Communication management device, mobile object, communication management method and program

Abstract

Provided is a communication management device comprising: a collection means for collecting traffic route information indicating traffic route conditions in a prescribed area; a creation means for creating a map indicating a communication mode to be preferentially used at each position in the prescribed area on the basis of the collected traffic route information; and a provision means for providing the map to a moving body moving within the prescribed area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication management device, a mobile object, a communication management method, and a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle driving assistance system equipped with a communication unit that performs at least one of wireless communication between other vehicles, road-to-vehicle communication with road facilities, and internet connection. According to this document, the vehicle driving assistance system has a function to switch the control content of the autonomous driving of the vehicle to another control content, or switch from autonomous driving to non-autonomous driving, if all or part of the communication by the communication unit becomes unavailable.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an example of a communication control device that controls a communication method between a mobile object moving along a predetermined track and base stations arranged at predetermined intervals along the track. According to this document, the communication control device includes a communication method storage unit that stores a communication method to be used at each point along the track, a position acquisition unit that acquires from the mobile object the location where the mobile object is located, and a switching control unit. The communication control device then reads out from the communication method storage unit the communication method associated with the location acquired by the position acquisition unit, and outputs a request to the mobile object and the base station to switch to the read communication method. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-077652 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-070246 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The following analysis has been provided by the present inventor. In Patent Document 1, when at least one of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and Internet connection becomes unavailable, the driving mode is changed, but there is a need to maintain a communication mode that suits the surrounding conditions.

[0006] In this regard, Patent Document 2 proposes determining the communication method to be used at each point based on the time when moving bodies are traveling adjacent to each other and the electric field strength actually measured at multiple points on the orbit, but there is a problem in that the communication method selected may not be suited to the surrounding conditions.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a communication management device, a mobile body, a communication management method, and a program that allow a communication mode to be selected depending on the status of the route along which the mobile body travels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to a first aspect, a communication management device is provided that includes a collection means for collecting route information indicating the status of routes within a specified area, a creation means for creating a map indicating the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the specified area based on the collected route information, and a provision means for providing the map to mobile bodies moving within the specified area.

[0009] According to a second aspect, a mobile body is provided that has a map storage means for storing a map provided by the above-mentioned communication management device, a location identification means for identifying the location of the mobile body, and a function for switching communication modes by referring to the communication mode of the location of the mobile body from the map.

[0010] According to a third aspect, there is provided a communication management method that collects route information indicating the status of routes within a specified area, creates a map indicating the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the specified area based on the collected route information, and provides the map to mobile objects moving within the specified area.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: a process of collecting route information indicating the status of routes within a specified area; a process of creating a map indicating the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the specified area based on the collected route information; and a process of providing the map to a mobile object moving within the specified area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, there are provided a communication management device, a mobile body, a communication management method, and a recording medium that can cause a mobile body to select an appropriate communication mode depending on the conditions of its route. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the communication management device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication mode map created by the communication management device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]FIG. 4 is another diagram for explaining the operation of the communication management device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication mode map created by the communication management device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a communication management device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a communication management device according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the communication management device and the vehicle according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication mode map created by a communication management device according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a computer that can function as a communication management device or an in-vehicle terminal of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] First, an overview of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the reference numerals in the drawings attached to this overview are attached to each element for convenience as an example to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated form. Furthermore, connection lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of main signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. Furthermore, ports or interfaces are present at the connection points of inputs and outputs of each block in the drawings, but are not shown.

[0015] In one embodiment, the present invention can be realized by a communication management device 10 including a collection unit 11, a creation unit 12, and a provision unit 13, as shown in FIG. 1 . More specifically, the collection unit 11 collects route information indicating the status of routes within a predetermined area. The route information may include various information such as the congestion status of each route, the number of moving objects, the distribution of moving objects, and the average speed. The moving objects may include not only vehicles but also pedestrians and bicycles. Depending on the content of the route information, the route information may be collected from various sensors or a server that manages sensor information. For example, if the route information includes the congestion status of each route, the communication management device 10 collects the congestion status of each route from a traffic control server that manages the congestion status of each route. Of course, the communication management device 10 may also collect the congestion status of each route directly from a sensor that senses the congestion status of each route.

[0016] The creation means 12 creates a map indicating the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information. For example, if the route information includes the congestion status of each route, the creation means 12 creates a map that specifies the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the congestion status of each route.

[0017] The providing means 13 provides the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area. The mobile object that receives the map uses the map to switch the communication mode depending on its own location and carries out communication.

