JP2006268530A - Signal control system, information management server device, portable terminal, and signal control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal control system friendly to socially weak persons and general pedestrians without making great modification in existing signal, signal controller, and communication system. <P>SOLUTION: This portable terminal 1 is provided with a function for setting attribute information about socially weak persons as pedestrians and detects its own positional information every predetermined time to transmits the positional information and attribute information to an information management server device 8. The information management server device 8 summarizes the number of pedestrians or the socially handicapped persons positioned in the vicinity of a signal 2 based on the positional information and the attribute information about the pedestrian and installation information about the signal. Based on the summarized number, control information for controlling a lamp lightening time for the sinal 2 is generated and transmitted to the sinal controller 3. Therefore, the lamp lightening time of the signal 2 is controlled with consideration given to the number of pedestrians or the socially weak persons around it, and consequently, the signal control system friendly to the pedestrians and the socially weak persons can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention collects information on pedestrians located in the vicinity of traffic signals for traffic (hereinafter simply referred to as “traffic lights”), and controls the lighting time of the blue or red lamp of the traffic lights based on the information on the pedestrians. The present invention relates to a traffic signal control system, an information management server device, a portable terminal, and a traffic signal control method.

  In recent years, there has been a demand for installation of traffic lights that are friendly to the physically and mentally handicapped, elderly people, pregnant women, mothers with children, etc., and that are easy on pedestrians in general. Here, the traffic light that is friendly to the socially vulnerable is, for example, when the vulnerable person such as the elderly is included in the person who crosses the pedestrian crossing, the lighting time of the blue lamp can be lengthened. Such a traffic light. Similarly, a pedestrian-friendly traffic signal refers to a traffic signal that can increase the lighting time of the blue lamp when the number of pedestrians is greater than a predetermined number.

  For example, in Patent Literature 1, when the attribute information such as a physically or mentally handicapped person, an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or a mother with a child is set in a transmission device carried by a pedestrian and the pedestrian approaches the traffic signal control device, the transmission device An example is disclosed in which the pedestrian attribute information is transmitted to the traffic signal control device, and the lighting time of the traffic light lamp is controlled based on the pedestrian attribute information received by the traffic signal control device.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an example of a traffic light control method in consideration of pedestrian attribute information. According to Patent Document 2, first, a base station that locally communicates with a mobile radio station carried by a pedestrian or the like is installed in a traffic signal. Further, attribute information (such as information on the socially vulnerable) of the mobile user of each mobile radio station is registered in advance and held in the mobile radio exchange to which the base station is connected. When the mobile radio station carried by the pedestrian enters the service area of the base station installed in the traffic light, the base station requests the exchange station to confirm the position of the mobile radio station. In response to the request, the exchange transmits the location confirmation information and attribute information registered in the mobile radio station to the base station. Then, when the attribute information of the mobile radio station received by the base station is transmitted to the traffic signal control device, the traffic signal control device controls the lighting time of the lamp of the traffic signal according to the attribute information.

Japanese Patent No. 35309090 (paragraph 0019 to paragraph 0024, paragraph 0032 to paragraph 0046, FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 5) JP 2001-243593 (paragraphs 0012 to 0026, FIGS. 1 to 7)

  In any case of the techniques disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, local communication is performed between a device carried by a pedestrian and a traffic light control device or a base station installed in the traffic light. Therefore, in order to implement the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, it is necessary to make some modifications such as providing local communication means for the current signal control device or signal. At present, a huge number of traffic lights are installed on the roadside. However, if the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 or Patent Literature 2 is to be realized in such a current traffic light infrastructure, a traffic light control device, etc. A huge amount of money will be required for remodeling and replacement.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make a traffic signal control system that is easy for the socially vulnerable or pedestrians in general without making significant modifications to existing traffic signals, traffic signal control devices, and communication systems, that is, without much cost. An information management server device and a portable terminal required for realizing the traffic signal control method are also provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a traffic light control system includes a mobile information terminal that is carried by a pedestrian and detects its own position information, a traffic light control device that controls a traffic light, the mobile information terminal, An information management server device connected to each of the traffic signal control devices via a network, provided with a traffic signal location information DB storing the traffic signal installation location information, and transmitting the traffic signal control information to the traffic signal control device. I did it. And in the traffic signal control system, the portable information terminal detects its own position information every predetermined time, and transmits the detected own position information to the information management server device as the position information of the pedestrian. I made it. The information management server device receives the position information of the pedestrian transmitted from the portable information terminal, and the traffic signal position information obtained from the received position information of the pedestrian and the traffic signal position information DB. And the total number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the installation position for each traffic light, and the traffic signal control information of the traffic light is generated based on the information on the number of pedestrians counted for each traffic light, the generation The signal control information thus transmitted is transmitted to the signal control device of the signal controlled by the signal control information. In addition, the traffic signal control device receives the traffic signal control information transmitted by the information management server device, and controls a lighting time of a blue or red lamp of the traffic signal based on the received traffic signal control information. .

