JP2014225098A - Traffic control system and privilege information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traffic control system capable of reducing congestion on roads and congestion related to facilities.SOLUTION: A traffic control system includes a communication unit, a congestion determination unit, a facility congestion determination unit, a privilege information determination unit, and a privilege information providing unit. The communication unit performs wireless communication with vehicles traveling on roads. The congestion determination unit determines a traffic congestion degree of specific sections on the roads. The facility congestion determination unit determines a congestion degree at facilities that belong to the specific sections. The privilege information determination unit determines contents of privilege information which users of the vehicles can use at the facilities, on the basis of the determination results of the traffic congestion degree and the congestion degree at the facilities. The privilege information providing unit provides the privilege information determined by the privilege information determination unit, for the vehicles through the communication unit.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a traffic control system and a privilege information providing method.

  Conventionally, especially on expressways and toll roads, there is a problem of eliminating traffic jams (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as traffic jams) that impede vehicle travel. In view of this, a method has been proposed for reducing the traffic jam when the traffic jam occurs (or forecasting) and, at the same time, promoting the use of a facility such as a store in the service area (SA) or the parking area (PA). The use of the facility is, for example, purchase of a product such as a special product or a souvenir at a store.

  By guiding the vehicle running on the road to the SA or PA by such a method, it is possible to reduce traffic congestion on the road and improve the business profit of the facility as a result.

JP 2008-117231 A

  In the method of alleviating traffic congestion on the road by promoting the use of facilities on the road, specifically, a system that distributes coupons (a type of privilege information) that can receive price discounts when purchasing products at stores to traveling vehicles Has been proposed. This system distributes coupons at times when traffic jams are expected to occur, and guides to nearby facilities where traffic jams are expected.

  However, simply distributing coupons does not consider the congestion status of the facility to which the coupon is applied, so there is an inflow of vehicles to a specific facility (for example, a nearby SA or PA where frequent occurrence of traffic jams). There is a possibility to concentrate and induce congestion in parking lots and stores in the facility. In addition, when the number of vehicles that cannot be parked in the facility increases, there is a possibility that a new traffic jam (secondary traffic jam) may occur due to vehicles entering the facility.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a traffic control system that can alleviate traffic jams on roads as well as alleviate traffic jams related to facilities.

  The traffic control system of the present embodiment is configured to include a communication unit, a congestion determination unit, a facility congestion determination unit, a privilege information determination unit, and a privilege information provision unit. The communication means performs wireless communication with a vehicle traveling on a road. The traffic jam judging means judges the traffic jam degree of a specific section on the road. The facility congestion determination means determines the degree of congestion at a facility attached to the specific section. The privilege information determination means determines the content of privilege information available to the user of the vehicle at the facility based on the determination results of the traffic congestion level and the congestion level at the facility. The privilege information providing unit provides the privilege information determined by the privilege information determination unit to the vehicle via the communication unit.

The block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the traffic control system regarding embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the specific method of privilege information delivery regarding embodiment. The figure which shows the example of determination of the congestion degree regarding embodiment. The figure which shows the example of determination of the traffic jam influence degree regarding embodiment. The figure which shows the example of determination of the fullness of the facility regarding embodiment. The figure which shows the example of determination of the coupon discount rate regarding embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the traffic control system of embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the determination table of the coupon discount rate regarding embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic control system 10 of this embodiment connects with each of the road condition observation apparatus 20 and the facility congestion condition observation apparatus 21 via the Internet 23A, and performs information exchange. The traffic control system 10 is connected to a road-to-vehicle communication device (hereinafter referred to as RVC device, RVC: road-to-vehicle communication) 22 via the Internet 23B to exchange information.

  The road condition observing device 20 processes a video from a monitoring camera that captures an expressway or a toll road (hereinafter simply referred to as a road), radio waves from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle traveling on the road, and the like. Provides observation information indicating road conditions, including vehicle count results. In addition, the road condition observation apparatus 20 is an SNS (social) that manages information (comments, tweets, etc.) from road users (hereinafter simply referred to as users) transmitted from onboard devices and mobile terminals (smartphones, etc.). This includes systems using network services. The facility congestion state observation device 21 has the same configuration as the road state observation device 20, and the observation target is in a facility in a road service area (SA) or parking area (PA). The facility also includes stores that provide various services such as product sales and meals.

  The RVC device 22 exchanges information with the communication device 31 of the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle 30 traveling on the road by narrow-range wireless communication (DSRC: dedicated short range communication). The communication device 31 may be a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone) that can be connected to the Internet 23B and is operated by the user of the vehicle 30.

