Information processing unit

Abstract

To support for a vehicle that has entered a range of a railroad crossing to quickly exit the railroad crossing.SOLUTION: An information processing unit of the present disclosure is an information processing unit mounted on a vehicle, and comprises a communication unit, a control unit, and an output unit. The communication unit is configured to be able to communicate with a roadside machine installed near a railroad crossing located ahead of a road on which a vehicle is traveling. When it is determined that the vehicle is within a range of the railroad crossing on the basis of information transmitted between the information processing unit and the roadside machine, the control unit generates driving support information that instructs the vehicle to exit the railroad crossing. The output unit outputs the driving support information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, with the aim of reducing railroad crossing accidents, a system has been proposed in which roadside devices installed near railroad crossings transmit information indicating road traffic conditions, such as congestion on the exit side of the crossing, to vehicles on the entrance side of the crossing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-171942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Previous systems controlled the entry of vehicles onto the crossing by providing information to vehicles approaching the crossing, but these systems could not provide assistance to vehicles already within the crossing range.

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of such circumstances, is to provide assistance to vehicles that have entered the range of a railroad crossing to quickly exit the crossing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle, and includes a communication unit configured to be able to communicate with a roadside unit installed near a railroad crossing located ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, a control unit that generates driving assistance information instructing the vehicle to exit the railroad crossing when it is determined that the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing based on information transmitted between the information processing device and the roadside unit, and an output unit that outputs the driving assistance information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, assistance can be provided to vehicles that have entered the area of a railroad crossing to quickly exit the crossing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road traffic environment around a railroad crossing according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system included in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by a control unit of the information processing device in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by a control unit of the roadside device of FIG. 2 in another embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by a control unit of the information processing device of FIG. 2 in another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an expanded system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensions and ratios in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual dimensions and ratios.

[0010] (Road traffic environment to which this disclosure applies) FIG. 1 shows an example of a road traffic environment in which processing by an information processing device 30 (see FIG. 2) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is preferably performed. The information processing device 30 is mounted on a vehicle 10. The road traffic environment includes the road structure and facilities and equipment around the road. In the road traffic environment of FIG. 1, a road 11 crosses a railroad track 12. The intersection of the road 11 and the railroad track 12 is a railroad crossing 13. A crossing gate is provided at the crossing 13. The crossing gate prevents the vehicle 10 from entering the range of the crossing 13 while the railroad vehicle is traveling on the railroad track 12 and for a certain period of time before that. The crossing 13 is also provided with an alarm that sounds an alarm to alert people of the approach of a railroad vehicle.

[0011] In this application, the scope of the railroad crossing 13 includes the area where the railroad tracks 12 and the road 11 intersect at grade, and refers to the area where vehicles traveling on the road are prohibited from entering for safety reasons when railroad vehicles are passing. The area between the barriers installed on both sides of the railroad tracks 12 of the railroad crossing 13 is included in the scope of the railroad crossing 13.

[0012] In Fig. 1, two railroad tracks 12 are shown crossing the road 11. However, the number of railroad tracks 12 at the railroad crossing 13 is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more.

[0013] In addition, a traffic light 14 is provided further ahead on the road 11 above the railroad crossing 13 in Figure 1. The traffic light 14 is installed adjacent to an intersection and / or a crosswalk to facilitate road traffic. An intersection is a point where multiple roads intersect, including a T-junction and a crossroads. The traffic light 14 uses the color of its lights to indicate to vehicles 10 or other vehicles 18 traveling on each road whether they are OK to go or should stop.

[0014] In such a road traffic environment, if vehicle 10 enters the range of railroad crossing 13 from the lower side in FIG. 1 , it is desirable for vehicle 10 to quickly exit the range of railroad crossing 13. Furthermore, if road 11 beyond railroad crossing 13 is congested due to the presence of other vehicles 18, etc., there is a concern that vehicle 10 will not be able to pass through railroad crossing 13 and will be stranded on tracks 12. In particular, if there are many railroad tracks 12 intersecting road 11 at railroad crossing 13, it may be difficult for the driver of vehicle 10 near the entrance to railroad crossing 13 to grasp the condition of the exit of railroad crossing 13. It is extremely dangerous for vehicle 10 to stop within railroad crossing 13.

