Vehicle guidance system

Abstract

To provide a technology that enables at least one of clearing road shapes or presenting various information regarding speed.SOLUTION: A vehicle guidance system having a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road is configured so that one or more light emitters are lit in a first color and the light position of the light emitter moves forward or backward along the road according to the passage of time, one or more light emitters are lit in a second color different from the first color and the lighting position of the light emitter moves from forward or backward along the road according to the passage of time, and the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter lit in the first color is different from the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter lit in the second color.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle guidance systems. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle guidance device that causes some of a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged along a road to emit light in a specific color and sequentially changes the position of the emitting light-emitting elements forward (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-2059 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, only some of the illuminators emit light, and the remaining illuminators do not emit light. For this reason, in situations where it is difficult for vehicles on the road to see what is ahead, such as at night or when there is fog, it is difficult to see the shape of the road. In addition, in conventional technology, the illuminators emit only one color, so it is not possible to provide a variety of speed indications.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a vehicle guidance system that can improve at least one of the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle guidance system having a plurality of light emitters lined up along a road, in which one or more light emitters light up in a first color and the lighting positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes, and one or more light emitters light up in a second color different from the first color and the lighting positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes, and the vehicle guidance system is configured such that the speed at which the lighting positions of the light emitters lit up in the first color move is different from the speed at which the lighting positions of the light emitters lit up in the second color move.

[0007] That is, since there are light emitters that light up in the second color in addition to the light emitters that light up in the first color, the driver of the vehicle can recognize light emitters of more colors compared to when the light emitters light up in one color. As a result, the shape of the road can be more easily understood compared to a configuration in which only one color is lit. Also, since the moving speed of the lighting position differs between the light emitters that light up in the first color and the light emitters that light up in the second color, the driver of the vehicle can recognize the difference in moving speed. Also, various states in which the difference in moving speed is large and small can be presented to the driver of the vehicle, and the driver of the vehicle can recognize them. Therefore, various presentations regarding speed can be made.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention is configured as a vehicle guidance system having a plurality of light emitters lined up along a road, in which one or more of the light emitters are lit up in a first color, the lit positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road over time, and the light emitters other than the light emitters lit up in the first color are lit up in a second color different from the first color.

[0009] That is, while some of the light emitters are lit in the second color, some are lit in the first color, and the lit positions of the light emitters lit in the first color move forward or backward. With this configuration, the shape of the road can be easily understood by the light emitters emitting in the second color. Also, the light emitters emitting in the first color can provide guidance regarding speed.

[0010] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is configured as a vehicle guidance system having a plurality of light emitters lined up along a road, in which some of the light emitters are unlit and the remaining light emitters are lit, and the positions of the unlit light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes.

[0011] That is, some of the light emitters are not lit, the remaining light emitters are lit, and the positions of the non-lit light emitters move forward or backward. With this configuration, the shape of the road can be easily understood by the light emitters that emit light in the second color. Also, the light emitters that emit light in the second color can provide guidance regarding speed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle guidance system. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing a light emitter. [Figure 4] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of lighting data and a lighting cycle, and FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining changes in the pattern over time. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of a lighting control process. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the lit or unlit states of light emitters distinguished by color. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the manner in which light emitters are turned on without distinguishing between colors. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the light emitter is turned on. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle guidance system. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the light emitter is turned on. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Here, the embodiment will be described in the following order. (1) Vehicle Guidance System Configuration: (2) Lighting control processing: (3) Other embodiments: (1) Vehicle Guidance System Configuration:

[0014] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle guidance system 1. The vehicle guidance system 1 includes a lighting management device 10, an information transmission device 20, and a plurality of light emitters 30. The plurality of light emitters 30 are arranged along a road R. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the light emitters 30 are arranged at regular intervals along the road R on both sides in the width direction of the road R. Of course, the light emitters 30 may be installed in various ways, and may be installed on a guardrail, a wall surface, or the like, for example.

[0015] In this embodiment, the multiple light emitters 30 cooperate with each other to regularly repeat lighting and non-lighting, thereby making the driver of a vehicle on road R recognize that the lighting and non-lighting pattern is moving along road R. In this way, the light emitters 30 function as guide lights that alert the driver.

[0016] In this embodiment, when the traveling direction of the road R is the forward direction, the positions of the light emitters 30 present on both sides in the width direction of the road R are the same in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light emitters 30 present at the same position in the front-rear direction light up in the same pattern. Therefore, the same pattern is configured to move along the road R on both sides of the road R. Of course, this configuration is one example, and the light emitters 30 may be disposed on only one side of the road R, or the light-on and non-light-off patterns may be different on each side of the road R.

[0017] The information transmission device 20 transmits and receives various information to and from the multiple light-emitting devices 30 via wireless communication. Furthermore, the information transmission device 20 and the lighting management device 10 communicate with each other via a network 40. The information transmission device 20 is installed in a position where it can communicate with the multiple light-emitting devices 30. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lighting management device 10 generates information for controlling each of the multiple light-emitting devices 30, and transmits the information to each light-emitting device 30 via the information transmission device 20.

