CN111091707A - Information providing system and in-vehicle device - Google Patents

Information providing system and in-vehicle device Download PDF

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Publication number
CN111091707A
CN111091707A CN201911012601.3A CN201911012601A CN111091707A CN 111091707 A CN111091707 A CN 111091707A CN 201911012601 A CN201911012601 A CN 201911012601A CN 111091707 A CN111091707 A CN 111091707A
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China
Prior art keywords
information
railroad crossing
signal
travel
crossing
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Granted
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CN201911012601.3A
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Chinese (zh)
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CN111091707B (en
Inventor
浅野晃
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Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd
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Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd
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Publication of CN111091707A publication Critical patent/CN111091707A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/01—Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled
    • G08G1/0104—Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Provided are an information providing system and an in-vehicle device. The following techniques are provided: the information of the railway crossing and the traffic signal required when the automobile runs can be identified in advance by the automobile. The information providing system acquires railroad crossing schedule information, which is a schedule of a railroad crossing alarm prediction time based on a high-precision time, of each railroad crossing from a railroad crossing control central device of a railroad crossing control system, and acquires signal change timing information based on a high-precision time of each crossing from a traffic signal control central device of a traffic signal control system. Then, a railroad crossing and an intersection satisfying a predetermined information provision range condition based on the position of the automobile are extracted, and driving assistance information including alarm prediction time information on the extracted railroad crossing and signal change prediction information on the extracted intersection is generated and transmitted to an on-vehicle device of the automobile.

Description

Information providing system and in-vehicle device
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information providing system and the like for providing driving assistance information to an automobile.
Background
Currently, technology development for automotive autopilot using computer control is being developed worldwide. The level of automatic driving is divided into 6 levels, a level completely operated by the driver is set to be level 0, a level in which any one of an accelerator (accelerator pedal), a steering (steering wheel), and a brake (brake) is automatically operated is set to be level 1, a level in which a plurality of operations are automatically operated is set to be level 2, a level in which all operations limited to a specific place such as an expressway are automatically operated and only operated by the driver in an emergency is set to be level 3, a level in which all operations limited to the specific place are automatically operated is set to be level 4, and a level in which all operations are automatically operated without being limited to a place is set to be level 5.
In order to perform automatic driving, it is important to acquire various information on the periphery of the vehicle such as a driving lane of a road and other vehicles, and image recognition of a captured image of a camera mounted on the vehicle is widely used as a means for this (see, for example, patent documents 1 and 2). However, in order to safely implement automatic driving, it is necessary to accurately recognize the situation around the host vehicle in real time, and therefore, further improvement in reliability of image recognition performance and recognition speed is required, and further development is being advanced.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-73275
Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2000-207563
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
For example, information required to realize automatic driving at a level 3 or higher includes traffic signals at intersections (display colors of signal lamps) and railroad crossings. In both of them, there is a fear that an accident is immediately caused if the recognition is made by mistake or late, and therefore, it is necessary to accurately recognize the accident in real time. Traffic signals that suddenly appear in the field of view, such as traffic signals at intersections and warnings at railroad crossings, and signals that appear immediately after curves and signals that appear immediately after left and right turns, are changing at any time, and therefore, advanced arithmetic processing techniques are required to achieve accurate and real-time recognition performance based only on captured images captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle.
However, even if accurate and real-time recognition can be achieved based only on a captured image captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle, there is a possibility that sudden braking may occur due to a signal suddenly appearing in the field of view or a railroad crossing. This situation is also possible below level 2. In addition, even if the vehicle is driven manually instead of automatically, there is a possibility that sudden braking is required due to a signal or a sudden appearance of a railroad crossing in the field of view, which is not constant.
If the vehicle can acquire information on a railroad crossing or a traffic signal from a camera mounted on the vehicle in addition to a captured image captured by the camera and acquire the information in advance, the information becomes useful information when the vehicle is traveling regardless of automatic driving of a level 3 or higher or manual driving by a driver.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique of: the information of the railway crossing and the traffic signal required when the automobile runs can be identified in advance by the automobile.
Means for solving the problems
A first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an information providing system,
the information providing system communicates with the railway crossing control system and the traffic signal control system and provides driving auxiliary information for the automobile,
the railway crossing control system and the traffic signal control system respectively have the following high-precision time timing functions: receiving satellite signals from GNSS satellites, that is, global navigation satellite system satellites, receiving standard radio waves, or communicating with an absolute time information providing system to perform high-precision time measurement,
the vehicle has the following positioning function (for example, the GNSS receiver 510 of fig. 16): receiving satellite signals from the GNSS satellites for positioning,
the information providing system is provided with:
a railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit (for example, a railroad crossing schedule information acquisition section 202 of fig. 12) that acquires railroad crossing schedule information, which is a schedule of railroad crossing alarm prediction times based on the high-precision time, of each railroad crossing, from the railroad crossing control system;
a signal change timing information acquisition unit (for example, a signal change timing information acquisition unit 206 in fig. 12) that acquires signal change timing information based on the high-precision time at each signal intersection from the traffic signal control system;
a storage unit (for example, railroad crossing management information 310 and traffic signal management information 320 of fig. 12) for storing railroad crossing position information of each railroad crossing capable of acquiring the railroad crossing schedule information from the railroad crossing control system and intersection position information of each signal light intersection capable of acquiring the signal change timing information from the traffic signal control system;
a traveling information receiving unit (for example, a traveling information receiving unit 210 of fig. 12) that receives traveling information including vehicle position information from the vehicle;
an extraction unit (for example, an extraction unit 214 in fig. 12) that extracts a railroad crossing and a signal intersection that satisfy an information provision range condition that is a condition for providing the travel assistance information determined based on the travel information, with reference to the storage content of the storage unit; and
information providing control means (for example, an information providing control unit 216 in fig. 12) for generating alarm prediction time information of the railroad crossing based on the extracted railroad crossing schedule information relating to the railroad crossing and signal change prediction information of the signal crossing based on the extracted signal change timing information relating to the signal crossing, and providing the driving assistance information including the alarm prediction time information and the signal change prediction information to the automobile.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an information providing system that provides a vehicle with driving assistance information including information on traffic signals at a railroad crossing and a signal intersection that are required for driving. The information on the railroad crossing is information based on information acquired from a railroad crossing control system, and the information on the traffic signal is information based on information acquired from a traffic signal control system, and is therefore accurate travel assistance information.
Further, since the information included in the driving assistance information is information on a railroad crossing and a traffic signal crossing that satisfy the information provision range condition based on the position of the vehicle, the vehicle can acquire information on a railroad crossing and a traffic signal that are needed at any time during driving, such as a railroad crossing and a traffic signal crossing that are close to the current position, instead of acquiring information on all of the railroad crossings and the traffic signal crossings.
Further, since the information about the railroad crossing included in the travel support information is the alarm prediction time information and the information about the signal intersection is the signal change prediction information, it is possible to acquire and recognize in advance information useful for traveling of the automobile, such as the predicted change order and change time of the traffic signal at the railroad crossing and the signal intersection, in which the situation changes at all times.
In addition, since both the railroad crossing control system and the traffic signal control system include a high-precision time timer, the time included in the information provided by each system is a time that follows the high-precision time information. In addition, since the automobile also has a high-precision time counting function, accurate time synchronization between each system and each automobile can be realized, and safe driving of the automobile can be assisted.
The second invention is an information providing system comprising: in the first aspect of the present invention,
the information provision range condition includes at least a condition based on a distance based on a position indicated by the host vehicle position information.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the information provision range condition can be set to include, for example, a condition that the distance from the position of the automobile is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. As a result, the vehicle can be provided with the driving assistance information including information on the railroad crossing and the signal intersection near the position of the vehicle.
