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

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, control device, control system, information processing method, and program, which make it easier to identify actual vehicles.SOLUTION: An information processing device is provided, comprising an information acquisition unit for acquiring first detection information related to a first vehicle and second detection information related to a second vehicle identified separately from the first vehicle on the basis of detection information detected by a roadside sensor capable of detecting vehicles traveling on a road extending in a lane direction, and a determination unit for determining whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same on the basis of the first detection information and the second detection information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a control device, a control system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, an autonomous vehicle traveling on a road such as a highway or a driver of a traveling vehicle needs to check the status of other vehicles traveling on the same road or other roads. For this reason, drivers of autonomous vehicles or other moving vehicles need to accurately identify the situation of other vehicles.

[0003] As a device used in such a situation, for example, a device such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-157795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses an area sensor to detect vehicles traveling on a road. However, with the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, in vehicles such as trucks, tank trucks, trailers, etc., one part of a vehicle may be detected separately from another part, which may make it difficult to identify the actual vehicle.

[0006] The object of the present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is to provide an information processing device, a control device, a control system, an information processing method, and a program that make it easy to identify an actual vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the information processing device disclosed herein includes an information acquisition unit that acquires first detection information regarding a first vehicle and second detection information regarding a second vehicle that has been identified separately from the first vehicle based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that can detect vehicles traveling on a road extending in the lane direction, and a discrimination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the control device of the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned information processing device and an information generation unit that generates support information that can assist driving on the road based on the first detection information and the second detection information.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the control system of the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned control device and the roadside sensor.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the information processing method disclosed herein acquires first detection information regarding a first vehicle and second detection information regarding a second vehicle that has been identified separately from the first vehicle based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that can detect vehicles traveling on a road extending in the lane direction, and determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information.

[0011] In order to solve the above problem, the program disclosed herein causes a computer to acquire first detection information regarding a first vehicle and second detection information regarding a second vehicle that has been identified separately from the first vehicle based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that can detect vehicles traveling on a road extending in the lane direction, and to determine whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the information processing device, control device, control system, information processing method, and program of the present disclosure, it is easy to identify an actual vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view of a control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the processing of a vertical separation determination unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the processing of a lateral separation determination unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a determination unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a computer included in a control device or an information processing device according to each embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and common descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] (Overall configuration of the control system) The control system 100 is a system for assisting a vehicle traveling on a merging road RM that merges with a road RR in driving operations in accordance with the situation of the vehicle traveling on the road RR in the merging section with the road RR. Road RR has multiple lanes LL on each side. Road RR is a main road such as an expressway. The merging road RM is a ramp that merges onto a main road such as an expressway, and is a road on which a plurality of vehicles traveling to merge onto the main road travel.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 100 includes a control device 1, a roadside sensor 2, a roadside wireless device 3, and an in-vehicle device VMa mounted on each vehicle traveling on a merging road RM. In the following description, a vehicle traveling on road RR will also be referred to as a "vehicle VV," and a vehicle traveling on merging road RM will also be referred to as a "merging vehicle VM." In FIG. 1, each vehicle is traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow. The merging vehicle VM according to this embodiment may be, for example, an automatically driven vehicle or a vehicle driven by a driver.

[0017] Hereinafter, the direction in which the road RR extends will be referred to as the lane direction. Furthermore, the direction in which each vehicle travels among the lane directions of road RR is also referred to as the Y direction or traveling direction. In addition, the width direction of the road RR, that direction away from the merging road RM, is also referred to as the X direction.

[0018] (Control device configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 1 includes an information processing device 10 and an information generating unit 19. The control device 1 is communicably connected to the roadside sensor 2 via a dedicated communication line or a public communication line. The control device 1 is communicably connected to the roadside wireless device 3 via a dedicated communication line or a public communication line. For example, the control device 1 may be installed on a road RR, which is a main road of a road (such as a highway), near a merging section where a merging road RM merges, or may be set in a remote location away from the merging section. For example, a computer may function as the control device 1 by executing a program described below.

[0019] (Roadside sensor configuration) The roadside sensor 2 is installed on the merging road RM side of the road RR. The roadside sensor 2 is capable of detecting a vehicle VV traveling on a road RR. The roadside sensor 2 captures an image looking down on a predetermined area AA of the road RR, and detects detection information DT including image data of the predetermined area AA of the road RR including a plurality of vehicles VV. The roadside sensor 2 is set so that the predetermined area AA is an area that can accommodate a plurality of vehicles VV traveling on the road RR in the Y direction. The roadside sensor 2 is set so that the predetermined area AA is an area that can accommodate a plurality of lanes LL in the width direction of the road RR. The roadside sensor 2 repeatedly captures images at predetermined times and acquires a plurality of image data sets over different times. For example, the roadside sensor 2 may include an area sensor such as a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) or a camera that can detect three-dimensional information. For example, the predetermined area AA may be set immediately before the merging section of the road RR and the merging road RM. The roadside sensor 2 provides the acquired detection information DT to the control device 1 via a communication line.

