JP7361662B2 - Driving support device and driving support method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a driving support device and a driving support method that identify the position of a vehicle or person existing around a host vehicle.

In places such as roads or parking lots where visibility is poor (for example, places where there are blind spots due to obstructions, etc.), vehicles may have difficulty noticing each other's presence and may end up in contact with each other. Therefore, it is important to accurately identify the position of other vehicles, especially in places with poor visibility, in order to assist the driver in driving. BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a technique has been disclosed for wirelessly acquiring the position of a vehicle detected by a sensor installed on a road (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2011-95833A

The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires many sensors to be installed on the road, which requires cost and time for infrastructure development and lacks versatility. Further, although radio waves used in wireless communication can pass through shielding objects, it is not possible to pinpoint an accurate location from the position information sent by radio waves. As described above, Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is not possible to accurately identify the positions of surrounding vehicles in places with poor visibility.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and provides a driving support device and a driving support method that can accurately identify the position of surrounding vehicles even in places with poor visibility. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above problems, a driving support device according to the present disclosure includes an own vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires own vehicle position information, which is position information of the own vehicle, and an own vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires own vehicle position information that is position information of the own vehicle, A beacon data receiving unit receives beacon data including location information of the device, the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit, the position information of each device received by the beacon data receiving unit, and each and a location identifying section that identifies the location of each device based on the signal strength of the beacon data.

According to the present disclosure, the position specifying unit determines the position of each device based on the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit, the position information of each device received by the beacon data receiving unit, and the signal strength of each beacon data. This makes it possible to accurately pinpoint the positions of surrounding vehicles, etc., even in areas with poor visibility.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a driving support device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a driving support device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a driving support device according to a third embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving support device according to a fourth embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving support device according to a fifth embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving support device according to a sixth embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the sixth embodiment. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a driving support device according to Embodiments 1 to 6. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a driving support device according to Embodiments 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a driving support system according to embodiments 1 to 6. FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
<1-1. Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving support device 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary configuration of the driving support device according to the first embodiment. It is assumed that the driving support device described below is installed in a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "self-vehicle"). The driving support device may be included in the navigation device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 includes a vehicle position information acquisition section 2, a beacon data reception section 3, and a position identification section 4.

The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle position information that is position information of the own vehicle. The beacon data receiving unit 3 receives beacon data including position information of two devices located around the own vehicle, respectively. The position specifying unit 4 determines the position of each device based on the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2, the position information of each device received by the beacon data receiving unit 3, and the signal strength of each beacon data. Identify. Hereinafter, the signal strength of beacon data will be referred to as an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value.

Next, other configurations including the driving support device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 5 according to another configuration.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving support device 5 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) data receiving section 6, an own vehicle position information obtaining section 2, a beacon data receiving section 3, a beacon data analyzing section 7, and a position information receiving section 6. It includes a management section 8 and a beacon data transmission section 9.

The GPS data receiving unit 6 receives GPS data (positioning signals) transmitted from GPS satellites. The own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle based on the GPS data received by the GPS data receiving unit 6. Note that the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2 may calculate the current position of the own vehicle by combining the detection results of a yaw rate sensor and a vehicle speed sensor (both not shown) in addition to the GPS data.

The beacon data receiving unit 3 receives beacon data including position information of two devices located around the own vehicle, respectively. Specifically, the beacon data receiving unit 3 receives beacon data transmitted using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology. That is, the driving support device 5 has a function of receiving beacon data transmitted using the BLE technology.

Further, the device that transmits beacon data to the driving support device 5 may be an in-vehicle device or a mobile communication terminal that has a function of transmitting beacon data using BLE technology, and has the same function as the driving support device 5, for example. good. The mobile communication terminal may be carried by a pedestrian, a person who drives a bicycle, a person who drives a motorcycle, or the like.

As described above, the beacon data received by the beacon data receiving section 3 includes location information of the device that transmitted the beacon data. The location information may be, for example, location information based on GPS data received by the device.

The beacon data analysis section 7 analyzes the beacon data received by the beacon data reception section 3. Specifically, the beacon data analysis unit 7 analyzes whether or not the beacon data received by the beacon data reception unit 3 includes device location information, and determines whether the beacon data includes device location information. If so, extract the relevant location information. Furthermore, the beacon data analysis section 7 analyzes the RSSI value of the beacon data received by the beacon data reception section 3.

