JP2020067743A - Road traffic control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a new technique for achieving an automatic operation.SOLUTION: A passing permission/rejection control system 10 determines whether or not passing is to be permitted concerning a railroad crossing to which an automobile is approaching based on a railroad crossing warning prediction time of each railroad crossing when railroad crossing warning acquired from a train operation system 50 is performed, and transmits a passing permission notification to an on-vehicle device 30 of an automobile when permission is determined. Besides, the passing permission/rejection control system determines whether passing is to be permitted concerning an intersection to which an automobile is approaching based on a passing right giving timing for each passing direction at each intersection, and transmits the passing permission notification to the on-vehicle device 30 of an automobile when permission is determined. An automobile performs initial setting where stop setting is applied concerning each one of railroad crossings and intersections on a travel plan route, as automatic travel control setting of a travel plan route, and updates stop setting applied to an object railroad crossing or an intersection to passing possible setting when the passing permission notification is received from the passing permission/rejection control system 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a road traffic control system for controlling road traffic.

  Currently, technological development of automatic driving of automobiles by computer control is being advanced worldwide. The level of automatic driving is divided into 6 levels. The level at which the driver operates everything is level 0, and the level at which any of acceleration (accelerator), steering (steering), and braking (brake) operations is automated. Level 1, the stage where multiple operations are automated is Level 2, all the operations are automated only in a specific place such as an expressway, but the stage where the driver operates only in an emergency is Level 3, operating only in a specific place Is defined as level 4 and the level where all operations are automated regardless of location is defined as level 5.

  In order to carry out automatic driving, it is important to capture various information around the vehicle such as the driving lane on the road and other vehicles, and as a means for that, image recognition of images captured by cameras mounted on vehicles is widely used. (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, in order to carry out safe autonomous driving, it is necessary to recognize the surroundings of the vehicle in real time and accurately. Therefore, it is required to further improve the reliability of image recognition performance and the recognition speed. The development is becoming more advanced every day.

JP, 2008-73275, A JP 2000-207563 A

  For example, traffic lights and crossing warnings at intersections are information necessary for realizing automatic driving. A level crossing or an intersection is a place where a large number of cars come and go from a plurality of directions. In any case, misrecognition or delay in recognition may lead to an accident immediately, so accurate and real-time recognition is necessary. The traffic lights at intersections and the level of warnings at railroad crossings change from moment to moment, and there are traffic signals that suddenly appear in the field of view, such as a signal immediately after a curve or a signal immediately after a right or left turn. Therefore, in order to realize the safety-first automatic driving, a sophisticated arithmetic processing technology is required to realize the accurate and real-time automatic driving only from the image captured by the camera mounted on the vehicle. Such a conventional technique has a basic idea of autonomous control by the vehicle alone.

  In order to realize safety-first automatic driving, there should be various methods other than autonomous control by the vehicle alone. The present invention was devised to provide a new technique for realizing automatic driving.

The first invention for solving the above problems is
A car that automatically drives to a given destination along a given planned route,
A passage permission / prohibition control system that is connected to a train operation system and controls whether or not to permit passage of a crossing and an intersection (hereinafter referred to as a "passing spot" in the case of being comprehensive) to the vehicle.
Is a road traffic control system configured to communicate with,
Each of the train operation system and the passage permission / prohibition control system receives a satellite signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite, receives a standard radio wave, or communicates with an absolute time information providing system to obtain a highly accurate time. It is equipped with a high-precision timekeeping function that keeps time
The car is
An initial setting unit (for example, an initial setting unit 608 in FIG. 19) that performs an initial setting in which the automatic traveling control setting of the planned traveling route is set as a stop setting for each of the passing spots existing on the planned traveling route.
When a passage permission notification for permitting passage of the passage spot is received from the passage permission / denial control system, a passage permission setting updating unit that updates the stop setting of the passage spot subject to the passage permission notification to the passage permission setting (for example, , A passability setting updating unit 610) of FIG.
Equipped with
The passage permission / denial control system,
Crossing time table information acquisition means for acquiring crossing time table information, which is a time table of predicted crossing warning times based on the high-accuracy time of each crossing when a crossing warning is to be issued, from the train operation system (for example, FIG. 15). Crossing timetable information acquisition unit 202),
A planned traveling route information storage unit that stores the planned traveling route information of the vehicle (for example, vehicle management information 340 in FIG. 17);
Running information receiving means (for example, running information receiving unit 206 in FIG. 15) for receiving running information including own vehicle position information from the automobile,
Based on the railroad crossing timetable information, the planned traveling route information and the travel information, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be performed for the railroad crossing where the vehicle is approaching, and when it is determined that the passage permission notification is given. A level crossing permission / prohibition control unit for transmitting to the vehicle (for example, a level crossing permission / prohibition control unit 210 in FIG. 15);
Traffic right grant timing information storage means (for example, the intersection management information 330 in FIG. 18) that stores traffic right grant timing information that is the timing of granting traffic rights for each traffic direction based on the high-accuracy time of each intersection.
Based on the passage right grant timing information, the planned traveling route information, and the traveling information, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be performed at an intersection where the vehicle is approaching, and when it is determined that the passage permission notification is made, the passage permission notification is made. An intersection passage permission / prohibition control means (for example, the intersection passage permission / prohibition control unit 212 in FIG. 15) for transmitting the
With
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, all the passing spots such as railroad crossings and intersections on the planned traveling route are initially set to stop settings in the automatic driving vehicle as the automatic traveling control setting for the planned traveling route. Then, when the passage permission notification is received from the passage permission / denial control system, the stop setting of the corresponding passing spot is updated to the passable setting. In other words, the vehicle operates on a safe side (automatic operation) in which a passing spot such as a railroad crossing or an intersection on the planned travel route cannot pass until the vehicle is permitted to pass by the passage permission / prohibition control system.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system permits passage during a time period when a railroad crossing warning is issued when a railroad crossing is approached by a vehicle, for example, based on an estimated time of the railroad crossing warning when a railroad crossing warning is issued. Whether or not to give a passage permission notification is determined according to the status of the alarm, such as not. In addition, at an intersection where a car is approaching, based on the timing of granting the right of passage for each direction of travel, for example, do not allow the passage of time when the right of passage is not granted in the direction of travel of the vehicle. , It is determined whether or not to give a traffic permission notification according to the status of granting the traffic right for each traffic direction. This makes it possible to avoid a collision between a train and a car at a railroad crossing and a collision between cars at an intersection, and it is possible to realize a completely new technique for automatic driving, which is different from the conventional one.