  In the traffic light control system in which the traffic light control system is partially changed, the portable information terminal further sets the attribute information of the pedestrian based on the input information, and the attribute information of the set pedestrian Is added to the position information of the pedestrian and transmitted to the information management server device. In addition, the information management server device receives the pedestrian's position information to which the attribute information of the pedestrian transmitted from the portable information terminal is attached, and each pedestrian is located near the installation position of the pedestrian. When counting the number, the number of pedestrians is counted in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian, and when generating the traffic signal control information, the traffic signal control information is generated in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian. I made it.

  According to the traffic light control system described above, the traffic light control device can know the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic light and controls the lighting time of the blue or red lamp of the traffic light according to the number of pedestrians. . Furthermore, the traffic light control device can know the number of pedestrians considering attribute information of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic light, and can control the lighting time of the blue or red lamp of the traffic light according to the number. it can. Therefore, the traffic light control device according to the present invention makes the lighting time of the blue lamp longer when there are many pedestrians waiting for traffic lights or when socially vulnerable persons are included in the pedestrians. Control that shortens the lighting time can be performed. That is, it is possible to realize a traffic light control system that is friendly to pedestrians and socially vulnerable people.

  In addition, as a mobile terminal having the above configuration, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver-mounted mobile phone can be used. That is, the mobile terminal detects its own position information using GPS radio waves, and transmits the detected position information to the information management server device. For the transmission, an established cellular phone communication network, an IP (Internet Protocol) network, or the like can be used. Therefore, the cost required for realizing the present invention is only the cost for introducing the information management server device. This is expected to be much cheaper than the cost for modification or replacement of the traffic signal control device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a traffic light control system and a traffic light control method that are friendly not only to pedestrians but also to the socially vulnerable, without much cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Overall configuration of signal control system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a traffic light control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a traffic light control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mobile terminal 1 carried by a pedestrian, a traffic light control device 3 that controls a traffic light 2 installed on a roadside, and an information management server device 8. Consists of. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 is a mobile phone equipped with a GPS receiver. However, the mobile terminal 1 is a mobile personal information terminal (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant) that communicates using radio waves of the mobile phone. May be.

  In FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 1 and the information management server device 8 are connected via a mobile phone base station 7. In this case, the mobile terminal 1 and the mobile phone base station 7 are connected by a mobile phone wireless communication network, and the mobile phone base station 7 and the information management server device 8 are connected by a network 6 such as an IP network. Connected by On the other hand, the information management server device 8 and the traffic signal control device 3 are connected via the control center control device 4. In this case, the information management server device 8 and the control center control device 4 are connected by a network 6 such as an IP network, and the control center control device 4 and the traffic signal control device 3 are usually dedicated for traffic control. Are connected by a dedicated network 5.

  In the traffic light control system configured as described above, the portable terminal 1 carried by the pedestrian receives its radio wave from the GPS satellite 9 to detect its location, and the detected position information is used as the pedestrian. Is transmitted to the information management server device 8 via the mobile phone base station 7 and the network 6. The information management server device 8 registers the pedestrian position information transmitted from the mobile terminal 1 in a pedestrian position information DB (Data Base) (see FIG. 3 described later). In addition, the information management server device 8 includes a traffic signal position information DB (refer to FIG. 3 described later) in which the position information of the traffic signal 2 is stored, and for each traffic signal registered in the traffic signal position information DB, the vicinity of the traffic signal The number of pedestrians located in is counted by referring to the pedestrian position information DB.

  Further, the information management server device 8 generates traffic signal control information for the traffic signal based on the total number of pedestrians, and the traffic signal control device 3 of the traffic signal 2 controlled by the traffic signal control information is generated. Send to. At this time, the transmission is performed via the network 6, the control center control device 4, and the dedicated network 5. Further, the traffic signal control device 3 receives the traffic signal control information transmitted by the information management server device 8 and controls the lighting time of the blue or red lamp of the traffic signal 2 based on the received traffic signal control information.

