JP5348111B2 - Communication system and in-vehicle communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an operator of a vehicle from overlooking a factor other than the vehicle in the vicinity of a signal device which changes its signal cycle corresponding to a plurality of factors in an onboard communication device. <P>SOLUTION: A signal control device regards a vehicle factor resulting from existence of a vehicle as one of a plurality of external factors, changes the light color or the light color duration time of a signal device when receiving any external factor, and transmits signal device information including information of current light color and light color duration time after the change as well as specific information for specifying the external factor to a road. An onboard device acquires the signal device information and the specific information from the signal control device 2 (S410), and specifies whether or not the external factor which changed the signal device information is a vehicle factor based on the specific information (S460, S470, S510). Then, the onboard device outputs the specified external factor (S530, S560). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system including a roadside communication device that transmits predetermined information on a road and a vehicle-mounted communication device that is mounted on a vehicle and can receive information from the roadside communication device, and a vehicle-mounted communication device.

  As a communication system, when a vehicle such as an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, the light color (signal cycle) of the traffic light arranged at the intersection is changed so that the vehicle can pass through the intersection with the light color blue. The configuration is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-146137 A

  By the way, the structure where the light color of a traffic light is changed also in the case of a pedestrian pushing a push button like a push button type traffic light is known, for example. In consideration of this configuration, in addition to the case where the presence of the vehicle is a factor, a configuration in which the signal cycle is changed is also assumed when the presence of a vehicle other than a vehicle such as a pedestrian is caused.

  However, in a traffic light that changes the signal cycle in response to such a plurality of factors, the driver of the vehicle is not allowed to drive the vehicle even though the light color is changed to blue because the pedestrian presses the push button. It is assumed that the light color has been changed to blue due to the approach to the intersection, and as a result, pedestrians may be overlooked. Such a problem is not limited to the case where the pedestrian presses the push button, but may occur if the signal device changes the signal cycle corresponding to a plurality of factors.

  Accordingly, in view of such a problem, a communication system including a roadside communication device that transmits predetermined information on the road and an in-vehicle communication device that is mounted on the vehicle and can receive information from the roadside communication device, and the in-vehicle device An object of the present invention is to prevent a driver of a vehicle from overlooking a factor that changes a signal cycle other than the own vehicle in the vicinity of a traffic light that changes the signal cycle in response to a plurality of factors. And

  In the communication system having the first configuration configured to achieve such an object, the traffic signal control means of the roadside communication device sets a vehicle factor caused by the presence of the vehicle as one of a plurality of external factors. When any external factor is received, the lamp color or the lamp color duration in the traffic light is changed. Then, the information transmission means of the roadside communication device transmits the traffic signal information including the current lamp color after the change and the information of the duration of the lamp color together with the specific information for specifying the external factor to the road. Transmission means.

  On the other hand, the information acquisition unit of the in-vehicle communication device acquires the traffic signal information and the specific information from the roadside communication device, and the factor specifying unit determines whether the external factor that changed the traffic signal information based on the specific information is a vehicle factor. Specify whether or not. The factor output means outputs the specified external factor.

  According to such a communication system, it is possible for the vehicle side to grasp whether the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor (whether it is derived from the presence of the vehicle). If not, the driver of the vehicle can be urged to pay attention to external factors that have changed the traffic signal information.

  In the present invention, the roadside communication device detects a vehicle located in a predetermined area near a traffic signal (traffic traffic signal arranged at an intersection or the like) using road-to-vehicle communication or a sensor on the road. Can be obtained.

  By the way, in the said communication system, like the communication system of the 2nd structure, the specific information which the information transmission means of a roadside communication apparatus transmits is a pedestrian who makes a factor a pedestrian as an external factor. The factor may be one of a plurality of external factors, and the factor specifying unit of the in-vehicle communication device may specify whether the external factor is a vehicle factor or a pedestrian factor.

  According to such a communication system, since it is also specified whether the external factor is the presence of a pedestrian on the vehicle-mounted side (whether it is derived from the presence of a pedestrian), when a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-mounted communication device enters an intersection , Can be encouraged to pay attention to the presence of pedestrians.

  Further, in the communication system, as in the communication system of the third configuration, the specific information transmitted by the information transmission unit of the roadside communication device is used to identify the vehicle that has caused the vehicle factor to change the traffic signal information. If the identification information is included and the factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device specifies that the external factor that changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor, whether or not the own vehicle has become a vehicle factor based on the identification information May be specified as an external factor.

  According to such a communication system, when the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor on the in-vehicle side, it is specified whether the factor is based on the presence of the own vehicle or the presence of another vehicle. can do. Therefore, when the vehicle factor is based on the presence of another vehicle, it is possible to prompt attention to the presence of the other vehicle.

