JP2023054310A - Notification device, first observation device, notification method, control device, and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for improving convenience of a notification technique to a device.

SOLUTION: A notification device comprising a first roadside machine comprises an acquisition unit, a first determination unit, and a communication unit. The acquisition unit acquires water level information showing a water level on a road around the first roadside machine. The first determination unit determines whether or not the water level is high on the basis of the water level information. The communication unit performs notification to devices except the notification device when it is determined that the water level is high.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present disclosure relates to notification technology for devices.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe techniques for detecting road flooding.

JP 2018-124602 A JP 2018-84977 A

It is desirable to improve the convenience of notification technology for devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of improving the convenience of the notification technology for devices.

A notification device, a first observation device, a notification method, a control device and a control method are disclosed. In one embodiment, the notification device is a notification device comprising a first viewing device. The notification device includes a communication unit that notifies devices other than the notification device when the water level on the road around the first observation device is higher than a threshold value. When floating matter exists in the water on the road, the first observation device controls traffic lights around the first observation device.

Further, in one embodiment, the first observation device is the first observation device included in the notification device. The notification device described above further includes an information processing device communicable with the first observation device.

Also, the notification method is a notification method in a notification device provided with an observation device. The notification method comprises the step of notifying a device other than the notification device if the water level of the road around the observation device is higher than a threshold. The notification method comprises the observation device controlling a traffic light in the vicinity of the observation device when floating matter is present in the water on the road.

Also, a control device is a control device comprising a device. The control device comprises a control unit for controlling a traffic light around the device when the water level on the road around the device is higher than a threshold and there is floating matter in the water on the road.

Also, the control method is a control method in a control device provided with the device. The control method comprises controlling a traffic light in the vicinity of the device when the water level on the road in the vicinity of the device is above a threshold and there is floating matter in the water on the road.

The convenience of notification technology for devices is improved.

1 illustrates an example of a communication system; FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a portable electronic device; FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a portable electronic device. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a roadside machine. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the electronic device mounted in a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a center apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation|movement of a roadside machine. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation|movement of a roadside machine. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the in-vehicle device; It is a figure which shows the example of a display of in-vehicle equipment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of in-vehicle equipment. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation|movement of a roadside machine.

<Outline of communication system>
1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of a communication system 1. FIG. The communication system 1 is, for example, a system used in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Specifically, the communication system 1 can be used as an ITS safe driving support communication system. A driving safety support communication system is called a driving safety support system or a driving safety support radio system.

As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 1 includes a plurality of portable electronic devices 2, a plurality of roadside units 3, a plurality of vehicles 4 each equipped with a plurality of electronic devices 40, and a center device 5. Prepare. It can be said that the center device 5 is an information processing device. A plurality of portable electronic devices 2 , a plurality of roadside devices 3 , a plurality of electronic devices 40 and a center device 5 are connected to a network 6 . A plurality of portable electronic devices 2 , a plurality of roadside devices 3 , a plurality of electronic devices 40 , and the center device 5 can communicate with each other through the network 6 . The vehicle 4 is capable of communicating with other devices, such as the portable electronic device 2, by means of electronic equipment 40 mounted thereon. The network 6 includes relay devices, the Internet, and the like. Hereinafter, the portable electronic device 2 may be simply referred to as the electronic device 2 in some cases. Also, the electronic device 40 mounted on the vehicle 4 may be called an in-vehicle device 40 . The portable electronic device 2 can also be called a mobile device.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the roadside unit 3 is installed on the road 7 . The road 7 may be an underpass or a road other than an underpass. Underpass means the underpass of an overpass. Underpasses are sometimes called walk-through passages.

In the example of FIG. 2 , the roadside unit 3 is located near a crosswalk 80 provided on the roadway 8 included in the road 7 . The roadway 8 shown in FIG. 2 is a roadway with one lane on each side, and includes a first lane 8a and a second lane 8b that is the opposing lane of the first lane 8a. The roadside unit 3 is located near the first lane 8a, for example.

Also in the example of FIG. 2, the road 7 includes two sidewalks 9 that are juxtaposed to the roadway 8 along the roadway 8 . The two sidewalks 9 include a sidewalk 9a along the first lane 8a and sidewalk 9b along the first lane 8a and a sidewalk 9b along the second lane 8b and sidewalk 8b.

Here, in this example, the sidewalk is a road for pedestrians to pass along the roadway. Pedestrian crossings that cross the roadway are separate from sidewalks and are included in the roadway.

Two vehicle traffic lights 10 are positioned above the roadway 8 for controlling the passage of vehicles 4 on a pedestrian crossing 80 . The two vehicular traffic signals 10 are located above the first lane 8a and are visible to the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling on the first lane 8a, and the vehicular traffic signal 10a is located above the second lane 8b, and a vehicle traffic light 10b that can be visually recognized by the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling on the second lane 8b.

Also, two pedestrian traffic lights 11 for controlling pedestrian crossings 80 are located near the roadway 8 . The two pedestrian traffic lights 11 include a pedestrian traffic light 11a positioned above the sidewalk 9a on the side of the first lane 8a and a pedestrian traffic light 11b positioned above the sidewalk 9b on the side of the second lane 8b. . A pedestrian crossing the pedestrian crossing 80 from the sidewalk 9b toward the sidewalk 9a can visually recognize the traffic light 11a for pedestrians. On the other hand, a pedestrian crossing the crosswalk 80 from the sidewalk 9a side to the sidewalk 9b side can visually recognize the pedestrian traffic light 11b.

In the communication system 1, the roadside unit 3, the vehicle 4 such as an automobile running on the roadway 8, and the electronic device 2 possessed by the user 20 walking on the sidewalk 9 can communicate with each other. The user 20 is a person and can also be said to be a pedestrian. In addition, multiple vehicles 4 can communicate with each other. The communication between the roadside device 3 and the vehicle 4, the communication between the vehicles 4, the communication between the roadside device 3 and the pedestrian's electronic device 2, and the communication between the pedestrian's electronic device 2 and the vehicle 4 are respectively , road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-foot communication, and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. Henceforth, the user 20 may be called the pedestrian 20. FIG.

The electronic device 2 can transmit the position information of the electronic device 2 and the like to the center device 5 or the like in response to a predetermined input from the user 20 . The user 20 makes a predetermined input to the electronic device 2, for example, when trouble occurs in himself/herself. The center device 5 can perform predetermined processing when a trouble occurs in the user 20 of the electronic device 2 . The electronic device 2 carried by the pedestrian 20 is sometimes called a walking terminal.

The roadside device 3 includes a camera 320 and a display unit 340, which will be described later, as shown in FIG. The display unit 340 has a first display screen 340a visible to the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling on the first lane 8a and a second display screen 340b visible to the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling on the second lane 8b. Prepare.

The roadside units 3 located near the crosswalk 80 include vehicle traffic signals 10a and 10b for controlling traffic of vehicles 4 on the crosswalk 80, and pedestrian traffic signals 10a and 10b for controlling traffic on the crosswalk 80. It is possible to control traffic signals 11a and 11b. It can be said that the roadside device 3 is capable of controlling the vehicle traffic lights 10a and 10b and the pedestrian traffic lights 11a and 11b located in its vicinity.

Further, the roadside device 3 can notify the vehicle 4 and the electronic device 2 of, for example, information about the lights of the traffic signal 10 for vehicles and the traffic signal for pedestrians 11 and information about road regulations. In addition, the roadside unit 3 can detect vehicles 4 and pedestrians around it. A roadside unit 3 located near the pedestrian crossing 80 can detect a pedestrian crossing the pedestrian crossing 80, for example. Then, the roadside device 3 can notify the vehicle 4 and the electronic device 2 of the detected information regarding the vehicle 4 and the pedestrian. Further, the roadside device 3 can notify other vehicles 4 and electronic devices 2 of information notified from the vehicles 4 and the electronic devices 2 .

The vehicle 4 can notify the other vehicles 4, the roadside device 3, and the electronic device 2 of its own position, speed, information about the blinker, and the like using the in-vehicle device 40 . The vehicle 4 can assist the driver in driving safely by giving various notifications such as warnings to the driver based on information notified from other devices. The vehicle 4 can make various notifications to the driver using the speaker, the display device, and the like provided in the vehicle-mounted device 40 .

Thus, the communication system 1 supports the safe driving of the driver of the vehicle 4 by performing road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-walk communication, and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication.

In the example of FIG. 2, an automobile vehicle is shown as the vehicle 4, but the vehicle 4 may be a vehicle other than an automobile. For example, the vehicle 4 may be a bus vehicle or a tram vehicle. Moreover, the road 7 on which the roadside unit 3 is installed is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, road 7 may not have pedestrian crossing 80 or sidewalk 9 .

<Configuration example of electronic device>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the electronic device 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the electronic device 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 , the electronic device 2 includes a case 21 that forms an exterior of the electronic device 2 . The case 21 has, for example, a slightly elongated plate shape, and is shaped so that the user 20 can hold it with one hand. The electronic device 2 is, for example, a device owned by a child or an elderly person. Note that the user 20 of the electronic device 2 may be someone other than children and the elderly. Also, the shape of the case 21 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

In addition to the case 21, the electronic device 2 includes a control unit 200, a communication unit 210, operation buttons 220, a satellite signal reception unit 230, a buzzer 250, a display unit 240, and a touch panel 260, as shown in FIG. Control unit 200 , communication unit 210 , operation button 220 , satellite signal receiving unit 230 , buzzer 250 , display unit 240 and touch panel 260 are housed inside case 21 . As shown in FIG. 3 , a portion of the surface of operation button 220 is exposed from case 21 so that user 20 can operate operation button 220 . A display screen 250 a of the display unit 240 is exposed from the case 21 .

The control unit 200 can comprehensively manage the operation of the electronic device 2 by controlling other components of the electronic device 2 . The control unit 200 can also be called a control device or a control circuit. Control unit 200 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing power to perform various functions, as described in further detail below.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) or as a plurality of communicatively connected integrated circuits IC and/or discrete circuits. good. The at least one processor can be implemented according to various known techniques.

