JP2009003845A - Travel time providing apparatus and method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide more accurate travel time information to a vehicle by producing the travel time by considering each signal cycle of crossings. <P>SOLUTION: By identifying in which relative time "i" within a signal cycle "C1" of a crossing "J1" a first time point "t1" is detected, relative time data "Tr(i)" is produced which is made by dividing a number of pieces of travel time data "Td" in every relative time "i". The travel time T(i) in every relative time "i" is calculated based on the plurality of divided pieces of relative time data "Tr(i)", then the travel time T(i) corresponding to the specified relative time "i" is provided relating to a vehicle 5 which has passed through a first point "P1" at the specified relative time "i". <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a travel time providing apparatus and method for providing a travel time of a link to a vehicle, and a computer program for executing the method.

The road travel time data is necessary for grasping road congestion and calculating the optimum route. Since the travel time of this road changes every moment, it is important to grasp the current travel time data in real time.
For this reason, the travel time data of the road on which each vehicle actually traveled is accumulated by a vehicle detector or an optical beacon, and the travel time for each link is calculated based on a large number of travel time data, and the related organizations and vehicles Has already been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2006-344006 A JP 2004-101504 A

However, in the conventional travel time providing system, since the travel time for each link is defined by the average value of a large number of travel time data, it is not strictly the actual travel time for each vehicle.
Therefore, even if the travel time of the link that is an average value is provided, it is useful for calculating the macro optimum route, but it is not always the shortest route in the micro.

  For example, considering the signal cycle at the intersection ahead of the vehicle that is currently in progress and the signal cycle at the further downstream intersection, it is advantageous to simply go straight ahead at the next intersection to be passed, or turn right Whether or not it is advantageous to do so cannot be determined by the travel time of the link, which is only the average value of the past travel time data.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a travel time providing apparatus that can generate travel time in consideration of a signal cycle at an intersection and can provide more accurate travel time information to a vehicle. The purpose is to obtain.

The travel time providing device of the present invention (Claim 1) calculates the travel time of a link including an intersection having a traffic signal using each parameter defined in the following (1), and provides the travel time to the vehicle. To do.
(1) P1: Link start point upstream of intersection J1 (= first point)
t1: Time when the vehicle passes the first point P1 (= first time)
P2: Link end point downstream of intersection J1 (= second point)
t2: Time when the vehicle passes the second point P2 (= second time point)
Td: time difference from the first time point t1 to the second time point t2 (= travel time data)
C1: Signal cycle at intersection J1
i: relative time in signal cycle C1

The travel time providing device of the present invention (Claim 1) includes a data generating means, a calculating means, and a providing means as its constituent elements, which perform the following processes.
Data generation means: Relative time data obtained by identifying which relative time i in the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 the first time point t1 is detected, and dividing a large number of travel time data Td for each relative time i Tr (i) is generated.
Calculating means: Travel time T (i) for each relative time i is calculated based on the plurality of classified relative time data Tr (i).
Providing means: The travel time T (i) corresponding to the specific relative time i is provided to the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 at the specific relative time i.

  According to the travel time providing apparatus (Claim 1), the data generating means generates relative time data Tr (i) divided for each relative time i of the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1, and the calculating means includes: Since the travel time T (i) for each relative time i is calculated based on the relative time data Tr (i), the travel time T (i) is determined by the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 in the past. This information is microscopic information including how much the travel time has changed due to the influence of the signal cycle C1 at the intersection J1.

For this reason, the provision means provides the travel time T (i) corresponding to the specific relative time i to the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 at the specific relative time i. The received vehicle can acquire a more accurate travel time in consideration of micro information such as the influence of the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 to be passed.
Therefore, by distributing such accurate travel time from each intersection, the vehicle can calculate a more accurate shortest route.
The relative time i at the intersection J1 actually has a certain time width according to a predetermined count cycle, and this count cycle can be set to about 1 to 10 seconds, for example. Further, the relative time i may be any time point in the signal cycle C1 as a reference time. These points are the same in the case of the relative time j of the next intersection J2.

