JP2009193212A - Road traffic information system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a road traffic information system for providing information about a road traffic situation to an onboard device on a one vehicle by one vehicle basis by utilizing a micro-level road traffic flow simulator. <P>SOLUTION: This road traffic information system has a road traffic control center 3 connected with sensors 1 installed to a road, each detecting a vehicle passing an installation position thereof via a network 2. In the center 3, center information is collected, and is made to be held in a database 6 as traffic flow information including the number of the vehicles per unit time, average speed or the like, and a position of each vehicle after a prescribed time from a present time point is predicted by use of the traffic flow information by a traffic flow simulation means 7. Roadside processors 9 each transmit a simulation result to the vehicle on the road. In the vehicle, the simulation result is received by a reception means 13 of the onboard device 12, and a future distribution situation of the individual vehicles except one's own vehicle is transmitted to a driver by an information display means 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a road traffic information system for providing information on a road traffic situation to a driver on an automobile road.

  Conventionally, it is common to provide information on road traffic conditions to vehicle drivers by displaying the required travel time, traffic congestion status, etc. with numerical data or schematic diagram data etc. using a variable information board on the roadside. It is. In car navigation systems, macro information such as character display (level 1), schematic graphic display (level 2), status display of a section on a map (level 3), etc., is provided by VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System). It is mainly provided and the vehicle information is only displayed on the map.

 Further, a technique has been proposed in which one vehicle uses each other's position and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This is a vehicle recognition support system in which vehicles recognize the position of a partner vehicle by wireless communication and notify the driver. In particular, a vehicle that does not have a navigation function establishes a communication link with a neighboring vehicle that has a navigation function. It establishes and acquires navigation information so that each vehicle can recognize the relative positional relationship with the opponent vehicle.

Furthermore, a technique for estimating the position of each vehicle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). That is, in the road traffic control system, the time traffic volume, the average speed, and the occupation rate are obtained as macro information as measurement results of sensors called vehicle detectors installed on the road. Therefore, based on signals from a plurality of vehicle detectors provided along the vehicle traveling direction of the road, the number and speed of vehicles that have passed through the installation points of each vehicle detector are counted for each counting cycle, and each installation point is The passing time and passing speed are set for each passing vehicle, and the position and speed of each vehicle are estimated for each counting period from the installation position of each vehicle detector and the set passing time and passing speed. .
Japanese Patent No. 3773040 JP 2003-317184 A

  In these examples, there is no example in which vehicles other than the host vehicle are displayed in a graphic form in accordance with the actual situation, and the distribution situation is notified to the driver by the vehicle-mounted device. In addition, there is no example in which information relating to future changes in traffic conditions at the level of one vehicle is provided. In driving support and road traffic control, it is advantageous to know the distribution status of each vehicle and information on future changes in the distribution status in order to grasp the road traffic status.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a road traffic information system that applies a micro-level road traffic flow simulator and can provide information on road traffic status to a vehicle-mounted device at the level of one vehicle.

  The road traffic information system of the present invention is a sensor that detects a vehicle that is installed on a road and passes through the installation location, and is connected to the sensor via a network, collects sensor information from the sensor, and collects information per unit time. Road traffic having sensor information processing means stored in a database as traffic flow information such as the number of vehicles and average speed, and traffic flow simulation means for predicting the position of each vehicle after a predetermined time from the current time using the traffic flow information A roadside process provided with a control result center which is provided on the roadside and is connected to the road traffic control center via the network and which transmits a simulation result by the traffic flow simulation means to a vehicle on the road And a simulator provided in the vehicle. Receiving the simulation result transmitted by the transmission result transmitting means, and road traffic information display means capable of transmitting to the driver the future distribution of individual vehicles other than the own vehicle based on the received simulation result And an in-vehicle device.

  Moreover, the road traffic information system of this invention may install a traffic flow simulation means in a roadside processing apparatus.

  In the present invention, the simulation result transmission means of the roadside processing device transmits information unilaterally and continuously to the in-vehicle device, and the on-vehicle device enters the communicable area with the simulation result transmission means. The simulation result that is the transmission information is received.