The second invention is the same as the first invention,
The passage permission notification includes deadline information indicating a deadline for passage permission,
The car is
Stop setting updating means (for example, stop setting update in FIG. 19) that updates the passable setting of the passing spot subject to the pass permission notification to the stop setting when the deadline indicated by the deadline information included in the pass permission notification is reached. Part 612),
With
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the second invention, the passage permission / prohibition control system transmits the passage permission notification including the time limit information, and when the vehicle reaches the time limit indicated by the time limit information included in the received passage permission notification, the vehicle passes the target passage spot. Possible settings can be updated to stop settings. While the level crossing warning and traffic signal conditions at intersections may change from moment to moment, for example, communication delays or communication interruptions may occur between the passage permission / prohibition control system and the vehicle. Then, when the state in which the vehicle cannot receive the passage permission notification continues, even if the vehicle receives the passage permission notification once, when the deadline is reached, the stop setting is updated and the vehicle cannot enter the passing spot. This is a safe side operation. In this way, it is possible to prevent the automobile from entering the level crossing or the intersection according to the "old" permission notification, and realize safe automatic driving.

A third invention is the first or second invention,
The crossing passage permission / prohibition control means predicts a predicted crossing arrival time of the vehicle based on the planned traveling route information and the travel information, and determines whether or not the crossing at the crossing arrival predicted time is based on the crossing time table information. By judging, it is judged whether or not the passage permission notice can be given,
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the passage permission / prohibition control system predicts a predicted arrival time of a railroad crossing at which a vehicle is approaching, determines whether or not the crossing can pass at the predicted crossing arrival time, and gives a passage permission notification. You can judge.

A fourth invention is the invention according to any one of the first to third inventions,
Based on the planned travel route information and the travel information, the crossing passage permission / prohibition control unit specifies a distance and / or time to the planned crossing of the vehicle as a crossing approaching a predetermined crossing approach condition. Then, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be given at a predetermined time interval after the crossing approach condition is satisfied and before the crossing.
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the passage permission / prohibition control system determines whether or not to give a passage permission notification not to all the railroad crossings on the planned traveling route of the vehicle but to the railroad crossings that satisfy the level crossing approach condition and can be regarded as approaching by the vehicle. It can be a judgment target. In addition, the predicted crossing time can change from moment to moment depending on the train, so by repeatedly determining whether or not to issue a passage permission notification for the relevant railroad crossing until the vehicle passes the crossing, the latest It can be judged based on the train running situation.

A fifth invention is the invention of any one of the first to fourth inventions,
The intersection passage permission / prohibition control means predicts an estimated intersection arrival time of the vehicle based on the planned traveling route information and the traveling information, and determines whether or not the intersection can pass at the estimated intersection arrival time based on the passage right grant timing information. It is determined whether or not the passage permission notice can be given by
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the fifth aspect, the passage permission / prohibition control system predicts an estimated arrival time of an intersection at which an automobile is approaching, determines whether or not the intersection can pass at the estimated arrival time of the intersection, and gives a passage permission notification. You can judge.

6th invention is any one of 1st-5th invention,
The intersection passage approval / disapproval control unit specifies the intersection and the distance and / or the time to the intersection planned to pass by the vehicle as an intersection approaching a predetermined intersection approach condition based on the planned traveling route information and the traveling information. Then, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notice can be given at a predetermined time interval after the intersection approach condition is satisfied and before the intersection is passed,
It is a road traffic control system.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the passage permission / prohibition control system gives the passage permission notification not to all the intersections on the planned traveling route of the vehicle but to the intersections that meet the intersection approaching condition and can be regarded as approaching the vehicle. Whether or not it can be determined. In addition, since the passing direction to which the right of passage is granted at the intersection can change moment by moment, by repeatedly determining whether or not to give a passage permission notification of the intersection until the vehicle passes through the intersection, The judgment can be based on the latest intersection situation.

Application example of road traffic control system. Explanatory drawing of the information which a passage permission / denial control system acquires and transmits. Schematic diagram of automatic driving control of a car. Explanatory drawing of the judgment of passage permission or prohibition of a railroad crossing with respect to an automobile. Explanatory drawing of the judgment of passage permission or prohibition of a railroad crossing with respect to an automobile. Explanatory drawing of the judgment of passage permission or prohibition of a railroad crossing with respect to an automobile. Explanatory drawing of the judgment of passage permission or prohibition of a railroad crossing with respect to an automobile. Explanatory drawing of the judgment of passage permission or prohibition of a railroad crossing with respect to an automobile. Explanatory drawing of traffic control at an intersection. Explanatory drawing of judgment of passage permission or prohibition for an automobile. Explanatory drawing of judgment of passage permission or prohibition for an automobile. Explanatory drawing of judgment of passage permission or prohibition for an automobile. Explanatory drawing of judgment of passage permission or prohibition for an automobile. Explanatory drawing of judgment of passage permission or prohibition for an automobile. The functional block diagram of a passage permission / denial control system. An example of railroad crossing management information. An example of automobile management information. An example of intersection management information. The functional block diagram of an in-vehicle apparatus. An example of automatic traveling control setting information. The flowchart of the process which a passage permission / denial control system performs. Continuation of the flowchart of FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applicable are not limited to the following embodiments. Further, in the description of the drawings, the same symbols are attached to the same elements.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is an application example of the road traffic control system 1 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the road traffic control system 1 includes a passage permission / denial control system 10 communicatively connected to a train operation system 50 via a communication network N2, and an in-vehicle device 30 mounted on each vehicle. The communication network N1 is communicably connected and configured. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that all vehicles equipped with the in-vehicle device 30 are controlled to travel by automatic driving in which planned travel routes are set.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 is a system that controls whether or not a vehicle is permitted to pass at a railroad crossing and an intersection (hereinafter, referred to as a “passing spot” in the case of inclusion).

  The train operation system 50 is communicably connected to the on-board device 70 of each train via the communication network N3. For example, the running position and running position of each train are acquired from the on-board device 70 at any time, and the train presence information is displayed. The on-rail management function that manages trains, calculates the estimated time of arrival at each railroad crossing based on on-rail information, and calculates the alarm start time based on the estimated time of arrival at each railroad crossing for each railroad crossing. It has various functions related to train operation, such as a level crossing warning function that controls alarms centrally.

  The communication networks N1, N2, N3 mean communication paths capable of data communication, and a LAN (Local Area Network) such as a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection or Ethernet (registered trademark), as well as telephone communication. It is meant to include networks, cable networks, and communication networks such as the Internet. Wired / wireless can be appropriately selected as a communication method related to the communication network, but the communication networks N1 and N3 are assumed to be wireless.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 obtains information about a railroad crossing warning from the train operation system 50, and also relates to the automatic driving including the position of the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 30 is mounted and the planned traveling route from the in-vehicle device 30. Get information. Then, based on the obtained information, it is determined for each vehicle whether or not to allow passage of passing spots (railroad crossings and intersections), and if the passage is permitted, a passage permission notification is generated and the corresponding vehicle is mounted. Send to device 30.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining information acquired and transmitted by the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 is a timetable of predicted railroad crossing times based on the high-accuracy time of each railroad crossing when the railroad crossing warning is to be issued from the train operation system 50 as information regarding the railroad crossing warning. A certain level crossing timetable information 60 is acquired. The railroad crossing time table information 60 includes the update time of the information based on the highly accurate time, the railroad crossing ID of the corresponding railroad crossing, and the predicted start time and predicted end time for each alarm control. The alarm control included in the railroad crossing time table information 60 is a predicted time for all alarm control within a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) from the current time, or for alarm control up to a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times). It can be the predicted time. If an alarm is currently being issued, the alarm control in progress is also included.

