JP2019036067A - Information providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To appropriately provide necessary information to a vehicle by using dynamic map information.SOLUTION: Provided is an information providing device comprising: a generation part 17b that generates specific information for specifying providing information out of dynamic map information 24 stored in a data server 6; and a communication control part 17a that transmits a transmission request of the providing information together with the specific information to the data server 6 and provides, to an on-vehicle communication device 1, the providing information transmitted from the data server 6 according to the transmission request and the specific information. The generation part 17b generates the specific information on the basis of location information and traveling direction information of the on-vehicle communication device 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus.

VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) using optical beacons, radio beacons, or FM multiplex broadcasting systems as traffic information services using road-to-vehicle communication systems. Trademark) and radio communication systems using radio waves have already been deployed.
Cited Document 1 discloses road-to-vehicle communication using optical communication using an optical beacon. Also, Cited Document 2 discloses road-to-vehicle communication using radio communication using radio waves.

JP 2005-268925 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-2285

In recent years, construction and use of dynamic map information (dynamic maps) have been studied with the progress of research on automatic driving of vehicles. This dynamic map information associates dynamic information (traffic regulation information, accident information, traffic jam information, vehicle / pedestrian information, signal information, etc.) with map information related to static roads, lanes, buildings, etc. Information.
For example, the dynamic map information is stored in a data server or the like, and is accessed and used as necessary.

  Even in traffic information services using road-to-vehicle communication systems, dynamic map information is used via optical communication using optical beacons and wireless communication using radio waves, and information necessary for automatic driving and safe driving support is provided to vehicles (in-vehicle communication). It is conceivable to provide it to the machine.

  However, dynamic map information has a large amount of information because many pieces of information are associated with each other, and if there is a limit on the transmittable period or data amount, such as optical communication using an optical beacon, It may be difficult to provide to the vehicle.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the technique which can provide required information appropriately with respect to a vehicle using dynamic map information.

  An information providing apparatus according to an embodiment is an information providing apparatus that provides information to be provided to an in-vehicle communication device to the in-vehicle communication device, and is stored in an external server. A generating unit that generates specific information for specifying the provision information from the dynamic map information that has been generated, an information request unit that transmits a transmission request for the provision information to the external server together with the specific information, and the transmission A provision unit that provides the provision information transmitted from the external server in response to the request and the specific information to the in-vehicle communication device, and the generation unit includes the position information and the traveling direction information of the in-vehicle communication device. Based on this, the specific information is generated.

  The above embodiment can be realized not only as an information providing apparatus, but also as an information providing method having steps executed by the respective units, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such steps. be able to.

  According to the present invention, necessary information can be appropriately provided to a vehicle using dynamic map information.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an intelligent road traffic system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the in-vehicle communication device, the optical beacon, the central device, and the data server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the optical beacon and the in-vehicle communication device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the specific area indicated by the specific information. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating each device according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing each device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a modification when the mobile terminal is caused to function as an information providing apparatus.

[Description of Embodiment]
First, the contents of the embodiment will be listed and described.
(1) An information providing apparatus according to an embodiment is an information providing apparatus that provides provision information to be provided to an in-vehicle communication device to the in-vehicle communication device, and includes dynamic map information stored in an external server. A generating unit that generates specific information for specifying the provision information from among, an information request unit that transmits a transmission request for the provision information to the external server together with the specific information, and according to the transmission request and the specific information A providing unit that provides the provision information transmitted from the external server to the in-vehicle communication device, and the generation unit generates the specific information based on position information and traveling direction information of the in-vehicle communication device. To do.

According to the said structure, the specific information for specifying provision information from dynamic map information is produced | generated based on the positional information and advancing direction of a vehicle-mounted communication apparatus, and the provision information according to this specific information is requested | required Therefore, only information necessary for the in-vehicle communication device in the dynamic map information can be acquired as provided information.
As a result, even if there is a large amount of data in the entire dynamic map information, a part of the dynamic map information is used as the provided information, so the data amount of the provided information can be suppressed. Can be appropriately provided to the vehicle.

(2) In the information providing apparatus, the dynamic map information includes a plurality of update information updated at different update frequencies, and the generation unit generates the specific information for each of the plurality of update information. It is preferable to do. In this case, the specific information is generated for each of the plurality of pieces of update information, so that the provision information can be acquired for each piece of the plurality of pieces of update information and can be provided to the in-vehicle communication device.

