Control device and operating method thereof

Abstract

To assist a vehicle in smoothly entering a lane.SOLUTION: A control device is provided, comprising an acquisition unit for acquiring information indicative of behavior of an approaching vehicle approaching an entering vehicle trying to enter a lane from behind in the lane, and a control unit configured to respond to a situation where the approaching vehicle is exhibiting a first behavior to let the entering vehicle enter the lane by outputting an instruction for causing a roadside device near the entering vehicle to output information urging the entering vehicle to enter the lane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a method of operating the control device. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known techniques for notifying vehicles of various information to support safe driving of vehicles. Patent Document 1 discloses a device that notifies a vehicle entering a main lane of an expressway of the timing to enter the main lane based on information about vehicles traveling on the main lane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-067038 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for improvement in encouraging vehicles entering lanes from branch lanes, bus stops, etc.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a control device and the like that can assist a vehicle in smoothly entering a lane. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control device in the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the behavior of an approaching vehicle that is approaching an entering vehicle from behind on the lane, and a control unit that outputs an instruction to a roadside device to output information to encourage the entering vehicle to enter when the approaching vehicle exhibits a first behavior that allows the entering vehicle to enter the lane.

[0007] The operation method of the control device in the present disclosure includes obtaining information indicating the behavior of an approaching vehicle approaching an entering vehicle from behind the entering vehicle on the lane, and when the approaching vehicle exhibits a first behavior that allows the entering vehicle to enter the lane, outputting an instruction to a roadside device to output information that prompts the entering vehicle to enter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The control device and the like according to the present disclosure enable a vehicle to enter a lane more smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of a server device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a roadside device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information provision system according to an embodiment. The information provision system 1 is a system for supporting the safe driving of vehicles 13 and 14 traveling along a lane 16 in a traveling direction 18 in a schematic plan view. The information provision system 1 includes one or more server devices 10 and one or more roadside devices 12, which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information with each other. The vehicle 13 is, for example, a bus that departs from a bus stop 17 arranged along the lane 16 and enters the lane 16. Hereinafter, the vehicle 13 will be referred to as an entering vehicle 13. The vehicle 14 is another vehicle, such as a bus or a passenger car, that approaches the entering vehicle 13 from behind on the lane 16. Hereinafter, the vehicle 14 will be referred to as an approaching vehicle 14.

[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 configured of two or more server computers that are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate information and operate in cooperation with each other. The server device 10 corresponds to the "information processing device" in this embodiment.

[0013] The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, but may also include 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 roadside device 12 is a device installed at any point along the lane 16, and displays various information or outputs it by voice under the control of a control device 15 configured to be able to communicate with the server device 10 via a network 11. The roadside device 12 is installed, for example, in a position where the information displayed by the roadside device 12 can be seen by passengers of an approaching vehicle 13 near a bus stop 17, and presents various information to the approaching vehicle 13 by display or the like. The roadside device 12 has dimensions of, for example, a height of several tens to several hundreds of centimeters, and a width and depth of several tens to several hundred centimeters.

[0015] The entering vehicle 13 and the approaching vehicle 14 are vehicles whose driving is automated at any level (for example, any of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)) while being appropriately assisted by a driver. The entering vehicle 13 and the approaching vehicle 14 may be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle that uses battery power for at least part of the energy required for driving. The entering vehicle 13 and the approaching vehicle 14 may have communication and positioning functions.

[0016] In this embodiment, the server device 10 functions as a "control device" and acquires information indicating the behavior of an approaching vehicle 14 approaching an entering vehicle 13 from behind the entering vehicle 13 on a lane 16. When the approaching vehicle 14 exhibits a behavior that allows the entering vehicle 13 to enter the lane (hereinafter referred to as "allowable behavior"), the server device 10 outputs an instruction (hereinafter referred to as a notification instruction) to a roadside device 12 near the entering vehicle 13 to output information prompting the entering vehicle 13 to enter the lane (hereinafter referred to as "allowable information"). The roadside device 12 outputs the allowable information in response to the notification instruction, so that the entering vehicle 13 can depart and enter the lane 16 in accordance with the allowable information. The server device 10 also optimizes the timing of outputting the notification instruction based on the history of allowable behavior for each approaching vehicle 14. This allows the entering vehicle 13 to enter the lane more smoothly.

[0017] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 10. The server device 10 has a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. When the server device 10 is configured with two or more server computers, these components are appropriately arranged in the two or more computers.

[0018] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 21 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 by the communication unit 21 and communicates information with the roadside device 12 and the like via the network 11.