In one embodiment, a processor includes one or more circuits or units configured to perform one or more data computing procedures or processes, such as by executing instructions stored in associated memory. In other embodiments, the processor may be firmware (eg, discrete logic components) configured to perform one or more data computing procedures or processes.

According to various embodiments, the processor is one or more processors, controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, or any of these. Any combination of devices or configurations, or other known combinations of devices and configurations, may be included to perform the functions described below.

In this example, the control unit 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 and a storage unit 202 . The storage unit 202 includes non-temporary recording media readable by the CPU 201, such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM included in the storage unit 202 is, for example, a flash ROM (flash memory) that is nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 202 stores a control program 202a for controlling the electronic device 2 and the like. Various functions of the control unit 200 are realized by the CPU 201 executing a control program 202 a in the storage unit 202 .

Note that the configuration of the control unit 200 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 200 may include multiple CPUs 201 . Also, the control unit 200 may include at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Also, all the functions of the control unit 200 or part of the functions of the control unit 200 may be implemented by hardware circuits that do not require software to implement the functions. The storage unit 202 may also include a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium other than the ROM and RAM. The storage unit 202 may include, for example, a small hard disk drive and an SSD (Solid State Drive).

The communication unit 210 is connected to the network 6 at least either wiredly or wirelessly. The communication unit 210 of the electronic device 2 can communicate with other electronic devices 2 , the roadside device 3 , the vehicle-mounted device 40 and the center device 5 through the network 6 . Also, the communication unit 210 can directly communicate wirelessly with the roadside device 3 without going through the network 6 . The communication unit 210 can perform direct wireless communication with the roadside device 3 using, for example, the 700 MHz band assigned to the ITS. Communication unit 210 outputs information received from another device to control unit 200 . Communication unit 210 transmits information from control unit 200 to other devices. The communication unit 210 can also be said to be a communication circuit. Hereinafter, simply speaking of the 700 MHz band means the 700 MHz band assigned to the ITS.

The communication unit 210 of the electronic device 2 may be able to directly communicate with at least one of the other electronic device 2 , the vehicle-mounted device 40 and the center device 5 without going through the network 6 . In this case, the communication unit 210 may perform direct wireless communication with at least one of the other electronic device 2, the vehicle-mounted device 40, and the center device 5 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Also, the communication unit 210 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with a base station of a mobile phone system. In this case, the communication unit 210 can communicate with devices connected to the Internet (for example, mobile phones, web servers, etc.) through the base station. Also, the communication unit 210 may be capable of performing short-range wireless communication. For example, the communication unit 210 may be capable of wireless communication conforming to Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 210 may be capable of wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as WiFi. Also, the communication unit 210 may be capable of wireless communication based on another wireless communication scheme.

The operation button 220 is a button operated by the user 20 when trouble occurs in the user 20 . By operating the operation button 220 , the user 20 can notify the electronic device 2 that a trouble has occurred to the user 20 . The operation button 220 is, for example, a push button. A child or an elderly person possessing the electronic device 2 operates the operation button 220 when, for example, they are attacked by a suspicious person, suddenly become ill and cannot move, or are involved in a traffic accident. When the operation button 220 is operated, an operation signal is output from the operation button 220 to the control unit 200 . When an operation signal is input from operation button 220, control unit 200 determines that operation button 220 has been operated.

The satellite signal receiving unit 230 can receive satellite signals transmitted by positioning satellites. The satellite signal reception unit 230 can also be said to be a satellite signal reception circuit. The satellite signal reception unit 230 can acquire position information indicating the absolute position of the electronic device 2 (in other words, the position in the absolute coordinate system) based on the received satellite signal. It can be said that the satellite signal reception unit 230 is a position acquisition unit or a position acquisition circuit that acquires the position information of the electronic device 2 . The position information acquired by the satellite signal receiving unit 230 is represented by latitude, longitude and altitude, for example. Hereinafter, the satellite signal receiving section 230 may be simply referred to as the receiving section 230 in some cases.

The receiving unit 230 is, for example, a GPS receiver, and can receive radio signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning satellites. The receiving unit 230 calculates the current position of the electronic device 2 by, for example, latitude, longitude and altitude based on the received radio signal, and outputs position information including the calculated latitude, longitude and altitude to the control unit 200 . The receiving unit 230 repeatedly acquires position information. It can also be said that the position information of the electronic device 2 is position information indicating the position of the user 20 holding the electronic device 2 .

Note that the receiving unit 230 may obtain the position information of the electronic device 2 based on signals from positioning satellites of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) other than GPS. For example, the receiving unit 230 receives signals from positioning satellites such as GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System), COMPASS, Galileo, or Quasi-Zenith Satellites System (QZSS). The position information of the electronic device 2 may be obtained.

Buzzer 250 outputs sound or stops outputting sound under the control of control unit 200 .

The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 240 is controlled by the control unit 200 to display various information such as characters, symbols, and graphics.

The touch panel 260 can detect an operation by an operator such as a finger on the display screen 250 a of the display unit 240 . The touch panel 260 is, for example, a projected capacitive touch panel. When the user 20 operates the display screen 250a with an operator such as a finger, the touch panel 260 can input an electrical signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 200. FIG. Based on the electrical signal from the touch panel 260, the control unit 200 can identify the content of the operation performed on the display screen 250a. Then, the control unit 200 can perform processing according to the identified operation content.

In this example, when the operation button 220 is operated, the control unit 200 generates trouble occurrence information indicating that the user 20 has a trouble. Then, the control unit 200 causes the communication unit 210 to transmit the generated trouble occurrence information to the surrounding roadside devices 3 . At this time, the communication unit 210 broadcasts trouble occurrence information to the surrounding roadside units 3 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. The trouble occurrence information includes, for example, position information acquired by the receiving unit 230 and identification information of the electronic device 2 . When the roadside device 3 receives the trouble occurrence information from the electronic device 2 , the roadside device 3 transmits the received trouble occurrence information to the center device 5 . Note that the electronic device 2 may transmit the trouble occurrence information to the center device 5 through the network 6 .

The configuration of the electronic device 2 is not limited to the above example. For example, the electronic device 2 may have a speaker. Alternatively, the electronic device 2 may be a mobile phone such as a smart phone. Also, the electronic device 2 may be, for example, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, a wearable device, or the like. The wearable device employed as the electronic device 2 may be a type worn on the arm such as a wristband type or a wristwatch type, or may be a type worn on the head such as a headband type or glasses type. , a type that is worn on the body, such as a clothing type.

<Configuration example of roadside unit>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roadside unit 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 , the roadside device 3 includes a control section 300 , a communication section 310 , a camera 320 , a sensor 330 and a display section 340 . The control unit 300 can centrally manage the operation of the roadside device 3 by controlling other components of the roadside device 3 . The control unit 300 can also be called a control device or a control circuit. Control unit 300 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing power to perform various functions, as described in further detail below. The above description of the processor included in the control unit 200 of the electronic device 2 can also be applied to the processor included in the control unit 300 .

In this example, the control unit 300 includes a CPU 301 and a storage unit 302 . The storage unit 302 includes a non-temporary recording medium readable by the CPU 301, such as ROM and RAM. The ROM included in the storage unit 302 is, for example, a flash ROM that is nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 302 stores a control program 302a for controlling the roadside device 3 and the like. Various functions of the control unit 300 are implemented by the CPU 301 executing a control program 302 a in the storage unit 302 .

Note that the configuration of the control unit 300 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 300 may include multiple CPUs 301 . Also, the control unit 300 may include at least one DSP. Further, all functions of the control unit 300 or some functions of the control unit 300 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the functions. The storage unit 302 may also include a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium other than the ROM and RAM.

The communication unit 310 is connected to the network 6 at least either wiredly or wirelessly. The communication unit 310 of the roadside device 3 can communicate with the other roadside device 3 , the electronic device 2 , the vehicle-mounted device 40 and the center device 5 through the network 6 . In addition, the communication unit 310 of the roadside device 3 can directly wirelessly communicate with the other roadside device 3 , the electronic device 2 and the vehicle-mounted device 40 without going through the network 6 . The communication unit 310 can perform direct wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device 40 around the roadside device 3 and the electronic device 2 around the roadside device 3 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Also, the communication unit 310 of the roadside device 3 can perform direct wireless communication with the roadside device 3 adjacent to the roadside device 3 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Communication unit 310 outputs information received from another device to control unit 300 . Communication unit 310 transmits information from control unit 300 to other devices. The communication unit 310 can also be said to be a communication circuit.

The communication unit 310 is also connected to the vehicle traffic signal 10 and the pedestrian traffic signal 11 . The control unit 300 can control the vehicle traffic signal 10 and the pedestrian traffic signal 11 via the communication unit 310 .

Note that the communication unit 210 of the roadside device 3 may be able to directly communicate with the center device 5 without going through the network 6 . In this case, the communication unit 210 may perform direct wireless communication with the center device 5 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Also, the communication unit 310 may be capable of wireless communication with a base station of a mobile phone system. Also, the communication unit 310 may be capable of performing short-range wireless communication. Also, the communication unit 310 may be capable of performing wireless communication using a wireless LAN such as WiFi. Also, the communication unit 310 may be capable of wireless communication based on another wireless communication scheme.

A camera 320 is positioned above the roadway 8 or sidewalk 9 . The camera 320 can photograph the state of the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 . In other words, the camera 320 can photograph the state of the road 7 around the traffic signal 10 for vehicles and the traffic signal for pedestrians 11 . The captured image obtained by the camera 320 shows the state of the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 . In this example, the camera 320 can photograph the state of the pedestrian crossing 80 and the state of its surroundings. The imaging range of the camera 320 is narrower than the communication area of the roadside device 3, for example. The camera 320 can capture the state of the portion around the crosswalk 80 on one sidewalk 9a and the state of the portion around the crosswalk 80 on the other sidewalk 9b. An image generated by camera 320 is input to control unit 300 . The camera 320 can shoot moving images, for example. The control unit 300 can cause the camera 320 to shoot or stop shooting. The control unit 300 may cause the camera 320 to always shoot, or may cause the camera 320 to shoot when a predetermined condition is met. Note that the imaging range of the camera 320 is not limited to the above.

