Roadside device

Abstract

To improve a technique for monitoring vehicles with communication functions.SOLUTION: A roadside device (10) includes: a photographing unit (14) that takes a surrounding video; a communication unit (13) for communicating with other devices; and a control unit (11). The control unit (11) transmits the video taken by the photographing unit (14) via the communication unit (13) to a vehicle (20) approaching the roadside device (10), and displays the video on a display device of an output unit (25) of the vehicle (20).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there are known technologies for monitoring vehicles with communication functions. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a notification system that notifies vehicles other than autonomous vehicles and pedestrians, etc., whether the vehicle is permitted to pass through a predetermined traffic area and warns them of caution, depending on the behavior of the autonomous vehicle that is scheduled to pass through the area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-50629 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need for improved technology for monitoring vehicles with communication capabilities.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for monitoring vehicles having communication capabilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A roadside device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A camera unit that captures the surroundings, a communication unit for communicating with other devices; A control unit; A roadside device comprising: The control unit The image captured by the image capturing unit is transmitted by the communication unit to a vehicle approaching the roadside device, and is displayed on a display device of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an improvement in the technique for monitoring vehicles with communication capabilities. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system of FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of this embodiment, duplicated descriptions of the same parts may be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0010] (Outline of the embodiment) 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a roadside device 10, a vehicle 20, and a server device 30. The roadside device 10, the vehicle 20, and the server device 30 are communicably connected to a network 50 including, for example, a mobile communication network and the Internet.

[0011] The roadside device 10 notifies the driver of the vehicle 20 and pedestrians P, etc., of the approach of pedestrians P and vehicles 20, etc., located in their blind spots using images, light, sound, etc., thereby fostering a sense of security in an environment in which autonomous vehicles are traveling. The roadside device 10 may also notify information solely related to autonomous vehicles. The roadside device 10 is installed on the roadside of a roadway, including, for example, near an intersection or a crosswalk. In this embodiment, the roadside device 10 can obtain position information of the vehicle 20 and pedestrian P from the server device 30 and detect pedestrians P and vehicles 20, etc., attempting to cross the roadway from images captured by a camera (photographing unit 14). For example, when the roadside device 10 detects pedestrians P attempting to cross the roadway, it notifies the pedestrians P of the presence or absence of a vehicle 20 approaching the roadside device. When the roadside device 10 detects pedestrians P attempting to cross the roadway, it notifies the driver or driving assistant of the vehicle 20 that has entered the detection area of ​​the roadside device of the presence of pedestrians P. The information processing system 1 may include one or more roadside devices 10. The roadside devices 10 may be battery-powered.

[0012] The vehicle 20 travels on roadways to transport people, objects, and the like. The vehicle 20 may be, for example, a gasoline-powered automobile, an electric vehicle (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these. The vehicle 20 may be any automobile in which a human can ride. The vehicle 20 may be, for example, an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving corresponding to any of levels 1 to 5 defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). In this embodiment, the vehicle 20 is capable of autonomous driving at level 3 or 4, and a driving assistant can override the driving operation by riding in the vehicle 20 or remotely. The information processing system 1 may include any number of vehicles 20 greater than or equal to one.

[0013] The server device 30 is one or more computers that can communicate with each other. The server device 30 communicates with each roadside device 10 and each vehicle 20 and is used to monitor each vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the server device 30 is used, for example, by an operator at a control center.

[0014] Passengers of vehicle 20 cannot know the presence and movement of objects such as people and other vehicles that are located in the blind spot of vehicle 20. Therefore, passengers cannot predict that vehicle 20 will suddenly brake in response to such objects such as people and other vehicles suddenly appearing. From the perspective of fostering a sense of security among passengers, it is desirable to provide passengers with information about objects such as people and other vehicles that are located in the blind spot of vehicle 20, as well as information about the possibility of sudden braking.

[0015] Therefore, the roadside device 10 according to this embodiment displays images of people and objects captured by a camera (photographing unit 14) on a passenger display of the vehicle 20, and issues an alarm to passengers informing them of the possibility of sudden braking if sudden braking is predicted. Specifically, the roadside device 10 includes the photographing unit 14 that captures images of the surroundings, a communication unit 13 for communicating with other devices, and a control unit 11. The control unit 11 transmits the image captured by the photographing unit 14 via the communication unit 13 to the vehicle 20 approaching the roadside device 10, and displays the image on a display device of the output unit 25 of the vehicle 20.

