Information processing device and method of operating system

Abstract

To improve the accuracy for transmitting information for assisting in walking to a walker.SOLUTION: An information processing includes: a storage unit that stores information on a position of a roadside device which provides assistance information for assisting in walking to a walker; a communication unit; and a control unit that performs communications via the communication unit. The control unit transmits first instruction information to a portable terminal for causing the portable terminal to perform a notification action for alerting the walker carrying the portable terminal when the portable terminal is positioned at a first distance from the roadside device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and a method for operating a system.

Background Art

[0002] In order to support the safe walking of pedestrians on a road, roadside devices such as traffic signals that alert pedestrians by voice or the like are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a notification system that notifies other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. of passage permission or alerts according to the behavior of an autonomous vehicle scheduled to pass through a predetermined traffic area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] If a pedestrian fails to notice, for example, that information is being notified to himself / herself, or fails to notice the existence of the roadside device itself, there is a risk that the information for supporting walking will not be reliably transmitted to the pedestrian. Therefore, there is room for improving the certainty of transmitting information for supporting walking to the pedestrian.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and the like that enables improvement in the certainty of transmitting information for supporting walking to a pedestrian.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing in the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores information on the position of a roadside device that presents support information for assisting a pedestrian in walking, a communication unit, and a control unit that communicates via the communication unit. The control unit sends first instruction information to the portable terminal to cause the portable terminal to execute a notification operation for alerting a pedestrian carrying the portable terminal when the portable terminal is located at a first distance from the roadside device.

[0007] A method for operating a system in the present disclosure is a method for operating a system including an information processing device having information on the position of a roadside device that presents support information for assisting a pedestrian in walking and a portable terminal. When the portable terminal is located at a first distance from the roadside device, the information processing device sends first instruction information to cause the portable terminal to execute a notification operation for alerting a pedestrian carrying the portable terminal, and the portable terminal executes the notification operation based on the first instruction information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the information processing device etc. in the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of transmitting information for assisting walking to pedestrians.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes one or more server devices 10, mobile terminals 12, roadside devices 14, and vehicles 15, which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be capable of information communication.

[0012] The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functions as a server that implements various functions. The server device 10 may be composed of two or more server computers that are connected for information communication and operate in cooperation. The server device 10 corresponds to the "information processing device" in the present embodiment.

[0013] The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, but includes a mobile communication network, an ad hoc network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), or other networks or any combination thereof.

[0014] The mobile terminal 12 is a terminal device carried by a pedestrian, which has an information communication function connected to the network 11 by mobile communication and is configured to be able to execute various information processing and information output. The mobile terminal 12 has one or more GNSS receivers and is configured to be able to detect its current position. The mobile terminal 12 is, for example, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a wearable terminal, or the like.

[0015] The roadside device 14 is a device installed along the roadway 16, such as at the end near the roadway 16 on the sidewalk, and includes a camera for photographing the sidewalk side, a processor for information processing, a display for information output, a speaker, etc. The roadside device 14 may have a communication function capable of information communication with the server device 10 via the network 11. When the roadside device 14 captures an imaging image including a pedestrian 13 passing on the sidewalk, it outputs various information for assisting the walking of the pedestrian 13 by display or voice. Note that the roadside device 14 can operate by a built-in battery, for example, without receiving power supply from the outside.

[0016] The vehicle 15 is a passenger car or a commercial vehicle equipped with a communication function and an information processing function, and is connected to the network 11 by mobile communication. Also, the vehicle 15 has one or more GNSS receivers and is configured to be able to detect its current position. The vehicle 15 may be driven by a driver, or the driving may be automated at any level (for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)). Also, the vehicle 15 may be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle that uses the power of a battery for at least part of the energy for running.

[0017] In the information processing system 1, the server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103. The storage unit 102 stores information on the positions of the roadside devices 14 that present support information for assisting the walking of the pedestrian 13. The control unit 103 communicates with the mobile terminal 12 and the like through the communication unit 101. When the mobile terminal 12 is located at a predetermined distance from the roadside device 14, the control unit 103 sends instruction information to the mobile terminal 12 to cause the mobile terminal 12 to execute a notification operation for attracting the attention of the pedestrian 13 carrying the mobile terminal 12. According to the operation of such a server device 10, when the pedestrian 13 approaches a predetermined distance from the roadside device 14, the mobile terminal executes a notification operation. The notification operation is an operation for attracting the attention of the pedestrian 13 to the roadside device 14 or the information presented by the roadside device 14, and includes, for example, the sounding of a notification sound, the generation of vibration, the display of a notification message, and the like. The notification operation increases the probability that the pedestrian 13 pays attention to the roadside device 14 or the support information presented by the roadside device 14. When the roadside device 14 detects the approach of the pedestrian 13 from the captured image, it outputs information for notifying the pedestrian 13 of support information for assisting walking, such as the presence and position of a crosswalk, the approach of the vehicle 15, etc., by display or sound. In this way, it is possible to improve the accuracy of transmitting the information for assisting walking by the roadside device 14 to the pedestrian 13.

[0018] Each configuration of the server device 10 will be described in detail. The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103. These configurations are appropriately arranged in two or more computers when the server device 10 is composed of two or more server computers.