[0019] The storage unit 22 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 22 stores information used in the operation of the server device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0020] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), or a dedicated processor such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 23 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each unit of the server device 10. The functions of the server device 10 are realized by the processor included in the control unit 23 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing a computer to function as the server device 10. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 23. Alternatively, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium readable by the server device 10 and read by the server device 10 from the medium.

[0021] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roadside device 12. The roadside device 12 has a control device 15, a positioning unit 34, an input unit 35, an output unit 36, and an imaging unit 37. The control device 15 also has a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0022] The communication unit 31 has a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards, etc. Mobile communication standards include LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), etc. The roadside device 12 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 31 via a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and communicates information with the server device 10 via the network 11.

[0023] The storage unit 32 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM or ROM. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. The storage unit 32 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 33 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 33.

[0024] The control unit 33 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 33 may have one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 33 comprehensively controls the operation of the roadside unit 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or operating according to an operating procedure implemented as a circuit. The control unit 33 then transmits and receives various information to and from the server device 10, etc. via the communication unit 31, and performs the operation according to this embodiment. The functions of the control unit 33 are realized by a processor included in the control unit 33 executing a control program. The control program is a program that causes the processor to function as the control unit 33. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the control unit 33 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 33.

[0025] The positioning unit 34 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes at least one of the following: GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The positioning unit 34 acquires location information of the roadside device 12 and sends it to the control unit 33.

[0026] The input unit 35 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces include, for example, physical keys, capacitance keys, a pointing device, and a touch screen integrated with a display. The input unit 35 accepts input of information used for the operation of the control unit 33 and sends the input information to the control unit 43.

[0027] The output unit 36 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) light or a bulletin board. The display may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, or the like. The display may be a signage in the shape of a rectangle with sides measuring several tens to several hundreds of centimeters. The output unit 36 outputs information under the control of the control unit 33.

[0028] The imaging unit 37 is a visible light camera installed at a position where it can capture images of the external periphery of the roadside device 12. The camera is installed at a position and angle where it can capture images of the entering vehicle 13 stopped at the bus stop 17 and other vehicles, including the approaching vehicle 14, traveling on the lane 16. The camera captures images of the subject at, for example, 15 to 30 frames per second to generate successive captured images. The imaging unit 37 sends the captured images to the control unit 23.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the server device 10. Each step in the procedure of Fig. 4 is executed by the control unit 23 of the server device 10 at an arbitrary period, for example, at a period of several tens of microseconds to several seconds.

[0030] In step S50, the control unit 23 acquires status information indicating the status of the entering vehicle 13. The status of the entering vehicle 13 is, for example, preparing to depart or ready to depart at the bus stop 17. The control unit 23 acquires captured images of the bus stop 17 including the entering vehicle 13 from the roadside device 12 via the communication unit 21, and performs image processing using an arbitrary algorithm to determine whether the entering vehicle 13 is preparing to depart or ready to depart. For example, if the door of the entering vehicle 13 is open or a light indicating that the vehicle is stopped is on, the entering vehicle 13 is determined to be preparing to depart. Alternatively, if the door of the entering vehicle 13 is closed or a light indicating that the vehicle is stopped is off, the entering vehicle 13 is determined to be ready to depart. It is also possible to determine that the entering vehicle 13 is ready to depart when movement of the entering vehicle 13 is detected based on multiple captured images acquired over time, for example, when the entering vehicle 13 moves from the back of the bus stop 17 to near the boundary with the lane 16.

[0031] In a modified example, the roadside device 12 and the entering vehicle 13 may communicate information via road-to-vehicle communication or the like, and the server device 10 may receive status information from the roadside device 12 that the roadside device 12 receives from the entering vehicle 13. In this case, the status information may be information indicating whether the door is open or closed, information regarding brake release or activation indicating whether the vehicle is ready to depart, or information generated in response to an operation by the occupant indicating whether the vehicle intends to depart. In this case, the communication unit 21 of the server device 10 corresponds to the "acquisition unit."

[0032] In step S51, if the state of the approaching vehicle 13 is ready to depart (Yes), the control unit 23 proceeds to step S52, and if the state is not ready to depart (No), the control unit 23 ends the procedure of FIG.

