Information processing device, mobile object, system, information processing method, program, and server

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, a moving body, a system, an information processing method, a program and a server.SOLUTION: In a vehicle 20, an information processing apparatus comprises: a risk area identification unit which identifies a risk area outside a moving body; and a transmission control unit which performs control for transmitting risk area information representing the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit to a server for retaining information related to the risk area. The risk area identification unit identifies an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area. The transmission control unit performs control for transmitting coordinate information of some of the plurality of points to the server as the risk area information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a mobile object, a system, an information processing method, a program, and a server. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a system in which a risk area is managed by an MEC server, and the MEC server provides information about the risk area to each vehicle. [Prior art document] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-140470 A Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device. The information processing device includes a risk area identification unit that identifies a risk area outside a moving object. The information processing device includes a transmission control unit that controls the transmission of risk area information indicating the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit to a server that stores information about risk areas. The risk area identification unit identifies an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area. The transmission control unit controls the transmission of coordinate information of some of the plurality of points as the risk area information to the server.

[0004] The certain points may be points among the plurality of points that satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0005] The number of the plurality of points may be three or more, and the some of the points may be two of the plurality of points.

[0006] The certain points may be two points among the plurality of points that are closest to the position of the moving body.

[0007] The certain points may be two points among the plurality of points that are furthest apart in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the moving body.

[0008] The information processing device may further include a coordinate information acquisition unit that acquires coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the mobile body captured by an imaging device mounted on the mobile body. The risk area identification unit may identify the risk area based on the coordinate information.

[0009] The information processing device may further include a coordinate information acquisition unit that acquires coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the moving body captured by an imaging device mounted on the moving body. The coordinate information may include, as coordinates of each of a plurality of points defining the position of the object, a first relative coordinate in a first direction along the moving body's direction of travel and a second relative coordinate in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The risk area identification unit may identify, based on the coordinate information, an area defined by three or more points included in the coordinate information as the risk area. The transmission control unit may select two points closest to the position of the moving body from the three or more points based on the first relative coordinates included in the coordinate information, and determine the certain points based on the selected two points.

[0010] The plurality of points may be a plurality of vertices that define an area identified as the risk area.

[0011] The server may include a mobile edge computing (MEC) server.

[0012] The moving object may be a vehicle.

[0013] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle, the vehicle including the information processing device described above.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system, comprising: the information processing device described above; and the server.

[0015] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method. The method includes a step of identifying a risk area outside a mobile object. The method includes a step of controlling to transmit risk area information indicating the identified risk area to a server that holds information about risk areas. The step of identifying the risk area may identify an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area. The step of controlling to transmit may include control to transmit coordinate information of some points of the plurality of points as the risk area information to the server.

[0016] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. The program causes a computer to function as a risk area identification unit that identifies a risk area outside a moving object. The program causes the computer to function as a transmission control unit that controls the transmission of risk area information indicating the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit to a server that stores information about risk areas. The risk area identification unit identifies an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area. The transmission control unit controls the transmission of coordinate information of some of the plurality of points as the risk area information to the server.

[0017] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server. The server includes a reception control unit that performs control to receive risk area information indicating a risk area outside the mobile body identified by the mobile body. The server includes a storage control unit that performs control to store information about the risk area. The risk area information includes a plurality of points that define the risk area. The storage control unit performs control to select some of the plurality of points included in the risk area information and store coordinate information of the selected some of the points.

[0018] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system, the system comprising the server described above and the mobile object.

[0019] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method. The method includes a step of performing control to receive risk area information indicating a risk area outside the mobile body identified by the mobile body. The method includes a step of performing control to retain information about the risk area. The risk area information includes a plurality of points defining the risk area. The step of performing control to retain information about the risk area includes control to select some points from the plurality of points included in the risk area information and retain coordinate information of the selected some points.

[0020] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program. The program causes a computer to function as a reception control unit that controls the reception of risk area information indicating a risk area outside a moving body identified by the moving body. The program causes the computer to function as a storage control unit that controls the storage of information regarding the risk area. The risk area information includes a plurality of points that define the risk area. The storage control unit selects some of the plurality of points included in the risk area information and performs control to store coordinate information of the selected some of the points.