The third invention is an information providing system comprising: in the first or second invention,
the information provision control unit provides the alarm prediction time information and the signal change prediction information more frequently for railroad crossings and signal crossings that satisfy a predetermined short-range condition with reference to the position indicated by the vehicle position information than for railroad crossings and signal crossings that do not satisfy the predetermined short-range condition with reference to the position indicated by the vehicle position information, among the extracted railroad crossings and signal crossings.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the possibility that the vehicle will arrive soon increases as the vehicle approaches a railroad crossing or a signal light crossing at the position of the vehicle, it is possible to provide information on the railroad crossing or the signal light crossing that is closer to the vehicle and satisfies a predetermined short-distance condition at a higher frequency than the railroad crossing or the signal light crossing that is farther away, thereby providing a mode of providing driving assistance information more suitable for the traveling of the vehicle.
The fourth invention is an information providing system comprising: in any one of the first to third inventions, the travel information includes traveling direction information of the automobile,
the information providing control unit provides the extracted signal change prediction information related to the signal light of the road in the traveling direction at the traffic light intersection closest to the traveling direction indicated by the traveling direction information among the signal lights at the traffic light intersections.
In general, a traffic light is set at an intersection for an incoming road, and a traffic light to be followed when an automobile enters the intersection is a traffic light of a road in a traveling direction. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, information on a traffic light on a road in the traveling direction is selected and provided to a vehicle such as an automobile, which is more suitable for vehicle traveling.
The fifth invention is an information providing system comprising: in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
the travel information receiving unit receives the travel information including a predetermined travel path in a case where the automobile has set the predetermined travel path,
when the travel information receiving unit receives the predetermined travel path, the extracting unit extracts a railroad crossing and a signal light crossing on the predetermined travel path.
When the predetermined travel route is set, the automobile is highly likely to travel along the predetermined travel route. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the driving assistance information including the information on the railroad crossing and the signal intersection on the predetermined driving route is formed, whereby the information considered to be more useful for driving can be selected and provided to the automobile.
The sixth invention is an information providing system comprising: in the fifth aspect of the present invention,
when the travel information receiving means receives the predetermined travel route, the information provision control means provides the extracted signal change prediction information relating to the signal lights of the road traveling along the predetermined travel route, from among the signal lights at the signal light intersection.
In general, a traffic light is set at an intersection for an incoming road, and a traffic light to be followed when an automobile enters the intersection is a traffic light of a road in a traveling direction. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method of providing driving assistance information more suitable for vehicle driving, such as information on traffic lights on a road in the traveling direction, by selecting and providing the driving assistance information.
The seventh invention is an information providing system comprising: in the fifth or sixth invention,
the information providing control unit performs the providing at a high frequency in a case where the travel information receiving unit receives the predetermined travel route, as compared to a case where the travel information receiving unit does not receive the predetermined travel route.
When the predetermined travel route is set, the automobile is highly likely to travel along the predetermined travel route. According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the travel assistance information is provided with a higher frequency to the vehicle in which the scheduled travel route is set than to the vehicle in which the scheduled travel route is not set, thereby making it possible to provide a travel assistance information providing method more suitable for the travel of the vehicle.
The eighth invention is an information providing system comprising: in any one of the first to seventh inventions,
the running information receiving means receives the running information including flag information indicating whether or not the automobile is automatically driven at a predetermined automatic driving level,
the information provision control means performs the provision at a high frequency when the flag information received by the travel information receiving means indicates that the automated driving is in progress, as compared with when the flag information received by the travel information receiving means is not in progress.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the travel assistance information is provided to the vehicle under automated driving with a higher frequency than to the vehicle not under automated driving, thereby making it possible to provide a manner of providing the travel assistance information more suitable for the travel of the vehicle.
A ninth invention is an in-vehicle apparatus of an automobile,
the vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle receives the travel assistance information from the information providing system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the invention, and has a high-accuracy time counting function of receiving satellite signals from the GNSS satellites and counting the high-accuracy time and a positioning function,
the in-vehicle device includes a display control unit (for example, a display control unit 610 in fig. 16) that performs display control of a railroad crossing state display (for example, a driving assistance display E5 in fig. 2) based on the alarm prediction time information included in the driving assistance information and a signal state display (for example, a driving assistance display E5 in fig. 3) based on the signal change prediction information included in the driving assistance information on a navigation screen.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the navigation screen of the automobile can display the display of the state of the railroad crossing such as the predicted alarm start time of the railroad crossing and the display of the state of the signal such as the predicted signal change at the signal intersection, based on the travel assistance information received from the information providing system. Thus, the driver of the automobile can be presented not only with the current time state of the railroad crossing and the signal light crossing, but also with a predicted state, for example, by predicting that the next railroad crossing does not have an alarm at the current time but starts an alarm X seconds later, and information useful for driving operation can be presented. Further, since the in-vehicle device has a high-precision time counting function, it can synchronize the time with the railroad crossing control system and the traffic signal control system, and the contents of the prediction display do not cause a time delay or an advance, or even if a time delay or an advance occurs, it is very small.
The tenth invention is an in-vehicle device comprising: in the ninth invention, in the above-described aspect,
the display control unit has an expected display control unit (for example, an expected display control unit 612 of fig. 16) that, when a predetermined travel path has been set, displays a state of a railroad crossing and a state of a signal at an expected arrival time (for example, a travel assist display E5 of fig. 5) based on the expected arrival time at which the railroad crossing and the signal intersection on the predetermined travel path are expected to be reached.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, on the navigation screen of the vehicle, the estimated arrival time along the predetermined travel route at the railroad crossing and the signal intersection on the predetermined travel route set for the vehicle and the state display of the railroad crossing or the signal state display at the estimated arrival time can be displayed on the basis of the travel support information received from the information providing system. Thus, the driver of the automobile can perform a driving operation without suddenly reducing the speed based on the presence of an alarm when arriving at a railroad crossing, for example, and information useful for the driving operation can be presented.
The eleventh invention is an in-vehicle device that: in the ninth or tenth invention,
the display control unit has:
an identification icon display control means (for example, an identification icon display control unit 614 in fig. 16) for displaying a predetermined identification icon at a railroad crossing and/or a signal intersection, which is included in the driving assistance information, when a display map of the navigation screen includes the railroad crossing and/or the signal intersection, which is included in the driving assistance information and is related to the alarm prediction time information included in the driving assistance information; and
and a detailed display control unit (for example, a detailed display control unit 616 in fig. 16) for displaying the state of the selected railroad crossing and/or signal light crossing in detail in accordance with the selection operation of the identification icon.
According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, on the navigation screen of the automobile, the identification icon can be displayed on the display map so as to be selectable on the railroad crossing and the signal intersection in which the information on the driving assistance information received from the information providing system is included. When the identification icon is selected, the state of the railroad crossing or the signal light crossing corresponding to the selected identification icon can be displayed in detail. Thus, the driver of the vehicle can freely select, for example, a railroad crossing or a traffic signal crossing near the vehicle and confirm the state of the vehicle, and therefore, information useful for driving operation can be provided.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is an application example of the information providing system.
Fig. 2 shows an example of a navigation screen in a vehicle.
Fig. 3 shows an example of a navigation screen in a vehicle.
Fig. 4 shows an example of a navigation screen in a vehicle.
Fig. 5 shows an example of a navigation screen in a vehicle.
Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of generation of the travel support information.
Fig. 7 shows an example of the information provision range condition.
Fig. 8 shows an example of the information provision range condition.
Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of generation of signal change prediction information.
Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of generation of signal change prediction information.
Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of changing the providing frequency for each providing target.
Fig. 12 is a functional configuration diagram of the information providing system.
Fig. 13 shows an example of railroad crossing management information.
Fig. 14 shows an example of traffic signal management information.
Fig. 15 shows an example of the car management information.
Fig. 16 is a functional configuration diagram of the in-vehicle device.
Fig. 17 is a flowchart of processing performed by the information providing system.
Fig. 18 is a flowchart of processing executed by the in-vehicle apparatus.
Description of the reference numerals
1: an information providing system; 3: driving assistance information; 10: a railroad grade crossing control system; 12: a central device for controlling a railroad crossing; 14: a railroad grade crossing controller; 16: a railroad crossing alarm; 18: a railway crossing road blocking device; RC: a railroad crossing; 30: a traffic signal control system; 32: a traffic signal control center device; 34: a signal controller; 36: a traffic light; IS: an intersection; 40: an in-vehicle device; 42: an automobile; 44: a predetermined travel path; 62: railroad crossing schedule information; 64: signal change timing information; 66: driving information; N1-N4: a communication network; g: a GNSS satellite; W1-W9: and (5) navigation pictures.
Detailed Description
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the modes to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the embodiments described below. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[ integral Structure ]
Fig. 1 is an application example of an information providing system 1 in the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the information providing system 1 communicates with the railroad crossing control system 10 and the traffic signal control system 30 via a communication network N1, and provides the vehicle-mounted device 40 mounted on the automobile with the driving assistance information via a communication network N2. The communication Network is a communication path capable of data communication, and includes a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection, a Local Area Network (LAN) using ethernet (registered trademark), and the like, and also includes communication networks such as a telephone communication Network, a wired Network, and the internet. The communication method of the communication network can be appropriately selected from wired and wireless communication methods, and for example, the communication network N1 can be wired and the communication networks N2 to N4 can be wireless.
The railroad crossing control system 10 is a system that centrally controls an alarm at each railroad crossing RC based on the travel position and the travel speed of each train, and is configured by communicably connecting a railroad crossing controller 14 provided at each railroad crossing RC and an on-board device 20 of each train to a railroad crossing control center device 12 via a communication network N3, wherein the railroad crossing control center device 12 is communicably connected to an information providing system 1 via a communication network N1.
The center device for railroad crossing control 12 calculates a predicted arrival time at which the train is predicted to arrive at the railroad crossing RC based on the travel position and the travel speed acquired from the on-board device 20 of each train, and transmits railroad crossing control information including an alarm start time calculated based on the predicted arrival time at which each train is predicted to arrive at the railroad crossing RC to the corresponding railroad crossing controller 14 for each railroad crossing RC. The railroad crossing controller 14 is incorporated in, for example, an equipment box installed in the vicinity of a railroad crossing, and controls railroad crossing security devices such as a railroad crossing alarm 16 and a railroad crossing barrier 18 installed at the railroad crossing RC in accordance with railroad crossing control information received from the railroad crossing control central device 12. That is, when the time of starting the railroad crossing alarm is reached, alarms such as the sounding of the railroad crossing alarm 16 and the lowering of the railroad crossing barrier 18 are started, and the passage of a train is detected by the railroad crossing control provided on the exit side of the railroad crossing RC, whereby the alarms such as the sounding of the railroad crossing alarm 16 and the raising of the railroad crossing barrier 18 are stopped.
The traffic signal control system 30 IS a system that centrally controls traffic signals at each intersection (in the present embodiment, the intersection where a traffic signal IS installed, i.e., the "signal intersection"), and IS configured by communicably connecting a signal controller 34 installed at each intersection IS to a traffic signal control center device 32 via a communication network N4, wherein the traffic signal control center device 32 IS communicably connected to the information providing system 1 via a communication network N1.
The traffic signal control center device 32 performs route system control or surface control in which signal control parameters (cycle length, split ratio, and phase difference) at each intersection are changed in association with each other at a large number of adjacent intersections, for example, based on the traffic volume of the passing vehicle detected by the vehicle sensor, and transmits traffic signal control information including the signal control parameters to the corresponding signal controller 34 for each intersection. The signal controller 34 IS built in, for example, an equipment box provided near the intersection, and controls a traffic signal 36 provided at the intersection IS in accordance with traffic signal control information received from the traffic signal control center device 32. That IS, the number of display seconds of each stage (step) in the phase stage table determined for the intersection IS calculated in accordance with the signal control parameter, and the display of each traffic signal 36 IS changed at the timing when the number of display seconds elapses.
The information providing system 1 acquires a part or all of the information of the railroad crossing control information for each railroad crossing RC from the railroad crossing control center device 12, and acquires a part or all of the information of the traffic signal control information for each intersection IS from the traffic signal control center device 32. Then, based on the acquired information, the driving assistance information is generated for each vehicle and transmitted to the corresponding in-vehicle device 40.
The in-vehicle device 40 uses the travel support information received from the information providing system 1 to support the travel of the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 40 is mounted. The in-vehicle device 40 has a GNSS receiver that receives satellite signals from GNSS (Global navigation satellite System) satellites G, and has a positioning function based on the received GNSS satellite signals. In the present embodiment, the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 40 is mounted is provided with an automatic driving device, and the driving mode can be switched by the driver between an automatic driving mode using the automatic driving device and a manual driving mode in which the driver manually performs a driving operation.
Each of the information providing system 1, the railroad crossing control center device 12, the railroad crossing controller 14, the on-board device 20 of the train, the traffic signal control center device 32, the signal controller 34, and the on-board device 40 has a GNSS receiver that receives satellite signals from GNSS satellites G, and has a high-precision time counting function that counts time with high precision based on the received GNSS satellite signals. Thus, the time synchronization between the devices is realized by autonomous control of the devices without performing special communication for synchronizing the time between the devices. The GNSS Satellite G is a Satellite used in a Global positioning Satellite System (GNSS), such as GPS (Global positioning System), EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation overlay Service), QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GALILEO, BeiDou (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System), and the like.
[ characteristics ]
(A) Driving assistance
In the automobile, as one of the driving assistance based on the driving assistance information received by the in-vehicle device 40 from the information providing system 1, a screen display based on the driving assistance information is displayed on a display screen (navigation screen) of the car navigation device.
Fig. 2 (1), 2 (2), and 3 show examples of the display of the navigation screen in the automobile. As shown in fig. 2 (1), 2 (2), and 3, the navigation screen W (W1 to W5) displays the current time display E1 and the map display E3, and displays the driving assistance display E5 based on the driving assistance information. The current time display E1 is a high-precision time measured by a high-precision time counting function provided in the in-vehicle device 40. The map display E3 displays an arrow icon D1 indicating the current position and traveling direction of the automobile and the scheduled travel route 44 indicated by a thick line to the set destination on the display map. The current position and the traveling direction of the automobile are acquired by a positioning function provided in the in-vehicle device 40.
As the driving support display E5, a railroad crossing state display related to a railroad crossing as shown in fig. 2 (1) and 2 (2) or a signal state display related to a traffic signal at a crossing as shown in fig. 3 is displayed. Which of the display of the state of the railroad grade crossing and the display of the state of the signal is determined as the driving assistance display E5 according to the current position and traveling direction of the automobile. That IS, if the closest point in the traveling direction along the predetermined travel path IS the railroad crossing RC, the display of the state of the railroad crossing related to the railroad crossing RC IS displayed, and if the closest point IS the railroad crossing IS, the display of the state of the signal related to the intersection IS displayed.
