Advanced road traffic systems and methods for improving road safety, as well as methods and electronic devices for road users.

Abstract

The present invention provides an advanced road traffic system and method for improving road safety, as well as a method and electronic device for road users. [Solution] The present invention relates to a computer program. An event detected by a first road user and / or road infrastructure can be broadcast locally to the environment via a direct communication signal and received by other road users in the vicinity. A road user connected to or capable of connecting to a backend server determines the relevance of the detected event and uploads the received information regarding the detected event to the backend server. Other road users who are not within range of the broadcasted direct communication signal but are connected to the backend server can then be notified and / or warned of the detected event.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an advanced road traffic system and method for improving road safety. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method and an electronic device for road users. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer program.

[0002] Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication is expected to be one of the important pillars for enhancing safety and efficiency in road traffic. In V2X communication, various types of technologies are available, especially for exchanging hazard information.

[0003] An example of V2X communication is the concept of direct communication (or ad hoc communication) that transmits information only between vehicles in the immediate vicinity (e.g., up to a radius of 1 km) of the transmitter of the communication signal. These communication signals and their associated data can only be received by vehicles within this radius if they support direct communication technology, and are discarded by the vehicle if the received data is not considered relevant to the receiving vehicle.

[0004] Another example of vehicle-to-vehicle communication is network communication. In network-based embodiments, vehicles are connected to, for example, a cloud network and exchange data with the cloud network. A vehicle that detects an event uploads the event to the cloud network. Subsequently, other vehicles can download the event and pay attention to it.

[0005] Background Art French Patent Application Publication No. 3100203 relates to a method and a device for warning a vehicle, in which information representing road conditions within a determined area of the road environment is received and compared with a history of information representing road conditions related to the determined area. Based on the result of the comparison, an alert is output.

[0006] European Patent Application Publication No. 4307269 proposes a Cooperative Intelligent Road Traffic System (C-ITS). In response to the detection of a situation involving an object detected within an area monitored by the ITS, a Collective Perception Message (CPM) is generated and transmitted. The CPM includes a reference to the object and an indication that the object is involved in the situation.

[0007] International Publication No. 2015 / 133181 relates to a communication device, a communication control method, and a program. A receiving unit receives messages transmitted from a source device, indicating information and the identifier of each source device. Depending on the type of message received by the receiving unit, a control unit performs a transmission operation to transmit a representative message indicating the same information on behalf of specific messages indicating the same information received from different source devices identified by different identifiers.

[0008] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 325 940 discloses a geomessaging server and geomessaging client for use in a coordinated intelligent road traffic system. The server transmits event notification messages via an infrastructure-based wireless network to a geomessaging client associated with a vehicle located within a target area, one of several defined geographic areas. The message indicates the occurrence of an event relating to driving conditions within the target area. The server also generates a message relay request, asking the geomessaging client to relay the message to any other vehicle in the vicinity of the vehicle via the vehicle's ad-hoc wireless network. The server then transmits the generated request to the client via the infrastructure-based network. In at least some embodiments, the geomessaging client relays the message upon receiving the request. In this way, other vehicles can advantageously receive the event notification message even if they are not connected to the server.

[0009] Summary of the Invention In direct communication applications, events are shared with everyone via local broadcast, but only to a limited extent, e.g., only immediately adjacent to the broadcaster. This means that external events can generally be collected by receiving vehicles, but these vehicles discard events they deem irrelevant to their respective vehicles. Network-based applications focus on event downloads, with only events detected by the vehicles themselves considered in the upload path. However, further improvements in road safety are generally desired.

[0010] This problem is solved by the intelligent road traffic systems and methods for improving road safety, electronic devices and methods for road users, and computer programs described in the independent claims. Further advantages and embodiments will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, an intelligent transportation system (ITS) for improving road safety is provided. An ITS can generally use various technologies to monitor, evaluate, and manage transportation systems and to improve safety and efficiency, such as traffic flow. For example, an ITS connects transportation infrastructure and vehicles using information and communication technology, computers, electronic devices, and sensors.