  In the present invention, in order to identify a vehicle that causes the vehicle to become a vehicle factor in the roadside communication device, a configuration in which a picked-up image of the number plate is processed and a result obtained by reading the number plate is acquired, or an ID for identifying the vehicle is specified. The roadside communication device only has to have a configuration for acquiring the attached signal from the vehicle. That is, it is only necessary to have a means for detecting a vehicle without using communication with the vehicle or a means for detecting a vehicle using communication.

Further, in the communication system, as in the communication system of the fourth configuration, the specific information transmitted by the information transmission means of the roadside communication device detects a pedestrian that causes a pedestrian factor to change traffic signal information. Pedestrian location information that represents the location
The factor identifying means of the in-vehicle communication device identifies the position where the pedestrian is detected based on the pedestrian location information as an external factor when the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is identified as a pedestrian factor. May be.

According to such a communication system, the position of a pedestrian (such as the position of a pedestrian crossing that the pedestrian wants to cross) can be grasped on the vehicle-mounted side.
Further, in the communication system, as in the communication system of the fifth configuration, the in-vehicle communication device determines whether or not there is a pedestrian factor on the planned travel route of the host vehicle based on the pedestrian position information. Position determining means may be included, and the factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device may specify whether or not the pedestrian factor is on the scheduled travel route as an external factor.

According to such a communication system, different outputs can be performed according to the relationship between the planned travel route of the host vehicle and the position of the pedestrian.
In the communication system, as in the communication system having the sixth configuration, the information transmission unit of the roadside communication device repeatedly transmits the information to the road, and the in-vehicle communication device uses the acquired specific information. A change detection means for detecting that the external factor based on the change has been changed, and the factor output means of the in-vehicle communication device also outputs that the external factor is changed when the external factor is changed. It may be.

  According to such a communication system, it is possible to grasp that an external factor has been changed on the vehicle side. Therefore, it is possible to urge the driver of the vehicle to pay attention to the external factor after the change.

  Further, in the above communication system, as in the communication system of the seventh configuration, when there are a plurality of external factors to be output, the factor output means of the in-vehicle device preferentially outputs external factors that are not vehicle factors. May be.

  That is, when there are external factors including vehicle factors and pedestrian factors, the pedestrian factors are output with priority. According to such a communication system, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle from overlooking other external factors by assuming that the traffic signal information has changed due to the external factors based on the presence of the host vehicle.

  Moreover, in the said communication system, although the structure which alert | reports and vehicle control according to the output of an external factor may be provided in the exterior of the said communication system, the said structure may be provided in the inside of the said system. In particular, like the communication system of the eighth configuration, the in-vehicle communication device may include notification means for performing notification according to the output from the factor output means.

According to such a communication system, notification according to an external factor can be performed.
Further, in the communication system, as in the communication system of the ninth configuration, the in-vehicle communication device has the object position information when the received specific information includes object position information related to the position of the object that is an external factor. And a probability calculation means for calculating an existence probability representing the probability that there is another object that can be an external factor in addition to the object that is an external factor, using parameters related to the surrounding environment of the host vehicle, The means may perform notification regarding an object that has become an external factor and notification regarding another object according to the existence probability in different modes.

  According to such a communication system, an external factor that is reliably detected and an external factor that is not detected but that can be detected are reported in a different manner, and the external factor that can be detected depends on the existence probability. The notification mode can be changed. Therefore, it is possible to notify the degree of attention to the driver of the vehicle.

  Next, the in-vehicle communication device of the tenth configuration is an in-vehicle communication device that constitutes the communication system of the first configuration. According to such an in-vehicle communication device, it is possible to enjoy the same effect as the communication system having the first configuration.

  The in-vehicle communication device having the tenth configuration can also be configured as an in-vehicle communication device configuring the communication systems having the second to ninth configurations.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a communication system 100. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a signal cycle. It is a bird's-eye view of a typical intersection where traffic signal 3 is arranged. 4 is a ladder chart showing an example of a procedure for road-to-vehicle communication performed between the in-vehicle device 1 and the signal control device 2. It is a table | surface which shows the detailed content of roadside information. It is a flowchart which shows a pedestrian detection process (a) and a vehicle information reception process (b). It is a flowchart which shows a lamp color plan creation process. It is a flowchart which shows a roadside information generation process. It is a flowchart which shows a roadside information analysis process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the alerting | reporting example (the 1). It is explanatory drawing which shows the alerting | reporting example (the 2). It is explanatory drawing which shows the alerting | reporting example (the 3).

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Configuration of this embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a communication system 100 to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 1 (in-vehicle communication device) mounted on a vehicle traveling on a road and a light color display period (each light) in a traffic signal 3 installed at a road intersection. And a signal control device 2 (roadside communication device) for controlling the length of time during which the color lighting continues. A plurality of in-vehicle devices 1 and signal control devices 2 may be provided. In this case, the in-vehicle device 1 communicates with a plurality of signal control devices 2, and the signal control device 2 communicates with a plurality of in-vehicle devices 1. That's fine.

