Traffic Safety Support System

Abstract

To provide a traffic safety support system capable of improving safety, convenience, and smoothness of traffic for mobile bodies that move on a road and traffic participants who move on a sidewalk.SOLUTION: A traffic safety support system sets a risk notification in a hinting notification mode to ON in a case where a first support target (truck 95) enters a first range 98a of a target intersection 90, sets a risk notification in an analogue notification mode having high notification intensity to ON in a case where the first support target enters a second range 98b and where a parallel traveling traffic participant who moves in a same direction as the first support target on a sidewalk 92 in the second range 98b is present, sets the risk notification in the hinting notification mode to ON in a case where a second support target (bicycle 96) enters the first range 98a, and sets the risk notification in the analogue notification mode to ON in a case where the second support target enters the second range 98b and where a parallel traveling mobile body that moves in a same direction as the second support target is present.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traffic safety support system, and more particularly to a traffic safety support system that supports the safe movement of mobile objects traveling on roadways and traffic participants traveling on sidewalks. [Background technology]

[0002] In public transportation, various traffic participants, such as moving objects such as four-wheeled automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles, as well as pedestrians, travel at different speeds based on their own will. As a technology for improving the safety and convenience of traffic participants in such public transportation, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that assists vehicle drivers in safe driving.

[0003] The driving assistance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a risk prediction unit that predicts the risk level of the vehicle based on information about the vehicle's driving state and the surrounding environment, and a warning control unit that warns the driver by voice, text display, etc., based on the evaluation result of the predicted risk level. When some kind of risk is predicted, the driving assistance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can urge the driver to perform driving operations to avoid the predicted risk, thereby supporting safe driving by the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-136001 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 predicts the level of danger based on information about the surrounding environment obtained by onboard sensors such as cameras and radars installed in the vehicle, and therefore cannot grasp potential risks that exist outside the detection range of the onboard sensors.

[0006] For example, if there is an obstruction such as a plant between the roadway entering an intersection and the sidewalk adjacent to it, the vehicle traveling on the roadway cannot see the presence of a bicycle traveling in the same direction on the sidewalk. As a result, when the vehicle attempts to turn onto the other side of the intersection (the left side if driving on the left, or the right side if driving on the right), the vehicle may be late in seeing the bicycle attempting to cross the intersection.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a traffic safety support system that can improve the safety, convenience, and smoothness of traffic for mobile objects moving on roadways and traffic participants (pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) moving on sidewalks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A traffic safety support system according to the present invention is a traffic safety support system that supports the safe movement of a first support target, a mobile body that travels on a roadway and has a first notification device that issues risk notifications under multiple notification modes, and a second support target, a traffic participant that travels on a sidewalk and has a second notification device that issues risk notifications under multiple notification modes, and that supports the safe movement of the first and second support targets, and includes: recognition means that recognizes each traffic participant at a target intersection and acquires recognition information; planned travel route acquisition means that acquires a planned travel route of the first support target; and risk notification setting means that sets an operation mode of risk notifications by the first and second notification devices based on the recognition information, and the risk notification setting means is configured to, when the first support target is entering the target intersection and trying to change direction to the side that will result in an accident, notify the first support target of the operation mode of the first notification device when the first support target enters a first range centered on the target intersection. and when the first support target enters a second range that is centered on the target intersection and narrower than the first range and there is a parallel moving vehicle traveling on the sidewalk within the second range in the same direction as the first support target, the first notification device turns on a risk notification in a second mode having a notification intensity higher than that of the first mode; when the second support target is traveling toward the target intersection on a sidewalk adjacent to the roadway entering the target intersection and the second support target enters within the first range, the second notification device turns on a risk notification in the first mode; and when the second support target enters the second range and there is a parallel moving vehicle traveling on the roadway within the second range in the same direction as the second support target, the second notification device turns on a risk notification in the second mode.

[0009] (2) In this case, the traffic safety support system preferably further includes a driving subject information acquisition means for acquiring driving subject information including the line of sight of the driver of the first support target, and the risk notification setting means preferably turns off the risk notification by the first notification device after turning on the risk notification under the second mode by the first notification device when the line of sight of the driver of the first support target is directed toward the parallel traffic participant based on the driving subject information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] (1) In the traffic safety support system according to the present invention, the risk notification setting means sets the operation mode of risk notifications by a first notification device provided by the first support target, which is a moving body, and a second notification device provided by the second support target, which is a traffic participant moving on the sidewalk, based on the recognition information regarding each traffic participant at the target intersection acquired by the recognition means and the planned driving route of the first support target. When the first support target enters the target intersection and is about to turn toward the enclosing side, the risk notification setting means turns on risk notifications by the first notification device in a first mode with a relatively low notification intensity when the first support target enters a first range centered on the target intersection. This allows the driver of the first support target to enter the target intersection while paying attention to the presence of traffic participants moving on the sidewalk on the enclosing side, when it is difficult to visually confirm the presence of such traffic participants when viewed from the driver's vehicle. Furthermore, when the first support target enters a second range narrower than the first range and there is a parallel traffic participant moving in the same direction as the first support target on the sidewalk within the second range, the risk notification setting means turns on the risk notification in a second mode with a higher notification intensity. This allows the driver of the first support target to recognize that a parallel traffic participant is approaching the target intersection from the sidewalk in the same direction as the first support target and can change direction at the target intersection to the side where the first support target is entering, while paying attention to the sidewalk to avoid contact with the parallel traffic participant. Furthermore, when the second support target is moving toward the target intersection on the sidewalk adjacent to the roadway entering the target intersection and the second support target enters within the first range, the risk notification setting means turns on the risk notification in the first mode by the second notification device. This allows the driver of the first support target to enter the target intersection while paying attention to the presence of a moving object moving on the roadway when entering the target intersection where it is difficult to visually confirm the presence of a moving object moving on the roadway. In addition, the risk notification setting means turns on risk notification in the second mode by the second notification device when the second support object enters the second range and there is a parallel moving object moving in the same direction as the second support object on the roadway within the second range.This allows the second support target to recognize that a parallel moving object is approaching the target intersection that the second support target is attempting to cross from the road side in the same direction as the target intersection that the second support target is attempting to cross, and the second support target can cross the target intersection while paying attention to the road side to avoid coming into contact with the parallel moving object.

[0011] (2) After turning on the risk notification in the second mode by the first notification device, if the driver of the first support target turns his / her gaze toward a participant in parallel traffic based on the driving subject information, the risk notification setting means turns off the risk notification by the first notification device. This prevents the driver of the first support target from feeling annoyed by a risk notification with a high notification intensity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a traffic safety support system according to an embodiment of the present invention and a portion of a target traffic area that is a support target of this traffic safety support system. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a collaboration support device and a plurality of area terminals communicably connected to the collaboration support device. [Figure 3A] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle. [Figure 3B] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a motorcycle. [Figure 3C] 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device mounted on a portable information processing terminal carried by a pedestrian. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring area including a target intersection. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting a risk notification setting value for a first support target, the first support target being a truck traveling on a roadway in the monitoring area shown in FIG. 4 toward a target intersection. [Figure 6]5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting a risk notification setting value for a second support target, the second support target being a bicycle rider traveling on a sidewalk in the monitoring area shown in FIG. 4 toward a target intersection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a traffic safety support system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic safety support system 1 according to this embodiment and a part of a target traffic area 9 in which traffic participants to be supported by this traffic safety support system 1 exist.