[0012] The ITS comprises a backend server, road infrastructure, and / or a first road user, a second road user, and a third road user. Each road user includes an electronic device. The backend server includes at least one remotely located server accessible at any time from any location via a secure and protected internet connection. In other words, the backend server represents a cloud storage location outside of the user's location where data, applications, and computing power can be moved and processed.

[0013] Road infrastructure may also consist of roadside units (RSUs). RSUs are devices that can be used in ITS and connected vehicle environments. RSUs may be positioned along roads or highways to facilitate communication between vehicles and traffic infrastructure, for example, to enable vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and V2X communication. RSUs include communication modules configured to exchange information with nearby vehicles. For example, the communication modules may be configured to provide communication such as dedicated narrow-area communication (DSRC) or cellular vehicle-to-all (C-V2X) communication.

[0014] The first road user's (first) electronic device and / or road infrastructure are configured to detect events in its environment relating to threats to road safety and broadcast (first) road user to all (R2X) and / or infrastructure to road user (I2R) direct communication signals containing information related to the detected events. More specifically, the first electronic device may include an R2X communication module, a sensor unit configured to scan the electronic device's environment for events relating to threats to road safety, such as at least one camera or surround-view camera system, and a processor configured to detect events in its environment relating to threats to road safety by using the sensor unit (and processing the corresponding sensor data) and to broadcast R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals containing information related to the detected events by using the R2X communication module. The R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals may include the event type, the event location, the event time at which the event was detected, and / or the type of detection means for detecting the event, such as a (forward and / or rear) camera or surround-view camera system. Direct communication enables road users and / or road infrastructure, as well as other road users, to communicate directly with each other. In other words, communication between road users and / or road infrastructure is not carried out via external communication servers or communication nodes. For example, some or each of the road users may be vehicles into which electronic devices are incorporated, for example, as part of the vehicle's control unit and various sensors. In this case, vehicle-to-all (V2X) and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication are referred to. V2X communication enables the exchange of information between vehicles and other nodes and / or may include, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and / or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P).

[0015] The second road user's (second) electronic device is configured to receive R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals (broadcast by the first road user and / or road infrastructure) and upload at least a portion (e.g., of the whole) of the information related to the detected event to a backend server. In other words, the second electronic device is configured to connect to a backend server for data exchange. Instead of discarding received information about detected events due to (spatial and / or temporal) irrelevance to the second electronic device, the electronic device provides received information about detected events to the backend server, thereby enriching its database. The uploaded data may be relevant to other road users. Therefore, uploading data received from the environment via direct communication signals can help improve road safety through the presence of a richer database with more accurate knowledge of the environment surrounding road users and / or road infrastructure. Advantageously, this can significantly reduce the number of road user crashes and associated fatalities.

[0016] The third road user's (third) electronic device is configured to download at least a portion of the information related to the detected event from the backend server and to determine the (current and / or future) relevance of the detected event to the third road user based on the information related to the detected event. The third electronic device is further configured to output the determined relevance and / or prepare countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected event. For example, the downloaded portion of the information may include the event type, event location, event time when the event was detected, type of detection means for detecting the event, and at least one of the warnings related to the detected event. The relevance of the detected event to the third road user can be determined using some or each of the enumerated pieces of information. Warnings may be output to the third road user based on the determined relevance, for example, if the determined relevance exceeds a predetermined threshold. Thus, the third road user can receive a warning and respond appropriately to the event in response to the warning, or the prepared countermeasures can mitigate or substantially negate the risk related to the detected event to the third road user. Therefore, the risk of crashes for third road users due to events can be reduced, and road safety for third road users (as well as surrounding road users) can be advantageously improved.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the threat to road safety may also relate to road hazards, driving environment, and / or traffic conditions within the environment of road infrastructure and / or the first electronic device. In particular, the threat to road safety may relate to abnormal traffic conditions. “Abnormal” may mean that the traffic conditions deviate (significantly) from average or expected traffic conditions. Average or expected traffic conditions can be calculated based on historical data of traffic conditions. Examples of road hazards include slow vehicles, drivers going the wrong way, people, animals, and / or obstacles on the road, or stationary vehicles due to breakdown or (illegal) parking, for example. Examples of driving environment are weather conditions such as snow, rain, sun glare, and icy roads. Examples of traffic conditions are congestion, road construction, accidents, or the passage of special emergency vehicles. For example, a specific threat to road safety can be used to determine the event type. The determined event type may be included in the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals. Thus, other road users can recognize the event type and appropriately determine the relevance of the event to their respective road users and / or prepare appropriate countermeasures.

