JP7477386B2 - Data providing device and data providing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a data providing device and a data providing method for providing data indicating the display state of a signal lamp (so-called a traffic light), and a data acquisition device for acquiring the data.

Conventionally, systems that provide the display status of a signal lamp to a vehicle are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which a transmitter installed in a signal lamp transmits data indicating the display status of the signal lamp to a vehicle approaching the signal lamp.

JP 2003-77093 A

In conventional systems, the transmitter acquires the display control pattern of the signal lamp in which the transmitter is installed from the signal controller, and identifies the display state of the signal lamp in which the transmitter is installed based on the acquired display control pattern. Therefore, the transmitter cannot identify the display state of other signal lamps. As a result, there was a problem that a vehicle that required the display state of a signal lamp could only acquire the display state of an approaching signal lamp.

Therefore, the present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide data that indicates the display status of any signal lamp.

The data providing device of the first aspect of the present invention has a storage unit that stores a signal controller identification information that identifies a signal controller, signal lamp identification information that identifies multiple signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, and a signal lamp database in which each signal lamp belongs to a signal lamp group, a status data acquisition unit that acquires display status data indicating the display status of the multiple signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller from the signal controller, a display status determination unit that identifies the display status of each of the multiple signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the display status data acquired by the status data acquisition unit by referring to the signal lamp database, and a data distribution unit that distributes distribution data indicating the display status identified by the display status determination unit to a data acquisition device that requested the display status.

The storage unit may store, in the signal lamp database, the signal lamp identification information in association with group identification information that identifies the plurality of signal lamp groups that have different vehicle travel directions on the road on which the signal lamp is installed.

The storage unit may store the signal lamp identification information in the signal lamp database in association with each of the signal lamp groups for vehicles and the signal lamp groups for pedestrians.

The status data acquisition unit may store the display status data in the storage unit in association with the signal lamp group, and the display status determination unit may determine the display status of each of the plurality of signal lamps based on the display status data stored in the storage unit in association with the signal lamp group to which each of the plurality of signal lamps belongs.

The display state determination unit may associate the determined display state with the signal lamp identification information and store it in the storage unit.

The data distribution unit may distribute the distribution data after the display state determination unit stores the determined display state in the storage unit.

The data provision method of the second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of acquiring, from a signal controller, display state data indicating the display states of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller, executed by a computer; identifying the display states of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the acquired display state data by referring to a signal lamp database in which signal controller identification information that identifies the signal controller, signal lamp identification information that specifies the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, and the signal lamp group to which each signal lamp belongs are associated; and distributing distribution data indicating the identified display states to a data acquisition device that requested the display states.

The data providing method may further include, prior to the step of acquiring the display state data, a step of acquiring designation data from a data acquisition device that acquires the distribution data to designate one or more of the signal lamps for which the distribution data indicates the display state, and in the step of distributing the distribution data, the distribution data indicating the display state of the one or more signal lamps designated in the designation data may be distributed to the data acquisition device that transmitted the designation data.

The data acquisition device of the third aspect of the present invention is a data acquisition device that acquires distribution data distributed by the data providing device described above, and includes a designation data transmission unit that transmits designation data to the data providing device that designates one or more signal lamps from which data indicating a display state is to be acquired, a data acquisition unit that acquires the distribution data, and a control unit that controls electronic devices in a vehicle equipped with the data acquisition device based on the distribution data acquired by the data acquisition unit.

The present invention has the advantage that the data providing device can provide data indicating the display state of any signal lamp.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a data providing system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations in the data providing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a data providing device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal lamp database. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a distribution destination database. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing various examples of designation data. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of information included in distribution data. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a data acquisition device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map image displayed on a display unit.

[Outline of data provision system S]
1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a data providing system S. The data providing system S is a system in which a data providing device 1 provides distribution data indicating the display states of a plurality of signal lamps T to a data acquiring device 3. The data acquiring device 3 is an electronic device, such as an automatic driving control device or a car navigation device mounted on a vehicle V, that acquires distribution data indicating the display states of the signal lamps T and performs various controls based on the display states of the signal lamps T indicated by the acquired distribution data. The data acquiring device 3 is not limited to a device mounted on the vehicle V, and may be other devices that operate according to the display states of the signal lamps T.