[0018] Each light emitter 30 acquires the information and controls the light emitting element based on the information. The lighting management device 10 can be configured, for example, by a general-purpose computer equipped with various user interfaces. Of course, the lighting management device 10 may be a stationary computer or a portable computer. The information transmission device 20 can be realized by a known device capable of transmitting and receiving various information by wireless communication.

[0019] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the light emitter 30. The light emitter 30 comprises a display unit 31, a support 32, and an antenna 33. The support 32 is a cylindrical part installed on the ground on the outer side in the width direction of the road R, and the display unit 31 is attached to the upper part of the support 32. The antenna 33 is attached to the upper part of the display unit 31, and is used for communication with the wireless receiving unit 30a described below, etc. The display unit 31 comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements 31a (LEDs in Fig. 2). In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 31a have elements of two colors, including a light-emitting element that emits green light and a light-emitting element that emits red light.

[0020] In addition, in the display unit 31, light-emitting elements of different colors are arranged at regular intervals so that different colors are adjacent to each other in the horizontal and vertical directions. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, if the emission colors of the top five light-emitting elements 31a are green, red, green, red, green, the emission colors of the second top five light-emitting elements 31a are red, green, red, green, red. With the above configuration, the light emitter 30 can be turned on to output multiple colors of light with one unit. That is, when only the green light-emitting element 31a is turned on and the red light-emitting element 31a is not turned on, the output color is green. Also, when only the red light-emitting element 31a is turned on and the green light-emitting element 31a is not turned on, the output color is red. Furthermore, when the green light-emitting element 31a and the red light-emitting element 31a are turned on, the output color is orange. As described above, the light emitter 30 can be turned on in green, red, and orange, and further, it is also possible to express multiple colors with different brightness by adjusting the brightness.

[0021] Each of the light emitters 30 is assigned an identification number. In this embodiment, the identification number indicates the number of the light emitters 30, counting from the top. In this embodiment, some of the light emitters 30 are lit in a first color (orange in the following example), some are lit in a second color (green in the following example), and the rest are not lit. In this embodiment, the light emitters lit in orange and the light emitters lit in green move in the same direction along the road R. The direction may be either forward or backward, but here, an example will be described in which the light emitters 30 lit in orange move forward and the light emitters 30 lit in green move forward. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light emitters lit in orange move forward at a faster speed than the light emitters lit in green.

[0022] The light emitter 30 has a configuration for performing the lighting control described above. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing the light emitter 30 according to this embodiment. The multiple light emitters 30 all have the same configuration.

[0023] The light emitter 30 includes a wireless receiver 30a, a GNSS receiver 30b, serial / parallel conversion I / Fs 30c and 30d, memories 30e to 30j, a microcomputer 30k, light emitting element drive circuits 30l and 30m, and a comparator 30n. The wireless receiver 30a is a device for wirelessly communicating with the information transmitter 20, and outputs received information as serial data. The serial / parallel conversion I / F 30c converts the serial data acquired from the wireless receiver 30a into parallel data, and stores it in the memories 30e, 30f, and 30g.

[0024] The memories 30e to 30j are storage elements capable of storing any information. In the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the memories 30e to 30j are described as different components, but may be configured such that they are stored in different logical locations within a common memory.

[0025] The memories 30e and 30i are memories that store setting data for controlling the light-emitting element 31a in a certain color. The memories 30f and 30j are memories that store setting data for controlling the light-emitting element 31a in another color. The user generates various setting data including lighting data and the like in advance using the lighting management device 10, and transmits the setting data to each light-emitting device 30 via the information transmission device 20. The transmitted setting data is received via the wireless receiving unit 30a, and the setting data is stored in the memories 30e and 30f.

[0026] The format of the setting data for illuminating the light-emitting elements 31a is common to each color, but the contents are different. In this embodiment, the light-emitting devices 30 perform lighting control so that the same patterns are lined up along the road R, and the patterns move forward or backward along the road R. The lighting data is information indicating the lighting or non-lighting of each of the multiple light-emitting devices 30 that make up one pattern, and the lighting cycle indicates the number of light-emitting devices 30 that make up one pattern.

[0027] FIG. 4A shows an example of lighting data. The lighting data is data that indicates lighting of the light emitter 30 in a certain pattern with 1 and non-lighting with 0, and FIG. 4A shows data indicating lighting or non-lighting for eight consecutive light emitters 30. The lighting cycle is data that indicates the number of light emitters 30 that constitute the pattern. For example, when the lighting cycle is four, one pattern is expressed by four consecutive light emitters 30. In this embodiment, the pattern is expressed by data obtained by extracting the number of lighting cycles from the beginning of the lighting data. For example, in the example of lighting data shown in FIG. 4A, when the lighting cycle is four, the first four, i.e., "1000", are regarded as data indicating one pattern.

[0028] The display color indicates the color when the light emitting element 31a is lit. When the data stored in the memory 30e is data for green, information indicating green is stored in the memory 30e as the display color. When the data stored in the memory 30f is data for orange, information indicating orange is stored in the memory 30f as the display color. In the following, the description will be continued assuming that the data in the memory 30e is data for green and the data in the memory 30f is data for orange.

