In-vehicle device and signal control system

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle device and a signal control system capable of correcting a position of a vehicle without using a vehicle speed pulse.SOLUTION: An in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment is a vehicle device mounted in a vehicle in which a running route is set in advance, the in-vehicle device including an acquisition unit configured to acquire position information for specifying a current position based on a signal from a satellite positioning system, a storage unit configured to store route information representing the running route, a calculation unit configured to calculate a deviation distance of the current position from the running route based on the position information and the route information, and a display unit configured to display the deviation distance calculated by the calculation unit. The present invention is equipped with a judgment unit that judges whether or not the present position is deviating from the operating route, and a correction unit that corrects the present position to a position on the operating route if the judgment unit judges that the present position is deviating.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an on-board device and a signal control system that are mounted on a vehicle whose travel route is set in advance. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a hybrid navigation method that combines autonomous navigation, which uses autonomous sensors that do not receive external information support, such as acceleration sensors and angular velocity sensors that are provided on the device body to measure navigation parameters such as the vehicle's acceleration and angular velocity, with GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation, which uses a GPS device that receives positioning data transmitted from multiple artificial satellites. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-333333 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The hybrid navigation method described above involves obtaining vehicle speed pulses from the vehicle for position correction, but this requires wiring, which increases the number of steps required and raises concerns about the impact that wiring may have on the vehicle.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an on-board device and a signal control system that can correct the position of a vehicle without using a vehicle speed pulse. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle whose travel route is set in advance. The in-vehicle device includes an acquisition unit, a storage unit, a calculation unit, a determination unit, and a correction unit. The acquisition unit acquires location information that identifies a current location based on a signal from a satellite positioning system. The storage unit stores route information representing the travel route. The calculation unit calculates a deviation distance of the current position from the travel route based on the position information and the route information. The determination unit determines whether the current position deviates from the travel route based on the deviation distance calculated by the calculation unit. The correction unit corrects the current position to a position on the travel route when the determination unit determines that the current position has deviated.

[0007] the route information includes a route line that represents the travel route with a series of lines; The determination unit may determine whether or not a deviation state occurs in which a distance from the current position to the route line is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0008] The determination unit may determine that a deviation has occurred when the deviation state lasts for less than a predetermined time.

[0009] The route line may be made up of a plurality of straight lines connecting a plurality of representative points along the travel route.

[0010] The calculation unit may calculate the deviation distance based on a distance between the current position and a representative line connecting a first representative point among the plurality of representative points that is closest to the current position and a second representative point that is next closest to the first representative point.

[0011] The correction unit may correct the current position to a position of an intersection between the current position and the representative line.

[0012] The positions of the plurality of representative points may be determined based on at least the positions of intersections and curves.

[0013] The vehicle may further include an output unit that outputs the corrected position information of the vehicle corrected by the correction unit to a traffic control center by wireless communication.

[0014] The vehicle may be a route bus.

[0015] the route information includes a route line formed of a plurality of straight lines connecting a plurality of representative points along the travel route, The positions of the plurality of representative points may be determined based on at least the positions of bus stops.

[0016] The acquisition unit may further acquire destination information regarding the travel route from a destination display device that displays the destination of the vehicle.

[0017] A signal control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an on-board device and a control device. The vehicle-mounted device is a vehicle device mounted on a vehicle whose travel route is set in advance, and includes an acquisition unit, a storage unit, a calculation unit, a determination unit, a correction unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires location information that identifies a current location based on a signal from a satellite positioning system. The storage unit stores route information representing the travel route. The calculation unit calculates a deviation distance of the current position from the travel route based on the position information and the route information. The determination unit determines whether the current position deviates from the travel route based on the deviation distance calculated by the calculation unit. The correction unit corrects the current position to a position on the travel route when the determination unit determines that the current position has deviated. The output unit outputs the corrected position information of the vehicle corrected by the correction unit to the outside via wireless communication. The control device includes a signal acquisition unit and a signal control unit. The signal acquisition section acquires the corrected position information output by the output section. The signal control unit controls the lighting color duration of the signal lamp unit based on the corrected position information acquired by the signal acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an on-board device and a signal control system that can correct the position of a vehicle without using a vehicle speed pulse. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a signal control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram of a traffic control center according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a deviation in positioning by GNSS. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams schematically illustrating processing details in the in-vehicle device, where FIG. 1A illustrates first processing details performed by the in-vehicle device, and FIG. 1B illustrates second processing details performed by the in-vehicle device. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the in-vehicle device. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the traffic control center. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a signal control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a signal control system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a signal control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] (Signal Control System) The signal control system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 10 and a traffic control system 200. In this embodiment, a situation in which a bus B travels on a road R will be described as an example, but of course, the present invention is not limited to this. Furthermore, the bus B may be an autonomous vehicle or may not be an autonomous vehicle. Here, the bus B is typically a public vehicle such as a bus whose route includes the road R, and includes a regularly scheduled bus or a specially scheduled bus that travels based on a schedule. Furthermore, the bus B is not limited to these route buses, but may also be a shuttle bus that travels between various private or public facilities and terminals such as stations based on a predetermined schedule.