  In the present invention, the in-vehicle device includes a traffic flow simulation request input means by a driver, and a driver request input transmission means for transmitting the input traffic flow simulation request to the road side processing device. Has a driver request receiving means for receiving a traffic volume simulation request transmitted from the in-vehicle device, and the simulation result transmitting means has a function of transmitting a simulation result corresponding to the received simulation request to the in-vehicle device. The structure which has may be sufficient.

  In the present invention, the traffic flow simulation means may perform simulation for a specified range on the road.

  In this case, the specified range on the road is a charge range of the roadside processing device having the traffic flow simulation means.

  Further, the specified range on the road may be a range specified in the simulation request by the driver.

  Further, the specified range on the road may be a range that is predicted to have a high frequency of occurrence of traffic jams in advance.

  Moreover, the simulation result transmission means of the roadside processing apparatus of the present invention may be installed in the vicinity of a vehicle stop position on a road including a service area, a parking area, and a gas station.

  Moreover, in this invention, the structure which has a function which transmits the simulation result about the range designated in the simulation request | requirement by a driver | operator to another roadside processing apparatus may be sufficient.

  Furthermore, as a communication method between the roadside processing device and the vehicle-mounted device of the present invention, radio wave beacon communication or optical beacon communication is used, narrow area communication (DSRC) is used, or visible light communication is used. Either is acceptable.

  According to the present invention, vehicles other than the host vehicle are displayed in a graphic in accordance with the actual situation on the vehicle-mounted device, and the distribution status can be notified to the driver, and one vehicle is also provided. Since it can provide information on future changes in the traffic situation at the level of one vehicle, the vehicle driver can grasp the distribution status of each vehicle other than its own vehicle and information on its future transition, and an accurate road Driving support according to traffic conditions is possible.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a road traffic information system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, this system includes roadside sensors 1a, 1b,..., Network 2, road traffic control center 3, roadside processing devices 9a, 9b,.・ It is roughly composed of

  The sensors 1a, 1b,... Are installed on a road (not shown) at a predetermined interval (for example, 1 to 2 km) along the length direction, and detect a vehicle passing through the installation location.

  The road traffic control center 3 is connected to the sensors 1a, 1b,... Via the network 2 and collects sensor information output from these sensors 1a, 1b,. Sensor information processing means 5 is stored in the database 6 as traffic flow information such as the number of hit vehicles and average speed. Further, the road traffic control center 3 uses the traffic flow information to predict traffic position simulation means 7 for predicting the position of each vehicle after a predetermined time from the present time, and the center side sending the simulation result to the network 2. A simulation result transmitting means 8 is provided. As the network 2, an optical LAN installed on the roadside may be used.

  The roadside processing devices 9 (9a, 9b,... Have the same configuration, and in the case of representative description, the suffixes a and b are omitted and denoted by reference numeral 9. Hereinafter, other later-described suffixes a and b are added. The same applies to the devices and means that perform the same).) Is provided on the road side and is connected to the road traffic control center 3 via the network 2. The roadside processing device 9 includes a roadside simulation result receiving means 10 for receiving the simulation result by the traffic flow simulation means 7 provided in the road traffic control center 3 via the network 2 and the received simulation result on the road. And a road-side simulation result transmitting means 11 for transmitting to an in-vehicle device 12 provided in a vehicle (not shown).

  The in-vehicle device 12 is provided in a vehicle (not shown) as described above, and receiving means 13 for receiving the simulation result transmitted by the road-side simulation result transmitting means 11, and each of the vehicles other than the own vehicle based on the received simulation result. Road traffic information display means 14 for transmitting the future distribution status of the vehicle to the driver.

  Next, the operation will be described. First, the measurement results collected by the roadside sensors 1a, 1b,... Are collected and accumulated by the information collecting means 4 of the road traffic control center 3 through the network 2. As described above, a plurality of roadside sensors 1a, 1b,... Are installed on the roadside, for example, a vehicle detector. As described above, the installation interval is usually set every 1 to 2 km as described above. However, there is an example where the installation interval is set every several hundred meters in places where traffic congestion frequently occurs. Ultrasonic vehicle detectors are known as vehicle detectors, such as traffic volume (number of vehicles that have passed per unit time) and average speed (when there are two sensing heads, the difference between the respective passing times). The time occupancy can be measured.

