Traffic monitoring device and traffic monitoring system

Abstract

The invention relates to a traffic monitoring device and a traffic monitoring system. Techniques related to collision avoidance in road traffic are improved. A traffic monitoring device includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit is configured so as to be able to acquire movement information relating to movement of a plurality of moving bodies including a vehicle, and is configured so as to be able to communicate with the vehicle. The control unit sets an exclusive area around the moving body on the basis of the movement information, and generates a notification to be transmitted to the specific moving body when the exclusive area around the specific moving body overlaps the exclusive area of the moving body other than the specific moving body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a traffic monitoring device and a traffic monitoring system providing method. Background Art

[0002] A driving assistance device that sets a determination area in front of a vehicle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This driving assistance device determines that there is a risk of collision when at least a portion of a preceding vehicle overlaps the determination area and issues a warning to the driver of the vehicle.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-62760 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In the prior art, a determination area is set only in front of the vehicle that is the object of driving assistance, and the risk of collision with the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle is determined. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, the prior art needs to set the determination area larger, which sometimes causes unnecessary deceleration and / or inflexible movements. In addition, the prior art does not take into account the existence of moving objects such as vehicles other than the preceding vehicle, bicycles other than vehicles, PMVs (Personal Mobility Vehicles), and pedestrians, as well as their movement states.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances and aims to improve the technology related to collision avoidance of a moving body in road traffic.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] A traffic monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a communication unit configured to acquire movement information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies including a vehicle, and configured to communicate with the vehicle; and a control unit configured to set an exclusive area around the moving body based on the movement information, and to generate a notification to be sent to the vehicle when the exclusive area around the vehicle overlaps with the exclusive area of ​​the moving body other than the vehicle.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve techniques related to collision avoidance in road traffic. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A diagram of an example of traffic on a road monitored by a traffic monitoring system.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an exclusive area when a vehicle travels straight.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining an example of an exclusive area when a vehicle changes its traveling direction.

[0017] Figure 5 The following is a diagram for explaining examples of exclusive areas for moving objects of different categories.

[0018] Figure 6 1 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a traffic monitoring method performed by a traffic monitoring device.

[0019] Description of Reference Numerals

[0020] 1. Traffic monitoring system; 10. Traffic monitoring device; 11. Communication unit; 12. Control unit; 13. Storage unit; 20. Detector; 30. Vehicle (mobile body); 31. Vehicle communication unit; 32. Vehicle control unit; 33. Vehicle-mounted sensor; 34. Notification unit; 35. Exclusive area; 36. Warning area; 37. Notification area; 40. Network; 50. Mobile body; 51. Bicycle (mobile body); 52. PMV (mobile body); 53. Pedestrian (mobile body); 55. Exclusive area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic drawings. The dimensions and ratios in the drawings may not necessarily correspond to the actual ones.

[0022] (Structure of traffic monitoring system)

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, a traffic monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a traffic monitoring device 10, one or more detectors 20, and one or more vehicles 30. The traffic monitoring device 10 and the detectors 20, and the traffic monitoring device 10 and the vehicles 30 are connected to communicate via a network 40 such as a dedicated network or a VPN (Virtual Private Network) by wired communication components and / or wireless communication components.

[0024] The traffic monitoring device 10 is a computer that monitors road traffic. The traffic monitoring device 10 obtains information about a moving body 50 (see FIG. 1 ) including a vehicle 30 traveling on a road to be monitored from a detector 20 and / or a vehicle 30 installed in a road infrastructure. Figure 2 ) to determine whether there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and other moving bodies 50. Figure 2 2 shows an example of a vehicle 30 and a moving body 50 traveling on a road. When determining that there is a risk of a collision, the traffic monitoring device 10 notifies the vehicle 30 that is at risk of being involved in the collision.

[0025] Hereinafter, information related to the movement of the mobile body 50 is referred to as movement information. The movement information includes information on the position of the mobile body 50, the speed of the mobile body 50, and the traveling direction of the mobile body 50. The movement information may also include information on the type of the mobile body 50, information on the wet / dry state of the road surface of the road on which the mobile body 50 travels, and information on the steering angle of the vehicle 30 when the mobile body 50 is a vehicle 30. The movement information may be acquired from at least one of the detector 20 and the vehicle 30.

