Auxiliary control device, auxiliary control method and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an assist control device, an assist control method, and a program computer-readable storage medium. An assist control device is provided with: an acquisition unit that acquires position information of a user terminal; a traverse area specifying unit that specifies a traverse area, which is an area in which the user is predicted to traverse a road, on the basis of current position information of the user terminal and a destination of the user associated with the user terminal; and an assistance control unit that performs control relating to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the cross region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an auxiliary control device, an auxiliary control method and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems for people in vulnerable situations among traffic participants have become increasingly active. To achieve this goal, research and development efforts have been made to further improve the safety and convenience of traffic through research and development related to preventive safety technologies. Patent documents 1 to 4 describe technologies related to pedestrians crossing the road and running off the road.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-28916

[0004] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-14440

[0005] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-42294

[0006] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-32174 Summary of the invention

[0007] However, in terms of preventive safety technology, the situation where pedestrians or others accidentally cross the road will become a problem. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the purpose of this application is to appropriately predict the crossing of the road. In addition, it also contributes to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary control device is provided. The auxiliary control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires location information of a user terminal. The auxiliary control device includes a crossing area determination unit that determines an area where the user is predicted to cross a road, i.e., a crossing area, based on the current location information of the user terminal and the destination of a user associated with the user terminal. The auxiliary control device includes an auxiliary control unit that performs control related to assistance for traffic participants when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.

[0009] The auxiliary control device may further include a crossing point determination unit for determining a crossing point where the user has crossed a road in the past based on the history of the location information of the user terminal. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the user's destination, and the crossing point.

[0010] Any of the auxiliary control devices described above may further include a storage control unit for controlling the storage of the crossing point in correspondence with the user's destination. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal and the crossing point stored in correspondence with the user's destination.

[0011] In any of the auxiliary control devices described above, the storage control unit may perform control for storing the crossing location in correspondence with the user's destination and time period. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal and the crossing location stored in correspondence with the user's destination and current time period.

[0012] Any of the auxiliary control devices described above may further include a crossing-frequent location determination unit that determines locations where multiple users associated with the multiple user terminals frequently cross a road, i.e., crossing-frequent locations, based on the history of location information of multiple user terminals. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the crossing-frequent location.

[0013] Any of the auxiliary control devices described above may include a storage control unit that performs control for storing the frequently crossing locations in correspondence with the destinations of the plurality of users. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal and the frequently crossing locations stored in correspondence with the destinations of the users.

[0014] In any of the auxiliary control devices described above, the storage control unit may perform control for storing the frequently crossing locations in correspondence with the destinations and time periods of the plurality of users. The crossing area determination unit may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the frequently crossing locations stored in correspondence with the destinations of the users and the current time period.

[0015] In any of the above-mentioned support control devices, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the support control unit may perform control for outputting an alarm to a moving body approaching the user.

[0016] In any of the above auxiliary control devices, the mobile object may be a vehicle.

[0017] In any of the above-mentioned assistance control devices, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area and there is a moving object approaching the user, the assistance control unit may perform control for outputting an alarm to the user.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present invention, an assistance control method is provided. The assistance control method includes a step of acquiring location information of a user terminal. The assistance control method includes a step of determining an area predicted to be a crossing area for the user to cross a road based on the current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal. The assistance control method includes a step of performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.

[0019] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that causes a computer to function as any one of the above-mentioned auxiliary control devices.

[0020] In addition, the above summary of the invention does not list all the features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups may also be an invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A usage scenario of the assistance system 10 is schematically shown.

[0022] Figure 2 The functional structure of the auxiliary device 60 is shown.

[0023] Figure 3 An example of the data structure of the position history information of the user terminal 82 is shown.

[0024] Figure 4 An example of the data structure of the crossing point information is shown.

[0025] Figure 5 An example of the data structure of the frequent crossing point information is shown.