[0023] [In-vehicle device] An in-vehicle device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle (routed bus) B, which has a preset route and travels along the route. The vehicle B also has a destination display device H that displays the next bus stop, and the destination display device H stores route data for each route number.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a calculation unit 12, a determination unit 13, a correction unit 14, an output unit 15, and a storage unit 16.

[0025] The acquisition unit 11 acquires the current position P based on a signal from a satellite positioning system. g The acquiring unit 11 acquires location information that identifies the location of the object. The acquiring unit 11 includes a receiving unit that receives signals from navigation satellites of a satellite positioning system. The acquiring unit 11 may use the signals received by the receiving unit as location information as they are, or may process the signals received by the receiving unit to generate location information itself.

[0026] Location information: current location P gis specified as a point defined by latitude and longitude in a geographic coordinate system with two axes of latitude and longitude. The acquisition unit 11 receives signals from navigation satellites at short intervals using a receiving unit, thereby sequentially acquiring position information that specifies the current position.

[0027] The satellite positioning system used by the acquisition unit 11 is typically a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). However, the acquisition unit 11 can also use, for example, a Quasi-Zenith Satellite System as a satellite positioning system other than the GNSS.

[0028] The calculation unit 12 calculates the current position P based on the above-mentioned position information and route information. g The deviation distance d from the travel route of vehicle B is calculated. Here, the route information is information that represents the travel route of vehicle B, and includes a route line L that represents the travel route as a series of lines by connecting points defined by the latitude and longitude of points along the travel route in a geographic coordinate system with latitude and longitude as the two axes. The method for calculating the deviation distance d will be described later.

[0029] The determination unit 13 determines the current position P based on the deviation distance d calculated by the calculation unit 12. g Specifically, the current position P g The method for determining whether the vehicle is deviating from the route by more than a predetermined threshold value will be described later.

[0030] When the determination unit 13 determines that the deviation has occurred, the correction unit 14 corrects the current position P g Position on the route L (corrected position P h The correction unit 14 corrects the current position P based on the calculation method of the deviation distance d. g The position on the route (corrected position P hThe correction method will also be described later. The calculations related to the position information of vehicle B obtained by the calculation unit 12, the determination unit 13, and the correction unit 14 are performed at intervals of, for example, 100 ms.

[0031] The output unit 15 outputs to the outside the corrected position information of vehicle B corrected by the correction unit 14. The timing of output is not particularly limited, but for example, the information is transmitted in a batch once every two seconds (that is, if the position information of vehicle B is calculated at intervals of 100 ms, 20 pieces of position information of vehicle B are transmitted in a batch).

[0032] The output unit 15 outputs the corrected position information to the signal control device 20 or the traffic control center 30 by wireless communication via a mobile communication network, for example. Of course, this is not limiting, and the corrected position information may be output to the signal control device 20 or the traffic control center 30 via a remote management system. In this embodiment, the case where the output unit 15 outputs the corrected position information to the signal control device 20 will be described.

[0033] The storage unit 16 stores route information that represents the vehicle's travel route. The route information stored in the storage unit 16 includes a route line L that represents the travel route as a series of lines connecting points defined by the latitude and longitude of points along the travel route in a geographic coordinate system with latitude and longitude as two axes, as described above. The storage unit 16 is also composed of a non-volatile semiconductor memory or the like that stores programs for various processes executed by the calculation unit 12, the determination unit 13, and the correction unit 14.

