Roadside device, and sensor device

Abstract

To provide a roadside device capable of extending a life of a sensor for performing sensing (detecting), and a sensor device.SOLUTION: A roadside device 100 comprises: a distance-measuring unit 11 as a sensor SE that performs object detection in a detection area DD1 that is a monitoring object range; and a switching part SW for switching on / off a power supply of the distance-measuring part 11 in accordance with a determination result by determining whether or not monitoring is performed by the distance-measuring part 11, based on a monitoring condition. According to the roadside device 100, in the switching part SW, a life of the distance-measuring part 11 can be extended by switching on / off the power supply of the distance-measuring part 11, based on the monitoring condition. Further, it can be said that a life of a sensor device 10 constituted from the distance-measuring part 11 and the switching part SW can be extended according to the above-described embodiment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a roadside device and a sensor device that are installed near a road or the like to provide information about the road and its surroundings to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, as a surroundings monitoring device or system for detecting a target, there is known one relating to a sensor that detects a target present around a vehicle (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-152894 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above Patent Document 1 does not mention a configuration for extending the life of a sensor for detection, nor does it mention extending the life of a sensor in a device that is installed around a road and provides information from the infrastructure to a vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide a roadside device and a sensor device that can extend the life of a sensor for detection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the roadside device includes a sensor that detects objects within a monitoring range, and a switching unit that determines whether or not to perform monitoring using the sensor based on monitoring conditions and switches the sensor's power on and off in accordance with the determination result.

[0007] In the roadside device, the switching unit switches the power supply of the sensor on and off based on the monitoring conditions, thereby making it possible to extend the life of the sensor.

[0008] In a specific aspect of the present invention, the sensor includes a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror, and performs object detection by distance measurement using irradiation of a laser light. In this case, accurate object detection can be performed within a desired monitoring range.

[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, the switching unit determines whether to power the sensor on or off depending on the time of day in accordance with traffic management of the transportation facility. In this case, it is possible to extend the life of the sensor while maintaining monitoring suitable for traffic management of the transportation facility.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the switching unit switches the power on in response to the first bus in a bus service serving as a means of transportation, and switches the power off in response to the last bus. In this case, it is possible to extend the life of the sensor while maintaining monitoring suitable for bus operation.

[0011] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the switching unit switches the power on when a vehicle is detected by a detection sensor disposed upstream of the monitoring range. In this case, the sensor can be started according to the timing when monitoring is required.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the sensor is configured with a plurality of sensing members arranged in parallel and alternately sensing within the same range. In this case, by switching off the power supply of one sensing member while operating the other sensing members, the life of the sensor can be extended.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the sensor detects an object present in a monitoring area of ​​an intersection as a monitoring target range, and in response to an information request from a vehicle approaching the intersection, transmits the detection result of the sensor back to the vehicle. In this case, information based on the monitoring result can be provided to the vehicle.

[0014] To achieve the above objective, a sensor device includes a sensor that detects objects within a monitored area, and a switching unit that determines whether or not to perform monitoring using the sensor based on monitoring conditions and switches the sensor's power on and off in accordance with the determination result.

[0015] In the above sensor device, the switching unit switches the power supply to the sensor on and off based on the monitoring conditions, thereby making it possible to extend the life of the sensor and therefore the life of the device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of an information providing system incorporating a roadside device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of operation management for a route bus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a roadside device. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining another configuration example of the roadside device. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are conceptual diagrams showing an example of how the power supply of a sensor is switched on and off. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a series of operations relating to switching of the power supply of a sensor in a roadside device. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are conceptual diagrams for explaining another example of power supply switching. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of an example of operation at a road intersection where an information provision system incorporating a roadside device according to the second embodiment is installed. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a roadside device. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a series of operations relating to switching of the power supply of a sensor in a roadside device. [Figure 11]FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining another configuration example of the roadside device. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of another series of operations relating to switching of the power supply of the sensor in the roadside device. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining another configuration example of the roadside device. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a roadside device. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an outline of another example of an information providing system incorporating a roadside device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] [First embodiment] An example of the roadside device of the first embodiment and the sensor device incorporated in the roadside device will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 etc. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of an information providing system 500 incorporating the roadside device 100 of the present embodiment, and shows an intersection CS on a road where the roadside device 100 is installed.

[0018] The information provision system 500 is a system that provides traffic information from the infrastructure side to the autonomous vehicle VE. In the illustrated example, the information provision system 500 is configured by the roadside device 100, a signal controller SC that controls four signal lights SG installed at the intersection CS, and a central management unit CT that manages these in an integrated manner, and distributes or collects various types of traffic-related information while managing the various types of information. Note that the configuration of the information provision system 500 is not limited to the above example, and various modes are assumed, and a similar system can be provided even in a mode in which the number of installed signal lights SG is different from that shown in the figure.

