Signal waiting time display method and signal waiting time display device

Abstract

To provide a signal waiting time display method and a signal waiting time display device which can prevent a snap-decided start while displaying the remaining time until a green light.SOLUTION: A signal waiting time display device 1 comprises: a signal waiting state determination unit 22 which determines whether or not an own vehicle is in a signal waiting state where the own vehicle is stopping according to an indication of a traffic light in front of the own vehicle showing that the vehicle cannot proceed; a stop position determination unit 24 which determines whether or not the own vehicle is a leading vehicle of a vehicle train in the signal waiting state when it is determined that the own vehicle is in the signal waiting state; and a display control unit 25 which performs countdown display of the remaining time until the indication of the traffic light changes to the indication showing that the vehicle can proceed at a first interval which is a predetermined time interval when it is determined that the own vehicle is not the leading vehicle of the vehicle train, and performs countdown display of the remaining time at a second interval at least longer than the first interval when it is determined that the own vehicle is the leading vehicle of the vehicle train.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying waiting time at traffic lights. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is a known invention that displays the time until a traffic light changes from a stop restriction state to a flow permission state (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-227987 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the remaining time until the light turns green is displayed when a vehicle is waiting at a traffic light at the front of a line of vehicles, there is a risk that the driver will prematurely depart, waiting for the light to turn green when it actually has not yet turned green (when the driver is not visually checking the light).

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a traffic light waiting time display method and a traffic light waiting time display device that can display the remaining time until the green light turns green while preventing premature departure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A traffic light waiting time display method according to one embodiment of the present invention determines whether the vehicle is waiting for a traffic light, determines whether the vehicle is the lead vehicle in a line of vehicles waiting for a traffic light, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not the lead vehicle in the line of vehicles, displays a countdown at a first interval, which is a predetermined time interval, of the time remaining until the traffic light indication changes to an indication indicating that the vehicle can proceed, and if it is determined that the vehicle is the lead vehicle in the line of vehicles, displays a countdown at a second interval that is at least longer than the first interval. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a driver from rushing ahead while displaying the remaining time until the light turns green. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a traffic light waiting time display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a display example of the meter display 15. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of the remaining time until the light turns green. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of the remaining time until the light turns green. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the traffic light waiting time display device 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

[0010] An example of the configuration of a traffic light waiting time display device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 includes a camera 10, a GPS receiver 11, a communication device 12, a wheel speed sensor 13, a map database 14, a controller 20, and a meter display 15.

[0011] The camera 10 detects objects (pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, other vehicles, etc.) around the vehicle, and information about the vehicle's surroundings (division lines, traffic lights, signs, crosswalks, intersections, stop lines, etc.). The camera 10 has an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). There are no particular limitations on where the camera 10 is installed, but as an example, the camera 10 is installed in front, on the side, or behind the vehicle. The image captured by the camera 10 is output to the controller 20.

[0012] The GPS receiver 11 detects the position information of the vehicle on the ground by receiving radio waves from artificial satellites. The position information of the vehicle detected by the GPS receiver 11 includes latitude information and longitude information. The GPS receiver 11 outputs the detected position information of the vehicle to the controller 20. Note that the method of detecting the position information of the vehicle is not limited to the GPS receiver 11. For example, the position may be estimated using a method called odometry. Odometry is a method of estimating the position of the vehicle by determining the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the vehicle according to the rotation angle and the rotation angular velocity of the vehicle. Note that a GNSS receiver may be used instead of the GPS receiver 11.

[0013] The communication device 12 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination of these, and is configured to realize wireless communication. The communication device 12 is mainly used for wireless communication with optical beacons installed on the road. Specifically, the communication device 12 acquires traffic light information from the optical beacons. The traffic light information includes at least "the remaining time until the light changes from red to green." Note that "red light" means "stop light," and "green light" means "passing permission signal." For convenience of expression, a "red light" may be simply expressed as "red," and a "green light" may be simply expressed as "green." In the following, the indications of traffic lights such as "red light" and "green light" are collectively referred to as "actual indication." The communication device 12 outputs the traffic light information acquired from the optical beacons to the controller 20. Note that the method of acquiring the traffic light information is not limited to wireless communication with optical beacons. For example, if camera 10 captures the moment when the traffic light ahead changes to red, it may receive the general predetermined time for the light to change from red to green, or the time for the light to change from red to green that is determined for each traffic light via an optical beacon or the like, and subtract the elapsed time from the moment the light changed to red to estimate the "remaining time until the light changes from red to green."

