JP5381594B2 - Traffic signal control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic signal control system including a signal control device of a traffic control center and a traffic signal controller installed on a road, and in particular, information for supporting smooth driving of a vehicle is wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle. It is related with the system which transmits by

  In the traffic signal control system, about five adjacent intersections are grouped as a sub-area, the traffic lights in the same sub-area are operated with the same cycle length (the time required for one round of signal display), and System control to give an appropriate offset to the signal display start time between traffic lights so that as many vehicles as possible can pass through all intersections where these traffic lights are installed during the time when the traffic lights are displaying a green light. It is common to do it.

For example, when the intersections A to D continuously existing on the road R1 as shown in FIG. 1 are used as one sub-area and the traffic lights 1A to 1D installed at each intersection are systematically controlled, an offset diagram as shown in FIG. Place traffic lights on the top according to the distance between the intersections, and the green traffic lights (on the offset map) so that traffic flow in the downward direction (the direction from intersection A to intersection D is the downward direction) is smooth. To offset the start time of the start time of the blank area between the broken lines) to secure the down through band (the time zone width in which a vehicle traveling in the down direction can pass through the four intersections without signal waiting time) Can do.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, there may be an offset that can secure a through-band in both the downlink and uplink directions, and there may be a case that a through-band only in the uplink direction is not shown.

In this way, it is possible to smooth the traffic flow by appropriately determining the offset between the intersections in each sub-area according to the traffic volume in each traveling direction, the average traveling speed, and the like.
In general, the configuration of this sub-area is such that the administrator of the traffic signal control system decides empirically by looking at the actual road traffic situation. Specifically, for example, in the case of intersections that exist continuously on a main road, the intersection between the intersections is defined as a sub-area boundary, and an intersection with a separation distance within a certain distance is defined as one intersection. A method such as sub-area is used.

  In the area where the system control is performed in this way, for the purpose of supporting the traveling of the vehicle, a signal control parameter (offset or the like) for the system control is provided to the vehicle, and the section where the system control is performed on the vehicle side For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which a range of travel speed that can be passed without waiting for a signal is calculated.

Japanese Patent No. 3286993

  According to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the range of the through band secured by system control is grasped, and the traveling speed range that can pass through the section controlled by the system in the through band without waiting for a signal. Since it is possible to calculate accurately, for example, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the user has to wait for a signal because the running speed is slightly insufficient. As a result, it is possible to expect effects such as occurrence of traffic congestion and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

  When the vehicle calculates an appropriate travel speed range in this way, the vehicle normally calculates the travel speed range considering only the current position of the vehicle. The inventor of the present application has noticed that there is a problem that the travel speed range is not always appropriate.

  In addition, the inventor of the present application influences the traffic flow of other vehicles that follow by the travel speed selected by the vehicle from the travel speed range, so the travel speed is determined in consideration of such circumstances. We also focused on what should be done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide appropriate information for supporting traveling of a vehicle traveling in a section where system control is performed. And

  The traffic signal control system according to the present invention provides driving support information for passing through a road section in which a plurality of traffic signal controllers operating at the same cycle length are installed at one time without waiting for a signal. The vehicle has a function of transmitting to a vehicle in front, and includes a traffic condition acquisition means for acquiring at least one of a traffic condition in the road section and a traffic condition in a predetermined section in front of the road section, and the driving support The information includes a recommended travel speed calculated in consideration of the traffic situation acquired by the traffic situation acquisition means (claim 1).

According to the present invention, for example, when there is a vehicle queue before an intersection in the road section, the recommended travel speed can be calculated in consideration of the status of the queue. become. Further, for example, when the traffic volume in a predetermined section before the road section is large, the recommended travel speed can be calculated in consideration of the influence on the traffic flow following the vehicle.
That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the vehicle with appropriate information in consideration of not only the circumstances of the vehicle but also the entire traffic flow around it.
Note that the recommended travel speed provided as the travel support information may not be a single value but may have a predetermined width. For example, it may be in the form of 40 km / h to 45 km / h.

