Vehicle management device, vehicle management server, vehicle management method, and computer program

Abstract

To grasp a relationship between an ambient vehicle, with which an object vehicle is performing inter-vehicle communication, and an ambient vehicle detected by an own sensor of the object vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle management device includes: an opponent vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information, attribute information, and inter-vehicle surrounding information from an opponent vehicle of inter-vehicle communication; an inter-vehicle surrounding detection unit that identifies surroundings between two vehicles from absolute position information on an object vehicle and the absolute position information on the opponent vehicle, and detects inter-vehicle surrounding information on the object vehicle using a sensor installed in the object vehicle in the identified surroundings between two vehicles; and a vehicle relationship information generation unit that generates vehicle relationship information signifying a relationship between the opponent vehicle and a detected vehicle, which is detected based on the inter-vehicle surrounding information on the object vehicle, on the basis of the inter-vehicle surrounding information on the object vehicle, and the attribute information and inter-vehicle surrounding information on the opponent vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle management device, a vehicle management server, a vehicle management method, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication has been used as inter-vehicle communication. For example, V2V communication such as a dedicated short range communications (DSRC) system using the 5.8 GHz band, an "ITS Connect" system using the 760 MHz band, and a PC5 communication system using a cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) method is known. In addition, a method of performing inter-vehicle communication using a cellular mobile communication system such as a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G) or a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) is called V2N2V (Vehicle to Network to Vehicle). By using such inter-vehicle communication, each vehicle periodically notifies the surroundings of its location information and driving information, and the vehicles exchange location information and driving information with each other. As a result, each vehicle obtains each other's location information and driving information, and the obtained information is used for, for example, a danger detection system at an intersection.

[0003] On the other hand, in order for an autonomous vehicle to perform unicast communication with a surrounding vehicle detected by a sensor such as a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device, it is necessary to identify a communication identifier (communication ID), such as an IP address, that corresponds to a vehicle identifier (vehicle ID) assigned to the surrounding vehicle detected by the sensor. In this case, it is considered to determine whether or not the surrounding vehicle detected by the sensor matches the surrounding vehicle of the other party in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication based on the relative position of the surrounding vehicle detected by the sensor with respect to the vehicle itself and absolute position information of the surrounding vehicle received by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, such as by a Global Positioning System (GPS). Here, the absolute position information by the GPS or the like has a large error depending on the positioning environment, making it difficult to determine whether or not the information matches. Regarding this point, for example, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 are known.

[0004] Patent Document 1 takes advantage of the fact that the lighting cycles of turn signals and brake lights are unique to each vehicle model, and identifies the vehicle by comparing vehicle information sent via V2V communication with the lighting information detected by the vehicle's own sensor.

[0005] Patent document 2 sends a request to the communication partner vehicle to command it to perform an action such as accelerating, steering, or flashing lights, and determines that the partner vehicle that detects the action by its own vehicle sensor matches the communication partner vehicle.

[0006] Patent document 3 determines surrounding vehicles that match the communication partner vehicle based on the similarity between the relative position information of the communication partner vehicle calculated from the absolute position information sent from the communication partner vehicle and the absolute position information of the own vehicle, and the relative position information of the surrounding vehicles detected by a sensor of the own vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-168019 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6802853 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2023-004376 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires information on the lighting cycles of turn signals and brake lights for each vehicle model to be stored in advance. The technology described in Patent Document 2 requires the communication partner vehicle to execute an action unrelated to general driving. The technology described in Patent Document 3 makes it impossible to find a nearby vehicle that matches the communication partner vehicle when the communication partner vehicle cannot be detected by the vehicle's own sensor, for example, because the communication partner vehicle is hidden behind another vehicle.

[0009] The present invention has been made taking such circumstances into consideration, and its purpose is to grasp the relationship between surrounding vehicles with which a target vehicle is conducting vehicle-to-vehicle communication and surrounding vehicles detected by the target vehicle using its own sensors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with a target vehicle, the vehicle management device comprising: a target vehicle information transmitting unit that transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the opposing vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a two-vehicle surrounding detection unit that identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle, and detects the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle by a sensor provided on the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings; a vehicle relationship information generation unit that generates vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the opposing vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle; and a surrounding vehicle database that stores the vehicle relationship information. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle relationship information generation unit generates vehicle relationship information that associates the detected vehicle having characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle with the other vehicle when the presence of an object is detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is the vehicle management device described above, wherein the vehicle-related information generation unit further includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information regarding no obstruction regarding the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, when the presence of an object is detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle, and there is no detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle, the vehicle-related information generation unit generates vehicle-related information indicating the presence of an obstruction regarding the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is the vehicle management device described above, wherein the vehicle-related information generation unit further includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information that the other vehicle has not been detected. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle-related information generation unit, a new vehicle identifier of a vehicle blocked by the blocking object is generated and included in the generated vehicle-related information. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle relationship information generation unit generates vehicle relationship information that associates the detected vehicle having characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle with the other vehicle when the presence of an object is not detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is the vehicle management device described above, wherein the vehicle-related information generation unit further includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information regarding no obstruction regarding the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle-related information generation unit generates vehicle-related information indicating no detection of the other vehicle when no object is detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle and there is no detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which the vehicle-related information generation unit includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information indicating that a vehicle identifier corresponding to the other vehicle is not set. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle relationship information generation unit determines whether the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle can be used, and if the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is usable, the vehicle relationship information generation unit reuses the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle to regenerate the vehicle relationship information, and if the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unusable, the vehicle management device re-acquires the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle, and the vehicle relationship information generation unit re-generates the vehicle relationship information using the re-acquired two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle-related information generation unit determines the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is usable if the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle satisfies a predetermined freshness condition, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unusable if the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle does not satisfy a predetermined freshness condition. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device in which, in the above-mentioned vehicle management device, the vehicle-related information generation unit determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is usable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the other vehicle is below a predetermined threshold, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unusable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the other vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle includes a target vehicle position information receiving unit that receives absolute position information from the target vehicle, a target vehicle information transmitting unit that transmits the absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles, a counterpart vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information and attribute information from a counterpart vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the counterpart vehicle that is detected by a sensor provided on the counterpart vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle, and The vehicle management server includes an other vehicle information transmitting unit that transmits position information to the target vehicle, a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving unit that receives two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle, a vehicle relationship information generating unit that generates vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle, and a surrounding vehicle database that stores the vehicle relationship information. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device on the side of a target vehicle that communicates with a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with the target vehicle, the vehicle management device comprising: a target vehicle position information transmission unit that transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle to the vehicle management server; an other vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information of an other vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, from the vehicle management server; a two-vehicle surrounding detection unit that identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle and detects two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle using a sensor provided on the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings; and a target vehicle information transmission unit that transmits the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle to the vehicle management server. One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management device on the side of the surrounding vehicle that communicates with a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with a target vehicle, the vehicle management device comprising: a target vehicle position information receiving unit that receives absolute position information of the target vehicle from the vehicle management server; a two-vehicle surroundings detection unit that identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of an other vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and detects two-vehicle surroundings information of the other vehicle using a sensor provided on the other vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings; and an other vehicle information transmitting unit that transmits the absolute position information, attribute information, and two-vehicle surroundings information of the other vehicle to the vehicle management server.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management device that manages surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, the method including a target vehicle information transmission step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles, a counterpart vehicle information reception step of receiving, from a counterpart vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, absolute position information and attribute information, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the counterpart vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the counterpart vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle, and a vehicle information reception step of receiving, from the target vehicle, absolute position information and attribute information of the counterpart vehicle, the two-vehicle surroundings information of the counterpart vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the counterpart vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle, and the other vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; and a vehicle relationship information storage step of storing the vehicle relationship information in a surrounding vehicle database.

