JP7110307B2 - Merging support device, merging support method, merging support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a merging support device, a merging support method, and a merging support program that display whether or not a stopped merging vehicle can merge onto a main road.

A technique such as that described in Patent Document 1 is known as a conventional technique for assisting merging on a road. The applicant of the present application is also involved in the development of the technology shown in Non-Patent Document 1, which discloses a technology related to merging support that indicates whether construction trucks loaded with earth and sand can merge onto the Tomei Expressway. .

JP 2020-060839 A

Masatsugu Sano, "Introduction of Truck Management System -Case Study on Tomei Expressway-", Monthly "Foundation Engineering", Sogo Civil Engineering Research Institute, January 2019, pp80-83.

The technique of Patent Document 1 is a merging of general vehicles, and it is shown that the driver of the merging vehicle can visually recognize guidance information that informs the condition of the merging road (paragraph 0088 of Patent Document 1, 0089, etc.). However, this technology does not relate to the merging of merging vehicles such as trucks that are waiting for the timing of merging in a stopped state. In particular, the acceleration of construction trucks loaded with earth and sand is small, and the maximum speed is also low. When a merging vehicle such as a construction truck waiting for the timing of merging in such a stopped state merges with a road where general vehicles pass, there is a danger different from the merging of general vehicles. For example, when a slow-moving truck merges in front of a vehicle exceeding the speed limit, the vehicle may need to brake sharply or change lanes. Such situations can cause accidents. Non-Patent Document 1 introduces a technique for assisting the merging of trucks loaded with earth and sand. However, no specific details are provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to appropriately control display of whether or not a merging vehicle in a stopped state can merge onto a main road.

A merging support device of the present invention acquires vehicle speed information, which is information on the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on a main road upstream of a merging section, and detects the speed of the merging vehicle in a stopped state on the main road. Outputs display information indicating whether or not the vehicle can merge onto the road. The merging support device of the present invention includes a time information sequence generator, an arrival time setter, an extension setter, a margin setter, a departure time securer, a caution setter, a preparation setter, and a display information generator. The time information sequence generation unit divides the time at predetermined time intervals, sets the time information, which is information for each of the divided times, to be startable, and generates a time information sequence in which the time information is arranged. Each time vehicle speed information is acquired, the arrival time setting unit estimates the time at which the main line vehicle will arrive at the merging section based on the acquired vehicle speed information, and sets the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time to disallow starting. set. The extension setting unit sets a first predetermined number of pieces of time information after the time information set by the arrival time setting unit to be start-disabled. The margin setting unit sets a second predetermined number of pieces of time information before the time information set to be unable to start by the arrival time setting unit to not be able to start. When the number of pieces of start-impossible time information between pieces of start-impossible time information after the processing of the extension setting unit and the margin setting unit is less than a third predetermined number, the start-impossible time information is determined by the start-time securing unit. Set the time information between them so that they cannot start. The caution setting unit sets a fourth predetermined number of start-permitted time information before the start-disabled time information to caution after the processing of the start-up time ensuring unit. The preparation setting unit sets a fifth predetermined number of start-disabled time information before the start-disabled time information to ready after the processing of the start-up time ensuring unit. The display information generation unit generates display information for displaying whether or not the merging is possible based on the time when the merging vehicle arrives at the merging portion after starting and the time information string.

According to the merging support device of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the display of whether or not a merging vehicle in a stopped state can merge onto the main road, so that the merging vehicle can be assisted to merge smoothly.