[0015] Therefore, a roadside unit 15 capable of communicating with a vehicle 10 approaching the railroad crossing 13 is placed on the road 11 beyond the railroad crossing 13. At least one of the information processing device 30 mounted on the vehicle 10 and the roadside device 15 can determine whether or not the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13. When the information processing device 30 mounted on the vehicle 10 determines, based on information transmitted between the roadside device 15, that the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13, it generates driving assistance information instructing the vehicle 10 to quickly exit the railroad crossing 13 and outputs the information to the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0016] The vehicle 10 and the other vehicle 18 of the present disclosure are, for example, automobiles, but are not limited to these and may be any vehicle. The vehicle 10 may be any of a passenger car, motorcycle, bus, and truck. The automobile may be, for example, a gasoline-powered automobile, a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), but is not limited to these. The other vehicle 18 may be equipped with a device similar to the information processing device 30 of the vehicle 10.

[0017] (Roadside unit configuration) The roadside unit 15 installed on the road 11 includes multiple components arranged on a telephone pole or a dedicated pole-like structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the multiple components include a communication unit 21, a memory unit 22, a control unit 23, and a sensor unit 24. The roadside unit 15 may further be communicatively connected to a display board 16 that displays information to the driver of the vehicle 10, the drivers of other vehicles 18, and / or pedestrians. The display board 16 is not an essential component. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 and the other vehicles 18 that pass through the railroad crossing 13 are described separately. However, the vehicle 10 and the other vehicles 18 may have the same configuration. Furthermore, the roadside unit 15 does not need to distinguish between the vehicle 10 and the other vehicles 18.

[0018] The communication unit 21 provides a road-to-vehicle communication function for communicating with the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 located in the vicinity of the roadside unit 15. The communication unit 21 may use a communication system conforming to ARIB STD-T109 or IEEE802.11p. The communication unit 21 may also use a 4G or 5G mobile communication system such as LTE. Communication from the communication unit 21 to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 may be performed using a unicast method, a broadcast method, or a multicast method.

[0019] The communication unit 21 may be configured to be able to communicate with a server that manages the roadside unit 15, or other devices or systems, in addition to communicating with the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18. The server may be able to transmit information to be displayed on the display board 16, operation instructions, etc. to the roadside unit 15. For communication with the server, the communication unit 21 may be compatible with a wired communication system such as a cable, or a wireless communication system such as a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G), or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).

[0020] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of the roadside unit 15. For example, the storage unit 22 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, and the like.

[0021] The memory unit 22 stores location information such as the latitude and longitude of the location where the roadside unit 15 is installed. The memory unit 22 also stores information on the layout of roads around the roadside unit 15 and the detection range 17 of the sensor unit 24. The memory unit 22 also stores information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13. The detection range 17 is the range of the road monitored by the roadside unit 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the detection range 17 includes the range of lanes on the road 11 from just before the intersection with the traffic light 14 to the railroad crossing 13 and within the range of the railroad crossing 13, in the direction toward the intersection with the traffic light 14. The information on the detection range 17 and the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 may include latitude and longitude information. For example, the information on the detection range 17 and the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 may include latitude and longitude information of the four vertices of a rectangular area corresponding to each range.

[0022] The control unit 23 is configured to include a single or multiple processors and memories. Processors include general-purpose processors that execute programmed functions by loading specific programs, and dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Dedicated processors include DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). The control unit 23 manages each component of the roadside unit 15 and executes the processing required for the roadside unit 15. The control unit 23 can transmit information stored in the memory unit 22 and information generated based on information detected by the sensor unit 24 via the communication unit 21 to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 traveling in the vicinity. The control unit 23 can control the display content of the display board 16.