[0015] The traffic safety support system 1 recognizes pedestrians 4, who are people moving in the target traffic area 9, and moving bodies such as four-wheeled vehicles 2 and motorcycles 3, as individual traffic participants, and notifies each traffic participant of the support information generated through this recognition, thereby supporting the safe and smooth traffic of each traffic participant in the target traffic area 9 by encouraging communication between each traffic participant moving based on their own will (specifically, for example, mutual recognition between each traffic participant) and recognition of the surrounding traffic environment.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a case where a target traffic area 9 is the vicinity of an intersection 52 in an urban area, which includes a roadway 51, an intersection 52, a sidewalk 53, and traffic lights 54 as traffic infrastructure facilities. FIG. 1 shows a case where a total of seven four-wheeled vehicles 2 and a total of two motorcycles 3 are moving on the roadway 51 and within the intersection 52, and a total of three pairs of pedestrians 4 are moving on the sidewalk 53 and within the intersection 52. FIG. 1 also shows a case where a total of three infrastructure cameras 56 are installed.

[0017] The traffic safety support system 1 comprises a group of on-board devices 20 (including on-board devices mounted on the four-wheeled vehicles 2 as well as portable information processing terminals held or worn by the drivers of the four-wheeled vehicles 2) that travel with each of the four-wheeled vehicles 2, a group of on-board devices 30 (including on-board devices mounted on the motorcycles 3 as well as portable information processing terminals held or worn by the drivers of the motorcycles 3) that travel with each of the two-wheeled vehicles 3, portable information processing terminals 40 held or worn by each of the pedestrians 4 and cyclists (not shown), a plurality of infrastructure cameras 56 installed in the target traffic area 9, a signal control device 55 that controls traffic lights 54, and a collaboration support device 6 that is communicatively connected to a plurality of terminals (hereinafter simply referred to as "area terminals") present in the target traffic area 9, such as the groups of on-board devices 20, 30, the portable information processing terminals 40, the infrastructure cameras 56, and the signal control devices 55.

[0018] The cooperative support device 6 is configured by one or more computers communicably connected to the above-mentioned multiple area terminals via a base station 57. More specifically, the cooperative support device 6 is configured by a server connected to the multiple area terminals via the base station 57, a network core, and the Internet, an edge server connected to the multiple area terminals via the base station 57 and an MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) core, etc.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a collaboration support device 6 and a plurality of area terminals connected to the collaboration support device 6 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0020] The group of on-board devices 20 mounted on four-wheeled vehicles 2 in the target traffic area 9 includes, for example, an on-board driving assistance device 21 that assists the driver in driving, a notification device 22 that notifies the driver of various information, a driver subject state sensor 23 that detects the state of the driver while driving, an on-board communication device 24 that performs wireless communication between the vehicle and the collaborative assistance device 6 or other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a portable information processing terminal 25 owned or worn by the driver.

[0021] The in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 includes an external sensor unit, a vehicle status sensor, a navigation device, a driving assistance ECU, etc. The external sensor unit includes an exterior camera unit that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle, multiple in-vehicle external sensors mounted on the vehicle, such as a radar unit and a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) unit that detect objects outside the vehicle by using electromagnetic waves, and an external recognition device that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle by performing sensor fusion processing on the detection results of these in-vehicle external sensors. The vehicle status sensor includes sensors that acquire information about the driving status of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a steering angle sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a position sensor, and a direction sensor. The navigation device includes, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver that identifies the current position of the vehicle based on signals received from GNSS satellites, a storage device that stores map information, etc.

[0022] The driving assistance ECU executes driving assistance controls such as lane departure prevention control, lane change control, leading vehicle following control, false start prevention control, collision mitigation brake control, and collision avoidance control based on information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle state sensor, the navigation device, etc. The driving assistance ECU also generates driving assistance information for assisting the driver in safe driving based on the information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle state sensor, the navigation device, etc. and transmits the information to the notification device 22.

[0023] Here, the driving assistance ECU initiates collision mitigation brake control, which automatically operates the braking device of the host vehicle to mitigate damage caused by contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision mitigation brake operation range centered on the host vehicle. The driving assistance ECU also initiates collision avoidance control, which automatically operates the steering device of the host vehicle to avoid contact between the host vehicle and the other moving object, on the condition that a moving object that may come into contact with the host vehicle is present within a predetermined collision avoidance steering operation range centered on the host vehicle. Hereinafter, the collision mitigation brake operation range and the collision avoidance steering operation range are collectively referred to as the "ADAS operation range."

[0024] The driver's subject state sensor 23 is composed of various devices that acquire time-series data of information correlated with the driver's driving ability while driving. The driver's subject state sensor 23 is composed of, for example, an in-vehicle camera that detects the direction of the driver's line of sight and whether the driver's eyes are open while driving, a seat belt sensor attached to the seat belt worn by the driver that detects the driver's pulse and whether the driver is breathing, a steering sensor attached to the steering wheel held by the driver that detects the driver's skin potential, an in-vehicle microphone that detects whether the driver is talking to a passenger, etc.

[0025] The in-vehicle communication device 24 has a function of transmitting information acquired by the driving assistance ECU (including information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, and the navigation device, etc., and control information related to driving assistance control currently being performed), and information related to the driver acquired by the driver's status sensor 23, to the collaborative assistance device 6, and a function of receiving collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6 and transmitting the received collaborative assistance information to the notification device 22.

[0026] The notification device 22 is composed of various devices that notify the driver of various information through the driver's hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating a man-machine interface (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "HMI (Human Machine Interface)") in a manner determined based on the driving assistance information transmitted from the in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 and the collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6.

[0027] 3A is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 22 mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle. Note that Fig. 3A illustrates only the blocks of notification device 22 that are particularly related to control based on the collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0028] The notification device 22 includes an HMI 220 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by the driver, and an HMI control device 225 that operates the HMI 220 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0029] The HMI 220 includes an acoustic device 221 that operates in a manner that the driver can hear, a head-up display 222 that operates in a manner that the driver can see, and a seat belt control device 223 and a seat vibration device 224 that operate in a manner that the driver can feel.

[0030] The sound device 221 includes a headrest speaker 221a that is provided on the headrest of the driver's seat where the driver sits and is capable of emitting directional binaural sound, and a main speaker 221b that is provided near the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b emit sounds in response to commands from the HMI control device 225. The head-up display 222 displays an image in response to commands from the HMI control device 225 within the field of view of the driver while driving (for example, on the windshield). The seat belt control device 223 changes the tension of the seat belt worn by the driver in response to commands from the HMI control device 225. The seat vibration device 224 vibrates the seat where the driver sits with an amplitude and / or frequency in response to commands from the HMI control device 225.

[0031] The HMI control device 225 includes a soundness control device 226 that issues a soundness notification by operating the HMI 220 in a predetermined manner to sounden the driver's driving ability (particularly, cognitive ability), and a risk notification control device 227 that issues a risk notification by operating the HMI 220 in a predetermined manner to make the driver aware of the presence of an imminent risk. As will be described later, the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 to the four-wheeled vehicle 2 includes information on a soundness notification setting value for setting on / off of the soundness notification by the soundness control device 226, information on a risk notification setting value for setting on / off of the risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 and the type of notification mode described later, information on an imminent risk for the driver (hereinafter also referred to as "risk information"), etc.

[0032] The health notification setting value input to the health control device 226 is set to either “0” which turns off the health notification by the health control device 226, or “1” which turns on the health notification by the health control device 226.

