Traffic communication system, terminal device, and program

Abstract

To provide a traffic communication system capable of determining the timing in which a notification indicating that a bus vehicle should be decelerated is outputted to a driver of the bus vehicle in accordance with states of passengers riding on the bus vehicle in a case where an on-vehicle device determines that the bus vehicle should be decelerated, and to provide a terminal device and a program.SOLUTION: In a case where it is determined that a vehicle should be decelerated, in response to detection of passengers standing in the vehicle, a terminal device installed on the vehicle determines the timing at which a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated is outputted to a driver of the vehicle, as first timing and, in response to detection of no passenger standing in the vehicle, determines the timing at which the notification is outputted to the driver of the vehicle, as second timing. The notification is outputted in accordance with the determined timing. The first timing is earlier than the second timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a traffic communication system, a terminal device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an in-vehicle device has been proposed that is installed in a bus vehicle and has a function of giving various notifications to the driver and passengers of the bus vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The in-vehicle device of Patent Document 1 includes a stop determination unit that determines whether or not the bus vehicle should stop at the next bus stop.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described in-vehicle device, in response to the stop determination unit determining that the bus vehicle should stop at the next bus stop, a case is assumed in which an output unit is provided that outputs a notification indicating that the bus vehicle should decelerate to the driver of the bus vehicle.

[0005] In such a case, it is necessary to control the timing at which the output unit outputs a notification to the driver of the bus vehicle. For example, if the output unit outputs a notification indicating that the bus vehicle should be decelerated to the driver of the bus vehicle immediately before the bus vehicle arrives at the next bus stop, the driver of the bus vehicle will suddenly decelerate the bus vehicle in order to stop the bus vehicle at the next bus stop. At this time, if there are passengers standing in the bus vehicle, the possibility of the passengers falling will increase, which is not preferable. Therefore, in a situation where the bus vehicle should be decelerated, when there are passengers standing in the bus vehicle, it is necessary to output a notification at an early timing so that the driver of the bus vehicle can gradually decelerate the bus vehicle.

[0006] On the other hand, even when there are no passengers standing in the bus vehicle, if a notification indicating that the bus vehicle should be decelerated is output at an early timing, a situation where the notification is output at an unnecessarily early timing will frequently occur, which will cause annoyance to the driver of the bus vehicle.

[0007] By the way, as situations in which the in-vehicle device determines that the bus vehicle should be decelerated or stopped, various situations can be considered other than the situation of approaching the next bus stop where the bus vehicle should be stopped. For example, a situation where a pedestrian is crossing a point on the road located in the traveling direction of the bus vehicle, a situation where there is a risk of the bus vehicle colliding with another vehicle at an intersection located in the traveling direction of the bus vehicle, etc. can be mentioned. It is desirable that the in-vehicle device can output a notification to the driver of the bus vehicle at a timing according to the state of the passengers riding in the bus vehicle in each situation.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a traffic communication system, a terminal device, and a program capable of determining the timing at which an in-vehicle device outputs a notification indicating that the bus vehicle should be decelerated to the driver of the bus vehicle according to the state of the passengers riding in the bus vehicle when it is determined that the bus vehicle should be decelerated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A traffic communication system according to an embodiment includes a vehicle and a terminal device installed in the vehicle. The terminal device acquires environmental information which is information related to the environment and passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, determines that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information, determines a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and causes the notification to be output in the vehicle according to the timing.

[0010] A terminal device according to an embodiment is a terminal device installed in a vehicle, and includes an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information which is information related to the environment, a passenger information acquisition unit that acquires passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, a control unit that determines that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information and determines a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and an output unit that outputs the notification in the vehicle according to the timing.

[0011] A program according to an embodiment causes a terminal device installed in a vehicle to execute a process of acquiring environmental information which is information related to the environment and passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, a process of determining that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information and determining a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and a process of outputting the notification in the vehicle according to the timing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a traffic communication system, a terminal device, and a program that can decelerate a bus vehicle while taking into consideration the safety of passengers of the bus vehicle for a driver of the bus vehicle in a situation where the bus vehicle should be decelerated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0015] <Configuration of Traffic Communication System> First, the configuration of the traffic communication system according to one embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, a traffic communication system that performs wireless communication based on ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses)-STD-T109 will be mainly described, but it is not limited to this standard specification. For example, wireless communication based on the V2X (Vehicle to Everything) standard of 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) may be performed. Note that ARIB and 3GPP are registered trademarks.

[0016] FIGS. 1-3 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a traffic communication system 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 1- As shown in FIG. 3, a traffic communication system 1 according to an embodiment includes a vehicle 110 and a terminal device 120 installed in the vehicle 110. The terminal device 120 acquires environmental information which is information related to the environment and passenger information which is information related to the passengers of the vehicle 110, and determines that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated based on the environmental information. The terminal device 120 determines the timing at which to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and causes the vehicle 110 to output the notification according to the determined timing.

[0017] Thereby, the terminal device 120 can output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 at a timing according to the state of the passengers of the vehicle 110.