In this case, the traffic condition acquisition means has a function of acquiring a queue length of vehicles existing in part or all of the road section, and the acquired queue length is larger than a first threshold value. In the road section, it is preferable that the recommended traveling speed is a traveling speed that can pass through one or more intersections before the point where the queue exists in the road section without waiting for a signal. 2).
This is because when the queue length is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the recommended travel speed should be determined without considering the intersection beyond the queue because the queue is stopped.

The recommended travel speed is the smallest minimum travel of travel speeds that can pass at one time without waiting for a signal at one or a plurality of intersections in front of the point where the queue exists in the road section. It is desirable to set the speed or a substantially minimum traveling speed that is larger than the minimum traveling speed by a predetermined value (claim 3).
If the queue is greater than a predetermined threshold, the road segment is considered congested or congested. This is because it is preferable to reduce the amount of traffic flowing into such road sections as much as possible to alleviate congestion and traffic jams, so that the vehicle should be provided with as low a traveling speed as possible.
The predetermined value is desirably a value sufficiently smaller than the minimum traveling speed, and is preferably about 5 to 10 km / h. Further, the substantially minimum traveling speed does not have to be determined as one value, and may have a predetermined width. The predetermined width may or may not include the minimum traveling speed within the range of the width. For example, when the minimum traveling speed is 40 km / h, the substantially minimum traveling speed may be 40 to 50 km / h or 45 to 50 km / h.

  The traffic condition acquisition means may acquire at least one of the traffic volume and the queue length in a predetermined section before the road section. In this case, the acquired traffic volume or queue length is If it is greater than the second threshold, the recommended travel speed is set to a maximum maximum travel speed or a predetermined value greater than the maximum travel speed among travel speeds that can pass through the road section at one time without waiting for a signal. It is desirable to set a substantially maximum traveling speed that is as small as possible as the recommended traveling speed.

Here, the predetermined section before the road section refers to a section behind the point where information is provided to the vehicle (a section behind the vehicle that receives the driving support information). If the traffic volume or queue length behind the vehicle is larger than the second threshold, it is considered that the front side of the road section is congested or congested. Therefore, the vehicle speed should be as high as possible so that the traffic flow before the road section can be smoothly and as quickly as possible.
The predetermined value is desirably a value sufficiently smaller than the maximum traveling speed, and is preferably about 5 to 10 km / h. Further, the substantially maximum traveling speed does not have to be determined as a single value, and may have a predetermined width. The predetermined width may or may not include the maximum traveling speed within the range of the width. For example, when the maximum traveling speed is 60 km / h, the substantially maximum traveling speed may be 50 to 60 km / h or 50 to 55 km / h.

In this case, when the recommended travel speed is smaller than a predetermined minimum travel speed, the minimum travel speed or a speed greater than the minimum travel speed is set as the recommended travel speed, or the recommended travel speed is included in the travel support information. It is desirable not to include (claim 5).
For example, even the largest maximum traveling speed that can pass through the road section without waiting for a signal at a time is smaller than a predetermined minimum traveling speed (for example, the average traveling speed in the road section). In some cases, by providing such a low traveling speed, the traffic congestion behind the road section may become worse.
Therefore, it is better to set the minimum travel speed or a speed greater than the minimum travel speed as the recommended travel speed, or do not include the recommended travel speed in the travel support information.

Note that the queue length of vehicles existing in a part or all of the road section acquired by the traffic condition acquisition means is larger than a predetermined threshold, and the traffic volume and waiting in the predetermined section before the road section. When at least one of the queue lengths is larger than a predetermined threshold, the travel speed that can pass through one or a plurality of intersections before the point where the queue exists in the road section is the smallest. It is desirable that the recommended traveling speed is the minimum traveling speed or a substantially minimum traveling speed that is larger than the minimum traveling speed by a predetermined value (claim 6).
If both the front and rear of the vehicle are congested or congested, priority should be given to smooth traffic flow ahead, so provide recommended travel speeds that take into account the traffic flow ahead. Because it should.