[0033] When the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 226 sets the health notification to off. That is, when the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 226 does not operate the HMI 220. Note that this does not prevent the risk notification control device 227 from operating the HMI 220.

[0034] When the health notification setting value is "1", the health control device 226 sets the health notification to ON. More specifically, the health control device 226 improves the driving ability of the driver by playing music that attracts the driver's interest through, for example, the headrest speaker 221a or the main speaker 221b. At this time, the BPM (Beats Per Minute) of the music may be changed or the bass may be emphasized in order to increase the driver's level of awareness.

[0035] In this way, the health improvement control device 226 activates the HMI 220 to improve the driver's driving ability. Therefore, when the risk notification by the risk notification control device 227 described below is set to on (i.e., when the risk notification setting value is "1" or "2"), the health improvement notification may be turned off so as not to bother the driver. In addition, in this embodiment, the health improvement control device 226 activates the headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b to improve the driver's driving ability mainly through the driver's hearing, but the present invention is not limited to this. The health improvement control device 226 may also activate, for example, the seat belt control device 223 or the seat vibration device 224.

[0036] The risk notification control device 227 can provide risk notification in multiple notification modes, each differing in at least one of the target device and operation mode of the HMI 220. More specifically, the risk notification control device 227 can provide risk notification in at least one of the following notification modes: a warning mode intended to make the driver aware of a potential risk; an analog notification mode intended to make the driver aware of the presence and / or severity of an actual risk; and a predictive assistance notification mode intended to notify the driver of useful information for avoiding a predicted risk. Therefore, the risk notification setting value input to the risk notification control device 227 is set to one of the following values: “0” to turn off risk notification; “1” to turn on risk notification in the warning mode; “2” to turn on risk notification in the analog notification mode; “3” to turn on risk notification in the predictive assistance notification mode; “4” to turn on risk notification in both the warning mode and the predictive assistance notification mode; and “5” to turn on risk notification in both the analog notification mode and the predictive assistance notification mode.

[0037] The risk notification control device 227 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the risk notification control device 227 does not operate the HMI 220 when the risk notification setting value is "0." Note that this does not prevent the health control device 226 from operating the HMI 220.

[0038] When the risk notification setting value is "1", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0039] If the risk notification setting value is "2", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0040] If the risk notification setting value is "3", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the predicted assistance notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0041] When the risk notification setting value is "4", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and the prediction support notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0042] Furthermore, when the risk notification setting value is "5", the risk notification control device 227 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and the predicted assistance notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0043] Here, when the notification mode is set to the predictive support notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 generates risk avoidance support information that is useful for the driver to avoid an imminent risk based on the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6, and activates the audio device 221 and head-up display 222 of the HMI 220 in a manner that allows the driver to perceive this risk avoidance support information audibly or visually. Here, the risk avoidance support information includes information on the location of traffic participants (hereinafter also referred to as "risk targets") that may come into contact with the vehicle, information on points (hereinafter also referred to as "risk occurrence points") where the vehicle may come into contact with the risk targets, and information that alerts the driver to the risk targets.

[0044] More specifically, when a motorcycle driven by a rider in an unhealthy state is present ahead of a four-wheeled vehicle driven by a driver, the risk notification control device 227 issues a message such as "Watch out for the dangerous right turn of the motorcycle" as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the motorcycle by sounding it through the audio device 221 or displaying it on the head-up display 222. In addition, at this time, the risk notification control device 227 may also display an image of an arrow pointing to the current position or predicted position of the motorcycle on the head-up display 222 as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the motorcycle.

[0045] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner that does not bother the driver, thereby allowing the driver to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. In this manner, in the presence notification mode, in order to naturally allow the driver to recognize the presence of a risk target without feeling bothered, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 227 activates the headrest speaker 221a, which particularly appeals to the driver's hearing, among the multiple devices included in the HMI 220. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 causes the headrest speaker 221a to emit a familiar sound effect at a low volume using directional binaural sound directed toward the location of the risk target or the location of the risk occurrence point, thereby naturally directing the driver's gaze toward the location of the risk target or the risk occurrence point.

[0046] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner different from that of the presence notification mode described above, thereby making the driver more aware of the presence of a risk object extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this manner, in the analog notification mode, in order to make the driver more aware of the presence of a risk object, the risk notification control device 227 operates the HMI 220 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than that specified in the presence notification mode. Here, notification intensity refers to the strength of the notification that attracts the driver's interest and attention. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 causes the headrest speaker 221a and the main speaker 221b to emit a buzzer sound or pulse sound at a volume higher than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode. These buzzer sounds and pulse sounds are louder and less familiar to the driver than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode.

[0047] In this embodiment, the risk notification control device 227 activates the sound device 221 when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 may activate the seat belt control device 223 to change the tension of the seat belt or activate the seat vibration device 224 to vibrate the seat instead of activating the sound device 221. In this way, the seat belt control device 223 and the seat vibration device 224 operate in a manner that appeals to the driver's tactile sense, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effect emitted in the presence notification mode. Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 227 may activate the sound device 221, the seat belt control device 223, and the seat vibration device 224 in combination.

[0048] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to strongly notify the driver of the presence of a risk object as well as the degree of risk associated with this risk object, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 227 varies the notification intensity according to the degree of risk associated with the risk object (e.g., the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the volume of the buzzer sound, increase the volume of the pulse sound, or shorten the interval between the pulse sounds, thereby increasing the notification intensity, as the risk degree increases (i.e., as the predicted time to collision decreases). When the seat belt control device 223 is activated as described above, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the tension of the seat belt and increase the notification intensity as the risk degree increases. Furthermore, when the seat vibration device 224 is activated as described above, the risk notification control device 227 may increase the amplitude of the seat vibration and increase the notification intensity as the risk degree increases.

[0049] Furthermore, when the risk notification control device 227 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk in this manner, it is preferable to operate the HMI 220 so that the notification intensity is maximized at the point when the above-mentioned driving assistance ECU begins to execute collision mitigation braking control or collision avoidance steering control, in other words, at the point when the risk object enters the ADAS operating range of the vehicle.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 2 , the mobile information processing terminal 25 is configured, for example, by a wearable terminal worn by the driver of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, a smartphone carried by the driver, or the like. The wearable terminal has a function to measure the driver's biological information, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, and transmit the measurement data of this biological information to the collaboration support device 6, and a function to receive collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and notify the driver of a message corresponding to the collaboration support information by means of an image, voice, a warning sound, a melody, a vibration, or the like. The smartphone also has a function to transmit information related to the driver, such as the driver's location information, movement acceleration, and schedule information, to the collaboration support device 6, and a function to receive collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and notify the driver of a message corresponding to the collaboration support information by means of an image, voice, a warning sound, a melody, a vibration, or the like.

[0051] The group of on-board devices 30 mounted on motorcycles 3 in the target traffic area 9 includes, for example, an on-board driving assistance device 31 that assists the rider in driving, a notification device 32 that notifies the rider of various information, a rider state sensor 33 that detects the state of the rider while driving, an on-board communication device 34 that wirelessly communicates between the vehicle and the cooperative assistance device 6 or other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a portable information processing terminal 35 that is owned or worn by the rider.