In the travel time providing device of the present invention (Claim 2), the travel time of the next link can be calculated using the parameters defined in the following (2), and the travel time can be provided to the vehicle. .
(2) P3: Link start point downstream of intersection J2 (= third point)
t3: Time when the vehicle passes through the third point P3 (= third time point)
Tdd: time difference from the second time point t2 to the third time point t3 (= second travel time data)
C2: Signal cycle at intersection J2
j: relative time in signal cycle C2

Each component of the travel time providing device in this case (claim 2) further performs the following processes.
Data generation means: identifies at which relative time j in the signal cycle C2 of the second intersection J2 downstream of the intersection J1 the second time point t2 is detected, and a number of second travel time data Tdd Second relative time data Tr (j) divided for each time j is generated.
○ Calculation means: The travel time T (j) for each relative time j in the signal cycle C2 of the second intersection J2 is calculated based on the plurality of divided second relative time data Tr (j), and the first point The predicted time tf (i) at which the vehicle that has passed P1 reaches the second point P2 is calculated from the relative time data Tr (i) based on the relative time i of the intersection J1.
Providing means: For the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 at a specific relative time i in the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1, in the signal cycle C2 of the second intersection J2 corresponding to the predicted time tf (i) A travel time T (j) corresponding to the relative time j is provided.

  According to the travel time providing apparatus (claim 2), the data generating means generates the second relative time data Tr (j) divided for each relative time j of the signal cycle C2 of the intersection J2, and the calculating means However, since the travel time T (j) for each relative time j is calculated based on the second relative time data Tr (i), the travel time T (j) is a vehicle that has passed the second point P2 in the past. However, the information is microscopic information including how much the travel time fluctuates due to the influence of the signal cycle C2 of the intersection J2 thereafter.

On the other hand, in order to use the travel time T (j) of the next link, it is necessary to know the second time point t2 when the second point P2 passes, but the vehicle immediately after passing the first point P1 is still Since the vehicle has not arrived at the second point P2, the second time point t2 is unknown to the vehicle.
Therefore, the calculation means calculates the predicted time tf (i) at which the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 reaches the second point P2 from the relative time data Tr (i) based on the relative time i of the intersection J1.

  For this reason, the providing means provides the travel time T (j) corresponding to the relative time j corresponding to the predicted time tf (i) to the vehicle that has passed the first point P1 at the relative time i. The next link that takes into account the influence of the signal cycle C2 of the next intersection J2 as well as the travel time T (i) of the link that takes into account the influence of the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 to the vehicle immediately after passing through the one point P1. Travel time T (j) can be provided.

However, the travel time T (i) that considers the influence of the signal cycle C1 is provided only for the travel time of the link including the nearest intersection J1, and the signal cycle is considered for the travel time of the link including the second intersection J2. A normal travel time Tm may not be provided.
In other words, in this case, the calculation means calculates the travel time Tm of the link including the second intersection J2 on the downstream side of the intersection J1 based on the multiple second travel time data Tdd, and the providing means calculates The travel time Tm is provided to the vehicle (claim 3).

In the travel time providing apparatus of the present invention (Claim 1), travel time data (Tr (i) (k): k is a variable indicating the outflow direction) according to the outflow direction (for example, straight, right turn, and left turn) of the intersection J1. ) And the travel time T (i) can be calculated for each outflow direction of the intersection J1 based on the travel time T (i) and provided to the vehicle (claim 4).
For example, when the outflow direction is straight, right turn and left turn, k = 1 is straight, k = 2 is right turn, k = 3 is left turn, and so on. Can be identified. However, since the outflow direction k of the intersection J1 is not limited to three directions, a value of k may be appropriately assigned according to the number of directions.

The travel time providing method of the present invention (Claim 5) is a method performed by the travel time providing apparatus (Claim 1), and has the same effects as the providing apparatus.
The computer program of the present invention (Claim 6) is a program for causing a computer to execute the travel time providing method of the present invention (Claim 5), and has the same operational effects as the providing method.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to generate a travel time in consideration of the signal cycle of an intersection, and thus it is possible to provide more accurate travel time information to the vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[Overall system configuration]
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a traffic signal control system employing the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic signal control system according to the present embodiment includes a traffic signal 1, a vehicle-mounted device 2 (see FIG. 2), a road device 3, a central device 4, a vehicle 5 on which the vehicle-mounted device 2 is mounted.

