Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing System, Information Processing Method, and Program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that a user can grasp a road surface state of a wide range road.SOLUTION: An information processing device acquires a satellite image photographed by a satellite, acquires weather information of an area corresponding to the satellite image, and outputs information on a road surface state of the area estimated based on the satellite image and the weather information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that calculates at least one of the risk level of a driving route candidate from a current location to a destination and the load on a passenger of a vehicle to be controlled for autonomous driving. In particular, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration for calculating the road surface condition of a driving route based on signals from a group of sensors that detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the road surface condition is calculated using sensors such as a camera mounted on the vehicle, the passenger cannot grasp the road surface condition of a wide range of roads.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to obtain an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that enable a user to grasp the road surface condition of a wide range of roads.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 acquires a satellite image taken by an artificial satellite, acquires weather information of a region corresponding to the satellite image, and outputs information regarding the road surface condition of the region estimated based on the satellite image and the weather information. An information processing device that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as information regarding the road surface condition .

[0007] In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, the road surface condition is estimated based on a satellite image taken by an artificial satellite and weather information. Here, since an artificial satellite can photograph the road surface of an arbitrary area over a wide range, the road surface conditions of a wide range of roads can be estimated.

[0008] Also, by outputting information regarding the estimated road surface condition, the user can grasp the road surface condition.

[0016] Furthermore Regarding roads where slipping due to fallen leaves should be noted, it can be grasped before driving.

[0019] Claim 2 The information processing system according to [claim number] includes the information processing apparatus described in claim to 1 and a display device that displays information regarding the road surface condition in a display area. Provided in the vehicle interior

[0020] 2 Claim In the information processing system according to claim [claim number], the information processing apparatus causes the display device to display information regarding the road surface condition in the display area, so that the occupant can easily grasp the road surface condition.

[0021] 3 Claim by a computer The information processing method according to claim [claim number] An information processing method that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as information regarding the road surface condition acquires a satellite image taken by an artificial satellite, acquires weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite image, and outputs information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on the satellite image and the weather information.

[0022] 4 Claim A program that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as information regarding the road surface condition The program according to claim [claim number] causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring a satellite image taken by an artificial satellite, acquiring weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite image, and outputting information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on the satellite image and the weather information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0023] ​​​As described above, according to the information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and program according to the present invention, a user can grasp the road surface conditions of a wide range of roads.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] An information processing system S including an in-vehicle device 28 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system S according to the present embodiment includes an information processing apparatus 10, a server 12, and a vehicle 11. The information processing apparatus 10, the server 12, and the vehicle 11 are connected via a network N and are capable of communicating with each other.

[0027] The information processing device 10 is installed, for example, outside the vehicle 11 and is configured to transmit the information requested upon receiving an instruction from the vehicle 11. Further, the information processing device 10 is configured to be able to acquire various information from the server 12 via the network N. Note that the information processing device 10 may be connected to a plurality of vehicles 11 via the network N.

[0028] The vehicle 11 is equipped with an in-vehicle device 28. The server 12 is installed outside the vehicle 11 and is configured to be able to receive data from the artificial satellite 13. For this reason, satellite images taken by the artificial satellite are stored in the server 12. Further, weather information is sequentially accumulated in the server 12. Note that the weather information stored in the server 12 can be obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency and organizations that provide private weather information services.

[0029] The information processing device 10 of the present embodiment is a device that acquires satellite images taken by the artificial satellite 13 and weather information via the server 12, and outputs information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on these satellite images and weather information.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the front part of the vehicle interior in the vehicle 11 according to the embodiment, as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle. Note that the arrow UP shown in FIG. 2 indicates the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, and the arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction. The vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the following description respectively mean the vertical in the vehicle vertical direction and the horizontal in the vehicle width direction.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, an instrument panel 14 is provided at the front part of the vehicle interior in the vehicle 11. The instrument panel 14 extends in the vehicle width direction, and a steering wheel 16 is provided on the right side of the vehicle of this instrument panel 14. That is, in the present embodiment, as an example, it is a right-hand drive vehicle with a steering wheel 16 provided on the right side, and the driver's seat is set on the right side of the vehicle. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be applied to a vehicle in which the driver's seat is set on the left side of the vehicle.

[0032] A windshield glass 18 is provided at the front end of the instrument panel 14. The windshield glass 18 extends in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and partitions the interior of the passenger compartment from the exterior of the passenger compartment.

