Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device for accurately generating information related to a position where an event to note has occurred due to a factor of a peripheral environment of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: behavior information collection means for collecting behavior information of a mobile body; behavior information extraction means for extracting, from the collected behavior information, automatic driving behavior information of the mobile body in an automatic driving mode where at least a part of a driving operation of the mobile body is automatically performed; and position estimation means for estimating a position where an event to give influence on the driving operation has occurred based on the automatic driving behavior information and position information of the mobile body when the automatic driving behavior information has been collected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program for providing information to a moving object.

Background Art

[0002] Analysis is being performed using probe information indicating the driving history (such as driving position and driving speed) of a moving object such as a vehicle.

[0003] As an apparatus for analyzing using such probe information, for example, based on vehicle probe information, VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System) information, and the output from a vehicle sensor of a road administrator installed on the roadside, a driving support system is disclosed that includes a support device for predicting whether an event that should be noted is likely to occur for a target vehicle and presenting information to an in-vehicle device of the target vehicle according to the prediction result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the driving support system of Patent Document 1, in collecting probe information from a vehicle, the probe information is collected without distinguishing whether the automobile is in an automatic driving state or a manual driving state.

[0006] For example, the position where an event that should be noted occurs in the "manual driving state" is greatly affected by the driving operation of the driver who drives the vehicle. Therefore, the position where a conventional event that should be noted occurs includes the influence of the driving operation of the driver who drives such a vehicle. Accordingly, as an example of the problem, it is difficult to generate with high accuracy the position where an event that should be noted is caused only by factors in the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and one of the problems is to provide an information processing apparatus that generates with high accuracy the position where an event that should be noted is caused only by factors in the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present application includes behavior information collection means for collecting behavior information of a moving body, and behavior information extraction means for extracting, from the collected behavior information, the automatic driving behavior information of the moving body in an automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the moving body is automatically performed, and position estimation means for estimating the position where an event that affects the driving operation occurs based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the moving body when the automatic driving behavior information is collected.

[0009] The information processing system according to claim 13 of the present application includes a measurement terminal that measures the running state of a moving body, behavior information collection means that collects the behavior information of the moving body transmitted from the measurement terminal, behavior information extraction means that extracts, from the behavior information collected by the behavior information collection means, the automatic driving behavior information of the moving body in an automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the moving body is automatically performed, and position estimation means for estimating the position where an event that affects the driving operation occurs based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the moving body when the automatic driving behavior information is collected, and an information processing apparatus having the same.

[0010] The information processing method according to claim 14 of the present application includes a step of collecting behavior information of a moving body, a step of extracting automatic driving behavior information of the moving body in an automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the moving body is automatically performed from the collected behavior information, and a step of estimating a position where an event affecting the driving operation has occurred based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the moving body when the automatic driving behavior information is collected.

[0011] The program according to claim 15 of the present application causes a computer to execute a step of collecting behavior information of a moving body, a step of extracting automatic driving behavior information of the moving body in an automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the moving body is automatically performed from the collected behavior information, and a step of estimating a position where an event affecting the driving operation has occurred based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the moving body when the automatic driving behavior information is collected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 8

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Examples

[0013] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the information processing system according to Example 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 is configured by connecting a measurement terminal 10 mounted on an automobile M as a moving body and a server 20 as an information processing device via a network NW. Note that the moving body may be a moving body other than an automobile, such as an automobile, a motorcycle, an airplane, a ship, or a moving person.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows the functional blocks of the measurement terminal 10 and the server 20 of the information processing system 100. As shown in FIG. 2, in the information processing system 100, the measurement terminals 10 mounted on each of a plurality of automobiles M and the server 20 are communicably connected.

[0015] The measurement terminal 10 is mounted on the automobile M. The measurement terminal 10 may be a part of the navigation system of the automobile M.

[0016] The acceleration sensor 11 is an acceleration sensor such as a capacitance type or a piezoresistive type. The acceleration sensor 11 is, for example, a two-axis acceleration sensor, and detects the acceleration in the front-rear direction when the automobile M travels forward and the acceleration in the left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, that is, the left-right direction with respect to the moving direction of the automobile M.

