Calculation system for signal switching timing and calculation method for signal switching timing

Abstract

To provide a calculation system for signal switching timing that can reduce the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at signals at intersections compared to conventional methods.SOLUTION: A calculation system for signal switching timing 1 includes: a first acquisition means 3 for acquiring first information 19, which is information on vehicle flows at a plurality of intersections where traffic lights 27 are installed; a second acquisition means 5 for acquiring second information 21, which is information on pedestrian flows at the plurality of intersections; a storage means 7 for storing the first information 19, the second information 21, and road map information 23; a specifying means 9 for specifying congested intersections where congestion occurs during a specified time period or day of the week based on the first information 19 stored in the storage means 7; and a calculation means 11 for calculating, through simulation, a signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 at the congested intersection, so that the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light is reduced, based on the first information 19, the second information 21, and the road map information 23 stored in the storage means 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal switching timing calculation system and a signal switching timing calculation method. [Background technology]

[0002] A system is known that determines the number of vehicles waiting at a traffic light, such as the number of vehicles queuing, from the position and speed information of vehicles entering an intersection, and controls the timing of changing the color of the traffic light lights so as to reduce the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-15817 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] At intersections with crosswalks, not only vehicles but also pedestrians cross the intersection, so depending on the timing of the traffic light changes, the number of pedestrians waiting at the intersection may increase or decrease. However, because the system described in Patent Document 1 only takes into account information about vehicles entering the intersection, it was able to reduce the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light, but was unable to reduce the number of pedestrians waiting at the intersection.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for calculating signal switch timing that can reduce the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at traffic lights at an intersection compared to conventional systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The traffic light switching timing calculation system of the present invention includes: a first acquisition means for acquiring first information, which is information on traffic flow indicating the direction and speed of vehicles passing through a plurality of predetermined intersections where traffic lights are installed during a predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the vehicles passing through the intersections; a second acquisition means for acquiring second information, which is information on people flow indicating the direction and speed of pedestrians passing through the plurality of intersections during the predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the pedestrians passing through the intersections; a storage means for storing the first information, the second information, and road map information indicating the positions of the plurality of intersections, the positions of the traffic lights at the intersections, the number of lanes at the plurality of intersections, and the distances between the traffic lights at the plurality of intersections; an identification means for identifying, from the first information stored in the storage means, a congested intersection where congestion has occurred during the predetermined time period or on a day of the week; and a calculation means for simulating the traffic light switching timing of the traffic light at the congested intersection at which the number of vehicles and the number of pedestrians waiting for the traffic light will be smaller than before the switching, based on the first information, the second information, and the road map information stored in the storage means.

[0007] The signal switching timing calculation method of the present invention includes a first acquisition means for acquiring first information, which is information on traffic flow indicating the direction and speed of vehicles passing through a plurality of predetermined intersections where traffic lights are installed during a predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the vehicles passing through the intersections; a second acquisition means for acquiring second information, which is information on people flow indicating the direction and speed of pedestrians passing through the plurality of intersections during the predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the pedestrians passing through the intersections; and a second acquisition means for acquiring the first information, the second information, the positions of the plurality of intersections, the positions of the traffic lights at the intersections, and the number of lanes at the plurality of intersections. and a storage means for storing road map information indicating the distances between the traffic lights at a plurality of the intersections, the method comprising: an identifying step of identifying a congested intersection where congestion has occurred during the specified time period or day of the week from the first information stored in the storage means; and a calculating step of simulating the signal switching timing of the traffic light at the congested intersection where the number of vehicles and the number of pedestrians waiting at the traffic light will be less than before the switching, based on the first information, the second information, and the road map information stored in the storage means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a signal switching timing calculation system and a signal switching timing calculation method that can reduce the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at traffic lights at an intersection more than conventionally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a signal switching timing calculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of first information and second information. [Figure 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of terminal information and vehicle-mounted device information. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of road map information. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an algorithm for determining a signal switching timing at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at a traffic light will be smaller than before the switching. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a method for calculating signal switching timing by the signal switching timing calculation system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments shown below, some components are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of the content described below.

[0011] First, the configuration of the signal switching timing calculation system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the signal switching timing calculation system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of first information and second information. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of terminal information and in-vehicle device information. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of road map information. As shown in Fig. 1, the calculation system 1 includes a first acquisition means 3, a second acquisition means 5, a storage means 7, an identification means 9, and a calculation means 11. Furthermore, the calculation system 1 also includes a communication means 13.

[0012] The first acquisition means 3 is a means for acquiring first information 19. The first information 19 is information about the flow of traffic at a plurality of predetermined intersections where traffic lights 27 are installed. The information about the flow of traffic is information that indicates the direction and speed of vehicles passing through a plurality of intersections during a predetermined time period or day of the week, as well as the traffic volume of vehicles passing through the intersections. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first information 19 includes date and time information 31, intersection information 33, driving direction information 35, average vehicle speed information 37, and traffic volume information 39. Note that the date and time information 31, intersection information 33, driving direction information 35, average vehicle speed information 37, and traffic volume information 39 are examples.