[0033] The right end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle is fixed to the front pillar 20 on the right side of the vehicle. The front pillar 20 extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and the windshield glass 18 is fixed to the inner end of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the front end of the front side glass 22 is fixed to the outer end of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction. Note that the left end of the windshield glass 18 in the vehicle is fixed to a front pillar on the left side of the vehicle (not shown).

[0034] Here, the instrument panel 14 is provided with a first display unit 24 having an image display area V1. The first display unit 24 is constituted by a meter display provided in front of the driver's seat on the right side of the instrument panel 14 in the vehicle. The first display unit 24 is connected to various meter devices mounted on the vehicle 11 and is provided at a position that comes into the field of view when the driver looks straight ahead.

[0035] The instrument panel 14 is provided with a second display unit 25 having an image display area V2. The second display unit 25 is constituted by a center display disposed at the center of the instrument panel 14 in the vehicle width direction.

[0036] The windshield glass 18 is provided with a third display unit 26 having a display area V3 for an image. The third display unit 26 is set on the upper side of the vehicle of the first display unit 24 and is constituted by a projection surface projected by a head-up display device 46 (see FIG. 2) as a display device. Specifically, a head-up display device 46 capable of projecting an image is provided on the front side of the vehicle of the instrument panel 14, and the head-up display device 46 is configured to project an image to the third display unit 26 of the windshield glass 18. That is, the third display unit 26 is a part of the windshield glass 18 that is the projection surface of the head-up display device 46.

[0037] Here, an in-vehicle device 28 is provided in the vehicle 11. The in-vehicle device 28 of the present embodiment is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that performs various controls.

[0038] (Hardware Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus 10) As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 30, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, a storage 36, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 38. Each configuration is communicably connected to each other via an internal bus 39.

[0039] The CPU 30 is a central arithmetic processing unit that executes various programs and controls each unit. That is, the CPU 30 reads a program from the ROM 32 or the storage 36 and executes the program using the RAM 34 as a work area. Further, the CPU 30 performs control of the above-described respective configurations and various arithmetic processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 32 or the storage 36.

[0040] The ROM 32 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 34 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 36 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and is a non-temporary recording medium that stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In the present embodiment, a display program or the like for performing display processing or the like is stored in the ROM 32 or the storage 36.

[0041] The communication I / F 38 is an interface for the information processing apparatus 10 to communicate with the server 12, the in-vehicle device 28, and other devices. For example, standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0042] (Hardware Configuration of the In-Vehicle Device 28) As shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle device 28 includes a CPU 40, a ROM 42, a RAM 44, a storage 46, a communication interface (communication I / F) 48, and an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 50. Each component is communicably connected to each other via an internal bus 52.

[0043] The CPU 40 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 40 reads a program from the ROM 42 or the storage 46 and executes the program using the RAM 44 as a working area. Further, the CPU 40 performs control of the above components and various arithmetic processes according to the programs recorded in the ROM 42 or the storage 46.

[0044] The ROM 42 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 44 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 46 is composed of an HDD or an SSD and is a non-volatile recording medium that stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0045] The communication I / F 48 is an interface for the in-vehicle device 28 to communicate with a server and other devices. For example, standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0046] The navigation system 44, the first display unit 24, the second display unit 25, and the head-up display device 46 are connected to the input / output I / F 50. Further, an image is projected onto the third display unit 26 by the head-up display device 46.

[0047] The navigation system 44 holds map data in advance and determines a driving route to a destination set by a passenger or the like. Further, the navigation system 44 provides various guides so that the vehicle 11 can travel along the set driving route.

[0048] (Functional Configuration of the Information Processing Apparatus 10) The information processing apparatus 10 realizes various functions by using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the information processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing apparatus 10 includes, as a functional configuration, a reception unit 54, a satellite image acquisition unit 56, a weather information acquisition unit 58, a road surface state estimation unit 60, and an information output unit 62. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 30 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 32 or the storage 36.

[0050] The reception unit 54 receives a request for information regarding the road surface condition. For example, when a route to a destination is set by an operation of an occupant of the vehicle 11, an instruction to estimate the road surface condition on the route to the destination is given from the in-vehicle device 28 to the information processing apparatus 10. The reception unit 54 receives such an instruction to estimate the road surface condition.

