Information processing device, method for operating the same, and program

Abstract

To shorten processing time while securing accuracy of simulation of vehicle operation in a block.SOLUTION: An operation method of an information processing device includes the steps of: operating the information processing device in a plurality of pseudo situations by a simulation program for executing part of control operation by a control program for controlling travel of a vehicle in accordance with a situation of surrounding circumstances in which the vehicle travels in accordance with part of the situation; and extracting a first pseudo situation in which the vehicle and an object show a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo situations for a simulation step by the control program. In the simulation step, control operation by the control program is executed in the first pseudo situation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In the design stage of a block, in order to consider the possibility of traffic congestion and the like in the block, a technique of simulating traffic volume and the like by an information processing apparatus is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for simulating the operation plan of public transportation vehicles.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the simulation of vehicle operation in a block, the assumed situations such as the presence or absence of objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles on the moving route of the vehicle and the moving modes of the objects are diverse. However, in order to simulate vehicle operation for different situations, an enormous amount of information processing and time are required. Therefore, it is desired to shorten the processing time while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an operation method of an information processing apparatus and the like that can shorten the processing time while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation of vehicle operation in a block.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The operation method of the information processing apparatus in the present disclosure includes operating in a plurality of pseudo-situations by a simulation program for executing a part of the control operation by a control program that controls the running of the vehicle according to the situation of the surrounding environment in which the vehicle runs according to a part of the situation, and extracting a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-situations for the simulation process by the control program. In the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed.

[0007] The information processing apparatus in the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores a simulation program for executing a part of the control operation by a control program that controls the running of the vehicle according to the situation of the surrounding environment in which the vehicle runs according to a part of the situation, and a control unit that operates in a plurality of pseudo-situations by the simulation program and extracts a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-situations for the simulation process by the control program. In the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed.

[0008] The program in the present disclosure is a program that causes an information processing apparatus to operate in a plurality of pseudo-situations by a simulation program for executing a part of the control operation by a control program that controls the running of the vehicle according to the situation of the surrounding environment in which the vehicle runs according to a part of the situation, and extract a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-situations for the simulation process by the control program. In the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the operation method and the like of the information processing apparatus in the present disclosure, it is possible to shorten the processing time while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation of vehicle operation in the block.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1 includes a server device 10 and a terminal device 12 that are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information. In the information processing system 1, the server device 10 performs information processing related to simulation in block design in response to an instruction sent from the terminal device 12. The terminal device 12 is, for example, an information processing device such as one or more personal computers, tablet terminal devices, etc. The information processing device may include a smartphone or the like. The server device 10 is, for example, one or more server computers. The server device 10 may be a single server computer, or may be a plurality of server computers that execute operations in cooperation in this embodiment to provide services. The network 11 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, an ad hoc network, a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a mobile communication network, or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0013] The server device 10 corresponds to the "information processing device" of the present embodiment, receives instructions from the terminal device 12, and executes information processing related to simulations in block design. The simulation is, for example, a simulation for virtually executing the movement of vehicles running on roads in a block such as a so-called smart city in various situations. The vehicle is, for example, a commercial vehicle such as a bus or a truck, and is an autonomous driving vehicle whose driving is automated at any level (for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)). Various situations (hereinafter referred to as surrounding situations) include the movement patterns of objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles that intersect the path along which the vehicle moves, and the modes of blind spots from the vehicle on the road. In the simulation, the operation of the vehicle is virtually executed based on the control operations executed according to the surrounding situations by a driving control program installed in the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the simulation is executed in two stages. That is, the operation method of the server device 10 is a simple simulation process that operates in a plurality of pseudo-surrounding situations by a simulation program for executing a part of the control operation by the driving control program that controls the driving of the vehicle according to the surrounding situation of the surrounding environment in which the vehicle travels according to a part of the surrounding situation, and a selection process for extracting a pseudo-surrounding situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-surrounding situations for the precise simulation process by the driving control program. Then, in the precise simulation process, the control operation by the driving control program in the pseudo-surrounding situation (hereinafter referred to as the sample surrounding situation) extracted in the selection process is executed.

