Control system

Abstract

To provide technology that allows grouping after being installed on the road.SOLUTION: A control system that controls plural light emitters arrayed along the road and performing communications using specific frequency radio channels is configured, the control system comprising a light emitter information acquisition unit that acquires, from each of the plural light emitters, identification information associated with each of the plural light emitters by communications using the specific frequency radio channels, a grouping classification unit that classifies the plural light emitters into plural groups and associates the groups with the identification information, and a light emitter control unit that controls the plural light emitters with different patterns for each group.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique of lighting a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road in various lighting patterns is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, it has been difficult to classify a plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups and light them in different patterns for each group. If each of the plurality of light emitters is pre-classified into a plurality of groups before being arranged along the road, it is necessary to recognize the groups of the light emitters and then arrange them along the road, which makes the installation work on the road very complicated. For this reason, a technique that enables grouping after installation on the road has been desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention is a control system for controlling a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road and communicating via a wireless channel of a specific frequency, the control system including: a light emitter information acquisition unit that acquires, from each of the plurality of light emitters, identification information associated with each of the plurality of light emitters by communication using the wireless channel of the specific frequency; a group classification unit that classifies the plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups and associates the groups with the identification information; and a light emitter control unit that controls the plurality of light emitters in different patterns for each group.

[0006] That is, the control system acquires identification information by wireless communication from each light emitter arranged along the road, and classifies the groups by associating groups with the identification information. In this way, if the identification information of each light emitter is acquired, the light emitters arranged on the road can be easily identified, and light emitters not arranged on the road will not be targeted for control. Therefore, the light emitters installed on the road can be easily grouped.

[0007] In addition, since the control system acquires identification information by communicating on a wireless channel of a specific frequency, it is not necessary to communicate on different wireless channels for each group. In order to perform wireless communication for each group on a plurality of wireless channels, it is necessary that each light emitter can communicate on a plurality of wireless channels and is set to communicate on an appropriate channel for each group. If direct operation on each light emitter is required to set such wireless channels, workers need to move to the locations of each light emitter installed along the road and set appropriate wireless channels for each light emitter. Such work is very cumbersome.

[0008] However, in the control system, group classification can be performed by acquiring identification information from each light emitter. And the acquisition of identification information can be easily realized if the control system and the light emitter can communicate on a wireless channel of a specific frequency, that is, a single wireless channel. Therefore, according to the control system, each light emitter installed on the road can be grouped with a simple configuration without performing cumbersome work.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0010] Here, embodiments will be described in the following order. (1) Configuration of Vehicle Guidance System: (2) Light Emitter Control Process: (3) Lighting Control Process: (4) Other Embodiments, etc.: (1) Configuration of Vehicle Guidance System:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle guidance system 10. The vehicle guidance system 10 includes a control system 22 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, for example, on guardrails, wall surfaces, etc.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the plurality of light emitters 30 cooperate with each other to regularly repeat lighting and non-lighting, so that a driver of a vehicle on the road R recognizes that a lighting or non-lighting pattern moves along the road R. Thereby, the light emitter 30 functions as a guiding light for prompting attention to the driver.

[0013] In this embodiment, when the traveling direction of the road R is regarded as the front, the positions of the light emitters 30 existing on both sides in the width direction of the road R are the same positions in the front-rear direction. Further, in this embodiment, the lighting patterns of the light emitters 30 existing at the same positions in the front-rear direction are the same. Therefore, on both sides of the road R, the same pattern is configured to move along the road R. Of course, this configuration is an example, and the light emitters 30 may be arranged only on one side of the road R, or the lighting and non-lighting patterns may be different on each of the two sides of the road R.

[0014] Each light emitter 30 controls a light emitting element based on information transmitted from the control system 22. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the light emitter 30. The light emitter 30 includes a display unit 31, a support column 32, and an antenna 33. The support column 32 is a columnar part installed on the ground outside the width direction of the road R, and the display unit 31 is attached to the upper part of the support column 32. The antenna 33 is attached to the upper part of the display unit 31 and is used for communication such as a wireless communication unit 30a described later. The display unit 31 includes a plurality of light emitting elements 31a (LEDs in FIG. 2). In this embodiment, there are two types of elements in the light emitting element 31a, including a light emitting element that emits green light and a light emitting element that emits red light.

[0015] In the display unit 31, light-emitting elements of different colors are arranged at regular intervals such that different colors are adjacent to each other in the horizontal and vertical directions. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, when the emission colors of the five light-emitting elements 31a arranged at the top are green, red, green, red, and green, the emission colors of the five light-emitting elements 31a arranged second from the top are red, green, red, green, and red. With the above configuration, the light emitter 30 can be lit to output light of multiple colors with a single unit. That is, when only the green light-emitting elements 31a are lit and the red light-emitting elements 31a are not lit, the output color is green. Also, when only the red light-emitting elements 31a are lit and the green light-emitting elements 31a are not lit, the output color is red. Furthermore, when both the green light-emitting elements 31a and the red light-emitting elements 31a are lit, the output color is orange. As described above, the light emitter 30 can be lit in green, red, and orange, and can also express a plurality of colors with different brightness levels by adjusting the brightness.