[0013] Date and time information 31 is information indicating a specific time period or day of the week. Intersection information 33 is information indicating the location of an intersection where a traffic light 27 is installed. Driving direction information 35 is information indicating the driving direction of a vehicle that passed through an intersection indicated by intersection information 33 during a specific time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 31. Driving direction information indicates which road, among the roads intersecting at the intersection, a vehicle entered the intersection and which road a vehicle used to exit the intersection. Such information is also referred to as OD (Origin Destination) information. Average vehicle speed information 37 is the average speed of vehicles that passed through an intersection indicated by intersection information 33 during a time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 31, traveling in the direction indicated by driving direction information 35. The average speed is slower when the intersection is congested and faster when it is not congested. Traffic volume information 39 is the number of vehicles that passed through an intersection indicated by intersection information 33 during a time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 31, traveling in the direction indicated by driving direction information 35.

[0014] In this way, the first information 19 is information in which the date and time information 31, intersection information 33, driving direction information 35, average vehicle speed information 37, and traffic volume information 39 are linked together. Therefore, the first information 19 exists for each predetermined time period or day of the week and for each intersection, and is information that indicates the average vehicle speed and traffic volume of vehicles that have passed through the intersection for each predetermined time period or day of the week, intersection, and different directions.

[0015] The first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19. Here, "acquire" includes not only the case where the first information 19 is directly acquired from an external device, but also the case where the first acquisition means 3 generates the first information 19 from information acquired from an external device and acquires the information internally. For example, an example of information acquired from an external device is terminal information 51 acquired from a mobile terminal 17 carried by a vehicle driver, as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal information 51 includes, for example, identification information 51a, location information 51b, and time information 51c. The identification information 51a is information for identifying a specific mobile terminal 17 from multiple mobile terminals 17, such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The location information 51b is information indicating the location of the mobile terminal 17. For example, if the mobile terminal 17 can acquire its current location coordinates from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, the acquired location coordinates become the location information 51b. The time information 51c is information indicating the time when the terminal information 51 was generated or transmitted.

[0016] When the first acquisition means 3 acquires the terminal information 51, it generates and acquires the first information 19 from the terminal information 51, for example, in the following procedure. First, if the position indicated by the position information 51b of the terminal information 51 having the same identification information 51a moves as the time indicated by the time information 51c passes, this means that the mobile terminal 17 is moving. In this case, if the movement trajectory indicated by the position information 51b overlaps with the position of the intersection indicated by the intersection information 33, this means that the mobile terminal 17 passed through the intersection at the time when the positions overlap. Therefore, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the direction in which the mobile terminal 17 is moving at the time when the positions overlap as vehicle driving direction information 35 at the intersection. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 acquires, as average vehicle speed information 37, the average speed at the intersection of the mobile terminal 17 that passed through the intersection indicated by the intersection information 33 in the direction indicated by the driving direction information 35 during a predetermined time period or day of the week indicated by the date and time information 31. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the number of mobile terminals 17 that passed through the intersection indicated by the intersection information 33 in the direction indicated by the driving direction information 35 during a predetermined time period or day of the week as traffic volume information 39. The time at which the mobile terminal 17 was at the predetermined position indicated by the position information 51b may be the time indicated by the time information 51c, or may be the time at which the first acquisition means 3 acquired the terminal information 51.

[0017] The first acquisition means 3 may generate and acquire the first information 19 from the on-board device information 53 shown in FIG. 1 , instead of the terminal information 51. The on-board device information 53 is information transmitted from a tachograph 15 mounted on a vehicle. The tachograph 15 here refers to a device mounted on a vehicle that can acquire the vehicle's speed like a digital tachograph and can acquire the current location coordinates from a GPS satellite. As shown in FIG. 3 , the on-board device information 53 includes identification information 53a, vehicle speed information 53b, location information 53c, and time information 53d. The identification information 53a is information for identifying a specific tachograph 15 from multiple tachographs 15, such as an IP address. The vehicle speed information 53b is information indicating the speed of the vehicle in which the tachograph 15 is mounted. The location information 53c is information indicating the location of the tachograph 15, i.e., the location of the vehicle, such as location coordinates acquired by the tachograph 15 from a GPS satellite. The time information 53d is information indicating the time when the vehicle-mounted device information 53 was generated or transmitted. The time when the vehicle was at the position indicated by the position information 53c and at the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed information 53b may be the time indicated by the time information 51c or the time when the first acquisition means 3 acquired the vehicle-mounted device information 53.