The in-vehicle device 1 includes a position specifying unit 10, an external device connecting unit 11, a display unit 12, an audio output unit 13, a wireless communication unit 15, a control unit 16, and the like.
Among these, the position specifying unit 10 specifies the current location and traveling direction of the vehicle based on detection signals from the vehicle speed sensor 32, a GPS receiver (not shown), a gyroscope, and the like, and inputs the specified data to the control unit 16. . The external device connection unit 11 is an interface for communicating with various devices such as other ECUs (Electronic Control Units) such as a radar camera 31, a vehicle speed sensor 32, and an operation control unit 33 mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle information data transmitted from each device is input to the control unit 16.

  The radar camera 31 is a device for detecting an object such as another vehicle existing around the host vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 32 is a device for detecting the speed of the host vehicle. The operation control unit 33 is a device for performing operation control of each unit (a controlled unit such as a turn signal, an accelerator, and a brake) of the host vehicle.

  The display unit 12 is a display device having a display surface such as a liquid crystal panel for displaying images, and displays various driving assistance images based on control from the control unit 16. The display surface for displaying the image is disposed at a place where it can be seen from the driver's seat of the vehicle. The voice output unit 13 is a voice output device including a speaker or the like that outputs voice, and outputs various guidance voices related to driving support based on control from the control unit 16.

  The wireless communication unit 15 is a communication device for performing bidirectional wireless communication (road-to-vehicle communication) with the signal control device 2 installed near the road. As a communication mode used for this road-to-vehicle communication, for example, a narrowband communication (DSRC) used in an ETC (registered trademark) system, a radio beacon and an optical beacon technology used in VICS (registered trademark), etc. are used. Conceivable.

  Alternatively, it may be possible to use a 700 MHz band radio wave whose usage category is scheduled to be reorganized after the end of 2011 (planned) analog television broadcasting. Since the 700 MHz band radio wave has a longer wavelength than that of the 5.8 GHz band radio wave used in DSRC, diffraction tends to occur. Therefore, in an urban area where buildings are densely packed, communication can be performed even from the shadow of the building.

  The control unit 16 is configured by a known computer device including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and comprehensively controls each unit of the in-vehicle device 1. This control part 16 performs the process regarding various driving assistance according to the program memorize | stored in ROM. In the present embodiment, processing related to driving support (details will be described later) based on traffic signal information acquired from the signal control device 2 by road-to-vehicle communication.

The signal control device 2 includes a wireless communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a surrounding situation acquisition unit 23, and a pedestrian detection unit 41.
Among these, the radio | wireless communication part 21 is a communication apparatus for performing two-way radio | wireless communication (road-to-vehicle communication) between the vehicle-mounted apparatuses 1 mounted in the vehicle which drive | works a road. As a communication mode used for this road-to-vehicle communication, the same communication system as the above-mentioned in-vehicle device 1 is used.

  The control unit 22 is composed of a well-known computer device including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The control unit 22 controls each part of the signal control device 2 and manages traffic signals installed at intersections according to the schedule of the signal cycle managed by itself. Hereinafter, it is also referred to as “signal”. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, lighting, extinguishing and blinking of each signal lamp such as blue, yellow, red and arrows for turning right are controlled in a plurality of signal cycles.

  Especially the control part 22 of this embodiment has a function which changes the period which shows the lamp color of the signal lamp in the traffic signal apparatus 3 for every cycle. That is, this control part 22 performs the process regarding transmission of the traffic signal information managed by its own signal control apparatus 2, and the process which changes the display period of a lamp color according to the request from a vehicle or a pedestrian. .

  Next, the pedestrian detection unit 41 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a push button in a push button type traffic light. When operated by a pedestrian, the pedestrian detection unit 41 is operated with information that can specify the position of the operated push button. A signal to that effect is sent to the surrounding situation acquisition unit 23. Note that the pedestrian detection unit 41 may be configured to detect the presence of a pedestrian together with the position. For example, a configuration in which the vicinity of a pedestrian crossing is imaged by a camera and a pedestrian is extracted by performing image processing on the captured image. May be provided.

  The surrounding situation acquisition unit 23 is for acquiring detection information related to the traffic situation around the intersection where the traffic signal 3 to be controlled is installed, and inputting the detection information to the control unit 22. Specifically, it is used for inputting a detection result by the pedestrian detection unit 41 or the like, a detection result by a sensor for detecting the vehicle, or the like.

[Factors that change the signal cycle]
In the communication system 100, the signal cycle of the traffic light 3 is changed when an external factor representing some object (a vehicle or a pedestrian) about to enter the intersection is detected. Here, external factors will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a bird's-eye view of a schematic intersection where the traffic signal 3 is arranged.