[0029] The dimming value is information indicating the luminance of the light-emitting element 31a. In this embodiment, a microcomputer 30k, which will be described later, adjusts the luminance of the light-emitting element 31a by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). The dimming value is information indicating the luminance. Various formats may be used to indicate the luminance, and for example, a mode in which the magnitude of the luminance is expressed by a numerical value between a lower limit value and an upper limit value can be adopted. The microcomputer 30k lengthens the time length of the pulse corresponding to the period during which the light-emitting element 31a is turned on in PWM as the dimming value increases.

[0030] The lighting period is information indicating the duration of one pattern. In other words, when the period indicated by the lighting period has elapsed since lighting in a certain pattern began, lighting and non-lighting are controlled so that the pattern moves forward by the distance of one light emitter 30 along the road R. As a result, the lighting position of the light emitter 30 moves along the road R as time passes.

[0031] FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the change in the pattern over time in the above example. That is, FIG. 4B shows the change in the pattern over time in an example where the lighting data is 10000000, the lighting cycle is 4, and the lighting period is ΔT. FIG. 4B shows icons indicating lighting or non-lighting of the first to tenth light emitters 30 arranged horizontally. That is, a white circular icon indicates lighting, and a gray circular icon indicates non-lighting. Also, FIG. 4B shows the change in the lighting pattern over time in the vertical direction. Here, the light emitter 30 installed closest to the user when looking in the direction of travel is number 1, and the numbers are set so that the value increases toward the front in the direction of travel.

[0032] In this example, the lighting data is 10000000 and the lighting cycle is 4, so the pattern is lighting, off, off, off. Fig. 4B shows a state in which the first to fourth light emitters 30 are in pattern P at time T1. The fifth and subsequent light emitters 30 at time T1 repeat pattern P for every four light emitters 30.

[0033] At time T1, lighting begins, and when the lighting period ΔT has elapsed and it becomes time T2, pattern P moves forward by the length of one light emitter 30. Therefore, at time T2, the second to fifth light emitters 30 become pattern P, and pattern P is repeated for every four light emitters 30 from the sixth light emitter 30 onwards. Also, since pattern P is repeated, the first light emitter 30 is turned off. Thereafter, pattern P is controlled to move forward every time the lighting period ΔT elapses.

[0034] In this embodiment, as described above, lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, dimming value, and lighting period are defined for each color to be lit, and are stored in the memories 30e and 30f, respectively. Therefore, the light emitter 30 operates according to the setting data for each color, and can move the pattern for each color at the speed for each color. The microcomputer 30k is a processor that performs a predetermined process according to a program stored in a ROM or the like (not shown), and the microcomputer 30k executes a process of moving the pattern for each color at each speed using the setting data for each color. The process for each color will be described later.

[0035] The light-emitting element drive circuits 30l and 30m are connected to the microcomputer 30k. The light-emitting element drive circuit 30l includes a power supply terminal Vdd, a light-emitting element 31a, a resistor element Rr, and a MOS transistor T. The light-emitting element 31a is electrically connected between the power supply terminal Vdd and the resistor element Rr, and the MOS transistor T is electrically connected between the resistor element Rr and the ground. The gate of the MOS transistor T is connected to a pin for PWM control in the microcomputer 30k. That is, the MOS transistor T turns on or off depending on the voltage of the pin of the microcomputer 30k, and the light-emitting element 31a lights up when it is on. The light-emitting element drive circuit 30m has the same configuration as the light-emitting element drive circuit 30l. However, in the light-emitting element drive circuit 30m, the light-emitting element 31a is a green LED, and in the light-emitting element drive circuit 30l, the light-emitting element 31a is a red LED. In addition, the pin to which the gate of the MOS transistor T is electrically connected is different between the light-emitting element drive circuit 30m and the light-emitting element drive circuit 30l.

[0036] Although the light emitter 30 is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements 31a, only one of them is shown in FIG. 3. In reality, a light emitting element drive circuit 30l is provided for each of the red light emitting elements 31a, and the gates of the transistors T provided in each of the light emitting element drive circuits 30l are electrically connected to the same pin of the microcomputer 30k. Therefore, all of the red light emitting elements 31a provided in one light emitter 30 perform the same operation. Also, a light emitting element drive circuit 30m is provided for each of the green light emitting elements 31a, and the gates of the transistors T provided in each of the light emitting element drive circuits 30m are electrically connected to the same pin of the microcomputer 30k. Therefore, all of the green light emitting elements 31a provided in one light emitter 30 perform the same operation.

[0037] The memory 30g is a memory for storing the start time of light emission control by the vehicle guidance system 1. A user sets the start time in advance using the lighting management device 10, and transmits data indicating the start time to each light emitter 30 via the information transmission device 20. The transmitted data is received via the wireless receiving unit 30a and stored in the memory 30g.

[0038] The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 30b is a device that receives signals from navigation satellites, acquires the current time based on the signals, and outputs the current time as serial data. The serial / parallel conversion I / F 30d converts the serial data acquired from the GNSS receiver 30b into parallel data, and stores the parallel data in the memory 30h as the current time. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the serial / parallel conversion I / Fs 30c and 30d are different components, but may be configured by a common circuit.