[0014] The wheel speed sensor 13 detects the rotation speed of the wheels of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed is obtained from the rotation speed. The wheel speed sensor 13 outputs the detected rotation speed to the controller 20.

[0015] The map database 14 is a database stored in a car navigation device or the like, and stores map information necessary for route guidance, such as road information and facility information. The road information is, for example, information about intersections, the number of lanes on a road, road boundaries, and lane connections. The map database 14 outputs map information to the controller 20 in response to a request from the controller 20. In this embodiment, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 is described as having the map database 14, but the traffic light waiting time display device 1 does not necessarily have to have the map database 14. The map information may be acquired by the camera 10 and various sensors not shown, or may be acquired using vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication. In addition, when the map information is stored in an external server, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 may acquire the map information, etc. from the server at any time through communication. In addition, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 may periodically acquire the latest map information from the server and update the map information held by it. The map information stored in the map database 14 may be high-precision map data (HD MAP) or normal map data (SD MAP).

[0016] The controller 20 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an input / output unit. A computer program for functioning as the traffic light waiting time display device 1 is installed in the microcomputer. By executing the computer program, the microcomputer functions as a plurality of information processing circuits equipped in the traffic light waiting time display device 1. Note that here, an example is shown in which the plurality of information processing circuits equipped in the traffic light waiting time display device 1 are realized by software, but it is of course possible to configure the information processing circuits by preparing dedicated hardware for executing each information process shown below. In addition, the plurality of information processing circuits may be configured by individual hardware. The controller 20 includes a stop determination unit 21, a traffic light waiting state determination unit 22, a traffic light waiting time acquisition unit 23, a stop position determination unit 24, and a display control unit 25 as a plurality of information processing circuits.

[0017] The stop determination unit 21 determines whether or not the host vehicle is stopped based on information acquired from the wheel speed sensor 13. Specifically, the stop determination unit 21 determines that the host vehicle is stopped when the vehicle speed acquired from the wheel speed sensor 13 is zero. However, the stop determination is not limited to this. For example, when there is no change in the image acquired from the camera 10, the stop determination unit 21 may determine that the host vehicle is stopped.

[0018] When the stop determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle is stopped, the stop signal state determination unit 22 determines whether the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a signal. In this embodiment, "waiting for a signal" means a state in which the vehicle is stopped until the color of the traffic light in front of the vehicle changes from red to green. The stop signal state determination unit 22 determines whether the stop position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from an intersection based on information acquired from the GPS receiver 11 and the map database 14. When the stop position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from an intersection, the stop signal state determination unit 22 determines that the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a signal. However, the determination method is not limited to this. For example, when a traffic light is present in an image captured by the camera 10 in front of the vehicle, the stop signal state determination unit 22 may determine that the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a signal. In addition, the stop signal state determination unit 22 may determine that the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a signal when the stop position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from an intersection and a traffic light is present in an image captured in front of the vehicle. Alternatively, the map database 14 may store the location of each intersection as well as the presence or absence of a traffic light for each intersection, and if the stopping position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from an intersection with a traffic light, it may be determined that the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a traffic light. Note that waiting for a traffic light is an event that mainly occurs at intersections, but traffic lights may also be installed for pedestrians at places other than intersections. For example, if the vehicle is stopped at a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 m) from a crosswalk and a traffic light is present in an image captured in front of the vehicle, the traffic light waiting state determination unit 22 may determine that the reason for stopping is due to waiting for a traffic light. The present invention is applicable to any place where waiting for a traffic light occurs, regardless of other conditions such as the presence or absence of an intersection.

[0019] The traffic light waiting time acquisition unit 23 acquires from the communication device 12 the remaining time until the light changes from red to green.