[0026] Figure 6 An example of the execution flow of processing performed in the user terminal 82 , the support device 60 , and the in-vehicle processing device 40 included in the vehicle 20 is shown.

[0027] Figure 7 An example of a flowchart related to a process related to the assist control method executed in the assist control device 200 is shown.

[0028] Figure 8 An example of a computer 2000 is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the solution means of the invention.

[0030] Figure 1The following schematically shows a usage scenario of the support system 10. The support system 10 includes a vehicle 20, a user terminal 82, and a support device 60.

[0031] The vehicle 20 includes the vehicle-mounted processing device 40. The user terminal 82 is a terminal held by the user 80. In the present embodiment, the user 80 is a pedestrian.

[0032] The vehicle 20 is a vehicle traveling on the road 90. The vehicle 20 is an example of a mobile body. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 has a function of communicating with the outside using mobile communication. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 is composed of sensors such as a position sensor including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, a speed sensor such as a vehicle speed sensor, and a distance sensor that measures the distance from the vehicle 20 to surrounding objects. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 has a function of processing information obtained by various sensors provided by the vehicle-mounted processing device 40, and a function of communicating with the auxiliary device 60. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 provides an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) function provided by the vehicle 20.

[0033] The user terminal 82 is a portable terminal such as a smartphone, for example. The user terminal 82 is an example of a mobile object. The user terminal 82 periodically transmits the current position information of the user terminal 82 detected by a position sensor including a GNSS receiver to the support device 60.

[0034] The assistance device 60 receives information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82 via mobile communication. The assistance device 60 can receive information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82 via a communication line such as mobile communication, the Internet, and a dedicated line. The assistance device 60 provides traffic assistance to traffic participants based on the information received from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82.

[0035] In the present embodiment, it can be assumed that the user 80 exists within a predetermined range from the position of the user terminal 82. The auxiliary device 60 stores the main destination of the user 80 based on the history of the position information received from the user terminal 82 in the past. The auxiliary device 60 estimates the current destination of the user 80 based on the current position of the user terminal 82 and the main destination of the user 80.

[0036] For example, since the user 80 often returns to the residence 50 in the evening based on the movement history inferred from the past location information of the user terminal 82, when the position of the user terminal 82 in the evening is within a predetermined range from the residence 50, the auxiliary device 60 determines that the destination of the user 80 is the residence 50.

[0037] The support device 60 determines a crossing area 100 in which the user 80 is likely to cross the road 90 on the walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the estimated destination. The support device 60 may determine the crossing area 100 based on the expected walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the residence 50. The support device 60 may determine the shortest walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the residence 50, and determine the area including the position where the road 90 must be crossed when moving along the determined walking route as the crossing area 100. The support device 60 may predict the walking route with the least number of crossings of the road 90 in the expected walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the residence 50, and determine the crossing area 100 based on the predicted walking route. The support device 60 may determine the crossing area 100 based on the history of past position information of the user terminal 82. The support device 60 may determine the crossing area 100 based on the history of past position information of a plurality of users.

[0038] When the current position of the user terminal 82 exists within a predetermined range including the crossing area 100, the assistance device 60 transmits assistance information instructing the onboard processing device 40 of the vehicle 20 traveling around the user terminal 82 to output an alarm indicating the presence of a pedestrian. Thus, assistance can be provided in the crossing area 100 where the user 80 is likely to run off the road 90, the frequent occurrence of unnecessary assistance can be suppressed, and traffic assistance related to crossing the road 90 can be appropriately provided.

[0039] Figure 2 The following is a functional configuration of the support device 60. The support device 60 includes a support control device 200, a communication device 290, and a storage device 280.

[0040] The communication device 290 is responsible for the communication between the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82 and the auxiliary device 60, respectively, based on the control of the auxiliary control device 200. The auxiliary control device 200 is implemented by a circuit including, for example, a calculation processing device including a processor. The auxiliary control device 200 can be implemented by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, bus, etc. The storage device 280 is implemented by having a non-volatile storage medium. The auxiliary control device 200 uses the information stored in the storage device 280 for processing. The storage device 280 can store map information. The map information stored in the storage device 280 can be used by the auxiliary control device 200.