[0018] The above-described communication management device 10 operates as shown in Fig. 2. First, the communication management device 10 collects route information (step S001). For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the communication management device 10 collects information on the congestion status of routes A and B within a certain area. In the example of Fig. 3, route A has few pedestrians and the like, while route B is congested with many pedestrians and bicycles.

[0019] Next, the communication management device 10 creates a map indicating the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the specified area based on the collected route information (step S002). FIG. 4 shows an example of a map created by the communication management device 10 when route information such as that shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. In the example of FIG. 4, it is specified that communication mode 1, which has low latency, is used for route B, and communication mode 2, which allows for a longer delay than communication mode 1, is used for route A. Note that in the above example, communication mode 1 is described as a low-latency communication mode and communication mode 2 is a delay-accepting communication mode, but communication mode 1 may be a communication mode that allows for large-capacity communication, and communication mode 2 may be a communication mode with a smaller capacity than communication mode 1.

[0020] The map created as described above is provided to the mobile unit by the communication management device 10 in response to a request from the mobile unit or at a predetermined time interval, etc. When the mobile unit receives the map and moves through the corresponding area, it refers to the map and switches the communication mode.

[0021] As mentioned above, on route B, mobile units communicate using communication mode 1, which has low latency. This allows for the exchange of various information through low-latency communications, ensuring safety even when traveling on congested route B, as shown in Figure 3. On the other hand, on uncongested route A, mobile units communicate using communication mode 2, which allows for a larger delay than communication mode 1. As shown in Figure 3, route A is not congested, so a communication mode that allows for a delay is sufficient, allowing for effective use of communication resources.

[0022] In addition, as the "communication type," various settings can be set depending on the application program or service used by the mobile device, including the network to connect to, the bit rate at which data is transmitted, the communication priority, and the communication protocol to be used.

[0023] [First embodiment] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 shows a plurality of sensors 200 arranged in a predetermined area, a communication management device 100 capable of collecting roadway information indicating the status of roads from the sensors 200, and a vehicle V that receives a communication form map from the communication management device 100.

[0024] The sensor 200 is placed in an area managed by the communication management device 100 and measures the traffic volume of roads within this managed area. Note that the sensor 200 may not only be a sensor for measuring traffic volume, but also other sensors such as sensors installed for monitoring purposes. Note that the objects to be measured for "traffic volume" are not limited to vehicles, but may also include pedestrians and bicycles. Devices used for these measurements may include lasers, radar, LiDAR (light detection and ranging), etc. Another method may be used to measure traffic volume by capturing images using a camera and analyzing the images.

[0025] Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the communication management device 100 of this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 6, the configuration includes a collection means 101, a map creation means 102, a map storage means 103, a communication mode map storage means 104, and a communication mode map providing means 105.

[0026] The collection means 101 collects traffic volume information for each road in the management area as route information from the above-mentioned sensor 200. Vehicle traffic volume can be used as this traffic volume information. This traffic volume information may also include pedestrian traffic volume. The pedestrian traffic volume can be acquired by the sensor 200, but can also be estimated, for example, from the number of mobile terminals such as smartphones carried by pedestrians.

[0027] The map storage means 103 stores map data (map) of the management area.

[0028] The map creation means 102 creates a communication mode map by adding the communication mode that should be used preferentially to the map data (map) of the management area based on the traffic volume information collected by the collection means 101, and registers the created communication mode map in the communication mode map storage means 104.

[0029] The communication mode map storage means 104 stores the communication mode map created by the map creating means 102.

[0030] The communication mode map providing means 105 provides a communication mode map to a vehicle V having a function of switching the communication mode using the communication mode map. Therefore, the collection means 101, the map creation means 102, and the communication mode map providing means 105 correspond to the collection means 11, the creation means 12, and the provision means 13 in FIG. 1.

[0031] 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the on-board terminal 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is mounted on the above-mentioned vehicle V. Referring to FIG. 7, the on-board terminal 300 includes a first antenna ANT1 for connecting to a first wireless network, a second antenna ANT2 for connecting to a second wireless network, communication control means 310, map storage means 311, and a GPS 320.

[0032] The map storage means 311 stores the communication mode map provided by the communication management device 100. The communication mode map may be stored as a map for route guidance held by a car navigation system or the like. The communication mode map may also be stored as additional information associated with the map for route guidance or as a map that can be superimposed on it.

[0033] The GPS (Global Positioning System) 320 acquires position information of the vehicle V. The GPS 320 is one form of position identification means for identifying the position of the vehicle itself.