  Here, the control center control device 4 is a device that is usually provided in a traffic control center in a major city or the like, and controls the traffic signal control device 3 in the jurisdiction. Therefore, the dedicated network 5 that connects the control center control device 4 and the traffic signal control device 3 can use existing equipment. The function of the control center control device 4 has a function of controlling the lighting time of the lamp of the traffic light 2 in accordance with the traffic volume on the road. Therefore, the control center control device 4 and the information management server device 8 have partially common functions. Therefore, the function of the information management server device 8 may be included in the control center control device 4.

  In FIG. 1, the information management server device 8 and the control center control device 4 are connected via a general network 6, but the information management server device 8 is the same as the control center control device 4, for example. When installed in a traffic control center or the like, the information management server device 8 and the control center control device 4 may be connected via a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like. In any case, the information management server device 8 functions in a manner that assists the control center control device 4.

  Hereinafter, the individual devices constituting the traffic signal control system according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

<Configuration of mobile terminal>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, a mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment includes an information processing unit 10 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory (not shown), a GPS radio wave reception unit 11 including a GPS receiver, and a mobile phone base. A mobile phone communication unit 12 including a communication device that performs wireless communication with the station 7, a display unit 13 configured by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and a key input unit 14 configured by a key button or the like Consists of including. The mobile terminal 1 includes a handset (not shown) in addition to the mobile terminal 1 in order to function as a mobile phone.

  Here, the information processing unit 10 includes a call processing unit 101, a current position acquisition unit 102, a server communication processing unit 103, an attribute information setting unit 104, a current position storage unit 105, and an attribute information storage unit 106. It is comprised including. Among these, the call processing unit 101, the current position acquisition unit 102, the server communication processing unit 103, and the attribute information setting unit 104 execute the program stored in the memory by the CPU of the information processing unit 10. The function is realized by. The current position storage unit 105 and the attribute information storage unit 106 are predetermined storage areas secured on the memory of the information processing unit 10.

  In the information processing unit 10, a call processing unit 101 is a processing unit that processes basic control functions of general mobile phones such as dialing and call voice information receiving / sending processing. Further, the current position acquisition unit 102 detects current position information by the GPS radio wave reception unit 11 at predetermined time intervals, reads the detected current position information (for example, latitude and longitude information), and reads the read current position Information is stored in the current position storage unit 105. The current position storage unit 105 has an area capable of storing position information for the past several times (for example, five times). In this case, the portable terminal 1 is carried based on the information. It becomes possible to calculate the moving speed of the pedestrian.

  The attribute information setting unit 104 also includes attribute information related to a pedestrian carrying the mobile terminal 1, such as information indicating that the pedestrian is a disabled person, an elderly person, or a pregnant woman, a wheelchair, a stroller, or a child. Information such as “there is” is input, and the input information is stored in the attribute information storage unit 106. Note that a configuration example of a screen displayed on the display unit 13 when a pedestrian carrying the mobile terminal 1 inputs the attribute information will be described later.

  Further, the server communication processing unit 103 transmits / receives information to / from the information management server device 8, and in the case of the present embodiment, the walking stored in the current position storage unit 105 and the attribute information storage unit 106, respectively. The current position information and attribute information of the person is transmitted to the information management server device 8.

  The configuration of the mobile terminal 1 described above realizes the functions of the current position acquisition unit 102, the server communication processing unit 103, and the attribute information setting unit 104 in the configuration of a general mobile phone (provided with a GPS receiver). A program has been added. Therefore, the portable terminal 1 that can be used in the present embodiment can be obtained simply by installing these programs in a general cellular phone.

<Configuration of information management server device>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information management server device according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the information management server device 8 includes an information processing unit 80 configured by a CPU, a memory, a hard disk storage device, and the like (not shown), and an input / output terminal 81 from which an operator inputs or outputs information to the information processing unit 80. And a network interface unit 82 that is connected to the network 6 and controls communication with the network 6 and transmits and receives information to and from other devices connected to the network 6.

  Here, the information processing unit 80 includes a mobile terminal communication processing unit 801, a pedestrian count totaling processing unit 802, a traffic light control information setting unit 803, a traffic light control information transmission unit 804, a pedestrian location information DB 805, And a traffic signal position information DB 806. Among them, the mobile terminal communication processing unit 801, the pedestrian count totaling processing unit 802, the traffic signal control information setting unit 803, and the traffic signal control information transmission unit 804 are stored in the memory of the CPU of the information processing unit 80. The function is realized by executing the program. The pedestrian location information DB 805 and the traffic signal location information DB 806 are usually databases stored in a hard disk storage device.

