Information processing system and method for processing an information processing system

Abstract

To appropriately determine the necessity for transmission of assistance information to a target vehicle in consideration of communication load and assistance effect.SOLUTION: An information processing system that transmits assistance information for a target vehicle being assisted on the basis of target vehicle data, comprises: a mobile-object encountered situation estimation unit that estimates whether or not a situation of an area is a mobile-object encountered situation on the basis of the target vehicle data in a preset area; and a vehicle assisting unit that transmits assistance information for the target vehicle in the case where the situation of the area in which the target vehicle is positioned is a mobile-object encountered situation, and does not transmit assistance information for the target vehicle in the case where the situation of the area in which the target vehicle is positioned is not the mobile-object encountered situation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and a method for processing an information processing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technical document related to an information processing system, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-052607 is known. This publication discloses an information processing system that determines whether unstable behavior is caused by a driver when a target vehicle for information collection exhibits unstable behavior.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, from the viewpoint of vehicle driving support, it has been considered to transmit support information regarding collected unstable behavior and the like to a target vehicle for support. However, transmitting all information to the target vehicle for support increases the communication load on the server and the vehicle. Also, the transmission of support information is not always effective.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system that transmits support information for a target vehicle based on target vehicle data including information on the positions and travels of a plurality of target vehicles and object detection information on surrounding objects by the target vehicles. The information processing system includes a moving object encounter situation estimation unit that estimates whether an area is a moving object encounter situation based on the target vehicle data in a plurality of preset areas, and a vehicle support unit that transmits support information for the target vehicle when the area corresponding to the target vehicle is a moving object encounter situation and does not transmit support information for the target vehicle when the area corresponding to the target vehicle is not a moving object encounter situation. , based on the residence time preset according to the type of moving object in the area, the elapsed time since the estimation, and the target vehicle data, the moving object residence number in the area at the current time is calculated, and when the residence number is less than the residence number threshold, it is determined that the situation in the area is not a moving object encounter situation 。

[0006] In the information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit may calculate the total number of detected moving objects in the area based on the target vehicle data, and determine that the situation of the area is not a moving object encounter situation when the total number of detections is less than the total detection threshold.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for processing an information processing system that transmits support information for a target vehicle based on target vehicle data including information on the positions and travels of a plurality of target vehicles and object detection information on surrounding objects by the target vehicles. The method includes estimating whether an area is a moving object encounter situation based on the target vehicle data in a plurality of preset areas, , based on the residence time preset according to the type of moving object in the area, the elapsed time since the estimation, and the target vehicle data, the moving object residence number in the area at the current time is calculated, and when the residence number is less than the residence number threshold, it is determined that the situation in the area is not a moving object encounter situation transmitting support information for the target vehicle when the area corresponding to the target vehicle is a moving object encounter situation, and not transmitting support information for the target vehicle when the area corresponding to the target vehicle is not a moving object encounter situation.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect and another aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to transmit support information for a target vehicle in consideration of the communication load and the support effect.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the information processing system 100, the target vehicles 2 (target vehicles 2A to 2Z) and the support target vehicle 3 are communicably connected to the information processing server 10 via the network N. The network N is a wireless communication network. As long as it is wireless communication, a well-known network N can be adopted. The target vehicle 2 is a vehicle that is an information collection target of the information processing system 100. The support target vehicle 3 is a vehicle to which support information is transmitted from the information processing server 10 as vehicle driving support. The support target vehicle 3 may be a vehicle included in the target vehicles 2A to 2Z.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the detection of unstable behavior. As shown in FIG. 2, when the target vehicle 2A slips due to road surface freezing or the like, the target vehicle 2A transmits target vehicle data including information on the position where the slip occurred (unstable behavior position D) to the information processing server 10. The information processing server 10 provides information on unstable behavior to, for example, the target vehicle 2B traveling behind the target vehicle 2A. Thereby, in the target vehicle 2B, it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of slip at the unstable behavior position D.

