JP2018106460A - On-vehicle device, vehicle information providing system, and server device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle device which accurately estimates a traveling direction of a vehicle.SOLUTION: In an on-vehicle device, an outside information processing unit 120 acquires probability tree information representing a running probability of each lane of a road according to a behavior of an own vehicle 2a and acquires vehicle information on the other vehicle 2b in the vicinity of the own vehicle 2a. Based on the probability tree information acquired by the outside information processing unit 120 and the information on the behavior of the own vehicle 2a acquired by an on-vehicle information processing unit 130, a vehicle information generating unit 140 estimates the travel lane of the own vehicle 2a. A warning processing unit 150 estimates a traveling direction of the own vehicle 2a based on the traveling lane of the host vehicle 2a estimated by the vehicle information generating unit 140.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device, a vehicle information providing system, and a server device.

  Conventionally, intelligent transport systems (ITS: Intelligent Transport Systems) have been widely used for the purpose of assisting safe driving of vehicles in road traffic and improving the efficiency of road traffic. In ITS, as one of services for supporting safe driving of vehicles, a service for preventing collision between vehicles has been proposed. This service is equipped with a wireless communication device installed in a vehicle, and information such as road conditions around the vehicle and the traveling state of other vehicles is obtained from a roadside communication device installed on the roadside or a wireless communication device installed on another vehicle. And a warning or the like is given to the driver as necessary based on the received information, thereby avoiding a collision between vehicles.

  As an application example of the service, for example, the technique of Patent Document 1 is known. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a packet is periodically transmitted from a roadside communication device toward an approach road in all directions at an intersection, and a packet is returned from the vehicle according to the packet, the roadside communication device It is determined whether or not the entry of the vehicle is permitted, and the determination result is transmitted to all the vehicles that are about to enter the intersection. Based on the determination result transmitted from the roadside communication device, the wireless device mounted on the vehicle displays an entry permission display or a warning display for the driver. Thereby, the collision of the vehicles in an intersection is prevented.

JP-A-11-175896

  The direction in which the vehicle can travel at the intersection is determined for each lane, and each vehicle travels within the intersection according to this traveling direction. However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not take this point into consideration, the traveling direction of the vehicle cannot be accurately estimated. Therefore, it cannot be accurately determined whether or not there is a risk of collision between vehicles entering the intersection.

An in-vehicle device according to the present invention includes a probability tree acquisition unit that acquires probability tree information representing a driving probability of each lane of a road according to the behavior of the vehicle, an in-vehicle information processing unit that acquires information on the behavior of the host vehicle, Information related to the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the information processing unit outside the vehicle, the probability tree information acquired by the probability tree acquisition unit, and the information processing unit acquired by the vehicle information processing unit. And a vehicle information generation unit that estimates the travel lane of the host vehicle, and the traveling direction of the host vehicle is estimated based on the travel lane of the host vehicle estimated by the vehicle information generation unit. .
A vehicle information providing system according to the present invention includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices and a server device, and the server device obtains probability tree information representing a driving probability of each lane of a road according to the behavior of the vehicle. Each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices transmits a probability tree acquisition unit that receives and acquires the probability tree information from the server device, and the behavior of the host vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device is mounted. An in-vehicle information processing unit that acquires information on the vehicle, an out-of-vehicle information processing unit that acquires vehicle information related to other vehicles around the host vehicle, the probability tree information acquired by the probability tree acquisition unit, and the in-vehicle information processing A vehicle information generation unit that estimates a travel lane of the host vehicle based on information on the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the unit, and each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices includes the vehicle information generation unit. The estimated by parts based on the travel lane of the vehicle estimates the traveling direction of the vehicle.
A server device according to the present invention includes a transmission / reception information processing unit that receives vehicle information transmitted from each of a plurality of vehicles, a vehicle information storage unit that stores vehicle information received by the transmission / reception information processing unit, and the vehicle information storage. The vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle information from the unit and classifies the vehicle information for each predetermined point, and the vehicle information classified by the vehicle information acquisition unit, the lanes of the road according to the behavior of the vehicle A probability tree generating unit that generates probability tree information representing a driving probability, and the transmission / reception information processing unit transmits the probability tree information to each of the plurality of vehicles.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately estimate the traveling direction of the vehicle.

It is a lineblock diagram of the information providing system for vehicles concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which illustrates the hardware constitutions of a vehicle and a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a block diagram which illustrates the hardware constitutions of a roadside device and a center server. It is a block diagram which illustrates the functional composition of an in-vehicle device. It is a block diagram which illustrates the functional composition of a center server. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of a vehicle information packet. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of a GPS information packet. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of a vehicle ECU information packet. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of GPS information DB. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of vehicle ECU information DB. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of a roadside device information packet. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the probability tree information contained in a roadside device information packet. It is explanatory drawing of probability tree information. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of vehicle information DB. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of map information. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of probability tree information DB. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of roadside unit information DB. It is a flowchart of the vehicle information production | generation / transmission process which CPU of a vehicle-mounted apparatus performs. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the vehicle information provision system whole. It is a figure which shows the condition where the own vehicle is drive | working the road which has three lanes toward an intersection. It is a flowchart of the establishment tree information generation process which CPU of a center server performs.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A vehicle information providing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 provides information to drivers of a plurality of vehicles 2, and includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices 20, a plurality of roadside devices 3, a network 4, and a center. Server 5.

  The in-vehicle device 20 is mounted on each vehicle 2. The roadside device 3 is fixedly installed at a predetermined point on the roadside of the road on which the vehicle 2 travels. The roadside device 3 and the center server 5 are connected to each other via the network 4. The center server 5 performs data communication with the in-vehicle device 20 via the network 4 and the roadside device 3.

  In the following description, one of the plurality of vehicles 2 is referred to as own vehicle 2a, and the other vehicle 2 is referred to as other vehicle 2b. The operation of the in-vehicle device 20 will be described focusing on the host vehicle 2a.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the vehicle 2 and the in-vehicle device 20. The vehicle 2 includes an in-vehicle device 20, an antenna unit 107, a display device 108, an angular velocity sensor 109, a GPS sensor 110, a navigation system 111, a plurality of vehicle ECUs 112, and a vehicle speed sensor 113 connected to the in-vehicle device 20.

  The antenna unit 107 is disposed at a position where radio waves can be easily transmitted and received toward the outside of the vehicle 2, such as the upper part of the vehicle 2. The vehicle-mounted device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2a performs data communication with the vehicle-mounted device 20 mounted on the roadside device 3 or the other vehicle 2b by wireless communication via the antenna unit 107, whereby the center server 5 or the other vehicle. Various information can be exchanged with 2b.

  The display device 108 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, and displays various information to the driver. The angular velocity sensor 109 measures the angular velocity of the vehicle 2. The GPS sensor 110 is a positioning device that receives a signal from a satellite and measures the position of the vehicle 2. The navigation system 111 holds map information and provides various navigation functions such as route guidance to the driver. The vehicle speed sensor 113 measures the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2. Each of the plurality of vehicle ECUs 112 controls an accelerator, a brake, and the like of the vehicle 2, acquires measurement values of the angular velocity sensor 109 and the vehicle speed sensor 113, and calculates a traveling direction and a traveling speed of the vehicle 2.

  The in-vehicle device 20 includes a storage device 101, a CPU 102, a memory unit 103, and a wireless transmission / reception unit 106. The storage device 101 is an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The CPU 102 controls the in-vehicle device 20 by reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the storage device 101, for example.

  The memory unit 103 is a main storage device used when the CPU 102 executes a control program. The wireless transmission / reception unit 106 performs data communication with the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the roadside device 3 or other vehicle 2 by transmitting / receiving a wireless signal via the antenna unit 107.