The distribution data is data that indicates which of the multiple states that the signal lamp T is displaying is in. The distribution data is, for example, data that indicates the display color, such as blue, yellow, or red, the type of arrow being displayed, or the blinking state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the data provision system S includes a data provision device 1, multiple signal controllers 2 (signal controllers 2-1 to 2-4 in FIG. 1), and multiple data acquisition devices 3 mounted on multiple vehicles V. The data provision device 1 is a device, such as a server, for providing distribution data indicating the display state of signal lamps T installed at multiple intersections to the multiple data acquisition devices 3. The data provision device 1 may be composed of a single computer, or may be composed of multiple computers connected via a network.

The data providing device 1 provides distribution data to the data acquiring device 3 using, as an example, the MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) protocol. The data providing device 1 acquires designation data including information for designating the signal lamp T for which the data acquiring device 3 is to specify the display state, and provides distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T designated in the designation data to the data acquiring device 3. The designation data is, for example, a message including multiple topics used in the MQTT protocol.

The designation data will be described in detail later, but the designation data is a character string including at least one of area information indicating the area in which the signal light T is installed, signal controller identification information (hereinafter referred to as "signal controller ID") for identifying the signal controller 2, or signal light identification information (hereinafter referred to as "signal light ID") for identifying the signal light T. Note that the signal controller ID may include information associated with the area or location in which the signal controller 2 is installed, and the signal controller ID may function as area information.

The signal controller 2 is installed, for example, at each intersection where a signal lamp T is installed, and controls the display state of one or more signal lamps T that it controls. When controlling multiple signal lamps T, the signal controller 2 controls the display state of one or more signal lamps T that belong to each signal lamp group (hereinafter referred to as a "signal lamp group") so that each group that changes its display state in the same pattern has a different display state. One signal lamp group contains one or more signal lamps T that change to the same display state at the same timing.

When the intersection is a crossroads where a road in a first direction intersects with a road in a second direction, the signal controller 2 controls multiple signal lights T belonging to, for example, four signal light groups. The signal lights T belonging to the first group are signal lights installed on the road in the first direction, and the signal lights T belonging to the second group are signal lights installed on the road in the second direction. The signal lights T belonging to the third group are signal lights for pedestrians crossing the road in the second direction, and the signal lights T belonging to the fourth group are signal lights for pedestrians crossing the road in the first direction.

The signal controller 2 stores display state change patterns for each signal lamp group in advance in an internal non-volatile storage medium (e.g., a memory), and controls the display state of the signal lamps T belonging to each signal lamp group based on the stored change patterns. The signal controller 2 transmits display state data to the data providing device 1 in association with signal lamp identification information (hereinafter referred to as "signal lamp ID") that identifies each of the multiple signal lamps T to be controlled. The data providing device 1 creates distribution data to be distributed to the data acquiring device 3 based on the received display state data, and distributes the created distribution data to the data acquiring device 3.

Based on the distribution data acquired from the data providing device 1, the data acquisition device 3 displays the display state of the signal lamp T on the road on which the vehicle V is traveling on a display visible to the driver of the vehicle V, and controls the vehicle V based on the display state of the signal lamp T. The data acquisition device 3, for example, determines the speed of the vehicle V based on the display state of the signal lamp T, or changes the route of the vehicle V.

Figure 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations in the data provision system S. The sequence diagram shown in Figure 2 shows the flow of operations when the data provision device 1 provides distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T to the data acquisition device 3 mounted on the vehicle V.

The data acquisition device 3, which uses the display state data of the signal lamp T, registers the signal lamp T from which display state data is to be acquired in the data provision device 1 by transmitting designation data in advance. Specifically, the data acquisition device 3 determines the target signal lamp from which display state data is to be acquired, and transmits designation data to the data provision device 1 to request the delivery of distribution data showing the display state of the determined signal lamp T.