In FIG. 1, for simplification of illustration, only one signal lamp 1b is depicted at each intersection Ji. However, in each actual intersection Ji, for example, as shown in FIG. Four signal lamps 1b are installed for going up and down.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the road structure of the control area under the control of the central device 4 is the main road RM in the north-south direction with a relatively large traffic volume and the east-west direction with a relatively small traffic volume. It is composed of a secondary road RS.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the main road RM includes a northbound up line RM1 and a southbound downline RM2, and the secondary road RS includes an eastbound upline RS1 and a westbound downline RS2. It shall be equipped with.
The terminal control device 1a of each traffic signal 1 is installed at each of a plurality of intersections Ji (i = 1 to 12), and is connected to a router 7 via a communication line 6 such as a telephone line. The router 7 is connected to a central device 4 in the traffic control center, and the central device 4 constitutes a local area network (LAN) with each traffic signal 1 at the intersection Ji in the control area.

Therefore, the central device 4 can bidirectionally communicate with each traffic signal 1, and each traffic signal 1 can also communicate bidirectionally with other traffic signals 1. The central device 4 may be installed on the road instead of the traffic control center.
The road device 3 is arranged for each of the upper and lower lines in the vicinity of the downstream side of each intersection Ji, and is connected to the router 7 via the communication line 6. Therefore, the central device 4 can also perform bidirectional communication with each of these on-road devices 3. This on-road device 3 is a narrow-range communication device such as an optical beacon or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), and wirelessly communicates various information with the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5. Can do.

When the vehicle 5 passes through the road device 3, the in-vehicle device 2 wirelessly transmits its own vehicle ID and the like as uplink information to the road device 3. The road device 3 stores the uplink reception time from each vehicle 5 in association with its own road device ID and the vehicle ID, and centrally stores the information of the reception time with these IDs (hereinafter referred to as time information S1). Transmit to device 4.
On the other hand, the central device 4 receives and accumulates time information S1 from each road device 3, and calculates a travel time for each link based on the accumulated time information S1. The travel time calculation method performed by the central device 4 will be described later.

Further, the central device 4 transmits traffic information S2 such as traffic jam information to each road device 3 at regular intervals (for example, every 5 minutes), and each road device 3 uses the received traffic information S2 as downlink information. Wireless transmission is performed to the in-vehicle device 2, and the in-vehicle device 2 of each vehicle 5 receives the traffic information S2.
The link means a road section between adjacent intersections Ji. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it means the distance from a specific road device 3 to the next road device 3, and one intersection Ji is always included in one link.

[Central equipment]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the central device 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the central device 4 includes a control unit 401, a display unit 402, a communication unit 403, a storage unit 404, and an operation unit 405.
The control unit 401 of the central device 4 includes a workstation (WS), a personal computer (PC), and the like, and collects, processes (calculates) and records various traffic information from the traffic signal device 1 and the road device 3, and performs signal control and Provide information in an integrated manner. The control unit 401 of the central device 4 is connected to the hardware units via an internal bus, and also controls the operations of these units.

The control unit 401 of the central device 4 adjusts the traffic signal 1 on the same road to the traffic signal 1 at the intersection Ji belonging to its own network, or wide area control that extends this system control to the road network. (Surface control) is performed, and traffic sensitive control is performed in which signal control parameters (split, cycle length, offset, etc.) are set according to traffic conditions.
Further, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 calculates the travel time of the link in its own control area, and this calculation method will be described later.

The communication unit 403 of the central device 4 is a communication interface connected to the LAN side via the communication line 6 and transmits traffic information S2 including traffic jam information to each on-road device 3 and a signal lamp every predetermined time. The signal control command S3 related to the timing of switching the lamp color 1b and the like, and the control type information S4 related to the type of traffic control performed by itself are transmitted to each traffic signal device 1.
The signal control command S3 and the signal type information S4 are transmitted every signal control parameter calculation cycle (for example, 1.0 to 2.5 minutes), and the traffic information S2 is transmitted every five minutes, for example.