[0018] The vehicle 110 may be any vehicle as long as it is configured such that a passenger different from the driver can board while standing without sitting on the seat, and may be, for example, a bus vehicle or a railway vehicle. Here, a case where the vehicle 110 is a bus vehicle is exemplified, and a passenger of the vehicle 110 different from the driver of the vehicle 110 will be referred to as a passenger of the vehicle 110. The bus vehicle is a route bus that travels on a preset operation route. There are a plurality of stops 300 on the operation route. The bus vehicle stops at the stop 300 when there is a person who wishes to board the bus vehicle at the stop 300, or when there is a passenger who wishes to get off the bus vehicle at the stop 300. The bus vehicle may pass through the stop 300 without stopping if there is no person who wishes to board the bus vehicle at the stop 300, or if there is no passenger who wishes to get off the bus vehicle at the stop 300, unless there are special circumstances such as time adjustment.

[0019] Furthermore, all or part of the vehicle 110 may be an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle 110 may perform at least one of communication with other vehicles 130 (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) and communication with the roadside unit 200 (road-to-vehicle communication). Here, the vehicle 110 may have a terminal device 120 that performs at least one of communication with other vehicles 130 (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) and communication with the roadside unit 200 (road-to-vehicle communication). The terminal device 120 may be an in-vehicle device (ECU; Electronic Control Unit, car navigation system) installed in the vehicle 110. The terminal device 120 may be a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the driver of the vehicle 110. Details of the vehicle 110 and the terminal device 120 will be described later (see FIG. 4).

[0020] The other vehicle 130 may be a motor vehicle such as a motorcycle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle, or may be a bicycle. Further, the other vehicle 130 may be an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance, or may be a specific vehicle such as a bus. Furthermore, all or part of the other vehicle 130 may be an autonomous vehicle. The other vehicle 130 may perform both communication with the vehicle 110 (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) and communication with the roadside unit 200 (road-to-vehicle communication). The other vehicle 130 may perform only one of communication with the vehicle 110 (vehicle-to-vehicle communication) and communication with the roadside unit 200 (road-to-vehicle communication). Here, the other vehicle 130 may have another terminal device 140 that communicates with at least one of the vehicle 110 and the roadside unit 200, or the other vehicle 130 itself may communicate with at least one of the vehicle 110 and the roadside unit 200. The other terminal device 140 may have the same configuration as the terminal device 120 installed in the vehicle 110. The other terminal device 140 may have a different configuration from the terminal device 120 as long as it is configured to be able to acquire information related to the other vehicle 130 and transmit information related to the other vehicle 130 to the terminal device 120. The other terminal device 140 may be an in-vehicle device installed in the other vehicle 130. The other terminal device 140 may be a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the driver of the other vehicle 130.

[0021] Vehicle 110 travels on road 10. Road 10 is an example of a road that vehicle 110 passes through. Road 10 may be a motorway.

[0022] The terminal device 120 determines whether to decelerate the vehicle 110 based on environmental information, which is information related to the environment. The environment may include a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110, or may include another vehicle 130 traveling on another road 20 that intersects with road 10 at intersection 30, or may include a bus stop 300 located on the operation route of vehicle 110, or may include an emergency vehicle. The environmental information may include information related to a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110, or may include information related to another vehicle 130 traveling on another road 20 that intersects with road 10 at intersection 30, or may include information related to a bus stop 300 located on the operation route of vehicle 110, or may include information related to an emergency vehicle. Road 20 is an example of a road that another vehicle 130 passes through. Road 20 may be a motorway.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, in response to acquiring, as environmental information, information indicating that a pedestrian has crossed a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated. Terminal device 120 may detect the presence of a pedestrian crossing a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110 based on an image related to the point on road 10 captured by an imaging device (not shown) installed in vehicle 110 or terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may receive, from roadside unit 200, an image related to a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110 captured by an imaging device (not shown) installed in roadside unit 200, and detect the presence of a pedestrian crossing the point based on the image. In response to detecting the presence of a pedestrian crossing a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110 within a predetermined distance from vehicle 110, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated. In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which terminal device 120 detects that a pedestrian has crossed a point on road 10 located in the traveling direction of vehicle 110. However, in response to detecting that not only a pedestrian but also another vehicle 130 has crossed the point, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated. Also, in response to detecting the presence of a pedestrian or another vehicle 130 at the point, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated.

[0024] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, in response to acquiring, as environmental information, information indicating that vehicle 110 has a risk of colliding with another vehicle 130 at intersection 30, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated. Terminal device 120 may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with another terminal device 140 installed in another vehicle 130, and based on information related to another vehicle 130 transmitted from another terminal device 140, when it is determined that vehicle 110 has a risk of colliding with another vehicle 130 at intersection 30, terminal device 120 may determine that vehicle 110 should be decelerated. Also, terminal device 120 may perform road-to-vehicle communication with roadside unit 200, and may receive information related to another vehicle 130 transmitted from another terminal device 140 via roadside unit 200.

