JP4437402B2 - Position detection apparatus and crossing support apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a position detection device for detecting the position of a moving body and a crossing support apparatus using the position detection device, and more particularly, to a position detection device that is not easily restricted by an installation location and the like and a moving body in a predetermined area using the position detection device The present invention relates to a crossing support device that supports safe crossing.

  For example, when a vulnerable person such as an elderly person or a disabled person crosses a pedestrian crossing with a traffic light, the lighting color of the pedestrian signal light may change from blue to red before the vulnerable person crosses the pedestrian crossing. There was a problem that it was not possible to secure a safe crossing of the pedestrian crossing for those with weak traffic. Therefore, a crossing support device that supports the safe crossing of vulnerable people in order to cope with such problems has been desired.

  Conventionally, this type of crossing support device radiates an interrogation signal via a transceiver buried in or near a pedestrian crossing, and sends a response signal from a transmitter possessed by the crosser to the road. A transmitter based on distance data determined from the electric field strength of the electromagnetic wave received by each receiver and the transmitter / receiver and received by each of the receiver / transmitter / receiver and provided on each side of the pedestrian crossing across In addition, there is one in which the lighting color and lighting time of the traffic light are controlled based on the detection result (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the transmitter attached to the pedestrian calculates the current position of the pedestrian using the GPS radio wave from the GPS satellite, and includes attributes such as blind persons and wheelchairs regarding the current position and the walking ability of the pedestrian. The pedestrian information is transmitted, the pedestrian information is received by the control device provided in the traffic light, and the blue period of the traffic light is extended by the extension time of the corresponding attribute stored in advance according to the attribute of the pedestrian included in the pedestrian information. There is something like this (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In addition, the current position is detected by a terminal device having a GPS function that is possessed by vulnerable persons including children, the elderly, and the physically handicapped, and this current position information is transmitted to the management center that controls the traffic light via the base station, The management center monitors the position of the terminal device based on the current position information, and when a weak person carrying this terminal device is crossing a pedestrian crossing, the blue light of the traffic light on the weak side is extended until the crossing is completed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).

Further, when receiving the terminal device located et transmitted identification information carried by a transverse who cross the crosswalk at communication device, whether the received area of the identification information is the range outside the crosswalk on or crosswalk When it is determined that the vehicle is crossing, there is one that keeps the signal light blue (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-83981 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-134891 JP 2003-123192 A JP 2002-208086 A

  However, in such a conventional crossing support device, for example, the crossing support device described in Patent Document 1 is based on the electric field strength of electromagnetic waves received by two receiving devices and a transmitting / receiving device embedded in the ground. By detecting the distance to the transmitting device in possession and specifying the position of the crossing person, the electric field strength of the received electromagnetic wave is easily affected by the reflected waves from the surroundings of the pedestrian crossing, such as cars and buildings, etc. There are difficulties in detecting the position of the person.

  In addition, since the crossing support devices described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 both detect the position of a transmitter or a terminal device possessed by a crossing person using the GPS function, the position detection limit by general GPS is about It is difficult to detect a position within 20 m, and it is impossible to accurately detect the position of a crossing person who moves a distance of several meters. In addition, in the position detection by the GPS function, there are places and times where GPS satellites cannot be observed. Crossing support devices cannot be installed at such places, and crossing support devices are used when GPS satellites cannot be observed. There is a problem that cannot be done.

  Furthermore, the crossing support apparatus described in Patent Document 4 requires two antennas to be installed on both sides of the pedestrian crossing so that the center of the pedestrian crossing is the boundary of the reception area. There is a problem that the reception area of each antenna must be adjusted according to the above. Further, since the boundary between the two receiving areas is ambiguous, it is difficult to detect the position of the crossing person in the area, and there is a possibility that a safe crossing of the crossing person cannot be ensured by making an erroneous determination.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and is a position detection device that is not easily affected by the radio wave environment and is not easily restricted by the installation location, etc. It aims at providing the crossing assistance apparatus which supports crossing.

To this end, the invention of the position detecting device according to claim 1 is arranged to have a common receivable area for receiving a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device included in a mobile body , and the received transmission signal is M floor discontinuous point is specific portion appearing in the differential demodulation to the signal waveform is locally present on the time axis, and multiple reception apparatus that and the signal level causing the demodulated signal for continuous, each a position specifying unit for specifying a position of the moving object based on the reception time information measured on the basis of the specific portion included in the demodulated signal in the receiver, and configured with a

With such a configuration, the reception device receives a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device included in a moving body that moves within a common receivable area of a plurality of reception devices, and demodulates the received transmission signal to generate a signal waveform. locally present on specific portions of time axis is discontinuous points appear in M th derivative causes and to produce a demodulated signal the signal level is continuous, based on the specific portion included in the demodulated signal The position of the moving body is specified based on the measured reception time information.