[0018] According to another embodiment, the first electronic device and / or road infrastructure of the first road user does not need to be connected to a backend server, or does not need to support communication with a backend server. In other words, the first electronic device and / or road infrastructure cannot upload detected events to the backend server on its own. Advantageously, by uploading detected events via a second electronic device, information about the detected events is not lost, for example, due to a lack of connection or a lack of relevance considering a particular electronic device, and can be used to alert other road users about the detected events.

[0019] Furthermore, the second electronic device is configured to determine the relevance of the detected event to a second road user based on information related to the detected event, output the determined relevance before uploading the information related to the detected event to the backend server, and / or prepare countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected event. In other words, the receiving electronic device evaluates the relevance of the received information regarding the detected event to itself before uploading the information to the backend server. Advantageously, the electronic device can prepare and implement countermeasures to mitigate the risks associated with the detected event to the second road user more quickly.

[0020] According to another embodiment, the second electronic device may be configured to upload information related to a detected event to a backend server, regardless of the determined relevance of the detected event to a second road user. In other words, the second electronic device may be configured to upload information related to a detected event to a backend server based on low relevance, in addition to high relevance to the second electronic device. Thus, even if the received information is of low relevance to the second electronic device, the information related to the detected event is not discarded but is uploaded to the backend server so that it is accessible for other road users to download. Consequently, the database on the backend server can be enriched with valuable information so that a more accurate knowledge of road users and / or the environment surrounding the road infrastructure can be provided. Advantageously, the number of road user crashes and associated fatalities can be significantly reduced.

[0021] According to another embodiment, the second electronic device may be configured to automatically upload information related to the detected event to a backend server. In other words, the second electronic device uploads received information related to the detected event to the backend server without requiring interaction with the user. For example, compared to manual cloud entries of third-party events, where the location information of manual entries in the cloud may be inaccurate due to time-delayed entries, automatically uploaded event information has a high level of reliability. Due to the high quality of the information, such events do not require additional verification by the backend server, thereby significantly reducing the computational load for enriching the backend server's database.

[0022] According to another embodiment, the second electronic device may be configured to delete information related to a detected event when the information related to the detected event has been successfully uploaded to the backend server, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection of the event or the reception of the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal. Otherwise, the information related to the detected event may not be deleted. Since the information related to the event is deleted after being uploaded to the backend server, the information is stored or saved on the backend server, which can reduce the memory storage space required by the electronic device. Furthermore, the memory storage space required by the electronic device can also be reduced when it is expected that the event has ended and the information related to the event will be deleted based on a predetermined time. The predetermined time may depend on the event type of the detected event. For example, some event types may be short-term events such as weather conditions or drivers driving the wrong way, people, animals, and / or obstacles on the road, as well as very short-term events such as emergency braking or intervention by the vehicle's safety system, while other event types may be long-term events such as road construction or stationary vehicles.