  In FIG. 3, the mobile terminal communication processing unit 801 transmits / receives information to / from the mobile terminal 1, and in the case of the present embodiment, receives the pedestrian's current position information and attribute information transmitted by the mobile terminal 1. The received current position information and attribute information of the pedestrian is registered in the pedestrian position information DB 805. Note that an example of the configuration of the pedestrian location information DB 805 will be separately described with reference to FIG.

  In addition, the pedestrian count totaling processing unit 802 counts the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic signal 2 for each traffic signal 2 registered in the traffic signal position information DB 806. At this time, based on the pedestrian attribute information, the number of pedestrians may be counted for each pedestrian attribute, or the pedestrians may be counted to the extent that the pedestrians are divided into healthy people and socially vulnerable people. Information on the number of pedestrians thus tabulated is registered in the traffic signal position information DB 806. An example of the configuration of the traffic signal position information DB 806 will be separately described with reference to FIG.

  Further, the traffic light control information setting unit 803 is based on the information on the number of pedestrians counted by the pedestrian count totaling processing unit 802, and the traffic signal control information for the traffic signal 2 used as a reference for the totaling, for example, a blue or red lamp Sets the increase / decrease lighting time with respect to the standard lighting time. In this case, when the number of pedestrians is less than the predetermined number, the increase / decrease lighting time of the blue lamp is set to a negative value, and when the number of pedestrians is larger than the predetermined number, or socially vulnerable persons are included. If so, the increase / decrease lighting time of the blue lamp is set to a positive value.

  In addition, the traffic signal control information transmission unit 804 transmits the traffic signal control information set by the traffic signal control information setting unit 803 to the traffic signal control device 3 of the traffic signal 2 controlled by the traffic signal control information. In the present embodiment, the transmitted traffic signal control information is once received by the control center control device 4 and transmitted to each traffic signal control device 3 in a form relayed by the control center control device 4.

<Configuration of signal control device>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the traffic signal control apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the traffic signal control device 3 includes a control unit 30 that controls lighting of the lamp of the traffic signal 2, and a lamp driving unit 31 that supplies driving currents for lighting the blue, yellow, and red lamps according to instructions from the control unit 30. And a communication control unit 32 that is connected to the dedicated network 5 and performs communication control for the dedicated network 5.

  Here, the control unit 30 includes a standard lighting time storage unit 301 and an increase / decrease lighting time storage unit 302. In the standard lighting time storage unit 301, the traffic light 2 transmitted from the control center control device 4 or the like in advance. The standard lighting times of blue, yellow and red lamps are stored. Further, the increase / decrease lighting time storage unit 302 stores the traffic light control information transmitted from the information management server device 8, that is, the increase / decrease lighting time of the blue or red lamp. Therefore, when the control unit 30 controls the lamp driving unit 31, the control unit 30 actually calculates the time obtained by adding the time stored in the standard lighting time storage unit 301 and the time stored in the increase / decrease lighting time storage unit 302. Use as the lighting time of.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the lighting time of the lamp of the traffic light 2 is determined by the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic light 2 or the number of pedestrians considering pedestrian attribute information. It is possible to realize a traffic signal that is friendly to pedestrians or socially vulnerable people.

  Subsequently, the flow of information processing according to the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

<Flow of information processing on mobile devices>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen for setting pedestrian attribute information in the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the pedestrian can activate the processing of the attribute information setting unit 104 by performing a predetermined operation on the mobile terminal 1. When the processing of the attribute information setting unit 104 is started, a screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display unit 13 of the mobile terminal 1.

  In the display screen of FIG. 5, a radio button indicating whether or not information can be provided is displayed in the item indicating whether or not information can be provided, and the pedestrian selects one of them. If not selected, no is selected. Note that whether or not to provide information means whether or not to permit transmission of attribute information of a pedestrian to be selected next to the information management server device 8.

  Next, on the display screen of FIG. 5, the attribute information item displays attribute information of the pedestrian, for example, details such as a healthy person, a disabled person, an elderly person, a pregnant woman, a wheelchair, a stroller, and children. Therefore, the pedestrian can select any one of the details (a plurality of details can be selected for some details). Therefore, when the user selects one of them, a check mark or the like is displayed on the selected item. In addition, when neither is selected, it is assumed that the details of the healthy person are selected.