[0018] In this manner, the first acquisition means 3 may generate the first information 19 from the on-board tachograph 15. Specifically, the first acquisition means 3 identifies intersections through which the vehicle passed from the movement trajectory of the position information 53c of the on-board device information 53 having the same identification information 53a, acquires OD information from the movement trajectory, and acquires driving direction information 35. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 calculates an average vehicle speed from the vehicle speed indicated by the vehicle speed information 53b at the intersection through which the vehicle passed, and sets this as the vehicle speed indicated by the average vehicle speed information 37. Traffic volume information 39 is then calculated from the number of tachographs 15 that passed through the intersection. Because the tachograph 15 is mounted on the vehicle and not carried by a pedestrian, the on-board device information 53 transmitted from the tachograph 15 can be determined to be vehicle information. Furthermore, the tachograph 15 operates as long as the vehicle's power is on, and is often mounted on commercial vehicles. Therefore, unlike when the vehicle speed is acquired from a mobile terminal 17 carried by the driver of a general passenger vehicle, the vehicle speed can be acquired at any time, regardless of the day of the week or time of day, and the first information 19 can be calculated at any time. Furthermore, unlike the case where the vehicle speed is calculated based on the relationship between the location information 51b and time information 51c on the mobile terminal 17 carried by the driver of a general passenger vehicle, this configuration allows for direct acquisition of a value acquired by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, the acquired speed is closer to the actual vehicle speed. Furthermore, since a vehicle equipped with a driving recorder 15 records its vehicle speed history, it is less likely to travel significantly faster than the legal speed limit. The calculation system 1 calculates the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 to alleviate traffic congestion. Therefore, by generating the first information 19 from the onboard driving recorder 15, the calculation system 1 can exclude speeding vehicles that speed regardless of road congestion when identifying an intersection where congestion has occurred. This improves the accuracy of determining whether or not a traffic jam has occurred at an intersection.

[0019] When generating first information 19 from on-board driving recorder 15, the average vehicle speed indicated by average vehicle speed information 37 at a certain intersection, on a certain day of the week, and during the late night time period will be referred to as the late night vehicle speed in the following explanation, and information indicating the late night vehicle speed will be referred to as late night vehicle speed information 25. The late night period referred to here refers to the time period between midnight and 2:00 AM, for example.

[0020] The second acquisition means 5 shown in FIG. 1 is a means for acquiring second information 21. The second information 21 is information on the flow of people at multiple intersections. The information on the flow of people is information indicating the walking direction and speed of pedestrians passing through multiple predetermined intersections where traffic lights 27 are installed during a predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, as well as the traffic volume of pedestrians passing through the intersections. Specifically, the second information 21 is similar to the first information 19 except that the target is pedestrians, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes date and time information 41, intersection information 43, walking direction information 45, average speed information 47, and traffic volume information 49. Note that these pieces of information are merely examples.

[0021] Date and time information 41 is information indicating a specific time period or day of the week. Intersection information 43 is information indicating an intersection where a traffic light 27 is installed. Walking direction information 45 is information indicating the walking direction of pedestrians who passed through the intersection indicated by intersection information 43 during the specific time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 41. Information indicating walking direction is OD information indicating which road, among the roads intersecting at the intersection, a pedestrian entered the intersection and which road a pedestrian used to exit the intersection. Average speed information 47 is the average speed of pedestrians who walked through the intersection indicated by intersection information 43 in the direction indicated by walking direction information 45 during the time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 41. Traffic volume information 49 is the number of pedestrians who walked through the intersection indicated by intersection information 43 in the direction indicated by walking direction information 45 during the time period or day of the week indicated by date and time information 41.

[0022] In this way, the second information 21 is also information in which the date and time information 41, intersection information 43, walking direction information 45, average speed information 47, and traffic volume information 49 are linked together. Therefore, the second information 21 exists for each predetermined time period or day of the week and for each intersection, and is information that indicates the average speed and traffic volume of pedestrians who passed through the intersection for each predetermined time period or day of the week, intersection, and different directions.

[0023] The second acquisition means 5 acquires the second information 21, but "acquire" here includes not only the case where the second information 21 is acquired directly from the outside, but also the case where the second acquisition means 5 generates the second information 21 from information acquired from the outside and acquires it internally. For example, an example of information acquired from the outside is terminal information 51 acquired from a mobile terminal 17 carried by a pedestrian, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] When the second acquisition means 5 acquires the terminal information 51, it generates and acquires the second information 21 from the terminal information 51 in the same manner as the first acquisition means 3. First, if the position indicated by the position information 51b of the terminal information 51 having the same identification information 51a moves over the time indicated by the time information 51c, this means that the mobile terminal 17 is moving. In this case, if the movement trajectory indicated by the position information 51b overlaps with the position of the intersection indicated by the intersection information 43, this means that the mobile terminal 17 passed through the intersection at the time when the positions overlap. In this case, the second acquisition means 5 acquires, as walking direction information 45 of the pedestrian at the intersection, the direction in which the position indicated by the position information 51b is moving at the time when the positions overlap. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 acquires, as average speed information 47, the average speed at the intersection of the mobile terminal 17 that passed through the intersection indicated by the intersection information 43 in the direction indicated by the walking direction information 45 during a predetermined time period or day of the week indicated by the date and time information 41. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 acquires, as traffic volume information 49, the number of mobile terminals 17 that passed through the intersection indicated by the intersection information 43 in the direction indicated by the walking direction information 45 during a predetermined time period or day of the week.

