Vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility control method, vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility control device, and vehicle-purpose infrastructure system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility control method, a vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility control device, and a vehicle-purpose infrastructure system that can transmit traffic information from a vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility to a remote vehicle located at a position farther than a communication-possible distance even when the communication-possible distance becomes shorter than a predetermined communication requesting distance.SOLUTION: A vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility control device 13 and a vehicle-purpose infrastructure system 1 store a communication-possible area Ac1, which is calculated based on positional information of a communication-possible vehicle 4a, as a specific communication-possible area Ac0, calculate a communication-possible distance Ac1 of a communication unit 12 based on the specific communication-possible area Ac0, specify a direction in which a communication-possible distance Lc1 is shorter than a predetermined communication requesting distance Ld as a communication distance shortage direction D, and transmit traffic information via the communication unit 12 to a communication device 20 which is capable of communicating with a remote vehicle 4b, which is located in a communication distance shortage direction D, and at a position further than the communication-possible distance Lc1 from a vehicle-purpose infrastructure facility 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle infrastructure facility control method, a vehicle infrastructure facility control device, and a vehicle infrastructure system. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicular wireless communication system described in Patent Document 1 transmits position information of a vehicle located in an area with a poor communication environment by relaying it through the vehicle located at the highest point within a predetermined area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5496060 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even if information is transmitted by relaying it through a vehicle located at a high altitude, as in the vehicular wireless communication system described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the communication area will be narrower than the required range in urban areas due to obstructions such as buildings.

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a vehicle infrastructure equipment control method, a vehicle infrastructure equipment control device, and a vehicle infrastructure system that can transmit traffic information from vehicle infrastructure equipment to distant vehicles that are located farther than the communication distance, even if the communication distance becomes shorter than a specified communication required distance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by storing a communication area calculated based on the location information of a vehicle with which communication is possible as a specific communication area, calculating the communication distance of the communication unit based on the specific communication area, identifying a direction in which the communication distance is shorter than the specified communication required distance required for the vehicle infrastructure equipment to communicate with the vehicle as a communication distance insufficient direction, and transmitting traffic information to a communication device that can communicate with a distant vehicle that is in the communication distance insufficient direction and is located farther than the communication distance from the vehicle infrastructure equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even if the communication distance becomes shorter than the predetermined communication required distance, traffic information can be transmitted from the vehicle infrastructure to a distant vehicle located farther than the communication distance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a vehicle infrastructure facility and a vehicle infrastructure system including a vehicle infrastructure facility control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the vehicle infrastructure equipment shown in FIG. 1 transmits traffic information to a distant vehicle via a communication device, and the distant vehicle receiving the traffic information changes lanes. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example in which, when there are multiple communication devices in the direction of insufficient communication distance, the vehicle infrastructure equipment shown in Figure 1 relays traffic information to distant vehicles through the communication devices, and the distant vehicles that receive the traffic information change lanes. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing an example in which the vehicle infrastructure equipment shown in FIG. 1 transmits traffic information to a distant vehicle via a communication device, and the distant vehicle that has received the traffic information passes through an intersection. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for the vehicle infrastructure equipment and communication devices to transmit and receive traffic information, and a driving control of a vehicle that has received the traffic information, in the vehicle infrastructure system shown in FIG. [Figure 6]4 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device updates a specific communication coverage area in the vehicle infrastructure system shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for transmitting and receiving traffic information between vehicle infrastructure equipment and communication devices in a vehicle infrastructure system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular infrastructure system 1 includes vehicular infrastructure equipment 10, communication devices 20, and vehicles 4 (communicable vehicles 4a and distant vehicles 4b). The vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 is provided on a road R on which the vehicles 4 travel (see FIG. 2). The vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 monitors traffic flow on the road R and transmits various traffic information to vehicles 4 within a predetermined communication coverage area Ac1, i.e., to the communication-coverage vehicle 4a. The communication devices 20 may be an in-vehicle communication device or other vehicular infrastructure equipment having a similar configuration to the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10. The communication devices 20 are capable of communicating with a distant vehicle 4b located outside the communication coverage area Ac of the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 but within a communication coverage area Ac2 of the communication devices 20 (see FIG. 2). That is, the communication devices 20 function as relay equipment for forwarding information received from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 to the distant vehicle 4b. In this way, the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 can communicate with the communication device 20 and the vehicle 4 without going through a server, thereby reducing communication capacity and avoiding delays in communication speed. The number of vehicles 4 included in the vehicle infrastructure system 1 may be one or more. Furthermore, the vehicle 4 according to this embodiment is an autonomously driven vehicle capable of autonomous driving, but is not limited to this, and the vehicle 4 may also be manually driven by a driver.