The storage unit 404 of the central device 4 is composed of a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores calculation programs for signal control parameters used for calculation of travel time and various traffic-sensitive controls described later.
The storage unit 404 of the central device 4 temporarily stores the signal control command S3, the traffic information S2 and the control type information S4 generated by the control unit 401, and the time information S1 acquired from the LAN side.

The display unit 402 of the central device 4 is composed of a road map of an area managed by the central device 4 and a display screen on which positions of all traffic signals 1 and road devices 3 on the road map are displayed. And traffic conditions such as accidents, and disasters such as large-scale accidents and earthquakes occurring in the control area.
The operation unit 405 of the central device 4 includes an input interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. The operation unit 405 allows the central operator to perform a display switching operation on the display unit 402.

[Traffic signal]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of each traffic signal 1 included in the control area.
As shown in FIG. 2, the traffic signal 1 of this embodiment includes four signal lamps 1b installed on the upper and lower lines RM1 and RM2 of the main road and the upper and lower lines RS1 and RS2 of the secondary road, and the signal lamp 1b. And a terminal control device 1 a connected via a communication line 8.
The terminal control device 1a receives the signal control command S3 from the central device 4, and based on the signal control command S3, turns on, turns off, and blinks the signal lights such as blue, yellow, red, and right turn arrow of each signal lamp 1b. To control.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal control device 1a.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the terminal control device 1 a includes a control unit 101, a lamp driving unit 102, a wired communication unit 103, and a storage unit 104.
The control unit 101 of the terminal control device 1a is composed of one or a plurality of microcomputers. The control unit 101 is connected to the lamp driving unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the storage unit 104 via an internal bus, and the control unit 101 controls operations of these hardware units.

The control unit 101 of the terminal control device 1a drives each signal lamp 1b according to a signal control command S3 that is an output as a result of the traffic sensitivity control performed by the central device 4, and each signal lamp at a predetermined timing based on the command S3. The signal lamp color of the device 1b is switched.
The lamp driving unit 102 includes a semiconductor relay (not shown). Based on the control signal from the control unit 101, the signal lamps of the respective colors corresponding to the blue, yellow, and red lamps of the plurality of signal lamps 1b. The AC voltage (AC100V) or DC voltage supplied to is turned on / off.

The wired communication unit 103 of the terminal control device 1a is a communication interface that performs wired communication between the central device 4 and the vehicle detector 3, receives the signal control command S3 and the control type information S4 from the central device 4, and the vehicle If there is a sensor (not shown), the sensor receives the sensing signal.
The storage unit 104 of the terminal control device 1a includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores traffic information S2, a signal control command S3, control type information S4, a sensing signal S5, and the like received by the wired communication unit 103. .

[In-vehicle device]
The in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5 has a communication function for wirelessly communicating various information with the roadside device 3 and a navigation function for guiding to a destination set by the passenger. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 2.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 2 includes a GPS processing unit 201, an orientation sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, a display unit 207, an audio output unit 208, and a processing unit 209. Etc.

The GPS processing unit 201 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite, and measures the position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the vehicle 5 based on time information, GPS satellite orbit, positioning correction information, and the like included in the GPS signal. To do.
The direction sensor 202 is constituted by an optical fiber gyro or the like, and measures the direction and angular velocity of the vehicle 5. The vehicle speed acquisition unit 203 acquires the speed data of the vehicle 5 measured by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) detecting the angular speed of the wheels.

The communication unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2 is a communication interface that performs two-way communication with the road device 3 wirelessly. When the vehicle 5 travels toward the intersection Ji and enters the narrow area communication area of the road device 3, the road device 3 receives downlink information such as traffic information S2 transmitted by the terminal 3 and transmits uplink information including its own vehicle ID and the like to the roadside device 3.
The storage unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 is composed of a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores the traffic information S2 received by the communication unit 204. The storage unit 205 stores road map data.

