehicle relative to the pedestrian is obtained. Then, the head direction (face direction) of the pedestrian, that is, the front direction of the pedestrian, is compared with the direction of the vehicle relative to the pedestrian to determine whether the vehicle is on the right side or the left side of the pedestrian.

Specifically, the direction of the pedestrian's head is taken as the reference direction, and the clockwise direction is taken as a positive angle. When the angle θ between the reference direction and the vehicle direction is between 0 degrees and 180 degrees, it is determined as the right direction, and when it is between 181 degrees and 360 degrees, it is determined as the left direction.

In the present embodiment, the wearable terminal 2 attached to the head of the pedestrian measures the head orientation of the pedestrian, and the guide direction is determined using the head orientation as the reference orientation. Alternatively, the guide direction may be determined using the movement direction of the pedestrian as the reference orientation. In this case, the movement direction may be acquired from the history of the pedestrian's position information.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether the object is in the right or left direction as the guide direction, but the guide direction may be determined by more subdividing. For example, it may be subdivided into four directions of the right front, the right rear, the left front, and the left rear. Moreover, each direction of the front, right side, and right behind may be added.

Next, processing performed by the visual guidance control unit 24 of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the visual guidance control unit 24. As shown in FIG.

Based on the visual guidance information received from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, the visual guidance control unit 24 of the pedestrian terminal 1 controls the visual guidance operation for the pedestrian. The visual guidance information includes information about the direction in which the vehicle is present as seen from the pedestrian, that is, whether the vehicle is approaching from either the left or right direction, and based on this information, the wearable terminal 2 is made to perform visual guidance operation so that the pedestrian looks in either the left or right direction.

In this embodiment, either the left or right vibrator 35a or 35b of the wearable terminal 2 is operated as the visual guidance operation, as shown in FIGS. 7A-1 and 7A-2. That is, when the vehicle approaches from the left hand direction, the left vibrator 35a is operated so that the pedestrian looks left hand direction. Also, when the vehicle approaches from the right direction, the right vibrator 35b is operated so that the pedestrian can see the right direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, as a visual guidance operation, a notification sound (sound effect) is output from either the left or right speaker 36a or 36b of the wearable terminal 2, as shown in FIGS. 7B-1 and 7B-2. That is, when the vehicle approaches from the left side, the notification sound is output from the left speaker 36a so that the pedestrian can see the left side. Also, when the vehicle approaches from the right direction, a notification sound is output from the right speaker 36b so that the pedestrian can see the right direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, as a visual guidance operation, an arrow pointing either left or right is displayed on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2, as shown in FIGS. 7(C-1) and (C-2). That is, when the vehicle is approaching from the left hand direction, the display 37 displays a leftward arrow so that the pedestrian can see the left hand direction. Also, when the vehicle is approaching from the right direction, a rightward arrow is displayed on the display 37 so that the pedestrian can see the right direction. The display 37 is a transparent display through which the actual scenery can be seen, and an arrow image is overlaid (superimposed) on the actual scenery.

In the present embodiment, notification sounds (sound effects) are output from the speakers 36a and 36b, but a voice with words that guide the direction in which the vehicle is present, for example, "a vehicle is approaching from the right direction" may be output.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wearable terminal 2 performs an alerting operation in addition to such a visual guidance operation. As this action to call attention, the vibrators 35a and 35b are operated, and a voice call for attention, for example, "A car is approaching. Please be careful."

Next, processing performed by the viewpoint distance measuring unit 42 of the wearable terminal 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the viewpoint distance measuring unit 42. As shown in FIG.

The viewpoint distance measurement unit 42 of the wearable terminal 2 measures the distance (viewpoint distance) to the object (visual object) that the pedestrian is looking at based on the detection results of the line-of-sight sensor 32 and the distance measurement sensor 33 .