  The traffic control system 10 includes a traffic jam detection unit 11, a traffic jam prediction unit 12, an inter-facility vehicle number detection unit 13, an in-facility fullness detection unit 14, a traffic jam determination unit 15, and a traffic jam impact determination unit 16, The facility fullness determination unit 17, the coupon discount rate calculation unit 18, and the coupon distribution unit 19 are included.

  Each function of the traffic control system 10, the road condition observation device 20, and the facility congestion condition observation device 21 are each realized by a computer system including hardware and software.

[System Operation]
Hereinafter, the operation of the system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows a part of road links constituting the road network. As shown in FIG. 2, SA or PA facilities 201 </ b> A to 201 </ b> C are arranged at certain intervals along the road. Here, a certain point on the road in the traveling direction is a traffic jam occurrence point (or a traffic jam predicted spot) 200.

  A vehicle group existing between the nearest facility 201A and a facility 201B existing in the foreground with the traffic congestion occurrence point 200 on the road as a starting point is referred to as an inter-facility vehicle group 202A. Similarly, a vehicle group existing between the facility 201B and the facility 201C is referred to as an inter-facility vehicle group 202B. A vehicle group existing between the facility 201C and a facility (not shown) is referred to as an inter-facility vehicle group 202C.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the traffic control system 10 inputs observation information indicating a road condition from the road condition observation device 20 (step S1). In the traffic control system 10, the traffic jam detection unit 11 calculates the vehicle occupancy rate on the road necessary for the traffic jam judgment by the traffic jam level judgment unit 15 based on the input observation information (step S2). Furthermore, the traffic jam detector 11 calculates the average speed of the vehicle traveling on the road based on the input observation information (step S3). The traffic jam prediction unit 12 predicts traffic jam in a specific section on the road based on the input observation information. Further, the traffic jam prediction unit 12 may predict traffic jams based on past traffic statistics results or occurrence of specific events or disasters that are estimated to affect road congestion.

  The in-facility fullness detection unit 14 detects the vehicle status at the facilities 201A, 201B, and 201C based on the observation information input from the facility congestion status observation device 21, as shown in FIG. The in-facility fullness determination unit 17 determines the full or empty state in each parking lot of the facilities 201A, 201B, and 201C based on the vehicle state detected by the in-facility fullness detection unit.

Based on the vehicle occupancy rate and average speed on the road calculated by the traffic congestion detection unit 11, the traffic congestion level determination unit 15 determines a traffic congestion level indicating the severity of traffic congestion on the road (step S4). Also,
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the congestion degree determination unit 15 determines the degree of congestion between facilities based on the vehicle occupancy rate and the average speed on the road, for example, “congestion”, “congestion”, “non-confidence”. Judgment in three stages. “Congestion” is less serious than “congestion”. The vehicle occupancy rate indicates the ratio of the number of vehicles in a specific section of a vehicle lane (up or down) between facilities. The average speed is an average value of the speeds of all vehicles traveling between facilities. Based on the determination result, the congestion degree determination unit 15 determines that the congestion degree is “congestion” in the portion 200 shown in FIG. 2 (YES in step S5). In addition, the congestion degree determination unit 15 may determine the congestion degree for the specific section predicted by the congestion prediction unit 12.

  Next, the inter-facility vehicle number detection unit 13 calculates the number of vehicles for the facilities determined to be congested by the traffic congestion determination unit 15 and outputs the calculated number of vehicles to the traffic jam influence determination unit 16 (step S6). The traffic jam influence degree determination unit 16 calculates the vehicle occupancy rate from the number of vehicles between the facilities, and determines the traffic jam influence degree based on the vehicle occupancy rate (step S7). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the traffic jam influence degree determination unit 16 determines the traffic jam influence degree in, for example, three levels of “large”, “medium”, and “small” based on the vehicle occupation ratio between facilities. To do. When the traffic jam influence level is “large”, each vehicle cannot travel at the specified speed.

  Furthermore, the in-facility fullness detection unit 14 detects the vehicle status at each facility based on the observation information input from the facility congestion status observation device 21. Based on the vehicle status detected by the in-facility fullness detection unit 14, the in-facility fullness determination unit 17 determines whether the facility is full or empty (step S8). In the present embodiment, the facilities are the facilities 201A, 201B, and 201C shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the in-facility fullness determination unit 17 determines each parking lot of the facility in three stages, for example, “full”, “crowded”, and “empty” as shown in FIG. It is assumed that a large vehicle occupies a parking space about 2.5 times that of a normal vehicle. “Crowded” is not full, but it is almost empty.