[0021] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also constitute inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a usage scenario of the system 10. [Figure 2] 10 shows a situation in which an information processing device 64 provided in a vehicle 60 requests position information of a risk area. [Figure 3] 10 shows a situation in which the information processing device 64 makes an inquiry regarding a risk area. [Figure 4] 2 shows the system configuration of a vehicle 20. [Figure 5] 2 shows the system configuration of the server 52. [Figure 6] 10 shows a schematic diagram of a risk area identified by the risk area identifying unit 220. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B show schematic diagrams of other examples of risk areas identified by the risk area identifying unit 220. [Figure 8] 10 shows a schematic flow of processing relating to an information processing method executed by the vehicle 20, the vehicle 60, the server 52, and the terminal 82. [Figure 9] 10 shows a schematic flow of another information processing method executed by the vehicle 20, the vehicle 60, the server 52, and the terminal 82. [Figure 10] An example of a computer 2000 is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0024] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario in which the system 10 is used. The system 10 includes a vehicle 20, a vehicle 60, a terminal 82, a base station 50, and a server 52.

[0025] Vehicle 20 and vehicle 60 are vehicles traveling on road 70. Vehicle 20 and vehicle 60 are examples of moving bodies. Vehicle 20 is equipped with an information processing device 24 and a sensor 29. The sensor 29 is configured to include a camera. The information processing device 24 has a function of processing information acquired by the sensor 29 and a function of communicating with a server 52. Vehicle 20 is, for example, a vehicle equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) function. Vehicle 60 is equipped with an information processing device 64. The information processing device 64 has a function of communicating with the server 52. Vehicle 60 is, for example, a vehicle without an ADAS function.

[0026] The terminal 82 is a terminal carried by the person 80. The terminal 82 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. The base station 50 is a mobile communication base station. The server 52 is a server connected to the base station 50. The server 52 may include an edge computing server such as a mobile edge computing (MEC) server. The server 52 continuously manages the location information of the terminal 82. Although one server 52 is illustrated in FIG. 1 , the server 52 may be configured by multiple servers, each connected to multiple base stations. The information processing device 24 may communicate with one of the multiple servers constituting the server 52 that is located near the vehicle 20, and the information processing device 64 may communicate with one of the multiple servers constituting the server 52 that is located near the vehicle 60.

[0027] 1, vehicle 20 and vehicle 60 are vehicles traveling along road 70. Vehicle 90 is a vehicle parked on road 70. Vehicle 60 is traveling behind vehicle 20 in the same direction as vehicle 20.

[0028] For the vehicle 20, an area 110 on the side of the parked vehicle 90 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 is an area that is difficult to see from the position of the vehicle 20. The information processing device 24 identifies the area 110 that cannot be seen from the vehicle 20 as a risk area based on information such as an image in the traveling direction acquired by the sensor 29.

[0029] For example, the information processing device 24 determines four vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114 of a rectangular area 110 that includes the position of the vehicle 90, based on the recognition information of the image acquired by the sensor 29. The vertex 113 is a point that is a distance L1 away from the vertex 111 determined based on the recognition information of the image in the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. The vertex 114 is a point that is a distance L1 away from the vertex 112 determined based on the recognition information of the image in the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. L1 is a distance determined according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle 20.

[0030] When the information processing device 24 queries the server 52 as to whether or not a person 80 or a terminal 82 is present within the area 110, the information processing device 24 transmits query information including four vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114 to the server 52. The location information of the person 80 may be, for example, location information acquired by an in-vehicle camera or an infrastructure camera, and may be transmitted to the server 52 and managed there. The query information is an example of risk area information including the vertices 111 and 112. In the example of FIG. 1 , since no terminal is present within the area 110 defined by the four vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114, the server 52 either discards the query information or transmits response information to the vehicle 20 indicating that the terminal 82 is not present.

[0031] The server 52 stores the coordinate information of the vertices 111 and 112 that are located closer to the vehicle 20 out of the four vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114 included in the inquiry information received from the information processing device 24, and provides the coordinate information to other vehicles including the vehicle 60 following the vehicle 20. When registering a risk area in the server 52, the information processing device 24 may transmit the coordinate information of the vertices 111 and 112 that are located closer to the vehicle 20 out of the four vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114 to the server 52 as risk area information. In this case, the server 52 stores the coordinate information of the vertices 111 and 112 included in the risk area information received from the information processing device 24, and provides the coordinate information to other vehicles including the vehicle 60.

[0032] 2 shows a situation in which an information processing device 64 provided in a vehicle 60 requests position information of a risk area. When the information processing device 64 is present in an area in which it can communicate with the server 52, it transmits a risk area request to the server 52. The server 52 transmits the coordinate information of the vertices 111 and 112 of the area 110 that it has stored to the information processing device 64. The information processing device 64 stores the coordinate information of the vertices 111 and 112 received from the server 52.