[0010] Next, the configuration of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 includes an imaging unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a vehicular infrastructure equipment control device 13. The imaging unit 11 is a roadside camera that captures an image of a road R and monitors traffic flow on the road R based on the captured image. The imaging unit 11 is rotatable within a predetermined angle range. The communication unit 12 is capable of communicating with a communication device 20 and a communicable vehicle 4a within a predetermined communication coverage area Ac1 (see FIG. 2). The vehicular infrastructure equipment control device 13 controls the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 using a processor 100. The imaging unit 11 and the communication unit 12 are provided as separate devices and are connected to each other by wire or wirelessly. The vehicular infrastructure equipment control device 13 is provided on the communication unit 12 side and controls communication by the communication unit 12. The vehicular infrastructure equipment control device 13 can acquire the captured image and external information acquired by the imaging unit 11 via the communication unit 12. Furthermore, without being limited to this, the imaging unit 11, the communication unit 12, and the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 may be included in the vehicle infrastructure equipment as a single device, and the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 may acquire captured images directly from the imaging unit 11. Furthermore, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 may be provided in a server that can communicate with the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 via the Internet.

[0011] Next, the configuration of the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 will be described. The processor 100 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 includes a vehicle position information acquisition unit 101 , a storage unit 102 , a communication distance calculation unit 103 , a relay direction identification unit 104 , and a communication control unit 105 .

[0012] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 101 acquires the position information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a via the communication unit 12. At this time, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 101 may acquire the identification number of the device with which the communication-enabled vehicle 4a is communicating.

[0013] 2, the storage unit 102 calculates a communication area Ac1 based on the location information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a. Specifically, when the communication-enabled vehicle 4a can communicate with the communication unit 12 of the vehicle infrastructure 10, the communication-enabled vehicle 4a is located within the communication area Ac1. On the other hand, when the communication-enabled vehicle 4a cannot communicate with the communication unit 12 of the vehicle infrastructure 10, the communication-enabled vehicle 4a is located outside the communication area Ac1. As a result, the storage unit 102 can calculate the communication area Ac1 by acquiring the location information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency. In other words, the communication area Ac1 is an area in which the communication unit 12 and the communication-enabled vehicle 4a can communicate with a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency. The storage unit 102 then stores the calculated communication area Ac as a specific communication area Ac0.

[0014] Furthermore, storage unit 102 updates specific communication coverage area Ac0 at predetermined time intervals. Storage unit 102 may also update specific communication coverage area Ac0 when the calculated communication coverage area Ac changes. Storage unit 102 may also update specific communication coverage area Ac0 when the calculated communication coverage area Ac1 becomes narrower than the stored specific communication coverage area Ac0 at least once, and may also update specific communication coverage area Ac0 when the communication coverage area Ac1 becomes wider than the specific communication coverage area Ac0 a predetermined number of times or more in succession.

[0015] 1 calculates the communication distance Lc1 of the communication unit 12 based on the specific communication area Ac0. As shown in Fig. 2, the communication distance Lc1 is the distance between the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 and the outer edge of the specific communication area Ac0.