The figure which shows the structural example of a confluence|merging support system. The figure which shows the processing flow of a confluence|merging support method. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a time information string; The figure which shows another example of a time information sequence. The figure which shows the functional structural example of a computer.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Components having the same function are given the same number, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a merging support system of the present invention. The merging support system 10 includes a merging support device 100 , a measuring device 210 and a display device 290 . The measuring device 210 acquires vehicle speed information, which is information about the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on the main road on the upstream side of the junction. A "main road" is a road on which general vehicles are traveling, and a "main road vehicle" means a vehicle traveling on the main road. For example, by arranging three cameras, setting four points on each camera, and measuring the speed of main line vehicles passing through those points, vehicle speed information can be obtained at 12 points. If there are multiple lanes on the main road, select multiple predetermined points from the lane where merging vehicles such as trucks merge (usually the leftmost lane in Japan). Further, for example, when estimating that a main line vehicle traveling at a speed of 72 km/h (20 m/s) will reach a merging point 30 seconds before, the point 600 m upstream of the merging point is one of the predetermined points. Just do it. Similarly, when estimating the arrival of a 108 km/h (30 m/s) main line vehicle at a merging point 30 seconds before, the 900 m upstream side of the merging point should be one of the predetermined points. . When three cameras are arranged as described above, for example, a camera for detecting high-speed main line vehicles is arranged so that it can measure 800 to 1000 m upstream from the junction, and medium-speed main line vehicles are detected. A camera for detecting low-speed main line vehicles should be placed so as to measure 500 to 650m upstream from the junction. Note that the measuring device 210 may also acquire junction information, which is information on the speed of main line vehicles passing through the junction. If the merging point information is also acquired, it is possible to determine more accurately whether or not the merging point is congested.

The display device 290 displays whether or not the merging vehicle stopped near the merging portion can merge with the main road. "Near merging part" includes a position (outside the main road) where the merging vehicle temporarily stops. For example, a device such as a traffic light may be used, and the display method and color may be appropriately selected according to the number of states to be displayed. The display device 290 may be placed at a position where the driver of the merging vehicle can see it himself, or at a position where it can be easily seen by a security guard who issues commands such as start and stop to the driver of the merging vehicle. "Merging of a merging vehicle in a stopped state with a main road" means merging with a main road of a merging vehicle such as a truck waiting for the timing of merging in a stopped state. The display shown on the display device 290 indicates the start timing at which the stopped merging vehicle can safely merge at the merging section. Note that the display device 290 may further include a display unit (for example, a display board capable of displaying text information) for displaying the attention calling information at a position closer to the merging part than the position where the merging vehicle pauses. .

The merging support device 100 acquires, from the measuring device 210, vehicle speed information, which is information about the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on the main road on the upstream side of the merging section. In addition, the merging support device 100 uses the display device 290 arranged near the position where the merging vehicle stops to display whether or not the stopped merging vehicle can merge with the main road. As the "merging vehicle", a truck for construction work is assumed first, and it is particularly important to safely merge trucks loaded with earth and sand. However, when vehicles are stopped and waiting for the timing of merging (especially when vehicles slower than general vehicles are merging), there is a similar safety problem, so "merging vehicles" are not allowed on the track. It is not limited. For example, it is considered that there is a similar safety problem in the case of light vehicles and buses that are in a stopped state and are waiting for the timing of merging. The merging support device 100 includes a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 105, a time information sequence generation unit 110, an arrival time setting unit 120, an extension setting unit 130, a margin setting unit 140, a departure time securing unit 150, a caution setting unit 160, and a preparation setting unit. 170 , a display information generation unit 180 and a recording unit 190 . The recording unit 190 records the distance from the confluence of a plurality of predetermined points, the time information string described later, and the like. Note that if the display device 290 also includes a display unit for displaying attention-calling information, the merging support unit 100 may further include the attention-calling information generation unit 185 . FIG. 2 shows a processing flow of the merging support method of the present invention executed by the merging support device 100. As shown in FIG.

The time information sequence generation unit 110 divides the time at predetermined time intervals, sets the time information 111, which is information for each divided time, to be able to start, and generates the time information sequence 112 in which the time information 111 is arranged. (S110). FIG. 3 shows an example of the time information string. The "predetermined time" may be 1 second, 0.5 seconds, or some other time. The time information 111 is information for each divided time, for example, by dividing the time every one second. The initial state of the time information 111 may be set to information indicating "can start". For example, if "0" is information indicating "can start", then all the time information 111 should be set to "0". The numbers on the left side of the time information column 112 are numbers assigned to the time information, with the current time being 0. In FIG. 3, the current time is the 0th, past time information is shown in negative order, and future time information is shown in positive order. Although the length of the time information string is not determined in FIG. 3, the length of the time information string may be fixed. For example, the past time information 111 is erased every "predetermined time" described above. By adding future time information 111 , the same number of time information 111 may always be used as the time information sequence 112 .

