JP2009175975A - Information providing device, information providing system, vehicle and information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing device for providing operation support information for making a vehicle safely stop at an intersection by surely avoiding any dangerous traveling state, an information providing system, a vehicle and an information providing method. <P>SOLUTION: The information providing device decides whether or not a vehicle is put in a state where it can stop at an intersection indicated by an intersection stop region to be decided under stop conditions and entry conditions based on a distance between the vehicle and the stop line and the speed of a vehicle and signal information. When deciding that the vehicle is able to stop at an intersection, and deciding that the preceding right-turn vehicle exists around just before the intersection, the information providing device outputs operation support information with a voice in order to avoid any dangerous traveling state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an information providing apparatus that provides information for avoiding a dangerous traveling state when a vehicle stops at an intersection and safely stops at an intersection, an information providing system including the information providing apparatus, and the information providing apparatus The present invention relates to a vehicle and an information providing method.

  Many technologies are applied to safe driving support for vehicles, such as technology related to stop control that decelerates and stops a running vehicle, technology related to dilemma control that takes signal switching time into account, and technology that detects the position of the vehicle. Yes.

  For example, from a communication device installed upstream of an intersection, the signal switching timing information of the intersection and the distance to the intersection stop line (or stop line position information) are acquired by the in-vehicle device, and the vehicle enters the dilemma zone. A safety speed providing method for providing a limit traveling speed for escape from the dilemma zone is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, there are self-contained navigation, satellite navigation, map matching, hybrid navigation, and the like as methods for detecting the position of a vehicle widely used in navigation. Self-contained navigation uses a distance sensor, an azimuth sensor, an angular velocity sensor, etc., for example, based on the azimuth angle of the vehicle traveling with respect to an orthogonal coordinate system based on the longitude-latitude coordinate system and the traveling distance per unit time. Although it is calculated, consistency with the road is not taken into consideration, and there is a problem that errors in the vehicle position accumulate as the travel distance increases.

  Satellite navigation uses GPS (Global Positioning System), and the detected position includes an error of about 10 to 20 m. Since GPS is used, an in-vehicle sensor such as a distance sensor, an azimuth sensor, or an angular velocity sensor is unnecessary. However, on roads under elevated roads, roads between buildings, mountain roads, roadside trees, etc., radio waves cannot be received from a predetermined number of GPS satellites, and the detection accuracy is greatly degraded. is there.

  Further, the map matching method detects the position of the vehicle in consideration of the consistency (matching) between the travel locus by the self-contained navigation and the road map. That is, the most probable road is selected from a plurality of road candidates considered to be traveling while comparing the trajectory obtained by the self-contained navigation with the road map data. Then, when the number of candidate roads is limited to one, the traveling locus of the vehicle obtained by the self-contained navigation is matched with the road. However, if the limited road is wrong, there is a problem that position detection after that becomes impossible.

Hybrid navigation is a combination of satellite navigation and map matching, and it rationally estimates the position of the vehicle and identifies the road on which it is traveling, taking into account the errors between autonomous navigation and satellite navigation. Is. In hybrid navigation, for example, the position of a vehicle is detected using a map matching method in normal times. When the vehicle position cannot be detected by the map matching method, the vehicle position and direction are detected by satellite navigation to estimate the vehicle position, and the vehicle position is detected in consideration of consistency with the road map data. To do. With hybrid navigation, except for special cases, there is almost no possibility of mistaken roads on which vehicles are traveling, and the positional accuracy in the direction of the road is within an error range of about 10 m on average. If it is the purpose of the target navigation, it is an accuracy level that has almost no problem in practical use.
JP 2006-139707 A

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 treats an area called a dilemma area or an option area as a dangerous driving area, and other areas, for example, an intersection stopping area where the vehicle can stop before the intersection, It is said to be a safe driving area. On the other hand, the driver of the vehicle cannot recognize the stop area of the intersection, and if the start time of the red signal is not known, when the signal is switched before the intersection, it suddenly accelerates, or There is a case where the vehicle decelerates suddenly, which may lead to a dangerous situation in relation to surrounding vehicles.