[0023] In one embodiment, the control unit 23 transmits information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 stored in the memory unit 22 to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21.

[0024] In another embodiment, the control unit 23 acquires information on the current position of the vehicle 10. The current position of the vehicle 10 may be acquired from the information processing device 30 of the vehicle 10, or may be detected by the sensor unit 24. In the latter case, the sensor unit 24 is capable of detecting the vehicle 10 beyond the detection range 17 up to just before the railroad crossing 13. The control unit 23 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13, based on the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 stored in the memory unit 22 and the acquired current position of the vehicle. The control unit 23 transmits information on the result of the determination as to whether or not the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 to the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 21.

[0025] The sensor unit 24 is a sensor that detects the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 located within a detection range 17 on the road 11. The sensor unit 24 may include a sensor selected from various sensors, such as a camera, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Information detected by the sensor unit 24 is processed by the control unit 23 according to the type of sensor. For example, if the sensor unit 24 includes a camera, the control unit 23 performs image processing to recognize the vehicle 10 or other vehicles 18 included in the image. As a result, the control unit 23 identifies the vehicle 10 or other vehicles 18 located within the detection range 17, along with their location information. The roadside unit 15 has accurate location information about its installation location. The control unit 23 of the roadside unit 15 can detect the location coordinates of the detected vehicle 10 or other vehicles 18 using the installation location of the roadside unit 15 and the relative positional relationship identified by the sensor unit 24. The roadside device 15 may include a receiver for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to acquire coordinate information of the location where the roadside device 15 is installed.

[0026] The roadside device 15 may acquire information from other sensors capable of detecting the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 in addition to the sensor unit 24 arranged on the pillar-like structure on which the roadside device 15 is installed. The other sensors include, for example, sensors embedded in the road 11. The other sensors may be included in the sensor unit 24.

[0027] In addition to the above, the roadside unit 15 may include various components such as a temperature sensor, a sensor for measuring people flow, a sensor for detecting road surface conditions, a speaker for providing information by voice, etc. Furthermore, the roadside unit 15 may be equipped with devices and equipment for various purposes, such as a base station for wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or 5G, charging equipment for digital devices, street lights, solar panels, etc.

[0028] The display board 16 displays information generated by the roadside unit 15. The display board 16 displays characters and / or figures using, for example, a large number of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged two-dimensionally. The display board 16 may display in color or in a single color. The control unit 23 controls the display content of the display board 16. The display board 16 may be placed just before the railroad crossing 13 to alert the driver of the vehicle 10 before entering the railroad crossing 13. For example, when multiple other vehicles 18 are present within the detection range 17, the control unit 23 may display a message to alert the driver of the vehicle 10, such as "There is a vehicle waiting at a traffic light ahead." The information displayed by the display board 16 is not limited to information intended for the driver of the vehicle 10, but may also include information intended for pedestrians, etc.

[0029] (Configuration of information processing device) An information processing device 30 that provides information to assist the driver in driving is installed in the vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a positioning unit 34, and an output unit 35.

[0030] The communication unit 31 includes a communication interface for performing V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication with the outside of the vehicle 10. The communication interface may include a communication interface compatible with wide-area communication and short-range communication. The communication interface includes an interface for road-to-vehicle communication compatible with the communication method of the communication unit 21 of the roadside unit 15. The communication unit 31 can acquire, from the roadside unit 15, at least one of information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 and information on the result of the roadside unit 15 determining whether the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13. The communication unit 31 may be able to acquire, from the roadside unit 15, position information of other vehicles 18 on the road 11 beyond the railroad crossing 13.

[0031] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical 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 system programs, application programs, embedded software, and the like.

[0032] The control unit 33 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or ASIC. The control unit 33 controls each unit of the information processing device 30 and executes processes related to the operation of the information processing device 30.