[0025] The information related to the vehicle 110 is information transmitted and received between the terminal device 120 and another terminal device 140 installed in another vehicle 130 or between the terminal device 120 and the roadside unit 200. The information related to the vehicle 110 has a predetermined format based on, for example, "Use of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Messages in the ITS Connect System" issued by the ITS Connect Promotion Council. The information related to the vehicle 110 includes information related to the position of the vehicle 110, information related to the traveling speed of the vehicle 110, and information related to the moving direction of the vehicle 110. Further, the information related to the vehicle 110 may include an ID or the like assigned to identify the terminal device 120. Furthermore, the information related to the vehicle 110 may include information related to the shape of the vehicle 110, such as the width and length of the vehicle 110. The information related to the vehicle 110 may be periodically broadcast by the terminal device 120 or broadcast at a timing according to the result of carrier sense by the terminal device 120. Note that ITS Connect is a registered trademark. cast.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to obtaining, as environmental information, information indicating that the vehicle 110 is approaching the next stop 300 and that there is a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the stop 300. The stop 300 may have an infrared sensor, and the infrared sensor may be used to detect the presence or absence of passengers who wish to board the vehicle 110 at the stop 300. Further, the stop 300 may have a wireless communication terminal that transmits information regarding the presence or absence of passengers detected by the infrared sensor to the terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to detecting that there is a passenger who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300 and that the vehicle 110 is approaching the next stop 300 based on the information received from the wireless communication terminal. Instead of the information indicating that there is a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300, the terminal device 120 may obtain information indicating that there is a passenger who wishes to get off at the next stop 300. Inside the vehicle 110, there may be provided a getting-off button that a passenger who wishes to get off at the next stop 300 can press to indicate to the driver of the vehicle 110, the vehicle 110, and the terminal device 120 that they wish to get off. The terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to the vehicle 110 approaching the next stop 300 and the getting-off button being pressed. The terminal device 120 may also obtain information indicating that there is a passenger who wishes to get off at the next stop 300 in addition to the information indicating that there is a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300.

[0027] In addition, the terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to obtaining, as environmental information, information indicating that an emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 110. The emergency vehicle may be a police vehicle or an ambulance in emergency operation. The emergency vehicle may have a wireless communication terminal capable of transmitting information regarding the emergency vehicle, and the terminal device 120 may detect that the emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 110 based on the information regarding the emergency vehicle transmitted from the wireless communication terminal of the emergency vehicle.

[0028] When the terminal device 120 determines that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated based on environmental information, it determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 based on passenger information, which is information related to the passengers of the vehicle 110, and outputs the notification at that timing.

[0029] The terminal device 120 acquires at least one of information related to the number of passengers in the vehicle 110, information related to the boarding positions of the passengers riding in the vehicle 110, and information related to the presence or absence of contact with the hanging straps or handrails (not shown) provided in the vehicle 110 as passenger information.

[0030] When the terminal device 120 detects the presence of a passenger riding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the passenger information, it determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 as the first timing. Further, when the terminal device 120 detects the absence of a passenger riding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the passenger information, it determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 as the second timing. The first timing is earlier than the second timing.

[0031] Thereby, when there is a passenger riding while standing in the vehicle 110, the driver of the vehicle 110 can be made to recognize that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated at a timing earlier than when there is no passenger riding while standing in the vehicle 110, and the driver of the vehicle 110 can be prompted to decelerate the vehicle 110 more gently. The risk of a passenger riding while standing in the vehicle 110 falling can be reduced.

[0032] The terminal device 120 may be configured to receive data acquired from a sensor (not shown) installed in the vehicle 110, or may be configured to be connectable to a server or cloud where data acquired from the sensor installed in the vehicle 110 is recorded. The terminal device 120 may determine that there is a passenger standing while boarding the vehicle 110 based on the data acquired from the sensor installed in the vehicle 110. For example, the terminal device 120 may recognize the number of passengers boarding the vehicle 110 and the number of passengers sitting while boarding the vehicle 110 based on the data acquired from the sensor installed in the vehicle 110. If the number of passengers boarding the vehicle 110 does not match the number of passengers sitting while boarding the vehicle 110, the terminal device 120 may determine that there is a passenger standing while boarding the vehicle 110. Further, when the terminal device 120 can detect that there is a passenger at a specific location inside the vehicle 110 based on the data acquired from the sensor installed in the vehicle 110, the terminal device 120 may determine that there is a passenger standing while boarding the vehicle 110. Furthermore, when the terminal device 120 can detect that the hanging straps or handrails provided inside the vehicle 110 are being touched based on the data acquired from the sensor installed in the vehicle 110, the terminal device 120 may determine that there is a passenger standing while boarding the vehicle 110. The terminal device 120 may detect that there is a passenger standing while boarding the vehicle 110 based on an image of the interior of the vehicle 110 captured by an imaging device (not shown) installed inside the vehicle 110 or on the terminal device 120.

[0033] The terminal device 120 may output a voice prompting the vehicle 110 to decelerate, such as "Please decelerate.", as a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated. The notification may include the reason for determining that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated, such as "A pedestrian is crossing the road ahead.", or may include the reason for determining that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated and the prompting to decelerate the vehicle 110, such as "A pedestrian is crossing the road ahead. Please decelerate."