  For example, when the vehicle (own vehicle) that is going straight ahead at the intersection reaches the vicinity of the intersection, if it exists in the intersection stop area that was conventionally considered to be safe, There may be a preceding right turn vehicle entering. In such a case, since the driver of the right turn vehicle does not know the start time of the red light, the driver may switch to the red light immediately after accelerating to make a right turn and may stop suddenly. At this time, the driver of the own vehicle accelerates as if the preceding right turn vehicle is turning right, and there is a risk of colliding with the preceding right turn vehicle suddenly stopped. In addition, when there is a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle, there is a risk that the subsequent vehicle will further collide. In such a case, the state becomes more dangerous than a dangerous traveling area such as a normal dilemma area or an option area. For this reason, a method of providing information for more safely and surely avoiding a dangerous traveling area has been desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an information providing device that provides driving support information for reliably avoiding a dangerous traveling state and stopping a vehicle safely at an intersection, and the information providing device It is an object to provide an information providing system, a vehicle equipped with the information providing apparatus, and an information providing method.

  An information providing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an information providing apparatus that provides driving support information related to driving support of a vehicle based on signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection, and a speed acquisition unit that acquires the speed of the vehicle A distance information acquisition means for acquiring distance information regarding the distance between the vehicle and the intersection, a stop condition for stopping the vehicle before the intersection, and an intersection stoppage state determined by the entry condition for entering the intersection State determination means for determining whether there is a vehicle on the basis of the distance to the vehicle intersection, vehicle speed and signal information, right turn vehicle determination means for determining whether there is a preceding right turn vehicle of the vehicle, and Output means for outputting driving support information when the state determination means determines that the vehicle is in the state and the right turn vehicle determination means determines that there is a preceding right turn vehicle. And butterflies.

  The information providing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises, in the first aspect of the present invention, a subsequent vehicle determining unit that determines whether or not there is a subsequent vehicle of the vehicle, and the output unit includes the subsequent vehicle in the subsequent vehicle determining unit. When it determines, it is comprised so that driving assistance information may be output.

  An information providing apparatus according to a third invention is configured such that, in the first invention or the second invention, the output processing by the output means is performed at a time from a yellow signal start time to a time before and after a predetermined time elapses. Features.

  An information providing system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a transmitting device that transmits signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection, and an information providing device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention. The apparatus is characterized by comprising receiving means for receiving signal information transmitted by the transmitting apparatus.

  A vehicle according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that an information providing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects is mounted.

  An information providing method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an information providing method for receiving signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection with an information providing device and providing driving support information related to driving support of the vehicle, wherein the information providing device Can get the speed of the vehicle, get distance information about the distance between the vehicle and the intersection, and can stop at the intersection determined by the stop condition for the vehicle to stop before the intersection and the entry condition for entering the intersection Is determined based on the distance to the intersection of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, and signal information, whether there is a preceding right turn vehicle of the vehicle, and determined that the vehicle is in the state In addition, when it is determined that there is a preceding right turn vehicle, driving support information is output.

  In the first invention and the sixth invention, the information providing device acquires the speed information (speed) of the vehicle and information about the distance between the vehicle and the intersection (for example, stop line), for example, the position of the intersection and the vehicle. Based on the information, the distance to the intersection is calculated. In this case, the information regarding the distance between the vehicle and the intersection may be the distance between the vehicle and the intersection, or the position of the vehicle and the intersection. The information providing device determines whether or not the vehicle can stop at the intersection determined by the stop condition for stopping the vehicle before the intersection and the entry condition for entering the intersection, the distance to the vehicle intersection, the vehicle The speed is determined based on the speed and signal information. The state in which the intersection can be stopped means, for example, a state in an area called an intersection stop area that can be safely stopped before the stop line. Note that the timing for determining whether or not the intersection can be stopped can be set as appropriate. For example, a point at a predetermined distance (for example, about 200 m) from the stop line, a time until switching to the yellow signal May be a point in time when a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds) is reached. Further, whether or not the vehicle can be stopped at the intersection can be determined by, for example, the state quantity indicated by the speed of the vehicle at the start of the yellow signal and the distance to the stop line.