[0017] The GPS (Global Positioning System) device 12 is a device configured to receive a signal (GPS signal) from GPS satellites and acquire the position information of the automobile M.

[0018] The communication unit 13 is an interface that is communicably connected to the server 20 and the measurement terminal 10 mounted on another vehicle M via the network NW.

[0019] The control unit 14 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs arithmetic processing. The control unit 14 can control the operations of each part of the measurement terminal 10 including the acceleration sensor 11, the GPS device 12, and the communication unit 13.

[0020] The behavior information calculation unit 15 is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 14. The behavior information calculation unit 15 can calculate behavior information including the speed, acceleration, accelerator opening, braking strength, coasting distance when the accelerator is off, the inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle M, and the position of the vehicle M from the signals of the acceleration sensor 11 and the GPS device 12. That is, the behavior information calculation unit 15 can acquire probe information. The behavior information is, for example, information regarding the behavior of the vehicle M per a predetermined period. In the case of acceleration, it is, for example, the acceleration of the vehicle M per 15 seconds. Note that the predetermined period can be arbitrarily determined.

[0021] The acceleration and speed of the vehicle M may be calculated and acquired based on, for example, the acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor 11 or the GPS signal from the GPS device 12. Also, the speed of the vehicle M may be calculated and acquired based on, for example, receiving the supply of vehicle speed pulses from the vehicle M and based on the vehicle speed pulses.

[0022] Further, the position of the vehicle M may be obtained based on, for example, a GPS signal from the GPS device 12. Further, the position of the vehicle M may be calculated based on the amount of movement from a reference position, the attitude information of the vehicle M from a gyro device, or the vehicle speed information obtained from the vehicle speed pulse of the vehicle M. Further, the behavior information calculation unit 15 may be able to acquire map information. That is, it may be possible to calculate and acquire the position of the vehicle M by combining at least one of the GPS information from the GPS receiver, the attitude information of the vehicle M from the gyro device, and the vehicle speed information of the vehicle M with the map information.

[0023] Further, in the following description, the acceleration when the vehicle M accelerates in the traveling direction of the vehicle M is defined as positive acceleration, and the acceleration when decelerating is defined as negative acceleration. Note that the negative acceleration in the traveling direction is also referred to as deceleration. Further, regarding the lateral acceleration, the acceleration directed to the left with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle M is described as positive acceleration, and the acceleration directed to the right with respect to the traveling direction is described as negative acceleration.

[0024] The communication unit 21 of the server 20 is communicably connected via the network NW to the communication unit 13 of the measurement terminal 10 mounted on each of the plurality of vehicles M. The communication unit 21 can receive, for example, the behavior information or probe information including the acceleration, speed, and position of the vehicle M from the communication unit 13.

[0025] The control unit 23 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs arithmetic processing and is realized by a computer. The control unit 23 can control the operations of each part of the server 20 including the communication unit 21. Further, the control unit 23 can acquire various information from the outside via the communication unit 21 and perform processing such as analysis on the acquired information. The CPU reads out a program corresponding to the processing content from the storage unit 22 and executes the read program to realize various functions.

[0026] The behavior information acquisition means 23a is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The behavior information acquisition means 23a can acquire the behavior information of the automobile M from each measurement terminal 10 mounted on the automobile M.

[0027] The determination means 23b is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The determination means 23b determines whether the automobile M on which each measurement terminal 10 is mounted is in the automatic driving mode based on the acceleration included in the behavior information received by the communication unit 21.

[0028] The determination means 23b determines that it is in the automatic driving mode, for example, when the acceleration (deceleration) in the traveling direction of the automobile M is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. Also, for example, the determination means 23b determines that it is in the automatic driving mode when the absolute value of the acceleration in the lateral direction of the automobile M is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0029] Specifically, when there is no automobile traveling ahead, the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode maintains a constant speed on a straight road, with minimum acceleration and deceleration, little variation, and smoothness.

[0030] Also, when the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode is following an automobile traveling ahead, the speed varies according to the speed of the automobile traveling ahead on a straight road, with minimum acceleration and deceleration, little variation, and smoothness.