The location information management section 8 includes a location identification section 4 . The location information management section 8 instructs the beacon data transmission section 9 to transmit the vehicle location information acquired by the vehicle location information acquisition section 2 to the outside.

The position specifying unit 4 uses the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2, the position information of each device extracted by the beacon data analysis unit 7, and the RSSI value of the beacon data analyzed by the beacon data analysis unit 7. Locate each device based on the location of each device. Specifically, first, the position specifying unit 4 forms a triangle with the own vehicle position information and the position information of each device. This allows you to know the approximate location of each device and the direction in which each device exists relative to your vehicle. Next, the position specifying unit 4 uses the RSSI value of each beacon data in the direction in which each device exists to specify the detailed position of each device. That is, the position specifying unit 4 specifies the position of each device by correcting the position of each device determined based on the position information of each device using the RSSI value of each beacon data.

The location information included in the beacon data is location information based on GPS data, and the exact location cannot be specified. For example, with the position information included in the beacon data, it is not possible to distinguish in which lane of a plurality of lanes another vehicle is present. On the other hand, by referring to the RSSI value of the beacon data, the distance between the host vehicle and each device can be determined. In the first embodiment, the accurate location of each device can be specified by considering the RSSI value of the beacon data in addition to the location information included in the beacon data.

The beacon data transmitter 9 transmits beacon data including the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition section 2 to devices existing around the own vehicle in accordance with instructions from the position information manager 8. The beacon data transmitter 9 has a function of transmitting beacon data using BLE technology. If a device existing around the host vehicle has the same function as the driving support device 5 according to the first embodiment, the device can specify the exact location of the vehicle equipped with the driving support device 5. .

<1-2. Operation>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 5.

In step S11, the beacon data transmitter 9 transmits beacon data including the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition section 2 to devices existing around the own vehicle.

In step S12, the location information management unit 8 determines whether or not beacon data including location information of the two devices present in the vicinity of the host vehicle has been received from each of the devices. Specifically, when the beacon data receiving section 3 receives beacon data and the beacon data analyzing section 7 analyzes that the beacon data includes location information, the location information management section 8 determines the location of the device. It is determined that beacon data containing information has been received. The process of step S12 is repeated until the location information management unit 8 determines that beacon data including device location information has been received.

In step S13, the position specifying unit 4 uses the own vehicle position information acquired by the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2, the position information of each device extracted by the beacon data analysis unit 7, and the beacon data analyzed by the beacon data analysis unit 7. The location of each device is determined based on the RSSI value of. After that, the process returns to step S11.

Note that the operation shown in FIG. 3 may start when the ACC power source of the vehicle is turned on, and may end when the ACC power source is turned off. Further, the operation shown in FIG. 3 may be repeatedly performed, for example, at the timing when the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 2 acquires the own vehicle position information.

<1-3. Effect>
From the above, according to the first embodiment, the position specifying unit 4 takes into account the RSSI value of the beacon data in addition to the position information included in the beacon data, and determines the location near the own vehicle. Locate your device. This makes it possible to accurately locate nearby vehicles equipped with the device, even in locations with poor visibility.

<Embodiment 2>
<2-1. Configuration>
The driving support device according to the second embodiment is similar to the driving support device 5 shown in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment. In the following, the driving support device according to the second embodiment will be described as the driving support device 5 shown in FIG. 2.

<2-2. Operation＞
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 5 according to the second embodiment. Note that steps S21, S22, and S24 in FIG. 4 correspond to steps S11, S12, and S13 in FIG. 3, so their descriptions are omitted here. Below, step S23 and step S25 will be explained.

In step S23, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether the position of each device has been specified. Specifically, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether the position of the device received by the beacon data receiving unit 3 has already been specified. If the location of each device is specified, the process moves to step S25. On the other hand, if the location of each device has not been specified, the process moves to step S24.

In step S25, the location identifying unit 4 continues to identify the location of the device based on the location information included in the beacon data and the RSSI value of the beacon data. Specifically, the position specifying unit 4 determines which device the already specified position is based on the position information included in the beacon data received from each device and the RSSI value of the beacon data. The location of each device continues to be determined by determining the location of each device. After that, the process returns to step S21.

<2-3. Effect>
The process of identifying the location of each device has a large processing load and requires time. According to the second embodiment, the position specifying unit 4 does not perform the process of specifying the position again for a device whose position has already been specified, and uses the position information included in the beacon data and the RSSI value of the beacon data. Since the location continues to be specified based on the following information, the processing load and processing time can be reduced.

