Roadside device

Abstract

To provide an improved technique for notifying pedestrians of information on approaching autonomous driving vehicles.SOLUTION: A roadside device provided herein comprises a control unit 21 and is installed at a location where pedestrians cross a road, the control unit 21 being configured to acquire information including multiple items related to approach of an autonomous driving vehicle 30 approaching the location and information indicative of whether a vehicle V preceding the autonomous driving vehicle 30 has stopped before the location or not, and notify pedestrians of all of the multiple items if the preceding vehicle V has not stopped before the location and notify the pedestrians of some of the multiple items if the preceding vehicle V has stopped before the location.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to roadside devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are technologies for notifying the behavior of autonomous vehicles. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for notifying vehicles other than autonomous vehicles or pedestrians, etc., of whether they can pass or to warn them, depending on the behavior of the autonomous vehicle that is scheduled to pass through a predetermined traffic area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-050629 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology that notifies pedestrians about approaching self-driving vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The roadside device according to the present disclosure is a roadside device equipped with a control unit and installed at a position where a pedestrian crosses a road, and the control unit acquires approach information including multiple items related to the approach of an autonomous vehicle approaching the position, and stop information indicating whether a vehicle preceding the autonomous vehicle has stopped before the position, and if the preceding vehicle has not stopped before the position, notifies the pedestrian of all of the multiple items, and if the preceding vehicle has stopped before the position, notifies the pedestrian of some of the multiple items. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present disclosure makes it possible to improve the technology for notifying pedestrians of information regarding the approach of an autonomous vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between an automatically driven vehicle and a preceding vehicle. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of an image displayed on a display of a roadside device. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of an image displayed on a display of a roadside device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0009] The configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes an information processing device 10, a roadside device 20, an autonomously driven vehicle 30, and a preceding vehicle V of the autonomously driven vehicle 30. The information processing device 10 is capable of communicating with the roadside device 20, the autonomously driven vehicle 30, and the preceding vehicle V via a network 40. Although one preceding vehicle V is shown in Fig. 1, the number of preceding vehicles V is not limited to this.

[0010] The information processing device 10 is a computer installed in a facility such as a data center, etc. The information processing device 10 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0011] The roadside device 20 notifies pedestrians who are about to cross a road of the presence of an autonomous vehicle 30 approaching the roadside device 20 along the road. The roadside device 20 may also notify the autonomous vehicle 30 of the presence of a pedestrian. The roadside device 20 is installed at a position where a pedestrian will cross the road. Specifically, this position includes a position within a predetermined range from the start position of the pedestrian crossing. The roadside device 20 may be installed near the boundary between the road and the sidewalk. In this embodiment, the road is a road where vehicles have priority over pedestrians.

[0012] The autonomous vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle V may be any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). In addition to the autonomous vehicle 30, the preceding vehicle V may also be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. The autonomous driving may be defined as any level, including, but not limited to, levels 1 to 5 defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), for example.

[0013] Network 40 may include the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or any combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 40 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or any combination thereof. A wireless network may be, for example, an ad-hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0014] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be provided later. Roadside device 20 is installed at a position where a pedestrian crosses a road. Roadside device 20 acquires approach information including multiple items related to the approach of an automatically driven vehicle 30 approaching that position, and stop information indicating whether a preceding vehicle V of automatically driven vehicle 30 has stopped before that position. If the preceding vehicle V has not stopped before that position, roadside device 20 notifies the pedestrian of all of the multiple items, and if the preceding vehicle V has stopped before that position, roadside device 20 notifies the pedestrian of some of the multiple items.

[0015] Generally, when a leading vehicle V of an autonomously driven vehicle 30 stops before a position where a pedestrian will cross the road, it is considered that the leading vehicle V has stopped to allow the pedestrian to cross the road first. In such a case, the autonomously driven vehicle 30 traveling behind the leading vehicle V also stops, allowing the pedestrian to cross the road safely without being particularly aware of the autonomously driven vehicle 30. In this case, if the pedestrian is notified of all of the items included in the approach information of the autonomously driven vehicle 30, the pedestrian may feel annoyed. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, when the leading vehicle V of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 stops before the position where the pedestrian will cross the road, only some of the items included in the approach information of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 are notified to the pedestrian. In this way, it is possible to notify the pedestrian of the approach of an autonomously driven vehicle 30 while omitting information that would be rather annoying to the pedestrian, thereby enabling an improvement in the technology for notifying pedestrians of information regarding the approach of an autonomously driven vehicle.

