JP2011248542A - Traveling support method, traveling support device and traveling support program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce fuel consumption and emission of carbon dioxide of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information acquisition part acquires information on an intersection through which a vehicle passes and setting information on a traffic light provided at the intersection (step S8) from detected results of vehicle information by a vehicle detection part (step S6). And a non-stop speed calculation part calculates the non-stop speed for passing through the intersection when the traffic light is green from the obtained information and the vehicle information (step S10) while a fuel consumption estimation part estimates each fuel consumption in both cases when the traveling vehicle, keeping the current speed, stops at the intersection and the vehicle passes through the intersection at the non-stop speed (step S16). Furthermore, a recommended speed determination part determines either of the current speed or the non-stop speed as the recommended speed based on an estimation results by the fuel consumption estimation part (step S14, S20), a recommended speed transmission part transmits the recommended speed into the vehicle (step S22).

Description

  This case relates to a driving support method, a driving support device, and a driving support program.

  Conventionally, a system has been devised that recommends a traveling speed so that a vehicle traveling on a road does not stop at an intersection (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Hereinafter, an example of a conventional method for calculating the recommended speed (v) will be described.

FIG. 20 (a), the FIG. 20 (b), the vehicle has passed the intersection signal 0 at time t _c is arranged, when going to the next intersection (signal 1), represented by the vehicle speed (slope And the color of signal 1 (blue, yellow, red) when passing through the next intersection. As shown in FIG. 20 (a), the distance d to the next intersection is the maximum recommended speed (regulated speed) v _max and the time (t _Y ) from the current time (t _c ) to the time when the yellow signal changes. When the time is smaller than the product of time (t _Y −t _c ), that is, when d <v _max × (t _Y −t _c ), conventionally, the recommended speed v is obtained from the following equation (1).
v = v _max (1)

On the other hand, in the case other than the above, that is, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 20B, in the case of d ≧ v _max × (t _Y −t _c ), the recommended speed v is calculated from the following equation (2). (See the solid line in FIG. 20B). The time t _G used in the following equation (2) means the time when the signal 1 turns blue.
v = v _r = d / (t _G −t _c ) (2)

In the recommended speed determination method, the recommended speed is determined with the highest priority not to stop the vehicle. For this reason, it has not necessarily been said that the above-described methods are appropriately performed to improve fuel consumption and suppress carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions.

JP 2006-31573 A JP 2006-251836 A

From the point of view of reducing fuel consumption and CO ₂ emissions, the vehicle reaches the intersection at a faster speed than the vehicle that continues traveling at a very low speed and passes through the intersection with a green light. It may be preferable to stop.

However, it is difficult to uniquely set the lower limit value of the recommended speed. For example, as shown in FIG. 21A, when the vehicle speed is 60 km / h at the time (t _c ) when the signal 0 is passed, the speed as it is as shown by the curve L1 (v _max = 60 km). / h) traveling to in better stopping at a red light at the next intersection (signal 1), than when passing through the next intersection (signal 1) is a green light at a velocity v _r as a straight line L2, the fuel consumption Is reduced. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), when the speed at the time (t _c ) when the signal 0 is passed is 30 km / h, the _vehicle travels at the same speed v _max as shown by the curve L1. better to stop at a red light at the next intersection (signal 1) Te is than passed through at a rate v _r as a straight line L2 at the next intersection (signal 1) by a green light, the more the fuel consumption. Thus, FIG. 21 (a), the according to FIG. 21 (b), the lower limit of the recommended rate, for reasons such as dependent on the velocity at time t _c, is not uniquely determined.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a driving support method, a driving support device, and a driving support program capable of reducing fuel consumption and suppressing CO ₂ emissions in a vehicle. With the goal.

  In the driving support method described in this specification, a computer detects information on a target vehicle, and information on an intersection through which the target vehicle passes from information on the target vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step. And the information acquisition step of acquiring the setting information of the traffic light provided at the intersection, the information acquired in the information acquisition step, and the information of the target vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step, the intersection is blue-lighted A non-stop speed calculating step for calculating a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing through the vehicle, a fuel consumption amount when the vehicle travels at a speed that stops at the intersection, and a fuel when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed Based on the estimation result in the fuel consumption estimation step, the fuel consumption amount estimation step for estimating the consumption amount, and either the speed to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed is set as the recommended speed A recommended speed determination step of determining Te, the recommended speed determined by said recommended speed determining step, a travel support method of performing a transmission step of transmitting to said vehicle.

  The driving support device described in the present specification is detected by a vehicle detection unit that detects information on a target vehicle, an information storage unit that stores information on an intersection and setting information on a traffic signal provided at the intersection, and the vehicle detection unit. Based on the information on the target vehicle, an information acquisition unit that acquires information on an intersection through which the target vehicle passes and setting information on a traffic signal provided at the intersection from the information storage unit, and the information acquisition unit A non-stop speed calculating unit that calculates a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing the intersection with a green signal from the information acquired by the vehicle detection unit and the information of the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit; and A fuel consumption estimation unit for estimating a fuel consumption amount when traveling at a speed at which the vehicle stops at the intersection and a fuel consumption amount when traveling at a non-stop speed; and an estimation result by the fuel consumption estimation unit. Based on the recommended speed determining unit that determines either the speed at which to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed as the recommended speed, and the recommended speed determined by the recommended speed determining unit is transmitted to the vehicle And a transmission support device.