[0016] Then, the relay direction identification unit 104 identifies a communication distance insufficient direction D in which the communication distance Lc1 is shorter than a predetermined required communication distance Ld. The required communication distance Ld is the distance required for the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 to communicate with the vehicle 4. For example, the required communication distance Ld is a pre-designed communication distance of the communication unit 12. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a building B standing beside the road R acts as an obstruction, and the communication distance Lc1 in the direction from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 toward the building B is shorter than the required communication distance Ld, which is the design value. Therefore, the relay direction identification unit 104 identifies the direction from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 toward the building B as the communication distance insufficient direction D. In other words, the communication distance insufficient direction D is a direction in which the specific communication area Ac0 is narrower than the communication area Acd, which is within the range of the required communication distance Ld from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10. The communication distance insufficient direction D is a direction having a predetermined angular range as viewed from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10.

[0017] Furthermore, the communication required distance Ld may be a distance required for the vehicle 4 to perform autonomous driving based on traffic information acquired from the communication unit 12 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the imaging unit 11 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 detects the presence of a parked vehicle 5, the communication unit 12 transmits to the vehicle 4 lane block information indicating that the blocked lane T0 is blocked at the point P0 where a lane blockage factor has occurred. The vehicle 4 traveling on the blocked lane T0 can change lanes if it can receive the lane blockage information while traveling at a position that is at least the communication required distance Ld from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10.

[0018] Furthermore, the communication control unit 105 shown in FIG. 1 identifies, as a relay facility, a communication device 20 that is in the communication distance insufficient direction D and that can communicate with a distant vehicle 4b that is located at a position farther away from the vehicle infrastructure 10 than the communication distance Lc1. Then, the communication control unit 105 transmits traffic information to the communication device 20 identified as a relay facility via the communication unit 12. Note that the traffic information transmitted by the communication unit 12 includes, for example, lane blocking information indicating that the blocked lane T0 is blocked due to a predetermined lane blocking factor. The lane blocking factor may be, for example, the presence of a parked vehicle 5 as shown in FIG. 2. The lane blocking factor may also be the occurrence of an accident, the occurrence of traffic congestion, or construction work.

[0019] 3, when there are multiple communication devices 20 (first communication device 20a, second communication device 20b) that are in the communication distance shortfall direction D and can communicate with the distant vehicle 4b, the communication control unit 105 transmits traffic information to the first communication device 20a that is the farthest from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 within the communication area Ac1. That is, the communication control unit 105 identifies the first communication device 20a that is the farthest from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 within the communication area Ac1 as the relay equipment.

[0020] 1, the communication device 20 receives traffic information from the vehicle infrastructure 10 and transmits the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b as a relay device. The driving control device of the distant vehicle 4b controls or assists the driving of the distant vehicle 4b based on the traffic information. Alternatively, the driver may manually drive the distant vehicle 4b based on the traffic information output to the user interface of the distant vehicle 4b.

[0021] For example, vehicle 4 determines, based on traffic information, whether a lane blocking factor has occurred on the planned travel route. If a lane blocking factor has occurred, vehicle 4 determines whether the vehicle's own lane is a blocked lane T0 where a lane blocking factor has occurred, and if the vehicle's own lane is a blocked lane T0, executes a lane change to another lane T1, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, distant vehicle 4b also executes a lane change if the vehicle's own lane is a connecting lane that connects to blocked lane T0. In the following description, blocked lane T0 and connecting lanes that connect to blocked lane T0 are referred to as target lanes. Furthermore, connecting lanes include not only lanes into which vehicle 4 enters blocked lane T0 by traveling straight, but also lanes into which vehicle 4 enters blocked lane T0 after turning right or left. Further, the distant vehicle 4b may detour around the point P0 where the lane blocking factor occurred.

[0022] Also, as shown in Figure 4, if a lane blocking factor occurs on the planned driving route, the distant vehicle 4b may select a derived lane T2 that is not connected to the target lane (in the example shown in Figure 4, the blocked lane T0) when passing through intersection X, and may travel on the derived lane T2 after passing through intersection X.

[0023] Next, the procedure for the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 and the communication device 20 to transmit and receive traffic information and the procedure for controlling the driving of the distant vehicle 4b that has received the traffic information will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 executes the processes of steps S1 to S8. The communication device 20 executes the processes of steps S11 and S12. The distant vehicle 4b executes the processes of steps S21 to S25.