  In FIG. 3, an external factor that causes the vehicle to enter the intersection at the center of the page from the lower side of the page to be the own vehicle, and that causes the current lamp color of the own vehicle to transition to blue among the external factors that change the signal cycle. Is illustrated. In other words, external factors that cause the current light color of the host vehicle to transition to blue are (1) detection of a pedestrian trying to cross the pedestrian crossing on the left side of the host vehicle, and (2) a pedestrian crossing on the right side of the host vehicle. For example, detecting a pedestrian who is going to cross the road, (3) detecting another vehicle which is about to enter the intersection, and (4) detecting a vehicle which is about to enter the intersection.

  When the signal control device 2 detects the external factors shown in the above (1) to (4), it changes the signal cycle, and the current indicator lamp color for the detected external factors in order to make the detected external factors enter the intersection. Change to blue. At this time, the display lamp color for the host vehicle is also changed to blue.

[Road-to-vehicle communication procedure]
Next, an example of a procedure of road-to-vehicle communication performed between the in-vehicle device 1 and the signal control device 2 will be described based on a ladder chart of FIG.

  The signal control device 2 constantly transmits roadside information including traffic signal information related to the signal cycle schedule of the intersection managed by the signal control device 2 to the outside via the wireless communication unit 21. This roadside information is generated by roadside information generation processing as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b).

  The signal control device 2 transmits roadside information every 100 ms, for example, so that vehicles existing within the wireless communication area of the signal control device 2 can receive roadside information at the transmission interval. Moreover, the signal control apparatus 2 transmits roadside information by broadcast that does not specify a communication partner.

  The roadside information includes information indicating the display period of the lamp color belonging to each signal cycle with respect to a predetermined number of signal cycles from the present time. Further, the roadside information includes information for specifying the factor that changed the signal cycle when the signal cycle is changed.

  When receiving the roadside information, the in-vehicle device 1 updates the corresponding roadside information already stored in the RAM of the control unit 16 to the content of the newly received roadside information. Specifically, when receiving the roadside information from the signal control device 2, the in-vehicle device 1 stores the received roadside information in a predetermined area of the RAM of the control unit 16. At this time, when the in-vehicle device 1 receives roadside information from different K signal control devices 2, roadside information from 1 to K for each traffic signal ID that is identification information included in the roadside information (traffic signal information). Save.

  When roadside information is received again from the same signal control device 2, the existing roadside information corresponding to the traffic signal ID of the roadside information is updated to the content of the newly received roadside information. Thereby, when roadside information is received from a plurality of signal control devices 2 at the same time, only the latest roadside information is stored for one signal control device 2.

  In roadside information analysis processing (details will be described later), processing such as predetermined notification is performed in accordance with the received roadside information. In addition, you may perform predetermined driving assistance at the time of intersection traffic, such as speed guidance, speed control, and alerting.

  The in-vehicle device 1 acquires information on the position of the host vehicle and the traveling direction (current traveling direction, intersection where the vehicle turns right or left) from a position specifying unit, a navigation device (not shown), and the like, and specifies the host vehicle. And an identifier (ID) for broadcasting. When the signal control device 2 receives the vehicle information, the signal control device 2 performs vehicle information reception processing described later. Moreover, as shown to Fig.4 (a), the signal control apparatus 2 implements the pedestrian detection process mentioned later, when a pedestrian is detected, such as when the pushbutton of a pedestrian crossing is pushed. These vehicle information reception processing and pedestrian detection processing include processing for setting the signal cycle included in the roadside information transmitted from the signal control device 2 next so that the vehicle or pedestrian can enter the intersection.

  In addition, when a pedestrian is not detected, as shown in FIG.4 (b), a pedestrian detection process is not implemented. Similarly, when vehicle information is not received from the vehicle, the vehicle information reception process is not performed.

Thus, the roadside information including the signal cycle set in the pedestrian detection process and the vehicle information reception process is transmitted from the signal control device 2.
[Roadside information]
Next, detailed contents of the roadside information transmitted from the signal control device 2 to the in-vehicle device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the roadside information includes traffic signal information, pedestrian information, and vehicle information. Among these, the traffic signal information is a field of “traffic traffic signal ID” in which identification information (ID) of the traffic signal 3 to be controlled by the signal control device 2 is described, and “transmission time” in which the time at which roadside information is transmitted is described. Field, "intersection position information" field in which information (position coordinates etc.) for specifying the position of the intersection where the traffic signal to be controlled is installed is described, vehicles from the intersection center of the road extending from this intersection A number of directions (vector) field indicating the number of directions (vectors) in which the vehicle can travel, and each route is numbered in turn, and for each route number (I), a traffic light signal cycle schedule It has a “lamp color information” field describing information.