The "current time" in FIG. 3 is the time for indicating to the driver or security guard of the merging vehicle the start timing at which the vehicle can safely merge at the merging section. In other words, the time information currently displayed by the display device 290 to the driver or guard of the merging vehicle is defined as the "current time". In other words, the "current time" is the time that takes into account the average time from when the stopped merging vehicle starts to when it reaches the merging section (from the perspective of predicting the situation at the merging section, the The future time is the time from when the vehicle starts until it reaches the junction. Therefore, it is determined appropriately in consideration of the acceleration of the merging vehicle, the speed at the time of merging, the distance from the stopping position of the merging vehicle to the merging portion, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the time information string. Time information on the past side of the current time is deleted, and one time information sequence 112 is formed by 30 pieces of time information. (1) to (8) in the figure show examples of the time information string 112, respectively. The number on the left side of the time information column 112 in (1) is the number assigned to the time information with the current time being 0. The "current time" in FIG. 4 is also the time that takes into account the average time from when the stopped merging vehicle starts to when it reaches the merging section (from the perspective of predicting the situation at the merging section, the The future time is the time from when the vehicle starts until it reaches the junction. The state indicated by the time information is indicated by numbers surrounded by squares, where "0" is "startable", "1" is "caution", "2" is "not startable", and "3" is "congestion". , "6" means "preparation". The time information string 112 in (1) of FIG. 4 is an example of the time information string at the end of step S110.

The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 105 acquires vehicle speed information, which is information on the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on the main road upstream of the junction, from the measuring device 210 (S105). The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 105 may communicate with the measuring device 210 at predetermined time intervals, and acquire vehicle speed information when available. The vehicle speed information may be acquired when the is measured. The vehicle speed information may also include vehicle identification information that identifies the main line vehicle. For example, when measuring a vehicle passing four predetermined points from an image captured by a single camera, the movement of the vehicle on the main line can be analyzed. It can be determined that In such a case, the vehicle speed information may include an identifier that identifies the main line vehicle and be recorded in the recording unit 190 . Then, only the latest vehicle speed information should be used in subsequent processing. When judging whether the vehicle is the same main line vehicle from the images taken by one camera, the identifier for specifying the main line vehicle recorded in the recording unit 190 is no longer used because the period for judging whether it is the same main line vehicle is short. You can delete it when the time comes.

If the acquired vehicle speed information includes information indicating that the vehicle speed is faster than the predetermined speed (Yes in S122), the arrival time setting unit 120 sets all the information up to the time information determined by the predetermined standard. time information is set to prohibit starting (S123). For example, the time information numbered 0 to the time information numbered 20, which is the current time in FIG. The "predetermined speed" may be set to a speed at which the merging vehicle can safely merge. For example, the speed may be the speed limit, or the speed may be slightly higher or lower than the speed limit in consideration of the visibility of the junction. "Up to time information determined by a predetermined standard" may be at least up to time information corresponding to the time at which a main line vehicle traveling at high speed passes. For example, it may be up to predetermined fixed time information, or up to time information obtained by adding a fixed margin to the time information corresponding to the time when the main line vehicle arrives at the junction estimated based on the vehicle speed information. good too. By including the processing of steps S122 and S123, it is possible to avoid sudden brake application of a high-speed main line vehicle and lane change.

When the arrival time setting unit 120 determines that the junction is in a congested state based on the acquired vehicle speed information or the speed information of the main line vehicle passing through the junction (junction information) (when S124 is Yes). sets all the time information from the time information corresponding to the current time to the time after the sixth predetermined number to traffic congestion (S125). For example, the arrival time setting unit 120 may determine whether or not there is a traffic jam based on the speed and inter-vehicle distance of the main line vehicle passing through the point closest to the junction among the "predetermined points". Alternatively, in order to more accurately detect that the junction is congested, the junction support device 100 may also acquire junction information, which is information on the speed of mainline vehicles passing through the junction, from the measuring device 210. good. In this case, arrival time setting section 120 may determine whether or not the junction is in a state of congestion based on the junction information. (8) in FIG. 4 is an example in which congestion is set. In this example, the "sixth predetermined number" is 29, and the time information from the time information of number 0, which is the current time, to the time information of number 29 is set to be congested. However, it is not always necessary to set the "sixth predetermined number" to 29, and other values such as 15 and 20 may be used. Although merging during traffic congestion itself poses little danger, merging of a large number of merging vehicles may cause further traffic congestion. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the number of merging vehicles. If access to the merging support device 100 is made possible from a terminal at the construction site, including the processing of steps S124 and S125, the construction site can understand that the number of merging vehicles is limited.