[0033] In step S52, the control unit 23 acquires behavior information indicating the behavior of the approaching vehicle 14. The behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 may be, for example, an allowable behavior that allows the approaching vehicle 13 to enter before the bus stop 17, or an unallowable behavior that does not allow the approaching vehicle 14 to enter. The control unit 23 acquires captured images of the lane 16 behind the bus stop 17 from the roadside device 12 via the communication unit 21, and performs image processing using an arbitrary algorithm to determine whether the behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 is an allowable behavior or an unallowable behavior. At this time, the control unit 23 may also acquire identification information of the approaching vehicle 14 from the license plate number of the approaching vehicle 14, for example. For example, the control unit 23 derives the traveling speed of the approaching vehicle 14 from the difference between multiple captured images taken over time, and derives the distance from the roadside device 12 to the approaching vehicle 14 from the position and size of the approaching vehicle 14 in the captured images. The control unit 23 can determine that the behavior is permissible when the distance to the approaching vehicle 14 is greater than an arbitrary reference distance and the moving speed of the approaching vehicle 14 is less than an arbitrary reference speed, i.e., when the approaching vehicle 14 is located a sufficient distance behind the entering vehicle 13 and moving at a sufficiently slow speed. The control unit 23 may also determine that the behavior is permissible based on the condition that the approaching vehicle 14 behaves in a way that encourages the entering vehicle 13 to enter, for example, by detecting, from multiple captured images over time, the blinking of its lights multiple times within an arbitrary reference time. For example, when the occupant of the approaching vehicle 14 visually recognizes or the on-board device detects that the entering vehicle 13 has started moving or has turned on various lights, the occupant or the on-board device reduces the vehicle speed, thereby performing the permissible behavior. Note that if the behavior is not determined to be permissible, the behavior is determined to be impermissible.

[0034] In a modified example, the roadside device 12 and the approaching vehicle 14 may communicate with each other via road-to-vehicle communication or the like, and the server device 10 may receive behavior information from the roadside device 12 that the roadside device 12 receives from the approaching vehicle 14. In this case, the behavior information may include the vehicle speed detected by an in-vehicle device of the approaching vehicle 14, position information of the approaching vehicle 14 detected by the positioning function of the approaching vehicle 14 and position information of the roadside device 12 detected by the positioning unit 34 of the roadside device 12, and information regarding braking or accelerator opening indicating deceleration of the approaching vehicle 14. The in-vehicle device of the approaching vehicle 14 may add identification information of the approaching vehicle 14 to the behavior information. In this case, the communication unit 21 of the server device 10 corresponds to the "acquisition unit." The distance from the roadside device 12 to the approaching vehicle 14 is derived by the control unit 23 from the position information of the roadside device 12 and the approaching vehicle 14.

[0035] In step S53, if the behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 is an allowable behavior (Yes), the control unit 23 proceeds to step S54, and if the behavior is an unallowable behavior (No), the control unit 23 proceeds to step S55.

[0036] In step S54, the control unit 23 instructs the roadside unit 12 to output the permissible information. That is, the control unit 23 outputs a notification instruction and sends the notification instruction to the roadside unit 12 via the communication unit 21. To improve safety, the control unit 23 may output the notification instruction after an arbitrary waiting time has elapsed since determining the permissible behavior.

[0037] On the other hand, in step S55, the control unit 23 instructs the roadside unit 12 to output the non-permissible information. That is, the control unit 23 sends, via the communication unit 21, information to the roadside unit 12 instructing the roadside unit 12 to output the non-permissible information.

[0038] In the roadside device 12, the communication unit 31 receives a notification instruction instructing the output of allowance information or information instructing the output of non-allowance information, and the control unit 33 responds to the instruction by causing the output unit 36 to output the allowance information or non-allowance information. For example, the display of the output unit 36 displays allowance information in the form of a string such as "Please enter" that encourages the entering vehicle 13 to enter the lane 16, or non-allowance information in the form of a string such as "Stop" that prohibits entry. Alternatively, the speaker of the output unit 36 may output the string encouraging entry or the string prohibiting entry by voice. Alternatively, the allowance information or non-allowance information may be information for controlling an automatic driving control device when the entering vehicle 13 is automatically driven. In this case, the roadside device 12 sends the allowance information or non-allowance information to the entering vehicle 13, and the in-vehicle device executes control according to the sent information.

[0039] The occupant of the entering vehicle 13 causes the entering vehicle 13 to enter the lane 16 in accordance with the allowance information that is displayed or output as audio, or causes the entering vehicle 13 to refrain from entering the lane 16 in accordance with the non-allowance information that is displayed or output as audio. Alternatively, the on-board device controls the entering vehicle 13 in accordance with the allowance information or non-allowance information.

[0040] The above procedure allows for smoother entry into lane 16 for incoming vehicles 13 departing bus stop 17 .