This road map data includes the intersection data that associates the intersection ID with the position of the intersection, the link ID, the link start point, the end point, and the interpolation point (corresponding to the point where the road bends), and the link start point. It consists of link data that links the link ID of the link to be connected, the link ID of the link connected to the end point of the link, and the link cost.
For example, there are as many link costs as the number of combinations of a link and its end point, and after entering the start point of the link, exit the end point of the link and enter the start point of the next link to be connected. The time required until is set. That is, the link cost includes the cost (time) required to travel from the start point to the end point of the link and the cost (time) required to travel from the end point of the link to the start point of the next link, that is, the intersection. The cost required to pass is included.

The operation unit 206 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a touch panel, buttons, and the like, and a passenger of the vehicle 5 including a driver can set a destination.
The display unit 207 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a monitor device (not shown) attached to the dashboard portion of the vehicle 5 and displays the image data created by the processing unit 209 to the passenger. The audio output unit 208 outputs the audio data created by the processing unit 209 from a speaker (not shown).

The processing unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes one or a plurality of microcomputers and the like, and includes a GPS processing unit 201, a direction sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, and a display unit. Each process of the audio output unit 208 is controlled.
Further, the processing unit 209 includes each data of the position of the vehicle 5 measured by the GPS processing unit 201, the azimuth and angular velocity of the vehicle 5 measured by the direction sensor 202, the speed of the vehicle 5 acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, and the storage unit 205. Based on the road map data stored in the map, the map matching process is performed to determine the position of the vehicle 5 on the road map data link.

[Calculation and provision of travel time by central device]
Next, calculation and provision of travel time executed by the control unit 401 of the central device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 6, and 7. This process is performed by the control unit 401 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 404 of the central device 4.
[Collecting travel time data]
The travel time of each link is an average value of travel time data of a large number of vehicles 5 passing through the link. Therefore, first, each parameter for specifying the travel time data of this link will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, regarding an upstream line RS1 of a certain secondary road RS, two consecutive links L1 and L2 are considered, the link start point of the link L1 is the first point P1, and the link end point of the link L1 is the second point P2 ( This is also the start point of the link L2.) The link end point of the link L2 is defined as a third point P3. The link L1 includes an intersection J1, and the link L2 includes an intersection J2.
That is, the first point P1 is the link start point on the upstream side of the intersection J1, the second point P2 is the link end point on the downstream side of the intersection J1, and the third point P3 is the link end point on the downstream side of the intersection J2.

Further, a time point when a certain vehicle 5 passes the first point P1 (= first time point) is t1, a time point that passes the second point P2 (= second time point) is t2, and a time point that passes the third point P3 ( = Third time point) is set to t3.
The travel time data of the link L1 (time difference from the first time point t1 to the second time point t2) is Td, and the travel time data of the link L2 (time difference from the second time point t2 to the third time point t3) is Tdd. .

Since the second point P2 and the third point P3 on the downstream side of the intersection J1 and the intersection J2 have three types of straight travel, right turn and left turn, the travel time data Td and Tdd are outflows of straight travel, right turn and left turn. Get by direction. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a variable for identifying the outflow direction is k, k = 1 represents straight travel, k = 2 represents a right turn, and k = 3 represents a left turn. However, depending on the number of branches at the intersection, k> 3 may occur.
The control unit 401 of the central device 4 acquires the travel time data Td and Tdd from the constant communication unit 403 for each outflow direction based on the time information S1 from each road device 3 that has communicated with many vehicles 5 between the road and the vehicle. These travel time data Td and Tdd are stored in the storage unit 404 separately for each road device ID and vehicle ID.

[Relation with signal cycle]
On the other hand, the central device 4 generates a signal control command S1 for each traffic signal 1 at each intersection Ji (i = 1 to 12) and distributes it to each traffic signal 1. Therefore, the intersection shown in the uppermost stage of FIG. The signal cycle C1 of J1 is grasped.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 obtains the travel time data Td of the link L1 obtained for each outflow direction in any time zone in the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1. The time is divided for each time zone, and relative time data Tr (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) for each outflow direction is generated.

In other words, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 detects the temporal relative relationship between the first time point t1 and the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1, that is, at which relative time i in the signal cycle C1 the first time point t1 is detected. Relative time data Tr (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) is generated by dividing a large number of travel time data Td for each relative time i.
For example, in FIG. 6, when the signal cycle C1 immediately before the blue end is the origin of the relative time i (i = 0) and the travel time data Td of the vehicle 5 is obtained just before the blue end, The travel time data Td is divided into hatched portions in FIG.