[0039] The comparator 30n is a circuit that compares the start time stored in the memory 30g with the current time stored in the memory 30h. When the current time matches the start time, the comparator 30n transfers the setting data stored in the memories 30e and 30f to the memories 30i and 30j, respectively. When each setting data is written to the memories 30e and 30f, the microcomputer 30k starts a predetermined process for operating the light emitter 30. The determination by the comparator 30n and the transfer of the setting data may be realized by the microcomputer 30k.

[0040] (2) Lighting control processing: Next, the lighting control process executed in the light emitter 30 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the lighting control process. The lighting control process is executed after the setting data for each of the orange and green light emitting elements 31a is generated in the lighting management device 10 and stored in a storage medium (not shown) of the lighting management device 10. When the lighting control process is started, the light emitter 30 records the setting data for green in the memory (step S100). That is, when the user operates the lighting management device 10 and instructs the transfer of the setting data for the light emitting element 31a when lighting the light green, the lighting management device 10 transfers the setting data to the light emitter 30 via the information transmission device 20. The light emitter 30 receives the setting data via the wireless receiving unit 30a. The received setting data is converted by the serial / parallel conversion I / F 30c and stored in the memory 30e. Through the above process, the setting data (lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, dimming value, lighting period) of the light emitting element 31a when lighting the light green is stored in the memory 30e.

[0041] Next, the light emitter 30 records the orange setting data in memory (step S105). That is, when the user operates the lighting management device 10 and instructs the transfer of setting data for the light emitting element 31a when lighting the light orange, the lighting management device 10 transfers the setting data to the light emitter 30 via the information transmission device 20. The light emitter 30 receives the setting data via the wireless receiving unit 30a. The received setting data is converted by the serial / parallel conversion I / F 30c and stored in the memory 30f. Through the above process, the setting data (lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, dimming value, lighting period) of the light emitting element 31a when lighting the light orange is stored in the memory 30f.

[0042] In this embodiment, the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter 30 that lights up in orange is different from the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter 30 that lights up in green, the former being faster. This is realized by having different setting data for green and orange, and in this embodiment, this is realized by having the lighting period of orange be shorter than the lighting period of green. In other words, the lighting position of orange is switched at a faster moving speed by switching to the next pattern every shorter period.

[0043] Here, an example is assumed in which the lighting period ΔTg of the light-emitting element 31a when lighting green is twice the lighting period ΔTo of the light-emitting element 31a when lighting orange (for example, the former is 20 ms and the latter is 10 ms). The lighting data and lighting cycle may be different for each color of the light-emitting element 31a, but for simplicity, an example is assumed in which both are the same (lighting data is 10000000, and the lighting cycle is 4).

[0044] Next, the light emitter 30 records the start time in memory (step S110). That is, when the user operates the lighting management device 10 to instruct the transfer of the start time, which is the time when the vehicle guidance system 1 starts guiding the vehicle, the lighting management device 10 transfers the start time to the light emitter 30 via the information transmission device 20. The light emitter 30 receives the start time via the wireless receiving unit 30a. The received setting data is converted by the serial / parallel conversion I / F 30c and stored in the memory 30g.

[0045] During the process of executing the above, the light emitter 30 constantly acquires the current time and records the acquired current time in memory (step S115). That is, the GNSS receiver 30b receives a signal from a navigation satellite at very short fixed intervals, acquires the current time based on the signal, and outputs it. The serial / parallel conversion I / F 30d converts the serial data output from the GNSS receiver 30b into parallel data, and stores it in the memory 30h as the current time.

[0046] On the other hand, the comparator 30n determines whether the current time matches the start time (step S120). That is, the comparator 30n compares the start time stored in the memory 30g with the current time stored in the memory 30h, and if the two match, determines that the current time matches the start time.

[0047] If it is not determined in step S120 that the current time matches the start time, steps S115 and S120 are repeatedly executed. If it is determined in step S120 that the current time matches the start time, the setting data is transferred (step S125). That is, the setting data stored in memory 30e is transferred to memory 30i, and the setting data stored in memory 30f is transferred to memory 30j.

[0048] When the setting data is transferred as described above, the microcomputer 30k performs light emission control based on the transferred setting data. Specifically, the microcomputer 30k identifies a pattern based on the lighting data and the lighting cycle (step S130). That is, the microcomputer 30k extracts data for the lighting cycle from the lighting data of each color and regards it as a pattern of each color. In this example, since the lighting data of both green and orange is 10000000 and the lighting cycle is 4, the pattern P is identified as 1000.

[0049] Next, the microcomputer 30k specifies whether the light emitter 30 is turned on or off based on the identification information of the light emitter 30 (step S135). That is, all light emitters 30 are provided with a microcomputer 30k, and the microcomputer 30k refers to a memory (not shown) to specify the identification information of the light emitter 30 in which it is mounted. The microcomputer 30k then determines whether the light emitter 30 should be turned on or off at the current time based on its own identification information, based on the pattern specified in step S130.