[0023] In another embodiment, the broadcasted R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal may include or consist of a distributed environment notification message, DENM, related to the detected event. In other words, the road infrastructure and / or the first electronic device (each) may be configured to broadcast an R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal that includes or consists of a DENM related to the detected event. A DENM is a message about traffic conditions and hazards, as defined in the ETSI standard EN 302 637-3 V1.2.2 (2014-11), containing location and traffic data, as well as messages about traffic conditions and hazards exchanged between road users. A DENM includes information about both the transmitting road user and the event, e.g., a hazardous area, in order to warn other road users. A DENM may be transmitted as a standalone message. Using a standalone message for a DENM allows for the use of a well-established and standardized protocol, thereby reducing communication effort and increasing the opportunity for other road users receiving the DENM to process or extract the information accordingly.

[0024] According to another embodiment, the second electronic device may be further configured to broadcast a second R2X direct communication signal including a coordinated recognition message, CAM, to indicate the presence of a second road user to surrounding road users and / or road infrastructure. The road infrastructure and / or the first electronic device may be further configured to receive the second R2X direct communication signal and, in response to the received second R2X direct communication signal, broadcast or repeatedly broadcast an R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal containing information related to the detected event. The CAM is a message periodically generated at a frequency controlled by the originating electronic device of the road user and may include information about road users, e.g., vehicles, and optionally surrounding road users, e.g., the speed, position, and steering or direction of the vehicle's own electronic device, as defined in ETSI standard EN 302 637-2 V1.4.1 (2019-04). Since the transmitter of a direct communication signal does not receive a response to confirm receipt of the communication signal, the transmission or retransmission of a direct communication signal in response to a received CAM message by a second road user indicates that the second road user is still likely within direct communication range to receive the direct communication signal transmitted from the first road user and / or road infrastructure. Therefore, it is very likely that information related to the detected event will be received and uploaded to the backend server by the second road user.

[0025] According to another embodiment, the first R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals and / or the second R2X direct communication signals may be based on connectionless communication, and the upload from the second road user to the backend server and / or the download from the backend server to the third road user may be based on connection-oriented communication. Advantageously, information about detected events can be exchanged using or in combination with different communication techniques such as connectionless and connection-oriented communication, as well as direct and cloud communication.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for improving road safety is provided. The method can be used in the ITS described above. The features and advantages of the ITS can also be similarly applied to the method for improving road safety.

[0027] According to a step of the method, an event related to a threat to road safety by a first road user in the road infrastructure and / or its environment is detected, for example, by a first electronic device of the first road user and / or the road infrastructure of the ITS.

[0028] According to another step of the method, a direct communication signal for all road users, R2X and / or infrastructure-to-road user, I2R, including information related to the detected event is broadcast by the road infrastructure and / or the first road user.

[0029] According to another step of the method, the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal is received by a second road user.

[0030] Furthermore, the relevance of the detected event to the second road user is determined by the second road user based on the information related to the detected event.

[0031] In addition, before the upload of information related to the detected event to the backend server is started, the determined relevance is output by the second road user and / or countermeasures are prepared based on the determined relevance of the detected event.

[0032] According to another step, at least a part of the information related to the detected event is uploaded from the second road user to the backend server.

[0033] According to another step of the method, at least a part of the information related to the detected event is downloaded from the backend server by a third road user.

[0034] According to another step of the method, the relevance of the detected event to a third road user is determined based on information related to the detected event (e.g., by the third road user).

[0035] According to another step of the method, the determined relevance of the detected events is output, and / or countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected events are prepared (e.g., by a third road user).

[0036] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for road users is provided. The features and advantages of the method for improving road safety described above can also be applied to the method for road users.

[0037] According to the steps of the method for road users, road user-to-all, R2X and / or infrastructure-to-road user, and I2R direct communications, including information related to events detected by other road users and / or road infrastructure, are received by the road user.

[0038] Furthermore, the relevance of the detected event to a second road user is determined by the second road user based on the information associated with the detected event.

