JP2010262473A - System, and method for communicating traffic information, infrastructure side device and onboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traffic information communication system, a traffic information communication method, an infrastructure side device and an onboard device, allowing prevention of deterioration of accuracy of traffic information generated on an infrastructure side, and allowing reduction of a processing load of the traffic information. <P>SOLUTION: In this traffic information communication system, a control part 401 of a center device 4 on the infrastructure side sets an average travel speed of a vehicle 5 in a prescribed section L as travel condition information S5 that is a guideline when generating the traffic information of the prescribed section L. The onboard device 2 receives the travel condition information S5 from the center device 4 side in a communication part 204. Only when deciding that the average travel speed of the vehicle 5 is a prescribed value or above in a decision part 209A of a control part 209, the onboard device 2 transmits probe information S3 collected in the prescribed section L to the center device 4 side from the communication part 204. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic information communication system, a traffic information communication method, an infrastructure side device, and an in-vehicle device for generating traffic information based on probe information collected from a vehicle traveling on a road.

As a technology for providing road traffic information to drivers, VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System: “VICS” is a registered trademark of the foundation) is widely known.
This VICS tabulates traffic information including traffic congestion and link travel time on each route based on fixed point observation information consisting of the number of vehicles, vehicle speed, etc. collected from various roadside sensors (vehicle detectors, loop coils, etc.). The traffic information is provided to the driver by wide-area communication such as narrow-area communication using beacons or FM broadcasting.

Since the above VICS updates data by acquiring data every 5 minutes from vehicle detectors, etc., there is an advantage that high-density data can be obtained in time, but VICS links are set on all roads. Therefore, the area coverage rate is low (20% or less even on main roads), and the infrastructure installation cost is high even if it is desired to improve the area coverage rate.
Further, in VICS, since the section speed of the VICS link is estimated using fixed point observation information that is not actual travel data, there is a disadvantage that the accuracy of the traffic information is lowered.

Therefore, a traffic information communication system (hereinafter referred to as a probe system) using a probe vehicle has been proposed as another technique for providing road traffic information to a driver.
For example, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, this probe system uses a vehicle (probe vehicle) that actually travels on a road as a moving body sensor, and wirelessly transmits movement observation information such as the current vehicle position and speed. It collects from each probe vehicle by communication and estimates the traffic situation of the road.

  This probe system is low in cost because it can obtain information on a road where a probe car can travel, and therefore has a high area coverage ratio and does not require infrastructure installation costs. There is an advantage that the accuracy of traffic information is high because it is used.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-151696 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-4467

In the conventional probe system, it is assumed that the probe vehicle stops for a long time at a specific link due to a cause other than the traffic jam, but the probe information in the case of such irregular behavior that is not normal road driving remains as it is. If provided to the infrastructure side device, the estimation accuracy of traffic information deteriorates.
For example, the link travel time can be calculated using the current position and time of the vehicle included in the probe information, but if the probe vehicle stops for a long time at a certain link due to a driver's break or errand, the travel time of that link Is estimated to be larger than necessary, and the travel time estimation accuracy of the link deteriorates.

  In addition, since all the probe information collected by the probe vehicle is uniformly provided to the infrastructure side device, for example, when the probe information frequently travels on a highway with high traffic volume, the infrastructure side There is a problem in that the apparatus must generate traffic information based on a large amount of probe information, which increases the processing load.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can prevent deterioration in the accuracy of traffic information generated on the infrastructure side and reduce the processing load of the traffic information. An object of the present invention is to provide a traffic information communication system, a traffic information communication method, an infrastructure device, and an in-vehicle device.