[0034] (Calculation method of the calculation part) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the deviation in positioning by GNSS, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the processing contents in the vehicle-mounted device 10, where (A) is a diagram showing the first processing contents by the vehicle-mounted device 10, and (B) is a diagram showing the second processing contents by the vehicle-mounted device 10.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, roads R include a first road R1 extending in the north-south direction and a second road R2 extending in the east-west direction, perpendicular to the first road R1. In addition, in the above-mentioned positioning using GNSS, for example, on roads lined with high-rise buildings or under elevated expressways, there may be a large deviation between the actual position and the position determined by the positioning due to the influence of multipath. In this embodiment, even if such a deviation occurs, the current position P can be corrected. g Correct the following.

[0036] That is, as shown in Fig. 4, the travel route U indicates the route traveled by vehicle B as described above, and the false travel route U' indicates a travel position where an error has increased due to multipath or the like. As shown in Fig. 4, in this embodiment, a process is performed to correct the false travel route U' to the travel route U. Hereafter, vehicle B travels on the actual travel route, and the travel route and the travel route match.

[0037] An example of the route line L is shown in Figure 5. The route line L shown in Figure 2 has negative representative points P n It is made up of a plurality of straight lines connecting (n=0 to N). In other words, the route line L shown in Fig. 5 is a line obtained by approximating the travel route with a plurality of straight line segments.

[0038] By approximating the travel route as a line segment as described above, the route line L of the route information can significantly reduce the data size compared to a curved line that accurately represents the travel route. This eliminates the need for a large-capacity storage unit 16 in the in-vehicle device 10, which is advantageous for making the device compact, lightweight, and inexpensive for in-vehicle use.

[0039] Multiple representative points P n The representative points P do not necessarily have to be located at positions that coincide with the travel route, but are set so that the travel route can be well represented by the route line L. n The position of the vehicle is preferably determined based on at least the positions of intersections and curves on the travel route where the direction of travel of the vehicle changes significantly.

[0040] In the route information, the representative point P on the route line L n The number N of the representative points P can be determined arbitrarily based on the shape of the route and the capacity of the storage unit 16. n It is not necessary that the representative points P are connected by straight lines. n Alternatively, the curve may be an approximate curve obtained by extrapolating the above.

[0041] As described above, the calculation method of the deviation distance d (see FIG. 5) by the calculation unit 12 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the calculation unit 12 calculates the current position P g It is calculated in which section on each route line L the is located (first process).

[0042] In the first process, the calculation unit 12 calculates a plurality of representative points P n Current position P g In this embodiment, the first representative point closest to the current position P g The first representative point closest to the current position P is the representative point P2. g and the coordinate position of the representative point P n The distance is calculated from the coordinate position of the first representative point, and the representative point with the shortest distance is set as the first representative point.

[0043] Next, in the first process, the calculation unit 12 calculates the current position P g In this embodiment, the second representative point closest to the current position P is calculated. g The second representative point closest to the current position P is the representative point P1. g and the coordinate position of the representative point P n The distance is calculated from the coordinate position of the current position P, and the representative point with the next shortest distance after the first representative point P2 is set as the second representative point. g The representative point P closest to n If there are two points, the representative point P n (In this embodiment, the representative point P2) may be set as the first representative point, and the other may be set as the second representative point, or the representative point Pn (In this embodiment, the representative point P2) may be set as the second representative point, and the other may be set as the first representative point.

[0044] As a result, in the first process, the current position P g is the representative line L, which is the line segment (section) connecting the representative point P2 and the representative point P1. d Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of representative lines connecting a plurality of representative points may be calculated in advance and stored in the storage unit 16. This reduces the calculation load on the in-vehicle device 10.

[0045] Next, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the calculation unit 12 calculates the current position P g and the representative line L d The deviation distance d from the current position P is calculated (second process). g and the current position P g From the representative line L d It is defined as the distance between the foot of a perpendicular line dropped onto

[0046] Specifically, the current position P g and the representative line L d Intersection position P h Calculate the current position P g The calculated intersection position (corrected position) P h The difference dgh(dx, dy) is converted from latitude and longitude to distance L. Here, Lx = dx × 110940.5, Ly = dy × 91287.7, and the deviation distance d = (Lx 2 +Ly 2 ) 1 / 2 The difference dgh(dx, dy) is calculated as follows: g and the intersection position P h It shows the difference between the X coordinates and the Y coordinates.