[0019] The roadside device 100 sets a predetermined range including the intersection CS and its surrounding area as a monitoring target range for detecting traffic conditions. As will be described in detail later, the roadside device 100 is an information providing device (driving assistance device) that functions as a part of the information providing system 500 by capturing traffic conditions in the monitoring target range using a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) which is a distance measuring device and a camera which is an image capturing device, communicating with the autonomous vehicle VE when the autonomous vehicle VE passes through the intersection CS, and providing driving assistance from the various information acquired.

[0020] In addition, in the illustrated example, the autonomous vehicle VE is shown moving straight in the Z direction indicated by the arrow A1 and entering the intersection CS. Meanwhile, the roadside device 100 monitors a detection area DD1, which is an area from the center of the intersection CS to the upstream side, by using a distance measuring unit 11 constituting a sensor SE attached to, for example, a pillar part of a signal controller SC installed at the intersection CS or in its vicinity. For example, the detection area DD1 is included in the monitoring range of the roadside device 100, and not only the autonomous vehicle VE traveling in the detection area DD1 but also obstacles and the like present in the vicinity are detected by the distance measuring unit 11 on the roadside device 100 side. Note that the above-mentioned mounting position of the distance measuring unit 11 is one example, and it can be mounted in various places as long as it can detect the detection area DD1 to be the monitoring area. In addition to the distance measuring unit 11 in the figure, the roadside device 100 can be considered to have, as necessary, equipment (such as LiDAR and a camera) for detecting the intersection CS including the detection area DD1 and its surrounding area as a component of the sensor SE. As a typical example, a distance measuring device such as LiDAR (not shown) may be separately prepared to detect an area on the +Z side of the detection area DD1 in the Z direction indicated by the arrow A1. An example of these points will be described later in detail.

[0021] In addition, the roadside device 100 is connected to a signal controller SC, and by obtaining information about the signal lights SG installed at the intersection CS via the signal controller SC, various determinations such as whether or not to proceed are possible.

[0022] On the other hand, the autonomous vehicle VE communicates with the roadside device 100 and transmits information indicating a travel schedule (future position information including information indicating a current position and a future position) as information regarding its own position. Specifically, in the illustrated example, as described above, the autonomous vehicle VE is moving straight in the Z direction indicated by the arrow A1, and here, it is assumed that the autonomous vehicle VE is going to continue moving straight and pass the intersection CS. The autonomous vehicle VE transmits information to the roadside device 100 that it will pass the intersection CS by moving straight. The future position information can be set so that it can be transmitted and received from, for example, around the time when the autonomous vehicle VE reaches the detection area DD1 (for example, just before the detection area DD1). The autonomous vehicle VE also requests a response from the roadside device 100 to the future position information in order to determine whether or not it can pass as indicated in the future position information.

[0023] In FIG. 1 etc., X, Y, and Z are a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, and the +Z direction indicates the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle VE as indicated by arrow A1, as described above, the X direction indicates the left-right direction relative to the direction of travel, and the Y direction indicates the up-down direction.

[0024] The roadside device 100 provides information to the autonomous vehicle VE to enable it to select the optimal driving mode for passing through the intersection CS based on information obtained from the signal controller SC (e.g., the timing at which the lighting display of the signal lights SG related to the passage of the autonomous vehicle VE will change) and future position information of the autonomous vehicle VE.

[0025] In this example, as an example of the target autonomous vehicle VE, a bus BU that travels along a predetermined route, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is taken as an autonomous vehicle VE. The bus BU has a driving operation unit (not shown) that is composed of various parts necessary for various operations for normal driving, such as steering, accelerator, and brake, and is equipped with an autonomous driving control unit AO that controls engine operation corresponding to these operations. Furthermore, the bus BU is also equipped with a roadside device 100 and a communication unit TT for communicating with the central management unit CT. For example, the bus BU can be configured to sequentially transmit information on the driving situation, including its own position information, to the central management unit CT while performing autonomous driving.

[0026] The autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU), which is the target of receiving information from the information provision system 500, travels along a road on which traffic lights SG are installed, stopping at each bus stop BS along a predetermined route under the jurisdiction of the central control unit CT. Note that the bus stop BS and the traffic lights SG are provided with a communication unit 70 that performs various communications, and are capable of communicating with the central control unit CT. Note that the communication unit 70 provided at the bus stop BS may be capable of communicating with the bus BU by, for example, short-range wireless communication.