[0020] (Configuration of roadside radio device) The roadside wireless device 3 acquires the assistance information DA from the control device 1 via a communication line. The roadside wireless device 3 transmits the acquired assistance information DA to an in-vehicle device VMa mounted on a merging vehicle VM traveling on the merging road RM, thereby notifying the automatically driven vehicle, the driver, and the like. For example, the assistance information DA may be merging assistance information for the merging vehicle VM to merge onto the road RR and travel there. For example, the roadside wireless device and the vehicle-mounted device VMa may perform wireless communication based on the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technology. For example, the roadside radio 3 may transmit the assistance information DA to an onboard device VMa mounted on the merging vehicle VM, or may transmit the assistance information DA to a signboard or the like set up on the roadside, and notify the merging vehicle VM traveling on the merging road RM of the assistance information DA by display or voice via a signboard, speaker, or the like.

[0021] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 11, a determination unit 12, and a notification unit 15. For example, a computer may function as the information processing device 10 by executing a program described below.

[0022] (Configuration of information acquisition unit) The information acquisition unit 11 acquires the detection information DT from the roadside sensor 2, and acquires first detection information DT1 related to a certain vehicle, a first vehicle VA, based on the acquired detection information DT. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the first detection information DT1 as follows.

[0023] First, the information acquisition unit 11 individually identifies the multiple vehicles VV included in the image data of the detection information DT, and assigns a vehicle ID to each identified vehicle VV that enables the vehicle VV to be distinguished from other vehicles VV. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 may perform matching processing for each vehicle VV between a plurality of image data at different times, and assign the same vehicle ID to vehicles VV that can be identified. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 may determine the order in which multiple vehicles VV pass through a specified area AA from the changes over time between multiple image data acquired at different times, and assign vehicle IDs in the chronological order in which they pass through the specified area AA. For example, the plurality of vehicles VV may include any of light vehicles, motorcycles, standard cars, medium-sized cars, large cars, and extra-large cars. For example, the multiple vehicles VV may include vehicles such as trucks, tanker trucks, and trailers, where different parts of a single real vehicle are likely to be erroneously detected as multiple vehicles. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, when viewed from above on the XY plane, the representative point RP set for each identified vehicle VV may be, for example, the corner at the rear end on the roadside sensor 2 side of the four corners of the rectangular area when the outline of each vehicle is viewed as a rectangle.

[0024] Next, for one vehicle, the first vehicle VA, among the multiple vehicles VV to which vehicle IDs have been assigned, the information acquisition unit 11 identifies the position of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA as first detection information DT1 based on the image data of the detection information DT, and associates it with the vehicle ID of the first vehicle VA. Hereinafter, the position coordinates of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA on the XY plane will be expressed as (X, Y)=(x1, y1).

[0025] Furthermore, for one vehicle, the first vehicle VA, among the multiple vehicles VV assigned with vehicle IDs, the information acquisition unit 11 identifies the vehicle width, vehicle height, vehicle length, speed, etc. of the first vehicle VA as first detection information DT1, based on the image data of the detection information DT, and associates it with the vehicle ID of the first vehicle VA.

[0026] For example, the first vehicle VA may be a portion of a real vehicle, such as a truck, tanker, or trailer.

[0027] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires the detection information DT from the roadside sensor 2, and based on the acquired detection information DT, acquires second detection information DT2 relating to the second vehicle VB that has been identified separately from the first vehicle VA. As with the first detection information DT1, the information acquisition unit 11 identifies the position of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB as second detection information DT2 based on the image data of the detection information DT, and associates it with the vehicle ID of the second vehicle VB. Hereinafter, the position coordinates of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB on the XY plane will be expressed as (X, Y) = (x2, y2).

[0028] Furthermore, similar to the first detection information DT1, the information acquisition unit 11 identifies the vehicle width, vehicle height, vehicle length, speed, etc. of the second vehicle VB based on the image data of the detection information DT as second detection information DT2, and associates it with the vehicle ID of the second vehicle VB.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the second vehicle VB may be a vehicle traveling ahead of the first vehicle VA in the same lane in which the first vehicle VA is traveling. As shown in Figure 4, for example, the second vehicle VB may be a vehicle that runs alongside the first vehicle VA, adjacent to the road RR at a position farther from the roadside where the roadside sensor 2 is installed than the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR. For example, the second vehicle VB may be another part of a real vehicle, a part of which is identified as the first vehicle VA, such as a truck, tanker, trailer, or the like.

[0030] (Configuration of the discrimination unit) The discrimination unit 12 has the function of discriminating between vehicles detected by the roadside sensor 2 and those that have been mistakenly detected due to a phenomenon in which different parts of a single actual vehicle are recognized as multiple vehicles, and are not actually vehicles (actual vehicles) traveling on the road RR.

[0031] Hereinafter, "actual vehicle" refers to a vehicle that is actually traveling on the road RR. Furthermore, hereinafter, "the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle" means that the information acquisition unit 11 mistakenly separates and identifies one part of the same vehicle and another part, which are a pair of parts of a vehicle, so that one part of the same vehicle is identified as the first vehicle VA and the other part is identified as the second vehicle VB. Furthermore, when the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB that have been identified from each other are the same vehicle and one of the identified vehicles is referred to as the "actual vehicle," the other identified vehicle is referred to as the "separated vehicle."

[0032] For example, if the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle, the first vehicle VA may be treated as an "actual vehicle" and the second vehicle VB may be treated as a "separated vehicle (not an actual vehicle)."