[0013] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, the method including a target vehicle position information receiving step of receiving absolute position information from the target vehicle, a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting the absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles, an opposing vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the opposing vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle, and The vehicle management method includes an other vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting position information to the target vehicle; a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving step of receiving two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; and a vehicle relationship information storage step of storing the vehicle relationship information in a surrounding vehicle database.

[0014] One aspect of the present invention includes a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles in a computer of a vehicle management device that manages surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, a counterpart vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from a counterpart vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the counterpart vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the counterpart vehicle in the two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle, and a target vehicle information receiving step of receiving the absolute position information of the target vehicle and attribute information from the counterpart vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and This is a computer program for executing the following steps: a two-vehicle surrounding detection step of identifying the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the other vehicle, and detecting the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using a sensor provided on the target vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generation step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; and a vehicle relationship information storage step of storing the vehicle relationship information in a surrounding vehicle database.

[0015] One aspect of the present invention includes a vehicle management server computer that manages surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, the vehicle management server computer including a target vehicle position information receiving step for receiving absolute position information from the target vehicle, a target vehicle information transmitting step for transmitting the absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles, a counterpart vehicle information receiving step for receiving absolute position information and attribute information from a counterpart vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the counterpart vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the counterpart vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle, and a target vehicle information receiving step for transmitting the absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle to the target vehicle. The computer program executes the following steps: an opposing vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting information to a vehicle; a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving step of receiving two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided on the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; and a vehicle relationship information storage step of storing the vehicle relationship information in a surrounding vehicle database. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is possible to grasp the relationship between a surrounding vehicle with which a target vehicle is performing inter-vehicle communication and a surrounding vehicle detected by the target vehicle's own sensor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a vehicle management method according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4]4 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle-related information generating method according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of information of a counterpart vehicle according to the first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of vehicle-related information according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a use case according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management server according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management device on a target vehicle side according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management device on the other vehicle side according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a vehicle management method according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management device according to a first embodiment. The vehicle management device 1 is provided in a vehicle V. As shown in Fig. 2, a vehicle management device 1 (1-a, 1-b) is provided in each of a host vehicle (target vehicle) Va and a peripheral vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a counterpart vehicle) Vb of the host vehicle Va that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication or V2N2V communication) with the host vehicle Va. The vehicle management device 1-a manages the counterpart vehicle Vb, which is another vehicle (peripheral vehicle) present in the vicinity of the host vehicle Va and performs V2V communication with the host vehicle Va.

[0020] For example, the vehicle management device 1-a identifies the other vehicle Vb and a surrounding vehicle detected by the sensor 2 provided in the host vehicle Va, and registers the communication ID of the identified other vehicle Vb in association with the vehicle ID of the surrounding vehicle in the surrounding vehicle database 13. This allows the host vehicle Va to perform unicast communication with the surrounding vehicle detected by its own sensor 2 using the communication ID registered in the surrounding vehicle database 13 in association with the vehicle ID of the surrounding vehicle.

[0021] In this embodiment, in order to identify the other vehicle Vb and the surrounding vehicles detected by the vehicle's own sensor 2, the relationship between the other vehicle Vb and the surrounding vehicles is grasped.

[0022] In this embodiment, as one configuration example, the vehicle management device 1-a is provided in the host vehicle Va, but the vehicle management device 1-a may be provided outside the host vehicle Va, and the vehicle management device 1-a and the host vehicle Va may transmit and receive data via wireless communication. Similarly, the vehicle management device 1-b may be provided outside the other vehicle Vb, and the vehicle management device 1-b and the other vehicle Vb may transmit and receive data via wireless communication.

[0023] 1, the vehicle management device 1 includes a main control unit 10, a two-vehicle surrounding detection unit 11, a vehicle-related information generation unit 12, a surrounding vehicle database (surrounding vehicle DB) 13, a message transmission unit 18, and an information output unit 19.

[0024] The vehicle management device 1 includes computer hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and the functions of the vehicle management device 1 are realized by the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory.

[0025] The vehicle management device 1 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, a car navigation system or a driving assistance system may have the functions of the vehicle management device 1. The vehicle management device 1 may also be configured using a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer (tablet PC).

[0026] The main control unit 10 executes main control of the vehicle management device 1. The main control unit 10 also acquires various information from the sensor 2, GPS 3, microphone 4, and communication module 5 provided in the vehicle V. The main control unit 10 has, as part of its own functions, the functions of a target vehicle information transmission unit and a counterpart vehicle information reception unit.

[0027] The sensor 2 is, for example, a LiDAR device, a millimeter wave radar, an image sensor, or the like, and may be used alone or in combination.

[0028] The GPS 3 outputs absolute position information and positioning error information, which are positioning results of the current absolute position (latitude, longitude) of the vehicle V. The positioning error information is information indicating a positioning error (distance) calculated from the reception strength and number of satellites in the GPS. For example, the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) as the positioning error information indicates that there is a 95% probability that the vehicle is within a circle of the radius indicated by the RMSE value. Note that positioning means other than GPS may also be applied. The absolute position information and positioning error information may be acquired by, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Visual Positioning System (VPS) as a positioning means other than GPS.