[0025] In order to acquire the first information 19 and the second information 21 from the terminal information 51, it is necessary to distinguish whether the mobile terminal 17, which is the source of the terminal information 51, is carried by a pedestrian or a vehicle driver. That is, it is necessary to distinguish whether the terminal information 51 is vehicle information or pedestrian information. If the terminal information 51 is vehicle information, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19 from the terminal information 51. If the terminal information is pedestrian information, the second acquisition means 5 acquires the second information 21 from the terminal information 51. A means for distinguishing between the first information 19 and the second information 21 is based on the amount of movement per unit time of the mobile terminal 17, i.e., the movement speed of the mobile terminal 17. Specifically, because the average movement speed differs between pedestrians and vehicles, it is only necessary to distinguish whether the terminal information 51 is vehicle information or pedestrian information based on the average movement speed. Note that even if a pedestrian carrying the mobile terminal 17 is riding a train or the like, the average movement speed of the mobile terminal 17 differs from the average movement speed of the pedestrian, so in this case, neither the first information 19 nor the second information 21 is acquired from the terminal information 51. Furthermore, when the first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19 from the tachograph 15, it is not necessary to acquire the first information 19 from the terminal information 51. In this case, the second acquisition means 5 only needs to acquire the second information 21 from the terminal information 51 when the terminal information 51 is information about a pedestrian.

[0026] The storage means 7 is a means for storing first information 19, second information 21, and road map information 23. The road map information 23 is information indicating the positions of multiple intersections, the positions of traffic lights 27 at the intersections, the number of lanes at the intersections, and the distances between the traffic lights 27 at the multiple intersections. Specifically, the road map information 23 is map information indicating roads and traffic lights 27. More specifically, the road map information 23 includes intersection information 59, traffic light position information 61, lane information 63, and traffic light distance information 65, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The intersection information 59 is information indicating the positions of multiple intersections. The traffic light position information 61 is information indicating the positions of traffic lights 27 at multiple intersections. The lane information 63 is information indicating the number of lanes at each intersection indicated by the intersection information 59. The traffic light distance information 65 is information indicating the distances between the multiple traffic lights 27 indicated by the traffic light position information 61. The road map information 23 is used when, for example, acquiring the first information 19 and the second information 21 from the terminal information 51. For example, if the movement trajectory indicated by the position information 51b of the terminal information 51 overlaps with the position of a specific intersection indicated by the road map information 23, it means that the mobile terminal 17 passed through the specific intersection at the time the positions overlap. In this way, the first acquisition means 3 and the second acquisition means 5 can acquire the first information 19 or the second information 21 at the specific intersection based on the terminal information 51 (or the in-vehicle device information 53) and the road map information 23. In addition, in FIG. 1, the storage means 7 also stores late-night vehicle speed information 25.

[0027] The identification means 9 is a means for identifying a congested intersection where congestion occurred during a predetermined time period or day of the week, and receives input of the first information 19, the second information 21, the road map information 23, and the late-night vehicle speed information 25 stored in the storage means 7. Specifically, the identification means 9 identifies a congested intersection where congestion occurred during a predetermined time period or day of the week from the first information 19 stored in the storage means 7. For example, the identification means 9 refers to the first information 19 and determines that congestion has occurred at an intersection indicated by the intersection information 33 if the average vehicle speed indicated by the average vehicle speed information 37 is slower than a predetermined normal speed during a predetermined time period or day of the week indicated by the date and time information 31. The normal speed is the average vehicle speed when no congestion occurs. Specifically, for example, the legal speed at the intersection may be used, but the late-night vehicle speed indicated by the late-night vehicle speed information 25 is preferable. Since late-night time periods are the time periods of the day when congestion is least likely to occur, the late-night vehicle speed, which is the average vehicle speed during late-night time periods, can be considered to be the average vehicle speed when vehicles are actually flowing without congestion. Therefore, by determining that a traffic jam has occurred at an intersection when the average vehicle speed during a specific time period or day of the week is slower than the late-night vehicle speed, it is possible to determine whether a traffic jam has occurred based on the speed at which vehicles are actually flowing without traffic jams. This makes it easier for the identification means 9 to improve the accuracy of determining whether a traffic jam has occurred. Note that if the average vehicle speed differs depending on the direction through the intersection, it is sufficient to determine that a traffic jam has occurred when, for example, the average vehicle speed in at least one direction is slower than the normal vehicle speed.