[0016] Identification information is assigned to each of the plurality of light emitters 30. In the present embodiment, the identification information is unique information assigned to the light emitter 30, and the identification information is constituted by a numerical value, a character, or a combination thereof. In the present embodiment, a part of the plurality of light emitters 30 is lit and the rest are unlit. Also, in the present embodiment, the lit position of the lit light emitter moves along the road R. The moving direction may be either forward or backward, and here, an example where the lit position moves forward will be described.

[0017] The light emitter 30 is provided with a configuration for performing the above-described lighting. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example for realizing the light emitter 30 according to the present embodiment. The configurations of the plurality of light emitters 30 are all the same.

[0018] The light emitter 30 includes a wireless communication unit 30a, a GNSS reception unit 30b, serial-parallel conversion I / Fs 30c and 30d, memories 30e to 30i, a microcomputer 30k, light-emitting element drive circuits 30l and 30m, and a comparator 30n. The wireless communication unit 30a is a device for performing wireless communication with the wireless communication device 21, and outputs the received information as serial data. The wireless communication unit 30a can perform wireless communication with a plurality of light emitters 30 using a wireless channel of a specific frequency selected from among a plurality of frequencies. In the present embodiment, the frequency setting is performed by an operation on a switch or the like provided in the light emitter 30. In the present embodiment, before the light emitter 30 is installed on the road R, all the light emitters 30 are set to perform wireless communication at a common frequency. This frequency is referred to as a specific frequency. The serial-parallel conversion I / F 30c converts the serial data acquired from the wireless communication unit 30a into parallel data and stores it in the memories 30e and 30g.

[0019] The memories 30e to 30i are storage elements capable of storing arbitrary information. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the memories 30e to 30i are described as different components, but may be configured such that the logical storage locations in a common memory are different.

[0020] The memory 30f is a memory that stores identification information. The identification information is unique information for each light emitter 30 as described above. The identification information stored in the memory 30f is output to the serial-parallel conversion I / F 30c in response to a request from the control system 22 and transmitted to the control system 22 via the wireless communication unit 30a.

[0021] The memories 30e and 30i are memories that store setting data for controlling the light-emitting element 31a. The user generates various setting data including lighting data or the like in advance using the operating device 20 and transmits the setting data to each light emitter 30 via the wireless communication device 21. The transmitted setting data is received via the wireless communication unit 30a, and these setting data are stored in the memory 30e.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the light emitters 30 are arranged in the same pattern along the road R, and lighting control is performed such that the pattern moves forward or backward along the road R. The lighting data is information indicating lighting or non-lighting of each of the plurality of light emitters 30 constituting one pattern, and the lighting cycle indicates the number of light emitters 30 constituting one pattern.

[0023] FIG. 4A shows an example of lighting data. The lighting data is data indicating lighting of the light emitter 30 as 1 and non-lighting as 0 within a certain pattern, and in FIG. 4A, data indicating lighting or non-lighting of eight consecutive light emitters 30 is illustrated. The lighting cycle is data indicating the number of light emitters 30 constituting the pattern. For example, when the lighting cycle is 4, one pattern is represented by four consecutive light emitters 30. In the present embodiment, the pattern is represented by the data obtained by extracting the number of lighting cycles from the head of the lighting data. For example, in the example of the lighting data shown in FIG. 4A, when the lighting cycle is 4, the first four, that is, "1000", is taken as the data indicating one pattern.

[0024] The display color indicates the color when the light emitting element 31a is lit. In the present embodiment, the color is any one of green, red, and orange. The dimming value is information indicating the luminance of the light emitting element 31a. In the present embodiment, a microcomputer 30k described later adjusts the luminance of the light emitting element 31a by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). The dimming value is information indicating the luminance. The format for indicating the luminance may be various formats. For example, a mode of expressing the magnitude of the luminance by a numerical value between the lower limit value and the upper limit value can be adopted. The microcomputer 30k increases 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.

[0025] The lighting period is information indicating the duration of one pattern. That is, when the period indicated by the lighting period has elapsed since the lighting in a certain pattern started, the lighting and non-lighting are controlled so that the pattern moves forward along the road R by one emitter 30. As a result, the lighting position of the emitter 30 moves along the road R according to the passage of time.

[0026] FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the change over time of the pattern in the above example. That is, in FIG. 4B, the change over time of the pattern in the example where the lighting data is 10000000, the lighting cycle is 4, and the lighting period is ΔT is shown. In FIG. 4B, icons indicating the lighting or non-lighting of the emitters 30 from the 1st to the 10th are arranged horizontally. That is, the white circular icon indicates lighting, and the gray circular icon indicates non-lighting. Also, in FIG. 4B, the change in the lighting pattern over time is shown vertically. Here, the emitter 30 installed closest to the front when looking in the traveling direction is the 1st, and the numbers are set so that the value increases toward the front in the traveling direction.