  When the information providing apparatus determines that the vehicle is in a state where the intersection can be stopped and determines that there is a preceding right turn vehicle that turns right at the intersection in front of the vehicle, the information providing apparatus outputs driving support information. For example, even when the vehicle can stop at an intersection, i.e., when it is in the intersection stop area, there is a preceding right turn vehicle ahead and the signal is switched in the immediate vicinity of the intersection (for example, a yellow signal or a red signal) At the time of switching, there is a high possibility that the vehicle will be in a dangerous driving state because it is controlled by the driving behavior of the preceding right turn vehicle. For example, if the driver of the own vehicle accelerates thinking that the preceding right turn vehicle turns right, but the driver of the preceding right turn vehicle stops making a right turn due to a signal change, the own vehicle There is a danger of colliding with a preceding right turn vehicle, and driving assistance information is output to avoid such a dangerous driving state. The timing for outputting the driving support information can be set, for example, at the yellow signal start time, or immediately before or after the yellow signal start time. As a result, it is possible to provide information for reliably avoiding a dangerous traveling state and safely stopping the vehicle at the intersection.

  In the second invention, the information providing device outputs driving support information when it is determined that there is a succeeding vehicle behind the vehicle (own vehicle). For example, if the preceding right turn vehicle has unexpected driving behavior due to signal switching timing, etc., when the own vehicle is about to stop suddenly, there is a subsequent vehicle behind the own vehicle, There is also a danger that the following vehicle will collide. By outputting the driving support information, it is possible to provide information for preventing a rear-end collision caused by the following vehicle, and it is possible to avoid a dangerous driving state when the vehicle stops at the intersection.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the information providing apparatus outputs the driving support information at a time point from when the yellow signal starts to when the predetermined time elapses. As a result, information for assisting driving immediately before the vehicle enters the intersection can be provided, and a dangerous driving state when the vehicle stops at the intersection can be avoided.

  In the fourth invention, the transmission device transmits the signal information of the traffic light installed at the intersection to the information providing device, and the information providing device receives the signal information transmitted by the transmission device. Thus, the information providing apparatus can provide information based on the signal information transmitted by the transmitting apparatus.

  In the fifth invention, the vehicle is equipped with an information providing device. Thereby, the driver can perform safe driving based on the driving support information provided by the information providing device (for example, the in-vehicle device).

  In the present invention, it is possible to reliably avoid dangerous driving conditions and to stop the vehicle safely at the intersection.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an outline of information provision using an information providing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing apparatus 20 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a stop line is provided in front of the intersection where the traffic signal is installed, and the communication device 10 is installed with an appropriate distance (for example, 200 m to 1000 m) along the road from the stop line. It is. The communication device 10 can be realized by, for example, an optical beacon, a radio beacon, a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), and the like, and transmits predetermined information to the information providing device 20 mounted on the vehicle at a communication point with the vehicle. Here, the predetermined information includes, for example, position information (for example, communication point position information, stop line position information, for example, distance to the stop line, absolute position of the stop line, etc.), traffic signal information (for example, Yellow signal start time, yellow signal time, red signal time, etc.). In addition, a vehicle sensor such as an image sensor or an ultrasonic sensor may be installed near the intersection, and information related to the preceding right turn vehicle may be transmitted to the vehicle (information providing apparatus 20) using the vehicle sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the information providing apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, a positioning unit 23, a map database 24, a display unit 25, an image processing unit 26, an operation unit 27, a storage unit 28, a notification unit 29, and the like. It has. The positioning unit 23 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) 231, a vehicle speed sensor 232, a gyro sensor 233, a distance meter 234 that measures a travel distance, and the like. The information providing apparatus 20 is not limited to a dedicated apparatus, but can be used for other purposes such as a personal computer, a PDA, or a mobile phone, and can be used for other purposes on the ground. It can also be configured.