[0034] The communication control means 310 reads out from the map storage means 311 a communication mode associated with the position of the vehicle in the communication mode map of the area in which the vehicle is traveling, and controls communication between the vehicle-mounted terminal 300 and the outside. In the following description of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the communication mode map specifies, as a "communication mode," the type of wireless network to be connected at each position within the area. Specifically, it is assumed that the communication mode map specifies, as a "communication mode," either 5G or LTE as the type of wireless network to be connected at each position within the area. Note that "5G" stands for fifth-generation mobile communication system, and "LTE" stands for Long Term Evolution. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted terminal 300 mounted on the vehicle V has a function of referring to the communication mode map, selecting a wireless network to be applied at the vehicle's position, and communicating with the outside.

[0035] Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the in-vehicle terminal of the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 8, first, the communication management device 100 collects traffic volume information from the sensor 200 (step S101). Here, it is assumed that information has been obtained that indicates that traffic volume is heavy in the sections indicated by symbols SEG1 to SEG3 in the area shown in Fig. 9.

[0036] Next, the communication management device 100 reads out from the map storage means 103 a map of the area corresponding to the traffic volume information obtained by the sensor 200 (step S102).

[0037] Next, the communication management device 100 determines the communication mode to be applied at each position on the read map, and updates the communication mode map stored in the communication mode map storage means 104 (step S103).

[0038] When updating the communication mode map, a communication mode selection policy that defines rules for selecting a communication mode depending on the route may be stored in advance. For example, if a communication mode selection policy is set to connect to 5G in sections with heavy traffic and connect to LTE in other sections, the communication management device 100 creates a communication mode map as shown in Fig. 10. In the example of Fig. 10, it is defined that 5G is to be connected for sections SEG1 to SEG3 with heavy traffic among the roads in the corresponding area.

[0039] It is preferable that the communication mode map be updated at predetermined time intervals. In this way, it becomes possible to instruct the vehicle V to use an appropriate communication mode in response to changes in traffic volume information. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, if a new section with heavy traffic, SEG4, is detected in addition to SEG1 to SEG3, the communication management device 100 creates a communication mode map that instructs the vehicle V to connect to 5G even in the section corresponding to SEG4, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0040] The communication mode map created and updated as described above is provided to vehicle V and used to select a communication mode when traveling in the corresponding area. For example, when vehicle V enters the section indicated by symbol SEG1, the on-board terminal 300 mounted on vehicle V switches the wireless network it connects to from LTE to 5G. This allows vehicle V to travel safely in sections with heavy traffic, receiving high-capacity, low-latency services provided by 5G. On the other hand, in other sections with light traffic, vehicle V selects LTE, thereby making it possible to conserve 5G wireless resources.

[0041] Furthermore, vehicle V may be an autonomous vehicle or a remotely controlled vehicle. By applying the present invention to these vehicles, it becomes possible to add to these vehicles a function for automatically switching communication modes based on traffic volume and the like. When traffic volume is heavy, autonomous vehicles and remotely controlled vehicles may require high-capacity, low-latency communications for remote video monitoring and remote control instructions. By applying the present invention, it is possible to select an appropriate communication mode in such cases.

[0042] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the communication management device 100 is described as collecting traffic volume information from the sensor 200, but it is possible that there are road sections in the target area that do not have a sensor 200. Next, a second embodiment will be described in which traffic volume information can be obtained even for sections that do not have a sensor 200, and an appropriate communication mode map can be created.

[0043] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is that the vehicle Va is equipped with a camera 210, and is configured to be able to transmit images of the roads it has traveled to the communication management device 100a.

[0044] Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a communication management device 100a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment 100 shown in Fig. 6 is that an image analysis means 106 is added, and a map creation means 202 creates a communication mode map based on traffic volume information obtained by image analysis by the image analysis means 106. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the following description will focus on the differences.

[0045] The image analysis means 106 extracts vehicles shown in the image received from the vehicle Va, estimates the traffic volume, and sends the result as traffic volume information to the map creation means 202. The location where the image was taken can be identified from the location information of the vehicle Va added to the image, the topography shown in the image, etc.

[0046] The map creating means 202 creates a communication mode map based on the traffic volume information obtained by the image analysis of the image analyzing means 106 in addition to the information collected by the collecting means 101 .