[0027] In this example, since the lighting data is 10000000 and the lighting cycle is 4, the pattern is lighting, non-lighting, non-lighting, non-lighting. In FIG. 4B, at time T1, the state where the 1st to 4th emitters 30 are in the pattern P is shown. After time T1, the emitters 30 after the 5th repeat the pattern P for every 4 emitters 30.

[0028] At time T1, after the lighting starts, when the lighting period ΔT has elapsed and it becomes time T2, the pattern P moves forward by one emitter 30. Therefore, at time T2, the 2nd to 5th emitters 30 are in the pattern P, and the emitters 30 after the 6th repeat the pattern P for every 4 emitters 30. Also, since the pattern P is repeated, the 1st emitter 30 is turned off. Thereafter, it is controlled so that the pattern P moves forward every time the lighting period ΔT elapses.

[0029] The microcomputer 30k is connected to light-emitting element drive circuits 30l and 30m. The light-emitting element drive circuit 30l includes a power supply terminal Vdd, a light-emitting element 31a, a resistance element Rr, and a MOS transistor T. The light-emitting element 31a is electrically connected between the power supply terminal Vdd and the resistance element Rr, and the MOS transistor T is electrically connected between the resistance element Rr and the ground. The gate of the MOS transistor T is connected to a pin for performing PWM control in the microcomputer 30k. That is, the MOS transistor T turns on or off according to the voltage of the corresponding pin of the microcomputer 30k, and the light-emitting element 31a lights up at the timing when it is on. Note that 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. Also, 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.

[0030] Note that the light emitter 30 is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements 31a. In FIG. 3, one of them is extracted and shown. Actually, for each of the red light-emitting elements 31a, a light-emitting element drive circuit 30l is provided, and the gates of the transistors T included in each light-emitting element drive circuit 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, for each of the green light-emitting elements 31a, a light-emitting element drive circuit 30m is provided, and the gates of the transistors T included in each light-emitting element drive circuit 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.

[0031] The 30g memory is a memory for storing the start time of the light emission control by the vehicle guidance system 10. The user sets the start time in advance using the operating device 20 and transmits data indicating the start time to each light emitter 30 via the wireless communication device 21. The transmitted data is received via the wireless communication unit 30a and stored in the 30g memory.

[0032] The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 30b is a device that receives signals from navigation satellites, obtains the current time and the position of the light emitter 30 (referred to as GNSS position information) based on the signals, and outputs them as serial data. The serial-parallel conversion I / F 30d converts the serial data obtained from the GNSS receiver 30b into parallel data and stores the current time and GNSS position information in the 30h memory. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, although the serial-parallel conversion I / Fs 30c and 30d are different components, they may be configured by a common circuit.

[0033] The comparator 30n is a circuit that compares the start time stored in the 30g memory with the current time stored in the 30h memory. When the current time matches the start time, the comparator 30n transfers each of the setting data stored in the 30e memory to the 30i memory. When each setting data is written into the 30e memory, the microcomputer 30k starts a predetermined process for operating the light emitter 30. Note that the determination by the comparator 30n and the transfer of the setting data may be realized by the microcomputer 30k.

[0034] In this embodiment, as described above, lighting data, a lighting cycle, a display color, a dimming value, and a lighting period are defined and stored in the memory 30e. Therefore, the light emitter 30 can move a specified pattern at a specified speed by operating according to the setting data of each color. The microcomputer 30k is a processor that performs predetermined processing according to a program stored in a ROM (not shown) or the like, and executes processing to move a pattern specified using the setting data at a specified speed.

[0035] Therefore, when a plurality of light emitters 30 are classified into a plurality of groups, different setting data is defined for each group, and when set for the light emitters 30 belonging to each group, each light emitter 30 can be controlled so that different patterns and moving speeds are obtained for each group. Control for each group is realized by the control system 22.

[0036] The control system 22 is a device for controlling a plurality of light emitters 30, and includes an operator 20 and a wireless communication device 21 (see FIG. 1). The wireless communication device 21 can perform wireless communication with a plurality of light emitters 30 using a wireless channel of a specific frequency selected from a plurality of frequencies. Although the wireless specifications are not limited, a specification that enables wireless communication with a plurality of light emitters 30 (for example, 100 light emitters 30) arranged at a predetermined interval (for example, an interval of 10 m to 20 m) along a road is adopted.

[0037] The operator 20 is provided with a device for inputting information for controlling a plurality of light emitters 30. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operator 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the operator 20 includes a control unit 20a, a short-range wireless communication unit 20b, and a user I / F unit 20c. The short-range wireless communication unit 20b is a device that communicates with a wireless communication device 21 by short-range wireless communication. The specification of the short-range wireless communication is not limited, and for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the wireless communication device 21 and the operator 20 communicate at a relatively short distance, and a specification that enables wireless communication at a shorter distance than the wireless communication between the wireless communication device 21 and the light emitter 30 can be used, but the specifications of these communications may be the same.