  As described above, according to the traffic signal control system of the present invention, it is possible to provide appropriate information for supporting the traveling of the vehicle traveling in the section where the system control is performed. .

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary of apparatus arrangement | positioning of the traffic signal control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a wide area arrangement | positioning of the some intersection made into the control object by the traffic signal control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that the traffic signal control system which concerns on this invention controls system | strain so that the through-band of a downlink direction may be ensured. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that the traffic signal control system which concerns on this invention controls system | strain so that the through-band of both the up direction and a down direction may be ensured. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a signal control device 5. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method by which the traffic signal control system which concerns on this invention calculates a recommended driving speed.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a system configuration in a traffic signal control system according to the present invention.

[Overall system configuration and basic functions]
As shown in FIG. 1, four intersections A to D are continuously arranged on the road R1.
At these four intersections, signal lamps are installed to display the right of traffic for vehicles traveling on the road R1 in the downward direction (the direction from the intersection A to the intersection D is referred to as the downward direction). Furthermore, traffic signal controllers 1A to 1D for controlling the signal lamp are installed.
Also, in the downward lane, optical beacons 2A to 2D are installed in order to perform road-to-vehicle communication with vehicles traveling in the downward direction, and upstream of the lane flowing into intersections A to D, respectively. Is arranged.
These optical beacons 2A to 2D have a vehicle sensing function for sensing a vehicle passing directly under the optical beacon head with a near infrared sensor in addition to the road-to-vehicle communication function. It is configured to be able to measure traffic volume, occupation time, etc. at points.

  These traffic signal controllers 1A to 1D and optical beacons 2A to 2D can exchange information with a central device such as a signal control device 5 installed in a traffic control center through a communication line or the like. The traffic signal controllers 1 </ b> A to 1 </ b> D have a function of transmitting information related to the control history to the signal control device 5. Moreover, the optical beacons 2A to 2D have a function of transmitting sensor information such as uplink information and traffic volume received from the vehicle by road-to-vehicle communication to the signal control device 5. The uplink information includes the vehicle ID of the vehicle, and the vehicle type of the vehicle can be determined based on the vehicle ID.

The signal control device 5 transmits signal control command information for controlling the signal lamp to each traffic signal controller, and the traffic signal controller that has received the signal control command information receives the signal control command information. Based on the above, the time distribution of the green light is determined, and each signal lamp color of the signal lamp is turned on.
Normally, this signal control command information includes an instruction for signal display for one cycle. Specifically, the cycle length of one cycle, the time of a blue signal assigned to each route, split, one cycle It includes an offset, which is a difference between the start time and the reference time, an instruction about whether or not to execute point sensitive control such as right turn sensitive control and dilemma sensitive control. The traffic signal controller that has received this signal control command information determines the signal control plan in the one cycle based on the latest signal control command information that has arrived at the time immediately before the start of one cycle, and the signal control Each signal lamp is controlled according to the display time of each signal lamp color included in the plan.

This cycle, split, etc. are usually determined according to the traffic conditions near each intersection. This traffic condition is measured by other vehicle detectors (not shown) installed on the optical beacons 2A to 2D, the road R1, etc., and the sensor information (traffic volume, occupied time, etc.) collected by the signal control device 5 Information).
For example, it is possible to grasp traffic demand such as saturation on each road based on the traffic volume (for example, traffic volume for 5 minutes) in a predetermined period and the average traveling speed, and length of the blue time allocated to each road intersecting with each other according to the traffic demand Determining etc.
One cycle refers to the period when the display of the traffic lights is completed. Normally, from the start of displaying the green light on the main road side, immediately before starting the display of the green signal on the main road side again. The period until.