(3) Further, in the information providing apparatus, the plurality of specific information is information indicating a specific area set in a target area targeted by the dynamic map information, and the transmission request includes the plurality of specific information It is preferable that the update information is information requesting the external server to transmit information included in the specific area as the provision information.
In this case, it is possible to cause the external server to specify that the information included in the specific area in the dynamic map information is provided information, and to transmit the information.

(4) The specific area indicated by each of the plurality of specific information may be set to be wide or narrow according to the update frequency of the corresponding update information.

(5) Moreover, the update information with relatively low update frequency may have a large data amount. For this reason, the width of the specific area is preferably set to be narrower as the update frequency of the corresponding update information is lower. As a result, for update information with a relatively low update frequency and a relatively large amount of data, the specific area is set to a relatively narrow range, and the data amount of the provided information specified in the specific area is further suppressed. be able to. As a result, the data amount of the entire provided information can be effectively suppressed.

(6) In the information providing apparatus, the specific area indicated by each of the plurality of specific information may be set to be wide or narrow according to the data amount per unit area in the corresponding update information.
In this case, for update information with a large data amount per unit area, the data amount of the provided information specified in the specific area can be further suppressed by setting the specific area in a relatively narrow range.

[Details of the embodiment]
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that at least a part of each embodiment described below may be arbitrarily combined.
[About overall system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an intelligent road traffic system.
The intelligent road traffic system shown in FIG. 1 includes a vehicle 2 equipped with an in-vehicle communication device 1, a plurality of traffic signals 3, an optical beacon 4, a central device 5 for performing signal control, and a data server 6.

The traffic signal 3 is installed at each of a plurality of intersections A1 to A3 provided on the road R. The traffic signal 3 is communicably connected to a central device 5 installed in a traffic control center or the like via a communication line 7.
The traffic signal device 3 includes, for example, a lamp that lights in blue, yellow, and red, and includes a control unit that controls the color of the lamp. The control unit performs lamp color control based on signal control information transmitted from the central apparatus 5 via the communication line 7.

The optical beacon 4 is installed above the road R and has a function of performing bidirectional communication (road-to-vehicle communication) with the in-vehicle communication device 1 of the vehicle 2 by optical communication using near infrared rays as a communication medium. ing.
The optical beacon 4 is installed on the upstream side of the lane that flows into each of the intersections A1 to A3. The optical beacon 4 is also communicably connected to the central device 5 via the communication line 7 in the same manner as the traffic signal 3 and the like.
Further, the optical beacon 4 includes a vehicle detection sensor for detecting the vehicle 2 passing directly under the optical beacon 4 in addition to the road-to-vehicle communication function with the in-vehicle communication device 1. Traffic volume at each point can be measured.
The optical beacon 4 transmits information obtained from the in-vehicle communication device 1 by road-to-vehicle communication and information indicating the traffic obtained by measurement to the central device 5.

  The central device 5 constitutes a local area network (LAN) with the traffic signal 3 and the optical beacon 4 at each intersection included in the area under its control. Accordingly, the central device 5 can perform bidirectional communication with each traffic signal 3 and the optical beacon 4. The central device 5 systematically controls the traffic signals 3 at intersections belonging to its own network. The central device 5 may be installed on the road instead of the traffic control center.

Information (vehicle information, probe information) from the in-vehicle communication device 1 transmitted from each optical beacon 4 and traffic information indicating the traffic volume are given to the central device 5 through the network.
The central device 5 acquires various types of information given from the optical beacon 4 and performs processing, recording, signal control based on the information, and information provision.

The central device 5 generates signal control information for controlling the color of each traffic signal 3 based on various information given from each optical beacon 4. The central device 5 transmits signal control information to the control unit of each traffic signal device 3.
The control unit of the traffic signal device 3 that has received the signal control information performs lighting control of each lamp color based on the signal control information.

  In addition, the central device 5 gives the acquired traffic information and the generated signal control information (signal information) to each optical beacon 4 as service information for providing the vehicle 2 to the in-vehicle communication device 1 through road-to-vehicle communication. provide. Note that the service information is information provided to the vehicle 2 for safe driving support, such as signal information, traffic jam information, and event regulation information.

Furthermore, the central apparatus 5 gives the information (traffic information, vehicle information, and probe information) acquired from each optical beacon 4, the generated signal control information, and the like to the data server 6.
The data server 6 is connected to the central device 5 via a network 8 such as the Internet, for example, and can exchange information with the central device 5.
The data server 6 stores and manages dynamic map information (dynamic map).
The dynamic map information is information configured by associating dynamic information such as traffic regulation information, accidents, and traffic jam information with map information relating to roads, lanes, buildings, and the like, which are static information.
The data server 6 is configured to transmit various types of information included in the dynamic map information in response to requests from infrastructure devices such as the optical beacon 4 and the central device 5.