  The CPU 102 functionally includes an out-of-vehicle information processing unit 120, an in-vehicle information processing unit 130, a vehicle information generation unit 140, and a warning processing unit 150. That is, the vehicle exterior information processing unit 120, the vehicle interior information processing unit 130, the vehicle information generation unit 140, and the warning processing unit 150 are realized in software by a control program executed by the CPU 102. The in-vehicle information processing unit 120, the in-vehicle information processing unit 130, the vehicle information generation unit 140, and the warning processing unit 150 will be described in detail later.

  The outside information processing unit 120, the in-vehicle information processing unit 130, the vehicle information generation unit 140, and the warning processing unit 150 can be configured by electronic circuits that can realize functions equivalent to the CPU 102, such as an FPGA. It is.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the roadside device 3 and the center server 5. The roadside device 3 includes a roadside device control unit 205, a wireless transmission / reception unit 206, and an antenna unit 207.

  The wireless transmission / reception unit 206 performs data communication with the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the vehicle 2 by transmitting / receiving a wireless signal via the antenna unit 207. The roadside device control unit 205 controls the roadside device 3. The roadside device control unit 205 is connected to the network 4. The roadside device control unit 205 performs data communication with the center server 5 via the network 4. The roadside device control unit 205 controls the wireless transmission / reception unit 206 to transmit information transmitted from the center server 5 to the vehicle 2 and transmit information received from the vehicle 2 to the center server 5.

  The center server 5 includes a storage device 501, a CPU 502, and a memory unit 503. The storage device 501 is an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The CPU 502 processes information transmitted to and received from the roadside device 3 by reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the storage device 501 or the like, for example. The memory unit 503 is a main storage device used when the CPU 502 executes a control program.

  The CPU 502 functionally includes a transmission / reception information processing unit 510 and a probability tree processing unit 520. That is, the transmission / reception information processing unit 510 and the probability tree processing unit 520 are realized in software by a control program executed by the CPU 502. The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 and the probability tree processing unit 520 will be described in detail later.

  Next, functional configurations of the in-vehicle device 20 and the center server 5 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 20. The storage device 101 includes a GPS information DB 900, a vehicle ECU information DB 1000, a vehicle information DB 1400, and a roadside device information DB 1700. The configuration of each of these databases will be described in detail later.

  The out-of-vehicle information processing unit 120 transmits and receives information to and from the outside of the host vehicle 2a using the wireless transmission / reception unit 106. For example, the information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle reads vehicle information related to the host vehicle 2a from the vehicle information DB 1400, and based on this, transmits a vehicle information packet 600 described later for the host vehicle 2a to the other vehicle 2b and the roadside device 3. Further, the outside information processing unit 120 receives the vehicle information packet 600 from the other vehicle 2b, and based on this, stores the vehicle information regarding the other vehicle 2b in the vehicle information DB 1400. Further, the vehicle information processing unit 120 receives a roadside device information packet 1100 described later from the roadside device 3 and stores it in the roadside device information DB 1700.

  The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 receives information output from the angular velocity sensor 109, the GPS sensor 110, the navigation system 111, the vehicle ECU 112, and the vehicle speed sensor 113, and acquires information related to the behavior of the host vehicle 2a. For example, the GPS sensor 110 outputs a GPS information packet 700 described later to the in-vehicle information processing unit 130. Further, the vehicle ECU 112 outputs an ECU information packet 800 described later to the in-vehicle information processing unit 130. The navigation system 111 has map information 1500. The navigation system 111 reads necessary information from the map information 1500 and outputs it to the in-vehicle information processing unit 130.

  The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 stores the GPS information packet 700 received from the GPS sensor 110 in the GPS information DB 900 in chronological order. The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 stores the ECU information packet 800 received from the vehicle ECU 112 in the vehicle ECU information DB 1000 in chronological order.

  The vehicle information generation unit 140 reads information stored in the GPS information DB 900, the vehicle ECU information DB 1000, and the roadside device information DB 1700, and generates vehicle information related to the host vehicle 2a based on these information. The vehicle information generation unit 140 stores the generated vehicle information of the host vehicle 2a in the vehicle information DB 1400.

  The warning processing unit 150 includes a danger detection unit 151 and a danger notification unit 152. The danger detection unit 151 acquires the vehicle information of the own vehicle 2a and the vehicle information of the other vehicle 2b from the vehicle information DB 1400, and compares these vehicle information, so that there is a possibility of a collision between the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b. Determine if there is. As a result, if it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision, the danger of a collision with the host vehicle 2a is detected, and the detection result is output. When the danger detection unit 151 detects the danger of a collision, the danger notification unit 152 notifies the driver of this by performing a predetermined warning using the display device 108.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the center server 5. The storage device 501 includes a vehicle information DB 1450, a probability tree information DB 1600, and map information 1550. The configuration of these databases will be described in detail later.

  The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 transmits / receives information to / from the roadside device 3. For example, the transmission / reception information processing unit 510 receives the vehicle information packet 600 transmitted from each vehicle 2 to the roadside device 3 via the roadside device 3. The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 stores the vehicle information regarding each vehicle 2 in the vehicle information DB 1450 based on the vehicle information packet 600 received from each vehicle 2. The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 extracts the probability tree information representing the driving probability for each lane of the road on which each vehicle 2 is traveling from the probability tree information DB 1600 to generate the roadside device information packet 1100, and passes through the roadside device 3. It transmits to each vehicle 2.

  The probability tree processing unit 520 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 521 and a probability tree generation unit 522. The vehicle information acquisition unit 521 acquires vehicle information regarding each vehicle 2 from the vehicle information DB 1450, and identifies the road on which each vehicle 2 is traveling based on the vehicle information. The vehicle information acquisition unit 521 acquires road information corresponding to the identified traveling road of each vehicle 2 from the map information 1550 and outputs the road information to the probability tree generation unit 522. The probability tree generation unit 522 generates probability tree information for the traveling road of each vehicle 2 based on the road information output from the vehicle information acquisition unit 521, and accumulates the probability tree information in the probability tree information DB 1600.

  Next, the configuration of various packets transmitted and received between the host vehicle 2a, the other vehicle 2b, and the roadside unit 3, and the configuration of various databases provided in the host vehicle 2a and the center server 5 will be described below.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle information packet 600 transmitted from the own vehicle 2a to the other vehicle 2b and the roadside device 3 or transmitted from the other vehicle 2b to the own vehicle 2a. The vehicle information packet 600 includes a vehicle ID 601, latitude 1 information 602, latitude 2 information 603, longitude 1 information 604, longitude 2 information 605, positioning time 606, vehicle traveling direction 607, vehicle traveling speed 608, traveling road ID 609, lane ID 610, Each information of the information accuracy 611 is included.

  The vehicle ID 601 represents the vehicle ID of the vehicle 2 that has transmitted the vehicle information packet 600. The value of this vehicle ID 601 specifies from which vehicle 2 the vehicle information packet 600 is transmitted. The vehicle ID value is set in advance for each vehicle 2 so as not to overlap each other. In the following description of FIG. 6, the transmission source vehicle 2 specified from the value of the vehicle ID 601 will be described simply as “vehicle 2”. The vehicle 2 includes the host vehicle 2a and another vehicle 2b.

  The latitude 1 information 602 is a latitude value that represents the current position of the vehicle 2. Latitude 2 information 603 is information indicating whether the value of latitude 1 information 602 is north latitude (N) or south latitude (S). The longitude 1 information 604 is a longitude value that represents the current position of the vehicle 2. The longitude 2 information 605 is information indicating whether the value of the longitude 1 information 604 is east longitude (E) or west longitude (W).

  The positioning time 606 is information indicating the time (time) when the values of the latitude 1 information 602, the latitude 2 information 603, the longitude 1 information 604, and the longitude 2 information 605 are acquired by positioning.