  The driving support program described in this specification includes a computer, a vehicle detection unit that detects information on a target vehicle, and an intersection of the target vehicle that passes through the information based on the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit. From the information, the information acquisition unit that acquires the setting information of the traffic light provided at the intersection, the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the information of the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit, the intersection is blue-lighted A non-stop speed calculation unit that calculates a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing through the vehicle, a fuel consumption amount when the vehicle travels at a speed that stops at the intersection, and a fuel consumption amount when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed Based on the estimation result by the fuel consumption estimation unit and the fuel consumption estimation unit, either the speed to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed is set as the recommended speed. Recommended speed determining unit determining, and the recommended speed determined by said recommended speed determining unit, a travel support program to function as a transmission unit, to be transmitted to the vehicle.

The driving support method, the driving support device, and the driving support program described in the present specification have an effect that it is possible to reduce fuel consumption and CO ₂ emissions.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a driving support system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of the driving support center, and FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram of the driving support center. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing signal state information, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing signal setting information. 4A is a diagram showing node information, FIG. 4B is a diagram showing link information, and FIG. 4C is a diagram showing an arrangement example of links, nodes, and signals. . It is a table | surface of the unit time fuel consumption by speed. It is a functional block diagram of an in-vehicle device. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the driving assistance center which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining step S8 in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is a diagram for explaining step S10 in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating step S16 of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the driving assistance center which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the estimation method of the fuel consumption by the driving assistance center which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the driving assistance center which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C are diagrams for explaining step S36 in FIG. FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams (part 1) for explaining step S44 in FIG. It is FIG. (2) for demonstrating step S44 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the effect of 3rd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the driving support center concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the driving assistance center which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating step S44-2 of FIG. FIG. 20A and FIG. 20B are views (No. 1) showing the prior art. FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B are views (No. 2) showing the prior art.

<< First Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a driving support method, a driving support device, and a driving support program will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a driving support system 100 for supporting driving of a vehicle by the driving support method of the present case. More specifically, the driving support system 100 is for supporting the vehicle 20 so as to be able to travel on the road while reducing the fuel consumption and CO ₂ emission in the vehicle 20 traveling on the road. . The travel support system 100 includes a travel support center 10 as a travel support device, a plurality of beacon devices 30 arranged on the road, and an in-vehicle device 60 mounted on the vehicle 20 traveling on the road.

  The driving support center 10 includes an information processing device such as a server, executes a driving support program, determines a recommended speed of a vehicle 20 to be supported (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle”), and passes through a beacon device 30. It transmits to the in-vehicle device 60 of the vehicle 20.

  FIG. 2A shows a hardware configuration of the driving support center 10. As shown in FIG. 2A, the driving support center 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 90, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 91, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 92, and a storage unit (here, an HDD (Hard Disk). Drive) 93), an input / output unit 94, etc., and each component of the driving support center 10 is connected via a bus 95.

  In the driving support center 10, the CPU 90 executes the driving support program stored in the RAM 92 or the HDD 93, thereby realizing the functions of the respective units shown in FIG. The HDD 93 stores data obtained in the driving support center 10 and functions as the signal information storage unit 46, the road information storage unit 48, and the fuel consumption DB 54 shown in FIG. The input / output unit 94 is an input / output port that communicates with an externally connected input interface or the like.

  FIG. 2B shows a functional block diagram of the driving support center 10. As shown in FIG. 2B, the driving support center 10 includes a control unit 42, a vehicle detection unit 44, a signal information storage unit 46, a road information storage unit 48 and an information acquisition unit 49 as an information storage unit, and non-stop. It has functions as a speed calculation unit 50, a fuel consumption estimation unit 52, a fuel consumption DB 54, a recommended speed determination unit 56, and a recommended speed transmission unit 58 as a transmission unit.

  The vehicle detection unit 44 detects the position of the vehicle 20 based on information transmitted from the beacon device 30. The beacon device 30 communicates with the vehicle 20, and the vehicle detection unit 44 receives information about the vehicle with which the beacon device 30 communicates from the beacon device 30, and from the information, Detect position, direction of travel, speed, etc.

The signal information storage unit 46 stores signal state information as shown in FIG. 3A and signal setting information as shown in FIG. The signal status information is information indicating the status of each traffic signal. As shown in FIG. 3A, “signal ID”, “signal status”, “update time”, “setting (ID, direction)”, and the like. Contains items. The item “signal ID” is an identification code unique to each signal, and alphabets (A, B...) Are assigned in FIG. Item "state" and item "update time", update time (here, time t _s) means a state (color) of each traffic signal in. The item “ID” in the item “setting” means the setting ID (P1, P2,...) Of the traffic light. Details of the setting ID will be described later. Further, the item “direction” means a direction in which the traffic light is facing, such as east-west and north-south, and here, a, b,... Are set as the directions.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the signal setting information includes items of “setting ID”, “state (a side, b side)”, and “duration”. The item “setting ID” is an ID for classifying the setting of a plurality of traffic lights installed at each intersection. The item “state (a side, b side)” indicates the state of a traffic light installed on a road extending in one direction (for example, a side) and a road extending in the other direction (for example, b side) when the intersection is a crossroad. It shows how the state of the installed traffic signal switches. The item “duration” indicates the time until the state (a side, b side) is switched.