[0029] The communication module 5 performs V2N2V communication using V2V communication, wireless LAN communication, mobile network communication, etc. The main control unit 10 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with surrounding vehicles of the vehicle V using the communication module 5. The main control unit 10 periodically exchanges absolute position information with the surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In this exchange, the main control unit 10 receives information such as absolute position information, positioning error information, communication ID, and timestamp from the surrounding vehicles.

[0030] The two-vehicle surroundings detection unit 11 identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the vehicle V itself and the absolute position information of the surrounding vehicle with which the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is conducted, and detects the two-vehicle surroundings information of the vehicle V itself in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using the sensor 2 provided in the vehicle V itself. The two-vehicle surroundings information of the vehicle V includes information indicating the characteristics of the surrounding vehicles of the vehicle V (such as vehicle type, vehicle color, estimated distance from the vehicle V, etc.) detected in the identified two-vehicle surroundings, and information indicating objects other than vehicles (for example, objects other than roads (non-road) objects such as signs, etc.).

[0031] The main control unit 10 receives absolute position information and attribute information from one of the surrounding vehicles (other vehicle Vb) that has received the absolute position information of the vehicle V (host vehicle Va), and two-vehicle surrounding information of the one of the surrounding vehicles (other vehicle Vb) detected by a sensor 2 provided on the one of the surrounding vehicles in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the vehicle V and the absolute position information of the one of the surrounding vehicles. The attribute information of the vehicle V includes vehicle information indicating the characteristics of the vehicle V (such as the vehicle type, vehicle color, vehicle speed, vehicle registration number, and an image that can identify the vehicle type, etc.) and information (road information) on the road on which the vehicle V is traveling (such as the type of lane, such as a driving lane, an overtaking lane, etc.).

[0032] The vehicle relationship information generation unit 12 generates vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between one of the surrounding vehicles (other vehicle Vb) and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the own vehicle V (host vehicle Va) based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the one of the surrounding vehicles and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb.

[0033] For example, the vehicle-related information is information for identifying a detected vehicle that is the other vehicle Vb among the detected vehicles detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va. For example, the vehicle-related information is information indicating that the other vehicle Vb is not present among the detected vehicles detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va. For example, the vehicle-related information is information indicating an obstruction that is thought to be the cause of the other vehicle Vb not being present among the detected vehicles detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va.

[0034] The surrounding vehicle DB13 stores various information such as the vehicle related information generated by the vehicle related information generating unit 12, information such as the two-vehicle surrounding information of the own vehicle V, and information such as the two-vehicle surrounding information received from the surrounding vehicles. For example, the information stored in the surrounding vehicle DB13 of the vehicle management device 1-a of the own vehicle Va can be used when the vehicle management device 1-a identifies the other vehicle Vb and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the own vehicle Va. For example, the surrounding vehicle DB13 may store information indicating a specific positional relationship between the own vehicle V and the surrounding vehicles. For example, the positional relationship of the surrounding vehicles to the own vehicle V may be in front of or behind the own vehicle V.

[0035] For example, the vehicle management method described in Patent Document 3 may be applied to the identification of the other vehicle Vb and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the host vehicle Va. In the vehicle management method described in Patent Document 3, the surrounding vehicles that match the other vehicle Vb are determined based on the similarity between the relative position information indicating the relative position between the host vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb obtained from the absolute position information sent from the other vehicle Vb and the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va, and the relative position information indicating the relative position between the host vehicle Va and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the host vehicle Va. Here, for example, when the sensor 2 of the host vehicle Va cannot detect the other vehicle Vb due to an obstruction (e.g., another vehicle or a sign) existing between the host vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb, it is possible to recognize that the cause of the other vehicle Vb not being detected is the presence of the obstruction based on the vehicle relationship information generated based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb.

[0036] The message sending unit 18 sends a message to a nearby vehicle detected by the sensor 2 of the vehicle V, using a communication ID registered in the nearby vehicle DB 13 in association with the vehicle ID of the nearby vehicle.

[0037] The information output unit 19 outputs various information related to the surrounding vehicles based on information related to the surrounding vehicles of the vehicle V stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 17. The information output unit 19 outputs, for example, the vehicle ID of the surrounding vehicles, road information (for example, the type of lane in which the surrounding vehicles are traveling), and a specific positional relationship with the vehicle V (for example, in front of or behind the vehicle). The information output method is a screen display, audio playback, etc.

[0038] In the example of FIG. 1, the information output unit 19 outputs display data to be displayed on a head-up display (HUD) 6 provided in the vehicle V. The HUD 6 is provided on the front window of the vehicle V, so that the driver can easily view the displayed information while driving. For example, the HUD 6 displays information about the surrounding vehicles in addition to the actual driving scenery using AR (Augmented Reality) technology. This allows the driver to easily recognize the information about the surrounding vehicles displayed on the HUD 6 while driving. The system may be configured so that the driver specifies the surrounding vehicle to which the message is to be sent by inputting the information about the surrounding vehicles displayed on the HUD 6 (such as the vehicle ID and specific information about the surrounding vehicles (such as a specific positional relationship with the vehicle) by voice through the microphone 4. The system may also be configured so that the driver inputs the contents of the message by voice through the microphone 4.

[0039] Next, a vehicle management method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure of the vehicle management method according to this embodiment. Communication between the host vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb may be either V2V, which is direct communication without going through a base station or V2N2V, which is communication through a base station.

[0040] (Step S1) The vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va periodically transmits absolute position information of the host vehicle Va to the other vehicle Vb via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For example, the vehicle management device 1-a periodically broadcasts the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle management device 1-a may also periodically transmit the absolute position information and attribute information of the host vehicle Va to the other vehicle Vb via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0041] (Step S2) The vehicle management device 1-b of the other vehicle Vb receives the absolute position information from the host vehicle Va. The vehicle management device 1-b identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the received absolute position information of the host vehicle Va and the absolute position information of the other vehicle Vb. The vehicle management device 1-b detects two-vehicle surroundings information (two-vehicle surroundings information of the other vehicle Vb) in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using the sensor 2 provided on the other vehicle Vb.

[0042] (Step S3) The vehicle management device 1-b of the other vehicle Vb transmits the detected two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb, as well as the absolute position information and attribute information of the other vehicle Vb, to the host vehicle Va by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0043] (Step S4) The vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va receives the two-vehicle surrounding information, absolute position information, and attribute information of the other vehicle Vb from the other vehicle Vb. The vehicle management device 1-a identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the received absolute position information of the other vehicle Vb and the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va. The vehicle management device 1-a detects the two-vehicle surroundings information (two-vehicle surroundings information of the host vehicle Va) in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using the sensor 2 provided on the host vehicle Va.