  Next, the coupon discount rate calculation unit 18 obtains the privilege information based on the traffic jam influence degree between the facilities by the traffic jam influence degree judgment unit 16 and the parking lot availability judgment result of each facility by the facility fullness judgment unit 17. The discount rate (coupon discount rate) of the included coupon is determined (step S9). Here, the coupon is a type of privilege information that allows a price discount when purchasing a product or service at a store of each facility. The coupon discount rate is a discount rate of the price discount.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the coupon discount rate calculation unit 18 makes a determination in five stages, for example, 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 30%. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the traffic jam influence degree between the facilities where the vehicle group 202A exists is “large” and the parking lot availability determination result of the facility 201A is “full”, the coupon discount rate calculation unit 18 determines that the coupon discount rate is “0%”.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are format examples of privilege information including the determination result of the coupon discount rate determined by the coupon discount rate calculation unit 18. The coupon distribution unit 19 distributes coupon information including a facility name and a discount rate (coupon discount rate) from the privilege information via the Internet 23B (step S10).

  The RVC device 22 transmits the coupon information distributed via the Internet 23B to the communication device 31 of the vehicle-mounted device of each vehicle traveling on the road (here, the A motorway). Moreover, if the communication apparatus 31 is a mobile terminal (smartphone etc.), the user of the vehicle 30 can receive coupon information distributed via the Internet 23B by the mobile terminal.

  As described above, the system 10 according to the present embodiment calculates the coupon discount rate for each facility based on the influence degree of traffic congestion between facilities on the road and the vacant state of the parking lot of each facility (full availability determination result). judge. And system 10 of this embodiment distributes coupon information (privilege information) including a facility name and a coupon discount rate to vehicle 30 or its user who runs on a road. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8 (B), the coupon discount rate is determined in relation to the congestion influence degree between facilities and the parking lot availability of each facility.

  That is, when the degree of influence of traffic congestion between facilities is large, and the vacant space in the parking lot of the facility is sufficient, the coupon discount rate can be set high. Therefore, there is a high possibility that a vehicle traveling on the road between the facilities can be guided into the facilities. That is, there is a high possibility that traffic congestion between facilities can be reduced. On the other hand, the coupon discount rate can be set to a low value (for example, 0%) when the degree of traffic jam influence between facilities is small and the parking lot of the facility is full. For this reason, a vehicle traveling on the road between the facilities is more likely to travel as it is. That is, when the influence degree of traffic jam between facilities is small, since the necessity of alleviating the traffic jam is low, the coupon discount rate may be set to the lowest (0%). Further, when the parking lot of the facility is congested, the coupon discount rate can be set to medium (5%, 10%, 15%). For this reason, there is a high possibility that a certain amount of vehicles can be guided into the facilities among the vehicles traveling on the road between the facilities.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the privilege information distribution method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  This specific example is a case where a traffic jam occurrence location (or traffic jam occurrence prediction location) 200 exists on a road between facilities. The system 10 determines that the traffic jam influence degree between the facilities including the traffic jam occurrence point 200 is “large”. Here, when the parking lot of the facility 201A is full, the system 10 sets the coupon discount rate to, for example, the lowest discount rate CD4 (0%). The system 10 distributes coupon information including the coupon discount rate to each vehicle of the inter-facility vehicle group 202A or their users. For this reason, it can suppress that each vehicle of the inter-facility vehicle group 202A enters the facility 201A.

  Also, if the traffic jam influence degree between the facilities where the vehicle group 202A exists is “medium” and the parking lot of the facility 201A is congested, the coupon discount rate is set to a discount rate CD3 of 10%, for example. For this reason, there is a high possibility that a certain degree of each vehicle in the inter-facility vehicle group 202A can be guided into the facility 201A. Similarly, when the traffic jam influence degree between the facilities in which the vehicle group 202B exists is “medium” and the vacant space in the parking lot of the facility 201B is sufficient, the coupon discount rate is set to a discount rate CD2 of 15%, for example. Set. For this reason, there is a high possibility that each vehicle in the inter-facility vehicle group 202B can be guided into the facility 201B.

  Further, when the impact on the traffic jam between the facilities where the vehicle group 202C exists is “large” and there is sufficient free space in the parking lot of the facility 201C, the coupon discount rate is set to the maximum discount rate CD1 of 30%, for example. Set. For this reason, there is a high possibility that each vehicle in the inter-facility vehicle group 202C can be guided into the facility 201C.

  In addition, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, starting from the traffic jam occurrence point 200, based on the vacant state (full / empty determination result) of each parking lot of the facility 201A and the facility 201B in the forefront, You may determine the coupon discount rate with respect to each facility 201A, 201B. In this case, the coupon discount rate for each of the facilities 201A and 201B varies depending on the degree of influence of the traffic jam between the facilities 201A and 201B. That is, if there is enough free space in the parking lot of the facility 201A, each vehicle of the inter-facility vehicle group 202A is guided into the facility 201A to alleviate in advance the factors that cause the congestion due to the traffic jam location 200. Can do. In addition, if there is enough free space in the parking lot of the facility 201B, each vehicle of the inter-facility vehicle group 202B can be guided into the facility 201B to further alleviate in advance the factors that worsen the congestion at the previous stage. it can.