[0038] The user I / F unit 20c includes an output unit that outputs information to the user and an input unit that receives an input from the user. The control unit 20a can cause the output unit to display various types of information. Further, the control unit 20a can acquire information input by the user using the input unit.

[0039] The control unit 20a includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown) and can execute a predetermined process according to a predetermined program. In the present embodiment, it can execute a program for controlling a plurality of light emitters 30. When the program is executed, the control unit 20a functions as a light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1, a group classification unit 20a2, and a light emitter control unit 20a3.

[0040] The light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1 is a function that acquires, from each of a plurality of light emitters, identification information associated with each of the plurality of light emitters and GNSS position information acquired at each of the plurality of light emitters, by communication using a wireless channel of a specific frequency. That is, the light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1 issues a transmission request for identification information and GNSS position information to each light emitter 30 via the short-range wireless communication unit 20b and the wireless communication device 21. When the light emitter 30 receives the transmission request via the wireless communication unit 30a, the identification information stored in the memory 30f and the GNSS position information stored in the memory 30h are transmitted to the control system 22. The light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1 acquires the identification information via the short-range wireless communication unit 20b and the wireless communication device 21.

[0041] The group classification unit 20a2 is a function that classifies a plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups and associates a group with the identification information. Specifically, the group classification unit 20a2 acquires a permutation in which each of the plurality of light emitters 30 is arranged along a road based on the GNSS position information, and classifies the plurality of light emitters 30 into a plurality of groups based on the permutation. Then, the group classification unit 20a2 associates a group with the identification information of each of the plurality of light emitters.

[0042] According to the above processing, since the light emitter 30 is specified based on the identification information, the light emitters arranged on the road can be easily specified, and the light emitter 30 not arranged on the road is not made a control target. For this reason, the light emitters 30 installed on the road can be easily grouped.

[0043] In addition, since the control system 22 acquires identification information by communicating on a wireless channel of a specific frequency, it is not necessary to communicate on different wireless channels for each group. In order to perform wireless communication for each group on a plurality of wireless channels, each light emitter 30 must be capable of communicating on a plurality of wireless channels and must be set to communicate on an appropriate channel for each group. If such a setting of the wireless channel requires direct operation on each light emitter 30, workers must move to the location of each light emitter 30 installed along the road and set an appropriate wireless channel on each light emitter 30. Such work is very cumbersome.

[0044] However, in the control system 22, the groups can be classified by acquiring identification information from each light emitter 30. And the acquisition of the identification information can be easily realized if the control system 22 and the light emitter 30 can communicate on a wireless channel of a specific frequency, that is, a single wireless channel. Therefore, according to the control system 22, each light emitter 30 installed on the road can be grouped with a simple configuration without performing cumbersome work.

[0045] Furthermore, since the light emitters 30 can be classified based on the permutation in which the light emitters 30 are arranged along the road, the light emitters 30 can be classified based on their positional relationship. For this reason, classification into groups according to the arrangement of the light emitters 30 can be performed, such as classifying a plurality of light emitters 30 arranged continuously along the road into the same group, or classifying a plurality of light emitters 30 arranged at intervals along the road into the same group.

[0046] The light emitter control unit 20a3 has a function of controlling a plurality of light emitters in different patterns for each group. In the present embodiment, the light emitter control unit 20a3 generates setting data (lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, dimming value, lighting period) for each group based on the input content of the user to the input unit of the user I / F unit 20c. In the present embodiment, at least a part of the setting data for each group is different for each group. Details of the generation of the setting data will be described later.

[0047] When the setting data for each group is generated, the light emitter control unit 20a3 transmits the setting data for each group with the light emitter 30 of the identification information associated with each group as the transmission destination. For example, when the identification information 001 to 020 is associated with the first group, the light emitter control unit 20a3 sets the transmission destination of the setting data for the first group to the light emitters 30 of the identification information 001 to 020. Then, the light emitter control unit 20a3 uses the light emitters 30 of these identification information as the transmission destination and transmits the setting data for the first group via the short-range wireless communication unit 20b and the wireless communication device 21. The light emitters 30 of the identification information 001 to 020 consider themselves to be included in the transmission destination of the setting data for the first group and receive the setting data for the first group via the wireless communication unit 30a. The received data is stored in the memory 30e.

[0048] The light emitter control unit 20a3 performs the above processing for the setting data of each group. When the start time is reached in a state where the setting data of each group is stored for the light emitters 30 of each group by the above processing, each light emitter 30 performs a lighting operation based on the setting data. As a result, each light emitter 30 is controlled to light in a different pattern for each group. According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily group the light emitters 30 arranged side by side along the road in a state where they are not classified into groups after installation and control them to light in different patterns for each group.