[0044] (Step S5) The vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va generates vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle Vb and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va, based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb.

[0045] (Step S6) The vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va stores the generated vehicle-related information in the surrounding vehicle DB13.

[0046] The vehicle management device 1-a of the vehicle Va may transmit the two-vehicle surrounding information of the vehicle Va detected in step S4, and the absolute position information and attribute information of the vehicle Va, to the other vehicle Vb that is the source of the transmission in step S3 by vehicle-to-vehicle communication (step S21). In this case, the vehicle management device 1-b of the other vehicle Vb may identify the two-vehicle surroundings from the received absolute position information of the vehicle Va and the absolute position information of the other vehicle Vb, detect the two-vehicle surrounding information (the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb) in the identified two-vehicle surroundings by the sensor 2 of the other vehicle Vb, and generate vehicle-related information indicating the relationship between the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb based on the detected two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb, the attribute information of the vehicle Va, and the two-vehicle surrounding information (step S22). The generated vehicle-related information is stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 13 of the vehicle management device 1-b (step S23).

[0047] In addition, the information transmitted and received between the vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb in each step of FIG. 3 described above may be transmitted and received between the vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb using, for example, messages described in "ITS Forum RC-017 (Study materials for communication scenarios / communication requirements related to SIP cooperative autonomous driving use cases)." "ITS Forum RC-017 (Study materials for communication scenarios / communication requirements related to SIP cooperative autonomous driving use cases)" describes various messages (e.g., cooperative driving request message, cooperative driving request response message, cooperative driving formal request message, etc.) used in the message transmission and reception sequence defined for each use case. For example, the cooperative driving request message is used in step S1, and the cooperative driving request response message is used in step S3. Furthermore, the cooperative driving formal request message is used in step S21. A cooperative driving formal response message is returned from the device that received the cooperative driving formal request message.

[0048] As a specific use case, for example, in the use case of merging or changing lanes, the cooperative driving request message is an adjustment request message, the cooperative driving request response message is an arbitration response message, and the cooperative driving formal request message is an update request message. The update request message and the update response message are repeatedly transmitted depending on conditions such as whether the vehicle is capable of merging or changing lanes. Therefore, the cooperative driving request message and the cooperative driving request response message may be associated with the update request message and the update response message. Various messages of the cooperative driving negotiation procedure can also be used in other cooperative driving use cases.

[0049] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle-related information generating method according to the present embodiment. The vehicle-related information generating method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] (Step S101) The vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va periodically transmits absolute position information of the host vehicle Va to the other vehicle Vb by vehicle-to-vehicle communication (standby state).

[0051] (Step S102) The vehicle management device 1-a receives the absolute position information, attribute information, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb (target other vehicle Vb) from the other vehicle Vb that has received the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va.

[0052] (Step S103) The vehicle control device 1-a acquires absolute position information of the host vehicle Va and sensor information that is information detected by the sensor 2.

[0053] (Step S104) The vehicle management device 1-a identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the target vehicle Vb and the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va, and detects two-vehicle surrounding information (two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va) from the sensor information of the host vehicle Va in the identified two-vehicle surroundings.

[0054] (Step S105) The vehicle management device 1-a judges whether the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb includes information indicating the presence of an object (object present) or not (no object present). If the result of this judgment is that an object is present (step S105, YES), the process proceeds to step S106, and if the object is not present (step S105, NO), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0055] (Step S106) The vehicle management device 1-a determines whether or not there is a detected vehicle that has the characteristics of the target other vehicle Vb included in the attribute information of the target other vehicle Vb (other vehicle present) among the surrounding vehicles (detected vehicles) included in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va (other vehicle present) or not (other vehicle not present). If the result of this determination is that there is an other vehicle (step S106, YES), the process proceeds to step S107, and if there is no other vehicle (step S106, NO), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0056] (Step S107) The vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle related information for the target vehicle Vb, which includes information on the detected vehicle having the characteristics of the target vehicle Vb (such as the vehicle ID, model, and color) as information on the detected vehicle, and sets the vehicle ID of the detected vehicle as the vehicle ID corresponding to the communication ID of the target vehicle Vb. The vehicle management device 1-a also includes information on no obstruction in the vehicle related information. After this, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0057] (Step S108) The vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle-related information for the target vehicle Vb, including "no detection" as information on the detected vehicle, and newly generating and setting the vehicle ID of a vehicle blocked by an obstruction as the vehicle ID corresponding to the communication ID of the target vehicle Vb. The vehicle management device 1-a also includes obstruction information (detected vehicles that do not have the characteristics of the target vehicle Vb, or information other than vehicles such as non-roads) in the vehicle-related information. Then, proceed to step S112.

[0058] (Step S109) The vehicle management device 1-a determines whether or not there is a detected vehicle (other vehicle present) that has the characteristics of the target other vehicle Vb included in the attribute information of the target other vehicle Vb among the surrounding vehicles (detected vehicles) included in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va (other vehicle present) or not (other vehicle not present). If the result of this determination is that there is an other vehicle (step S109, YES), the process proceeds to step S110, and if there is no other vehicle (step S109, NO), the process proceeds to step S111.

[0059] (Step S110) The vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle related information for the target vehicle Vb, which includes information on the detected vehicle having the characteristics of the target vehicle Vb as information on the detected vehicle, and sets the vehicle ID of the detected vehicle as the vehicle ID corresponding to the communication ID of the target vehicle Vb. The vehicle management device 1-a also includes information on no obstruction in the vehicle related information. Then, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0060] (Step S111) The vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle-related information for the target vehicle Vb, which includes "no detection" as information on the detected vehicle, and in which a vehicle ID corresponding to the communication ID of the target vehicle Vb is not set. The vehicle management device 1-a also includes "no obstruction" information in the vehicle-related information. Then, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0061] (Step S112) The vehicle management device 1-a stores the generated vehicle-related information in the surrounding vehicle DB 13. After that, the process returns to step S101.

[0062] 5 and 6 show examples of the configuration of information stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 13. Fig. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the other vehicle's information according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the vehicle-related information according to this embodiment.