[0033] The determination unit 12 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2. Specifically, the determination unit 12 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle by determining the position of the second vehicle VB relative to the first vehicle VA in the XY plane. The discrimination unit 12 includes a vertical separation discrimination unit 13 and a horizontal separation discrimination unit 14 .

[0034] (Configuration of vertical separation discrimination unit) The longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 has a function of discriminating a separated vehicle that has been erroneously detected as being separated in the lane direction of the road RR. The longitudinal separation determination unit 13 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the lane direction of the road RR. As shown in FIG. 5, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 includes a longitudinal line discriminator 131, a longitudinal vehicle distance discriminator 132, a vehicle width discriminator 133, and an overlap discriminator .

[0035] The column determination unit 131 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are lined up in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0036] For example, the column discrimination unit 131 may determine whether the absolute value (|x1-x2|) of the difference between the position coordinate x1 of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR and the position coordinate x2 of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB is smaller than a first predetermined value α, which is a threshold value for the width direction of the road RR. In this case, if the vertical alignment determination unit 131 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is smaller than the first predetermined value α, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are lined up in the lane direction of the road RR. Conversely, if the vertical alignment discrimination unit 131 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is not smaller than the first predetermined value α, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are not lined up in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0037] The longitudinal vehicle distance determining unit 132 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB in the lane direction of the road RR is within a predetermined range. For example, the longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 may determine whether the absolute value (|y2-y1|) of the difference between the position coordinate y1 of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA in the lane direction of the road RR and the position coordinate y2 of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB is greater than the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β and less than the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ.

[0038] The vehicle width determination unit 133 determines whether the vehicle width of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle width of the second vehicle VB is larger than a predetermined width Wθ as a threshold value.

[0039] The overlap determination unit 134 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB overlap in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0040] For example, the overlap determination unit 134 may determine whether or not the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA. At this time, if the overlap determination unit 134 determines that the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB overlap. Conversely, if the overlap determination unit 134 determines that the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is not smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB do not overlap.

[0041] (Configuration of the horizontal separation discrimination unit) The lateral separation discrimination unit 14 has a function of discriminating a separated vehicle that has been erroneously detected as being separated in the width direction of the road RR. The lateral separation determination unit 14 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the width direction of the road RR. The lateral separation discriminator 14 includes a lateral vehicle distance discriminator 141 , a parallel vehicle distance discriminator 142 , and a vehicle height discriminator 143 .

[0042] The lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB in the width direction of the road RR is smaller than a predetermined distance λ. For example, the lateral vehicle distance determination unit 141 may determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 (|x1-x2|) is smaller than a predetermined distance λ, which is a threshold value in the width direction of the road RR.

[0043] The parallel determination unit 142 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are parallel to each other in the width direction of the road RR. As such a determination, the parallel determination unit 142 may determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 (|y2-y1|) is smaller than a second predetermined value δ, which is a threshold value for the longitudinal direction of the road RR. In this case, if the parallel determination unit 142 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is smaller than the second predetermined value δ, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are parallel in the width direction of the road RR. Conversely, if the parallel determination unit 142 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is not smaller than the second predetermined value δ, it determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are not parallel in the width direction of the road RR.

[0044] The vehicle height determination unit 143 determines whether the vehicle height H1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle height H2 of the second vehicle VB is greater than a predetermined height Hθ serving as a threshold value.

[0045] (Configuration of notification section) The notification unit 15 has a function for notifying information about the separated vehicles. The notification unit 15 notifies the second vehicle VB that has been determined to be the same vehicle. For example, if the second vehicle VB is determined to be the same vehicle, the information processing device 10, in accordance with the notification from the notification unit 15, may maintain the second detection information DT2 related to the determined second vehicle VB, and may notify the information generation unit 19 or another device of a detection result flag indicating that the second vehicle VB has been detected as the same vehicle, in association with the second detection information DT2.

[0046] (Configuration of the information generation unit) The information generating unit 19 generates support information DA that can support traveling on the road RR, based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2. For example, the information generating unit 19 may generate, as the assistance information DA, information indicating the position of the actual vehicle in a merging section on a plurality of lanes LL.

[0047] (operation) An example of the operation of the information processing device 10 of this embodiment will be described. The operation of the information processing device 10 corresponds to an example of the information processing method of this embodiment.

[0048] First, as shown in FIG. 6, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires detection information DT from the roadside sensor 2, and based on the acquired detection information DT, acquires first detection information DT1 regarding the first vehicle VA and second detection information DT2 regarding the second vehicle VB (ST01: step of acquiring detection information).

[0049] After performing ST01, the determination unit 12 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2 (ST02: determination step). ST02 includes ST02-1 and ST02-2 shown below.

[0050] In ST02, first, the longitudinal separation determination unit 13 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the lane direction of the road RR (ST02-1: longitudinal separation determination step). ST02-1 includes ST02-1A, ST02-1B, ST02-1C, and ST02-1D, which are shown below.

[0051] In ST02-1, first, the column discrimination unit 131 determines whether the absolute value (|x1-x2|) of the difference between the position coordinate x1 of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR and the position coordinate x2 of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB is smaller than a first predetermined value α, which is a threshold value for the width direction of the road RR (ST02-1A: column discrimination step). The first predetermined value α is a value that is optimized to the difference in the distance in the width direction of the road RR when the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB can be considered to be side by side in the lane direction of the road RR. For example, the first predetermined value α may be 1.5 [m].