[0026] The moving objects 50 include bicycles 51, personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) 52, and pedestrians 53 moving on the road. The moving objects 50 may also include vehicles 30. That is, when the traffic monitoring device 10 focuses on a specific vehicle 30 and determines the risk of collision, other vehicles 30 may be treated as moving objects 50.

[0027] In one embodiment, the traffic monitoring device 10 and the traffic monitoring system 1 can also be used to provide a service that fully utilizes mobility, namely MaaS. “MaaS” is the abbreviation of Mobility as a Service.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the traffic monitoring device 10 includes a communication unit 11 , a control unit 12 , and a storage unit 13 .

[0029] The communication unit 11 includes a communication interface for communicating with an external device of the traffic monitoring device 10. The external device includes the detector 20 and the vehicle 30. The communication unit 11 corresponds to wired communication and / or wireless communication. The communication unit 11 communicates with the detector 20 and the vehicle 30.

[0030] The control unit 12 is configured to include one or more processors and a memory. The processor includes a general-purpose processor that executes a programmed function by reading a specific program, and a dedicated processor dedicated to a specific process. The control unit 12 can read a program for traffic monitoring and execute various processes for traffic monitoring. The control unit 12 integrates information obtained from multiple detectors 20 and information obtained from multiple vehicles 30 to determine the risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and other moving bodies 50. The control unit 12 generates a notification for the vehicle 30 determined to have a risk of collision, and sends the notification to the vehicle 30 through the communication unit 11. The process performed by the traffic monitoring device 10 can be said to be the process performed by the control unit 12.

[0031] The storage unit 13 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of them. The storage unit 13 functions as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory, for example. The storage unit 13 stores programs and data for the operation of the traffic monitoring device 10, and data obtained by the operation of the traffic monitoring device 10. The information stored in the storage unit 13 can also be updated using information obtained from the communication unit 11, for example.

[0032] For example, the storage unit 13 may store a map of roads in the area to be monitored by the traffic monitoring device 10. In addition, the storage unit 13 may store the positions of each detector 20 and the detectable area in association with the road map. Furthermore, the storage unit 13 may store information for setting the exclusive areas 35 and 55 (see Figure 2 ) required parameters.

[0033] The detector 20 is a sensor for detecting a moving body 50 including a vehicle 30 on a road. A plurality of detectors 20 may be configured in an area that is a monitoring object of the traffic monitoring system 1. The detector 20 may include an AI camera, an ultrasonic detector, an optical beacon, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and the like. For example, the detector 20 is an edge AI camera equipped with an AI processing function, which can identify the position, speed, and direction of travel of the detected moving body 50, and send the information of the identified moving body 50 together with the image of the moving body 50 to the traffic monitoring device 10. Such recognition processing of the moving body 50 may also be performed by the traffic monitoring device 10 based on the image obtained from the camera. The detector 20 sends information related to the movement of the moving body 50 to the traffic monitoring device 10 as movement information.

[0034] The vehicle 30 includes, but is not limited to, a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a large / small special car, etc. The vehicle 30 includes various types of vehicles 30 to be realized in the future. The vehicle 30 can communicate with the traffic monitoring device 10 and can receive a notification from the traffic monitoring device 10. The vehicle 30 can notify the driver of the received notification through images and sounds.

[0035] The vehicle 30 includes, for example, a vehicle communication unit 31 , a vehicle control unit 32 , a vehicle-mounted sensor 33 , and a notification unit 34 .

[0036] The vehicle communication unit 31 includes at least one external communication interface connected to the network 40 by wireless communication. The external communication interface is, for example, an interface corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as a 4th generation mobile communication system (4G: 4th Generation) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and a 5th generation mobile communication system (5G: 5th Generation). The vehicle communication unit 31 can send movement information of the vehicle 30 to the traffic monitoring device 10. The vehicle communication unit 31 can receive a notification indicating a risk of collision with another mobile body 50 from the traffic monitoring device 10.