[0031] Also, when the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode is following an automobile traveling ahead, the distance between the automobile M and the automobile traveling ahead is constant. That is, the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode travels while maintaining a constant distance between vehicles regardless of the weather or time zone (daytime or nighttime).

[0032] Incidentally, as the speed range of the automobile M increases, the stopping distance of the automobile M increases. For this reason, the distance between vehicles becomes longer as the speed range of the automobile M increases. That is, the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode travels at a constant distance between vehicles according to the traveling speed.

[0033] On the other hand, it is difficult for the automobile M traveling in the manual driving mode to maintain a strict constant speed. Further, the automobile M traveling in the manual driving mode shows accelerations indicating sudden deceleration. Moreover, the inter-vehicle distance between the automobile M traveling in the manual driving mode and the automobile traveling ahead varies during traveling and when stopped.

[0034] The determination means 23b determines whether it is the automatic driving mode in consideration of these elements. Here, the automatic driving mode is a driving mode of an automobile. The driving mode includes a plurality of driving modes that differ depending on the degree of automation of operations related to the traveling of the automobile M.

[0035] For example, the manual driving mode corresponds to the automatic driving level 0. Assume that the automatic driving mode is a mode corresponding to the automatic driving levels 1 to 5. Here, assume that the automatic driving level is the automatic driving level defined by the Japanese government and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States.

[0036] Further, assume that the automatic driving mode includes a mode that supports at least one of an accelerator operation, a brake operation, and a steering operation (steering operation). The mode that supports an operation is, for example, a mode that intervenes in the driving operation when the operation of the driver does not satisfy a predetermined condition such as an emergency brake.

[0037] The determination means 23b determines whether at least one driving operation is automatically performed for each of the driving operation of steering, the driving operation of acceleration, and the driving operation of braking of the automobile M. That is, the determination means 23b determines that it is the automatic driving mode if at least one of the driving operation of steering, the driving operation of acceleration, and the driving operation of braking of the automobile M is automatically controlled.

[0038] Furthermore, the determination by the determination means 23b is not limited to this. For example, the determination means 23b may determine whether each of the driving operations of steering, acceleration, and braking of the vehicle M is automatically performed. That is, when each of the driving operations of steering, acceleration, and braking of the vehicle M is automatically operated, it may be determined that it is in the automatic driving mode. Also, the automatic driving level does not necessarily have to be determined. For example, it may be determined whether it is in the automatic driving mode for each driving operation such as an accelerator operation, a brake operation, and a steering operation.

[0039] The storage unit 22 includes, for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and can store information such as the moving body information received by the communication unit 21. Also, the storage unit 22 can store threshold information used when the determination means 23b determines the driving mode of the vehicle M. Also, the storage unit 22 can store information that serves as a reference when each means of the functional blocks makes a determination. Also, the storage unit 22 can store map information and the like. Incidentally, the storage unit 22 stores various programs such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and software. Also, the storage unit 22 can store the results of determinations by the means of each functional block of the control unit 23 such as the behavior information acquisition means 23a and the determination means 23b.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows the determination process of the driving mode executed by the server 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the behavior information acquisition means 23a acquires the behavior information of the vehicle M from each measurement terminal 10 mounted on the vehicle M (step S101).

[0041] The determination means 23b determines whether the driving operation of the vehicle M is automatically performed based on the behavior information acquired in step S101, that is, determines the driving mode of the vehicle M.

[0042] Specifically, the determination means 23b determines whether the longitudinal acceleration of the behavior information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S102). That is, when the motor vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode, the acceleration or deceleration of the motor vehicle M is operated based on a predetermined constant standard. For this reason, the motor vehicle M in the automatic driving mode travels with stable acceleration or deceleration along a certain standard. The determination means 23b utilizes the nature of such an automatic driving mode to determine whether at least a part of the driving operation related to acceleration and at least a part of the driving operation related to braking are automatically performed, that is, to determine the steering mode of the motor vehicle M. The certain standard is, for example, the displacement of the longitudinal acceleration in a certain period (for example, 10 seconds). When the displacement is lower than the certain standard, the motor vehicle M is traveling with stable acceleration or deceleration, and the determination means 23b can determine that the motor vehicle M is traveling in the automatic driving mode. That is, in the case of the automatic driving mode, it is assumed that there are no sudden acceleration operations and braking operations, and the longitudinal acceleration is relatively constant.