  In this case, the position specifying unit, as claimed in claim 2, is based on the transmission time information of the transmission signal in the terminal device and the reception time information of the transmission signal in each reception device. The distance may be calculated, and the position of the moving body may be specified based on the distance. Alternatively, as in claim 3, a distance difference between the terminal device and each receiving device is calculated based on a time difference in reception time of the transmission signal between the receiving devices, and the mobile body is calculated based on the distance difference. The position may be specified.

  In the configuration of claim 4, each of the receiving devices receives a transmission signal that generates a demodulated signal in which a singular part transmitted from the terminal device exists locally on the time axis and the signal level is continuous, A demodulator that demodulates the received signal and outputs the demodulated signal; a singular part detector that detects the singular part included in the demodulated signal output from the demodulator and outputs a singular part detection signal; And a time measurement unit that measures the reception time of the received signal based on a specific part detection signal output from the specific part detection unit.

Further, the invention of a crossing support apparatus according to claim 5 receives a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device provided in a mobile body crossing a predetermined area, and demodulates the received transmission signal to generate a signal waveform. a discontinuity is specific portions appearing in M th derivative is locally present on the time axis, and produces a demodulation signal where the signal level is continuous, is measured on the basis of the specific part included in said demodulated signal The position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position of the moving body is specified based on received reception time information, and the position information of the terminal device output from the position detection device. A crossing state determination unit that determines a crossing state of the moving body and outputs a control signal corresponding to the crossing state to a management unit that manages safe passage of the moving body that moves in the area.

In this case, as in claim 6, the predetermined area is a pedestrian crossing, and a control signal may be output from the crossing state determination unit to the signal control means as the management means for controlling lighting of a traffic light. . In this configuration, when the presence of the moving object is detected in the pedestrian crossing, the signal indicating means is controlled until the moving object is removed from the pedestrian crossing. It is better to keep the blue pedestrian signal light on. Alternatively, as in claim 8, when the presence of the moving body is detected in a pedestrian crossing, the signal control means may be controlled to extend the blue lighting of the traffic light for a pedestrian for a predetermined time. . At this time, as in claim 9, the crossing state determination unit may include a memory for storing a movement history of the moving body.

  In the structure of Claim 10, when the request signal which requests | requires converting the pedestrian signal light into blue from the said terminal device is received, the said signal control means is controlled, and the pedestrian signal light of a traffic light is changed from red to blue. It was set as the structure made to convert.

  Moreover, the crossing support apparatus of this invention is equipped with the transmission part which transmits the control information of the signal light input from the said signal control means like Claim 11, and via the alerting | reporting part with which the said mobile terminal device was equipped. It is good also as a structure which alert | reports the control information of the present signal light. Furthermore, as in a twelfth aspect, a function of identifying a plurality of the terminal devices may be provided.

According to the position detection device of the present invention , a singular part that is a discontinuous point that appears as an M-th derivative of a signal waveform by demodulating a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device included in a mobile body by a plurality of reception devices is a time axis. locally present above, and the signal level can be caused a demodulated signal to be continuous, it is possible to measure the reception time on the basis of the specific portion included in the demodulated signal. Therefore, the position of the moving body can be specified by the position detection device based on the reception time information measured in this way, and the influence of the reflected wave based on the radio wave environment at the installation location of the position detection device is suppressed. Accurate position detection can be performed. As a result, it is less affected by the radio wave environment than in the prior art, and is less susceptible to restrictions on the installation location and the like than in the case of a position detection device using the GPS function, and the installation location can be selected relatively freely.

In addition, according to the crossing support apparatus of the present invention, demodulation in which a singular part transmitted from a terminal device included in a mobile body crossing within a predetermined area is locally present on the time axis and the signal level is continuous. The position of the moving body can be specified based on the reception time information measured based on the singular part included in the demodulated signal of the transmission signal that generates the signal, and the crossing state of the moving body is determined based on the position information In addition, it is possible to control a management means that manages the safe passage of the mobile body in this area . Therefore , it is possible to support the safe traversal of the moving body.

  Furthermore, if the crossing support device of the present invention is applied to a pedestrian crossing, the crossing situation of a pedestrian as a moving body is judged and the lighting state of a traffic light for a pedestrian of a traffic light is controlled, for example, a crossing person such as a traffic weak You can safely cross the pedestrian crossing. In this case, the crossing of the pedestrian crossing can be made safer by maintaining the blue lighting of the pedestrian signal lamp until the pedestrian has crossed the pedestrian crossing or extending it for a predetermined time.

  Furthermore, when a crossing person requests the terminal device to change the red lighting of the pedestrian signal light to the blue lighting, the signal control means of the traffic light is controlled to change the lighting condition of the signal light according to the request. This is convenient for people with disabilities.