[0027] In the above case, as explained with reference to Figure 1, the bus BU may transmit its own future position information as an autonomous vehicle VE, but the roadside device 100 may also identify the bus BU and understand its driving route by acquiring information on the bus BU and its driving mode from the central management unit CT.

[0028] Here, when managing the travel of the bus BU as an autonomous vehicle VE using the information provision system 500 as described above, when the roadside device 100 provides information for passing through an intersection CS, it is assumed that the roadside device 100 monitors the situation of the intersection CS including the detection area DD1 and its surroundings. For this reason, the roadside device 100 needs to acquire and manage various information such as image data and distance measurement data obtained as a result of imaging and distance measurement performed to capture the traffic situation in an area including the detection area DD1 as target information that is information on the operation status of various vehicles, pedestrians, etc. present in the area as well as the presence of obstacles, etc.

[0029] However, if the LiDAR is configured with a laser, a galvanometer mirror, or a polygon mirror to perform distance measurement within the range required for the detection area DD1 covered by one distance measurement unit 11 (for example, a range having a distance of about 100 meters), assuming 24-hour operation, the operational maintenance (lifespan) of the moving parts of the galvanometer mirror or polygon mirror will be short, for example, to about a few years.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, the on / off of the sensor for distance measurement is adjusted based on the monitoring conditions for monitoring the detection area DD1, thereby extending the life of the sensor that detects objects by distance measurement, and thereby extending the life of the roadside device 100.

[0031] An example of the configuration of the roadside device 100 will be described below with reference to a block diagram shown in Fig. 3. The roadside device 100 includes a sensor device 10, a vehicle communication unit 20, an intra-system communication unit CTt, and a control unit 50.

[0032] The sensor device 10 includes a ranging unit 11 and an imaging unit 12 that constitute a sensor SE that detects objects in a monitored range such as a detection area DD1, a sensor processing unit 13 that processes information acquired by the sensor SE, and a sensor power management unit 14 that manages the power supply of the sensor SE.

[0033] First, in the sensor device 10, the distance measurement unit 11 constituting the sensor SE performs sensing by LiDAR composed of a laser, a galvanometer mirror, a polygon mirror, etc., as described above, and here, by performing distance measurement in the detection area DD1, it is possible to acquire various necessary distance measurement data. That is, the distance measurement unit 11 includes a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror as the sensor SE for detecting an object in the detection area DD1, and performs object detection by distance measurement using irradiation of a laser light.

[0034] Meanwhile, in the sensor device 10, the imaging unit 12 constituting the sensor SE is a camera that captures an image of an area that can be a monitoring target, such as the detection area DD1, and is capable of acquiring various necessary image data.

[0035] Next, the sensor processing unit 13 performs processing to extract target information such as information necessary for monitoring the detection area DD1 or an area including the detection area DD1 from various data (distance measurement data, image data) acquired by the sensor SE, specifically, information on vehicles existing at the intersection CS in Fig. 1 or in its vicinity, various objects MB, specifically, bicycles, pedestrians, etc., their operating conditions, and the presence of obstacles that are other objects MB, from the various data (distance measurement data, image data) acquired by the sensor SE. The extracted target information is output to the control unit 50. That is, the sensor SE is for detecting objects existing in the detection area DD1 or the monitoring area of ​​the intersection CS as a monitoring target range including the detection area DD1.

[0036] The sensor power management unit 14 is a switching unit SW that manages the power supply depending on whether or not the sensor SE needs to be driven, that is, that switches the power supply on and off. In particular, in this embodiment, the sensor power management unit 14 is a switching unit SW that determines whether or not to perform monitoring by the sensor SE based on the monitoring conditions, and switches the power supply for the distance measurement unit 11 on and off according to the determination result. The switching unit SW determines whether to turn on or off the power supply for the distance measurement unit 11 constituting the sensor SE depending on the time period according to the operation management of the transportation facility, but here, as an example, the switching unit SW switches the power supply on depending on the first bus in the transportation facility bus operation and switches the power supply off depending on the last bus.

[0037] Next, the vehicle communication unit 20 of the roadside device 100 is a wireless unit for wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU). As described above, the autonomous vehicle VE, which is the bus BU, transmits future position information indicating its own future position to the roadside device 100, which is a determination device and a driving support device, and requests a response to the future position information. More specifically, as described with reference to FIG. 2 and the like, the bus BU generates future position information consisting of information on its own current position and a future route plan based on the current position in the autonomous driving control unit AO consisting of various circuit mechanisms, etc., in order to perform various controls for autonomous driving, and transmits the generated future position information from the communication unit TT. Note that the future position information includes, for example, a predicted arrival time at the center position of the intersection CS, a required time to pass the intersection CS, etc. The vehicle communication unit 20 receives the future position information from the bus BU, and the received future position information is output to the control unit 50.