[0039] In addition, before the uploading of information related to the detected event to the backend server begins, a second road user outputs the determined relevance and / or prepares countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected event.

[0040] According to another step in the method for road users, at least some of the information related to the detected event is uploaded from the road user to the backend server.

[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided configured to implement the above-described method for road users. The electronic device may be implemented as part of a control unit for a vehicle. The control unit may be configured to implement the above-described method for road users. The features and advantages of the above-described method for road users can also be applied to the electronic device and the control unit.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a road user is provided which includes the above-described electronic device configured to carry out the above-described method for road users. The road user may be a vehicle which includes a V2X communication module and the above-described control unit. The features and advantages of the above-described electronic device can also be applied to the road user.

[0043] Each of the electronic devices and / or control units described above may be implemented by electrical or electronic components or components (hardware) or firmware (ASIC). Additionally or alternatively, the functions of the electronic devices and / or control units may be realized by running an appropriate program (software). Furthermore, the electronic devices and / or control units may be implemented by a combination of hardware, firmware, and / or software. For example, the individual components of the electronic devices and / or control units that provide individual functions may be designed as separate integrated circuits or may be arranged on a common integrated circuit.

[0044] Individual components of an electronic device and / or control unit can be designed as one or more processes that run on one or more processors in one or more electronic computing devices and are generated during the execution of one or more computer programs. The computing device may be configured to work in cooperation with other components to implement the functions described herein. Instructions for a computer program may be stored in memory, such as RAM elements. However, the computer program may also be stored in a non-volatile storage medium, such as a CD-ROM or flash memory.

[0045] It is further apparent to those skilled in the art that the functions of multiple computing units (data processing devices) can be combined or combined into a single device, or that the functions of a particular data processing device can be distributed among multiple devices to implement the functions of an electronic device and / or a control unit.

[0046] A further embodiment relates to a computer program that, when executed by a computer such as an electronic device and / or control unit, includes instructions to cause the computer to implement any of the methods according to the present invention, in particular a method for improving road safety and / or a method for road users.

[0047] Further preferred embodiments of the present invention arise from additional features referred to in the dependent claims.

[0048] The various embodiments of the invention referred to herein can be advantageously combined with one another unless otherwise specified in the individual cases.

[0049] The various objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of embodiments, when read in reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0050] [Figure 1] This figure schematically illustrates an intelligent road traffic system in an exemplary traffic situation according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically shows a flowchart of a method for improving road safety according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure schematically illustrates an electronic device for road users according to the present invention.

[0051] In the following, repeated and similar features in this expression and subsequent expressions are given the same reference number, and their repeated explanations are omitted.

[0052] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) 10 for improving road safety in an exemplary traffic situation according to the present invention. Methods for improving road safety and methods for road users 20 are described with reference to Figure 2. The traffic situation shown in Figure 1 should be understood as merely a representative example of many potential traffic situations, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0053] ITS10 includes a backend server 12, road infrastructure 14, a first road user 16, a second road user 20, and a third road user 22. However, ITS10 in this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the road infrastructure 14 or the first road user 16 may also be omitted. Each of the road users 16, 20, and 22 includes an electronic device 24, which will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 3. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the road users 16, 20, and 22 are implemented as vehicles. However, at least one, some, or each of the road users 16, 20, and 22 may also be, for example, a pedestrian, or a cyclist, or any other type of road user carrying an electronic device 24.

[0054] The backend server 12 is shown in Figure 1 as a cloud to illustrate that the backend server 12 provides cloud-based applications. For example, the backend server 12 includes multiple remotely located servers that can be accessed from any location at any time via a secure and protected internet connection. In other words, the backend server 12 represents a cloud storage location outside of the user's location (e.g., road users 16, 20, 22) where data, applications, and computing power can be moved and processed.