[0051] The satellite image acquisition unit 56 acquires a satellite image taken by an artificial satellite. Specifically, the satellite image acquisition unit 56 accesses the server 12 and acquires a satellite image corresponding to the location from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination among the satellite images stored in the server 12. The satellite image acquired by the satellite image acquisition unit 56 is, for example, at least one satellite image of a visible image, an infrared image, a water vapor image, a cloud top enhancement image, a true color reproduction image, and an RGB composite image.

[0052] The weather information acquisition unit 58 acquires weather information of a region corresponding to the satellite image among the weather information stored in the server 12. The weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 58 is, for example, at least one piece of information of weather, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wave height, snow accumulation amount, and natural disaster information. Further, the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 58 may be data of the ground surface temperature observed by an artificial satellite.

[0053] The road surface condition estimation unit 60 estimates the road surface condition of the road based on the satellite image and the weather information. Specifically, the road surface condition estimation unit 60 estimates the road surface condition on the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination and on the surrounding roads of the driving route based on the information including the satellite image acquired by the satellite image acquisition unit 56 and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 58.

[0054] For example, when a portion where the driving route appears white is detected based on the satellite image and snowfall is confirmed from the weather information in the same region, the road surface condition estimation unit 60 estimates that snow has accumulated on the road surface. At this time, since the snowfall amount can be grasped from the weather information, the snow accumulation amount on the road surface may be estimated.

[0055] In addition, when a portion of the driving route is detected based on satellite imagery to have a color of withered leaves that is different from the color of a normal road surface, and it is confirmed from weather information in the same area that strong winds were blowing, the road surface state estimation unit 60 estimates that the road surface is covered with fallen leaves. At this time, the degree of danger of slipping due to fallen leaves may be estimated based on the type of trees near the road, humidity, and the like.

[0056] Furthermore, when a portion of the driving route is detected based on satellite imagery to be slightly whiter than a normal road surface, and it is confirmed from weather information in the same area that the temperature is below freezing, the road surface state estimation unit 60 estimates that the road surface is frozen. At this time, when a puddle is detected from the satellite imagery, it may be estimated that the puddle is frozen and is a portion with a high degree of danger of slipping.

[0057] In addition, the road surface state estimation unit 60 may also estimate that the driving route is in a flooded state, that there are falling objects on the driving route, that the temperature of the road on the driving route is extremely high, and that there are depressions in the road on the driving route.

[0058] The information output unit 62 outputs information regarding the road surface state of the area estimated by the road surface state estimation unit 60. Specifically, the information output unit 62 of the present embodiment displays the information regarding the road surface state in at least one of the display areas V1, V2, and V3 provided in the vehicle interior.

[0059] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example displayed in the display area V2 by the information output unit 62. As shown in FIG. 6, map information is displayed in the display area V2 by the navigation system 44, and the mark M1 indicates the current position of the vehicle 11.

[0060] Figure 6 shows a snow-covered road, and mark M2 indicates that the road is snow-covered. Also shown is a portion of the road covered by fallen leaves, and mark M3 indicates that fallen leaves are piled up. Thus, in this embodiment, the information output unit 62 displays map information around the vehicle 11 in the display area V2 and also adds and displays information regarding the front state to the map information. Note that similar displays may be performed in the display areas V1 and V3. Also, information such as the position of a road estimated to be frozen may be displayed.

[0061] (Operation) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0062] (Display Processing) An example of the display processing for displaying information regarding road surface information in the display area V2 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 7. This display processing is executed by the CPU 30 reading a display program from the ROM 32 or the storage 36, expanding it in the RAM 34, and executing it. In this embodiment, as an example, the display processing is executed when displaying a travel route after a destination is set by the user. Also, the display processing is executed at a predetermined interval so that the latest information is displayed in the display area V2.

[0063] The CPU 30 acquires a satellite image in step S102. Specifically, the CPU 30 acquires a satellite image corresponding to the location from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination by the function of the satellite image acquisition unit 56.

[0064] The CPU 30 acquires weather information in step S104. Specifically, the CPU 30 acquires weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite image by the function of the weather information acquisition unit 58.

[0065] The CPU 30 estimates the road surface condition in step S106. Specifically, the CPU 30 estimates the road surface condition on the travel route from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination by the function of the road surface condition estimation unit 60.