[0052] If the column discrimination unit 131 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is not smaller than the first predetermined value α (ST02-1A: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is an actual vehicle and not a separated vehicle separated in the vertical direction (lane direction of road RR), and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST03).

[0053] If the vertical column discrimination unit 131 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is smaller than the first predetermined value α (ST02-1A: YES), the second vehicle VB is likely to be a separated vehicle separated vertically, and the vertical vehicle spacing discrimination unit 132 performs the processing of ST02-1B.

[0054] In ST02-1B, the longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 determines whether the absolute value (|y2-y1|) of the difference between the position coordinate y1 of the representative point RP of the first vehicle VA in the lane direction of the road RR and the position coordinate y2 of the representative point RP of the second vehicle VB is greater than the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β and less than the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ (ST02-1B: longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination step). The lower limit inter-vehicle distance β and the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ are values ​​that are optimized to the inter-vehicle distances regarding separated vehicles that are detected in vehicles where separated vehicles are likely to occur. For example, the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β may be set to 5 m, and the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ may be set to 11 m. If the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β and the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ are set to such values, the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 including the longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 can easily extract separated vehicles detected in a single truck.

[0055] If the longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is not greater than the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β or not smaller than the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ (ST02-1B: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is an actual vehicle and not a separated vehicle, and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST03).

[0056] If the longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is greater than the lower limit inter-vehicle distance β and less than the upper limit inter-vehicle distance γ (ST02-1B: YES), the second vehicle VB is likely to be a separated vehicle, and the vehicle width discrimination unit 133 performs processing in ST02-1C.

[0057] In ST02-1C, the vehicle width determination unit 133 determines whether the vehicle width W1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle width W2 of the second vehicle VB is larger than a predetermined width Wθ (ST02-1C: vehicle width determination step). The predetermined width Wθ is a value optimized to a vehicle width that can identify a vehicle that is likely to be mistaken for a separated vehicle. For example, the predetermined width Wθ may be 5 [m]. If the predetermined width Wθ is set to such a value, the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 can send the first vehicle VA, which is an actual vehicle with a small vehicle width, such as two motorcycles traveling in tandem, and the second vehicle VB, which is an actual vehicle with a small vehicle width traveling in tandem, to a discrimination flow for discriminating them as actual vehicles, and can exclude them from the discrimination flow for discriminating them as separated vehicles.

[0058] If the vehicle width discrimination unit 133 determines that the vehicle width W1 of the first vehicle VA is not greater than the predetermined width Wθ and the vehicle width W2 of the second vehicle VB is not greater than the predetermined width Wθ (ST02-1C: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is not a separated vehicle but an actual vehicle as described above, and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST03).

[0059] If the vehicle width determination unit 133 determines that the vehicle width W1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle width W2 of the second vehicle VB is larger than the predetermined width Wθ (ST02-1C: YES), the overlap determination unit 134 performs processing in ST02-1D, assuming that the second vehicle VB is likely to be a separated vehicle. The overlap determination unit 134 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB overlap in the lane direction of the road RR (ST02-1D: overlap determination step). For example, in ST02-1D, the overlap determination unit 134 may determine whether the difference (y2-y1) between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA.

[0060] If the overlap determination unit 134 determines that the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is not smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA (ST02-1D: NO), the determination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is not a separated vehicle but an actual vehicle that is not overlapping with the first vehicle VA, and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST03).

[0061] If the overlap determination unit 134 determines that the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA (ST02-1D: YES), the determination unit 12 performs ST04. In ST04, the discrimination unit 12 determines that the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle and determines that the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle, and the notification unit 15 notifies the discriminated second vehicle VB as the same vehicle (ST04: first notification step).

[0062] After performing ST03 or ST04, the information processing device 10 returns to performing ST01 and repeats each step again.

[0063] After performing ST01, in parallel with the processing from ST02-1 onwards, as shown in Figure 7, the lateral separation determination unit 14 determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the width direction of the road RR (ST02-2: lateral separation determination step). ST02-2 includes ST02-2A, ST02-2B, and ST02-2C shown below.

[0064] In ST02-2, first, lateral vehicle distance determination unit 141 determines whether the absolute value of the difference between position coordinate x1 and position coordinate x2 (|x1-x2|) is smaller than a predetermined distance λ (ST02-2A: lateral vehicle distance determination step). The predetermined distance λ is a value optimized to a distance at which separated vehicles are unlikely to occur in principle. For example, the predetermined distance λ may be a distance at which a separated vehicle cannot occur in principle. The distance at which separated vehicles cannot occur in principle is a distance exceeding the maximum width of vehicles such as trucks, tank trucks, or trailers that can travel on the road RR. For example, the predetermined distance λ may be a value equal to the width of a truck, a tanker truck, or a trailer. For example, the predetermined distance λ may be a value equal to the width of a large or extra-large vehicle. For example, the predetermined distance λ may be 2.5 m.

[0065] If the lateral vehicle distance discrimination unit 141 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is not smaller than the predetermined distance λ (ST02-2A: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is not a separated vehicle but an actual vehicle, and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST05).