[0055] The road infrastructure 14 is implemented as a roadside unit (RSU). The road infrastructure 14 is positioned along a road or highway (as shown in Figure 1) to facilitate communication between road users and any traffic infrastructure, for example, to enable vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-all (V2X) communication. The traffic infrastructure may include sensors configured to detect street traffic and / or traffic signal status. The road infrastructure 14 includes a communication module configured to exchange information with nearby road users 16, 20, 22 via direct communication.

[0056] The first road user 16 represents a vehicle traveling towards the end of the congestion shown in Figure 1, with a line of three vehicles ahead of it. In this situation, the first road user 16 needs to slow down to avoid causing an accident, such as a rear-end collision with the vehicle ahead. However, if a road user, such as the third road user 22, traveling at a long distance in the same lane as the first road user 16, does not recognize the end of the congestion and is not paying sufficient attention to traffic, the road user may have to apply emergency brakes to avoid an accident. However, emergency braking can cause following road users to become complacent, potentially creating a significant risk of an accident.

[0057] In the example in Figure 1, the road infrastructure 14 and the first road user 16 are not connected to the backend server 12, for example, due to a lack of connection to the (temporary) backend server 12 or a lack of means of communication to communicate with the backend server 12, while the second road user 20 and the third road user 22 are connected to the backend server 12. Therefore, events detected by the road infrastructure 14 and the first road user 16 cannot be directly uploaded to the backend server 12, and as a result, for example, the third road user 22 cannot download the detected events and recognize the risks associated with the events.

[0058] However, the road infrastructure 14 is configured to detect events 18 in its environment related to threats to road safety, such as traffic congestion as shown in Figure 1, and to broadcast an infrastructure-to-road user (I2R) direct communication signal containing information related to the detected event 18. In addition, the electronic device 24 of the first road user 16 is also configured to detect the event 18 and to broadcast a road user-to-all (R2X) direct communication signal containing information related to the detected event 18. The broadcasted direct communication signal is restricted to a limited range, and only road users in the immediate vicinity of the road infrastructure 14 and the electronic device 24 of the first road user 16, for example, within a radius of 1 km, can receive the direct communication signal. As shown in the example in Figure 1, the second road user 20, traveling in the opposite lane to the first road user 16, is within the range of the direct communication signal. The third road user 22 is too far away to receive the direct communication signal. The electronic device 24 of the second road user 20 is configured to receive R2X and I2R direct communication signals from the road infrastructure 14 and the first road user 16, so that the second road user 20 can receive and process information about the detected event 18. Instead of discarding the received information about the detected event 18 due to its irrelevance to the second road user 20, the electronic device 24 of the second road user 20 uploads the received information about the detected event 18 to the backend server 12, thereby enriching its database. As shown in Figure 1, the uploaded data about the detected event 18 is relevant to other road users, for example, the third road user 22. Therefore, uploading data received from the environment via direct communication signals can help improve road safety through the presence of a richer database with more accurate knowledge of the environment surrounding road users 16 and the road infrastructure 14. Advantageously, this can significantly reduce the number of road user crashes and associated fatalities.

[0059] The electronic device 24 of the third road user 22 is configured to download information related to the detected event 18 from the backend server 12 and to determine the relevance of the detected event 18 to the third road user 22 based on the information related to the detected event 18. The electronic device 24 of the third road user 22 may output the determined relevance to the vehicle driver and / or prepare countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected event 18. The electronic device 24 of the third road user 22 may conclude that the vehicle needs to be smoothly decelerated to reduce the risk of a rear-end collision with the first road user 16 and may present an alert to the driver of the vehicle representing the third road user 22. Thus, the risk of a crash for the third road user 22 due to event 18 can be reduced, and road safety for the third road user 22 (and following road users) can be advantageously improved.

[0060] Figure 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a method for improving road safety according to the present invention, which may be used in ITS10 in Figure 1.

[0061] According to the first step 50 of the method, an event 18 relating to a threat to road safety by a first road user 16 in the road infrastructure 14 and / or its environment is detected, for example, by the road infrastructure 14 of the first road user 16's electronic device 24 and / or ITS 10.