In the traffic signal control system, as described above, about five adjacent intersections are grouped as a sub-area, and the traffic lights in the same sub-area are operated with the same cycle length (the time required for one cycle of signal display) In order to allow as many vehicles as possible to pass through all intersections where these traffic lights are installed during the time when the traffic lights in the sub-area are displaying a green light, an appropriate offset is set in the signal display start time between the traffic lights. It is common to perform system control.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that traffic signal controllers 1A to 1D installed at four intersections of intersections A to D belong to the same subarea and are system-controlled.

3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of an offset given to a traffic signal controller installed at each intersection when system control is performed and a through band secured by the offset.
FIG. 3 is an offset diagram when securing a through band in the downstream direction, and FIG. 4 is an offset diagram when securing both through bands in the upstream and downstream directions. The amount of through-band to be secured in which direction may be determined according to the traffic volume ratio or the like, or the operation manager of the traffic signal control system may determine the policy. For example, if the road is mainly used for commuting to the factory, a through band in the direction from the evening to the evening will be used to ensure a through band in the morning direction. A method of controlling to secure the band can be used.
In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, description will be made assuming that traffic signal control is performed in which a downstream through band is secured as shown in FIG.

Here, the signal control device 5 creates driving support information for passing through the four intersections A to D that are system-controlled without waiting for a signal, and travels in the downward direction on the road R1. It has the function to provide for. In addition, it is a road communication apparatus installed on the road that transmits information to the vehicle. In this embodiment, for example, the optical beacon 2A. The signal control device 5 transmits the travel support information calculated as appropriate to the optical beacon 2A.
In this case, the driving support information may be created by a device other than the signal control device 5, and the other device may appropriately obtain necessary information from the signal control device 5 and the like. May be. Therefore, when the other device has a function of creating driving support information, the operation of the signal control device 5 described below may be performed by the other device.
The driving support information can also include information on road alignment such as the number of lanes in the road section and road distance / curvature / gradient.

In addition, the driving support information can be transmitted not only from the optical beacon 2A but also from the optical beacon 2B. From the optical beacon 2B, in the same manner as the optical beacon 2A, travel support information for passing through the three intersections B to D at a time without waiting for a signal is created and transmitted.
Recommended travel speed for passing through the three intersections B to D on the downstream side without waiting for a signal at the time after passing through the intersection A due to the time required to pass the intersection A, the traveling speed, etc. Is changing. Therefore, by transmitting the recommended travel speed at that time again at the point of the optical beacon 2B, it becomes possible to always drive the vehicle based on appropriate information.
In this case, the signal control device 5 may create and transmit driving support information for passing through the three intersections B to D at a time without waiting for a signal to the optical beacon 2B.

Similarly, from the optical beacon 2C, driving support information for passing through the two intersections C to D at a time without waiting for a signal, and from the optical beacon 2D at a time without waiting for a signal at the intersection D. The driving support information for passing each is transmitted.
In this way, the vehicle always receives the latest information at that time by creating and providing the appropriate driving support information according to the latest traffic situation and signal control situation at the point before the inflow of each intersection. Therefore, compared to the case where information is received only once before the intersection A, the traveling of the vehicle is supported more strongly.

The signal control device 5 is configured as shown in FIG. 5, and the CPU 501 reads a computer program for realizing the functions of the signal control device 5 from the hard disk 512, copies it to the memory 511, and sends the instructions of the program. By reading and executing from the memory 511 as needed, communication data to be transmitted / received via the communication interface 521 or the like is created, and communication data or the like is stored in the hard disk 512. In addition, it has a function of performing arithmetic processing related to signal control and driving support information, which will be described later.
Although FIG. 5 shows an example in which only one CPU is shown, it may be configured by a plurality of CPUs, or may be configured with dedicated hardware capable of executing some of the functions to be realized. good.
Further, the signal control device 5 may be composed of one computer device such as a personal computer or a workstation, or may be composed of a plurality of computer devices using a plurality of computer devices.