  The road information storage unit 48 in FIG. 2B stores node information as shown in FIG. 4A and link information as shown in FIG. 4B.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the node information includes items such as “node”, “latitude”, “longitude”, “connection link (connection node, traffic signal ID)”, and the like. The item “node” is a number indicating the position of the intersection. If the node at the intersection is 1, as shown in FIG. 4C, “1” is input to the node item. The items “latitude” and “longitude” indicate the absolute position of the node. Further, the item “connection link (connection node, traffic signal ID)” means the node at the other end of the road (link) extending from the intersection node as one end and the ID of the traffic signal installed corresponding to the link. If the IDs of traffic lights arranged at the intersection in FIG. 4C are A to D, the connection node and the traffic signal ID are registered in the node information as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the link information includes items such as “node 1”, “node 2”, and “distance (m)”. The item “node 1” means the number of a node located at one end of the link, and the item “node 2” means the number of a node located at the other end of the link. The item “distance (m)” means the length of the link.

  Returning to FIG. 2 (b), the information acquisition unit 49 acquires, from the signal information storage unit 46 and the road information storage unit 48, information on intersections and signals through which the vehicle 20 passes based on the detection result of the vehicle detection unit 44. To do.

  The non-stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates a speed (non-stop speed v) necessary for the vehicle to pass the next intersection with a green light under the instruction of the control unit 42. A method for calculating the non-stop speed v will be described later.

Under the instruction of the control unit 42, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 (i) when traveling at a non-stop speed v, and (ii) the speed at which the vehicle is actually traveling (regulated speed v _{max of the} road, etc.) If you continue to drive and stop at the next intersection at a red light, estimate the fuel consumption. The fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption amount based on the data stored in the fuel consumption amount DB 54. Here, the fuel consumption DB 54 has data (table) of speed unit fuel consumption per unit time as fuel consumption data per unit time as shown in FIG. In the table of FIG. 5, the fuel consumption per unit time when the vehicle is traveling at a certain speed is defined. Note that while the vehicle is decelerating, the fuel consumption is generally the same as the speed of 0 km / h. Therefore, in FIG. 5, 0 km / h and the deceleration are defined as the same fuel consumption. ing. Further, the table of FIG. 5 is created in advance for each vehicle type and is stored in the fuel consumption DB 54.

  Therefore, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 in FIG. 2B acquires the unit time fuel consumption amount stored in the fuel consumption amount DB 54 for each traveling speed of the vehicle 20. Then, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 obtains a value obtained by integrating the traveling time and the unit time fuel consumption amount for each traveling speed, and uses the sum of these values as the estimation result of the fuel consumption amount.

The recommended speed determination unit 56 determines the recommended speed of the vehicle based on the estimation result of the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 under the instruction of the control unit 42. Specifically, the recommended speed determination unit 56 compares the two fuel consumption amounts estimated by the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52, and determines the speed (the non-stop speed v or the current speed (for example, the regulation speed) with the smaller value. v _max )) is determined as the recommended speed.

  The recommended speed transmission unit 58 transmits the recommended speed determined by the recommended speed determination unit 56 to the in-vehicle device 60 of the vehicle 20 via the beacon device 30 under the instruction of the control unit 42.

  The control unit 42 comprehensively controls each component of the travel support center 10 described above.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the in-vehicle device 60 mounted on the vehicle 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the in-vehicle device 60 includes a control unit 62, a recommended speed receiving unit 64, a vehicle speed control unit 66, and a display unit 68.

  The recommended speed receiving unit 64 receives the recommended speed transmitted from the recommended speed transmitting unit 58 of the driving support center 10 described above. Under the instruction of the control unit 62, the vehicle speed control unit 66 performs accelerator control or brake control of the vehicle 20 based on the recommended speed information received by the recommended speed receiving unit 64, and sets the speed of the vehicle 20 to the recommended speed. Adjust to. The display unit 68 displays information on the recommended speed received by the recommended speed receiving unit 64 under the instruction of the control unit 62, and displays the recommended speed for a person (driver, etc.) who is boarding the vehicle 20. It is something to be recognized. The display unit 68 may recognize the recommended speed through sight or may recognize through the auditory sense. The control unit 62 comprehensively controls each component of the in-vehicle device 60 described above.

  Next, the driving support method according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the driving support center 10.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, in step S <b> 6, the vehicle detection unit 44 detects information on the vehicle 20. The information of the vehicle 20 detected here includes the position, traveling direction, and speed (including the moving direction) of the vehicle 20. These pieces of information are transmitted from the beacon device 30. Note that the position and speed of the vehicle 20 may be directly transmitted from the vehicle 20 side to the driving support center 10 without being limited thereto.

  Next, in step S8, the information acquisition unit 49, based on the detected position of the vehicle, from the signal information storage unit 46 and the road information storage unit 48, the setting information of the traffic light provided at the intersection through which the vehicle 20 passes and Get information about intersections. The information acquired in step S8 includes information such as a distance d between signals and a time-series change in the color of the signal at the next intersection as shown in FIG.