[0034] The roadside unit 200 may communicate with the terminal device 120 (vehicle-road communication). The vehicle-road communication may be performed at a timing when vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not being performed. Details of the roadside unit 200 will be described later (see FIG. 5).

[0035] <Configuration of Vehicle and Electronic Device> Next, the configurations of the vehicle 110 and the terminal device 120 according to one embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the vehicle 110 and the terminal device 120.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 110 includes a terminal device 120 and a driving control unit 14.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 120 according to one embodiment includes an environmental information acquisition unit 11 that acquires environmental information, which is information related to the environment, and a passenger information acquisition unit 12 that acquires passenger information, which is information related to the passengers of the vehicle 110. Further, the terminal device 120 according to one embodiment includes a control unit 15 that determines, based on the environmental information, that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated and determines the timing at which a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated is to be output based on the passenger information, and an output unit 13 that notifies the driver of the vehicle 110 to decelerate the vehicle 110 according to the timing determined by the control unit 15.

[0038] Thereby, when notifying the driver of the vehicle 110 to decelerate the vehicle 110, the terminal device 120 can output the notification at a timing according to the state of the passengers of the vehicle 110.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the above-described configuration, the terminal device 120 may include a positioning signal reception unit 16.

[0040] The environmental information acquisition unit 11 includes a communication unit 11a and an environmental image acquisition unit 11b.

[0041] The communication unit 11a may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication via broadcast with other terminal devices 140 installed in other vehicles 130 using an antenna, or may perform roadside-to-vehicle communication via broadcast with the roadside unit 200. The communication unit 11a may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other terminal devices 140 and roadside-to-vehicle communication with the roadside unit 200 using one antenna, or may have one antenna corresponding to each communication. The antenna may be located outside the vehicle 110 or inside the vehicle 110. The antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna having directivity. The antenna may be an adaptive array antenna capable of dynamically changing directivity. The communication unit 11a may have a function of performing carrier sense to determine the availability of radio frequencies (for example, 700 MHz band or 5.8 GHz). In this case, the communication unit 11a may transmit a packet to other vehicles 130 or the roadside unit 200 at a timing when the radio frequency is available. Information related to the vehicle 110 may be configured by one or more packets. The packet may include identification information used for identifying the transmission source, synchronization information indicating a synchronization method for the roadside unit 200, the transmission time of the packet, and / or period information indicating the period of roadside-to-vehicle communication (the number of transfers of roadside-to-vehicle communication and / or the period length of roadside-to-vehicle communication).

[0042] It is assumed that the wireless communication method of the communication unit 11a conforms to the method compliant with ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) STD-T109. However, the wireless communication method of the communication unit 11a may conform to the method compliant with the 3GPP V2X standard, or may conform to the method compliant with wireless LAN standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 series. The communication unit 11a may be configured to be compatible with all of these communication standards. Note that IEEE is a registered trademark.

[0043] The communication unit 11a has a transmission unit that converts a baseband signal output by the control unit 15 into a radio signal after performing signal processing on the baseband signal and transmits the radio signal from an antenna. Further, the communication unit 11a has a reception unit that converts a radio signal received by the antenna into a baseband signal, performs signal processing thereon, and outputs the signal after the signal processing to the control unit 15.

[0044] When the communication unit 11a conforms to the ARIB STD-T109 standard, it may transmit information related to the vehicle 110 at a timing according to the result of carrier sense. Further, the communication unit 11a may periodically broadcast information related to the vehicle 110.

[0045] The communication unit 11a may acquire information related to another vehicle 130 traveling on another road 20 that intersects with the road 10 on which the vehicle 110 travels at an intersection 30. The communication unit 11a may receive information related to the other vehicle 130 by vehicle-to-vehicle communication with another terminal device 140 installed in the other vehicle 130. Further, the communication unit 11a may receive information related to the other vehicle 130 transmitted from the other vehicle 130 to the roadside unit 200 by road-to-vehicle communication by road-to-vehicle communication with the roadside unit 200.

[0046] Further, the communication unit 11a may acquire data related to the presence or absence of a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300, which is transmitted by a wireless communication terminal (not shown) provided at the next stop 300. An infrared sensor may be provided at the stop 300, and the data may be acquired by the infrared sensor. The communication unit 11a may directly receive the data broadcast by the wireless communication terminal provided at the next stop 300 or may receive the data by road-to-vehicle communication with the roadside unit 200 that has received the data broadcast by the wireless communication terminal.

[0047] Furthermore, the communication unit 11a may obtain information related to an emergency vehicle traveling around the vehicle 110 from the emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle may be a police vehicle or an ambulance in emergency operation. The emergency vehicle may have a wireless communication terminal capable of transmitting information related to the emergency vehicle, and the communication unit 11a may directly receive the information related to the emergency vehicle broadcast from the wireless communication terminal of the emergency vehicle, or may receive it through vehicle-road communication with the roadside unit 200 that has received the data broadcast by the wireless communication terminal.