[0013] The target vehicle 2 is a vehicle that provides data to be processed by the information processing system 100. An ID [identification] (vehicle identification number) for identifying the vehicle is assigned to the target vehicle 2. There may be one target vehicle. The target vehicles 2 do not necessarily have the same configuration, and may differ in vehicle type or the like. The target vehicle may be an autonomous driving vehicle, or may be a vehicle without an autonomous driving function.

[0014] An unstable behavior is a sudden change in behavior that makes the driving of the target vehicle 2 unstable. The unstable behavior includes slipping. The unstable behavior may include sudden deceleration or a sudden change in the steering angle. The unstable behavior may include the target vehicle 2 deviating from the lane, or may include excessive approach to an object by the target vehicle 2 (such as a collision warning). The object may include structures such as utility poles, guardrails, road signs, and walls, or may include moving objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles.

[0015] The target vehicle data collected by the information processing system 100 includes the position information of the target vehicle 2. The position information is generated in association with time. The target vehicle data may include an ID. The target vehicle data may include the vehicle speed information of the target vehicle 2, may include the acceleration information, may include the steering angle information or the yaw rate information. The target vehicle data may include object detection information regarding the objects around the target vehicle 2 detected by the sensors of the target vehicle 2, and may include information on the driving position with respect to the lane. The target vehicle data may include the driving operation information of the driver. The object detection information may include the position information of the object seen from the target vehicle 2 and the type information of the object. The type information of the object includes information regarding types such as pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, four-wheel vehicles, and stationary objects such as walls.

[0016] Furthermore, the target vehicle data may include the wiper operation information of the target vehicle 2. The target vehicle data may include the road surface friction information calculated by the in-vehicle device of the target vehicle 2, and may include the outside air temperature information detected by the temperature sensor of the target vehicle 2. The target vehicle data may include the captured images of the external camera of the target vehicle 2. The various types of information described above are associated with the position information and time of the target vehicle 2.

[0017] [Configuration of Information Processing System] Hereinafter, the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an information processing server 10. The information processing system 100 may include at least a part of the in-vehicle computing devices of the target vehicles 2A to 2Z.

[0018] The information processing server 10 is provided in a facility such as an information management center and is configured to be communicable with the target vehicles 2A to 2Z. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing server 10. The information processing server 10 shown in FIG. 3 is configured as a general computer including a processor 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a user interface 14.

[0019] The processor 11 controls the information processing server 10 by operating an operating system, for example. The processor 11 is an arithmetic unit such as a CPU [Central Processing Unit] including a control device, an arithmetic device, a register, and the like. The processor 11 oversees the storage unit 12, the communication unit 13, and the user interface 14. The storage unit 12 includes at least one of a memory and a storage. The memory is a recording medium such as a ROM [Read Only Memory] or a RAM [Random Access Memory]. The storage is a recording medium such as an HDD [Hard Disk Drive].

[0020] The communication unit 13 is a communication device for performing communication via the network N. As the communication unit 13, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or the like can be used. The user interface 14 is a device including output devices such as a display and a speaker, and input devices such as a touch panel. Note that the information processing server 10 does not necessarily have to be provided in a facility, and may be mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle or a ship. The information processing server 10 may be composed of a plurality of servers.

[0021] The information processing server 10 is connected to a target vehicle database 15 that stores target vehicle data of the past target vehicle 2. The target vehicle database 15 has a storage device such as an HDD, and can have the same configuration as a well-known database.

[0022] The target vehicle database 15 may store the target vehicle data in association with a plurality of preset areas. The areas are set, for example, by being divided for each certain range on a map. The areas may be set, for example, as 10 km meshes (10 km square), 5 km meshes, or 3 km meshes. Meshes of 10 km or more may be used. The areas do not necessarily have to have the same shape, and may be set as areas where the environment is likely to be uniform according to the terrain.

[0023] The areas may be set as mesh codes. The mesh codes are defined from latitude and longitude information, and unique codes are assigned to each mesh. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an area. As shown in FIG. 4, mesh codes such as area 5001, area 5002, area 5003, and area 5004 can be assigned. When mesh codes are used for the areas, the target vehicle 2 and the information processing server 10 do not need to have map information.