  Then, if the message is notified via the notification unit of the terminal device provided by the crosser about the lighting state of the signal light for the pedestrian, for example, when the signal light for the pedestrian soon changes from blue to red If you are crossing, you can stop crossing according to the message, and if you are crossing, you can rush according to the message and ensure a safer crossing at the crosswalk of the crossing person. it can.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a position detection apparatus according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a position detection device 1 according to the present embodiment detects a position of a pedestrian (or a crossing person) as a moving body and transmits it from a terminal device 2 possessed by the pedestrian (or a crossing person). And a plurality of receiving devices 3 (indicated by two receiving devices 3A and 3B in FIG. 1) and a position specifying unit 4 for specifying the position of the terminal device 2.

Here, for example, the terminal device 2 generates an analog modulation signal by converting the digital waveform data of the modulation signal by the D / A converter in the modulation signal generation unit 5 as shown in FIG. The modulation signal is modulated into an RF band radio signal and transmitted from the antenna 7A, and various modulation signals such as amplitude modulation and angle modulation can be transmitted. Then, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-162034, when demodulated, a singular part (a discontinuous point appearing in the M-th derivative of the waveform of the demodulated signal) exists locally on the time axis and demodulated signal the signal level is continuous is made to send so that transmission signals occur.

Each of the receiving devices 3A and 3B has a common receivable area AR as shown in FIG. 1, and receives reception time information of a transmission signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 as described later. A reception time measurement unit 8 is provided as reception time measurement means for outputting to the unit 4.

The reception time measuring unit 8 is similar to that described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-162034, for example, and demodulates the transmission signal received by the antenna 7B and outputs a demodulated signal as shown in FIG. A demodulator 9; a singular part detector 10 for detecting a singular part included in the demodulated signal output from the demodulator 9 and outputting a singular part detection signal; and a singular part detection signal output from the singular part detector 10 And a time measuring unit 11 for measuring the reception time of the transmission signal based on the above.

The demodulator 9 demodulates the received transmission signal and outputs a demodulated signal in which the singular part is locally present on the time axis and the signal level is continuous. Here, the singular part is a discontinuous point that appears in the Mth derivative (M is a natural number) of the waveform of the demodulated signal.

  The singular part detection unit 10 detects a discontinuous point that appears in the Mth derivative of the waveform of the demodulated signal and outputs it as a singular part detection signal. Specifically, when wavelet transform capable of detecting discontinuous points appearing in M-order differentiation is performed, a singular part detection signal is generated and output from the wavelet transform result, and when discrete wavelet transform is used as the wavelet transform Is configured using a subband decomposition filter.

  The singular part detection unit 10 includes an A / D converter (not shown) that performs A / D conversion on the demodulated signal, and a subband decomposition filter that divides the bandwidth into four.

  In this case, the demodulated signal input to the singular part detection unit 10 is converted into a digital discretized demodulated signal by an A / D converter and input to the subband decomposition filter. Then, the input discretized demodulated signal is divided into four bands of a ratio of 4: 2: 1: 1 from the high band to the low band by the subband decomposition filter.

  The time measuring unit 11 includes a level comparator (not shown), a time measuring unit, and a reception time calculating unit. The level comparator compares the signal level of the singular part detection signal with a preset threshold value Vth, and when the signal level of the singular part detection signal is equal to or higher than the threshold value Vth, receives a signal of logical value 1 Output to. The time measuring unit outputs the current time information to the reception time calculating unit. Then, the reception time calculation unit measures the reception time of the reception signal based on the time information when the signal having the logical value 1 is input from the level comparator.

  Here, a demodulated signal that causes a discontinuous point by M-order differentiation will be described. The demodulated signal is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-162034, and will be briefly described here.

  The waveform of the demodulated signal that generates a discontinuous point due to the Mth order differentiation is configured such that the signal level is continuous by connecting a plurality of waveforms represented by different continuous functions. As a result, discontinuous points appearing in the Mth order differentiation occur at connection points of a plurality of waveforms represented by different continuous functions.

4 to 6 show specific examples of waveforms for M = 1, 2, and 3. FIG. In each figure, a constant value of +1 or −1 is assumed except for the signal level changing portion.
For example, FIG. 4 shows a waveform example of a signal level changing part where M = 1, that is, a discontinuous point appears in the first-order differentiation of the waveform, and an output example of the singular part detection unit 10 for the waveform. Yes. In this case, in the demodulated signal f1 (t) shown in the figure, discontinuous points appear at points -T / 2 and T / 2.

  FIG. 5 shows a waveform example of a signal level changing portion where M = 2, that is, a discontinuous point appears in the second derivative of the waveform, and an output example of the singular portion detection unit 10 for the waveform. In this case, the discontinuous point appears at the zero point in the demodulated signal f2 (t) shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows a waveform example of a signal level changing portion where M = 3, that is, a discontinuous point appears in the third-order differentiation of the waveform, and an output example of the singular portion detection unit 10 for the waveform. In this case, in the demodulated signal f3 (t) shown in the figure, discontinuous points appear at points -T / 2 and T / 2.