[0038] Returning to Fig. 3, the intra-system communication unit CTt is an interface unit for communicating with the central control unit CT as shown in the figure, and receives various necessary information and command signals from the central control unit CT functioning as, for example, a traffic control center TCC or a bus operation management system BMS, and outputs various information on the monitoring results of the roadside device 100 to the central control unit CT. As an example here, the intra-system communication unit CTt is assumed to be capable of acquiring information on the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus in a bus operation as a means of transportation from the central control unit CT as information for determining whether to turn on or off the power of the distance measurement unit 11 in the switching unit SW. The various information acquired by the intra-system communication unit CTt is output to the control unit 50.

[0039] The control unit 50 is composed of, for example, various integrated circuits or a CPU, and is connected to each unit constituting the roadside device 100 as described above. It collects various information and controls the operation of the roadside device 100 in an integrated manner. The control unit 50 generates information required to determine whether the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) can safely pass through the intersection CS based on the target information extracted by the sensor processing unit 13 in response to future position information from the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU), and transmits this as a response to the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) via the vehicle communication unit 20. Furthermore, the control unit 50 is connected to the signal controller SC, and is capable of acquiring light color information of the signal lamp SG (see FIG. 1) from the signal controller SC. For example, the control unit 50 can transmit information that takes into account the light color information in response to future position information from the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU). The autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) acquires the response as a response to the request, and can travel appropriately based on the response. In particular, it is possible to receive information about blind spots that cannot be confirmed from the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) from the roadside. As described above, the roadside device 100 is configured to return the detection results of the sensor to the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) in response to an information request from the autonomous vehicle VE (bus BU) that is heading toward the intersection CS.

[0040] In addition to the above, particularly in this embodiment, the control unit 50 outputs information on bus operation management as a means of transportation received via the intra-system communication unit CTt to the sensor power management unit 14. The sensor power management unit 14 uses the information as a monitoring condition as to whether or not to monitor the distance measurement unit 11, and determines whether or not to switch the power supply of the distance measurement unit 11 based on this.

[0041] Fig. 4 is a block diagram corresponding to Fig. 3, showing an example of a configuration of the roadside device 100 of one modified example. In the example shown in Fig. 3, information on bus operation management is acquired from a central control unit CT, which is an external device of the roadside device 100, but the example shown in Fig. 4 is different in that the roadside device 100 has a bus schedule information storage unit 30 for storing bus schedule information as information on bus operation management. In this case, for example, information on the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus in the bus operation stored in the bus schedule information storage unit 30 can be used.

[0042] Hereinafter, an example of how the power of the distance measuring unit 11 as the sensor SE in the above embodiment is switched on and off by the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14) will be described with reference to the conceptual diagram shown in Fig. 5. Note that each roadside device 100 (100A, 100B, 100C) shown in the figure is assumed to be able to use information on the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus in the bus operation due to the configuration shown in Fig. 3 or 4.

[0043] 5(A) and 5(B) show the travel of bus BU (travel direction is indicated by arrow A1) on the first bus, and the accompanying switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14) switching the power of one distance measuring unit 11a corresponding to the travel of bus BU among distance measuring units 11 constituting sensor SE from "off" or OFF (OFF) to "on" or ON (ON). To explain in detail, first, it is assumed that bus BU passes by the installation location of roadside device 100A, the installation location of roadside device 100B, and the installation location of roadside device 100C, in that order, along a predetermined travel route. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5(A), when the first bus BU arrives at the detection area DD1a of the distance measuring unit 11a, which is the target of the installation location of the roadside device 100A and the surrounding area, each unit of the roadside device 100A is activated accordingly. That is, the power of the distance measuring unit 11a has already been switched from OFF to ON by the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14), and the roadside device 100A can provide the necessary information to the bus BU. That is, information is provided based on the distance measurement data in the distance measuring unit 11a. On the other hand, in the roadside device 100B and the roadside device 100C, where the bus BU has not yet arrived at the detection areas DD1b and DD1c, the corresponding distance measuring units 11b and 11c are in the OFF state, but as shown in FIG. 5(B), these units are sequentially switched to ON in accordance with the travel time of the bus BU.

[0044] In the case of the last bus, the opposite occurs to the above. That is, when the last bus BU has passed through the installation locations of the roadside devices 100 (100A, 100B, 100C), the power of the distance measuring units 11 (11a, 11b, 11c) is sequentially switched from ON to OFF by the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14).