[0049] (2) Light emitter control process: Next, the light emitter control process executed by the control system 22 to control the light emitters 30 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the light emitter control process. The light emitter control process is started with a plurality of light emitters 30 installed at regular intervals along the road R. When the light emitter control process is started, the control unit 20a performs a light emitter search by the function of the light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1 (step S100). Specifically, the control unit 20a issues a transmission request for identification information and GNSS position information by broadcast (simultaneous transmission) with an arbitrary light emitter 30 as the destination. The transmission request is sent to each light emitter 30 via the short-range wireless communication unit 20b and the wireless communication device 21.

[0050] Each light emitter 30 acquires the identification information and the GNSS position information in response to the transmission request, and transmits them to the control system 22 via the wireless communication unit 30a. The control unit 20a acquires the identification information of each light emitter 30 via the short-range wireless communication unit 20b and the wireless communication device 21 by the function of the light emitter information acquisition unit 20a1 (step S105), and acquires the GNSS position information of each light emitter 30 (step S110).

[0051] Next, the control unit 20a accepts the permutation of the last light emitter 30 in the group by the function of the group classification unit 20a2 (step S120). In the present embodiment, the groups are classified by accepting the permutations of the last light emitters 30 included in each of the plurality of groups. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the same group is formed by a plurality of light emitters 30 arranged continuously along the road R. Therefore, if the permutation of the last light emitter 30 in a group is specified, the permutation of the first light emitter 30 in the group adjacent to the last light emitter 30 in a certain group is specified.

[0052] Therefore, when the control unit 20a sets the last permutation Plast (Plast is a natural number) of the plurality of light emitters 30 included in the nth group (n is a natural number), the control unit 20a classifies the light emitters 30 from the permutation Pstart (Pstart is a natural number) of the first light emitter 30 in the nth group to the permutation Plast into the nth group, and sets the light emitter 30 with the permutation Plast + 1 as the first light emitter 30 in the (n + 1)th group. According to the above processing, the user can easily classify the plurality of light emitters 30 into a plurality of groups.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of group classification. The uppermost part of FIG. 7 shows an example in which 100 light emitters 30 are arranged along a road. In this example, assume that the permutations of the last light emitters 30 in the groups are specified as the 20th and 80th. In this case, since the first permutation of the first group is 1 and the last permutation is 20, the light emitters 30 from the 1st to the 20th become the first group (referred to as the first group). Since the first permutation of the second group is 21 and the last permutation is 80, the light emitters 30 from the 21st to the 80th become the second group (referred to as the second group).

[0054] The first permutation of the third group is 81, and since there is no specified value as the last permutation of the third group, all the remaining light emitters 30 are regarded as the third group. Therefore, the light emitters 30 from the 81st to the 100th become the third group (referred to as the third group). In FIG. 7, the light emitters 30 after being classified into the first group to the third group are shown near the center in the vertical direction.

[0055] When the permutations of the light emitters 30 belonging to the group are specified as described above, the control unit 20a determines whether there are a plurality of groups by the function of the group classification unit 20a2 (step S125). Since the group is specified by the user's designation, for example, if the permutation of the last light emitter 30 in the group received in step S115 is the last of the permutations of all the light emitters 30 (the 100th in the example shown in FIG. 7), there is only one group and there are no multiple groups.

[0056] In step S125, when it is determined that there are a plurality of groups, the control unit 20a associates the identification information with the groups by the function of the group classification unit 20a2 (step S130). That is, the control unit 20a specifies the identification information of the light emitters 30 belonging to each group and associates the group with the identification information.

[0057] Next, the control unit 20a generates setting data for each group by the function of the light emitter control unit 20a3 (step S135). Specifically, the user operates the input unit of the user I / F unit 20c to input setting data for each group (lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, dimming value, lighting period). The input mode is not limited, but the user specifies the lighting data, lighting cycle, display color, and dimming value by, for example, numerical values, characters, etc.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the user does not directly input the lighting period but inputs the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter 30. That is, since the moving direction of the lighting position of the light emitter 30 is along the road R, by making the moving speed of the lighting position slower than that of the vehicle on the road R, it is possible to prompt the vehicle to decelerate. Also, by making the moving speed of the lighting position faster than that of the vehicle on the road R, it is possible to prompt the vehicle to accelerate. Therefore, when inputting the moving speed of the lighting position, the user can intuitively give an instruction regarding the movement of the lighting position in an easily understandable state. On the other hand, the lighting period is the duration of one pattern, and it is difficult to understand how to set the lighting period to determine the speed at which the lighting position moves, making it difficult to guide the vehicle on the road R.