[0048] The environmental image acquisition unit 11b acquires an image outside the vehicle 110. The environmental image acquisition unit 11b may acquire an image from a camera (not shown) installed inside or outside the vehicle 110. The environmental image acquisition unit 11b may acquire an image captured by a camera (not shown) installed or connected to the roadside unit 200 through vehicle-road communication with the roadside unit 200. Also, the environmental image acquisition unit 11b itself may have an imaging function and be configured to be able to acquire an image outside the vehicle 110. The environmental image acquisition unit 11b may acquire an image related to a point on the road 10 located in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110.

[0049] The passenger information acquisition unit 12 includes a sensor information acquisition unit 12a and an in-vehicle image acquisition unit 12b.

[0050] The sensor information acquisition unit 12a may communicate with various sensors (not shown) installed inside the vehicle 110 using an antenna, and receive the data acquired by the various sensors. The antenna may be located inside the vehicle 110. The antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna, a directional antenna with directivity, or an adaptive array antenna whose directivity can be dynamically changed. The data acquired by the sensors may be stored in a server or cloud connected to a mobile network. The sensor information acquisition unit 12a may connect to the mobile network using an antenna and access a server that holds the data acquired by the sensors to obtain the data. Furthermore, the data acquired by the sensors may be directly transmitted to the sensor information acquisition unit 12a according to the type of the sensors, or may be stored in a server connected to the mobile network.

[0051] The sensor information acquisition unit 12a may receive the data acquired by infrared sensors (not shown) provided at the boarding and alighting openings of the vehicle 110, and may calculate the number of people who passed through the boarding opening and the number of people who passed through the alighting opening based on the data. Also, the sensor information acquisition unit 12a may calculate the number of passengers in the vehicle 110 based on the number of people who passed through the boarding opening of the vehicle 110 and the number of people who passed through the alighting opening. Further, the sensor information acquisition unit 12a may receive the data acquired by sensors (not shown) provided at each seat of the vehicle 110 for detecting whether a passenger is sitting or not, and may calculate the number of passengers who are sitting while riding in the vehicle 110 based on the data. The sensor for detecting whether a passenger is sitting or not may be a capacitance proximity sensor, a resistive film proximity sensor, or an infrared sensor.

[0052] In addition, the sensor information acquisition unit 12a may receive data acquired by a sensor (not shown) for detecting whether a passenger exists at a specific location inside the vehicle 110, and may detect the presence of a passenger in the area based on the data. The sensor may be provided inside the vehicle 110. The specific location inside the vehicle 110 may be any location as long as it is a location other than the seats provided in the vehicle 110. For example, it may be a location other than the seats near the boarding or alighting doors of the vehicle 110. The sensor for detecting whether a passenger exists at a specific location inside the vehicle 110 may be an infrared sensor, or may be a proximity sensor using a capacitance method or a proximity sensor using a resistive film method.

[0053] Furthermore, the sensor information acquisition unit 12a may receive data acquired by a sensor (not shown) for detecting contact, which is provided on the hanging straps or handrails inside the vehicle 110, and may detect that the hanging straps or handrails inside the vehicle 110 are being contacted based on the data. The sensor for detecting contact may be a proximity sensor using a capacitance method or a proximity sensor using a resistive film method.

[0054] The in-vehicle image acquisition unit 12b acquires an image inside the vehicle 110. The in-vehicle image acquisition unit 12b may acquire an image from a camera (not shown) installed inside the vehicle 110. Also, the in-vehicle image acquisition unit 12b itself may have an imaging function and may be configured to be able to acquire an image inside the vehicle 110.

[0055] The positioning signal receiving unit 16 performs positioning based on, for example, GNSS satellite signals, and outputs position information indicating the current geographical position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 110 to the control unit 15. The positioning signal receiving unit 16 includes, for example, a receiver such as at least one of GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), Galileo, BeiDou, NavIC (Navigation Indian Constellation), and QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System). Note that GPS and QZSS are registered trademarks.

[0056] In the embodiment, the case where the positioning signal receiving unit 16 includes a receiver such as GNSS and directly receives GNSS satellite signals from GNSS satellites has been described. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. The positioning signal receiving unit 16 may receive GNSS satellite signals received by a GNSS receiver (not shown) separately installed in the vehicle 110. Further, based on the GNSS satellite signals received by the GNSS receiver installed in the vehicle 110, the positioning signal receiving unit 16 may receive the result of positioning performed by the GNSS receiver.

[0057] The output unit 13 outputs information to the driver of the vehicle 110 under the control of the control unit 15. For example, when the terminal device 120 is a car navigation system, the output unit 13 includes at least one of a display for displaying information and a speaker for outputting information as sound. Also, for example, when the terminal device 120 is an ECU, the output unit 13 outputs information to at least one of a display and a speaker (not shown) separately provided in the vehicle 110. Further, the output unit 13 may output sound to the earphone when the driver of the vehicle 110 is wearing the earphone and the earphone is connected to the terminal device 120. In addition, the output unit 13 may transmit an instruction to continuously change the tension of the seat belt worn by the driver of the vehicle 110 to the control unit 15, or may transmit an instruction to vibrate the seat of the driver of the vehicle 110 or the steering wheel operated by the driver of the vehicle 110 to the control unit 15.