[0041] In step S56, the control unit 23 stores a new history of the tolerance information for each approaching vehicle 14 or updates the existing history. The control unit 23 associates the tolerance information with information on the actual behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 and stores the information in the storage unit 22, linking it to the identification information of the approaching vehicle 14. The control unit 23 determines, from the difference between multiple captured images over time, that the approaching vehicle 13 has departed from the stop 17, i.e., entered the lane 16. If the position of the approaching vehicle 14 at that time corresponds to the rear of the approaching vehicle 13, the control unit 23 determines that the approaching vehicle 14 has exhibited a behavior that allows the entry of the approaching vehicle 13. In other cases, for example, if the captured images determine that the approaching vehicle 14 will pass the position of the stop 17 before entering the lane 16, the control unit 23 determines that the approaching vehicle 14 has exhibited a behavior that does not allow the entry of the approaching vehicle 13. When the approaching vehicle 14 exhibits a behavior that allows the entry of the entering vehicle 13, the control unit 23 adds a score that indicates that the determination of the allowable behavior was correct.

[0042] After step S56, the control unit 23 completes one cycle of the procedure in FIG.

[0043] In a modified example, the roadside device 12 may be equipped with a radar device, and the radar device may detect the position and speed of the entering vehicle 13 or the approaching vehicle 14, and send the detected information to the server device 10. The server device 10 may determine the state of the entering vehicle 13 or the behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 using the position and speed of the entering vehicle 13 or the approaching vehicle 14 detected by the radar in addition to or instead of the captured image.

[0044] In a modified example, the control unit 23 of the server device 10 shortens the waiting time from determining the allowable behavior to outputting the notification instruction when the score indicating that the determination of the allowable behavior was correct is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard. For example, between steps S53 and S54, the control unit 23 can refer to the history of the allowable behavior of the approaching vehicle 14 based on the identification information of the approaching vehicle 14 and adjust the waiting time according to the score. This allows the control unit 23 to output the notification instruction at an earlier timing, making it possible to more smoothly support the entry of the entering vehicle 13.

[0045] In the above description, an example has been given in which the entering vehicle 13 departs from the bus stop 17, but this embodiment also includes a case in which the entering vehicle 13 includes a vehicle other than a bus, for example, entering the main lane 16 from a branch lane, etc. In this case, the roadside device 12 is installed in a position where it can capture images of the entering vehicle 13 and the approaching vehicle 14, for example, near the point where the branch lane merges with the lane 16.

[0046] In the above description, an example has been given in which the server device 10 corresponds to the "control device," but the operation of the server device 10 may also be executed by the control device 15 of the roadside device 12. In that case, the control device 15 corresponds to the "control device" of this embodiment, the communication unit 31 or the imaging unit 37 corresponds to the "acquisition unit," and the control unit 33 corresponds to the "control unit." Alternatively, when the above-described operation is executed by cooperation between the server device 10 and the control device 15 of the roadside device 12, the combination of the server device 10 and the control device 15 corresponds to the "control device," the combination of the communication unit 21 and the communication unit 31 or the imaging unit 37 corresponds to the "acquisition unit," and the combination of the control device 23 and the control device 33 corresponds to the "control unit."

[0047] Although the embodiments have been described above based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily 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 means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Information provision system 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Roadside equipment 13 vehicles 14 vehicles 16 lanes 17 stops 21, 31 Communications Department 22, 32 Storage section 23, 33 Control section 34 Positioning unit 35 Input section 36 Output section 37 Imaging unit

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the behavior of an approaching vehicle that is approaching an entering vehicle from behind on the lane; a control unit that outputs, when the approaching vehicle exhibits a first behavior that allows the entering vehicle to enter the lane, an instruction to cause a roadside device to output information that prompts the entering vehicle to enter the lane; A control device having:

2. In claim 1, the acquisition unit further acquires information indicating a state of the entering vehicle from the roadside device; the control unit outputs the instruction on the condition that the entering vehicle is in a state of attempting to enter the lane. Control device.

3. In claim 1, the control unit determines the first behavior based on a position and a speed of the approaching vehicle. Control device.

4. In claim 3, the control unit changes the timing of outputting the instruction depending on the number of times the first behavior is determined. Control device.

5. Obtaining information indicating the behavior of an approaching vehicle approaching an entering vehicle from behind on the lane; and when the approaching vehicle exhibits a first behavior that allows the entering vehicle to enter the lane, outputting an instruction to a roadside device to output information that prompts the entering vehicle to enter the lane. How the control device operates.

Images