[0024] First, in step S1, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 acquires the position information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a. Next, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 stores the specific communication coverage area Ac0 based on the position information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a. Then, in step S3, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 determines whether traffic information such as lane blockage information has been acquired.

[0025] If it is determined in step S3 that "traffic information such as lane blockage information has not been acquired," the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 repeats the process of step S3. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that "traffic information such as lane closure information has been acquired," in step S4, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 calculates the communication distance Lc1 of the communication unit 12 based on the specific communication area Ac0.

[0026] Then, in step S5, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 determines whether there is a communication distance insufficient direction D in which the communication distance Lc1 of the communication unit 12 is shorter than the predetermined required communication distance Ld.

[0027] If it is determined in step S5 that "there is no direction D where communication distance is insufficient," in step S8, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 transmits the traffic information to vehicles 4 (neighboring vehicles) in the communication area Ac1 without transmitting the traffic information to the communication device 20. The vehicles 4 (neighboring vehicles) in the communication area Ac1 receive the traffic information.

[0028] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that "there is a direction D in which communication distance is insufficient," in step S6, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 identifies, as relay equipment, a communication device 20 that is in the direction D in which communication distance is insufficient and that can communicate with the distant vehicle 4b. Then, in step S7, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 transmits the traffic information to the communication device 20 serving as a relay facility.

[0029] After receiving the traffic information from the vehicle infrastructure 10 in step S11, the communication device 20 transfers the traffic information to a vehicle 4 (distant vehicle 4b) in the communication coverage area Ac2 of the communication device 20 in step S12.

[0030] Further, the distant vehicle 4b receives traffic information from the communication device 20 in step S21. Then, in step S22, the driving control device of the distant vehicle 4b determines, based on the received traffic information, whether or not a lane blocking factor (for example, the presence of a parked vehicle 5) has occurred on the planned travel route.

[0031] If it is determined in step S22 that there is no lane blockage factor on the planned route, the distant vehicle 4b continues traveling in the current state in step S25.

[0032] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that "there is a lane blocking factor on the planned route," then in step S23, the driving control device of the distant vehicle 4b determines whether the distant vehicle 4b is traveling in the target lane (the lane T0 where the lane blocking factor has occurred or a connecting lane connected to lane T0).

[0033] If it is determined in step S23 that "the distant vehicle 4b is not traveling in the target lane," in step S25, the distant vehicle 4b does not change lanes or detour around the point P0 where the lane blocking factor occurred, but continues traveling in the same state.

[0034] If it is determined in step S23 that the distant vehicle 4b is traveling in the target lane, the distant vehicle 4b changes lanes in step S24. Also, in step S24, the distant vehicle 4b may detour around the point P0 where the lane blocking factor occurred.

[0035] Next, a procedure in which the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 updates the specific communication coverage area Ac0 stored in the storage unit 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0036] First, in step S31, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 acquires the position information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a. Then, in step S32, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 calculates the communication area Ac1 based on the position information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a.

[0037] Next, in step S33, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 determines whether the calculated communication coverage area Ac1 has become narrower than the specific communication coverage area Ac0.

[0038] If it is determined in step S33 that "the communication coverage area Ac1 has become narrower than the specific communication coverage area Ac0," in step S35, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 updates the specific communication coverage area Ac0 to match the communication coverage area Ac1.

[0039] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S33 that "the communication area Ac1 has not become narrower than the specific communication area Ac0," then in step S34, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 determines whether the communication area Ac1 has become wider than the specific communication area Ac0 for a predetermined number of consecutive times or more.

[0040] If it is determined in step S34 that "the communication coverage area Ac1 has not changed wider than the specific communication coverage area Ac0 for a predetermined number of consecutive times or more," the specific communication coverage area Ac0 is not updated and the process ends.

[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S34 that "the communication coverage area Ac1 has changed wider than the specific communication coverage area Ac0 a predetermined number of times in succession," then in step S35, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 updates the specific communication coverage area Ac0 to match the communication coverage area Ac1.