[0043] In the determination of step S102, when the longitudinal acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold (step S102: Y), the determination means 23b determines that the motor vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S103).

[0044] In the determination of step S102, when the longitudinal acceleration exceeds the threshold (step S102: N), the determination means 23b determines whether the lateral acceleration of the behavior information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S104). That is, when the motor vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode, the steering of the motor vehicle M is operated based on a predetermined constant standard. For this reason, the motor vehicle M in the automatic driving mode travels with stable lateral acceleration along a certain standard. That is, in the case of the automatic driving mode, it is assumed that there are no sudden steering operations (steering operations) and the lateral acceleration is relatively constant.

[0045] The determination means 23b determines whether at least a part of the driving operation related to steering is automatically performed by utilizing the nature of such an automatic driving mode, that is, determines the driving mode of the vehicle M. The driving mode of the vehicle M is determined. The certain criterion is, for example, the displacement of the left - right acceleration in a certain period (for example, 10 seconds). When the displacement is lower than the certain criterion, the vehicle M is traveling with stable left - right acceleration, and the determination means 23b can determine that the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode.

[0046] In the determination of step S104, when the left - right acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S104: Y), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S103).

[0047] In the determination of step S104, when the left - right acceleration exceeds the threshold value (step S104: N), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the manual driving mode (step S105).

[0048] As described above, according to the information processing system of the present embodiment, based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration of the vehicle M, it is determined whether the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode. Therefore, it is possible to easily distinguish whether the driving state of the moving body is in the automatic driving state or the manual driving state for the collected probe information, and it becomes possible to perform appropriate information analysis according to the driving state.

[0049] In addition, in the present embodiment, when either the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode. However, the determination process of the driving mode is not limited to this. For example, when either the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined that the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode.

[0050] Figure 4 shows another automatic driving mode determination process executed by the server 20. Since step S201 is the same process as step S101 shown in FIG. 3, the description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the determination means 23b determines whether the longitudinal acceleration of the behavior information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S202). In the determination of step S202, if the longitudinal acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold (step S202: Y), the determination means 23b determines whether the lateral acceleration of the behavior information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S203).

[0051] In the determination of step S203, if the lateral acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold (step S203Y), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S204).

[0052] In the determination of step S202, if the longitudinal acceleration exceeds the threshold (step S202: N), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the manual driving mode (step S205).

[0053] In the determination of step S203, if the lateral acceleration exceeds the threshold (step S203: N), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the manual driving mode (step S205).

[0054] By determining whether it is in the automatic driving mode in this way, it is possible to perform a more accurate determination.

Example

[0055] The information processing system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described. The information processing system 100 according to the second embodiment is different from the information processing system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the measurement terminal 10 includes a camera and the server 20 includes an inter-vehicle distance acquisition means. Other points are the same as the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the measurement terminal 10 includes a camera 17 that images an automobile traveling in front of the automobile M.

[0057] The server 20 includes an inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c as a moving body distance acquisition means. The inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the automobile M and the automobile traveling in front from the imaging information acquired from the measurement terminal 10.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows the determination process of the driving mode executed by the server 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c acquires imaging data from the measurement terminal 10, calculates the distance from the imaging data acquired to the automobile traveling in front of the automobile M, and acquires the inter-vehicle distance (step S301). Incidentally, the inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c acquires a plurality of inter-vehicle distances acquired during a predetermined period (for example, 5 minutes). Specifically, the inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c acquires a plurality of inter-vehicle distances according to the traveling speed of the automobile M. For example, when the automobile M travels at a constant speed of 40 km / h for 5 minutes, the inter-vehicle distance is acquired every predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds). Also, for example, when the automobile M travels for 5 minutes while the speed fluctuates between 40 km / h and 60 km / h, the inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the speed of the automobile M is acquired every predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds).