[0028] The calculation means 11 is a means for calculating the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27, and receives as input information indicating the congested intersection identified by the identification means 9, as well as the first information 19, the second information 21, the road map information 23, and the late-night vehicle speed information 25 stored in the storage means 7. Specifically, the calculation means 11 performs a simulation to determine the signal switching timing at the congested intersection at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light will be reduced compared to before the switching, based on the first information 19, the second information 21, the road map information 23, and the late-night vehicle speed information 25. The specific simulation procedure can be exemplified as follows: First, a congested intersection is placed in a virtual space called a digital twin. Next, at the congested intersection in the virtual space, the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 is changed to various timings different from reality, and the signal switching timing at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light will be reduced compared to before the switching. The target value for the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light in this case can be, for example, a target value based on late-night vehicle speed. Specifically, the target value can be the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light when vehicles are traveling at late-night vehicle speed. In other words, it is ideal for the average vehicle speed to be as close as possible to the late-night vehicle speed. In this case, the calculation means 11 regards the late-night vehicle speed acquired by the first acquisition means 3 at a congested intersection as the normal speed when no congestion occurs, and regards the number of vehicles waiting at a traffic light as being the smallest when the speed of vehicles at the congested intersection is the late-night vehicle speed. In addition, the target value for the number of pedestrians waiting at a traffic light is, for example, a number that satisfies the condition that the average vehicle speed is as close as possible to the late-night vehicle speed, and also shortens the waiting time of pedestrians waiting at a traffic light compared to the current situation.

[0029] Note that "the average vehicle speed approaches the late-night vehicle speed as much as possible" ideally means that the average vehicle speed is the late-night vehicle speed, but in reality, it is difficult to achieve the late-night vehicle speed at intersections with heavy traffic. Therefore, it is preferable to define the average vehicle speed as "as close as possible to the late-night vehicle speed" when it is within a predetermined speed range of the late-night vehicle speed, that is, when it has reached the target value in the simulation. Furthermore, the greater the traffic volume, the slower the average vehicle speed becomes compared to the late-night vehicle speed. Therefore, the predetermined range of speeds may be set wider as the traffic volume increases.

[0030] Furthermore, when calculating the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at a traffic light, priority may be given to reducing the number of vehicles. For example, first, multiple switching timings at which the number of vehicles waiting at a traffic light reaches a target value may be calculated, and the switching timing at which the number of pedestrians waiting at a traffic light is minimized may be adopted.

[0031] The procedure for calculating the signal switching timing of a specific traffic light 27 can be exemplified as follows. First, a calculation formula showing the relationship between the signal switching timing and the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light is calculated in advance based on known queuing theory. Specifically, based on queuing theory, the calculation formula can be calculated based on the past first information 19, second information 21, and road map information 23 stored in the storage means 7. Next, the calculation formula is used to calculate the signal switching timing at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light meets the target. Note that, after calculating the signal switching timing, the calculation means 11 stores information indicating the calculated signal switching timing in the storage means 7 as necessary. The calculation formula here is a function that uses, for example, the first information 19, the second information 21, the road map information 23, and information indicating a congested intersection as variables. The function here also includes an algorithm that, when variables are input, returns the signal switching timing at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light will be lower than before the switching.

[0032] A specific example of the algorithm will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an algorithm for determining the signal switching timing at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at a traffic light will be reduced compared to before the switching. Note that a flowchart is shown here for the purpose of explaining the algorithm, and this flowchart corresponds to S10 in the flowchart of FIG. 6. First, the calculation means 11 sets two switching conditions at a congested intersection in a virtual space: one switching condition that causes the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 to be earlier than in reality, and another switching condition that causes the signal switching timing to be later than in reality (S21 in FIG. 5). Next, the calculation means 11 switches the traffic light 27 in the virtual space using the two set switching conditions. Furthermore, the calculation means 11 performs a simulation of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at a congested intersection in the virtual space under the two set switching conditions based on the first information 19, the second information 21, and the road map information 23. In this simulation, the calculation means 11 determines, for example, the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at a traffic light at a congested intersection after a predetermined time (S22 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, the calculation means 11 determines whether the number of vehicles waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection has decreased compared to before the switching, and if it has decreased, proceeds to S24, and if it has not decreased, returns to S21 (S23 in FIG. 5). If the calculation means 11 proceeds to S24, it selects one switching condition that will reduce the number of vehicles waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection (S24 in FIG. 5). Note that it is sufficient to simulate at least two switching conditions, so three or more may also be simulated.