  Further, the lamp color information field includes the number (J) of information of signal cycles included in this field and lamp color information corresponding to each signal cycle from the first cycle to the Jth cycle in the execution order. It is. The lamp color information of the first cycle is information regarding the signal cycle currently being executed, and the lamp color information after the second cycle is information regarding the future signal cycle scheduled to be executed thereafter.

  The field of lamp color information corresponding to each signal cycle further includes the number of lamp color information (M) included in one cycle and information corresponding to each of the first to Mth lamp colors in the display order. . Note that information corresponding to the first lamp color in the lamp color information of the first cycle corresponds to information on the lamp color currently displayed. The information corresponding to each lamp color includes information indicating the lamp color type (blue, yellow, red, arrow, etc.).

  Next, the pedestrian information includes pedestrian position information and pedestrian route information. The information on the position of the pedestrian is the information on the position where the pedestrian is detected. The position of the push button pressed by the pedestrian, the position where the pedestrian is detected by image processing, or the position where the pedestrian is detected by the sensor, etc. Applicable to information.

  The information on the pedestrian route indicates the route number of the road where the pedestrian exists (will be crossed). The vehicle information includes vehicle position information and vehicle both-way information, and indicates the same position and route information as the pedestrian information. In addition, when there are a plurality of pieces of vehicle information, position and route information is included for each vehicle in addition to an identifier (ID) for specifying the vehicle.

When no pedestrian is detected, there is no pedestrian information. Similarly, when no vehicle is detected, there is no vehicle information.
[Process of this embodiment]
Here, various processes described in the above ladder chart will be described below. 6 is a flowchart showing a pedestrian detection process (a) and a vehicle information reception process (b) executed by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2, and FIG. 7 is a lamp color plan executed by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2. It is a flowchart which shows a creation process. 8 is a flowchart showing a roadside information generation process executed by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a roadside information analysis process executed by the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1.

  The pedestrian detection process is started when a pedestrian is detected. As shown in FIG. 6A, first, a pedestrian's course (direction) is set based on the position of the push button operated by the pedestrian. (S110). Then, the position of the pedestrian is extracted (S120), the information on the route and position of the pedestrian is stored as pedestrian information in the RAM of the control unit 22 (S130), and a lamp color plan creation process described later is performed. (S140). When this lamp color plan creation process ends, the pedestrian detection process ends.

  Next, vehicle information reception processing will be described. The vehicle information reception process is started when the vehicle information is received. First, as shown in FIG. 6B, the received vehicle information is stored in the RAM of the control unit 22 (S160). Then, a lamp color plan creation process to be described later is performed (S170). When this lamp color plan creation process ends, the pedestrian detection process ends.

  Next, the light color plan creation process will be described. The light color plan creation process is a process of setting the light color or the time duration of the light color to be changed in response to any external factor, with the presence of vehicles and the presence of pedestrians as external factors. It is.

  In the light color plan creation process, as shown in FIG. 7, it is first determined whether there is pedestrian information or vehicle information that has not been processed (S210, S220). If there is neither pedestrian information nor vehicle information (S210: NO and S220: NO), the lamp color plan creation process is terminated.

  If there is pedestrian information (S210: YES), a signal cycle based on the pedestrian information is determined (S230). Specifically, the signal cycle is set so that the displayed light color of the road side (pedestrian crossing) that the detected pedestrian wants to cross quickly turns blue.

  In addition, when there is both pedestrian information and vehicle information, pedestrian information is processed preferentially. Subsequently, the signal cycle is updated to the set signal cycle (S240), and the lamp color plan creation process is terminated. However, in the process of S240 (the same applies to the process of S270 described later), it may not be performed to change a cycle that has already been changed based on other pedestrian information or vehicle information.

  If vehicle information is present in the process of S220 (S210: NO and S220: YES), the time until the vehicle reaches the intersection is determined based on the vehicle speed and the distance to the intersection, and the time at this time Is calculated (S260). Then, the signal cycle is set so that the indicator light color of the direction in which the vehicle approaches before the vehicle enters the intersection turns blue (S270). Subsequently, the signal cycle is updated to the set signal cycle (S280), and the lamp color plan creation process is terminated.

  Next, roadside information generation processing will be described. The roadside information generation process is a process executed when roadside information is transmitted. As shown in FIG. 8, first, it is determined whether there is pedestrian information (S310). If there is pedestrian information (S310: YES), pedestrian information is acquired (S320), and the process proceeds to S330. Moreover, if there is no pedestrian information (S310: NO), it will transfer to the process of S330 immediately.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether there is vehicle information (S330). If there is vehicle information (S330: YES), vehicle information including an identifier (ID) for identifying the vehicle is acquired (S340), and the process proceeds to S350. Moreover, if there is no vehicle information (S330: NO), it will transfer to the process of S350 immediately.