The sensor 330 can detect road conditions around the roadside unit 3 . Sensor 330 includes, for example, a radar sensor and an infrared sensor. Sensors 330 may, for example, detect pedestrians and vehicles 4 in the vicinity of roadside units 3 . Sensor 330 outputs the detection result to control unit 300 .

The display unit 340 includes a first display screen 340a and a second display screen 340b, as shown in FIG. The display unit 340 is controlled by the control unit 300 to independently display various information such as characters, symbols, and graphics on the first display screen 340a and the second display screen 340b. . The display unit 340 is positioned above the roadway 8, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 4 on the roadway 8 can visually recognize the information displayed on the display unit 340 . The display unit 340 includes, for example, a light emitting diode as a light emitter. Note that the display unit 340 may include a light-emitting body other than the light-emitting diode. For example, the display unit 340 may be a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

<Configuration example of in-vehicle equipment>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 40. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle device 40 includes, for example, a car navigation device and audio equipment including a radio. The in-vehicle device 40 may include only the car navigation device or only the audio device, out of the car navigation device and the audio device. The in-vehicle device 40 may also have a vehicle control function of controlling the lights, direction indicators, etc. of the vehicle 4 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle-mounted device 40 includes, for example, a control unit 400, a communication unit 410, a display unit 440, a touch panel 430, a satellite signal reception unit 420, a speaker 450, a sensor 460 and a camera 470.

The control unit 400 can comprehensively manage the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 40 by controlling other components of the vehicle-mounted device 40 . The control unit 400 can also be called a control device or a control circuit. Control unit 400 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing power to perform various functions, as described in further detail below. The above description of the processor included in the control unit 200 of the electronic device 2 can also be applied to the processor included in the control unit 400 .

In this example, the control unit 400 includes a CPU 401 and a storage unit 402 . The storage unit 402 includes a non-temporary recording medium readable by the CPU 401, such as ROM and RAM. The ROM included in the storage unit 402 is, for example, a flash ROM that is nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 402 stores a control program 402a for controlling the in-vehicle device 40 and the like. Various functions of the control unit 400 are implemented by the CPU 401 executing a control program 402 a in the storage unit 402 .

Note that the configuration of the control unit 400 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 400 may include multiple CPUs 401 . Also, the control unit 400 may include at least one DSP. Further, all functions of the control unit 400 or some functions of the control unit 400 may be realized by a hardware circuit that does not require software to realize the functions. The storage unit 402 may also include a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium other than the ROM and RAM.

The communication unit 410 is connected to the network 6 at least either wiredly or wirelessly. The communication unit 410 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 can communicate with the other vehicle-mounted device 40 , the roadside device 3 , the electronic device 2 and the center device 5 through the network 6 . Further, the communication unit 410 can directly wirelessly communicate with the roadside device 3 without going through the network 6 . The communication unit 410 can perform direct wireless communication with the roadside devices 3 around the vehicle 4 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Communication unit 410 outputs information received from another device to control unit 400 . Communication unit 410 transmits information from control unit 400 to other devices. The communication unit 410 can also be said to be a communication circuit.

Note that the communication unit 410 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 may be capable of directly communicating with at least one of the other vehicle-mounted device 40 , the electronic device 2 , and the center device 5 without going through the network 6 . In this case, the communication unit 410 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 may perform direct wireless communication with at least one of the other vehicle-mounted device 40, the electronic device 2, and the center device 5 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Also, the communication unit 410 may be capable of wireless communication with a base station of a mobile phone system. Also, the communication unit 410 may be capable of performing short-range wireless communication. Also, the communication unit 410 may be capable of performing wireless communication using a wireless LAN such as WiFi. Also, the communication unit 410 may be capable of wireless communication based on another wireless communication scheme.

The display unit 440 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 440 is controlled by the control unit 400 to display various information such as characters, symbols, and graphics.

The touch panel 430 can detect an operation by an operator such as a finger on the display screen of the display unit 440 . The touch panel 430 is, for example, a projected capacitive touch panel. When the user of the in-vehicle device 40 operates the display screen of the display unit 440 with an operator such as a finger, the touch panel 430 can input an electric signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 400. . Based on the electrical signal from touch panel 430, control unit 400 can identify the content of the operation performed on the display screen. Then, the control unit 400 can perform processing according to the identified operation content.

The satellite signal receiving unit 420 can receive satellite signals transmitted by positioning satellites. The satellite signal reception unit 420 can also be said to be a satellite signal reception circuit. The satellite signal receiving unit 420 can acquire position information indicating the absolute position of the vehicle 4 (in other words, the position of the absolute coordinate system) based on the received satellite signal. The satellite signal reception unit 420 can be said to be a position acquisition unit or a position acquisition circuit that acquires position information of the vehicle 4 . The position information acquired by the satellite signal receiving unit 420 is represented by latitude, longitude and altitude, for example. Hereinafter, the satellite signal receiving section 420 may be simply referred to as the receiving section 420 in some cases.

The receiving unit 420 is, for example, a GPS receiver, and is capable of receiving radio signals from GPS positioning satellites. The receiving unit 420 calculates the current position of the vehicle 4 based on the received radio signal, for example, in terms of latitude, longitude and altitude, and outputs position information including the calculated latitude, longitude and altitude to the control unit 200 . The receiving unit 420 repeatedly acquires position information.

Note that the receiving unit 420 may obtain the position information of the electronic device 2 based on signals from GNSS positioning satellites other than GPS. For example, the receiving unit 420 may obtain the position information of the vehicle 4 based on signals from positioning satellites of GLONASS, IRNSS, COMPASS, Galileo, or the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System.

Speaker 450 is, for example, a dynamic speaker. The speaker 450 can convert an electrical sound signal from the control unit 400 into sound and output the sound obtained thereby to the outside of the in-vehicle device 40 .

The sensor 460 includes, for example, multiple types of sensors. The sensor 460 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like. The control unit 400 can identify the traveling direction of the vehicle 4, etc., based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and gyro sensor. Also, the control unit 400 can correct the position information acquired by the receiving unit 420 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and gyro sensor. The type of sensor included in the sensor 460 is not limited to this.

Camera 470 is capable of photographing the surroundings of vehicle 4 . The camera 470 can photograph, for example, the state ahead of the vehicle 4 . The camera 470 shoots moving images, for example, under the control of the control unit 400 . The control unit 400 may cause the camera 470 to always shoot, or may cause the camera 470 to shoot when a predetermined condition is met. Camera 470 may be a camera called a drive recorder, or may be another camera.

In the vehicle-mounted device 40 configured as described above, the communication unit 410 receives information transmitted by the communication unit 310 of the roadside device 3 . In the in-vehicle device 40 , the control section 400 generates vehicle information regarding the vehicle 4 based on various information obtained by the receiving section 420 and the sensor 460 . The in-vehicle device 40 notifies the driver of the vehicle 4 of a warning or the like based on the generated vehicle information, the information from the roadside device 3, and the like. The in-vehicle device 40 can notify the driver of the vehicle 4 of a warning or the like using the display unit 440, the speaker 450, and the like.

<Configuration example of center device>
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the center device 5. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7 , the center device 5 has a control section 500 and a communication section 510 . The control unit 500 can control the operation of the center device 5 by controlling other components of the center device 5 . The control unit 500 can also be called a control device or a control circuit. Control unit 500 includes at least one processor to provide control and processing power to perform various functions, as described in further detail below. The above description of the processor included in the control unit 200 of the electronic device 2 can also be applied to the processor included in the control unit 500 .

In this example, the control unit 500 includes a CPU 501 and a storage unit 502 . The storage unit 502 includes a non-temporary recording medium readable by the CPU 501, such as ROM and RAM. The ROM included in the storage unit 502 is, for example, a flash ROM that is nonvolatile memory. The storage unit 502 stores a control program 502a for controlling the center device 5 and the like. Various functions of the control unit 500 are realized by the CPU 501 executing a control program 502 a in the storage unit 502 .

Note that the configuration of the control unit 500 is not limited to the above example. For example, the control unit 500 may include multiple CPUs 501 . Also, the control unit 500 may include at least one DSP. Further, all functions of the control unit 500 or part of the functions of the control unit 500 may be implemented by hardware circuits that do not require software to implement the functions. The storage unit 502 may also include a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium other than the ROM and RAM.

The communication unit 510 is connected to the network 6 at least either wiredly or wirelessly. The communication unit 510 can communicate with the electronic device 2 , the roadside device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 40 via the network 6 . Communication unit 510 outputs information received from another device to control unit 500 . Communication unit 510 transmits information from control unit 500 to another device. The communication unit 510 can also be said to be a communication circuit.

Note that the communication unit 510 may be capable of wireless communication with a base station of the mobile phone system. Also, the communication unit 510 may be capable of performing short-range wireless communication. Also, the communication unit 510 may be capable of performing wireless communication using a wireless LAN such as WiFi. Communication unit 510 may be capable of wireless communication based on another wireless communication scheme.

The center device 5 configured as described above executes a predetermined process upon receiving the trouble occurrence information. In the center device 5 , when the communication section 510 receives the trouble occurrence information transmitted by the electronic device 2 , the control section 500 determines that the user 20 of the electronic device 2 has a problem. Then, the control unit 500 performs processing corresponding to the trouble that has occurred.