[0033] Next, the calculation means 11 sets two new switching conditions for the selected one switching condition: one that advances the timing of the traffic light switch, and the other that delays it (S25 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, the calculation means 11 performs a simulation of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians at a congested intersection in the virtual space under the two new switching conditions set based on the first information 19, the second information 21, and the road map information 23. In this simulation, the calculation means 11 determines the number of vehicles and the number of pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection after, for example, a predetermined time (S26 in FIG. 5). Furthermore, the calculation means 11 determines whether the number of vehicles waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection has decreased compared to before the switch. If the number of vehicles has decreased, the process returns to S24; if the number has not decreased, the process proceeds to S28 (S27 in FIG. 5).

[0034] If, in S27, the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light at the congested intersection has not decreased compared to before the switch, this means that the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light at the congested intersection remains the same or has increased under any of the new switching conditions. In this case, the calculation means 11 cannot find a switching condition that will further reduce the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light at the congested intersection. Therefore, the calculation means 11 selects, from the switching timings selected in the simulations so far, a switching timing at which the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light at the congested intersection reaches a target value. If no switching timing reaches the target value, the calculation means 11 selects multiple switching timings in descending order of their proximity to the target value. Furthermore, the calculation means 11 adopts, from the selected switching timings, the switching timing at which the number of pedestrians waiting at the traffic light is the smallest (S28 in Figure 5). When S28 is executed, the algorithm ends.

[0035] In this way, the calculation means 11 may set two new switching conditions, one that advances the signal switching timing relative to the selected switching condition, and the other that delays it, and repeat the simulation. Note that if the signal switching timing was advanced in the previous simulation and the signal switching timing is delayed in the current simulation, it is necessary to ensure that the timing after switching is not later than the previous switching timing. Similarly, if the signal switching timing was delayed in the previous simulation and the signal switching timing is advanced in the current simulation, it is necessary to ensure that the timing after switching is not earlier than the previous switching timing.

[0036] In addition, when there are multiple intersections where congestion occurs, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switch timing in order of the intersections where congestion occurs, starting with the intersection with the largest number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light, for example, the intersection with the slowest average vehicle speed. Furthermore, changing the signal switch timing of an intersection where congestion occurs may cause congestion at adjacent intersections. In this case, the signal switch timing of adjacent intersections is changed sequentially until an intersection where congestion does not occur is reached. Furthermore, when there are multiple time periods or days of the week when congestion occurs at a certain intersection, it is preferable to calculate the signal switch timing for the time period or day of the week with the largest number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light first. Furthermore, the calculation system 1 may calculate the signal switch timing constantly, or may calculate the signal switch timing at a predetermined time.

[0037] In this way, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 at an intersection where congestion has occurred, based on the first information 19 indicating the flow of vehicles and the second information 21 indicating the flow of people. Therefore, the calculation system 1 can calculate the signal switching timing taking into account not only the flow of vehicles but also the flow of people at the intersection. Therefore, the calculation system 1 can reduce the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at an intersection more than before. Furthermore, because the calculation system 1 can obtain the first information 19 and the second information 21 without actually going to the intersection, it can perform a simulation tailored to the situation of the intersection where the traffic light 27 is installed.

[0038] Furthermore, when calculating the signal switching timing, the calculation means 11 regards the late-night vehicle speed as the normal speed when no traffic jam occurs, and regards the number of vehicles waiting at the traffic light as being the smallest when the vehicle speed at the congested intersection is the normal speed. In this way, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing so that the speed of vehicles passing through the intersection where congestion has occurred approaches the late-night vehicle speed. Therefore, the calculation system 1 can calculate the signal switching timing based on the speed when vehicles are actually flowing without congestion, and can set the signal switching timing to be more in line with the actual traffic conditions.

[0039] The communication means 13 is a means for externally transmitting information indicating the signal switching timing calculated by the calculation means 11, and is provided as necessary. The communication means 13 is capable of communicating with, for example, a traffic light 27 installed at the intersection where the switching timing is calculated, and transmits information indicating the switching timing to the traffic light 27 to update the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27.

[0040] The calculation system 1 may be realized by storing programs that realize the functions of the first acquisition means 3, the second acquisition means 5, the identification means 9, and the calculation means 11 in a storage unit of a general-purpose computer as storage means 7, and executing each program by a central processing unit of the general-purpose computer. Alternatively, the calculation system 1 may be realized by a dedicated machine equipped with circuits or devices that realize the functions of the first acquisition means 3, the second acquisition means 5, storage means 7, the identification means 9, and the calculation means 11. This completes the description of the configuration of the calculation system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0041] Next, a method for calculating the signal switching timing using the calculation system 1 will be described. First, an overview of the calculation method for the switching timing will be described. First, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19, and the second acquisition means 5 acquires the second information 21. Furthermore, the first acquisition means 3 and the second acquisition means 5 store the first information 19 and the second information 21 in the storage means 7. Next, the identification means 9 identifies a congested intersection where congestion occurs during a specified time period or day of the week from the first information 19 stored in the storage means 7 (identification step). Finally, the calculation means 11 uses the first information 19, the second information 21, and the road map information 23 to simulate the signal switching timing at the congested intersection where the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light will be lower than before the switching (calculation step). This concludes the overview of the calculation method for the switching timing.