  The traffic information communication system of the present invention is a traffic information communication system comprising an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and an infrastructure side device that generates traffic information based on probe information transmitted to the outside by the in-vehicle device. The infrastructure-side device is configured to transmit an infrastructure-side communication unit that receives the probe information, and an infrastructure-side communication unit that transmits travel condition information serving as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section where the vehicle travels. A vehicle-side communication unit that receives the travel condition information, and determines whether the probe information collected in the predetermined section is transmitted based on the travel condition information. And a vehicle-mounted side control unit that causes the vehicle-mounted communication unit to transmit the probe information only when the determination result is affirmative.

  In the traffic information communication method of the present invention, the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle transmits the probe information of the vehicle to the infrastructure side device, and the infrastructure side device generates traffic information based on the probe information. In the communication method, the infrastructure side device transmits travel condition information serving as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle travels to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device receives the travel Whether or not the probe information collected in the predetermined section can be transmitted is determined based on condition information, and the probe information is transmitted to the infrastructure apparatus only when the determination result is affirmative.

  According to the traffic information communication system and the traffic information communication method of the present invention, the in-vehicle device determines whether or not the probe information can be transmitted based on running condition information that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section. Since the probe information is transmitted to the infrastructure side device only when the result is affirmative, the infrastructure side device can receive only the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. In addition, since the probe information received by the infrastructure side device can be reduced, the processing load of traffic information on the infrastructure side can be reduced.

Here, the infrastructure side device is, for example, a roadside communication processing device that manages a roadside communication device such as a plurality of optical beacons installed on a road, a traffic signal device, in addition to a central device installed in a traffic control center. It is.
The traveling condition information is information that defines conditions that can be adopted as data used as a basis when the infrastructure device generates traffic information. For example, if the average travel time between specific points is calculated as traffic information, it is not preferable to use the vehicle information once the engine is stopped in the section as basic data for calculating travel time. , "There was no engine stop in the section" can be set as the travel condition.
The in-vehicle device that has received the traveling condition information determines whether the traveling state in the traveling section of the probe information collected by the in-vehicle device conforms to the traveling condition. The probe information can be transmitted to the infrastructure device only when the vehicle travels without stopping the engine. In this way, when the infrastructure side device calculates the average travel time, it is possible to reliably exclude data that may decrease the accuracy.

Further, the infrastructure control unit of the traffic information communication system sets the traveling condition information using an average traveling speed of the vehicle in the predetermined section, and the in-vehicle device that has received the traveling condition information It is preferable to determine whether or not the probe information collected in the predetermined section can be transmitted based on the average traveling speed and the average traveling speed of the host vehicle included in the information. In this case, since the driving condition information is set using the average driving speed that is most involved as a guideline when generating the traffic information, it effectively prevents the accuracy of the traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. be able to.
For example, the average traveling speed received from the infrastructure side device may be compared with the average traveling speed of the host vehicle, and if there is a deviation greater than a predetermined threshold (for example, 30 km / h), it may be determined that the probe information is not transmitted. Even if it is determined that probe information is not transmitted if the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the traveling speed of the host vehicle within the target section for probe information creation and the average traveling speed received from the infrastructure side device is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. good.
In other words, if it can be determined that the deviation from the driving condition indicated by the infrastructure side, which is the average traveling speed, is greater than or equal to a certain level, it is determined that the probe information expected by the infrastructure side cannot be transmitted and the transmission is abandoned. It is possible to simplify the information processing in the side apparatus and reduce road-to-vehicle communication traffic.

An infrastructure device according to the present invention is an infrastructure device that generates traffic information based on probe information transmitted from an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, the communication unit receiving the probe information, and the vehicle traveling And a control unit that causes the communication unit to transmit traveling condition information that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information for a predetermined section.
According to the present invention, the infrastructure side device is required to generate traffic information because the control unit of the infrastructure side device transmits the traveling condition information serving as a guideline when generating traffic information for a predetermined section to the communication unit. Only the probe information can be received from the in-vehicle device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. In addition, since the probe information received by the infrastructure side device can be reduced, the processing load of traffic information on the infrastructure side can be reduced.