<Embodiment 3>
<3-1. Configuration>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 10 according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driving support device 10 is characterized by including a signal strength control section 11. The other configurations are the same as the driving support device 5 shown in FIG. 2 described in Embodiment 1, so detailed description will be omitted here.

The signal strength control unit 11 controls the beacon data transmitting unit 9 to increase the signal strength of the beacon data transmitted from the own vehicle when the position specifying unit 4 is unable to identify the position of each device. Note that the degree to which the signal strength of the beacon data is increased may be set in advance. Increasing the signal strength of beacon data transmitted from the own vehicle has the effect of making it easier to receive beacon data from each device.

Under the control of the signal strength control section 11, the beacon data transmitting section 9 transmits beacon data with a higher signal strength than usual. During this time, the beacon data receiving unit 3 retries receiving beacon data from each device.

<3-2. Operation＞
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 10. It should be noted that steps S31 to S33 in FIG. 6 correspond to steps S11 to S13 in FIG. 3, so their description will be omitted here. Below, steps S34 to S37 will be explained.

In step S34, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether the position of each device has been successfully specified. If the location of each device has been successfully identified, the process returns to step S31. On the other hand, if the identification of the location of each device fails, the process moves to step S35.

In step S35, the signal strength control section 11 controls the beacon data transmission section 9 to increase the signal strength of the beacon data transmitted from the own vehicle. Under the control of the signal strength control section 11, the beacon data transmitting section 9 transmits beacon data with a higher signal strength than usual. During this time, the beacon data receiving unit 3 retries receiving beacon data from each device.

In step S36, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether the beacon data receiving unit 3 has successfully retried receiving beacon data from each device. Specifically, the position specifying unit 4 determines that the retry has been successful when the beacon data receiving unit 3 receives the beacon data and is able to specify the location of the device using the position information included in the beacon data. I judge that. If the retry is successful, the process returns to step S31. On the other hand, if the retry fails, the process moves to step S37. An example of a situation where the retry fails is that the device is powered off.

In step S37, the signal strength control section 11 controls the beacon data transmission section 9 to return the signal strength of the beacon data transmitted from the own vehicle to normal. The beacon data transmitter 9 returns the signal strength to normal and transmits the beacon data under the control of the signal strength controller 11. After that, the process returns to step S31.

<3-3. Effect>
From the above, according to the third embodiment, if the location of each device fails, the signal strength of the beacon data transmitted from the host vehicle is increased and a retry is made to receive the beacon data from each device. conduct. Then, if the location of each device is successfully identified after retrying, the location of the device that could no longer be identified can be identified again. Furthermore, if the location of each device fails to be determined even after retrying, processing for identifying the location of another device can be performed. In this way, the positions of devices existing around the own vehicle can be efficiently specified.

<Embodiment 4>
<4-1. Configuration>
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 12 according to the fourth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the driving support device 12 is characterized by including a display control section 13. The display control section 13 is connected to the display device 14. The other configurations are the same as the driving support device 5 shown in FIG. 2 described in Embodiment 1, so detailed description will be omitted here. In the fourth embodiment, devices existing around the own vehicle will be described as being mounted on the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "surrounding vehicle").

The position specifying unit 4 determines the operating status of surrounding vehicles based on the specified position of the device. Specifically, the position specifying unit 4 determines the speed of the nearby vehicle and the direction in which the nearby vehicle is traveling based on changes over time in the position of the specified device. Thereby, the position specifying unit 4 can determine, for example, whether the surrounding vehicle is moving, whether the surrounding vehicle is traveling at a speed exceeding the speed limit, whether the surrounding vehicle is decelerating or not, and whether the surrounding vehicle is moving or not. It is possible to judge whether or not the vehicle is running in the opposite direction.

The display control unit 13 controls the display device 14 to display the operating status of the surrounding vehicles determined by the position specifying unit 4. The display device 14 displays the operating status of surrounding vehicles. For example, the display control unit 13 may control the display so that the operating status of surrounding vehicles can be seen on the map.

<4-2. Operation＞
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 12. It should be noted that steps S41 to S43 in FIG. 8 correspond to steps S11 to S13 in FIG. 3, so their explanation will be omitted here. Below, step S44 and step S45 will be explained.

In step S44, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether the nearby vehicle whose position has been specified is moving. Specifically, the position specifying unit 4 determines whether nearby vehicles are moving based on changes over time in the position of the specified device. If the surrounding vehicles are moving, the process moves to step S45. On the other hand, if the surrounding vehicles are not moving, the process returns to step S41.