  The attribute information set on the attribute information setting screen described above is stored in the attribute information storage unit 106 of the mobile terminal 1.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the attribute information storage unit in the mobile terminal. As shown in FIG. 6, the attribute information storage unit 106 includes information availability, the selection status of each item of pedestrian attribute information, and a pedestrian flag, each of which is 1-bit information. Assigned. Among these, the pedestrian flag is a flag indicating that the portable person of the portable terminal 1 is a pedestrian, and the portable terminal 1 changes its position information with time (movement distance per unit time, that is, movement speed). ) And set it yourself. Details of the setting process will be described later. Also, the value of each bit constituting the attribute information storage unit 106 shown in FIG. 6 is a value corresponding to the setting example on the attribute information setting screen of FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing in which the mobile terminal acquires its current position information and transmits the acquired current position information to the information management server device. These processes are executed by the information processing unit 10 (see FIG. 2) of the mobile terminal 1 as part of the processes of the current position acquisition unit 102 and the server communication processing unit 103.

  In FIG. 7, the information processing unit 10 acquires the current position information output from the GPS radio wave receiving unit 11 every predetermined time, for example, every 15 seconds (step S11). Then, the acquired current position information is stored in the current position storage unit 105. Next, the information processing unit 10 refers to the previous current position information stored in the current position storage unit 105 and calculates the moving speed and moving distance of the mobile terminal 1 (step S12). It is assumed that the current position storage unit 105 stores, for example, current position information for the past five times, and similarly stores the moving speed for the past five times. Then, it is determined whether or not the moving speed is included in a predetermined speed range (step S13).

  As a result of the determination, when the moving speed is included in the predetermined speed range, for example, when the moving speed is 10 m or more to 150 m or less (Yes in Step S13), it is stored in the attribute information storage unit 106. A pedestrian flag is set (step S14). When the moving speed is not included in the predetermined speed range, for example, when the moving speed is 10 m or less or 150 m or more (No in step S13), the mobile terminal 1 The pedestrian flag is reset assuming that the vehicle is staying in one place or the vehicle is running (step S15), and the process of FIG. 7 is terminated without performing steps S16 and S17. .

  In addition, since a vehicle or a pedestrian may temporarily stay in one place due to a red light or the like, the information processing unit 10 uses a plurality of pieces of past information as follows, and the mobile terminal 1 It is preferable to determine that the other person is a pedestrian. That is, for example, the information processing unit 10 determines that the mobile user of the mobile terminal 1 is in the vehicle when the moving speed of the past five times including the present is at least a predetermined speed at least once, When all of the past five moving speeds are equal to or lower than the predetermined moving speed, it is determined that the portable person of the portable terminal 1 stays in the room, and in other cases, the portable person 1 is determined to be a pedestrian.

  Next, the information processing unit 10 determines whether or not the movement distance calculated in step S12 is greater than a predetermined distance (step S16). As a result of the determination, if the movement distance is greater than a predetermined distance, for example, 15 m (Yes in step S16), the information processing unit 10 stores the acquired current position information and the attribute information storage unit 106. The pedestrian attribute information (including the pedestrian flag) is transmitted to the information management server device 8 (step S17). When the movement distance is a predetermined distance, for example, 15 m or less (No in step S16), the information processing section 10 ends the process of FIG. 7 without performing step S17.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 determines whether or not the mobile person carrying the mobile terminal 1 is a pedestrian based on its own moving speed, and determines that the mobile terminal 1 is not a pedestrian. The mobile terminal 1 suppresses transmission of the current position information and the attribute information of the pedestrian to the information management server device 8. Even when it is determined that the person is a pedestrian, if the movement distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the current position information and the attribute information of the pedestrian are similarly transmitted to the information management server device 8. To suppress. The mobile terminal 1 can save power required for transmission radio wave output by suppressing the transmission of the current position information and the pedestrian attribute information to the information management server device 8 as described above. The usable time can be increased.

<Information processing flow in the information management server>
Next, the flow of information processing in the information management server device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8. Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the pedestrian position information DB and the traffic signal position information DB in the information management server device, where (a) is the pedestrian position information DB, and (b) is the traffic signal position information. This is the structure of the DB.

  In FIG. 3, when the information processing unit 80 receives the current position information and the pedestrian attribute information (including the pedestrian flag) transmitted from the portable terminal 1 as the process of the portable terminal communication processing unit 801, the information reception unit 80 receives the information. The current position information and pedestrian attribute information (including the pedestrian flag) are registered in the pedestrian position information DB 805. Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, the record of the pedestrian position information DB 805 is composed of fields of pedestrian ID, last update time, pedestrian position information, attribute information, and pedestrian flag. At this time, the pedestrian ID is a number or a symbol for identifying the pedestrian, and normally, the mobile phone number assigned to the mobile terminal 1 can be used. The last update time is the time when the record was last registered or updated.