  And the traffic signal information including the signal cycle information set by the lamp color plan creation process is acquired (S350), and roadside information is generated (S360). In this process, roadside information as shown in FIG. 5 is generated by combining the acquired traffic signal information, pedestrian information, and vehicle information. Subsequently, the generated roadside information is transmitted (S370: information transmission means), and the roadside information generation process is terminated.

Next, the roadside information analysis process will be described. The roadside information analysis process is a process that starts when the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 receives the roadside information and performs driving support based on the roadside information.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, first, roadside information is acquired (extracted) (S410: information acquisition means). Then, it is determined whether there is traffic signal information in the roadside information (S420).

  If there is no traffic signal information (S420: NO), the roadside information analysis process is immediately terminated. Further, if there is traffic signal information (S420: YES), it is determined whether or not the lamp color at the expected intersection arrival time is blue (S430). Note that information such as the expected arrival time at the intersection may be diverted from that calculated in the above-described lamp color plan creation process.

  If the light color at the expected intersection arrival time is not blue (S430: NO), the roadside information analysis process is immediately terminated. Further, if the lamp color at the estimated intersection arrival time is blue (S430: YES), it is determined whether or not there is a change in the factor that changed the signal cycle (S440: change detection means).

  In this process, attention is paid to pedestrian information and vehicle information included in the roadside information, and it is determined whether or not these pieces of information have changed with reference to information included in the previously received roadside information. If there is a change in the factor (S440: YES), the fact that there is a change is recorded (S450), and the process proceeds to S460 described later.

  If there is no change in the factor (S440: NO), the process immediately proceeds to S460. Then, it is determined whether there is pedestrian information (S460: factor specifying means). If there is pedestrian information (S460: YES), the relationship (positional relationship) is specified between the position and route of the pedestrian and the route that is the traveling direction of the vehicle (S510: pedestrian position determination means, factor specification) means).

  In this process, information for specifying the traveling direction of the host vehicle is acquired from the navigation device or turn signal (direction indicator), and the traveling direction of the vehicle is specified based on this information. And the existence probability of the pedestrian in each route is calculated (S520: probability calculation means).

  In this process, for example, the existence probability in the route where the push button is pressed is set to 100%, and among the routes where the push button is not pressed, the light color is blue simultaneously with the route where the push button is pressed. The existence probability in a certain route is set based on the time zone and the statistics of the number of pedestrians. In addition, the existence probability in the route where the light color does not become blue simultaneously with the route where the push button is pressed is set to zero. If a pedestrian can be recognized by a camera or the like, the existence probability may be calculated using the recognition result.

  And based on this existence probability, pedestrian information is notified (S530: factor output means, alerting means). At this time, if the fact that the factor that changed the signal cycle has been recorded is recorded, it is also notified of what factor has been changed. When the notification process is finished, the roadside information analysis process is finished.

  On the other hand, if there is no pedestrian information in the process of S460 (S460: NO), it is determined whether or not there is vehicle information (peripheral vehicle information) excluding the host vehicle (S470: factor specifying means). If there is surrounding vehicle information (S470: YES), the surrounding vehicle information (for example, that there is an oncoming right turn vehicle) is notified via the display unit 12 or the audio output unit 13 (S560: factor output unit, notification unit). .

  At this time, if the fact that the factor that changed the signal cycle has been recorded is recorded, it is also notified of what factor has been changed. When the notification process is finished, the roadside information analysis process is finished.

If there is no surrounding vehicle information (S470: NO), the roadside information analysis process is immediately terminated.
[Mode of notification]
A mode of notification in the process of S530 of the roadside information analysis process will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of notification when the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection is not taken into account, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of notification when the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection is taken into account. 10 to 12, the vertical and horizontal directions are defined as shown in each figure, and the following description will be made using these directions.

  When the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection is not considered, as shown in FIG. 10, an image of the intersection is displayed on the display unit 12, and the side where the push button is pressed (the side where the pedestrian is detected: walking) Display indicating a strong warning that there is a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing (the left side in FIG. 10) on the side where the probability of existence of the person is high. Then, a display indicating a weak warning that there may be a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing (the right side in FIG. 10) on the side where the push button is not pressed (the side where the existence probability is low) is performed. The voice output unit 13 outputs “Please drive with caution to pedestrians” to call attention.

  Further, when considering the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection, if the traveling direction of the host vehicle coincides with the side on which the push button is pressed (left side in FIG. 11), as shown in FIG. Along with the traveling direction of the vehicle, a display indicating a strong warning that there is a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing in that direction is performed. Then, the voice output unit 13 outputs “There is a pedestrian!” In order to give a stronger warning than when calling attention. Note that a warning or the like is not displayed on the pedestrian crossing opposite to the traveling direction.