[0014] According to the present embodiment, as a result of a simple simulation process using a simulation program that limitedly simulates the control operation by the driving control program and thus has a smaller processing load than the driving control program, a sample surrounding situation is extracted in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode, for example, a mode in which the closest distance between the vehicle and the object is smaller than a reference distance. Then, in the sample surrounding situation, a precise simulation process by the driving control program is executed. In this way, by executing the simple simulation process using the simulation program based on the driving control program, it is possible to extract the sample surrounding situation while maintaining the accuracy of the simulation to a certain extent. And by executing the precise simulation process for the sample surrounding situation, it is possible to execute the simulation with a smaller overall processing load than when executing the detailed simulation in all pseudo surrounding situations. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the processing time while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation of vehicle operation in the urban area.

[0015] Next, the configurations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 will be described.

[0016] The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, a control unit 103, an input unit 105, and an output unit 106. These configurations are appropriately arranged in two or more server computers when the server device 10 is composed of two or more server computers.

[0017] The communication unit 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 101 receives information used for the operation of the server device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the server device 10. The server device 10 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 101 and performs information communication with the terminal device 12 via the network 11.

[0018] The storage unit 102 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories that function as a main memory device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, an SRAM (Static RAM) or a DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 102 stores information used for the operation of the control unit 103 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 103. In the storage unit 102, for example, a running control program 104 and detailed simulation data 107 for the detailed simulation process, as well as a simulation program 108 and simple simulation data 109 for the simple simulation process are stored.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining detailed simulation data 107 for a detailed simulation process and simplified simulation data 109 for a simplified simulation process. The detailed simulation data 107 includes a plurality of simulation pattern data 21. Each simulation pattern data 21 is data corresponding to a pseudo-peripheral situation that conforms to the data detected by the vehicle's sensors when the vehicle travels through a block, and each represents a different peripheral situation. The simulation pattern data 21 includes, for example, imaging images captured by the vehicle's camera, data such as the state and motion state of the vehicle. The imaging images include objects, obstacles, etc. around the vehicle. The state of the vehicle includes vibrations, temperature, etc. of the vehicle body. The motion state of the vehicle includes vehicle speed, acceleration, etc. The simulation pattern data 21 may be data detected and collected by sensors when the vehicle actually travels through a block, or data created for detailed simulation in the format of actual detection data. Also, the simplified simulation data 109 includes a plurality of simulation pattern data 22. Each simulation pattern data 22 is data indicating a part of the peripheral situation when the vehicle travels through a block, and corresponds to data indicating a part of a pseudo-peripheral situation. The simulation pattern data 22 includes, for example, data such as object movement patterns, vehicle driving patterns, blind spot patterns, visibility, road surface conditions. The object movement pattern includes the movement path, movement speed, acceleration, etc. of the object. The vehicle driving pattern includes the driving path, vehicle speed, acceleration, etc. of the vehicle. The blind spot pattern includes the position, range, etc. of the blind spots around the vehicle. The visibility includes the range that the vehicle's camera can image. The road surface condition includes the magnitude of the friction of the road surface when the vehicle brakes. The simulation pattern data 22 is data created for simplified simulation and does not necessarily have to be in the format of detection data by the vehicle's sensors. The simulation pattern data 22 is respectively associated with the simulation pattern data 21 of the detailed simulation data 107 including the corresponding peripheral situation. The information on the association of the simulation pattern data 21 and 22 is stored in the storage unit 102.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. While controlling each part of the server device 10, the control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10.

[0021] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by the processor included in the control unit 103 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as the control unit 103. Also, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 103. Further, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording and storage medium readable by the control unit 103, and the control unit 103 may read it from the medium.

[0022] The control unit 103 executes a simple simulation process using the simple simulation data 109 by executing the simulation program 108. Also, the control unit 103 simulates the operating environment of a control device such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) in which the travel control program 104 is installed in a vehicle, for example, by executing a program for emulation. Then, the control unit 103 executes a detailed simulation process using the detailed simulation data 107 by executing the travel control program 104 in the simulated operating environment.

[0023] The input unit 105 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen provided integrally with a display, or a microphone that accepts voice input. The input unit 105 receives an operation for inputting information used for the operation of the server device 10 and sends the input information to the control unit 103.

[0024] The output unit 106 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 106 outputs information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0025] The terminal device 12 has a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, a control unit 123, an input unit 125, and an output unit 126.