  The vehicle traveling direction 607 is information representing the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 at the positioning time 606. The vehicle traveling direction 607 is expressed as an angle with a predetermined direction (for example, magnetic north direction) being zero. The vehicle travel speed 608 is information representing the travel speed of the vehicle 2 at the positioning time 606. The vehicle traveling speed 608 is expressed by, for example, a numerical value per kilometer.

  The traveling road ID 609 represents the road ID of the road on which the vehicle 2 was traveling at the positioning time 606. The value of the traveling road ID 609 identifies which road the vehicle 2 was traveling. The road ID value is set in advance for each road so as not to overlap each other.

  The lane ID 610 represents the lane ID of the lane that is estimated that the vehicle 2 was traveling on the road at the positioning time 606. The lane with the highest possibility that the vehicle 2 was traveling is specified by the value of the lane ID 610. Note that the lane ID value is set in advance for each lane on each road so as not to overlap each other.

  The information accuracy 611 represents the reliability with respect to the estimation result of the travel lane of the vehicle 2, that is, the probability that the vehicle 2 actually traveled in the lane indicated by the lane ID 610. The value of the information accuracy 611 is expressed by a probability, for example.

  The vehicle information generation unit 140 acquires a positioning result and vehicle information (speed, traveling direction, etc.) at a specific time from the GPS information DB 900 and the vehicle ECU information DB 1000 at each predetermined timing, and a vehicle related to the host vehicle 2a. Generate information. The out-of-vehicle information processing unit 120 creates a vehicle information packet 600 as shown in FIG. 6 based on the vehicle information generated by the vehicle information generation unit 140, and the vicinity of the host vehicle 2a (for example, the radius number centering on the host vehicle 2a). It is transmitted to the other vehicle 2b and the roadside device 3 that are located within a range of 10 meters). Thereby, the vehicle information regarding the own vehicle 2a is transmitted to the other vehicle 2b and the roadside device 3 around the own vehicle 2a.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the GPS information packet 700. The GPS information packet 700 includes latitude 1 information 701, latitude 2 information 702, longitude 1 information 703, longitude 2 information 704, and positioning time 705.

  The latitude 1 information 701 is a latitude value that represents the current position of the vehicle 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “vehicle 2” in the description of FIG. 7) on which the GPS sensor 110 that transmitted the GPS information packet 700 is mounted. The latitude 2 information 702 is information indicating whether the value of the latitude 1 information 701 is north latitude (N) or south latitude (S). The longitude 1 information 703 is a longitude value that represents the current position of the vehicle 2. The longitude 2 information 704 is information indicating whether the value of the longitude 1 information 703 is east longitude (E) or west longitude (W).

  The positioning time 705 is information indicating the time (time) when the values of the latitude 1 information 701, the latitude 2 information 702, the longitude 1 information 703, and the longitude 2 information 704 are acquired by positioning.

  The GPS sensor 110 receives a signal from the satellite, measures the position of the vehicle 2, and transmits the positioning result to the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 in the form of a GPS information packet 700 as shown in FIG. The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 stores each information included in the received GPS information packet 700 in the GPS information DB 900.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of vehicle ECU information packet 800. Vehicle ECU information packet 800 includes vehicle traveling direction 801, vehicle traveling speed 802, turn signal lighting state 803, and measurement time 804.

  The vehicle traveling direction 801 is information representing the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “vehicle 2” in the description of FIG. 8) on which the vehicle ECU 112 that has transmitted the vehicle ECU information packet 800 is mounted. The vehicle travel speed 802 is information representing the travel speed of the vehicle 2. The blinker lighting state 803 is information representing lighting states of the left and right blinkers of the vehicle 2. The measurement time 804 is information representing the time (time) when the values of the vehicle traveling direction 801, the vehicle traveling speed 802, and the blinker lighting state 803 are acquired by the vehicle ECU 112.

  The vehicle ECU 112 creates a vehicle ECU information packet 800 as shown in FIG. 8 based on the control information of the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 112 transmits the created vehicle ECU information packet 800 to the in-vehicle information processing unit 130. The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 stores each information included in the received vehicle ECU information packet 800 in the vehicle ECU information DB 1000.

  Note that the information included in the vehicle ECU information packet 800 may be information that can generate the information illustrated in FIG. 8 instead of the information itself illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, it may be measurement information such as the accelerator opening, the brake pressure, and the steering angle. In this case, it is preferable that the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 obtains the values of the vehicle traveling direction 801 and the vehicle traveling speed 802 illustrated in FIG. 8 based on the information included in the vehicle ECU information packet 800. For example, various calculations such as Dead Reckoning (DR) are performed on the vehicle ECU information packet 800, and the acceleration and angular velocity of the vehicle 2 obtained from the measurement information included in the vehicle ECU information packet 800 are initially set. By sequentially matching the states, the values of the vehicle traveling direction 801 and the vehicle traveling speed 802 illustrated in FIG. 8 can be obtained.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the GPS information DB 900. The GPS information DB 900 stores Na pieces of GPS information 900-1 to 900-Na. Each of the GPS information 900-1 to 900-Na includes latitude 1 information 901, latitude 2 information 902, longitude 1 information 903, longitude 2 information 904, and positioning time 905.

  The contents of latitude 1 information 901, latitude 2 information 902, longitude 1 information 903, longitude 2 information 904, and positioning time 905 are the latitude 1 information 701, latitude 2 information 702, longitude 1 information 703 described in FIG. Since it is the same as the longitude 2 information 704 and the positioning time 705, the description is omitted.

  Each time the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 receives the GPS information packet 700 from the GPS sensor 110, it adds each information included in the GPS information packet 700 to the GPS information DB 900 in the format shown in FIG. That is, each information included in the GPS information packet 700 is stored in the GPS information DB 900 in chronological order.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle ECU information DB 1000. The vehicle ECU information DB 1000 stores Nb pieces of ECU information 1000-1 to 1000-Nb. Each of the ECU information 1000-1 to 1000-Nb includes a vehicle traveling direction 1001, a vehicle traveling speed 1002, a blinker lighting state 1003, and a measurement time 1004.

  The contents of the vehicle traveling direction 1001, the vehicle traveling speed 1002, the blinker lighting state 1003, and the measurement time 1004 are the same as the vehicle traveling direction 801, the vehicle traveling speed 802, the blinker lighting state 803, and the measurement time 804 described in FIG. Therefore, explanation is omitted.

  Each time the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 receives the vehicle ECU information packet 800 from the vehicle ECU 112, the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 adds each information included in the vehicle ECU information packet 800 to the vehicle ECU information DB 1000 in the format shown in FIG. That is, each information included in the vehicle ECU information packet 800 is stored in the vehicle ECU information DB 1000 in chronological order.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the roadside device information packet 1100. Roadside unit information packet 1100 includes roadside unit ID 1101, destination vehicle ID 1102, and probability tree information 1103.