  Two video cameras 30 mounted on the vehicle are connected to the information providing apparatus 20. For example, the video camera 30 is disposed on a front grille, a front bumper, a rear bumper, or the like of a vehicle so that it can capture surrounding vehicles on the front and rear sides of the vehicle. Thereby, the information providing apparatus 20 can detect the preceding right turn vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle and the following vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle. The control unit 21 has a built-in clock that measures the processing cycle and the like, and may be configured by a dedicated hardware circuit, or may be configured to execute a computer program having a predetermined processing procedure.

  The communication unit 22 has a communication function for performing road-to-vehicle communication with the communication device 10. Note that the communication unit 22 is not limited to narrowband communication such as optical beacon, radio wave beacon, and DSRC. For example, the communication unit 22 has a communication function such as a wireless LAN function in a UHF band or a VHF band as a middle band communication. It may be a thing, or may be provided with communication functions, such as a mobile telephone, PHS, multiple FM broadcasting, and internet communication, as wide area communication. The communication unit 22 can also have a reception function of receiving a signal transmitted by a road device such as an ultrasonic sensor, an IC tag, a magnetic nail, or an optical sensor. Moreover, the communication part 22 has a communication function which performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the surrounding vehicles which drive the front or back of a vehicle.

  The positioning unit 23 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites by the GPS 231 and measures the position of the vehicle. In addition, the positioning unit 23 determines the position of the vehicle based on signals output from the vehicle speed sensor 232 and the gyro sensor 233 in order to reduce the error of the position where the radio wave from the GPS satellite does not reach or the position measured by the GPS 231. By estimating and collating with the road data of the map database 24, the position of the vehicle is determined with higher accuracy. In addition to the GPS 231, a DGPS (differential GPS) can be mounted. The DGPS can receive FM broadcasts or medium waves transmitted from a reference station whose position is known in advance, can correct the positional deviation calculated by the GPS, and can improve the accuracy of the position of the vehicle.

  The display unit 25 is a windshield display, a head-up display, or a liquid crystal display panel such as a car navigation system or a rear monitoring monitor, and displays necessary information to the driver.

  The image processing unit 26 performs image processing on image data obtained by imaging with the video cameras 30 and 30 to detect a preceding right turn vehicle and a subsequent vehicle existing in front of the host vehicle.

  The operation unit 27 includes various operation panels and functions as a user interface between the driver and the information providing apparatus 20. For example, the operation unit 27 receives an operation of starting or stopping the operation of the information providing apparatus 20 by a driver's operation.

  The notification unit 29 includes a speaker, and outputs information content by voice when providing information to the driver under the control of the control unit 21. For example, when the vehicle stops at an intersection, information is output at a point in time from when the yellow signal starts until about a predetermined time has passed. As a result, information for assisting driving immediately before the vehicle enters the intersection can be provided, and a dangerous driving state when the vehicle stops at the intersection can be avoided.

  The storage unit 28 includes predetermined information received through the communication unit 22, character information, symbols or images constituting preset driving support information, image data processed by the image processing unit 26, and vehicle information acquired by the positioning unit 23. Stores location information or travel history.

  When a vehicle equipped with the information providing device 20 travels on a road toward an intersection, the information providing device 20 receives predetermined information at a communication point with the communication device 10. Further, the information providing device 20 acquires a distance between the vehicle and the stop line (for example, a distance to the stop line itself, a position of the vehicle and a position of the stop line, or a relative position from the communication device 10 to the stop line). To do.

  The distance from the vehicle to the stop line may be received from the communication device 10, the position measured by the GPS 231 may be used, and the vehicle speed sensor 232, the gyro sensor 233, and the distance meter 234 may be used to improve the position accuracy. Such a configuration may be used in combination with self-contained navigation based on such data. Further, the position can be corrected by communication with a narrow communication device such as an optical beacon installed along the road or a signal from a road device.

  Even if the information providing device 20 does not have the function of positioning the vehicle, if the distance to the stop line can be received by communication with the communication device 10, the position of the vehicle after passing through the communication point Can calculate the approximate distance to the stop line based on the vehicle speed and the elapsed time.