[0033] 3 shows a situation in which the information processing device 64 makes an inquiry about a risk area. When the distance from the vehicle 20 to a position indicated by the coordinate information of at least one of the vertices 111 and 112 becomes less than a predetermined distance, the information processing device 64 sets the area 120 defined by the vertices 111, 112, 123, and 124 as a risk area for the vehicle 60. For example, the information processing device 64 determines a point that is a distance L2 determined according to the speed of the vehicle 60 from the vertex 111 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 60 as the vertex 123, and a point that is a distance L2 determined according to the speed of the vehicle 60 from the vertex 112 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 60 as the vertex 124.

[0034] The information processing device 64 transmits query information to the server 52, including coordinate information of the vertices 111, 112, 123, and 124 of the area 120 set as a risk area. The server 52 transmits warning information to the information processing device 64 and the terminal 82 when the location information of the terminal 82 managed by the server 52 is included within the area 120 surrounded by the vertices included in the query information. Upon receiving the warning information from the server 52, the information processing device 64 outputs a warning to the occupants of the vehicle 60. For example, the information processing device 64 outputs a warning to the occupants through an HMI (Human Machine Interface) function of the vehicle 20. As a result, the information processing device 64 can output a warning using the risk area received from the server 52 through a wireless communication function, even if the information processing device 64 itself does not have a function for recognizing the risk area using sensing means such as a camera. Furthermore, upon receiving the warning information from the server 52, the terminal 82 outputs a warning to the person 80. For example, the terminal 82 outputs a warning to the person 80 through an HMI function of the terminal 82.

[0035] In this way, the server 52 stores two of the four vertices that define the area 110 identified by the vehicle 20. This reduces the storage capacity required for managing the risk area compared to when the server 52 stores coordinate information for the four vertices of the area 110. Furthermore, the server 52 transmits the coordinate information for the two vertices stored by the server 52 to the information processing device 64. This reduces the amount of communication required for providing coordinate information for the risk area to other vehicles 60 compared to when the server 52 transmits coordinate information for the four vertices of the area 110 to the information processing device 64. Furthermore, the information processing device 64 sets the area 120 according to the speed of the vehicle 60 based on the coordinate information for the two vertices of the area 110 received from the server 52. Therefore, it is possible to set an appropriate area 120 according to the speed of the vehicle 60 without receiving the four coordinate information for the area 110. In addition, when the information processing device 24 transmits risk area information for registering a risk area to the server 52, it transmits two of the four vertices that define the area 110, thereby reducing the amount of communication required to register a risk area to the server 52 compared to transmitting coordinate information of the four vertices of the area 110 to the server 52.

[0036] 4 shows the system configuration of the vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 includes a sensor 29, an information processing device 24, a communication device 48, and an information output device 40.

[0037] The sensor 29 includes a radar 21, a camera 22, a GNSS receiver 25, and a vehicle speed sensor 26. The radar 21 may be a LiDAR, a millimeter-wave radar, or the like. The GNSS receiver 25 receives radio waves transmitted from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite. The GNSS receiver 25 generates information indicating the current position of the vehicle 20 based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The camera 22 is an example of an imaging device mounted on the vehicle 20. The camera 22 captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle 20 to generate image information. For example, the camera 22 captures an image in the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 to generate image information. The camera 22 may be a monocular camera. The camera 22 may be a compound eye camera capable of acquiring distance information to an object. The camera 22 recognizes an object based on an image acquired by its imaging function and outputs position information of the recognized object. The vehicle speed sensor 26 detects the speed of the vehicle 20. The sensor 29 may include a position sensor such as an odometer, or an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) such as an acceleration sensor or an attitude sensor.

[0038] The vehicle 20 may include a driving assistance control device that uses information detected by the sensor 29 to assist in driving the vehicle 20. The driving assistance control device may be realized by an ECU that provides an ADAS function.

[0039] The communication device 48 is responsible for communication with the server 52. The communication device 48 may communicate with the server 52 via mobile communication. For example, the communication device 48 may be capable of communicating via a mobile base station (Uu) interface for vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0040] The information output device 40 is a device that outputs warning information. The information output device 40 may have an HMI function. The information output device 40 may include a head-up display or a navigation system. The information output device 40 may be a portable terminal carried by an occupant of the vehicle 20. The information output device 40 may include an audio output device that outputs warning information by voice.