[About the configuration of each device according to the first embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the in-vehicle communication device 1, the optical beacon 4, the central device 5, and the data server 6 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle communication device 1 includes an optical communication device 11 for performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 and a processing device 12 for performing communication control and various processes.

  The optical communication device 11 includes an optical receiver that receives an optical signal (downlink signal) transmitted and transmitted by the optical beacon 4 and an optical transmitter that transmits and transmits an optical signal (uplink signal). 4 has a function of transmitting and receiving optical signals.

The processing device 12 is configured by a computer having a processor, a storage device, and the like. The storage device stores a computer program for realizing various functions of the processing device 12 and necessary data.
The processing device 12 includes a communication control unit 12a as a functional unit realized by the computer program.

The communication control unit 12 a has a function of performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 by controlling the optical communication device 11.
The communication control unit 12a has a function of transmitting vehicle information such as the vehicle ID of the own device, position information, vehicle speed information, and direction information indicating the traveling direction to the optical beacon 4 by optical communication.
Furthermore, the communication control unit 12a also has a function of generating travel data of its own device (for example, probe information that is travel trajectory data in which passage positions and passage times are arranged in time series) and transmitting it to the optical beacon 4. doing.
In addition, the communication control unit 12a has a function of receiving service information transmitted from the optical beacon 4 and performing a process related to safe driving support.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the optical beacon 4 performs communication control and various processes, an optical communication device 15 for performing optical communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1, a communication device 16 for performing communication with the central device 5. And a processing device 17 for this purpose.

  The optical communication device 15 includes an optical receiver that receives an optical signal (uplink signal) transmitted and transmitted by the in-vehicle communication device 1 and an optical transmitter that transmits and transmits an optical signal (downlink signal). It has a function of transmitting and receiving optical signals to and from the communication device 1.

The processing device 17 is configured by a computer having a processor, a storage device, and the like. The storage device stores a computer program for realizing various functions of the processing device 17 and necessary data.
The processing device 17 includes a communication control unit 17a and a generation unit 17b as functional units realized by the computer program.

The communication control unit 17 a has a function of performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 by controlling the optical communication device 11. Further, the communication control unit 17 a has a function of performing communication with the central device 5 by controlling the communication device 16.
When receiving the vehicle information and the probe information from the in-vehicle communication device 1, the communication control unit 17 a transmits the received vehicle information and the probe information to the central device 5. Further, the communication control unit 17 a transmits traffic information indicating the traffic volume by the vehicle detection sensor to the central device 5.
Further, when receiving the service information from the central device 5, the communication control unit 17 a transmits the received service information to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

Further, the communication control unit 17 a requests the data server 6 to transmit information (provided information) to be provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1 among the dynamic map information 24 stored in the data server 6.
The data server 6 specifies provided information from the dynamic map information 24 in response to a request from the optical beacon 4 and transmits the specified provided information to the central device 5. The central device 5 transmits the dynamic map information 24 to the optical beacon 4 as service information.
When the provision information transmitted as service information via the central device 5 is received, the communication control unit 17a of the optical beacon 4 transmits this provision information to the in-vehicle communication device 1 as service information.

When the generation unit 17b starts optical communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1, the generation unit 17b specifies provision information to be provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1 from the dynamic map information 24 stored in the data server 6. Generate specific information.
When the generation unit 17b generates the specific information, the communication control unit 17a generates a transmission request for requesting the data server 6 to transmit the provision information, and transmits the transmission request to the central apparatus 5 together with the specific information. The transmission request and the specific information are transmitted to the data server 6 via the central device 5.

  The data server 6 includes a communication device 21 for communicating with the central device 5, a processing device 22 for performing communication control and various processes, and a storage device 23.

The processing device 22 is configured by a computer having a processor, a storage device, and the like. The storage device stores a computer program for realizing various functions of the processing device 22 and necessary data.
The processing device 22 has a function of communicating with the central device 5 by controlling the communication device 21.
The processing device 22 is connected to the storage device 23 and has a function of managing the dynamic map information 24 stored in the storage device 23.
When the processing device 22 receives a request notification for requesting the provision of the dynamic map information 24 from a device that is permitted to access the data server 6, the processing device 22 obtains the dynamic map information 24 according to the request notification. Send to.