[0047] (Determination process) As described above, the determination unit 13 determines the current position P based on the deviation distance d calculated by the calculation unit 12. g It is determined whether the vehicle is deviating from the route.

[0048] The determination unit 13 sets a predetermined threshold value (first threshold value) for the deviation distance d, and determines whether or not the vehicle B is in a deviation state where it has deviated from the travel route based on the predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value for the deviation distance d is stored in the memory unit 16.

[0049] That is, the determination unit 13 determines that the vehicle is not in a deviation state when the deviation distance d is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the vehicle is in a deviation state when the deviation distance d is greater than the predetermined threshold.

[0050] In the on-vehicle device 10, the predetermined threshold value of the deviation distance d can be determined, taking into consideration the width of the roads on the travel route and the positioning accuracy of the satellite positioning system, so that the determination unit 13 can accurately determine the deviation state of the vehicle B. Specifically, in the on-vehicle device 10, the predetermined threshold value of the deviation distance d can be set to, for example, 10 meters.

[0051] Furthermore, the determination unit 13 does not have to immediately determine that an abnormality has occurred just because it has determined that a deviation state has occurred. For example, the determination unit 13 can determine that a deviation has occurred when the deviation state has been calculated for less than a predetermined time. The predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 16. This allows the in-vehicle device 10 to suppress the influence of errors in the current position caused by noise in the signal received by the acquisition unit 11, etc.

[0052] The on-vehicle device 10 can determine the predetermined time period, taking into consideration the width of roads on the travel route and the positioning accuracy of the satellite positioning system, so that the determination unit 13 can accurately determine whether the vehicle B is in a deviation state. Specifically, the on-vehicle device 10 can set the predetermined time period to, for example, 10 seconds. That is, if the deviation state lasts for less than 10 seconds, it can be considered that a temporary deviation has occurred in the position information, and therefore, if the deviation lasts for less than the predetermined time period, it may be determined that the vehicle B is in a deviation state.

[0053] (Flowchart for in-vehicle device) 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the vehicle-mounted device 10. In FIG. 6, a situation in which a bus B is traveling on a road R will be described as an example.

[0054] First, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the current position P based on a signal from a satellite positioning system. g The location information for identifying the location is acquired (S101).

[0055] Next, the calculation unit 12 calculates the deviation distance d (S102). The deviation distance d is calculated as described above.

[0056] Next, the determination unit 13 determines whether the deviation distance d is greater than a predetermined threshold value (S103).

[0057] Next, if the deviation distance d is greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in S103), the determination unit 13 determines whether the current position P g The representative line L d Upper position (correction position P h ) (S104). That is, the correction unit 14 corrects the current position P g Correction position P h and the corrected position P h The output unit 15 outputs the corrected position information including the above to the outside.

[0058] This allows the position of the vehicle B to be corrected without using the vehicle speed pulse. In other words, the current position P g and the representative line L d The intersection of the current position P g Therefore, the position of vehicle B can be corrected to a position on the travel route without using the vehicle speed pulse. Therefore, the labor required for wiring to acquire the vehicle speed pulse is not required, and the position of vehicle B can be easily corrected. In addition, the impact of wiring on the vehicles is reduced.

[0059] Furthermore, by correcting the position of vehicle B to a position on the operating route, it is possible to prevent the traffic control center 30, which monitors the position information of vehicle B in real time (or at a later date), from determining that vehicle B has deviated from the operating route even though it is not deviating from the operating route.

[0060] Furthermore, another step may be provided between S103 and S104, in which the determination unit 13 determines that deviation has occurred if the deviation state lasts for less than a predetermined time, and the process proceeds to S104, and the determination unit 13 determines that deviation has not occurred if the deviation state lasts for the predetermined time or more, and the process proceeds to END. This allows the in-vehicle device 10 to suppress the influence of errors in the current position V caused by noise in the signal received by the acquisition unit 11, etc.