[0042] As described above, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 in the vehicle infrastructure system 1 according to this embodiment calculates a communication area Ac1 based on the position information of the communicable vehicle 4a acquired via the communication unit 12, and stores the calculated communication area Ac0 as a specific communication area Ac0. The vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 then calculates the communication distance Lc1 of the communication unit 12 based on the specific communication area Ac0, and identifies a communication distance shortfall direction D in which the communication distance Lc1 is shorter than the predetermined required communication distance Ld. The vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 then transmits traffic information via the communication unit 12 to the communication device 20 that is located in the communication distance shortfall direction D and is capable of communicating with the distant vehicle 4b. This allows the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to transmit traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b that is located farther away from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 than the communication distance Lc1, even if the communication distance Lc1 becomes shorter than the predetermined required communication distance Ld. Furthermore, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 identifies the communication distance insufficient direction D and transmits traffic information using the communication device 20 in the communication distance insufficient direction D as a relay facility, thereby reducing the amount of communication traffic compared to when traffic information is forwarded in all directions. Furthermore, the driving control device or driver of the distant vehicle 4b can obtain traffic information from a location farther than the communication distance Lc1, and can therefore select an appropriate driving lane with ample time to spare based on the traffic information.

[0043] The communication area Ac1 is an area in which the communication unit 12 and the communication-enabled vehicle 4a can communicate with each other at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency. This allows the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to stably acquire location information for calculating the communication area Ac1.

[0044] Furthermore, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 updates the specific communication coverage area Ac0 at predetermined time intervals. This allows the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to periodically acquire location information from the communicable vehicles 4a and store the specific communication coverage area Ac0 that corresponds to changes in the communication environment.

[0045] Furthermore, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 may update the specific communication coverage area Ac0 when the communication coverage area Ac1 changes, thereby enabling the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to store the specific communication coverage area Ac0 that corresponds to the change in the communication environment.

[0046] 6, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 may update the specific communication area Ac0 when the communication area Ac1 becomes narrower than the specific communication area Ac0, and may update the specific communication area Ac0 when the communication area Ac1 becomes wider than the specific communication area Ac0 a predetermined number of times or more consecutively. In this way, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 immediately updates the specific communication area Ac0 when the communication area Ac1 becomes narrower than the specific communication area Ac0 even once, so that distant vehicles 4b outside the communication area Ac1 can reliably receive traffic information transmitted from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10. On the other hand, when the communication area Ac1 becomes wider than the specific communication area Ac0, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 does not update the specific communication area Ac0 unless the communication area Ac1 changes wider than the specific communication area Ac0 a predetermined number of times or more consecutively. Therefore, when the communication coverage area Ac1 becomes wider than the specific communication coverage area Ac0, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 can update the specific communication coverage area Ac0 so that a more accurate specific communication coverage area Ac0 can be stored.

[0047] Furthermore, the required communication distance Ld is a pre-designed communication distance of the communication unit 12. As a result, even if the communicable distance Lc1 becomes shorter than the design communication distance of the communication unit 12 due to the influence of an obstruction or the like, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 can ensure the pre-designed communication distance as the distance for the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 to transmit traffic information to the vehicle 4.

[0048] Furthermore, the communication required distance Ld may be a distance required for the vehicle 4 to perform autonomous driving based on the traffic information acquired from the communication unit 12. This allows the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to transmit the traffic information to the vehicle 4 via the communication device 20 so that the driving control device of the vehicle 4 can control the driving of the vehicle 4 with ample time to spare.

[0049] Furthermore, when acquiring the location information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a via the communication unit 12, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 acquires the identification number of the device with which the communication-enabled vehicle 4a is communicating. This ensures that the communication-enabled vehicle 4a is communicating with the communication unit 12 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10, so the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 can reliably acquire the location information of the communication-enabled vehicle 4a.

[0050] Furthermore, the communication device 20 is an in-vehicle communication device. Generally, in urban areas, there are more in-vehicle communication devices than vehicle infrastructure equipment 10. Therefore, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 can more reliably transmit traffic information in the communication distance shortage direction D by selecting the in-vehicle communication device as the communication device 20, which is a relay facility.