[0059] The determination means 23b determines whether the driving operation of the automobile M is automatically performed, that is, determines the driving mode of the automobile M, based on the plurality of inter-vehicle distances acquired in step S301.

[0060] Specifically, the determination means 23b determines whether all of the plurality of inter-vehicle distances are within a predetermined range determined in advance (step S302). For example, when the automobile M is traveling at a constant speed of 40 km / h for 5 minutes, the determination means 23b determines whether each inter-vehicle distance acquired at each predetermined time is within a predetermined range of 30 to 40 m. Incidentally, the predetermined time and the predetermined range of the inter-vehicle distance may be arbitrarily changed and implemented.

[0061] That is, when the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode, the acceleration operation and the braking operation of the vehicle M are performed based on a predetermined certain standard. The determination means 23b determines the operation mode of the vehicle M by utilizing the nature of such an automatic driving mode.

[0062] In the determination of step S302, when all of the plurality of inter-vehicle distances are within a predetermined range (step S302: Y), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S303).

[0063] In the determination of step S302, when at least one of the plurality of inter-vehicle distances is outside the predetermined range (step S302: N), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the manual driving mode (step S304).

[0064] In addition, in the present embodiment, the inter-vehicle distance acquisition means 23c acquires the inter-vehicle distance based on the imaging data captured by the camera 17 of the measurement terminal 10. However, the acquisition of the inter-vehicle distance is not limited to being performed based on the imaging data captured by the camera 17, and any data that can acquire the distance to the vehicle traveling ahead may be used. Examples of such data include measurement data such as millimeter-wave radar and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

[0065] As described above, according to the information processing system of the present embodiment, it is determined whether the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode based on the inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle M. Therefore, it is possible to easily distinguish whether the driving state of the moving body is in the automatic driving state or the manual driving state with respect to the collected probe information, and it becomes possible to perform appropriate information analysis according to the driving state.

Embodiment

[0066] The information processing system 100 according to Example 3 will be described. The information processing system 100 according to Example 3 is different from the information processing system 100 according to Example 1 in that the server 20 includes a road shape acquisition means 23d. Other points are the same as the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Example 1.

[0067] FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Example 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the server 20 includes a road shape acquisition means 23d. The road shape acquisition means 23d is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The road shape acquisition means 23d acquires the shape of the road on which the automobile M travels from the map information acquired from the measurement terminal 10.

[0068] For example, the behavior information calculation unit 15 of the measurement terminal 10 can acquire map information. The map information is transmitted to the server 20 together with the behavior information. The road shape acquisition means 23d acquires the shape of the road corresponding to the behavior information based on the transmitted map information.

[0069] FIG. 8 shows the determination process of the driving mode executed by the server 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the behavior information acquisition means 23a acquires the behavior information of the automobile M from each measurement terminal 10 mounted on the automobile M. Further, the road shape acquisition means 23d acquires map data from the measurement terminal 10 and acquires the road shape on which the automobile travels (step S401).

[0070] The determination means 23b determines whether the driving operation of the automobile M is automatically performed, that is, determines the driving mode of the automobile M, based on the behavior information and the road shape acquired in step S401.

[0071] Specifically, the determination means 23b determines whether the longitudinal acceleration of the behavior information in the form of a specific road among the acquired road forms is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S402). Here, the specific road form refers to the entrance and exit of a tunnel and inside the tunnel, a so-called sag point where the road changes from a downhill slope to an uphill slope, a toll gate on an expressway such as an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), a curve, an intersection, and the like.

[0072] That is, when the motor vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode, the driving operation of the motor vehicle M is performed based on a predetermined certain standard. For example, at the entrance and exit of a tunnel, in the manual driving mode, the speed of the motor vehicle M may change due to the change in visibility. In contrast, in the automatic driving mode, it is considered that the speed of the motor vehicle M is kept constant and traveled even at the entrance and exit of a tunnel. Also, when passing through a toll gate on an expressway such as an ETC, in the manual driving mode, the motor vehicle M can be rapidly accelerated. In contrast, in the automatic driving mode, it is considered that the motor vehicle M is accelerated at a constant acceleration even when passing through a toll gate on an expressway such as an ETC. The determination means 23b determines the driving mode of the motor vehicle M by utilizing such properties of the automatic driving mode.