[0020] The stop position determination unit 24 determines the position where the host vehicle is stopped. Specifically, the stop position determination unit 24 determines whether the position where the host vehicle is stopped is the head of a vehicle line. A vehicle line here means a line of multiple vehicles waiting for a traffic light at an intersection. When the host vehicle is at the head of the vehicle line, the host vehicle is a "leading vehicle". On the other hand, when the host vehicle is not at the head of the vehicle line, the host vehicle is a "following vehicle". Whether the position where the host vehicle is stopped is the head of the vehicle line is determined based on information acquired from the camera 10. When another vehicle is present within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle while waiting for a traffic light, when the other vehicle is imaged by the camera 10, the other vehicle will be captured larger than when the vehicle is moving. Therefore, when the other vehicle is captured larger in the image captured by the camera 10 in front of the host vehicle, the stop position determination unit 24 determines that the position where the host vehicle is stopped is not the head. In other words, when the host vehicle is stopped and the size of the other vehicle in the image captured in front of the host vehicle is equal to or larger than a predetermined size, the stop position determination unit 24 determines that the position where the host vehicle is stopped is not the head. Of course, regardless of the size of the other vehicle in the image, if the other vehicle is shown in the image, it may be determined that the position where the host vehicle is stopped is not the leading position. On the other hand, if the other vehicle is not present in the image captured by the camera 10 in front of the host vehicle (if the size of the other vehicle in the image captured in front of the vehicle is less than a predetermined size), the stop position determination unit 24 determines that the position where the host vehicle is stopped is the leading position. If a stop line is present in the image captured by the camera 10 in front of the host vehicle, the stop position determination unit 24 may determine that the position where the host vehicle is stopped is the leading position. The above-mentioned determination of whether the position where the host vehicle is stopped is the leading position or not is performed based on whether or not there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle when waiting at a traffic light. Therefore, the detection of the presence of the other vehicle (whether or not the other vehicle is present within a predetermined distance in front) based on the image is not limited to detection, and the presence of the other vehicle may be detected by other well-known methods. For example, instead of the camera 10, a sonar, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like may be used to determine whether or not there is another vehicle in front of the host vehicle, and the position where the host vehicle is stopped may be determined using the determination result.

[0021] The display control unit 25 controls the information (traffic light waiting time) to be displayed on the meter display 15 depending on whether the host vehicle is stopped at the front or other than the front. The information to be displayed on the meter display 15 will be described in detail later.

[0022] Next, an example of information displayed on the meter display 15 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The display example shown in Fig. 2 is an example of a display when the host vehicle is stopped at an intersection to wait for a traffic light to change. The display indicated by reference numeral 30 shows the remaining time until the light changes from red to green. In Fig. 2, the remaining time is 15 seconds. In this embodiment, the display control unit 25 controls the countdown display of the remaining time depending on whether the host vehicle is stopped at the front of the line or other than the front of the line.

[0023] An example of the countdown display is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle is stopped at a position other than the front (in this case, the vehicle is a following vehicle), the display control unit 25 displays the countdown at 1-second intervals. On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped at a position other than the front (in this case, the vehicle is a leading vehicle), the display control unit 25 displays the countdown at intervals longer than the 1-second intervals described above. For example, after 15 seconds, the display becomes 12 seconds. In other words, the time interval is 3 seconds, which is longer than 1 second. "Do not display" in FIG. 3 means that the meter display 15 does not display the countdown. In other words, after "15 seconds" is displayed, the display disappears from the meter display 15 once, and after 3 seconds, "12 seconds" is displayed. Similarly, after that, the display disappears from the meter display 15 once, and after 3 seconds, "9 seconds" is displayed. Similarly, after that, the display disappears from the meter display 15 once, and after 3 seconds, "6 seconds" is displayed. In this way, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the remaining time until the light changes from red to green is displayed at 3-second intervals until it becomes 6 seconds. After "6 seconds", "0 seconds" is displayed. In other words, when the remaining time until the light changes from red to green is 6 seconds, the interval will be 6 seconds, which is longer than 3 seconds.

[0024] In the display examples shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the remaining time until the light changes from red to green is displayed in characters, but is not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 4, the remaining time until the light changes from red to green may be displayed in the form of a bar. Fig. 4 shows a display example in which the vehicle is stopped at the front. Information indicated by reference numeral 40 in Fig. 4 is displayed on the meter display 15 instead of reference numeral 30 in Fig. 2. Reference numeral 40 is composed of reference numerals 41 and 42. Reference numeral 41 is a character string saying "remaining time until the green light", and reference numeral 42 is a bar indicating the remaining time until the green light. In this display example, the bar does not gradually shorten when the time changes from 15 seconds to 12 seconds. That is, when the remaining time until the green light is 15 seconds, 14 seconds, and 13 seconds, the display remains at reference numeral 42. When the remaining time until the green light becomes 12 seconds, the display changes from reference numeral 42 to reference numeral 43. Similarly, when the remaining time until the green light is 12 seconds, 11 seconds, and 10 seconds, the display remains at reference numeral 43. When the time remaining until the green light is 9 seconds, the display changes from state 43 to state 44. Similarly, when the time remaining until the green light is 9, 8, and 7 seconds, the display remains at state 44. When the time remaining until the green light is 6 seconds, the display changes from state 44 to state 45. Similarly, when the time remaining until the green light is 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 second, the display remains at state 45. When the time remaining until the green light is 0 seconds, the display changes from state 45 to state 46.