[0037] The vehicle control unit 32 is configured to include a single or multiple processors and memories, similarly to the control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10. The vehicle control unit 32 may be a control unit of an information processing device mounted on the vehicle 30. The vehicle control unit 32 may transmit movement information of the vehicle 30 obtained as a result of processing the output of the on-board sensor 33 to the traffic monitoring device 10 via the vehicle communication unit 31. Based on the notification from the traffic monitoring device 10 received via the vehicle communication unit 31, the vehicle control unit 32 may use the notification unit 34 to notify the driver of the risk of collision.

[0038] The on-board sensor 33 may include sensors for detecting the position, speed, and direction of travel of the vehicle 30. For example, the on-board sensor 33 includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, and an orientation sensor such as a gyro sensor. In addition, the on-board sensor 33 may include a receiver corresponding to a global positioning system (GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System). Receivers corresponding to GNSS include GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers. The vehicle 30 can send this information as mobile information to the traffic monitoring device 10. The on-board sensor 33 may also include a camera for photographing the road surface of the road on which the vehicle 30 is traveling. The vehicle control unit 32 can analyze the image of the camera to determine the wet / dry state of the road surface, and send the determination result to the traffic monitoring device 10.

[0039] The notification unit 34 notifies the driver of the vehicle 30 of the notification received from the traffic monitoring device 10. The notification unit 34 may include, for example, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. In addition, the notification unit 34 may include a speaker for notifying the notification by sound. The notification unit 34 can notify the driver of the vehicle 30 of instructions including deceleration and stopping by images and sounds according to the notification received from the traffic monitoring device 10.

[0040] The vehicle 30 may be an autonomous vehicle capable of at least partially autonomous driving. Autonomous driving includes, for example, levels 1 to 5 defined in SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), but is not limited thereto and may be defined arbitrarily. In this case, the vehicle 30 may be configured to control driving using the received notification when receiving a notification from the traffic monitoring device 10. That is, the vehicle 30 may integrate the information collected by the vehicle's sensors and the information obtained from the traffic monitoring device 10 to control driving.

[0041] (Determination of collision risk)

[0042] Below, refer to Figure 2 , explaining the method for determining the risk of collision by the traffic monitoring system 1. In the monitoring target area of ​​the traffic monitoring system 1, a plurality of detectors 20 are arranged along the road. The detectors 20 can be arranged to cover the roads in the monitoring target area. In addition, the detectors 20 can also be arranged mainly at specific intersections or accident-prone areas.

[0043] The control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10 calculates an exclusive area 55 around the moving body 50 including the vehicle 30 based on the information obtained from the detector 20 and the vehicle 30. The exclusive area 55 is determined by considering the movement information including the current position, speed, and travel direction of the moving body 50. The exclusive area 55 is an area where a collision may be unavoidable when another moving body 50 intrudes. Therefore, it is preferable that no other moving body 50 exists in the exclusive area 55 of a certain moving body 50.

[0044] The control unit 12 can set the shape of the exclusive area 55 based on the category of the moving object 50. The category of the moving object 50 includes, for example, a bicycle 51, a PMV 52, and a pedestrian 53 in addition to the vehicle 30. The category of the moving object 50 is not limited thereto. The shape of the exclusive area 55 takes into account the movement characteristics of each category of the moving object 50 as described later.

[0045] The exclusive area 55 extends from the position of the moving body 50 in the traveling direction of the moving body 50. The length of the exclusive area 55 in the traveling direction varies according to the speed of the moving body 50. The faster the speed of the moving body 50, the longer the length of the exclusive area 55 in the traveling direction.

[0046] The control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10 configures the exclusive area 55 in the virtual space reflecting the positional relationship of the real moving objects 50, and when the exclusive areas 55 of two or more different moving objects 50 overlap, it is determined that there is a risk of collision between the two or more moving objects 50. Figure 2 In the example of FIG. 1 , the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 overlaps the exclusive area 55 of the pedestrian 53, so the control unit 12 determines that there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and the pedestrian 53. When the mobile bodies 50 with the possibility of collision include the vehicle 30, the control unit 12 regards it as a specific vehicle 30 and generates a notification to inform that a collision may occur. The control unit 12 sends the generated notification to the specific vehicle 30 via the communication unit 11. As a result, the traffic monitoring device 10 can predict the occurrence of a collision between the vehicle 30 and the other mobile bodies 50, and send a notification to the vehicle 30 for avoiding the collision.