The method by which the data acquisition device 3 determines the target signal lamp for distribution is arbitrary. For example, the data acquisition device 3 determines at least one signal lamp T in the traveling direction as the target signal lamp for distribution based on the current position of the vehicle V.

As will be described in detail later, the data acquisition device 3 determines, for example, a signal lamp T previously set by a user riding in the vehicle V as the target signal lamp for distribution. When the data providing device 1 receives the designated data, it registers the target signal lamp for distribution by storing the signal lamp T corresponding to the designated data in a storage medium in association with an acquisition device ID for identifying the data acquisition device 3 that sent the designated data (S1).

After the above-mentioned registration process of the target signal lamps for distribution, or in parallel with the registration process, the signal controller 2 identifies the display state of each of the multiple signal lamp groups that it controls (S2). The signal controller 2 transmits display state data that associates the signal lamp group ID with the display state to the data providing device 1. For example, the signal controller 2 transmits the display state data to the data providing device 1 every time the display state of the signal lamp T that it controls changes.

When the data providing device 1 receives the display state data from the signal controller 2, it identifies the display state of each signal lamp T based on the received display state data (S3). The data providing device 1 then identifies the data acquiring device 3 that has specified the signal lamp T whose display state has changed (S4). The data providing device 1 transmits distribution data to the identified data acquiring device 3.

When the data acquisition device 3 receives the distribution data, it acquires the display state data contained in the distribution data. Based on the acquired display state data, the data acquisition device 3, for example, displays the image of the signal lamp on the road map displayed on the display in the color indicated by the display state data (S5), or controls the driving speed based on the display state of the signal lamp T at the destination (S6).

In this way, according to the data providing system S, even if the signal controller 2 cannot notify the data providing device 1 of the display state of each signal lamp T, the data providing device 1 can identify the display state of each signal lamp T and provide distribution data indicating the identified display state to the data acquiring device 3. As a result, the data acquiring device 3 can acquire in real time distribution data indicating the display states of pre-registered signal lamps that are target for distribution, and the data acquiring device 3 can perform various controls according to the display states of the target signal lamps.
The configurations and operations of the data providing device 1 and the data acquiring device 3 will be described in detail below.

[Functional configuration of data providing device 1]
3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the data providing device 1. The data providing device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 has a designated data acquisition unit 131, a status data acquisition unit 132, a display status specification unit 133, and a data distribution unit 134.

The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the signal controller 2 and the data acquisition device 3 via a network. The communication unit 11 has a communication controller for accessing the Internet via a router, for example. The communication unit 11 inputs the designated data received from the data acquisition device 3 to the designated data acquisition unit 131. The communication unit 11 also inputs the display status data received from the signal controller 2 to the status data acquisition unit 132, and transmits the distribution data input from the data distribution unit 134 to the data acquisition device 3.

The memory unit 12 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk. The memory unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13. The memory unit 12 also stores a signal light database that stores information about the signal lights T controlled by each of the multiple signal controllers 2.

Specifically, the memory unit 12 stores a signal lamp database in which a signal controller ID that identifies the signal controller 2, a signal lamp ID that specifies multiple signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2, and a signal lamp group to which each signal lamp T belongs are associated. In the signal lamp database, the signal lamp ID may be associated with lamp position information that indicates the location where the signal lamp T corresponding to the signal lamp ID is installed.

The memory unit 12 stores, in the signal lamp database, group identification information (hereinafter referred to as "group ID") that identifies a plurality of signal lamp groups that differ in the traveling direction of a vehicle V on a road on which a signal lamp T is installed, in association with the signal lamp ID. The memory unit 12 may store, in the signal lamp database, a signal lamp ID in association with each of a signal lamp group for vehicles and a signal lamp group for pedestrians.