[0061] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire destination information related to the route number on which vehicle B is traveling, which is stored in the destination display device H that displays the next bus stop. This allows the in-vehicle device 10 to determine which route vehicle B is traveling on. That is, the memory unit 16 stores route data for each route number, and the acquisition unit 11 acquires the route number on which vehicle B is traveling from the destination display device H. This allows the in-vehicle device 10 to determine which operating route vehicle B is traveling on. The timing at which the acquisition unit 11 acquires the destination information from the destination display device H is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, when the engine of vehicle B is started.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the calculation unit 12 calculates the deviation distance d at intervals of 100 ms, but of course this is not limited to this. For example, the calculation unit 12 may determine that vehicle B deviates from its current position by the deviation distance d while vehicle B is located on one representative straight line (section). In other words, the calculation unit 12 calculates the deviation distance d when vehicle B is first located on a certain representative straight line (section). Thereafter, while vehicle B is located on that representative straight line (section), the calculation unit 12 can omit the process of calculating the deviation distance d by determining that vehicle B always deviates by the deviation distance d. This reduces the calculation load on the in-vehicle device 10. Of course, the deviation distance d is not limited to when vehicle B is located on one representative straight line (section), but may be while vehicle B is traveling in a straight line, for example.

[0063] (Traffic Control System) The traffic control system 200 of this embodiment includes a control device 20 and a traffic control center 30.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 1, the signal control device 20 controls the signal lights V installed on the road R. The signal control device 20 uses a commercial power source as its power source and controls the light emission (green, yellow, red) of each signal light device for a preset lighting time (number of seconds for the indicator light, lighting color duration) and cycle. The signal control device 20 is typically installed in a control box (not shown) attached to the support pole of the traffic light S, and is electrically connected to each of the signal lights V by wire.

[0065] The signal control device 10 is capable of communicating with a traffic control center 30, and is configured to be able to execute priority signal control for a vehicle B traveling on a road R based on a command from the traffic control center 30.

[0066] [Traffic Control Center] The traffic control center 30 functions as a central device and is typically configured with a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the traffic control center 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the traffic control center 30 has a signal acquisition unit 301, a time calculation unit 303, a signal generation unit 304, and a central memory unit 305.

[0067] The signal acquisition unit 301 acquires a position information signal. The position information signal includes position information of vehicle B (including corrected position information) and time information when vehicle B was at that position. The period of the position information signal transmitted from vehicle B is not particularly limited, and may be every few seconds or every few minutes.

[0068] In this embodiment, the signal acquisition unit 301 directly acquires the location information signal transmitted from vehicle B, but of course, this is not limited to this and the signal may be acquired via a wireless base station (not shown). The communication line is not particularly limited, and typically, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) line is used, but of course, this is not limited to this.

[0069] The time calculation unit 302 calculates the time of arrival at traffic light S (estimated arrival time) based on the acquired position information signal. The time calculation unit 302 calculates the speed from the relationship between the position and time included in the position information signal, and calculates the time of arrival at traffic light S based on the speed and position information. The position information of traffic light S is stored in the storage unit 305, which will be described later. Of course, this is not limiting, and the position information signal may also include speed information at that position.

[0070] The time determination unit 303 determines, based on the light color output data, whether the staircase at the time when vehicle B arrives at traffic light S is a predetermined staircase that grants right of way. Specifically, the time determination unit 303 reads the light color output data (phase plan data) stored in the memory unit 305, and determines whether the light color of the signal lamp V is green at the time when vehicle B arrives at traffic light S.

[0071] When the time determination unit 302 determines that the light color of the signal lamp V is not green, the signal generation unit 304 generates (outputs to the signal control device 20) a signal control signal for causing the signal lamp V to execute signal control that gives priority to vehicle B passing through. Typical examples of signal control that gives priority to vehicle B passing through include extending the time that the light color of the signal lamp V is green and shortening the time that the light color is red.

[0072] The storage unit 305 is configured with a storage medium such as a non-volatile semiconductor memory element, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 305 stores software (programs) for operating the signal acquisition unit 301, the time calculation unit 302, the time determination unit 303, and the signal generation unit 304 as functional blocks, as well as various parameters including the position information of the traffic light S, the signal phase stage table of the traffic light S, etc.