[0045] As described above, by switching the power on (ON) according to the first bus in a bus transportation operation and switching the power off (OFF) according to the last bus, it is possible to maintain monitoring suitable for bus operation while extending the life of the ranging unit 11 as the sensor SE.

[0046] Hereinafter, an example of a series of operations relating to switching of the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11 serving as the sensor SE in the roadside device 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

[0047] First, when the main body of the roadside device 100 is started, the switching unit SW (sensor power supply management unit 14) acquires bus schedule information from the central management unit CT in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 or the bus schedule information storage unit 30 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 via the control unit 50 (step S101). At the same time, the switching unit SW acquires current time information (step S102) and compares the two to confirm whether it is within the bus operating time zone (step S103). In other words, it is confirmed whether the current time, which is the condition for whether monitoring by the sensor should be performed (monitoring condition), is between the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus.

[0048] In step S103, if it is determined that it is not the time when the bus is operating (step S103: No), the switching unit SW determines to turn off the power supply to the distance measurement unit 11, i.e., the power supply to the LiDAR (step S104), and if it is determined that it is the time when the bus is operating (step S103: Yes), the switching unit SW determines to turn on the power supply to the LiDAR (step S105).

[0049] The operations of steps S101 to S105 are repeated until the main body of the roadside device 100 is stopped.

[0050] Hereinafter, another example of power supply switching will be described with reference to the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7(A) and FIG. 7(B) are block diagrams of the sensor device 10 constituting the roadside device 100, particularly the distance measurement unit 11 and the sensor power supply management unit 14, which is a switching unit SW. In the example shown here, the distance measurement unit 11 has LiDARs 11α and 11β as multiple (two) sensing members, and the LiDARs 11α and 11β are configured in parallel and alternately sense within the same range. That is, for both the LiDAR 11α and the LiDAR 11β, distance measurement is performed for the same detection area DD1, and the sensor power supply management unit 14, which is a switching unit SW, is appropriately switched so that distance measurement is performed by either one of them. In the illustration, in FIG. 7(A), LiDAR 11α is operating and performing distance measurement (sensing) for the detection area DD1, while LiDAR 11β is stopped operating, and in FIG. 7(B), conversely, LiDAR 11β is operating and performing distance measurement (sensing) for the detection area DD1, while LiDAR 11α is stopped operating.

[0051] In the above-described aspect, the life of the sensors (LiDAR11α, 11β) can be extended by switching off (OFF) the power of one sensing component (e.g., LiDAR11α) while the other sensing component is operating.

[0052] As described above, in this embodiment, the roadside device 100 includes the distance measuring unit 11 as the sensor SE that detects objects in the detection area DD1, which is the monitoring range, and the switching unit SW that judges whether or not to perform monitoring by the distance measuring unit 11 based on the monitoring conditions and switches the power of the distance measuring unit 11 on and off according to the judgment result. In the above roadside device 100, the switching unit SW switches the power of the distance measuring unit 11 on and off based on the monitoring conditions, thereby making it possible to extend the life of the distance measuring unit 11. It can also be said that in the above embodiment, it is possible to extend the life of the sensor device 10 composed of the distance measuring unit 11 and the switching unit SW.

[0053] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, an example of the roadside device 100 of the second embodiment and the sensor device 10 incorporated therein will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and other figures. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram for outlining an information providing system 500 incorporating the roadside device 100 of this embodiment, and shows an intersection CS on a road where the roadside device 100 is installed. Fig. 9 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of the roadside device 100. Fig. 8 corresponds to Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 corresponds to Fig. 3 or Fig. 4.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the autonomous vehicle VE is a bus BU that travels along a predetermined route and is switched on and off based on the operation management of the bus, but in this embodiment, the autonomous vehicle VE is different from the first embodiment in that the power is switched on and off when a vehicle is detected. However, the autonomous vehicle VE of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that it is capable of communicating with the roadside device 100 and can receive information for driving assistance.

[0055] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, a vehicle detector 40, which is a detection sensor, is placed on the upstream side of the intersection CS, immediately before the detection area DD1, which is the monitoring range of the distance measuring unit 11, and the vehicle detector 40 detects a passing vehicle, and when the vehicle detector 40 detects a vehicle, it is determined whether or not to perform monitoring by the distance measuring unit 11. In other words, in this embodiment, the conditions (monitoring conditions) for whether monitoring by the sensor should be performed in the roadside device 100 are different. Note that, except for the above points, this embodiment and the first embodiment have similar configurations, and therefore the overall configuration of the information provision system 500 will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0056] In the example shown in Fig. 8 etc., the target autonomous vehicle VE is a general vehicle. A case where the autonomous vehicle VE is a bus BU that runs along a route will be described as a modified example with reference to Fig. 11 etc.