[0024] The position information of the target vehicle 2 can be obtained as latitude and longitude information from the GPS [Global Positioning System] or GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] installed in the target vehicle 2. Assuming no map also contributes to cost reduction. Note that the target vehicle database 15 may be configured integrally with the information processing server 10, or may be provided in a facility separated from the information processing server 10.

[0025] Next, the functional configuration of the processor 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the processor 11 includes a target vehicle information recognition unit 11a, an unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b, a memory processing unit 11c, a moving body encounter situation estimation unit 11d, a reproducibility determination unit 11e, and a vehicle support unit 11f.

[0026] The target vehicle information recognition unit 11a recognizes the target vehicle data transmitted from the target vehicle 2. The target vehicle data is as described above. The target vehicle information recognition unit 11a acquires target vehicle data including position information and time through communication with the target vehicle 2.

[0027] The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects the unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2 based on the target vehicle data acquired by the target vehicle information recognition unit 11a. Hereinafter, among the plurality of target vehicles 2, the vehicle in which the unstable behavior is detected this time will be used as the target vehicle 2A for the description.

[0028] As the detection of slip, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may use the operation start condition of a well-known antilock brake system [ABS: Antilock Brake System]. For example, in an antilock brake system, as an example, the wheel speed of each wheel is compared with the estimated vehicle body speed, and when a wheel considered to be locked is identified, it operates. The estimated vehicle body speed may be obtained from the wheel speed of each wheel until slip occurs, or may be obtained from the change in acceleration until slip occurs.

[0029] Further, as a detection of slip, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may use the operation start conditions of a well-known vehicle stability control system [VSC: Vehicle Stability Control], or may use the operation start conditions of a well-known traction control system [TRC: Traction Control System]. The traction control can also compare the wheel speed of each wheel with the estimated vehicle body speed and operate when a spinning wheel is identified. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may detect the slip of the target vehicle 2 by other well-known methods.

[0030] Based on the deceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may detect a sudden deceleration as an unstable behavior. In this case, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects a sudden deceleration of the target vehicle 2 when, for example, the absolute value of the deceleration becomes equal to or greater than a sudden deceleration threshold value. The sudden deceleration threshold value is a preset threshold value. Hereinafter, the threshold value used in the description means a preset threshold value.

[0031] Based on the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may detect a sudden steering angle change as an unstable behavior. In this case, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects a sudden steering angle change of the target vehicle 2 when, for example, the yaw rate becomes equal to or greater than a steering angle change threshold value. Note that the tire slip angle or the steering angle may be used instead of the yaw rate. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may detect an unstable behavior by machine learning or deep learning.

[0032] When the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects an unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the position information of the target vehicle 2 when the unstable behavior occurs as the unstable behavior position. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the unstable behavior position in association with time.

[0033] The memory processing unit 11c stores the unstable behavior data including the unstable behavior position in the target vehicle database 15. The memory processing unit 11c stores the unstable behavior data as part of the target vehicle data. The memory processing unit 11c may store the unstable behavior data in association with a preset area in the target vehicle database 15.

[0034] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d estimates whether each area is a moving object encounter situation based on the target vehicle data in a plurality of areas. The moving object encounter situation is a situation in which it can be estimated that there is a sufficient probability that the support target vehicle traveling in the area encounters a moving object. The moving object is a moving object such as a pedestrian, a bicycle, a two-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle. Hereinafter, the area to be estimated for the moving object encounter situation is referred to as the target area.

[0035] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d aggregates the target vehicle data of the target area every preset determination time (estimation time). The determination time may be 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes. The determination time may be a time of 5 minutes or less, or a time of 15 minutes or more. The determination time is not particularly limited. Aggregation is performed by acquiring the target vehicle data from the target vehicle database 15.

[0036] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates a feature amount from the aggregated target vehicle data. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may calculate the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area as one of the feature amounts used for estimating the moving object encounter situation. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area based on the target vehicle data in the target area.

[0037] Specifically, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area by counting the number of moving objects detected by each of the plurality of target vehicles 2 in the target area from the object detection information included in the target vehicle data.

