Method and system

Abstract

To improve a technology for providing traffic information support to a subject.SOLUTION: A terminal device 10, upon receiving a notification from a roadside device 20, identifies a relative positional relation between a travel route of an autonomous vehicle associated with the terminal device 10 and the roadside device 20. Furthermore, the terminal device 10 outputs the notification in a manner corresponding to the identified positional relation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known technologies for providing traffic information support to targets such as pedestrians, vehicle drivers, or driving assistants. For example, a technology has been disclosed that can warn vehicles turning right or left at an intersection that there is a vehicle parked or stopped dangerously on the road near the intersection. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2017-182409 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need for improved technology to provide traffic information assistance to target users.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for providing traffic information assistance to a target person. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method comprises: A method executed by a terminal device capable of communicating with a plurality of roadside devices, Upon receiving a notification from the roadside device, determining a relative positional relationship between the roadside device and a travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device; and outputting the notification in a manner according to the specified positional relationship; Includes:

[0007] In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system includes: A system including a terminal device and a roadside device, the roadside device, when detecting a person from an image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device, transmits a notification to the terminal device; When the terminal device receives a notification from the roadside device, it determines the relative positional relationship between the roadside device and the driving route of the autonomous vehicle associated with the terminal device, and outputs the notification in a manner corresponding to the determined positional relationship. Execute the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, techniques for providing traffic information assistance to a subject are improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a roadside device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a positional relationship between an autonomously driven vehicle and two roadside devices according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes a terminal device 10, a roadside device 20, and an information processing device 30. The terminal device 10, the roadside device 20, and the information processing device 30 are communicably connected to a network 40 including, for example, a mobile communication network and the Internet.

[0012] The terminal device 10 is a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is used by an assistant driver of an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving, for example, levels 1 to 5, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The autonomous vehicle is capable of autonomous driving at levels 3 or 4, and an assistant driver can override the driving operation while on board the autonomous vehicle or remotely. The terminal device 10 may be a computer installed in the autonomous vehicle. The system 1 may also include any number of terminal devices 10, one or more.

[0013] The roadside device 20 is installed near an intersection, a crosswalk, or the like. In this embodiment, the roadside device 20 can detect a person heading toward a roadway as a pedestrian attempting to cross the roadway from images captured by a camera mounted on the roadside device 20. When the roadside device 20 detects a pedestrian attempting to cross the roadway, the roadside device 20 provides traffic information support by notifying the pedestrian and the driver or driver assistant of an approaching vehicle of predetermined information. The system 1 may include any number of roadside devices 20, one or more.

[0014] The information processing device 30 is one or more computers that can communicate with each other. The information processing device 30 can communicate with each of the terminal devices 10 and each of the roadside devices 20 via a network 40. In this embodiment, communication between the terminal devices 10 and the roadside devices 20 may be performed via the information processing device 30. The information processing device 30 also communicates with each of the terminal devices 10 and continuously acquires vehicle information including, for example, the position of an autonomous vehicle associated with the terminal device 10.

[0015] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. When the terminal device 10 receives a notification from the roadside device 20, it identifies the relative positional relationship between the roadside device 20 and the driving route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device 10. Then, the terminal device 10 outputs the notification in a manner according to the identified positional relationship.

[0016] As a comparative example of this embodiment, consider a case where roadside devices 20 are installed on both the left and right sides of the driving route of an autonomous vehicle, and the terminal device 10 simply outputs a notification received from the roadside device 20 that detected a pedestrian. In such a comparative example, the driver assistant of the autonomous vehicle may not be able to immediately recognize from which side of the driving route the notified pedestrian is attempting to cross the roadway.

[0017] In contrast, according to this embodiment, as described above, the notification from the roadside device 20 is output in a manner that corresponds to the relative positional relationship between the roadside device 20 and the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. Therefore, the driver assistant of the autonomous vehicle who uses the terminal device 10 can immediately recognize the positional relationship of the roadside device 20 with respect to the driving route that the notification comes from. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology for providing traffic information assistance to the target person is improved in that it improves recognition of whether the notified pedestrian is attempting to cross the roadway from the left or right side of the driving route.