In this embodiment, the detection direction of the distance sensor 33 is adjustable, and based on the line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight sensor 32, the detection direction of the distance sensor 33 is adjusted so as to match the line-of-sight direction of the pedestrian, and then the distance to the opposing object is detected by the range sensor 33, whereby the distance (viewpoint distance) to the object (vehicle) that the pedestrian is looking at can be measured.

Here, the line-of-sight direction (orientation of the eyeball) is different for the right eye and the left eye, and the detection direction of the distance measuring sensor 33 may be adjusted so that the line-of-sight direction of the right eye and the line-of-sight direction of the left eye intersect, and the direction of the line of sight is obtained.

In the present embodiment, the distance sensor 33 is directed in the line-of-sight direction of the pedestrian based on the detection result of the line-of-sight sensor 32, and the viewpoint distance is measured. That is, it is possible to obtain a visual point where the line-of-sight direction of the right eye and the line-of-sight direction of the left eye intersect, and measure the distance between the visual point and the position of the pedestrian as the viewpoint distance.

Next, processing performed by the vehicle visual determination unit 66 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the vehicle visual determination unit 66. As shown in FIG.

The vehicle visual determination unit 66 of the in-vehicle terminal 3 determines whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the pedestrian position information, the head direction information and the viewpoint distance information received from the pedestrian terminal 1, the position information of the own vehicle acquired from the positioning unit 51, and the body size information of the own vehicle stored in the storage unit 55.

At this time, first, the vehicle body range (the range in which the vehicle body exists) of the own vehicle is set based on the position information of the own vehicle and the body size information of the own vehicle. The vehicle body range is defined by the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the four corner points (front right, front left, rear right, rear left) of the vehicle body. The vehicle position information represents the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the center point of the vehicle body, and the vehicle body range can be set from the coordinates of the center point and the vehicle body size.

Also, based on the pedestrian's position information, head direction information, and viewpoint distance information, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the point (visual point) that the pedestrian is looking at are set. Then, the visual point of the pedestrian and the vehicle body range are compared, and when the pedestrian's visual point is included in the vehicle body range, it is determined that the pedestrian is viewing the vehicle. Note that the visual point may be set in consideration of the direction of the line of sight in addition to the direction of the head (orientation of the face).

Next, an operation procedure of the pedestrian terminal 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing the operation procedure of the pedestrian terminal 1. As shown in FIG.

In the pedestrian terminal 1, first, as shown in FIG. 10A, the message control section 21 acquires position information (latitude and longitude) of the own device from the positioning section 11 (ST101). Head direction information measured by the head direction measurement unit 41 based on the detection result of the direction sensor 31 in the wearable terminal 2 is obtained from the wearable terminal 2 (ST102). Then, a normal message is transmitted from the ITS communication section 12 to the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 (ST103). This normal message includes the terminal ID and position information of the device itself, and the head direction information.

Next, in the pedestrian terminal 1, as shown in FIG. 10(B), when the ITS communication unit 12 receives the visual guidance message from the in-vehicle terminal 3 (Yes in ST104), the visual guidance control unit 24 controls the wearable terminal 2 to perform the visual guidance operation for the pedestrian (ST105). At this time, the visual guidance message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 and guidance direction information. Based on the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1, it is determined whether or not the notification is directed to the device itself.

At this time, as a visual guidance operation, either the left or right vibrator 35a, 35b of the wearable terminal 2 is operated, a notification sound (sound effect) is output from the left or right speaker 36a, 36b, and an arrow pointing to either the left or right is displayed on the display 37.

Next, the message control unit 21 acquires the head direction information measured by the head direction measurement unit 41 from the wearable terminal 2 based on the detection result of the direction sensor 31 in the wearable terminal 2 (ST106). Also, the viewpoint distance information (the distance to the object that the pedestrian is looking at) measured by the viewpoint distance measuring unit 42 based on the detection results of the line-of-sight sensor 32 and the distance measuring sensor 33 in the wearable terminal 2 is obtained from the wearable terminal 2 (ST107). Then, a visual condition report message is transmitted from the ITS communication section 12 to the in-vehicle terminal 3 (ST108). This viewing state report message includes the terminal ID and position information of the own device, and viewing state information (head direction information and viewpoint distance information).