[0051] Furthermore, the communication device 20 may be another vehicle infrastructure facility 10. Since the installation location of the vehicle infrastructure facility 10 is fixed, the vehicle infrastructure facility control device 13 can reliably transfer traffic information from the communication device 20 to vehicles 4 within a predetermined distance by selecting the other vehicle infrastructure facility 10 as the communication device 20, which is a relay facility.

[0052] Furthermore, when there are multiple communication devices 20, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 transmits the traffic information to the communication device 20 that is farthest from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10. This allows the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 to transfer the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b that is farther away while suppressing the amount of communication traffic.

[0053] Furthermore, when the vehicle 4 of the vehicle infrastructure system 1 receives traffic information from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 or the communication device 20, the vehicle 4 determines, based on the traffic information, whether a lane blocking factor has occurred on the planned travel route. If a lane blocking factor has occurred, the vehicle 4 determines whether the vehicle's own lane is the blocked lane T0 where the lane blocking factor has occurred or a connecting lane connected to the blocked lane T0, and if the vehicle's own lane is the blocked lane T0 or a connecting lane, executes a lane change as shown in Figures 2 and 3. This allows the vehicle 4 to easily avoid congestion in the target lane (the blocked lane T0 or a connecting lane connected to the blocked lane T0) caused by the lane blocking factor that has occurred on the planned travel route.

[0054] Furthermore, when the vehicle 4 of the vehicle infrastructure system 1 receives traffic information from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 or the communication device 20, the vehicle 4 may determine whether or not a lane blocking factor has occurred on the planned travel route based on the traffic information, and if a lane blocking factor has occurred, may detour around the point P0 where the lane blocking factor has occurred. This allows the vehicle 4 to easily avoid congestion caused by the lane blocking factor that has occurred on the planned travel route.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4, when a lane blocking factor occurs on a planned driving route, vehicle 4 of vehicle infrastructure system 1 selects derived lane T2 that is not connected to blocked lane T0 where the lane blocking factor occurs when passing through intersection X, and travels on derived lane T2 after passing through intersection X. In this way, by selecting an appropriate derived lane T2 when passing through intersection X, vehicle 4 can easily avoid congestion in the target lane (blocked lane T0 or a connecting lane connected to blocked lane T0) caused by the lane blocking factor without changing lanes.

[0056] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The configurations of the vehicle infrastructure system 1 and the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 according to the second embodiment are the same as those shown in Fig. 1. In the flowchart of Fig. 7, the same reference numerals as those in the flowchart of Fig. 5 indicate the same processes, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the flowchart of Fig. 7, steps S21 to S25, which indicate the driving control of the vehicle 4, are omitted.

[0057] If it is determined in step S5 that "there is a direction D in which communication distance is insufficient," the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 transmits relay direction information indicating the direction D in which communication distance is insufficient to the communication device 20 in step S201.

[0058] Then, in step S202, the communication device 20 that has received the traffic information in step S11 determines whether or not its own position is in the communication distance shortfall direction D relative to the vehicle infrastructure facility 10 based on the relay direction information.

[0059] If it is determined in step S202 that the communication device 20 is not in the communication distance shortfall direction D relative to the vehicle infrastructure 10, the communication device 20 ends the process in step S205 without transferring the traffic information.

[0060] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that "the communication device 20 is located in the communication distance insufficient direction D relative to the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10," then in step S203 the communication device 20 determines whether there are other communication devices 20 in the communication distance insufficient direction D, i.e., whether there are multiple communication devices 20 in the communication distance insufficient direction D.

[0061] If it is determined in step S203 that "there are no multiple communication devices 20 in the communication distance shortfall direction D," in step S12, the communication device 20 transfers the traffic information to a vehicle 4 (distant vehicle 4b) in the communication coverage area Ac2.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that "there are multiple communication devices 20 in the communication distance insufficient direction D," then in step S204, the communication device 20 determines whether its own position is the farthest from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 that is the source of the traffic information.