[0016] In this way, the roadside device 10 transmits an image to the vehicle 20 approaching the roadside device 10 and displays it on a display device for passengers, so that the passengers can be notified of the approach of an object located in a blind spot from the vehicle 20. Therefore, the passengers can anticipate the pedestrian P, a vehicle, etc., suddenly jumping out, and the vehicle 20 suddenly braking in response, etc., which can foster a sense of security among the passengers.

[0017] The following describes an example in which there is one roadside device 10, one vehicle 20, and one server device 30, but the number of these devices is arbitrary. Also, the following describes a case in which there is one pedestrian P and only the pedestrian P may enter the travel path of the vehicle 20, but there may be other objects such as people and other vehicles in addition to the pedestrian P.

[0018] (Configuration example of roadside device 10) As shown in FIG. 1, the roadside device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, an image capturing unit 14, a notification unit 15, and a positioning unit 16.

[0019] The control unit 11 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated processor, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited to this. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited to this. The control unit 11 controls the operation of the entire roadside device 10.

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes one or more memories. In this embodiment, the "memory" may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 12 may function as, for example, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or the like. The storage unit 12 stores any information including various programs and various data. The information in the storage unit 12 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 50.

[0021] The communication unit 13 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 50. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, a wireless LAN standard, or a mobile communication standard, but may correspond to any communication standard. An example of the mobile communication standard is 5G (5th Generation). The roadside device 10 communicates with the vehicle 20 and the server device 30 via the communication unit 13 and the network 50.

[0022] The photographing unit 14 includes one or more cameras capable of photographing the surrounding scenery. In this embodiment, the roadside device 10 is installed, for example, near the boundary between the sidewalk and the roadway so that the photographing unit 14 can photograph a pedestrian P moving from the sidewalk toward the roadway.

[0023] The notification unit 15 includes one or more notification devices that notify information to nearby pedestrians P. The notification devices are, for example, speakers, electronic bulletin boards, displays, etc., but are not limited to these and may be any notification devices.

[0024] The positioning unit 16 includes a positioning device for measuring the position of the roadside device 10. The positioning device is one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers or GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers, but is not limited to these and may be any sensor.

[0025] (Example of configuration of vehicle 20) As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, a positioning unit 24, and an output unit 25.

[0026] The control unit 21, memory unit 22, communication unit 23, and positioning unit 24 of the vehicle 20 can be configured in the same manner as the control unit 11, memory unit 12, communication unit 13, and positioning unit 16 of the roadside device 10, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0027] The output unit 25 includes one or more output devices that output information to passengers of the vehicle 20. The output devices are, for example, but not limited to, a display (display device) that outputs information as a video, or a speaker that outputs information as an audio, etc. Alternatively, the output unit 25 may include an output interface that outputs information via an external output device.

[0028] (Configuration example of server device 30) 1, the server device 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33. The control unit 31, storage unit 32, and communication unit 33 of the server device 30 can be configured in the same manner as the control unit 11, storage unit 12, and communication unit 13 of the roadside device 10, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0029] (Example of operation) Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 1 in Fig. 1. The operation of the information processing system 1 described with reference to Fig. 2 may correspond to one of the information processing methods. Below, an example will be described in which the operation of each step in Fig. 2 is performed based on the control of the control unit 11 of the roadside device 10, but at least one of the steps in Fig. 2 may be performed based on the control of another device including the control of the control unit 31 of the server device 30 and the control unit 21 of the vehicle 20.

[0030] In step S1, the control unit 11 of the roadside device 10 captures an image of the surroundings using the image capturing unit 14. While the control unit 11 executes the following steps, the control unit 11 may continue capturing images using the image capturing unit 14 in parallel. Below, an example will be described in which the image capturing unit 14 captures an image of an area including a blind spot as seen from the vehicle 20, but the subject of the image capturing unit 14 is not limited to this.

[0031] In step S2, the control unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 20 has approached the roadside device 10. Specifically, for example, the control unit 11 may acquire the position of the vehicle 20 measured by the positioning unit 24 from the vehicle 20 via the network 50, the server device 30, etc., and compare the position of the vehicle 20 with the position of the roadside device 10 to detect the approach of the vehicle 20. The control unit 11 may detect the approach of the vehicle 20 in response to receiving a notification of the approach of the vehicle 20 from the server device 30. The control unit 11 may also detect the approach of the vehicle 20 in response to the vehicle 20 appearing in the video captured in step S1. If the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 20 has approached (YES in step S2), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S3; otherwise (NO in step S2), the control unit 11 continues the processing of step S2 until the approach of the vehicle is detected.