  The roadside device ID 1101 represents the roadside device ID of the roadside device 3 that has transmitted the roadside device information packet 1100. The value of this roadside device ID 1101 specifies from which roadside device 3 the roadside device information packet 1100 is transmitted. In addition, the value of the roadside unit ID is set in advance for each roadside unit 3 so as not to overlap each other. In the following description of FIG. 11, the transmission-side roadside device 3 identified from the value of the roadside device ID 1101 is simply referred to as “roadside device 3”. The transmission destination vehicle ID 1102 is information representing a vehicle ID for specifying the transmission destination vehicle 2 of the roadside device information packet 1100. The probability tree information 1103 is probability tree information that represents the driving probability for each lane of the road on which the destination vehicle 2 is driving. Details of the probability tree information 1103 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  When the vehicle 2 is located in the vicinity of the roadside device 3 (for example, within a radius of several tens of meters centered on the roadside device 3), the roadside device 3 transmits the roadside device information packet 1100 having the format shown in FIG. 2 to send. At this time, the roadside device 3 creates the roadside device information packet 1100 by including the information received from the center server 5 as the probability tree information 1103, and transmits the created roadside device information packet 1100 to the vehicle 2 located nearby. The information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle stores each piece of information included in the roadside device information packet 1100 received from the roadside device 3 in the roadside device information DB 1700 in a format as shown in FIG. Thereby, probability tree information representing the driving probability of each lane on the road according to the behavior of the host vehicle 2a is acquired. That is, the vehicle information processing unit 120 functions as a probability tree acquisition unit that acquires probability tree information from the center server 5.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of probability tree information 1103 included in the roadside device information packet 1100 of FIG. The probability tree information 1103 includes Nc pieces of branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc. Each of the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc includes a node ID 1201, a hierarchy 1202, a connection destination node ID 1203, a lane probability 1204, an acceleration 1205, turn signal information 1206, a speed 1207, and a time 1208 until the operation is completed.

  The node ID 1201 represents the node ID of the node assigned to each branch of the probability tree. The value of this node ID 1201 identifies which branch the branch information corresponds to in the probability tree. The node ID value is set in advance for each node so as not to overlap each other. The hierarchy 1202 is a number indicating which hierarchy the branch represented by the edge information is in the probability tree. The connection destination node ID 1203 is a node ID of a node attached to a branch branched from the branch represented by the branch information. That is, the connection destination node ID 1203 is information indicating the connection of the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc in the probability tree information 1103. The lane probability 1204 indicates the existence probability of the vehicle 2 in each lane on the road corresponding to the branch represented by the branch information.

  The acceleration 1205 indicates the acceleration condition of the vehicle 2 with respect to the branch information. The blinker information 1206 indicates the condition of the blinker lighting state of the vehicle 2 with respect to the branch information. A speed 1207 indicates a condition of the speed of the vehicle 2 with respect to the branch information. An operation completion time 1208 indicates a time condition until the driving operation of the vehicle 2 with respect to the branch information is completed. For example, four stages of “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” are provided. Represents the time condition. The time until the operation is completed indicates a time obtained by dividing the estimated time until the vehicle completes a right turn, a left turn, and a straight drive at a planned passing intersection from a certain point at the stage of the driving operation. In this case, the estimated time until the driver completes the right turn, the left turn and the straight turn at the intersection is divided into four, and the vehicle state change is compared with the probability tree information within the divided time. In addition, as the time until the operation is completed, a distance from a point where the vehicle is present to the expected intersection may be used. In that case, the state change of the vehicle in each section from the point where the vehicle is located to the predicted intersection is compared with the probability tree information. Further, the time until this operation is completed may be changed according to the speed of the vehicle and the surrounding road conditions. The in-vehicle device 20 determines which branch information in the probability tree information 1103 by determining whether or not the state of the vehicle 2 satisfies the conditions of the acceleration 1205, the blinker information 1206, the speed 1207, and the time 1208 until the operation is completed. You can decide to adopt.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the probability tree information 1103 shown in FIG. The probability tree shown in the example is a probability tree assuming a three-lane road of left turn, straight line, and right turn. The probability tree is not limited to the road shape shown in the example, and may be a probability tree created for each number of lanes, or a probability tree for each course direction after passing the intersection. Each of the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-7 in the probability tree information 1103 is information indicating the probability for determining the lane in which the vehicle 2 travels, and has a connection relationship as shown in FIG. For example, the branch information 1200-1 travels in the lane when the vehicle 2 is traveling on a road having three lanes L1 to L3 and the speed of the vehicle 2 is between 50 km / h and 100 km / h. Each of the probabilities is 33%. The time until the operation is completed indicates a stage where each operation is completed.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the vehicle information DBs 1400 and 1450. The vehicle information DB 1400 in the in-vehicle device 20 and the vehicle information DB 1450 in the center server 5 have a common configuration. Therefore, in FIG. 14, these structures are shown collectively.

  The vehicle information DBs 1400 and 1450 store a plurality of pieces of vehicle information 1400-1 to 1400-Nd, respectively. Each of the vehicle information 1400-1 to 1400-Nd includes vehicle ID 1401, latitude 1 information 1402, latitude 2 information 1403, longitude 1 information 1404, longitude 2 information 1405, reception time 1406, positioning time 1407, vehicle traveling direction 1408, vehicle A traveling speed 1409, a traveling road ID 1410, a lane 1411, and an information accuracy 1412 are included.

  Vehicle ID 1401, latitude 1 information 1402, latitude 2 information 1403, longitude 1 information 1404, longitude 2 information 1405, positioning time 1407, vehicle traveling direction 1408, vehicle traveling speed 1409, traveling road ID 1410, lane 1411, and information accuracy 1412 are: The vehicle ID 601, the latitude 1 information 602, the latitude 2 information 603, the longitude 1 information 604, the longitude 2 information 605, the positioning time 606, the vehicle traveling direction 607, the vehicle traveling speed 608, the traveling road ID 609, and the lane ID 610 described in FIG. , And the information accuracy 611, the description is omitted. The reception time 1406 is information indicating the time (time) when the vehicle information packet 600 including the vehicle information is received from the other vehicle 2b, or the time (time) when the vehicle information is generated in the own vehicle 2a.

  In the in-vehicle device 20, the information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle adds each information included in the received packet to the vehicle information DB 1400 as vehicle information related to the other vehicle 2b every time the vehicle information packet 600 is received from the other vehicle 2b. Moreover, whenever the vehicle information production | generation part 140 produces | generates the vehicle information regarding the own vehicle 2a, it adds the produced | generated vehicle information to vehicle information DB1400. That is, in the vehicle information DB 1400, information included in the vehicle information packet 600 received from the other vehicle 2b and the vehicle information of the host vehicle 2a is stored in chronological order.

  In the center server 5, each time the transmission / reception information processing unit 510 receives the vehicle information packet 600 from the host vehicle 2 a or the other vehicle 2 b via the roadside device 3, the transmission / reception information processing unit 510 stores the information included in the received packet in the vehicle information DB 1450. Append. That is, each information included in the vehicle information packet 600 received from the own vehicle 2a or the other vehicle 2b is stored in the vehicle information DB 1450 in time series order.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the map information 1500 and 1550. The map information 1500 in the navigation system 111 mounted on the vehicle 2 and the map information 1550 in the center server 5 have a common configuration. Therefore, in FIG. 15, these structures are shown collectively.

  The map information 1500 and 1550 store a plurality of road information 1500-1 to 1500-Ne, respectively. Each of the road information 1500-1 to 1500-Ne is road ID 1501, latitude 1 information 1502 of node 1, latitude 2 information 1503, longitude 1 information 1504, longitude 2 information 1505, connection road ID 1506, latitude 1 of node 2. Information 1507, latitude 2 information 1508, longitude 1 information 1509, longitude 2 information 1510, connection road ID 1511, and lane number 1512 are included.

  A road ID 1501 represents a road ID assigned to each road. The value of this road ID 1501 identifies which road the road information corresponds to. The road ID value is set in advance for each road so as not to overlap each other.

  The latitude 1 information 1502, the latitude 2 information 1503, the longitude 1 information 1504, and the longitude 2 information 1505 of the node 1 respectively represent the position of the node 1 that is one end of the road represented by the road information. Latitude 1 information 1502 is a latitude value. Latitude 2 information 1503 is information indicating whether the value of latitude 1 information 1502 is north latitude (N) or south latitude (S). The longitude 1 information 1504 is a longitude value. The longitude 2 information 1505 is information indicating whether the value of the longitude 1 information 1504 is east longitude (E) or west longitude (W). The connection road ID 1506 of the node 1 represents the road ID of the road to which the road represented by the road information is connected at the node 1.