[0062] According to the second step 52, an R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal containing information related to the detected event 18 is broadcast by the road infrastructure 14 and / or the first road user 16.

[0063] According to the third step 54, the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals are received by the second road user 20.

[0064] According to the fourth step 56, at least some of the information related to the detected event 18 is uploaded from the second road user 20 to the backend server 12.

[0065] According to step 58 of the fifth method, at least some of the information related to the detected event 18 is downloaded from the backend server 12 by the third road user 22.

[0066] According to the sixth step 60, the relevance of the detected event to the third road user 22 is determined based on the information related to the detected event 18.

[0067] According to step 62 of the seventh step, the determined relevance of the detected event 18 is output, and / or countermeasures based on the determined relevance of the detected event 18 are prepared, for example, by the electronic device of the third road user 22.

[0068] In particular, the method steps relating to the second road user 20 can be considered a further method according to the present invention. That is, Figure 2 also schematically shows a flowchart of the method for the road user, i.e., the second road user 20. The method for road user 20 includes third and fourth steps 54 and 56.

[0069] Figure 3 schematically shows an electronic device 24 for road users according to the present invention. The electronic device 24 may correspond to the electronic device 24 for a first road user 16. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and some or each of the road users 16, 20, and 22 shown in Figure 1 may each include an electronic device 24 as shown in Figure 3.

[0070] The electronic device 24 includes an R2X communication module 26, a sensor unit 28 configured to scan the environment of the electronic device 24 at least partially for events 18 relating to threats to road safety, a processor 30, and a memory 32. The sensor unit 28 may include a camera system including at least one camera or multiple cameras, for example, a surround-view camera system. The processor 30 is configured to detect events 18 relating to threats to road safety in its environment by using the sensor unit 28 (and processing the corresponding sensor data), and to broadcast and / or receive R2X direct communication signals containing information related to the detected events by using the R2X communication module 26. The R2X direct communication signals may include the event type, the event location, the event time at which the event was detected, and / or the type of detection means for detecting the event.

[0071] Direct communication and / or communication with the backend server 12, and with road users 16, 20, 22 and / or road infrastructure 14, may be based on exchanged radio frequency (RF) signals such as Bluetooth, ultra-wideband wireless communication, Wi-Fi, 4G and / or 5G mobile communication technologies. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 10. Advanced Road Traffic Systems 12 backend servers 14 Road Infrastructure 16. First road users 18 Events concerning threats to road safety 20 Second road users 22 Third road users 24 Electronic Devices 26 Communication Module 28 Sensor Unit 30 processors 32 memory 50 First Method Step - Detecting an Event 52 Second Method Step - Broadcast the Direct Communication Signal 54 Third Method Step - Receiving the Direct Communication Signal 56. Step 4 of the method - Upload the detected events. 58. Step 5 of Method - Download the detected events 60. Method 6: Step - Determine the relevance of the events. 62. Step 7 of Method - Output the determined associations.

Claims

1. An intelligent transport system (ITS) (10) for improving road safety, Backend server (12), A first road user (16) including road infrastructure (14) and / or a first electronic device, wherein the road infrastructure (14) and / or the first electronic device are Detect events (18) in the environment related to threats to road safety, Broadcast road user to all, R2X and / or infrastructure to road user, I2R direct communication signals containing information related to the detected event (18). A road infrastructure (14) and / or a first road user (16) configured in such a manner, The second road user (20), Receiving the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals, Based on the information relating to the detected event (18), the relevance of the detected event (18) to the second road user (20) is determined. Before the upload of the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12) begins, the determined association is output and / or countermeasures are prepared based on the determined association of the detected event (18). Upload at least a portion of the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12). A second road user (20) including a second electronic device (24) configured as such, The third road user (22), Download at least a portion of the information related to the detected event (18) from the backend server (12), Based on the information relating to the detected event (18), the relevance of the detected event (18) to the third road user (22) is determined. Output the determined association and / or prepare countermeasures based on the determined association of the detected event (18). A third road user (22) including a third electronic device configured as such and ITS (10) is equipped with this.