[0052] The in-vehicle driving assistance device 31 includes an external sensor unit, a vehicle status sensor, a navigation device, and a driving assistance ECU. The external sensor unit includes an exterior camera unit that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings, multiple on-board external sensors such as a radar unit or a lidar unit that detects objects outside the vehicle using electromagnetic waves, and an external recognition device that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings by performing sensor fusion processing on the detection results from these on-board external sensors. The vehicle status sensor includes sensors that acquire information about the vehicle's driving status, such as a vehicle speed sensor and a 5-axis or 6-axis inertial measurement unit. The navigation device includes, for example, a GNSS receiver that identifies the vehicle's current location based on signals received from GNSS satellites, a storage device that stores map information, and the like.

[0053] The driving assistance ECU executes driving assistance controls such as lane keeping control, lane departure prevention control, lane change control, leading vehicle following control, false start prevention control, and collision mitigation brake control based on information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, the navigation device, etc. The driving assistance ECU also generates driving assistance information to assist the rider in safe driving based on the information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, the navigation device, etc. and transmits the information to the notification device 32.

[0054] Here, the driving assistance ECU initiates collision mitigation brake control, which automatically operates the vehicle's braking device to reduce damage caused by contact between the vehicle and the other moving object, provided that there is a moving object that may come into contact with the vehicle within a predetermined collision mitigation brake operation range (hereinafter referred to as the "ADAS operation range" together with the term defined for four-wheeled vehicle 2) centered on the vehicle.

[0055] The rider condition sensor 33 is made up of various devices that acquire information correlated with the driving ability of the rider while driving. The rider condition sensor 33 is made up of, for example, a seat sensor that is provided on the seat on which the rider sits and detects the pulse, presence or absence of breathing, etc. of the rider, and a helmet sensor that is provided on the helmet worn by the rider and detects the pulse, presence or absence of breathing, skin potential, etc. of the rider.

[0056] The in-vehicle communication device 34 has a function of transmitting information acquired by the driving assistance ECU (including information acquired by the external sensor unit, the vehicle status sensor, and the navigation device, etc., and control information related to driving assistance control currently being performed), and information related to the rider acquired by the rider status sensor 33, to the collaborative assistance device 6, and a function of receiving collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6 and transmitting the received collaborative assistance information to the notification device 32.

[0057] The notification device 32 is composed of various devices that notify the rider of various information through the rider's hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating the HMI in a predetermined manner based on the driving assistance information transmitted from the in-vehicle driving assistance device 21 and the collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance device 6.

[0058] Fig. 3B is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 32 mounted on a motorcycle. Note that Fig. 3B illustrates only the blocks of notification device 32 that are particularly related to control based on the collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0059] The notification device 32 includes an HMI 320 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by the rider, and an HMI control device 325 that operates the HMI 320 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0060] The HMI 320 includes a head-mounted speaker 321 that operates in a manner that the rider can hear, and a head-up display 322 that operates in a manner that the rider can see.

[0061] The head-mounted speaker 321 is mounted on a helmet worn by the rider and is capable of emitting directional binaural sound. The head-mounted speaker 321 emits sound in response to commands from the HMI control device 325. The head-up display 322 displays an image in response to commands from the HMI control device 325 within the field of view of the rider while driving (for example, on the helmet shield).

[0062] The HMI control device 325 includes a soundness control device 326 that issues a soundness notification by operating the HMI 320 in a predetermined manner to sounden the rider's driving ability (particularly, cognitive ability), and a risk notification control device 327 that issues a risk notification by operating the HMI 320 in a predetermined manner to make the rider aware of the presence of an imminent risk. As will be described later, the collaboration assistance information transmitted from the collaboration assistance device 6 to the motorcycle 3 includes information on a soundness notification setting value for setting the on / off of the soundness notification by the soundness control device 326, information on a risk notification setting value for setting the on / off of the risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 and the type of notification mode, risk information on a risk that is imminent for the rider, etc.

[0063] The health notification setting value input to the health control device 326 is set to either “0” which turns off the health notification by the health control device 326, or “1” which turns on the health notification by the health control device 326.

[0064] When the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 326 sets the health notification to off. In other words, when the health notification setting value is "0", the health control device 326 does not operate the HMI 320. Note that this does not prevent the risk notification control device 327 from operating the HMI 320.

[0065] When the fitness notification setting value is "1", the fitness control device 326 sets the fitness notification to ON. More specifically, the fitness control device 326 improves the rider's driving ability by playing music that attracts the rider's interest, for example, through the head-mounted speaker 321. At this time, the BPM of the music may be changed or the bass may be emphasized in order to increase the rider's level of awareness.

[0066] Since the improvement control device 326 operates the HMI 320 to improve the rider's driving ability in this way, if the risk notification by the risk notification control device 327 described below is set to on (i.e., if the risk notification setting value is "1" or "2"), the improvement notification may be turned off so that the rider does not feel bothered.

[0067] The risk notification control device 327 can provide risk notification in multiple notification modes, each differing in at least one of the target device and operation mode of the HMI 320. More specifically, the risk notification control device 327 can provide risk notification in at least one of the following notification modes: a warning sign mode intended to make the rider aware of the existence of a potential risk; an analog notification mode intended to make the rider aware of the existence of an actual risk and / or the severity of that risk; and a predictive assistance notification mode intended to notify the rider of useful information for avoiding a predicted risk. For this reason, the risk notification setting value input to the risk notification control device 327 is set to one of the following values: “0” to turn off the risk notification; “1” to turn on the risk notification in the warning sign mode; “2” to turn on the risk notification in the analog notification mode; “3” to turn on the risk notification in the predictive assistance notification mode; “4” to turn on the risk notification in both the warning sign mode and the predictive assistance notification mode; and “5” to turn on the risk notification in the analog notification mode and the predictive assistance notification mode.

[0068] The risk notification controller 327 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the risk notification controller 327 does not operate the HMI 320 when the risk notification setting value is "0." Note that this does not prevent the health control device 326 from operating the HMI 320.

[0069] When the risk notification setting value is "1", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0070] If the risk notification setting value is "2", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0071] If the risk notification setting value is "3", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to the predicted assistance notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0072] When the risk notification setting value is "4", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and the prediction support notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0073] In addition, when the risk notification setting value is "5", the risk notification control device 327 sets the notification mode to analog notification mode and predicted assistance notification mode, and turns on risk notification under these set notification modes.

[0074] Here, when the notification mode is set to the predictive assistance notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 generates risk avoidance support information that is useful for the rider to avoid an approaching risk based on the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6, and activates the head-mounted speaker 321 and head-up display 322 of the HMI 320 in a manner that allows the rider to perceive this risk avoidance support information audibly and visually. Here, the risk avoidance support information includes information on the location of risk objects that may come into contact with the vehicle, information on the location of risk occurrence, and information that alerts the rider to the risk objects.

[0075] More specifically, when there is a four-wheeled vehicle driven by a driver in an unhealthy state ahead of the motorcycle driven by the rider, the risk notification control device 327 issues a message such as "Watch out for the dangerous right turn of the four-wheeled vehicle" as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the four-wheeled vehicle by voicing it through the head-mounted speaker 321 or displaying it on the head-up display 322. In this case, the risk notification control device 327 may also display an image of an arrow pointing to the current position or predicted position of the four-wheeled vehicle on the head-up display 322 as risk avoidance support information for avoiding contact with the four-wheeled vehicle.