[0050] Fig. 6 shows the lighting or non-lighting of the light emitters 30 corresponding to the green and orange patterns, distinguishing them by color, while Fig. 7 shows the lighting of the light emitters 30 according to each pattern without distinguishing them by color. In these figures, the horizontal direction shows the patterns corresponding to the first to tenth light emitters 30, and the vertical direction shows the change in the lighting pattern over time. In these figures, a white circular icon indicates green lighting, a light gray circular icon indicates orange lighting, and a dark gray circular icon indicates non-lighting.

[0051] In this embodiment, since patterns are obtained for both green and orange at the same time, the green and orange patterns are shown side by side in FIG. 6. The left side is the green pattern, and the right side is the orange pattern. For example, the green pattern at start time t1 is shown on the left side of FIG. 6, and the patterns corresponding to the non-lighting and lighting of the first to fourth light emitters 30 are marked with the symbol Pg. The orange pattern at start time t1 is shown on the right side of FIG. 6, and the patterns corresponding to the non-lighting and lighting of the first to fourth light emitters 30 are marked with the symbol Po. The same pattern is repeated for the fifth and subsequent light emitters 30.

[0052] The patterns at the start time t1 are 1000 (lighted, unlit, unlit, unlit) for both green and orange. Therefore, the microcomputer 30k considers that at the start time t1, the first light emitter 30 is lighted, the second to fourth light emitters 30 are unlit, and the same pattern is repeated from the fifth light emitter onwards. As a result, the microcomputer 30k can determine whether all light emitters 30 are lit or unlit at the start time t1. Therefore, for each of the light emitters 30, the microcomputer 30k identifies the number of the light emitter 30 based on the identification information, and identifies whether the light emitting element 31a is to be lit or unlit at the current time according to the identified order. This process is performed for each color of the light emitting element 31a.

[0053] For example, at start time t1, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the first light emitter 30 identifies, based on the identification information, that the light emitter 30 mounted on itself is the first, and determines that the green light and the orange light should be turned on. Also, for example, at start time t1, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the second light emitter 30 identifies, based on the identification information, that the light emitter 30 mounted on itself is the second, and determines that the green and orange lights should be turned off.

[0054] Furthermore, at time t2, when the orange light-on period ΔTo has elapsed from the start time t1, the determination result by the microcomputer 30k changes. For example, at time t2, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the first light-emitting device 30 identifies that the light-emitting device 30 mounted on itself is the first based on the identification information, and determines that the green light should be turned on and the orange light should be turned off. Also, for example, at time t2, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the second light-emitting device 30 identifies that the light-emitting device 30 mounted on itself is the second based on the identification information, and determines that the green light should be turned off and the orange light should be turned on.

[0055] Furthermore, at time t3, when the green light-on period ΔTg has elapsed since the start time t1 (when the orange light-on period ΔTo has elapsed since time t2), the determination result by the microcomputer 30k also changes. For example, at time t3, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the first light-emitting device 30 identifies that the light-emitting device 30 mounted on it is the first one based on the identification information, and determines that the green light should be turned off and the orange light should be turned off. Also, for example, at time t3, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the second light-emitting device 30 identifies that the light-emitting device 30 mounted on it is the second one based on the identification information, and determines that the green light should be turned on and the orange light should be turned off.

[0056] Next, the microcomputer 30k judges whether or not to light the light-emitting device 30 mounted thereon (step S140). If it is to light the light-emitting device 30, the microcomputer 30k lights the light-emitting device 31a in the color determined to be lighted in step S135 (step S145). If it is not to light the light-emitting device 31a, the microcomputer 30k skips step S145, and turns off the light-emitting device 31a if it was lighted immediately before. Specifically, when lighting green, the microcomputer 30k refers to the dimming value in the memory 30i, and sets the duty ratio of the PWM so that the luminance corresponds to the dimming value. Then, the microcomputer 30k applies a pulse of the duty ratio to the gate of the light-emitting device drive circuit 30m to perform PWM control. As a result, the light-emitting device 30 lights up in green at the luminance specified by the dimming value.

[0057] When lighting orange, the microcomputer 30k refers to the dimming value in the memory 30j and sets the duty ratio of the PWM so that the luminance corresponds to the dimming value. Then, the microcomputer 30k applies a pulse of the duty ratio to the gates of the light-emitting element drive circuit 30l and the light-emitting element drive circuit 30m to perform PWM control. As a result, the light emitter 30 lights up orange at the luminance specified by the dimming value. Note that, depending on the time, a certain light emitter 30 may be in a situation where it should light up green and orange. In this case, the microcomputer 30k outputs a predetermined color with priority. In this embodiment, it is configured to light up orange, which is the color of the light emitter with the faster moving speed.

[0058] FIG. 7 shows the lighting of the light emitters 30 when step S145 is executed. For example, at the start time t1, the colors that should be lit in the first light emitter 30 are green and orange. Therefore, the microcomputer 30k prioritizes orange and lights it up. For the second light emitter 30, there is no color that should be lit at the start time t1, so it should be turned off. Therefore, the microcomputer 30k does not light the light emitting element 31a. For the third and subsequent light emitters 30, the microcomputer 30k also controls the lighting according to their respective orders. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 in association with the start time t1, the first, fifth, and ninth light emitters 30 are lit up in orange, and the other light emitters 30 are turned off.