[0047] The operation of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that image analysis processing by the image analysis means is added, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to create an appropriate communication mode map even for an area where there is a road section where the sensor 200 is malfunctioning or where there is no sensor 200. Furthermore, the vehicle Va that sends images to the communication management device 100a does not necessarily have to be a controlled vehicle that communicates by referring to the communication mode. For example, a system administrator or the like may run a dedicated investigation vehicle (for taking images) to collect necessary data as needed.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the communication management device 100a is described as receiving images of the road traveled from the vehicle Va. However, the communication management device 100a may also collect other sensed information from the vehicle Va. Examples of sensed information include the number of oncoming vehicles the vehicle has passed, the number of pedestrians detected by surrounding sensors, the average speed of the vehicle while traveling on the road section, and the number of times the vehicle brakes. The communication management device 100a uses this information to estimate the traffic volume on the road section and determine the communication mode. Devices used for these measurements may include laser, radar, LiDAR, etc. Another method is for the vehicle Va to detect other vehicles using vehicle-to-vehicle communication and estimate traffic volume.

[0050] [Third embodiment] In the first and second embodiments described above, the communication management devices 100 and 100a determine the communication mode based on traffic volume information, but the communication mode can also be determined using information other than traffic volume information. Below, we will explain a third embodiment in which a communication mode map is created based on the terrain and obstacles around the base station.

[0051] Figure 15 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a communication management device 100b according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the communication management device 100 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 6 is that the map creation means 302 is configured to create a communication mode map by taking into account, in addition to traffic volume information, the position of the base station on the map and subsequent objects and terrain between each position on the map. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the following explanation will focus on the differences in operation.

[0052] 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a communication management device and a vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the map shown in FIG. 9 and other figures is that the map shows the positions and sizes of base stations (5G base stations) and surrounding obstacles such as buildings and tunnels. The map creation means 302 of this embodiment creates a communication mode map that sets communication modes taking into account the positions and sizes of base stations and surrounding obstacles in addition to traffic volume information, and registers the created communication mode map in the communication mode map storage means 104.

[0053] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a communication mode map created by the communication management device 100b of this embodiment. For example, a 5G base station is located in the upper left of FIG. 17, but there is a building between the 5G base station and the road, which may block radio waves from the 5G base station. Also, there is a tunnel below the base station in the lower part of FIG. 17, which may block radio waves from the 5G base station inside the tunnel. The communication management device 100b creates a communication mode map that specifies the use of another wireless network ("LTE" in the case of FIG. 17) for sections where radio waves from these base stations are difficult to reach.

[0054] According to this embodiment, which operates as described above, it is possible to create a communication mode map that determines the communication mode by taking into account not only traffic volume but also the presence of obstacles and the terrain within the area. In the third embodiment, the communication management device 100b was described as not analyzing images from vehicles, but as in the second embodiment, it may analyze images from vehicles. Furthermore, if an obstacle or terrain is captured in an image from a vehicle, the communication management device 100b may use this information to create a communication mode map. For example, the communication management device 100b may be configured to detect the presence of an obstacle from an image of a building or tunnel captured in an image sent from a vehicle.

[0055] In the above-described embodiments, the communication management devices 100, 100a, and 100b create a communication mode map that specifies the wireless network to which they should connect. However, the communication mode is not limited to the wireless network to which they should connect. For example, the communication management devices 100, 100a, and 100b may create a communication mode map that specifies the bit rate of the video data to be transmitted at each location in a specified area. By switching the bit rate using such a map, it becomes possible to receive images with a large amount of information from mobile objects according to traffic volume.

[0056] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the communication management devices 100, 100a, 100b may create a map that defines the communication format for each application program used on the vehicle-mounted device side.

[0057] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be further modified, substituted, and adjusted without departing from the basic technical concept of the present invention. For example, the system configuration, element configuration, data representation, etc. shown in the drawings are examples intended to aid in understanding the present invention and are not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings. For example, while the mobile objects are described as vehicles (automobiles) in the first to third embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to other mobile objects. For example, the present invention can also be applied to railway vehicles equipped with communication functions, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), automated guided vehicles, etc. In this case, the "path" will be a path appropriate for the type of mobile object.

[0058] Furthermore, the procedures shown in each of the above-described embodiments can be realized by a computer that functions as a device constituting the communication management device 10, 100 to 100b. Specifically, they can be realized by a program that causes a computer (9000 in FIG. 18) to realize the functions of these devices. An example of such a computer is a configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 9010, a communication interface 9020, a memory 9030, and an auxiliary storage device 9040 in FIG. 18. That is, the CPU 9010 in FIG. 18 may be made to execute an information collection program and a map creation program.

[0059] That is, each unit (processing means, function) of the above-mentioned communication management device 10, 100 to 100b can be realized by a computer program that causes a processor installed in these devices to execute each of the above-mentioned processes using its hardware. Moreover, this computer program can be recorded on a computer-readable (non-transitive) recording medium. That is, the present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product.