The visual condition report message is periodically transmitted until a predetermined reporting time elapses after receiving the visual guidance message from the on-vehicle terminal 3, and after the reporting time elapses, the message returns to a normal message not including the line-of-sight direction information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the head direction information is added to the normal message, but the line-of-sight direction information may be added to the normal message in addition to the head direction information. In this case, the normal message also serves as the visual condition report message.

Next, in the pedestrian terminal 1, as shown in FIG. 10(C), when the ITS communication unit 12 receives a warning message from the in-vehicle terminal 3 (Yes in ST109), the warning control unit 23 controls the wearable terminal 2 to perform a warning operation for the pedestrian (ST110). At this time, the attention calling message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 and the attention calling information. Based on the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1, it is determined whether or not the notification is directed to the own device, and based on the attention calling information, the attention calling operation instructed by the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 is performed.

When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives the warning message, the pedestrian terminal 1 performs a collision determination, and if there is a risk that the vehicle will collide with the pedestrian, the wearable terminal 2 may be caused to perform a warning activation operation.

Next, operation procedures of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing the operation procedure of the onboard terminal 3. As shown in FIG.

In the in-vehicle terminal 3, first, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the ITS communication unit 52 receives a normal message from the pedestrian terminal 1 (ST201), the pedestrian approach detection unit 64 determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 m) from the own vehicle (ST202). At this time, the message in the normal state includes the terminal ID and position information of the pedestrian terminal 1 and the head direction information. Based on the pedestrian position information included in the message and the own vehicle position information obtained from the positioning unit 51, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle.

Here, if the pedestrian has not approached within the predetermined distance from the own vehicle (No in ST202), the process ends.

On the other hand, if the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle (Yes in ST202), the guidance direction determining unit 65 determines the direction in which the own vehicle exists (guide direction: right or left) as seen from the pedestrian based on the pedestrian's position information and head direction information included in the received message and the own vehicle's position information obtained from the positioning unit 51 (ST203).

Next, in message control section 61, a visual guidance message is transmitted from ITS communication section 52 to pedestrian terminal 1 (ST204). This visual guidance message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to which the notification is to be sent, and the guidance direction information that is the determination result of the guidance direction determination section 65 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, in the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, when the ITS communication section 52 receives the visual condition report message from the pedestrian terminal 1 (ST205), the vehicle visual determination section 66 determines whether or not the pedestrian is visually observing the own vehicle (ST206). At this time, the visual condition report message includes the terminal ID and position information of the pedestrian terminal 1, the head direction information and the viewpoint distance information. Based on the position information, the head direction information and the viewpoint distance information of the pedestrian terminal 1 included in the message, the position information of the own device obtained from the positioning unit 51, and the vehicle size information stored in the storage unit 55, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is visually observing the own vehicle.

Here, if the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle (Yes in ST206), the process ends.

On the other hand, if the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle (No in ST206), message control section 61 transmits a warning message from ITS communication section 52 to pedestrian terminal 1 (ST207). This warning message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to be notified, and warning information for urging the pedestrian to be careful of the vehicle.

It should be noted that the in-vehicle terminal 3 issues an alert based on the collision determination separately from this flow.

By the way, the pedestrian terminal 1 periodically transmits a normal message, and the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 periodically transmits a visual guidance message to the pedestrian terminal 1 when the pedestrian continues to approach within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, and periodically transmits a warning message to the pedestrian terminal 1 when the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle. As a result, the pedestrian terminal 1 continues the alerting action.