Thereafter, the information providing device 20 determines the intersection at the start of the yellow signal based on the distance to the stop line (intersection), the vehicle speed, the signal information of the traffic light installed at the intersection, the predetermined standard deceleration, and the like. The stop condition to stop before and the entry condition to enter the intersection at the end of the yellow traffic light are calculated. The standard deceleration only indicates a change in the speed of the vehicle, and is irrelevant to the operation content of the braking operation or the operation timing. The standard deceleration is slowed down after a time (for example, 2 seconds or more) that is sufficiently longer than the reflection reaction (0.5 seconds) from the stop judgment point, for example, when the vehicle starts braking instead of the yellow signal. This means the deceleration seen when performing an operation. In other words, this means the deceleration seen when aiming at a stop with a sufficient margin without sudden braking. In general, the standard deceleration is approximately 2 to 3 m / s ² on a flat dry road surface.

  The information providing apparatus 20 is a state in which the vehicle can stop at an intersection represented by an intersection stop area defined by the calculated stop condition and entry condition based on the distance to the stop line of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, and signal information. It is determined whether or not. Note that the timing for determining whether or not the intersection can be stopped can be set as appropriate. For example, a point at a predetermined distance (for example, about 200 m) from the stop line, a time until switching to the yellow signal May be a point in time when a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds) is reached. Further, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle can stop at the intersection can be made, for example, based on the vehicle speed and the state quantity indicated by the distance to the stop line at the start of the yellow signal. The information providing apparatus 20 can also determine whether or not the vehicle is in a traveling state indicated by a dilemma area or an option area.

  When the information providing apparatus 20 determines that the vehicle is in a state where the intersection can be stopped and determines that the preceding right turn vehicle exists in the vicinity immediately before the intersection, the driving support information by voice is used to avoid a dangerous driving state. Is output. In this case, it is possible to add a determination condition as to whether or not there is a subsequent vehicle behind the vehicle. The driver can determine whether or not the vehicle enters a dangerous driving state by referring to the provided driving support information, and finally performs a driving operation such as deceleration of the vehicle while driving in the dangerous driving state. Can be avoided. Here, the information provision timing can be set, for example, immediately before or immediately after the yellow signal start time, or the yellow signal start time. As a result, information for assisting driving immediately before the vehicle enters the intersection can be provided, and a dangerous driving state when the vehicle stops at the intersection can be avoided.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the concept of the dilemma area and the option area. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the position (for example, the distance from the stop line), and the vertical axis indicates the speed of the vehicle. The dilemma area and the option area are areas where the vehicle is in a dangerous driving state and can be represented by the speed of the vehicle and the distance to the stop line. In the dilemma area, even if the vehicle tries to stop after the yellow signal is displayed, it cannot stop before the stop line (intersection) and cannot enter the stop line by the end of the yellow signal and cannot stop or enter safely. is there. In addition, the option area is a state where the vehicle can stop before the stop line in order to stop after the yellow signal is displayed, and can enter the stop line before the end of the yellow signal, and whether the vehicle stops due to the characteristics of the driver. Or, it is an unstable state where the approach is different.

  In FIG. 3, the current position of the vehicle with reference to the stop line is X, the current speed is V, and the time until the yellow signal starts is t (0 <t <signal cycle). If the vehicle speed does not change (Vy = V), the position Xy of the vehicle at the yellow signal start time can be obtained by Expression (1). Expression (1) is a determination condition E based on the current traveling state of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, a stop condition C in which the vehicle stops safely before the stop line and waits for a signal can be obtained by Expression (2). Here, g is a standard deceleration of the vehicle, and α is a time delay until the driver steps on the brake after the yellow signal. That is, the stop condition C is a curve indicating the limit of the vehicle speed at which the vehicle can stop at the stop line and the distance to the stop line if the vehicle decelerates at the standard deceleration at the start of the yellow signal.

  The entry condition L in which the vehicle enters the stop line at the end of the yellow signal and does not meet the signal waiting can be obtained by Expression (3). Here, Ty is the yellow signal time. In other words, the entry condition L is defined as the vehicle speed and the distance to the stop line that can reach the stop line within the yellow signal time (before the red signal) when the vehicle turns yellow. It is a straight line indicating the limit.