[Basic procedure for creating driving support information]
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for creating a recommended travel speed to be included in the travel support information when the traffic signal controllers 1A to 1D are system-controlled so as to ensure a downward through band. is there.
In FIG. 6, two solid lines X and Y are written from the lower left Z point to the upper right. The lower left Z point is an installation point of the optical beacon 2A, and the road-to-vehicle communication area of the optical beacon 2A. Next, a method of calculating the recommended travel speed included in the travel support information received by a vehicle that arrives at a certain time will be described (the slopes of the straight lines X and Y correspond to the speed, and the smaller the slope, the greater the speed).
The solid line X is a travel line when traveling at the highest speed among travel speeds that can pass through intersections A to D at one time without waiting for a signal. On the other hand, a solid line Y is a travel line when traveling at the lowest speed among travel speeds that can pass through intersections A to D at one time without waiting for a signal. These straight lines pass through the lower left Z point, and when the straight line passing through the through band is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, the inclination is within the range not intersecting with the red signal display time zone of each intersection. The smallest straight line can be obtained as a straight line X, and the largest straight line as a straight line Y.

In the case of FIG. 6, when the travel line passing through the through band through the Z point is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the straight line first comes into contact with the start point of the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1D. Accordingly, the straight line Y can be obtained by rotating the straight line close to the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1D to a position where it does not cross. It is possible to determine the last position that does not cross, for example, the position where the straight line Y passes immediately before the start of the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1D (for example, 3 seconds before).
Similarly, when the travel line passing through the through band through the point Z is rotated clockwise, the straight line first contacts the end point of the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1C. Accordingly, the straight line X is obtained by rotating the straight line close to the end point of the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1C to a position where it does not cross. It is possible to determine the last position that does not cross, for example, the position where the straight line X passes immediately after the end of the red signal display time zone of the traffic light 1C (for example, after 3 seconds).

For example, if there is a legal speed or a speed limit for each road section between intersections, the straight line may be rotated within a range not exceeding the speed. In addition, a range of travel speeds that can be taken for each road may be determined in advance, and a straight line may be rotated within a range of inclinations corresponding to the travel speed range.
In this case, for example, when the speed limit of the road section from the intersection A to the intersection B is 40 km / h and the speed limit from the intersection B to the intersection D is 50 km / h, all the sections of the intersection A to the intersection D The straight line may be rotated within a range not exceeding 40 km / h, or the range in which the straight line can be tilted may be varied for each road section.
If the range in which the straight line can be inclined is made variable for each road section, the straight lines X and Y may be broken lines, but this is advantageous because it enables accurate and detailed calculations.

  Similarly, for the optical beacons 2B to 2D, straight lines X and Y are calculated using the above method, and a traveling speed range that can pass through a series of intersections up to the intersection D without waiting for a signal is obtained. be able to.

In the conventional patent document 1, information such as distances and offsets from the road communication device side to each intersection is given to the vehicle side, and the vehicle that has received the information obtains straight lines X and Y in the same manner, An invention is disclosed in which a range of travel speed determined by X and Y is provided to a driver as a recommended travel speed.
Until now, the vehicle can only calculate a traveling speed range that can pass through a plurality of forward intersections at a time according to the position of the host vehicle. Then, an appropriate recommended travel speed is obtained according to the traffic situation, and the recommended travel speed is included in the travel support information and provided to the vehicle. Details will be described below.

In addition, although the method of rotating a straight line centering on the Z point and calculating | requiring the upper and lower limits of the range of traveling speed was demonstrated here, the method of rotating a straight line is only a conceptual thing, and mathematically Any method may be used as long as an equivalent result can be obtained.
For example, after calculating the upper limit speed and the lower limit speed that do not cross the red signal display time zone of the traffic light at each of the intersections A to D, the range determined by the smallest upper limit speed and the largest lower limit speed among them is set as the traveling speed. A method of setting the range may be used.