[0033] The positioning unit 34 detects the current position of the vehicle 10. The positioning unit 34 includes a receiver compatible with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The positioning unit 34 can obtain information such as the latitude and longitude of the current position of the vehicle 10 using signals from the GNSS receiver. The GNSS is a system that measures the position of the vehicle 10 using artificial satellites, and includes, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. The positioning unit 34 can transmit a signal indicating the positioning result of the current position of the vehicle 10 based on the GNSS signal to the control unit 33 at predetermined intervals.

[0034] In one embodiment, the control unit 33 may determine whether the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 based on information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 obtained from the roadside unit 15 via the communication unit 31 and the current position of the vehicle 10 detected by the positioning unit 34. In another embodiment, the control unit 33 may obtain information on the result of the determination made by the roadside unit 15 as to whether the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 via the communication unit 31. When at least one of the roadside unit 15 and the control unit 33 determines that the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 33 generates driving assistance information instructing the driver of the vehicle 10 to promptly exit the range of the railroad crossing 13.

[0035] The output unit 35 outputs information to the driver of the vehicle 10. The output unit 35 includes, for example, a display that outputs information as an image and a speaker that outputs information as audio. The display may be a display selected from various displays, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, an inorganic EL display, a plasma display panel (PDP), and a field emission display (FED). The display may also be a head-up display (HUD). The HUD may project a display image onto the front windshield of the vehicle 10 or onto a combiner disposed on the dashboard. The speaker converts an audio signal into physical vibrations to generate sound in space. The speaker may be an audio speaker installed in the vehicle 10. The speaker may be disposed in the door, dashboard, pillar, or the like of the vehicle 10. A well-known general speaker may be used. The output unit 36 outputs the driving assistance information generated by the control unit 33 to the driver of the vehicle 10 in the form of images and / or sounds.

[0036] The control unit 33 outputs the generated driving assistance information to the output unit 36. For example, the driving assistance information is notified to the driver by displaying a message such as "Please exit the railroad crossing immediately" on a display that is the output unit 36, or by uttering the same content by voice.

[0037] In one embodiment, the control unit 33 may be configured to generate a notification indicating that the vehicle 10 is exiting the railroad crossing 13 when the control unit 33 itself or the roadside device 15 determines that the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13. The control unit 33 may be configured to transmit this notification to the other vehicles 18 via the communication unit 31. The notification from the vehicle 10 to the other vehicles 18 may be transmitted by broadcast or multicast. The other vehicles 18 that receive this notification determine whether their own vehicles are positioned to block the vehicle 10 from exiting the railroad crossing 13 and present the result to their drivers. This processing may be performed by a device equivalent to the information processing device 30 mounted on the other vehicles 18. If the driver of the other vehicles 18 is positioned to block the vehicle 10 from exiting the railroad crossing 13, the driver of the other vehicles 18 can facilitate the vehicle 10's exit from the railroad crossing 13 by, for example, closing the distance to the vehicle ahead that is stopped at a traffic light.

[0038] In another embodiment, the roadside unit 15 may be configured to generate and transmit to other vehicles 18 a notification indicating that the vehicle 10 is exiting the railroad crossing 13 when the roadside unit 15 determines that the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13. The notification from the roadside unit 15 to the other vehicles 18 may be transmitted by broadcast or multicast.

[0039] (Information Processing Method 1) A processing flow executed by the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 in one embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 3. The method disclosed herein can be executed by a processor included in the information processing device 30 according to a program. Such a program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, and semiconductor memories. Magnetic storage media include, for example, hard disks and magnetic tapes. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs). Semiconductor memories include random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), and flash memories. Non-transitory computer-readable media are not limited to these.

[0040] A roadside device 15 installed near a railroad crossing 13 constantly and repeatedly transmits information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 traveling around the roadside device 15. When the vehicle 10 approaches the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 acquires information transmitted from the roadside device 15 via the communication unit 31 (S101). The information acquired by the control unit 33 from the roadside device 15 includes information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13. Furthermore, the information acquired by the control unit 33 from the roadside device 15 includes information on the presence or absence of other vehicles 18 on the road 11 and / or position information of other vehicles 18 located on the road 11. The roadside device 15 may constantly acquire this position information and constantly and repeatedly transmit it to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 traveling around the roadside device 15.