In the next step S10, the non-stop speed calculation unit 50 (FIG. 2B) calculates the non-stop speed v. FIG. 8B shows the vehicle speed and the signal 1 when passing the next intersection when the vehicle that has passed the intersection where the signal 0 exists at time t _c is heading to the next intersection (signal 1). The relationship with color is shown. In step S10, the distance d to the next intersection is the maximum recommended speed (the regulated speed or the current speed if the current running speed is less than the regulated speed) v _max and the current time (t _c ). If it is smaller than the product of time (t _Y −t _c ) from time to time (t _Y ) when turning to yellow signal (d <v _max × (t _Y −t _c )), the non-stop speed calculating unit 50 Calculates the non-stop speed v by the following equation (3).
v = v _max (3)

On the other hand, the non-stop speed calculating unit 50, in the case other than the above, that is, in the case of d ≧ v _max × (t _Y −t _c ) as shown by the broken line in FIG. b) Based on the one-dot chain line, the non-stop speed v is obtained from the following equation (4). Time t _G means the time when signal 1 turns blue.
v = v _r = d / (t _G −t _c ) (4)

Returning to FIG. 7, in step S12, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines whether or not the non-stop speed v calculated in step S10 is v _max . That is, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines whether or not the condition of d <v _max × (t _Y −t _c ) is satisfied. If the determination here is affirmed, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines the recommended speed as v _max in step S14, and proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if the determination in step S12 is negative, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption amount when traveling at the non-stop speed v and the fuel consumption amount when traveling at the current speed is continuously stopped until the next intersection. .

Specifically, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9, when the vehicle 20 travels at a non-stop speed v (= v _r ), the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 is stored in the fuel consumption amount DB 54. The unit time fuel consumption at the non-stop speed v (= v _r ) is acquired from the table of the unit time fuel consumption by speed (FIG. 5). Then, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption amount from the product of the acquired unit time fuel consumption amount and the time (t _G −t _c ) required to pass the intersection.

On the other hand, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 9, when the vehicle 20 continues traveling at the current speed or the regulated speed (v _max ) and stops at the next intersection, the fuel consumption estimation unit 52 The fuel consumption is estimated from equation (5). The time (t _B −t _c ) means the traveling time at the speed v _max , and the time (t _G −t _B ) means the time from the start of deceleration to the acceleration restart.
Fuel consumption = unit time fuel consumption of speed v _max x (t _B -t _c )
+ Speed 0 unit time fuel consumption × of (deceleration) (t _G -t _B)
+ Fuel consumption at start-up (5)

In the above equation (5), it is only necessary to know the deceleration start time t _{B in} addition to the current time t _c and the time t _G when the signal turns blue. That is, it is not necessary to understand the behavior of the vehicle as shown by the broken line in FIG. In this case, the deceleration start time t _B can be calculated from the distance required for the vehicle to stop at the next intersection from the current traveling speed or the regulated speed (v _max ) of the vehicle. .

Next, in step S18 of FIG. 7, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines whether or not the fuel consumption is smaller when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed v (= v _r ). If the determination here is affirmative, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines the recommended speed to be a non-stop speed v (= v _r ) in step S20. On the other hand, if the determination in step S18 is negative, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines the recommended speed to be the speed v _max , that is, the current speed or the regulated speed of the road.

  Thereafter, when the process proceeds to step S22, the recommended speed transmitting unit 58 transmits the recommended speed to the in-vehicle device 60 (recommended speed receiving unit 64) of the vehicle 20, and the whole process of FIG.

On the in-vehicle device 60 side, the accelerator or brake is set so that the vehicle speed control unit 66 sets the vehicle speed of the vehicle 20 to the recommended speed under the instruction of the control unit 62 based on the recommended speed received by the recommended speed receiving unit 64. Take control. The display unit 68 displays the recommended speed under the instruction of the control unit 62. In the in-vehicle device 60, only either the control by the vehicle speed control unit 66 or the display by the display unit 68 may be executed. For example, when only the display on the display unit 68 is executed, if the driver driving the vehicle 20 performs the driving based on the display, the fuel consumption and the CO ₂ emission amount are reduced. Appropriate driving can be performed.

  As described above in detail, according to the first embodiment, the vehicle detection unit 44 detects information on the vehicle 20 (step S6), and the information acquisition unit 49 detects the information on the detected vehicle. Information on the intersection through which the vehicle 20 passes and setting information on traffic lights provided at the intersection are acquired (step S8). Then, from the acquired information and the information of the vehicle 20, the non-stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing the intersection with a green signal (step S10), and also estimates the fuel consumption amount. The unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption when the vehicle 20 travels while maintaining the speed and stops at the intersection, and the fuel consumption when travels at the non-stop speed (step S16). Further, the recommended speed determination unit 56 determines either the current speed or the non-stop speed as a recommended speed based on the estimation result of the fuel consumption estimation unit (steps S14 and S20), and the recommended speed transmission unit. 58 transmits the recommended speed to the vehicle 20 (step S22). As a result, the driving support center 10 can reduce the fuel consumption and reduce the carbon dioxide emission amount with respect to the in-vehicle device 60 of the vehicle 20 without simply notifying the vehicle 20 of the speed at which the vehicle can pass through the intersection without stopping. Can be transmitted at such a speed. Therefore, if the vehicle 20 travels at the instructed speed, the fuel consumption in the vehicle 20 can be reduced, and the carbon dioxide emission from the vehicle 20 can be reduced.