[0057] Hereinafter, a configuration example of the roadside device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The roadside device 100 includes a sensor device 10, a vehicle communication unit 20, and a control unit 50, similar to the example shown in Fig. 3 or 4. However, unlike the example shown in Fig. 3 or 4, the roadside device 100 includes a vehicle detector 40 (see Fig. 8) arranged upstream of the intersection CS, as described above.

[0058] The vehicle detector 40 is configured, for example, by an ultrasonic sensor, and is capable of detecting, for example, the general shape (size and length) of a passing vehicle. The detection result in the vehicle detector 40 is output to the control unit 50. It is assumed that the vehicle detector 40 is configured with an inexpensive component, such as an ultrasonic sensor, compared to the components that constitute the distance measuring unit 11.

[0059] Hereinafter, with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 10, an example of a series of operations relating to switching of the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11, which is the sensor SE in the roadside device 100 of this embodiment, will be described.

[0060] First, when the main body of the roadside device 100 starts up, the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14) accordingly turns on the power of the distance measurement unit 11, i.e., the power of the LiDAR (step S201). Note that, here, the power ON at the time of this start-up is referred to as the initial LiDAR power ON.

[0061] Next, the control unit 50 checks whether the vehicle detector 40, which is a detection sensor, has detected a vehicle (step S202). If there is no detection in step S202 (step S202: No), it checks whether the no-detection state continues for a certain period of time or more (step S203). If it does not continue (step S203: No), it continues checking in step S202. On the other hand, if it is confirmed that a certain period of time has passed in step S203 (step S203: Yes), a process of turning off the power supply of the LiDAR is performed (step S204). That is, it is determined that there is no need to monitor in the current situation, and the power supply of the distance measurement unit 11 is turned off. In this case, if the power supply of the distance measurement unit 11 is ON immediately before the determination, the switching unit SW (sensor power supply management unit 14) performs an operation of switching it to OFF, and if the power supply of the distance measurement unit 11 is OFF, this is maintained (continued).

[0062] After the process in step S204, the control unit 50 repeats the operations from step S202.

[0063] On the other hand, in step S202, if there is detection by the vehicle detector 40 (step S202: Yes), that is, if a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector 40, the control unit 50 checks whether or not the detected vehicle is a target for providing information (step S205). That is, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the detected vehicle is an autonomously driven vehicle VE to which information for driving assistance is to be provided, based on whether or not the vehicle communication unit 20 has received future position information.

[0064] In step S205, if the detected vehicle is not a target for providing information (step S205: No), the process returns to the operation from step S202, and the operation is repeated.

[0065] In step S205, if the detected vehicle is a target for providing information (step S205: Yes), a process is performed to turn on the power of the LiDAR (step S206). That is, it is determined that monitoring is necessary in the current situation, and the power of the distance measuring unit 11 is turned on. In this case, if the power of the distance measuring unit 11 is in an OFF state immediately before the determination, an operation is performed to switch it to ON in the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14), and if the power of the distance measuring unit 11 is in an ON state, this state is maintained (continued).

[0066] In addition to the process of step S206, control unit 50 starts communication with the target autonomously driven vehicle VE, that is, starts providing information on the received future position information (step S207), and continues this (step S208).

[0067] Thereafter, the control unit 50 continues to check whether the autonomous vehicle VE has completed passing through the intersection CS or the detection area DD1 (step S209), and when it is confirmed that the autonomous vehicle VE has completed passing through the intersection CS or the detection area DD1 (step S209: Yes), it checks whether there are any other vehicles to which information is to be provided within the detection area DD1 (step S210).

[0068] In step S210, if the vehicle is present (step S210: Yes), the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11 is maintained in the ON state in order to continue providing information to the vehicle (step S211). On the other hand, in step S210, if the vehicle is not present (step S210: No), the switching unit SW (sensor power supply management unit 14) performs an operation of switching the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11 to OFF (step S212). After the process of step S211 or step S212, the control unit 50 checks whether or not there is a command to stop the main unit operation in the roadside device 100 (step S213), and if there is no command, that is, if the main unit is still running (step S213: No), the operation from step S202 is repeated again.

[0069] On the other hand, in step S213, if a command to stop the main body operation has been received (step S213: Yes), the series of processes ends.

[0070] Hereinafter, a modified example of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11 etc., in which the autonomously driven vehicle VE is a bus BU that travels along a route.