  Further, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 acquires the traveling information 40 from the in-vehicle device 30 of each automobile. The traveling information 40 is the update time of the information based on the highly accurate time, the in-vehicle device ID of the corresponding in-vehicle device 30, and the traveling position and traveling speed that are the vehicle position information of the vehicle in which the corresponding in-vehicle device 30 is mounted. , Traveling direction and planned travel route.

  Then, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines whether or not to permit passage of passing spots (railroad crossings and intersections) for each vehicle based on the obtained information, and when permitting passage, a passage permission notification is given. 20 is generated and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 30 of the corresponding automobile. The passage permission notice 20 includes the update time of the information based on the high precision time, the crossing ID or the intersection ID of the target passing spot, and the expiration date of the passage permission indicated by the time based on the high precision time.

  Returning to FIG. 1, an automobile (own vehicle) in which the vehicle-mounted device 30 is mounted has an automatic driving device, and the automatic driving device performs automatic driving. In automatic driving, the operation of a vehicle is controlled so that the vehicle travels along a preset travel route to a given destination. The in-vehicle device 30 supports the automatic driving control by the automatic driving device in accordance with the passage permission notification 20 received from the passage permission / denial control system 10 so that a passing spot that is not permitted to pass is stopped in front of it and does not enter the passing spot. .

  Further, the vehicle-mounted device 30 has a GNSS receiver that receives a satellite signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite G, and has a positioning function based on the received GNSS satellite signal. With this positioning function, the vehicle-mounted device 30 can detect the position, speed, and traveling direction of the vehicle with high accuracy.

  In addition, each of the passage permission / prohibition control system 10, the in-vehicle device 30, the train operation system 50, and the on-board device 70 has a GNSS receiver that receives a satellite signal from the GNSS satellite G, and based on the received GNSS satellite signal. Equipped with a high-precision timekeeping function that measures high-precision time. This makes it possible to realize time synchronization between the devices. The GNSS satellite G is a global positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GALILEO, and BeiDou (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System). It is a satellite used in the positioning satellite system (GNSS).

[Characteristic]
(A) Automatic Driving Control FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of automatic driving control of the automobile 32 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the automobile 32 automatically operates so as to travel along the set planned traveling route 34. The planned travel route 34 is a route from the current position of the automobile 32 to the instructed destination, which is set by the driver instructing the destination by the car navigation function of the automobile 32, for example. A route that satisfies a condition (for example, the shortest distance, the minimum required time, etc.) is automatically searched and set.

  One of the features of this embodiment is that, as an automatic travel control setting for causing the automobile 32 to travel along the planned travel route 34, all passing spots (railroad crossings RC and intersections IS) existing on the planned travel route 34 are set. , "Passability" indicating whether the vehicle is passable or not is set. The operation of the automobile 32 is controlled so that the passing spot, which is set to be stopped to indicate that the vehicle cannot pass, is stopped in front of the passing spot without entering the passing spot.

  As the driving control for stopping the vehicle in front of the passing spot, for example, a speed curve showing the relationship of the speed to the position of the vehicle along the road, and traveling at a predetermined speed (for example, road speed limit) A stop that allows the vehicle to decelerate at a predetermined deceleration (for example, the maximum deceleration determined by the performance of the vehicle) and stop at a predetermined stop position (for example, the position of the stop line defined before the passing spot). This can be realized by defining a speed curve for use and running the vehicle in accordance with the speed curve for stopping. It should be noted that the control of "running along the speed curve for stopping" is actually applied in combination with other automatic driving control. That is, as a result of the automatic driving control that maintains the inter-vehicle distance with other vehicles, the vehicle does not travel completely along the stopping speed curve, and the speed corresponding to each position defined by the stopping speed curve is not exceeded. The control is such that it is stopped before the stop position.

  Whether or not a passing spot can pass is set as follows. First, after the planned travel route 34 is set, as a default setting, the passage permission / prohibition for all passing spots on the planned travel route 34 is set to stop, which indicates that the passage is impossible. That is, immediately after the planned travel route 34 is set, the automobile 32 cannot pass all the traffic spots on the planned travel route 34, and the driving control is performed so that the vehicle 32 stops in front of it. Only when the vehicle 32 receives the passage permission notice 20 from the passage permission / prohibition control system 10, the passage permission / prohibition of the passage spot indicated by the passage permission notice 20 can be indicated as passable from the stop setting. Change to settings. By changing the setting to pass or not pass, the automobile can pass the passing spot.

  Further, the passage permission notice 20 includes an expiration date (see FIG. 2). When the expiration date indicated by the received passage permission notice 20 is reached, the automobile 32 sets the passage permission of the passage spot indicated by the passage permission notice 20 to "invalid", and sets the passage permission / prohibition of the passage spot to the stop setting. change.

(B) Judgment of Pass / Fail Passage FIGS. 4 to 8 are views for explaining the determination of pass / fail permission of a railroad crossing for an automobile by the pass / fail permission control system 10. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the vehicle 32 traveling along the planned traveling route approaches the railroad crossing RC at time T ₀ . Here, that the vehicle “approaches” at the railroad crossing means that the distance and / or the time from the vehicle to the railroad crossing satisfy a predetermined level crossing approach condition. The level crossing approach condition is a condition that the vehicle is considered to be approaching the level crossing, and for example, as a condition related to the distance, "the distance along the planned travel route from the vehicle to the level crossing is less than or equal to a predetermined distance", As a condition regarding time, it is possible that "the time required to reach the railroad crossing when the vehicle travels along a planned route at a predetermined speed (for example, the speed limit of the road) is the predetermined time or less" .

The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines the passage permission / prohibition of the vehicle with respect to the level at which the vehicle is approaching. To determine whether to permit or deny the passage, first, at time T ₀ , which is the determination time point, it is determined whether or not the railroad crossing RC can pass. Whether or not the railroad crossing RC can pass can be determined by referring to the railroad crossing time table information 60. That is, if the time T ₀ is before the next warning start predicted time indicated by the railroad crossing time table information 60, it is determined that the warning is not started yet and the vehicle can pass, and if it is after the warning start predicted time, the warning is issued. Judging that it has been started and is impassable.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the railroad crossing RC is passable at time T ₀ . In this case, subsequently, the predicted arrival time T _S of the vehicle 32 at the railroad crossing RC is calculated. The predicted arrival time T _S can be, for example, the time at which the vehicle 32 stops before the railroad crossing RC when the vehicle 32 travels along the stop speed curve. Then, similarly, it is determined whether or not the railroad crossing RC can pass at the calculated predicted arrival time T _S by similarly referring to the railroad crossing time table information 60.