Each time the vehicle speed information is acquired, the arrival time setting unit 120 estimates the time at which the main line vehicle arrives at the merging section based on the acquired vehicle speed information, and sets the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time to the time when the vehicle cannot start. (S126). The arrival time setting unit 120 acquires vehicle speed information each time a main line vehicle passes through one of "predetermined points". When the time information corresponding to the time when the main line vehicle arrives at the junction including the vehicle speed information acquired in the past is on the future side of the current time, the time information is set to be unable to start. The arrival time can be obtained from the distance from the passing point to the junction and the speed of the main line vehicle. In the example of FIG. 4, the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time of vehicle A on the main line is the third time information, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time of vehicle B on the main line is The 12th time information, the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time of vehicle C, which is the main line vehicle, is the 16th time information, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time of vehicle D, which is the main line vehicle, is This is the 24th time information. The time information string 112 in (2) of FIG. 4 is an example of the time information string at the end of step S120. The time information of bold letter "2" surrounded by a bold frame is the time information set in step S120.

Note that the arrival time setting unit 120 may not change the setting of the time information after the seventh predetermined number of times or more from the time information corresponding to the current time. In merging support, it is sufficient to consider only the main line vehicle whose time until merging has shortened to some extent. It takes a long time to arrive, so you don't have to worry about it. The "seventh predetermined number" may be determined in consideration of the arrival time, which should be taken into consideration when providing merging support. For example, if the time information is divided into time intervals of 1 second, the current time in FIG. Change the setting of the time information string formed by the 29th time information. In this case, the "seventh predetermined number" is 30, and there is no need to set time information that is 30 or more after the time information corresponding to the current time so that the vehicle cannot start. In the case of a slow main line vehicle, the arrival time setting unit 120 sets the time information so that it cannot start, using the vehicle speed information when it passes through a point near the merging part among the "predetermined points". It is enough. It has been explained that the "current time" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 actually means the future only for the time until the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section after starting. The "current time" in the description of the seventh predetermined number is the same as the "current time" shown in FIGS. It may be the same, or it may be the actual current time. This is because the seventh predetermined number may be appropriately adjusted depending on which one is used as the reference.

The above description does not refer to information identifying the main line vehicle. If a vehicle on the main line passes through "predetermined points" at a constant speed, the time at which it is estimated to arrive at the junction is constant, and there is no need to be conscious of whether the information is for the same vehicle on the main line. . However, the speed can change. Therefore, the vehicle speed information may also include vehicle identification information that identifies the main line vehicle. As explained in the explanation of the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 105, for example, when measuring a main line vehicle passing through four predetermined points from an image captured by one camera, the movement of the main line vehicle can be analyzed. It can be determined that the main line vehicle is sequentially passing through four predetermined points. In such a case, the vehicle speed information may include an identifier that identifies the main line vehicle and be recorded in the recording unit 190 . Then, only the latest vehicle speed information should be used in subsequent processing. In addition, when judging whether it is the same main line vehicle from the image taken by one camera, the period for judging whether it is the same main line vehicle is short, so the identifier for specifying the main line vehicle recorded in the recording unit 190 is no longer used. You can delete it when the time comes. In this case, the arrival time setting unit 120 determines whether or not the vehicle speed information of the same main line vehicle as the previously acquired vehicle speed information has been acquired only within a predetermined time.