[0066] If the lateral vehicle distance discrimination unit 141 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 is smaller than the predetermined distance λ (ST02-2A: NO), the parallel discrimination unit 142 determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 (|y2-y1|) is smaller than a second predetermined value δ (ST02-2B: parallel discrimination step). The second predetermined value δ is a value that is optimized to the difference in distance in the lane direction of the road RR when the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB can be considered to be side by side in the width direction of the road RR. For example, the second predetermined value δ may be 1.0 [m].

[0067] If the parallel discrimination unit 142 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is not smaller than the second predetermined value δ (ST02-2B: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is an actual vehicle rather than a separated vehicle separated laterally (in the width direction of the road RR), and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST05).

[0068] If the parallel discrimination unit 142 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate y1 and the position coordinate y2 is smaller than the second predetermined value δ (ST02-2B: YES), the second vehicle VB is likely to be a separated vehicle that has separated laterally, and the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 performs the processing of ST02-2C.

[0069] In ST02-2C, the vehicle height determination unit 143 determines whether the vehicle height H1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle height H2 of the second vehicle VB is greater than a predetermined height Hθ (ST02-2C: vehicle height determination step). The predetermined height Hθ is a value optimized to the vehicle height of a vehicle that is likely to become a separated vehicle, or a vehicle height that can identify a vehicle that is likely to be erroneously detected as a separated vehicle. For example, the predetermined height Hθ may be 3.0 m. If the predetermined height Hθ is set to such a value, the lateral separation determination unit 14 can send the first vehicle VA, which is an actual vehicle with a small vehicle height, and the second vehicle VB, which is an actual vehicle with a small vehicle height traveling parallel to the first vehicle VA, to a flow for determining them as actual vehicles, and can exclude them from the flow for determining them as separated vehicles, as in the case where two motorcycles are traveling parallel to each other.

[0070] If the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 determines that the vehicle height H1 of the first vehicle VA is not greater than the predetermined height Hθ and the vehicle height H2 of the second vehicle VB is not greater than the predetermined height Hθ (ST02-2C: NO), the discrimination unit 12 determines that the second vehicle VB is not a separated vehicle but an actual vehicle as described above, and the information acquisition unit 11 maintains the vehicle ID numbering of the second vehicle VB (ST05).

[0071] If the vehicle height determination unit 143 determines that the vehicle height H1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle height H2 of the second vehicle VB is greater than the predetermined height Hθ (ST02-2C: YES), the determination unit 12 performs ST06. In ST06, the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are determined to be the same vehicle, and the second vehicle VB is determined to be a separated vehicle, and the notification unit 15 notifies the determined second vehicle VB as a separated vehicle (ST06: second notification step).

[0072] After performing ST05 or ST06, the information processing device 10 returns to performing ST01 and repeats each step again.

[0073] (Action and effect) According to this embodiment, the determination unit 12 determines whether the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0074] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the longitudinal separation determination unit 13 can determine a separated vehicle that has separated from the second vehicle VB in the lane direction of the road RR. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the separated vehicle.

[0075] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the column determination unit 131 can identify the second vehicle VB that is aligned with the first vehicle VA in the lane direction of the road RR. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0076] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the longitudinal vehicle distance determining unit 132 can identify separated vehicles that tend to separate at a predetermined distance, such as a distance that is neither too close nor too far. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0077] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle width discrimination unit 133 can identify wide vehicles such as trucks, tank trucks, and Toray vehicles that are prone to splitting vehicles, while it can also identify narrow vehicles such as motorcycles traveling in tandem that are less likely to split vehicles. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0078] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the overlap determination unit 134 can determine the placement of the second vehicle VB relative to the first vehicle VA, which would not occur in an actual vehicle. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0079] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lateral separation determination unit 14 can determine a separated vehicle that has separated from the second vehicle VB in the width direction of the road RR. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the separated vehicle.

[0080] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 can determine the second vehicle VB that is separated from the first vehicle VA by a distance that makes it difficult for a separated vehicle to occur in principle. In particular, in this embodiment, the lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the position coordinate x1 and the position coordinate x2 (|x1-x2|) is smaller than a predetermined distance λ. As a result, the lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 can identify the second vehicle VB that is far away from the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR to such an extent that a separated vehicle cannot occur in principle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0081] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the parallel determination unit 142 can identify the second vehicle VB that is parallel to the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR. Therefore, the parallel vehicle discrimination unit 142 can easily discriminate between vehicles separated in the width direction of the road RR.

[0082] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can identify vehicles that are likely to become separated vehicles or vehicles that are likely to be mistaken for separated vehicles. That is, the vehicle height determination unit 143 can identify vehicles with a large vehicle height, such as trucks, tank trucks, and trailers, which are prone to becoming separated vehicles, or vehicles with a small vehicle height, such as motorcycles. The second vehicle VB, which is aligned with the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR identified by the parallel determination unit 142, may be a separated vehicle, but it may also be one of two motorcycles traveling parallel in the width direction. In contrast, according to this embodiment, as described above, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can distinguish between vehicles with a large vehicle height and vehicles with a small vehicle height, and can therefore distinguish between cases where the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle and cases where the second vehicle VB is an actual vehicle such as a motorcycle traveling in parallel. Therefore, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can easily discriminate between separated vehicles separated in the width direction of the road RR and an actual vehicle.