[0016] The configuration of an information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0017] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. An example of the programmable circuit is an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. An example of the dedicated circuit is an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 controls each unit of the information processing device 10 and executes processing related to the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0018] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. Flash memory is, for example, an SSD. "SSD" is an abbreviation for solid-state drive. Magnetic memory is, for example, an HDD. "HDD" is an abbreviation for hard disk drive. The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0019] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication module. The communication module is, for example, a module that complies with a wired LAN communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN communication standard such as IEEE802.11. "IEEE" is an abbreviation for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The communication unit 13 communicates with devices other than the information processing device 10. The communication unit 13 receives information used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0020] The configuration of a roadside device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The roadside device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, an output unit 25, and an image capture unit 26. The hardware configurations of the control unit 21 and the storage unit 22 of the roadside device 20 may be similar to the hardware configurations of the control unit 11 and the storage unit 12 of the information processing device 10, respectively. A description thereof will be omitted here.

[0021] The communication unit 23 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G standard, or 5G standard, an interface compatible with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a LAN interface. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. The communication unit 23 receives information used in the operation of the roadside device 20 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the roadside device 20.

[0022] The input unit 24 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitance key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or a microphone. The input unit 24 accepts an operation to input data used for the operation of the roadside device 20. The input unit 24 may be connected to the roadside device 20 as an external input device instead of being provided in the roadside device 20. Any connection method may be used, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). "USB" is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. "HDMI (registered trademark)" is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

[0023] The output unit 25 includes at least one output interface. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. "LCD" is an abbreviation for liquid crystal display. "EL" is an abbreviation for electroluminescence. The display may be an LED display. "LED" is an abbreviation for light emitting diode. The output unit 25 outputs data obtained by the operation of the roadside device 20. The output unit 25 may be connected to the roadside device 20 as an external output device instead of being provided in the roadside device 20. Any connection method can be used, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The output unit 25 may include a light emitting element such as an LED light.

[0024] The photographing unit 26 is a camera that photographs the surroundings of the roadside device 20. The camera may be equipped with a lens that can photograph 360 degrees. The photographing unit 26 can output the photographed image to the control unit 21.

[0025] The configuration of an autonomously driven vehicle 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The autonomously driven vehicle 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a positioning unit 34, and an image capture unit 35. The hardware configuration of the storage unit 32 of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may be similar to the hardware configuration of the storage unit 12 of the information processing device 10. A description thereof will be omitted here. The hardware configuration of the communication unit 33 of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may be similar to the hardware configuration of the communication unit 23 of the roadside device 20. A description thereof will be omitted here.

[0026] The control unit 31 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, at least one ECU, or any combination thereof. "ECU" is an abbreviation for electronic control unit. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. The control unit 31 controls each part of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 and executes processes related to the operation of the autonomously driven vehicle 30.

[0027] The positioning unit 34 includes at least one GNSS receiver. "GNSS" is an abbreviation for global navigation satellite system. GNSS is, for example, GPS, QZSS, BeiDou, GLONASS, or Galileo. "GPS" is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. "QZSS" is an abbreviation for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. QZSS satellites are called quasi-zenith satellites. "GLONASS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System. The positioning unit 34 measures the position of the autonomously driven vehicle 30.

[0028] The photographing unit 35 is a camera that photographs the surroundings of the autonomously driven vehicle 30. The photographing unit 35 can output the acquired images to the control unit 31. The photographing unit 35 includes a drive recorder.

[0029] The preceding vehicle V may also be equipped with a control unit, a memory unit, a communication unit, and a positioning unit with the same hardware configuration as the automatically driven vehicle 30. The automatically driven vehicle 30 and the preceding vehicle V may be capable of transmitting position information indicating the position of the respective vehicles to the information processing device 10.

[0030] The functions of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 are realized by executing a program according to this embodiment on a processor functioning as the control unit 11, the control unit 21, or the control unit 31. That is, the functions of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30, thereby causing the computer to function as the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30. That is, the computer functions as the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 by executing the operations of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 in accordance with the program.

[0031] The program can be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include flash memory, magnetic recording devices, optical disks, magneto-optical recording media, and ROMs. The program can be distributed by selling, transferring, or lending portable media such as SD cards, DVDs, or CD-ROMs that store the program. "SD" is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program can also be distributed by storing it in the storage of a server and transferring it from the server to another computer. The program can also be provided as a program product.