[0076] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner that does not bother the rider, thereby allowing the rider to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. In this manner, in the presence notification mode, in order to naturally allow the rider to recognize the presence of a risk target without feeling bothered, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 327 activates, among the multiple devices included in the HMI 320, the head-mounted speaker 321, which particularly appeals to the rider's hearing. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 causes the head-mounted speaker 321 to emit a familiar sound effect at a low volume using directional binaural sound directed toward the location of the risk target or the location of the risk occurrence point, thereby naturally directing the rider's gaze toward the location of the risk target or the risk occurrence point.

[0077] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner different from that of the presence notification mode described above, thereby making the rider more aware of the presence of a risk object extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this manner, in the analog notification mode, in order to make the rider more aware of the presence of a risk object, the risk notification control device 327 operates the HMI 320 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than that determined in the presence notification mode. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the risk notification control device 327 causes the head-mounted speaker 321 to emit a buzzer sound or pulse sound at a volume higher than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode. These buzzer sounds and pulse sounds are louder and less familiar to the rider than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode, and therefore have a higher notification intensity than the sound effects emitted in the presence notification mode.

[0078] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to make the rider more aware of the risk level associated with a risk object in addition to the presence of the risk object, it is preferable that the risk notification control device 327 varies the notification intensity according to the risk level associated with the risk object (for example, the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the risk notification control device 327 may increase the volume of the buzzer sound, increase the volume of the pulse sound, or shorten the interval between the pulse sounds as the risk level increases (i.e., as the predicted time to collision decreases), thereby increasing the notification intensity.

[0079] Furthermore, when the risk notification control device 327 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk in this manner, it is preferable to operate the HMI 320 so that the notification intensity is maximized at the time when the above-mentioned driving assistance ECU begins to execute collision mitigation brake control, in other words, at the time when the risk object enters the ADAS operating range of the vehicle.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 2 , the mobile information processing terminal 40 owned or worn by the pedestrian 4 or cyclist in the target traffic area 9 may be, for example, a wearable terminal worn by the pedestrian 4 or a smartphone held by the pedestrian 4. Note that, hereinafter, the term "pedestrian" will also include cyclists. The wearable terminal has the function of measuring the pedestrian 4's biometric information, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, transmitting this biometric measurement data to the collaboration support device 6, and receiving collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. The smartphone also has the function of transmitting pedestrian information about the pedestrian 4, such as the pedestrian's position information, movement acceleration, and schedule information, to the collaboration support device 6, and receiving collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0081] The mobile information processing terminal 40 also includes a notification device 42 that notifies pedestrians of various information through their hearing, vision, touch, etc. by operating the HMI in a predetermined manner based on the received collaborative support information.

[0082] 3C is a block diagram showing the configuration of notification device 42 installed in mobile information processing terminal 40. Note that FIG. 3C illustrates only the blocks of notification device 42 that are particularly involved in control based on collaboration support information transmitted from collaboration support device 6.

[0083] The notification device 42 includes an HMI 420 that operates in a manner that can be recognized by pedestrians, and an HMI control device 425 that operates the HMI 420 based on the collaboration support information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6.

[0084] The HMI 420 includes a speaker 421 that operates in a manner that can be heard by pedestrians, and a vibration device 424 that operates in a manner that can be heard by pedestrians through their sense of touch.

[0085] The speaker 421 produces a sound in response to a command from the HMI control device 425. The vibration device 424 vibrates the main body of the portable information processing terminal 40 with an amplitude and / or a frequency in a manner in response to a command from the HMI control device 425.

[0086] As will be explained later, the collaborative support information sent from the collaborative support device 6 to the mobile information processing terminal 40 carried by the pedestrian includes information regarding the risk notification setting value for turning risk notifications on / off by the HMI control device 425 and setting the type of notification mode, as well as risk information regarding risks approaching the pedestrian.

[0087] The HMI control device 425 can provide risk notifications under multiple notification modes that differ in at least one of the target device and operation mode of the HMI 420. More specifically, the HMI control device 425 can provide risk notifications under at least one of a presence notification mode intended to make pedestrians aware of the presence of a potential risk and an analog notification mode intended to make pedestrians aware of the presence and / or severity of an actual risk. For this reason, the risk notification setting value input to the HMI control device 425 is set to one of the following values: “0” that turns off the risk notification by the HMI control device 425; “1” that turns on the risk notification by the HMI control device 425 and sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode; and “2” that turns on the risk notification by the HMI control device 425 and sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode.

[0088] The HMI control device 425 sets the risk notification to off when the risk notification setting value is "0." That is, the HMI control device 425 does not operate the HMI 420 when the risk notification setting value is "0."

[0089] If the risk notification setting value is "1", the HMI control device 425 sets the notification mode to the presence notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0090] Furthermore, if the risk notification setting value is "2", the HMI control device 425 sets the notification mode to the analog notification mode and turns on risk notification under the set notification mode.

[0091] Here, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner that does not bother the pedestrian, thereby allowing the pedestrian to naturally recognize the presence of a risk target extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the presence notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the vibration device 424 to vibrate the main body of the mobile information processing terminal 40 at a predetermined amplitude and frequency.

[0092] Furthermore, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner different from the above-described presence notification mode, thereby making pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk condition extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6 and the degree of risk associated with this risk object. In this way, in the analog notification mode, in order to make pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk object, the HMI control device 425 operates the HMI 420 in a manner with a higher notification intensity than the manner determined in the presence notification mode. More specifically, when the notification mode is set to the analog notification mode, the HMI control device 425 causes the speaker 421 to emit a buzzer sound, a pulse sound, a message indicating the presence of a risk, or the like.

[0093] Furthermore, in the analog notification mode as described above, in order to make pedestrians more aware of the presence of a risk object as well as the degree of risk associated with this risk object, it is preferable that the HMI control device 425 changes the notification intensity according to the degree of risk associated with the risk object (for example, the predicted time to collision with the risk object) extracted from the risk information transmitted from the collaboration support device 6. Specifically, the HMI control device 425 may increase the notification intensity by increasing the volume of the buzzer sound, increasing the volume of the pulse sound, shortening the interval between pulse sounds, increasing the volume of the message, or changing the content of the message as the degree of risk increases (i.e., the shorter the predicted time to collision).

[0094] Returning to Figure 2, the infrastructure camera 56 captures images of traffic infrastructure facilities including roadways, intersections, and sidewalks in the target traffic area, as well as moving objects and pedestrians moving on these roadways, intersections, sidewalks, etc., and transmits the obtained image information to the collaboration support device 6.

[0095] The signal control device 55 controls the traffic lights and transmits to the cooperation support device 6 traffic light status information relating to the current lighting color of the traffic lights installed in the target traffic area and the timing for changing the lighting color.

[0096] The collaboration support device 6 is a computer that supports safe and smooth traffic for traffic participants in the target traffic area by generating collaboration support information for each traffic participant to be supported based on information acquired from multiple area terminals present in the target traffic area, which information is used to promote communication between traffic participants and awareness of the surrounding traffic environment, and notifying each traffic participant of the information. In this embodiment, the collaboration support device 6 supports traffic participants among the multiple traffic participants present in the target traffic area who are equipped with means (e.g., in-vehicle device group 20, 30, mobile information processing terminal 40, notification device 22, 32, 42) that receive the collaboration support information generated by the collaboration support device 6 and operate their HMI in a manner determined based on the received collaboration support information. In other words, the collaboration support device 6 supports all mobile objects equipped with the in-vehicle device group 20 and the notification device 22, the in-vehicle device group 30 and the notification device 32, and pedestrians equipped with the mobile information processing terminal 40 and the notification device 42.