That is, the relative time i has a certain time width according to a predetermined count cycle, and this count cycle (time for counting i) is set to about 1 to 10 seconds, for example. When the count cycle of the relative time i is 1 second, if t1 is greater than the time 1 second before the blue end and less than or equal to the blue end, the relative time i corresponding to t1 becomes 0 and t1 is blue. If it is greater than the end and less than or equal to 1 second after the end of blue, i = 1.
However, the relative time i may be any time point in the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 as the reference time, and the reference time is not limited to the blue end time.

On the other hand, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 also grasps the signal cycle C2 of the intersection J2 shown at the top of FIG.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, which side of the signal cycle C2 at the intersection J2 is obtained by the control unit 401 of the central device 4 with respect to the travel time data Tdd by the outflow direction of the link L2. Is also classified for each time zone, and relative time data Tr (j) (k) (k = 1 to 3) is generated. The count cycle of the relative time j and the reference time are the same as in the case of the relative time i.

[Calculation of travel time for each relative time]
Next, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 determines, based on the relative time data Tr (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) divided for each relative time i as shown in FIG. Travel time T (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) for each relative time i is calculated.
In other words, the travel time T (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) is the relative time data Tr (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) belonging to the group of the same outflow direction k and relative time i. ) And is microscopic information including how much the travel time of the vehicle 5 that has passed the first point P1 in the past has changed due to the influence of the signal cycle C1 of the subsequent intersection J1. Yes.

Therefore, the travel time T (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) dynamically varies depending on the number of samplings of the relative time data Tr (i) (k = 1 to 3) that are always acquired.
Further, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 performs relative processing for each outflow direction based on the relative time data Tr (j) (k) (k = 1 to 3) divided for each relative time j as shown in FIG. The travel time T (j) (k) (k = 1 to 3) for each time j is calculated.

  In other words, the travel time T (j) (k) (k = 1 to 3) is the relative time data Tr (j) (k) (k = 1 to 3) belonging to the group of the same outflow direction k and relative time j. ) And is micro information including how much the travel time of the vehicle 5 that has passed through the second point P1 in the past has changed due to the influence of the signal cycle C2 at the subsequent intersection J2. Yes.

[Provision of travel time]
As described above, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 sequentially calculates the travel time T (i) of the link L1 by the outflow direction in association with the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1, and also the link L2 of the next link L2 The travel time T (j) is also calculated sequentially in association with the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1.
Therefore, the communication unit 403 of the central device 4 transmits information on the travel times T (i) and T (j) to the road device 3 at the first point P1, and the information as downlink information from the road device 3 concerned. Is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 2, travel times T (i) and T (j) are provided to the vehicle 5 passing through the first point P <b> 1.

[In case of travel time T (i) of link L1]
At this time, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 determines which relative time i in the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 the passing time of the vehicle 5 that has passed through the first point P1 corresponds to this relative time i. The travel time T (i) of the link L1 corresponding to is provided to the vehicle 5 through the road device 3.
That is, for example, when the passing time of the vehicle 5 that has passed the first point P1 is immediately before the blue end of the intersection J1 (i = 0), the travel of the link L1 according to the outflow direction corresponding to i = 0. Time T (i) (k) (k = 1 to 3) (hatched portion in FIG. 6) is provided to the vehicle 5.

  As described above, the travel time T (i) of the link L1 received by the vehicle 5 is a more accurate travel time including the influence of the signal cycle C1 of the intersection J1 to be passed. By calculating the link cost using the travel time T (i), a more accurate shortest path can be calculated.

[In case of travel time T (j) of link L2]
On the other hand, in order to use the travel time T (j) of the link L2, it is necessary to know the second time point t2 when the second point P2 passes, but the vehicle 5 immediately after passing the first point P1 is still Since it has not arrived at the second point P2, the second time point t2 is unknown at this stage.
Therefore, when the controller 401 of the central device 4 provides the travel time T (j) of the link L2 to the vehicle 5 passing through the first point P1, the vehicle 5 first reaches the second point P2. The predicted time tf (i) is calculated from the relative time data Tr (i).