2. The threat to road safety relates to road hazards, driving conditions, and / or traffic conditions within the environment of the road infrastructure (14) and / or the first electronic device, as described in claim 1, ITS (10).

3. The ITS (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first electronic device of the first road user (16) and / or the road infrastructure (14) is not connected to the backend server (12) or does not support communication with the backend server (12).

4. The ITS (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second electronic device (24) is configured to upload the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12), regardless of the determined relevance of the detected event (18) to the second road user (20).

5. The ITS (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second electronic device (24) is configured to automatically upload the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12).

6. The ITS (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second electronic device (24) is configured to delete the information related to the detected event (18) when the information related to the detected event (18) has been successfully uploaded to the backend server (12), or when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the detection of the event (18) or the reception of the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal.

7. The broadcasted R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal includes or consists of a distributed environment notification message, DENM, related to the detected event (18), according to any one of claims 1 to 6, ITS (10).

8. The second electronic device (24) is Broadcast a second R2X direct communication signal, including a coordinated recognition message (CAM), to indicate the presence of the second road user (20) to surrounding road users and / or road infrastructure (14). It is further configured in this way, The road infrastructure (14) and / or the first electronic device are Upon receiving the second R2X direct communication signal, In response to the received second R2X direct communication signal, the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal containing the information related to the detected event (18) is broadcast or repeatedly broadcast. It is further configured in the following way: ITS (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The ITS (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first R2X and / or I2R direct communication signal and / or the second R2X direct communication signal are based on connectionless communication, and the upload from the second road user (20) to the backend server (12) and / or the download from the backend server (12) to the third road user (22) are based on connection-oriented communication.

10. A method for improving road safety, A step (50) in which a road infrastructure (14) and / or a first road user (16) in its environment detects an event (18) relating to a threat to road safety, Step (52) of the road infrastructure (14) and / or the first road user (16) broadcasting road user-to-all, R2X and / or infrastructure-to-road user, I2R direct communication signals containing information related to the detected event (18), The second road user (20) receives the R2X and / or I2R direct communication signals (54), The steps include determining the relevance of the detected event (18) to the second road user (20) based on the information related to the detected event (18), Before the uploading of the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12) begins, the second road user (20) outputs the determined association and / or prepares countermeasures based on the determined association of the detected event (18), Step (56) uploads at least a portion of the information related to the detected event (18) from the second road user (20) to a backend server (12), A third road user (22) downloads at least a portion of the information related to the detected event (18) from the backend server (12) (58), A step (60) to determine the relevance of the detected event (18) to the third road user (22) based on the information related to the detected event (18), The steps include outputting the determined association of the detected event (18) (62), and / or preparing countermeasures based on the determined association of the detected event (18), and Methods that include...

11. A method for road users (20), Step (54) of receiving road user-to-all, R2X and / or infrastructure-to-road user, I2R direct communications by the road user (20) including information related to an event (18) detected by another road user (16) and / or road infrastructure (14), The steps include determining the relevance of the detected event (18) to the second road user (20) based on the information related to the detected event (18), Before the uploading of the information related to the detected event (18) to the backend server (12) begins, the second road user (20) outputs the determined association and / or prepares countermeasures based on the determined association of the detected event (18), Step (56) uploads at least a portion of the information related to the detected event (18) from the road user (20) to the backend server (12) and Methods that include...

12. An electronic device (24) configured to carry out the method according to claim 11.

13. A road user (20) comprising the electronic device (24) described in claim 12.

14. A computer program that, when executed by a computer, includes instructions causing the computer to perform the method according to claim 10 and / or 11.

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