[0047] (How to set an exclusive area)

[0048] As described above, the exclusive areas 35 and 55 are determined by calculation according to the type of the moving body 50. The length of the exclusive areas 35 and 55 in the travel direction is determined based on the length obtained by summing the braking distance and the idling distance of each type of the moving body 50. Thus, the exclusive areas 35 and 55 are scaled according to the speed of the moving body 50.

[0049] Figure 3 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for setting an exclusive area 35 for a vehicle 30. Figure 3 In the example of FIG. 3 , the exclusive area 35 includes an alarm area 36 and a notification area 37 . The notification area 37 is wider than the alarm area 36 .

[0050] The warning area 36 has, for example, a long side extending in the traveling direction of the vehicle 30 and a short side extending in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 30 , and is a rectangular area including the vehicle 30 . Figure 3 X1w and Y1w are the length of the long side of the alarm region 36 and the length of the short side of the alarm region 36, respectively. X1w and Y1w can be set as follows. It should be noted that in the following mathematical formulas, the values ​​of α1 to α4 and β1 to β3 are constants set in each mathematical formula.

[0051] X1w[m]=total length of vehicle[m]+running distance[m]+braking distance[m]

[0052] Idle running distance [m] = Idle running time 1.5 [s] × Vehicle speed [km / h] ÷ 3600 × 1000

[0053] Braking distance [m] = (speed [km / h]) 2 ÷(254×friction coefficient)

[0054] Y1w[m]=vehicle width[m]+α1[m]

[0055] The friction coefficient used for calculating the braking distance is calculated based on information from a detector 20 provided on a road infrastructure, for example. The control unit 12 may obtain an image from the detector 20, which is a camera, and recognize the state of the road surface based on the image of the road surface. In addition, the control unit 12 may obtain information on the wet / dry state of the road surface on which the vehicle 30 is traveling from the vehicle 30. The control unit 12 makes the braking distance when the road surface is wet longer than the braking distance when the road surface is dry. The friction coefficient is, for example, 0.7 when the road surface is dry and 0.5 when the road surface is wet.

[0056] The notification area 37 is a rectangular area similar to the alarm area 36 . Figure 3 X1n and Y1n are respectively the length of the long side and the length of the short side of the notification region 37. X1n and Y1n can be expressed as follows.

[0057] X1n[m]=X1w[m]+α2[m]

[0058] Y1n[m]=Y1w[m]+α3[m]

[0059] α2 and α3 are margins in the traveling direction and the vehicle width direction of the vehicle with respect to the warning area 36 .

[0060] As described above, by setting the notification area 37 and the alarm area 36, ​​when the notification area 37 overlaps with the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50, the control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10 can send a notification informing the vehicle 30 of the danger. In addition, when the alarm area 36 overlaps with the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50, the control unit 12 can send a higher level alarm informing the danger to the vehicle 30 than the notification. The vehicle 30 can receive the notification and the alarm and notify the driver of the danger in two stages. In addition, in the case where the vehicle 30 is an automatic driving vehicle, the vehicle 30 can perform collision avoidance actions in different methods according to the notification and the alarm. The different methods include deceleration, route change, and stop. For example, the vehicle 30 can decelerate when receiving a notification and stop when receiving an alarm.

[0061] use Figure 4The method of setting the exclusive area 35 when the vehicle 30 changes its traveling direction will be described. First, when the movement information of the vehicle 30 includes information on the steering angle of the vehicle 30, the control unit 12 calculates the front wheel position turning radius R according to the following formula.

[0062] R[m]=L[m] / sinθ

[0063] Here, L is the wheelbase, that is, the length from the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheels of the vehicle 30. θ is the front wheel steering angle.

[0064] like Figure 4 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , the control unit 12 sets the exclusive area 35 curved to draw an arc so that the length of the circumference along the front wheel position turning radius R becomes X1w obtained by the above-mentioned mathematical formula.