[0018] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0019] (Terminal Device Configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an output unit 12, an input unit 13, a storage unit 14, a control unit 15, and a positioning unit 16.

[0020] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces correspond to mobile communication standards such as, but not limited to, 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 communicates with the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 11 and the network 40.

[0021] The output unit 12 includes one or more output devices that output information. Examples of the output devices include, but are not limited to, a display that outputs information as a video or a speaker that outputs information as a sound. Alternatively, the output unit 12 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0022] The input unit 13 includes one or more input devices that detect an input operation by a user. Examples of the input devices include, but are not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 12, or a microphone. Alternatively, the input unit 13 may include an interface for connecting an external input device.

[0023] The storage unit 14 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, optical memories, or the like, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 14 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 14 stores any information used in the operation of the terminal device 10. For example, the storage unit 14 may store identification information of an autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device 10. Furthermore, for example, the storage unit 14 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, and the like. For example, the information stored in the storage unit 14 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0024] The control unit 15 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, but is not limited to, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 15 controls the operation of the terminal device 10 or the autonomous vehicle.

[0025] The positioning unit 16 includes one or more devices that acquire position information of the terminal device 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 16 is, for example, a position sensor corresponding to a global positioning system (GPS), a geomagnetic sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like, but is not limited to these and may be any sensor. Furthermore, one or more sensors provided in an autonomous vehicle and used for controlling the autonomous vehicle may include the positioning unit 16.

[0026] (Configuration of roadside equipment) As shown in FIG. 3, the roadside device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a photographing unit 22, a notification unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0027] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard, but is not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the roadside device 20 communicates with the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 21 and the network 40.

[0028] The photographing unit 22 includes one or more cameras capable of photographing the surrounding scenery. In this embodiment, the roadside device 20 is installed, for example, near the boundary between the sidewalk and the roadway so that the photographing unit 22 can photograph pedestrians moving from the sidewalk toward the roadway.

[0029] The notification unit 23 includes one or more notification devices that notify nearby pedestrians of information. The notification devices are, for example, speakers, electronic bulletin boards, displays, etc., but are not limited to these and may be any notification devices.

[0030] The storage unit 24 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 24 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 24 stores any information used in the operation of the roadside device 20. For example, the storage unit 24 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, map information, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 24 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0031] The control unit 25 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 25 controls the operation of the entire roadside device 20.

[0032] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0033] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a wired LAN standard or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the information processing device 30 communicates with the terminal device 10 and the roadside device 20 via the communication unit 31 and the network 40.

[0034] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store identification information of an autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device 10. Furthermore, for example, the storage unit 32 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, map information, and the like. The information stored in the storage unit 32 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 31, for example.

[0035] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 33 controls the operation of the entire information processing device 30.

[0036] (Operation flow of terminal device) The operation of the terminal device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] S100: The control unit 15 of the terminal device 10 receives a notification from the roadside device 20.

[0038] Specifically, when the control unit 25 of the roadside device 20 detects a pedestrian attempting to cross the roadway from the image captured by the camera installed in the roadside device 20, the control unit 25 transmits a notification to the terminal device 10 associated with an autonomously driven vehicle present within a predetermined range. The control unit 15 receives the notification via the communication unit 11. Note that the control unit 15 may also receive the notification from the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 11.

[0039] The detection of a pedestrian attempting to cross the roadway may be performed by the roadside device 20 based on the image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device 20, or may be performed by the information processing device 30. Specifically, the control unit 25 or the control unit 33 determines whether or not a person is present in the image, and if a person is present, detects the person as a pedestrian moving toward the roadway based on a change in the person's position.

[0040] A "pedestrian" may include not only a person who walks on foot, but also a person who moves using a motorcycle, wheelchair, or other moving object. Also, a "pedestrian" does not necessarily have to be moving, and may include, for example, a person who may be moving. Also, a "pedestrian" does not necessarily have to be a person, and in some cases may be an animal, such as a dog or deer.