Also, the arrival time setting unit 120 may perform the following processing. When the arrival time setting unit 120 acquires the vehicle speed information of the same main line vehicle as the vehicle speed information acquired in the past, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time has changed by an eighth predetermined number or more. changes the setting of the time information after the ninth predetermined number of time information corresponding to the current time so that it can start, and changes the time at which the main line vehicle arrives at the merging section. After that, the arrival time setting unit 120, the extension setting unit 130, the margin setting unit 140, the departure time securing unit 150, the caution setting unit 160, and the preparation setting unit 170 process the time information after the ninth predetermined number or more. (S120, S130, S140, S150, S160, S170) is executed. The processing (S130, S140, S150, S160, S170) of the extension setting unit 130, the margin setting unit 140, the start time securing unit 150, the caution setting unit 160, and the preparation setting unit 170 will be described later. The "eighth predetermined number" may be, for example, 1 or 2, but may be another value. Assuming that the time information is divided into time intervals of 1 second, setting the "eighth predetermined number" to 1 means that the estimated time of arrival has changed by one second. Setting it to 2 means that the estimated time of arrival has changed by 2 seconds. Although related to the processing of the extension setting unit 130 and the margin setting unit 140, which will be described later, the "eighth predetermined number" may be determined according to how much change in the estimated time can be tolerated. The 'ninth predetermined number' may be, for example, 5 or 10, or may be another value. If it is too close to the current time, the processing (S130, S140, S150, S160, S170) of the extension setting unit 130, margin setting unit 140, departure time ensuring unit 150, caution setting unit 160, and preparation setting unit 170 (S130, S140, S150, S160, S170) are enabled. It becomes unusable. Therefore, the time information less than the ninth predetermined number close to the current time should be set so as not to be changed. The specific "ninth predetermined number" is the processing (S130, S140, S150, S160, S170) of the extension setting unit 130, the margin setting unit 140, the start time ensuring unit 150, the caution setting unit 160, and the preparation setting unit 170. It should be set so that it can be used effectively. It has been explained that the "current time" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 actually means the future only for the time until the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section after starting. The ``current time'' in the text describing the ninth predetermined number is the ``current time'' shown in FIGS. It may be the same, or it may be the actual current time. This is because the ninth predetermined number may be appropriately adjusted depending on which one is used as the reference.

The extension setting unit 130 sets the first predetermined number of pieces of time information after the time information that the arrival time setting unit 120 has set to be unable to start (S130). The "first predetermined number" may be appropriately set in consideration of avoiding the risk of delays in arrival of main line vehicles at the merging section and variations in the time it takes for merging vehicles to reach the merging section. For example, if all the merging vehicles are trucks loaded with earth and sand, the variation is small. On the other hand, if the merging vehicle is sometimes a truck loaded with earth and sand, sometimes a truck not loaded with earth and sand, and sometimes a light vehicle, the variation becomes large. If the variation is large, the "first predetermined number" should be increased. For example, if the time information is a time interval of 1 second, the "first predetermined number" may be set to 2, but another value may be used. The time information string 112 in (3) of FIG. 4 is the time information string when the "first predetermined number" is set to 2 and step S130 is completed. The time information indicated by bold "2" surrounded by a thick frame in (3) of FIG. 4 is the time information set in step S130.

The margin setting unit 140 sets a second predetermined number of pieces of time information before the time information set by the arrival time setting unit 120 to be unable to start (S140). The "second predetermined number" may be appropriately set in consideration of the avoidance of the risk that the arrival time of the main line vehicle to the merging portion is early and the variation in the time until the merging vehicle reaches the merging portion. If the variation is large, the "second predetermined number" should be increased. For example, if the time information is a time interval of 1 second, the "second predetermined number" may be set to 2, but may be another value. The time information string 112 of (4) in FIG. 4 is the time information string when the "second predetermined number" is set to 2 and steps S130 and S140 are completed. The time information of bold letter "2" surrounded by a thick frame in (4) of FIG. 4 is the time information set in step S140.

After the processing (S130, S140) of the extension setting unit 130 and the margin setting unit 140, the start time securing unit 150 determines that the number of pieces of time information allowing start between pieces of time information not allowing start is smaller than the third predetermined number. Sometimes, the time information between the pieces of time information that prohibit starting is set to prohibit starting (S150). Even when the number of pieces of time information from the current time to the first start-impossible time information is smaller than the third predetermined number, the start-time ensuring unit 150 also keeps the time information from the current time to the first start-impossible time information. should be set to disable starting. "Third predetermined number" means the minimum time during which the vehicle can be started. For example, if the time information is a time interval of 1 second, the "third predetermined number" may be set to 4, but another value may be used. In this case, when the number of pieces of time information indicating that the vehicle is ready to start between the time information items indicating that the vehicle is not ready to start is less than 4 (when the number is 3 or less), the time information indicating that the vehicle is ready to start is changed to not ready to start. The time information string 112 of (5) in FIG. 4 is the time information string when the "third predetermined number" is set to 4 and step S150 is completed. The time information of bold letter "2" surrounded by a thick frame in (5) of FIG. 4 is the time information set in step S150.