[0097] The collaborative assistance device 6 includes a target traffic area recognition unit 60 that recognizes people and moving objects in the target traffic area as individual traffic participants, a driving subject information acquisition unit 61 that acquires driving subject state information correlated with the driving ability of the driving subject of the moving object recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, a prediction unit 62 that predicts the future of the traffic participants in the target traffic area, a health notification setting unit 63 that sets the health notification on / off for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a risk notification setting unit 64 that sets the notification mode of the risk notification for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 that transmits collaborative assistance information generated for each traffic participant recognized by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 as a support target, a traffic environment database 67 that stores information about the traffic environment in the target traffic area, and a driving history database 68 that stores information about the past driving history of pre-registered driving subjects.

[0098] The traffic environment database 67 stores information related to the traffic environment of traffic participants in the target traffic area, such as map information of the target traffic area that has been registered in advance (for example, roadway width, number of lanes, speed limit, sidewalk width, presence or absence of guardrails between the roadway and sidewalk, and location of crosswalks), and risk area information related to particularly high-risk areas within the target traffic area. Hereinafter, the information stored in the traffic environment database 67 is also referred to as registered traffic environment information.

[0099] The driving history database 68 stores information about the past driving history of pre-registered drivers in association with the registration number of the mobile vehicle owned by the driver. Therefore, if the target traffic area recognition unit 60, which will be described later, can identify the registration number of the recognized mobile vehicle, the driving history of the driver of the recognized mobile vehicle can be obtained by searching the driving history database 68 based on this registration number. Hereinafter, the information stored in the driving history database 68 will also be referred to as registered driving history information.

[0100] The target traffic area recognition unit 60 recognizes recognition objects including each traffic participant who is a person or a moving object in the target traffic area and the traffic environment of each traffic participant in the target traffic area based on information transmitted from the above-mentioned area terminals (the in-vehicle device group 20, 30, the mobile information processing terminal 40, the infrastructure camera 56, and the signal control device 55) in the target traffic area and registered traffic environment information read from the traffic environment database 67, and obtains recognition information regarding these recognition objects.

[0101] The information transmitted from the on-board driving assistance device 21 and on-board communication device 24 included in the on-board device group 20 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and the information transmitted from the on-board driving assistance device 31 and on-board communication device 34 included in the on-board device group 30 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60, include information regarding the status of traffic participants and the traffic environment around the vehicle acquired by the external sensor unit, and information regarding the status of the vehicle as a traffic participant acquired by the vehicle status sensor or navigation device. The information acquired by the navigation device also includes information regarding the planned driving route from the vehicle's current location to the destination. The information transmitted from the mobile information processing terminal 40 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 includes information regarding the status of pedestrians as traffic participants, such as their position and movement acceleration. The image information transmitted from the infrastructure camera 56 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 includes information regarding each traffic participant and their traffic environment, such as the appearance of traffic infrastructure facilities in the target traffic area, such as roadways, intersections, and sidewalks, and the appearance of traffic participants moving through the target traffic area. Furthermore, the traffic light status information transmitted from the signal control device 55 to the target traffic area recognition unit 60 includes information on the traffic environment of each traffic participant, such as the current lighting color of the traffic light and the timing for changing the lighting color, etc. Furthermore, the registered traffic environment information read by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 from the traffic environment database 67 includes information on the traffic environment of each traffic participant, such as map information of the target traffic area and risk area information.

[0102] Therefore, based on the information transmitted from these area terminals, the target traffic area recognition unit 60 can acquire recognition information of each traffic participant in the target traffic area (hereinafter also referred to as "traffic participant recognition information"), such as the position in the target traffic area of each traffic participant, moving speed, moving acceleration, moving direction, vehicle type of the moving body, vehicle class of the moving body, registration number of the moving body, number of pedestrians, age group of pedestrians, etc. Furthermore, based on the information transmitted from these area terminals, the target traffic area recognition unit 60 can acquire recognition information of the traffic environment of each traffic participant in the target traffic area (hereinafter also referred to as "traffic environment recognition information"), such as the width of the roadway, number of lanes, speed limit, width of the sidewalk, presence or absence of guardrails between the roadway and sidewalk, color of traffic lights and their switching timing, risk area information, etc.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, the recognition means for recognizing traffic participants and the traffic environment in the target traffic area is composed of a target traffic area recognition unit 60, an on-board driving assistance device 21, an on-board communication device 24, and a portable information processing terminal 25 included in the on-board device group 20 of the four-wheeled vehicle 2, an on-board driving assistance device 31, an on-board communication device 34, and a portable information processing terminal 35 included in the on-board device group 30 of the motorcycle 3, the portable information processing terminal 40 of the pedestrian 4, an infrastructure camera 56, a traffic light control device 55, and a traffic environment database 67.

[0104] The target traffic area recognition unit 60 transmits the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information acquired in the above manner to the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, the prediction unit 62, the health notification setting unit 63, the risk notification setting unit 64, and the collaborative support information notification unit 65, etc.

[0105] The driving subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires driving subject state information and driving subject characteristic information that are correlated with the current driving ability of the driving subject of the mobile body recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 based on information transmitted from the area terminals (particularly, the vehicle-mounted device group 20, 30) in the target traffic area and registered driving history information read from the driving history database 68.

[0106] More specifically, when the driver of a four-wheeled vehicle recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 is a human, the driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires information transmitted from the on-board device group 20 mounted on the four-wheeled vehicle as driver subject state information of the driver. Furthermore, when the driver of a motorcycle recognized as a traffic participant by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 is a human, the driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires information transmitted from the on-board device group 30 mounted on the motorcycle as driver subject state information of the rider.

[0107] The information transmitted from the driver's subject state sensor 23 and the in-vehicle communication device 24 included in the in-vehicle device group 20 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 includes time-series data on the driver's appearance, such as the driver's gaze direction and whether or not their eyes are open, biological information, such as pulse, whether or not they are breathing, and skin potential, and audio information, such as whether or not they are talking, which is correlated with the driver's driving ability. The information transmitted from the rider's state sensor 33 and the in-vehicle communication device 34 included in the in-vehicle device group 30 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 includes time-series data on the rider's biological information, such as pulse, whether or not they are breathing, and skin potential, which is correlated with the rider's driving ability. The information transmitted from the mobile information processing terminals 25 and 35 included in the in-vehicle device groups 20 and 30 to the driver's subject information acquisition unit 61 also includes the driver's and rider's personal schedule information. For example, when a driver or rider is driving a vehicle under a tight schedule, they may become impatient and their driving ability may decline. Therefore, the driver's and rider's personal schedule information can be considered information correlated with their own driving ability.

[0108] The driver subject information acquisition unit 61 acquires driver subject characteristic information regarding the driver subject's driving characteristics (e.g., excessive sudden lane changes, excessive sudden acceleration / deceleration, etc.) that are correlated with the driver subject's current driving ability while driving, by using both or either of the driver subject state information for the driver subject acquired by the above procedure and the registered driving history information read from the driving history database 68.

[0109] The driver subject information acquisition unit 61 transmits the driver subject state information and driver subject characteristic information of the driver subject acquired in the manner described above to the prediction unit 62, the health notification setting unit 63, the risk notification setting unit 64, and the collaborative support information notification unit 65, etc.