As shown in FIG. 5, if the railroad crossing RC is allowed to pass at the predicted arrival time T _S of the vehicle 32, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the railroad crossing RC is allowed to pass through the vehicle 32 as “permitted”, and the passage to that effect. The permission notice 20 is transmitted to the automobile 32. The validity period of the pass permit determined here is the period when it is assumed that the pass permit may continue. For example, it may be a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds or 5 seconds), or may be the next warning start predicted time. Therefore, the vehicle 32 that has received the passage permission notification 20 can change the passage permission / prohibition of the railroad crossing RC from the stop setting to the passable setting, and can pass through the railroad crossing RC. In other words, the vehicle 32 does not need to follow the stop speed curve that is set to stop before the railroad crossing RC, and the operation of the automobile 32 is controlled so as to pass through the railroad crossing RC.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, if the railroad crossing RC is impassable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the automobile 32, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the railroad crossing RC with respect to the automobile 32 is “not permitted”. In this case, the passage permission notice 20 is not transmitted. Therefore, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the railroad crossing RC, and the vehicle 32 is operation-controlled so as to stop before the railroad crossing RC in accordance with a speed curve for stopping that is determined to stop before the railroad crossing RC.

FIG. 7 shows a case where the railroad crossing RC is impassable at time T ₀ . In this case, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the railroad crossing RC with respect to the automobile 32 is “not permitted”, and the passage permission notification 20 is not transmitted. Therefore, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the railroad crossing RC, and the vehicle 32 is operation-controlled so as to stop before the railroad crossing RC in accordance with a speed curve for stopping that is determined to stop before the railroad crossing RC.

  As described above, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 detects that the railroad crossing RC is passable at the time of determination, and that the railroad crossing RC is passable when the vehicle 32 reaches the railroad crossing RC. The “pass” RC is “permitted” to 32 and a passage permission notification is transmitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the passage permission notification 20 is not received, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the railroad crossing RC and stops before the railroad crossing RC according to the speed curve for stopping. When the vehicle 32 stops before the railroad crossing RC, the vehicle 32 can pass through the railroad crossing RC when the railroad crossing becomes possible because the train 72 has passed the railroad crossing RC. That is, since the automobile 32 has already reached the railroad crossing RC at the time when the railroad crossing RC becomes passable by the passage of the train 72, that time becomes the predicted arrival time T _S, and therefore, in the case shown in FIG. Correspondingly, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the railroad crossing RC with respect to the automobile 32 is “permitted” and transmits the passage permission notice 20 to the automobile 32.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 repeatedly determines the passage permission / prohibition of the railroad crossing RC with respect to the vehicle 32 as described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 at predetermined time intervals until the vehicle 32 passes the railroad crossing RC. . Since the decision as to whether or not to permit the passage is made at the railroad crossing RC on which the vehicle 32 is approaching, the distance and / or time to the planned railroad crossing RC existing on the planned traveling route of the vehicle 32 satisfies a predetermined level crossing approach condition. It can be said that, thereafter, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle 32 is permitted to pass through the railroad crossing RC is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals until the vehicle crosses the railroad crossing RC. Depending on the running condition of the train 72, the warning start predicted time of the railroad crossing RC may change. Further, the predicted arrival time Ts at the railroad crossing RC may change depending on the driving condition of the automobile 32, so that the “permitted / non-permitted” determination result may differ for each repeated determination. For example, immediately after the vehicle 32 approaches the railroad crossing RC and repeated determination is started, it is determined that the passage of the railroad crossing RC is “non-permitted” and the vehicle 32 is controlled to stop before the railroad crossing RC. , The case where the vehicle 32 is judged to be “permitted” before the vehicle reaches the railroad crossing RC and is allowed to pass, or conversely, immediately after the start of the repeated judgment, the vehicle 32 is judged to be “permitted” and the railroad crossing RC can be passed. However, there may be a case where the vehicle 32 is judged to be “non-permitted” before reaching the railroad crossing RC and the driving is controlled so that the vehicle 32 cannot pass and stops in front. .

At the intersection, traffic control is performed so that the right to pass is sequentially given to each of a plurality of traffic directions that intersect with each other. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating traffic control at an intersection. FIG. 9 shows an example in which a crossing intersection where two traffic directions of a main road and a sub road intersect each other as shown in the upper part. At such a crossing intersection, as shown in the timing chart of the central portion of FIG. 9, the right of passage is alternately given to each of the main road and the sub road. This timing chart shows the time zone in which the right of passage is granted for each of the traveling directions of the main road and the sub roads with the horizontal direction as the time axis. Note that, from the viewpoint of safety, the switching timing of the traffic direction in which the traffic right is granted is set to a period (for example, time T _{b to} T _c , T _{d to} T _e, etc.) in which the traffic right is not granted in all the traffic directions. ing. The length of time for granting the right of passage in a certain traveling direction may be different or the same for each traveling direction. Further, it may be variable according to the traffic volume.

  In order to realize such traffic control, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 stores the passage right grant timing information 335, which is the timing of granting the passage right for each passage direction of the intersection, as shown in the lower part of FIG. There is. The traffic right grant timing information 335 is a data table in which time zones are associated with traffic directions to which traffic rights are granted and stored in time series. The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 may acquire the passage right grant timing information 335 from an external system (for example, an intersection signal control system) and store the information, or the time to give the passage right for each passing direction. The control parameters necessary for traffic control at intersections such as the length of roads, the length of time during which traffic is not granted in all traffic directions, the reference timing for granting traffic in all traffic directions, etc. are acquired from an external system, and this control is performed. According to the parameter, the timing of granting the right to pass may be calculated to generate the right grant timing information 335.

10 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the determination of the passage permission / prohibition of an automobile by the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the vehicle 32 traveling along the planned traveling route approaches the intersection IS at time T ₀ . Here, "the vehicle approaches an intersection" means that the distance and / or the time from the vehicle to the intersection satisfy a predetermined intersection approach condition, similar to the level crossing. The intersection approach condition is a condition that a car is considered to be approaching an intersection. For example, as a condition related to the distance, "the distance along the planned traveling route from the car to the intersection is less than or equal to a predetermined distance", The condition regarding the time can be "the time required for the vehicle to travel at a predetermined speed (for example, the speed limit of the road) along the planned travel route to reach the intersection is less than or equal to the predetermined time".

The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines the passage permission / prohibition of the intersection with respect to the vehicle, targeting the intersection at which the vehicle is approaching. To determine whether to permit or deny the passage, first, at time T ₀ , which is a determination time point, it is determined whether or not the intersection IS is passable. Whether or not the intersection can pass can be determined by referring to the right-granting timing information 335. In other words, if the right to travel is given in the direction of travel, which is the traveling direction along the planned route of the automobile, it is determined that the vehicle is allowed to pass, and if the right is not given, the vehicle cannot be passed. To judge.

FIG. 10 shows a case where the intersection is passable at time T ₀ . In this case, subsequently, the predicted arrival time T _S of the vehicle at the intersection is calculated. The estimated arrival time T _S can be, for example, the time at which the vehicle stops before the intersection when the vehicle travels along the stop speed curve. Then, similarly, it is determined whether or not the intersection is passable at the calculated predicted arrival time T _S by similarly referring to the passage right grant timing information 335.