Further, the processing device 22 acquires information (traffic information, vehicle information, and probe information) and signal control information collected by an infrastructure device such as the central device 5 through the communication device 21.
Further, the processing device 22 includes the three-dimensional position information of the road surrounding environment measured with high accuracy, information on traffic regulation, road construction information, weather information, accident information, and traffic jam information, the communication device 21 and the data server. 6 is provided through an input interface or the like.
The processing device 22 also has a function of updating the dynamic map information 24 based on the acquired various information.

  As described above, the dynamic map information 24 stored in the storage device 23 is information configured by associating dynamic information with static information. The dynamic map information 24 targets at least an area (target area) including an area managed by the central device 5.

Here, static information is information with a relatively low update frequency. On the other hand, dynamic information is information that is updated more frequently than static information.
The dynamic map information 24 includes, for example, four pieces of information including static information, quasi-static information, quasi-dynamic information, and dynamic information.

The dynamic map information 24 is updated based on traffic information and the like as described above.
The four pieces of information included in the dynamic map information 24 are classified according to the update frequency, and are updated at different update frequencies.
For example, the static information includes information that is updated about once a month. Static information includes information on road shape, lane information, three-dimensional structure information, and the like. Each piece of information included in the static information constitutes a highly accurate three-dimensional map that is the basis of the dynamic map information 24.
The quasi-static information is composed of information updated about once per hour. The quasi-static information includes information on traffic regulation, road construction information, weather information, and the like.
The quasi-dynamic information is composed of information that is updated about once a minute. The quasi-dynamic information includes accident information and traffic jam information.
The dynamic information is composed of information updated about once per second. The dynamic information includes information related to surrounding vehicles, pedestrian information, information related to signals, and the like.

Of the four pieces of information included in the dynamic map information 24, the update frequency of static information is the lowest, and the update frequency is higher in the order of quasi-static information, quasi-dynamic information, and dynamic information.
As described above, the dynamic map information 24 includes four pieces of information (update information) that are updated at different update frequencies.
The quasi-static information, the quasi-dynamic information, and the dynamic information are each associated with static information that constitutes a highly accurate three-dimensional map.

  The processing device 22 updates each of the four pieces of information included in the dynamic map information 24 at the above update frequency.

  Further, when receiving the transmission request and specific information from the optical beacon 4, the processing device 22 sends the dynamic map information 24 to the optical beacon 4 that is the request source of the transmission request in accordance with the transmission request and specific information. Send part.

[About transmission request by optical beacon]
The optical beacon 4 (the processing device 17) generates a transmission request and specific information by starting optical communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1, and transmits the transmission request to the data server 6.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the optical beacon 4 and the in-vehicle communication device 1.
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical beacon 4 sets a communication area TA on the upstream side of the optical beacon 4. The communication area TA is composed of a downlink area DA (an area in which solid line hatching is provided in FIG. 3) and an uplink area UA (an area in which broken line hatching is provided in FIG. 3).

Among these, the downlink area DA is an area where the in-vehicle communication device 1 can receive a downlink signal transmitted by the optical beacon 4.
The uplink area UA is an area where the optical beacon 4 can receive an uplink signal transmitted by the in-vehicle communication device 1.

The optical beacon 4 repeatedly transmits a downlink signal toward the downlink area DA. The ID of the in-vehicle communication device 1 is not included in the downlink signal at this time.
When the in-vehicle communication device 1 enters the downlink area DA, the in-vehicle communication device 1 receives a downlink signal from the optical beacon 4. Thereby, the in-vehicle communication device 1 recognizes that the own device 1 has entered the downlink area DA.
The in-vehicle communication device 1 that has received the downlink signal transmits an uplink signal including the ID of the own device 1 as information toward the optical beacon 4.

When receiving the uplink signal including the ID of the in-vehicle communication device 1, the optical beacon 4 transmits a downlink signal including the received ID of the in-vehicle communication device 1 and data to be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication device 1. Switch to.
The in-vehicle communication device 1 that has received the downlink signal including the ID of the own device 1 continues to receive the transmitted downlink signal.
The optical beacon 4 includes the service information in the switched downlink signal and transmits it to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

  Thus, when the in-vehicle communication device 1 enters the downlink area DA, the optical beacon 4 starts optical communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1 that has entered the downlink area DA.

  As described above, the generation unit 17b of the optical beacon 4 according to the present embodiment starts in-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1, and then in-vehicle communication from the dynamic map information 24 stored in the data server 6. Specific information for specifying provision information to be provided to the machine 1 is generated.