Regarding the railroad crossing state display, as shown in fig. 2, the name C1 of the corresponding railroad crossing RC, the current state C3 indicating whether it is in alarm, and the predicted state C5 as the predicted next state are displayed. That is, as shown in (1) of fig. 2, if the current state C3 of the corresponding railroad crossing is "in alarm", the alarm end time at which the current alarm is stopped is displayed as the predicted state C5. In addition, as shown in (2) of fig. 2, if the current state C3 is "not in alarm", the alarm start time at which the next alarm starts is displayed as the predicted state C5. The alarm ending time or the alarm starting time is displayed in a countdown form as to the remaining time until that time.
As for the signal state display, as shown in fig. 3, the name C2 of the corresponding intersection, the current state C3 such as "red, green, yellow" indicating the display of the traffic signal lamp 36, and the predicted state C5 as the predicted next state are displayed. As the predicted state C5, the next display and the time of change to the display are displayed. The change time is displayed as a countdown of the time remaining until that time. The traffic light 36 showing the status in the signal status display IS the traffic light 36 of the road that IS set to the traffic light 36 of the corresponding intersection IS and travels along the predetermined travel path 44, that IS, the traffic light 36 that the automobile should follow when traveling along the predetermined travel path 44 to enter the intersection IS.
The driving assistance display E5 on the navigation screen W (W1 to W5) shown in fig. 2 (1), 2 (2), and 3 shows the current state of the railroad crossing ("△△ railroad crossing" in fig. 2) or intersection ("○○ intersection" in fig. 3) where the traveling direction of the vehicle IS closest, and by selectively displaying the identification icon D7(D7a, D7b) of E3 on the display screen, the driving assistance display E5 IS switched to a detailed display showing the state of the railroad crossing RC or intersection IS corresponding to the selected identification icon D7(D7a, D7 b).
Fig. 4 IS an example of a navigation screen in which the driving assistance display E5 IS switched to the detailed display of another railroad crossing RC or a crossing IS, in fig. 4, in the map display E3, the identification icon D7a IS displayed at the "○○ crossing" closest to the traveling direction of the vehicle along the predetermined travel path 44, the identification icon D7b IS displayed at the next "x crossing", as the driving assistance display E5, the detailed display of the railroad crossing RC or the crossing IS (in fig. 4, "x crossing") corresponding to the identification icon selected from them IS displayed, and regarding the detailed display, as in fig. 2 and 3, the name C1 of the railroad crossing RC or the crossing IS, the current state C3, and the predicted state C5. are displayed, and the traffic light 36 displayed in the detailed display IS also the traffic light 36 of the road traveling along the predetermined travel path 44 among the traffic lights 36 of the corresponding crossings IS.
The driving assistance display E5 on the navigation screen W (W1 to W7) shown in fig. 2 to 4 IS a current display showing the current state of the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS. By selecting the expected display icon D3 provided below the screen on the display screen, the driving assistance display E5 is switched to an expected display indicating the state of the arrival time point at the railroad crossing or intersection at which the automobile is expected to arrive thereafter.
Fig. 5 shows an example of a navigation screen in which the driving assistance display E5 is switched to the expected display. As shown in fig. 5, the navigation screen W9 displays a current time display E1 and a map display E3, and displays, as a driving assistance display E5, names C7, estimated arrival times C9, and estimated states C11 at estimated arrival times C9 of a plurality of (3 in fig. 5) railroad crossings RC or intersections IS estimated to arrive when the vehicle IS traveling along the predetermined travel route 44 shown in the map display E3, respectively, in the order of arrival. If the intersection RC IS a railroad crossing, the expected state C11 IS "passable" or "impassable", and if the intersection IS, the expected state C11 IS a display of traffic lights such as "red", "green", and "yellow". The traffic lights 36 displayed in the prediction display are also traffic lights 36 of roads that travel along the predetermined travel path 44 among the traffic lights 36 provided at the corresponding intersection IS. Further, by selecting the current display icon D5 provided below the screen on the display screen, the driving assistance display E5 is switched to the current display as shown in fig. 2 to 4.
(B) Generation of driving assistance information
The generation of the driving assistance information in the information providing system 1 will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an outline of generation of the travel support information in the information providing system 1. As shown in fig. 6, the information providing system 1 acquires railroad crossing schedule information 62 for each railroad crossing, which is a schedule of railroad crossing alarm prediction time based on high-precision time, from the railroad crossing control central device 12 of the railroad crossing control system 10. The railroad crossing schedule information 62 includes the update time based on this information at a high-precision time, and also includes the current state 62a of the railroad crossing RC acquired from the corresponding railroad crossing controller 14, and the future alarm start time 62b and alarm end time 62c calculated for alarm control of the railroad crossing RC. The current state 62a includes whether an alarm is in progress, the time of the most recent alarm stop, and the like. The alarm start time 62b and the alarm end time 62c may be set to all scheduled times for alarm control (which may also be referred to as predicted times) within a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) from the current time or scheduled times for alarms up to a predetermined number of times (e.g., 3 times).
The signal change timing information 64 for each intersection based on the high-precision time is acquired from the central traffic signal control device 32 of the traffic signal control system 30. The signal change timing information 64 includes an update time based on the information of the high-precision time, and includes a current state (including a phase number in the phase table and a change time that changes to the phase) 64a of the intersection IS acquired from the corresponding signal controller 34, and signal control parameters (a cycle length, a green signal ratio, and a phase difference) 64b generated for signal control of the intersection IS.
Further, the travel information 66 is acquired from the in-vehicle device 40 of the vehicle that provides the travel assist information. The travel information 66 includes an update time based on this information with high accuracy, and includes a travel position 66a, a travel speed 66b, a travel direction 66c, a scheduled travel route 66d, and an automated driving flag 66e as vehicle position information, the automated driving flag 66e being flag information indicating whether or not the vehicle is automatically driven at a predetermined automated driving level, specifically, whether the driving mode is "automated driving mode" or "manual driving mode".
Then, the information providing system 1 generates the driving assistance information 3 to be provided to the automobile based on the acquired information and transmits the generated information to the in-vehicle device 40. When the travel support information 3 IS generated, first, the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS that satisfy the given information provision range condition are extracted as the provision target based on the travel position 66a included in the travel information 66.
The information providing range condition is a condition based on the position of the automobile. Fig. 7 shows an example of a specific information provision range condition. Fig. 7 shows an example in which the information provision range condition is "on the predetermined travel route of the automobile". That IS, in the example of fig. 7, 1 railroad crossing RC1 and 6 intersections IS1 to IS6 located on the predetermined travel path 44 of the automobile 42 satisfy the information providing range condition to be extracted as the providing object. Further, the predetermined travel route 44 may not be the entire portion but a part thereof, and for example, an information provision range condition based on a distance based on the position of the automobile 42, such as "within a predetermined distance along the predetermined travel route from the position of the automobile", may be set.
Fig. 8 shows an example of other information provision range conditions. Fig. 8 shows an example in which the information provision range condition is "the distance from the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance". That is, a circular range having a predetermined radius with the position of the automobile 42 as the center is determined, and the circular range is located within the range as the information provision range condition. In fig. 8, 2 railroad crossings RC11, RC12, and 7 crossings IS11 to IS17 satisfy the information providing range condition and are extracted as providing objects.
The information provision range condition may be "a distance from the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance and is located on a predetermined travel route of the vehicle". In fig. 8, the "distance from the vehicle" is a straight distance, but may be a distance along the route.
In addition, when the information provision range condition is set based on the distance based on the position of the automobile 42, the distance as the information provision range condition may be made different depending on whether or not the automobile 42 is in the automatic driving. Further, when the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the distance as the information provision range condition may be made different according to the automatic driving level.