[0071] FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the roadside device 100 of this modified example, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a series of operations related to switching of the power supply of the sensor in the roadside device 100.

[0072] In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 11, the roadside device 100 includes a sensor device 10, a vehicle communication unit 20, and a control unit 50, similar to the example shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 9, and further includes a bus schedule information storage unit 30 and a vehicle detector 40.

[0073] As in the first embodiment, the bus schedule information storage unit 30 stores information on the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus, and these can be used, but time data for each bus may also be used. Although not shown in the figures, the bus schedule information storage unit 30 may be replaced by a system internal communication unit CTt as shown in FIG.

[0074] In addition, the vehicle detector 40 may be configured as a bus detector 40B, for example, using an ultrasonic sensor to detect the general shape (size and length) of a passing vehicle and thereby determine whether the detected vehicle is a bus.

[0075] Hereinafter, an example of a series of operations related to switching the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11, which is the sensor SE in the roadside device 100 of the above embodiment, will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 12. Among the operations of this embodiment, the operations from step S301 to step S305 correspond to the operations from step S101 to step S105 in Fig. 6. Also, the operations from step S306 to step S317 after step S305 correspond to the operations from step S202 to step S213 in Fig. 12, and the same processing as in Fig. 12 is performed except that in step S317, if no command is issued to stop the main body operation and the main body is kept running (step S317: No), the processing returns to the initial processing step S301.

[0076] First, when the main body of the roadside device 100 is started up, the switching unit SW (sensor power management unit 14) acquires bus schedule information from the bus schedule information storage unit 30 via the control unit 50 (step S301), and also acquires information on the current time (step S302).The two are compared to determine whether the bus is operating during that time period, i.e., whether the current time is between the time of the first bus and the time of the last bus (step S303).

[0077] In step S303, if it is determined that it is not the time when the bus is operating (step S303: No), the switching unit SW determines to turn off the power supply to the distance measurement unit 11, i.e., the power supply to the LiDAR (step S304), and the control unit 50 checks whether there is a command to stop the operation of the roadside device 100 main body (step S317).

[0078] On the other hand, in step S303, if it is determined that it is the bus operating time (step S303: Yes), the switching unit SW determines to turn on the power of the LiDAR (step S305) and performs the operations from step S306 to step S317, i.e., the operations equivalent to the operations from step S201 to step S213 in FIG. 12.

[0079] In addition, in the above, if no command is given to stop the main body operation in step S317 and the main body remains running (step S317: No), the process returns to the initial process of step S301, whereas if a command is given to stop the main body operation (step S317: Yes), the process ends.

[0080] In the above cases, the distance measuring unit 11 can be turned off during the time period from the time of the first bus to the time of the last bus when the distance measuring unit 11 is not being used to provide information to the bus BU.

[0081] In addition to the above, as shown in the block diagram of another configuration example shown in Fig. 13, the roadside device 100 may have a configuration in which the vehicle detector 40 detects both general vehicles and buses and provides information on both. In this case, the operation is basically as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10, but it is also possible to provide different information for general vehicles and buses, for example.

[0082] In this embodiment as well, the roadside device 100 can extend the life of the distance measuring unit 11 by switching the power of the distance measuring unit 11 on and off based on the monitoring conditions at the switching unit SW, and can also extend the life of the sensor device 10 composed of the distance measuring unit 11 and the switching unit SW. In particular, in the case of this embodiment, vehicle detection at the vehicle detector 40 can be applied as a monitoring condition.

[0083] Hereinafter, an overview of the roadside device 100 will be described with reference to a conceptual diagram shown in FIG.

[0084] As shown in the figure and as described above, in the roadside device 100 of each of the above embodiments, the power supply PW of the distance measuring unit 11, which is the sensor SE, is switched ON and OFF while being managed by the sensor power supply management unit 14 as a switching unit SW. The distance measuring unit 11 measures distance within a detection area DD1, which is a monitoring range, to obtain distance measurement data in order to detect an object in the range. However, the distance measuring unit 11 is, for example, a LiDAR composed of a laser, a galvanometer mirror, or a polygon mirror, and has a problem of short life due to long-term use (for example, if used 24 hours a day, it will need to be replaced in about 1 to 4 years). In response to this, whether to perform monitoring by the sensor, i.e., whether to operate the distance measuring unit 11, is determined based on monitoring conditions (for example, conditions regarding the time period and the presence or absence of a vehicle to which information is to be provided, etc.), and the power supply of the distance measuring unit 11 is switched ON and OFF by the switching unit SW according to the determination result. This reduces the usage time of the distance measuring unit 11, particularly the continuous usage time, thereby extending the life of the distance measuring unit 11 and therefore the life of the sensor device 10.