  Further, when considering the traveling direction of the host vehicle at the intersection, if the traveling direction of the host vehicle (right side in FIG. 12) and the side where the push button is pressed (left side in FIG. 12) are different, FIG. As shown, a weak warning that a pedestrian may be on the pedestrian crossing in that direction is displayed along with the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The voice output unit 13 outputs “Please drive with caution to pedestrians” to call attention. Note that a warning or the like is not displayed on the pedestrian crossing opposite to the traveling direction.

[Effects of this embodiment]
In the communication system 100 described in detail above, the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2 sets the vehicle factor caused by the presence of the vehicle as one of a plurality of external factors, and any external factor. When it receives, it changes the color of the traffic light or the duration of the color. And the traffic signal information including the information of the current lamp color after the change and the duration of the lamp color is transmitted to the road together with the specific information for specifying the external factor.

  On the other hand, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 acquires the traffic signal information and the specific information from the signal control device 2, and specifies whether or not the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor based on the specific information. To do. Then, the specified external factor is output.

  According to such a communication system 100, since it is possible to grasp on the vehicle side whether or not the external factor that changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor (being derived from the presence of the vehicle), this external factor is the vehicle factor. If this is not the case, the driver of the vehicle can be urged to be aware of external factors that have changed the traffic signal information.

  In the communication system 100, the specific information transmitted by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2 includes, as an external factor, a pedestrian factor caused by the presence of a pedestrian as one of a plurality of external factors. The control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 specifies whether the external factor is a vehicle factor or a pedestrian factor.

  According to such a communication system 100, it is also specified whether the external factor is the presence of a pedestrian on the vehicle-mounted device 1 side (whether it is derived from the presence of a pedestrian), so that a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 1 enters the intersection. In doing so, you can encourage attention to the presence of pedestrians.

  Further, in the communication system 100, the specific information transmitted by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2 includes identification information for identifying a vehicle that has caused a vehicle factor to change the traffic signal information. When specifying that the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor, the first control unit 16 also specifies whether or not the host vehicle has become a vehicle factor based on the identification information.

  According to such a communication system 100, when the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor on the vehicle-mounted side, whether the factor is based on the presence of the own vehicle or the presence of another vehicle. Can be identified. Therefore, when the vehicle factor is based on the presence of another vehicle, it is possible to prompt attention to the presence of the other vehicle.

  In addition, the specific information transmitted by the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2 in the communication system 100 includes pedestrian position information indicating the position where the pedestrian that has caused the pedestrian factor to change the traffic signal information is detected. In addition, when specifying that the external factor that changed the traffic signal information is a pedestrian factor, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 also specifies the position where the pedestrian is detected based on the pedestrian location information as an external factor. .

According to such a communication system 100, on the vehicle-mounted side, the position of a pedestrian (such as the position of a pedestrian crossing that the pedestrian wants to cross) can be grasped.
Further, in the communication system 100, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines the presence / absence of a pedestrian factor on the planned travel route of the host vehicle based on the pedestrian location information, and the pedestrian factor is on the planned travel route. Whether or not there is an external factor is also specified.

According to such a communication system 100, different outputs can be performed according to the relationship between the planned travel route of the host vehicle and the position of the pedestrian.
Further, in the communication system 100, the control unit 22 of the signal control device 2 repeatedly transmits each information to the road, and the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 has changed the external factor based on the acquired specific information. Is detected. And the control part 16 of the vehicle equipment 1 outputs also about the external factor having been changed, when the external factor was changed and changed.

  According to such a communication system 100, it is possible to grasp that an external factor has been changed on the vehicle side. Therefore, it is possible to urge the driver of the vehicle to pay attention to the external factor after the change.

Further, in the communication system 100, when there are a plurality of external factors to be output, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 preferentially outputs an external factor that is not a vehicle factor.
That is, when there are external factors including vehicle factors and pedestrian factors, the pedestrian factors are output with priority. According to such a communication system 100, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle from overlooking other external factors by assuming that the traffic signal information has changed due to the external factors based on the presence of the host vehicle.

In the communication system 100, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs notification according to an external factor.
According to such a communication system 100, notification according to an external factor can be performed.

  Further, in the communication system 100, when the received specific information includes object position information related to the position of the object that is an external factor, the control unit 16 of the in-vehicle device 1 includes the object position information and parameters related to the surrounding environment of the host vehicle. Is used to calculate the existence probability representing the probability that there is another object that can be an external factor in addition to the object that is an external factor. And the alerting | reporting regarding the object used as the external factor and the alerting | reporting regarding the other object according to a presence probability are performed in a different aspect.

  According to such a communication system 100, an external factor that is reliably detected and an external factor that is not detected but can be detected are reported in a different manner, and the external factor that can be detected depends on the existence probability. The notification mode can be changed. Therefore, it is possible to notify the degree of attention to the driver of the vehicle.