[0073] In the determination of step S402, when the longitudinal acceleration in the form of a specific road is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S402: Y), the determination means 23b determines that the motor vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S403).

[0074] In the determination of step S402, when the longitudinal acceleration in the form of a specific road exceeds a predetermined threshold value (step S402: N), the determination means 23b determines whether the lateral acceleration of the behavior information in the form of a specific road among the acquired road forms is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S404).

[0075] That is, when the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode, the steering operation of the vehicle M is performed based on a predetermined certain standard. For example, in the steering operation on a curve, in the manual driving mode, the steering operation depends on the driver's skills and senses, so unevenness may occur. On the contrary, in the automatic driving mode, even in the steering operation on a curve, since the steering of the vehicle M travels based on a certain standard, it is considered that unevenness is less likely to occur. The determination means 23b determines the steering mode of the vehicle M by utilizing the nature of such an automatic driving mode.

[0076] In the determination of step S404, when the left and right accelerations are equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S404: Y), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode (step S403).

[0077] In the determination of step S404, when the left and right accelerations exceed a predetermined threshold value (step S404: N), the determination means 23b determines that the vehicle M is in the manual driving mode (step S405).

[0078] In addition, the acquisition of the road shape by the road shape acquisition means 23d is not limited to map information. For example, imaging data captured by a camera or the road shape may be acquired by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

[0079] As described above, according to the information processing system of the present embodiment, based on the behavior information of the vehicle M when traveling on the shape of a specific road, it is determined whether the vehicle M is in the automatic driving mode. Therefore, it is possible to easily distinguish whether the driving state of the moving body is the automatic driving state or the manual driving state for the collected probe information, and it becomes possible to perform appropriate information analysis according to the driving state.

[0080] Furthermore, the information processing systems according to the above-described Examples 1 to 3 may be implemented by combining the configurations of the server 20. For example, the determination means 23b may determine the automatic driving mode by combining each of the behavior information of the automobile M, the inter-vehicle distance from the automobile traveling ahead of the automobile M, and the behavior information of the automobile M in the form of a specific road.

Example

[0081] The information processing system 100 according to Example 4 will be described. The information processing system 100 according to Example 4 estimates the position where an event that should be noted has occurred in the automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode by using the determination of the operation mode described in Examples 1 to 3.

[0082] Furthermore, the information processing system 100 according to Example 4 is different in configuration from the information processing system 100 according to Example 1 in that the server 20 includes the behavior information collection means and the position estimation means. Other points are the same as the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Example 1.

[0083] FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Example 4. As shown in FIG. 9, the behavior information collection means 23e is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The behavior information collection means 23e can collect behavior information from the measurement terminals 10 mounted on a plurality of automobiles M.

[0084] The behavior information extraction means 23f is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The behavior information extraction means 23f can extract the automatic driving behavior information of the automobile M in the automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the automobile M is automatically performed from the collected behavior information.

[0085] The position estimation means 23g is one of the functional blocks of the control unit 23. The position estimation means 23g estimates the position where the event has occurred when an event that should be noted has occurred in the automobile M.

[0086] Matters that should be noted include, for example, situations where any driving operation such as sudden steering, sudden acceleration, or sudden deceleration occurs. Also, the position where a matter that should be noted occurs is, for example, the position where a factor that may require any driving operation such as sudden steering, sudden acceleration, or sudden deceleration is encountered, the position where any driving operation such as sudden steering, sudden acceleration, or sudden deceleration occurs, etc.

[0087] The position estimation means 23g estimates that a matter that should be noted has occurred, for example, when the acceleration (deceleration) in the traveling direction of the vehicle M falls below a predetermined threshold value (for example, -0.4G). Then, the position where the threshold value is exceeded is estimated as the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred. Note that the threshold value for estimating that a matter that should be noted has occurred may be higher than the threshold value for determining the automatic driving mode.

[0088] Also, for example, the position estimation means 23g estimates that a matter that should be noted has occurred when the absolute value of the acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle M exceeds a predetermined threshold value (for example, 0.4G). Then, the position where the threshold value is exceeded is specified as the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred. Note that the threshold value for estimating that a matter that should be noted has occurred may be higher than the threshold value for determining the automatic driving mode.