On the other hand, even if the pedestrian continues to approach the own vehicle within a predetermined distance, when the pedestrian looks at the own vehicle, the warning message is not sent to the pedestrian terminal 1.例文帳に追加As a result, the pedestrian terminal 1 stops the alerting operation.

Also, when a pedestrian notices an approaching vehicle, the pedestrian may stop or move away from the vehicle to avoid danger. Therefore, when the pedestrian's danger avoidance behavior is detected, the warning activation operation may be stopped. In this case, the pedestrian terminal 1 may detect the pedestrian's danger avoidance behavior based on the pedestrian's position information.

Further, the operation for assisting pedestrian safety confirmation may be performed in stages. Specifically, a plurality of support levels (information provision, attention call, warning) may be set according to the height of the collision risk, and in addition to the alert action, information provision may be performed when the risk of collision is low, and warning action may be performed when the risk of collision is extremely high. In this case, as the pedestrian approaches the vehicle, the risk of collision increases, so the transition is made in the order of information providing operation, alerting operation, and warning operation. However, since assistance becomes unnecessary at the timing when the pedestrian takes danger avoidance behavior, the pedestrian safety confirmation support operation is stopped halfway.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to cases other than the case where the message to be transmitted to the pedestrian terminal 1 is transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 3 . For example, a message may be transmitted to the pedestrian terminal 1 from a communication device installed in infrastructure such as a traffic light.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. Note that points not particularly mentioned here are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of operation procedures of the safety confirmation support system according to the second embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, as a visual guidance operation that encourages pedestrians to look in the direction of the vehicle, sound effects are output from either the left or right speakers 36a and 36b of the wearable terminal 2. In the present embodiment, the virtual vehicle sound (driving sound) is output from the speakers 36a and 36b of the wearable terminal 2.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the virtual vehicle sound is output with a volume corresponding to the speed of the vehicle. That is, when the vehicle speed is fast, the virtual vehicle sound is output with a high volume, and when the vehicle speed is low, the virtual vehicle sound is output with a low volume.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, when the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 receives a normal message from the pedestrian terminal 1 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, it determines whether a pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle (pedestrian approach detection). Then, when the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, the direction in which the own vehicle exists (guide direction) as seen from the pedestrian is determined (guide direction determination). Also, the volume of the notification sound is set based on the running speed of the own vehicle (volume setting).

Next, the in-vehicle terminal 3 transmits a visual guidance message to the pedestrian terminal 1 by pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This visual guidance message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to be notified, guidance direction information as the guidance direction determination result, virtual vehicle sound data, and volume information.

When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives a visual guidance message from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 via pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, the pedestrian terminal 1 performs voice control to output the virtual vehicle sound from the speakers 36a and 36b of the wearable terminal 2 at a specified volume as a visual guidance operation based on the guidance direction information, the virtual vehicle sound data, and the volume information included in the message.

The rest is the same as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2).

A virtual vehicle sound corresponding to the type of vehicle (truck, bus, passenger car, etc.) may be output.

Further, in the present embodiment, the volume of the virtual vehicle sound is output according to the speed of the vehicle, but the volume of the virtual vehicle sound may be adjusted according to changes in the positional relationship between the pedestrian and the vehicle. For example, when the vehicle is approaching the pedestrian, the virtual vehicle sound may be output at a high volume, and when the vehicle is moving away from the pedestrian, the virtual vehicle sound may be output at a low volume. In this case, the position information of pedestrians and vehicles is stored as position history information for a predetermined period, and whether the vehicle is approaching or moving away from the pedestrian may be determined based on the position history information. Furthermore, the volume may be adjusted depending on the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle. For example, when the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is relatively long, the volume can be decreased, and the volume can be increased as the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle decreases.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Note that the points not specifically mentioned here are the same as those of the above-described embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen displayed on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing vehicle body information stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3. As shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing image display setting information stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3. As shown in FIG.