[0063] If it is determined in step S203 that "the self-location is not the farthest location from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 that is the source of the traffic information," the communication device 20 ends the process in step S205 without forwarding the traffic information. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 3, even if the first communication device 20a receives traffic information from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10, the first communication device 20a does not forward the traffic information because the first communication device 20a is not the communication device 20 farthest from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10.

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that "the self-location is the farthest from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10 that is the source of the traffic information," in step S12, the communication device 20 transfers the traffic information to the vehicle 4 (distant vehicle 4b) that is in the communication area Ac2. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 3, the second communication device 20b is the communication device 20 that is the farthest from the vehicular infrastructure equipment 10, and therefore transfers the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b that is in the communication area Ac2.

[0065] In the flowchart of FIG. 7, the processes of steps S203 and S204 may be omitted.

[0066] As described above, the vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 13 of the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 in the vehicle infrastructure system 1 according to this embodiment transmits relay direction information indicating the communication distance insufficient direction D to the communication device 20. Then, the communication device 20 determines whether its own position is in the communication distance insufficient direction D relative to the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10 based on the relay direction information, and if its own position is in the communication distance insufficient direction D, transmits traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b. This allows the communication device 20 of the vehicle infrastructure system 1 to determine whether to forward the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b even when it has not received a traffic information forwarding instruction from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10. Furthermore, even when the communication device 20 is an on-board communication device and is moving, it can determine whether to forward the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b according to its own position when the traffic information is received.

[0067] Furthermore, if there are multiple communication devices 20 in the communication distance shortage direction D, each communication device 20 determines whether its own position is the farthest from the vehicle infrastructure equipment 10, and if its own position is the farthest, transmits the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b. This allows the communication device 20 to transfer the traffic information to the distant vehicle 4b that is farther away while suppressing the communication volume of the entire vehicle infrastructure system 1 associated with the transfer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Vehicle infrastructure systems 4...Vehicle 4a...Communication-enabled vehicle 4b...Far away vehicle 10. Vehicle infrastructure equipment 12...imaging unit 13...Vehicle infrastructure equipment control device 100...processor 101...Vehicle position information acquisition unit 102...Storage section 103…Communicable distance calculation unit 104...Relay direction determination unit 105...Communication control unit Ac1…Communication area Acd…Specific communicable area Lc1…Communication distance Ld…communication requires distance D…Insufficient communication distance direction

Claims

1. A vehicle infrastructure equipment control method for controlling, using a processor, vehicle infrastructure equipment having a communication unit that transmits traffic information to a vehicle, comprising: The processor: Acquire location information of a vehicle that can communicate via the communication unit; storing the communication area calculated based on the location information as a specific communication area; calculating a communication distance of the communication unit based on the specified communication area; identifying a direction in which the communication distance is shorter than a predetermined communication required distance required for the vehicle infrastructure to communicate with the vehicle as a communication distance insufficient direction; A method for controlling vehicle infrastructure equipment, which transmits the traffic information via the communication unit to a communication device that can communicate with a distant vehicle that is in the direction of the insufficient communication distance and is located farther from the vehicle infrastructure equipment than the communication distance.

2. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the communication area is an area in which the communication unit and the communication-enabled vehicle can communicate with each other at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency.

3. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the processor updates the specific communication coverage area at predetermined time intervals.

4. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the processor updates the specific communication coverage area when the communication coverage area changes.

5. The processor: updating the specific communication coverage area when the communication coverage area becomes narrower than the specific communication coverage area; The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 4 , further comprising updating the specific communication area when the communication area has changed to be wider than the specific communication area a predetermined number of times in succession.

6. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the required communication distance is a designed communication distance of the communication unit that is designed in advance.

7. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the communication required distance is a distance required for the vehicle to perform autonomous driving based on the traffic information acquired from the communication unit.

8. The vehicle infrastructure facility control method according to claim 1 , wherein the processor acquires an identification number of a device with which the communication-enabled vehicle is communicating when acquiring the location information of the communication-enabled vehicle via the communication unit.

9. The method for controlling infrastructure equipment for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the communication device is an in-vehicle communication device.