[0063] In Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the values ​​in parentheses in the two-vehicle surrounding information of vehicle V are estimated distances from vehicle V. For example, in Fig. 5, "green truck (5m)" in the two-vehicle surrounding information of other vehicle Vb with communication ID "Com1" indicates that the estimated distance from the other vehicle Vb to a surrounding vehicle having the characteristic "green truck (vehicle type is truck, vehicle color is green)" detected by the other vehicle Vb in the two-vehicle surroundings is "5m". In Fig. 6, "Term1: green truck (20m)" in the two-vehicle surrounding information of host vehicle Va associated with communication ID "Com1" indicates that the estimated distance from host vehicle Va to a surrounding vehicle having the characteristic "green truck (vehicle type is truck, vehicle color is green)" of vehicle ID "Term1" detected by the host vehicle Va with a sensor in the two-vehicle surroundings is "20m".

[0064] (Example 1 of vehicle-related information) In Fig. 5, the other vehicle Vb with communication ID "Com1" has a feature "white wagon" according to the attribute information, and includes "green truck (5 m)" in the two-vehicle surrounding information. In Fig. 6, based on the other vehicle information in Fig. 5, the communication ID "Com1" is associated with the time-series data (time-series position data) of the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va and the attribute information acquired in step S103, and is associated with the two-vehicle surrounding information "Term1: green truck (20 m)" of the host vehicle Va acquired in step S104. From these pieces of information, the vehicle management device 1-a determines that there is no detected vehicle having the characteristic "white wagon" of the other vehicle Vb with communication ID "Com1" in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va, and that there is a detected vehicle having the same characteristic "green truck" in both the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb with communication ID "Com1", so in the above step S108, "not detected" is set for the detected other vehicle for communication ID "Com1", and "Term1: green truck" (including vehicle ID and characteristic) is set for the obstruction. Furthermore, since there is no detected other vehicle, the vehicle ID "TermA1" of the vehicle obstructed by the obstruction is newly generated and set as the vehicle ID. As described above, the vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle-related information.

[0065] (Example 2 of vehicle-related information) In Fig. 5, the other vehicle Vb with the communication ID "Com2" has a feature "black van" according to the attribute information, and the surrounding information between the two vehicles includes "black van (5m), blue sedan (20m), white SUV (40m), red van (55m)". In Fig. 6, based on the information of the other vehicle in Fig. 5, the communication ID "Com2" is associated with the time series data (time series position data) of the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va and the attribute information acquired in step S103, and the surrounding information between the two vehicles of the host vehicle Va, "Term2: white SUV (15m), Term3: blue sedan (35m), Term4: black van (50m), Term5: black van (55m)" acquired in step S104. From this information, the vehicle management device 1-a determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the vehicle Va includes at least one detected vehicle having the characteristic "black van" of the other vehicle Vb with communication ID "Com2", and that the other vehicle's two-vehicle surrounding information "black van (5m), blue sedan (20m), white SUV (40m), red van (55m)" is not a other vehicle, so in step S107, for communication ID "Com2", "Term5: black van" is set for the detected other vehicle and "none" is set for the obstruction. Furthermore, the vehicle ID of the detected other vehicle, "Term5", is set as the vehicle ID. As described above, the vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle-related information.

[0066] (Example 3 of vehicle-related information) In FIG. 5, the other vehicle Vb with the communication ID "Com3" has the characteristic "red sedan" according to the attribute information, and the two-vehicle surrounding information includes "non-road". In FIG. 6, based on the information of the other vehicle in FIG. 5, the time series data (time series position data) of the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va and the attribute information acquired in step S103 are associated with the communication ID "Com3", and the two-vehicle surrounding information "non-road" of the host vehicle Va acquired in step S104 is associated with the communication ID "Com3". From these pieces of information, the vehicle management device 1-a determines that there is no detected vehicle having the characteristic "red sedan" of the other vehicle Vb with the communication ID "Com3" in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va, and that an object having the same characteristic "non-road" exists in both the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb with the communication ID "Com3", and therefore, in the above step S108, "not detected" is set for the detected other vehicle and "non-road" is set for the obstruction. Furthermore, since there is no other vehicle detected, the vehicle ID "TermA2" of the vehicle blocked by the obstruction is newly generated and set as the vehicle ID. In this manner, the vehicle management device 1-a generates vehicle-related information.

[0067] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a use case according to this embodiment. 7(1) shows a case where a truck is present in the vicinity of the gap between vehicle 1 and opposing vehicle Vb (vehicle 2) when host vehicle Va (vehicle 1) is changing lanes. In this case, the truck may become an obstruction between vehicle 1 and vehicle 2. According to this embodiment, when vehicle management device 1-a of vehicle 1 cannot detect vehicle 2 by sensor 2 of vehicle 1, it can detect that the truck is an obstruction.

[0068] 7(2) shows a case where a truck is present in the vicinity of the gap between vehicle 1 and opposing vehicle Vb (vehicle 2) when host vehicle Va (vehicle 1) makes a right turn. In this case, the truck may become an obstruction between vehicle 1 and vehicle 2. According to this embodiment, when vehicle management device 1-a of vehicle 1 cannot detect vehicle 2 by sensor 2 of vehicle 1, it can detect that the truck is an obstruction.

[0069] 7(3) shows a case where a non-road (e.g., a fence, etc.) is present in the vicinity between vehicle 1 and opposing vehicle Vb (vehicle 2) when host vehicle Va (vehicle 1) passes through an intersection with poor visibility. In this case, the non-road (e.g., a fence, etc.) may become an obstruction between vehicle 1 and vehicle 2. According to this embodiment, when vehicle management device 1-a of vehicle 1 cannot detect vehicle 2 using sensor 2 of vehicle 1, it can detect that the non-road (e.g., a fence, etc.) is an obstruction.

[0070] In addition to the examples in Figure 7, other use cases include overtaking, merging (on expressways or off roads, etc.), yielding at intersections, passing on narrow roads, arbitrating parking spaces, avoiding emergency vehicles, and parallel and following driving.

[0071] The vehicle management device 1-a of the vehicle Va can always obtain the latest absolute position information of the vehicle Va by the GPS 3. The vehicle management device 1-a can also always obtain the latest attribute information of the vehicle Va by the vehicle settings and the vehicle speed sensor.

[0072] In addition, the vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va can include the absolute position information and attribute information of the other vehicle Vb in the vehicle information broadcast to surrounding vehicles at intervals of 100 milliseconds, for example, in the "ITS Connect" system, thereby making it possible to obtain the latest values.

[0073] Furthermore, the vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va can obtain the latest value of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the host vehicle Va from the sensor 2 of the host vehicle Va when the absolute position information of the other vehicle Vb is obtained.