[0110] The prediction unit 62 extracts a portion of the target traffic area as a monitoring area and predicts future risks for multiple traffic participants in the monitoring area based on the traffic participant recognition information and traffic environment recognition information (hereinafter collectively referred to as "recognition information") acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and the driver subject state information and driver subject characteristic information (hereinafter collectively referred to as "driver subject information") acquired by the driver subject information acquisition unit 61. More specifically, the prediction unit 62 constructs a virtual space simulating the monitoring area based on the recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and predicts the future of each traffic participant in the monitoring area by performing a simulation in the virtual space based on the recognition information and the driver subject information. More specifically, if the prediction target is a moving object traveling on a roadway, such as a four-wheeled vehicle or a motorcycle, the prediction unit 62 calculates the future predicted travel path of the moving object by performing the above-mentioned simulation. Furthermore, if the prediction target is a pedestrian traveling on a sidewalk, the prediction unit 62 calculates the future predicted travel path of the pedestrian by performing the above-mentioned simulation. A detailed description of the specific procedure for the prediction unit 62 to predict the future of each traffic participant in the monitoring area will be omitted.

[0111] Here, the target traffic area is a relatively wide traffic area determined, for example, by a city, town, or village. In contrast, the monitoring area is a traffic area that a four-wheeled vehicle traveling at the legal speed can pass through in about several tens of seconds, such as an intersection or near a specific facility. In other words, the monitoring area is narrower than the target traffic area, but wider than the ADAS operation range of the driving assistance ECU installed in each moving object.

[0112] The soundness notification setting unit 63 sets as setting targets traffic participants who are recognized as support targets and moving bodies by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 among multiple traffic participants present in the target traffic area, and sets soundness notifications on / off for each of the setting targets. Note that, as will be described in detail later, traffic participants who are parties to a contact risk predicted to occur by the prediction unit 62 are targets for setting risk notifications by the risk notification setting unit 64. For this reason, it is preferable to exclude targets for setting by the risk notification setting unit 64 from targets for setting by the soundness notification setting unit 63.

[0113] More specifically, the health improvement notification setting unit 63 first acquires driving subject information associated with the driving subject of each setting target, which is a mobile body, from the driving subject information acquisition unit 61. The health improvement notification setting unit 63 then calculates the current health level of the driving subject for each setting target based on the acquired driving subject information. If the calculated health level for each setting target is less than a predetermined health level threshold, the health improvement notification setting unit 63 determines that the driving subject of that setting target is in an unhealthy state, and sets the health improvement notification setting value for that setting target to "1" to turn on the health improvement notification for that setting target. If the calculated health level for each setting target is equal to or greater than the health level threshold, the health improvement notification setting unit 63 determines that the driving subject of that setting target is in a healthy state, and sets the health improvement notification setting value for that setting target to "0" to turn off the health improvement notification for that setting target.

[0114] The health notification setting unit 63 sets the health notification for multiple setting targets in the target traffic area to on or off by the above procedure. Information on the health notification setting value set for each setting target by the health notification setting unit 63 is transmitted to the collaboration support information notification unit 65.

[0115] The risk notification setting unit 64 sets as setting targets traffic participants who are recognized as support targets by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 among multiple traffic participants present in the monitoring area extracted from the target traffic area by the prediction unit 62, and sets the operation mode of risk notification (i.e., the type of notification mode and on / off of risk notification) for each setting target based on the prediction results by the prediction unit 62, the recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, and the driving subject information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, etc.

[0116] More specifically, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the operation mode of risk notification for each set target present in the monitoring area based on information related to the monitoring area among the recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, information related to the monitoring area among the driving subject information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, and the prediction result for the monitoring area by the prediction unit 62. That is, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for each set target to any one of "0", "1", "2", "3", and "4" (any one of "0", "1", and "2" if the set target is a pedestrian).

[0117] In the following, a specific procedure for setting the risk notification operation mode for each setting target by the risk notification setting unit 64 will be described for a case in which an area including a target intersection 90 as shown in Figure 4 is defined as a monitoring area. As shown in Figure 4, plants 93 are provided between a roadway 91 entering the target intersection 90 and a sidewalk 92 adjacent to this roadway 91. This makes it difficult for the driver of a truck 95 entering the roadway 91 toward the target intersection 90 to see a bicycle 96 traveling in the same direction on the sidewalk 92, and also makes it difficult for the driver of the bicycle 96 on the sidewalk 92 to see the truck 95 traveling on the roadway 91. For this reason, in this monitoring area, there is a high probability of collision between vehicles that enter the target intersection 90 from the roadway 91 and attempt to change direction to the other side at the target intersection 90 (this means the left side if driving on the left side as shown in Figure 4, and the right side if driving on the right side), and pedestrians, cyclists, etc. that enter the target intersection 90 from the sidewalk 92 and attempt to cross the target intersection 90 (see dashed line in Figure 4).

[0118] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting a risk notification setting value for a first support target, which is a truck 95 traveling on a roadway 91 in a monitoring area as shown in Fig. 4 toward a target intersection 90. The processing shown in Fig. 5 starts when the first support target enters a monitoring area including the target intersection 90 while traveling on the roadway 91.

[0119] First, in step ST1, the risk notification setting unit 64 acquires the planned driving route of the first support target included in the recognition information, and thereby determines whether the first support target is entering the target intersection 90 and intends to change direction to the enclosing side within this target intersection 90. If the determination result in step ST1 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 ends the processing shown in Fig. 5, and if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step ST2.

[0120] In step ST2, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not the first support target has entered a predetermined first range 98a (see FIG. 4) centered on the target intersection 90. If the determination result of step ST2 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST2, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST3.

[0121] In step ST3, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification under the presence notification mode for the first support object by setting the risk notification setting value for the first support object to "1" or "3", and then proceeds to step ST4.

[0122] In step ST4, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not the first support target has entered a second range 98b (see FIG. 4) that is smaller than the first range 98a centered on the target intersection 90. If the determination result in step ST4 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST3, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST5.

[0123] In step ST5, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not there is a pedestrian, a bicycle, or the like (hereinafter also referred to as a "parallel traffic participant") traveling in the same direction as the first support target on the sidewalk 92 within the second range. If the determination result in step ST5 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST6, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST7.

[0124] In step ST6, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the first support object to "1" or "3" to turn on risk notification under the presence notification mode for this first support object, and proceeds to step ST10.

[0125] In step ST7, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines, based on the driving subject information, whether the line of sight of the first support target driver is directed toward the parallel traffic participant whose presence was confirmed in step ST5. If the determination result in step ST7 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST8, and if the determination result is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST9.

[0126] In step ST8, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification under analog notification mode for the first support object by setting the risk notification setting value for this first support object to "2" or "4", and then proceeds to step ST10.

[0127] In step ST9, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the first support target to "0" to turn off the risk notification for this first support target, and then proceeds to step ST10.

[0128] In step ST10, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not the first support target has completed a turn from the roadway 91 to the incoming side at the target intersection 90. If the determination result of step ST10 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST5, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST11.

[0129] In step ST11, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the first support target to "0" to turn off the risk notification for this first support target, and ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0130] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for setting a risk notification setting value for a second support target, the rider of a bicycle 96 traveling on a sidewalk 92 in a monitoring area toward a target intersection 90 as shown in Fig. 4. The processing shown in Fig. 6 starts when the second support target enters the monitoring area including the target intersection 90 while traveling on the sidewalk 92.