  Further, the information processing unit 80 includes a traffic signal position information DB 806 configured as shown in FIG. That is, the record of the traffic signal position information DB 806 includes fields of a traffic signal ID, a traffic signal position information, a standard lighting time, a green light standard pedestrian number, a pedestrian number, a weak number, and a green signal increase / decrease time. Here, the traffic signal ID, the traffic signal position information, the standard lighting time, and the green traffic light standard number of pedestrians are set in advance according to the actual traffic signal installation situation and traffic situation.

  Therefore, the information processing unit 80 takes out one record from the traffic signal position information DB 806 as a process of the pedestrian count totaling processing unit 802, and calculates the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the position indicated by the traffic signal position information. The information is totaled by referring to the pedestrian position information in the position information DB 805. At the same time, the information processing unit 80 refers to the attribute information in the pedestrian position information DB 805 and totals the number of socially vulnerable people. Then, the total number of pedestrians and the number of socially vulnerable persons are entered in the field of the number of pedestrians and the number of vulnerable persons in the traffic signal position information DB 806, respectively. The number of weak is the number of pedestrians.

  Next, the information processing unit 80 determines the green light increase / decrease time according to the number of pedestrians and the number of weak people as processing of the traffic light control information setting unit 803. At this time, if the number of pedestrians is larger than the preset green signal standard pedestrian number or the number of weak people is not 0, the green signal increase / decrease time is set to a positive value, for example, +10 seconds, and the number of pedestrians Is smaller than the preset green signal standard pedestrian count, the green signal increase / decrease time is set to a negative value, for example, -5 seconds. Then, the set green signal increase / decrease time is entered in the green signal increase / decrease time field of the traffic signal position information DB 806.

  Further, the information processing unit 80 transmits the entered green signal increase / decrease time to the traffic signal control device 3 as processing of the traffic signal control information transmission unit 804. The traffic signal controller 3 that has received the blue signal increase / decrease time changes the blue lamp lighting time from the standard lighting time to the received blue signal increase / decrease time, and controls the lighting of the blue lamp.

<Supplement>
With reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 8, it supplements about the installation position etc. of the traffic light 2 in an intersection etc. FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a signal layout at a representative cross intersection. As shown in FIG. 9, a vehicle traffic light 21 and a pedestrian traffic light 22 are installed at each corner of a normal cross intersection. Here, in the case of the present embodiment, the traffic signal at each corner is regarded as one traffic signal, the traffic signal ID (indicated by an underlined number in FIG. 9) is attached to the traffic signal at each corner, and the traffic signal position information is set. .

  The information management server device 8 counts the number of pedestrians and the number of socially vulnerable persons located near the traffic light 2 based on the traffic signal position information of each corner. The number of pedestrians and the number of socially vulnerable in this way is actually unknown whether it passes through a pedestrian crossing in the up-down direction or the left-right direction. Therefore, when the number of pedestrians in any corner is larger than the predetermined number or a socially vulnerable person is found in any corner, the green signal increase / decrease time is increased in the traffic lights 2 in any of the four corners. For example, it is necessary to set to +10 seconds. Further, the green signal increase / decrease time can be actually reduced only when the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic lights 2 at all corners is equal to or less than a predetermined number.

  Therefore, in the traffic light control information setting unit 803 (see FIG. 3) of this embodiment, the increase / decrease time of the green signal is determined only by the number of pedestrians and the number of socially vulnerable persons located in the vicinity of the traffic light 2. Instead, it is determined in consideration of the number of pedestrians and the number of socially vulnerable persons located near other traffic lights 2 at the same intersection. In order to perform such processing, information indicating the intersection where the traffic signal 2 is installed is required for each traffic signal 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, an intersection ID field (not shown) is added to each record of the traffic signal position information DB 806 (see FIG. 8B). From this intersection ID field, the information processing section 80 can know the traffic signal IDs of other traffic signals 2 installed at the intersection where the traffic signal 2 is installed.

  In the present embodiment, one traffic signal control device 3 for each traffic signal 2 is provided for each traffic signal 2. For example, one traffic signal control device 3 is provided at an intersection, and the one traffic signal control device 3 is provided. You may make it control all the traffic lights 2 in the same intersection. In the description below FIG. 9, the traffic signal 2 is assumed to be installed at the intersection, but it may be installed so that the two traffic signals 2 face each other across the road.