[Procedure to create when the road section under system control is congested]
As a method for acquiring the traffic situation, for example, vehicle detectors capable of measuring traffic volume and occupation time are discretely installed on the road R1 (for example, every 150 m), and traffic is measured from the measurement results of each vehicle detector. A method for calculating the estimated value of the traffic volume and the queue length of the vehicle, and an image processing device for processing the image of the camera that captures the traffic flow of the road R1, are installed, and the traffic volume of the road R1 and the queue length of the vehicle It is possible to adopt a method of acquiring
Further, a method of acquiring traffic volume or the like using probe information that has been spreading in recent years may be used. The probe information is travel trajectory information of each vehicle (information in which passage times of passage points are discretely arranged in time series). When traveling a certain distance or when a certain amount of time has passed, Is to be sent. By collecting and analyzing probe information from a plurality of vehicles that have traveled on the road R1, the traffic situation on the road R1 can be estimated.

By such a method, the traffic volume and the like in the section (link 1) from intersection A to B, the section (link 2) from intersection B to C, and the section (link 3) from intersection C to D are acquired. Determine if the road is congested or congested.
Specifically, a predetermined threshold value set in advance for each section (which may be a common value in all sections, or may be set in detail according to a time zone, etc.) is compared with the traffic volume and the like. If it exceeds the threshold, it is judged as traffic jam, and if it does not exceed, it is judged as non-traffic.

As a result of determining the traffic jam by such a method, for example, when it is determined that the link 1 and the link 2 are not jammed and the link 3 is jammed, the three intersections A to C are not waiting for a signal at a time. The travel speed range that can be passed is calculated using the method described above.
If the maximum travel speed Vmax (the travel speed determined by the straight line X) in the determined travel speed range is 50 km / h and the minimum travel speed Vmin (the travel speed determined by the straight line Y) is 30 km / h, The traveling speed range “30 km / h to 50 km / h” is transmitted to the optical beacon 2A as it is and provided to the vehicle through the optical beacon 2A. In this case, “40 km / h”, which is just the median of the range, may be provided as the recommended travel speed.
In this way, by specifying a non-congested section of the road section under system control, the recommended travel speed that can pass through the non-congested section is provided, so that driving can be performed for factors other than waiting for a signal. It is possible to provide appropriate information by excluding the section that is blocked.

In the present invention, the following information may be transmitted by devising the recommended traveling speed to be further provided.
As a result of acquiring the traffic situation, the section link 3 from the intersection C to D is congested. Therefore, it is important for the traffic signal control system to eliminate the congestion of the link 3. Therefore, it is desirable for facilitating the entire traffic flow to reduce the number of vehicles flowing into the link 3 as much as possible and to ease the congestion of the link 3 as soon as possible.
Therefore, as a recommended travel speed transmitted from the optical beacon 2A to the vehicle, a travel speed as small as possible within the travel speed range “30 km / h to 50 km / h” calculated as described above is provided. For example, “30 km / h” (minimum value), “35 km / h” (substantially minimum value with a slight margin on the minimum value), “30 km / h to 35 km / h” (range between the minimum value and the approximately minimum value) Or “35 km to 40 km / h” (approximately the minimum value to a value slightly larger than the approximately minimum value). A method of providing the vehicle with a limited range is effective. The margin is desirably set to a value sufficiently smaller than a required traveling speed (for example, a value of about 1/5 to 1/10).
By providing a running speed that slows down the arrival of the link 3 as much as possible to the vehicle that flows into the link 3 that is congested, the vehicle travels smoothly while mitigating the congestion of the link 3. It is possible and very beneficial.

In this case, the smallest possible traveling speed is, for example, the smaller one obtained by dividing the speed range into two equal parts after obtaining a traveling speed range (30 to 50 kilometers per hour) that can be passed at a time without waiting for a signal. Range (30 km / h to 40 km / h) and its median value (35 km / h), the smallest range (30 km / h to 37 km / h) and its median value (34 h / h) Kilometers) can also be determined.
For the purpose of simplifying the information format, etc., the information may be rounded to a unit of 5 km or 10 km.