  Latitude 1 information 1507, latitude 2 information 1508, longitude 1 information 1509, and longitude 2 information 1510 of node 2 represent the position of node 2, which is the other end of the road represented by the road information. Latitude 1 information 1507 is a latitude value. Latitude 2 information 1508 is information indicating whether the value of latitude 1 information 1507 is north latitude (N) or south latitude (S). The longitude 1 information 1509 is a longitude value. The longitude 2 information 1510 is information indicating whether the value of the longitude 1 information 1509 is east longitude (E) or west longitude (W). The connection road ID 1511 of the node 2 represents the road ID of the road to which the road represented by the road information is connected at the node 2.

  The number of lanes 1512 represents the number of lanes of the road represented by the road information.

  In the example shown in FIG. 15, for a road whose road ID is registered as “1”, the location (position) at one end thereof is “4807.0034847” in the north latitude and “011131.324523” in the east longitude, This indicates that the location (position) at one end is “4807.00348147” in the north latitude and “01131.324423” in the east longitude. In addition, this road has two lanes. Similarly, for a road whose road ID is registered as “2”, the location (position) at one end thereof is “4807.0034848” at north latitude, “01131.324524” at east longitude, and the location at the other end ( The position) is “4807.0038047” in the north latitude and “01131.324324” in the east longitude. In addition, this road has three lanes. And it shows that these roads are connected to each other. Thus, in the map information 1500 and 1550, the road is defined as a line segment connecting two points.

  In addition, in the map information 1500 and 1550 shown in FIG. 15, in order to show the position of the road, the position of the both end points of the road is determined by GPS as in the case of each vehicle information in the vehicle information DB 1400 and 1450 shown in FIG. It is expressed in the NMEA format used. Instead of these, for example, the position of both end points of the road may be defined using a coordinate system such as a geocentric coordinate system centered on the earth. Further, the position of the road may be defined not by the positions of both end points but by the positions of two or more points. Furthermore, without determining the number of lanes in advance, for example, by receiving construction information or the like, the situation of each lane (such as whether or not travel is permitted) may be grasped, and the number of lanes may be determined according to the situation.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the probability tree information DB 1600. The probability tree information DB 1600 stores a plurality of probability tree information 1600-1 to 1600-Nf. Each of probability tree information 1600-1 to 1600-Nf includes road ID 1601, creation time 1602, and probability tree information 1603 as probability tree information for each road. A road ID 1601 represents a road ID assigned to each road, like the map information 1500 and 1550 shown in FIG. The creation time 1602 represents the time when the establishment tree information is generated. Probability tree information 1603 represents probability tree information set for each road, and its configuration is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the roadside device information DB 1700. The roadside device information DB 1700 stores a plurality of roadside device information 1700-1 to 1700-Ng. Each of the roadside device information 1700-1 to 1700-Ng includes a reception time 1701, a roadside device ID 1702, and probability tree information 1703. The reception time 1701 is information indicating the time (time) at which the roadside device information packet 1100 including the roadside device information is received. The roadside device ID 1702 represents the roadside device ID of the roadside device 3 that has transmitted the roadside device information packet 1100, similarly to the roadside device ID 1101 described in FIG. The probability tree information 1703 is probability tree information representing the driving probability for each lane of the road on which the host vehicle 2a is traveling when the roadside device information packet 1100 is received, and the configuration thereof is as shown in FIG.

  In the in-vehicle device 20, each time the vehicle information processing unit 120 receives a roadside device information packet 1100 from the roadside device 3, the information included in the received packet is added to the roadside device information DB 1700 as roadside device information. That is, each piece of information included in the roadside device information packet 1100 received from the roadside device 3 is stored in the roadside device information DB 1700 in chronological order.

  Next, processing of the in-vehicle device 20 when generating vehicle information in the host vehicle 2a and transmitting the vehicle information packet 600 to the other vehicle 2b or the roadside device 3 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of vehicle information generation / transmission processing executed by the CPU 102 of the in-vehicle device 20. The processing shown in this flowchart is executed at predetermined intervals by the CPU 102 of the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2a, and periodically transmits vehicle information packets.

  In step S10, the CPU 102 uses the vehicle information generation unit 140 to acquire information related to the behavior of the host vehicle 2a as information necessary for generating the vehicle information of the host vehicle 2a. At this time, the vehicle information generation unit 140 acquires the latest M pieces of GPS information representing the position of the host vehicle 2a within the latest predetermined time from the GPS information DB 900, and from the vehicle ECU information DB 1000 within the latest predetermined time. The latest M pieces of ECU information representing the traveling direction, traveling speed, and blinker lighting state of the host vehicle 2a are acquired. Furthermore, the acceleration of the own vehicle 2a is calculated from the acquired information. Note that the traveling direction and the traveling speed may be obtained from the acquired GPS information. For example, the traveling direction and the traveling speed can be obtained from the position change amount per unit time, and the acceleration can be obtained from the speed change amount per unit time. Further, the velocity and acceleration may be obtained from position information corrected by a method such as a Kalman filter.

  In step S <b> 20, the CPU 102 acquires, from the roadside device information DB 1700, the vehicle information generation unit 140 using the roadside unit information DB 1700 for the road on which the host vehicle 2 a is traveling. At this time, the vehicle information generation unit 140 specifies which road the host vehicle 2a is traveling on the basis of the GPS information acquired in step S10 and the map information 1500, and the probability tree information corresponding to the road is obtained as a roadside device. Obtained from the information DB 1700.

  In step S30, the CPU 102 causes the vehicle information generation unit 140 to compare the information acquired in step S10 with the probability tree information acquired in step S20. At this time, the vehicle information generation unit 140 determines whether the state of the host vehicle 2a satisfies the condition of each branch information included in the probability tree information acquired in step S20 based on the information acquired in step S10.

  In step S40, the CPU 102 causes the vehicle information generation unit 140 to determine whether or not branch information whose condition applies to the current state of the host vehicle 2a exists in the probability tree information based on the comparison result in step S30. As a result, if there is branch information that satisfies the condition, the process proceeds to step S50. If not, the process proceeds to step S60 without executing step S50.

  In step S50, the CPU 102 uses the vehicle information generation unit 140 to estimate the lane in which the host vehicle 2a is traveling from the probability tree information, and estimates information accuracy for the lane estimation result. Here, the branch information determined to satisfy the condition in the current state of the host vehicle 2a in step S30 is extracted from the probability tree information, and the lane and the lane probability for each condition represented by the branch information are Estimate information accuracy.

  Hereinafter, the lane and information accuracy estimation method in step S50 will be described with reference to a specific example of FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which the host vehicle 2a on which the in-vehicle device 20 is mounted travels on a road having three lanes L1, L2, and L3 toward an intersection. Lane L1 is a left turn lane, lane L2 is a straight lane, and lane L3 is a right turn lane. In such a situation, the vehicle information generation unit 140 determines which lane the host vehicle 2a is traveling as follows.

  In step S20 of FIG. 18, the vehicle information generation unit 140 reads out and acquires probability tree information corresponding to the road on which the host vehicle 2a is traveling from the roadside device information DB 1700. Here, it is assumed that the probability tree information 1103 including the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-7 having the contents shown in FIGS. The branch information 1200-1 to 1200-7 is classified into four stages according to the time until the completion of the operation, with the time until the own vehicle 2a turns right or left at the intersection or goes straight ahead until the operation is completed. Is done. For example, when the estimation of the travel lane starts 15 seconds before the intersection passage, the branch information 1200-1 represents the first stage from 15 seconds to 11 seconds before the intersection passage, and the branch information 1200-2, 1200 -3 represents the second stage from 11 seconds to 7 seconds before passing the intersection, and branch information 1200-4 and 1200-5 represent the third stage from 7 seconds to 4 seconds before passing the intersection. Branch information 1200-6 and 1200-7 represents the fourth stage from 4 seconds before the intersection passage to the passage time.