[0085] 〔others〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0086] First, in the above, the location where the roadside device 100 is installed is the intersection CS, but it is not limited to this and can be introduced in various locations. For example, the present application can be applied to a detection area DD1 including a lane junction or a lane change section.

[0087] In addition, the shape of the intersection CS is merely an example and is not limited to this and can be applied to cases with various shapes and structures.

[0088] In the above, the time period considered is the time period from the first bus to the last bus, but it is not limited to this. For example, if it is known that there is no traffic in an area at night, the power can be turned off during that time period.

[0089] Furthermore, for example, in the case where a monitoring sensor is provided in the signal lamp SG, this may be used as the sensor.

[0090] In the above example, the sensor device 10 is configured to include the distance measuring unit 11 and the imaging unit 12. However, the sensor device 10 may be configured to include only the distance measuring unit 11 without including the imaging unit 12.

[0091] Regarding the sensor device 10, the sensor device 10 is incorporated in the roadside device 100 and is applied to monitoring intersection CSs, etc., but it is also possible to use the sensor device 10 for other purposes. For example, it is also possible to install the sensor device 10 in a parking facility and use it when monitoring the conditions inside the parking facility.

[0092] Regarding the number of sensor devices 10 (distance measuring units 11), one roadside device 100 may have one sensor device 10 (distance measuring units 11), but depending on the installation location, a single roadside device 100 may have multiple sensor devices 10 (distance measuring units 11) installed at one location to monitor the required range. For example, as shown in the example of Fig. 15, sensors SE (SEα-SEδ) including distance measuring units 11 (11α-11δ) that monitor detection areas DD1-DD4 corresponding to the signal lamps SG corresponding to the four roads that form a cross intersection CS may be incorporated, and the power on / off of each of the distance measuring units 11α-11δ may be controlled.

[0093] In addition, the means of transport to be managed may include taxis and the like in addition to buses.

[0094] Also, data on the use time / non-use time and frequency of use of the sensor device 10 (distance measuring unit 11) may be successively transmitted to the central control unit CT to manage the use status.

[0095] In addition, with regard to the above, the power supply to the sensor SE is turned on and off by the switching unit SW of the sensor power management unit 14, this has been described as a mode in which the power supply to the sensor SE is turned on directly, but the same processing can be performed, for example, by sending an operation start signal / stop signal to the sensor SE, so the power supply being turned on and off also includes being turned on and off by outputting a signal such as the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 10...sensor device, 11...distance measuring unit, 12...imaging unit, 13...sensor processing unit, 14...sensor power management unit, 20...vehicle communication unit, 30...bus schedule information storage unit, 40...vehicle detector, 40B...bus detector, 50...control unit, 70...communication unit, 100, 100A, 100B, 100C...roadside device, 500...information provision system, A1...arrow, AO...automatic driving control unit, BMS...bus operation management system, BS...bus stop, BU...bus, CS...intersection, CT...central management unit, CTt...system internal communication unit, DD1, DD1a, DD1b, DD1c...detection area, PW...power supply, SC...signal controller, SE...sensor, SG...signal lamp, SW...switching unit, TCC...traffic control center, TT...communication unit, VE...automatic driving vehicle

Claims

1. A sensor for detecting objects in a monitored area; a switching unit that judges whether or not to perform monitoring using the sensor based on a monitoring condition and switches on / off a power supply for the sensor according to the judgment result; A roadside device comprising:

2. The roadside device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror, and detects an object by distance measurement using irradiation of a laser beam.

3. The roadside device according to claim 1 , wherein the switching unit determines whether to power on or off the sensor depending on a time period in accordance with traffic management of a transportation facility.

4. The roadside device according to claim 3 , wherein the switching unit switches power on in response to a first bus in a bus service serving as the transportation means, and switches power off in response to a last bus.

5. The roadside device according to claim 1 , wherein the switching unit switches the power on when a vehicle is detected by a detection sensor disposed upstream of the monitoring range.

6. The roadside device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured with a plurality of sensing elements arranged in parallel, and the plurality of sensing elements alternately perform sensing within the same range.

7. The sensor detects an object present in a monitoring area of ​​the intersection as the monitoring target range, The roadside device according to claim 1 , wherein in response to an information request from a vehicle heading toward the intersection, the roadside device transmits a detection result of the sensor back to the vehicle.

8. A sensor for detecting objects in a monitored area; a switching unit that judges whether or not to perform monitoring using the sensor based on a monitoring condition and switches on / off a power supply for the sensor according to the judgment result; A sensor device comprising:

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