  Further, in the first embodiment, when the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption amount, the fuel consumption amount estimation unit 52 is based on the unit time fuel consumption data for each speed stored in the fuel consumption amount DB 54. To estimate the fuel consumption. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the fuel consumption by simple calculation.

In the above embodiment, when the vehicle 20 has an idling stop function, the recommended speed can also be determined in consideration of the fuel consumption by the function. Specifically, the following equation (5) ′ is used in estimating the fuel consumption. In the following equation (5) ′, T is the time when idling stop is performed.
Fuel consumption = unit time fuel consumption of speed vmax x (t _B -t _c )
+ Speed 0 unit time fuel consumption × of (deceleration) (t _G -t _B -T)
+ Fuel consumption when starting and starting the engine ... (5) '

  In this way, by taking into account the time at which the idling is stopped, it is possible to appropriately estimate the fuel consumption when the idling is stopped and to appropriately determine the recommended speed. It should be noted that the fuel consumption amount at the time of starting the engine of the above equation (5) 'is substantially the same as the fuel consumption amount when idling for 5 seconds.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, 2nd Embodiment is described based on FIG.10 and FIG.11. In the second embodiment, some of the functional blocks of the driving support center 10 are different, and the estimation method of the fuel consumption is different accordingly.

  More specifically, as can be seen by comparing FIG. 10 showing functional blocks of the driving support center 10 of the second embodiment with FIG. 2B, in the second embodiment, the fuel consumption amount Instead of the DB 54, a vehicle behavior simulation section 54 'is provided.

  The vehicle behavior simulation unit 54 ′ simulates the behavior of the vehicle by simulation based on traffic conditions (traffic flow simulation). That is, the vehicle behavior simulation unit 54 'simulates the behavior of the vehicle as shown by a solid line in FIG. 11 and the behavior of the vehicle as shown by a broken line in FIG.

And the fuel consumption amount estimation part 52 estimates the fuel consumption amount Q based on following Formula (6). This equation (6) is a well-known document (Takashi Oguchi, Masahiko Katakura, Masaaki Taniguchi: A model for estimating carbon dioxide emissions of automobiles in urban road traffic. Proceedings of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, No.695 / IV-54, pp.125- 136, 2002.). In the following equation (6), T represents travel time (travel time), d represents travel distance (travel distance), k represents a measurement cycle, and v _k represents an instantaneous speed for each cycle. Further, 1 is substituted for δ _k when acceleration is performed, and 0 is substituted otherwise.

  In the second embodiment, similarly to the process of FIG. 7, steps S6 to S12 are performed, and if the determination in step S12 is negative, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the fuel consumption estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption Q based on the above equation (6) based on the vehicle behavior simulated by the vehicle behavior simulation unit 54 ′ as shown in FIG. .

  The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the fuel consumption estimation unit 52 estimates the fuel consumption based on the vehicle behavior simulated by the traffic flow simulation by the vehicle behavior simulation unit 54 ′. To do. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately estimate the fuel consumption amount without preparing the data of the fuel consumption amount per unit time for each speed as in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the fuel consumption amount is estimated based on the above equation (6) has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fuel consumption may be estimated using the behavior of the vehicle simulated by the traffic flow simulation and an estimation expression other than the above expression (6).

  Also, when using equation (6), the fuel consumption may be estimated in consideration of the idling stop, as in the first embodiment described above.

<< Third Embodiment >>
Next, a third embodiment will be described in detail based on FIGS. In the third embodiment, not only the traffic signal at the next intersection through which the vehicle passes, but also travel support in consideration of a plurality of traffic signals at which the vehicle passes sequentially. Note that the hardware configuration and functional blocks of the driving support center 10 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing of the driving support center 10 of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, first, in step S30, the vehicle detection unit 44 detects vehicle information (position, traveling direction, speed, route information, etc.). Note that the route information of the vehicle 20 is route information preset by the user in the navigation system provided in the vehicle 20. The vehicle detection unit 44 receives the route information of the vehicle 20 directly from the vehicle 20 or receives it via the beacon device 30.

  Next, in step S <b> 32, the control unit 42 sets a parameter i indicating the order of the intersections (passing order) located on the path of the vehicle 20 to 1.

  Next, in step S34, the control unit 42 determines whether i is larger than I. Here, I is the maximum value of i, and is predetermined. In this embodiment, a case where I is 3 will be described as an example.

  If the determination in step S34 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S48. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S36. Here, since i = 1 and i> 3 is not satisfied, the determination in step S34 is negative.

When the process proceeds to step S36, the information acquisition unit 49 acquires the information shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 from the signal information storage unit 46 and the road information storage unit 48 based on the position and the course of the vehicle. Here, from the acquired information, a distance d ₁ as shown in FIG. 13A and a change in the signal 1 are obtained.