[0074] Furthermore, the vehicle management device 1-a of the host vehicle Va can obtain the latest two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb from the other vehicle Vb that has received the absolute position information of the host vehicle Va. However, there is a possibility that the accuracy of the vehicle-related information is low with one set of two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle Vb. Specifically, for example, in step S111 of FIG. 4, the target other vehicle Vb is not detected, but since no obstruction is detected, the cause of the target other vehicle Vb not being detected cannot be identified. A method for dealing with this will be described below.

[0075] The vehicle management device 1-a (vehicle related information generating unit 12) of the host vehicle Va judges whether the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb can be used. If the result of the judgment is that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb can be used, the vehicle related information generating unit 12 reuses the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb and re-executes the process from step S103 in FIG. 4 onward to regenerate the vehicle related information.

[0076] On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb is unavailable, the vehicle management device 1-a reacquires the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb. The vehicle-related information generating unit 12 regenerates the vehicle-related information by re-executing the processes from step S103 in FIG. 4 using the reacquired two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb.

[0077] Examples 1 and 2 of the method for determining whether or not the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb can be used will be described below.

[0078] (Example 1) The vehicle-related information generating unit 12 judges the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb. If the result of the judgment indicates that the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb satisfies a predetermined freshness condition, the vehicle-related information generating unit 12 judges that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb is usable. On the other hand, if the result of the judgment indicates that the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb does not satisfy the predetermined freshness condition, the vehicle-related information generating unit 12 judges that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb is unusable. One example of the freshness condition is that the time elapsed since the acquisition of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb is within a threshold value (for example, within one second).

[0079] (Example 2) The vehicle-related information generating unit 12 determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb is usable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the target other vehicle Vb is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. On the other hand, the vehicle-related information generating unit 12 determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb is unusable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the target other vehicle Vb exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is considered that the faster the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle Vb is, the greater the change over time in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb will be. For this reason, when a certain vehicle speed is exceeded, it is preferable to make the already acquired two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb unusable and to reacquire the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target other vehicle Vb.

[0080] As an example of a method for reacquiring the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb, a formal cooperative driving request message is used in step S21 of Figure 3, and the formal cooperative driving request message is resent so that the latest two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle Vb is included in the formal cooperative driving response message returned from the target vehicle Vb.

[0081] [Second embodiment] 8 to 11 are block diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to a second embodiment. In FIG. 8, the vehicle management system includes a vehicle management server 100, a vehicle management device 1A provided in a target vehicle V-a1, and a vehicle management device 1B provided in a counterpart vehicle V-b1. The vehicle management server 100 and each of the vehicle management devices 1A and 1B communicate with each other using a cellular mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G. The target vehicle V-a1 and the counterpart vehicle V-b1 communicate with each other using V2N2V.

[0082] The vehicle management system according to this embodiment is a system in which the functions of the vehicle management device 1 of the above-mentioned first embodiment are distributed to a vehicle management server 100 and vehicle management devices 1A and 1B.

[0083] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management server according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 9, the vehicle management server 100 includes a communication unit 105, a main control unit 110, a vehicle-related information generation unit 112, and a surrounding vehicle database (surrounding vehicle DB) 113.

[0084] Each function of the vehicle management server 100 is realized by the vehicle management server 100 being equipped with computer hardware such as a CPU and memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. The vehicle management server 100 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, the vehicle management server 100 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet. Each function of the vehicle management server 100 may be realized by cloud computing. The vehicle management server 100 may be realized by a single computer, or may be realized by distributing the functions of the vehicle management server 100 across multiple computers.

[0085] The communication unit 105 communicates with devices external to the vehicle management server 100. The communication unit 105 communicates with each of the vehicle management devices 1A and 1B using a cellular mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G.

[0086] The main control unit 110 executes main control of the vehicle management server 100. The main control unit 110 has, as some of its own functions, the functions of a target vehicle position information receiving unit, a target vehicle information transmitting unit, a counterpart vehicle information receiving unit, a counterpart vehicle information transmitting unit, and a target vehicle two-vehicle surroundings information receiving unit.

[0087] The vehicle-related information generating unit 112 has a function corresponding to the vehicle-related information generating unit 12 of the first embodiment. The surrounding vehicle DB 113 stores various information such as the vehicle-related information generated by the vehicle-related information generating unit 112, information received from the target vehicle V-a1, and information received from the other vehicle V-b1.

[0088] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle management device 1A provided in a target vehicle V-a1. In Fig. 10, the vehicle management device 1A includes a main control unit 10a, a two-vehicle surrounding detection unit 11a, a surrounding vehicle database (surrounding vehicle DB) 13a, a message transmission unit 18, and an information output unit 19. In Fig. 10, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0089] The vehicle administration device 1A includes computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and the CPU executes a computer program stored in the memory to realize each function of the vehicle administration device 1A.

[0090] The vehicle management device 1A may be configured using a general-purpose computer device or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, a car navigation system or a driving support system may have the functions of the vehicle management device 1A. The vehicle management device 1A may also be configured using a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer (tablet PC).

[0091] The main control unit 10a executes main control of the vehicle management device 1A. The main control unit 10a also acquires various information from the sensor 2, GPS 3, microphone 4, and communication module 5 provided in the target vehicle V-a1. The main control unit 10a has, as part of its own functions, the functions of a target vehicle position information transmission unit, a counterpart vehicle information reception unit, and a target vehicle information transmission unit.

[0092] The two-vehicle surroundings detection unit 11a identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle V-b1, and detects the two-vehicle surroundings information of the target vehicle V-a1 within the identified two-vehicle surroundings using a sensor 2 provided on the target vehicle V-a1.

[0093] The surrounding vehicle DB 13a stores various information such as vehicle-related information generated by the vehicle management server 100 and information such as the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle V-a1. For example, the information stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 13a can be used when the vehicle management device 1A identifies the other vehicle V-b1 and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the target vehicle V-a1.

[0094] To identify the other vehicle V-b1 and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the target vehicle V-a1, a vehicle management method such as that described in Patent Document 3 may be applied, as in the vehicle management device 1 of the first embodiment.

[0095] Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management device 1B provided in a counterpart vehicle V-b1. In Fig. 11, the vehicle management device 1B includes a main control unit 10b, a two-vehicle surrounding detection unit 11b, a surrounding vehicle database (surrounding vehicle DB) 13b, a message transmission unit 18, and an information output unit 19. In Fig. 11, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0096] Each function of the vehicle administration device 1B is realized by the vehicle administration device 1B including computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory.