[0083] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the notification unit 15 can notify information about the separated vehicle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0084] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the information generating unit 19 can generate, based on information about the actual vehicle, support information that can support traveling on road RR, and that can support merging from merging road RM onto road RR. Therefore, the control device 1 can support the merging vehicle VM traveling on the merging road RM in accordance with the actual traffic conditions on the road RR.

[0085] (Variation) In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 10 associates a flag of the detection result indicating that the second vehicle VB has been detected as the same vehicle with the second detection information DT2 and notifies the information generation unit 19 or another device, but the information processing device 10 may be configured in any way as long as it can identify the actual vehicle. As a modified example, the information processing device 10 may delete the second detection information DT2 related to the second vehicle VB that has been determined to be the same vehicle. However, the second vehicle VB that is determined to be the same vehicle may be completely determined to be the same vehicle, but it may also be a different actual vehicle that happens to match the determination, such as in the case of a motorcycle. For example, merging assistance requires providing information on the presence, location, speed, etc. of moving vehicles to not only ensure smooth merging but also to prevent accidents. In such cases, it may be more important to not delete information about vehicles that may be present, even if it is noise, and to convey that information to the merging vehicle, rather than providing information about vehicles that are definitely present. Therefore, as another variant, the information processing device 10 may not delete the second detection information DT2 related to the second vehicle VB that has been determined to be the same vehicle, and the notification unit 15 may notify the second detection information DT2 related to the second vehicle VB that has been determined to be a mirror image vehicle by indicating that it is a candidate for deletion (high possibility that it is the same vehicle), etc.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the longitudinal separation determination unit 13 performs the determinations in the order of ST02-1A, ST02-1B, ST02-1C, and ST02-1D, but may perform the determination in any manner as long as it can determine the second vehicle VB. As a modified example, the vertical separation determination unit 13 may perform the determinations ST02-1A, ST02-1B, ST02-1C, and ST02-1D in any order.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the lateral separation discriminator 14 performs the discrimination in the order of ST02-2A, ST02-2B, and ST02-2C, but may perform the discrimination in any manner as long as it can discriminate the second vehicle VB. As a modified example, the lateral separation discriminator 14 may perform the discrimination in ST02-2A, ST02-2B, and ST02-2C in any order.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the representative point RP is the corner of the rear outline of each vehicle on the roadside sensor 2 side, but the representative point RP may be any point as long as it can identify the second vehicle VB. As a modified example, the representative point RP may be the corner of the outline of the rear of each vehicle that is farther from the roadside sensor 2 in a plan view of the XY plane seen from above. As another modification, in a plan view of the XY plane seen from above, the representative point RP may be a corner of the outline of the front of each vehicle that is on the roadside sensor 2 side.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the overlap determination unit 134 determines whether the difference between the position coordinate y2 and the position coordinate y1 is smaller than the vehicle length L1 of the first vehicle VA, but any determination may be made as long as it is possible to determine the possibility of overlap between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB. As a modified example, the overlap determination unit 134 may determine whether the distance in the Y direction between the leading edge of the first vehicle VA and the leading edge of the second vehicle VB is smaller than the vehicle length of the second vehicle VB.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 10 is provided in the control device 1, but the information processing device 10 may be configured in any manner as long as it can identify the actual vehicle. As a modification, the information processing device 10 may be provided separately from the control device 1. As another modification, the information processing device 10 may be provided on a merging road and a non-merging road. In this case, the information processing device 10 may provide information about the identified actual vehicle to a monitoring panel of a control center or the like, or to an on-board device of a vehicle ahead, behind, or nearby.

[0091] In the above-described embodiment, the control system 100 provides assistance to vehicles traveling on the merging road RM according to the situation of vehicles traveling on the road RR, but if assistance can be provided to vehicles traveling on roads, the control system 100 may also provide assistance to vehicles traveling on various roads according to the situation of vehicles traveling on those roads.

[0092] (Computer Configuration) In each of the above-described embodiments, a program for realizing the functions of the control device 1 or the information processing device 10 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed to perform various processes. Here, various processing steps of the CPU of the computer system are stored in the form of a program on a computer-readable recording medium, and the computer reads and executes the program to perform the various processes. The computer-readable recording medium refers to a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, etc. Alternatively, the computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer that receives the program may execute the program.

[0093] In each of the above-described embodiments, an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that executes a program for realizing the functions of the control device 1 or the information processing device 10 will be described.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 8, the computer 90 provided in the control device 1 or the information processing device 10 includes a CPU 91, a memory 92, a storage / playback device 93, an input / output interface (hereinafter referred to as "IO I / F") 94, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") 95.

[0095] The memory 92 is a medium such as a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as "RAM") that temporarily stores data used by programs executed by the control device 1 or the information processing device 10. The storage / playback device 93 is a device for storing data and the like in external media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and flash memories, and for playing back data and the like from external media. The IO I / F 94 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the control device 1 and other devices, or between the information processing device 10 and other devices. The communication I / F 95 is an interface for communicating with other devices via a communication line such as the Internet or a dedicated communication line.