[0041] The information processing device 24 includes a control unit 200 and a storage unit 280. The control unit 200 is realized by a circuit such as an arithmetic processing unit including a processor. The storage unit 280 is realized by including a non-volatile storage medium. The control unit 200 performs processing using information stored in the storage unit 280. The control unit 200 may be realized by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, buses, etc.

[0042] The control unit 200 includes a coordinate information acquisition unit 210, a risk area identification unit 220, a control unit 208, a transmission control unit 250, and a reception control unit 260. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which the control unit 200 does not have some of the functions of the functional blocks shown in Fig. 4. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which only some of the functions are implemented in the control unit 200, and the other functions are implemented as functions of other circuits such as the sensor 29.

[0043] The risk area identification unit 220 identifies a risk area outside the vehicle 20. The transmission control unit 250 performs control to transmit risk area information indicating the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit 220 to the server 52 that stores information about the risk area. The risk area identification unit 220 may identify an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area, and the transmission control unit 250 may perform control to transmit coordinate information of some of the plurality of points to the server 52 as risk area information.

[0044] The risk area may be an area outside the vehicle 20 that poses a risk to the movement of the vehicle 20. The risk area may be an area that is out of sight from the position of the vehicle 20 due to an object outside the vehicle 20. The out-of-sight area is, for example, position information of an area that is occluded by a three-dimensional object such as another vehicle, a building, or a roadside tree when viewed from the position of the vehicle 20.

[0045] The some points may be points among the plurality of points that satisfy a predetermined condition. The number of the plurality of points is three or more, and the some points may be two points among the plurality of points. The some points may be two points among the plurality of points that are closest to the position of the vehicle 20.

[0046] The some points may be the two points among the plurality of points that are the furthest apart in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. For example, the some points may be the two points among the plurality of points that are the furthest apart in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 20. Specifically, the some points may be, for example, a point closest to the center line of the road 70 on which the vehicle 20 is traveling and a point farthest from the center line of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling. Note that if there are two or more points among the plurality of points that are closest to the center line of the road 70 on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, one point closest to the position of the vehicle 20 may be selected from among the points closest to the center line. If there are two or more points among the plurality of points that are farthest from the center line of the road 70 on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, one point closest to the position of the vehicle 20 may be selected from among the points farthest from the center line.

[0047] The coordinate information acquisition unit 210 acquires coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the vehicle 20 captured by the camera 22 mounted on the vehicle 20. The risk area identification unit 220 may identify a risk area based on the coordinate information of the object recognized from the image of the outside of the vehicle 20 captured by the camera 22.

[0048] The coordinate information may include, as coordinates of each of a plurality of points defining the position of the object, a first relative coordinate in a first direction along the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 and a second relative coordinate in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second direction may be a direction perpendicular to the first direction. The number of the plurality of points may be three or more. Based on coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the vehicle 20, the risk area identification unit 220 may identify an area defined by three or more points included in the coordinate information as a risk area. Based on the first relative coordinates included in the coordinate information, the transmission control unit 250 may select two points closest to the position of the vehicle 20 from among the three or more points, and determine the part of the points based on the selected two points.

[0049] The points may be vertices that define an area identified as a risk area.

[0050] The control unit 208 may control the execution of driving assistance for the vehicle 20 or the issuance of a warning to the occupants of the vehicle 20. For example, if the information output device 40 is equipped with a head-up display, the control unit 208 may cause the head-up display of the vehicle 20 to output light for forming a mark as warning information indicating that a pedestrian is present in a risk area. Furthermore, the control unit 208 causes the head-up display to output light for forming a mark in a display area corresponding to the position of the risk area where the pedestrian is present. The control unit 208 may project light for forming the mark toward a reflective member provided on the windshield of the vehicle 20. Note that the control unit 208 may output the warning information by voice or text. Furthermore, the control unit 208 may control the traveling of the vehicle 20 through a driving assistance control device provided in the vehicle 20.

[0051] 5 shows the system configuration of the server 52. The server 52 includes a communication device 348, a control unit 300, and a storage unit 380.

[0052] The control unit 300 controls the communication device 348. The communication device 348 is responsible for communication between the terminal 82 and the information processing device 24. The control unit 200 is realized by a circuit such as an arithmetic processing device including a processor. The storage unit 380 is realized by including a non-volatile storage medium. The control unit 300 performs processing using information stored in the storage unit 380. The control unit 300 may be realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, buses, etc.