[0073] (Traffic Control Center Flowchart) Next, the traffic control device 50 will be described in detail together with a typical operation of the traffic control system 100. FIG.

[0074] First, the acquisition unit 301 acquires the location information signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 10 (S201).

[0075] Next, the time calculation unit 302 calculates the estimated arrival time, which is the time when the vehicle B will arrive at the traffic light S, based on the acquired position information signal (S202).

[0076] Next, the time determination unit 303 determines whether the light color of the traffic light S at the estimated arrival time is green (S203). The light color of the traffic light S is determined based on the traffic light S's stage table.

[0077] Next, if the light color is green (YES in S203), vehicle B can pass through traffic light S without stopping, so the signal control device 20 of traffic light S is made to perform normal signal control (S204).

[0078] Next, if the light color of traffic light S is other than green at the scheduled arrival time of vehicle B at traffic light S (NO in S203), that is, if it is yellow or red, the signal generation unit 304 generates a signal control signal to cause traffic light S to perform priority control to allow vehicle B to pass preferentially, and transmits this to the signal control device 20 (step 205).

[0079] As a priority control to give priority to vehicle B to pass, signal generation unit 304 typically generates a control signal to control traffic light S so that the light color (i.e., green) allows bus B to pass in the cycle at the scheduled time when vehicle B is scheduled to arrive at traffic light S. Specifically, if the light color at the scheduled time is yellow, a control signal is generated to extend the green light of traffic light S until the scheduled time, or if the light color at the scheduled time is red, a control signal is generated to shorten the step of the red light.

[0080] By executing priority control for vehicle B at traffic light S as described above, the time required for vehicle B to pass through traffic light S is shortened, making it possible to reduce delays in arrival at the bus stop. This helps to promote on-time operation of vehicle B.

[0081] Furthermore, since the estimated arrival time of vehicle B at traffic light S is calculated based on the periodically received location information signal, the estimated arrival time is more accurate and the system can adequately handle ever-changing road conditions. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the signal acquisition unit 301 may acquire not only the location information of vehicle B but also traffic congestion information on road R. In other words, by calculating the estimated arrival time of vehicle B at traffic light S with reference to the location information and traffic congestion information, the accuracy of the estimated time can be further improved.

[0082] The traffic control center 30 may allow a plurality of adjacent traffic lights to share the signal information of each traffic light and the position information of vehicle B. In this case, the cooperation of the plurality of traffic lights allows vehicle B to operate on schedule. The information may be shared via the traffic control center 30 or by mutual communication between the traffic lights.

[0083] That is, in this embodiment, if the current position of vehicle B is deviated from its actual location due to multipath or the like, and the above-described signal control is performed, the green light may not come on when vehicle B arrives at traffic light S. However, in this embodiment, the position deviated from the actual location due to multipath or the like is corrected to a position on the travel route. This allows vehicle B to accurately perform priority control at traffic light S.

[0084] <Second embodiment> 8 is a diagram showing a signal control system 200' according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The following mainly describes configurations that differ from the first embodiment, and configurations that are similar to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0085] A traffic control system 200' of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a signal control device 20' that controls a stand-alone traffic signal S that does not include a traffic control center (central device). As shown in Fig. 3, the signal control device 20' includes a signal acquisition unit 301, a time calculation unit 302, a time determination unit 303, a signal generation unit 304, and a central storage unit 305. In other words, the signal control device 20' has the same functions as the traffic control center 30 described in the first embodiment.

[0086] In this embodiment, the signal control device 20′ is configured as part of a traffic light S installed on road R, and controls a signal lamp V installed on road R. The signal control device 20′ includes a communication module as a signal acquisition unit 301 that is capable of receiving a position information signal from vehicle B. The signal control device 20′ is configured to acquire vehicle information of vehicle B via a wireless base station (not shown) (or directly without via a wireless base station) using the communication module, and to be able to execute priority control similar to that of the first embodiment described above based on the position information signal.

[0087] According to this embodiment, priority control for vehicle B can be performed even in a traffic control system 200' that does not have a central device. Therefore, this embodiment also has the same advantageous effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0088] [Example of application of the in-vehicle device 10 to a route bus] An example of a vehicle to which the in-vehicle device 10 according to this embodiment can be suitably applied is a route bus that transports an unspecified number of passengers. Route buses travel along routes that are set in advance according to the route, and transport passengers between stops by letting passengers get on and off at stops set along the route.