Then, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 determines which relative time j in the signal cycle C2 of the intersection J2 corresponds to the predicted time tf (i), and travels the link L2 corresponding to the relative time j. The time T (j) is provided to the vehicle 5 that has passed the first point P1 at the relative time i.
Therefore, in the traffic signal control system according to the present embodiment, an accurate travel time including the influence of the signal cycle C2 of the next link L2 as well as the latest link L1 with respect to the vehicle 5 passing through the first point P1. Since T (j) is also provided, the link cost is calculated using the travel times T (i) and T (j) of these links L1 and L2, thereby calculating the more accurate shortest path. Can do.

[Other Embodiment (1)]
In the above embodiment, the travel time T (j) considering the signal cycle C2 of the next link L2 as well as the latest link L1 is provided to the vehicle 5 passing through the first point P1. For the travel time T (i) considering the signal cycle C1, only the latest link L1 is provided, and for the next link L2, the normal travel time Tm (without being distinguished by the relative time of the signal cycle) , A total average of travel time data) may be provided.

  In this case, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 calculates the travel time Tm as a simple average value for the link L2 based on a large number of travel time data Tdd as before, and uses the calculated travel time Tm as the road device. 3 will be provided to the vehicle 5 via 3.

[Other embodiment (2)]
In the above embodiment, the road device 3 is composed of a narrow area communication device such as an optical beacon. However, as the road device 3, a medium / wide area communication device 3A (see FIG. 2) may be used.
The communication device 3A includes a wireless LAN, WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), or the like, and can wirelessly communicate various information over a wide range with the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5.

  In this case, since the passing position (link start point and end point) of the vehicle 5 cannot be specified by the installation position of the narrow area communication device, the vehicle ID, time information, and position information of the vehicle 5 are real-time from the communication unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2. If it is made to transmit to the communication apparatus 3A (for example, 0.1-1.0 second period) and those information is transmitted from each communication apparatus 3A to the central apparatus 4, and travel time data Td and Tdd will be collected. Good.

Each of the embodiments disclosed so far is illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims for patent, and all modifications within the scope equivalent to the structure of the claims for patent are included in the present invention.
For example, the present invention is not limited to the case where the central device 4 calculates and provides travel time, but a plurality of traffic signals 1 included in the LAN can be used to calculate travel time for each group separately from the control by the central device 4. It can also be applied when calculating and providing. In this case, the travel time is calculated and provided not by the control unit 401 of the central device 4 but by the control unit 101 of one terminal control device 1a in the same control group.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary of a traffic signal control system. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary of a traffic signal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a central apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a terminal control apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus. Fig. 6 is a graph showing travel time associated with a signal cycle at a recent intersection. Figure 6 is a graph showing travel time associated with a signal cycle at the next intersection.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traffic signal apparatus 1a Terminal control apparatus 1b Signal lamp 101 Control part 102 Lamp drive part 103 Wired communication part 104 Storage part 105 Wireless communication part 2 In-vehicle apparatus 201 GPS processing part 202 Direction sensor 203 Vehicle speed acquisition part 204 Communication part (transmission means)
205 Storage Unit 206 Operation Unit 207 Display Unit 208 Audio Output Unit 209 Processing Unit 3 On-Road Device 4 Central Device (Providing Travel Time)
401 Control unit (control means, route determination means)
402 Display unit 403 Communication unit (acquiring unit, providing unit)
404 Storage unit (storage means)
405 Operation section 5 Vehicle Ji intersection S1 Time information S2 Traffic information S3 Signal control command S4 Control type information

Claims (6)