[0065] In addition, if Figure 4 As shown in (b), the control unit 12 can tilt the exclusive area 35a calculated for the straight-moving vehicle 30 in the traveling direction according to the change in the traveling direction, as the exclusive area 35b after the traveling direction change. This method can be adopted when the movement information of the vehicle 30 does not include the front wheel steering angle θ.

[0066] Furthermore, the control unit 12 may hold the angle information before the travel direction is changed for a certain time. The control unit 12 may set, as the exclusive area 35, a sector-shaped exclusive area 35c including two exclusive areas 35a and 35b calculated based on the current travel direction and the travel direction a predetermined time ago.

[0067] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of setting an exclusive area 55 for a moving object 50 of a different type other than the vehicle 30 .

[0068] When the moving object 50 is a bicycle 51, the slower the speed of the bicycle 51, the larger the ratio of the width of the exclusive area 55 in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the length of the bicycle 51 in the moving direction. This is because the slower the speed of the bicycle 51, the more likely the bicycle 51 is to shake, change direction suddenly, or fall over. The control unit 12 may set the exclusive area 55 so as to include a circular area 52a corresponding to shaking, etc., with the bicycle as the center. Figure 5As shown in (a), the control unit 12 can set the exclusive area 55 to a shape that expands toward the direction of travel. This is because the bicycle 51 is prone to change the direction of travel that is difficult to predict. When the speed of the bicycle 51 is fast, the control unit 12 can set the ratio of the width of the exclusive area 55 perpendicular to the direction of travel to the length in the direction of travel to be smaller. For example, the exclusive area 55 can be in the shape of a part of a sector that expands left and right with the direction of travel as the center. The faster the speed of the bicycle 51, the smaller the central angle θ of the sector can be set by the control unit 12.

[0069] For example, when Figure 5 In (a), when X2w and R2w are respectively the total length of the exclusive area 55 of the bicycle 51 and the width of the exclusive area 55 at the position of the bicycle 51, X2w and R2w can be set by the following mathematical formulas.

[0070] X2w[m]=total length of moving body[m]+idling distance[m]+braking distance[m]

[0071] R2w[m]=moving body speed[m / s]×β1[s]

[0072] In addition, the central angle θ of the sector is set according to the speed of the moving object.

[0073] When the moving body 50 is a PMV 52, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in (b), the control unit 12 can set the exclusive area 55 to a rectangle having a long side in the direction of travel. X3w and Y3w are the length of the long side and the length of the short side of the exclusive area 55, respectively. X3w and Y3w can be set by the following mathematical formula. The higher the speed of PMV52, the larger the width Y3w perpendicular to the direction of travel of the exclusive area 55 is set. PMV52 has various forms, and the shape of the exclusive area can also be changed to match its form. For example, in the case of shaking at a low speed like a scooter, it can be set to a shape close to a bicycle 51, and in the case of being able to change direction on the spot like a wheelchair, it can be set to a shape close to a pedestrian 53.

[0074] X3w[m]=total length of moving body[m]+idling distance[m]+braking distance[m]

[0075] Y3w[m]=moving body speed[m / s]×β2[s]

[0076] When the moving object 50 is a pedestrian 53, Figure 5As shown in (c), the control unit 12 can set the exclusive area 55 to a shape in which a portion of a circle centered on the position of the pedestrian 53 protrudes in the direction of travel of the pedestrian 53. The pedestrian 53 may often suddenly change the direction of travel. Therefore, the basic shape of the exclusive area 55 of the pedestrian 53 can be set to a circle. When the pedestrian 53 stops, the protruding portion of the exclusive area 55 disappears and the whole becomes a circle. X4w and R4w respectively represent the length of the exclusive area 55 of the pedestrian 53 in the direction of travel and the width of the exclusive area 55 at the position of the pedestrian 53 (i.e., the diameter of the circular portion). X4w and R4w can be set as follows.