When the railroad crossing RC and the crossing IS that satisfy the information provision range condition are extracted as the objects to be provided with the travel assistance information in this manner, the travel assistance information 3 including information on each of the railroad crossing RC and the crossing IS extracted as the objects to be provided IS generated based on the acquired railroad crossing schedule information 62 and the signal change timing information 64. That is, the railroad crossing RC is associated with the railroad crossing schedule information 62 on the railroad crossing RC and the railroad crossing ID of the railroad crossing RC to generate the alarm prediction time information 5. Further, at the intersection IS, the signal change time information 329 for the traffic signal 36 of the road on which the automobile 42 travels along the scheduled travel path 44 among the traffic signals 36 provided at the intersection IS generated based on the signal change timing information 64 relating to the intersection IS, and the signal change time information 329 IS associated with the signal ID of the traffic signal 36 to generate the signal change prediction information 7.
Fig. 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating generation of the signal change time information 329. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the information providing system 1 calculates the number of display seconds of each subsequent stage based on the phase stage table 326 determined for the intersection IS of interest stored in the storage unit 300, and the current state 64a and the signal control parameter 64b included in the signal change timing information 64 acquired from the traffic signal control center device 32. Then, the change timing of each subsequent stage is predictively calculated to generate signal change timing information 329. Further, as the signal change time information 329, the signal display of "red, green, yellow" and the like of each of the traffic signal lights 36 provided at the intersection IS and the change time thereof are calculated.
The travel assistance information 3 IS generated by including the alarm prediction time information 5 of each railroad crossing RC and the signal change prediction information 7 of each crossing IS generated in this way together with the update time based on the information at the high-precision time measured by the information providing system 1.
(C) Frequency of providing driving assistance information 3
Although the provision of the driving assistance information 3 from the information providing system 1 to the vehicle (a series of processes such as extracting a providing object based on the position of the vehicle, generating the driving assistance information 3 including information on each providing object, and transmitting the driving assistance information 3 to the in-vehicle device 40) is intermittently repeated at predetermined time intervals (providing frequency), the providing frequency of the driving assistance information 3 may be made variable. For example, the travel support information 3 may be provided more frequently when the predetermined travel route is set for the automobile than when the predetermined travel route is not set for the automobile. Alternatively, the travel support information 3 may be provided more frequently when the driving mode of the vehicle is the "automatic driving mode" than when the driving mode of the vehicle is the "manual driving mode". In the case of the automatic driving mode, the supply frequency may be changed according to the automatic driving level.
The driving support information 3 includes information on each of the plurality of railroad crossings RC and the intersections IS extracted as the supply targets, but the frequency of supplying the information on each of the supply targets to the automobile (supply frequency) may be changed for each of the supply targets. The frequency of providing information on a certain object to a certain automobile is determined according to the position of the automobile.
Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the frequency of providing according to the position of the automobile. Fig. 11 (1) is a graph showing an example of a relationship between a distance L and a frequency F of providing information on a certain providing object to the vehicle (a railroad crossing or an intersection) with a distance L from a position of the vehicle 42 (which may be a straight distance, a shortest distance along a route, or a distance along a predetermined travel route) as a horizontal axis.
As shown in fig. 11 (1), the frequency F of providing information on a certain providing target to the automobile 42 is determined as follows: the shorter (closer) the distance L between the position of the automobile 42 and the providing object is, the higher (higher) the providing frequency F is, whereas the longer (farther) the distance L between the position of the automobile 42 and the providing object is, the lower (lower) the providing frequency F is. That IS, it IS determined that information related to the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS whose distance from the position of the automobile 42 satisfies the "short-distance condition" IS provided more frequently than the railroad crossing and the intersection whose distance from the position of the automobile 42 does not satisfy the "short-distance condition" indicating the approach of the automobile.
The relationship between the distance L and the supply frequency F may be, for example, a relationship in which the supply frequency F decreases in proportion to the distance L as shown in a graph y1, or a relationship in which the supply frequency F decreases in stages in accordance with the distance L as shown in a graph y 2. In addition, the relationship between the distance L and the providing frequency F may also be different depending on whether the providing object IS the railroad crossing RC or the intersection IS in such a manner that the relationship IS made the graph y1 if the providing object IS the intersection IS and the relationship IS made the graph y3 if the providing object IS the railroad crossing RC. Alternatively, the relationship between the distance L and the supply frequency F may be different depending on whether or not the scheduled travel route 44 is set for the automobile 42.
Then, as shown in (2) of fig. 11, it can be determined whether or not to determine whether or not to set a certain time T0The information on the provision object is provided to the automobile 42 as the driving assistance information 3. That is, the time T is calculated0The distance L between the position of the automobile 42 and the object to be provided in (b) is obtained by obtaining the frequency of provision F corresponding to the distance L according to a relational expression determined as an example shown in fig. 11 (1). In addition, the latest time T at which the driving assistance information 3 was provided in the past is determined based on the provision history 338 in which the driving assistance information was provided to the automobile 42nDetermining the time T from the supplynTo time T0Elapsed time t untilnThe elapsed time tnThe comparison is made with a supply interval D (1/F) which is the reciprocal of the supply frequency F. Then, if the time t elapsesnTo provide an interval D (t)nD) is determined to "provide" information relating to the provision object to the automobile 42, and if the provision interval D (t) is not reachedn<D) It is judged as "not provided".
[ functional Structure ]
(A) Information providing system 1
Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information providing system 1. According to fig. 12, the information providing system 1 includes an operation unit 102, a display unit 104, an audio output unit 106, a communication unit 108, a GNSS reception unit 110, a processing unit 200, and a storage unit 300, and can be configured as a computer system.
The operation unit 102 is implemented by an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, or a keyboard, for example, and the operation unit 102 outputs an operation signal corresponding to an operation performed to the processing unit 200. The display unit 104 is implemented by a display device such as an LCD or a touch panel, for example, and performs various kinds of display according to a display signal from the processing unit 200. The audio output unit 106 is realized by an audio output device such as a speaker, for example, and performs various audio outputs corresponding to the audio signal from the processing unit 200. The communication unit 108 is realized by, for example, a wired or wireless communication device, is connected to the communication networks N1 and N2, and communicates with various external devices such as the railroad crossing control center device 12, the traffic signal control center device 32, and the in-vehicle device 40.
The GNSS receiving unit 110 is a GNSS receiver that receives GNSS satellite signals from GNSS satellites G, and performs positioning calculation based on the received GNSS satellite signals to calculate an error (time error) between a position indicated by a latitude/longitude altitude and a clock time of the clock unit 220.
The Processing Unit 200 is realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and instructs or transfers data to each Unit constituting the information providing system 1 based on programs, data, and the like stored in the storage Unit 300 to perform overall control of the information providing system 1. The processing unit 200 functions as each functional block of the railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit 202, the railroad crossing information management unit 204, the signal change timing information acquisition unit 206, the traffic signal information management unit 208, the travel information reception unit 210, the automobile information management unit 212, the extraction unit 214, the information provision control unit 216, and the clock unit 220 by executing the information provision program 302 stored in the storage unit 300. These functional blocks may be configured as independent arithmetic circuits by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.
The railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit 202 acquires the railroad crossing schedule information 62 for each railroad crossing from the railroad crossing control central device 12 of the railroad crossing control system 10. This acquisition may be achieved by the central railroad crossing control device 12 autonomously transmitting at predetermined transmission intervals, or by the central railroad crossing control device 12 transmitting in response to a request from the railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit 202.