  Based on such a macro measurement result, an integrated value or an average value is created and used every unit time, for example, every 5 minutes (may be every minute). In addition, since the passage time can be measured in the structure of the ultrasonic sensor head, this information can also be obtained by adding a function for obtaining this as passage time data for each unit. is there.

  The measurement result transmitted to the road traffic control center 3 via the network 2 is received by the sensor information collecting means 4 on the center side. The received measurement results are stored in a database (sensor information DB) 6 as data that can be processed by the road traffic control center 3 by the sensor information processing means 5 on the center side. The sensor information processing means 5 on the center side adds, for example, a measurement position and a measurement time to the transmitted measurement result, and accumulates it in the sensor information DB 6 in a format that is easy to search.

  The traffic flow simulation means 7 provided on the center 3 side performs a traffic flow simulation using the measurement results accumulated in the sensor information DB 6. That is, a micro-simulation that is the behavior level of each vehicle for the road traffic situation is performed. With respect to the simulation method, for example, a simulation technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-62944, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-258889, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-41882 can be used. For other available simulation technologies, refer to the bibliography "Traffic Engineering Introduction" edited by Koshimasa Koshi, Technical Shoin, p.88-89, and the reference "Easy Traffic Simulation" Traffic Engineering Research Group, Maruzen, p.23. ~ 38 reference, etc.

  The simulation result predicts the position of one vehicle in the future for two hours every unit time, for example, every 5 minutes (may be every minute, etc.) and uses it as the vehicle position for each unit time. Moreover, the predicted speed value of each vehicle is also used as a simulation result as necessary. The initial position of the vehicle when performing the simulation (the position of each vehicle at the start of the simulation) may be set using the sensor passage time and the speed measurement value described above. A vehicle position estimation method as shown in Patent Document 2 described above can also be used.

  The simulation method can be used in various ways as described above. For example, IDs are given to vehicles that have passed a certain point for a predetermined period, and the location of these vehicles at the start of the simulation is determined by passing the point. Estimate the initial position by estimating from the running speed of the hour, predict the future position of each vehicle (for example, every 5 minutes) for 2 hours from the trend of transition of traffic flow so far, and simulate the result A method such as outputting as a result is used.

  Thus, the result simulated by the traffic flow simulation means 7 on the center 3 side is transmitted to the roadside processing device 9 via the network 2 by the simulation result transmitting means 8 on the center side. At this time, the simulation results in the vicinity of the area where they are installed are transmitted to the respective roadside processing devices 9a, 9b,.

  In this case, by narrowing the installation locations of the roadside processing devices 9a, 9b,... To be transmitted to locations where traffic congestion is likely to occur as shown in FIG. 5, for example, near branch junctions, tollgate entrances, etc. It is possible to reduce the simulation load on the center 3 side and the simulation result transmission load.

  As described above, the simulation result transmitted from the center 3 side to each roadside processing device 9a, 9b,... Is a simulation result in the vicinity of the area where each roadside processing device 9a, 9b,. In addition, by narrowing down to a place where traffic congestion is likely to occur, the simulation in the traffic flow simulation means 7 is performed on a specified range on the road, that is, the assigned range of each roadside processing device 9a, 9b,. Alternatively, it is sufficient to perform a simulation for a range in which the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion is predicted in advance, and the simulation load and the simulation result transmission load are reduced.

  In addition, as a method for determining a location where the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion is predicted to be high, for example, a method in which a location where an average speed of 20 km / h frequently occurs can be used from the measurement result obtained from the sensor. is there. In addition, as a simulation range, for example, a point where the roadside processing devices 9a, 9b,... The range is from (a point where the descending slope changes to the ascending slope). In this way, the simulation calculation load is reduced by narrowing down.

  The road traffic flow simulation result transmitted to the corresponding roadside processing device 9 via the network 2 is received by the roadside simulation result receiving means 10. The received simulation result is wirelessly transmitted to the in-vehicle device 12 of the vehicle by the roadside simulation result transmitting means 11. The transmission means to the in-vehicle device 12 is transmitted using radio wave beacon communication or optical beacon communication, DSRC communication (narrow band communication) used in ETC, etc. as in conventional VICS.