[0077] X4w=moving body speed [m / s]×β3[s]+α4[m]

[0078] R4w=moving body speed [m / s]×β3[s]

[0079] (Steps of traffic monitoring method)

[0080] use Figure 6 The flowchart of FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the steps of the traffic monitoring method executed by the control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10 . Figure 6 The method shown in the flowchart can be executed by a processor included in the control unit 12 of the traffic monitoring device 10 according to a program. Such a program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable medium.

[0081] First, the control unit 12 obtains the movement information of the moving body 50 from the detector 20 of the road infrastructure and the vehicle 30 via the communication unit 11 (S101). The moving body 50 includes the vehicle 30. The movement information includes the position, speed, and travel direction of the moving body 50. The movement information may also include the type of the moving body 50, the wet / dry state of the road surface of the road on which the moving body 50 passes, and the steering angle information when the moving body 50 is the vehicle 30.

[0082] The control unit 12 sets an exclusive area 55 around each moving body 50 based on the acquired movement information (S102). The exclusive area 55 extends from the position of the moving body 50 toward the moving direction of the moving body 50 by a length calculated based on the speed. In the case where the movement information includes information on the wet / dry state of the road surface of the road on which the moving body 50 passes, the control unit 12 can set the length of the exclusive area 55 in the moving direction of the moving body 50 to be longer when the road surface is wet than when the road surface is dry. In the case where the movement information includes the category of the moving body 50, the control unit 12 can set the exclusive area 55 to a shape and size corresponding to the category of the moving body 50. When the movement information includes information on the steering angle of the vehicle 30, the control unit 12 can set the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 to a region including an arc-shaped region curved with a curvature corresponding to the steering angle.

[0083] The control unit 12 maps the exclusive area 55 of each moving body 50 to the same space corresponding to the actual position of the moving body 50 (S103). The same space can be set as a virtual two-dimensional space that does not include the height direction. In addition, in the case where no collision occurs in the height direction such as a three-dimensional intersection, the height information can also be added to the mapping. The control unit 12 can map the detected exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50 for the entire area of ​​the monitoring object of the traffic monitoring device 10. In addition, the control unit 12 can only map the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50 passing around a specific intersection to the same space.

[0084] The control unit 12 detects the overlap between the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 mapped to the same space and the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50 other than the vehicle 30 (S104). If there is an overlap between the exclusive area 35 and the exclusive area 55, the control unit 12 determines that there is a risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and the moving body 50.

[0085] The control unit 12 generates a notification notifying the danger of collision for the vehicle 30 having the exclusive area 35 overlapping the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50. The control unit 12 transmits the notification via the communication unit 11 (S105). Figure 3 As shown, when the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 includes a plurality of areas, the control unit 12 may notify the vehicle 30 in multiple stages. That is, the control unit 12 may generate notifications of different importance levels each time a different area overlaps with the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50. The control unit 12 may continuously send notifications to the vehicle 30 until the overlap between the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 and the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50 is eliminated.

[0086] It should be noted that, in addition to sending information about the risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and the mobile body 50 to the vehicle 30, the control unit 12 may also send information about the risk of collision to appropriately selected infrastructure equipment and terminal devices. Infrastructure equipment refers to signal lights, display panels, speakers, etc. installed on road infrastructure. Terminal devices are information terminals such as smartphones and wearable devices held by specific traffic participants, as well as welfare tools with information communication functions. Traffic participants are drivers of vehicles 30, users of bicycles 51 or PMV52, or pedestrians 53, etc. Welfare tools may include white canes and hearing aids with navigation functions, etc. In order to reduce the possibility of collision, infrastructure equipment and terminal devices may provide appropriate notifications or warnings to traffic participants.

[0087] When the specific vehicle 30 receiving the notification from the traffic monitoring device 10 slows down or stops, the exclusive area 35 is reduced. Thus, when the exclusive area 35 of the vehicle 30 and the exclusive area 55 of the moving body 50 are no longer overlapped, the notification from the traffic monitoring device 10 to the vehicle 30 can be cancelled.