[0059] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user is configured to input not the lighting period directly but the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter 30. When the moving speed V of the lighting position is input, the control unit 20a acquires the distance L between adjacent light emitters 30 from the GNSS position information of the light emitter 30. Further, the control unit 20a specifies the difference N (N is a natural number) in the permutation of the light emitters 30 whose lighting positions move during the lighting period ΔT. For example, in a state where the light emitter 30 in permutation 1 is lit and the light emitter 30 in permutation 2 is extinguished, if the light emitter 30 in permutation 1 is extinguished and the light emitter 30 in permutation 2 is lit after the elapse of the lighting period ΔT, the difference in permutation is 1. Also, in a state where the light emitter 30 in permutation 1 is lit and the light emitters 30 in permutations 2 and 3 are extinguished, if the light emitters 30 in permutations 1 and 2 are extinguished and the light emitter 30 in permutation 3 is lit after the elapse of the lighting period ΔT, the difference in permutation is 2. Using the difference N in the permutation, the moving speed V of the lighting position becomes V = N·L / ΔT. Therefore, the control unit 20a acquires the lighting period ΔT by (N·L / V). The user inputs information about the setting data for each group, and the control unit 20a generates the setting data for each group based on the input information. Note that the unit when inputting the moving speed V may be arbitrary, and for example, the speed per hour or the like can be adopted. In FIG. 7, an example is shown where the moving speed V of the lighting position in the first group is 60 km / h, the moving speed V of the lighting position in the second group is 40 km / h, and the moving speed V of the lighting position in the third group is 80 km / h.

[0060] In step S125, when it is determined that there are no multiple groups, the control unit 20a generates the setting data for each light emitter 30 by the function of the light emitter control unit 20a3 (step S140). This process is the same as the process in step S135, but when step S140 is executed, since the multiple light emitters 30 are not classified into multiple groups, the setting data applied to all the light emitters 30 is generated.

[0061] When step S135 or step S140 is executed, the control unit 20a transmits the control start time, setting data, and permutation to the light emitter by the function of the light emitter control unit 20a3 (step S145). Specifically, the control unit 20a acquires the start time input by the user operating the input unit of the user I / F unit 20c. When step S145 is executed via step S140, the control unit 20a uses all the light emitters 30 with identification information as the transmission destinations and transmits the start time and the setting data.

[0062] On the other hand, when step S145 is executed via step S135, the control unit 20a uses the light emitters 30 with identification information associated with the same group as the transmission destinations and transmits the start time and the setting data of the group. The control unit 20a executes this process for each group. Further, the control unit 20a transmits information indicating the permutation of the light emitters specified in step S120 to the light emitters 30 in the permutation. For example, the control unit 20a transmits information indicating that it is the first to the first light emitter 30 and transmits information indicating that it is the first to the first light emitter 30.

[0063] When step S145 is executed via step S135, the light emitters 30 can be lit in different patterns for each group. As shown in FIG. 7, when the moving speed changes to 60 km / h, 40 km / h, and 80 km / h from the first group to the third group, the lighting positions change at different moving speeds for each group, and different impressions can be given to the drivers of the vehicles on the road R for each group. For example, when the road R is a highway and the light emitters 30 of the second group are in a construction section, and it is desired to prompt the vehicle to decelerate before the construction section, to prompt the vehicle to travel at a relatively low speed in the construction section, and to prompt the vehicle to accelerate after the construction section is completed, by setting the moving speed as shown in FIG. 7, the speed of the vehicle can be adjusted.

[0064] (3) Lighting control process: Next, the lighting control process executed in the light emitter 30 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the lighting control process. The lighting control process is executed when setting data is generated in the operation device 20 and the setting data is transmitted to the destination light emitter 30. When the lighting control process is started, the light emitter 30 records the setting data in the memory (step S200). That is, the light emitter 30 receives the setting data via the wireless communication unit 30a. The received setting data is converted by the serial-parallel conversion I / F 30c and stored in the memory 30e.

[0065] Next, the light emitter 30 records the start time and the sequence number in the memory (step S210). That is, the light emitter 30 receives the start time of the control transmitted from the control system 22 via the wireless communication unit 30a and stores it in the memory 30g. Also, the light emitter 30 receives its own sequence number transmitted from the control system 22 via the wireless communication unit 30a and stores it in a memory (not shown). In the process of executing the above processing, the light emitter 30 always acquires the current time and records the acquired current time in the memory (step S215). That is, the GNSS receiving unit 30b receives signals from the navigation satellite at very short regular intervals, acquires the current time based on the signals, and outputs it. The serial-parallel conversion I / F 30d converts the serial data output from the GNSS receiving unit 30b into parallel data and stores it in the memory 30h as the current time.

[0066] On the other hand, the comparator 30n determines whether the current time matches the start time (step S220). That is, the comparator 30n compares the start time stored in the memory 30g with the current time stored in the memory 30h, and determines that the current time matches the start time when both match.

[0067] In step S220, if it is determined that the current time does not match the start time, steps S215 and S220 are repeated and executed. In step S220, if it is determined that the current time matches the start time, the transfer of the setting data is performed (step S225). That is, the setting data stored in the memory 30e is transferred to the memory 30i.