[0025] Next, an example of the operation of the traffic light waiting time display device 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0026] In step S101, the stop determination unit 21 determines whether or not the host vehicle is stopped based on information acquired from the wheel speed sensor 13. If the host vehicle is stopped (YES in step S101), the process proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, if the host vehicle is not stopped (NO in step S101), the process returns to step S101. In step S103, the signal waiting state determination unit 22 determines whether or not the reason for the stop is due to waiting for a signal. If the reason for the stop is due to waiting for a signal (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, if the reason for the stop is not due to waiting for a signal (NO in step S103), the process ends.

[0027] In step S105, the traffic light waiting time acquisition unit 23 acquires the remaining time until the light changes from red to green from the communication device 12. The process proceeds to step S107, and the stop position determination unit 24 determines the position where the vehicle is stopped. If the position where the vehicle is stopped is the front (YES in step S109), the display control unit 25 displays the remaining time until the light changes from red to green on the meter display 15 in a format for a leading vehicle (step S111, see FIG. 3). On the other hand, if the position where the vehicle is stopped is not the front (NO in step S109), the display control unit 25 displays the remaining time until the light changes from red to green on the meter display 15 in a format for a following vehicle (step S113, see FIG. 3). If the remaining time until the light changes from red to green becomes 0 seconds (including the case where the camera 10 detects that the light has changed to green) or if the vehicle starts traveling (YES in step S115), the display control unit 25 ends the countdown display (step S117).

[0028] (Action and effect) As described above, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 according to this embodiment provides the following advantageous effects.

[0029] The traffic light waiting time display device 1 judges whether or not the vehicle is in a state of waiting for a traffic light, stopped in accordance with an indication of a traffic light in front of the vehicle, indicating that proceeding is not permitted. The indication indicating that proceeding is not permitted means a "red light". When the traffic light waiting time display device 1 judges that the vehicle is in a state of waiting for a traffic light, the device judges whether or not the vehicle is the leading vehicle of a line of vehicles that is waiting for a traffic light. When the traffic light waiting time display device 1 judges that the vehicle is not the leading vehicle of the line of vehicles, the device displays a countdown of the remaining time until the indication of the traffic light changes to an indication indicating that proceeding is permitted on the meter display 15 at a first interval, which is a predetermined time interval. The indication indicating that proceeding is permitted means a "green light". An example of the first interval is a one-second interval as described in FIG. 3. When the traffic light waiting time display device 1 judges that the vehicle is the leading vehicle of the line of vehicles, the device displays a countdown of the remaining time at a second interval that is at least longer than the first interval. An example of the second interval is a three-second interval or a six-second interval as described in FIG. 3. In other words, the second interval is longer than the first interval. In FIG. 3, when the vehicle is the leading vehicle in the vehicle line, the time intervals are described as 3 seconds, 3 seconds, 3 seconds, and 6 seconds from the top, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the time intervals may be 3 seconds, 3 seconds, 3 seconds, 3 seconds, and 3 seconds from the top. In this way, when the vehicle is the leading vehicle in the vehicle line, the countdown display is made longer than when the vehicle is not the leading vehicle in the vehicle line, thereby making it possible to prevent a premature start while displaying the remaining time until the green light. If the countdown display is at 1-second intervals, some drivers may prematurely start the vehicle when the remaining time is close to 0 seconds (for example, 1 second). According to this embodiment, since the second interval is longer than the first interval, at least the remaining time is not displayed as 1 second. This makes it difficult for the driver to predict the remaining time until the green light, making it possible to prevent a premature start. Note that this 1 second is based on the display example in FIG. 3, and since the time interval can be changed as appropriate depending on the display method for the following vehicle in FIG. 3, it does not necessarily mean that 1 second is not displayed in the display for the leading vehicle in FIG. 3.