[0059] Next, the microcomputer 30k determines whether the lighting period has elapsed (step S150). That is, the microcomputer 30k determines that the lighting period has elapsed when an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔTg indicated by the green setting data or an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔTo indicated by the orange setting data has elapsed, starting from the start time t1. If it is not determined that the lighting period has elapsed in step S150, the microcomputer 30k repeats the determination in step S150.

[0060] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S150 that the lighting period has elapsed, the microcomputer 30k repeats the processes from step S135 onwards. As a result, after the start time t1, the lighting state of the light emitter 30 is switched every time an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔTg or an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔTo has elapsed.

[0061] For example, at time t2, when the orange light-on period ΔTo has elapsed from the start time t1, the color that should be lit in the first light-emitting device 30 is green, and orange is turned off. Therefore, the microcomputer 30k turns off orange and turns on green. The color that should be lit in the second light-emitting device 30 is orange, and green is turned off. Therefore, the microcomputer 30k turns on the light-emitting device 30 orange. For the third and subsequent light-emitting devices 30, the microcomputer 30k also controls the lighting according to their respective orders. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 in association with time t2, the first, fifth, and ninth light-emitting devices 30 are lit in green, the second, sixth, and tenth light-emitting devices 30 are lit in orange, and the other light-emitting devices 30 are turned off.

[0062] By the microcomputer 30k of each light emitter 30 repeating the above process, the green lighting position and the orange lighting position move forward over time as shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the moving speed of the orange lighting position is faster than the moving speed of the green lighting position. Therefore, to a passenger in the vehicle on road R, the orange light appears to be overtaking the green light. Therefore, the passenger can recognize that there is a speed difference between the two lights on road R.

[0063] By making the passenger aware of the speed difference of moving light in this way, the passenger can be made aware of the speed difference. For example, since there is a speed difference between vehicles traveling on road R, the passenger can be made aware that it is preferable for a slower vehicle to accelerate in line with the surroundings, and that it is preferable for a faster vehicle to decelerate in line with the surroundings. (3) Other embodiments:

[0064] The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, a part of the processing performed by each device of the vehicle guidance system 1 may be executed by a plurality of devices, and a process performed by a specific device may be executed by another device. Also, some of the configurations of the above embodiment may be omitted, and the order of the processing may be changed or omitted.

[0065] For example, in the lighting control process shown in Fig. 5, the processing order of steps S100 to S110 may be any order, or may be executed in parallel. An apparatus in which the lighting management device 10 and the information transmission device 20 are integrated may be brought to a site near the road R, and the setting data may be transferred to the light emitter 30 by the apparatus. Furthermore, each of the light emitters 30 may be connected to the lighting management device 10 via a network.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the setting data may have various contents. For example, in the above embodiment, the lighting period is different for each color, but it may be the same for multiple colors. In this case, the lighting positions of the light emitters 30 that light up in a certain color may move every other color, and the lighting positions of the light emitters 30 that light up in other colors may move one at a time. By changing the amount of movement at one time, the moving speed for each color may be configured to be different.

[0067] The light emitters each have a light emitter and are arranged along a road so that the occupants of a vehicle traveling on the road can visually recognize whether the light is on or off. The light emitters may be devices that output light, and the light emitting elements are not limited to the above-mentioned LEDs, and may be various kinds of light bulbs or various elements. Of course, the manner in which light is output is not limited, and is not limited to a configuration in which the light from the multiple light emitting elements is directly output to the outside, and may be a mode in which the light from the light source is surface-emitted using a light guide plate. The configuration for coloring may also be various, and may be a configuration in which the light from the light emitting elements that output white light is colored using a color filter.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a single light emitter can output light of multiple colors, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single light emitter may output light of one color, and light emitters capable of outputting different colors may be arranged alternately along a road.

[0069] The first color is a color that is lit by a light-emitting device whose lighting position moves along the road. The hue, saturation, and brightness of the first color are not limited, but may be at least different from the second color. The second color is a color that is lit so that the lighting position moves along the road, or a color that is lit so that the lighting position does not move. The hue, saturation, and brightness of the first color and the second color are not limited, but may be at least different from the first color and the second color.

[0070] The first color and the second color may differ in any of hue, saturation, and luminance, but as long as they are configured to differ in at least luminance, the driver can recognize the difference between the first color and the second color. Of course, the first color and the second color may be different in hue or saturation to more clearly show the difference in color.

[0071] In a configuration in which the lighting positions of the light emitters that light up in the first and second colors move, the speeds of movement may be different, and the directions of movement may be the same or different. That is, the lighting positions of the light emitters that light up in the first color may move backward, and the lighting positions of the light emitters that light up in the second color may move backward. Also, the first color may move forward and the second color may move backward, or the first color may move backward and the second color may move forward.