  As mentioned above, according to this embodiment, since the green signal lighting time of the traffic light 2 can be increased / decreased by the number of pedestrians or socially vulnerable persons located in the vicinity of the traffic signal 2, it is a traffic signal that is easy for pedestrians or socially vulnerable persons. Can be realized. In addition, the mobile terminal 1, the traffic signal 2 and the traffic signal control device 3 can be realized without any hardware modification, so that the conventional mobile phone communication system and traffic signal control can be realized. System infrastructure can be used as is. Therefore, the cost for realizing this embodiment can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the information management server device 8 is provided in such a manner as to assist the function of the control center control device 4 that controls the plurality of traffic light control devices 3 in cooperation with each other. When the green signal lighting time is increased or decreased, the information is immediately transmitted to the control center control device 4. Based on the information, the control center control device 4 can appropriately control the blue time lighting time of the other traffic signals to cooperate so that the traffic of the vehicle is not disturbed as much as possible.

  In the embodiment described above, the mobile terminal 1 sets the attribute information of the pedestrian carrying the mobile terminal 1, and the current position of the mobile terminal 1 that detects the set attribute information of the pedestrian. The attribute information is transmitted to the information management server device 8, but the attribute information is not set, and even if it is set, the setting information may not be transmitted to the information management server device 8. However, in this case, the information management server device 8 can count the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the traffic light 2, but cannot count the number of socially vulnerable people. Therefore, in this case, a traffic signal that is easy on pedestrians is realized, not a traffic light that is friendly to the socially vulnerable.

It is the figure which showed the whole structure of the traffic signal control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the structure of the information management server apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the structure of the traffic signal control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the display screen for setting the attribute information of a pedestrian in the portable terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the structure of the attribute information storage part in the portable terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the flow of the process which the portable terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention acquires own present position information, and transmits the acquired present position information to an information management server apparatus. It is the figure which showed the example of the structure of pedestrian location information DB and traffic signal location information DB in the information management server apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) is pedestrian location information DB, (b) is traffic signal location information. This is the structure of the DB. It is the figure which showed the arrangement | positioning figure of the signal in a typical cross intersection.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile terminal 2 Traffic signal 3 Signal control device 4 Control center control device 5 Dedicated network 6 Network 7 Mobile phone base station 8 Information management server device 9 GPS satellite 10 Information processing part 11 GPS radio wave reception part 12 Mobile telephone communication part 13 Display part 14 Key input unit 21 Vehicle traffic signal 22 Pedestrian traffic signal 30 Control unit 31 Lamp drive unit 32 Communication control unit 80 Information processing unit 81 Input / output terminal 82 Network interface unit 101 Call processing unit 102 Current position acquisition unit 103 Server communication processing unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 104 Attribute information setting part 105 Current position memory | storage part 106 Attribute information memory | storage part 301 Standard lighting time memory | storage part 302 Increase / decrease lighting time memory | storage part 801 vs. portable terminal communication process part 802 Pedestrian number totalization process part 803 Traffic signal control information setting part 804 Traffic signal control Information transmission unit 805 Ascetic position information DB
806 Traffic signal location information DB

Claims (11)