  In step S50 of FIG. 18, the vehicle information generation unit 140 uses the branch information in which the condition applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a represented by the information acquired in step S10 among the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-7. Then, it is estimated what percentage of the lane the host vehicle 2a exists in. In the first stage, i.e., the period from 15 seconds to 11 seconds before passing the intersection, the vehicle information generation unit 140 sets the branch information 1200-1 for which the time to complete the operation is “1”. Then, it is determined whether or not the conditions of acceleration, blinker lighting state, and speed apply to the state of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, when it is determined that these conditions apply to the state of the host vehicle 2a, the branch information 1200-1 is used to estimate what percentage of the lane the host vehicle 2a exists. That is, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle 2a is 50 to 100 km / h, it is determined that the branch information 1200-1 applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a, and the lane of the host vehicle 2a is determined using the branch information 1200-1. Is estimated. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in the lanes L1, L2, and L3 with a probability of 33%.

  When it is determined in the first stage that the state of the host vehicle 2a has been applied to the branch information 1200-1, the vehicle information generation unit 140 determines that the time until the operation is completed is the second stage, that is, from 11 seconds before the intersection has passed. Even if it shifts to the period before 2 seconds, the estimation of the travel lane of the own vehicle 2a is continued. In the second stage, the vehicle information generation unit 140 has time “2” until the operation is completed, and acceleration and turn signal lighting are performed for each of the branch information 1200-2 and 1200-3 branched from the branch information 1200-1. It is determined whether or not the state and speed conditions apply to the state of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, when it is determined that any of the branch information is applicable to the state of the host vehicle 2a, the branch information is used to determine what percentage of the lane the host vehicle 2a exists. presume. That is, when the acceleration of the host vehicle 2a is 10 km / h / s or more and the traveling speed is 20 km / h or more, it is determined that the branch information 1200-2 applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a. -2 is used to estimate the lane of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in the lane L2 with a probability of 90%. On the other hand, if the acceleration of the host vehicle 2a is less than 10 km / h / s and the traveling speed is less than 20 km / h, it is determined that the branch information 1200-3 applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a, and the branch information 1200 -3 is used to estimate the lane of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in each of the lanes L1 and L3 with a probability of 50%.

  When it is determined in the second stage that the state of the host vehicle 2a is applied to the branch information 1200-3, the vehicle information generation unit 140 determines that the time until the operation is completed is the next third stage, that is, four seconds from 7 seconds before the intersection passage. Even if it shifts to the period before 2 seconds, the estimation of the travel lane of the own vehicle 2a is continued. In the third stage, the vehicle information generation unit 140 has a time until operation completion of “3”, and acceleration and blinker lighting for each of the branch information 1200-4 and 1200-5 branched from the branch information 1200-3. It is determined whether or not the state and speed conditions apply to the state of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, when it is determined that any of the branch information is applicable to the state of the host vehicle 2a, the branch information is used to determine what percentage of the lane the host vehicle 2a exists. presume. That is, when the turn signal of the host vehicle 2a is not lit, it is determined that the branch information 1200-4 is applicable to the state of the host vehicle 2a, and the lane of the host vehicle 2a is estimated using the branch information 1200-4. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in each of the lanes L1 and L3 with a probability of 50%. On the other hand, when the left turn signal or the right turn signal of the own vehicle 2a is turned on, it is determined that the branch information 1200-5 applies to the state of the own vehicle 2a, and the lane of the own vehicle 2a is determined using the branch information 1200-5. Is estimated. As a result, when the left turn signal is lit, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in the lane L1 with a probability of 90%. When the right turn signal is lit, the host vehicle 2a has a probability of 90% in the lane L3. It is judged that it exists.

  When it is determined in the third stage that the state of the host vehicle 2a has been applied to the branch information 1200-4, the vehicle information generation unit 140 passes the time until the completion of the operation from the next fourth stage, that is, from 4 seconds before passing the intersection. Even if it shifts to the period until time, estimation of the travel lane of the own vehicle 2a is continued. In the fourth stage, the vehicle information generation unit 140 has time “4” until the operation is completed, and the acceleration and turn signal lighting for each of the branch information 1200-6 and 1200-7 branched from the branch information 1200-4. It is determined whether or not the state and speed conditions apply to the state of the host vehicle 2a. As a result, when it is determined that any of the branch information is applicable to the state of the host vehicle 2a, the branch information is used to determine what percentage of the lane the host vehicle 2a exists. presume. That is, when the traveling speed of the host vehicle 2a is 10 km / h or more, it is determined that the branch information 1200-6 applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a, and the lane of the host vehicle 2a is estimated using the branch information 1200-6. To do. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in the lane L1 with a probability of 90%. On the other hand, if the traveling speed of the host vehicle 2a is less than 10 km / h, it is determined that the branch information 1200-7 applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a, and the lane of the host vehicle 2a is estimated using the branch information 1200-7. To do. As a result, it is determined that the host vehicle 2a exists in the lane L3 with a probability of 90%.

  In step S50 of FIG. 18, as described above, based on the information regarding the behavior of the host vehicle 2a acquired in step S10, the probability tree information indicates what lane the host vehicle 2a is present in. By determining, it is possible to estimate the travel lane and information accuracy of the host vehicle 2a. That is, by identifying branch information that applies to the state of the host vehicle 2a in the probability tree information, and acquiring the lane and the lane probability value represented by the branch information, the lane in which the host vehicle 2a is running is estimated, Information accuracy with respect to the estimation result of the travel lane can be estimated.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 18, in step S <b> 60, the CPU 102 causes the vehicle information generation unit 140 to generate vehicle information corresponding to the current state of the host vehicle 2 a. Here, the vehicle ID of the host vehicle 2a set in advance is written in the vehicle ID 1401, and based on the information acquired in step S10, latitude 1 information 1402, latitude 2 information 1403, longitude 1 information 1404, longitude 2 information in FIG. 1405, reception time 1406, positioning time 1407, vehicle traveling direction 1408, vehicle traveling speed 1409, and traveling road ID 1410 are set. Further, when the lane and the information accuracy are estimated in step S50, information on the lane 1411 and the information accuracy 1412 is set based on these estimation results. On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step S60 without executing step S50, the lane 1411 and the information accuracy 1412 are set to unknown. Thereby, the vehicle information generation part 140 can generate | occur | produce the vehicle information regarding the own vehicle 2a regularly. The generated vehicle information is stored in the vehicle information DB 1400.

  In step S <b> 70, the CPU 102 transmits the vehicle information packet 600 representing the vehicle information of the host vehicle 2 a to the other vehicle 2 b and the roadside device 3 around the host vehicle 2 a by the vehicle information processing unit 120. At this time, the vehicle information processing unit 120 reads the latest vehicle information related to the host vehicle 2a from the vehicle information DB 1400, and generates a vehicle information packet 600 as shown in FIG. 6 based on the vehicle information. Then, the generated vehicle information packet 600 is output to the wireless transmission / reception unit 106 for transmission.

  If step S70 is performed, CPU102 will complete | finish the process shown to the flowchart of FIG.

  The CPU 102 receives the vehicle information packet 600 representing the vehicle information of the other vehicle 2b or the roadside device information packet 1100 from the other vehicle 2b or the roadside device 3 around the own vehicle 2a by the outside information processing unit 120. At this time, the vehicle information processing unit 120 receives the vehicle information packet 600 or the roadside device information packet 1100 via the wireless transmission / reception unit 106. Then, each information included in the received vehicle information packet 600 or roadside device information packet 1100 is output and stored in the vehicle information DB 1400 or roadside device information DB 1700.