  The dilemma region is a region that does not satisfy both of the equations (2) and (3), and the option region is a region that satisfies both of the equations (2) and (3).

  In FIG. 3, the area below the dilemma area and the option area is referred to as an intersection stop area, which is conventionally considered to be able to stop safely before the stop line. However, when there is a preceding right turn vehicle that is going to turn right at the intersection in front of the vehicle (own vehicle), when the signal is switched in the immediate vicinity of the intersection (for example, when the signal is switched to a yellow signal or a red signal), the preceding right turn vehicle Depending on the driving behavior, there is a possibility of falling into a dangerous driving state. Hereinafter, such a dangerous driving state will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a traveling situation in the vicinity of an intersection when there is a preceding facing right turn vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle (own vehicle) is traveling toward the intersection, and a preceding right turn vehicle that is going to turn right at the intersection exists in front of the own vehicle. The host vehicle and the preceding right turn vehicle are traveling in the same lane. In addition, there is a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle. The host vehicle and the following vehicle are traveling in the same lane. Even when the host vehicle is not traveling in the same lane as the preceding right turn vehicle and the following vehicle, the host vehicle, the preceding right turn vehicle or the following vehicle changes the lane and travels in the same lane immediately before the intersection. You can think in the same way.

  In the situation shown in FIG. 4, for example, the driver of the own vehicle accelerates thinking that the preceding right turn vehicle turns to the right, but stops suddenly when the driver of the preceding right turn vehicle stops making a right turn due to a signal change. In some cases, the host vehicle may collide with a preceding right turn vehicle. In particular, the driver of a right turn vehicle does not know the signal switching timing and cannot know when the yellow signal or the red signal is generated. Also, drivers of right-turn vehicles are more conscious of trying to forcibly turn right and cross the intersection even at the final stage of the yellow traffic light than drivers of straight-ahead vehicles. Therefore, if a right-turn vehicle that suddenly accelerates trying to make a right turn at the final stage of the yellow traffic light and then stops suddenly by stopping at a red traffic light, the host vehicle is in a dangerous driving state due to a delay in the brake response after acceleration. become. Furthermore, when there is a subsequent vehicle behind the host vehicle, there is a risk that the subsequent vehicle will further collide. Hereinafter, processing for avoiding such a dangerous traveling state will be described.

  5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the information providing apparatus 20. The control part 21 determines the presence or absence of communication with the communication apparatus 10 (S11), and when there is no communication (NO in S11), the process of step S11 is continued. When there is communication (YES in S11), the control unit 21 receives position information and signal information from the communication device 10 (S12). The control unit 21 acquires the speed of the vehicle and the distance to the stop line (S13).

  The control unit 21 determines whether or not it is the determination timing for the dangerous traveling region (S14). Here, the determination timing of the dangerous traveling area is, for example, a point at a predetermined distance (for example, about 200 m) from the stop line, a time until switching to the yellow signal is a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds) It can be a point in time.

  When it is not the determination timing of the dangerous traveling area (NO in S14), the control unit 21 continues the process after step S13. When it is the determination timing of the dangerous traveling region (YES in S14), the control unit 21 calculates the stop condition and the entry condition (S15), and the state quantity at the vehicle yellow signal start time (up to the vehicle speed and the stop line) (S16), it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in the intersection stop area.

  When the vehicle is in the intersection stop area (YES in S16), the control unit 21 determines whether there is a preceding right turn vehicle that makes a right turn at the intersection (S17). Here, the presence or absence of the preceding right turn vehicle can be determined by the following method. For example, the front of the vehicle traveling is imaged by the video camera 30 to determine whether or not there is a preceding right turn vehicle, and determination is made by acquiring the presence or position of the preceding right turn vehicle by road-to-vehicle communication with a road device. Alternatively, the presence / absence, position, etc. of the preceding right turn vehicle are acquired and determined by inter-vehicle communication with surrounding vehicles.