[0019] 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 in 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 through the communication unit 101 and communicates with the mobile terminal 12 and the like via the network 11.

[0020] 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 server device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0021] The control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of these. 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), or the like. The control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each part of the server device 10.

[0022] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by a processor included in the control unit 103 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing a computer to function as the server device 10. 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 server device 10, and the server device 10 may read it from the medium.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the information processing system 1 in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the procedure related to the cooperative operation of the server device 10, the mobile terminal 12, the roadside device 14, and the vehicle 15.

[0024] In steps S20 and S21, the server device 10 acquires the respective position information from the vehicle 15 and the mobile terminal 12. The vehicle 15 and the mobile terminal 12 each send the information on the current position detected using a GNSS receiver to the server device 10. Steps S20 and S21 are executed at arbitrary periods, for example, at a period of several seconds.

[0025] In step S22, the server device 10 generates instruction information using the position information of the mobile terminal 12 and the vehicle 15. The instruction information includes an information presentation instruction for outputting information (hereinafter referred to as support information) for supporting the walking of the pedestrian 13 to the roadside device 14, and a notification operation instruction for causing the mobile terminal 12 to execute a notification operation. A detailed procedure example of step S22 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a procedure example for generating instruction information by the server device 10. Each step in FIG. 3 is executed by the control unit 103 of the server device 10.

[0027] In step S30, the control unit 103 acquires the position information of the roadside device 14. In the storage unit 102, the position information of each of one or more roadside devices 14 in an arbitrary block is stored in advance. The control unit 103 reads and acquires the position information of each roadside device 14 from the storage unit 102.

[0028] In step S31, the control unit 103 acquires the position information of the vehicle 15. In the storage unit 102, a history of position information periodically sent from the vehicle 15 operating within an arbitrary block is stored. The control unit 103 reads and acquires the position information of each vehicle 15 most recently from the storage unit 102.

[0029] In step S32, the control unit 103 determines, for each roadside device 14, whether the vehicle 15 is approaching the roadside device 14. Since the roadside device 14 is provided on the roadside of the road lane 16, the control unit 103 determines whether one or more vehicles 15 are located within an arbitrary reference distance range from the roadside device 14 on the road lane 16 facing the roadside device 14. The reference distance is, for example, a distance at which it is desirable to notify pedestrians of the approach of the vehicle 15 when it is assumed that a pedestrian tries to cross the road lane 16 at the position where the roadside device 14 is installed, and is, for example, 30 m to 100 m. The control unit 103 uses the position information of the roadside device 14 and the vehicle 15 to derive the distance to the nearest vehicle 15 for each roadside device 14. If the distance is smaller than the reference distance, it is determined that the vehicle 15 is approaching the roadside device 14, and if not, it is determined that the vehicle 15 is not approaching the roadside device 14. If the vehicle 15 is approaching the roadside device 14 (Yes), the control unit 103 proceeds to step S33. If the vehicle 15 is not approaching the roadside device 14 (No), the control unit 103 proceeds to step S35.

[0030] In step S33, the control unit 103 generates instruction information for warning presentation for each roadside device 14 for which it is determined that the vehicle 15 is approaching. The instruction information for warning presentation is information for instructing the roadside device 14 to present support information for warning. The support information for warning is, for example, character information such as "Please be careful as a vehicle is approaching", voice information, or the like.

[0031] On the other hand, in step S35, the control unit 103 generates instruction information for normal support presentation for each roadside device 14 for which it is determined that the vehicle 15 is not approaching. The instruction information for normal support information presentation is information for instructing the roadside device 14 to present normal support information. The normal support information is, for example, character information such as "There is a crosswalk 5 meters ahead", voice information, or the like.

[0032] In step S36, the control unit 103 determines, for each roadside device 14, whether a pedestrian 13 is approaching the roadside device 14. Since the roadside device 14 is provided on the roadside of the roadway, the control unit 103 determines whether one or more pedestrians 13 are located within an arbitrary reference distance range from the roadside device 14 on the sidewalk where the roadside device 14 is provided. The reference distance is, for example, a distance at which it is desirable to draw the attention of the pedestrian 13 to the support information output by the roadside device 14, and is, for example, 3 m to 10 m. The control unit 103 uses the position information of the roadside device 14 and the mobile terminal 12 carried by the pedestrian 13 to derive the distance to the nearest mobile terminal 12 for each roadside device 14. If the distance is less than the reference distance, it is determined that the pedestrian 13 is approaching the roadside device 14, and if not, it is determined that the pedestrian 13 is not approaching the roadside device 14. When the control unit 103 determines that the pedestrian 13 is approaching the roadside device 14 (Yes), it proceeds to step S37. When the pedestrian 13 is not approaching the roadside device 14 (No), it skips step S37 and ends the procedure of FIG. 3.

[0033] In step S37, the control unit 103 generates instruction information for a notification operation for each roadside device 14 for which it has determined that a pedestrian 13 is approaching. The instruction information for the notification operation is information for instructing the roadside device 14 to execute a passing-through operation.