The specific information is information for specifying, from the dynamic map information 24, provided information to be provided for safe driving support of the in-vehicle communication device 1.
Therefore, the production | generation part 17b produces | generates the specific information which can specify the information regarding the area where the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 1 is assumed to drive | work based on the positional information and direction information of the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 1.

The optical beacon 4 performs optical communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1 that has entered the downlink area DA set by itself as described above. Therefore, the position of the in-vehicle communication device 1 performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 is within the communication area TA. Further, the traveling direction of the in-vehicle communication device 1 performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 is a downstream direction on the road R from the optical beacon 4. The position and traveling direction of the in-vehicle communication device 1 performing optical communication with the optical beacon 4 can be grasped at the stage where the optical beacon 4 is installed and the communication area TA is set.
Therefore, the generation unit 17b stores the positional information and the azimuth information indicating the traveling direction of the in-vehicle communication device 1 that is the communication target to be grasped in advance, and the specific information based on the stored positional information and directional information. Generate.

  Further, the specific information is generated as information indicating a partial area (specific area) in the target area targeted by the dynamic map information 24.

When the generation unit 17b generates the specific information, the communication control unit 17a generates a transmission request for requesting the data server 6 to transmit the provision information, and transmits the transmission request to the central apparatus 5 together with the specific information.
This transmission request is information for requesting transmission to the data server 6 using information included in a specific area in the dynamic map information 24 as provided information.
Therefore, the optical beacon 4 transmits the transmission request and the specific information indicating the specific area to the data server 6 so that the information included in the specific area in the dynamic map information 24 is the provided information. The data server 6 can be specified and transmitted.

Further, the generation unit 17b according to the present embodiment generates specific information for each of the four update information (static information, quasi-static information, quasi-dynamic information, and dynamic information) included in the dynamic map information 24. . Therefore, the generation unit 17b generates four pieces of specific information corresponding to the four pieces of update information.
In this case, provision information can be acquired for each of the four pieces of update information, and provision information for each of the four pieces of update information can be provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

  Here, the specific area indicated by each of the four specific information generated by the generation unit 17b is set to be wide or narrow according to the update frequency of the corresponding update information.

As described above, the update frequency of the static information is the lowest among the four update information included in the dynamic map information 24, and the update frequency is in the order of quasi-static information, quasi-dynamic information, and dynamic information. It is high.
In the present embodiment, the width of the specific area indicated by each of the four specific information is set to be narrower as the update frequency of the corresponding update information is lower.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the specific area indicated by the specific information. In FIG. 4, the solid line made into the grid | lattice form has shown the road, and the part which these solid lines cross | intersect has shown the intersection.
The generation unit 17b sets a specific area indicated by the specific information about the four pieces of update information on the downstream side of the optical beacon 4.
An area downstream of the optical beacon 4 as an area where the vehicle-mounted communication device 1 is assumed to travel in the future based on the position information and direction information of the vehicle-mounted communication device 1 that is the communication target stored in advance in the generation unit 17b. This is because it is assumed.

  In FIG. 4, on the downstream side of the optical beacon 4, the first specific area A1 indicated by the specific information corresponding to the static information, the second specific area A2 indicated by the specific information corresponding to the quasi-static information, and the quasi-dynamic information A third specific area A3 indicated by the corresponding specific information and a fourth specific area A4 indicated by the specific information corresponding to the dynamic information are set.

The first specific area A1 is an area surrounded by a broken line L1, and is set to be the narrowest compared to other specific areas.
The second specific area A2 is an area surrounded by a broken line L2, and is set wider than the first specific area A1 and narrower than the third specific area A3 and the fourth specific area A4.
The third specific area A3 is an area surrounded by a broken line L3, and is set wider than the first specific area A1 and the second specific area A2 and narrower than the fourth specific area A4.
The fourth specific area A4 is an area surrounded by a broken line L4, and is set most widely compared to other specific areas.

Each of the areas A1 to A4 is set based on an intersection on the road R. That is, each of the areas A1 to A4 is set depending on which of the intersections located downstream of the optical beacon 4 is included.
As shown in FIG. 4, the width of the specific area indicated by each of the four specific information is set to be narrower as the update frequency of the corresponding update information is lower.

The generation unit 17b sets the areas indicated by the four pieces of specific information to the first specific area A1, the second specific area A2, the third specific area A3, and the fourth specific area A4, respectively.
When the generation unit 17b generates the specific information, the communication control unit 17a of the optical beacon 4 provides information included in the first specific area A1 for the static information included in the dynamic map information 24. For the quasi-static information included in the dynamic map information 24, the transmission request is made for information included in the second specific area A2 as provision information, and the quasi-dynamic information included in the dynamic map information 24 is requested. As for information, the information included in the third specific area A3 is requested to be transmitted as provided information, and the dynamic information included in the dynamic map information 24 is used as information provided in the fourth specific area A4. Request transmission.