[0038] Note that stationary objects such as utility poles and walls are not moving objects and are not counted. Stopped vehicles on the road may or may not be counted as moving objects. Parked vehicles outside the road may or may not be counted as moving objects. When the position of a moving object is outside the target area, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may not count the moving object.

[0039] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may exclude the moving objects detected repeatedly from counting. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d determines whether the possibility of repeated detection for each moving object is high or low based on the position of the target vehicle 2 and the object detection information included in the target vehicle data. If, within a certain period of time, the positions of the moving objects detected by a certain target vehicle 2A and the positions of the moving objects detected by a target vehicle 2B are within a certain distance, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d determines that the possibility of repeated detection of the moving object is high. The certain period of time may be 5 minutes, 3 minutes, or 1 minute. The certain distance may be 1 m, 2 m, or 5 m. The certain period of time and the certain distance can be set arbitrarily.

[0040] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may also consider the type information of the moving object to determine the possibility of repeated detection. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may determine the possibility of repeated detection by obtaining the position information of the mobile terminals of pedestrians, bicycle users, and vehicle drivers.

[0041] When the total number of detected moving objects within the target area is less than the total number threshold, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d estimates that the target area is not in a moving object encounter situation. The total number threshold is a preset value threshold. The total number threshold may be a fixed value or a value set according to the size of the area of the target area. The total number threshold may be set to a larger value as the area of the target area is larger.

[0042] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may calculate the number of moving objects staying in the target area at the current time as one of the feature quantities used for estimating the moving object encounter situation. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the number of moving objects staying in the target area at the current time based on the preset residence time according to the type of the moving object, the elapsed time from the determination time, and the target vehicle data.

[0043] The residence time is set so that it becomes shorter in the order of pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, and four-wheeled vehicles. For example, the residence time is set to 15 minutes for pedestrians, 10 minutes for bicycles, 3 minutes for motorcycles, and 1 minute for four-wheeled vehicles. The residence time may be adjusted according to the size of the area of the target area. The larger the area of the target area, the longer the residence time may be.

[0044] The number of staying objects is the number of moving objects whose residence time remains at the current time. If the number of pedestrians whose residence time remains at the current time is 4 and the number of four-wheeled vehicles is 10, the number of staying objects is 14 for the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d.

[0045] For example, when one pedestrian, one bicycle, one motorcycle, and one four-wheeled vehicle are detected at 15:00, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the number of staying objects as 4 at the 15:00 stage. When it becomes 15:01, since the remaining time of the residence time of the four-wheeled vehicle becomes zero, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the number of staying objects as 3. When it becomes 15:03, since the remaining time of the residence time of the motorcycle becomes zero, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the number of staying objects as 2. When it becomes 15:10, since the remaining time of the residence time of the bicycle becomes zero, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates the number of staying objects as 1.

[0046] When the number of moving objects staying in the target area at the current time is less than the stay number threshold, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d determines that the situation of the area is not a moving object encounter situation. The stay number threshold is a preset value threshold. The stay number threshold may be a fixed value, or may be a value set according to the size of the area of the target area. The stay number threshold may be set to a larger value as the area of the area is larger.

[0047] For example, when the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area is equal to or greater than the total number threshold and the number of moving objects staying in the target area is equal to or greater than the stay number threshold, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d estimates that the target area is a candidate for a moving object encounter situation. A candidate for a moving object encounter situation is a stage before estimating that it is a moving object encounter situation.

[0048] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d counts the duration since it was estimated that the target area is a candidate for a moving object encounter situation. Note that when the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d determines that the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area is less than the total number threshold, or when it determines that the number of moving objects staying in the target area is less than the stay number threshold, it sets the duration to zero, assuming that the target area is no longer a candidate for a moving object encounter situation.

[0049] When the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d determines that the duration of the candidate for a moving object encounter situation is equal to or greater than a certain time, it estimates that the target area is a moving object encounter situation. The certain time is not particularly limited. The certain time may be 30 minutes, may be 20 minutes, may be 45 minutes, or may be 1 hour or more. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d executes the above-described estimation of the moving object encounter situation for each target area.

[0050] When the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects an unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2A (one of the target vehicles 2), the reproducibility determination unit 11e determines whether or not there is reproducibility in the unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2A.