A travel time providing device for calculating a travel time of a link including an intersection having a traffic signal using each parameter defined in the following (1) and providing the travel time to a vehicle,
Identify the relative time (i) in the signal cycle (C1) of the intersection (J1) at which the first time point (t1) was detected, and obtain a number of travel time data (Td) for each relative time (i) Data generating means for generating relative time data (Tr (i)) divided;
Calculating means for calculating travel time (T (i)) for each relative time (i) based on the plurality of divided relative time data (Tr (i));
Providing means for providing a travel time (T (i)) corresponding to the specific relative time (i) to the vehicle that has passed the first point (P1) at the specific relative time (i); A travel time providing device characterized by comprising:
(1) P1: Link start point upstream of intersection J1 (= first point)
t1: Time when the vehicle passes the first point P1 (= first time)
P2: Link end point downstream of intersection J1 (= second point)
t2: Time when the vehicle passes the second point P2 (= second time point)
Td: time difference from the first time point t1 to the second time point t2 (= travel time data)
C1: Signal cycle at intersection J1
i: relative time in signal cycle C1 The travel time providing device according to claim 1, wherein the travel time of the next link is calculated using each parameter defined in the following (2), and the travel time is provided to the vehicle.
The data generating means identifies at which relative time (j) the second time point (t2) was detected in the signal cycle (C2) of the second intersection (J2) downstream of the intersection (J1), Generating second relative time data (Tr (j)) obtained by dividing a large number of second travel time data (Tdd) for each relative time (j);
The calculation means calculates travel time (T () for each relative time (j) in the signal cycle (C2) of the second intersection (J2) based on the plurality of divided second relative time data (Tr (j)). j)) and
Relative time data (Tr (i)) based on the relative time (i) of the intersection (J1) based on the predicted time (tf (i)) at which the vehicle that has passed the first point (P1) reaches the second point (P2). )
The providing means corresponds to a predicted time (tf (i)) for the vehicle that has passed the first point (P1) at a specific relative time (i) in the signal cycle (C1) of the intersection (J1). A travel time providing device that provides a travel time (T (j)) corresponding to the relative time (j) in the signal cycle (C2) of the second intersection (J2).
(2) P3: Link end point on the downstream side of intersection J2 (= third point)
t3: Time when the vehicle passes through the third point P3 (= third time point)
Tdd: time difference from the second time point t2 to the third time point t3 (= second travel time data)
C2: Signal cycle at intersection J2
j: relative time in signal cycle C2 The travel time providing device according to claim 1, wherein the travel time of the next link is calculated using each parameter defined in the following (2), and the travel time is provided to the vehicle.
The calculation means calculates a travel time (Tm) of a link including the second intersection (J2) on the downstream side of the intersection (J1) based on a large number of second travel time data (Tdd),
The providing means is a travel time providing apparatus for providing the calculated travel time (Tm) to the vehicle.
(2) P3: Link end point on the downstream side of intersection J2 (= third point)
t3: Time point when the vehicle passes the third passing point P3 (= third time point)
Tdd: time difference from the second time point t2 to the third time point t3 (= second travel time data) The data generation means divides a lot of travel time data (Td) acquired for each outflow direction of the intersection (J1) for each relative time (i), and travel time data for each outflow direction (Tr (i) ( k): k generates a variable indicating the outflow direction),
The calculation means calculates travel time for each outflow direction (T (i) (k)) for each relative time (i) based on travel time data for each outflow direction (Tr (i) (k)),
The travel time providing device according to claim 1, wherein the providing means provides travel time (T (i) (k)) for each outflow direction to the vehicle. A travel time providing method for calculating a travel time of a link including an intersection having a traffic signal using each parameter defined in the following (1) and providing the travel time to a vehicle,
Identifying at which relative time (i) the first time point (t1) was detected in the signal cycle (C1) of the intersection (J1);
Generating relative time data (Tr (i)) obtained by dividing a large number of travel time data (Td) for each relative time (i);
A travel time (T (i)) for each relative time (i) is calculated based on the plurality of divided relative time data (Tr (i)),
A travel time (T (i)) corresponding to the specific relative time (i) is provided to the vehicle that has passed the first point (P1) at the specific relative time (i). How to provide travel time.
(1) P1: Link start point upstream of intersection J1 (= first point)
t1: Time when the vehicle passes the first point P1 (= first time)
P2: Link end point downstream of intersection J1 (= second point)
t2: Time when the vehicle passes the second point P2 (= second time point)
Td: time difference from the first time point t1 to the second time point t2 (= travel time data)
C1: Signal cycle at intersection J1
i: relative time in signal cycle C1   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute each step according to claim 5.

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