An in-vehicle device of the present invention is an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle, collects probe information of the vehicle, and transmits the collected probe information to an infrastructure side device, and a guideline for generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle travels A communication unit that receives the travel condition condition from the infrastructure side device, and whether or not the probe information collected in the predetermined section can be transmitted based on the travel condition information, and only when this determination result is affirmative And a control unit that causes the communication unit to transmit the probe information.
According to the present invention, the control unit of the in-vehicle device determines whether or not the probe information can be transmitted based on the traveling condition information serving as a guideline when generating the traffic information of the predetermined section, and the determination result is affirmative Since the probe information is transmitted only to the communication unit, the infrastructure apparatus can receive only the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. In addition, since the probe information received by the infrastructure side device can be reduced, the processing load of traffic information on the infrastructure side can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, since the infrastructure side apparatus can receive only the probe information necessary for generating traffic information, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of the traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. In addition, since the probe information received by the infrastructure side device can be reduced, the processing load of traffic information on the infrastructure side can be reduced.

It is a road top view which shows the traffic information communication system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a central apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a traffic signal controller. It is a functional block diagram which shows the internal structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the processing content performed in a traffic information communication system.

[Overall system configuration]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a road plan view showing a traffic information communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic information communication system of the present embodiment includes a traffic signal 1, an in-vehicle device 2, a vehicle detector 3, a central device 4 as an infrastructure side device, and a probe vehicle 5 equipped with the in-vehicle device 2 (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle”). , Sometimes simply referred to as a vehicle 5), and an optical beacon 6 or the like.

  Each traffic signal 1 is installed at an intersection C and connected to a central device 4 in a traffic control center via a communication line such as a telephone line, and the central device 4 has traffic at each intersection C in its own jurisdiction area. The traffic light 1 and the network are configured.

  Accordingly, the central device 4 can perform bidirectional communication with the traffic signal 1, and the traffic signal 1 can also perform bidirectional communication with the traffic signal 1 at other intersections. The central device 4 may be installed on the road instead of the traffic control center.

  In order to count the number of vehicles flowing into the intersection C, the vehicle detector 3 is installed on the upstream side of the corresponding intersection C, and is connected to each corresponding traffic signal 1 via a communication line.

[Central equipment]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the central device 4.
As shown in FIG. 2, the central device 4 includes a control unit (infrastructure side control unit) 401, a display unit 402, a communication unit (infrastructure side communication unit) 403, a storage unit 404, and an operation unit 405.
The control unit 401 of the central device 4 includes a workstation (WS), a personal computer (PC), and the like, and collects, processes (calculates), records, and controls signals of various traffic information from the traffic signal 1 and the vehicle detector 3. And provide information in an integrated manner. That is, the control unit 401 adjusts the traffic signal group 1 on the same road for the traffic signal 1 belonging to its own jurisdiction area, or wide area control (surface control) that extends this system control to the road network. For example, a plurality of types of traffic control including MODERATO (Management by Origin-Destination Related Adaptation for Traffic Optimization) control and profile control can be executed.

  The control unit 401 of the central device 4 sets, as a functional part of the computer program executed by the control unit 401, travel condition information S5 that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information for a predetermined section in which the vehicle 5 travels. 401A is provided. The contents of the control process performed by the setting unit 401A will be described later.

The communication unit 403 of the central device 4 is a communication interface connected to the network side via a communication line, and a signal control command S1 related to the timing of switching the color of the signal lamp 1b at every predetermined time, traffic information and travel time And the like, and the traveling condition information S5 set by the setting unit 401A are transmitted to each traffic signal 1. The signal control command S1 is transmitted every calculation period (for example, 1.0 to 2.5 minutes) of the signal control parameter, and the traffic information S2 and the traveling condition information S5 are transmitted, for example, every 5 minutes.
In addition, the communication unit 403 receives, in real time (for example, 0.1 to 10), the probe information S3 from the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the detection information S4 from the vehicle detector 5 including a pulse signal generated when passing through the vehicle 5 from each traffic signal device 1. (Period of 1.0 second). The probe information S3 includes position information, identification information, time information, speed information, and the like of the vehicle 5.