[0072] In a configuration in which the lighting positions of the light emitters that light up in the first and second colors are moved, the number of light emitters that light up simultaneously may be one or more, but in order to allow the driver or the like to recognize the road shape, it is preferable that a larger number of light emitters light up. For example, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration in which a pattern in which one of N consecutive light emitters is lit appears repeatedly along the road may be used. N may be 2 or more, and the number is not limited, but for example, a configuration in which the upper limit is set to a value of about 5 to 10, and N is set arbitrarily to be less than the upper limit may be used. In addition, the number of light emitters that light up simultaneously may be equal to or greater than the number of light emitters that are not lit.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the lighting positions of the two colors are moved, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which one of the lighting positions of the two colors moves and the other does not move. Such a configuration may be, for example, a configuration in which one or more light emitters are lit in a first color, the lighting positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes, and the light emitters other than the light emitters lit in the first color are lit in a second color different from the first color.

[0074] That is, the lighting position of the first color may be moved in a situation where the second color is always lit as a background color. Such a configuration can be realized by a configuration similar to that of FIG. 3. However, the setting data for the second color does not require lighting data, lighting cycles, or lighting periods. In the light emitter 30 where the first color is to be turned off based on the pattern obtained from the lighting data and lighting cycles of the first color, the microcomputer 30k lights up the second color.

[0075] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the lighting state of the above-mentioned configuration. In Fig. 8, icons indicating the colors in which the first to tenth light emitters 30 are lit are arranged horizontally. That is, a white circular icon indicates green lighting, and a gray circular icon indicates orange lighting. Also, Fig. 8 shows changes in the lighting pattern over time in the vertical direction.

[0076] In the figure, four consecutive light emitters 30 form a pattern Pgo of orange, green, green, and green, and the pattern Pgo is lined up along the road R. In addition, the pattern Pgo moves forward as time passes. Therefore, a part of the green background is lit in orange, and the vehicle driver is configured to recognize that the lit position of the orange moves forward. According to the above configuration, by adjusting the moving speed of the orange, the vehicle passenger can be made to recognize the excessive speed or insufficient speed. In addition, the light emitters 30 other than the orange are lit in green, and the light emitters 30 are lined up along the road R, so that the vehicle passenger can recognize the shape of the road R. Therefore, even in a situation where it is difficult to see the front from the vehicle on the road, such as at night or when fog occurs, the vehicle passenger can easily recognize the shape of the road R.

[0077] Furthermore, the luminance in the lit state may change during the operation of the light emitter 30. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a state in which the first color is brighter than the second color and a state in which the first color is brighter than the second color are switched depending on at least one of the surrounding weather and brightness. FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the light emitter 30 capable of changing the luminance in the lit state. FIG. 9 can be realized by adding a sensor 30o and an interface (I / F) 30p to FIG. 3. Furthermore, when the light emitter 30 shown in FIG. 9 is used, the dimming value includes information indicating the luminance in a high luminance state and information indicating the luminance in a low luminance state.

[0078] When the brightness is switched according to the surrounding weather, the sensor 30o is a sensor capable of detecting the surrounding weather. The sensor can be, for example, any of various known sensors that detect temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, amount of rain, amount of solar radiation, and the presence or absence of fog. The sensor 30o outputs data indicating the detection result, and the I / F 30p acquires the data and passes it to the microcomputer 30k. The microcomputer 30k can identify the current weather condition based on the data acquired from the I / F 30p.

[0079] In this configuration, a standard is set for the weather condition, and the microcomputer 30k can be configured to, for example, set the first color to be brighter than the second color when the weather condition is better than the standard, and set the first color to be brighter than the second color when the weather condition is worse than the standard.

[0080] When this configuration is applied to the above-mentioned FIG. 8, for example, in a situation where visibility is reduced due to worsening weather conditions, the second color green light emitter 30 corresponding to the background is emphasized more than the orange light emitter 30. As a result, when the weather conditions worsen, the shape of the road can be more emphasized and recognized by the vehicle occupants. Also, when the weather conditions are good and visibility is good, it is assumed that there is no problem in recognizing the road shape, so the first color orange light emitter 30 is emphasized more than the green light emitter 30, and the vehicle occupants can more clearly recognize the excessive or insufficient speed.

[0081] When the luminance is switched according to the brightness of the surroundings, the sensor 30o shown in FIG. 9 is a sensor capable of detecting the brightness of the surroundings. The sensor can be, for example, various known sensors such as an illuminance sensor. The sensor 30o outputs data indicating the detection result, and the I / F 30p acquires the data and passes it to the microcomputer 30k. The microcomputer 30k can identify the current brightness based on the data acquired from the I / F 30p.

[0082] In this configuration, a reference is set for the brightness, and the microcomputer 30k can be configured so that, for example, when the brightness is brighter than the reference, the first color has a higher luminance than the second color, and when the brightness is darker than the reference, the first color has a lower luminance than the second color.