In the above-described embodiment, an arrow pointing to either the left or the right is displayed on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 as a visual guidance operation that encourages the pedestrian to look in the direction of the approaching vehicle. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. The display 37 is a transparent display through which the actual scenery can be seen, and the virtual vehicle image is overlaid (superimposed) on the actual scenery. As a result, pedestrians can virtually see the vehicle even when the actual vehicle is hidden and cannot be seen at the non-line-of-sight intersection.

In this embodiment, in addition to displaying a virtual vehicle image on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 as a visual guidance operation, either the left or right vibrator 35a or 35b of the wearable terminal 2 may be operated, and a notification sound may be output from either the left or right speaker 36a or 36b of the wearable terminal 2, as in the above embodiment. Also, the virtual vehicle sound may be output from the speakers 36a and 36b.

Here, in the present embodiment, a virtual vehicle image as seen from a pedestrian is generated based on the vehicle body image data and the moving direction of the vehicle. For example, when a vehicle approaches from the right side as viewed from a pedestrian, a virtual vehicle image of the left side of the vehicle body is generated. Also, when the vehicle approaches from the left, a virtual vehicle image of the right side of the vehicle body is generated.

In particular, three-dimensional CG data of the vehicle body may be stored as the vehicle body image data to generate a virtual vehicle image corresponding to the angle at which the vehicle is viewed from the pedestrian (angle of view of the vehicle). As a result, even when the vehicle approaches obliquely rather than from the side, it is possible to generate a virtual vehicle image that is similar to what is actually seen by the pedestrian. At this time, the angle of view of the vehicle may be set based on the pedestrian's position information, the vehicle's position information, and the pedestrian's head direction information.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the storage unit 55 of the in-vehicle terminal 3 stores body information of the own vehicle, that is, body size (vehicle width x, vehicle length y, vehicle height h), vehicle type (truck, bus, passenger car, etc.), body color (silver, etc.), and body image data (three-dimensional CG data of the vehicle body) of the own vehicle.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, an address (URL) representing the storage location of the vehicle image data is registered, and the vehicle image data of the own vehicle can be obtained from a management server (not shown) that manages the vehicle image data.

Also, the display size of the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 is determined based on the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle (distance between pedestrians and vehicles) and the vehicle body size. The pedestrian-vehicle distance may be set based on the pedestrian's position information and the vehicle's position information.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, image display setting information is stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 . In this image display setting information, the display size of the virtual vehicle image is set according to the inter-vehicle distance and the vehicle body size, and the display size of the virtual vehicle image is determined from the inter-pedestrian distance and the vehicle body size. As a result, the size of the virtual vehicle image can be changed according to the distance between pedestrians and vehicles, and the virtual vehicle image is displayed large when the vehicle is near and is displayed small when the vehicle is far, similarly to the state that the pedestrian can actually see.

Also, the display position of the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 is determined based on the pedestrian's position information, the vehicle's position information, and the pedestrian's head orientation information. That is, the angle of the vehicle with respect to the front direction of the pedestrian can be obtained based on the pedestrian's position information, the vehicle's position information, and the pedestrian's head direction information, and the display position of the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 is determined according to this angle.

Next, an overview of operation procedures of the safety confirmation support system according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the operating procedure of the safety confirmation support system.

When the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 receives the normal message from the pedestrian terminal 1 through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, it determines whether or not the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle (pedestrian approach detection). Then, when the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, the direction in which the own vehicle exists (guide direction) as seen from the pedestrian is determined (guide direction determination).

In addition, the in-vehicle terminal 3 generates a virtual vehicle image based on the vehicle image data (three-dimensional CG data of the vehicle body) and vehicle information (vehicle color) stored in the storage unit 55, and the angle at which the vehicle is viewed from the pedestrian (vehicle angle of view). At this time, the angle of view of the vehicle is set based on the pedestrian's position information and head direction information included in the normal message and the own vehicle's position information acquired by the positioning unit 51 .