  Alternatively, the roadside processing device 9 may be installed at a place where the vehicle stops for a certain period of time, such as a service area, a parking area, or a gas station. In this way, visible light communication that is currently being developed for practical use can be used as a transmission means to the in-vehicle device 12. That is, information can be exchanged with a visible light communication device using illumination while the vehicle is stopped.

  As described above, there are various information transmission methods. Here, simulation results specialized for each roadside processing device 9 (periphery where each roadside processing device 9a, 9b,... Is installed). Since the simulation result is transmitted from the center 3 side, a method of continuously transmitting the transmitted simulation result to the in-vehicle device 12 can be used. For example, similar to the provision of road traffic information by radio broadcasting, the simulation result is transmitted from the roadside processing device 9 and when the vehicle-mounted device 12 passes through a place where it can communicate with the roadside processing device 9 (or is stopped). Take the form of receiving).

  That is, the simulation result transmission means 11 of the roadside processing device 9 transmits information to the in-vehicle device 12 continuously and unilaterally, and the in-vehicle device 12 is in a communicable area with the simulation result transmission means 11. The simulation result information which is transmission information is received by entering.

  Thus, the simulation result transmitted to the in-vehicle device 12 is received by the in-vehicle-side simulation result receiving means 13. The in-vehicle device 12 is installed in the vehicle, and performs a process from receiving information from the roadside processing device 9 to providing information to the driver. The on-vehicle side simulation result receiving means 13 is constituted by a receiving means capable of receiving transmission information from the transmitting means of the roadside processing device 9.

  For example, when the roadside processing device 9 adopts beacon communication (radio wave beacon communication or optical beacon communication), it is configured by beacon receiving means, and when the roadside processing device 9 adopts DSRC communication, DSRC Consists of receiving means. When using beacon communication, for example, uplink communication used in VICS is possible, and optical beacon communication capable of bidirectional communication is available (for optical beacon communication capable of bidirectional communication, Literature "Uplink information processing and OD estimation" by Masuyama et al., IEEJ road traffic study group data (RTA-98-24) or literature "ITS second stage probe" Yamada et al., 4th ITS Symposium 2005 Preliminary Proceedings p 293-297, "Proceedings of the Advanced Traffic System 2006 Symposium" Information Processing Society of Japan Symposium Series Vol.2006, No.3, p.3-24.

  When using DSRC communication, a function expansion of the DSRC communication method used in ETC can be used. (For future function expansion of DSRC communication, the document “ITS Information Shower” DSRC System Research (See “Creation of Create Create Cruise”).

  When the roadside processing device 9 employs visible light communication, the roadside processing device 9 is configured by a receiving unit in visible light communication. As the simplest method, there is a method in which the radio wave transmission range is narrowed by adjusting the radio wave intensity to form a radio broadcast format and configured by receiving means similar to the radio broadcast.

  The road traffic simulation result received by the in-vehicle side simulation result receiving unit 13 is provided to the driver as road traffic information by the in-vehicle side traffic information display unit 14. As shown in Fig. 6, the driver is provided with a method that indicates the road traffic situation of each vehicle on the in-vehicle display, or an announcement sentence that expresses the road traffic situation in a macro by voice synthesis. The method provided by can be used.

The former is plotted at certain time intervals on an image (or an image taken by a camera) of a road shape based on the position of each vehicle corresponding to a future time provided as a simulation result. It is something to do. As data, for example, the following data can be used.

  The above table shows transmission information to the roadside processing device 9 whose device ID is “5”, and each vehicle (ID 10 to 15) at each time (in the above table, future time every 5 minutes from the current time 10:00). The position (including lane) and speed are described. In the figure, at time 10:10, this indicates that a new vehicle (ID: 15 has entered the position “10”).

  Here, it is assumed that each roadside processing device 9 assumes a case where the roadside processing device 9 is specified at a location where traffic congestion frequently occurs. In addition, since it is specified in this way, the information provided by each roadside processing device 9 is within a certain range (for example, from the roadside processing device 9 to the position of the cause of the traffic jam in the vehicle traveling direction, etc.) . Therefore, the position of the vehicle is a distance from the starting point of each roadside processing device 9 (roadside processing device installation position or the like). By using these pieces of information, it is possible to provide the driver with future road traffic conditions for each unit time.