Further, in the optical beacon 2B and the optical beacon 2C, a method of obtaining a recommended traveling speed and providing the vehicle from the optical beacon 2A to the vehicle depending on whether or not the road section under system control is congested. Applying in the same way, the recommended travel speed that takes into account the traffic situation in front of the vehicle is obtained and provided to the vehicle at each point.
Thereby, even when the traffic situation fluctuates every moment, it is very advantageous because appropriate information corresponding to the latest traffic situation is always provided to the vehicle.

  In addition, when the road itself including the point where the information is provided (for example, the point where the optical beacon 2A is installed) is congested, the vehicle receiving the information is considered to be in the congested vehicle train, which is beneficial for the vehicle. It is not meaningful to provide the recommended driving speed. Therefore, provision of driving support information may be stopped. If the traffic flow on the downstream side of the optical beacon 2A is smooth, it is sufficient that the driving support information can be received after the optical beacon 2B.

[Procedure for creating a traffic jam before the road section under system control]
The above is the procedure for creating driving support information when the road section under system control is congested. Next, the procedure for creating the traffic support information before the road section under system control is explained. To do.
By the same method as described above, for example, the traffic situation such as the traffic volume in the section upstream of the point where the optical beacon 2A is installed, that is, the section before the intersections A to D under system control is acquired. In this case, as a method of determining the section before this, a method such as a section of several hundred meters set in advance or a method including a section including about three intersections before the intersection A may be used.

When the traffic volume or the queue length of the vehicle in the section exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the section is congested or congested as in the method described above.
If it is determined that traffic is congested in front of the road section under system control, the travel speed range “30 km / h to 50 km / h” can be passed at once without waiting for a signal. Among them, the maximum traveling speed should be provided. For example, “50 km / h” (maximum value), “45 km / h” (approximately the maximum value with a margin in the maximum value), “45 km to 50 km / h” (range of approximately the maximum value to the maximum value) Such as “40 km / h to 45 km / h” (a value that is slightly smaller than the maximum value to a range of the maximum value) Provide to vehicles limited in scope. The margin is desirably set to a value sufficiently smaller than a required traveling speed (for example, a value of about 1/5 to 1/10).
It is an information provision method aimed at promoting the outflow of vehicles downstream from the congested section in order to eliminate the congested traffic occurring before the road section under system control, and as large as possible By providing the running speed to the vehicle, it is possible to support smooth running of the vehicle while alleviating the traffic jam before the road section under systematic control.
In this case, it is strongly desired that the recommended travel speed to be provided is within the range of the legal speed or the speed limit or less. Therefore, if there is a part exceeding the legal speed or the limit speed in the recommended traveling speed range, it is desirable to use the information excluding that part.

In this case, the maximum traveling speed is as large as possible, for example, after obtaining a traveling speed range (30 to 50 kilometers per hour) that can be passed at a time without waiting for a signal, and then dividing the speed range into two equal parts. Range (40 km / h to 50 km / h) and its median value (45 km / h), the largest range (43 km to 50 km / h) and its median value (46 km / h). You can also make decisions like this.
For the purpose of simplifying the information format, etc., the information may be rounded to a unit of 5 km or 10 km.

In addition, when the recommended travel speed calculated | required in this way is smaller than the predetermined minimum travel speed (for example, the average travel speed in the said road area, etc.), the road where the minimum travel speed is defined as 40 km / h, for example When the range of recommended travel speed calculated in a section is 20 to 25 kilometers per hour, providing such a small travel speed as a recommended travel speed, on the contrary, severely jams in front of the road section. There is a fear.
Therefore, it is better to set the recommended traveling speed at the minimum traveling speed or a speed higher than the predetermined minimum traveling speed instead of the calculated recommended traveling speed. In such a case, the provision of the recommended traveling speed itself may not be performed.
If the road section is congested (congested), it is possible to provide information that is appropriate and flexible for the entire traffic flow by setting the recommended traveling speed according to such road conditions.