[0066] The CPU 30 determines whether display is necessary in step S108. Specifically, if the information on the road surface condition estimated in step S106 is information that is not necessary for the user, the CPU 30 determines that display is not necessary. For example, if there is no danger such as slippage in the road surface condition on the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination, the road surface temperature is between a predetermined upper limit value and a lower limit value, and no falling objects are detected, the CPU 30 determines that display is not necessary in step S108. In this case, the CPU 30 ends the display process without shifting to the process of step S110.

[0067] On the other hand, if there is a change in the road surface condition on the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 11 to the destination, the CPU 30 determines that display is necessary and shifts to the process of step S110. The CPU 30 displays the information on the road surface condition in the display area V2 in step S110. That is, on the map displayed in the display area V2, the information on the road surface condition is displayed for the driving route and the surrounding roads of the driving route.

[0068] As described above, according to the information processing system S and the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the road surface condition is estimated based on the satellite image photographed by the artificial satellite 13 and the weather information. Here, since an artificial satellite can photograph the road surface of an arbitrary area over a wide range, the road surface conditions of a wide range of roads can be estimated. Further, by outputting the information on the estimated road surface condition, the user can grasp the road surface condition.

[0069] Also, in the present embodiment, by displaying the information on the road surface condition in at least one of the display areas V1, V2, and V3 in the vehicle interior, the passengers of the vehicle can grasp the road surface condition.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since information regarding the road surface condition is displayed on the map shown in the display area, the vehicle occupants can easily grasp the road surface condition just by looking at the map information. In particular, it is possible to grasp before driving about roads where slipping due to freezing should be noted, roads where slipping due to fallen leaves should be noted, and roads where prior preparation is necessary due to snow accumulation, etc.

[0071] Moreover, by using satellite images as in this embodiment, it is possible to grasp information regarding the road surface condition in sparsely populated areas with few vehicles as well as in other areas.

[0072] As described above, the information processing system S and the information processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment have been described. However, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, information regarding the road surface condition is added to and displayed on the map information, but it is not limited to this. Information regarding the road surface condition may be displayed in characters or the like in the display area. In this case, when the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle 11 is currently traveling changes, the vehicle occupants may be notified in advance.

[0073] Also, in the above embodiment, the configuration of displaying information in the display areas V1, V2, and V3 in the vehicle interior has been described, but it is not limited to this. For example, information may be output to a terminal carried by the user. In this case, even a user such as a pedestrian can grasp the road surface condition.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, information regarding the road surface condition of the current driving route is displayed, but it is not limited to this. For example, information regarding the road surface condition several hours ahead may be displayed. Note that by acquiring weather information several hours ahead as meteorological information, the road surface condition several hours ahead can be estimated.

[0075] Also, the processing that the CPU 30 reads and executes in the above embodiment may be executed by various processors other than the CPU 30. Examples of the processor in this case include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a dedicated electric circuit which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing specific processing, such as an ASIC (Application Spec Integrated Circuit). Further, the above processing may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types. For example, it may be executed by a plurality of FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA. More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electric circuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the configuration is such that various data is stored in the storage 36, but it is not limited to this. For example, a non-temporary recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may be used as the storage unit. In this case, various programs and data will be stored in these recording media.

[0077] Furthermore, the processing flow described in the above embodiment is an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be changed within the scope not departing from the gist.

Explanation of Signs

[0078] 10 Information processing apparatus 11 Vehicle 13 Artificial satellite 46 Head-up display device (display device) V1 Display area V2 Display area V3 Display area

Claims

1. Obtain satellite images taken by artificial satellites, Obtain weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite images, Output information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on the satellite images and the weather information, An information processing apparatus, An information processing apparatus that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as the information regarding the road surface condition.

2. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1, A display device that displays the information regarding the road surface condition on a display area provided in the vehicle interior, An information processing system having the same.

3. By a computer, Obtain satellite images taken by artificial satellites, Obtain weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite images, Output information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on the satellite images and the weather information, An information processing method, An information processing method that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as the information regarding the road surface condition.

4. Obtain satellite images taken by artificial satellites, Obtain weather information of the area corresponding to the satellite images, Output information regarding the road surface condition of the area estimated based on the satellite images and the weather information, A program for causing a computer to execute processing, A program for causing a computer to execute processing that outputs information including the position of a road covered with fallen leaves as the information regarding the road surface condition.

Images