  When there is no preceding right turn vehicle (NO in S17), the control unit 21 creates information indicating that there is no preceding right turn vehicle (S18), and performs the process of step S19 described later. When there is a preceding right turn vehicle (YES in S17), the control unit 21 determines whether there is a subsequent vehicle (S19). Here, the presence / absence of the following vehicle can be determined by the following method. For example, the rear of the vehicle is imaged with the video camera 30 to determine whether there is a following vehicle, the presence / absence, position, etc. of the following vehicle is acquired and determined by road-to-vehicle communication with a road device, or surrounding vehicles The presence / absence, position, etc. of the following vehicle is acquired and determined by inter-vehicle communication. The determination as to whether or not the surrounding vehicle is a subsequent vehicle is made, for example, when there is a risk that the surrounding vehicle may collide when the vehicle steps on the brake suddenly. Can be determined by whether or not is within a distance threshold corresponding to the speed or the square of the speed.

  When there is no following vehicle (NO in S19), the control unit 21 creates information indicating no following vehicle (S20), and performs the process of step S21 described later. When there is a following vehicle (YES in S19), the control unit 21 determines the content of information to be provided and the timing of information provision (S21). Hereinafter, the timing of information provision and the contents of the information to be provided will be described.

  The information provision timing can be set, for example, at the yellow signal start time, or immediately before or after the yellow signal start time. In order to avoid a dangerous driving state, it is desirable to provide information at the earliest possible timing. For example, 1 to 3 seconds before the yellow signal start time can be set as the information provision timing. Further, the timing of providing information or the information to be provided can be changed according to the presence or absence of the following vehicle.

  For example, when there is a preceding right turn vehicle and there is no subsequent vehicle, information having the following contents is provided one second before the yellow signal start time based on the information created in step S20. In other words, “Cannot enter the intersection with a red light. Please stop at the stop line.” “Cannot enter the intersection with a red light. Please stop at the stop line without being influenced by the vehicle ahead”, “In xx seconds. It will turn red. Please stop at the stop line. "

  In addition, when there is a preceding right turn vehicle and there is a subsequent vehicle, in order to provide information at an earlier timing in order to avoid a rear-end collision from the subsequent vehicle, for example, 3 seconds before the yellow signal start time, Provide information on content such as In other words, “You cannot enter the intersection with a red light. There is a following vehicle, so please stop without applying the brakes suddenly.” “You cannot enter the intersection with a red light. "Please stop without applying the brakes suddenly.", "Red light in xx seconds. Because there is a following vehicle, stop without applying the brakes suddenly."

  If there is no preceding right turn vehicle, information such as “Please stop at red light” can be provided based on the information created in step S18. Moreover, you may change the timing of information provision according to the presence or absence of a following vehicle.

  The content or timing of the information to be provided can be changed according to the position or speed of the vehicle at the predicted yellow signal start time or red signal start time, for example.

  The control unit 21 determines whether or not it is the information provision timing (S22). If it is not the information provision timing (NO in S22), the process of step S22 is continued, and if it is the information provision timing (S22). YES), information is provided (S23), and the process is terminated. When the vehicle is not in the intersection stop area (NO in S16), the control unit 21 ends the process.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the outline of information provision using the information provision apparatus according to the present invention. The difference from the example of FIG. 1 is that a communication device 40 having a mid-range communication function is provided instead of the communication device 10. The communication device 40 can communicate with a vehicle within a range of about 300 m to 1000 m upstream of the intersection by, for example, a wireless LAN, and transmits predetermined information to the information providing device 20 as in the example of FIG. The wireless LAN transmits and receives information between devices having various communication functions including a signal control device, an information collection device, and an information provision device installed on the roadside. The communication device 40 is not limited to mid-range communication, and may be a device having a wide-area communication function such as FM broadcasting, a mobile phone, and Internet communication. Note that a vehicle detector such as an image sensor or an ultrasonic sensor may be installed in the vicinity of the intersection to obtain information on the preceding right turn vehicle. In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, when the vehicle position detection accuracy becomes a problem, it is desirable to use the communication device 10 in the narrow area together.