As shown in FIG. 11, if the intersection IS is passable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the automobile 32, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the intersection IS with respect to the automobile 32 is “permitted”, and the passage to that effect is given. The permission notice 20 is transmitted to the automobile 32. The validity period of the pass permit determined here is the period when it is assumed that the pass permit may continue. For example, it may be a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.), or may be a time when the passage right granted at time t ₀ , which is the determination time point, ends. Therefore, the vehicle 32 that has received the passage permission notification 20 can change the passage permission / prohibition of the intersection IS from the stop setting to the passage permitted setting, and can pass through the intersection IS. In other words, the vehicle 32 does not have to follow the stopping speed curve that is set to stop before the intersection, and is controlled to drive through the intersection IS.

Also, as shown in FIG. If the intersection IS is impassable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the automobile 32, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the intersection IS is not permitted to pass through the automobile 32. In this case, the passage permission notice 20 is not transmitted. Therefore, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the intersection IS, and the driving is controlled so as to stop before the intersection IS in accordance with the stop speed curve that is determined to stop before the intersection IS.

FIG. 13 shows a case where the intersection IS is impassable at time T ₀ . In this case, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the intersection IS with respect to the automobile 32 is “not permitted”, and the passage permission notification 20 is not transmitted. Therefore, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the intersection IS, and the driving is controlled so as to stop before the intersection IS in accordance with the stop speed curve that is determined to stop before the intersection IS.

  As described above, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the intersection IS is passable at the time of determination and that the intersection 32 is passable when the vehicle 32 reaches the intersection. To "pass" the intersection IS and send a passage permission notice 20.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the passage permission notification 20 is not received, the automobile 32 cannot pass through the intersection IS and stops before the intersection IS according to the speed curve for stopping. Since the right of travel is sequentially given in a plurality of traffic directions, if the vehicle 32 stops before the intersection ID, then the right of travel is imparted in the traveling direction of the vehicle 32 and the intersection IS passes. When it becomes possible, you will be able to pass through the intersection IS. That is, since the automobile 32 has already reached the intersection IS at the time when the intersection IS becomes passable due to the granting of the right to travel, that time is the predicted arrival time T _S, and therefore, in the case shown in FIG. Correspondingly, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 determines that the passage of the intersection IS with respect to the automobile 32 is “permitted” and transmits the passage permission notice 20 to the automobile 32.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 repeatedly determines the passage permission / prohibition of the intersection IS with respect to the vehicle 32 as described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13 at predetermined time intervals until the vehicle 32 passes through the intersection IS. . Since the decision as to whether or not to permit passage is made at the intersection IS on which the automobile 32 is approaching, the distance and / or time to the planned intersection IS existing on the planned traveling route of the automobile 32 satisfies a predetermined intersection approach condition. It can be said that thereafter, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle 32 is allowed to pass through the intersection IS is repeated at predetermined time intervals until the vehicle passes the intersection IS. The timing of granting the right of passage for each traffic direction may change according to the traffic conditions at the intersection IS. In addition, since the predicted arrival time Ts at the intersection IS may change depending on the driving condition of the automobile 32, the “permitted / non-permitted” determination result may differ for each repeated determination. For example, immediately after the vehicle 32 approaches the intersection IS and the repeated determination is started, it is determined that the passage of the intersection IS is “non-permitted”, and the operation of the vehicle 32 is controlled so as to stop before the intersection IS. , A case where the vehicle 32 is allowed to pass before it reaches the intersection IS, and conversely, a vehicle 32 is allowed to pass the intersection IS when it is determined to be "allowed" immediately after the start of the repeated determination. However, there may be a case where the vehicle 32 is determined to be “not permitted” before reaching the intersection IS of the vehicle 32, and the vehicle is controlled so that it cannot be passed and the vehicle is stopped in front. .

[Function configuration]
(A) Passing / prohibiting control system 10
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. According to FIG. 15, the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 includes an operation unit 102, a display unit 104, a sound output unit 106, a communication unit 108, a GNSS receiving unit 110, a processing unit 200, and a storage unit 300. It can be configured as a kind of computer system.

  The operation unit 102 is realized by an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, a keyboard, etc., and outputs an operation signal according to an operation performed to the processing unit 200. The display unit 104 is realized by a display device such as an LCD or a touch panel, and performs various displays according to the display signal from the processing unit 200. The sound output unit 106 is realized by an audio output device such as a speaker, and outputs various sounds according to the audio signal from the processing unit 200. The communication unit 108 is realized by, for example, a wired or wireless communication device, connects to the communication networks N1 and N2, and communicates with various external devices such as the train operation system 50 and the in-vehicle device 30.

  The GNSS receiver 110 is a GNSS receiver that receives a GNSS satellite signal from the GNSS satellite G, performs positioning calculation based on the received GNSS satellite signal, and a position represented by latitude and longitude altitude, and a clock unit 220. Calculate the error (time difference) from the clocked time of.

  The processing unit 200 is realized by, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and based on programs, data, and the like stored in the storage unit 300, instructions and data transfer to each unit configuring the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. Then, the overall control of the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 is performed. In addition, the processing unit 200 executes the passage permission / prohibition control program 302 stored in the storage unit 300, so that the level crossing time table information acquisition unit 202, the level crossing information management unit 204, the traveling information reception unit 206, and the vehicle information. The management unit 208, the crossing passage permission / prohibition control unit 210, the intersection passage permission / prohibition control unit 212, and the clock unit 220 function as respective functional blocks. However, these functional blocks can also be configured as independent arithmetic circuits by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

  The railroad crossing timetable information acquisition unit 202 acquires the railroad crossing timetable information 60 for each railroad crossing from the train operation system 50. This acquisition may be realized by the train operation system 50 voluntarily transmitting at a predetermined transmission interval, or in response to a request from the railroad crossing time table information acquisition unit 202. It may be realized by transmitting 50.

  The level crossing information management unit 204 updates the level crossing management information 320 based on the level crossing time table information 60 acquired by the level crossing time table information acquisition unit 202, and manages the status of each level crossing. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the level crossing management information 320. According to FIG. 16, the railroad crossing management information 320 is generated for each railroad crossing, and the railroad crossing ID 322 for identifying the railroad crossing and the installation position 323 represented by latitude and longitude are generated along with the update time 321 at which the information was generated / updated. And crossing timetable information 324. The railroad crossing timetable information 324 is updated to the latest value at any time by the railroad crossing timetable information 60 acquired from the train operation system 50.

  The traveling information receiving unit 206 receives the traveling information 40 from the vehicle-mounted device 30. This reception may be realized by the in-vehicle device 30 voluntarily transmitting at a predetermined transmission interval, or may be transmitted by the in-vehicle device 30 in response to a request from the traveling information receiving unit 206. You may make it implement | achieve by that.