[0097] The vehicle management device 1B may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, a car navigation system or a driving support system may have the functions of the vehicle management device 1B. The vehicle management device 1A may also be configured using a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer (tablet PC).

[0098] The main control unit 10b executes main control of the vehicle management device 1B. The main control unit 10b also acquires various information from the sensor 2, GPS 3, microphone 4, and communication module 5 provided in the other vehicle V-b1. The main control unit 10b has, as part of its own functions, the functions of a target vehicle position information receiving unit and a other vehicle information transmitting unit.

[0099] The two-vehicle surroundings detection unit 11b identifies the surroundings between the two vehicles from the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 and the absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 which has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1, and detects the two-vehicle surroundings information of the other vehicle V-b1 within the identified surroundings between the two vehicles using a sensor 2 provided on the other vehicle V-b1.

[0100] The surrounding vehicle DB 13b stores various information such as vehicle-related information generated by the vehicle management server 100 and information such as the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle V-b1. For example, the information stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 13b can be used when the vehicle management device 1B identifies the target vehicle V-a1 and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the other vehicle V-b1.

[0101] To identify the target vehicle V-a1 and the surrounding vehicles detected by the sensor 2 of the other vehicle V-b1, a vehicle management method such as that described in Patent Document 3 may be applied, as in the vehicle management device 1 of the first embodiment.

[0102] Next, a vehicle management method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure of the vehicle management method according to this embodiment.

[0103] (Step S201) The vehicle management device 1A of the target vehicle V-a1 periodically transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 to the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management device 1A may periodically transmit the absolute position information and attribute information of the target vehicle V-a1 to the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management server 100 stores the information received from the target vehicle V-a1 in the surrounding vehicle DB 113.

[0104] (Step S202) The vehicle management server 100 determines the transmission area in which the other vehicle V-b1, which is the transmission destination, is located based on the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1. For example, a certain range including the absolute position information (latitude, longitude) of the target vehicle V-a1 is determined as the transmission area.

[0105] (Step S203) The vehicle management server 100 transmits the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 to the other vehicle V-b1 that is present in the determined transmission area. The absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 is periodically transmitted from the other vehicle V-b1 to the vehicle management server 100 and stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 113. The vehicle management server 100 determines the other vehicle V-b1 that is present in the transmission area based on the absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 113. The vehicle management server 100 may transmit the absolute position information and attribute information of the target vehicle V-a1 to the other vehicle V-b1 that is present in the determined transmission area.

[0106] (Step S204) The vehicle management device 1B of the other vehicle V-b1 receives the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 from the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management device 1B identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the received absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1 and the absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1. The vehicle management device 1B detects two-vehicle surroundings information (two-vehicle surroundings information of the other vehicle V-b1) in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using the sensor 2 provided in the other vehicle V-b1.

[0107] (Step S205) The vehicle management device 1B of the other vehicle V-b1 transmits the detected two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle V-b1, as well as the absolute position information and attribute information of the other vehicle V-b1 to the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management server 100 stores the information received from the other vehicle V-b1 in the surrounding vehicle DB 113.

[0108] (Step S206) The vehicle management server 100 transmits the absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 to the target vehicle V-a1.

[0109] (Step S207) The vehicle management device 1A of the target vehicle V-a1 receives the absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 from the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management device 1A identifies the two-vehicle surroundings from the received absolute position information of the other vehicle V-b1 and the absolute position information of the target vehicle V-a1. The vehicle management device 1A detects two-vehicle surroundings information (two-vehicle surroundings information of the target vehicle V-a1) in the identified two-vehicle surroundings using the sensor 2 provided on the target vehicle V-a1.

[0110] (Step S208) The vehicle management device 1A of the target vehicle V-a1 transmits the two-vehicle surrounding information of the detected target vehicle V-a1 to the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management device 1A may transmit the two-vehicle surrounding information of the detected target vehicle V-a1, as well as the absolute position information and attribute information of the target vehicle V-a1 to the vehicle management server 100. The vehicle management server 100 stores the information received from the target vehicle V-a1 in the surrounding vehicle DB 113.

[0111] (Step S209) The vehicle management server 100 generates vehicle relationship information indicating the relationship between the other vehicle V-b1 and the detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle V-a1 based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle V-a1 and the attribute information and two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle V-b1. The method of generating the vehicle relationship information, the method of regenerating the vehicle relationship information, and the method of reacquiring the two-vehicle surrounding information are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0112] (Step S210 ) The vehicle management server 100 stores the generated vehicle-related information in the surrounding vehicle DB 113 .

[0113] The various information stored in the surrounding vehicle DB 113 is appropriately transmitted to the vehicle control device 1A of the target vehicle V-a1 and the vehicle control device 1B of the other vehicle V-b1 and is available for use (steps S300, S310).

[0114] According to each of the above-described embodiments, it is possible to obtain an effect that the target vehicle can grasp the relationship between the surrounding vehicles with which the target vehicle is performing inter-vehicle communication (V2V communication or V2N2V communication) and the surrounding vehicles detected by the target vehicle's own sensor. For example, when the communication partner vehicle of the inter-vehicle communication cannot be detected by the sensor of the vehicle due to the communication partner vehicle being hidden behind another vehicle, it is possible to detect that the other vehicle is an obstruction. This makes it possible to notify the driver of the vehicle that the other vehicle is an obstruction or that the communication partner vehicle is hidden behind the other vehicle. For example, when displaying information about the surrounding vehicles in addition to the actual driving scenery on the HUD 6 using AR technology, it is also possible to display that the other vehicle is an obstruction or that the communication partner vehicle is hidden behind the other vehicle.

[0115] This will, for example, make it possible to improve the overall service quality in ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), thereby contributing to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0116] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0117] In addition, a computer program for implementing the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Note that the "computer system" referred to here may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to writable non-volatile memory such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, or a flash memory, a portable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system.

[0118] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" includes devices that retain a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium, or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for implementing some of the functions described above, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1, 1A, 1B... vehicle management device, 10, 10a, 10b, 110... main control unit, 11, 11a, 11b... two-vehicle surrounding detection unit, 12, 112... vehicle-related information generation unit, 13, 13a, 13b, 113... surrounding vehicle database (surrounding vehicle DB), 18... message transmission unit, 19... information output unit, 100... vehicle management server, 105... communication unit

Claims

1. A vehicle management device for managing surrounding vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, a target vehicle information transmission unit that transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle that is detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a two-vehicle surroundings detection unit that identifies a two-vehicle surrounding area based on absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of the other vehicle, and detects two-vehicle surroundings information of the target vehicle by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings; a vehicle relationship information generating unit that generates vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a surrounding vehicle database for storing the vehicle-related information; A vehicle management device comprising:

2. The vehicle-related information generation unit generating vehicle relation information that associates the detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle with the other vehicle when the presence of an object is detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; The vehicle management device according to claim 1 .