Next, in step S38, the non-stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates v _i (v ₁ ) using the information obtained in step S36. Here, it is assumed that, for example, a speed v ₁ (= v _max ) as shown in FIG. 14A is obtained by using the above-described formula (3).

Subsequently, in step S40, the control unit 42, v _i to determine whether it matches v _i-1. Here, it is determined whether or not v ₁ matches v ₀ . Note that v ₀ is v _max (a regulated speed or a current speed when the current traveling speed is less than the regulated speed). If the determination here is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S42. When the process proceeds to step S42, i is incremented by 1 (i ← i + 1, i.e., i ← 2), and the process returns to step S34.

When returning to step S34, the control unit 42 determines again whether i (= 2) is larger than I (= 3). If the determination here is negative, in step S36, the information acquisition unit 49 acquires signal information and road information. From the information acquired here, a distance d ₂ as shown in FIG. 13B and a change in the signal 2 are obtained.

Next, in step S38, the non-stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates v _i (= v ₂ ) using the information obtained in step S36. Here, for example, it is assumed that the speed v ₂ as shown in FIG. 14B is obtained by using the above-described formula (4).

In the next step S40, the control unit 42, v _i to determine whether it matches v _i-1. Here, as shown in FIG. 14B, since v ₂ does not match v ₁ , the determination in step S40 is negative and the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the control unit 42 determines whether or not to stop at the 1st to (i-1) th intersections when traveling in v _i . Here, as shown in FIG. 14B, even when the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v ₂ , the signal 1 can be passed with a green signal, so the determination here is affirmed and the process proceeds to step S45. .

In step S45, the fuel consumption estimation unit 52 travels at the fuel consumption (F _i (F ₂ )) when traveling at the speed v _i (v ₂ ) and at the speed v _i-1 (v ₁ ). The fuel consumption (F _i-1 (F ₁ )) is estimated. The estimation method similar to that of the first embodiment can be used for estimation of the fuel consumption here.

Next, in step S46, the control unit 42 determines whether or not the fuel consumption amount (F _i-1 (F ₁ )) is smaller than the fuel consumption amount F _i (F ₂ ). If the determination here is negative, that is, if the fuel consumption is smaller when traveling at the speed v _i (v ₂ ), the process proceeds to step S42 and the control unit 42 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S34. On the other hand, if the determination in step S46 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S48. Here, it is assumed that the determination in step S46 is negative.

If the determination in step S46 is negative, i is incremented by 1 (i ← 3) in step S42, and the process returns to step S34, in step S34, the control unit 42 determines whether i> I. If the determination is negative, in step S36, the information acquisition unit 49 acquires signal information and road information. From the information acquired here, a distance d ₃ as shown in FIG. 13C and a change in the signal 3 are obtained.

Next, in step S38, the non-stop speed calculator 50 calculates v _i (= v ₃ ) using the information obtained in step S36. Here, for example, it is assumed that the speed v ₃ as shown in FIG. 15 is obtained by using the above-described formula (4).

Subsequently, in step S40, the control unit 42, v _i to determine whether it matches v _i-1. Here, as shown in FIG. 15, since v ₃ does not match v ₂ , the determination in step S40 is negative and the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, when the control unit 42 travels with v _i (= v ₃ ), the control unit 42 determines whether or not to stop at the 1- (i−1) -th intersection. Here, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 15, when the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v ₃ , the intersection of the signal 1 cannot be passed with a green light (indicated by a cross), so the determination here is negative. Then, the process proceeds to step S48.

If the determination in step S44 is negative, the determination in step S34 is affirmed, or the determination in step S46 is affirmative, in step S48, the recommended speed determination unit 56 sets the recommended speed to the speed v. _i-1 is determined. That is, for example, as in the present embodiment, when i = 3 when the judgment of step S44 has shifted denied to step S48, the speed v ₂ is determined as the recommended speed.

Thereafter, when the process proceeds to step S50, the recommended speed transmission unit 58 transmits the recommended speed (v ₂ ) to the in-vehicle device 60 of the vehicle 20. Then, the in-vehicle device 60 of the vehicle 20 performs engine or brake control and displays the recommended speed on the display unit 68 so that the traveling speed of the vehicle 20 becomes the recommended speed (v ₂ ).

  If the determination in step S44 is negative, the vehicle 20 will always stop at any one of the 1st to (i-1) th intersections even if i is further increased. Further, if the determination in step S34 is affirmed, it means that the determination in step S44 has not been denied until i = I-1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle 20 calculates all the non-stop speeds that can pass through all i intersections with a green light, and the speed at which the fuel consumption is the smallest among all the calculated non-stop speeds. Is determined as the recommended speed.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the vehicle detection unit 44 detects the route information of the vehicle 20, and the information acquisition unit 49 detects the intersections up to the i-th intersection existing on the vehicle route. Get information. The non-stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates a non-stop speed at which the vehicle 20 can pass through all i intersections with a green light while changing i, and among the calculated non-stop speeds, the most fuel consumption amount The speed at which the value decreases is the recommended speed. Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the vehicle 20 can travel at a speed that can pass through a plurality of intersections and reduce the fuel consumption. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the function and effect of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, (i) when signal 1 passes at speed v ₁ and stops at signal 2 (solid line), (ii) travels from signal 0 to signal 1 at speed v ₁ In the case of traveling at speed v ₁ 'up to 2 (dashed line), (iii) from the signal 0 to signal ₂ and traveling at speed v ₂ (dashed line) It becomes possible to drive the vehicle 20.