[0042] Next, a method for calculating signal switching timing using the calculation system 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for calculating signal switching timing using the signal switching timing calculation system 1 according to this embodiment. First, the second acquisition means 5, and, if necessary, the first acquisition means 3, acquire terminal information 51 from the mobile terminal 17 (S1 in FIG. 6). Next, the second acquisition means 5, and, if necessary, the first acquisition means 3, identify whether the terminal information 51 is vehicle information or pedestrian information (S2 in FIG. 6). Next, the second acquisition means 5, and, if necessary, the first acquisition means 3, calculate the direction in which the mobile terminal 17 is moving from the terminal information 51 (S3 in FIG. 6). Next, if the terminal information 51 is pedestrian information, the second acquisition means 5 acquires second information 21 from the terminal information 51 and stores it in the storage means 7 (S4 in FIG. 6). At this time, if the terminal information 51 is vehicle information, the first acquisition means 3 acquires first information 19 from the terminal information 51 and stores it in the storage means 7 (S4 in FIG. 6).

[0043] Meanwhile, in parallel with S1 to S4, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the in-vehicle device information 53 from the tachograph 15 and acquires the late-night vehicle speed from the in-vehicle device information 53 (S5 in FIG. 6). Furthermore, as necessary, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19 from the in-vehicle device information 53 and stores it in the storage means 7 (S6 in FIG. 6). Next, the identification means 9 refers to the road map information 23 and the first information 19 to determine whether there is an intersection where the average vehicle speed is slower than the late-night vehicle speed during a predetermined time period or day of the week. If there is, the process proceeds to S8, and if there is not, the process returns (S7 in FIG. 6). If it is determined in S7 that there is an intersection where the average vehicle speed is slower than the late-night vehicle speed, the identification means 9 identifies the intersection where the average vehicle speed is slower than the late-night vehicle speed as a congested intersection where congestion has occurred (S8 in FIG. 6, identification step). At this time, the identification means 9 transmits information identifying the congested intersection, such as the location of the congested intersection and information about the time period or day of the week when the congestion occurred, to the calculation means 11. Next, the calculation means 11 acquires road map information 23 in parallel with S1 to S4 and S5 to S8 (S9 in FIG. 6). Furthermore, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing at the congested intersection based on the information indicating the congested intersection, the first information 19, the second information 21, the road map information 23, and the late-night vehicle speed information 25. Specifically, the calculation means 11 determines the signal switching timing at the congested intersection at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting for the traffic light will be smaller than before the switching (S10 in FIG. 6, calculation step). More specifically, the calculation means 11 executes the algorithm described in S21 to S28 in FIG. 5, for example. Finally, the calculation means 11 transmits information indicating the switching timing calculated in S10 to the traffic light 27 via the communication means 13 as necessary, thereby updating the switching timing (S11 in FIG. 6). This concludes the specific description of the method for calculating the signal switching timing.

[0044] As described above, in the signal switching timing calculation system 1 and calculation method of this embodiment, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing by simulation based on the first information 19, the second information 21, and the road map information 23. Specifically, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing at a congested intersection at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting for the traffic light will be reduced compared to before the switching. In this configuration, the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 at the intersection where congestion has occurred is calculated based on the flow of vehicles and pedestrians. Therefore, the calculation system 1 can reduce the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting for the traffic light at the intersection compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, the signal switching timing calculation system 1 and calculation method of this embodiment can obtain the first information 19 and the second information 21 without actually going to the intersection, so it is possible to perform a simulation tailored to the situation of the intersection where the traffic light 27 is installed.