[0096] Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. These embodiments and their modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the disclosure, as well as within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

[0097] <Additional Notes> The information processing device, the control device, the control system, the information processing method, and the program described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0098] (1) The information processing device 10 according to the first aspect includes an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires first detection information DT1 regarding a first vehicle VA and second detection information DT2 regarding a second vehicle VB that has been identified separately from the first vehicle VA based on detection information DT detected by a roadside sensor 2 capable of detecting a vehicle VV traveling on a road RR extending in the lane direction, and a discrimination unit that determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2.

[0099] According to this aspect, the determination unit 12 determines whether the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0100] (2) The information processing device 10 according to the second aspect is the information processing device 10 of (1), in which the discrimination unit 12 is provided with a longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 that discriminates whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the lane direction.

[0101] According to this aspect, the longitudinal separation determination unit 13 can determine a separated vehicle that has separated from the second vehicle VB in the lane direction of the road RR. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the separated vehicle.

[0102] (3) The information processing device 10 according to the third aspect is the information processing device 10 of (2), in which the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 is provided with a longitudinal line discrimination unit 131 that determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are lined up in the lane direction.

[0103] According to this embodiment, the column determination unit 131 can identify the second vehicle VB that is aligned with the first vehicle VA in the lane direction of the road RR. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0104] (4) The information processing device 10 according to the fourth aspect is the information processing device 10 of (2) or (3), in which the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 is equipped with a longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 132 that determines the vehicle distance between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB in the lane direction.

[0105] According to this aspect, the longitudinal vehicle distance determining unit 132 can identify separated vehicles that tend to separate at a predetermined distance, such as a distance that is neither too close nor too far. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0106] (5) The information processing device 10 according to the fifth aspect is any one of the information processing devices 10 of (2) to (4), in which the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 is equipped with a vehicle width discrimination unit 133 that discriminates the vehicle width W1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle width W2 of the second vehicle VB.

[0107] According to this embodiment, the vehicle width discrimination unit 133 can identify wide vehicles such as trucks, tank trucks, and Toray vehicles that are prone to becoming separated vehicles, while it can also identify narrow vehicles such as motorcycles traveling in tandem that are less likely to become separated vehicles. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0108] (6) The information processing device 10 according to the sixth aspect is any one of the information processing devices (2) to (5), in which the longitudinal separation discrimination unit 13 is equipped with an overlap discrimination unit 134 that discriminates the overlap between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB in the lane direction.

[0109] According to this aspect, the overlap determination unit 134 can determine the arrangement of the second vehicle VB relative to the first vehicle VA, which would not occur in an actual vehicle. Therefore, the longitudinal separation discriminator 13 can easily discriminate a separated vehicle that has separated in the lane direction of the road RR.

[0110] (7) The information processing device 10 according to the seventh aspect is any one of the information processing devices 10 of (1) to (4), in which the discrimination unit 12 is equipped with a lateral separation discrimination unit 14 that determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle separated in the width direction of the road RR.

[0111] According to this embodiment, the lateral separation determination unit 14 can determine a separated vehicle that has separated from the second vehicle VB in the width direction of the road RR. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the separated vehicle.

[0112] (8) The information processing device 10 according to the eighth aspect is the information processing device 10 of (7), in which the lateral separation discrimination unit 14 is equipped with a lateral vehicle distance discrimination unit 141 that determines the vehicle distance between the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB in the width direction.

[0113] According to this aspect, the lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 can determine the second vehicle VB that is separated from the first vehicle VA by a distance that would theoretically prevent a separated vehicle from occurring. For example, the lateral vehicle distance determining unit 141 can determine the second vehicle VB that is far away from the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR to such an extent that a separated vehicle cannot occur in principle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0114] (9) The information processing device 10 according to the ninth aspect is the information processing device 10 of (7) or (8), in which the lateral separation discrimination unit 14 is equipped with a parallel discrimination unit 142 that determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are aligned in the width direction.

[0115] According to this aspect, the parallel determination unit 142 can identify the second vehicle VB that is parallel to the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR. Therefore, the parallel vehicle discrimination unit 142 can easily discriminate between vehicles separated in the width direction of the road RR.

[0116] (10) The information processing device 10 according to the tenth aspect is any one of the information processing devices 10 of (7) to (9), in which the lateral separation discrimination unit 14 is equipped with a vehicle height discrimination unit 143 that discriminates the vehicle height H1 of the first vehicle VA or the vehicle height H2 of the second vehicle VB.

[0117] According to this aspect, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can identify vehicles that are likely to become separated vehicles or vehicles that are likely to be mistaken for separated vehicles. That is, the vehicle height determination unit 143 can identify vehicles with a large vehicle height, such as trucks, tank trucks, and trailers, which are prone to becoming separated vehicles, or vehicles with a small vehicle height, such as motorcycles. The second vehicle VB, which is aligned with the first vehicle VA in the width direction of the road RR, may be a separate vehicle, but it may also be one of two motorcycles traveling side by side in the width direction. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, as described above, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can distinguish between vehicles with a large vehicle height and vehicles with a small vehicle height, and can therefore distinguish between cases where the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle and cases where the second vehicle VB is an actual vehicle such as a motorcycle traveling in parallel. Therefore, the vehicle height discrimination unit 143 can easily discriminate between separated vehicles separated in the width direction of the road RR and an actual vehicle.