[0051] The reproducibility determination unit 11e may determine the reproducibility based on the determination result as to whether the situation of the target area (the area where the target vehicle 2A travels) at the time of detecting the unstable behavior is an environmental degradation scene. For example, when the situation of the target area at the time of detecting the unstable behavior is an environmental degradation scene, the reproducibility determination unit 11e determines that there is reproducibility in the unstable behavior. The method for determining the environmental degradation scene is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-127863.

[0052] The reproducibility determination unit 11e may determine the reproducibility based on the determination result of the continuous occurrence situation of the unstable behavior. For example, when the unstable behavior is in a continuous occurrence situation, the reproducibility determination unit 11e determines that there is reproducibility in the unstable behavior. The method for determining the continuous occurrence situation is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-094347.

[0053] The reproducibility determination unit 11e may determine the reproducibility by a machine learning model based on the target vehicle data. The machine learning model is, for example, a neural network such as a convolutional neural network (CNN). The neural network can include a plurality of layers including a plurality of convolutional layers and pooling layers. As the neural network, a deep learning network by deep learning may be used.

[0054] The machine learning model determines the reproducibility by extracting feature quantities from the target vehicle data of the target vehicle 2 in which the unstable behavior is detected. As the feature quantities, arbitrary parameters can be used from the vehicle speed, acceleration, tire air pressure, weight, vehicle size (vehicle height, vehicle width), vehicle type, driving tendency of the driver, etc. of the target vehicle 2. The driving tendency of the driver can be obtained from the past driving operation information of the driver. For the determination of the driving tendency of the driver, the number of years of driving experience, age, gender, and other information of the driver may be used.

[0055] As additional feature quantities, the time when unstable behavior occurs in the target vehicle 2, the outside air temperature, the road conditions, etc. may be used. The machine learning model may have a function of indicating the feature quantities that have affected the reproducibility determination result by LIME [Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations] processing or SHAP [Shapley Additive Explanations] processing.

[0056] The vehicle support unit 11f transmits support information as driving support for the support target vehicle 3. The support target vehicle 3 is, for example, the target vehicle 2 traveling within the target area or a vehicle that can receive information from the information processing server 10 among the vehicles traveling within the target area. The support target vehicle 3 may include vehicles that enter the target area within a certain time. The support target vehicle 3 may be a vehicle traveling within a certain distance from the unstable behavior position instead of a vehicle within the target area, or may be a vehicle whose target route includes the unstable behavior position. The method for specifying the support target vehicle 3 is not particularly limited.

[0057] The support information is information (content) regarding unstable behavior. The support information may include the unstable behavior position, may include the type of unstable behavior, and may include the vehicle information of the target vehicle 2 in which the unstable behavior has occurred. The content is not particularly limited as long as it can support the driving of the support target vehicle 3. The vehicle support unit 11f transmits the information regarding the unstable behavior determined to be reproducible by the reproducibility determination unit 11e as support information.

[0058] When the situation of the area corresponding to the support target vehicle 3 is a moving body encounter situation, the vehicle support unit 11f transmits support information for the support target vehicle. Hereinafter, the area corresponding to the support target vehicle 3 is referred to as the support target area.

[0059] The support target area includes the area where the support target vehicle 3 is traveling. The support target area may include the area where the support target vehicle 3 is scheduled to travel. The area where the support target vehicle 3 is scheduled to travel may be an area where the road on which the support target vehicle 3 is traveling enters, or may be an area where the target route set by the navigation system or the automatic driving system of the support target vehicle 3 enters.

[0060] The vehicle support unit 11f transmits support information to the support target vehicle 3 via the network N. The support effect by transmitting the support information becomes greater as the possibility of the support target vehicle getting involved with moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles is higher. Therefore, when the support target area is a moving object encounter situation, the vehicle support unit 11f transmits support information to the support target vehicle.