  The position specifying unit 4 is connected to the receiving devices 3A and 3B wirelessly or by wire, and determines the position of the terminal device 2 based on the reception time information that is the output of the reception time measuring unit 8 of the receiving devices 3A and 3B. As shown in FIG. 7, the memory 12 and the processing unit 13 are provided. The memory 12 stores in advance the XY coordinate positions of the receiving devices 3A and 3B on the XY two-dimensional coordinates. Further, the processing unit 13 obtains a time difference between the reception times of the transmission signals transmitted from the terminal device 2 at the receiving devices 3A and 3B, and the terminal device 2 and the receiving devices 3A and 3A, based on the time difference and the propagation speed of the radio wave. The distance difference from 3B is calculated, and the position of the terminal device 2 is specified on the XY coordinates based on the distance difference and the XY coordinate positions of the receiving apparatuses 3A and 3B read from the memory 12.

Here, a method for specifying the position of the terminal device 2 will be described in detail.
For example, when the position of the terminal device 2 is specified using two receiving devices 3A and 3B as shown in FIG. 1, the time difference between the reception times of the transmission signals in both the receiving devices 3A and 3B is Δt. The distance difference Δd between the distance d1 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3A and the distance d2 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3B is obtained by Δd = c × Δt. Note that c is the propagation speed of radio waves and is equal to the speed of light (3 × 10 ⁸ m / s).

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the terminal device 2 exists at any position on the hyperbola L with the positions of the receiving device 3A and the receiving device 3B as the focal point. In particular, when the terminal device 2 moves along a line connecting the receiving device 3A and the receiving device 3B, the position of the terminal device 2 can be specified as a substantially point P.

  Further, a clock that is synchronized with each of the terminal device 2 and each receiving device 3 is provided, and a transmission signal including transmission time information is transmitted from the terminal device 2, and this transmission time information and reception time information of the transmission signal at each receiving device 3 are transmitted. The position of the terminal device 2 can also be specified by calculating the distance between the terminal device 2 and each receiving device 3 based on the above.

In this case, for example, if the transmission time t1 of the transmission signal from the terminal device 2 and the reception time t2 of the transmission signal in the reception device 3 can be measured, the radio wave propagation time t is obtained as t = t2−t1. Therefore, the distance d between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3 can be obtained as d = c × t, where the propagation speed of radio waves is c (= 3 × 10 ⁸ m / s). As a result, it can be seen that the position of the terminal device 2 is any position on the circumference of the distance d centered on the receiving device 3 as shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the position detection device 1 is configured by using the two receiving devices 3A and 3B, and the terminal device 2 moves along a line connecting the two receiving devices 3A and 3B. In this case, the distance between the terminal device 2 and each of the receiving devices 3A and 3B is obtained as d1 and d2 from the radio wave propagation time in the same manner as described above, and the position of the terminal device 2 is as shown in FIG. It is possible to specify the intersection point P of circles with distances d1 and d2 centered on the receiving devices 3A and 3B, respectively.

  As described above, according to the position detection device 1 of the present invention, the position of the terminal device 2 moving within the common receivable area AR of the plurality of reception devices 3 is determined from the terminal device 2 in each reception device 3. It can be specified based on the reception time information of the transmitted signal to be transmitted, is not easily affected by the radio wave environment as in the prior art, and has restrictions such as installation location as in the case of a position detection device using the GPS function. It is difficult to receive and you can choose the installation location relatively freely.

  Further, if a signal that generates a demodulated signal in which the singular part is locally present on the time axis and the signal level is continuous is applied as the transmission signal, the radio wave environment at the installation location of the position detection device 1 is applied. It is possible to detect the position with high accuracy by further suppressing the influence of the reflected wave based on it.

  Note that the number of receiving apparatuses is not limited to two, and three or more receiving apparatuses may be provided. In this case, for example, when the position of the terminal device 2 is specified only by the reception time information using three reception devices, as shown in FIG. 11, first, the time difference between the reception times of the transmission signals in the reception device 3A and the reception device 3B. From Δt1, the distance difference Δd1 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3A and between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3B is obtained in the same manner as described above. Thereby, it turns out that the terminal device 2 exists in any position on the hyperbola L1 which makes the receiving device 3A and the receiving device 3B a focal point. Furthermore, the distance difference Δd2 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3A and the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3C is obtained from the time difference Δt2 between the receiving times of the receiving device 3A and the receiving device 3C. Thereby, it turns out that the terminal device 2 exists in any position on the hyperbola L2 which makes the receiving device 3A and the receiving device 3C a focal point. Then, the distance difference Δd3 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3B and the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3C is obtained from the time difference Δt3 between the receiving times of the receiving device 3B and the receiving device 3C. Thereby, it turns out that the terminal device 2 exists in any position on the hyperbola L3 which makes the receiver 3B and the receiver 3C a focal point. From the above, the position of the terminal device 2 can be specified at the intersection P of the hyperbola L1 to L3. In this case, it is necessary to arrange the three receiving devices 3A to 3C so as not to line up on the same straight line.