[0026] The communication unit 121 has a communication module corresponding to a wired or wireless LAN standard, a module corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G, 5G, etc. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 via the communication unit 121 through a nearby router device or a base station for mobile communication, and performs information communication with the server device 10, etc. via the network 11.

[0027] The storage unit 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage unit 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 122 stores information used for the operation of the control unit 123 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0028] The control unit 123 includes, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors such as a GPU specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may include one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 123 comprehensively controls the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or by operating according to an operation procedure implemented as a circuit. Then, the control unit 123 transmits and receives various information to and from the server device 10 etc. via the communication unit 121, and executes the operation according to the present embodiment.

[0029] The functions of the terminal device 12 are realized by a processor included in the control unit 123 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as the control unit 123. Also, some or all of the functions of the terminal device 12 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 123. Further, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium readable by the control unit 123, and the control unit 123 may read it from the medium.

[0030] The input unit 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces include, for example, physical keys, capacitive keys, pointing devices, and a touch screen provided integrally with a display. Also, the input interfaces include a microphone for receiving voice input and a camera for capturing an imaging image. Further, the input interfaces may include a scanner or a camera for scanning an image code, and an IC card reader. The input unit 125 receives an operation for inputting information used for the operation of the control unit 123, and sends the input information to the control unit 123. Also, the input unit 125 sends an imaging image captured by the camera to the control unit 123.

[0031] The output unit 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interfaces include, for example, a display and a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The output unit 126 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0032] Figure 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the server device 10 in the present embodiment. Each step is executed by the control unit 103. The procedure in Figure 3 is executed, for example, in response to an instruction from the terminal device 12 operated by an operator.

[0033] In step S30, the control unit 103 acquires simple simulation data. The control unit 103 reads and acquires the simple simulation data 109 stored in the storage unit 102 in advance. Alternatively, the operator inputs arbitrary simple simulation data through the input unit 125 of the terminal device 12, and the control unit 123 of the terminal device 12 sends the input data to the server device 10 through the communication unit 121. The control unit 103 of the server device 10 receives the information sent from the terminal device 12 through the communication unit 101. Thereby, the control unit 103 acquires simple simulation data. Alternatively, the operator may input arbitrary simple simulation data through the input unit 105 of the server device 10, and the control unit 103 acquires the input simple simulation data.

[0034] In step S31, the control unit 103 executes a simple simulation process. The operator inputs an instruction to execute the simple simulation process through the input unit 125 of the terminal device 12. The control unit 123 of the terminal device 12 sends the input instruction to the server device 10 through the communication unit 121. The control unit 103 of the server device 10 receives the instruction sent from the terminal device 12 through the communication unit 101. Thereby, the control unit 103 executes a simple simulation process using the simple simulation data 109 according to the simulation program 108. Details of the simple simulation process are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the server device 10 that executes the simple simulation process. Each step in FIG. 4 is a step defined by the simulation program 108. Further, FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically explaining an example of the simple simulation defined by the simulation program 108. As shown in FIG. 5, in the simple simulation, when the vehicle 51 (P1 to P5 in parentheses indicate the positions over time) travels along the travel route 52 from the start point 52S to the end point 52E on the roads 57-1 and 57-3 in the block 50, it is performed to simulate the closest distance to another vehicle 54 or a pedestrian 55 that moves intersecting the travel route 52. Here, the arrangement of the roads 57-1 to 57-3 in the block 50 is defined by the simulation program 108, and the travel pattern of the vehicle 51, the movement pattern of objects such as the other vehicle 54 or the pedestrian 55, and the surrounding situation including the positions, dimensions, shapes, etc. of the obstacles 56-1, 56-2, etc. are defined to be different for each simulation pattern data 22 by the simulation pattern data 22. For example, as the movement pattern of an object such as the other vehicle 54 or the pedestrian 55, the movement route, movement speed, acceleration / deceleration, etc. of the object are defined. Also, as the travel pattern of the vehicle 51, the travel route, vehicle speed, acceleration / deceleration, etc. of the vehicle 51 are defined. Further, as the blind spot pattern, the positions, ranges, etc. of the blind spots around the vehicle are defined by the positions, dimensions, shapes, etc. of the obstacles 56-1, 56-2, etc. Furthermore, the field of view 53 of the camera of the vehicle 51 is defined by variations in visibility. For example, in a variation assuming a case where the light amount is relatively small such as on a cloudy day or at night, the range of the field of view 53 is set relatively small.