  Returning to FIG. 2, when the generation unit 17 b generates the above four specific information, the communication control unit 17 a of the optical beacon 4 transmits a transmission request to the data server 6 together with the four specific information.

The data server 6 that has received the four pieces of specific information and the transmission request specifies the provision information corresponding to the four pieces of specific information in the dynamic map information 24, and sets the four pieces of provision information corresponding to the four pieces of specific information as optical beacons. Send to 4
The four provision information is given to the optical beacon 4 as service information via the central device 5.
When four pieces of provision information are given, the communication control unit 17a of the optical beacon 4 transmits these four pieces of provision information to the in-vehicle communication device 1 as service information.

  The optical beacon 4 of the present embodiment includes a generation unit 17b that generates specific information, an information request unit (a communication device 16 and a communication control unit 17a) that transmits a transmission request for provided information to the data server 6 together with the specific information, and a transmission A provision unit (optical communication device 15 and communication control unit 17a) that provides the in-vehicle communication device 1 with the provision information transmitted from the data server 6 in response to the request and the specific information. An information providing apparatus that provides the in-vehicle communication device 1 with the information to be provided is configured.

According to the optical beacon 4 of the present embodiment, the specific information for specifying the provision information from the dynamic map information 24 is generated based on the position information and the direction information of the in-vehicle communication device 1, Since the corresponding provided information is requested, only the information necessary for the in-vehicle communication device 1 in the dynamic map information 24 can be acquired as the provided information.
Accordingly, even if the data amount of the entire dynamic map information 24 is large, a part of the dynamic map information 24 is used as the provided information, so that the data amount of the provided information can be suppressed.

  Therefore, even when the information transmission period and the amount of data are limited, as in the case of optical communication using the optical beacon 4 that needs to transmit information while the in-vehicle communication device 1 is located in the communication area TA, the provided information Can be appropriately suppressed, and necessary information can be appropriately provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

In the present embodiment, the width of the specific area indicated by each of the four specific information is set to be narrower as the update frequency of the corresponding update information is lower.
Information on road shapes, lane information, three-dimensional structure information, etc. included in static information with the lowest update frequency is information that constitutes a high-precision three-dimensional map, and may have a very large amount of data. is there. On the other hand, information such as road construction information, weather information, accident information, and traffic jam information included in quasi-static information or quasi-dynamic information having a higher update frequency has a smaller data amount than static information.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, for update information with a relatively low update frequency and a relatively large amount of data such as static information, the specific area is set to a relatively narrow range, and is specified in the specific area. The amount of provided information data can be further suppressed. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the data amount of all four pieces of provided information.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the production | generation part 17b illustrated the case where specific information was produced | generated based on the memorize | stored positional information and azimuth | direction information, the optical beacon 4 is installed in a fixed position and does not move. . Therefore, the generation unit 17b generates and stores the above four specific information in advance from the position information and the direction information of the in-vehicle communication device 1 to be communicated, and transmits the stored specific information to the data server 6. It may be configured. In this case, when the optical beacon 4 recognizes that the in-vehicle communication device 1 has entered the downlink area DA, the optical beacon 4 can promptly transmit specific information to the data server 6.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the optical beacon 4 acquires the provision information transmitted with respect to the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 1 which carries out optical communication by making a transmission request to the data server 6. Therefore, the optical beacon 4 can always provide the in-vehicle communication device 1 with the provision information based on the new dynamic map information 24.
Furthermore, when the optical beacon 4 optically communicates with the in-vehicle communication device 1, when all the provided information cannot be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication device 1, the portion of the provided information that cannot be transmitted is determined from the optical beacon 4. Can also be transmitted to another optical beacon 4 located on the downstream side.

  In the present embodiment, the optical beacon 4 requests the data server 6 to transmit the provision information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication device 1, and the data server 6 provides the provision information in response to the request from the optical beacon 4. Although the case where it transmits to the optical beacon 4 via the central apparatus 5 is shown, for example, if the central apparatus 5 stores the specific information stored in the optical beacon 4, the specific information is transmitted to the data server according to the determination of the central apparatus 5. 6, and the provision information from the data server 6 may be transmitted to the optical beacon 4.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating each device according to a modification of the first embodiment.
The present modification is different from the first embodiment in that an information providing device 30 is provided between the central device 5 and the data server 6.