Further, in the in-vehicle terminal 3, the virtual vehicle image is displayed on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 based on the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle (inter-vehicle distance) and the vehicle body information (vehicle size) stored in the storage unit 55. The display size when displaying is determined. At this time, the pedestrian-vehicle distance is set based on the pedestrian's position information and the vehicle's position information.

In addition, the in-vehicle terminal 3 determines the display position when displaying the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 based on the pedestrian position information, the vehicle position information, and the pedestrian head direction information.

Next, the in-vehicle terminal 3 transmits a visual guidance message to the pedestrian terminal 1 by pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. This visual guidance message includes the terminal ID of the pedestrian terminal 1 to be notified, guidance direction information as the result of guidance direction determination, virtual vehicle image data, and image display information (the display size and display position of the virtual vehicle image).

When the pedestrian terminal 1 receives a visual guidance message from the in-vehicle terminal 3 via pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, the pedestrian terminal 1 performs display control to display the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2 at a designated display size and display position as a visual guidance operation based on the guidance direction information, the virtual vehicle image data, and the image display information (the display size and display position of the virtual vehicle image) included in the message.

The rest is the same as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2).

In the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 generates a virtual vehicle image as viewed by a pedestrian, determines the display size and display position of the virtual vehicle image on the display 37 of the wearable terminal 2, and adds the virtual vehicle image data and image display information (the display size and display position of the virtual vehicle image) to a visual guidance message and transmits the virtual vehicle image to the pedestrian terminal 1. However, the pedestrian terminal 1 performs the process of generating the virtual vehicle image and the process of determining the display size and display position of the virtual vehicle image. You can do it. In this case, from the in-vehicle terminal 3, the location information of the own vehicle, the body image data of the own vehicle (three-dimensional CG data of the body), and the body information (body size, vehicle color, etc.) are added to the visual guidance message and transmitted to the pedestrian terminal 1.

Also, the arrow indicating the direction of the approaching vehicle may change its color and thickness according to the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, and the like. For example, when the distance between the pedestrian and the car is relatively short, or when the speed of the vehicle is high, it is possible to make the arrow thicker or change the color of the arrow. Furthermore, when the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is relatively long, a dotted line is used as the arrow, and when the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is relatively short, a solid line is used as the arrow. In addition, when the object is a vehicle considered to be malicious such as a vehicle with many violation histories, even if the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is relatively long, it is possible to use the arrow for the case where the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is relatively short.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Note that points not particularly mentioned here are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration diagram of a safety confirmation support system according to the fourth embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the pedestrian is guided to look in the direction of the vehicle, but there are cases where the pedestrian does not look at the vehicle despite this visual guidance, i.e., the pedestrian ignores the visual guidance. In particular, a place where the pedestrian frequently ignores the visual guidance is regarded as a dangerous area.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a management server 5 (analyzer) is provided to analyze the behavior of pedestrians in response to visual guidance. When a pedestrian ignores visual guidance, the location information of the pedestrian at that time is accumulated, and dangerous areas where pedestrians frequently ignore visual guidance are identified. Traffic accidents can be prevented by presenting such dangerous areas to vehicle drivers and traffic management organizations such as the police.

Specifically, first, when the in-vehicle terminal 3 detects that the pedestrian has ignored the visual guidance, it transmits the pedestrian's position information to the management server 5 . The transmission of information from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 to the management server 5 may be performed via the roadside device 6. ITS communication (road-to-vehicle communication) may be used between the vehicle-mounted terminal 3 and the roadside device 6, and network communication may be performed between the roadside device 6 and the management server 5.

In the management server 5, the information acquired from the vehicle-mounted terminal 3, that is, the positional information of pedestrians who ignored visual guidance, is registered in a database and managed, and the information registered in the database is analyzed (statistically processed) at an appropriate timing. In this analysis process, for example, the number of times a pedestrian ignores visual guidance in a predetermined period is counted for each cell (divided area) obtained by dividing the target area. Then, a cell whose number of times is equal to or greater than a predetermined number is obtained, and a dangerous area is set.