In step S45, the display control unit 13 controls the display device 14 to display the operating status of the surrounding vehicle determined by the position specifying unit 4. The display device 14 displays the operating status of surrounding vehicles.

<4-3. Effect>
From the above, according to the fourth embodiment, the position specifying unit 4 determines the operating status of surrounding vehicles. Then, the display control unit 13 controls the display device 14 to display the operating status of the surrounding vehicles determined by the position specifying unit 4. The display device 14 displays the operating status of surrounding vehicles. This allows the driver of the own vehicle to grasp the operating status of surrounding vehicles.

In addition, although this Embodiment 4 demonstrated the structure which added the display control part 13 to the driving assistance apparatus 5 shown in FIG. 2 demonstrated in Embodiment 1, it is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the display control unit 13 is added to the driving support device 10 shown in FIG. 5 described in the third embodiment.

<Embodiment 5>
<5-1. Configuration>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 15 according to the fifth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the driving support device 15 is characterized by including a vehicle control section 16. Vehicle control section 16 is connected to drive device 17 . Other configurations and basic operations are the same as the driving support device 12 shown in FIG. 7 described in Embodiment 4, so detailed explanations will be omitted here. The driving support device 15 according to the fifth embodiment includes a vehicle control section 16 in place of the display control section 13 included in the driving support device 12 according to the fourth embodiment. Note that in the fifth embodiment, devices existing around the own vehicle will be described as being mounted on nearby vehicles.

The position specifying unit 4 determines whether or not it is necessary for the own vehicle to perform an avoidance operation to avoid the surrounding vehicles, based on changes in the positions of the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles over time. For example, the position specifying unit 4 may determine that an avoidance action is necessary when it is predicted that the own vehicle and a nearby vehicle traveling on different roads will arrive at the same intersection at the same time. Further, the position specifying unit 4 may determine that an avoidance operation is necessary when it is predicted that a nearby vehicle will jump out in front of the own vehicle while the vehicle is running. Furthermore, the position specifying unit 4 determines that an avoidance action is necessary when a nearby vehicle is driving abnormally, such as driving in the wrong direction, and there is a possibility that the surrounding vehicle may affect the driving of the host vehicle. It's okay.

When the position specifying unit 4 determines that an avoidance operation to avoid surrounding vehicles is necessary, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the operation of the own vehicle to perform an avoidance operation. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the drive device 17 to perform an avoidance operation. The drive device 17 is provided in the host vehicle and controls at least one of acceleration, braking, and steering of the host vehicle. Examples of the avoidance operation include stopping the own vehicle or retreating the own vehicle to the shoulder of the road.

<5-2. Operation＞
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 15. It should be noted that steps S51 to S54 in FIG. 10 correspond to steps S41 to S44 in FIG. 8, so their explanation will be omitted here. Below, step S55 and step S56 will be explained.

In step S55, the position specifying unit 4 determines the operating status of surrounding vehicles based on the position of the specified device, and determines whether an avoidance operation of the host vehicle is necessary. If it is necessary for the own vehicle to take an evasive action, the process moves to step S56. On the other hand, if the avoidance action of the host vehicle is unnecessary, the process returns to step S51.

In step S56, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the drive device 17 to perform an avoidance operation. The drive device 17 controls the drive of the host vehicle according to instructions from the vehicle control unit 16.

<5-3. Effect>
From the above, according to the fifth embodiment, when the position specifying unit 4 determines that an avoidance operation to avoid surrounding vehicles is necessary, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the drive device 17 to perform an avoidance operation. do. The drive device 17 controls the drive of the host vehicle according to instructions from the vehicle control unit 16. In this way, since it is determined whether an avoidance operation is necessary based on the accurate position of the surrounding vehicle, an appropriate avoidance operation can be performed.

In addition, although this Embodiment 5 demonstrated the structure which added the vehicle control part 16 based on the driving assistance device 12 shown in FIG. 7 demonstrated in Embodiment 4, it is not limited to this. For example, the signal strength control section 11 shown in FIG. 5 and the display control section 13 of the driving support device 12 shown in FIG. 7 may be arbitrarily combined and further added.

<Embodiment 6>
<6-1. Configuration>
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 18 according to the sixth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the driving support device 18 is characterized by including a recording control section 19. The recording control section 19 is connected to the drive recorder 22. The other configurations are the same as the driving support device 15 shown in FIG. 9 described in Embodiment 5, so detailed description will be omitted here.