In FIG. 5, the information providing device 30 includes a communication device 31 for performing communication between the central device 5 and the data server 6, and a processing device 32.
The processing device 32 is configured by a computer and functionally includes a communication control unit 32a and a generation unit 32b.

The communication control unit 32a and the generation unit 32b have the same functions as the communication control unit 17a and the generation unit 17b of the first embodiment.
That is, the generation unit 32b generates specific information.
The communication device 31 and the communication control unit 32a constitute an information request unit that transmits a transmission request for provision information to the data server 6 together with the specific information, and the provision information transmitted from the data server 6 according to the transmission request and the specific information. Is provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1.
Even in this configuration, as in the first embodiment, the data amount of the provided information can be appropriately suppressed, and necessary information can be appropriately provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

  Moreover, in this modification, although the case where the information provision apparatus 30 was provided between the central apparatus 5 and the data server 6 was shown, the information provision apparatus 30 may have in the data server 6, The central device 5 may have.

[Configuration of each apparatus according to the second embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing each device according to the second embodiment.
The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the roadside communication device 35 has a function as an information providing device instead of the optical beacon.

In FIG. 6, the in-vehicle communication device 1 includes a wireless communication device 13 for performing wireless communication with the roadside communication device 35 and another in-vehicle communication device 1, and a processing device 12.
The communication control unit 12a of the processing device 12 has a function of performing road-to-vehicle communication with the roadside communication device 35 by controlling the wireless communication device 13 and performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the other in-vehicle communication device 1. have.

The roadside communication device 35 is installed, for example, at each intersection in FIG. 1 and is connected to the central device 5 via the communication line 7 so as to be capable of wired communication with the central device 5.
The roadside communication device 35 includes a wireless communication device 36 for performing wireless communication with the in-vehicle communication device 1, a wired communication device 37 for performing communication with the central device 5, and a processing device 38. ing.
The processing device 38 is configured by a computer and functionally includes a communication control unit 38a and a generation unit 38b.
The communication control unit 38a and the generation unit 38b have the same functions as the communication control unit 17a and the generation unit 17b of the first embodiment.

  Each roadside communication device 35 and the vehicle-mounted communication device 1 are time-division multiplexed (TDMA) time-division multiplexing that divides the time for performing communication such as road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. An access method is adopted.

  In the multi-access scheme based on TDMA, each roadside communication device 35 performs radio transmission using a plurality of time slots provided in a radio frame having a predetermined period. Each roadside communication device 35 is assigned one of the time slots in the radio frame. Each roadside communication device 35 performs radio transmission using the assigned time slot. Each roadside communication device 35 receives a transmission signal from another roadside communication device 35 or the in-vehicle communication device 1 at a time other than the time slot.

Moreover, the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 1 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication by a CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) method at times other than the time when the time slot is set.
The in-vehicle communication device 1 (the communication control unit 12a) includes vehicle information (vehicle ID of the own device, position information, vehicle speed information, direction information indicating a traveling direction) and generated probe information in a transmission signal, and performs inter-vehicle communication. To wirelessly transmit to another in-vehicle communication device 1.

The roadside communication device 35 forms a service area that can communicate with the in-vehicle communication device 1 around the own device 35.
The roadside communication device 35 receives a transmission signal wirelessly transmitted by the in-vehicle communication device 1 that has entered the service area through inter-vehicle communication, and acquires vehicle information and probe information of the in-vehicle communication device 1.

The generation unit 38b of the roadside communication device 35 that has acquired the vehicle information of the in-vehicle communication device 1 generates specific information based on the position information and the direction information of the in-vehicle communication device 1 included in the vehicle information.
Based on the position information and the direction information of the in-vehicle communication device 1, the generation unit 38 b specifies an area where the in-vehicle communication device 1 is assumed to travel in the future, and generates specific information indicating the specified specific area.

When the generation unit 38b generates the specific information, the communication control unit 38a transmits a transmission request together with the specific information to the data server 6.
Thereafter, when the provision information according to the specific information is given from the data server 6 to the roadside communication device 35, the roadside communication device 35 transmits the provision information to the in-vehicle communication device 1 by wireless communication.

As described above, the roadside communication device 35 of the present embodiment includes the generation unit 38b that generates the specific information and the information request unit (wired communication device 37 and communication) that transmits the transmission request for the provided information to the data server 6 together with the specific information. A control unit 38a), and a providing unit (wireless communication device 36 and communication control unit 38a) that provides the in-vehicle communication device 1 with the provision information transmitted from the data server 6 in response to the transmission request and the specific information, An information providing apparatus that provides the in-vehicle communication device 1 with the information to be provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1 is configured.
Even in this configuration, as in the first embodiment, the data amount of the provided information can be appropriately suppressed, and necessary information can be appropriately provided to the in-vehicle communication device 1.