  In the third embodiment, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is adopted. In step S45 of FIG. 12, the fuel consumption amount is estimated by the same method as that of the first embodiment. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the same configuration as that of the second embodiment may be adopted, and the fuel consumption amount may be estimated by a method similar to that of the second embodiment in step S45.

<< Fourth Embodiment >>
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram of the driving support center 10 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, in the fourth embodiment, in addition to the functional configuration of the driving support center 10 of the first embodiment, an affected vehicle determination unit 55 as a determination unit is added.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the process of the driving support center 10 according to the fourth embodiment. In the process of FIG. 18, except for step S44, the same process as in the third embodiment is executed. However, in step S44, three determinations (steps S44-1, S44-2, S44-3) are performed. Execute.

Specifically, in step S44-1, the control unit 42 determines whether or not to stop at the 1st to (i-1) th intersection when the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v _i . Since this determination is the same as that in step S44 of the third embodiment described above, description thereof is omitted.

If the determination in step S44-1 is negative, the process proceeds to step S48. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S44-2. In this step S44-2, when the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v _i , there is a possibility that the succeeding vehicle of the vehicle 20 cannot pass through the 1st to (i−1) th intersections. Determine whether or not. Regarding the presence / absence of the following vehicle and the position thereof, the sensors provided on the infrastructure side such as the beacon device 30, the vehicle-mounted sensor mounted on the vehicle 20, or the driving support center 10 and the following vehicle The vehicle detection part 44 detects from communication etc.

In step S44-2, specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, when the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v _i , the subsequent vehicle that travels behind the vehicle 20 travels at the speed v _i while maintaining the interval. (See the dashed line in FIG. 19). In this case, as shown in FIG. 19, there is a possibility that a situation occurs in which a part of the following vehicle must stop at the signal 1 (shown with an X mark). In such a case, the determination in step S44-2 is affirmed, and the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, the speed v _{i-1 that} does not affect the following vehicle is determined as the recommended speed.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step S44-2 is negative, that is, if it is determined that there is no influence on the following vehicle, the process proceeds to step S44-3. In step S44-3, the influence vehicle determination unit 55 determines whether or not the following vehicle turns right and left at the (i-1) th intersection in the same green light phase. Note that “turn left and right in the same green light phase” means that the following vehicle turns right and left before the green light that the vehicle 20 passes turns yellow. Information about whether or not the following vehicle makes a right or left turn is included in the information on the planned route set by the navigation system installed in the following vehicle. The vehicle detection unit 44 acquires the information via the beacon device 30.

  In this way, when the following vehicle turns right and left in the same green light phase, the signals ahead of the intersection that makes a right and left turn are irrelevant for such a following vehicle. For this reason, if the speed of the vehicle 20 decreases because the vehicle 20 passes through all the intersections up to the i-th intersection with a green light, it will take time for the following vehicle to turn left and right to arrive at the intersection to turn right and left. There is a risk that it will cost.

In such a case, the determination in step S44-3 is affirmed, and the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, the recommended speed is determined to be v _i−1 .

  On the other hand, if the determination in step S44-3 is negative, the process proceeds to step S45. The other processes are the same as those in the third embodiment.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the influence vehicle determination unit 55 determines whether or not the following vehicle is affected by the travel at the non-stop speed in steps S44-2 and S44-3. The recommended speed determination unit 56 determines that the non-stop speed determined to be affected as a result of the determination is not set as the recommended speed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the influence of the succeeding vehicle by changing the speed of the vehicle 20 that is a target for driving support. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in traffic capacity due to a decrease in speed and realize smooth traffic.

  Further, according to the fourth embodiment, the influence vehicle determination unit 55 determines whether or not the following vehicle stops at the signal of the intersection when the vehicle 20 travels at a non-stop speed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the following vehicle from stopping at the intersection due to the vehicle 20 traveling at a non-stop speed, and in turn, the road traffic can be smoothed.

  In addition, according to the fourth embodiment, the affected vehicle determination unit 55 determines whether or not the subsequent vehicle turns right or left at any of the i-th intersections, and if it is determined to turn right or left, there is no effect. The stop speed calculation unit 50 calculates the recommended speed without considering the intersections after the intersection that makes a right or left turn. Thereby, smoothing of road traffic can be aimed at, without decelerating the vehicle which turns right and left unnecessarily.

  Although not particularly described in the fourth embodiment, the definition of the following vehicle may be, for example, a vehicle located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle to be supported. Further, if there is a succeeding vehicle without performing steps S44-2 and S44-3 in FIG. 18, a process that considers only the next intersection may be performed.

  In addition, although the influence vehicle determination part 55 demonstrated the case where the influence vehicle determination part 55 performed step S44-2 and step S44-3 one by one in the said 4th Embodiment, not only this but only step S44-2 is performed. It is also good.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the driving support method is executed in the driving support center 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the function of the driving support center 10 may be mounted on the in-vehicle device 60. In this case, the in-vehicle device 60 may directly detect the information on the own vehicle without using the beacon device 30. Moreover, when implementing 4th Embodiment mentioned above, the vehicle-mounted apparatus 60 is good also as acquiring (detecting) the information of a subsequent vehicle by performing inter-vehicle communication with a subsequent vehicle.