For example, the control unit 500 generates trouble notification information that notifies that a trouble has occurred at a position indicated by position information included in the received trouble occurrence information. Then, control unit 500 causes communication unit 510 to transmit the generated trouble notification information to a predetermined communication device. The communication unit 510 may transmit the trouble notification information to a communication device owned by, for example, a police station or a police box. At this time, the communication unit 510 may transmit the trouble notification information to the communication device at the police station or police box closest to the location of the user 20 in trouble. When the communication device provided at the police station or police box receives the trouble notification information, for example, the police rush to the place where the troubled user 20 exists. Further, the communication unit 510 may transmit trouble notification information to a communication device owned by a security company. When the communication device provided by the security company receives the trouble notification information, for example, a security guard rushes to the place where the troubled user 20 exists. Further, when a contact device is associated in advance with identification information included in the received trouble occurrence information, communication unit 510 may transmit trouble notification information to the contact device. . If user 20 is a child, the contact device may be, for example, user 20's parent's cell phone or school communication device. If the user 20 is an elderly person, the contact device may be, for example, a mobile phone of a child of the user 20 or a communication device in a facility such as a nursing home.

Note that the operation of the center device 5 when the center device 5 receives trouble occurrence information is not limited to the above. Further, although the electronic device 2 transmits trouble occurrence information when the operation button 220 is operated, the trouble occurrence information may be transmitted according to other input to the electronic device 2 . For example, consider a case where the electronic device 2 has a microphone. In this case, the electronic device 2 may transmit trouble occurrence information when a predetermined voice uttered by the user 20 is input to the microphone. As another example, consider a case where the electronic device 2 includes an acceleration sensor that detects vibration of the electronic device 2 . In this case, the electronic device 2 may transmit trouble occurrence information when the acceleration sensor detects a predetermined vibration applied to the electronic device 2 by the user 20 .

<Operation example of communication system>
When it rains heavily, the road 7 may be flooded. In particular, underpasses are prone to flooding. Flooding of roads 7 can be dangerous for vehicles 4 on those roads 7 . Moreover, flooding of the road 7 may be dangerous for pedestrians on the road 7 as well.

The communication system 1 of this example can notify the vehicle 4, the electronic device 2, etc. when the water level on the road 7 is high. This makes it possible to alert the driver of the vehicle 4 and the user 20 of the electronic device 2 when the water level on the flooded road 7 is high. Therefore, the safety of the driver of the vehicle 4 and the pedestrian can be improved. In this example, the roadside unit 3 functions as a notification device that notifies the vehicle 4 or the like when the water level on the surrounding road 7 is high. Hereinafter, the notification device may be called an external notification device.

8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of water level determination processing performed by the external notification device. In this example, the roadside unit 3 executes the water level determination process. The roadside unit 3 repeatedly executes the water level processing shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the roadside device 3 to be described may be referred to as the target roadside device 3 . Also, the photographed image obtained by the camera 320 of the target roadside device 3 may be called a camera image.

As shown in FIG. 8 , in step s1, the control unit 300 of the target roadside unit 3 acquires water level information indicating the water level on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 . Hereinafter, the water level on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 may be called the target water level. Also, the water level information indicating the target water level may be called target water level information. Also, the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 is sometimes called the target road 7 .

The control unit 300 can acquire the target water level information based on the camera image obtained by the camera 320, for example. In this example, a camera image showing the state of the target road 7 when it is not raining is stored in the storage unit 302 as the reference camera image. The control unit 300 compares the reference camera image with a camera image showing the current state of the target road 7 . Then, the control unit 300 obtains the height from the road surface of the road 7 to the water surface within the photographing range of the camera 320 based on the comparison result. The control unit 300 uses the obtained height as target water level information. In this example, the target water level information is expressed numerically. In addition, when it is not raining, the target water level information may become zero.

After step s1, in step s2, the control unit 300 determines whether the target water level is high based on the target water level information acquired in step s1. At step s1, for example, the control unit 300 compares the target water level information with a predetermined threshold value, and determines whether the target water level is high based on the comparison result. The control unit 300 determines that the target water level is high when the numerical value represented by the target water level information is larger than the threshold value. On the other hand, when the numerical value represented by the target water level information is equal to or less than the threshold value, the control unit 300 determines that the target water level is not high. For example, the threshold value is set to a value that is highly likely to affect traveling of the vehicle 4 if the height from the road surface to the water surface of the road 7 exceeds the threshold value. The threshold is set to 10 cm to 15 cm, for example.

If NO is determined in step s2, the water level determination process ends. On the other hand, if YES is determined in step s2, step s3 is executed. At step s3, the control section 300 determines whether or not there is a manhole on the target road 7. FIG. For example, the control unit 300 can determine whether or not there is a manhole on the target road 7 based on the camera image. The control unit 300 determines whether or not the manhole is captured in the reference camera image by performing image processing on the reference camera image. When it is determined that a manhole is captured in the reference camera image, the control unit 300 determines that the target road 7 has a manhole. The control unit 300 may use artificial intelligence (AI), for example, to determine whether or not a manhole is captured in the reference camera image. For example, the control unit 300 may use a neural network to determine whether or not a manhole is captured in the reference camera image.

After step s3 is executed, step s4 is executed regardless of whether there is a manhole on the target road 7 or not. At step s4, the control unit 300 determines whether or not the target road 7 has a gutter. As in step s3, the control unit 300 performs image processing on the reference camera image to determine whether or not the gutter appears in the reference camera image. If it is determined that the reference camera image includes a ditch, the control unit 300 determines that the target road 7 has a ditch.

First information indicating whether or not a manhole exists within the imaging range of the camera 320 and second information indicating whether or not a gutter exists within the imaging range of the camera 320 are stored in the storage unit 302 in advance. You may let In this case, in step s3, the control section 300 can determine whether or not there is a manhole on the target road 7 based on the first information in the storage section 302. FIG. Further, in step s4, the control section 300 can determine whether or not there is a gutter on the target road 7 based on the second information in the storage section 302. FIG.

When step s4 is executed, step s5 is executed regardless of whether or not the target road 7 has a gutter. At step s5, the control unit 300 determines whether or not floating matter exists in the water on the target road 7. FIG. In step s5, the control unit 300 performs image processing on the camera image showing the current state of the target road 7, for example, and determines whether floating objects floating on the water on the road 7 are shown in the camera image. determine whether The control unit 300 may use artificial intelligence such as machine learning using a neural network to determine whether or not a floating object is captured in the camera image. If the control unit 300 determines that the floating matter is captured in the camera image, it determines that the floating matter is present in the water on the target road 7 . Floating objects include, for example, plants, trash cans, manhole covers and gutter covers.

If YES is determined in step s5, step s6 is executed. On the other hand, if NO is determined in step s5, step s7 is executed. At step s<b>6 , the control unit 300 controls traffic signals around the target roadside device 3 via the communication unit 310 . Specifically, the control unit 300 controls the vehicle traffic signal 10 and the pedestrian traffic signal 11 around the target roadside device 3 via the communication unit 310 . At step s6, the control unit 300, for example, forcibly blinks the vehicle traffic lights 10a and 10b in red. Then, the controller 300 turns off the pedestrian traffic lights 11a and 11b. This makes it possible to call attention to the driver of the vehicle 4 when the water level on the target road 7 is high. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the safety of the driver of the vehicle 4 . After step s6 is executed, step s7 is executed. Note that the control unit 300 may cause each of the vehicle traffic lights 10a and 10b to blink in yellow.

At step s7, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the first caution information regarding the target water level. The first caution information is information calling attention to the fact that the target water level is high. As the first warning information, for example, a first warning character string and a graphic drawing attention to the fact that the water level on the nearby road surface is high is adopted. As the first warning character string, for example, a character string such as "A nearby road surface is flooded. Please be careful." The first caution information can also be said to be information calling attention to flooding on the target road 7 . Also, the first caution information can be said to be information notifying that the water level on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 is high. Since the target roadside device 3 displays the first caution information, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the target roadside device 3 and the pedestrians around the target roadside device 3 can take risk avoidance measures. For example, the driver can cause the vehicle 4 to decelerate, stop, change direction, or the like. In addition, the pedestrian 20 can prevent the pedestrian 20 from entering the flooded road 7 by changing the walking route or the like. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is improved.

Further, when it is determined as YES in step s3, in step s7, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the second caution information regarding the manhole together with the first caution information. The second caution information is information that calls attention to manholes. As the second warning information, for example, a second warning character string and a graphic to call attention to a nearby manhole are adopted. As the second warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a manhole nearby. Please be careful." is adopted.

In addition, if the determination in step s3 is YES, the control unit 300 displays, on the display unit 340, a photographed image showing the state of the target road 7 when it is not raining, along with the first and second caution information. Let This captured image is, for example, a still image. Hereinafter, this captured image may be referred to as a specific captured image. A specific captured image is stored in the storage unit 302 . The specific captured image may be an image obtained by the camera 320 of the target roadside device 3, or may be an image obtained by another camera. Also, the specific captured image may be a moving image. It can be said that the specific photographed image is a kind of information.

When it is determined as YES in step s4, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the third caution information about the gutter together with the first caution information in the step s7. The third caution information is information that calls attention to the gutter. As the third caution information, for example, a character string and a figure for drawing attention to a nearby street ditch are adopted. As the third warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a ditch nearby. Please be careful." is adopted. Further, when the determination in step s4 is YES, the control section 300 causes the display section 340 to display the specific photographed image together with the first and third caution information.

If YES is determined in step s5, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the fourth caution information regarding the floating object together with the first caution information in the step s7. The fourth caution information is information that calls attention to floating matter. As the fourth warning information, for example, a fourth warning character string and a figure that call attention to nearby floating objects are adopted. As the fourth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a floating object nearby. Please be careful." is adopted.

It should be noted that if the determination is YES in each of steps s3, s4, and s5, the display unit 340 displays the first to fourth caution information and the specific photographed image together.

As described above, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the target road 7 is high and there is a manhole on the target road 7, the target roadside unit 3 displays warning information regarding the manhole. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 4 existing around the target roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian existing around the target roadside unit 3 can easily know that the manhole exists on the surrounding road 7.例文帳に追加

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the target road 7 is high and there is a gutter on the target road 7, the target roadside device 3 displays warning information regarding the gutter. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 existing around the target roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian existing around the target roadside unit 3 can easily know that there is a gutter on the surrounding road 7.

Here, when the water level on the road 7 is high, the covers of manholes and gutters on the road 7 may be displaced, or the covers may come off and float in the water. Moreover, if the gutter does not have a lid, the water on the road 7 may make the dent in the gutter invisible. In such a case, it is dangerous for the vehicle 4 to run on the road 7 or for people to move on the road 7 . The driver of the vehicle 4 can drive the vehicle 4 paying attention to the manhole by knowing that there is a manhole on the surrounding road 7 . Also, by knowing that there is a manhole on the surrounding road 7, the pedestrian can move while paying attention to the manhole. Further, the driver of the vehicle 4 can drive the vehicle 4 paying attention to the ditches by knowing that there are ditches on the surrounding road 7 . In addition, by knowing that a street ditch exists on the surrounding road 7, the pedestrian can move while paying attention to the street ditch. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the target road 7 is high and there is a manhole on the target road 7, the photographed image showing the state of the target road 7 when it is not raining. (that is, the specific photographed image) is displayed by the target roadside device 3 . As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 existing around the target roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian existing around the target roadside unit 3 can confirm the position of the manhole from the photographed image. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is further improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the target road 7 is high and there is a side ditch on the target road 7, the photographed image showing the state of the target road 7 when it is not raining. is displayed by the target roadside unit 3. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the target roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian around the target roadside unit 3 can confirm the position of the gutter from the photographed image. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is further improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the target road 7 is high and it is determined that there is floating matter in the water on the target road 7, the caution information regarding the floating matter is sent to the target roadside device. 3 is displayed. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 present in the vicinity of the target roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian present in the vicinity of the target roadside unit 3 can easily know that floating matter exists in the water on the surrounding road 7. be able to. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle 4 while paying attention to the floating matter. In addition, pedestrians can move while paying attention to floating objects. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is further improved.

After step s7, in step s8, the control unit 300 generates first notification information for notifying the vehicles 4 around the target roadside unit 3. FIG. Then, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the first notification information to the surrounding vehicles 4 . At this time, the communication unit 310 broadcasts the first notification information to the surrounding vehicles 4 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Henceforth, even if it does not explain in particular, it is assumed that transmission of information to surrounding vehicles 4 by communication unit 310 is broadcast using the 700 MHz band.

The first notification information includes flood notification information that notifies that the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 is flooded. Also, if the determination in step s3 is YES, the first notification information includes manhole notification information for notifying that a manhole exists on the target road 7. FIG. The manhole notification information includes a specific photographed image. Moreover, when it is determined as YES in step s4, the first notification information includes the gutter notification information for notifying that the target road 7 has a gutter. The gutter notification information includes a specific photographed image. Also, if the determination in step s5 is YES, the first notification information includes floating matter notification information for notifying that floating matter exists in the water on the target road 7. FIG.

In the vehicle 4 , the communication unit 410 of the in-vehicle device 40 receives the first notification information from the target roadside device 3 . FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle-mounted device 40 that has received the first notification information. As shown in FIG. 10, in step s31, the control unit 400 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 notifies the driver of the vehicle 4 based on the first notification information received by the communication unit 410. FIG. Specifically, based on the flood notification information included in the first notification information, the control unit 400 notifies at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 that the road 7 around the vehicle 4 is flooded. to notify the driver. Accordingly, the driver of the vehicle 4 can easily know that the surrounding roads 7 are flooded. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the first caution information described above. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described first character string for calling attention.

When manhole notification information is included in the first notification information, the control unit 400 causes the display unit 440 to display the specific photographed image included in the manhole notification information in step s31. Also, the control unit 400 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to notify the driver that there is a manhole on the road 7 around the vehicle 4 . When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the second caution information described above together with the specific photographed image and the first caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described second character string for calling attention.

When the first notification information includes the gutter notification information, the control unit 400 causes the display unit 440 to display the specific photographed image included in the gutter notification information in step s31. Also, the control unit 400 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to notify the driver that there is a gutter on the road 7 around the vehicle 4 . When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the third caution information described above together with the specific photographed image and the first caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described third character string for calling attention.

If the first notification information includes floating object notification information, in step s31, the control unit 400 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to Notify the driver that floating objects are present. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the fourth caution information described above together with the first caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described fourth character string for calling attention.

When the first notification information includes the manhole notification information, the gutter notification information, and the floating object notification information, the control unit 400 causes the display unit 440 to display the first to fourth caution information and the specific photographed image together. You may let

Thus, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a manhole on the road 7, the vehicle 4 around the roadside unit 3 On the other hand, the presence of a manhole on the road 7 is notified. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 4 can easily know that there is a manhole on the road 7 when the water level on the road 7 around the vehicle 4 is high. Therefore, when the water level on the surrounding road 7 is high, the driver of the vehicle 4 can drive while paying attention to the manholes on the road 7 . Therefore, driver safety is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a gutter on the road 7, the vehicle 4 around the roadside unit 3 is , the presence of a gutter on the road 7 is notified. Therefore, when the water level on the road 7 around the vehicle 4 is high, the driver of the vehicle 4 can easily know that the road 7 has a gutter. Therefore, when the water level on the surrounding road 7 is high, the driver of the vehicle 4 can drive while paying attention to the side ditches of the road 7 . Therefore, driver safety is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a manhole on the road 7, the vehicle 4 around the road 7 is A photographed image showing the state of the road 7 when it is not raining is transmitted. By displaying the photographed image on the vehicle 4, the driver can know the state of the road 7 when it is not raining. Therefore, the driver can easily confirm the position of the manhole on the road 7 . As a result, driver safety is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a gutter on the road 7, for the vehicle 4 around the road 7, A photographed image showing the state of the road 7 when it is not raining is transmitted. By displaying the photographed image on the vehicle 4 , the driver can easily confirm the position of the gutter on the road 7 . Therefore, driver safety is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is floating matter in the water on the road 7, vehicles around the roadside unit 3 4 is notified that floating matter is present in the water on the road 7 in question. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 4 can easily know that floating matter exists in the water on the road 7 around the vehicle 4 . Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 4 can drive while paying attention to floating objects in the water on the surrounding road 7 . Therefore, driver safety is improved.

After step s31, in step s32, the control unit 400 causes the display unit 440 to display the first selection screen 600 for selecting whether to enable the idling stop function of the vehicle 4. FIG. The idling stop function is a function of automatically stopping the engine when the vehicle is stopped and automatically restarting the engine when starting the vehicle. The idling stop function is simply called idle stop, idle reduction, or no idle.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the first selection screen 600. As shown in FIG. A first selection screen 600 shown in FIG. 11 includes an operation button 601 that is operated when activating the idling stop function. The first selection screen 600 also includes an operation button 602 that is operated to disable the idling stop function. When the operation button 601 is operated, the control unit 400 instructs the vehicle control device that controls the engine of the vehicle 4 to activate the idling stop function. As a result, the idling stop function is enabled in the vehicle 4 that has received the first notification information. On the other hand, when operation button 602 is operated, control unit 400 instructs the vehicle control device to disable the idling stop function. As a result, the idling stop function is disabled in the vehicle 4 that has received the first notification information.

Here, if the engine of the vehicle 4 on the road 7 with high water level stops, the engine may fail. When the idling stop function is enabled, there is a possibility that the engine of the vehicle 4 will stop on the road 7 where the water level is high. Therefore, if the idling stop function is enabled, the engine may malfunction. Since the idling stop function is disabled by operating the operation button 602 included in the first selection screen 600, the engine can be automatically stopped even if the vehicle 4 stops on the road 7 with high water level. reduced. Therefore, the possibility that the engine of the vehicle 4 will fail is reduced.

After one of the operation buttons 601 and 602 on the first selection screen 600 is operated, in step s33, the control section 400 determines whether or not the idling stop function has been disabled. That is, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the operation button 602 has been operated. When control unit 400 determines that the idling stop function has been disabled, it executes step s34. That is, the control unit 400 executes step s34 when the operation button 602 is operated. On the other hand, when control unit 400 determines that the idling stop function is enabled, it ends the processing of FIG.

In step s34, control unit 400 causes display unit 440 to display second selection screen 610 for selecting whether to increase the idling speed. The idling speed means the speed of the engine during idling. Idling means idling the engine at low speed without applying a load to the engine. Therefore, the idling speed can be said to be the speed of the engine when the engine is idling at a low speed without applying a load to the engine.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the second selection screen 610. As shown in FIG. A second selection screen 610 shown in FIG. 12 includes an operation button 611 that is operated to increase the idling speed. The second selection screen 610 also includes an operation button 612 that is operated when the idling speed is not increased. When the operation button 611 is operated, the control unit 400 instructs the vehicle control device that controls the engine of the vehicle 4 to set the idling speed to a predetermined value larger than the initial value. As a result, the idling speed increases in the vehicle 4 that has received the first notification information. On the other hand, when operation button 612 is operated, control unit 400 instructs the vehicle control device to set the idling speed to the initial value. As a result, the idling speed of the vehicle 4 that received the first notification information becomes the initial value.

Here, when the vehicle 4 stopped on the road 7 with a high water level is idling, if the idling rotation speed of the vehicle 4 is low, the engine of the vehicle 4 may stop and the engine may fail. have a nature. Since the idling rotation speed is increased by operating the operation button 611 included in the second selection screen 610, even when the vehicle 4 is idling on the road 7 with high water level, the vehicle 4 of the engine can be reduced. Therefore, the possibility that the engine of the vehicle 4 will fail can be reduced. When one of the operation buttons 611 and 612 is operated, the processing in FIG. 10 ends.

Returning to FIG. 8, step s9 is executed after step s8. In step s9, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the first notification information generated in step s8 to the peripheral electronic devices 2. FIG. At this time, the communication unit 310 broadcasts the first notification information to the peripheral electronic devices 2 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Hereinafter, even if there is no particular description, it is assumed that transmission of information by the communication unit 310 to the peripheral electronic devices 2 is broadcast using the 700 MHz band.

In the electronic device 2, when the communication unit 210 receives the first notification information from the target roadside device 3, the control unit 200 executes processing based on the first notification information. Specifically, based on the flood notification information included in the first notification information, the control unit 200 notifies the user 20 that the surrounding roads 7 are flooded by, for example, sounding the buzzer 250 . The control unit 200 may display the first caution information on the display unit 240 to notify the user 20 that the surrounding roads 7 are flooded.

When the manhole notification information is included in the first notification information, the control section 200 causes the display section 240 to display the specific photographed image included in the manhole notification information. The control unit 200 also sounds the buzzer 250 , for example, to notify the driver that there is a manhole on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 . Further, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the above-described second caution information to notify the user 20 that there is a manhole on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 .

When the first notification information includes the gutter notification information, the control unit 200 causes the display unit 240 to display the specific photographed image included in the gutter notification information. The control unit 200 also sounds the buzzer 250 , for example, to notify the driver that there is a gutter on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 . Further, the control unit 200 may display the third caution information on the display unit 240 to notify the user 20 that there is a gutter on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 .

When the first notification information includes floating object notification information, the control unit 200 sounds, for example, the buzzer 250 to inform the driver that floating objects are present in the water on the road 7 around the electronic device 2. Notice. Further, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the above-described fourth caution information to notify the user 20 of the presence of floating matter in the water on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 .

When the first notification information includes the manhole notification information, the gutter notification information, and the floating object notification information, the control unit 200 causes the display unit 240 to display the first to fourth caution information and the specific photographed image together. You may let

Thus, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a manhole on the road 7, the electronic device 2 around the roadside unit 3 is notified that there is a manhole on the road 7. Therefore, when the water level on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 is high, the user 20 of the electronic device 2 can move while paying attention to the manholes on the road 7 .

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a gutter on the road 7, the electronic device 2 around the roadside unit 3 , the presence of a gutter on the road 7 is notified. Therefore, when the water level on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 is high, the user 20 of the electronic device 2 can move while paying attention to the gutter of the road 7 .

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a manhole on the road 7, the electronic device 2 around the road 7 , a photographed image of the state of the road 7 when it is not raining is transmitted. The user 20 can easily confirm the position of the manhole on the road 7 by displaying the photographed image on the electronic device 2 . Therefore, the safety of the user 20 is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is a gutter on the road 7, the electronic device 2 around the road 7 , a photographed image of the state of the road 7 when it is not raining is transmitted. By displaying the photographed image on the electronic device 2 , the user 20 can easily confirm the position of the gutter on the road 7 . Therefore, the safety of the user 20 is improved.

Further, in this example, when it is determined that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside unit 3 is high and there is floating matter in the water on the road 7, the electronic The device 2 is notified that floating matter is present in the water on the road 7 . Therefore, the user of the electronic device 2 can move while paying attention to floating objects in the water on the road 7 around the electronic device 2 . Therefore, the safety of the user 20 is improved.

After step s9, step s10 is executed. At step s10, the control unit 300 first identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 at a location on the target road 7 where the water level is high. Henceforth, the said advancing direction may be called a specific advancing direction.

In this example, the control unit 300 determines whether the water level is high in each of the first lane 8a and the second lane 8b. When determining that the water level in the first lane 8a is high, the control unit 300 sets the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 in the first lane 8a as the specific traveling direction. Further, when determining that the water level in the second lane 8b is high, the control unit 300 sets the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 in the second lane 8b as the specific traveling direction. When it is determined that the water level is high in each of the first lane 8a and the second lane 8b, two types of specific traveling directions are specified. The storage unit 302 stores information indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 on the first lane 8a and information indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 on the second lane 8b.

The control unit 300 can determine whether the water level is high in each of the first lane 8a and the second lane 8b based on the camera image. The control unit 300 compares the reference camera image and the camera image showing the current state of the target road 7 in the same manner as in step s2 described above. Then, based on the comparison result, the control unit 300 obtains the height from the road surface to the water surface of the first lane 8a within the photographing range of the camera 320 . The control unit 300 can specify the area where the first lane 8a is captured in the camera image based on the map information including the road information in the storage unit 302 . Control unit 300 determines that the water level in first lane 8a is high when the obtained height is greater than the threshold value used in step s2. Similarly, the control unit 300 obtains the height from the road surface to the water surface of the second lane 8b within the photographing range of the camera 320 . Then, when the obtained height is larger than the threshold value used in step s2, the control unit 300 determines that the water level in the second lane 8b is high.

After specifying the specific traveling direction, the control unit 300 determines the roadside device 3 located on the side opposite to the specific traveling direction from the target roadside device 3 as the roadside device 3 to be notified in step s10. For example, the control unit 300 selects the roadside device 3 adjacent to the target roadside device 3 and located on the opposite side of the target roadside device 3 to the specific traveling direction as the roadside device 3 of the notification destination. Determined as When it is determined that the water level is high in each of the first lane 8a and the second lane 8b, two roadside devices 3 are determined as the roadside devices 3 to be notified.

Hereinafter, the roadside unit 3 adjacent to the target roadside unit 3 and located on the opposite side of the target roadside unit 3 to the specific traveling direction may be referred to as the front roadside unit 3 . Also, the roadside device 3 adjacent to the target roadside device 3 and located on the specific traveling direction side of the target roadside device 3 is sometimes referred to as the previous roadside device 3 .

In step s10, the target roadside unit 3 notifies the roadside unit 3 in front of it that the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 is flooded. This completes the process of step s10. In step s10, the control unit 300 sends to the communication unit 310 the first notification information including the flood notification information, the identification information of the roadside unit 3 in front, and the lane information indicating the lane where the water level is determined to be high. Broadcast to surrounding roadside units 3 using the 700 MHz band. The storage unit 302 of the target roadside device 3 stores the identification information of the front roadside device 3 and the identification information of the preceding roadside device 3 .

Here, the communication distance of communication using the 700 MHz band is not very long, and although the information broadcast by the roadside device 3 using the 700 MHz band reaches the roadside device 3 adjacent to the roadside device 3, It does not reach roadside unit 3. The identification information, the first notification information, and the lane information broadcast by the communication unit 310 of the target roadside device 3 are received by the roadside device 3 on the near side and the roadside device 3 on the preceding side. The roadside unit 3 that has received the identification information, the first notification information, and the lane information compares the received identification information with its own identification information in the storage unit 302 . This comparison is performed by the control unit 300 . As a result of the comparison, when both pieces of identification information match, the control unit 300 determines that the received first notification information and lane information are information addressed to itself, and stores the received first notification information and lane information in the storage unit. Store in 302 . On the other hand, when both pieces of identification information do not match, the control unit 300 determines that the received first notification information and lane information are not information addressed to itself, and discards the first notification information and lane information. In this example, the front roadside device 3 stores the first notification information and lane information in the storage unit 302 assuming that the received first notification information and lane information are addressed to itself. As a result, the target roadside device 3 notifies the preceding roadside device 3 that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3 is flooded. On the other hand, the previous roadside device 3 discards the received first notification information and lane information, assuming that the received first notification information and lane information are not information addressed to itself. Therefore, as a result, the preceding roadside unit 3 is not notified that the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 is flooded.

For example, when the target roadside device 3A shown in FIG. 13 determines that the water level of the surrounding first lane 8a is high, the roadside device 3B becomes the preceding roadside device 3, and the roadside device 3C becomes the preceding roadside device 3. Become. Therefore, the target roadside device 3A notifies the roadside device 3B that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3A is flooded. On the other hand, the roadside device 3C is not notified that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3A is flooded.

When the target roadside device 3A determines that the water level of the surrounding second lane 8b is high, the roadside device 3C becomes the preceding roadside device 3, and the roadside device 3B becomes the preceding roadside device 3. Therefore, the target roadside device 3A notifies the roadside device 3C that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3A is flooded. On the other hand, the roadside device 3B is not notified that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3A is flooded.

Further, when the target roadside device 3A determines that the water level of each of the first lane 8a and the second lane 8b is high, each of the roadside devices 3B and 3C becomes the front roadside device 3 . In this case, the target roadside device 3 transmits the first notification information, the identification information of the roadside device 3B, and the lane information indicating the first lane 8a. Further, the target roadside device 3 transmits the first notification information, the identification information of the roadside device 3C, and the lane information indicating the second lane 8b. As a result, the target roadside device 3A notifies both the roadside devices 3B and 3C that the road 7 around the target roadside device 3A is flooded.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the front roadside device 3 that has received the first notification information and the lane information. As shown in FIG. 14, in step s41, the controller 300 of the front roadside unit 3 displays the fifth caution information regarding the target water level on the display unit 340 based on the flood notification information included in the first notification information. Let At this time, when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the first lane 8a, the display unit 340 displays the first display screen 340a visible to the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling in the first lane 8a. to display the fifth caution information. On the other hand, when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the second lane 8b, the display unit 340 displays a second display screen 340b visible to the driver of the vehicle 4 traveling in the second lane 8b. to display the fifth caution information. As the fifth warning information, for example, a fifth warning character string and a figure for calling attention to the fact that the water level on the road ahead is high is adopted. As the fifth warning character string, for example, a character string "The road ahead is flooded. Please be careful." By displaying the fifth caution information by the front roadside device 3, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the front roadside device 3 and the pedestrians around the front roadside device 3 can take risk avoidance measures. Therefore, the safety of drivers and pedestrians is improved.

Further, when manhole notification information is included in the first notification information, the control unit 300 of the roadside device 3 on the near side causes the display unit 340 to display the specific photographed image included in the manhole notification information together with the fifth caution information. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the roadside unit 3 in front and the pedestrian around the roadside unit 3 in front can confirm the position of the manhole on the road 7 . Further, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the sixth caution information regarding the manhole together with the fifth caution information and the specific photographed image. When the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the first lane 8a, the display unit 340 displays the sixth caution information and the specific photographed image on the first display screen 340a. On the other hand, when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the second lane 8b, the display unit 340 displays the sixth caution information and the specific photographed image on the second display screen 340b. As the sixth warning information, for example, a sixth warning character string and a figure for calling attention to the manhole ahead are adopted. As the sixth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a manhole ahead. Please be careful." is adopted. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the roadside unit 3 in front and the pedestrians around the roadside unit 3 in front can pay attention to the manhole.