[0131] First, in step ST21, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not the second support target has entered the first range 98a centered on the target intersection 90. If the determination result of step ST21 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST21, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST22.

[0132] In step ST22, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the second support target to "1", thereby turning on risk notification in the presence notification mode for this second support target, and proceeds to step ST23.

[0133] In step ST23, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not the second support target has entered a second range 98b (see FIG. 4) centered on the target intersection 90. If the determination result in step ST23 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST22, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST24.

[0134] In step ST24, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether or not there is a moving object (hereinafter also referred to as a "parallel moving object") moving in the same direction as the second support target on the roadway 91 within the second range. If the determination result of step ST24 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST25, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST26.

[0135] In step ST25, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the second support target to "1", thereby turning on risk notification in the presence notification mode for this second support target, and proceeds to step ST27.

[0136] In step ST26, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification under analog notification mode for the second support subject by setting the risk notification setting value for this second support subject to "2", and then proceeds to step ST27.

[0137] In step ST27, the risk notification setting unit 64 determines whether the parallel moving object has moved sufficiently far away from the second support target or whether the second support target has moved sufficiently far away from the target intersection 90. If the determination result in step ST27 is NO, the risk notification setting unit 64 returns to step ST24, and if the determination result is YES, the risk notification setting unit 64 proceeds to step ST28.

[0138] In step ST28, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the risk notification setting value for the second support target to "0" to turn off the risk notification for this second support target, and ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0139] Returning to Figure 2, the collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 generates collaborative assistance information for each traffic participant recognized as a target for assistance by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, based on the recognition information acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60, the driving subject information acquired by the driving subject information acquisition unit 61, the prediction result by the prediction unit 62, information regarding the health setting value set by the health notification setting unit 63, and information regarding the risk notification setting value set by the risk notification setting unit 64, to encourage communication with surrounding traffic participants and awareness of the surrounding traffic environment, and transmits the generated collaborative assistance information to each traffic participant.

[0140] The collaborative assistance information transmitted from the collaborative assistance information notification unit 65 to each assistance target includes information on the health setting value, information on the risk notification setting value, and risk information on the risk approaching each assistance target. Here, the risk information includes, for example, the prediction results by the prediction unit 62 and information on the locations of traffic participants around each traffic participant.

[0141] The traffic safety support system 1 according to this embodiment has the following advantages. (1) In the traffic safety support system 1, the risk notification setting unit 64 sets the operation mode of risk notification by the notification device 22 provided in the first support target, which is a moving body, and the notification device 42 provided in the second support target, which is a traffic participant moving on the sidewalk 92, based on the recognition information about each traffic participant at the target intersection 90 acquired by the target traffic area recognition unit 60 and the planned driving route of the first support target. When the first support target enters the target intersection 90 and is about to turn to the enclosing side, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification in a presence notification mode with a relatively low notification intensity by the notification device 22 if the first support target enters a first range 98a centered on the target intersection 90. This allows the driver of the first support target to enter the target intersection 90 while paying attention to the presence of traffic participants moving on the sidewalk 92 on the enclosing side when entering the target intersection 90, where it is difficult to visually confirm the presence of traffic participants when viewed from the driver's vehicle. Furthermore, when the first support target enters a second range 98b narrower than the first range 98a and there is a parallel traffic participant moving in the same direction as the first support target on the sidewalk 92 within the second range 98b, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification in the analog notification mode with higher notification intensity. This allows the driver of the first support target to recognize that a parallel traffic participant is approaching the target intersection 90 from the sidewalk 92 in the same direction as the first support target and is attempting to cross the target intersection 90 from the sidewalk 92, and the driver can change direction to the side that will catch the parallel traffic participant at the target intersection 90 while paying attention to the sidewalk to avoid contact with the parallel traffic participant. Furthermore, when the second support target enters the first range 98a while moving toward the target intersection 90 on the sidewalk 92 adjacent to the roadway 91 entering the target intersection 90, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification in the presence notification mode by the notification device 42. This allows the driver to enter the target intersection 90 while being careful of the presence of a moving object moving on the roadway 91 when the vehicle is entering the target intersection 90 where it is difficult to visually confirm the presence of the moving object.Furthermore, when the second support target enters the second range 98a and there is a parallel moving object moving in the same direction as the second support target on the roadway 91 within the second range 98a, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns on risk notification in analog mode by the notification device 42. This allows the second support target to recognize that a parallel moving object is approaching the target intersection 90 that the second support target is attempting to cross from the roadway 91 side in the same direction as the second support target and is turning into the target intersection 90 on the surrounding side, and the second support target can cross the target intersection 90 while paying attention to the roadway 91 side to avoid coming into contact with this parallel moving object.

[0142] (2) After turning on risk notification in the presence notification mode by the notification device 22, if the line of sight of the driver of the first support target is directed toward a participant in parallel traffic based on the driving subject information, the risk notification setting unit 64 turns off risk notification by the notification device 22. This can prevent the driver of the first support target from feeling annoyed by risk notifications with high notification intensity.

[0143] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detailed configuration may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0144] 1. Traffic safety support system 2…Four-wheeled vehicle (mobile object, transportation participant) 20…In-vehicle equipment group 22…Notification device 3…Motorcycles (mobile objects, transportation participants) 30…In-vehicle equipment group 32…Notification device 4...Pedestrians (people, traffic participants) 40...Mobile information processing terminal 42…Notification device 6…Coordination support device 60...Target traffic area recognition unit (recognition means, planned driving route acquisition means) 61...Driver information acquisition unit (driver information acquisition means) 62...Prediction unit (prediction means) 64...Risk notification setting unit (risk notification setting means) 65... Cooperative Support Information Notification Unit

Claims

1. A traffic safety support system for supporting safe movement of a first support target, the first support target being a mobile body that travels on a roadway and has a first notification device that provides risk notification under a plurality of notification modes, and a second support target being a traffic participant that travels on a sidewalk and has a second notification device that provides risk notification under a plurality of notification modes, the system comprising: recognition means for recognizing each traffic participant at the target intersection and acquiring recognition information; a planned driving route acquisition means for acquiring a planned driving route of the first support object; a risk notification setting means for setting an operation mode of risk notification by the first and second notification devices based on the recognition information and the planned driving route; The risk notification setting means When the first support target enters the target intersection and is about to change direction to the encircling side, if the first support target enters a first range centered on the target intersection, turn on a risk notification in a first mode by the first notification device; if the first support target enters a second range centered on the target intersection and narrower than the first range, and if there is a parallel traffic participant traveling on the sidewalk within the second range in the same direction as the first support target, turn on a risk notification in a second mode with a notification intensity higher than that of the first mode by the first notification device; A traffic safety support system characterized in that, when the second support object is moving toward the target intersection on a sidewalk adjacent to the roadway entering the target intersection and the second support object enters the first range, a risk notification in the first mode by the second notification device is turned on, and when the second support object enters the second range and there is a parallel moving object moving in the same direction as the second support object on the roadway within the second range, a risk notification in the second mode by the second notification device is turned on.

2. Further, a driving subject information acquisition means for acquiring driving subject information including a line of sight of the driver of the first assistance target is provided, The traffic safety support system described in claim 1, characterized in that the risk notification setting means turns on the risk notification by the first notification device under the second mode, and then turns off the risk notification by the first notification device when the gaze of the driver of the first support target is directed toward the parallel traffic participant based on the driving subject information.

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