  In short, according to the present embodiment, coupon information (privilege information) including a coupon discount rate set based on the degree of traffic jam influence between facilities and the parking lot availability in each facility is distributed to the user. Therefore, it is possible to alleviate the traffic congestion in consideration of the full parking space (congestion) in each facility. In other words, the inflow of vehicles concentrates on a specific facility, and it is possible to suppress a factor that induces congestion (secondary congestion) of parking lots and stores in the facility. In addition, it is possible to mitigate traffic congestion on the road starting from the traffic occurrence location on the road in consideration of the full availability (congestion status) of the parking lot in each facility.

  In addition, the system of the present embodiment has the advantage that it can contribute to the enhancement of profits of toll road operators because the use of stores and the like in the facility can be activated together with the reduction of traffic congestion on the road. In this case, it is possible to level the number of facility users by adjusting the coupon discount rate at each facility.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, a higher coupon discount rate is set in order from the inter-facility vehicle group having the largest number of vehicles between the facilities existing in front of the traffic jam occurrence location (congestion occurrence forecast location) 200 as the starting point. It may be set. In addition, since the coupon discount rate is determined at the time of distribution, the vehicle that was present in the other inter-facility vehicle group when the number of vehicles in the specific inter-facility vehicle group is determined to be the largest is the facility with the largest number of vehicles. Even if you enter the inter-vehicle group, the coupon discount rate does not change.

  Further, the coupon information distributed to each vehicle may disappear by using a certain number of times or getting off the interchange. However, when it gets off at an interchange before the facility to which the coupon information is applied, the coupon information that has disappeared may be made available at any facility when returning from the interchange to the road within a certain time.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

10 ... Traffic control system, 11 ... Traffic jam detection unit, 12 ... Traffic jam prediction unit,
13 ... Inter-facility vehicle number detection unit, 14 ... Facility fullness detection unit, 15 ... Congestion determination unit,
16 ... Traffic jam impact determination unit, 17 ... Facility fullness determination unit, 18 ... Coupon discount rate calculation unit,
19 ... Coupon delivery unit, 20 ... Road condition observation device, 21 ... Facility congestion situation observation device,
22 ... RVC device, 23A, 23B ... Internet, 30 ... vehicle,
31: Communication device.

Claims (8)

A communication means for performing wireless communication with a vehicle traveling on a road;
A traffic jam judging means for judging the traffic jam degree of the specific section on the road;
Facility congestion determination means for determining the degree of congestion in the facility attached to the specific section;
Privilege information determination means for determining the content of privilege information available to the user of the vehicle based on the determination results of the traffic congestion level and the congestion level at the facility;
A traffic control system comprising: privilege information providing means for providing the privilege information determined by the privilege information determining means to the vehicle via the communication means. The privilege information determination means includes
A coupon discount rate indicating a price discount rate at the time of purchase of goods or services is included as privilege information available at the facility, and the coupon discount rate is determined based on each determination result of the traffic congestion level and the congestion level at the facility. The traffic control system according to claim 1 for determination. The traffic jam judging means judges the traffic jam impact level in a plurality of stages as the traffic jam level of the specific section,
The facility congestion determination means determines a full state of the parking lot as a degree of congestion in the facility,
The privilege information determination means includes
The traffic control system according to claim 2, wherein the coupon discount rate is assigned in association with a combination of the multiple-stage traffic jam influence degree and the full-stage parking lot fullness state. The privilege information determination means includes
Based on the combination of the multi-stage traffic jam impact level and the multi-stage parking lot full condition, the facility has the maximum traffic jam effect level and the parking lot full condition at the facility. The coupon discount rate of the facility is determined to be the lowest, and the coupon discount rate at the facility is determined to be the maximum when the traffic jam influence level is maximum and the parking lot is empty. Traffic control system. The privilege information providing means is:
5. The privilege information including the coupon discount rate assigned by the privilege information determination means is distributed to the vehicle traveling on the road including the specific section via the communication means. The traffic control system according to any one of the above. The traffic jam judging means
The traffic control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of specific sections are set with a traffic congestion occurrence point on the road as a starting point, and a traffic congestion degree of each specific section is determined.   The traffic control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the specific section is an inter-facility section to which the first facility and the second facility are attached. A privilege information providing method applied to a traffic control system for exchanging information by means of wireless communication with a vehicle traveling on a road,
Determine the traffic congestion degree of a specific section on the road,
Determine the degree of congestion at the facility attached to the specific section,
Based on the determination results of the traffic congestion level and the congestion level at the facility, the vehicle user determines the content of privilege information available at the facility,
A privilege information providing method for providing the privilege information to the vehicle by the communication means.

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