Further, when the first notification information includes the gutter notification information, the control unit 300 of the front roadside unit 3 causes the display unit 340 to display the specific photographed image included in the gutter notification information together with the fifth caution information. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the front roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian around the front roadside unit 3 can confirm the position of the gutter on the road 7 . In addition, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to display the seventh caution information regarding the gutter together with the fifth caution information and the specific photographed image. When the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the first lane 8a, the display unit 340 displays the seventh caution information and the specific photographed image on the first display screen 340a. On the other hand, when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the second lane 8b, the display unit 340 displays the seventh caution information and the specific photographed image on the second display screen 340b. As the seventh warning information, for example, a seventh warning character string and a figure for calling attention to the front gutter are adopted. As the seventh warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a gutter ahead. Please be careful." is adopted. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the front roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian around the front roadside unit 3 can pay attention to the gutter.

Further, when the floating object notification information is included in the first notification information, the control unit 300 of the front roadside device 3 causes the display unit 340 to display the eighth caution information regarding the floating object together with the fifth caution information. The display unit 340 displays the eighth caution information on the first display screen 340a when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the first lane 8a. On the other hand, when the lane information received by the front roadside device 3 indicates the second lane 8b, the display unit 340 displays the eighth caution information image on the second display screen 340b. As the eighth warning information, for example, an eighth caution-calling character string and a figure for calling attention to floating objects in front are adopted. As the eighth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a floating object ahead. Please be careful." is adopted. As a result, the driver of the vehicle 4 around the front roadside unit 3 and the pedestrian around the front roadside unit 3 can pay attention to the floating matter.

If the first notification information includes the manhole notification information, the gutter notification information, and the floating object notification information, the display unit 340 displays the fifth to eighth caution information and the specific photographed image together.

After step s41, in step s42, the controller 300 of the front roadside device 3 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the first notification information to the vehicles 4 in the vicinity. After that, in step s43, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the first notification information to the peripheral electronic devices 2. FIG.

In the vehicle 4 , the communication unit 410 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 receives the first notification information from the roadside device 3 on this side. The control unit 400 of the vehicle-mounted device 40 executes processing based on the first notification information received by the communication unit 410 . Specifically, based on the flood notification information included in the first notification information, the control unit 400 notifies the driver of the occurrence of flooding ahead using at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440. to notify. This allows the driver of the vehicle 4 to know that there is flooding ahead. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the fifth caution information described above. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described fifth character string for calling attention.

Further, when the manhole notification information is included in the first notification information, the control unit 400 of the in-vehicle device 40 causes the display unit 440 to display the specific photographed image included in the manhole notification information. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 4 can confirm the position of the manhole on the road 7 . Also, the control unit 400 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to notify the driver that there is a manhole ahead. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the sixth caution information described above together with the specific photographed image and the fifth caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the sixth character string for calling attention. This allows the driver of the vehicle 4 to be careful of manholes.

Further, when the first notification information includes the gutter notification information, the control section 400 of the in-vehicle device 40 causes the display section 440 to display the specific photographed image included in the gutter notification information. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 4 can confirm the position of the side ditch. In addition, the control unit 400 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to notify the driver that there is a gutter ahead. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the seventh caution information described above together with the specific photographed image and the fifth caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the above-described seventh character string for calling attention. This allows the driver of the vehicle 4 to pay attention to the gutters.

Further, when the first notification information includes the floating object notification information, the control unit 400 of the in-vehicle device 40 uses at least one of the speaker 450 and the display unit 440 to notify the presence of the floating object ahead. Notify the driver. When the display unit 440 is used, the display unit 440 displays, for example, the eighth caution information described above together with the fifth caution information. When the speaker 450 is used, the speaker 450 outputs, for example, a sound obtained by reading out the eighth character string for calling attention. This allows the driver of the vehicle 4 to pay attention to floating objects.

Note that the in-vehicle device 40 that has received the first notification information from the roadside device 3 on the near side may execute steps s32 to s34 in FIG. 10 described above.

In the electronic device 2 that has received the first notification information from the roadside device 3 on the near side, the control unit 200 executes processing based on the first notification information. Specifically, based on the flood notification information included in the first notification information, the control unit 200 notifies the user 20 of the occurrence of flooding in a slightly remote location by, for example, sounding the buzzer 250 . The control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the ninth caution information regarding the target water level to notify the user 20 that the flooding is occurring at a slightly remote location. As the ninth warning information, for example, a ninth warning character string and graphic are used to call attention to the fact that the water level is high in a slightly distant place. As the ninth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a flood occurring at a short distance. Please be careful." is adopted. As a result, the user 20 of the electronic device 2 in the vicinity of the roadside device 3 in front can take measures to avoid danger.

Further, when manhole notification information is included in the first notification information, the control unit 200 causes the display unit 240 to display the specific photographed image included in the manhole notification information. Also, the control unit 200 sounds, for example, a buzzer 250 to notify the driver that there is a manhole a short distance away. In addition, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the tenth warning information regarding the manhole to notify the user 20 that there is a manhole at a distance. As the tenth warning information, for example, a tenth warning character string and a graphic to call attention to a manhole located a short distance away is adopted. As the tenth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a manhole a little away. Please be careful." is adopted. Thereby, the user 20 of the electronic device 2 around the roadside device 3 in front can be careful of the manhole.

Further, when the first notification information includes the gutter notification information, the control unit 200 causes the display unit 240 to display the specific photographed image included in the gutter notification information. Also, the control unit 200 sounds, for example, a buzzer 250 to notify the driver that there is a gutter a short distance away. In addition, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the eleventh caution information regarding the gutter to notify the user 20 that the gutter exists at a short distance. As the 11th attention information, for example, an 11th attention-calling character string and graphic are used to call attention to a side ditch located a short distance away. As the eleventh warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a gutter a short distance away. Please be careful." is adopted. This allows the user 20 of the electronic device 2 around the roadside device 3 in front to pay attention to the gutter.

Further, when the first notification information includes the floating object notification information, the control unit 200 sounds the buzzer 250, for example, to notify the driver that the floating object exists at a short distance. In addition, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the twelfth caution information regarding the floating matter to notify the user 20 that the floating matter is present at a short distance. As the twelfth warning information, for example, a twelfth warning character string and a graphic that call attention to floating objects in a slightly distant place are adopted. As the twelfth warning character string, for example, a character string "There is a floating object at a distance. Please be careful." is adopted. This allows the user 20 of the electronic device 2 around the roadside device 3 in front to pay attention to floating objects.

As described above, in this example, when the external notification device provided with the roadside device 3 determines that the water level on the road 7 around the roadside device 3 is high, a notification is sent to devices other than the external notification device. conduct. Thereby, when the road 7 is in a dangerous state due to the flooding of the road 7, it is possible to notify a device other than the external notification device. Therefore, the convenience of the notification technology by the external notification device is improved.

After step s10, step s21 is performed, as shown in FIG. In step s21, the control unit 300 of the target roadside unit 3 acquires target water level information indicating the current target water level in the same manner as in step s1 described above. Then, in step s22, the control unit 300 determines whether the current target water level is high based on the target water level information acquired in step s21, as in step s2 described above. If YES is determined in step s22, step s21 is executed again. That is, when the target water level is still high, step s21 is executed again. On the other hand, if NO is determined in step s22, step s23 is executed. That is, step s23 is executed when the target water level becomes low.

In step s23, the control unit 300 determines that the risk of flooding on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 has disappeared, and causes the display unit 340 to display all of the information displayed in step s7. Let 340 erase. At this time, the control unit 300 may cause the display unit 340 to display danger release information indicating that the danger of flooding has disappeared for a certain period of time. As the danger release information, for example, a character string "the danger of flooding has disappeared" is adopted.

After step s23, in step s24, the control unit 300 generates second notification information that notifies that the risk of flooding on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 has disappeared. Then, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the second notification information to the surrounding vehicles 4 . After that, in step s25, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the second notification information generated in step s24 to the peripheral electronic devices 2. FIG.

In the vehicle 4 that has received the second notification information in the in-vehicle device 40, the control unit 400 of the in-vehicle device 40 causes the display unit 440 to erase all the information displayed on the display unit 440 in response to the reception of the first notification information. Let That is, the control unit 400 causes the display unit 440 to erase all the information displayed by the display unit 440 in step s31 of FIG. 10 described above. At this time, the control unit 400 may cause the display unit 440 to display the danger release information for a certain period of time. Further, when the operation button 611 of the second selection screen 610 displayed in step s34 is operated and the idling speed is increased, the control unit 400 returns the idling speed to the initial value. You may instruct|indicate to a vehicle control device.

Further, in the electronic device 2 that has received the second notification information, the control section 200 causes the display section 240 to erase all the information displayed by the display section 240 in response to the reception of the first notification information. At this time, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the danger relief information for a certain period of time.

After step s25, in step s26, the control unit 300 of the target roadside device 3 transmits the second notification information and the identification information of the preceding roadside device 3 to the communication unit 310 using, for example, the 700 MHz band. Broadcast to machine 3. After step s26, the water level determination process ends.

When step s6 in FIG. 8 has been executed and step s22 in FIG. back to

In the preceding roadside device 3 that has received the second notification information, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to erase all the information displayed by the display unit 340 in response to the reception of the first notification information. That is, the control unit 300 causes the display unit 340 to erase all the information displayed by the display unit 340 in step s41 of FIG. 14 described above. At this time, the control section 300 may cause the display section 340 to display the danger release information for a certain period of time. In addition, the control unit 300 of the roadside device 3 on the near side causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the second notification information to the surrounding vehicles 4 . Further, the control unit 300 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit the second notification information to the peripheral electronic devices 2 .