  In addition, as the latter voice information, in the above table, there is information for each vehicle, but this information can be obtained from macro information (for example, traffic volume and average speed from 10:00 to 10:05). It is possible to use a method of judging and providing information by voice information. For example, there is a method of determining traffic change from the average speed change every 5 minutes in the future using simulation results and providing it as voice information. In this case, when the average speed changes in increments of 5 minutes, for example, after 5 minutes: 40 km / h, after 10 minutes: 35 km / h, after 15 minutes: 20 km / h, the judgment threshold for congestion is 20 km / h. If h, for example, voice information such as “There is a possibility of traffic jam after 15 minutes” is provided.

  With the above operation, road traffic information based on the traffic flow simulation result can be provided to the driver.

  According to the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 12 passes through the road-side processing device 9 and the simulation results obtained by the road traffic control center 3 based on the measurement results of the sensors 1a, 1b,. It is possible to provide information on future road traffic conditions to the driver. At this time, the roadside processing device 9 for transmitting the road traffic flow simulation result is specialized to a place where traffic congestion frequently occurs (before branching / merging or toll gate entrance / exit, etc.), and the information providing range is also provided for each roadside processing device. In the vicinity, it has the effect of reducing the load of road traffic flow simulation and simulation result transmission. As a communication means between road vehicles, beacon communication (radio wave beacon communication or optical beacon communication) used in existing VICS and DSRC communication used in ETC can be used. In addition, by installing a roadside processing device in a service area, a parking area, a gas station, etc., it is possible to provide information to a stopped vehicle. In these cases (especially when the vehicle is stopped in a service area or the like), visible light communication can be used by combining the roadside processing device and illumination and performing visible light communication.

  For information provision, the road traffic flow simulation result transmitted from the road traffic control center 3 is continuously transmitted from each road-side processing device 9 to information necessary for each road-side processing device 9, When the vehicle passes through a place where it can communicate with the roadside processing device, it is possible to receive the road traffic flow simulation result like a radio broadcast by receiving the transmitted road traffic flow simulation result. is there.

  Next, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle-mounted device 121 (121a, 121b, not shown) is represented, and the suffix a is omitted. Other means with the suffix a to be described later are given. The same applies to the above.) Has a driver request input means 15 and a driver request input transmission means 16. The driver request input means 15 can input a road traffic flow simulation request by the vehicle driver, and the driver request input transmission means 16 sends the input road traffic flow simulation request to the roadside processing device 91. Send.

  The roadside processing device 91 transmits the roadside driver request receiving means 17 that receives the road traffic volume simulation request transmitted from the in-vehicle device 121 and the received simulation request to the road traffic control center 31 via the network 2. The roadside driver request transmission means 18 is provided. The simulation result transmitting unit 11 transmits the simulation result transmitted from the center 31 side in response to the simulation request to the simulation result receiving unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 121.

  The road traffic control center 31 includes means 19 for receiving a driver request sent from the roadside driver request transmission means 18 via the network 2, processing means 20 for the received driver request, and processing means 20 Driver-required traffic flow simulation means 71 for executing a traffic flow simulation on a designated road in accordance with a driver request (simulation request) input from.

  Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 1, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. In FIG. 2, roadside sensor 1, network 2, center side sensor information collecting means 4, center side sensor information processing means 5, sensor information DB 6, center side road traffic flow simulation result transmitting means 8, road side traffic flow simulation. With respect to the result receiving means 10, the road-side traffic flow simulation result transmitting means 11, the in-vehicle side simulation result receiving means 13, and the in-vehicle side road traffic information display means 14, the same action as that in the embodiment described in FIG. have.

  The road traffic control center 31, the roadside processing device 91, and the in-vehicle device 121 are partially different in function from the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

  First, in the in-vehicle device 121, a driver request input unit 15 and a driver request input transmission unit 16 are newly provided, and an information provision request from a driver can be input and transmitted.

  The driver request input means 15 is used to input an information provision request by the driver, and the driver inputs an area for which road traffic flow simulation information is desired by voice input or a touch panel.

  The inputted driver request input is transmitted to the driver request receiving means 17 in the roadside processing device 91 by the driver request input transmitting means 16 on the vehicle side. The road-to-vehicle transmission method is the same as the method used for transmission between the road-side traffic flow simulation result transmitting means 11 and the vehicle-mounted simulation result receiving means 13 described in the embodiment of FIG. carry out.