[0041] The control unit 33 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 from the positioning unit 34 (S102). The current position of the vehicle 10 may be represented by latitude and longitude. The positioning unit 34 may constantly and repeatedly acquire the current position.

[0042] The control unit 33 determines whether the current position of the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 based on the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing 13 acquired from the roadside device 15 and the current position of the vehicle 10 acquired from the positioning unit 34 (S103). When the current position of the vehicle 10 is not within the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S103: No), the control unit 33 repeats the process of acquiring the current position of the vehicle 10 and determining whether it is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S102, S103). When the current position of the vehicle 10 is not within the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S103: No), the control unit 33 may generate a message notifying that the vehicle 10 is approaching the railroad crossing 13 and display the message on the output unit 35.

[0043] When the current position of the vehicle 10 is within the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S103: Yes), the control unit 33 generates driving support information instructing the vehicle 10 to quickly exit the railroad crossing 13 (S104).

[0044] The control unit 33 outputs the driving assistance information generated in step S104 from the output unit 35 to notify the driver of the vehicle 10 (S105). The output from the output unit 35 includes at least one of display on a display and speech from a speaker.

[0045] The control unit 33 determines whether or not there is another vehicle 18 beyond the railroad crossing 13 based on the information on the presence or absence of another vehicle 18 or the position information of the other vehicle 18 acquired in step S101 (step S106). If there is another vehicle 18 beyond the railroad crossing 13 (S106: Yes), the control unit 33 notifies the other vehicle 18 by vehicle-to-vehicle communication via the communication unit 31 that there is a vehicle exiting the railroad crossing 13 (S107). The other vehicle 18 that has received this notification is expected to take measures such as closing the distance between itself and the vehicle ahead that is waiting at a traffic light so that the vehicle 10 can easily exit the railroad crossing 13. This is expected to free up space for the vehicle 10 on the road 11 beyond the railroad crossing 13. If there is no other vehicle 18 beyond the railroad crossing 13 (S106: No), the control unit 33 does not need to perform the processing of S107.

[0046] When the current position of the vehicle 10 is no longer within the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 33 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S108). When the control unit 33 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13, it ends the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0047] In this way, a vehicle that has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 can quickly exit the railroad crossing 13. Furthermore, even if there are other vehicles 18 waiting at a traffic light on the road 11 ahead of the railroad crossing 13, space can be secured for the vehicle 10 beyond the railroad crossing by notifying the other vehicles 18 that there is a vehicle 10 exiting the railroad crossing 13. This makes it possible to improve the safety of the vehicles 10 passing through the railroad crossing 13.

[0048] (Information processing method 2) In another embodiment of the present disclosure, whether or not the vehicle 10 has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 may be determined on the roadside device 15 side. In this case, the processes executed by the control unit 23 of the roadside device 15 and the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, respectively.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4 , the control unit 23 of the roadside device 15 detects the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 traveling on the road 11 around the railroad crossing 13 using the sensor unit 24. If the detected vehicle 10 and other vehicles 18 include a vehicle 10 approaching the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 23 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 (S201). The current position of the vehicle 10 may be determined by the control unit 23 based on the detection result by the sensor unit 24. Alternatively, the control unit 23 of the roadside device 15 may acquire the current position of the vehicle 10 from the information processing device 30 of the vehicle 10. In this case, the roadside device 15 may transmit an inquiry about the current position to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21. Upon receiving the inquiry from the roadside device 15, the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 may return the current position of the vehicle 10 detected by the positioning unit 34 to the roadside device 15.

[0050] The control unit 23 of the roadside unit 15 compares the range of the railroad crossing 13 stored in the memory unit 22 with the acquired current position of the vehicle 10 (S202). The control unit 23 determines whether the range of the railroad crossing 13 overlaps with the current position of the vehicle 10 (S203). When determining whether the range of the railroad crossing 13 overlaps with the current position of the vehicle 10, the control unit 23 may take into account the standard size of the vehicle 10 or the size of the vehicle 10 detected by the sensor unit 24.