[0068] When the transfer of the setting data is performed as described above, the microcomputer 30k performs light emission control based on the transferred setting data. Specifically, the microcomputer 30k specifies a pattern based on the lighting data and the lighting cycle (step S230). That is, the microcomputer 30k extracts data for the lighting cycle from the lighting data of each color and regards it as the pattern of each color. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, since the lighting data is 10000000 and the lighting cycle is 4, the pattern P is specified as 1000.

[0069] Next, the microcomputer 30k specifies lighting and non-lighting based on the permutation of the light emitters 30 (step S235). Specifically, the microcomputer 30k determines whether the light emitter should be lit or non-lit at the current time in its own permutation based on the pattern specified in step S230.

[0070] For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the pattern P specified in step S230 is 1000 (lighting, non-lighting, non-lighting, non-lighting). Therefore, the microcomputer 30k assumes that at the start time T1, the first light emitter 30 is lit, the second to fourth light emitters 30 are non-lit, and the same pattern is repeated after the fifth one. As a result, the microcomputer 30k can determine the lighting and non-lighting of all the light emitters 30 at the start time T1. Therefore, in each of the light emitters 30, the microcomputer 30k specifies whether to turn on or off the light emitting element 31a at the current time according to the permutation of the light emitters.

[0071] For example, at the start time T1, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the first light emitter 30 identifies that the light emitter 30 on which it is mounted is the first, and identifies that the light emitting element 31a specified by the display color should be lit. Also, for example, at the start time T1, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the second light emitter 30 identifies that the light emitter 30 on which it is mounted is the second, and identifies that the light emitting element 31a should be turned off.

[0072] Furthermore, at the time T2 when the lighting period ΔT has elapsed from the start time T1, the determination result by the microcomputer 30k changes. For example, at the time T2, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the first light emitter 30 identifies that the light emitter 30 on which it is mounted is the first based on the permutation, and identifies that the light emitting element 31a should be turned off. Also, for example, at the time T2, the microcomputer 30k mounted on the second light emitter 30 identifies that the light emitter 30 on which it is mounted is the second based on the permutation, and identifies that the light emitting element 31a should be lit.

[0073] Next, the microcomputer 30k determines whether to light the light emitter 30 on which it is mounted (step S240). That is, when it is determined in step S235 that it should be lit, the microcomputer 30k lights the light emitting element 31a (step S245). If it is not to be lit, the microcomputer 30k skips step S245 and turns off the light emitting element 31a if it was lit until just before. Specifically, when lighting, the microcomputer 30k refers to the dimming value in the memory 30i and sets the duty ratio of the PWM so as to obtain the luminance corresponding to the dimming value. Then, the microcomputer 30k applies a pulse of the duty ratio to the gates of the light emitting element drive circuits 30l, 30m of the color to be lit to perform PWM control. As a result, the light emitter 30 lights up with the luminance specified by the dimming value.

[0074] Next, the microcomputer 30k determines whether or not the lighting period has elapsed (step S250). That is, the microcomputer 30k determines that the lighting period has elapsed when a period that is an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔT has elapsed starting from the start time T1. In step S250, if it is not determined that the lighting period has elapsed, the microcomputer 30k repeats the determination in step S250.

[0075] On the other hand, in step S250, if it is determined that the lighting period has elapsed, the microcomputer 30k repeats the processing after step S235. As a result, after the start time T1, each time an integer multiple of the lighting period ΔT elapses, the lighting state of the light emitter 30 is switched. When a plurality of light emitters 30 are classified into a plurality of groups, the above processing is performed based on the setting data for each group, so that different lighting operations are performed for each group.

[0076] (4) Other embodiments, etc.: The above embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. For example, a part of the processing performed by each device of the vehicle guidance system 10 may be executed by a plurality of devices, or the processing to be performed by a predetermined device may be executed by another device. Also, a part of the configuration of the above-described embodiments may be omitted, or the order of processing may be changed or omitted.

[0077] For example, in the light emitter control process shown in FIG. 6, the processing order of steps S100 to S115 may be in any order or may be executed in parallel. Also, in the lighting control process shown in FIG. 8, the processing order of steps S200 and S210 may be in any order or may be executed in parallel.

[0078] The plurality of light emitters include light emitting elements, and by arranging them along the road, it is sufficient if the passengers of the vehicles traveling on the road can visually recognize the lit state and the unlit state. The light emitter may be any device that outputs light. The light emitting element is not limited to the above-mentioned LEDs, and various electric bulbs may be used, or various elements may be used. Of course, the mode for outputting light is not limited either, and it is not limited to a configuration in which the light of a plurality of light emitting elements is directly output to the outside. A mode in which the light from the light source is surface-emitted using a light guide plate may also be used. The configuration for color development may also be in various modes, such as a configuration in which the light of a light emitting element that outputs white light is colored with a color filter.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a single light emitter can output light of a plurality of colors, but it is not limited to this mode. For example, a single light emitter can output light of one color, and a configuration may be such that light emitters capable of outputting different colors are arranged alternately along the road. Also, the color that can be emitted by the light emitting element may be one color.