[0036] In step S401 of FIG. 4, the control unit 103 starts the recognition process. The recognition process is, for example, a process of capturing an object in the field of view 53 of the camera of the vehicle 51.

[0037] In step S402, the control unit 103 determines whether the sensor range has been determined. The sensor range is, for example, the field of view 53 of the camera. When the field of view 53 is set to a range corresponding to the position of the vehicle 51 in the block 50, it can be determined that the sensor range has been determined (Yes in step S402), and the control unit 103 proceeds to step S403. If it is determined that the sensor range has not been determined (No in step S402), the control unit 103 proceeds to step S410, makes a decision to maintain the vehicle speed of the vehicle 51, and ends the process of FIG. 4.

[0038] In step S403, the control unit 103 determines whether there is a hidden object. For example, since the field of view 53 of the vehicle 51 at positions P1, P3, and P5 does not include obstacles 56-1 and 56-2, it is determined that there is no hidden object. Since the field of view 53 of the vehicle 51 at positions P2 and P4 includes obstacles 56-1 and 56-2 respectively, it is determined that there is a hidden object. If it is determined that there is a hidden object (Yes in step S403), the control unit 103 proceeds to step S404. If it is determined that there is no hidden object (No in step S403), the control unit 103 proceeds to step S410, makes a decision to maintain the vehicle speed of the vehicle 51, and ends the process of FIG. 4.

[0039] In step S404, the control unit 103 starts decelerating the vehicle 51 based on static parameters. The static parameters are arbitrary values predefined by the simulation program 108 and correspond to the deceleration rate for the preliminary deceleration of the vehicle 51.

[0040] In step S405, the control unit 103 determines the vehicle-to-vehicle deceleration. For example, when the vehicle 51 travels to position P3, another vehicle 54 traveling along the street 57-2 intersecting with the street 57-3 in the direction 54D is captured in the field of view 53. The control unit 103 derives, for example, the time until the other vehicle 54 intersects with the travel route 52 based on the change in the position of the other vehicle 54 over time, and determines a deceleration that avoids contact with the other vehicle 54. Alternatively, when the other vehicle 54 is not included in the field of view 53, or when the time until the other vehicle 54 intersects with the travel route 52 is longer than an arbitrary reference, the control unit 103 may maintain the vehicle speed of the vehicle 51. The arbitrary reference is set to be equal to or longer than the required time of the vehicle 51 until the point where the other vehicle 54 intersects with the travel route 52.

[0041] In step S406, the control unit 103 determines the vehicle-to-pedestrian deceleration. For example, when the vehicle 51 travels to position P5, a pedestrian 55 moving along the direction 55D crossing the street 57-3 is captured in the field of view 53. The control unit 103 derives, for example, the time until the pedestrian 55 intersects with the travel route 52 based on the change in the position of the pedestrian 55 over time, and determines a deceleration that avoids contact with the pedestrian 55. Alternatively, when the pedestrian 55 is not included in the field of view 53, or when the time until the pedestrian 55 intersects with the travel route 52 is longer than an arbitrary reference, the control unit 103 may maintain the vehicle speed of the vehicle 51. The arbitrary reference is set to be equal to or longer than the required time of the vehicle 51 until the point where the pedestrian 55 intersects with the travel route 52.

[0042] In step S407, the control unit 103 adjusts the deceleration. For example, the control unit 103 adjusts the deceleration to be equal to or less than the maximum deceleration possible according to the specifications of the vehicle 51.

[0043] In step S408, the control unit 103 determines the vehicle speed. For example, the control unit 103 determines the vehicle speed of the deceleration of the vehicle 51 by decelerating at the adjusted deceleration rate. Thereby, a simulation is executed such that the vehicle 51 travels at the decelerated vehicle speed. In such a simple simulation, the control unit 103 may generate a CG (Computer Graphics) image representing the block 50, the vehicle 51, other vehicles 54, pedestrians 55, obstacles 56-1, 56-2, etc. and send it to the terminal device 12. By doing so, it becomes possible for the operator to visually recognize the CG image showing the simple simulation by the terminal device 12.