[0030] In FIG. 3, when the vehicle is the front vehicle of the train, after "15 seconds" is displayed, the display disappears once from the meter display 15, and after 3 seconds, "12 seconds" is displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the remaining time is 14 seconds, "15 seconds" may be displayed, when the remaining time is 13 seconds, "15 seconds" may be displayed, and when the remaining time is 12 seconds, "12 seconds" may be displayed. That is, 15 seconds, 15 seconds, 15 seconds, 12 seconds (at 1 second intervals) may be displayed. Similarly, for "6 seconds" to "0 seconds" in FIG. 3, 6 seconds, 6 seconds, 6 seconds, 6 seconds, 6 seconds, 0 seconds (at 1 second intervals) may be displayed. Whether this display method or the display method in FIG. 3 is used, it is difficult for the driver to predict the remaining time until the green light, so it is possible to prevent the driver from starting without thinking.

[0031] Furthermore, when the traffic light waiting time display device 1 determines that the vehicle is the leading vehicle in the line of vehicles, the countdown display may be made so that the time intervals are longer when the remaining time is short than when it is long. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, when the remaining time is 15 seconds, the display may be made at 3 second intervals, and when the remaining time is 6 seconds, which is shorter than 15 seconds, the display may be made at 6 second intervals. This makes the time intervals longer when the remaining time is short than when it is long, making it difficult for the driver to predict the remaining time until the light turns green, and thus makes it possible to prevent the driver from starting off without thinking.

[0032] In addition, when the vehicle is determined to be the leading vehicle in the line, the signal waiting time display device 1 may make the time interval longer when the remaining time is less than the first predetermined time than when it is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time. In the above description, it has been explained that the second interval is sufficient if it is longer than the first interval, but the second interval may be set in a stepwise manner if it is longer than the first interval. For example, in the display example of FIG. 3, 15 seconds, 12 seconds, 9 seconds, 6 seconds, and 0 seconds have been described, but it may be displayed as 15 seconds, 13 seconds, 10 seconds, 6 seconds, and 0 seconds. In this case, the time intervals are 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, and 6 seconds. In either case, they are longer than the first interval (1 second). When the remaining time is less than the first predetermined time (less than 13 seconds), the time interval is made longer (from 2 seconds to 3 seconds) than when it is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time (13 seconds or more). By displaying the time interval in a stepwise manner so that it becomes longer as the remaining time becomes shorter, it becomes difficult for the driver to predict the remaining time until the green light, and it becomes possible to prevent the driver from starting without waiting.

[0033] In addition, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 may stop the countdown display when the remaining time becomes less than the second predetermined time. In the display example of FIG. 3, the remaining time is displayed as "6 seconds" and then the display of the remaining time is erased, and when the color of the traffic light changes to green, the remaining time is displayed as "0 seconds", but this is not limited to this. The remaining time does not have to be displayed when the color of the traffic light changes to green. In other words, the countdown display may be stopped. In this case, after the display of "6 seconds" is erased, information regarding the remaining time is not displayed on the meter display 15. This makes it possible for the driver to focus on the traffic light when the remaining time becomes shorter than 6 seconds, and makes it possible to prevent the driver from starting the car without thinking. Here, the second predetermined time has been described as 6 seconds, but this is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

[0034] Furthermore, when the remaining time is equal to or longer than the third predetermined time, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 may display a countdown at a third interval shorter than the second interval. The time interval at this time is the same whether the vehicle is determined to be the leading vehicle in the vehicle line or not. In the display example of FIG. 3, a countdown display from 15 seconds has been described, but suppose that the remaining time until the vehicle changes from red to green is 30 seconds. In this case, if the third predetermined time is set to 15 seconds, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 may display a countdown display from 30 seconds to 15 seconds at 1 second intervals both when the vehicle is the leading vehicle and when the vehicle is not the leading vehicle. This 1 second interval (third interval) is shorter than the second interval (2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 6 seconds). The third interval may be the same as the first interval or may be different. In this way, when the remaining time is equal to or longer than the third predetermined time, by displaying a countdown at a third interval shorter than the second interval, it becomes possible to allow the driver to accurately grasp the remaining time until the remaining time reaches the third predetermined time. Here, the third predetermined time has been described as 15 seconds, but it is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

[0035] Furthermore, the traffic light waiting time display device 1 stops the countdown display when it detects that the vehicle is in a moving state, or when it detects that the traffic light indication has changed to one indicating that the vehicle can proceed. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving. An example of the vehicle being in a moving state is when the vehicle speed acquired from the wheel speed sensor 13 is not zero. An example of the case where it is detected that the traffic light indication has changed to one indicating that the vehicle can proceed is when the camera 10 or the like detects that the light has changed to green.