Here, the case where the optical beacon 2A before the intersection A is congested (congested) has been described, but the same information provision can be performed for the optical beacon 2B. In this case, the road section on which it is determined whether or not it is congested is a section before intersection B, and is the road section including a part of the sub-area (intersections A to B) congested? It is desirable to judge whether.
The same information can be provided for the optical beacons 2C and 2D.

  If both the road section under system control and the road section in front of it are congested (when both the front and rear of the point where information is provided is congested), the traffic congestion on the downstream side Since cancellation should be given priority, it is desirable to limit the range to a traveling speed as small as possible, as in the case where the road section under system control is congested.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the recommended traveling speed is calculated by the signal control device 5 and transmitted to the light beacon at any time and then provided to the vehicle through the light beacon has been described. However, the processing performed by the signal control device 5 May be implemented by the traffic signal controller 1A installed near the road R1, or may be implemented by an information relay device (not shown) installed between the traffic signal controller 1A and the optical beacon. . Moreover, you may make it make it the road communication apparatus installed for road-to-vehicle communication, such as an optical beacon. The road communication device that performs road-to-vehicle communication may not be an optical beacon. For example, a radio device corresponding to a communication method such as a radio wave beacon, DSRC, WiMAX, or WAVE may be used.

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

1A to 1D Traffic signal controller 2A to 2D Optical beacon 5 Signal control device 501 CPU
511 Memory 512 Hard disk 521 Communication interface R1 Road X Travel line Y with maximum recommended travel speed Travel line Z with minimum recommended travel speed Passing point of optical beacon 2A

Claims (6)

A function of transmitting driving support information for passing through a road section where a plurality of traffic signal controllers operated with the same cycle length at a time without waiting for a signal to a vehicle in front of the road section A traffic signal control system comprising:
A traffic situation acquisition means for acquiring at least one of the traffic situation in the road section and the traffic situation in a predetermined section before the road section;
The travel support information includes a recommended travel speed calculated in consideration of traffic conditions acquired by the traffic condition acquisition means. The traffic condition acquisition means has a function of acquiring a queue length of a vehicle existing in a part or all of the road section,
If the acquired queue length is larger than the first threshold, it is possible to pass through one or more intersections before the point where the queue exists in the road section without waiting for a signal. The traffic signal control system according to claim 1, wherein a recommended traveling speed is set as a recommended traveling speed.   The recommended travel speed is the smallest minimum travel speed among the travel speeds that can be passed at a time without waiting for a signal at one or more intersections before the point where the queue exists in the road section. The traffic signal control system according to claim 2, wherein the traffic signal control system is a substantially minimum traveling speed that is larger than the minimum traveling speed by a predetermined value. The traffic condition acquisition means has a function of acquiring at least one of traffic volume and queue length in a predetermined section before the road section,
If the acquired traffic volume or queue length is larger than the second threshold, the recommended travel speed is set to the largest maximum travel speed among the travel speeds that can be passed at once without waiting for a signal on the road section. The traffic signal control system according to claim 1, wherein a substantially maximum traveling speed smaller than the maximum traveling speed by a predetermined value is set as a recommended traveling speed. When the recommended travel speed is smaller than a predetermined minimum travel speed, the minimum travel speed is set as the recommended travel speed, or the recommended travel speed is not included in the travel support information. The traffic signal control system according to claim 4. The queue length of vehicles existing in a part or all of the road section acquired by the traffic condition acquisition means is greater than a first threshold, and the traffic volume and queue in a predetermined section before the road section If at least one of the lengths is greater than the second threshold, the smallest of the traveling speeds that can pass through one or more intersections before the point where the queue exists in the road section. 2. The traffic signal control system according to claim 1, wherein the recommended traveling speed is set to a minimum traveling speed or a substantially minimum traveling speed that is larger than the minimum traveling speed by a predetermined value.

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