[0060] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. [Appendix 1] a collection means for collecting route information indicating the status of routes within a predetermined area; a creating means for creating a map indicating a communication mode to be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing means for providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; A communication management device comprising: [Appendix 2] The collection means of the communication management device may be configured to collect, as the travel route information, traffic volume of road sections within the predetermined area. [Appendix 3] The traffic volume collected by the communication management device may include the volume of pedestrians passing through road sections within the predetermined area. [Appendix 4] The collection means of the communication management device can be configured to collect, as the route information, information sensed by a mobile object on the route. [Appendix 5] The creating means of the communication management device can be configured to create a map including designations of wireless networks to be used at each location in the predetermined area. [Appendix 6] The creating means of the above-mentioned communication management device can be configured to create a map that defines the communication mode to be used for each application program. [Appendix 7] The creating means of the communication management device can be configured to create a map including a designation of the bit rate of video data to be transmitted at each position in the predetermined area. [Appendix 8] The providing means of the above-mentioned communication management device may be configured to provide the map to an autonomous vehicle or a remotely controlled vehicle moving within the specified area. [Appendix 9] a map storage means for storing a map provided by the communication management device; a position identification means for identifying the position of the aircraft; A mobile body having a function of switching communication modes based on a communication mode associated with the position of the mobile body on the map. [Appendix 10] Collecting route information that indicates the status of routes within a specified area; creating a map showing the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; Communication management methods. [Appendix 11] A process of collecting route information indicating the status of routes within a predetermined area; A process of creating a map showing a communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; A computer-readable recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the above. The embodiments of Supplementary Notes 9 and 10 can be expanded into the embodiments of Supplementary Notes 2 to 8, similarly to Supplementary Note 1.

[0061] The disclosures of the above-mentioned patent documents are incorporated herein by reference. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the scope of the claims), and further based on the basic technical concepts thereof. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure and technical concepts, including the scope of the claims. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges described herein, any numerical value or subrange included within the range should be construed as being specifically described, even if not otherwise specified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Communication management device 11, 101 Collection methods 12 Creation Method 13 Means of provision 101 Collection Methods 102, 202, 302 Map Creation Methods 103 Map storage means 104 Communication form map storage means 105 Communication form map provision means 200 sensors 210 Camera 300 In-vehicle terminal 310 Communication Control Means 311 Map storage means 320 GPS ANT1 First antenna ANT2 Second antenna V, Va vehicle 9000 computers 9010 CPU 9020 Communication Interface 9030 Memory 9040 Auxiliary storage device

Claims

1. a collection means for collecting route information indicating the congestion status of routes within a predetermined area; a creating means for creating a map indicating a communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing means for providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; Equipped with the creation means creates the map indicating a communication mode with less delay as a communication mode to be preferentially used in a congested location than a communication mode to be preferentially used in a non-congested location. Communication management device.

2. 2. The communication management device according to claim 1, wherein said collection means collects, as said travel route information, traffic volume of road sections within said predetermined area.

3. The communication management device according to claim 2 , wherein the traffic volume includes a pedestrian traffic volume on road sections within the predetermined area.

4. 4. The communication management device according to claim 1, wherein the collection means collects, as the route information, information sensed by a mobile object on the route.

5. 5. The communication management device according to claim 1, wherein said creating means creates said map including designation of a wireless network to be used at each location in said predetermined area.

6. 6. The communication management device according to claim 5, wherein said creating means creates said map defining a communication mode to be used for each application program.

7. 7. The communication management device according to claim 1, wherein said creating means creates said map including a designation of a bit rate of video data to be transmitted at each position in said predetermined area.

8. a map storage means for storing the map provided by the communication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a position identification means for identifying the position of the aircraft; A mobile body having a function of switching communication modes based on a communication mode associated with the position of the mobile body on the map.

9. A computer comprising: Collecting route information that indicates the congestion status of routes within a specified area, creating a map showing the communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; In the creating step, the map is created to indicate a communication mode that has less delay than a communication mode that should be preferentially used in a non-congested location as a communication mode that should be preferentially used in a congested location. Communication management methods.

10. A process of collecting route information indicating the congestion status of routes within a predetermined area; A process of creating a map showing a communication mode that should be preferentially used at each location in the predetermined area based on the collected route information; providing the map to a mobile object moving within the predetermined area; on the computer, In the process of creating the map, the map is created to indicate a communication mode that has less delay as a communication mode that should be preferentially used in a congested location than a communication mode that should be preferentially used in a non-congested location. program.

Images