  Moreover, although each said embodiment demonstrated the case where communication between the vehicle-mounted apparatus 60 and the driving assistance center 10 was performed via the beacon apparatus 30, it is not restricted to this. For example, the in-vehicle device 60 and the travel support center 10 may directly communicate with each other. In this case, the in-vehicle device 60 may measure its own position using a positioning device such as GPS (Global Positioning System) and transmit the measurement result to the travel support center 10.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the processing apparatus should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  When the program is distributed, for example, it is sold in the form of a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program (the driving support center 10 in each of the above embodiments) stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device (HDD 93). Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  Each embodiment mentioned above is an example of suitable implementation of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Driving support center (driving support device)
20 vehicles (target vehicles)
44 vehicle detection unit 46 signal information storage unit (information storage unit)
48 Road information storage (information storage)
49 Information acquisition section 50 Non-stop speed calculation section 52 Fuel consumption estimation section 56 Recommended speed determination section 58 Recommended speed transmission section (transmission section)

Claims (10)

Computer
A vehicle detection step of detecting information of the target vehicle;
From the information of the target vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step, an information acquisition step of acquiring information of an intersection through which the target vehicle passes and setting information of a traffic light provided at the intersection;
A non-stop speed calculation step of calculating a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing through the intersection with a green light from the information acquired in the information acquisition step and the information of the target vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step; ,
A fuel consumption estimation step for estimating a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at a speed that stops at the intersection and a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed;
Based on the estimation result in the fuel consumption estimation step, a recommended speed determination step for determining either the speed at which to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed as a recommended speed;
And a transmitting step of transmitting the recommended speed determined in the recommended speed determining step to the vehicle.   In the fuel consumption estimation step, the fuel consumption is calculated based on the type of the target vehicle detected in the vehicle detection step and fuel consumption data per unit time for each speed prepared for each vehicle type. The driving support method according to claim 1, wherein the driving support method is estimated.   The fuel consumption amount estimation step specifies the behavior of the target vehicle by simulation based on traffic conditions, and estimates the fuel consumption amount based on the specified behavior of the target vehicle. The driving support method according to 1. When the target vehicle has an idling stop function,
The driving support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, in the fuel consumption estimation step, the fuel consumption is estimated based on a fuel consumption saved by the idling stop. . In the vehicle detection step, information on the course of the target vehicle is detected,
In the information acquisition step, information on i-th intersections (i is an integer of 1 or more) existing on the route of the target vehicle is acquired;
In the non-stop speed calculation step, while changing i, the non-stop speed at which the target vehicle can pass through all i intersections with a green light is calculated, and among the calculated non-stop speeds, the most fuel consumption amount The driving support method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recommended speed is set to a speed at which the speed decreases. The computer
A determination step of determining whether or not a vehicle located behind the target vehicle is affected by traveling at each non-stop speed;
6. The driving support method according to claim 5, wherein, in the recommended speed determination step, the non-stop speed determined to be affected by the determination step is not the recommended speed.   The determination step includes determining whether or not a vehicle located behind the target vehicle is stopped by the signal of the intersection as the target vehicle travels at each non-stop speed. 6. The driving support method according to 6. In the determination step, it is determined whether the vehicle located behind the target vehicle turns right or left at any of the i-th intersections,
The said non-stop speed calculating step calculates the recommended speed without considering an intersection after the intersection that makes a right / left turn when it is determined that the vehicle makes a right / left turn in the determination step. 8. The driving support method according to 7. A vehicle detection unit for detecting information of the target vehicle;
An information storage unit for storing intersection information and setting information of traffic lights provided at the intersection;
Based on the information on the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit, an information acquisition unit that acquires, from the information storage unit, information on an intersection through which the target vehicle passes and setting information on a traffic light provided at the intersection When,
A non-stop speed calculation unit that calculates a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing through the intersection with a green light from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit and the information of the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit; ,
A fuel consumption estimation unit that estimates a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at a speed that stops at the intersection and a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed;
Based on the estimation result by the fuel consumption estimation unit, a recommended speed determination unit that determines either the speed to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed as a recommended speed;
A travel support device comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the recommended speed determined by the recommended speed determination unit to the vehicle. Computer
A vehicle detection unit for detecting information of the target vehicle;
Based on the information on the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit, an information acquisition unit that acquires information on an intersection through which the target vehicle passes and setting information on a traffic light provided at the intersection;
A non-stop speed calculation unit that calculates a non-stop speed that is a speed for passing through the intersection with a green light from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit and the information of the target vehicle detected by the vehicle detection unit,
A fuel consumption estimation unit that estimates a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at a speed that stops at the intersection and a fuel consumption when the vehicle travels at the non-stop speed;
Based on the estimation result by the fuel consumption estimation unit, a recommended speed determination unit that determines either a speed at which to stop at the intersection or the non-stop speed as a recommended speed, and the recommendation determined by the recommended speed determination unit A traveling support program that causes a speed to function as a transmission unit that transmits the vehicle to the vehicle.

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