  The storage unit 404 of the central device 4 includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores a control program for performing the MODERATO control and the UTMS control. In addition, the storage unit 404 temporarily stores the signal control command S1, the traffic information S2, and the travel condition information S5 generated by the control unit 401, and the probe information S3 and the sensing information S4 acquired from the network side.

The display unit 402 of the central device 4 is composed of a road map of an area managed by the central device 4 and a display screen on which the positions of all traffic signals 1 and optical beacons 6 on the road map are displayed. And traffic conditions such as accidents.
The operation unit 405 of the central device 4 includes an input interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. The operation unit 405 allows the central operator to perform a display switching operation on the display unit 402.

[Traffic signal]
The traffic signal 1 includes four signal lamps 1b installed on the main roads RM1 and RM2 and the slave roads RS1 and RS2, and a traffic signal controller 1a connected to the signal lamp 1b via a communication line. ing.
The traffic signal controller 1a receives a signal control command S1 which is an output resulting from the traffic control such as MODERATO control from the central device 4, and is included in each signal lamp 1b based on the signal control command S1. Controls on / off and flashing of signal lights.

The traffic signal controller 1 a is also connected to the optical beacon 6 through a communication line, and transmits the traffic information S 2 including traffic information received from the central device 4 and the traveling condition information S 5 to the optical beacon 6.
The optical beacon 6 is capable of two-way communication with an optical signal with the probe vehicle 5 on which the in-vehicle device 4 is mounted, and transmits the traffic information S2 and the traveling condition information S5 in the downlink DL. The uplink UL transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4 to the optical beacon 6 includes the probe information S3. This probe information S3 is transferred to the central device 4 via the traffic signal controller 1a.
The traffic signal controller 1a is also connected to the vehicle detector 3 via a communication line, and when receiving the detection information S4 from the vehicle detector 5, transfers it to the central device 4.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the traffic signal controller 1a.
As shown in FIG. 3, the traffic signal controller 1 a includes a control unit 101, a lamp driving unit 102, a communication unit 103, and a storage unit 104.
The control unit 101 of the traffic signal controller 1a is composed of one or a plurality of microcomputers. The control unit 101 is connected to the lamp driving unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the storage unit 104 via an internal bus, and the control unit 101 controls operations of these hardware units.

The control unit 101 of the traffic signal controller 1a drives each signal lamp 1b in accordance with a signal control command S1 which is an output resulting from the central device 4 performing system control or wide area control (MODERATO control, UTMS control, etc.) The signal lamp color of each signal lamp 1b is switched at a predetermined timing based on the command S1.
The lamp driving unit 102 includes a semiconductor relay (not shown), and corresponds to each of the blue, yellow, and red lamps of the plurality of signal lamps 1b based on the output command S1 input from the control unit 101. The AC voltage (AC100V) or DC voltage supplied to the signal lights of each color is turned on / off.

  The communication unit 103 of the traffic signal controller 1a is a communication interface that performs communication between the central device 4 and the vehicle detector 3. The signal control command S1, traffic information S2, and driving conditions are transmitted from the communication unit 403 of the central device 4. Information S5 is received, and vehicle sensing information S4 is received from the vehicle detector 3. Further, the communication unit 103 transmits the traffic information S2 and the traveling condition information S5 to the in-vehicle device 2 and receives the probe information S3 from the in-vehicle device 2.

  The storage unit 104 of the traffic signal controller 1a includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and temporarily stores the signal control command S1, the traffic information S2, the probe information S3, the sensing information, and the traveling condition information S5 received by the communication unit 103. I remember.