  Next, operation | movement of the vehicle information provision system 1 whole is demonstrated. FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle information provision system 1 as a whole. In the vehicle information providing system 1, the center server 5 and the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on each vehicle 2 repeatedly execute the process shown in FIG.

  In step S201, the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2a periodically generates vehicle information of the host vehicle 2a in accordance with the flowchart of the vehicle information generation / transmission process shown in FIG. Transmit to the roadside device 3. Moreover, the vehicle information of the other vehicle 2b transmitted from the other vehicle 2b is received.

  In step S <b> 202, the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2 a receives the roadside device information transmitted from the roadside device 3 by the information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle.

  In step S203, the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2a is caused by the danger detection unit 151 of the warning processing unit 150 to detect the position and lane of the host vehicle 2a and the position of the other vehicle 2b represented by the vehicle information of the other vehicle 2b. Compare with lane. Here, by extracting the latest vehicle information of the own vehicle 2a and the vehicle information of the other vehicle 2b from the vehicle information accumulated in the vehicle information DB 1400, and comparing these contents, the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicle It is determined whether 2b is at risk of collision. For example, the travel lane of the host vehicle 2a estimated in step S50 of FIG. 18 is specified from the vehicle information of the host vehicle 2a, and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 2a is estimated based on the travel lane. And when the other vehicle 2b exists in the predetermined range in the advancing direction of the estimated own vehicle, it is determined that there is a risk of collision between the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b. As a result, when it is determined that there is a risk of collision, the danger notification unit 152 gives a predetermined warning to the driver via the display device 108 to notify that there is a risk of collision.

  In step S204, the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the host vehicle 2a transmits, to the roadside device 3, vehicle information representing the result of the control performed in step S203 and the movement of the host vehicle 2a by the vehicle information processing unit 120.

  In step S301 to step S304, the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the other vehicle 2b performs the same processing as the in-vehicle device 20 in the host vehicle 2a described in steps S201 to S204.

  In step S101, the center server 5 acquires the vehicle information transmitted from the host vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 3b via the roadside device 3 by the transmission / reception information processing unit 510, and stores the vehicle information in the vehicle information DB 1450.

  In step S102, the center server 5 uses the probability tree processing unit 520 to generate establishment tree information. Here, probability road information as illustrated in FIG. 12 is generated based on the vehicle information acquired in step S101 for a road for which probability tree information has not yet been created. Further, if it is necessary to update the probability tree information for a road for which probability tree information has already been created, new probability tree information is generated. The specific processing content of step S102 will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S103, the center server 5 causes the transmission / reception information processing unit 510 to extract probability tree information corresponding to the traveling road of the host vehicle 2a or the other vehicle 2b from the probability tree information stored in the probability tree information DB 1600. Then, it is transmitted to the host vehicle 2a or the other vehicle 2b via the roadside device 3.

  In step S <b> 104, the center server 5 receives the control result in the host vehicle 2 a and the other vehicle 2 b via the roadside device 3 by the transmission / reception information processing unit 510. Here, as a control result in the own vehicle 2a or other vehicle 2b, a lane estimation result based on probability tree information in the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the own vehicle 2a or other vehicle 2b, and the own vehicle 2a or other vehicle after passing the intersection Information indicating whether the actual traveling direction of 2b matches or does not match is received. In addition, you may receive the vehicle information until the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b pass an intersection in addition to said control result. The control result may include a result of recognizing which lane the vehicle is running with a camera, a laser radar, or the like as a control result.

  Next, establishment tree information generation processing in the center server 5 will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart of the establishment tree information generation process executed by the CPU 502 of the center server 5. The processing shown in this flowchart is executed by the CPU 502 of the center server 5 in step S102 of FIG.

  In step S1000, the CPU 502 acquires the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information DB 1450 by the vehicle information acquisition unit 521, and classifies the information for each generation target of probability tree information. Here, a predetermined point on the road, for example, an intersection or a branch point is set as a generation target point of probability tree information, and vehicle information collected before and after each generation target point is acquired from the vehicle information DB 1450. To do. And the acquired vehicle information is classify | categorized according to the advancing direction of each vehicle after each vehicle passes the said production | generation target point, and the lane corresponding to it. Then, road information corresponding to the traveling road of each vehicle is acquired from the map information 1550 and output to the probability tree generation unit 522 together with the classified vehicle information.

  In step S <b> 1001, the CPU 502 determines whether the probability tree generation unit 522 newly creates or updates probability tree information. Here, for example, if a predetermined number or more of vehicle information is classified in step S1000 for a generation target point for which probability tree information has not yet been generated, it is determined that new probability tree information is to be created. Further, for example, if a control result indicating a mismatch is received a predetermined number of times or more at step S104 in FIG. 19 for a generation target point for which probability tree information has already been generated, it is determined that the probability tree information is updated. As a result, if it is determined that the probability tree information is newly created or updated, the process proceeds to step S1002, and if not, the process illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 21 ends.

  In step S1002, the CPU 502 uses the probability tree generation unit 522 to create probability tree information for the generation target point determined to be newly created or updated in step S1001. Here, from the vehicle information classified for each lane in step S1000, information such as the time from when each vehicle 2 starts estimating the lane to when the operation is completed, the average speed, the acceleration, the blinker lighting state, and the like are acquired. Based on these pieces of information, probability tree information as illustrated in FIG. 12 is created.

  In step S1003, the CPU 502 causes the probability tree generation unit 522 to store the probability tree information created in step S1002 in the probability tree information DB 1600. When step S1003 is executed, the CPU 502 ends the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  The center server 5 can generate the establishment tree information based on the vehicle information acquired from each vehicle 2 by the processing as described above. Probability tree information is created by hierarchizing these bifurcation points when there are multiple stages of bifurcation between the choice behavior that the driver of each vehicle 2 can take and the occurrence probability (subjectivity probability) of the opponent (uncertainty). It is. By using such probability tree information, it is possible to calculate all the conclusions that can occur in estimating the travel lane of the vehicle 2 and the respective expected values, and to obtain a selection result that maximizes the expected utility. The center server 5 may automatically create probability tree information from the collected vehicle information using a technique such as data mining.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention described above, the following operational effects are obtained.

(1) The in-vehicle device 20 includes an out-of-vehicle information processing unit 120, an in-vehicle information processing unit 130, and a vehicle information generation unit 140. The out-of-vehicle information processing unit 120 functions as a probability tree acquisition unit that acquires probability tree information that represents the driving probability of each lane of the road according to the behavior of the host vehicle 2a, and a vehicle related to the other vehicle 2b around the host vehicle 2a. Get information. The in-vehicle information processing unit 130 acquires information related to the behavior of the host vehicle 2a. The vehicle information generation unit 140 estimates the travel lane of the host vehicle 2a based on the probability tree information acquired by the information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle and the information regarding the behavior of the host vehicle 2a acquired by the information processing unit 130 in the vehicle. (Step S50). The in-vehicle device 20 estimates the traveling direction of the host vehicle 2a based on the travel lane of the host vehicle 2a estimated by the vehicle information generation unit 140 (step S203). Since it did in this way, the advancing direction of a vehicle can be estimated correctly.

(2) The vehicle information generation unit 140 generates vehicle information about the host vehicle 2a based on the information about the behavior of the host vehicle 2a acquired by the in-vehicle information processing unit 130 and the estimation result of the travel lane of the host vehicle 2a. (Step S60). The vehicle information processing unit 120 transmits the vehicle information related to the host vehicle 2a generated by the vehicle information generation unit 140 to the other vehicle 2b (step S80). Since it did in this way, the mutual vehicle information required in order to judge the danger of a collision between the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicles 2b can be exchanged.