  When the position of the terminal device 2 is specified based on the transmission time information and the reception time information, the propagation time of the radio wave from the terminal device 2 to each of the receiving devices 3A, 3B, 3C as shown in FIG. Measurement is performed in the same manner, and thereby distances d1, d2, and d3 between the terminal device 2 and the receiving devices 3A, 3B, and 3C are obtained. In this case, the position of the terminal device 2 can be specified at the intersection P of circles with distances d1, d2, and d3 centered on the receiving devices 3A, 3B, and 3C, respectively.

  Furthermore, if the number of receiving apparatuses 3 is increased, the position of the terminal apparatus 2 can be specified using more hyperbolas or circles, and the position specifying accuracy is improved. In particular, when specifying the position of the terminal device 2 in the three-dimensional space, at least four receiving devices 3 are required.

Next, a first embodiment of a crossing support apparatus using the position detection apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
Crossing support system shown in FIG. 13. 14, for example, vulnerable road such as elderly or disabled persons are transmitted from the terminal device 2 that includes a body or a wheelchair or a cane or the like, locally specific portion when demodulated on the time axis It exists, and pedestrian crossings W and vulnerable road users on the basis of the reception time information measured on the basis of signal level receives so that transmission signals demodulated signal occurs for successive specific portion included in the demodulated signal The position in the vicinity is identified, the crossing situation of vulnerable people is judged, and the signal control means 15 of the traffic light as a management means for managing the safe traffic of the vulnerable people moving within the pedestrian crossing W is controlled to control the safety of the vulnerable people. It is configured to include the position detection device 1 and the crossing state determination unit 16.

  The position detection device 1 includes the two receiving devices 3A and 3B shown in FIG. 1 on, for example, the columns of traffic lights installed at both ends of the pedestrian crossing W across the road R, so that the pedestrian crossing W can be commonly received. It is set as area AR. Generally, the width of the pedestrian crossing W is narrower than the length of the crossing direction, so the crossing direction of the traffic weak (hereinafter referred to as a crossing person) is substantially parallel to the straight line connecting the two receiving devices 3A and 3B. It becomes. Therefore, as described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11, it is possible to specify the position of the terminal device 2 included in the crossing person by the two receiving devices 3A and 3B.

  The crossing state determination unit 16 determines the crossing state of the crossing person based on the output of the position specifying unit 4 of the position detection device 1, and controls to extend the blue lighting of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B of the traffic lights. A control signal is output to the signal control means 15.

Next, a control method of the crossing support apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the pedestrian approaches the pedestrian crossing W, first, in step 1 (indicated by S1 in FIG. 14, the same applies hereinafter), the transmission signal of the terminal device 2 provided by the pedestrian is transmitted by, for example, two receiving devices 3A and 3B. The position specifying unit 4 detects the position of the crossing person based on the reception time information. In this case, the method for specifying the position of the crossing person can be performed by the method shown in FIGS.

  Next, in step 2, the crossing situation determination unit 16 determines whether or not the crossing person is crossing the pedestrian crossing W. Here, when it becomes "NO" determination, it waits until a crossing person starts a crossing. In this case, the signal control means 15 controls the traffic light in accordance with preset normal conditions.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2 that the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B of the traffic lights are lit in blue and the crossing person is crossing the pedestrian crossing W, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step 3. In step 3, a control signal for extending the blue lighting of the pedestrian signal lamps 17A and 17B for a predetermined time is output from the crossing state determination unit 16 to the signal control means 15 of the traffic light to extend the blue lighting time. In this case, it goes without saying that while the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B are blue, the red lighting state of the vehicle signal lights on the roadway side is maintained.

  If “NO” determination is made in step 2, a signal notifying that there is no crossing may be output to the signal control means 15 so that the traffic light is controlled normally. In this case, communication between the signal control means 15 and the crossing support device 14 is always maintained. Therefore, for example, when the signal control means 15 does not receive any signal from the crossing support device 14 side, it can be determined that a failure has occurred in the crossing support device 14. This facilitates the determination of the failure of the crossing support device 14.

  As described above, according to the crossing support device of the first embodiment, while the crossing person crosses the pedestrian crossing W, the position of the terminal device 2 included in the crossing person is detected and the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B are detected. By extending the blue lighting for a predetermined time, it is possible to secure a safe crossing of the crossing W of the crossing person.

  If three or more receiving apparatuses 3 are used, for example, the position of a crossing person on a plurality of pedestrian crossings W at an intersection or the position of a crossing person at a scrambled intersection can be specified.