[In-vehicle device]
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the internal configuration of the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the probe vehicle 5.
The in-vehicle device 2 has a road-to-vehicle communication function that performs bidirectional optical communication with the optical beacon 6 and a navigation function that guides the destination set by the passenger.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle device 2 includes a GPS processing unit 201, a direction sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit (vehicle-side communication unit) 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, a display unit 207, and an audio output. Unit 208 and control unit (on-vehicle side control unit) 209 and the like.

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

  The communication unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2 transmits and receives the downlink UL and the uplink UL in the communication area of the optical beacon 6 set at a predetermined position on the road. That is, when the probe vehicle 5 that has flowed out of the intersection C enters the communication area of the optical beacon 6, the communication unit 204 receives the downlink DL including the traffic information S2 and the traveling condition information S5 from the optical beacon 6, and The uplink UL including the information S3 is transmitted to the optical beacon 6.

The storage unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores various information such as traffic information S2 and travel condition information S5 included in the downlink DL, and probe information S3 included in the uplink UL. Storage area.
The storage unit 205 also stores road map data. This road map data includes the intersection data that associates the intersection ID with the position of the intersection, the link ID, the link start point, the end point, and the interpolation point (corresponding to the point where the road bends), and the link start point. It consists of link data that links the link ID of the link to be connected, the link ID of the link connected to the end point of the link, and the link cost.

For example, the number of link costs is the same as the number of links and links connected to the end point, and after entering the start point of the link, the end point of the link is exited, and the start point of the next link to be connected is entered. The time required to do is set.
That is, the link cost includes the cost (time) required to travel from the start point to the end point of the link and the cost (time) required to travel from the end point of the link to the start point of the next link, that is, the intersection. The cost required to pass is included.

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

The control unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a microcomputer or the like, and includes a GPS processing unit 201, a direction sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, a display unit 207, and an audio output unit 208. Control each process in.
In addition, the control unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes each data of the position of the vehicle 5 measured by the GPS processing unit 201, the azimuth and angular velocity of the vehicle 5 measured by the direction sensor 202, and the speed of the vehicle 5 acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 203. The map matching process is performed based on the road map data stored in the storage unit 205, and the position of the probe vehicle 5 on the link of the road map data can be calculated.

  Further, the control unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 determines whether the probe information S3 can be transmitted based on the traveling condition information S5 received by the communication unit 204 as a functional part of the computer program executed by the control unit 209. It has. The contents of the control process performed by the determination unit 209A will be described later.

[Processing contents of traffic information communication system]
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing processing contents executed in the traffic information communication system.
Hereinafter, the processing content will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, since the optical beacon 6 is used as the probe information S3 transmission means from the in-vehicle device 2 to the infrastructure side, whether or not the probe information S3 generated during traveling between the optical beacons 6 and 6 can be transmitted. The contents of the process of determining whether will be described.

  First, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 sets travel condition information S5 that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle 5 travels in the setting unit 401A (F1 in FIG. 5). The traveling condition information S5 is an average traveling speed when the probe vehicle 5 travels in a predetermined section L from a first point A that transmits and receives with the upstream optical beacon 6 to a second point B that transmits and receives with the downstream optical beacon 6. Is set using. In the present embodiment, it is set as the traveling condition information S5 that the average traveling speed is a predetermined value (for example, 0.5 km / h) or more. The predetermined value serving as the threshold is set to a value lower than the average traveling speed of the vehicle 5 when there is a traffic jam in the predetermined section L. In addition, the predetermined value can be appropriately changed according to the traffic situation of the predetermined section L. The traveling condition information S5 preferably includes the link ID of the predetermined section L or the ID of the second point B that is the end point of the predetermined section L because the vehicle 5 travels in the predetermined section L. .