[0032] A computer temporarily stores a program stored on a portable medium or transferred from a server in its main storage device. The computer then reads the program stored in the main storage device using a processor and executes processing in accordance with the read program. The computer may also read the program directly from a portable medium and execute processing in accordance with the program. The computer may also execute processing in accordance with the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. Processing may also be executed through a so-called ASP-type service that achieves its functions by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results without transferring the program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program is information used for processing by a computer and includes something equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to a computer but has properties that specify computer processing falls under the category of "something equivalent to a program."

[0033] Some or all of the functions of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11, the control unit 21, or the control unit 31. In other words, some or all of the functions of the information processing device 10, the roadside device 20, or the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may be realized by hardware.

[0034] The operation of the system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Of the operations shown in Figure 2, the operation of the roadside device 20 corresponds to the method according to this embodiment. In the following, it is assumed that communication between the information processing device 10 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 13 and the network 40. In the following, it is assumed that communication between the roadside device 20 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 23 and the network 40. In the following, it is assumed that communication between the autonomously driven vehicle 30 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 33 and the network 40.

[0035] 2, the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 determines whether or not there is a pedestrian attempting to cross the road. If there is no pedestrian attempting to cross the road (S1: NO), the processing operation of the control unit 11 returns to the beginning. If there is a pedestrian attempting to cross the road (S1: YES), the processing operation of the control unit 11 proceeds to S2.

[0036] Any method may be used to determine whether a pedestrian is attempting to cross the road. For example, the control unit 11 may receive and acquire from the roadside device 20 an image captured by the image capture unit 26 of the roadside device 20, analyze the image using any image analysis technology, and determine whether a pedestrian attempting to cross the road is captured in the image. The control unit 11 may also acquire the image by receiving it from an outdoor camera capturing an image of the location of the roadside device 20. The control unit 11 may communicate with a terminal device used by the pedestrian, acquire terminal location information indicating the location of the terminal device, and determine whether a pedestrian is attempting to cross the road based on the terminal location information.

[0037] In S2, the control unit 11 determines whether there is an autonomous vehicle 30 approaching the position where the pedestrian is crossing the road. If there is no autonomous vehicle 30 (S2: NO), the processing operation of the control unit 11 returns to the beginning. If there is an autonomous vehicle 30 (S2: YES), the processing operation of the control unit 11 proceeds to S3.

[0038] Any method may be used to determine whether an oncoming autonomous vehicle 30 is present. For example, the control unit 11 first acquires an image captured by the image capturing unit 26 of the roadside device 20 or an image captured by an outdoor camera from the roadside device 20 or the outdoor camera. The control unit 11 may analyze the image using any image analysis technology, and determine that an autonomous vehicle 30 is present if the image captures an autonomous vehicle 30 approaching a position where a pedestrian is crossing the road, and may determine that an autonomous vehicle 30 is not present if the image does not capture an autonomous vehicle 30. The control unit 11 may acquire location information indicating the location of the autonomous vehicle 30 from the autonomous vehicle 30, and determine whether an oncoming autonomous vehicle 30 is present based on the location information.

[0039] In S3, the control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle V of the automatically driven vehicle 30. If there is no preceding vehicle V (S3: NO), the control unit 11 proceeds to S4. If there is a preceding vehicle V (S3: YES), the control unit 11 proceeds to S5.

[0040] Any method may be used to determine whether or not a preceding vehicle V exists. For example, the control unit 11 may analyze an image captured by the roadside device 20 or an outdoor camera using any image analysis technology, and determine that a preceding vehicle V exists if the preceding vehicle V of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is captured in the image, and determine that a preceding vehicle V does not exist if the preceding vehicle V is not captured in the image. The control unit 11 may acquire position information indicating the respective positions of multiple vehicles including the autonomously driven vehicle 30, and, based on the position information, identify a vehicle traveling ahead of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 within a predetermined distance as the preceding vehicle V, and determine that the preceding vehicle V exists. Information indicating the predetermined distance may be set in advance and stored in the memory unit 12.

[0041] First, a case will be described in which the control unit 11 determines in S3 that there is no preceding vehicle V of the automatically driven vehicle 30. In S4, the control unit 11 generates information indicating that there is no preceding vehicle V. Thereafter, the processing of the control unit 11 proceeds to S8.