[0041] Whether an autonomous vehicle is present within a predetermined range can be determined, for example, by determining whether the distance between the autonomous vehicle and roadside device 20 is within a predetermined distance, or whether the time remaining until the autonomous vehicle passes by roadside device 20 is within a predetermined time, but the determination may also be based on any condition, not limited to these. The determination may be made by roadside device 20 or information processing device 30, based on position information of the autonomous vehicle and position information of roadside device 20.

[0042] The "predetermined distance" may be any distance including 100m, 200m, 500m, 1km, 2km, 5km, 10km, etc. The predetermined distance may be variable.

[0043] The "predetermined time" is, for example, 10 seconds, but is not limited to this and can be any time. The predetermined time may be changeable.

[0044] The notification from the roadside device 20 may include any information such as the location information of the roadside device 20, information about pedestrians detected by the roadside device 20, and the like.

[0045] S101: The control unit 15 identifies the relative positional relationship between the roadside unit 20 and the travel route of the automatically driven vehicle associated with the terminal device 10.

[0046] Specifically, the control unit 15 acquires the driving route of the autonomous vehicle stored in the memory unit 14, or acquires the driving route by route search based on the destination of the autonomous vehicle stored in the memory unit 14. Next, the control unit 15 uses the driving route and the position information of the roadside device 20 to identify the relative positional relationship between the driving route of the autonomous vehicle and the roadside device 20.

[0047] The "positional relationship" refers to, for example, a positional relationship in which the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, or the roadside device 20 is installed at an angle of 45 degrees to the right of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, etc. The positional relationship may be expressed by coordinates centered on the autonomous vehicle.

[0048] If the notification does not include the location information of the roadside device 20, before performing S101, the control unit 15 may transmit a request to acquire the location information of the roadside device 20 to the roadside device 20 via the communication unit 21, and receive the location information of the roadside device 20 transmitted from the roadside device 20 in response to the acquisition request via the communication unit 11. Alternatively, the control unit 15 may transmit a request to acquire the location information of the roadside device 20 to the information processing device 30. In this case, the control unit 15 may receive the location information of the roadside device 20 transmitted from the information processing device 30 in response to the acquisition request via the communication unit 11.

[0049] S102: The control unit 15 outputs the notification in a manner according to the identified positional relationship.

[0050] Specifically, for example, if the roadside device 20 is installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, the control unit 15 displays the notification on the left side of the display of the output unit 12, and if the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, the control unit 15 displays the notification on the right side of the display of the output unit 12.

[0051] Furthermore, for example, the control unit 15 may output the notification using the speaker of the output unit 12. Specifically, for example, when the roadside device 20 is installed on the left side of the travel route of the autonomous vehicle, the control unit 15 may use the speaker of the output unit 12 to output by voice that the notification is coming from the left side, and when the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the travel route of the autonomous vehicle, the control unit 15 may use the speaker of the output unit 12 to output by voice that the notification is coming from the right side.

[0052] Alternatively, if the roadside device 20 is installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route, the control unit 15 may output the notification as audio using a speaker installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle, and if the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route, the control unit 15 may output the notification as audio using a speaker installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may output the notification using both a display and a speaker at the same time.

[0053] Furthermore, for example, the control unit 15 may output the notification in a manner according to the identified more specific positional relationship. Specifically, for example, when the positional relationship is indicated by coordinates centered on the autonomously driving vehicle, the control unit 15 may display the notification at a position according to the coordinates on the display of the output unit 12.

[0054] The "manner according to the positional relationship" may include a display using different colors or different color intensities, but may also include various other manners of display, including but not limited to these. The "manner according to the positional relationship" may also include output using different sounds and / or different volumes.

[0055] As described above, when the terminal device 10 according to this embodiment receives a notification from the roadside device 20, it identifies the relative positional relationship between the roadside device 20 and the travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device 10. Then, the terminal device 10 outputs the notification in a manner according to the identified positional relationship.

[0056] According to this configuration, as described above, the notification from the roadside device 20 is output in a manner that corresponds to the relative positional relationship between the roadside device 20 and the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. Therefore, the driver assistant of the autonomous vehicle who uses the terminal device 10 can immediately recognize the positional relationship of the notification from the roadside device 20 with respect to the driving route. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology for providing traffic information assistance to the target person is improved in that it improves the recognition of whether the notified pedestrian is attempting to cross the roadway from the left or right side with respect to the driving route.