Next, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 receives the travel condition information S5 set in the setting unit 401A from the communication unit 403 of the central device 4 via the communication unit 103 of the traffic signal controller 1a. The optical beacon 6 is transmitted (F2 in FIG. 5).
When the optical beacon 6 at the first point A that has received the traveling condition information S5 receives the uplink UL from the in-vehicle device 2 of the probe vehicle 5 that has entered the communication area at the first point A (F3 in FIG. 5), the downlink The driving condition information S5 is included in the DL and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 2 (F4 in FIG. 5).

The in-vehicle device 2 receives the downlink DL in the communication unit 204, and the probe information S3 based on the average travel running rate included in the travel condition information S5 and the average travel running rate acquired by the own vehicle in the determination unit 209A. Whether or not to transmit is determined (F5 in FIG. 5).
Specifically, the average travel speed acquired by the probe vehicle 5 (the host vehicle) in the predetermined section L is compared with the average travel performance (the predetermined value) included in the travel condition information S5. It is determined by whether or not the acquired average traveling speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. The average traveling speed that is the determination criterion is an average of a plurality of speed data acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 203 at regular time intervals or constant distances while the probe vehicle 5 travels from the first point A to the second point B. It is obtained by calculating the value.

  In the determination unit 209A, when the determination result is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the average traveling speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and conforms to the traveling condition information S5, the control unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 The probe information S3 is transmitted to the communication unit 204. Specifically, when the probe vehicle 5 enters the communication area of the optical beacon 6 at the second point B, the probe information S3 generated in the predetermined section L is included in the uplink UL, and the communication unit 204 includes the optical beacon. 6 (F6 in FIG. 5). Then, the optical beacon 6 transmits the probe information S3 included in the received uplink UL to the communication unit 403 of the central device 4 via the communication unit 103 of the traffic signal controller 1a (F7 in FIG. 5). The control unit 401 of the central device 4 generates traffic information based on the probe information S3.

  On the other hand, if the determination unit 209A of the in-vehicle device 2 determines that the determination result is negative, that is, if the average traveling speed is less than a predetermined value and does not conform to the traveling condition information S5, the in-vehicle device. Even if the probe vehicle 5 enters the communication area of the optical beacon 6 at the second point B, the second control unit 209 does not transmit the probe information S3 from the communication unit 204 to the optical beacon 6 (F8 in FIG. 5).

Here, the case where the average traveling speed is less than a predetermined value means that, for example, the probe vehicle 5 is resting or stopping at a store along the road on the way from the first point A to the second point B. For example, the vehicle 5 may be stopped for a long time.
Accordingly, the probe information S3 of the vehicle 5 that has stopped for a long time hinders the central device 4 from generating traffic information such as traffic jams in the predetermined section L with high accuracy. It is not provided to the device 4 side. As a result, the probe information S3 provided to the central device 4 is only the probe information S3 necessary for improving the accuracy of traffic information, and unnecessary probe information S3 can be eliminated.

  As described above, according to the traffic information communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the in-vehicle device 2 determines whether or not the probe information S3 can be transmitted based on the traveling condition information S5 that serves as a guideline when generating the traffic information of the predetermined section L. Since the probe information S5 is transmitted to the central device 4 only when the determination result is affirmative, the central device 4 can receive only the probe information S3 necessary for generating traffic information. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of traffic information generated on the infrastructure side from deteriorating. In addition, since the probe information S3 received by the central device 4 can be reduced, the traffic information processing load on the infrastructure side can be reduced.

  Further, since the travel condition information S5 set by the setting unit 401A of the central device 4 is set using the average travel speed of the vehicle 5 that is most involved in generating the traffic information, the traffic information generated on the infrastructure side It is possible to effectively prevent the accuracy of the deterioration.