[0088] As described above, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technology of collision avoidance in road traffic can be improved. The traffic monitoring device 10 of the present disclosure sets exclusive areas 35, 55 for each mobile body 50 including the vehicle 30, and notifies when the exclusive areas 35, 55 overlap. Therefore, in the traffic monitoring device 10 of the present disclosure, compared with the case where the exclusive area 35 is set only for the vehicle, a stable judgment of the risk of collision can be made even if the exclusive area is reduced. Therefore, when the traffic monitoring device 10 of the present disclosure is used, the occurrence of unnecessary deceleration and stopping of the vehicle 30 can be reduced.

[0089] In addition, in the traffic monitoring system 1 of the present disclosure, the detector 20 provided in the road infrastructure detects the movement information of the moving body 50, so the traffic monitoring device 10 can determine the risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and the moving body 50 other than the vehicle 30. In addition, the traffic monitoring device 10 integrates the movement information of the moving body 50 obtained from the plurality of detectors 20, so that the vehicle 30 can be notified of the risk of collision even for the moving body 50 that is located in a blind spot with respect to the vehicle 30 due to a building or the like.

[0090] Furthermore, the traffic monitoring device 10 of the present disclosure can set the exclusive area 55 of a shape suitable for the movement of the mobile body 50 according to the type of the mobile body 50. As a result, the accuracy of judging the risk of collision between the vehicle 30 and the mobile body 50 is improved. In particular, when the mobile body 50 is a bicycle 51 traveling at a low speed, the shape of the exclusive area 55 is set in consideration of the possibility of shaking and changing the route, so that the risk of collision with the vehicle 30 can be further reduced.

[0091] In addition, the traffic monitoring device 10 can set the exclusive area 35 according to the turning angle of the vehicle 30. Therefore, when the vehicle 30 changes the traveling direction, it does not overlap with the exclusive area 55 of the moving object 50 located in front of the straight-moving direction. Therefore, compared with the conventional system that performs collision prediction based on the traveling direction of the vehicle 30 at the current time point and the distance to the object located in front, the traffic monitoring device 10 can prevent the vehicle 30 from being notified of useless warnings.

[0092] Furthermore, when the vehicle 30 is an autonomous driving vehicle, the traffic monitoring system 1 can share the exclusive area 55 of the moving object 50 around the vehicle 30 through wireless communication. Thus, the traffic monitoring system 1 can assist the autonomous driving of the vehicle 30 more smoothly.

[0093] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications or changes can be made. For example, the functions included in each component, each step, etc. can be reconfigured in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one, or divided.

[0094] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the object is to avoid collision between vehicles and other mobile bodies, but the present disclosure can also include avoiding collision between mobile bodies other than vehicles as an object. In this case, the sensor equipped on the road infrastructure can detect information related to the movement of the mobile body. The sensor can adopt any sensing component including a camera, LiDAR, etc. In addition, the notification of the mobile body can be not only notified by communication with the mobile body, but also by a front device or a smart phone configured on the road infrastructure. The front device includes, for example, a signal light, a speaker, and an LED text panel. As a result, there is no need to equip the mobile body with special devices.

Claims

1. A traffic monitoring device, wherein: The traffic monitoring device has: a communication unit configured to acquire movement information related to movement of a plurality of moving bodies including a vehicle and configured to communicate with the vehicle; and The control unit sets an exclusive area around the moving object based on the movement information, and generates a notification to be sent to the vehicle when the exclusive area around the vehicle overlaps with the exclusive area of ​​the moving object other than the vehicle.

2. The traffic monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein: The movement information includes information about the position of the moving body, the speed of the moving body, and the direction of travel of the moving body. Based on the movement information, the control unit sets the exclusive area extending from the position of the moving body to the direction of travel of the moving body with a length corresponding to the speed of the moving body.

3. The traffic monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein: The movement information further includes information on the type of the moving object, and the control unit sets the shape of the exclusive area based on the type of the moving object.

4. The traffic monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein: When the type of the moving object is a bicycle, the control unit increases the ratio of the width of the exclusive area in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the bicycle to the length in the moving direction as the speed of the moving object is slower.

5. A traffic monitoring system comprising: The traffic monitoring device according to claim 1; A detector for detecting the movement information; and the vehicle, wherein The vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle capable of at least partially autonomous driving, and when the vehicle receives a notification from the traffic monitoring device, the vehicle controls driving using the notification.

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