3. The vehicle-related information generating unit further includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information regarding the other vehicle that there is no obstruction. The vehicle management device according to claim 2 .

4. The vehicle-related information generation unit generating vehicle-related information indicating the presence of an obstruction with respect to the other vehicle when the presence of an object is detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle and when the detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle does not exist; The vehicle management device according to claim 1 .

5. The vehicle-related information generating unit further includes information indicating that the other vehicle is not detected in the generated vehicle-related information. The vehicle management device according to claim 4.

6. the vehicle-related information generating unit generates a new vehicle identifier of the vehicle blocked by the blocking object and includes the newly generated vehicle-related information in the vehicle-related information to be generated; The vehicle management device according to claim 4.

7. The vehicle-related information generation unit generating vehicle relation information that associates the detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle with the other vehicle when the presence of an object is not detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; The vehicle management device according to claim 1 .

8. The vehicle-related information generating unit further includes, in the generated vehicle-related information, information regarding the other vehicle that there is no obstruction. The vehicle management device according to claim 7.

9. The vehicle-related information generation unit generating vehicle-related information indicating that the other vehicle has not been detected when the presence of an object is not detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle and when there is no detected vehicle having the characteristics of the other vehicle included in the attribute information of the other vehicle; The vehicle management device according to claim 1 .

10. the vehicle-related information generating unit includes information on the other vehicle having a vehicle identifier that is not set, in the generated vehicle-related information. The vehicle management device according to claim 9.

11. The vehicle-related information generating unit determines whether or not the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle can be used; the vehicle-related information generating unit, when the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is available, regenerates the vehicle-related information by reusing the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; the vehicle management device reacquires the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle when the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unavailable; the vehicle-related information generation unit regenerates the vehicle-related information by using the reacquired two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle. The vehicle management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. the vehicle-related information generating unit determines the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is usable when the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle satisfies a predetermined freshness condition, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unusable when the freshness of the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle does not satisfy a predetermined freshness condition. The vehicle management device according to claim 11.

13. the vehicle-related information generating unit determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is usable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the other vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle is unusable when the vehicle speed included in the attribute information of the other vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold. The vehicle management device according to claim 11.

14. A vehicle management server that manages nearby vehicles that perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, a target vehicle position information receiving unit for receiving absolute position information from the target vehicle; a target vehicle information transmission unit that transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle that is detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a counterpart vehicle information transmission unit that transmits absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle to the target vehicle; a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving unit that receives two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generating unit that generates vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a surrounding vehicle database for storing the vehicle-related information; A vehicle management server comprising:

15. A vehicle management device of the target vehicle that communicates with a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with the target vehicle, a target vehicle position information transmitting unit that transmits absolute position information of the target vehicle to a vehicle management server; a counterpart vehicle information receiving unit that receives absolute position information of a counterpart vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle from the vehicle management server; a two-vehicle surroundings detection unit that identifies a two-vehicle surrounding area based on absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of the other vehicle, and detects two-vehicle surroundings information of the target vehicle by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surroundings; a target vehicle information transmission unit that transmits two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle to the vehicle management server; A vehicle management device comprising:

16. A vehicle management device of the surrounding vehicle that communicates with a vehicle management server that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with a target vehicle, a target vehicle position information receiving unit that receives absolute position information of the target vehicle from a vehicle management server; a two-vehicle surroundings detection unit that identifies a two-vehicle surrounding area based on absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of a counter vehicle that is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and detects the two-vehicle surroundings information of the counter vehicle by a sensor provided in the counter vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surrounding area; a counterpart vehicle information transmitting unit that transmits absolute position information, attribute information, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the counterpart vehicle to the vehicle management server; A vehicle management device comprising:

17. A vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management device that manages a surrounding vehicle that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, comprising: a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a two-vehicle surroundings detection step of identifying a two-vehicle surrounding area based on absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of the other vehicle, and detecting information of the two-vehicle surrounding area of ​​the target vehicle by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surrounding area; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a vehicle-related information storage step of storing the vehicle-related information in a surrounding vehicle database; A vehicle management method comprising:

18. A vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management server that manages a surrounding vehicle that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a target vehicle, comprising: a target vehicle position information receiving step of receiving absolute position information from the target vehicle; a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a counterpart vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle to the target vehicle; a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving step of receiving two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings specified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a vehicle-related information storage step of storing the vehicle-related information in a surrounding vehicle database; A vehicle management method comprising:

19. A computer of a vehicle management device that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with a target vehicle includes: a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a two-vehicle surroundings detection step of identifying a two-vehicle surrounding area based on absolute position information of the target vehicle and absolute position information of the other vehicle, and detecting information of the two-vehicle surrounding area of ​​the target vehicle by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the identified two-vehicle surrounding area; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a vehicle-related information storage step of storing the vehicle-related information in a surrounding vehicle database; A computer program for executing the above.

20. A vehicle management server computer that manages surrounding vehicles that communicate with a target vehicle includes: a target vehicle position information receiving step of receiving absolute position information from the target vehicle; a target vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the target vehicle to the surrounding vehicles; an opposing vehicle information receiving step of receiving absolute position information and attribute information from an opposing vehicle, which is one of the surrounding vehicles that has received the absolute position information of the target vehicle, and two-vehicle surrounding information of the opposing vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the opposing vehicle in a two-vehicle surrounding area identified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the opposing vehicle; a counterpart vehicle information transmitting step of transmitting absolute position information of the counterpart vehicle to the target vehicle; a target vehicle two-vehicle surrounding information receiving step of receiving two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle detected by a sensor provided in the target vehicle in the two-vehicle surroundings specified from the absolute position information of the target vehicle and the absolute position information of the other vehicle; a vehicle relationship information generating step of generating vehicle relationship information indicating a relationship between the other vehicle and a detected vehicle detected in the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle based on the two-vehicle surrounding information of the target vehicle and the attribute information and the two-vehicle surrounding information of the other vehicle; a vehicle-related information storage step of storing the vehicle-related information in a surrounding vehicle database; A computer program for executing the above.

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