[Other variations]
The above-mentioned embodiment is an illustration and does not limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims for patent, and all modifications within the scope equivalent to the structure of the claims for patent are included in the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the central device 4 has been described as an infrastructure device. However, a roadside communication processing device that manages a traffic signal controller 1a or a roadside communication device such as an optical beacon 6 may be an infrastructure device. It is. Moreover, it is also possible to install the infrastructure side device independently from the central device 4, the traffic signal controller 1a, and the roadside communication processing device.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the case where the average driving speed of the vehicle 5 is more than predetermined value as driving condition information S5 set by the setting part 401A, suppose that an average driving speed is contained in a predetermined range. Is also possible. Further, the difference between the average travel speed of the vehicle 5 (or the upper limit value or the lower limit value of the travel speed) and the average travel speed received from the infrastructure side device may be a predetermined value (for example, 30 km / h) or more. It is. Further, in addition to the average traveling speed, it is possible to use the travel time of the vehicle 5 in the predetermined section L or to set that the engine of the vehicle 5 has not stopped in the predetermined section L as the traveling condition information S5.

Further, in the above embodiment, the probe information S3 is uplinked by optical communication between the in-vehicle device 2 and the optical beacon 6, but the probe information S3 is transmitted to the infrastructure side by radio communication means using radio waves including a mobile phone or the like. You can also In this case, for example, the wireless communication of the mobile phone is charged, so the communication cost with the infrastructure side in the vehicle 5 can be reduced.
Moreover, although this invention demonstrated the case where it applied to the system which produces | generates the traffic information containing traffic congestion information etc. to the vehicle 5 based on probe information S3, the system (for example, automatic driving control of the vehicle 5 based on probe information) It is also possible to apply to JP, 2009-69938, A.).

2 In-vehicle device 4 Central device (infrastructure side device)
5 Probe vehicle (vehicle)
204 Communication unit (in-vehicle communication unit)
209 Control unit (on-vehicle side control unit)
401 Control unit (infrastructure control unit)
403 Communication part (Infrastructure side communication part)
L Predetermined section S3 Probe information S5 Travel condition information

Claims (5)

A traffic information communication system comprising an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and an infrastructure side device that generates traffic information based on probe information transmitted to the outside by the in-vehicle device,
The infrastructure side device includes an infrastructure side communication unit that receives the probe information;
An infrastructure-side control unit that causes the infrastructure-side communication unit to transmit traveling condition information that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle travels,
The in-vehicle device determines whether to transmit the probe information collected in the predetermined section based on the in-vehicle communication unit that receives the in-travel condition information and the in-travel condition information, and the determination result is affirmative And a vehicle-mounted control unit that causes the vehicle-mounted communication unit to transmit the probe information only to the vehicle-mounted communication unit. The infrastructure control unit sets the traveling condition information using an average traveling speed of the vehicle in the predetermined section,
The in-vehicle device that has received the traveling condition information determines whether or not to transmit the probe information collected in the predetermined section based on the average traveling speed and the average traveling speed of the host vehicle included in the traveling condition information. The traffic information communication system according to claim 1 for determination. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle transmits probe information of the vehicle to the infrastructure side device, and the infrastructure side device is a traffic information communication method for generating traffic information based on the probe information,
The infrastructure side device transmits driving condition information serving as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section where the vehicle travels to the in-vehicle device,
The in-vehicle device determines whether or not to transmit the probe information collected in the predetermined section based on the received traveling condition information, and sends the probe information to the infrastructure side device only when the determination result is affirmative. A traffic information communication method characterized by transmitting. An infrastructure side device that generates traffic information based on probe information transmitted from an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle,
A communication unit for receiving the probe information;
An infrastructure apparatus comprising: a control unit that causes the communication unit to transmit travel condition information that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle travels. An in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and collects probe information of the vehicle and transmits it to the infrastructure side device,
A communication unit that receives, from the infrastructure side device, a traveling condition condition that serves as a guideline when generating traffic information of a predetermined section in which the vehicle travels;
A control unit that determines whether or not to transmit the probe information collected in the predetermined section based on the traveling condition information, and that causes the communication unit to transmit the probe information only when the determination result is affirmative. In-vehicle device characterized by

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