[0032] In step S3, the control unit 11 transmits the video captured by the imaging unit 14 to the vehicle 20. Specifically, the control unit 11 may transmit the video directly to the vehicle 20 via the network 50. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may transmit the video to the vehicle 20 via the server device 30. The vehicle 20 may display the received video on the display device of the output unit 25. This allows passengers of the vehicle 20 to check the situation in the blind spot from the vehicle 20. Note that the vehicle 20 may start displaying the received video in response to determining that the traveling of the vehicle 20 will be affected, such as when the pedestrian P moves from a position in the blind spot into the traveling path of the vehicle 20.

[0033] In step S4, the control unit 11 determines whether or not an object has been detected from the image captured by the image capturing unit 14. Such an object may be, for example, a pedestrian P heading toward the roadway in the traveling direction of the vehicle 20, another vehicle, or an animal. The control unit 11 may analyze the image to detect the object. If an object has been detected (YES in step S4), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S5, and if not (NO in step S4), the control unit 11 continues the processing of step S4.

[0034] In step S5, the control unit 11 causes the vehicle 20 to notify the passengers that an object has been detected.

[0035] Specifically, control unit 11 may superimpose a rectangle indicating the range of the detected object on the video and display the video on the display device of output unit 25. Alternatively, control unit 11 may enlarge a partial area of ​​the video based on the relationship in size and position between the area occupied by the entire video and the area occupied by the rectangle and display the enlarged area on the display device of output unit 25.

[0036] Alternatively, the control unit 11 may predict whether or not sudden braking of the vehicle 20 will occur based on the moving route and speed of the vehicle 20 and the moving route and speed of the object, and if sudden braking is predicted, may notify passengers of this via the output unit 25 of the vehicle 20. For example, the output unit 25 may notify passengers that sudden braking is predicted by voice (for example, a human voice such as "We will make an emergency stop" or an alarm sound), an image (for example, a text display such as "Emergency stop"), or the like.

[0037] When sudden braking is predicted, the vehicle 20 may notify passengers of the details of the sudden braking (for example, sudden braking, right-hand steering or left-hand steering, etc.) by audio, image, etc. from the output unit 25. The control unit 11 may also predict the occurrence of an event that cannot be prevented by braking the vehicle 20, such as a rear-end collision or collision, and notify passengers of the vehicle 20 of the details of the danger (for example, a rear-end collision, a motorcycle hitting from the right, etc.). The vehicle 20 may also notify passengers of the geographical range displayed in the video and the positional relationship between the detected object and the vehicle 20 by image, audio, etc. from the output unit 25.

[0038] The control of the display of the image from the roadside device 10 on the output unit 25 (such as a display device for passengers) of the vehicle 20 and the determination of whether to issue an alarm such as for sudden braking may be performed by the server device 30 or another device such as the vehicle 20.

[0039] In this way, the information processing system 1 provides passengers of the vehicle 20 with information about the situation in the blind spot of the vehicle 20 and predicted sudden braking of the vehicle 20 based on the situation, using images including video captured by the roadside device 10, audio, etc. Therefore, even if the vehicle 20 is an autonomous vehicle, passengers of the vehicle 20 can recognize the surrounding situation, predicted driving patterns, etc. Therefore, the information processing system 1 can foster a sense of security in passengers.

[0040] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, multiple blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Multiple steps shown in the flowcharts may be executed in parallel or in a different order instead of in the chronological order as described. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0041] Further, for example, the configuration and operation of the roadside device 10 may be distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Further, for example, some or all of the components of the roadside device 10 may be provided in other devices such as the vehicle 20 and the server device 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 Roadside equipment 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 14 Photography Department 15 Notification Department 16 Displacement section 20 vehicles 21 Control Unit 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Positioning unit 25 Output section 30 Server device 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section 33 Communications Department

Claims

[Claim 1] A camera unit that captures the surroundings, a communication unit for communicating with other devices; A control unit; A roadside device comprising: The control unit the image captured by the image capturing unit is transmitted by the communication unit to a vehicle approaching the roadside device, and the image is displayed on a display device of the vehicle; Roadside equipment.

Images