(3) The in-vehicle device 20 has a risk of collision between the host vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b based on the estimated traveling direction of the host vehicle 2a and the vehicle information related to the other vehicle 2b acquired by the information processing unit 120 outside the vehicle. It further includes a warning processing unit 150 that determines whether or not there is. Since it did in this way, it can be judged correctly whether the own vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b have a danger of a collision in consideration of the advancing direction of the vehicle defined for every lane.

(4) The vehicle information processing unit 120 acquires, for example, probability tree information 1103 illustrated in FIG. The probability tree information 1103 includes branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc and a connection destination node ID 1203 that is information indicating the connection of the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc. Each of the branch information 1200-1 to 1200-Nc represents an acceleration 1205, a blinker information 1206, a speed 1207, and a time until the operation is completed. And at least one of 1208 and a lane probability 1204 representing a driving probability for each lane when these conditions are satisfied. Since it did in this way, the information required for the vehicle-mounted apparatus 20 to estimate the traveling lane of the own vehicle 2a can be included in probability tree information.

(5) The warning processing unit 150 issues a warning to the driver of the host vehicle 2a when it is determined that there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle 2a and the other vehicle 2b. Since it did in this way, the driver | operator of the own vehicle 2a can be made to perform collision avoidance operation etc. as needed. If it is judged that there is a danger of a collision, not only a warning but also a vehicle control such as a brake device installed in the vehicle automatically controls and stops the brake, or the steering device automatically changes direction. Alternatively, a signal for prompting vehicle control may be transmitted to the vehicle control device.

(6) The center server 5 includes a transmission / reception information processing unit 510, a vehicle information DB 1450, and a probability tree processing unit 520. The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 receives vehicle information transmitted from each of the plurality of vehicles 2 via the roadside device 3. The vehicle information DB 1450 stores the vehicle information received by the transmission / reception information processing unit 510. The probability tree processing unit 520 obtains vehicle information from the vehicle information DB 1450, classifies the vehicle information for each predetermined point, and generates probability tree information representing the driving probability of each lane on the road according to the behavior of the vehicle 2 ( Steps S1000 and S1002). The transmission / reception information processing unit 510 transmits the generated probability tree information to each of the plurality of vehicles 2 via the roadside device 3. Since it did in this way, in-vehicle device 20 carried in each vehicle 2 in order to judge correctly whether there is a danger of collision between vehicles in consideration of the advancing direction of vehicles defined for every lane. Probability tree information necessary for

  In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the example in which probability tree information is transmitted from the center server 5 to the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on each vehicle 2 via the roadside device 3 has been described. It is not limited to this. For example, the probability tree information may be transmitted from the center server 5 to the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on each vehicle 2 via a public communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. Further, in the in-vehicle device 20 of each vehicle 2 existing within a predetermined range, the probability tree information stored in the respective probability tree information DB 1600 may be exchanged by exchanging with each other. In addition to this, the in-vehicle device 20 can acquire the probability tree information by various methods.

  The embodiment and various modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Moreover, although various embodiment was described above, this invention is not limited to these content. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: vehicle information providing system, 2: vehicle, 3: roadside device, 4: network, 5: center server, 20: in-vehicle device, 101: storage device, 102: CPU, 103: memory unit, 106: wireless transmission / reception unit 107: Antenna unit, 108: Display device, 109: Angular velocity sensor, 110: GPS sensor, 111: Navigation system, 112: Vehicle ECU, 113: Vehicle speed sensor, 120: Information processing unit outside the vehicle, 130: Information processing unit inside the vehicle, 140: vehicle information generation unit, 150: warning processing unit, 501: storage device, 502: CPU, 503: memory unit, 510: transmission / reception information processing unit, 520: probability tree processing unit

Claims (12)

A probability tree acquisition unit that acquires probability tree information representing the driving probability of each lane of the road according to the behavior of the vehicle;
An in-vehicle information processing unit for obtaining information on the behavior of the host vehicle;
An out-of-vehicle information processing unit for acquiring vehicle information about other vehicles around the host vehicle;
A vehicle information generation unit that estimates a travel lane of the host vehicle based on the probability tree information acquired by the probability tree acquisition unit and information on the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the in-vehicle information processing unit; With
An in-vehicle device that estimates a traveling direction of the host vehicle based on a travel lane of the host vehicle estimated by the vehicle information generation unit. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1,
The vehicle information generation unit generates vehicle information about the host vehicle based on information on the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the in-vehicle information processing unit and an estimation result of a travel lane of the host vehicle,
The vehicle information processing unit is an in-vehicle device that transmits vehicle information about the host vehicle generated by the vehicle information generation unit to the other vehicle. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1,
Based on the estimated traveling direction of the host vehicle and vehicle information on the other vehicle acquired by the outside information processing unit, it is determined whether or not there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle. A vehicle-mounted device further comprising a warning processing unit. In the in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The probability tree information includes a plurality of branch information and information indicating a connection of the plurality of branch information,
Each of the plurality of branch information includes a condition relating to at least one of the acceleration of the host vehicle, the blinker lighting state, the speed, and the time until the operation is completed, and a driving probability for each lane when the condition is satisfied. In-vehicle device including. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3,
The warning processing unit is a vehicle-mounted device that issues a warning to a driver of the host vehicle when it is determined that there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle. A vehicle information providing system having a plurality of in-vehicle devices and a server device,
The server device transmits probability tree information representing the driving probability of each lane of the road according to the behavior of the vehicle to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices,
Each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices is
A probability tree acquisition unit that receives and acquires the probability tree information from the server device;
In-vehicle information processing unit for acquiring information on the behavior of the host vehicle on which the in-vehicle device is mounted;
An out-of-vehicle information processing unit for acquiring vehicle information about other vehicles around the host vehicle;
A vehicle information generation unit that estimates a travel lane of the host vehicle based on the probability tree information acquired by the probability tree acquisition unit and information on the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the in-vehicle information processing unit; With
Each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices is a vehicle information providing system that estimates a traveling direction of the host vehicle based on a travel lane of the host vehicle estimated by the vehicle information generation unit. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 6,
The vehicle information generation unit generates vehicle information about the host vehicle based on information on the behavior of the host vehicle acquired by the in-vehicle information processing unit and an estimation result of a travel lane of the host vehicle,
The vehicle outside information processing unit is a vehicle information providing system that transmits vehicle information related to the host vehicle generated by the vehicle information generation unit to the other vehicle. In the vehicle information provision system according to claim 7,
Each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices is configured to cause a collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle based on the estimated traveling direction of the host vehicle and vehicle information related to the other vehicle acquired by the information processing unit outside the vehicle. A vehicle information providing system further comprising a warning processing unit for determining whether or not there is a danger. In the vehicle information provision system according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The probability tree information includes a plurality of branch information and information indicating a connection of the plurality of branch information,
Each of the plurality of branch information includes a condition regarding at least one of the acceleration of the vehicle, the blinker lighting state, the speed, and the time until the operation is completed, and a driving probability for each lane when the condition is satisfied. Information provision system for vehicles. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 8,
The vehicle information providing system that warns a driver of the host vehicle when the warning processing unit determines that there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle. A transmission / reception information processing unit for receiving vehicle information transmitted from each of a plurality of vehicles;
A vehicle information storage unit for storing vehicle information received by the transmission / reception information processing unit;
A probability tree processing unit that obtains the vehicle information from the vehicle information storage unit and classifies the vehicle information for each predetermined point, and generates probability tree information representing a driving probability of each lane of the road according to the behavior of the vehicle; With
The transmission / reception information processing unit is a server device that transmits the probability tree information to each of the plurality of vehicles. The server device according to claim 11,
The probability tree information includes a plurality of branch information and information indicating a connection of the plurality of branch information,
Each of the plurality of branch information includes a condition regarding at least one of the acceleration of the vehicle, the blinker lighting state, the speed, and the time until the operation is completed, and a driving probability for each lane when the condition is satisfied. Server device.

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