[0051] If the vehicle 10 has not entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S203: No), the control unit 23 returns to the processing of S201 and continues to monitor the movement of the vehicle 10. If the control unit 23 determines that the vehicle 10 has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S203: Yes), the control unit 23 notifies the information processing device 30 of the vehicle 10 of the determination result via the communication unit 21 (S204).

[0052] After notifying the information processing device 30 of the vehicle 10 that the vehicle 10 has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 23 determines whether there is another vehicle 18 in the detection range 17 beyond the railroad crossing 13 based on the detection result by the sensor unit 24 (S205). If there is another vehicle 18 beyond the railroad crossing 13 (S205: Yes), the control unit 23 generates a notification indicating that there is a vehicle exiting the railroad crossing 13. The control unit 23 transmits this notification to the other vehicle 18 by unicast communication with the other vehicle 18, or by multicast or broadcast communication (S206).

[0053] On the other hand, when there are no other vehicles 18 within the detection range 17 beyond the railroad crossing 13 (S205: No), the control unit 23 does not need to make any special notification. The control unit 23 does not need to determine whether there are other vehicles 18 beyond the railroad crossing (S205). When the control unit 23 determines in S203 that the vehicle 10 has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13, it may uniformly notify other vehicles 18 in the vicinity by multicast or broadcast communication that there is a vehicle exiting the railroad crossing 13.

[0054] After S206, when the current position of the vehicle 10 is no longer within the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 23 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S207). When the control unit 23 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13, it ends the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0055] The control unit 23 may cause the display board 16 to display a message that prevents further vehicles from entering the railroad crossing 13 from the time the vehicle 10 enters the range of the railroad crossing 13 in S203 until it is determined in S207 that the vehicle has left the range of the railroad crossing. The control unit 23 may cause the display board 16 to display, for example, a message such as "Vehicle in railroad crossing. No entry." By displaying this message, it is possible to prevent multiple vehicles 10 from being present within the range of the railroad crossing 13 at the same time.

[0056] Meanwhile, the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 mounted on the vehicle 10 receives a notification of the determination result that the vehicle has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 from the roadside device 15 via the communication unit 31 (S301), corresponding to step S204 in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0057] When the control unit 33 receives the notification of the above-mentioned determination result from the roadside device 15 in S301, the control unit 33 generates driving support information instructing the vehicle to quickly exit the railroad crossing 13 (S302).

[0058] The control unit 33 outputs the driving assistance information generated in step S302 from the output unit 35 to notify the driver of the vehicle 10 (S303). The output from the output unit 35 includes display on a display and speech from a speaker.

[0059] After S303, when the current position of the vehicle 10 is no longer within the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 33 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13 (S304). When the control unit 33 recognizes that the vehicle 10 has exited the range of the railroad crossing 13, it ends the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0060] 3, in this manner, a vehicle that has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 can quickly exit the railroad crossing 13. Furthermore, by having the roadside unit 15 notify other vehicles 18 around the railroad crossing 13 that a vehicle 10 is exiting the railroad crossing 13, it is possible to ensure space for the vehicle 10 beyond the railroad crossing 13. This makes it possible to improve the safety of the vehicle 10 passing through the railroad crossing 13.

[0061] (Example of an expanded system configuration) In S108 of the flowchart in FIG. 3 , S207 of the flowchart in FIG. 4 , and S304 of the flowchart in FIG. 5 , it is assumed that the vehicle 10 can exit the range of the railroad crossing 13. However, if the road 11 beyond the railroad crossing 13 is congested, a situation may arise in which the vehicle 10 is not necessarily able to completely exit the range of the railroad crossing 13. In such a situation, if a railroad vehicle traveling on the tracks 12 approaches the railroad crossing 13, a very dangerous situation may arise. In order to prevent or reduce the occurrence of such a dangerous situation, in one embodiment, the roadside unit 15 may be configured to be able to communicate with the signal control device 40 and / or the railway traffic control system 50 via the communication unit 21, as shown in FIG. 6 .