[0118] (11) The information processing device 10 according to the eleventh aspect is any one of the information processing devices 10 of (1) to (10), further comprising a notification unit 15 that notifies the second vehicle VB that has been determined to be the same vehicle.

[0119] According to this aspect, the notification unit 15 can notify information about the separated vehicle. Therefore, the information processing device 10 makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0120] (12) The control device 1 according to the 12th aspect includes an information processing device 10 of any one of (1) to (11) and an information generation unit 19 that generates support information DA capable of supporting driving on the road RR based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2.

[0121] According to this aspect, the information generating unit 19 can generate information that can support driving on road RR based on information about the actual vehicle. Therefore, the control device 1 can support traveling on the road RR in accordance with the actual traffic conditions on the road RR.

[0122] (13) A control system 100 according to a thirteenth aspect includes the control device 1 of (12) and the roadside sensor 2.

[0123] According to this aspect, the information generating unit 19 can generate information that can support driving on road RR based on information about the actual vehicle. Therefore, the control system 100 can support driving on the road RR in accordance with the actual traffic conditions on the road RR.

[0124] (14) The information processing method according to the fourteenth aspect acquires first detection information DT1 relating to a first vehicle VA and second detection information DT2 relating to a second vehicle VB identified separately from the first vehicle VA based on detection information DT detected by a roadside sensor 2 capable of detecting a vehicle VV traveling on a road RR extending in the lane direction, and determines whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2.

[0125] According to this aspect, the information processing method determines whether the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle. Therefore, the information processing method makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle.

[0126] (15) The program according to the fifteenth aspect causes a computer 90 to acquire first detection information DT1 relating to a first vehicle VA and second detection information DT2 relating to a second vehicle VB identified separately from the first vehicle VA based on detection information DT detected by a roadside sensor 2 capable of detecting a vehicle VV traveling on a road RR extending in the lane direction, and to determine whether the first vehicle VA and the second vehicle VB are the same vehicle based on the first detection information DT1 and the second detection information DT2.

[0127] According to this aspect, the program determines whether the second vehicle VB is a separated vehicle. Therefore, the program makes it easy to identify the actual vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1. Control device 2 Roadside sensors 3 Roadside radio 10. Information processing equipment 11 Information acquisition department 12 Discrimination part 13 Vertical separation discrimination unit 14 Lateral separation determination unit 15 Notification Department 19 Information generation section 90 Computer 91 CPU 92 memory 93 Storage / playback device 94 IO I / F 95 Communication I / F 100 Control System 131 Vertical column discrimination unit 132 Longitudinal vehicle distance discrimination unit 133 Vehicle width discrimination unit 134 Overlap detection unit 141 Lateral distance discrimination section 142 Parallel discriminator 143 Vehicle height discrimination unit AA specified area DA Support Information DT detection information DT1 First detection information DT2 Second detection information LL Lane RM confluence road RP representative point RR road VA First Car VB second vehicle VM Merging vehicle VMa on-board equipment VV vehicle

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires first detection information about a first vehicle and second detection information about a second vehicle that is identified separately from the first vehicle, based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that can detect vehicles traveling on a road extending in the lane direction; a determination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information; Equipped with Information processing device.

2. the discrimination unit includes a longitudinal separation discrimination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle separated in the lane direction. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the longitudinal separation determination unit includes a longitudinal alignment determination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are aligned in the lane direction. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. the longitudinal separation determination unit includes a longitudinal vehicle distance determination unit that determines the vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the lane direction, The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The longitudinal separation determination unit includes a vehicle width determination unit that determines the vehicle width of the first vehicle or the vehicle width of the second vehicle. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

6. the longitudinal separation determination unit includes an overlap determination unit that determines an overlap between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the lane direction, The information processing device according to claim 2 .

7. the discrimination unit includes a lateral separation discrimination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle separated in a width direction of the road. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. the lateral separation determination unit includes a lateral vehicle distance determination unit that determines the vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the width direction, The information processing device according to claim 7 .

9. the lateral separation determination unit includes a parallel determination unit that determines whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are aligned in the width direction. The information processing device according to claim 7 .

10. The lateral separation determination unit includes a vehicle height determination unit that determines whether the vehicle height of the first vehicle or the vehicle height of the second vehicle is a predetermined height. The information processing device according to claim 7 .

11. a notification unit that notifies the second vehicle that has been determined to be the same vehicle; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; an information generating unit that generates support information capable of supporting traveling on the road based on the first detection information and the second detection information; Equipped with Control device.

13. The control device according to claim 12; The roadside sensor; Equipped with Control system.

14. acquiring first detection information about a first vehicle and second detection information about a second vehicle that is identified separately from the first vehicle based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that is capable of detecting vehicles traveling on a road extending in a lane direction; determining whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information; Information processing methods.

15. On the computer, acquiring first detection information about a first vehicle and second detection information about a second vehicle that is identified separately from the first vehicle based on detection information detected by a roadside sensor that is capable of detecting vehicles traveling on a road extending in a lane direction; determining whether the first vehicle and the second vehicle are the same vehicle based on the first detection information and the second detection information; To make it happen, program.

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