[0036] Each of the functions described in the above embodiments may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. A processing circuit includes a programmed processing device, such as a processor including electrical circuitry. A processing circuit also includes devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or circuit components arranged to perform the described functions.

[0037] As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the description and drawings forming a part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting this invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0038] For example, in the above embodiment, the remaining time until the light changes from red to green is displayed on the meter display 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The remaining time until the light changes from red to green may be displayed on a display of a navigation device or a head-mounted display.

[0039] In the example of the display shown in Fig. 3, the remaining time is displayed as "6 seconds" followed by "0 seconds", but this is not limited to this. It is also possible to display "The traffic light will turn green soon" after displaying "6 seconds". [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Signal waiting time display device 10. Camera 11 GPS receiver 12 Communication Device 13 Wheel speed sensor 14 Map Database 15 Meter display 20 Controller 21 Stop judgment section 22 Signal waiting state determination unit 23 Signal waiting time acquisition unit 24 Stop position determination section 25 Display control section

Claims

1. determining whether or not the vehicle is in a state of waiting for a traffic light ahead of the vehicle, in which the vehicle is stopped in accordance with a traffic light aspect indicating that the vehicle cannot proceed; When it is determined that the vehicle is in the waiting state for a traffic light, it is determined whether the vehicle is a leading vehicle in a train of vehicles in the waiting state for a traffic light; When it is determined that the vehicle is not the leading vehicle of the train, a countdown display is performed at a first interval, which is a predetermined time interval, for the remaining time until the indication of the traffic light is changed to an indication indicating that the vehicle can proceed; When it is determined that the vehicle is the leading vehicle of the train, the remaining time is counted down and displayed at a second interval that is at least longer than the first interval. A method for displaying traffic light waiting time.

2. When it is determined that the vehicle is the leading vehicle of the train, the countdown display is performed so that the time interval is longer when the remaining time is short than when the remaining time is long.

2. The method for displaying a traffic light waiting time according to claim 1.

3. When the vehicle is determined to be the leading vehicle of the train, if the remaining time is less than a first predetermined time, the time interval is made longer than when the remaining time is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time.

3. The method for displaying a traffic light waiting time according to claim 2.

4. When the vehicle is determined to be the leading vehicle of the train, and the remaining time is less than a second predetermined time, the countdown display is stopped.

4. The signal waiting time display method according to claim 1, wherein the signal waiting time display method is a signal waiting time display method.

5. Regardless of whether the vehicle is the leading vehicle in the train, when the remaining time is equal to or longer than a third predetermined time, a countdown is displayed at a third interval which is shorter than the second interval.

5. The signal waiting time display method according to claim 1, wherein the signal waiting time display method is a signal waiting time display method.

6. The third interval is the same whether the host vehicle is determined to be the leading vehicle of the vehicle train or not.

6. The method for displaying a traffic light waiting time according to claim 5.

7. When it is detected that the vehicle is in a traveling state, or when it is detected that the signal of the traffic light has changed to a signal indicating that the vehicle can proceed, the countdown display is stopped.

7. The signal waiting time display method according to claim 1, wherein the signal waiting time display method is a signal waiting time display method.

8. A controller is provided. The controller: determining whether or not the vehicle is in a state of waiting for a traffic light ahead of the vehicle, in which the vehicle is stopped in accordance with a traffic light aspect indicating that the vehicle cannot proceed; When it is determined that the vehicle is in the waiting state for a traffic light, it is determined whether the vehicle is a leading vehicle in a train of vehicles in the waiting state for a traffic light; When it is determined that the vehicle is not the leading vehicle of the train, a countdown display is performed at a first interval, which is a predetermined time interval, for the remaining time until the indication of the traffic light is changed to an indication indicating that the vehicle can proceed; When it is determined that the vehicle is the leading vehicle of the train, the remaining time is counted down and displayed at a second interval that is at least longer than the first interval. A traffic light waiting time display device.

Images