[0062] The signal control device 40 controls the switching of the signal of the traffic light 14. For example, the signal control device 40 can adjust the duration of a red signal and a green signal, and can switch signals in an emergency. The signal control device 40 may be a device installed near the traffic light 14, or may be a device that remotely controls the traffic light 14.

[0063] The railway traffic control system 50 manages the operation of railway vehicles traveling on the tracks 12. The railway traffic control system 50 can cause railway vehicles traveling on the tracks 12 to slow down or make an emergency stop in the event of an emergency.

[0064] When the vehicle 10 is unable to completely exit the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 23 of the roadside unit 15 sends a signal to the signal control device 40 notifying it that a vehicle is stranded on the road 11 leading to the railroad crossing 13. In response to this signal, the signal control device 40 switches the traffic light on the road 11 leading to the railroad crossing 13 to a green light indicating that passage is permitted. In this way, other vehicles 18 ahead of the vehicle 10 will pass through the intersection with the traffic lights 14 in sequence, allowing the vehicle 10 to exit the railroad crossing 13.

[0065] Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 is unable to completely exit the range of the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 23 of the roadside unit 15, instead of or in addition to notifying the signal control device 40, sends a signal to the railway traffic control system 50 notifying that there is a vehicle 10 stuck within the range of the railroad crossing 13. Upon receiving this notification, the railway traffic control system 50 instructs the railroad vehicle traveling on the tracks 12 toward the railroad crossing 13 to slow down or make an emergency stop before the railroad crossing 13.

[0066] When the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 mounted on the vehicle 10 determines that it is not possible to exit the range of the railroad crossing 13 while traveling within the railroad crossing 13, the control unit 33 may transmit a signal to the roadside device 15 indicating that it is not possible to exit the railroad crossing 13. When the roadside device 15 receives a notification from the information processing device 30 or when the sensor unit 24 detects that the vehicle 10 is remaining within the range of the railroad crossing 13, it generates and transmits a signal to the signal control device 40 and / or the railway traffic control system 50.

[0067] By doing so, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the danger that may occur when a vehicle 10 that has entered the range of the railroad crossing 13 is unable to exit the railroad crossing 13 due to congestion on the road 11 or the like.

[0068] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many variations and modifications are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 vehicles 11 Road 12 railroad tracks 13 Railroad Crossing 14 Traffic Lights 15 Roadside unit 16 Display board 17 Detection range 18 Other vehicles 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 24 Sensor unit 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 34 Positioning unit 35 Output section 40 Signal Control Device 50 Railway Traffic Control System

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle, a communication unit configured to be able to communicate with roadside devices installed around a railroad crossing located ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling; a control unit that generates driving assistance information instructing the vehicle to exit the railroad crossing when it is determined that the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing based on information transmitted between the information processing device and the roadside device; an output unit that outputs the driving assistance information; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning unit that detects the current position of the vehicle, wherein the communication unit is capable of acquiring information indicating the range of the railroad crossing from the roadside device, and the control unit is configured to determine whether the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing based on the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing and the current position.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the roadside device is configured to store information indicating the range of the railroad crossing, detect or acquire the current position of the vehicle, and determine whether the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing based on the information indicating the range of the railroad crossing and the current position of the vehicle, and the control unit is configured to acquire the result determined by the roadside device via the communication unit.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to, when it is determined that the current location of the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing, generate a notification indicating that a vehicle is exiting the railroad crossing and transmit the notification to other vehicles via the communication unit.

5. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the roadside device is configured to generate a notification indicating that a vehicle is exiting the railroad crossing when it determines that the current location of the vehicle is within the range of the railroad crossing, and to transmit the notification to other vehicles.

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