[0089] In the on-board device 10 mounted on a route bus, a plurality of representative points P are used to generate a route line L of the route information stored in the storage unit 16. nIt is preferable to determine the position of the bus stop based on at least the positions of the bus stops. This allows the on-board device 10 to accurately grasp the positions of the bus stops on the operating route using the route line L.

[0090] [Other embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, vehicles to which the in-vehicle device 10 can be suitably applied are not limited to route buses, but also include tourist buses and school buses (such as kindergarten shuttle buses).

[0091] The route information stored in the storage unit 16 may also include information other than the route line L, such as the topography of the travel route. The calculation method by the calculation unit described above is an example and is not limited to this.

[0092] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the traffic control center 30 or the signal control device 20 is provided with the functions of acquiring a position information signal, calculating an estimated time of arrival at traffic light S, determining the light color of traffic light S at the estimated time of arrival, and generating a signal for priority control of traffic light S if the light color of traffic light S is not green, but this is of course not limited to this, and some of these functions may be provided in the traffic control center 30 and the rest in the signal control device 20. In other words, the traffic control center 30 may have the function of acquiring a position information signal and calculating an estimated time of arrival at traffic light S, and the signal control device 20 may have the function of determining the light color of traffic light S at the estimated time of arrival, and generating a signal for priority control of traffic light S if the light color of traffic light S is not green. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 10…In-vehicle device 11…Acquisition part 12...Calculation section 13…Judgment section 14...Correction unit 15...Output section 16...Storage section 20...Signal control device

Claims

1. A vehicle device mounted on a vehicle whose travel route is set in advance, an acquisition unit that acquires location information that identifies a current location based on a signal from a satellite positioning system; a storage unit that stores route information representing the travel route; a calculation unit that calculates a deviation distance of the current position from the travel route based on the position information and the route information; a determination unit that determines whether the current location deviates from the travel route based on the deviation distance calculated by the calculation unit; a correction unit that corrects the current position to a position on the travel route when the determination unit determines that the current position has deviated; An in-vehicle device comprising:

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, the route information includes a route line that represents the travel route with a series of lines; The determination unit determines whether a distance between the current position and the route line is greater than a predetermined threshold value. In-vehicle device.

3. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, The determination unit determines that a deviation has occurred when the deviation state continues for less than a predetermined time. In-vehicle device.

4. 4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2 or 3, The route line is composed of a plurality of straight lines connecting a plurality of representative points along the travel route. In-vehicle device.

5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, The calculation unit calculates the deviation distance based on a distance between the current position and a representative line connecting a first representative point, which is closest to the current position among the plurality of representative points, and a second representative point, which is next closest to the first representative point. In-vehicle device.

6. 6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 5, The correction unit corrects the current position to an intersection position between the current position and the representative line. In-vehicle device.

7. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, The positions of the plurality of representative points are determined based on at least the positions of intersections and curves. In-vehicle device.

8. The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle position corrected by the correcting unit is output to a traffic control center via wireless communication. In-vehicle device.

9. The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vehicle is a route bus In-vehicle device.

10. The in-vehicle device according to claim 9, the route information includes a route line formed of a plurality of straight lines connecting a plurality of representative points along the travel route; The positions of the plurality of representative points are determined based on at least the positions of bus stops. In-vehicle device.

11. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, The acquisition unit further acquires destination information regarding the travel route from a destination display device that displays the destination of the vehicle. In-vehicle device.

12. a storage unit that stores route information representing the travel route; a calculation unit that calculates a deviation distance of the current position from the travel route based on the position information and the route information; a determination unit that determines whether the current position deviates from the travel route based on the deviation distance calculated by the calculation unit; a correction unit that corrects the current position to a position on the travel route when the determination unit determines that the current position has deviated; and an output unit that outputs the corrected position information of the vehicle corrected by the correction unit to an external device via wireless communication. an in-vehicle device having a signal acquisition unit that acquires the corrected position information output by the output unit; a signal control unit that controls a lighting color time of a signal lamp device based on the corrected position information acquired by the signal acquisition unit; a control device having A signal control system comprising:

Images