  In addition, the crossing support apparatus of the first embodiment may be configured so that a plurality of terminal apparatuses 2 can be identified. In this case, for example, the terminal device 2 may be configured to transmit a predetermined identification code (ID) of the terminal device 2 and the receiving device 3 may include an identification unit that identifies the code. Thereby, a plurality of terminal devices 2 can be identified by a set of receiving devices 3, respectively, and the position of each terminal device 2 can be specified. Therefore, even when a plurality of crossers enter the pedestrian crossing W at the same time, the position of each crosser can be specified by identifying with the identification code of the terminal device 2 included in each crosser. Alternatively, the terminal device 2 and the reception device 3 are provided with clocks synchronized with each other, and the time slot allocation unit is provided in the reception device 3 so that the time slot information can be transmitted and the time slot information is received by the terminal device 2 An information receiving unit may be provided. In this case, when a crossing person who has the terminal device 2 enters the common receivable area AR of the receiving device 3, the time slot information is transmitted from the receiving device 3 side to the terminal device 2 and the time slot is transmitted. And the transmission signal is transmitted from the terminal device 2 only within the allocated time slot. As a result, a set of receiving devices 3 can individually communicate with a plurality of terminal devices 2 in a time slot allocated in advance for each device, and the position of each terminal device 2 can be specified. Therefore, also in this case, even if a plurality of crossers enter the pedestrian crossing W at the same time, the position of each crosser can be specified.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a control method of the crossing support apparatus 14 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is the same in configuration as the first embodiment except for the control method. Therefore, the description of the configuration is omitted here.
When the pedestrian approaches the pedestrian crossing W, first, in step 11, the transmission signal of the terminal device 2 included in the pedestrian is received by, for example, the two receiving devices 3A and 3B, and the position specifying unit is based on the reception time information. At 4, the position of the crosser is detected.

  Next, in step 12, the crossing situation determination unit 16 determines whether or not the crosser is crossing the pedestrian crossing W. If “NO” determination is made here, the process proceeds to step 13.

  In step 13, a control signal permitting the change of the pedestrian signal lights 17 </ b> A and 17 </ b> B of the traffic light from blue to red is output from the crossing state determination unit 16 to the signal control means 15 of the traffic light. In this case, when the control signal is input within the preset blue lighting time and during the extension of the blue lighting time described later, the signal control means 15 turns on the pedestrian signal lamps 17A and 17B after each time has elapsed. Convert to red.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 12 that the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B of the traffic lights are in the blue lighting state and the pedestrian enters the pedestrian crossing W and is crossing, the determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step 14. .

  In step 14, a control signal is outputted from the crossing state determination unit 16 to the signal control means 15 so as to maintain the blue lighting of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B, and the blue lighting state is maintained. Then, the process returns to step 11. In this case, steps 11, 12, and 14 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step 12 that the pedestrian has crossed the pedestrian crossing W and is not crossing (“NO” determination). When the pedestrian crosses the pedestrian crossing W and step 12 is “NO”, the process proceeds to step 13 where a control signal for permitting the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B to be converted to red is transmitted to the crossing situation determination unit 16. To the signal control means 15.

  According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the pedestrian traffic light can be kept on blue until the crosser finishes crossing the pedestrian crossing W. It can be safer.

  In the first and second embodiments, if the crossing situation determination unit 16 includes a memory and stores the movement history of the crossing person, the crossing direction can be known and the remaining crossing distance can be calculated from the crossing speed and the current position. be able to. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to calculate the time for the crosser to finish crossing the pedestrian crossing from the remaining crossing distance and crossing speed, and to extend the blue lighting of the signal lights 17A and 17B by that time. In addition, for example, when the transmission is interrupted due to a failure of the terminal device 2 or a battery exhaustion during the crossing and the position of the crossing person cannot be detected, the remaining crossing distance is calculated from the position where the transmission stops and the distance is determined accordingly. By extending the blue lighting time of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B, it is possible to ensure a safe crossing of the crossing person.

  Further, a sharp antenna having directivity is used as an antenna of the two receivers 3A and 3B, a common receivable area AR is set on the pedestrian crossing W, and the movement history of the crossing person is stored. For example, when a crossing person deviates from the pedestrian crossing W and escapes from the receivable area AR, it is determined that the crossing person has turned back and the blue lighting time is set in advance without extending the blue lighting time. It can be converted to red as usual after a lapse of time. On the contrary, if an antenna with a wide directivity is used, a series of movements of a crossing person from the time of approaching the pedestrian crossing W to the time of finishing after crossing the pedestrian crossing W can be monitored.

Next, a third embodiment of the crossing support apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same elements as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different portions from the first embodiment will be described.
The crossing support device 14 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16 is applied to a push button type pedestrian crossing, includes a request signal detection unit 18, and is transmitted by a button operation provided in the terminal device 2. When a request signal for requesting the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B to be changed to blue is received, the request signal is detected from the demodulated signal of the received signal, and the signal of the traffic light is transmitted from the crossing state determination unit 16 based on the request signal. A control signal for controlling the control means 15 is output, and the color of the pedestrian signal lights 17A, 17B is changed from red to blue.