[0061] The support target vehicle 3 performs route change or driving control to avoid unstable behavior using the support information, for example. The support target vehicle 3 may notify the driver of the unstable behavior position via the meter MID [Multi Information Display] or the display of the navigation system. The support target vehicle 3 may advance the warning timing regarding the occurrence of unstable behavior at the unstable behavior position, or may advance the control intervention of a pre-crash safety system or the like at the time of occurrence of unstable behavior. The unstable behavior in this case is not limited to slipping, and may include unstable behavior such as excessive approach to other vehicles.

[0062] On the other hand, when the situation of the area corresponding to the support target vehicle 3 is not a moving object encounter situation, the vehicle support unit 11f does not transmit support information to the support target vehicle. Thereby, when the possibility of the support target vehicle 3 causing unstable behavior in a situation of encountering a moving object is low, the vehicle support unit 11f does not transmit support information, so that the communication load on the information processing server 10 and the support target vehicle 3 can be suppressed when the support effect by transmitting the support information is not high.

[0063] Note that the vehicle support unit 11f may determine whether to transmit support information based on the determination result of the moving object encounter situation only when the communication load of the information processing server 10 or the supported vehicle 3 is equal to or greater than a certain value. The communication load may be obtained from the magnitude of the communication data volume in a certain period of time, or may be obtained from the CPU usage rate. Alternatively, the communication load may be obtained from a well-known index related to the communication load.

[0064] [Processing Method of Information Processing System] Subsequently, the processing method of the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the support information transmission determination process of the information processing system 100. The information processing system 100 performs the support information transmission determination process, for example, when it is necessary to determine whether to transmit support information to the supported vehicle 3.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing server 10 of the information processing system 100, as S10, aggregates the target vehicle data in the determination area at the determination time by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d performs the aggregation by acquiring the target vehicle data from the target vehicle database 15. After that, the information processing server 10 proceeds to S11.

[0066] In S11, the information processing server 10 calculates the feature amount from the target vehicle data by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d calculates, for example, the total number of detections of moving objects and the number of stays of moving objects in the target area as the feature amounts related to the moving object encounter situation.

[0067] In S12, the information processing server 10 determines whether the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d is equal to or greater than the total number threshold. If it is determined that the total number of detections is equal to or greater than the total number threshold (S12: YES), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S13. If it is not determined that the total number of detections is equal to or greater than the total number threshold (S12: NO), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S15.

[0068] In S13, the information processing server 10 determines, by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d, whether the number of staying moving objects in the target area at the current time is equal to or greater than the staying number threshold. If it is determined that the number of staying objects is equal to or greater than the staying number threshold (S13: YES), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S14. If it is not determined that the number of staying objects is equal to or greater than the staying number threshold (S13: NO), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S15.

[0069] In S14, the information processing server 10 estimates, by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d, that the target area is a moving object encounter situation candidate. Then, the information processing server 10 proceeds to S16. Note that the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d counts the duration while it is estimated that the target area is a moving object encounter situation candidate.

[0070] In S15, the information processing server 10 estimates, by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d, that the target area is not a moving object encounter situation candidate. Then, the information processing server 10 proceeds to S19. Note that the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d cancels the count if the count of the duration while it is estimated that the target area is a moving object encounter situation candidate has been performed when it is determined that the target area is not a moving object encounter situation candidate.

[0071] In S16, the information processing server 10 determines, by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d, whether the duration of the moving object encounter situation candidate is equal to or greater than a certain time. If it is determined that the duration of the moving object encounter situation candidate is equal to or greater than a certain time (S16: YES), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S17. If it is not determined that the duration of the moving object encounter situation candidate is equal to or greater than a certain time (S16: NO), the information processing server 10 proceeds to S19.

[0072] In S17, the information processing server 10 estimates that the target area is a moving object encounter situation by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d. Then, it proceeds to S18. In S18, the information processing server 10 transmits support information for the support target vehicle 3 corresponding to the target area by the vehicle support unit 11f. Then, the information processing server 10 ends the support information transmission determination process.

[0073] In S19, the information processing server 10 estimates that the target area is not a moving object encounter situation by the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d, and does not transmit support information for the support target vehicle 3 corresponding to the target area by the vehicle support unit 11f. Then, the information processing server 10 ends the support information transmission determination process.