10. The method for controlling a vehicle infrastructure facility according to claim 1 , wherein the communication device is another vehicle infrastructure facility.

11. The vehicle infrastructure control method according to claim 1 , wherein, when there are a plurality of communication devices, the traffic information is transmitted to the communication device that is farthest from the vehicle infrastructure.

12. A vehicle infrastructure equipment control device that controls vehicle infrastructure equipment including a communication unit that transmits traffic information to a vehicle, a vehicle position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a vehicle that is capable of communicating via the communication unit; a storage unit that stores the communication area calculated based on the location information as a specific communication area; a communication distance calculation unit that calculates a communication distance of the communication unit based on the specified communication area; a relay direction specifying unit that specifies, as a communication distance insufficient direction, a direction in which the communication distance is shorter than a predetermined communication required distance required for the vehicle infrastructure to communicate with the vehicle; A vehicle infrastructure equipment control device comprising: a communication control unit that transmits the traffic information via the communication unit to a communication device that is capable of communicating with a distant vehicle that is in the direction of the short communication distance and is located farther from the vehicle infrastructure equipment than the communication distance.

13. A vehicle infrastructure system including a vehicle infrastructure facility having a communication unit that transmits traffic information to a vehicle, and a communication device that can communicate with the vehicle infrastructure facility, The vehicle infrastructure equipment includes: Acquire location information of a vehicle that can communicate via the communication unit; storing the communication area calculated based on the location information as a specific communication area; calculating a communication distance of the communication unit based on the specified communication area; identifying a direction in which the communication distance is shorter than a predetermined communication required distance required for the vehicle infrastructure to communicate with the vehicle as a communication distance insufficient direction; A vehicle infrastructure system that transmits the traffic information via the communication unit to the communication device that is capable of communicating with a distant vehicle that is in the direction of the short communication distance and is located farther from the vehicle infrastructure equipment than the communication distance.

14. The vehicle infrastructure equipment includes: Transmitting relay direction information indicating the communication distance shortfall direction to the communication device; The communication device includes: determining whether the vehicle's own position is in the communication distance shortfall direction relative to the vehicle infrastructure based on the relay direction information; The vehicle infrastructure system according to claim 13 , wherein when the vehicle's own position is in the communication distance shortfall direction, the traffic information is transmitted to the distant vehicle.

15. When there are a plurality of communication devices in the direction of the short communication distance, Each of the communication devices determines whether the self-location is farthest from the vehicle infrastructure; The vehicle infrastructure system according to claim 14 , wherein the traffic information is transmitted to the distant vehicle when the self-location is the farthest.

16. The vehicle infrastructure system includes the vehicle capable of autonomous driving, The vehicle is When the traffic information is received from the vehicle infrastructure facility or the communication device, the vehicle determines whether or not a lane closure factor has occurred on the planned travel route based on the traffic information; If the lane blocking factor has occurred, it is determined whether the vehicle's own lane is a blocked lane where the lane blocking factor has occurred or a connecting lane connected to the blocked lane; The vehicle infrastructure system according to claim 13 , wherein a lane change is executed when the own lane is the blocked lane or the connecting lane.

17. The vehicle infrastructure system includes the vehicle, The vehicle is When the traffic information is received from the vehicle infrastructure facility or the communication device, the vehicle determines whether or not a lane closure factor has occurred on the planned travel route based on the traffic information; The vehicle infrastructure system according to claim 13 , wherein, when the lane closure factor has occurred, the vehicle detours around a point where the lane closure factor has occurred.

18. The vehicle infrastructure system includes the vehicle capable of autonomous driving, The vehicle is When the traffic information is received from the vehicle infrastructure facility or the communication device, the vehicle determines whether or not a lane closure factor has occurred on the planned travel route based on the traffic information; 14. The vehicle infrastructure system according to claim 13, wherein, when the lane blocking factor has occurred, a derived lane that is not connected to the blocked lane where the lane blocking factor has occurred is selected when passing through an intersection, and the vehicle travels on the derived lane after passing through the intersection.

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