  In this case, when the pedestrian tries to cross the push button type pedestrian crossing W, if the user presses the button of the terminal device 2, the terminal device 2 requests the pedestrian signal lights 17A, 17B to be changed to blue. To send a request signal. On the other hand, when the receiving device 3A (or 3B) receives the request signal from the terminal device 2 and the request signal detection unit 18 detects the request signal from the demodulated signal, it outputs a message to that effect to the crossing situation determination unit 16. A control signal is output from the crossing state determination unit 16 to the signal control means 15 of the traffic light. When the control signal is input, the signal control means 15 controls the signal light to change the color of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B from red to blue. Thereby, the crossing person can cross the pedestrian crossing W. Note that ensuring the safety of a crossing person during a crossing is performed in the same manner as in the first or second embodiment described above.

  Thus, according to the crossing support device 14 of the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, when the crosser approaches the pedestrian crossing W, he or she walks by pressing the button of the terminal device 2 at hand. Since the signal lights 17A and 17B for the person can be changed to blue, it is convenient for the disabled.

  In the crossing support device 14 of the third embodiment, the request signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 while being superimposed on the transmission signal is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the terminal device 2 transmits the request signal. May be transmitted separately from the transmission signal for position detection, and the crossing support device 14 may be provided with a receiving unit that receives the request signal independently. The request signal receiver may be housed in a storage box of the signal control means 15 of the traffic light or a box of a push button switch.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the crossing support apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same elements as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different portions from the first embodiment will be described.
The crossing support device 14 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 17 includes a transmission unit 19, such as “how long will the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B change to blue” or “how long will the blue continue after”? The lighting status of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B and a message such as “Should you stop crossing” or “You should hurry a little” are sent to the terminal device 2 to urge the crossers to pay attention. The control information of the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B obtained from the signal control means 15 of the traffic light and the position information of the crossing person obtained from the position detecting device 1 are judged by the crossing situation judgment unit 16 and the above message is sent from the transmission unit 21. Can be sent. The message is displayed on the display unit provided in the terminal device 2 or notified by voice from the voice output unit.

  In this case, when the crosser approaches the pedestrian crossing W, for example, when a message transmission request is made by pressing a button (not shown) of the terminal device 2, the crossing support device 14 is obtained from the signal control means 15 of the traffic light. Based on the control information and the position information of the crossing person obtained from the position detection device 1, the crossing state determination unit 16 determines and transmits the message from the transmission unit 21 to the terminal device 2. For example, before the pedestrian enters the pedestrian crossing W, when the blue lighting of the pedestrian signal lights 17A, 17B is about to turn red, it should "turn to red soon" and therefore "crossing should be canceled" ”Or the like is notified via a display unit or a voice output unit as a notification unit of the terminal device 2. Or, for example, when a crossing person requests transmission of the message during a crossing, the crossing situation determination unit 16 makes a judgment based on the control information of the signal control means 15 and the current position of the crossing person, and “how long is blue? Since it continues, a message such as “There is still enough room to go over” or “It is better to hurry a little” is transmitted from the transmission unit 21 to the terminal device 2 to urge the crossing person to pay attention.

  The transmission of the message is not limited to the one started by the button operation of the crossing terminal device 2 as described above. For example, when the crossing enters the receivable area AR, the message is transmitted from the crossing support device 14 for walking. A message about the current control information of the signal lamps 17A and 17B may be automatically transmitted.

  Thus, according to the crossing support device of the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the crosser knows the control information of the current pedestrian signal lights 17A, 17B from the terminal device 2. Therefore, when the pedestrian signal lights 17A and 17B change from blue to red soon, for example, the crossing can be stopped and the safety of the crossing can be ensured. In addition, if you are crossing, you will be informed of “how long will the blue continue after that”, etc. Therefore, safety can be ensured.

  In the fourth embodiment, when the signal transmission from the terminal device 2 is interrupted during the crossing, the position specifying unit 4 determines that the position cannot be specified, and transmits that fact from the transmitting unit 19. You may make it notify the failure of a transmission part. Further, if the message is always transmitted, when the terminal device 2 stops receiving the message, the terminal device 2 side can determine the failure of the receiving unit.

  Further, if the ID of the terminal device 2 is added to the transmission signal and transmitted, even if a plurality of crossers equipped with the terminal device 2 enter the pedestrian crossing W at the same time, the terminal device in which the transmission signal is interrupted 2 can be identified, and the crossing support device 14 can notify the corresponding terminal device 2 of the failure of the transmission unit.