Figure 4 shows an example of a signal lamp database. In the signal lamp database, a signal controller ID, a signal lamp ID, a group ID, a lamp type, location information, and a display state are associated with each other. The group ID is information for identifying each signal lamp group controlled by the signal controller 2. The lamp type is information indicating whether the signal lamp T is for vehicles (V) or pedestrians (P). The location information is information indicating the latitude and longitude of the location where each signal lamp T is installed.

The signal controller ID in the example shown in FIG. 4 is composed of a 30-digit number. The first 15 digits of the signal controller ID correspond to one of the multiple areas in the first hierarchical layer (e.g., an area of 1.2 km square). The next three digits of the signal controller ID correspond to one of the multiple areas in the second hierarchical layer (e.g., an area of 150 m square) that is included in one area in the first hierarchical layer. The last 12 digits of the signal controller ID correspond to one of the multiple signal controllers 2 installed in the area in the second hierarchical layer. The signal lamp ID corresponds to one of the multiple signal lamps T controlled by one signal controller 2.

The storage unit 12 also stores the data acquisition device 3 that transmitted the specified data in association with the signal lamp T that each data acquisition device 3 designated as the signal lamp T whose display state is to be included in the distribution data. The storage unit 12 stores, for example, a distribution destination database in which an acquisition device ID for identifying the data acquisition device 3 is associated with the specified data.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a destination database. In the destination database shown in Figure 5, designated data transmitted from data acquisition devices 3 with acquisition device IDs of 900001 to 900004 is shown. In the destination database, the acquisition device ID may be associated with the signal lamp ID of one or more signal lamps T identified based on the designated data.

The control unit 13 has, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to function as a designated data acquisition unit 131, a status data acquisition unit 132, a display status determination unit 133, and a data distribution unit 134.

The designated data acquisition unit 131 acquires, from the data acquisition device 3 that acquires the distribution data, designated data for designating one or more signal lamps T for which the distribution data indicates a display state. The designated data acquisition unit 131 associates the acquired designated data with the acquisition device ID and stores it in the storage unit 12.

The designation data includes a location code, a controller ID (15 digits), a controller ID (3 digits), a controller ID (12 digits), and a signal lamp ID as topics of the MQTT protocol. In the designation data, a "/" is provided between multiple topics to indicate a hierarchical structure of the topics, and is expressed in the following format, for example.
lights/location code/controller ID (15 digits)/controller ID (3 digits)/controller ID (12 digits)/signal light ID

Figure 6 shows various examples of designation data. Designation data in which the controller ID (3 digits) and subsequent characters are represented by "#" as in Figure 6(a) indicates that all signal lamps T in the first hierarchical area identified by the controller ID (15 digits) are designated. Designation data in which the controller ID (12 digits) and subsequent characters are represented by "#" as in Figure 6(b) indicates that all signal lamps T in the second hierarchical area identified by the controller ID (3 digits) are designated.

As shown in FIG. 6(c), the designation data in which the signal lamp ID is represented by "#" indicates that all signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2 corresponding to the controller ID (15 digits)/controller ID (3 digits)/controller ID (12 digits) are designated. In the example of FIG. 6(c), all signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2 whose signal controller ID is "133002112322323320012012020312" are designated. As shown in FIG. 6(d), the designation data in which the signal lamp ID is represented by a number indicates that an individual signal lamp T is designated. In the example of FIG. 6(d), the first signal lamp T controlled by the signal controller 2 whose signal controller ID is "133002112322323320012012020312" is designated.

The status data acquisition unit 132 acquires display status data indicating the display status of multiple signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller 2 from the signal controller 2 via the communication unit 11. The status data acquisition unit 132 associates the display status data with the signal lamp groups and stores them in the storage unit 12. The status data acquisition unit 132 may input the acquired display status data to the display status identification unit 133.

The display state identification unit 133 refers to the signal lamp database to identify the display state of each of the multiple signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2 that transmitted the display state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit 132. The display state identification unit 133 identifies the display state of each of the multiple signal lamps T, for example, based on the display state data stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the signal lamp group to which each of the multiple signal lamps belongs.