  The vehicle information management unit 208 updates the vehicle management information 340 based on the traveling information 40 acquired by the traveling information receiving unit 206 and manages the situation of each vehicle. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the automobile management information 340. According to FIG. 17, the vehicle management information 340 is generated for each vehicle, and the vehicle ID 342 for identifying the vehicle and the vehicle-mounted device 30 installed therein are identified together with the update time 341 at which the information was generated / updated. The in-vehicle device ID 343, the traveling position 344, the traveling speed 345, the traveling direction 346, the planned traveling route 347, and the transmission history 348 of the passage permission notification are included. The travel position 344, the travel speed 345, the traveling direction 346, and the planned travel route 347 are updated to the latest values at any time based on the acquired travel information 40.

The crossing passage permission / prohibition control unit 210 determines, based on the crossing timetable information, the planned traveling route information, and the traveling information, whether or not it is possible to give a passage permission notification to a crossing that an automobile is approaching. Send a permission notice to the car. Specifically, it is a railroad crossing on a planned route of the vehicle, and the distance and / or the required time from the vehicle is a railroad crossing that meets a predetermined level crossing approach condition until the vehicle crosses the railroad crossing. During this period, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle is permitted to pass the railroad crossing (permission / non-permission) is repeated at predetermined time intervals. To determine whether to allow or disallow passage, if the railroad crossing is passable at the present time and it is predicted that the crossing is passable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the vehicle, it is determined that the vehicle is permitted to cross the railroad crossing. If not, it is judged as “not allowed”. When it is determined to be “permitted”, the passage permission notice 20 to that effect is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 30 of the automobile (see FIGS. 4 to 8). Whether or not the railroad crossing can be passed at a certain time can be determined by referring to the railroad crossing time table information 324 (see FIG. 16) in the railroad crossing management information 320 regarding the railroad crossing.

The intersection passage permission / prohibition control unit 212 determines, on the basis of the passage right grant timing information, the planned traveling route information, and the traveling information, whether or not it is possible to issue a passage permission notification at an intersection where a vehicle is approaching, and when it is determined that the passage permission notification is acceptable. Send a pass permit notification to the car. Specifically, it is an intersection on the planned route of the vehicle, and the distance from the vehicle and / or the required time is an intersection approaching a predetermined intersection approach condition until the vehicle passes through the intersection. During this period, the determination as to whether or not the vehicle is permitted to pass through the intersection (whether it is permitted or not) is repeated at predetermined time intervals. To determine whether to permit or deny the passage, if it is predicted that the intersection is passable at the present time and the intersection is passable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the vehicle, it is determined that the vehicle is allowed to pass the intersection. If not, it is judged as “not allowed”. When it is determined to be “permitted”, the passage permission notice 20 to that effect is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 30 of the automobile (see FIGS. 9 to 14). Whether or not the intersection is passable at a certain time can be determined by referring to the passage right grant timing information 335 (see FIG. 18) in the intersection management information 330 regarding the intersection.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the intersection management information 330. According to FIG. 18, the intersection management information 330 is generated for each intersection, and an update time 331 at which the information is generated / updated, an intersection ID 332 for identifying the corresponding intersection, and an installation position 333 represented by latitude and longitude. And configuration information 334 and passage right grant timing information 335. The configuration information 334 is information such as the number of roads forming the intersection, the number of passing directions, the positional relationship, and the connection with other intersections.

  The clock unit 220 is configured to have an oscillation circuit having a crystal oscillator, and measures the current time and the elapsed time from the designated timing. Further, the clock unit 220 realizes a high-accuracy time counting function for measuring a high-accuracy time by correcting the measured current time using the time error calculated by the GNSS receiving unit 110. Note that the high-precision timekeeping function of the clock unit 220 may not be realized by using a GNSS satellite signal, but may further include a standard radio wave receiver and use the standard radio wave received by this receiver. Alternatively, the absolute time acquired from the absolute time information providing system which is an external system via the communication unit 108 may be used.

  The storage unit 300 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk, a ROM, or a RAM. The storage unit 300 stores programs and data for the processing unit 200 to integrally control the road traffic control system 1. It is used as a work area, and the calculation result executed by the processing unit 200 according to various programs, the input data via the operation unit 102 and the communication unit 108, and the like are temporarily stored. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 300 stores a passage permission / prohibition control program 302, level crossing management information 320, intersection management information 330, and vehicle management information 340.

(B) In-vehicle device 30
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 30. According to FIG. 19, the in-vehicle device 30 includes an operation unit 502, a display unit 504, a sound output unit 506, a communication unit 508, a GNSS receiving unit 510, a processing unit 600, and a storage unit 700, It can be configured as a kind of computer system.

  The operation unit 502 is realized by, for example, an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, and a keyboard, and outputs an operation signal according to an operation performed to the processing unit 600. The display unit 504 is realized by a display device such as an LCD or a touch panel, and performs various displays according to the display signal from the processing unit 600. The sound output unit 506 is realized by an audio output device such as a speaker, and outputs various sounds according to the audio signal from the processing unit 600. The communication unit 508 is realized by, for example, a wired or wireless communication device, is connected to the communication network N1, and communicates with various external devices such as the passage permission / denial control system 10.

  The GNSS receiving unit 510 is a GNSS receiver that receives a GNSS satellite signal from the GNSS satellite G, performs positioning calculation based on the received GNSS satellite signal, and displays the position represented by latitude and longitude altitude and the clock unit 620. A positioning function that calculates the error (time difference) from the measured time of is realized.

  The processing unit 600 is realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs an instruction and data transfer to each unit configuring the vehicle-mounted apparatus 30 based on a program, data, and the like stored in the storage unit 700. , Performs overall control of the vehicle-mounted device 30. Further, the processing unit 600 executes the vehicle-mounted program 702 stored in the storage unit 700, and thereby the traveling route setting unit 602, the traveling information transmitting unit 604, the passage permission notification receiving unit 606, and the initial setting unit 608. , The passable setting updating unit 610, the stop setting updating unit 612, the automatic travel control setting providing unit 614, and the clock unit 620 function as respective functional blocks. However, these functional blocks can also be configured as independent arithmetic circuits by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

  The traveling route setting unit 602 sets a planned traveling route from the current position of the own vehicle to the instructed destination according to an instruction operation via the operation unit 502. Data regarding the set planned traveling route is stored in the storage unit 700 as traveling planned route information 716.

  The travel information transmission unit 604 generates travel information 40 including the travel position, the travel speed, and the traveling direction indicated by the position / speed information 712 stored in the storage unit 700, and the planned travel route indicated by the planned travel route information 716. , To the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. This transmission may be voluntarily transmitted by the traveling information transmission unit 604 at a predetermined transmission interval, or may be transmitted in response to a request from the passage permission / prohibition control system 10.

  The passage permission notification receiving unit 606 receives the passage permission notification 20 from the passage permission / denial control system 10. The received passage permission notification 20 is accumulated and stored in the storage unit 700 as a reception history 730, for example, in the order of reception.