[0089] The position estimation means 23g estimates the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred based on the information on the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred estimated by the position estimation means 23g and the position information of the vehicle M included in the behavior information received by the communication unit 21. For example, the position estimation means 23g specifies the position of the vehicle M at the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred as the position where a matter that should be noted has occurred.

[0090] FIG. 10 shows the determination process of the operation mode executed by the server 20. As shown in FIG. 10, the behavior information collection means 23c collects the behavior information of each vehicle M from each measurement terminal 10 mounted on a plurality of vehicles M (step S501).

[0091] The driving behavior information extraction means 23f obtains, from the collected driving behavior information, the automatic driving behavior information of the vehicle in the automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the vehicle M is automatically performed (step S502).

[0092] For the process of obtaining the automatic driving behavior information in step S502, as described in the above-mentioned first to third embodiments, the automatic driving mode may be determined based on the driving behavior information, the inter-vehicle distance, and the map information to obtain the automatic driving behavior information. Further, when the driving behavior generation means 15 of the measurement terminal 10 generates the driving behavior information, the steering mode information may be obtained from the vehicle M, and the driving behavior information may be generated by attaching an identifier indicating that it is the automatic driving behavior information. Furthermore, a camera that images the interior of the vehicle may recognize the movement and state of the driver to determine whether it is in the automatic driving mode. For example, the driver of the vehicle M traveling in the automatic driving mode has their hands in a position farther from the steering wheel than in the manual driving mode. The driver of the vehicle M traveling in the automatic driving mode may have their face orientation and line of sight facing other than the traveling direction more than in the manual driving mode.

[0093] The position estimation means 23g estimates the position where an event that affects the driving operation of the vehicle M has occurred based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the vehicle M.

[0094] Specifically, the position estimation means 23g determines whether the longitudinal acceleration of the driving behavior information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S503). That is, the position estimation means 23g determines whether an event that should be noted has occurred by determining whether a longitudinal acceleration corresponding to sudden deceleration or sudden acceleration has occurred.

[0095] In the determination of step S503, when the longitudinal acceleration is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S503: Y), the position estimation means 23g estimates that an event that should be noted has occurred in the vehicle M (step S504). The position estimation means 23g estimates the position where the threshold value has been exceeded as the position where the event that should be noted has occurred (step S505), and records the position (step S506).

[0096] In the determination in step S503, when the longitudinal acceleration does not exceed the threshold value (step S503: N), the position estimation means 23g determines whether the lateral acceleration in the behavior information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (step S507). That is, the position estimation means 23g determines whether an event that should be noted has occurred by determining whether a lateral acceleration corresponding to a sharp steering has occurred.

[0097] In the determination in step S507, when the lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S507: Y), the position estimation means 23g estimates that an event that should be noted has occurred in the motor vehicle M (step S504). The position estimation means 23g estimates the position at which the threshold value has been exceeded as the position at which the event that should be noted has occurred (step S505), and records the position (step S506).

[0098] In the determination in step S507, when the lateral acceleration is less than the threshold value (step S507: N), the position estimation means 23g estimates that no event that should be noted has occurred in the motor vehicle M, that is, the event has not occurred (step S508).

[0099] In addition, in step S502, it is also possible to separately acquire the automatic driving behavior information of the motor vehicle M in which at least a part of the driving operation related to acceleration is automatically performed, the automatic driving behavior information of the motor vehicle M in which at least a part of the driving operation related to braking is automatically performed, and the automatic driving behavior information of the motor vehicle M in which at least a part of the driving operation related to steering is automatically performed. By performing the processing of this embodiment in this way, it becomes possible to grasp the position at which an event that should be noted has occurred for each type of driving operation that is automatically performed.

[0100] As described above, according to the information processing system of this embodiment, based on the automatic driving behavior information of the motor vehicle M, the position at which an event that should be noted has occurred in the motor vehicle M is estimated. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform appropriate information analysis using the behavior information in the automatic driving state.