After the process (S150) of the start time securing unit 150, the caution setting unit 160 sets the fourth predetermined number of start-allowed time information before the start-disabled time information to caution (S160). The "fourth predetermined number" may be set so as to secure the time necessary for notifying that the state will change to the impossibility of starting in the near future. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the "fourth predetermined number" is two. The time information string 112 of (6) in FIG. 4 is the time information string when the "fourth predetermined number" is set to 2 and step S160 is completed. The time information indicated by bold "1" surrounded by a thick frame in (6) of FIG. 4 is the time information set in step S160.

After the process (S150) of the start time securing unit 150, the preparation setting unit 170 sets the fifth predetermined number of start-disabled time information before the start-enabled time information to ready (S170). The "fifth predetermined number" may be set so as to secure the time necessary for notifying that the state will change to ready to start in the near future. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the "fifth predetermined number" is two. The time information string 112 of (7) in FIG. 4 is the time information string when the "fifth predetermined number" is set to 2 and steps S160 and S170 are completed. The time information indicated by bold "6" surrounded by a thick frame in (7) of FIG. 4 is the time information set in step S170.

The display information generation unit 180 generates display information for displaying whether or not the vehicles can join based on the time when the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section after starting and the time information string, and transmits the display information to the display device 290 (S180). If the display device 290 is a signal of red, blue, and yellow, the states such as ready to start, not ready to start, caution, preparation, traffic congestion, etc. may be displayed by which color or combination of colors to be lit. . In this case, the display information is information that instructs which color to light up or a combination of colors to light up. The display information generation unit 180 generates display information based on the next time information and transmits the display information to the display device 290 for each “predetermined time” that is a division of time of the time information. Further, when time information is added to the time information string for each "predetermined time", the time information string generation unit 110 also adds new time information (departure possible time information) for each "predetermined time". Generate and add to the time information string. At this time, the current time and the numbers of the time information shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be moved one by one. Then, the merging support device 100 may repeat the processing of steps S120 to S180 each time it acquires vehicle speed information (S105).

It is thought that this will not occur if only the processes of steps S130 to S170 described above are performed. , if the time information next to the time information for which the start is permitted is not permitted, if the time information following the time information for which the start is not permitted is greater than or equal to the fourth predetermined number, and if the time information for which the start is permitted is less than the fourth predetermined number There is a possibility that the time information before the time information is caution, and the time information before the time information for preparation is ready to start. Since it is difficult to change the time information near the current time, the display information generator 180 may perform the following processing.

If the time information next to the start-allowed time information indicates that the vehicle cannot start, the display information generation unit 180 may generate display information by changing the start-allowed time information to caution. By processing in this way, it is possible to call the attention of the driver of the merging vehicle or the security guard even for a shorter time than usual. If the fourth predetermined number of pieces of time information following the start-disabled time information are start-enabled, the display information generation unit 180 may generate display information by changing the start-disabled time information to preparation. By processing in this way, it is possible to avoid missing an opportunity to start. If the time information before the start ready time information less than the fourth predetermined number is caution, the display information generation unit 180 may generate the display information by changing the start ready time information to caution. With this processing, it is possible to avoid prompting the vehicle to start even though the minimum time for continuing the start-enabled state has not been secured. If the time information preceding the preparation time information indicates that the vehicle can start, the display information generation unit 180 may generate display information by changing the preparation time information to indicate that the vehicle can start. By processing in this way, it is possible to effectively use the time when the vehicle can start.