Specifically, the display state identification unit 133 first identifies which signal lamp group each of the multiple signal lamps T belongs to by referring to the signal lamp database stored in the memory unit 12. Next, the display state identification unit 133 identifies the display state of the identified signal lamp group in the display state data, thereby identifying the display state of each of the multiple signal lamps T. The display state identification unit 133 associates the identified display state with a signal controller ID and a signal lamp ID and stores them in the memory unit 12.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the display state identification unit 133 identifies the display state indicated by the display state data indicating that the group ID is A as the display state of the signal lamp T with the signal lamp IDs of 1 and 2, and stores the identified display state in the storage unit 12 in association with the signal controller ID "133002112322323320012012020312" and the signal lamp ID "1", as well as the signal controller ID "133002112322323320012012020312" and the signal lamp ID "2". The display state identification unit 133 notifies the data distribution unit 134 that the display state has been identified. The display state identification unit 133 may also notify the data distribution unit 134 of the identified display state in association with the signal controller ID and the signal lamp ID.

The data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps T indicated by the designated data acquired by the designated data acquisition unit 131, among the multiple signal lamps T whose display states have been identified by the display state identification unit 133, to the data acquisition device 3 that transmitted the designated data. As an example, the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display states stored in the storage unit 12 in association with one or more signal lamp IDs corresponding to the one or more signal lamps T specified in the designated data. The data distribution unit 134 distributes the distribution data after the display state identification unit 133 stores the identified display states in the storage unit 12.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of information included in the distribution data. Figure 7(a) shows static information related to signal lamp T, and Figure 7(b) shows dynamic information related to signal lamp T. The "shortest time" and "longest time" in Figure 7(b) indicate the shortest and longest times from when a button is pressed in a push-button type signal lamp until the display state changes. When the data distribution unit 134 transmits distribution data corresponding to multiple signal lamp IDs, it transmits the distribution data shown in Figure 7 corresponding to each of the multiple signal lamp IDs.

The data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display state of one or more signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2 corresponding to the signal controller ID included in the designation data acquired by the designation data acquisition unit 131, or one or more signal lamps T corresponding to the signal lamp ID. When a signal lamp ID is included in the designation data acquired by the designation data acquisition unit 131, as in the example shown in FIG. 6(a), the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T corresponding to the signal lamp ID. By the data distribution unit 134 operating in this manner, the data acquisition device 3 can acquire the display state of any signal lamp T.

When the signal lamp ID is not included in the designation data acquired by the designation data acquisition unit 131, as in the examples shown in Figures 6(b) to 6(d), the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps T controlled by the signal controller 2. By operating the data distribution unit 134 in this manner, the data acquisition device 3 can acquire the display states of multiple signal lamps T without having to specify each signal lamp T individually.

In addition, as in the example shown in FIG. 6(c) or 6(d), when the designated data acquired by the designated data acquisition unit 131 does not include a part of the signal controller ID, the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lights T in the area corresponding to the other part of the signal controller ID included in the designated data. When the designated data acquired by the designated data acquisition unit 131 does not include a part of the signal controller ID, the data distribution unit 134 may distribute distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lights T controlled by multiple signal controllers 2 that share the other part of the signal controller ID included in the designated data. By operating the data distribution unit 134 in this manner, the data acquisition device 3 can easily acquire the display states of a large number of signal lights T.

When the designated data acquired by the designated data acquisition unit 131 includes area information, the data distribution unit 134 may distribute distribution data indicating the display state of one or more signal lights T included in the area indicated by the area information by referring to the light position information included in the signal light database (see FIG. 4) stored in the memory unit 12.

When the identified signal lamp T matches the signal lamp T whose display state has been identified by the display state identification unit 133, the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data indicating the display state to the data acquisition device 3 that specified the signal lamp T. For example, the data distribution unit 134 distributes distribution data in response to the state data acquisition unit 132 acquiring display state data from the signal controller 2. In other words, each time the designated data acquisition unit 131 receives new display state data, the data distribution unit 134 distributes the distribution data to the data acquisition device 3 that has registered the signal lamp T whose display state is included in the display state data as the signal lamp to be distributed. By operating in this manner, the data distribution unit 134 can enable the data acquisition device 3 to acquire the display state of the signal lamp T in real time.