The recording control unit 19 performs control to record the situation when the own vehicle performs an avoidance operation to avoid surrounding vehicles. The recording control section 19 includes a drive recorder control section 20 and a cloud control section 21.

When the position specifying unit 4 determines that an avoidance operation to avoid surrounding vehicles is necessary, the drive recorder control unit 20 controls the drive recorder 22 to record the situation during the avoidance operation. The drive recorder 22 has a camera (not shown) capable of capturing at least the surrounding situation including the area in front of the host vehicle, and records video data captured according to instructions from the drive recorder control unit 20. .

The cloud control unit 21 uploads the video data recorded by the drive recorder 22 to a server on the cloud.

The video data recorded on the drive recorder 22 and the video data uploaded to the server are used, for example, by a car dealer or an insurance company.

<6-2. Operation>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support device 18. It should be noted that steps S61 to S66 in FIG. 12 correspond to steps S51 to S56 in FIG. 10, so their explanation will be omitted here. Below, step S67 will be explained.

In step S67, the recording control unit 19 performs control to record the situation when the own vehicle performs an avoidance operation to avoid surrounding vehicles. Specifically, the drive recorder control unit 20 controls the drive recorder 22 to record the situation during the avoidance operation. The drive recorder 22 records video data captured according to instructions from the drive recorder control unit 20. Further, the cloud control unit 21 uploads the video data recorded by the drive recorder 22 to a server on the cloud.

<6-3. Effect>
From the above, according to the sixth embodiment, the recording control unit 19 performs control to record the situation during an avoidance operation in which the own vehicle avoids a surrounding vehicle. This makes it possible to grasp the situation at the time of avoidance action.

In addition, although this Embodiment 6 demonstrated the structure which added the recording control part 19 to the driving support apparatus 15 shown in FIG. 9 demonstrated in Embodiment 5, it is not limited to this. For example, the signal strength control section 11 shown in FIG. 5 and the display control section 13 of the driving support device 12 shown in FIG. 7 may be arbitrarily combined and further added.

<Hardware configuration>
The GPS data receiving section 6, the own vehicle position information acquiring section 2, the beacon data receiving section 3, the beacon data analyzing section 7, the position specifying section 4, and the beacon data transmitting section 9 in the driving support device 5 described in the first embodiment Each function is realized by a processing circuit. That is, the driving support device 5 receives GPS data, acquires own vehicle position information, receives beacon data, analyzes the beacon data, identifies the positions of devices existing around the own vehicle, and determines the position of the own vehicle. A processing circuit is provided for transmitting beacon data including location information. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, and may be a processor (CPU, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in memory. ).

When the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, as shown in FIG. 13, the processing circuit 23 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). , FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Even if each function of the GPS data reception section 6, own vehicle position information acquisition section 2, beacon data reception section 3, beacon data analysis section 7, position identification section 4, and beacon data transmission section 9 is realized by the processing circuit 23, Often, each function may be implemented by one processing circuit 23.

When the processing circuit 23 is the processor 24 shown in FIG. 14, the GPS data reception section 6, the own vehicle position information acquisition section 2, the beacon data reception section 3, the beacon data analysis section 7, the position identification section 4, and the beacon data transmission section Each function of 9 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software or firmware is written as a program and stored in memory 25. The processor 24 implements each function by reading and executing programs recorded in the memory 25. That is, the driving support device 5 receives GPS data, acquires own vehicle position information, receives beacon data, analyzes beacon data, and identifies the positions of devices existing around the own vehicle. A memory 25 is provided for storing a program that results in the step of transmitting beacon data including position information of the own vehicle. In addition, these programs explain the procedures or methods of the GPS data receiving section 6, own vehicle position information acquiring section 2, beacon data receiving section 3, beacon data analyzing section 7, position specifying section 4, and beacon data transmitting section 9. It can also be said that it is something that can be carried out. Here, memory includes, for example, nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), magnetic disk, flexible disk, It may be an optical disc, a compact disc, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or any other storage medium that will be used in the future.

Note that some of the functions of the GPS data reception section 6, own vehicle position information acquisition section 2, beacon data reception section 3, beacon data analysis section 7, position identification section 4, and beacon data transmission section 9 are dedicated. It may be realized by hardware, and other functions may be realized by software or firmware.

In this way, the processing circuit can implement each of the above functions using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

Note that although the hardware configuration of the driving support device 5 described in the first embodiment has been described above, the hardware configuration of the driving support devices 10, 12, 15, and 18 described in each of the other embodiments 2 to 6 has been described. The same applies to the software configuration.