[0057] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0058] For example, in the above-described embodiment, some of the operations performed by the terminal device 10 may be performed by the roadside device 20 and / or the information processing device 30, some of the operations performed by the roadside device 20 may be performed by the terminal device 10 and / or the information processing device 30, and some of the operations performed by the information processing device 30 may be performed by the terminal device 10 and / or the roadside device 20.

[0059] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 15 receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices 20, the control unit 15 may output the two or more notifications in an order determined based on the distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0060] For example, specifically, when control unit 15 receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices 20, control unit 15 may display the two or more notifications vertically or horizontally on the display of output unit 12 in ascending order of distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices 20. Note that control unit 15 may display the two or more notifications on the display of output unit 12 in different colors and / or different color intensities depending on the distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0061] Alternatively, when the control unit 15 receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices 20, the control unit 15 may output the two or more notifications by voice using the speaker of the output unit 12 in order of increasing distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices 20. Note that the control unit 15 may output the two or more notifications at different volumes and / or in different voices depending on the distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0062] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 15 receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices 20, the control unit 15 may output only a notification selected from the two or more notifications based on the driving status of the autonomous vehicle and the relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices 20 with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

[0063] "Driving situation" includes any driving situation of an autonomous vehicle, including, but not limited to, when the autonomous vehicle is going straight, stopped, turning left, or turning right.

[0064] Specifically, for example, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead, the control unit 15 may output only a notification from the roadside device 20, of the two or more roadside devices 20, that is located on either the left or right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

[0065] For example, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead and the road is on the left side of the road, the control unit 15 may output a notification from only the roadside device 20 that is located on the left side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, out of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0066] Alternatively, for example, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead and the road is on the right side of the road, the control unit 15 may output a notification from only the roadside device 20 that is located on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, out of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0067] Alternatively, for example, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a right turn, the control unit 15 may output a notification only from the roadside device 20 that is located on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, out of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0068] Alternatively, for example, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a left turn, the control unit 15 may output a notification only from the roadside device 20 that is located on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, out of the two or more roadside devices 20.

[0069] A specific example of the above-described modified example will be described using the example of FIG. 6 in which two roadside devices 20 are installed at a T-junction on a road in Japan. In FIG. 6, the two roadside devices 20 are designated as roadside devices A and B, respectively, and an autonomous vehicle is turning right at the T-junction. In such a case, the control unit 15 outputs only the notification from roadside device B, which has poor visibility, and does not output the notification from roadside device A, which has good visibility. This is because, for a driving assistant, it is relatively easy to see the area around roadside device A, which is located directly in front of the autonomous vehicle (on the left side of the driving route), but it is relatively difficult to see the area around roadside device B, which is located to the right of the autonomous vehicle (on the right side of the driving route).

[0070] Depending on the driving situation, if too much information is notified, it may have a negative impact on the judgment of the driving assistant, but with this modified example, the amount of information notified to the driving assistant can be adjusted according to the driving situation. Also, while there is a high possibility of hitchhiking accidents occurring when a vehicle is turning left or right, the use of this modified example can reduce the occurrence of such hitchhiking accidents.

[0071] Also, for example, the control unit 15 may execute the above-described modified example only when the number of notifications is two or more and is equal to or greater than a specified number.

[0072] The "prescribed number" is an arbitrary integer. The prescribed number may be changeable.

[0073] Also, for example, in the above-mentioned modified example, the control unit 15 may output only one of the two or more notifications selected based on the driving status of the autonomous vehicle and the relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices 20 with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, rather than outputting the selected notification in a manner different from the others.

[0074] A specific example will be described again using the example of FIG. 6 in which two roadside devices 20 are installed at a T-junction on a road in Japan. In FIG. 6, the two roadside devices 20 are designated as roadside devices A and B, respectively, and an autonomous vehicle is turning right at the T-junction. Furthermore, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is other than a right turn, the control unit 15 displays notifications from the two roadside devices 20 in black on the display of the output unit 12. In such a case, the control unit 15 displays the notification from roadside device B in red and the notification from roadside device A in black.