  The initial setting unit 608 performs an initial setting in which the automatic traveling control setting of the planned traveling route is set to stop for each passing spot (railroad crossing and intersection) existing on the planned traveling route. Specifically, when a new planned traveling route is set in the traveling route setting unit 602, the passage permission / prohibition is set to stop for all passing spots (railroad crossings and intersections) existing on the planned traveling route.

  Whether or not the vehicle can pass each passing spot is managed as automatic travel control setting information 720. FIG. 20 is an example of the automatic travel control setting information 720. According to FIG. 20, the automatic traveling control setting information 720 indicates that the crossing ID or the intersection ID, which is the identification ID, and the passage availability, for each of the crossing and the crossing which are the passing spots on the planned traveling route which are currently set. Stored in association with the expiration date.

  When the passage permission setting updating unit 610 receives a passage permission notification from the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 that permits passage of a passage spot, the passage permission setting update unit 610 updates the stop setting of the passage spot subject to the passage permission notification to the passage permission setting. . Specifically, the passage permission notice 20 received by the passage permission notice receiving unit 606 is changed to the passable setting of the passage spot (railroad crossing and intersection) which is a target and is included in the passage permission notice 20. The automatic travel control setting information 720 is updated in association with the deadline.

  When the deadline indicated by the deadline information included in the passage permission notification is reached, the stop setting updating unit 612 updates the passable setting of the target passing spot of the passage permission notification to the stop setting. Specifically, with reference to the automatic travel control setting information 720, a passing spot whose expiration date has reached the current time is determined, and whether or not the determined passing spot is passable is changed from the passable setting to the stop setting.

  When the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving control setting providing unit 614 outputs the automatic driving control setting information 720 to the automatic driving device 36 installed in the own vehicle at any time so that the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 may be used. For the passing spot where passage is not permitted, the automatic driving device 36 controls the automatic driving so as not to enter and stop before the passing spot.

  According to the automatic travel control setting information 720, the automatic driving device 36 stops the passage spot set to stop before this, and allows the passage spot set to pass to pass by. Operation control.

  The clock unit 620 is configured to include an oscillation circuit having a crystal oscillator, and measures the current time and the elapsed time from the designated timing. In addition, the clock unit 620 realizes a high-accuracy time-measuring function of measuring a high-accuracy time by correcting the measured current time using the time error calculated by the GNSS receiving unit 510. Note that the high-accuracy timekeeping function of the clock unit 620 may not be realized by using a GNSS satellite signal, but may further include a standard radio wave receiver and use the standard radio wave received by this receiver. Alternatively, the absolute time acquired from the absolute time information providing system, which is an external system, via the communication unit 508 may be used.

  The storage unit 700 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk, a ROM, or a RAM. The processing unit 600 stores programs and data for the integrated control of the vehicle-mounted apparatus 30, and a work area of the processing unit 600. The calculation result executed by the processing unit 600 according to various programs, the input data via the operation unit 502 and the communication unit 508, and the like are temporarily stored. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 700 includes an in-vehicle program 702, a map DB 710, position / speed information 712, and a driving mode 714 indicating whether the driving mode of the vehicle is a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode. The planned traveling route information 716, the automatic traveling control setting information 720, and the passage history 730 of the passage permission notification are stored.

  The position / velocity information 712 includes a traveling position, a traveling speed, and a traveling direction of the own vehicle, and these can be calculated from the positioning calculation by the GNSS receiving unit 510, for example.

[Process flow]
(A) Passing / prohibiting control system 10
21 and 22 are flowcharts illustrating the flow of processing in the passage permission / prohibition control system 10. This process is a process to control whether or not to allow passage of passing spots (railroad crossings and intersections) (passing / non-passing permission) for automatically driven vehicles, and similar processing is performed in parallel for each vehicle. To be executed.

  First, it is determined whether the planned traveling route of the target vehicle (target vehicle) is acquired, and if the planned traveling route is acquired (step S1: YES), the passing spots (railroad crossings and intersections) on the planned traveling route are acquired. ), The target vehicle determines the next passing spot to be reached (step S3).

If the next passing spot is a railroad crossing (step S5: railroad crossing), it is determined whether or not the target vehicle is approaching the railroad crossing (target railroad crossing) depending on whether or not the crossing approach condition is satisfied. If it has not arrived (step S7: NO), it waits until it is approaching. If the target vehicle is approaching the target level crossing (step S7: YES), the predicted arrival time T _S of the target vehicle at the target level crossing is calculated (step S9). Next, with reference to the level crossing time table information 60 regarding the target level crossing, it is determined whether or not the target level crossing is passable at the present moment. If the vehicle can pass (step S11: YES), subsequently, it is determined whether the target railroad crossing is possible at the predicted arrival time T _S of the target vehicle by referring to the level crossing time table information 60 regarding the target railroad crossing. . If the vehicle can pass (step S13: YES), it is determined that the target railroad crossing is “permitted” for the target vehicle (step S15), and the passage permission notice 20 is transmitted to the target vehicle (step S17).

On the other hand, if the target railroad crossing is impassable at this moment (step S11: NO), or if the target railroad crossing is traversable at this moment, but the target railroad crossing is impassable at the estimated arrival time T _S (step S11). In S13: NO, it is determined that the target railroad crossing is “non-permitted” for the target vehicle (step S15). In this case, the passage permission notice 20 is not transmitted.

  Then, it is determined whether the target vehicle has crossed the stop position before the target level crossing and entered the target level crossing, and if not (step S21: NO), after waiting for a predetermined determination interval time (step S21). S23) and the procedure returns to step S9, and the same processing is repeated. If the target vehicle has entered the target level crossing (step S21: YES), after waiting for the target vehicle to advance and pass the target level crossing (step S26: YES), the process returns to step S3 and the same processing is performed. repeat.

On the other hand, if the next passing spot along the planned traveling route of the target vehicle is an intersection (step S5: intersection), it is determined whether the target vehicle approaches the intersection (target intersection) depending on whether the intersection approach condition is satisfied. If it has not arrived (step S27: NO), it waits until it is approaching. If the target vehicle is approaching the target intersection (step S27: YES), the predicted arrival time T _S of the target vehicle at the target intersection is calculated (step S29). Next, with reference to the passage right grant timing information 335 regarding the target intersection, it is determined whether or not the target intersection is passable at the present time. If it is possible to pass (step S31: YES), subsequently, it is determined whether the target intersection is passable at the predicted arrival time T _S of the target vehicle by referring to the traffic right grant timing information 335 regarding the target intersection. To do. If the vehicle can pass through (step S33: YES), it is determined that the target vehicle is allowed to pass through the target intersection (step S35), and the passage permission notice 20 is transmitted to the target vehicle (step S37).

On the other hand, if the target intersection is not passable at the present time (step S31: NO), or if the target intersection is passable at the present time but is not passable at the predicted arrival time T _S (step S31). In S33: NO, it is determined that the target vehicle is not allowed to pass through the target intersection (step S39).
In this case, the passage permission notice 20 is not transmitted.