The merging support device 100 may further include an alert information generation unit 185 . After the display information generating unit 180 generates the display information indicating that the vehicle can start, the alert information generating unit 185 generates a predetermined time including the time when the merging vehicle starts moving according to the display information indicating that the vehicle can start. When the vehicle speed information of the main line vehicle arriving at the merging portion is acquired within the time specified, attention calling information is generated (S185). The alert information is displayed on the display unit of the display device 290 for displaying the alert information. As described above, the display section for displaying the alert information is arranged at a position closer to the merging section than the position where the merging vehicles temporarily stop. On a main road with multiple lanes, the lane where the main vehicle merges near the merging section after the "current time (the time at which the display device 290 indicates whether or not the merging vehicle can start)" in the time information. may change lanes to In other words, the vehicle on the main line may change lanes after the time when the display device 290 indicates that the vehicle can start, and the vehicle may arrive at the junction at a time close to the time when the vehicle arrives at the junction. obtain. Since the main line vehicle usually travels faster than the speed at which the merging vehicle merges, it is especially dangerous if the main line vehicle arrives at the merging section slightly later than the time when the merging vehicle arrives at the junction. Therefore, "within a predetermined time period" may be defined so that the time after the merging vehicle reaches the merging section is longer than the time before it. When the warning information is displayed, the driver of the merging vehicle should slow down and wait for the main line vehicle to pass. Note that "after the display information generation unit 180 has generated the display information indicating that the vehicle can start" does not mean whether or not the merging vehicle has actually started, but means after the timing at which the merging vehicle may have started. "The time at which the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section when the merging vehicle starts moving according to the display information indicating that the vehicle can start moving" means the time at which the merging vehicle reaches the merging section if the merging vehicle had started at that timing. ing.

According to the merging support device 100, it is possible to appropriately control the display of whether or not the merging vehicle waiting for the merging timing in the stopped state can merge with the main road, so that the merging vehicle can be smoothly merged. I can help. The merging support device 100 can support even a truck loaded with earth and sand to merge smoothly.

[Program, recording medium]
In the above-described various processes, the recording unit 2020 of the computer 2000 shown in FIG. It can be implemented by

A program describing the contents of this processing can be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. Any computer-readable recording medium may be used, for example, a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

Further, distribution of this program is carried out by selling, assigning, lending, etc. portable recording media such as DVDs and CD-ROMs on which the program is recorded, for example. Further, the program may be distributed by storing the program in the storage device of the server computer and transferring the program from the server computer to other computers via the network.

A computer that executes such a program, for example, first stores the program recorded on a portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer once in its own storage device. Then, when executing the process, this computer reads the program stored in its own recording medium and executes the process according to the read program. Also, as another execution form of this program, the computer may read the program directly from a portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program, and the program is transferred from the server computer to this computer. Each time, the processing according to the received program may be executed sequentially. In addition, the above processing is executed by a so-called ASP (Application Service Provider) type service, which does not transfer the program from the server computer to this computer, but realizes the processing function only by the execution instruction and result acquisition. may be It should be noted that the program in this embodiment includes information used for processing by a computer and conforming to the program (data that is not a direct instruction to the computer but has the property of prescribing the processing of the computer, etc.).

Moreover, in this embodiment, the present apparatus is configured by executing a predetermined program on a computer, but at least part of these processing contents may be implemented by hardware.

10 merging support system 100 merging support device 105 vehicle speed information acquiring unit 110 time information sequence generating unit 111 time information 112 time information sequence 120 arrival time setting unit 130 extension setting unit 140 margin setting unit 150 departure time ensuring unit 160 caution setting unit 170 Preparation setting unit 180 Display information generation unit 185 Alert information generation unit 190 Recording unit 210 Measuring device 290 Display device

Claims (12)