[0075] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 may output only notifications from roadside devices 20 that satisfy output conditions based on the relative positional relationship of the roadside devices 20 with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, which can be set in the terminal device 10, and may not output notifications from roadside devices 20 that do not satisfy the output conditions.

[0076] Specifically, for example, when a user uses the input unit 13 of the terminal device 10 to turn on the first output condition that the roadside device 20 is installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route and turn off the second output condition that the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route, the control unit 15 outputs notifications from the roadside device 20 installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route and does not output notifications from the roadside device 20 installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's driving route.

[0077] The "output condition" may include not only the relative positional relationship of the roadside device 20 with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, such as the first output condition and the second output condition described above, but also any other conditions, such as the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the roadside device 20 being within a predetermined distance, such as within 5 meters, or the remaining time until the autonomous vehicle passes the roadside device 20 being within a predetermined time, such as 5 seconds. The output condition may include more output conditions than just the first output condition and the second output condition. Furthermore, each output condition may be switchable between ON and OFF.

[0078] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 25 of the roadside device 20 may send a notification to the terminal device 10 for the autonomous vehicle if a notification condition based on the relative positional relationship of the roadside device 20 with respect to the autonomous vehicle's driving route, which can be set in the roadside device 20, is met, and may not send the notification to the terminal device 10 if the notification condition is not met.

[0079] Specifically, for example, in each roadside device 20, a first notification condition that the roadside device 20 is installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route is ON, and a second notification condition that the roadside device 20 is installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route is OFF. In this case, when an autonomous vehicle is traveling toward the roadside device 20, the roadside device 20 installed on the left side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route transmits the notification to the terminal device 10, and the roadside device 20 installed on the right side of the autonomous vehicle's travel route does not output the notification to the terminal device 10.

[0080] The "notification condition" may include not only the relative positional relationship of the roadside device 20 with respect to the route of the autonomous vehicle, such as the first and second notification conditions described above, but also any other conditions, such as the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the roadside device 20 being within a predetermined distance, such as within 5 meters, or the time remaining until the autonomous vehicle passes the roadside device 20 being within a predetermined time, such as 5 seconds. There may be more notification conditions in addition to the first and second notification conditions. Furthermore, each notification condition may be switchable between ON and OFF.

[0081] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the notification from the roadside device 20 may include information about a pedestrian detected from the image of a camera installed in the roadside device 20, and the control unit 15 may output the notification in a manner corresponding to the information about the pedestrian.

[0082] Specifically, when the control unit 25 of the roadside device 20 detects a pedestrian from the video image captured by the camera installed in the roadside device 20 through the process described in S100, the control unit 25 acquires any information about the pedestrian, which may include, but is not limited to, the number of pedestrians, the state of the pedestrians, or the age group of the pedestrians. Then, the control unit 25 transmits a notification including the information about the pedestrian to the terminal device 10.

[0083] "Pedestrian state" includes any pedestrian state, which may include, but is not limited to, the pedestrian currently walking, or the person currently stationary.

[0084] The "age group of the pedestrian" may be any information that can identify the age group of the pedestrian, such as, but not limited to, whether the pedestrian is a child, whether the pedestrian is an adult, or whether the pedestrian is an elderly person.

[0085] The control unit 25 acquires pedestrian information based on images captured by a camera installed in the roadside device 20. For example, if the pedestrian information includes the state of the pedestrian, the control unit 25 may acquire the pedestrian information by determining the state of the pedestrian based on changes in the pedestrian's position. The control unit 25 may also acquire the pedestrian information using AI.

[0086] These processes may be performed by the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30.

[0087] Then, when the control unit 15 receives the notification including the information of the pedestrian, it outputs the notification in a manner according to the information of the pedestrian.

[0088] The "mode according to the pedestrian information" may include, for example, display in different colors such as red, blue, yellow, etc., display in different shapes such as a circle, a double circle, etc., display in different characters, output in different voices, etc., but may also include various modes that are not limited to these.