The railroad crossing information management unit 204 manages each railroad crossing using the railroad crossing management information 310 based on the railroad crossing schedule information 62 acquired by the railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit 202. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the railroad crossing management information 310. According to fig. 13, the railroad crossing management information 310 is generated for each railroad crossing, includes an update time of the generation/update, and includes a railroad crossing ID 311 for identifying the corresponding railroad crossing, a setting position 312 indicated by latitude and longitude, a current status 313, an alarm start time 314, and an alarm end time 315. The current status 313, the alarm start time 314, and the alarm end time 315 are updated to the latest values as needed based on the acquired railroad crossing schedule information 62.
The signal change timing information acquisition unit 206 acquires the signal change timing information 64 for each intersection from the traffic signal control center device 32 of the traffic signal control system 30. This acquisition may be achieved by the traffic signal control center device 32 autonomously performing transmission at predetermined transmission intervals, or may be achieved by the traffic signal control center device 32 performing transmission in response to a request from the signal change timing information acquisition unit 206.
The traffic signal information management unit 208 manages each intersection using the traffic signal management information 320 based on the signal change timing information 64 acquired by the signal change timing information acquisition unit 206. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the traffic signal management information 320. According to fig. 14, the traffic signal management information 320 is generated for each intersection, includes the generated/updated update time, and includes an intersection ID 321 for identifying the corresponding intersection, an intersection name 322, a set position 323 indicated by latitude and longitude, signal light setting information 324, a phase stage table 326, a current state 327, a signal control parameter 328, and signal change time information 329. The traffic light installation information 324 is information on traffic lights installed at corresponding intersections, and includes a traffic light ID for identifying each traffic light, an installation position indicated by latitude and longitude, an entry road of a traffic flow as a target, a displayable light color, and the like. The current state 327 and the signal control parameter 328 are updated to the latest values at any time according to the acquired signal change timing information 64. The signal change time information 329 IS data obtained by associating the change time of the signal display with the signal display after the change for each traffic signal lamp 36 installed at the corresponding intersection IS, and IS calculated based on the phase stage table 326 and the signal control parameter 328 (see fig. 9 and 10).
The travel information receiving unit 210 receives the travel information 66 from the in-vehicle device 40. This reception may be achieved by the in-vehicle device 40 autonomously transmitting at predetermined transmission intervals, or may be achieved by the in-vehicle device 40 transmitting in response to a request from the travel information receiving unit 210.
The automobile information management unit 212 manages each automobile using the automobile management information 330 based on the travel information acquired by the travel information receiving unit 210. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the car management information 330. According to fig. 15, the car management information 330 is generated for each car, includes the update time of the generation/update, and includes a car ID 331 for identifying the corresponding car, an in-vehicle device ID 332 for identifying the onboard in-vehicle device 40, a travel position 333, a travel speed 334, a travel direction 335, a scheduled travel route 336, an automatic driving flag 337, and a travel support information provision history 338. The travel position 333, the travel speed 334, the travel direction 335, the scheduled travel route 336, and the automated driving flag 337 are updated to the latest values as needed based on the acquired travel information 66.
The extraction unit 214 extracts the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS that satisfy the information provision range condition as the provision target for providing the driving assistance information 3 to the corresponding automobile, based on the driving information 66 acquired from the in-vehicle device 40. The information provision range condition is a condition based on the position of the automobile, and may be, for example, "located on the scheduled travel route of the automobile", "located within a predetermined distance along the scheduled travel route from the position of the automobile", "located at a distance equal to or less than a predetermined distance from the position of the automobile", or "located on the scheduled travel route of the automobile with a distance equal to or less than a predetermined distance from the position of the automobile" (see fig. 7 and 8).
The extraction unit 214 can change the frequency of providing the driving assistance information 3 to the vehicle for each of the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS. In this case, the following may be used: for each of the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS that satisfy the information provision range condition, it IS determined whether or not a provision frequency F determined in accordance with the distance L from the vehicle to the railroad crossing RC or the intersection IS satisfied, and the railroad crossing RC and the intersection IS that satisfy the provision frequency F are extracted as provision targets (see fig. 11).
The information provision control unit 216 generates the driving support information 3 including the alarm prediction time information 5 regarding the railroad crossing RC extracted by the extraction unit 214 and the signal change prediction information 7 regarding the crossing IS, and transmits the generated driving support information to the corresponding in-vehicle device 40. Specifically, the railroad crossing RC refers to the corresponding railroad crossing management information 310 to generate the alarm prediction time information including the railroad crossing ID, the current situation, the alarm start time, and the alarm end time, and the intersection IS refers to the corresponding traffic signal management information 320 to generate the signal change prediction information 7 including the signal ID and the signal change time information.
The information provision control unit 216 provides (includes generation of) the driving assistance information 3 to each vehicle at a predetermined frequency of provision, but may change the providing (including generation). In this case, for example, the following may be used: the predetermined frequency of provision is changed in an increasing/decreasing manner depending on whether or not the predetermined travel route is set for the automobile, and for example, the frequency in the case where the predetermined travel route is set for the automobile is set to be higher than the frequency in the case where the predetermined travel route is not set for the automobile. Or as follows: the predetermined frequency of provision is changed in an increasing/decreasing manner according to the driving mode of the vehicle, and for example, the frequency in the case where the driving mode of the vehicle is the "automatic driving mode" is set to be higher than the frequency in the case where the driving mode of the vehicle is the "manual driving mode".
The clock unit 220 is configured to have an oscillation circuit having a crystal oscillator, and to count the current time and the elapsed time from a predetermined timing. In addition, the clock unit 220 realizes the following high-precision time counting functions: the time measurement with high accuracy is performed by calibrating the current time measured by the GNSS receiver 110 using the time error calculated by the GNSS receiver. The high-precision time counting function of the clock unit 220 may be realized without using GNSS satellite signals, and may be provided with a standard radio wave receiver and use a standard radio wave received by the receiver, or may use absolute time acquired from an absolute time information providing system as an external system via the communication unit 108.
The storage unit 300 is implemented by a storage device such as a hard disk, ROM, RAM, or the like, stores programs, data, and the like for collectively controlling the information providing system 1 by the processing unit 200, is used as a work area of the processing unit 200, and temporarily stores operation results executed by the processing unit 200 in accordance with various programs, input data input via the operation unit 102 and the communication unit 108, and the like. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 300 stores an information providing program 302, railroad crossing management information 310, traffic signal management information 320, and car management information 330.
(B) Vehicle-mounted device 40
Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 40. According to fig. 16, the in-vehicle device 40 includes an operation unit 502, a display unit 504, an audio output unit 506, a communication unit 508, a GNSS reception unit 510, a processing unit 600, and a storage unit 700, and can be configured as a computer system.
The operation unit 502 is implemented by an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, or a keyboard, for example, and the operation unit 502 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation performed to the processing unit 600. The display unit 504 is implemented by a display device such as an LCD or a touch panel, for example, and performs various kinds of display according to a display signal from the processing unit 600. The audio output unit 506 is realized by an audio output device such as a speaker, for example, and performs various audio outputs corresponding to the audio signal from the processing unit 600. The communication unit 508 is realized by a wired or wireless communication device, for example, and is connected to the communication network N1 to communicate with various external devices such as the information providing system 1.
The GNSS receiver 510 is a GNSS receiver that receives GNSS satellite signals from GNSS satellites G, and realizes the following positioning functions: a positioning operation based on the received GNSS satellite signals is performed to calculate an error (time error) between the position indicated by the latitude/longitude altitude and the time kept by the clock unit 620.