The data distribution unit 134 may distribute the distribution data to the data acquisition device 3 periodically (e.g., at one-second intervals). In this case, the data distribution unit 134 distributes the distribution data at a frequency at least equal to or less than the time interval at which the display state of the signal lamp T changes, so that even if distribution fails, there is no need to resend the data.

[Configuration of data acquisition device 3]
8 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the data acquisition device 3. The data acquisition device 3 has a communication unit 31, a GPS receiver 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a control unit 36. The control unit 36 has a device control unit 361, a designated data transmission unit 362, and a data acquisition unit 363.

The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the data providing device 1, and includes, for example, a wireless communication controller. The communication unit 31 transmits the specified data input from the device control unit 361 to the data providing device 1. The communication unit 31 inputs the distribution data received from the data providing device 1 to the data acquisition unit 363.

The GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 32 is a device for identifying the position of the vehicle V on which the data acquisition device 3 is mounted. The GPS receiver 32 identifies the position (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the vehicle V based on radio waves received from GPS satellites, and notifies the data acquisition unit 363 of vehicle position information indicating the identified position.

The display unit 33 is a display that displays various types of information, such as a map image.
The operation unit 34 is a device that accepts operations from a user, such as a driver, who is in the vehicle V, and is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display unit 33.

The storage unit 35 includes storage media such as a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 35 stores a program executed by the control unit 36. The storage unit 35 also stores various data such as map image data to be displayed by the display unit 33.
The control unit 36 includes, for example, a CPU, and functions as a device control unit 361 , a designated data transmission unit 362 , and a data acquisition unit 363 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 35 .

The device control unit 361 controls various operations of the control unit 36. The device control unit 361 determines the range of the signal lamps T that are to receive the distribution of the display state based on, for example, the vehicle position information input from the GPS receiver 32 and the signal lamp position information indicating the position of the signal lamp T included in the map image data stored in the memory unit 35. The device control unit 361 determines, for example, the signal lamps T that correspond to the signal lamp position information indicating the latitude and longitude within a predetermined range from the latitude and longitude indicated by the vehicle position information as the distribution target signal lamps. The device control unit 361 may determine the range of the signal lamps T that are to receive the distribution of the display state based on the user's operation input from the operation unit 34.

The device control unit 361 notifies the designated data transmission unit 362 of the determined range, thereby causing the designated data transmission unit 362 to transmit the instruction data. The device control unit 361 may instruct the designated data transmission unit 362 to transmit the designated data every time the user performs an operation, for example, or may instruct the designated data transmission unit 362 to transmit the designated data every time the position of the vehicle V changes by a certain distance or more.

The designated data transmission unit 362 creates designation data that designates one or more signal lamps T from which data indicating the display state is to be obtained based on the range of signal lamps T input from the device control unit 361, and transmits the created designation data to the data providing device 1. Specifically, the designated data transmission unit 362 transmits a topic such as that shown in FIG. 6 to the data providing device 1.

The data acquisition unit 363 acquires the distribution data transmitted by the data providing device 1 via the communication unit 31. The data acquisition unit 363 inputs the acquired distribution data to the device control unit 361.

The equipment control unit 361 controls the electronic devices in the vehicle V in which the data acquisition device 3 is mounted, based on the distribution data input from the data acquisition unit 363. The electronic devices are, for example, devices possessed by the data acquisition device 3, or electronic control units for operating the vehicle V.

The device control unit 361 controls the traveling state of the vehicle V based on the display state of one or more signal lights T installed at the destination of the vehicle V. Specifically, the device control unit 361 instructs the electronic control unit to reduce the speed of the vehicle V when the signal light T at the destination of the vehicle V is red.