[0080] Each light emitter only needs to be able to communicate on at least a wireless channel of a specific frequency, and may also be able to communicate on wireless channels of a plurality of frequencies. When it is possible to communicate on wireless channels of a plurality of frequencies, the communication for transmitting the identification information from the light emitter to the control system is carried out at a specific frequency.

[0081] The light emitter information acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire, from each of the plurality of light emitters, the identification information associated with each of the plurality of light emitters by communication using a wireless channel of a specific frequency. That is, the light emitter information acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the identification information from the plurality of light emitters using a single wireless channel without distinguishing each light emitter by the wireless channel.

[0082] The identification information only needs to be information for identifying each of the plurality of light emitters. Therefore, the identification information can be composed of various types of information such as numerical values and characters. In any case, as long as the control system can distinguish the light emitters by the identification information and the light emitters can identify that the information is about themselves.

[0083] The group classification unit only needs to be able to classify a plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups and associate the groups with the identification information. That is, as long as the light emitters can be classified so that the plurality of light emitters can perform different operations for each group. The group only needs to be defined by being associated with the identification information, and the information indicating the group is not limited to numerical values and can be various types of information.

[0084] The light emitter control unit only needs to be able to control a plurality of light emitters with different patterns for each group. The configuration for controlling the light emitters is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, each of the light emitters 30 within the same group may be controlled by different setting data. In the example of FIG. 4B, the setting data may be defined such that the pattern of the first light emitter 30 is 1000 and the pattern of the second light emitter 30 is 0001, and the respective setting data may be provided to the respective light emitters 30.

[0085] Furthermore, the method for classifying groups by the group classification unit is not limited to the above-described method. For example, a permutation of the first light emitter 30 among the light emitters 30 included in each of the plurality of groups may be input by the user, and classification may be performed based on the permutation of the first light emitter 30. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the permutation 21 of the first light emitter 30 of the second group and the permutation 81 of the first light emitter 30 of the third group may be input and classification may be performed.

[0086] Further, the number of light emitters 30 included in each of the plurality of groups may be input, and classification may be performed based on the number of the light emitters 30. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the number 20 of the light emitters 30 included in the first group and the number 60 of the light emitters 30 included in the second group may be input and classification may be performed. In addition, various classification methods corresponding to various inputs such as input by a slide bar may be adopted.

[0087] Furthermore, the patterns for each group only need to be different so that the differences can be recognized by the user. For this reason, in the lighting operation in the pattern for each group, in addition to the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter being different, various elements may be different. For example, the lighting color of the light emitter 30 may be different. Also, a pattern in which the positions of the non-lighting light emitters 30 appear to move along the road R may be acceptable.

[0088] The method of the present invention is also applicable as a program or a method. Also, it can be appropriately changed, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future, and the same can be considered in exactly the same way.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0089] 10… Vehicle guidance system, 20… Operator, 20a… Control unit, 20a1… Light emitter information acquisition unit, 20a2… Group classification unit, 20a3… Light emitter control unit, 20b… Short-range wireless communication unit, 20c… User I / F unit, 21… Wireless communication device, 22… Control system, 30… Light emitter, 30a… Wireless communication unit, 30b… GNSS receiver, 30c, 30d… Serial-parallel conversion I / F, 30e~30i… Memory, 30k… Microcomputer, 30l, 30m… Light-emitting element drive circuit, 30n… Comparator, 31… Display unit, 31a… Light-emitting element, 32… Support column, 33… Antenna

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a plurality of light emitters arranged along a road and communicating via a wireless channel of a specific frequency, a light emitter information acquisition unit that acquires identification information associated with each of the plurality of light emitters from each of the plurality of light emitters by communication using the wireless channel of the specific frequency; a group classification unit that classifies the plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups and associates the groups with the identification information; a light emitter control unit that controls the plurality of light emitters in different patterns for each group; A control system comprising:

2. The light emitter information acquisition unit acquires GNSS position information acquired in each of the plurality of light emitters from each of the plurality of light emitters by communication using the wireless channel of the specific frequency; The group classification unit acquires a permutation in which each of the plurality of light emitters is arranged along the road, and classifies the plurality of light emitters into a plurality of groups based on the permutation. The control system according to claim 1.

3. Each of the plurality of groups is formed by the plurality of light emitters arranged continuously along the road. The control system according to claim 2.

4. The group classification unit receives an input of at least one value among the permutation of the first light emitter among the light emitters included in each of the plurality of groups, the permutation of the last light emitter among the light emitters included in each of the plurality of groups, and the number of light emitters included in each of the plurality of groups, and classifies the plurality of light emitters into the plurality of groups based on the received value. The control system according to claim 3.

5. The different patterns for each of the groups are patterns in which at least one of the moving speed of the lighting position of the light emitter and the lighting color of the light emitter is different. The control system according to claim 1.

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