It should be noted that analysis may be performed according to pedestrian attributes (elderly people, children, etc.) to obtain analysis results for each pedestrian attribute. Alternatively, the analysis may be performed according to the time period to obtain the analysis result for each time period.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the pedestrian's head orientation (face direction) and line of sight are detected, and the pedestrian's attention is called when it is assumed that the pedestrian is not looking at the vehicle, i.e., the pedestrian is unaware of the vehicle. Further, when the driver does not look at the pedestrian, the pedestrian may be alerted.

Also, the alert when the pedestrian is not facing the vehicle may stop functioning at a specific location. For example, at railroad crossings, vehicles generally slow down, so accidents between pedestrians and vehicles are thought to be rare. Therefore, the function may be stopped near the railroad crossing. Alternatively, the function may be stopped near a bus stop or the like.

Here, the present invention can be applied to cases other than pedestrians and vehicles.

For example, it is applicable to children, elderly people and their guardians. When a child or an elderly person does not face a guardian for a certain period of time or more, or when a guardian does not face a child or an elderly person for a certain period of time or longer, a warning is given to the child, the elderly person, and their guardian, thereby preventing the child from getting lost or the elderly person from wandering. Naturally, the present invention can be similarly applied to, for example, pets in addition to children and the elderly.

As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments with modifications, replacements, additions, omissions, and the like. Further, it is also possible to combine the constituent elements described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY A pedestrian device, an in-vehicle device, a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system, and a safety confirmation support method according to the present invention have the effect of alerting pedestrians at appropriate times and appropriately assisting pedestrian safety confirmation.

1 pedestrian terminal (pedestrian device)
2 Wearable terminal (wearable device)
3 In-vehicle terminal (in-vehicle device)
5 Management server (analysis device)
11 positioning unit 12 ITS communication unit (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit)
13 Short-range communication unit 14 Control unit 15 Storage unit 31 Direction sensor 32 Line-of-sight sensor 33 Range sensor 34 Short-range communication unit 35 Input/output units 35a, 35b Vibrators 36a, 36b Speaker 37 Display 38 Control unit 39 Storage unit 51 Positioning unit 52 ITS communication unit (inter-vehicle communication unit)
54 control unit 55 storage unit

Claims (10)