A portable terminal that is carried by a pedestrian and detects its own location information;
A traffic signal controller for controlling traffic signals;
An information management server device connected to the portable terminal and the traffic signal controller via a network, comprising a traffic signal location information DB storing the traffic signal location information, and transmitting the traffic signal control information to the traffic signal controller; A traffic signal control system configured to include:
The portable terminal is
Detecting its own location information every predetermined time, and transmitting the detected location information of itself as pedestrian location information to the information management server device,
The information management server device
Receiving the location information of the pedestrian transmitted by the mobile terminal;
Based on the received position information of the pedestrian and the installation position information of the traffic light obtained from the traffic signal position information DB, information relating to the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the installation position of the traffic light is tabulated.
Based on the information relating to the total number of pedestrians, the traffic signal control information of the traffic light is generated,
The generated traffic signal control information is transmitted to the traffic signal controller of the traffic signal controlled by the traffic signal control information,
The traffic signal controller is
Receiving the traffic signal control information transmitted by the information management server device;
A traffic light control system for controlling a lighting time of a blue or red lamp of the traffic light based on the received traffic signal control information. The traffic light control system according to claim 1,
The mobile terminal further includes:
Based on the input information, the attribute information of the pedestrian is set, the attribute information of the set pedestrian is attached to the position information of the pedestrian and transmitted to the information management server device,
The information management server device
When the position information of the pedestrian to which the attribute information of the pedestrian transmitted by the portable terminal is attached is received and the information related to the number of pedestrians located near the installation position of the traffic light is totaled, the walking The traffic signal control information is generated in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian when the information related to the number of pedestrians is counted in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian and the traffic signal control information is generated. Control system. Signal position information that is carried by a pedestrian and that is connected to a portable terminal that detects its own position information and a traffic signal control device that controls traffic signals for traffic, and stores the signal position information. An information management server device comprising a DB and transmitting signal control information to the signal control device,
Receiving information transmitted as the location information of the pedestrian the location information detected by the mobile terminal,
Based on the received position information of the pedestrian and the installation position information of the traffic light obtained from the traffic signal position information DB, information relating to the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the installation position of the traffic light is tabulated.
Based on the information relating to the total number of pedestrians, the traffic signal control information of the traffic light is generated,
The generated traffic signal control information is transmitted to the traffic signal control device of the traffic signal controlled by the traffic signal control information. The information management server device according to claim 3,
When the position information of the pedestrian attached with the attribute information of the pedestrian set in the portable terminal is received and the information related to the number of pedestrians located in the vicinity of the installation position of the traffic light is totaled, the walking Information relating to the number of pedestrians in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian, and when generating the traffic signal control information, the traffic signal control information is generated in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian. Management server device. A portable terminal that is carried by a pedestrian and detects its own location information;
A traffic signal controller for controlling traffic signals;
An information management server device connected to the portable terminal and the traffic signal controller via a network, comprising a traffic signal location information DB storing the traffic signal location information, and transmitting the traffic signal control information to the traffic signal controller; A portable terminal used in a traffic signal control system configured to include:
A mobile terminal that detects its own location information at predetermined time intervals and transmits the detected location information as pedestrian location information to the information management server device. The mobile terminal according to claim 5,
Based on the input information, the pedestrian attribute information is set, and the set pedestrian attribute information is attached to the pedestrian position information and transmitted to the information management server device. Terminal. The portable terminal according to claim 5 or 6, wherein
Based on the detected own position information, a travel distance per unit time is calculated, and the calculated travel distance per unit time is equal to or greater than a first predetermined distance and greater than the first predetermined distance. When the distance is equal to or smaller than the second predetermined distance, pedestrian flag information indicating that the pedestrian is present is generated, and the generated pedestrian flag information is attached to the position information of the pedestrian to manage the information. A mobile terminal characterized by being transmitted to a server device. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
Based on the detected position information of itself, a travel distance per unit time is calculated, and the calculated travel distance per unit time is less than a first predetermined distance or the first predetermined distance A portable terminal, wherein transmission of information including position information of the pedestrian to be transmitted to the information management server device is suppressed when the distance is greater than a second predetermined distance that is larger. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The position of the pedestrian to be transmitted to the information management server device when the position indicated by the detected position information is not more than a predetermined distance from the position indicated by the position information of the pedestrian transmitted last time. A portable terminal characterized by suppressing transmission of information including information. A portable terminal that is carried by a pedestrian and detects its own position information, and a traffic signal control device that controls traffic signals for traffic, includes a traffic signal location information DB that stores installation information of the traffic signal, and the traffic signal control device. Connected to the information management server device that transmits the traffic signal control information to each via a network,
The portable terminal is
Detecting its own location information every predetermined time, and transmitting the detected location information of itself as pedestrian location information to the information management server device,
The information management server device
Receiving the location information of the pedestrian transmitted by the mobile terminal;
Based on the received location information of the pedestrian and the traffic signal location information DB obtained from the traffic signal location information DB, the traffic light is aggregated the number of information related to the number of pedestrians located near the location of the traffic signal,
Based on the information relating to the total number of pedestrians, the traffic signal control information of the traffic light is generated,
The generated traffic signal control information is transmitted to the traffic signal controller of the traffic signal controlled by the traffic signal control information,
The traffic signal controller is
Receiving the traffic signal control information transmitted by the information management server device;
A traffic signal control method, comprising: controlling a lighting time of a blue or red lamp of the traffic signal based on the received traffic signal control information. The traffic light control method according to claim 10,
The mobile terminal further includes:
Based on the input information, the attribute information of the pedestrian is set, the attribute information of the set pedestrian is attached to the position information of the pedestrian and transmitted to the information management server device,
The information management server device
When the position information of the pedestrian to which the attribute information of the pedestrian transmitted by the portable terminal is attached is received and the information related to the number of pedestrians located near the installation position of the traffic light is totaled, the walking The traffic signal control information is generated in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian when the information related to the number of pedestrians is counted in consideration of the attribute information of the pedestrian and the traffic signal control information is generated. Control method.

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