<System configuration>
The driving support device described above is a system that appropriately combines not only an in-vehicle navigation device, that is, a car navigation device, but also a PND (Portable Navigation Device) that can be installed in a vehicle, a server installed outside the vehicle, etc. The present invention can also be applied to a navigation device constructed as a system, or a device other than a navigation device constructed as a system. In this case, each function or each component of the driving support device is distributed and arranged in each function that constructs the above system.

Specifically, as an example, the functions of the driving support device can be placed in a server. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the vehicle 26 includes a GPS data reception section 6, an own vehicle position information acquisition section 2, a beacon data reception section 3, and a beacon data analysis section 7. Further, the server 27 includes a position information management section 8 having a position specifying section 4 and a transmitting section 28 having a beacon data transmitting section 9. With such a configuration, a driving support system can be constructed.

Furthermore, software that executes the operations in the above embodiments may be incorporated into, for example, a server. The driving support method realized by the server running this software acquires own vehicle position information, which is the position information of the own vehicle, and calculates the position of the device from each of two devices existing around the own vehicle. The method includes receiving beacon data including information and specifying the location of each device based on the acquired own vehicle location information, the received location information of each device, and the signal strength of each beacon data.

In this way, the same effects as in the above embodiments can be obtained by incorporating and operating the software that executes the operations in the above embodiments in the server.

In addition, although the case where each function or software of the driving support device 5 described in Embodiment 1 is applied to a server has been described above, the driving support device 10 described in each of other Embodiments 2 to 6, The same applies to the case where the functions or software of 12, 15, and 18 are applied to the server.

Note that within the scope of the present disclosure, it is possible to freely combine the embodiments, or to modify or omit each embodiment as appropriate.

1 Driving support device, 2 Own vehicle position information acquisition unit, 3 Beacon data reception unit, 4 Position identification unit, 5 Driving support device, 6 GPS data reception unit, 7 Beacon data analysis unit, 8 Position information management unit, 9 Beacon data Transmission unit, 10 Driving support device, 11 Signal strength control unit, 12 Driving support device, 13 Display control unit, 14 Display device, 15 Driving support device, 16 Vehicle control unit, 17 Drive device, 18 Driving support device, 19 Recording control 20 drive recorder control unit, 21 cloud control unit, 22 drive recorder, 23 processing circuit, 24 processor, 25 memory, 26 vehicle, 27 server, 28 transmission unit.

Claims (10)

an own vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires own vehicle position information that is position information of the own vehicle;
a beacon data receiving unit that receives beacon data including location information of the device from each of two devices existing in the vicinity of the host vehicle;
Identifying the location of each device based on the vehicle location information acquired by the vehicle location information acquisition unit, the location information of each device received by the beacon data reception unit, and the signal strength of each beacon data. a position specifying unit,
A driving support device equipped with. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the beacon data reception unit receives the beacon data transmitted using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology. The position specifying unit specifies the position of each of the devices by correcting the position of each of the devices determined based on the position information of each of the devices using the signal strength of each of the beacon data. 2. The driving support device according to 1 or 2. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after identifying the location of each of the devices, the location identifying section continues to identify the location of each of the devices based on the location information of each device and the signal strength of the beacon data. The driving support device according to any one of the items. The vehicle further includes a signal strength control unit that performs control to increase the signal strength of beacon data transmitted from the own vehicle when the position specifying unit is unable to specify the position of each of the devices,
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the beacon data receiving unit retries receiving the beacon data. The device is mounted on a nearby vehicle existing around the own vehicle,
The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the position specifying unit determines the operating status of the surrounding vehicle based on the specified position of the device. The driving support device according to claim 6, further comprising a display control unit that performs control to display the operating status of the surrounding vehicle determined by the position specifying unit. 7. The vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a vehicle control unit that controls the operation of the own vehicle to perform the avoidance operation when the position specifying unit determines that an avoidance operation to avoid the surrounding vehicle is necessary. Driving support equipment. The driving support device according to claim 8, further comprising a recording control unit that performs control to record the situation during the avoidance operation. Obtain the own vehicle position information, which is the position information of the own vehicle,
receiving beacon data including location information of the device from each of two devices existing in the vicinity of the host vehicle;
A driving support method that specifies the position of each of the devices based on the acquired own vehicle position information, the received position information of each of the devices, and the signal strength of each of the beacon data.

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