[0058] The driving control unit 14 controls an engine or a motor as a power source of the vehicle 110, a power transmission mechanism, a steering mechanism, brakes, and the like. When the vehicle 110 is an autonomous vehicle, the driving control unit 14 may cooperate with the control unit 15 to control the driving and steering of the vehicle 110.

[0059] The control unit 15 controls various functions in the terminal device 120 (and the vehicle 110). For example, the control unit 15 controls the environment information acquisition unit 11, the passenger information acquisition unit 12, and the output unit 13. The control unit 15 includes at least one memory and at least one processor electrically connected to the memory. The memory includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and stores information used for processing in the processor and a program executed by the processor. The processor performs various processes by executing the program stored in the memory. The control unit 15 may store, in the memory, identification information of the terminal device 120, map information (for example, a dynamic map), and the like as information used for processing in the processor.

[0060] The control unit 15 may determine to decelerate the vehicle 110 based on the environmental information acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 11, and control the output unit 13. The control unit 15 acquires an image related to a point on the road 10 located in the traveling direction of the vehicle 110 from the environmental information acquisition unit 11, and based on the image, determines that at least one of a pedestrian, a bicycle, or another vehicle 130 exists at the point, or that at least one of a pedestrian, a bicycle, or another vehicle 130 is crossing the point, and in response thereto, may determine to decelerate the vehicle 110. Further, the control unit 15 determines to decelerate the vehicle 110 based on information related to another vehicle 130 traveling on another road 20 that intersects with the road 10 on which the vehicle 110 travels at the intersection 30, which is acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 11, and in response to determining that there is a risk of the vehicle 110 colliding with the other vehicle 130 at the intersection 30. Regarding the method for determining the risk of collision between the vehicle 110 and the other vehicle 130 at the intersection 30, since it is not related to the present disclosure, a conventionally proposed method is used, and although detailed description is omitted, it can be determined based on information related to the positions of the vehicle 110 and the other vehicle 130, information related to the speeds, information related to the traveling directions, and information related to the position of the intersection 30.

[0061] Furthermore, based on the data obtained from the environment information acquisition unit 11 regarding the presence or absence of a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300, the control unit 15 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to determining that there is a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300 and detecting that the vehicle 110 is approaching the next stop 300. The control unit 15 may detect that a button (not shown) provided inside the vehicle 110 for indicating that a passenger of the vehicle 110 wishes to get off at the next stop 300 is pressed. Instead of detecting that there is a person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the next stop 300, the control unit 15 may detect that there is a passenger who wishes to get off at the next stop 300. The map information stored in the memory by the control unit 15 may include information related to the stop 300 on the operation route of the vehicle 110. The control unit 15 may detect that the vehicle 110 is approaching the stop 300 based on the information related to the vehicle 110 and the information related to the stop 300 obtained from the positioning signal reception unit 16. In addition, based on the information related to the emergency vehicle obtained from the environment information acquisition unit 11, the control unit 15 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated in response to determining that the emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 110.

[0062] Based on the passenger information acquired from the passenger information acquisition unit 12, the control unit 15 may determine the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated, and control the output unit 13 at that timing. When the passenger information acquisition unit 12 determines that there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110, it determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated as the first timing. When it determines that there is no passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110, it determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated as the second timing. The control unit 15 compares the information related to the number of passengers boarding the vehicle 110 and the information related to the number of passengers boarding while sitting in the vehicle 110 acquired from the passenger information acquisition unit 12. If the numbers do not match, it may determine that there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110. Also, the control unit 15 may determine that there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the data indicating the presence of a passenger at a specific location inside the vehicle 110 acquired from the passenger information acquisition unit 12. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may determine that there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the information indicating that the hanging straps or handrails inside the vehicle 110 are being touched, acquired from the sensor information acquisition unit 12a. In addition, the control unit 15 may determine that there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the image related to the inside of the vehicle 110 acquired from the passenger information acquisition unit 12. It may also make a determination.

[0063] In the embodiment, the case where the vehicle 110 has the terminal device 120 has been described. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. The vehicle 110 may not have the terminal device 120. In that case, the vehicle 110 may have the environment information acquisition unit 11, the passenger information acquisition unit 12, the output unit 13, the driving control unit 14, the control unit 15, and the positioning signal reception unit 16.

[0064] In addition, in the embodiment, the case where the terminal device 120 includes the environment information acquisition unit 11, the passenger information acquisition unit 12, the output unit 13, the control unit 15, and the positioning signal reception unit 16 has been described. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the terminal device 120 may include only the control unit 15, and the vehicle 110 may include the environment information acquisition unit 11, the passenger information acquisition unit 12, the output unit 13, the driving control unit 14, and the positioning signal reception unit 16.

[0065] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the case where the vehicle 110 and the terminal device 120 include the environment information acquisition unit 11, the passenger information acquisition unit 12, the output unit 13, the driving control unit 14, the control unit 15, and the positioning signal reception unit 16 has been described. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto. The vehicle 110 and the terminal device 120 may not include the driving control unit 14. In that case, the control unit 15 included in the vehicle 110 or the terminal device 120 may control an engine or a motor as a power source of the vehicle 110, a power transmission mechanism, a steering mechanism, brakes, and the like.