The Processing unit 600 is realized by an arithmetic device such as a cpu (central Processing unit), for example, and instructs or transmits data to each unit constituting the in-vehicle device 40 based on the program, data, and the like stored in the storage unit 700 to perform overall control of the in-vehicle device 40. The processing unit 600 executes the in-vehicle program 702 stored in the storage unit 700 to function as each of the functional blocks of the travel route setting unit 602, the travel information transmitting unit 604, the travel support information receiving unit 606, the display control unit 610, and the clock unit 620. These functional blocks may be configured as independent arithmetic circuits by an ASIC (Application specific integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.
The travel route setting unit 602 sets a planned travel route to the instructed destination based on the current position of the automobile in accordance with the instruction operation performed via the operation unit 502. The data on the set planned travel route is stored in the storage unit 700 as planned travel route information 720.
The travel information transmitting unit 604 generates the travel information 66 including the travel position 712, the travel speed 714, the travel direction 716, the scheduled travel route indicated by the scheduled travel route information 720, and the automatic driving flag indicated by the driving mode 718 stored in the storage unit 700, and transmits the travel information 66 to the information providing system 1.
The driving assistance information receiving unit 606 receives the driving assistance information 3 from the information providing system 1. The received driving assistance information 3 is stored in the storage unit 700 as the latest driving assistance information 722, and the driving assistance information 3 received so far is stored in the storage unit 700 as the reception history 724 in the reception order, for example. When the driving mode of the host vehicle is the "automatic driving mode", the received travel support information 3 is output to the automatic driving device 800 mounted on the host vehicle. The current state of the railroad crossing included in the alarm prediction time information 5 of the travel support information 3 includes the stop time of the nearest alarm at the railroad crossing (see fig. 6). Therefore, in the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving device 800 can recognize that the warning at the railroad crossing is stopped, and can safely start the vehicle stopped at the railroad crossing to cross the railroad crossing.
The display control unit 610 causes the navigation screen W displayed on the display unit 504 to display the driving assistance display E5 based on the latest driving assistance information 722 together with the current time display E1 and the map display E3. Specifically, as the travel support display E5, if the nearest in the traveling direction along the scheduled travel route is a railroad crossing, a railroad crossing state display based on the alarm prediction time information 5 (see fig. 2) is displayed, and if the nearest in the traveling direction along the scheduled travel route is a railroad crossing, a signal state display based on the signal change prediction information 7 (see fig. 3) is displayed. Further, the map display E3 can be displayed with reference to the map DB 710 including the railroad crossings and intersections.
The display control unit 610 includes a predicted display control unit 612, an identification icon display control unit 614, and a detailed display control unit 616.
When the expected display icon D3 provided on the navigation screen W on which the driving support display E5 is displayed is selected, the expected display control unit 612 switches the driving support display E5 to an expected display indicating the state of the arrival time point of the car at the railroad crossing or intersection expected to arrive later (see fig. 5). That is, for the railroad crossings and intersections on the scheduled travel path, a predetermined number of railroad crossings and intersections are selected in order of arrival from the current position of the automobile, and the respective estimated arrival times of the selected railroad crossings and intersections are calculated based on the distance along the scheduled travel path. Next, the state of the railroad crossing at the estimated arrival time (whether or not the railroad crossing is in the warning state) is determined with reference to the warning prediction time information 5, and the state of the intersection at the estimated arrival time (signal display) is determined with reference to the signal change prediction information 7.
The identification icon display control unit 614 selects a railroad crossing and an intersection whose information on the railroad crossing or the intersection is included in the alarm prediction time information 5 or the signal change prediction information 7 of the latest driving assistance information 722, from among the railroad crossings and intersections included in the map (map) displayed in the map display E3 of the navigation screen W, and displays an identification icon D7 (see fig. 3 and 4) at the selected railroad crossing and intersection.
When the identification icon D7 displayed by the identification icon display control unit 614 is selected, the detailed display control unit 616 switches the driving support display E5 to the detailed display of the railroad crossing or intersection corresponding to the selected identification icon D7 (see fig. 4).
The clock unit 620 is configured to have an oscillation circuit having a crystal oscillator, and to count the current time and the elapsed time from a predetermined timing. The clock unit 620 also realizes the following high-precision time counting function: the time is measured with high accuracy by calibrating the current time measured using the time error calculated by the GNSS receiver 510. The high-precision time counting function of the clock unit 620 may be realized without using the GNSS satellite signal, and may be provided with a receiver for standard radio waves and use the standard radio waves received by the receiver, or may use absolute time acquired from an absolute time information providing system as an external system via the communication unit 508.
The storage unit 700 is implemented by a storage device such as a hard disk, ROM, RAM, or the like, stores programs, data, and the like for the processing unit 600 to collectively control the in-vehicle device 40, is used as a work area of the processing unit 600, and temporarily stores calculation results executed by the processing unit 600 in accordance with various programs, input data input via the operation unit 502 and the communication unit 508, and the like. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 700 stores an in-vehicle program 702, a map DB 710, a travel position 712, a travel speed 714, a travel direction 716, a driving mode 718 indicating whether the driving mode of the automobile is a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode, scheduled travel route information 720, latest travel support information 722, and a reception history 724 of the travel support information 3.
For example, the travel position 712, the travel speed 714, and the travel direction 715 can be calculated based on the positioning calculation performed by the GNSS receiver 510.
[ procedure of treatment ]
(A) Information providing system 1
Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing in the information providing system 1. First, if the railroad crossing schedule information acquisition section 202 receives the railroad crossing schedule information 62 from the central device for railroad crossing control 12 (step S1: yes), the railroad crossing information management section 204 updates the traffic signal management information 320 for the corresponding railroad crossing based on the received railroad crossing schedule information 62 (step S3). Further, if the signal change timing information acquisition unit 206 receives the signal change timing information 64 from the traffic signal control center device 32 (step S5: YES), the traffic signal information management unit 208 generates the signal change time information 329 for the corresponding intersection based on the received signal change timing information 64, and updates the traffic signal management information 320 for the corresponding intersection (step S7). In addition, if the travel information receiving unit 210 receives the travel information 66 from the in-vehicle device 40 (step S9: YES), the car information management unit 212 updates the car management information 330 of the corresponding car based on the received travel information 66 (step S11).
Then, the process is repeated for each automobile (loop a). That is, first, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the last travel assistance information provision time to the current time for the target vehicle has reached a predetermined provision time interval. If the providing time interval has been reached (step S13: yes), the extraction section 214 extracts the railroad crossing and the intersection that satisfy the information providing object range condition based on the position of the object automobile as the providing object of the driving assistance information (step S15). Next, the information provision control unit 216 generates the driving assistance information 3 including information on each of the extracted railroad crossing and intersection based on the latest driving assistance information 722 (step S17), and transmits the generated driving assistance information 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 40 of the target vehicle (step S19). The repetition process of the cycle a is performed in this manner. When the process of repeating the cycle a for all the cars is completed, the process returns to step S1 and the same process is performed.
(B) Vehicle-mounted device 40
Fig. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing in the in-vehicle apparatus 40. First, the travel information transmitting unit 604 generates the travel information 66 including the current travel position, the travel speed, the travel direction, the scheduled travel route, and the automatic driving sign of the vehicle (step S31), and transmits the generated travel information 66 to the information providing system 1 (step S33).
Then, if the driving assistance information receiving unit 606 receives the driving assistance information 3 from the information providing system 1 (step S35: YES), the received driving assistance information 3 is updated and stored as the latest driving assistance information 722 (step S37). Next, the display control unit 610 updates the display of the driving assistance display E5 on the navigation screen W based on the received driving assistance information 3 (step S39). Further, if the driving mode of the host vehicle is the "automatic driving mode" (step S41: YES), the received driving assistance information 3 is output to the automatic driving device 800 mounted on the host vehicle (step S43).