[0089] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the terminal device 10 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the terminal device 10 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

[0090] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below as examples, however, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples. [Appendix 1] A method executed by a terminal device capable of communicating with a plurality of roadside devices, Upon receiving a notification from the roadside device, determining a relative positional relationship between the roadside device and a travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device; and outputting the notification in a manner according to the specified positional relationship; A method comprising: [Appendix 2] 2. The method of claim 1, comprising: outputting the notification includes, when the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, outputting the two or more notifications in an order determined based on a distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising: [Appendix 3] 10. The method of claim 2, outputting the two or more notifications includes displaying the two or more notifications on the screen of the terminal device in a vertical or horizontal direction in order of increasing distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising: [Appendix 4] 4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, outputting the two or more notifications by voice; outputting the two or more notifications by voice in order of increasing distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising: [Appendix 5] 2. The method of claim 1, comprising: outputting the notification includes, when the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, outputting only a notification selected from the two or more notifications based on a driving situation of the autonomously driven vehicle and a relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices with respect to the driving route; The method further comprises: [Appendix 6] 6. The method of claim 5, outputting only the selected notification includes, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead, outputting only the notification from a roadside device that is located on either the left or right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, among the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising: [Appendix 7] 7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, outputting only the selected notification includes, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a right turn, outputting only the notification of a roadside device that is located on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, among the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising: [Appendix 8] 8. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 7, comprising: outputting the notification includes displaying only notifications from roadside devices that satisfy an output condition that can be set in the terminal device and is based on a relative positional relationship of the roadside devices with respect to the driving route of the autonomously driven vehicle, and not outputting notifications from roadside devices that do not satisfy the output condition; A method comprising: [Appendix 9] A method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, wherein the output conditions that can be set in the terminal device include a first output condition that a roadside device is installed on the left side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, and a second output condition that a roadside device is installed on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. [Appendix 10] 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: the notification from the roadside device includes information about a pedestrian detected from an image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device, and the notification is output in a manner corresponding to the information about the pedestrian; The method further comprises: [Appendix 11] A system including a terminal device and a roadside device, the roadside device, when detecting a pedestrian attempting to cross a roadway from an image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device, transmits a notification to the terminal device; When the terminal device receives the notification from the roadside device, it identifies a relative positional relationship between the roadside device and a travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device, and outputs the notification in a manner corresponding to the identified positional relationship. system. [Appendix 12] 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: When the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, the terminal device outputs the two or more notifications in an order determined based on the distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices. [Appendix 13] 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising: The terminal device displays the two or more notifications on the screen of the terminal device in a vertical or horizontal arrangement in order of shortest distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices. [Appendix 14] 14. The system of claim 12 or 13, The terminal device outputs the two or more notifications by voice in order of shortest distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices. [Appendix 15] 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: When the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, it outputs only a notification selected from the two or more notifications based on the driving status of the autonomous vehicle and the relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. [Appendix 16] 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising: When the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead, the terminal device outputs only a notification from one of the two or more roadside devices that is located on either the left or right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. [Appendix 17] 17. The system of claim 15 or 16, When the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a right turn, the terminal device outputs a notification from only one of the two or more roadside devices that is located to the right of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. [Appendix 18] 18. The system of any one of claims 11 to 17, further comprising: The roadside device sends the notification to the autonomous vehicle if a notification condition based on the relative positional relationship of the roadside device with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, which can be set in the roadside device, is met, and does not send the notification if the notification condition is not met. [Appendix 19] 19. The system of any one of claims 11 to 18, further comprising: The notification conditions that can be set in the roadside device include a first notification condition that the roadside device is installed on the left side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, and a second notification condition that the roadside device is installed on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle. [Appendix 20] 20. The system of any one of claims 11 to 19, further comprising: the notification includes information about the pedestrian; The terminal device outputs the notification in a manner according to the information about the pedestrian. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 System 10 Terminal Equipment 11 Communications Department 12 Output section 13 Input section 14 Storage section 15 Control Unit 16 Positioning unit 20 Roadside equipment 21 Communications Department 22 Photography Department 23 Notification Department 24 Memory section 25 Control Unit 30 Information processing equipment 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 40 Network