In the vehicle 4 whose in-vehicle device 40 receives the second notification information from the front roadside device 3, the control unit 400 of the in-vehicle device 40 displays all of the information displayed by the display unit 440 in response to the reception of the first notification information. The display is cleared by the display unit 440 . At this time, the control unit 400 may cause the display unit 440 to display the danger release information for a certain period of time.

Further, in the electronic device 2 that has received the second notification information from the roadside device 3 on the near side, the control unit 200 causes the display unit 240 to display all the information displayed by the display unit 240 in response to the reception of the first notification information. to erase. At this time, the control unit 200 may cause the display unit 240 to display the danger relief information for a certain period of time.

In the above example, the target roadside device 3 acquires the target water level information using the reference camera image, but the method of acquiring the target water level information is not limited to this. For example, let us consider a case where a plurality of marks arranged in the height direction are shown on a utility pole or wall within the photographing range of the camera 320 of the target roadside unit 3 . In this case, for example, the storage unit 302 of the target roadside unit 3 stores the height from the target road 7 to the mark for each of the plurality of marks. The control unit 300 performs image processing on the camera image showing the current state of the target road 7, and identifies the highest position mark that is submerged in water. Then, the control unit 300 acquires the height of the identified mark from the storage unit 302 . The control unit 300 uses the acquired height as target water level information. Further, the control unit 300 may use information indicating what mark from the bottom is the mark at the highest position submerged in water as the target water level information. For example, if the mark of the highest position submerged in water is the fifth mark from the bottom, the numerical value "5" may be used as the target water level information. In this case, the control unit 300 determines that the target water level is high when the numerical value indicated by the target water level information is larger than the threshold value.

Further, the target roadside unit 3 may acquire the target water level information from a water level sensor that detects the water level of the road 7 in its vicinity. The water level sensor may be provided integrally with the target roadside device 3 or may be provided separately from the target roadside device 3 . The water level sensor may be of an ultrasonic type, or may be of another type.

In the above example, the target roadside device 3 displays the specific photographed image, but it does not have to be displayed. Similarly, the vehicles 4 around the target roadside unit 3 do not have to display the specific photographed image. Further, the electronic devices 2 around the target roadside device 3 do not have to display the specific photographed image. Moreover, the roadside device 3 in front may not display the specific photographed image. Vehicles 4 around the roadside unit 3 in front may not display the specific photographed image. In addition, the electronic devices 2 around the roadside device 3 in the foreground do not have to display the specific photographed image.

Also, part of the water level determination process shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may not be executed. For example, some of steps s3-s5 may not be performed. Also, some of steps s7 to s10 may not be executed. Also, steps s21 to s26 may not be executed. Also, some of steps s23 to s26 may not be executed.

Also, in the process of FIG. 10, some of steps s31, s32, and s34 may not be executed. Also, in the process of FIG. 14, some of steps s41 to s43 may not be executed.

Also, part of the water level determination process may be executed by the center device 5 . In this case, the external notification device is composed of the roadside device 3 and the center device 5 . For example, the center device 5 may perform at least one of steps s1-s5. When the center device 5 executes step s1, for example, the communication unit 510 receives a reference camera image from the target roadside device 3 and a camera image showing the current state of the road 7 around the target roadside device 3 . Then, the control unit 500 compares the two images received by the communication unit 510 and acquires target water level information based on the comparison result. When the center device 5 executes step s<b>1 , the control unit 500 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires water level information indicating the water level on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 .

When the center device 5 executes step s3, the control unit 500 determines whether or not there is a manhole on the road 7 around the target roadside device 3 based on the camera image from the target roadside device 3. good. When the center device 5 executes step s4, the control unit 500 determines whether or not there is a gutter on the road 7 around the target roadside device 3 based on the reference camera image from the target roadside device 3. good too. When the center device 5 executes step s5, for example, the communication unit 510 receives a camera image showing the current state of the surrounding road 7 from the target roadside device 3 . Then, based on the camera image received by the communication unit 510 , the control unit 500 determines whether or not floating matter exists in the water on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 . When the center device 5 executes step s5, the control unit 500 functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not floating matter exists in the water on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3 .

Also, the center device 5 may execute step s8. In this case, the vehicle 4 repeatedly transmits its position information to the center device 5 . Also, the target roadside device 3 transmits the position information and the first notification information to the center device 5 . The control unit 500 of the center device 5 identifies the vehicles 4 around the target roadside device 3 based on the positional information of the target roadside device 3 and the positional information of each vehicle 4 . Then, the communication unit 510 of the center device 5 transmits the first notification information to the specified peripheral vehicle 4 . The center device 5 may similarly execute the process of step s24 in FIG. The center device 5 may similarly execute the process of step s42 in FIG.

Further, the center device 5 may execute step s9. In this case, the electronic device 2 repeatedly transmits its position information to the center device 5 . Also, the target roadside device 3 transmits the position information and the first notification information to the center device 5 . The control unit 500 of the center device 5 identifies the electronic devices 2 around the target roadside device 3 based on the positional information of the target roadside device 3 and the positional information of each electronic device 2 . Then, the communication unit 510 of the center device 5 transmits the first notification information to the identified peripheral electronic device 2 . The center device 5 may similarly execute step s25 in FIG. The center device 5 may similarly execute step s43 in FIG.

Also, the center device 5 may execute step s10. In this case, for example, the target roadside device 3 transmits its position information, the reference camera image, the camera image showing the current state of the target road 7, and the first notification information to the center device 5 . The center device 5 also stores the position information of each roadside unit 3, the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 in the first lane 8a, and the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 in the second lane 8b. In step s10, the control unit 500 of the center device 5 performs a specific progress based on the reference camera image, the camera image showing the current state of the target road 7, and the map information including the road information in the storage unit 502. Identify direction. Then, the control unit 500 identifies the front roadside unit 3 based on the specific traveling direction. The control unit 500 causes the communication unit 510 to transmit the first notification information and the lane information to the specified front roadside device 3 . When the center device 5 executes step s10, the control unit 500 functions as a specifying unit that specifies the traveling direction of the vehicle 4 at a place where the water level is high on the road 7 around the target roadside unit 3. FIG. When executing step s10, the center device 5 may execute step s26 in FIG. In this case, the target roadside device 3 transmits the second notification information to the center device 5 . At step s10, the communication unit 510 of the center device 5 transmits the second notification information to the roadside device 3 on the front side.

Although the communication system 1 has been described in detail as above, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Moreover, the various modifications described above can be applied in combination as long as they do not contradict each other. And it is understood that numerous variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

2 portable electronic device 3 roadside device 4 vehicle 5 center device 7 notification device 300, 500 control unit 310, 510 communication unit

A notification device, a first observation device, a notification method, a control device and a control method are disclosed. In one embodiment, the notification device is a notification device comprising a first viewing device. The notification device includes a communication unit that notifies devices other than the notification device when the water level on the road around the first observation device is higher than a threshold value. When the water level is higher than the threshold and there are floating objects in the water on the road, the first observation device controls traffic lights around the first observation device.

Also, the notification method is a notification method in a notification device provided with an observation device. The notification method comprises the step of notifying a device other than the notification device when the water level of the road around the observation device is above a threshold. The notification method comprises the observation device controlling a traffic light in the vicinity of the observation device when the water level is above a threshold and there is floating matter in the water on the road.

Claims (20)

A notification device comprising a first viewing device,
A communication unit that notifies a device other than the notification device when the water level on the road around the first observation device is higher than a threshold value,
The notification device, wherein the first observation device controls a traffic light around the first observation device when floating matter is present in the water on the road. A notification device according to claim 1,
further comprising a specifying unit that specifies a traveling direction of the vehicle at a place on the road where the water level is high when the water level is higher than the threshold;
The notification device, wherein the devices other than the notification device include a second observation device located on the side opposite to the direction of travel relative to the first observation device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 and 2,
The notification device, wherein the devices other than the notification device include vehicles located around the first observation device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The notification device, wherein the devices other than the notification device include an electronic device owned by a person located around the first observation device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The notification device, wherein when the floating matter exists in the water on the road, the communication unit notifies a device other than the notification device that the floating matter exists. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The notification device, wherein when the water level is higher than the threshold value and a gutter exists on the road, the communication unit notifies a device other than the notification device that the gutter exists on the road. . The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
If the water level is higher than the threshold value and there is a gutter on the road, the first observation device displays warning information about the gutter. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
If the water level is higher than the threshold value and if there is a gutter on the road, the communication unit transmits a photographed image showing the state of the road when it is not raining to a device other than the notification device. A notification device that sends to The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
If the water level is higher than the threshold value and if there is a gutter on the road, the first observation device displays a photographed image showing the state of the road when it is not raining. Device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The notification device, wherein when the water level is higher than the threshold value and a manhole exists on the road, the communication unit notifies a device other than the notification device that the manhole exists on the road. . The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A notification device, wherein when the water level is higher than the threshold and there is a manhole on the road, the first observation device displays caution information about the manhole. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
When the water level is higher than the threshold value and there is a manhole on the road, the communication unit sends a photographed image showing the state of the road when it is not raining to a device other than the notification device. A notification device that sends to The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
When the water level is higher than the threshold value and there is a manhole on the road, the first observation device displays a photographed image of the road when it is not raining. Device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A notification device, wherein if the water level is higher than the threshold, the first viewing device displays cautionary information regarding the water level. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The notification device, wherein the notification device comprises only the first observation device. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A notification device, wherein the notification device includes the first observation device and an information processing device capable of communicating with the first observation device. A first observation device provided in the notification device according to claim 16. A notification method with a notification device provided with an observation device,
a step of notifying a device other than the notification device when the water level of a road around the observation device is higher than a threshold value;
said observation device controlling a traffic light around said observation device when floating matter is present in the water on said road. A control device comprising a device,
A control device comprising a control unit for controlling a traffic light around the device when a water level on a road around the device is higher than a threshold value and floating objects are present in the water on the road. A control method in a control device comprising a device,
A control method comprising controlling a traffic light around the device when the water level on the road around the device is higher than a threshold and there is floating matter in the water on the road.

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