[0044] In step S409, the control unit 103 stores the closest distance between the vehicle 51 and the object. For example, the control unit 103 derives the distance when the vehicle 51 is closest to the other vehicle 54 or the pedestrian 55 when the vehicle 51 travels at the decelerated vehicle speed and stores it in the storage unit 102 together with the identification information of the simulation pattern data 22. The case where the vehicle 51 contacts the other vehicle 54 or the pedestrian 55 is also included in the closest approach.

[0045] Returning to FIG. 3, in step S32, the control unit 103 executes a sorting process. The control unit 103 executes the sorting process according to the simulation program 108. As a result of the simple simulation, the control unit 103 extracts a pseudo-peripheral situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined mode from a plurality of pseudo-peripheral situations for the precise simulation process by the driving control program. For example, the control unit 103 extracts the simulation pattern data 22 in which the closest distance between the vehicle and the object is equal to or less than an arbitrary reference. The reference for the closest distance is a value arbitrarily determined within a range of, for example, several tens of centimeters to 2 meters, such that the probability of a contact accident occurs to a certain extent or more. When deriving the closest distance between the vehicle 51 and the object, the control unit 103 may derive the closest distance by taking into account, for example, the movement path, movement speed, acceleration / deceleration, etc. of the object according to an arbitrary algorithm. Further, the control unit 103 may derive the closest distance by taking into account variations in the driving patterns such as the driving path, vehicle speed, acceleration / deceleration, etc. of the vehicle 51 according to an arbitrary algorithm. Furthermore, the control unit 103 may adjust the braking distance when the vehicle 51 decelerates according to an arbitrary algorithm taking into account the road surface condition, and derive the closest distance. Alternatively, the control unit 103 may extract an arbitrary number of simulation pattern data 22 in ascending order of the closest distance between the vehicle and the object. That is, a pseudo-peripheral situation in which the closest distance between the vehicle and the object falls within an arbitrary upper order in ascending order is extracted. The control unit 103 stores the identification information of the simulation pattern data 21 corresponding to the extracted simulation pattern data 22 in the storage unit 102. Here, the simulation pattern data 21 corresponding to the extracted simulation pattern data 22 corresponds to the sample peripheral situation.

[0046] In step S33, the control unit 103 executes a detailed simulation process. The operator inputs an instruction to execute the detailed simulation process through the input unit 125 of the terminal device 12. The control unit 123 of the terminal device 12 sends the input instruction to the server device 10 through the communication unit 121. The control unit 103 of the server device 10 receives the instruction sent from the terminal device 12 through the communication unit 101. Thereby, the control unit 103 executes the detailed simulation process using the detailed simulation data 107 according to the driving control program 104. At this time, the control unit 103 executes the detailed simulation using the simulation pattern data 21 extracted by the screening process. The control unit 103 emulates the implementation environment of the driving control program 104 in the vehicle and executes the driving control program 104, thereby outputting signals, data, etc. as output by, for example, the ECU according to the detailed simulation data 107. Further, the control unit 103 extracts the simulation pattern data 21 such that the closest distance between the vehicle and the object is equal to or less than an arbitrary standard. The standard for the closest distance is a value arbitrarily determined within a range of, for example, several tens of centimeters to 2 meters such that the probability of a contact accident occurs to a certain extent or more. In the detailed simulation process, the control unit 103 may generate a CG image representing a pseudo-peripheral environment corresponding to the simulation pattern data 21 and the operation of the vehicle 51 corresponding to the output obtained by executing the driving control program 104, and send it to the terminal device 12. By doing so, the operator can visually recognize the CG image showing the detailed simulation by the terminal device 12.

[0047] According to this embodiment, by executing a simple simulation process using a simulation program based on a driving control program, it is possible to extract the surrounding situation of the sample while maintaining the accuracy of the simulation to a certain extent. Then, by executing a precise simulation process for the surrounding situation of the sample, it is possible to execute the simulation with a smaller processing load as a whole than when executing a detailed simulation in all surrounding situations. Specifically, by excluding phenomena outside the vehicle's recognition range from screening, it is possible to concentrate on events that occur due to difficulties in recognition from the vehicle caused by the infrastructure in the block, etc., and execute a detailed simulation. In this way, it is possible to shorten the processing time while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation of vehicle operation in the block.