[0034] Then, the control unit 103 ends the procedure of FIG. 3.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 2, in step S23, the server device 10 sends instruction information for instructing the presentation of information for warning or normal support generated in step S22 to the roadside device 14. The control unit 103 sends the instruction information via the communication unit 101 for each roadside device 14 corresponding to the instruction information. When each roadside device 14 receives the instruction information by the communication module, it stores the instruction information in the built-in storage device.

[0036] In step S25, the roadside device 14 detects the pedestrian 13. The processor of the roadside device 14 performs arbitrary image processing such as pattern recognition on the captured image of the sidewalk, and detects an image indicating a person, thereby detecting the pedestrian 13.

[0037] On the condition that the pedestrian 13 is detected, in step S26, the roadside device 14 presents the support information toward the pedestrian 13. The processor of the roadside device 14 outputs support information for warning or normal support according to the instruction information received from the server device 10. For example, in the case of support information for warning, the roadside device 14 displays character information such as "Please be careful as a vehicle is approaching" or outputs it by voice. Alternatively, in the case of support information for normal support, the roadside device 14 outputs a voice such as "There is a crosswalk in another 5 meters". Note that if the pedestrian 13 is not detected, step S26 is omitted.

[0038] On the other hand, in step S24, the server device 10 sends instruction information for instructing the notification operation generated in step S22 to the mobile terminal 12. The control unit 103 sends the instruction information via the communication unit 101 for each mobile terminal 12 corresponding to the instruction information. When each mobile terminal 12 receives the instruction information by the communication module, it stores the instruction information in the built-in storage device.

[0039] In step S27, the mobile terminal 12 executes the notification operation. The processor of the mobile terminal 12 executes an arbitrary notification operation according to the instruction information received from the server device 10. For example, the processor executes the notification operation by outputting a notification sound by a speaker, generating vibration by an actuator, blinking of a display, or message display. By such a notification operation, the mobile terminal 12 can stimulate the pedestrian 13 and arouse attention to the support information output by the roadside device 14.

[0040] According to the above procedure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of transmitting information for supporting walking by the roadside device 14 to the pedestrian 13.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows the procedure of a modified example of FIG. 3. The procedure of FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that when the vehicle 15 is not approaching the roadside device 14 in step S32 (No), instead of proceeding to step S36, the procedure of FIG. 3 ends. According to the procedure of FIG. 4, when the vehicle 15 is not approaching the roadside device 14, the instruction information for executing the notification operation to the mobile terminal 12 is not generated. Therefore, the transmission of the instruction information from the server device 10 in step S24 of FIG. 2 is omitted. When the vehicle 15 is not approaching, it is possible to avoid bothering the pedestrian 13 unnecessarily.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, according to the distance between the roadside device 14 and the vehicle 15, the server device 10 causes the roadside device 14 to present support information with different contents. However, this embodiment is also applicable even when the roadside device 14 detects the pedestrian 13 and presents the support information without receiving an instruction from the server device 10. When the pedestrian 13 approaches the roadside device 14 while carrying the mobile terminal 12, the mobile terminal 12 executes the notification operation, which can stimulate the pedestrian 13 and arouse attention to the support information output by the roadside device 14.

[0043] In a further modified example, the position information of each roadside device 14 may be sent from the server device 10 to the mobile terminal 12 as instruction information. In that case, each roadside device 12 may determine the approach to the roadside device 14 based on its own position information and the position information of the roadside device 14, and execute the notification operation.

[0044] Note that in the above-described embodiment, the processing / control program for causing the mobile terminal 12 to execute the instruction operation is stored in the storage unit of the server device 10 or another server device and can be downloaded to the mobile terminal 12 via the network 11.

[0045] In the above, the embodiments have been described based on the drawings and examples. However, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present 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.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0046] 1 Information processing system 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Mobile terminal 13 Pedestrian 14 Roadside device 15 Vehicle 101 Communication unit 102 Storage unit 103 Control unit

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores information on the position of a roadside device that presents support information for assisting a pedestrian in walking, a communication unit, and a control unit that communicates via the communication unit, wherein the control unit sends first instruction information for causing the portable terminal to execute a notification operation for attracting the attention of a pedestrian carrying the portable terminal when the portable terminal is located at a first distance from the roadside device, to the portable terminal. An information processing apparatus having the above.

2. In Claim 1, the control unit sends second instruction information for causing the roadside device to present the support information when a vehicle is located at a second distance from the roadside device, to the roadside device. An information processing apparatus.

3. In Claim 2, the control unit sends the first instruction information on the condition that the vehicle is located at the second distance from the roadside device. An information processing apparatus.

4. In Claim 1, the control unit generates third instruction information for causing the roadside device to present different support information according to the distance from the roadside device to the vehicle. An information processing apparatus.

5. An operation method of a system having an information processing apparatus having information on the position of a roadside device that presents support information for assisting a pedestrian in walking and a portable terminal, wherein the information processing apparatus sends first instruction information for causing the portable terminal to execute a notification operation for attracting the attention of a pedestrian carrying the portable terminal when the portable terminal is located at a first distance from the roadside device, and the portable terminal executes the notification operation based on the first instruction information. An operation method.

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