[0041] The auxiliary control device 200 includes an acquisition unit 250, a crossing area determination unit 210, an auxiliary control unit 260, a crossing point determination unit 220, a crossing frequent point determination unit 230, and a storage control unit 240. Figure 2The functional form of a part of the functional structure shown.

[0042] The acquisition unit 250 acquires the position information of the user terminal 82. The crossing area determination unit 210 determines a crossing area, which is an area where the user 80 is predicted to cross the road 90, based on the current position information of the user terminal 82 and the destination of the user 80 associated with the user terminal 82. When the user terminal 82 is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit 260 performs control related to assistance for traffic participants.

[0043] The crossing point determination unit 220 determines the crossing point where the user 80 crossed the road in the past based on the history of the position information of the user terminal 82. The crossing area determination unit 210 can determine the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal 82, the destination of the user 80, and the crossing point.

[0044] The storage control unit 240 performs control for storing the crossing point in association with the destination of the user 80. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal 82 and the crossing point stored in association with the destination of the user 80.

[0045] The storage control unit 240 may control to store the crossing points in association with the destination and time period of the user 80. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal 82 and the crossing points stored in association with the user's destination and current time period.

[0046] The frequent crossing location determination unit 230 determines locations where multiple users associated with the multiple user terminals 82 frequently cross the road, that is, frequent crossing locations, based on the history of the location information of the multiple user terminals 82. The crossing area determination unit 210 can determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal 82, the destination of the user 80, and the frequent crossing locations.

[0047] The storage control unit 240 may control to store the frequently crossed spots in association with the destinations of the plurality of users. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal 82 and the frequently crossed spots stored in association with the destinations of the user 80 .

[0048] The storage control unit 240 may perform control for storing the frequently crossed locations in correspondence with the destinations and time periods of multiple users. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal 82 and the frequently crossed locations stored in correspondence with the destination of the user 80 and the current time period.

[0049] When the user terminal 82 is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assist control unit 260 may perform control for outputting an alarm to the vehicle 20 approaching the user.

[0050] When the user terminal 82 is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area and there is a vehicle 20 approaching the user 80 , the assist control unit 260 may perform control for outputting a warning to the user 80 .

[0051] Figure 3 An example of the data structure of the position history information of the user terminal 82 is shown. The position history information is generated based on the position information acquired from the user terminal 82, and is stored in the storage device 280. The position history information contains an ID, a time, and position information as data items.

[0052] ID represents identification information of the user terminal 82. Time represents the time when the location information is acquired. Location information represents location information of the user terminal 82. The location information may be, for example, latitude and longitude information of the location of the user terminal 82.

[0053] Figure 4 An example of the data structure of the crossing point information is shown. The crossing point information is stored in the storage device 280. The crossing point information contains a terminal ID, a destination, a crossing point, and a time period as data items.

[0054] The terminal ID indicates identification information of the user terminal 82. The destination indicates the destination of the user 80 identified by the terminal ID. The destination of the user 80 is determined based on the history of position information of the user terminal 82. The destination may be latitude and longitude information indicating the position of the destination.

[0055] The crossing point indicates a point determined as a point where the user 80 crosses the road 90. The crossing point may be latitude and longitude information of a point determined as a point where the user 80 crosses the road 90. The crossing point is determined based on the history of the position information of the user terminal 82.

[0056] The time period indicates a time period during which the user 80 crosses the road 90 at the crossing point. The time period is determined based on the history of the position information of the user terminal 82.

[0057] The crossing point determination unit 220 refers to the location history information, determines the movement route of the user terminal 82 according to each identification information of the user terminal 82, and determines the crossing point of the road 90 based on the determined movement route and map information, and determines the time period for crossing the road 90 at the crossing point. The storage control unit 240 stores the crossing point, the time period, and the destination determined according to the movement route determined by the crossing point determination unit 220 in correspondence with the identification information of the user terminal 82 in the storage device 280 as crossing point information.

[0058] Figure 5 An example of the data structure of the frequently crossing point information is shown. The frequently crossing point information is stored in the storage device 280. The frequently crossing point information contains a destination, a frequently crossing point, and a time period as data items.

[0059] The destination indicates the destinations of multiple users. The destination may be the longitude and latitude information indicating the location of the destination. The frequent crossing location indicates the location where multiple users cross the road. The frequent crossing location may be the longitude and latitude information of the location where the user frequently crosses the road. The time period indicates the time period during which the user frequently crosses the road at the frequent crossing location.

[0060] The frequently crossing location information is generated by extracting frequently occurring combinations from the destinations, crossing locations and time periods determined based on the movement history information of multiple user terminals, and the combinations of crossing locations. For example, the crossing location determination unit 220, as described above, refers to the location history information, determines the movement route of the user terminal 82 according to each identification information of the user terminal 82, determines the crossing location of the road 90 based on the determined movement route and map information, and determines the time period for crossing the road 90 at the crossing location. The storage control unit 240 collects the crossing locations and time periods determined by the crossing location determination unit 220 and the destination determined based on the movement route, extracts frequently occurring combinations of the destinations, crossing locations and time periods, and stores the extracted combinations of the destinations, crossing locations and time periods in the storage device 280 as the frequently crossing location information.

[0061] Figure 6 An example of the execution flow of processing performed in the user terminal 82 , the support device 60 , and the in-vehicle processing device 40 included in the vehicle 20 is shown.

[0062] In S602, the in-vehicle processing device 40 transmits the position information of the vehicle 20 based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite to the support device 60. The position information is transmitted from the in-vehicle processing device 40 to the support device 60 periodically.

[0063] In S622, the user terminal 82 transmits position information indicating the current position of the user terminal 82 based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite together with the identification information of the user terminal 82 to the assistance device 60. The position information and the identification information are transmitted from the user terminal 82 to the assistance device 60 periodically.

[0064] In S614, the assistance control unit 260 of the assistance device 60 determines whether to assist the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 as traffic participants. For example, the assistance control unit 260 determines the destination of the user 80 based on the position information of the user terminal 82 acquired from the user terminal 82, and determines the crossing area 100 where the user 80 is likely to cross the road 90 on the walking route to the determined destination. When it is determined that the current position of the user terminal 82 is within a predetermined range including the crossing area 100 and the user terminal 82 is close to the vehicle 20 within a predetermined time, the assistance control unit 260 determines to assist the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82.

[0065] If it is determined that assistance is to be performed, in S616, the assistance control unit 260 controls the communication device 290 to send assistance information indicating that the onboard processing device 40 outputs an alarm to the onboard processing device 40. In addition, in S618, the assistance control unit 260 controls the communication device 290 to send assistance information indicating that the user terminal 82 outputs an alarm to the user terminal 82.

[0066] When the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 receives the auxiliary information from the auxiliary device 60, in S606, based on the auxiliary information, the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 notifies the passengers of the vehicle 20 to beware of the pedestrian running out of the road 90 through the HMI (Human Machine Interface) function of the vehicle-mounted processing device 40. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 can notify the passengers of the vehicle 20 of the intention to beware of the pedestrian running out of the road 90 through sound and display on a display device provided in the vehicle 20b.

[0067] When receiving the assistance information from the assistance device 60, the user terminal 82 notifies the user 80 of the presence of a vehicle approaching the user 80 in S626 through the HMI function of the user terminal 82. The user terminal 82 may notify the user 80 of the presence of a vehicle approaching the user 80 by sound.

[0068] Figure 7 An example of a flowchart related to a process related to the assist control method executed in the assist control device 200 is shown.

[0069] In S700, the acquisition unit 250 acquires the location information of the user terminal 82. In S702, the traversing area determination unit 210 estimates the destination of the user 80. For example, the traversing area determination unit 210 refers to the location history information and extracts the location information corresponding to the identification information of the user terminal 82. The traversing area determination unit 210 determines the destination of the movement route in the past time period including the current time based on the extracted location and time history. The traversing area determination unit 210 estimates the destination within a predetermined range from the current location among the destinations of the determined movement route as the current destination of the user 80.

[0070] In S704, the crossing area determination unit 210 determines the expected walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the destination based on the destination and map information estimated in S702, and determines the first area where the possibility of crossing the road 90 is high based on the determined walking route. The first area is, for example, an area where the possibility of crossing is high as a walking route. For example, the crossing area determination unit 210 can determine the shortest walking route from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the destination, determine the position where the road 90 needs to be crossed based on moving on the determined walking route, and determine the area including the determined position as the first area. The crossing area determination unit 210 can determine the walking route with the least number of crossings of the road 90 among multiple walking routes from the current position of the user terminal 82 to the destination, determine the position where the road 90 needs to be crossed based on moving on the determined walking route, and determine the area including the determined position as the first area.

[0071] In S706, the crossing area identification unit 210 identifies a second area with a high probability of being crossed by the user 80. For example, the crossing point identification unit 220 refers to Figure 4 The crossing point information shown determines the crossing point associated with the identification information of the user terminal 82, the destination determined in S702, and the current time period. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the area including the crossing point determined by the crossing point determination unit 220 as the second area.

[0072] In S708, the crossing area identification unit 210 identifies a third area where a plurality of users frequently cross the road 90. The crossing frequent point identification unit 230 refers to Figure 5 The crossing frequent location information shown identifies the crossing frequent location associated with the destination determined in S702 and the current time period. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine the area including the crossing frequent location determined by the crossing frequent location determination unit 230 as the third area.

[0073] In S710, the crossing area determination unit 210 determines the crossing area. For example, the crossing area determination unit 210 determines an area including at least one of the first area determined in S704, the second area determined in S706, and the third area determined in S708 as the crossing area. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine an area including at least any two areas of the first area, the second area, and the third area as the crossing area. The crossing area determination unit 210 may determine an area including at least all areas of the first area, the second area, and the third area as the crossing area.

[0074] In S712, the assistance control unit 260 determines whether to assist the traffic participant. For example, when it is determined that the current position of the user terminal 82 is within the predetermined range included in the crossing area determined in S710 and the user terminal 82 and the vehicle 20 are close to each other within a predetermined time, the assistance control unit 260 determines to assist the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. For example, the assistance control unit 260 may predict the future position of the vehicle 20 and the future position of another user terminal 82 within a predetermined time from the current time, and when it is predicted that the vehicle 20 and the other user terminal 82 are close to each other based on the predicted future position of the vehicle 20 and the future position of the other user terminal 82, the assistance control unit 260 determines that the user terminal 82 and the vehicle 20 are close to each other within a predetermined time.

[0075] In S714 , the assist control portion 260 transmits the assist information to the vehicle 20 and / or the user terminal 82 according to the determination in S712 .

[0076] According to the assistance system 10 described above, assistance can be provided to traffic participants when the user 80 is near a crossing area where the user 80 is likely to run off the road 90. Thus, unnecessary assistance can be suppressed from being frequently provided, and traffic assistance related to crossing the road can be appropriately provided.

[0077] Figure 8 An example of a computer 2000 that can fully or partially embody multiple embodiments of the present invention is shown. The program installed in the computer 2000 can cause the computer 2000 to function as a device such as the auxiliary device 60 or each unit of the device involved in the embodiment, perform operations associated with the device or each unit of the device, and / or perform a process involved in the embodiment or steps of the process. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 2012 in order to cause the computer 2000 to perform the processing flow described in this specification and specific operations associated with some or all of the functional blocks in the block diagram.

[0078] The computer 2000 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 2012 and a RAM 2014, which are connected to each other via a main controller 2010. The computer 2000 further includes a ROM 2026, a flash memory 2024, a communication interface 2022, and an input / output chip 2040. The ROM 2026, the flash memory 2024, the communication interface 2022, and the input / output chip 2040 are connected to the main controller 2010 via the input / output controller 2020.

[0079] The CPU 2012 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 2026 and the RAM 2014 , thereby controlling each unit.

[0080] The communication interface 2022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The flash memory 2024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2012 in the computer 2000. The ROM 2026 stores a startup program executed by the computer 2000 when activated, and / or a program dependent on the hardware of the computer 2000. The input / output chip 2040 can also connect various input / output units such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor to the input / output controller 2020 via an input / output port such as a serial port, a parallel port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, a monitor port, a USB port, and an HDMI (registered trademark) port.

[0081] The program is provided via a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or a USB flash drive, or a network. RAM 2014, ROM 2026, or flash memory 2024 is an example of a computer-readable storage medium. The program is installed in flash memory 2024, RAM 2014, or ROM 2026 and executed by CPU 2012. The information processing described in these programs is read by computer 2000, and the cooperation between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above is realized. The device or method can be constructed by implementing the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of computer 2000.

[0082] For example, when the computer 2000 communicates with an external device, the CPU 2012 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 2014, and based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 2022 to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 2012, the communication interface 2022 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 2014 and the recording medium such as the flash memory 2024, transmits the read transmission data to the network, and writes the reception data received from the network to the reception buffer processing area provided on the recording medium.

[0083] In addition, the CPU 2012 can read all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in a recording medium such as the flash memory 2024 to the RAM 2014, and execute various processes on the data in the RAM 2014. The CPU 2012 then writes the processed data back to the recording medium.

[0084] Various types of information such as programs, data, tables, and databases can be saved to a recording medium and applied to information processing. CPU2012 can perform various operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., which are specified by the instruction sequence of the program, on the data read from RAM2014, and write the results back to RAM2014. In addition, CPU2012 can retrieve information in files, databases, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when multiple items having attribute values ​​of the first attribute associated with the attribute value of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, CPU2012 can retrieve an item that specifies the attribute value of the first attribute and is consistent with the condition from the multiple items, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the item, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that meets the pre-set condition.

[0085] The program or software module described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 2000. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium. The program stored in the computer-readable storage medium can be provided to the computer 2000 via a network.

[0086] The program installed in the computer 2000 and causing the computer 2000 to function as the auxiliary device 60 can be run in the CPU 2012 or the like, thereby causing the computer 2000 to function as each unit of the auxiliary device 60 (e.g., the auxiliary control device 200, etc.). The information processing described in these programs is read into the computer 2000, thereby functioning as a specific unit in which software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate, that is, each unit of the auxiliary device 60. And, by using these specific units to realize the calculation or processing of information corresponding to the purpose of use of the computer 2000 in this embodiment, a unique auxiliary device 60 corresponding to the purpose of use is constructed.

[0087] Various embodiments are described with reference to block diagrams, etc. In the block diagram, each functional block may represent (1) a step of a process for performing an operation or (2) each unit of a device having the function of performing an operation. Specific steps and each unit may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may also include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include reconfigurable hardware circuits including logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), etc., including memory elements.

[0088] The computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by an appropriate device, and as a result, the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein constitutes at least a part of a product containing instructions executable to implement a unit for performing the operations specified in the process flow or block diagram. As examples of computer-readable storage media, electrical storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. may be included. As more specific examples of computer-readable storage media, floppy disks (registered trademark), floppy disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROM), static random access memories (SRAM), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) optical disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, etc. may be included.

[0089] Computer-readable instructions may include assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine delegate instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or any source code or object code described in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0090] Computer readable instructions are provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device via a local or local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, and the computer readable instructions can be executed to implement a unit for performing the operations specified in the described processing flow or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0091] The present invention has been described above using the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is obvious from the description of the claims that such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0092] Regarding the execution order of each process of actions, processes, steps, and steps in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings, it should be noted that there is no special indication of "before", "preceding", etc., and in addition, as long as the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. For the action flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings, even if "first", "next", etc. are used for convenience, it does not mean that it must be implemented in such an order.

[0093] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0094] 10. Assistance System

[0095] 20 Vehicles

[0096] 40 On-board processing device

[0097] 60 Auxiliary devices

[0098] 80 users

[0099] 82 User Terminal

[0100] 90 Road

[0101] 100 Crossing Area

[0102] 200 Auxiliary control device

[0103] 210 Crossing Area Determination Unit

[0104] 220 Crossing Point Determination Department

[0105] 230 Frequent Crossing Location Determination Department

[0106] 240 Storage Control Unit

[0107] 250 Acquisition Department

[0108] 260 Auxiliary Control Unit

[0109] 280 Storage Devices

[0110] 290 Communication devices

[0111] 2000 Computer

[0112] 2010 Main Controller

[0113] 2012 CPU

[0114] 2014 RAM

[0115] 2020 Input / Output Controller

[0116] 2022 Communication Interface

[0117] 2024 Flash

[0118] 2026 ROM

[0119] 2040 Input / Output Chip.

Claims

1. An auxiliary control device, characterized in that: have: an acquisition unit, which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area determination unit that determines a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road, based on current position information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal; as well as The assistance control unit performs control related to assistance for road users when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.

2. The auxiliary control device according to claim 1, wherein: The device further comprises a crossing point identifying unit for identifying a crossing point where the user has crossed a road in the past based on the history of the position information of the user terminal. The crossing area determination unit determines the crossing area based on current position information of the user terminal, a destination of the user, and the crossing point.

3. The auxiliary control device according to claim 2, wherein: further comprising a storage control unit for performing control for storing the crossing point in association with the destination of the user, The crossing area specifying unit specifies the crossing area based on current position information of the user terminal and the crossing point stored in association with a destination of the user.

4. The auxiliary control device according to claim 3, wherein: The storage control unit performs control for storing the crossing point in association with the destination and time period of the user, The crossing area determination unit determines the crossing area based on the current position information of the user terminal and the crossing point stored in association with the user's destination and a current time period.

5. The auxiliary control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The device further comprises a frequent crossing location identifying unit that identifies, based on the history of position information of the plurality of user terminals, locations where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross the road, namely, frequent crossing locations. The crossing area determination unit determines the crossing area based on current position information of the user terminal, a destination of the user, and the crossing-frequently occurring spot.

6. The auxiliary control device according to claim 5, wherein: A storage control unit is provided for performing control for storing the frequently crossing spots in association with the destinations of the plurality of users, The crossing area specifying unit specifies the crossing area based on current position information of the user terminal and the frequent crossing points stored in association with the destination of the user.

7. The auxiliary control device according to claim 6, wherein: The storage control unit performs control for storing the frequently crossing spots in association with the destinations and time periods of the plurality of users, The crossing area determination unit determines the crossing area based on current position information of the user terminal and the frequently crossing spots stored in association with the user's destination and a current time period.

8. The auxiliary control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The assistance control unit performs control for outputting an alarm to a moving object approaching the user when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.

9. The auxiliary control device according to claim 8, wherein: The moving object is a vehicle.

10. The auxiliary control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The assist control unit performs control for outputting an alert to the user when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area and there is a moving object approaching the user.

11. An auxiliary control method, characterized in that: have: The step of obtaining the location information of the user terminal; A step of determining an area predicted to be a crossing area for the user to cross a road based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal; as well as When the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, a step of performing control related to assistance for a road user is performed.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A program for causing a computer to function as the auxiliary control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is stored.

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