The device control unit 361 may estimate the time required for the signal light T to change to green based on the time of receiving the distribution data, and control the speed of the vehicle V based on the estimated result and the distance to the signal light T. For example, the device control unit 361 controls the speed of the vehicle V so that the vehicle V reaches the intersection where the signal light T is installed at the timing when the display state of the signal light T changes to green. By operating in this manner, the device control unit 361 can reduce the frequency with which the vehicle V stops, leading to improved fuel efficiency.

The equipment control unit 361 may instruct the electronic control unit that controls the automatic driving control to change the driving route of the vehicle V based on the display state of one or more signal lights T installed at the destination of the vehicle V. For example, when the display state of one or more signal lights T installed at the destination is red, the equipment control unit 361 searches for a detour route that does not pass through the signal lights T. The equipment control unit 361 instructs the designated data transmission unit 362 to acquire distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lights T on the searched detour route. The equipment control unit 361 may instruct the electronic control unit to change to a detour route when it is expected that the signal lights T will be green at the time of reaching the signal lights T based on the display state of the signal lights T on the detour route acquired by the data acquisition unit 363.

The device control unit 361 may cause the display unit 33 to display lamp images corresponding to one or more signal lamps T in the map image in a manner corresponding to the display state of one or more signal lamps T indicated by the distribution data. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a map image displayed on the display unit 33. The map image shown in FIG. 9 shows signal lamps T1 to T4. Of these, signal lamps T1 and T2 are installed at an intersection on the path of vehicle V, indicated by a thick line.

In such a case, the equipment control unit 361 acquires distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T installed at the intersection on the route of the vehicle V, and displays the display state of the signal lamp T1 and the signal lamp T2 on the map image based on the acquired distribution data. By the equipment control unit 361 operating in this manner, the user in the vehicle V can grasp the state of the signal lamp T at the destination, making it easier to drive the vehicle V at an appropriate speed.

[Effects of Data Providing System S]
As described above, in the data provision system S, the data provision device 1 identifies the display state of the signal lamp T based on the display control data for each signal lamp group acquired from the signal controller 2, and distributes distribution data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T specified in the designation data to the data acquisition device 3. By the data provision device 1, signal controller 2, and data acquisition device 3 operating in this manner, the data provision device 1 provides the data acquisition device 3 with data indicating the display state of the signal lamp T other than the signal lamp T immediately preceding the vehicle V, and the data acquisition device 3 can appropriately control the electronic devices mounted on the vehicle V based on the provided data.

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

For example, in the above description, the data providing device 1 and the data acquiring device 3 send and receive the specified data and the distribution data using the MQTT protocol, but the communication protocol used by the data providing device 1 and the data acquiring device 3 is not limited to MQTT and may be another communication protocol.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Data providing device 2 Signal controller 3 Data acquiring device 11 Communication unit 12 Memory unit 13 Control unit 31 Communication unit 32 GPS receiver 33 Display unit 34 Operation unit 35 Memory unit 36 Control unit 131 Designated data acquiring unit 132 Status data acquiring unit 133 Display status identifying unit 134 Data distribution unit 361 Equipment control unit 362 Designated data transmitting unit 363 Data acquiring unit

Claims (9)