[0042] Next, a case where the control unit 11 determines in S3 that a preceding vehicle V is present will be described. In S5, the control unit 11 determines whether the preceding vehicle V has stopped before the position where the pedestrian is about to cross. If the preceding vehicle V has not stopped (S5: NO), the processing operation of the control unit 11 proceeds to S6. If the preceding vehicle V has stopped (S5: YES), the processing operation of the control unit 11 proceeds to S7.

[0043] Any method may be used to determine whether the leading vehicle V has stopped. For example, the control unit 11 may acquire an image capturing the leading vehicle V from the photographing unit 26 of the roadside device, an outdoor camera, or the photographing unit 36 ​​of the autonomously driven vehicle 30, and may analyze, based on the image, using any image analysis technology, whether the leading vehicle V of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 has stopped. The control unit 11 may determine that the leading vehicle V of the autonomously driven vehicle 30 has stopped when analyzing, based on the image, using any image analysis technology, that the driver of the leading vehicle V has recognized a pedestrian. In this case, the control unit 11 may acquire an image of the driver's facial expression by receiving it from the leading vehicle V using an in-vehicle camera serving as a photographing unit provided in the leading vehicle V, and analyze the driver's line of sight captured in the image to determine that the driver has recognized the pedestrian.

[0044] The control unit 11 may acquire position information indicating the position of the preceding vehicle V, and analyze whether the preceding vehicle V has stopped based on the position information. The control unit 11 may acquire information indicating the speed of the preceding vehicle V from the preceding vehicle V, and determine that the preceding vehicle V has stopped when the speed is less than a predetermined value.

[0045] First, a case will be described in which the control unit 11 determines in S5 that the preceding vehicle V is not stopped. In S6, the control unit 11 generates stop information indicating that the preceding vehicle V is not stopped before the position where the pedestrian is about to cross. Thereafter, the processing of the control unit 11 proceeds to S8.

[0046] Next, a case where the control unit 11 determines in S5 that the preceding vehicle V has stopped will be described. In S7, the control unit 11 generates stop information indicating that the preceding vehicle V has stopped before the position where the pedestrian is about to cross. The stop information may include information about the preceding vehicle V. The stop information may also include information indicating the speed of the preceding vehicle V.

[0047] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between an automatically driven vehicle 30 according to this embodiment and a preceding vehicle V. In this example, as shown in FIG. 3, an automatically driven vehicle 30 is traveling on a road R and approaching a position between a pedestrian P and a roadside device 20, and a preceding vehicle V is stopped ahead of the automatically driven vehicle 30 just before the position where the pedestrian P will cross the road R. The control unit 11 determines that the preceding vehicle V has stopped, and generates stop information indicating that the preceding vehicle V has stopped just before the position where the pedestrian is about to cross.

[0048] In S8 of FIG. 2 , the control unit 11 generates approach information including multiple items related to the approach of the autonomously driven vehicle 30. Any method may be used to generate the approach information. The control unit 11 may generate the approach information based on position information of the autonomously driven vehicle 30. In this embodiment, the approach information includes items indicating that the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is approaching, the remaining distance from the autonomously driven vehicle 30 to the position where the pedestrian will cross the road, and the direction in which the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is approaching. The remaining distance specifically includes the "remaining distance" until the autonomously driven vehicle 30 reaches the position, or the remaining time until the autonomously driven vehicle 30 reaches the position. The direction specifically includes, with the direction in which the pedestrian will cross the road being the front, "to the right" or "to the left," etc. Without being limited thereto, the direction may also include "diagonally forward right," "diagonally backward right," "diagonally forward left," "diagonally backward left," etc. The direction may also include directions such as north, south, east, and west, road names, road numbers, etc. The approach information is not limited thereto and may include any items. For example, the approach information may include items such as the color of the body of the autonomous vehicle 30, which allow pedestrians to identify the autonomous vehicle 30.

[0049] In the example of Fig. 3, there is an autonomous vehicle 30 approaching from the right, with the direction in which the pedestrian is crossing the road in front. Assume that the remaining distance from autonomous vehicle 30 to the position where the pedestrian will cross the road is 20 m. Control unit 11 generates approach information that includes, as items, "autonomous vehicle 30 is coming," "20 m" as the remaining distance, and "to the right" as the direction in which autonomous vehicle 30 is coming.

[0050] In S9 of FIG. 2, the control unit 11 transmits to the roadside device 20 the generated approach information and the stop information or the information generated in S4 indicating that the preceding vehicle V does not exist.