[0083] When this configuration is applied to the above-mentioned FIG. 8, for example, in a situation where the surroundings are dark and visibility is reduced, the second color green light emitter 30 corresponding to the background is emphasized more than the orange light emitter 30. As a result, when the weather conditions worsen, the shape of the road can be more emphasized and recognized by the vehicle occupants. When the surroundings are bright and visibility is good, it is assumed that there is no problem in recognizing the shape of the road, so the first color orange light emitter 30 is emphasized more than the green light emitter 30, and the vehicle occupants can more clearly recognize the speed, such as excessive or insufficient.

[0084] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the first color is brighter than the second color when the weather condition is worse than the reference, and the first color is brighter than the second color when the weather condition is better than the reference. It is also possible to configure the first color to be brighter than the second color when the brightness is darker than the reference, and the first color to be brighter than the second color. Furthermore, the same color may be configured to have its brightness changed depending on various conditions such as the surrounding weather and brightness. Furthermore, the configuration in which the brightness changes depending on the conditions may be applied to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, that is, the configuration in which the lighting positions of different colors move.

[0085] In the above-described embodiment, the lighting position of the lit light-emitting device 30 moves, but the position of the unlit light-emitting device 30 may move. Such a configuration may include, for example, a configuration in which some of the light-emitting devices 30 are unlit and the remaining light-emitting devices 30 are lit, and the positions of the unlit light-emitting devices 30 move forward or backward along the road as time passes.

[0086] That is, in a situation where some of the light emitters 30 are always lit as the background color, some of the light emitters 30 may not be lit, and the positions of the light emitters 30 that are not lit may move. Such a configuration may be realized by omitting the memories 30f and 30j from the configuration shown in FIG. 3. In the setting data stored in the memories 30e and 30i, a pattern in which the background is lit and the non-lit parts move is expressed by the lighting data and the lighting cycle. For example, when the lighting data is 01111111 and the lighting cycle is 4, one pattern is 0111, and a pattern of non-light, lighting, lighting, and lighting is obtained. In the light emitters 30 that should be lit based on the pattern obtained from the setting data, the microcomputer 30k lights the color specified as the display color.

[0087] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the lighting state of the above-mentioned configuration. In Fig. 10, icons indicating the colors in which the first to tenth light emitters 30 are lit are arranged horizontally. That is, a white circular icon indicates green lighting, and a gray circular icon indicates non-lighting. Also, Fig. 10 shows changes in the lighting pattern over time in the vertical direction.

[0088] In the figure, four consecutive light emitters 30 form a pattern Pgg of non-lighting, green, green, green, and the pattern Pgg is lined up along the road R. In addition, the pattern Pgg moves forward as time passes. Therefore, the vehicle driver is configured to recognize that a part of the green background is non-lighting and the non-lighting position moves forward. According to the above configuration, by adjusting the moving speed of the non-lighting position, the vehicle passenger can be made to recognize excessive or insufficient speed. In addition, since the light emitters 30 that form the background are lit in green and the light emitters 30 are lined up along the road R, the vehicle passenger can be made to recognize the shape of the road R. Therefore, even in a situation where it is difficult to see the front from the vehicle on the road, such as at night or when fog occurs, the vehicle passenger can easily recognize the shape of the road R. It is preferable that the number of non-lighting light emitters 30 is less than the number of lit light emitters 30.

[0089] The technique of the present invention can also be applied as a program or method. In addition, it can be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention can also be realized as a recording medium of a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium of the program can be a magnetic recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1...vehicle guidance system, 10...lighting management device, 20...information transmission device, 30...light emitter, 30a...wireless receiving unit, 30b...GNSS receiving unit, 30c, 30d...serial / parallel conversion I / F, 30e...memory, 30f to 30j...memory, 30k...microcomputer, 30l, 30m...light emitting element driving circuit, 30n...comparator, 30o...sensor, 30p...I / F, 31...display unit, 31a...light emitting element, 32...pillar, 33...antenna, 40...network,

Claims

1. A vehicle guidance system including a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road, one or more of the light emitters are lit in a first color, and the lit positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes; one or more of the light emitters are lit in a second color different from the first color, and the lit positions of the light emitters are moved forward or backward along the road as time passes; a moving speed of the lighting position of the light-emitting device that lights up in the first color is different from a moving speed of the lighting position of the light-emitting device that lights up in the second color; Vehicle guidance system.

2. the lighting position of the light emitter that lights up in the first color and the lighting position of the light emitter that lights up in the second color move in the same direction along the road; The vehicle guidance system of claim 1 .

3. A vehicle guidance system including a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road, one or more of the light emitters are lit in a first color, and the lit positions of the light emitters move forward or backward along the road as time passes; the light emitters other than the light emitter that lights up in the first color are lighted up in a second color different from the first color; Vehicle guidance system.

4. The first color and the second color differ from each other in at least luminance.

4. A vehicle guidance system according to claim 1 or 3.

5. a state in which the first color is brighter than the second color and a state in which the first color is brighter than the second color are switched in response to at least one of the surrounding weather and brightness; 5. The vehicle guidance system of claim 4.

6. A vehicle guidance system including a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road, some of the light emitters are turned off and the remaining light emitters are turned on, and the positions of the light emitters that are turned off move forward or backward along the road as time passes; Vehicle guidance system.

Images