A pedestrian device that exchanges information with an in-vehicle device through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication to support pedestrian safety confirmation,
a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-pedestrian communication with the in-vehicle device;
a control unit;
A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;
with
The control unit
transmitting location information of the pedestrian from the inter-pedestrian communication unit to the in-vehicle device;
When the vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit receives guidance direction information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device when the vehicle-mounted device determines that the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle,
Based on the guidance direction information, control is performed to guide the pedestrian so that he/she can see the direction in which the vehicle exists;
Acquiring the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object that the pedestrian is looking at, measured by the wearable device, and transmitting visual state information including the head direction and the viewpoint distance from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit to the in-vehicle device;
When the vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit receives alert information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device when the vehicle-mounted device determines that the pedestrian is not looking at the vehicle,
A pedestrian device that performs control to call attention to a pedestrian based on the alert information. The control unit
The pedestrian device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a vibrator, a speaker, and a display provided in the wearable device is controlled to guide the pedestrian to look in the direction in which the vehicle is present. The control unit
2. The pedestrian device according to claim 1, wherein a virtual vehicle image is displayed on a display provided in said wearable device. An in-vehicle device that exchanges information with a pedestrian device through pedestrian-to-vehicle communication to support pedestrian safety confirmation,
a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the pedestrian device;
a control unit;
with
The control unit of the in-vehicle device,
When position information of a pedestrian is received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device,
Based on the position information of the pedestrian, determine whether the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle,
when the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit of the vehicle-mounted device transmits guidance direction information for guiding the pedestrian to look in the direction of the vehicle to the pedestrian device;
When the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device receives from the pedestrian device the visual state information including the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object the pedestrian is viewing, measured by a wearable device that is worn on the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian,
Determining whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle based on the visual condition information,
An in-vehicle device characterized in that, when a pedestrian does not look at the own vehicle, the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device transmits to the pedestrian device alert information for alerting the pedestrian. The control unit
5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, wherein the warning information is not transmitted when a pedestrian looks at the own vehicle. The control unit
5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, wherein it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the head orientation and viewpoint distance received from the pedestrian device and the body size of the own vehicle as the visual state information. The control unit
The in-vehicle device according to claim 4 , wherein a virtual vehicle image of the vehicle and a display size and a display position for displaying the virtual vehicle image on a wearable device attached to the body of the pedestrian are transmitted to the pedestrian device together with the guide direction information . A pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system that exchanges information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device to support pedestrian safety confirmation,
The pedestrian device includes:
a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-pedestrian communication with the in-vehicle device;
a control unit;
A short-range communication unit that performs short-range communication with a wearable device that is attached to the head of the pedestrian and detects the visual state of the pedestrian;
with
The controller of the pedestrian device,
transmitting location information of the pedestrian from the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit of the pedestrian device to the in-vehicle device;
When the vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit of the pedestrian device receives guidance direction information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device when the vehicle-mounted device determines that the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle,
Based on the guidance direction information, control is performed to guide the pedestrian so that he/she can see the direction in which the vehicle exists;
Acquiring the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object that the pedestrian is viewing, measured by the wearable device, and transmitting visual state information including the head direction and the viewpoint distance from the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit of the pedestrian device to the in-vehicle device;
When the vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit of the pedestrian device receives alert information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device when the vehicle-mounted device determines that the pedestrian is not looking at the vehicle,
Based on the alert information, perform control to alert the pedestrian,
The in-vehicle device
a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with the pedestrian device;
a control unit;
with
The control unit of the in-vehicle device,
When position information of a pedestrian is received from the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device,
Based on the position information of the pedestrian, determine whether the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle,
when a pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, transmitting the guide direction information to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device;
When the visual condition information is received from the pedestrian device by the inter-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device,
Determining whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle based on the visual state information,
A pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system, wherein the warning information is transmitted to the pedestrian device by the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit of the in-vehicle device when the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle. In addition, equipped with an analyzer,
The analysis device is
Collecting position information from the in-vehicle device of a pedestrian who did not look at the vehicle despite being guided to look in the direction in which the vehicle exists,
9. The pedestrian-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 8, wherein a dangerous area is set based on the positional information of the pedestrian. A safety confirmation support method for supporting pedestrian safety confirmation by exchanging information between a pedestrian device and an in-vehicle device,
the pedestrian device comprising:
Transmitting the pedestrian's location information to the in-vehicle device,
The in-vehicle device
Determining whether the pedestrian has approached within a predetermined distance from the vehicle based on the position information of the pedestrian,
when the pedestrian approaches within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, transmitting guide direction information for guiding the pedestrian to look in the direction of the own vehicle to the pedestrian device;
the pedestrian device comprising:
Based on the guidance direction information, control is performed to guide the pedestrian so that he/she can see the direction in which the vehicle exists;
By performing short-range communication with a wearable device mounted on the head of the pedestrian and detecting the visual state of the pedestrian, the wearable device acquires the head direction of the pedestrian and the viewpoint distance, which is the distance to the object the pedestrian is viewing, and transmits visual state information including the head direction and the viewpoint distance to the in-vehicle device;
The in-vehicle device
Determining whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle based on the visual state information,
when the pedestrian is not looking at the own vehicle, sending alert information for alerting the pedestrian to the pedestrian device;
the pedestrian device comprising:
A safety confirmation support method, comprising: performing control to call attention to a pedestrian based on the alert information.

Images