Next, if the expected display icon D3 is selected when the driving support display E5 on the navigation screen W is the current display (step S45: yes), the expected display control unit 612 switches the driving support display E5 to an expected display indicating the state of the arrival time point at the railroad crossing or intersection at which the vehicle is expected to arrive next, based on the latest driving support information 722 (step S47).
If the current status display icon D5 is selected when the driving support display E5 on the navigation screen W is the expected display (step S49: "yes"), the display control unit 610 switches the driving support display E5 to the current status display indicating the state of the arrival time at the railroad crossing or intersection at the current time based on the latest driving support information 722 (step S51).
If the travel support display E5 on the navigation screen W is the current display, the identification icon D7 of the map display E3 is selected (step S53: yes), the detailed display control unit 616 switches the travel support display E5 to the detailed display of the railroad crossing or intersection corresponding to the selected identification icon D7 based on the latest travel support information 722 (step S55). When the above processing is performed, the process returns to step S31, and the same processing is performed.
[ Effect ]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information providing system 1 can provide the automobile with the driving assistance information 3 including information on traffic signals at a railroad crossing and an intersection, which is necessary for driving. The information on the railroad crossing is information based on the information acquired from the railroad crossing control system 10, and the information on the traffic signal is information based on the information acquired from the traffic signal control system 30, and is therefore accurate traveling support information 3.
Further, the alarm start time included in the information acquired from the railroad crossing control system 10 can be appropriately changed according to the travel position of the train, but since the train operates in principle at a fixed time, even when a change occurs, the change is in principle a later change. That is, although the alarm start time calculated for a given 1-time railroad crossing alarm may be changed to be later, in principle, there is no case where the alarm start time is changed to be earlier. Therefore, for example, even when some communication interruption or communication delay occurs in the communication network N1 between the information providing system 1 and the railroad crossing control system 10 or in the communication network N2 between the information providing system 1 and the in-vehicle device 40, it is safe to use the acquired information, and the safe driving of the automobile is not hindered.
Further, since the information included in the driving assistance information 3 is information on a railroad crossing and an intersection that satisfy the information provision range condition based on the position of the automobile, it is possible to acquire information on a railroad crossing and a traffic signal that are needed at any time during driving, such as a railroad crossing and an intersection that are "close" to the current position, for example, instead of acquiring information on all railroad crossings and intersections.
Further, since the information about the railroad crossing included in the travel support information 3 is the alarm prediction time information and the information about the intersection is the signal change prediction information, it is possible to acquire and recognize in advance information useful for the travel of the automobile, such as the predicted change order and change time of the traffic signal at the railroad crossing and the intersection, in which the situation changes at any moment.
Since the railroad grade crossing control system 10 and the traffic signal control system 30 each include a high-precision time timer, the time included in the information provided by each system corresponds to the high-precision time information. Since the in-vehicle device 40 of the automobile also has a high-precision time counting function, accurate time synchronization between each system and each automobile can be realized, and safe automatic driving of the automobile can be realized.
It is needless to say that the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. An information providing system, which communicates with a railroad crossing control system and a traffic signal control system and provides driving assistance information to a car,
the railway crossing control system and the traffic signal control system respectively have the following high-precision time timing functions: receiving satellite signals from GNSS satellites, that is, global navigation satellite system satellites, receiving standard radio waves, or communicating with an absolute time information providing system to perform high-precision time measurement,
the automobile has the following positioning functions: receiving satellite signals from the GNSS satellites for positioning,
the information providing system is provided with:
a railroad crossing schedule information acquisition unit that acquires railroad crossing schedule information, which is a schedule of a railroad crossing alarm prediction time based on the high-precision time, of each railroad crossing from the railroad crossing control system;
a signal change timing information acquisition unit that acquires signal change timing information based on the high-precision time at each signal intersection from the traffic signal control system;
a storage unit for storing railroad crossing position information of each railroad crossing capable of acquiring the railroad crossing schedule information from the railroad crossing control system and intersection position information of each signal lamp intersection capable of acquiring the signal change timing information from the traffic signal control system;
a travel information receiving unit that receives travel information including vehicle position information from the vehicle;
an extraction unit that extracts a railroad crossing and a signal intersection that satisfy an information provision range condition, which is a condition for providing the travel assist information determined based on the travel information, with reference to the storage content of the storage unit; and
an information provision control unit configured to generate alarm prediction time information of the railroad crossing based on the extracted railroad crossing schedule information relating to the railroad crossing and signal change prediction information of the signal crossing based on the extracted signal change timing information relating to the signal crossing, and to provide the driving assistance information including the alarm prediction time information and the signal change prediction information to the automobile.
2. The information providing system according to claim 1,
the information provision range condition includes at least a condition based on a distance based on a position indicated by the host vehicle position information.
3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2,
the information provision control unit provides the alarm prediction time information and the signal change prediction information more frequently for railroad crossings and signal crossings that satisfy a predetermined short-range condition with reference to the position indicated by the vehicle position information than for railroad crossings and signal crossings that do not satisfy the predetermined short-range condition with reference to the position indicated by the vehicle position information, among the extracted railroad crossings and signal crossings.
4. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the traveling information includes traveling direction information of the automobile,
the information providing control unit provides the extracted signal change prediction information related to the signal light of the road in the traveling direction at the traffic light intersection closest to the traveling direction indicated by the traveling direction information among the signal lights at the traffic light intersections.
5. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
the travel information receiving unit receives the travel information including a predetermined travel path in a case where the automobile has set the predetermined travel path,
when the travel information receiving unit receives the predetermined travel path, the extracting unit extracts a railroad crossing and a signal light crossing on the predetermined travel path.
6. The information providing system according to claim 5,
when the travel information receiving means receives the predetermined travel route, the information provision control means provides the extracted signal change prediction information relating to the signal lights of the road traveling along the predetermined travel route, from among the signal lights at the signal light intersection.
7. The information providing system according to claim 5 or 6,
the information providing control unit performs the providing at a high frequency in a case where the travel information receiving unit receives the predetermined travel route, as compared to a case where the travel information receiving unit does not receive the predetermined travel route.
8. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
the running information receiving means receives the running information including flag information indicating whether or not the automobile is automatically driven at a predetermined automatic driving level,
the information provision control means performs the provision at a high frequency when the flag information received by the travel information receiving means indicates that the automated driving is in progress, as compared with when the flag information received by the travel information receiving means is not in progress.
9. An in-vehicle device for an automobile, which receives the driving assistance information from the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and which has a high-accuracy time counting function of receiving satellite signals from the GNSS satellites and counting the high-accuracy time and a positioning function,
the vehicle-mounted device is provided with a display control unit which performs display control of a railway crossing state display based on the alarm prediction time information included in the driving assistance information and a signal state display based on the signal change prediction information included in the driving assistance information on a navigation screen.
10. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 9,
the display control unit has a predicted display control unit that, in a case where a predetermined travel path has been set, performs a railroad crossing state display and a signal state display at a predicted arrival time based on the predicted arrival time at which it is predicted that a railroad crossing and a signal intersection on the predetermined travel path will be reached.
11. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 9 or 10,
the display control unit has:
an identification icon display control unit that displays a predetermined identification icon at a railway crossing and/or a signal intersection, when a display map of the navigation screen includes the railway crossing related to the alarm prediction time information included in the driving support information and/or the signal intersection related to the signal change prediction information included in the driving support information; and
and a detailed display control unit that displays the state of the selected railroad crossing and/or signal light crossing in detail in response to the selection operation of the identification icon.
CN201911012601.3A 2018-10-23 2019-10-23 Information providing system and in-vehicle apparatus Active CN111091707B (en)

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