  The driver request received by the driver request receiving means 17 of the roadside processing device 91 is transmitted to the road traffic control center 31 via the network 2 by the driver request transmitting means 18.

  In the road traffic control center 31, the transmitted driver request is received by the driver request receiving means 19, and processed by the driver request processing means 20 into a form that can be used when the simulation is performed.

  The driver request includes, for example, the request generation time, the ID of the vehicle to which the driver request is transmitted, the ID of the roadside processing device 91 to which the driver request is transmitted, and the request content (where the road traffic simulation result is desired). Request). In addition, the system can be simplified by simplifying the driver's request to generation only. In this case, the location in charge of the roadside processing device 91 at the location requested by the driver may be the requested location for performing the road traffic flow simulation.

  In response to the driver request processed by the driver request processing means 20 on the center 31 side, the driver request-considering traffic flow simulation means 71 on the center 31 side performs a road traffic flow simulation at a necessary location. As for the simulation, the simulation is performed only for the requested location based on the driver's request. By performing the simulation according to the request in this way, it is possible to reduce computer resources and load required for the simulation.

  The simulation result obtained by the driver demand-considering road traffic flow simulation means 71 on the center 31 side is transmitted to the road side processing device 91 by the traffic flow simulation result transmission means 8 on the center side, and the road side traffic flow simulation result is received. Received by means 10. Furthermore, the road-side traffic flow simulation result transmission means 11 transmits the vehicle-mounted device 121, the vehicle-side simulation result reception means 13 receives the information, and the vehicle-side road traffic information display means 14 provides information to the driver. The

  Here, when transmitting to the roadside processing device 91 by the traffic flow simulation result transmitting means 8 on the center side, if the vehicle that issued the request is traveling on the road, the roadside processing device 91 that has received the request cannot communicate. There is a possibility that you are traveling to a location. In such a case, that is, when a vehicle that has issued a request to a location where transmission by the traffic flow simulation result transmission means 11 of the roadside processing device 91 cannot be transmitted is traveling to the roadside processing device 91 that is the destination of the vehicle. Transmit road traffic flow simulation results and provide information to relevant vehicles. For this purpose, the traffic flow simulation result transmitting means 11 of the roadside processing device 91 has an inquiry function for confirming whether transmission is normally performed on the vehicle-mounted side of the transmission destination, and the road traffic flow to the roadside processing device of the destination. It is necessary to provide a function for transmitting simulation results.

  That is, the roadside processing device 91 has a function of transmitting the simulation result for the range specified in the simulation request by the driver to another roadside processing device 91.

  With the above operation, it is possible to provide the driver with a road traffic flow simulation result according to the driver's request.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a road traffic flow simulation result according to the driver's request, and further, only the driver's requested location needs to be simulated. It is possible to reduce the computer resources and load required for the road traffic flow simulation at 31.

  Next, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described. In these embodiments, the traffic flow simulation means 7 and 71 are not provided in the road traffic completion centers 3 and 31 as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, but the roadside processing device 92 (FIG. 3) or 93 (FIG. 4) is provided as road-side traffic flow simulation means 72, 73.

  First, the embodiment of FIG. 3 will be described. The roadside processing device 92 in FIG. 3 includes roadside traffic flow simulation means 72 and roadside sensor information receiving means 24. The sensor information receiving unit 24 is connected to the sensor information transmitting unit 22 provided in the center 32 via the network 2. The road-side traffic flow simulation means 72 performs a traffic flow simulation of the road area that it is in charge of in a predetermined cycle. At this time, the necessary traffic flow information is sent to the road-side sensor information reception means 24, the network 2, and Obtained from the sensor information DB 6 via the sensor information transmitting means 22 on the center 32 side.

  The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the road-side processing device 92 is provided with traffic flow simulation means 72, and uses its calculation function. In this case, the road traffic flow simulation range is determined based on the installation position of the roadside processing device 92, and the roadside traffic flow simulation means 72 executes the road traffic flow simulation accordingly. That is, the sensor information in the corresponding range is obtained from the sensor information DB 6 on the center 32 side by the road-side sensor information receiving means 24, and the simulation is performed. The simulation result is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 12 by the road-side simulation result transmitting means 11 and provided to the vehicle driver by the road traffic information display means 14 of the in-vehicle device 12.