[0066] <Configuration of Roadside Unit> Next, the configuration of the roadside unit 200 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the roadside unit 200 according to an embodiment.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5, the roadside unit 200 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and an interface 23.

[0068] The communication unit 21 performs wireless communication via an antenna. The antenna may be located outside the roadside unit 200 or inside the roadside unit 200. The antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna having directivity. The antenna may be an adaptive array antenna capable of dynamically changing directivity. In one embodiment, the communication unit 21 performs vehicle-road communication by broadcast with the vehicle 110 (terminal device 120).

[0069] Also, assume that the wireless communication method of the communication unit 21 complies with ARIB STD-T109. However, the wireless communication method of the communication unit 21 may comply with the 3GPP V2X standard, or may comply with a wireless LAN standard such as the IEEE802.11 series. The communication unit 21 may be configured to be compatible with all of these communication standards.

[0070] The communication unit 21 has a transmission unit that performs signal processing on the baseband signal output by the control unit 22 and then converts it into a wireless signal, and transmits the wireless signal from the antenna. Also, the communication unit 21 has a reception unit that converts the wireless signal received by the antenna into a baseband signal, performs signal processing, and outputs the signal after signal processing to the control unit 22.

[0071] The control unit 22 controls various functions in the roadside unit 200. For example, the control unit 22 controls the communication unit 21. The control unit 22 has at least one memory and at least one processor electrically connected to the memory. The memory includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and stores information used for processing in the processor and a program executed by the processor. The processor performs various processes by executing the program stored in the memory.

[0072] The control unit 22 creates roadside unit information and outputs the roadside unit information to the communication unit 21. The communication unit 21 broadcasts the roadside unit information during the vehicle-road communication period assigned to the roadside unit 200. The roadside unit information is information including information about the road. The roadside unit information has a predetermined format based on, for example, the "ITS Wireless Roadside Unit Communication Application Common Standard" issued by the UTMS (Universal Traffic Management System) Association and the "Communication Application (Optical / Electromagnetic Wave Experiment) Standard for 5.8 GHz Band / 700 MHz Band Wireless DSSS". Note that UTMS is a registered trademark.

[0073] Further, the control unit 22 may receive information related to the vehicle 110 from the terminal device 120 via the communication unit 21. Furthermore, the control unit 22 may broadcast the received information related to the vehicle 110 to other terminal devices 140.

[0074] The interface 23 may be connected to the server device via a wired line and / or a wireless line. The interface 23 may be connected to the roadside sensor 500 via a wired line and / or a wireless line. The roadside sensor 500 may be incorporated in the roadside unit 200. The roadside sensor 500 may be at least one of an image sensor (camera) that outputs image data, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor that detects a moving object and outputs detection data (point cloud data), a millimeter wave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an infrared sensor.

[0075] <An example of a sequence related to determining the notification timing to the driver of a vehicle according to the results of determining the necessity of deceleration of the vehicle and determining the state of the passengers in the vehicle, which is executed by the control unit of the terminal device> Next, an example of a sequence related to determining the notification timing to the driver of the vehicle 110 according to the results of determining the necessity of deceleration of the vehicle 110 and determining the state of the passengers in the vehicle 110, which is executed by the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 according to an embodiment, will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence related to determining the notification timing to the driver of the vehicle 110 according to the results of determining the necessity of deceleration of the vehicle 110 and determining the state of the passengers in the vehicle 110, which is executed by the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 according to an embodiment. The sequence is started when the control unit 15 detects that the environment information acquisition unit 11 of the terminal device 120 has acquired the environment information.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6, in step S101, the control unit 15 acquires environment information from the environment information acquisition unit 11.

[0077] In step S102, the control unit 15 acquires passenger information from the passenger information acquisition unit 12.

[0078] In step S103, the control unit 15 determines whether the vehicle 110 should be decelerated or stopped based on the environmental information acquired in S101. If the result in step S103 is "NO", the control unit 15 ends the determination process of the notification timing to the driver of the vehicle 110 according to the result of the necessity determination of decelerating the vehicle 110 and the determination of the state of the passengers riding in the vehicle 110. On the other hand, if the result in step S103 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S104.

[0079] In step S104, the control unit 15 determines based on the passenger information acquired in step S102 whether there are passengers standing while riding in the vehicle 110. If the result in step S104 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S105. An example of the sequence related to the determination of the state of the passengers riding in the vehicle 110 will be described later (see FIG. 7).

[0080] In step S105, the control unit 15 determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 as the first timing, and proceeds to step S107.

[0081] On the other hand, if the result in step S104 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the control unit 15 determines the timing to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 as the second timing, and proceeds to step S107.

[0082] In step S107, the control unit 15 controls the output unit 13 to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated to the driver of the vehicle 110 at the timing determined in step S105 or step S106, and ends the determination process of the notification timing to the driver of the vehicle 110 according to the result of the necessity determination of decelerating the vehicle 110 and the determination of the state of the passengers riding in the vehicle 110.