[0045] Furthermore, in the signal switching timing calculation system 1 of this embodiment, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the vehicle speed from the tachograph 15. In this configuration, the vehicle speed recorded in the on-board tachograph 15 is regarded as the vehicle speed. Because the tachograph 15 is mounted on the vehicle and not carried by a pedestrian, it can be determined that the on-board device information 53 transmitted from the tachograph 15 is vehicle information. Furthermore, the tachograph 15 operates as long as the vehicle's power is on and is often mounted on commercial vehicles. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is acquired from the tachograph 15, unlike when the vehicle speed is acquired from a mobile terminal 17 carried by a driver of a general passenger vehicle, the vehicle speed can be acquired at all times regardless of the day of the week or time of day, and the traffic flow can be constantly calculated. Furthermore, in this configuration, unlike when the vehicle speed is calculated based on the relationship between the location information 51b and time information 51c of the mobile terminal 17 carried by the driver of a general passenger vehicle, the value acquired by the vehicle speed sensor can be directly acquired. Therefore, the acquired speed becomes closer to the actual vehicle speed, improving the accuracy of determining whether a traffic jam has occurred at an intersection. Furthermore, in this configuration, since the vehicle equipped with the driving recorder 15 records its speed history, it is less likely that the vehicle will travel at a speed significantly exceeding the legal speed limit. Therefore, when determining whether a traffic jam has occurred, it is possible to exclude speeding vehicles that speed regardless of the road congestion, improving the accuracy of determining whether a traffic jam has occurred at an intersection.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the calculation means 11 regards the late-night vehicle speed, which is the average speed of vehicles at a congested intersection acquired by the first acquisition means 3 during late-night hours, as the normal speed, which is the speed when no congestion occurs. Furthermore, the calculation means 11 regards the number of vehicles waiting at a traffic light at a congested intersection as being the smallest when the speed of vehicles at the congested intersection is the normal speed, here the late-night vehicle speed. In this configuration, the calculation means 11 calculates the signal switching timing so that the speed of vehicles passing through an intersection where congestion has occurred approaches the late-night vehicle speed. Therefore, the signal switching timing can be calculated based on the speed when vehicles are actually flowing without congestion, and the signal switching timing can be set to a timing that more closely matches the actual traffic conditions.

[0047] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and other techniques may be appropriately combined to the extent possible. Furthermore, publicly known or well-known techniques may be combined to the extent possible.

[0048] For example, in this embodiment, the calculation system 1 is illustrated as including the calculation means 11 that uses simulation to determine the signal switching timing of the traffic light 27 at which the number of vehicles and pedestrians waiting at the traffic light at a congested intersection will be smaller than before the switching. On the other hand, this embodiment can also be used as a congested intersection identification system in which the identification means 9 identifies an intersection where congestion is occurring from the first information 19 acquired by the first acquisition means 3. Specifically, the first acquisition means 3 acquires the first information 19 and late-night vehicle speed information 25 from the operation recorder 15, and the identification means 9 identifies, as a congested intersection, an intersection where the average vehicle speed is slower than the late-night vehicle speed, from among the intersections indicated by the first information 19. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1: Calculation system 3: First acquisition method 5:Second acquisition method 7: Storage means 9:Specifying means 11: Calculation method 15: Operation recorder 19:1st information 21:Second information 23: Road map information 25: Late night vehicle speed information 27: Traffic lights

Claims

1. a first acquisition means for acquiring first information, which is information on the flow of traffic indicating the direction and speed of vehicles passing through a plurality of predetermined intersections where traffic lights are installed during a predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the vehicles passing through the intersections; a second acquisition means for acquiring second information, which is information on pedestrian flow indicating the walking direction and speed of pedestrians passing through the plurality of intersections during the predetermined time period or on the predetermined day of the week, and the traffic volume of the pedestrians passing through the intersections; a storage means for storing the first information, the second information, and road map information indicating the positions of the intersections, the positions of the traffic lights at the intersections, the number of lanes at the intersections, and the distances between the traffic lights at the intersections; an identification means for identifying a congested intersection where congestion has occurred during the predetermined time period or day of the week from the first information stored in the storage means; a calculation means for calculating, by simulation, the timing of switching the traffic light at the traffic light at which the number of vehicles and the number of pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection will be smaller than before the switching, based on the first information, the second information, and the road map information stored in the storage means; and A signal switching timing calculation system comprising:

2. The first acquisition means The speed of the vehicle is acquired from a tachograph mounted on the vehicle and recording the speed of the vehicle.

2. The signal switching timing calculation system according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The calculation means The average speed of the vehicle acquired by the first acquisition means during the late-night hours at the congested intersection is regarded as a normal speed, which is a speed when no congestion occurs, When the speed of the vehicle at the congested intersection is the normal speed, it is considered that the number of the vehicles waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection is the smallest.

3. The signal switching timing calculation system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a first acquisition means for acquiring first information that is information on traffic flow indicating the direction and speed of vehicles passing through a plurality of predetermined intersections where traffic lights are installed during a predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the volume of the vehicles passing through the intersections; a second acquisition means for acquiring second information that is information on people flow indicating the direction and speed of pedestrians passing through the plurality of intersections during the predetermined time period or on a predetermined day of the week, and the volume of the pedestrians passing through the intersections; and a storage means for storing the first information, the second information, and road map information indicating the positions of the plurality of intersections, the positions of the traffic lights at the intersections, the number of lanes at the plurality of intersections, and the distances between the traffic lights at the plurality of intersections, a step of identifying a congested intersection where congestion has occurred during the predetermined time period or day of the week from the first information stored in the storage means; a calculation step of determining, by simulation, the timing of switching the traffic light at the traffic light at which the number of vehicles and the number of pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at the congested intersection will be smaller than before the switching, based on the first information, the second information, and the road map information stored in the storage means; Contains A signal switching timing calculation method comprising:

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