  As described above, in the present invention, there is a succeeding vehicle when there is a preceding right turn vehicle in front of the vehicle, even in an intersection stop area that is conventionally considered safe. Even when the vehicle enters a dangerous driving state due to factors such as the case, the vehicle can be safely stopped at the intersection by reliably avoiding the dangerous driving state.

  In the above-described embodiment, the contents of information provision are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these. The information to be provided can be notified by a warning sound or the like according to the degree of danger as well as voice, or can be displayed on the display unit 25.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information providing apparatus 20 is described as an example mounted on a vehicle. However, the information providing apparatus 20 is not necessarily limited to being mounted on a vehicle, and may be configured to be installed on the roadside. In this case, an information display device that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle may be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the dangerous driving area can be set wider in advance so that the dangerous driving area can be avoided with sufficient margin. For example, the yellow signal time Ty can be intentionally reduced. Further, the dangerous traveling region can be set wider by apparently changing the yellow signal start time or the yellow signal end time. In addition, the dangerous traveling area may be determined in advance as a target speed range (for example, 30 to 80 km / h).

  In the above-described embodiment, for example, even if the position of the vehicle is corrected by communication with the communication device 10 at a point 200 m before the intersection, the distance to the stop line is still 200 m. Therefore, until the stop line is reached, the position of the vehicle is detected by a self-contained navigation method or a method that takes into account the self-contained navigation method and GPS positioning. Also, if the vehicle distance measuring device has an error of about ± 1% until it reaches the stop line, a distance error of ± 2 m will occur at the time of arrival at the stop line, and the required accuracy will be May not be achieved. Therefore, in such a case, it is desirable to finely adjust the stop position finally, for example, by recognizing the stop line with the vehicle-mounted camera immediately before the stop.

  The disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the outline | summary of the information provision using the information provision apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information provision apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the concept of a dilemma area | region and an option area | region. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the driving | running | working condition in the vicinity of an intersection when a preceding opposing right turn vehicle exists. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of an information provision apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of an information provision apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of the outline | summary of the information provision using the information provision apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 40 Communication device 20 Information providing device 21 Control unit 22 Communication unit 23 Positioning unit 231 GPS
232 Vehicle speed sensor 233 Gyro sensor 234 Distance meter 24 Map database 25 Display unit 26 Image processing unit 27 Operation unit 28 Storage unit 29 Notification unit 30 Video camera

Claims (6)

An information providing device that provides driving support information related to driving support of a vehicle based on signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection,
Speed acquisition means for acquiring the speed of the vehicle;
Distance information acquisition means for acquiring distance information regarding the distance between the vehicle and the intersection;
Whether the vehicle is in a state where the vehicle can stop at the intersection determined by the stop condition for stopping before the intersection and the entry condition for entering the intersection, the distance to the vehicle intersection, the vehicle speed and signal information State determining means for determining based on
A right turn vehicle determination means for determining whether there is a preceding right turn vehicle of the vehicle;
An output unit that outputs driving support information when the state determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the state and the right turn vehicle determination unit determines that there is a preceding right turn vehicle. apparatus. Subsequent vehicle determination means for determining whether there is a vehicle following the vehicle,
The output means includes
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the subsequent vehicle determination unit determines that there is a subsequent vehicle, driving support information is output.   The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output processing by the output means is configured to be performed at a time point from a yellow signal start time point to around a predetermined time elapse. A transmission device for transmitting signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection;
An information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The information providing apparatus includes:
An information providing system comprising receiving means for receiving signal information transmitted by the transmitting device.   A vehicle comprising the information providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An information providing method of receiving signal information of a traffic light installed at an intersection with an information providing device and providing driving support information related to driving support of a vehicle,
The information providing apparatus includes:
Get the speed of the vehicle,
Get distance information about the distance between the vehicle and the intersection,
Whether the vehicle is in a state where the vehicle can stop at the intersection determined by the stop condition for stopping before the intersection and the entry condition for entering the intersection, the distance to the vehicle intersection, the vehicle speed and signal information Based on
Determine if there is a preceding right turn vehicle
An information providing method comprising: outputting driving support information when it is determined that the vehicle is in the state and there is a preceding right turn vehicle.

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