  Then, it is determined whether the target vehicle has crossed the stop position before the target intersection and entered the target intersection, and if it has not entered (step S41: NO), after waiting for a predetermined determination interval time (step S41). S43) and returns to step S29, and the same processing is repeated. If the target vehicle enters the target intersection (step S41: YES), after waiting for the target vehicle to advance and pass through the target intersection (step S45: YES), the process returns to step S3 and the same processing is performed. repeat.

[Effect]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to safely and automatically drive the vehicle in accordance with the alarm of the railroad crossing and the traffic signal situation at the intersection that change every moment. In an automatically driven vehicle, all passing spots such as railroad crossings and intersections on the planned traveling route are initially set to stop settings as automatic traveling control settings for the planned traveling route. Then, when the passage permission notification is received from the passage permission / denial control system 10, the stop setting of the corresponding passing spot is updated to the passable setting. That is, the vehicle operates on a safe side (automatic operation) in which a passing spot such as a railroad crossing or an intersection on the planned travel route cannot pass until the vehicle is permitted to pass by the passage permission / prohibition control system 10.

  The passage permission / prohibition control system 10 uses a predicted level crossing warning time when a level crossing warning is to be issued for a level crossing approaching an automobile, for example, to pass a traffic during a time when a level crossing warning is issued when a train approaches or passes. Depending on the situation of the warning, such as not permitting, it is determined whether or not to give a passage permission notification, and at the intersection where the car is approaching, for example, based on the timing of granting the right to pass by the passing direction, It is determined whether or not to give a passage permission notification according to the situation of the passage right being granted according to the passage direction, such as not allowing the passage during the time period when the passage right is not given to the passage direction which is the traveling direction of the. This makes it possible to avoid a collision between a train and a car at a railroad crossing and a collision between cars at an intersection, and it is possible to realize a completely new technique for automatic driving, which is different from the conventional one.

  Further, since both the train operation system 50 and the passage permission / prohibition control system 10 are provided with the high-accuracy time clock, accurate time synchronization can be achieved between the respective systems.

  Note that the applicable embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 ... Road traffic control system 10 ... Passing distance permission control system 200 ... Processing unit 202 ... Railroad crossing timetable information acquisition unit, 204 ... Railroad crossing information management unit 206 ... Running information receiving unit, 208 ... Automotive information management unit 210 ... Railroad crossing permission / prohibition Control unit, 212 ... Crossing passage permission / prohibition control unit 220 ... Clock portion 302 ... Passage permission / prohibition control program 310 ... Map DB
320 ... Railroad crossing management information, 330 ... Intersection management information 340 ... Vehicle management information 20 ... Passing permission notification 30 ... In-vehicle device 600 ... Processing unit 602 ... Travel route setting unit, 604 ... Travel information transmitting unit 606 ... Passing permission notification receiving unit, 608 ... Initial setting unit 610 ... Passable setting updating unit, 612 ... Stop setting updating unit 614 ... Automatic travel control setting providing unit 620 ... Clock unit 700 ... Storage unit 702 ... In-vehicle program 710 ... Map DB
712 ... Position / speed information, 714 ... Driving mode 716 ... Scheduled traveling route information, 720 ... Automatic traveling control setting information 730 ... Passing and receiving notification history 32 ... Automobile 34 ... Scheduled traveling route 36 ... Automatic driving device 40 ... Traveling information 50 ... Train operation system 60 ... Railroad crossing timetable information 70 ... On-board device 72 ... Train N1-N3 ... Communication network G ... GNSS satellite RC ... Railroad crossing, IS ... Intersection

Claims (6)

A car that automatically drives to a given destination along a given planned route,
A passage permission / prohibition control system that is connected to a train operation system and controls whether or not to permit passage of a crossing and an intersection (hereinafter referred to as a "passing spot" in the case of being comprehensive) to the vehicle.
Is a road traffic control system configured to communicate with,
Each of the train operation system and the passage permission / prohibition control system receives a satellite signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite, receives a standard radio wave, or communicates with an absolute time information providing system to obtain a highly accurate time. It is equipped with a high-precision timekeeping function that keeps time
The car is
An initial setting means for performing an initial setting in which the automatic travel control setting of the planned travel route is a stop setting for each of the passing spots existing on the planned travel route,
When a passage permission notification indicating that passage of the passage spot is permitted is received from the passage permission / prohibition control system, a passage possible setting updating means for updating the stop setting of the passage spot subject to the passage permission notification to the passage possible setting,
Equipped with
The passage permission / denial control system,
From the train operation system, a railroad crossing time table information acquisition unit that acquires railroad crossing timetable information that is a timetable of railroad crossing warning predicted time based on the high-accuracy time of each railroad crossing when a railroad crossing warning is performed,
A planned travel route information storage means for storing the planned travel route information of the vehicle;
Travel information receiving means for receiving travel information including own vehicle position information from the automobile,
Based on the railroad crossing timetable information, the planned traveling route information and the travel information, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be performed for the railroad crossing where the vehicle is approaching, and when it is determined that the passage permission notification is given. Crossing permission control means for transmitting to the vehicle,
A traffic right grant timing information storage unit that stores traffic right grant timing information that is a timing of granting a traffic right for each traffic direction based on the high-accuracy time of each intersection;
Based on the passage right grant timing information, the planned traveling route information, and the traveling information, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be performed at an intersection where the vehicle is approaching, and when it is determined that the passage permission notification is made, the passage permission notification is made. Crossing permission control means for transmitting to the vehicle
With
Road traffic control system. The passage permission notification includes deadline information indicating a deadline for passage permission,
The car is
Stop setting updating means for updating the passable setting of the target passing spot of the passage permission notification to the stop setting when the time limit indicated by the time limit information included in the passage permission notification is reached,
With
The road traffic control system according to claim 1. The crossing passage permission / prohibition control means predicts a predicted crossing arrival time of the vehicle based on the planned traveling route information and the travel information, and determines whether or not the crossing at the crossing arrival predicted time is based on the crossing time table information. By judging, it is judged whether or not the passage permission notice can be given,
The road traffic control system according to claim 1. Based on the planned travel route information and the travel information, the crossing passage permission / prohibition control unit specifies a distance and / or time to the planned crossing of the vehicle as a crossing approaching a predetermined crossing approach condition. Then, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notification can be given at a predetermined time interval after the crossing approach condition is satisfied and before the crossing.
The road traffic control system according to claim 1. The intersection passage permission / prohibition control means predicts an estimated intersection arrival time of the vehicle based on the planned traveling route information and the traveling information, and determines whether or not the intersection can pass at the estimated intersection arrival time based on the passage right grant timing information. It is determined whether or not the passage permission notice can be given by
The road traffic control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The intersection passage approval / disapproval control unit specifies the intersection and the distance and / or the time to the intersection planned to pass by the vehicle as an intersection approaching a predetermined intersection approach condition based on the planned traveling route information and the traveling information. Then, it is determined whether or not the passage permission notice can be given at a predetermined time interval after the intersection approach condition is satisfied and before the intersection is passed,
The road traffic control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images