A storage unit that stores signal controller identification information for identifying a signal controller, signal lamp identification information for specifying a plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, a signal lamp database in which each signal lamp is associated with a signal lamp group to which each signal lamp belongs, and a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with specified data;
A status data acquisition unit that acquires, from the signal controller, display status data indicating a display status of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
a display state determination unit that determines, by referring to the signal lamp database, a display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the display state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit;
a data distribution unit that distributes distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designation data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designation data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified by the display state specification unit, to the data acquisition device associated with the designation data, and when the signal lamp identification information is not included in the designation data, distributes distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps controlled by the signal controller to the data acquisition device;
A data providing device having the above configuration. A storage unit that stores signal controller identification information for identifying a signal controller, signal lamp identification information for identifying a plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, a signal lamp database in which each signal lamp is associated with a signal lamp group to which each signal lamp belongs, and a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with specified data;
A status data acquisition unit that acquires, from the signal controller, display status data indicating a display status of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
a display state determination unit that determines, by referring to the signal lamp database, a display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the display state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit;
a data distribution unit that distributes distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designation data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designation data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified by the display state specification unit, to the data acquisition device associated with the designation data, and when the designation data does not include information indicating a part of a specific area, distributes distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps within an area corresponding to the information indicating the specific area included in the designation data to the data acquisition device;
A data providing device having the above configuration. A storage unit that stores signal controller identification information for identifying a signal controller, signal lamp identification information for identifying a plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, a signal lamp database in which each signal lamp is associated with a signal lamp group to which each signal lamp belongs, and a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with specified data;
A status data acquisition unit that acquires, from the signal controller, display status data indicating a display status of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
a display state determination unit that determines, by referring to the signal lamp database, a display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the display state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit;
a data distribution unit that distributes distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designation data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designation data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified by the display state identification unit, to the data acquisition device associated with the designation data, and when the designation data does not include information indicating a part of a specific area, distributes distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps controlled by the multiple signal controllers that have common information indicating the specific area included in the designation data to the data acquisition device;
A data providing device having the above configuration. The status data acquisition unit stores the display status data in the storage unit in association with the signal lamp group,
The display state identification unit identifies a display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps based on the display state data stored in the storage unit in association with the signal lamp group to which each of the plurality of signal lamps belongs.
The data providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The display state specification unit stores the specified display state in the storage unit in association with the signal lamp identification information.
The data providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. the data distribution unit distributes the distribution data after the display state specification unit stores the specified display state in the storage unit.
The data providing device according to claim 5 . The computer executes
acquiring, from the signal controller, display state data indicating a display state of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
A step of identifying the display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the acquired display state data by referring to a signal lamp database in which signal controller identification information that identifies the signal controller, signal lamp identification information that identifies the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, and a signal lamp group to which each of the signal lamps belongs are associated;
a step of referencing a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with designated data, and distributing distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designated data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designated data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified, to the data acquisition device associated with the designated data, and when the signal lamp identification information is not included in the designated data, distributing distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps controlled by the signal controller to the data acquisition device ;
A data providing method having the above-mentioned features. The computer executes
acquiring, from the signal controller, display state data indicating a display state of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
A step of identifying the display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the acquired display state data by referring to a signal lamp database in which signal controller identification information that identifies the signal controller, signal lamp identification information that identifies the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, and a signal lamp group to which each of the signal lamps belongs are associated;
a step of referencing a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with designated data, and distributing distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designated data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designated data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified, to the data acquisition device associated with the designated data, and when the designated data does not include information indicating a part of a specific area, distributing distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps in an area corresponding to the information indicating the specific area included in the designated data to the data acquisition device;
A data providing method having the above-mentioned features. The computer executes
acquiring, from the signal controller, display state data indicating a display state of a plurality of signal lamp groups controlled by the signal controller;
A step of identifying the display state of each of the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller that transmitted the acquired display state data by referring to a signal lamp database in which signal controller identification information that identifies the signal controller, signal lamp identification information that identifies the plurality of signal lamps controlled by the signal controller, and a signal lamp group to which each of the signal lamps belongs are associated;
a step of referencing a distribution destination database in which a data acquisition device is associated with designated data, and distributing distribution data indicating the display states of one or more signal lamps controlled by the signal controller corresponding to the signal controller identification information included in the designated data, or one or more signal lamps corresponding to the signal lamp identification information included in the designated data, among the multiple signal lamps whose display states have been identified, to the data acquisition device associated with the designated data, and when the designated data does not include information indicating a part of a specific area, distributing distribution data indicating the display states of all signal lamps controlled by the multiple signal controllers which have common information indicating the specific area included in the designated data to the data acquisition device ;
A data providing method comprising the steps of:

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