Acquire vehicle speed information, which is information on the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on the main road on the upstream side of the merging section, and determine whether the merging vehicle in a stopped state can merge with the main road. A merging support device that outputs display information for display,
a time information sequence generation unit that divides the time at predetermined time intervals, sets the time information that is the information for each divided time to start enabled, and generates a time information sequence in which the time information is arranged;
Every time the vehicle speed information is acquired, the time at which the main line vehicle arrives at the junction is estimated based on the acquired vehicle speed information, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time is set to prohibit starting. Department and
an extension setting unit that sets a first predetermined number of pieces of time information subsequent to the time information that the arrival time setting unit sets to prohibit starting;
a margin setting unit that sets a second predetermined number of time information before the time information that the arrival time setting unit sets to prohibit starting;
After the processing of the extension setting unit and the margin setting unit, if the number of pieces of time information indicating that the start is prohibited between the pieces of time information indicating that the vehicle cannot start moving is smaller than a third predetermined number, a start time securing unit that sets the time information to be unable to start;
a caution setting unit configured to set a fourth predetermined number of pieces of start-permitted time information before the start-disabled time information to caution after the process of the start-time securing unit;
a preparation setting unit for setting a fifth predetermined number of start-disabled time information before start-disabled time information to ready after the process of the start-time securing unit;
A merging support device, comprising: a display information generation unit that generates display information for displaying whether or not the merging is possible based on the time at which the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section after starting and the time information sequence. The merging support device according to claim 1,
When the acquired vehicle speed information includes information indicating that the vehicle speed is faster than a predetermined speed, the arrival time setting unit disables all time information up to the time information determined by a predetermined standard. A merging support device characterized by: The merging support device according to claim 1 or 2,
Acquiring merging section information, which is information on the speed of main line vehicles passing through the merging section,
When the arrival time setting unit determines that the junction is in a congested state based on the junction information, the arrival time setting unit sets all the time information from the time information corresponding to the current time to the sixth predetermined number of times after the current time to the congestion state. A merging support device characterized by: The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The merging support device, wherein the arrival time setting unit does not change the setting of the time information after a seventh predetermined number of times or more from the time information corresponding to the current time. The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle speed information also includes vehicle identification information that identifies a main line vehicle,
When the arrival time setting unit acquires the same vehicle speed information of the main line vehicle as the vehicle speed information acquired in the past, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time has changed by an eighth predetermined number or more. changes the setting of the time information after the ninth predetermined number of time information corresponding to the current time so that it can start, and changes the time at which the main line vehicle arrives at the junction,
For the time information after the 9th predetermined number or more,
A merging support device that executes the processes of the arrival time setting section, the extension setting section, the margin setting section, the departure time ensuring section, the caution setting section, and the preparation setting section. The merging support device according to claim 5,
The merging support device, wherein the arrival time setting unit determines whether vehicle speed information of the same main line vehicle as previously acquired vehicle speed information is acquired only within a predetermined time. The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When the time information following the start-impossible time information indicates that the start is not permitted, the display information generation unit generates display information by changing the start-impossible time information to CAUTION, and generates the display information. a fourth predetermined number or more of time information indicating that the vehicle can start moving, the merging support device generates display information by changing the time information indicating that the vehicle cannot start moving to preparation. The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
When the time information before and after the start ready time information less than a fourth predetermined number is caution, the display information generation unit generates the display information by changing the start ready time information to caution. A merging support device. The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The merging support device, wherein the display information generation unit generates the display information by changing the preparation time information to start ready when the time information before and after the preparation time information indicates that the vehicle can start. The merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
After the display information generation unit generates the display information indicating that the start is permitted, the merging section within a predetermined time including the time at which the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section when the merging vehicle starts in accordance with the display information indicating that the start is permitted. A merging support device, further comprising: an alert information generation unit that generates alert information when vehicle speed information of a main line vehicle arriving at a point is acquired. Acquire vehicle speed information, which is information on the speed of a main road vehicle passing through a plurality of predetermined points on the main road on the upstream side of the merging section, and determine whether the merging vehicle in a stopped state can merge with the main road. A merging support method for outputting display information for display,
a time information string generation step of dividing the time at predetermined time intervals, setting the time information, which is information for each divided time, to be ready for departure, and generating a time information sequence in which the time information is arranged;
Every time the vehicle speed information is acquired, the time at which the main line vehicle arrives at the junction is estimated based on the acquired vehicle speed information, and the time information corresponding to the estimated arrival time is set to prohibit starting. a step;
an extension setting step of setting a first predetermined number of time information after the time information set to be unable to start in the arrival time setting step to not be able to start;
a margin setting step of setting a second predetermined number of time information before the time information set to be unable to start in the arrival time setting step to not be able to start;
After the processing of the extension setting step and the margin setting step, when the number of pieces of time information indicating that the start is prohibited between the pieces of time information indicating that the vehicle cannot start is smaller than a third predetermined number, a start time securing step of setting the time information to be unable to start;
a caution setting step of setting a fourth predetermined number of start-permitted time information before the start-disabled time information to caution after the process of the start-up time securing step;
a preparation setting step of setting a fifth predetermined number of start-disabled time information before start-disabled time information to ready after the process of the start-up time securing step;
and a display information generating step of generating display information for displaying whether or not the merging is possible based on the time when the merging vehicle arrives at the merging section after starting and the time information string. A merging support program for causing a computer to function as the merging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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