Claims

1. A method executed by a terminal device capable of communicating with a plurality of roadside devices, Upon receiving a notification from the roadside device, determining a relative positional relationship between the roadside device and a travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device; and outputting the notification in a manner according to the specified positional relationship; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, outputting the notification includes, when the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, outputting the two or more notifications in an order determined based on a distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising:

3. 3. The method of claim 2, outputting the two or more notifications includes displaying the two or more notifications on the screen of the terminal device in a vertical or horizontal direction in order of increasing distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising:

4. 3. The method of claim 2, outputting the two or more notifications by voice; outputting the two or more notifications by voice in order of increasing distance from the autonomously driven vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising:

5. 10. The method of claim 1, outputting the notification includes, when the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, outputting only a notification selected from the two or more notifications based on a driving situation of the autonomously driven vehicle and a relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices with respect to the driving route; The method further comprises:

6. 6. The method of claim 5, outputting only the selected notification includes, when the driving situation of the autonomously driven vehicle is straight ahead, outputting only the notification of a roadside device that is located on either the left or right side of the driving route of the autonomously driven vehicle, among the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising:

7. 6. The method of claim 5, outputting only the selected notification includes, when the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a right turn, outputting only the notification of a roadside device that is located on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, among the two or more roadside devices; A method comprising:

8. 10. The method of claim 1, outputting the notification includes displaying only notifications from roadside devices that satisfy an output condition that can be set in the terminal device and is based on a relative positional relationship of the roadside devices with respect to the driving route of the autonomously driven vehicle, and not outputting notifications from roadside devices that do not satisfy the output condition; A method comprising:

9. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the output conditions that can be set in the terminal device include a first output condition that a roadside device is installed on the left side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, and a second output condition that a roadside device is installed on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, the notification from the roadside device includes information about a pedestrian detected from an image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device, and the notification is output in a manner corresponding to the information about the pedestrian; The method further comprises:

11. A system including a terminal device and a roadside device, the roadside device, when detecting a pedestrian attempting to cross a roadway from an image captured by a camera installed in the roadside device, transmits a notification to the terminal device; When the terminal device receives the notification from the roadside device, it identifies a relative positional relationship between the roadside device and a travel route of the autonomously driven vehicle associated with the terminal device, and outputs the notification in a manner corresponding to the identified positional relationship. system.

12. 12. The system of claim 11, When the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, the terminal device outputs the two or more notifications in an order determined based on the distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices.

13. 13. The system of claim 12, The terminal device displays the two or more notifications on the screen of the terminal device in a vertical or horizontal arrangement in order of shortest distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices.

14. 13. The system of claim 12, The terminal device outputs the two or more notifications by voice in order of shortest distance from the autonomous vehicle to each of the two or more roadside devices.

15. 12. The system of claim 11, When the terminal device receives two or more notifications from two or more roadside devices, it outputs only a notification selected from the two or more notifications based on the driving status of the autonomous vehicle and the relative positional relationship of each of the two or more roadside devices with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

16. 16. The system of claim 15, When the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is straight ahead, the terminal device outputs only a notification from one of the two or more roadside devices that is located on either the left or right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

17. 16. The system of claim 15, When the driving situation of the autonomous vehicle is a right turn, the terminal device outputs a notification from only the roadside device, out of the two or more roadside devices, that is located to the right of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

18. 12. The system of claim 11, The roadside device sends the notification to the autonomous vehicle if a notification condition based on the relative positional relationship of the roadside device with respect to the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, which can be set in the roadside device, is met, and does not send the notification if the notification condition is not met.

19. 20. The system of claim 18, The notification conditions that can be set in the roadside device include a first notification condition that the roadside device is installed on the left side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle, and a second notification condition that the roadside device is installed on the right side of the driving route of the autonomous vehicle.

20. 12. The system of claim 11, the notification includes information about the pedestrian; The terminal device outputs the notification in a manner according to the information about the pedestrian.

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