[0101] For example, by excluding the behavior information transmitted from a motor vehicle in the "manual driving mode" from the acquired behavior information, it is possible to generate information regarding the position where a highly accurate event to be noted due to factors in the surrounding environment of the motor vehicle that is independent of an individual's driving skill has occurred.

Embodiment

[0102] The information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 5 will be described. The information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 5 differs from the information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 4 in that the measurement terminal 10 is provided with a camera. That is, the position estimation means 23g estimates the position by adding the driving state of the motor vehicles located around the motor vehicle M. Other points are the same as the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 4.

[0103] FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to Embodiment 5. As shown in FIG. 11, the measurement terminal 10 is provided with a camera 17 that captures an image of the surroundings of the motor vehicle M.

[0104] FIG. 12 shows the determination process of the operation mode executed by the server 20. Note that steps S601 to S602 are the same as steps S501 to 502, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 12, the position estimation means 23g determines whether the longitudinal and lateral accelerations of the behavior information are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S603).

[0106] In the determination of step S603, when the longitudinal and lateral accelerations are equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S603: Y), it is determined whether the driving state of surrounding moving objects has affected the behavior of the vehicle M (step 604). That is, the position estimation means 23g excludes, from the estimated position, the position estimated due to the influence of the driving state of the vehicles located around the vehicle M in the estimation of the position. For example, when another vehicle located around the vehicle M makes a sudden lane change or a so-called cut-in, there is a possibility that a driving operation such as sudden braking is performed on the vehicle M. Therefore, even if an event that should be noted occurs, the position estimation means 23g can analyze the specific events that should be noted during the automatic driving mode by excluding such events caused by artificial operations.

[0107] When the position estimation means 23g determines in the determination of step S604 that the driving state of the surrounding vehicles does not affect the behavior of the vehicle M (step S604: N), it is estimated that an event that should be noted has occurred in the vehicle M (step S605). The position estimation means 23g estimates the position exceeding the threshold value as the position where the event that should be noted has occurred (step S606), and records the position (step S607).

[0108] When the position estimation means 23g determines in the determination of step S604 that the driving state of other surrounding vehicles has affected the behavior of the vehicle M (step S604: Y), it excludes the position exceeding the threshold value from the position where the event that should be noted has occurred (step S608).

[0109] In the determination of step S603, when the longitudinal and lateral accelerations are less than the threshold value (step S603: N), it is determined whether the driving state of other surrounding moving objects has affected the behavior of the vehicle M (step 604). The subsequent processing of steps S606 to S608 is omitted because the description is repetitive. Also, the processing of steps S609 to S610 is omitted because it is the same as the processing of steps S507 to S508 described in FIG. 10.

[0110] As described above, according to the information processing system of this embodiment, when the driving state of other surrounding automobiles affects the behavior of the automobile M, the position estimation means 23g excludes that position and estimates the position where an event to be noted has occurred. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate information analysis using the behavior information in the automatic driving state while excluding the position where an event to be noted has occurred due to human factors.

[0111] In addition, in the fourth and fifth embodiments, the behavior information collection means 23e may request a plurality of automobiles M to transmit probe information. Specifically, the behavior information collection means 23e may request an automobile M traveling in the automatic driving mode to continuously transmit behavior information to the server 20 during a predetermined time of traveling in the automatic driving mode. By doing so, it becomes possible to collect the automatic driving behavior information.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0112] 100 Information Processing System 10 Measurement Terminal 20 Server 23a Behavior Information Acquisition Means 23b Determination Means 23c Inter-Vehicle Distance Acquisition Means 23d Road Shape Acquisition Means 23e Behavior Information Collection Means 23f Behavior Information Extraction Means 23g Position Estimation Means

Claims

【Claim 1】 Behavior information collection means for collecting behavior information of a moving body, Behavior information extraction means for extracting the automatic driving behavior information of the moving body in an automatic driving mode in which at least a part of the driving operation of the moving body is automatically performed from the collected behavior information, An information processing apparatus, comprising: position estimation means for estimating a position where an event affecting a driving operation has occurred based on the automatic driving behavior information and the position information of the moving body when the automatic driving behavior information is collected.

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