[0051] In S10, the control unit 21 of the roadside device 20 receives and acquires from the information processing device 10 the approach information and the stop information or the information indicating that the preceding vehicle V is not present, which is generated in S4.

[0052] In S11, the control unit 21 determines which items of the approach information to notify the pedestrian. In this embodiment, when the stop information indicates that the preceding vehicle V has stopped before the position where the pedestrian crosses, the control unit 21 determines some of the multiple items included in the approach information as the items to be notified. When the stop information indicates that the preceding vehicle V has not stopped before the position, the control unit 21 determines all of the multiple items included in the approach information as the items to be notified. That is, when the preceding vehicle V has stopped before the position, the control unit 21 determines some of the multiple items included in the approach information to be notified, and when the preceding vehicle V has not stopped before the position, the control unit 21 determines all of the multiple items included in the approach information to be notified. The control unit 21 also determines all of the multiple items included in the approach information to be notified when it receives information indicating that the preceding vehicle V generated in S4 does not exist.

[0053] The control unit 21 may determine which items to notify the pedestrian by referring to information specifying which items to omit from among the multiple items included in the approach information. This information may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 22. For example, the control unit 21 may refer to the information and, of the three items included in the approach information, "the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is coming," "the remaining distance," and "the direction," omit the "remaining distance" item, and determine only the two items, "the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is coming" and "the direction," as some of the items to be notified. As a result, when the leading vehicle V stops to allow the pedestrian to cross and the following autonomously driven vehicle 30 also stops, the pedestrian is notified of the approach information excluding the item "the remaining distance," which may be inaccurate. This reduces the possibility that the pedestrian will feel annoyed.

[0054] For example, when the preceding vehicle V has stopped, the control unit 21 may further acquire information indicating the shape of the road and, depending on the shape of the road, determine that in addition to the above-mentioned "remaining distance" item, the "direction" item is further omitted as part of the notification items. This information may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 22. In this case, if the road has a shape in which there are multiple directions in which the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may approach, the control unit 21 may determine that only "the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is approaching" as part of the notification items. If the road has a shape in which the autonomously driven vehicle 30 may approach in only one direction, the control unit 21 may determine that only "the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is approaching" as part of the notification items. As a result, if the direction in which the autonomously driven vehicle 30 is approaching is clear, the notification items are omitted, even omitting the "direction". This further reduces the possibility of pedestrians feeling annoyed.

[0055] The control unit 21 may further acquire recognition information indicating whether the autonomous vehicle 30 recognizes the presence of a pedestrian, and if so, may determine some of the multiple items included in the approach information as items to be notified. If the autonomous vehicle 30 does not recognize the presence of a pedestrian, the control unit 21 may determine all of the multiple items included in the approach information as items to be notified. Any method may be used to acquire the recognition information. For example, the control unit 21 may communicate directly with the autonomous vehicle 30 and analyze images captured by the image capture unit 35 from the autonomous vehicle 30 to acquire, as recognition information, information indicating whether the autonomous vehicle 30 recognizes the presence of a pedestrian.

[0056] The items may be determined by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10. In this case, the control unit 11 transmits information indicating the determined items to the roadside device 20.

[0057] In S12, the control unit 21 notifies the pedestrian of the items determined in S11 by outputting them via the output unit 25. Any method may be used to notify the pedestrian. For example, the control unit 21 communicates with a terminal device used by the pedestrian and transmits information indicating the determined items to the terminal device. The terminal device displays the information on a display or the like serving as an output unit, thereby notifying the pedestrian of the determined items. Thereafter, the operation of the system 1 ends.

[0058] For example, if the control unit 21 determines in S11 that the items "Autonomous vehicle 30 is approaching" and "to the right" are to be included as notification items, the control unit 21 generates a message such as "An autonomous vehicle is approaching from the right" and outputs the message by voice via a speaker serving as the output unit 25 to notify pedestrians. The control unit 21 may notify pedestrians by displaying the message on a display serving as the output unit 25. FIG. 4 is an example of an image that the control unit 21 displays on the display. The image shows an autonomous vehicle 30, a leading vehicle V, a pedestrian, and a roadside device 20 on a schematic map. In the image, the leading vehicle V is stopped, and the autonomous vehicle 30 is located behind the leading vehicle V. Information about the autonomous vehicle 30 is displayed in text. The autonomous vehicle 30 may be highlighted by a color, an arrow, a flashing light, or the like. The image displayed on the display is not limited to the example of FIG. 4 , and a text message such as "An autonomous vehicle is approaching from the right" may also be displayed.