  The embodiment of FIG. 4 is a case where a simulation request can be made by the driver from the in-vehicle device 121 side, as described in the embodiment of FIG.

  Here, the in-vehicle device 121 is the same as that shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, and includes the driver request input means 15 and the driver request input transmission means 16. On the other hand, the roadside processing device 93 includes a roadside driver request receiving unit 17 that receives a road traffic volume simulation request from the in-vehicle device 121, a roadside driver request transmission unit 18, and a roadside simulation result transmission unit 11. Having the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and having the roadside sensor information receiving means 24 is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. However, the structure having the driver demand consideration type traffic flow simulation means 73 is significantly different from the embodiment shown in FIG. Further, since the roadside processing device 93 includes the driver demand consideration type traffic flow simulation means 73 as described above, the roadside driver request transmission means 18 sends the driver's simulation request to FIG. Instead of being transmitted to the center 32 as in the case, it is transmitted to the road-side driver-required traffic flow simulation means 73 and the road-side sensor information receiving means 24. The roadside sensor information receiving means 24 receives the driver's simulation request, requests the center 32 side for data necessary for the simulation, and sends the data sent from the center 32 to the roadside driver request consideration type. This is given to the traffic flow simulation means 73 to execute the simulation.

  The operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. In FIG. 4, roadside sensor 1, network 2, center side sensor information collecting means 4, center side sensor information processing means 5, sensor information DB 6, in-vehicle device 121, in-vehicle side simulation result receiving means 13, in-vehicle side Regarding the road traffic information display means 14, the vehicle-side driver request input means 15, the vehicle-side driver request input transmission means 16, and the road-side driver request reception means 17, the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. Has the same effect as.

  The road traffic control center 32 has sensor information transmission means 22 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. The sensor information transmission means 22 transmits the measurement results of the sensor 1 collected in the road traffic control center 32 and accumulated in the sensor information DB 6 to the roadside processing device 93 having the driver request consideration type traffic flow simulation means 73. To do. This transmitted sensor information is information based on each driver's simulation request. Regarding the driver request, as described in the embodiment of FIG. 2, for example, the request generation time, the ID of the vehicle to which the driver request is transmitted, the ID of the roadside processing device to which the driver request is transmitted, and the request content (Request for which location road traffic simulation result is desired).

  As described above, the roadside processing device 93 has a road traffic flow simulation function, and also includes the sensor measurement result transmitted from the sensor information transmission means 22 on the center 32 side and the driver request from the in-vehicle device 121. In addition, a road traffic flow simulation is performed.

  In this simulation, first, a simulation request by the driver obtained through the driver request receiving means 17 of the roadside processing device 93 by the driver request input transmitting means 16 of the in-vehicle device 121 is sent to the roadside driver request transmitting means 18. The necessary sensor information request is transmitted to the roadside sensor result receiving means 24, and the driver request relating to the simulation range is transmitted to the roadside driver demand consideration type traffic flow simulation means 73.

  The roadside sensor result receiving means 24 transmits “necessary sensor information” from the driver request to the sensor information transmitting means 22 on the center 32 side. In response to this, the sensor information transmitting means 22 on the center 32 side transmits “necessary sensor information” to the sensor result receiving means 24 on the road side.

  Based on the road traffic flow simulation range desired by the driver using the sensor measurement results received by the roadside sensor result receiving means 24, the roadside driver request-considering road traffic flow simulation means 73 To simulate road traffic flow.

  According to the present embodiment, the road traffic flow simulation according to the driver's request can be performed by the roadside processing device 93, and it is possible to provide the driver with quick road traffic situation information, It is possible to reduce the computer resources and load required for the road traffic flow simulation in the road traffic control center 32.

  In the above description, the road traffic simulation result is described as a function for providing road traffic information. However, it is possible to integrate and coexist with other existing information providing functions such as travel time information. In this case, for example, it can be realized by a method of extending the road-vehicle communication function of VICS.