[Other Embodiments]
Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, in the communication system 100, a configuration for performing notification and vehicle control according to the output of an external factor is configured in the communication system 100. However, these configurations are external to the communication system 100. You may have.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the signal control apparatus 2 identifies the vehicle used as the vehicle factor, the structure which acquires the signal which attached | subjected ID which specifies a vehicle from a vehicle was employ | adopted, For example, imaging of a number plate You may employ | adopt the structure which identifies a vehicle, without utilizing communication, such as acquiring the result which image-processed an image and read the number plate.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... In-vehicle apparatus, 2 ... Signal control apparatus, 3 ... Traffic signal machine, 10 ... Position specification part, 11 ... External apparatus connection part, 12 ... Display part, 13 ... Audio | voice output part, 15 ... Wireless communication part, 16 ... Control part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Wireless communication part, 22 ... Control part, 23 ... Peripheral condition acquisition part, 31 ... Radar camera, 32 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 33 ... Operation control part, 41 ... Pedestrian detection part, 100 ... Communication system.

Claims (10)

In a communication system comprising a roadside communication device that transmits predetermined information on the road, and an in-vehicle communication device that is mounted on a vehicle and can receive information from the roadside communication device,
The roadside communication device is
A traffic light control means for setting a vehicle factor caused by the presence of a vehicle as one of a plurality of external factors, and changing a lamp color or a duration of the lamp color when receiving any of the external factors;
Information transmitting means for transmitting traffic light information including information on the current lamp color after the change and the duration of the lamp color together with specific information for specifying the external factor to the road;
With
The in-vehicle communication device is
Information acquisition means for acquiring the traffic signal information and the specific information from the roadside communication device;
Factor identifying means for identifying whether the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor based on the identifying information;
Factor output means for outputting the identified external factor;
A communication system comprising: The communication system according to claim 1, wherein
In the specific information transmitted by the information transmitting means of the roadside communication device, as the external factor, a pedestrian factor caused by the presence of a pedestrian is one of the plurality of external factors,
The communication system characterized in that the factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device specifies whether the external factor is a vehicle factor or a pedestrian factor. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2,
The specific information transmitted by the information transmitting means of the roadside communication device includes identification information for identifying a vehicle that has caused a vehicle factor to change the traffic signal information,
In the case where the factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device specifies that the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor, the external factor also determines whether or not the own vehicle has become a vehicle factor based on the identification information. To identify as,
A communication system characterized by the above. In the communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The specific information transmitted by the information transmitting means of the roadside communication device includes pedestrian position information indicating a position where a pedestrian that has caused a pedestrian factor to change the traffic light information is detected,
The factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device specifies, as the external factor, the position where the pedestrian is detected based on the pedestrian position information when the external factor that has changed the traffic light information is specified as a pedestrian factor. To identify,
A communication system characterized by the above. The communication system according to claim 4,
The in-vehicle communication device is
Pedestrian position determination means for determining the presence or absence of a pedestrian factor on the planned travel route of the host vehicle based on the pedestrian position information,
The communication system characterized in that the factor specifying means of the in-vehicle communication device also specifies whether or not the pedestrian factor is on the planned travel route as the external factor. In the communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The information transmission means of the roadside communication device repeatedly transmits the information on the road,
The in-vehicle communication device includes a change detection unit that detects that an external factor based on the acquired specific information is changed,
The factor output means of the said vehicle-mounted communication apparatus outputs also the fact that the external factor was changed when the said external factor was changed. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When there are a plurality of external factors to be output, the factor output unit of the in-vehicle device preferentially outputs an external factor that is not a vehicle factor. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The in-vehicle communication device is
A communication system comprising notification means for performing notification according to an output from the factor output means. The communication system according to claim 8,
The in-vehicle communication device is
When the received specific information includes object position information related to the position of the object that is an external factor, an external factor other than the object that is the external factor is obtained using the object position information and a parameter related to the surrounding environment of the host vehicle. Probability calculating means for calculating an existence probability representing the probability that another object that can be present exists,
The notification means of the said vehicle-mounted apparatus performs the alerting | reporting regarding the object which became the said external factor, and the alerting | reporting regarding the other object according to the said existence probability in a different aspect. The vehicle factor due to the presence of the vehicle is set as one of a plurality of external factors, and when any external factor is received, the lamp color or duration of the lamp color is changed, and the current state after the change is changed. Is configured to be able to communicate with a roadside communication device that transmits traffic signal information including the lamp color and the lamp color duration information together with the specific information for specifying the external factor to the road. An in-vehicle communication device,
Information acquisition means for acquiring the traffic signal information and the specific information from the roadside communication device;
Factor identifying means for identifying whether the external factor that has changed the traffic signal information is a vehicle factor based on the identifying information;
Factor output means for outputting the identified external factor;
An in-vehicle communication device comprising: