Position calculation device, assist control device, position calculation method, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a position calculation device, an assist control device, a position calculation method, and a program computer-readable storage medium. A position calculation device is provided with: an acquisition unit that acquires position information for each of a plurality of moving bodies and acquisition time information for each of the position information; a calculation unit that calculates the position of each of the plurality of moving bodies at a future time on the basis of the position information and the acquisition time information; and a setting unit that sets the future time in consideration of at least a calculation start time, which is a time at which the calculation unit starts calculating the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies, and a first required time, which is a time required for calculating the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems for disadvantaged people among traffic participants have become increasingly active. In order to achieve this goal, research and development are being devoted to further improving the safety and convenience of traffic through research and development related to preventive safety technologies. Patent documents 1 to 3 describe technologies related to calculation of the position of a vehicle.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-91717

[0004] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-280060

[0005] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-222438 Summary of the invention

[0006] However, in preventive safety technology, the calculation of the position of a moving object has become a problem. In order to solve the above problem, the present application aims to appropriately calculate the position of a moving object. In addition, it also contributes to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present invention, a position calculation device is provided. The position calculation device includes an acquisition unit that acquires position information of each of a plurality of moving bodies and acquisition time information of each of the position information. The position calculation device includes a calculation unit that calculates the positions of each of the plurality of moving bodies at a future time based on the position information and the acquisition time information. The position calculation device includes a setting unit that sets the future time by taking into account at least the calculation start time, which is the time when the calculation unit starts calculating the positions of each of the plurality of moving bodies, and the first required time, which is the time required to calculate the positions of each of the plurality of moving bodies.

[0008] In the above-mentioned position calculation device, the setting unit may set the future time based on a time obtained by adding the first required time to the calculation start time.

[0009] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the calculation unit can calculate the time difference between the future moment and the moment of obtaining the latest position of each mobile body for each of the multiple mobile bodies, and calculate the position of each mobile body at the future moment based on the latest position of each mobile body, the moving speed of each mobile body and the time difference.

[0010] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the setting unit may measure a time required for the calculation unit to calculate the positions of each of the plurality of moving bodies, and set the first required time for setting the future time based on the measured time.

[0011] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the setting unit may set the first required time based on the number of the plurality of moving objects.

[0012] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the setting unit may set the first required time based on a current processing load of the position calculation device.

[0013] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the plurality of moving objects may include vehicles.

[0014] In any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, the plurality of moving objects may include vehicles and pedestrians.

[0015] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an auxiliary control device including any of the above-mentioned position calculation devices, and including an auxiliary control unit that performs traffic assistance-related control on the plurality of moving bodies based on the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies calculated by the calculation unit.

[0016] In the above-mentioned auxiliary control device, the setting unit may set the future time based on a time obtained by adding the calculation start time, the first required time, and a second required time which is a time required for the auxiliary control unit to perform a process related to the traffic assistance control.

[0017] In a third aspect of the present invention, a position calculation method is provided. The position calculation method includes the step of acquiring position information of each of a plurality of mobile bodies and information on the time at which the respective position information is acquired. The position calculation method includes the step of calculating the positions of each of the plurality of mobile bodies at a future time based on the position information and the acquisition time information. The position calculation method includes the step of setting the future time by taking into account at least the time at which the calculation of the positions of each of the plurality of mobile bodies is started in the step of calculating the positions, i.e., the calculation start time, and the time required for calculating the positions of each of the plurality of mobile bodies, i.e., the first required time.

[0018] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that causes a computer to function as any one of the above-mentioned position calculation devices.

[0019] 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

[0020] Figure 1 A usage scenario of the assistance system 10 is schematically shown.

[0021] Figure 2 The functional structure of the auxiliary device 60 is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process of determining a time to be calculated for the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 .

[0023] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining another example of the process of determining the time to be calculated for the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 .

[0024] Figure 5 An example of the execution flow of the processes of the user terminal 82 , the in-vehicle processing device 40 included in the vehicle 20 , and the support device 60 is shown.

[0025] Figure 6 An example of a flowchart related to an assist control method performed by the assist device 60 is shown.

[0026] Figure 7 An example of a computer 2000 is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] 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.

[0028] Figure 1 The following schematically shows a usage scenario of the support system 10. The support system 10 includes a vehicle 20a, a vehicle 20b, a vehicle 20c, a user terminal 82a, a user terminal 82b, and a support device 60.

[0029] The vehicle 20a includes the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a, the vehicle 20b includes the vehicle-mounted processing device 40b, and the vehicle 20c includes the vehicle-mounted processing device 40c. The vehicles 20a and 20b are traveling vehicles, and the vehicle 20c is a stationary vehicle. The user terminal 82a is a terminal held by the user 80a, and the user terminal 82b is a terminal held by the user 80b. In the present embodiment, the users 80a and 80b are pedestrians.

[0030] In this embodiment, the vehicle 20a, the vehicle 20b, and the vehicle 20c are sometimes collectively referred to as "the vehicle 20". The vehicle-mounted processing device 40a, the vehicle-mounted processing device 40b, and the vehicle-mounted processing device 40c are sometimes collectively referred to as "the vehicle-mounted processing device 40". The user terminal 82a and the user terminal 82b are sometimes collectively referred to as "the user terminal 82". The user 80a and the user 80b are sometimes collectively referred to as "the user 80".

[0031] 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 is configured to include a camera, a position sensor including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, and a speed sensor such as a vehicle speed sensor. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 has a function of processing information obtained by various sensors and a function of communicating with the auxiliary device 60. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40 provides an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) function that the vehicle 20 has.

[0032] 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 assistance device 60.

[0033] The auxiliary device 60 receives information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82 via mobile communication. The auxiliary device 60 can receive information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82 via mobile communication and a communication line such as the Internet and a dedicated line.

[0034] The assistance device 60 performs traffic assistance on the vehicle 20 based on the information received from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 and the user terminal 82. For example, based on the history of the position information and speed information of the vehicle 20a received from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a and the history of the position information of the user terminal 82, when it is predicted that the user 80 and the vehicle 20 will approach each other within a predetermined time, the assistance device 60 determines that traffic assistance should be performed on the vehicle 20 and the user 80, and instructs the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a and the user terminal 82a to output an alarm.

[0035] The auxiliary device 60 determines whether the user 80 and the vehicle 20 are close within the predetermined time by calculating the respective positions of the vehicle 20a and the user terminal 82a at a time point after the current predetermined time. At this time, the auxiliary device 60 considers the first required time required to calculate the respective positions of the vehicle 20a and the user terminal 82a to determine at which time point the position is calculated. For example, in the case of calculating the positions of the vehicle 20a and the user terminal 82a after 5 seconds in order to determine whether the user 80 and the vehicle 20 are close after 5 seconds, the auxiliary device 60 determines the time point after the first required time has passed from 5 seconds as the time point for calculating the positions of the vehicle 20a and the user terminal 82a. As a result, at the time point when the calculation of the position is completed, it is possible to accurately determine whether the user 80 and the vehicle 20 are close after 5 seconds.

[0036] Figure 2 The following is a functional configuration of the assist device 60. The assist device 60 includes an assist control device 200, a communication device 290, and a storage device 280. The assist control device 200 includes a position calculation device 202 and an assist control unit 260.

[0037] 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. The auxiliary control unit 260 and the position calculation device 202 are implemented by, for example, a circuit including an operation processing device including a processor. The auxiliary control unit 260 and the position calculation device 202 can be implemented by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and bus. The storage device 280 is implemented by a non-volatile storage medium. The auxiliary control unit 260 and the position calculation device 202 use the information stored in the storage device 280 to perform processing.

[0038] The position calculation device 202 includes an acquisition unit 210, a calculation unit 220, and a setting unit 240. Figure 2 The functional form of a part of the functional structure shown.

[0039] The acquisition unit 210 acquires the respective position information of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminal 82 and the acquisition time information of the respective position information. The calculation unit 220 calculates the respective positions of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminal 82 at a future time based on the position information and the acquisition time information. The setting unit 240 sets the future time by taking into account at least the calculation start time, which is the time when the calculation unit 220 starts to calculate the respective positions of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminal 82, and the time required to calculate the respective positions of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminal 82, which is the first required time.

[0040] As an example, the setting section 240 may set the future time based on a time obtained by adding the first required time to the calculation start time.

[0041] The calculation unit 220 can calculate the time difference between a future moment and the moment when the latest position of each vehicle 20 and / or user terminal 82 is obtained for each of the multiple vehicles 20 and / or user terminals 82, and calculate the position of each vehicle 20 and / or user terminal 82 at a future moment based on the latest position of each vehicle 20 and / or user terminal 82 and the moving speed and time difference of each vehicle 20 and / or user terminal 82.

[0042] The setting unit 240 may measure the time required for the calculation unit 220 to calculate the positions of each of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminals 82, and may set the first required time for setting the future time based on the measured time. The setting unit 240 may set the first required time based on the number of the plurality of vehicles 20 and / or the user terminals 82. The setting unit 240 may set the first required time based on the current processing load in the position calculation device.

[0043] Figure 3 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process of determining a time to be calculated for the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 .

[0044] Each of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 periodically transmits position information indicating the acquired current position and acquisition time information of the position to the support device 60. The acquisition section 210 of the support device 60 acquires the position information and acquisition time information transmitted from the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82, respectively. Figure 3 The state in which the acquisition unit 210 receives the position of the vehicle 20a at times t1 and t5, the position of the vehicle 20b at times t2 and t6, the position of the user terminal 82a at times t3 and t7, and the position of the user terminal 82b at times t0 and t4 is shown.

[0045] Since the timing of obtaining the current position of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 is not synchronized, as shown in the figure, there may be a difference in the time of obtaining the position. Therefore, the calculation unit 220 of the auxiliary device 60 calculates the position at a specific time point in the present or future based on the position information and time information obtained separately by the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. The auxiliary control unit 260 controls the vehicle 20 and the user 80 related to traffic assistance based on the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 at a specific time point.

[0046] As a first example, the auxiliary control unit 260 performs traffic assistance such as notifying the vehicle 20 and the user 80 of the possibility of approaching another moving body when it is determined that the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are approaching within a predetermined distance at a time point 5 seconds from the current time, and / or when it is determined that the vehicle 20 and another vehicle 20 are approaching within a predetermined distance at a time point 5 seconds from the current time.

[0047] However, it takes time to calculate the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. Therefore, assuming that the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are calculated 5 seconds from now, and the control related to traffic assistance is performed based on the calculated positions, the first required time required to calculate the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 is T1 seconds, and from the time point when the control related to traffic assistance is started, the control related to traffic assistance will be performed based on the position at the time point of 5-T1 seconds.

[0048] As a second example, in the case where control related to traffic assistance is performed based on the current positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82, if the current positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are calculated, then from the point in time when the control related to traffic assistance is started, the control related to traffic assistance will become based on the position T1 seconds ago.

[0049] Therefore, if the time to calculate the position of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82, that is, the position correction time, is determined, the calculation unit 220 calculates the position at a time point at least the first required time T1 later than the position correction time. Here, in the first example above, the position correction time is the time 5 seconds from the current time, and in the second example, the position correction time is the current time.

[0050] For example, in Figure 3In the example of , when the position correction time t10 is determined, the calculation unit 220 determines the time obtained by adding the required time T1 to the position correction time t10 as the position calculation target time, and the calculation unit 220 calculates the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 at the time t10+T1. For example, the calculation unit 220 calculates the position of the vehicle 20a at the time t10+T1 based on the positions of the vehicle 20a at the times t1 and t5 and the times t1 and t5. Specifically, the calculation unit 220 calculates the speed of the vehicle 20 based on the position of the vehicle 20a at t5 and the position of the vehicle 20a at t1, and calculates the position of the vehicle 20a at the time t10+T1 based on the calculated speed and the travel time (t10+T1-t5) from the time t5 to the time t10+T1 and the position of the vehicle 20a at the time t5. When the information transmitted from the vehicle 20a includes the speed information of the vehicle 20a, the calculation unit 220 can calculate the position of the vehicle 20a at time t10+T1 using the speed and travel time (t10+T1-t5) indicated by the speed information and the position of the vehicle 20a at time t5.

[0051] Thus, when the auxiliary control unit 260 performs control related to traffic assistance, since the position at the time point of time t10+T1 has been calculated, the control related to traffic assistance can be appropriately performed. For example, when the auxiliary control unit 260 determines that the vehicle 20a and the user 80a may approach each other in 5 seconds, it sends an instruction to output an alarm to the on-board processing device 40a and the user terminal 82a, and the alarm indicates that the vehicle 20a and the user 80a may approach each other in 5 seconds, thereby being able to output an appropriate alarm to the passenger and the user 80a.

[0052] Figure 4 2 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process of determining the time to be calculated for the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. Figure 4 Main description and Figure 3 The differences of the examples.

[0053] Figure 4 Examples with Figure 3 The difference of the example is that the position calculation target time of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 is determined by taking into account the second required time t2, that is, the time required for the auxiliary control unit 260 to perform the process for determining the proximity of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. Specifically, the calculation unit 220 calculates the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 using the time t10+T1+T2 as the position calculation target time.

[0054] The second required time t2 is the time required for the auxiliary control unit 260 to determine whether the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are within a predetermined distance and / or whether the vehicle 20 and another vehicle 20 are within a predetermined distance based on the position calculated by the calculation unit 220. Figure 4 In the example of , the calculation unit 220 can calculate the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 at the time t10+T1+T2, and the auxiliary control unit 260 can perform the proximity judgment of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 based on the calculated positions. Thus, for example, when the position correction time t10 is a time point 5 seconds after the current time, at the time point when the auxiliary control unit 260 completes the processing of the proximity judgment, the proximity judgment at the time point 5 seconds after the time point is performed. Therefore, it is possible to output an appropriate warning to the passenger and the user 80a.

[0055] The first required time T1 and / or the second required time T2 may be predetermined fixed values. The first required time T1 and / or the second required time T2 may be dynamically set by the setting unit 240. The setting unit 240 may measure the time required for the calculation unit 220 to calculate the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 multiple times, and set the first required time T1 based on the average value of the measured multiple times. The setting unit 240 may measure the time required for the above-mentioned approach judgment processing performed by the auxiliary control unit 260 multiple times, and set the second required time T2 based on the average value of the measured multiple times.

[0056] The setting unit 240 may set the first required time T1 and / or the second required time T2 based on the number of vehicles 20 and user terminals 82 that are the objects of the calculation unit 220 to calculate the position. The more the number of vehicles 20 and user terminals 82 that are the objects of the calculation unit 220 to calculate the position, the longer the setting unit 240 may set the first required time T1 and / or the second required time T2. The setting unit 240 may set the first required time T1 by multiplying the number of vehicles 20 and user terminals 82 that are the objects of the calculation unit 220 to calculate the position by a predetermined time. The more the number of combinations of vehicles 20 and user terminals 82 that are the objects of the approach judgment by the auxiliary control unit 260, the longer the setting unit 240 may set the second required time T2. The setting unit 240 may set the second required time T2 by multiplying the number of combinations of vehicles 20 and user terminals 82 that are the objects of the approach judgment by the auxiliary control unit 260 by a predetermined time.

[0057] Figure 5 An example of the execution flow of the processes of the user terminal 82 , the in-vehicle processing device 40 included in the vehicle 20 , and the support device 60 is shown.

[0058] In S402, the user terminal 82a transmits position information indicating the current position of the user terminal 82a based on signals received from GNSS satellites and acquisition time information indicating the time when the current position was acquired to the support device 60. The position information and acquisition time information are transmitted from the user terminal 82a to the support device 60 periodically.

[0059] In S404, the user terminal 82b transmits position information indicating the current position of the user terminal 82b based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite and acquisition time information indicating the time when the current position was acquired to the support device 60. The position information and acquisition time information are transmitted from the user terminal 82b to the support device 60 periodically.

[0060] In S412, the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a transmits position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 20a based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite, acquisition time information indicating the time when the current position is acquired, and speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 20a detected by the speed sensor to the auxiliary device 60. The position information, acquisition time information, and speed information are periodically transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a to the auxiliary device 60.

[0061] In S414, the onboard processing device 40b transmits position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 20b based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite, acquisition time information indicating the time when the current position is acquired, and speed information indicating the speed of the vehicle 20b detected by the speed sensor to the auxiliary device 60. The position information, acquisition time information, and speed information are periodically transmitted from the onboard processing device 40b to the auxiliary device 60.

[0062] In S430, the assistance control unit 260 of the assistance device 60 determines whether to perform traffic assistance on the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 based on the information received in S402, S404, S412, and S414. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As described, the calculation unit 220 calculates the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 at a specific time point in the future based on the history of the position information and speed information of the vehicle 20 and the history of the position information of the user terminal 82, and the auxiliary control unit 260 performs a proximity judgment based on the calculated positions, in which it is judged whether the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are close to within a predetermined distance and / or whether the vehicle 20 and another vehicle 20 are close to within a predetermined distance at a specific time point in the future. When the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 are close to within a predetermined distance and / or the vehicle 20 and another vehicle 20 are close to within a predetermined distance at a specific time point in the future, the auxiliary control unit 260 determines to perform traffic assistance.

[0063] In this embodiment, the auxiliary control unit 260 determines that the user terminal 82a and the vehicle 20a are close to each other within a predetermined distance at a specific time point in the future, and determines that the user terminal 82b and the vehicle 20b are close to each other within a predetermined distance at a specific time point in the future. Therefore, in S432, the auxiliary control unit 260 controls the communication device 290 to send auxiliary information indicating that the onboard processing device 40a and the user terminal 82a output an alarm to the onboard processing device 40a and the user terminal 82a, respectively. Furthermore, in S434, the auxiliary control unit 260 controls the communication device 290 to send auxiliary information indicating that the onboard processing device 40b and the user terminal 82b output an alarm to the onboard processing device 40b and the user terminal 82b, respectively.

[0064] When the user terminal 82a receives the auxiliary information from the auxiliary device 60, in S406, the user terminal 82a notifies the user 80a of the presence of the vehicle 20 approaching the user 80a through the HMI (Human Machine Interface, HMI) function of the user terminal 82a. The user terminal 82a can notify the user 80a of the presence of the vehicle approaching the user 80a through sound. The user terminal 82a notifies the user 80a of the presence of the vehicle approaching within a predetermined time (for example, within 5 seconds) based on the auxiliary information.

[0065] When the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a receives the auxiliary information from the auxiliary device 60, in S416, the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a notifies the passengers of the vehicle 20a that there is a user approaching the vehicle 20a through the HMI function of the vehicle-mounted processing device 40a. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40a can notify the passengers of the vehicle 20a of the presence of a vehicle approaching the vehicle 20a by sound and display on a display device provided in the vehicle 20a. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40a can notify the passengers of the presence of a user approaching within a predetermined time (e.g., within 5 seconds) based on the auxiliary information.

[0066] When the user terminal 82b receives the auxiliary information from the auxiliary device 60, in S408, the user terminal 82b notifies the user 80b of the presence of a vehicle approaching the user 80b through the HMI function of the user terminal 82b. The user terminal 82b may notify the user 80b of the presence of a vehicle approaching the user 80b through sound. The user terminal 82b may notify the user 80b of the presence of a vehicle approaching the user 80b within a predetermined time (e.g., within 5 seconds) based on the auxiliary information.

[0067] When the vehicle-mounted processing device 40b receives the auxiliary information from the auxiliary device 60b, in S418, the vehicle-mounted processing device 40b notifies the passengers of the vehicle 20b of the presence of a vehicle approaching the vehicle 20b through the HMI function of the vehicle-mounted processing device 40b. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40b can notify the passengers of the vehicle 20b of the presence of a vehicle approaching the vehicle 20b by sound and by displaying on a display device of the vehicle 20b. The vehicle-mounted processing device 40b can notify the passengers of the presence of a user approaching within a predetermined time (e.g., within 5 seconds) based on the auxiliary information.

[0068] Figure 6 An example of a flowchart related to the assist control method performed by the assist device 60 is shown. The processing of this flowchart may be performed periodically.

[0069] In S600, the acquisition unit 210 acquires information transmitted from the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. For example, the acquisition unit 210 acquires position information, acquisition time information, and speed information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted processing device 40 of the vehicle 20, and acquires position information and acquisition time information transmitted from the user terminal 82.

[0070] In S602, the calculation unit 220 determines the reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The position correction time is determined by the position correction time to determine the time at which the calculation unit 220 obtains the position information of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As described above, the position correction time is a time 5 seconds from the present.

[0071] In S604, the calculation unit 220 determines the first required time T1 and the second required time T2. The calculation unit 220 may determine the time set by the setting unit 240 as the first required time T1 and the second required time T2.

[0072] In S606 , the calculation unit 220 determines the time to be calculated based on the information determined in S602 and S604 , and calculates the respective positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82 at that time based on the information acquired in S600 .

[0073] In S607, the assistance control unit 260 performs the above-mentioned approach judgment based on the position calculated in S606, and determines whether to perform traffic assistance for the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. When it is determined that traffic assistance is to be performed for the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82, in S608, control related to traffic assistance is performed.

[0074] In S610 , the setting section 240 updates the first required time based on the time required to calculate the position in S606 , and updates the second required time based on the time required to process the approach determination in S608 .

[0075] According to the support system 10 described above, the support device 60 determines the time to be the target of calculating the positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82, taking into account at least the first required time required to calculate the respective positions of the vehicle 20 and the user terminal 82. As a result, at the time point when the position calculation is completed, it is possible to accurately determine whether the user terminal 82 and the vehicle 20 are close to each other at a desired time.

[0076] Figure 7 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.

[0077] 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.

[0078] The CPU 2012 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 2026 and the RAM 2014 , thereby controlling each unit.

[0079] 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.

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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 position calculation device 202, 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0093] 10Assistance Systems

[0094] 20 vehicles

[0095] 40 On-board processing device

[0096] 60 auxiliary devices

[0097] 80 users

[0098] 82 user terminals

[0099] 90 Road

[0100] 200 Auxiliary Control Devices

[0101] 202 Position calculation device

[0102] 210 Acquisition Department

[0103] 220 Computing Department

[0104] 240 Setting Department

[0105] 260 Auxiliary Control Unit

[0106] 280 storage devices

[0107] 290 communication device

[0108] 2000 Computer

[0109] 2010 Main Controller

[0110] 2012CPU

[0111] 2014 RAM

[0112] 2020 Input / Output Controller

[0113] 2022 Communication Interface

[0114] 2024 Flash

[0115] 2026ROM

[0116] 2040 input / output chips.

Claims

1. A position calculation device, characterized in that: have: an acquisition unit that acquires position information of each of the plurality of moving objects and information of the time at which the position information is acquired; a calculation unit that calculates the positions of each of the plurality of moving objects at a future time based on the position information and the acquisition time information; as well as The setting unit sets the future time in consideration of at least a calculation start time which is a time when the calculation unit starts calculating the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies and a first required time which is a time required to calculate the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies.

2. The position calculation device according to claim 1, wherein: The setting unit sets the future time based on a time obtained by adding the first required time to the calculation start time.

3. The position calculation device according to claim 2, wherein: The calculation unit calculates, for each of the plurality of moving objects, calculating the time difference between the future time and the time at which the latest position of each moving body is acquired, The position of each moving object at the future time is calculated based on the latest position of each moving object, the moving speed of each moving object, and the time difference.

4. The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The setting unit measures a time required for the calculation unit to calculate the positions of each of the plurality of moving objects, and sets the first required time for setting the future time based on the measured time.

5. The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The setting unit sets the first required time based on the number of the plurality of moving objects.

6. The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The setting unit sets the first required time based on a current processing load of the position calculation device.

7. The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The plurality of moving objects include vehicles.

8. The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The plurality of moving objects include vehicles and pedestrians.

9. An auxiliary control device, characterized in that: have: The position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and The assistance control unit performs traffic assistance-related control on the plurality of moving objects based on the respective positions of the plurality of moving objects calculated by the calculation unit.

10. The auxiliary control device according to claim 9, wherein: The setting unit sets the future time based on a time obtained by adding the calculation start time, the first required time, and a second required time which is a time required for the assistance control unit to perform a process related to the traffic assistance.

11. A method for calculating a position, characterized in that: have: A step of acquiring position information of each of a plurality of moving objects and information of the time at which the position information is acquired; A step of calculating the positions of each of the plurality of moving objects at a future time based on the position information and the acquisition time information; as well as The step of setting the future time in consideration of at least the calculation start time which is the time when the calculation of the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies is started in the step of calculating the positions and the first required time which is the time required to calculate the respective positions of the plurality of moving bodies.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A program for causing a computer to function as the position calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is stored.

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