[0059] For example, if the control unit 21 determines in S11 that all items included in the approach information, namely, "an autonomous vehicle 30 is approaching," "to the right," and "remaining distance," are to be notified, the control unit 21 generates a message such as "An autonomous vehicle is approaching from the right. The remaining distance is 20 meters," and notifies the pedestrian by outputting the message aloud through a speaker serving as the output unit 25. The control unit 21 may notify the pedestrian by displaying the message on a display serving as the output unit 25. FIG. 5 is an example of an image that the control unit 21 displays on the display. The image shows the autonomous vehicle 30, the leading vehicle V, the pedestrian, and the roadside device 20 on a schematic map. In the image, the leading vehicle V and the autonomous vehicle 30 are traveling on the roadway and approaching the roadside device 20 and the pedestrian, and the remaining distance of the autonomous vehicle 30 to the roadside device 20, "20 meters," is displayed in text. If "remaining time" is also determined to be an item to be notified in S11, then instead of or in addition to the text display of "20 m," the remaining time may be displayed in text, such as "20 seconds." The autonomously driven vehicle 30 may be highlighted by color coding, an arrow, a flashing light, or the like. The image displayed on the display is not limited to the example in FIG. 5 , and a text message such as "An autonomously driven vehicle is approaching from the right. The remaining distance is 20 m" may also be displayed.

[0060] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Two or more steps shown in the flowcharts may be executed in parallel or in a different order, instead of being executed in chronological order as described, depending on the processing capabilities of the device executing each step, or as needed. Other modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] For example, the control unit 21 may acquire width information indicating the width of the road the pedestrian is about to cross and the above-mentioned recognition information, and determine the items to be notified to the pedestrian. Specifically, when the width of the road indicated by the width information is less than a predetermined value and the autonomously driven vehicle 30 recognizes the presence of a pedestrian, the control unit 21 determines some of the items included in the approach information as the items to be notified. The predetermined value is a width value that allows two vehicles to travel side by side. The width information and the information indicating the predetermined value may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 22.

[0062] In this modification, when the width of the road is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or when autonomously driven vehicle 30 does not recognize the presence of a pedestrian, control unit 21 determines all of the multiple items included in the approach information as the items to be notified. As a result, only when the width of the road is narrow, autonomously driven vehicle 30 will not overtake leading vehicle V, and autonomously driven vehicle 30 recognizes a pedestrian, does control unit 21 determine some of the approach information as the items to be notified. This makes it possible to flexibly notify pedestrians of necessary information regarding the approach of autonomously driven vehicle 30 while reducing the annoyance felt by pedestrians. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 System 10. Information processing equipment 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 20 Roadside equipment 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input section 25 Output section 26 Photography Department 30 Self-driving vehicles 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section 33 Communications Department 34 Positioning unit 35 Photography Department 40 Network

Claims

1. A roadside device equipped with a control unit and installed at a position where a pedestrian crosses a road, The control unit acquire information including a plurality of items related to the approach of an autonomously driven vehicle approaching the location and information indicating whether a vehicle preceding the autonomously driven vehicle has stopped before the location; The roadside device notifies the pedestrian of all of the plurality of items when the preceding vehicle has not stopped before the position, and notifies the pedestrian of some of the plurality of items when the preceding vehicle has stopped before the position.

2. The roadside device according to claim 1, the plurality of items related to the approach of the autonomous vehicle include a remaining distance until the autonomous vehicle reaches the position; When the preceding vehicle stops before the position, the control unit notifies the pedestrian of the items excluding the remaining distance.

3. The roadside device according to claim 1, the plurality of items related to the approach of the autonomous vehicle include an item indicating a remaining time until the autonomous vehicle arrives at the location; When the preceding vehicle stops before the position, the control unit notifies the pedestrian of the items excluding the remaining time.

4. The roadside device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the plurality of items related to the approach of the autonomous vehicle include a direction in which the autonomous vehicle is coming toward the location; When the preceding vehicle stops before the position, the control unit notifies the pedestrian of the items excluding the direction.

5. The roadside device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control unit further acquires recognition information indicating whether the autonomous vehicle recognizes the pedestrian; a roadside device that notifies the pedestrian of some of the plurality of items when the preceding vehicle stops before the position and the autonomous vehicle recognizes the pedestrian.

Images