1 is a system block diagram showing an embodiment of a road traffic information system according to the present invention. It is a system block diagram which shows embodiment which can input the simulation request | requirement from the vehicle equipment side of this invention. It is a system block diagram which shows embodiment which installed the road traffic flow simulation means on the roadside of this invention. It is a system block diagram which shows the embodiment which can input the simulation request | requirement from the vehicle equipment side of this invention, and installed the road traffic flow simulation means on the road side. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the roadside facility example of road traffic flow information provision object by this invention apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display of the information display means of the vehicle-mounted apparatus used for this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b,... Road side sensor 2 Network 3, 31, 32 Road traffic control center 5 Sensor information processing means 6 Sensor information database 7, 71, 72, 73 Road traffic flow simulation means 9, 91, 92, 93 Roadside processing device 11 Simulation result transmission means 12, 121 On-vehicle device 13 Simulation result reception means 14 Information display means 15 Driver request input means 16 Driver request input transmission means 17 Driver request reception means

Claims (13)

A sensor that detects a vehicle installed on the road and passing through the installation location;
Sensor information processing means connected to the sensor via a network, collecting sensor information from the sensor, and storing it in a database as traffic flow information such as the number of vehicles per unit time and average speed, and the traffic flow information A road traffic control center having a traffic flow simulation means for predicting the position of each vehicle after a predetermined time from the present time;
A road-side processing device provided on a road side, connected to the road traffic control center via the network, and having a simulation result transmitting means for transmitting a simulation result by the traffic flow simulation means to vehicles on the road;
The simulation result receiving means provided in the vehicle and transmitted by the simulation result transmitting means, and the future distribution status of individual vehicles other than the own vehicle can be transmitted to the driver based on the received simulation result. A road traffic information system comprising: an in-vehicle device having road traffic information display means. A sensor that detects a vehicle installed on the road and passing through the installation location;
A road traffic control center having sensor information processing means connected to the sensor via a network, collecting sensor information from the sensor, and storing it in a database as traffic flow information such as the number of vehicles per unit time and average speed; ,
Traffic flow simulation means provided on the road side, connected to the road traffic control center via the network, and predicting the position of each vehicle after a predetermined time from the current time using the traffic flow information, and the traffic A roadside processing device having a simulation result transmitting means for transmitting a simulation result by a flow simulation means to a vehicle on the road;
The simulation result receiving means provided in the vehicle and transmitted by the simulation result transmitting means, and the future distribution status of individual vehicles other than the own vehicle can be transmitted to the driver based on the received simulation result. A road traffic information system comprising: an in-vehicle device having road traffic information display means.   The simulation result transmission means of the roadside processing device transmits information unilaterally and continuously to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device transmits the transmission information by entering the communicable area with the simulation result transmission means. The road traffic information system according to claim 1, wherein a simulation result is received. The in-vehicle device has a traffic flow simulation request input means by the driver, and a driver request input transmission means for transmitting the input traffic flow simulation request to the roadside processing device,
The roadside processing device includes a driver request receiving unit that receives a traffic volume simulation request transmitted from the in-vehicle device, and the simulation result transmitting unit transmits a simulation result corresponding to the received simulation request to the in-vehicle device. The road traffic information system according to claim 1, wherein the road traffic information system has a function of:   The road traffic information system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the traffic flow simulation means performs a simulation for a specified range on the road.   The road traffic information system according to claim 2, wherein the specified range on the road is a range in charge of a roadside processing device having a traffic flow simulation means.   The road traffic information system according to claim 4, wherein the specified range on the road is a range specified in a simulation request by a driver.   The road traffic information system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the specified range on the road is a range in which the occurrence frequency of traffic jam is predicted in advance.   4. The simulation result transmitting means of the roadside processing device is installed in the vicinity of a vehicle stop position on a road including a service area, a parking area, and a gas station. Road traffic information system.   8. The roadside processing device has a function of transmitting a simulation result for a range specified in a simulation request by a driver to another roadside processing device. Road traffic information system.   The road traffic information system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein radio beacon communication or optical beacon communication is used as a communication method between the roadside processing device and the vehicle-mounted device.   The road traffic information system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein narrow area communication (DSRC) is used as a communication method between the roadside processing device and the vehicle-mounted device.   The road traffic information system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein visible light communication is used as a communication method between the roadside processing device and the vehicle-mounted device.