[0048] In this embodiment, the simple simulation process, the screening process, and the detailed simulation process may be executed in a distributed manner by two or more server computers. Also, the above-described procedures described as the operations of the server device 10 are also included in this embodiment when executed by an information processing device such as a stand-alone PC. Furthermore, an information processing device such as a server computer or a PC may be configured to be communicable with an ECU or a control device equivalent thereto for mounting on a vehicle, and may emulate the operating environment of the detailed simulation with a configuration including the ECU or the like.

[0049] In the above, the embodiments have been described based on the drawings and examples, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically contradictory, and a plurality of means, steps, etc. can be combined into one or divided.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 1 Information processing system 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Terminal device 101, 121 Communication unit 102, 122 Memory unit 103, 123 Control unit 105, 125 Input unit 106, 126 Output unit 104 Travel control program 104 107 Detailed simulation data 108 Simulation program 109 Simple simulation data

Claims

1. A method for operating an information processing device, comprising: operating in a plurality of pseudo-situations by a simulation program for executing a part of a control operation by a control program that controls the running of the vehicle according to a situation of a surrounding environment in which the vehicle runs, according to a part of the situation; extracting, for a simulation process by the control program, a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and an object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-situations; in the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed. The method of operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the part of the situation includes one or more of a moving speed of the object, an acceleration / deceleration speed of the object, a moving route of the object, and a blind spot position, dimensions, and shape of the vehicle. The method of operation.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the part of the situation further includes one or more of visibility and road surface conditions. The method of operation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the part of the control operation is acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle on a predetermined running route. The method of operation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined mode is that the closest distance between the vehicle and the object satisfies a first criterion. The method of operation.

6. The method according to claim 1, further including the simulation process. The method of operation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the simulation process, it is determined whether the closest distance between the vehicle and the object satisfies a second criterion. The method of operation.

8. A storage unit that stores a simulation program for executing a part of a control operation by a control program that controls the running of the vehicle according to a situation of a surrounding environment in which the vehicle runs, according to a part of the situation; a control unit that operates in a plurality of pseudo-situations by the simulation program and extracts, for a simulation process by the control program, a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and an object exhibit a predetermined mode from the plurality of pseudo-situations; in the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed. The information processing device.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the part of the situation includes one or more of a moving speed of the object, an acceleration / deceleration speed of the object, a moving route of the object, and a blind spot position, dimensions, and shape of the vehicle. The information processing device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, Some of the above situations further include one or more of visibility and road surface conditions. Information processing device.

11. In claim 8, Some of the control operations are the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle on a predetermined driving route. Information processing device.

12. In claim 8, The predetermined aspect is that the closest distance between the vehicle and the object satisfies a first criterion. Information processing device.

13. In claim 8, The control unit further executes the simulation process. Information processing device.

14. In claim 13, The control unit determines whether the closest distance between the vehicle and the object satisfies a second criterion in the simulation process. Information processing device.

15. In the information processing device, operate in a plurality of pseudo-situations by a simulation program for executing a part of the control operation by a control program that controls the driving of the vehicle according to the situation of the surrounding environment in which the vehicle travels according to a part of the situation; extract a first pseudo-situation in which the vehicle and the object exhibit a predetermined aspect from the plurality of pseudo-situations for the simulation process by the control program; and a program for causing the information processing device to execute the above, In the simulation process, the control operation by the control program in the first pseudo-situation is executed. Program.

16. In claim 15, Some of the situations include one or more of the moving speed of the object, the acceleration and deceleration of the object, the moving route of the object, and the blind spot position, dimensions and shape of the vehicle. Program.

17. In claim 16, Some of the situations further include one or more of visibility and road surface conditions. Program.

18. In claim 15, Some of the control operations are the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle on a predetermined driving route. Program.

19. In claim 15, The predetermined aspect is that the closest distance between the vehicle and the object satisfies a first criterion. Program.

20. In claim 15, cause the information processing device to further execute the simulation process. Program.

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