  In addition, although all the above-mentioned crossing assistance apparatuses 14 were applied to the pedestrian crossing W, it is not limited to this, For example, it can apply also to a crossing etc. In this case, if there is a crossing person who is still crossing within the railroad crossing even after the predetermined green light lighting time has elapsed, such as a train operation management center or a train cab as a management means for managing traffic within the railroad crossing You may make it alert | report the effect and to make it decelerate and control the speed of a train.

It is explanatory drawing which shows embodiment of the position detection apparatus by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the terminal device of the said position detection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the receiver of the said position detection apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a waveform of the signal level change part in which a discontinuous point appears by 1st-order differentiation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a waveform of the signal level change part in which a discontinuous point appears by 2nd-order differentiation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a waveform of the signal level change part in which a discontinuous point appears by 3rd-order differentiation. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a position specific part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of pinpointing a position using two receiving devices, when only receiving time is known. It is explanatory drawing which shows the principle of the position specific method in case transmission time and reception time are known. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of pinpointing a position using two receiving apparatuses, when transmission time and reception time are known. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of specifying a position using three receiving apparatuses, when only receiving time is known. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of specifying a position using three receiving apparatuses, when transmission time and reception time are known. It is a block diagram explaining the schematic structure of 1st Embodiment of the crossing assistance apparatus by this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the control method of the crossing assistance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the control method of the crossing assistance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining schematic structure of 3rd Embodiment of the crossing assistance apparatus by this invention. It is a block diagram explaining schematic structure of 4th Embodiment of the crossing assistance apparatus by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Position detection apparatus 2 ... Terminal device (terminal device)
3, 3A, 3B ... receiving device 4 ... position specifying unit
8 ... Reception time measuring unit (reception time measuring means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Demodulation part 10 ... Singular part detection part 11 ... Time measurement part 14 ... Crossing support apparatus 15 ... Signal control means (management means)
16 ... Crossing state determination unit 17, 17A, 17B ... Pedestrian traffic light AR ... Common receivable area W ... Crosswalk

Claims (12)

A discontinuous point that is arranged with a common receivable area for receiving a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device included in a mobile body, and that appears in the M-th derivative of the signal waveform by demodulating the received transmission signal. specificity portion locally exists on the time axis, and multiple reception apparatus that and the signal level causing the demodulated signal to continuously,
A position specifying unit for specifying a position of the moving object based on the reception time information measured on the basis of the specific portion included in the demodulated signal in each reception apparatus,
A position detection device comprising:   The position specifying unit calculates a distance between the terminal device and each receiving device based on transmission time information of a transmission signal in the terminal device and reception time information of the transmission signal in each receiving device, and based on the distance The position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the moving body is specified.   The position specifying unit calculates a distance difference between the terminal device and each receiving device based on a time difference in reception time of the transmission signal between the receiving devices, and determines the position of the moving body based on the distance difference. The position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the position detection device is specified. Each receiving device, before receiving the Kioku signal signal, detects a demodulator for outputting the demodulated signal by demodulating the signal thus received, the specific portion included in the demodulated signal output from the demodulation unit A reception time measuring means comprising: a singular part detection unit that outputs a singular part detection signal; and a time measurement unit that measures the reception time of the reception signal based on the singular part detection signal output from the singular part detection unit. The position detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection device. A singular part that is a discontinuous point that receives a transmission signal transmitted from a terminal device included in a mobile body that traverses a predetermined area and that demodulates the received transmission signal and appears as an M-th derivative of a signal waveform locally present on the time axis and signal level causes the demodulated signal to continuously, specifies the position of the moving object based on the reception time information measured on the basis of the specific part included in said demodulated signal The position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and the position information of the terminal device output from the position detection device are used to determine a crossing state of the mobile body, and the crossing state is determined. A crossing support apparatus comprising: a crossing state determination unit that outputs a control signal corresponding to a management unit that manages safe passage of a moving body that moves within the area.   6. The crossing support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined area is a pedestrian crossing, and the management means is signal control means for controlling a traffic light.   When the crossing state determination unit detects the presence of the moving body in a pedestrian crossing, the pedestrian signal light of the traffic light is kept blue until the moving body leaves the pedestrian crossing by controlling the signal control means. The crossing support apparatus according to claim 6, which is configured as described above.   The crossing state determination unit, when detecting the presence of the moving body in a pedestrian crossing, controls the signal control means to extend the blue lighting of a pedestrian signal lamp of a traffic light for a predetermined time. The crossing support apparatus according to claim 6.   The crossing support apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the crossing situation determination unit includes a memory that stores a movement history of the moving body.   When the request signal for requesting the pedestrian signal light to be converted into blue is received from the terminal device, the signal control means is controlled to convert the pedestrian signal light of the traffic light from red to blue. The crossing support apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9.   A transmission unit that transmits signal light control information input from the signal control unit is provided, and the current signal light control information is notified through a notification unit provided in the mobile terminal device. The crossing support apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10.   The crossing support device according to any one of claims 5 to 11, further comprising a function capable of identifying a plurality of the terminal devices.

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