[0074] According to the information processing system 100 (and the processing method of the information processing system 100) according to the present embodiment described above, when the area is a moving object encounter situation, support information for the support target vehicle corresponding to the area is transmitted, and when the area is not a moving object encounter situation, support information for the support target vehicle is not transmitted. The support effect by the transmission of the support information becomes greater as the possibility of entanglement between the moving object such as a pedestrian or another vehicle and the support target vehicle is higher. For this reason, according to the information processing system 100, it is possible to appropriately determine the necessity of transmitting support information for the support target vehicle in consideration of the communication load and the support effect.

[0075] Also, according to the information processing system 100, by paying attention to the total number of detections of moving objects in the target area, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the target area is a moving object encounter situation or not. Similarly, according to the information processing system 100, by paying attention to the number of moving objects staying in the target area, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the target area is a moving object encounter situation or not compared to the case where the number of stays is not paid attention to.

[0076] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the above-described embodiments.

[0077] The information processing system 100 does not necessarily have to estimate the moving object encounter situation candidates. In S16, the moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may determine YES when the duration of the situation where the total detection count is equal to or greater than the total count threshold and the stay count is equal to or greater than the stay count threshold is equal to or greater than a certain time.

[0078] The information processing system 100 does not necessarily have to determine the duration. When the total detection count is equal to or greater than the total count threshold and the stay count is equal to or greater than the stay count threshold, the information processing system 100 may determine that the target area is in a moving object encounter situation.

[0079] The information processing server 10 does not necessarily have to have the reproducibility determination unit 11e. Regardless of the presence or absence of reproducibility, the vehicle support unit 11f may include information regarding unstable behavior in the support information.

[0080] The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d does not necessarily have to calculate both the total detection count and the stay count of the moving object. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit 11d may determine the moving object encounter situation based on the determination result of either the total detection count or the stay count of the moving object.

Explanation of Signs

[0081] 2... target vehicle, 10... information processing server, 11a... target vehicle information recognition unit, 11b... unstable behavior position recognition unit, 11c... memory processing unit, 11d... moving object encounter situation estimation unit, 11e... reproducibility determination unit, 11f... vehicle support unit, 15... target vehicle database, 100... information processing system, 5001 - 5004... areas.

Claims

1. An information processing system that transmits support information for a target vehicle based on target vehicle data including information on the positions and driving of a plurality of target vehicles and object detection information on surrounding objects by the target vehicles, a moving object encounter situation estimation unit that estimates whether the area is a moving object encounter situation based on the target vehicle data in a plurality of preset areas, a vehicle support unit that, when the area corresponding to the support target vehicle is the moving object encounter situation, transmits the support information for the support target vehicle, and when the area corresponding to the support target vehicle is not the moving object encounter situation, does not transmit the support information for the support target vehicle, comprising: The moving object encounter situation estimation unit calculates the number of moving objects staying in the area at the current time based on the preset stay time according to the type of the moving object in the area, the elapsed time since the estimation, and the target vehicle data, and determines that the situation of the area is not the moving object encounter situation when the number of stays is less than the stay number threshold. An information processing system.

2. The moving object encounter situation estimation unit calculates the total number of detections of the moving object in the area based on the target vehicle data, and determines that the situation of the area is not the moving object encounter situation when the total number of detections is less than the total threshold. The information processing system according to Claim 1.

3. A processing method of an information processing system that transmits support information for a target vehicle based on target vehicle data including information on the positions and driving of a plurality of target vehicles and object detection information on surrounding objects by the target vehicles, estimating whether the area is a moving object encounter situation based on the target vehicle data in a plurality of preset areas, calculating the number of moving objects staying in the area at the current time based on the preset stay time according to the type of the moving object in the area, the elapsed time since the estimation, and the target vehicle data, and determining that the situation of the area is not the moving object encounter situation when the number of stays is less than the stay number threshold, When the area corresponding to the vehicle to be supported is the moving object encounter situation, the support information is transmitted to the vehicle to be supported. When the area corresponding to the vehicle to be supported is not the moving object encounter situation, the support information is not transmitted to the vehicle to be supported. A processing method of an information processing system.

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