[0083] <An example of a sequence for determining the state of a passenger riding in a vehicle, which is executed by the control unit of the terminal device> Next, an example of a sequence for determining the state of a passenger riding in the vehicle 110, which is executed by the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 according to an embodiment, will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence for determining the state of a passenger riding in the vehicle 110, which is executed by the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 according to an embodiment. The sequence is started in the process of determining the notification timing to the driver of the vehicle 110 according to the determination result of the necessity of deceleration of the vehicle 110 by the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 and the determination result of the state of the passengers riding in the vehicle 110.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 7, in step S201, the control unit 15 determines whether the number of passengers riding in the vehicle 110 matches the number of passengers riding while sitting in the vehicle 110 based on the passenger information acquired in S102. If the result in step S201 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S206 described later. On the other hand, if the result in step S201 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S202.

[0085] In step S202, the control unit 15 determines whether there is a passenger at a predetermined position inside the vehicle 110 based on the passenger information acquired in S102. If the result in step S202 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S206 described later. On the other hand, if the result in step S202 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S203.

[0086] In step S203, the control unit 15 determines whether the hanging straps or handrails provided inside the vehicle 110 are being touched based on the passenger information acquired in S102. If the result in step S203 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S206 described later. On the other hand, if the result in step S203 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S204.

[0087] In step S204, the control unit 15 determines whether there is a passenger who is boarding while standing in the vehicle 110 based on the image obtained by imaging the interior of the vehicle 110 included in the passenger information acquired in S102. If it is "YES" in step S204, the process proceeds to step S206 described later. On the other hand, if it is "NO" in step S204, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0088] In step S205, the control unit 15 determines that there is no passenger who is boarding while standing in the vehicle 110, and ends the determination process of the state of the passengers in the vehicle 110.

[0089] In step S206, the control unit 15 determines that there is a passenger who is boarding while standing in the vehicle 110, and ends the determination process of the state of the passengers in the vehicle 110.

[0090] <Other Embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the terminal device 120 determines that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated based on environmental information, and causes the vehicle 110 to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be decelerated based on passenger information. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. The terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be accelerated based on environmental information, and cause the vehicle 110 to output a notification indicating that the vehicle 110 should be accelerated. Further, the terminal device 120 may determine that the speed of the vehicle 110 should be maintained based on environmental information, and cause the vehicle 110 to output a notification indicating that the speed of the vehicle 110 should be maintained. For example, in response to the vehicle 110 approaching a stop 300 located on the operation route later than the scheduled arrival time and the terminal device 120 acquiring, as environmental information, information indicating that there is no person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the stop 300, the terminal device 120 may determine that the vehicle 110 should be accelerated. Also, in response to the vehicle 110 approaching a stop 300 located on the operation route earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the terminal device 120 acquiring, as environmental information, information indicating that there is no person who wishes to board the vehicle 110 at the stop 300, the terminal device 120 may determine that the speed of the vehicle 110 should be maintained.

[0091] A program may be provided that causes the control unit 15 of the terminal device 120 to execute each of the above-described processes. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. By using a computer-readable medium, it is possible to install the program on a computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may be a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

[0092] As described above, the embodiments have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the gist.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0093] 10, 20: Road 30: Intersection 110: Vehicle 120: Terminal device 130: Other vehicle 140: Other terminal device 11: Environment information acquisition unit 11a: Communication unit 11b: Environment image acquisition unit 12: Passenger information acquisition unit 12a: Sensor information acquisition unit 12b: In-vehicle image acquisition unit 13: Output unit 14: Driving control unit 15: Control unit 16: Positioning signal reception unit 200: Roadside unit 300: Bus stop 21: Communication unit 22: Control unit 23: Interface 500: Roadside sensor

Claims

1. A traffic communication system having a vehicle and a terminal device installed in the vehicle, wherein the terminal device acquires environmental information which is information related to the environment and passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, determines that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information, and determines a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and causes the vehicle to output the notification according to the timing Traffic communication system.

2. The passenger information is first information for confirming whether there is a passenger boarding while standing in the vehicle The traffic communication system according to Claim 1.

3. The first information includes at least one of information related to the number of passengers in the vehicle, information related to the positions of the passengers, and information related to the usage status of the hanging straps or handrails of the vehicle by the passengers The traffic communication system according to Claim 2.

4. The terminal device determines the timing as a first timing when it detects that there is a passenger standing in the vehicle based on the first information The traffic communication system according to Claim 3.

5. The terminal device determines the timing as a second timing when it detects that there is no passenger standing in the vehicle based on the first information The traffic communication system according to Claim 4.

6. The first timing is earlier than the second timing The traffic communication system according to Claim 5.

7. A terminal device installed in a vehicle, an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information which is information related to the environment, a passenger information acquisition unit that acquires passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, a control unit that determines that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information and determines a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information, and an output unit that outputs the notification in the vehicle according to the timing Terminal device comprising.

8. In a terminal device installed in a vehicle, a process of acquiring environmental information which is information related to the environment and passenger information which is information related to passengers of the vehicle, a process of determining that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the environmental information and determining a timing for outputting a notification indicating that the vehicle should be decelerated based on the passenger information a process of outputting the notification in the vehicle according to the timing, A program to execute.

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