  Also in the present embodiment, the roadside communication device 35 acquires the provision information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication device 1 by making a transmission request to the data server 6. Therefore, the roadside communication device 35 can always provide the in-vehicle communication device 1 with provision information based on the new dynamic map information 24.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the time-division multiplexing method is employed in order to allow road-to-vehicle communication by the roadside communication device 35 and the vehicle-mounted communication device 1 and vehicle-to-vehicle communication to coexist is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, other schemes, for example, frequency division multiplexing schemes can be employed.

[Others]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where infrastructure devices such as the optical beacon 4 and the roadside communication device 35 are caused to function as the information providing device has been exemplified. For example, as illustrated in FIG. If the mobile terminal 40 can communicate with the mobile terminal 40, the mobile terminal 40 may function as an information providing apparatus. In this case, the mobile terminal 40 communicates with the data server 6 via the carrier.

In each of the above embodiments, the specific areas (the first specific area A1, the second specific area A2, the third specific area A3, and the fourth specific area A4) indicated by the specific information are set based on the intersection on the road R. For example, the areas A1 to A4 may be set based on administrative divisions.
For example, the narrowest first specific area A1 is set in units of sections by address, and the other specific areas A2 to A4 are appropriately set based on sections by city, town, village, ward, etc. You can also

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, the width of the specific area which each of the 4 specific information which the production | generation part of an information provision apparatus produces | generates shows corresponding update information (static information, quasi-static information, quasi-dynamic information, and Dynamic information) is set according to the update frequency, but the specific area indicated by each of the four specific information may be set according to the amount of data per unit area in the corresponding update information. Good.

  In this case, for update information with a large data amount per unit area, the data amount of the provided information specified in the specific area can be further suppressed by setting the specific area in a relatively narrow range.

Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the information provision apparatus illustrated the case where the provision information provided from the data server 6 was provided to the vehicle-mounted communication apparatus 1 as it was, for example, the vehicle which the information provision apparatus transmitted provision information in the past When the communication device 1 and the contents of the provision information transmitted in the past are stored, the information providing device, when transmitting the provision information to the stored in-vehicle communication device 1, instead of transmitting the provision information The difference between past provided information and current provided information may be transmitted.
In this case, since it is not necessary to transmit the entire provided information, the amount of data transmitted to the in-vehicle communication device 1 can be further suppressed.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive.
The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the meanings described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle communication apparatus 2 Vehicle 3 Traffic signal 4 Optical beacon 5 Central apparatus 6 Data server 7 Communication line 8 Network 11 Optical communication apparatus 12 Processing apparatus 12a Communication control part 13 Communication apparatus 15 Optical communication apparatus 16 Communication apparatus 17 Processing apparatus 17a Communication control Unit 17b generation unit 21 communication device 22 processing device 23 storage device 24 dynamic map information 30 information providing device 31 communication device 32 processing device 32a communication control unit 32b generation unit 35 roadside communication device 36 wireless communication device 37 wired communication device 38 processing device 38a Communication control unit 38b Generation unit 40 Mobile terminal A1 First specific area A2 Second specific area A3 Third specific area A4 Fourth specific area L1, L2, L3, L4 Broken line

Claims (6)

An information providing device that provides the in-vehicle communication device with provision information to be provided to the in-vehicle communication device,
A generating unit that generates specific information for specifying the provision information from dynamic map information stored in an external server;
An information requesting unit for transmitting a transmission request for the provided information to the external server together with the specific information;
A providing unit for providing the provision information transmitted from the external server in response to the transmission request and the specific information to the in-vehicle communication device;
The information providing device that generates the specific information based on position information and traveling direction information of the in-vehicle communication device. The dynamic map information includes a plurality of update information updated at different update frequencies,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates the specific information for each of the plurality of update information. The plurality of specific information is information indicating a specific area set in a target area targeted by the dynamic map information,
3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission request is information requesting the external server to transmit, as the provision information, information included in the specific area among the plurality of update information. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific area indicated by each of the plurality of specific information is set to be wide or narrow according to an update frequency of corresponding update information. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the width of the specific area is set to be narrower as the update frequency of the corresponding update information is lower. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific area indicated by each of the plurality of specific information is set in accordance with a data amount per unit area in the corresponding update information.

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