[0053] The control unit 300 includes a storage control unit 310, a determination unit 320, a transmission control unit 350, and a reception control unit 360. Note that the control unit 300 may not have some of the functions of the functional blocks shown in FIG.

[0054] The reception control unit 360 performs control to receive risk area information indicating a risk area outside the vehicle 20 that has been identified by the vehicle 20. The retention control unit 310 performs control to retain information related to the risk area. For example, the retention control unit 310 stores information related to the risk area in the memory unit 380. The risk area information includes a plurality of points that define the risk area. The retention control unit 310 performs control to select some of the points included in the risk area information and retain coordinate information of the selected some of the points.

[0055] The reception control unit 360 performs control to periodically receive the location information of multiple terminals, including the terminal 82. The server 52 manages the location information of each of the multiple terminals by storing the location information of the multiple terminals received under the control of the reception control unit 360 in the storage unit 380.

[0056] The reception control unit 360 receives inquiry information regarding the risk area from the vehicle 20 or the vehicle 60. The inquiry information is information transmitted from the vehicle 20 or the vehicle 60, and is information for inquiring whether any of the terminals, whose location information is managed by the server 52, are present within the risk area. The inquiry information may include the coordinates of all of the multiple vertices that define the risk area. The determination unit 320 determines, based on the location information managed by the server 52, whether any of the terminals are present within the risk area defined by the multiple vertices included in the inquiry information. When the transmission control unit 250 determines that any of the terminals is present within the risk area, it performs control to transmit response information indicating the presence of the terminal to the vehicle 20 or the vehicle 60 that sent the inquiry information.

[0057] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a risk area identified by the risk area identifying unit 220. Fig. 6 shows an example in which a rectangular area is identified as a risk area.

[0058] The sensor 29 outputs coordinate information indicating the position of an object recognized by the sensor 29. For example, the sensor 29 outputs coordinate information of the position of the object in a coordinate system in which the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 is the positive x-axis direction and the y-axis direction is parallel to a plane parallel to the road surface on which the vehicle 20 is traveling and perpendicular to the x-axis. The origin O of the coordinate system is set at a predetermined position on the vehicle 20. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6 , the sensor 29 outputs coordinate information including coordinates of positions 601, 602, and 603. The position 601 is the position closest to the negative y-axis at which the sensor 29 recognized the object, the position 602 is the position closest to the positive y-axis at which the sensor 29 recognized the object, and the position 603 is the position closest to the negative x-axis at which the sensor 29 recognized the object. In other words, the position 603 is the position closest to the vehicle 20 at which the sensor 29 recognized the object.

[0059] The risk area identification unit 220 identifies area 110 as a risk area based on the coordinate information acquired by the coordinate information acquisition unit 210. Area 110 is a rectangular area defined by connecting vertices 111, 112, 114, and 113. One side of area 110 on the vehicle 20 side is a side that includes position 603 and is parallel to the y-axis. The other side of area 110 on the vehicle 20 side is defined by vertices 111 and 112. Vertex 111 is determined to be at a position equal to position 601 in the negative y-axis direction or a position that exceeds position 601 by a predetermined amount. Vertex 112 is determined to be at a position equal to position 602 in the positive y-axis direction or a position that exceeds position 602 by a predetermined amount. In the example of Figure 6, vertex 111 is determined to be a position that is a predetermined amount beyond position 601 in the negative y-axis direction, and vertex 112 is determined to be a position that is a predetermined amount beyond position 602 in the positive y-axis direction. Vertex 113 is determined to be a distance L1 away from vertex 111 in the positive x-axis direction. Vertex 114 is determined to be a distance L1 away from vertex 112 in the positive x-axis direction. L1 is determined according to the speed of vehicle 20. The higher the speed of vehicle 20, the longer L1 is determined to be.

[0060] Fig. 7 shows schematically another example of a risk area identified by the risk area identifying unit 220. Fig. 7 shows another example of a rectangular area identified as a risk area.

[0061] 7, the sensor 29 outputs coordinate information including the coordinates of a position 701, a position 702, and a position 703. The position 701 is the position at which the sensor 29 recognizes an object that is furthest on the negative side in the y direction, the position 702 is the position at which the sensor 29 recognizes an object that is furthest on the positive side in the y direction, and the position 703 is the position at which the sensor 29 recognizes an object that is furthest on the negative side in the x direction. The position 703 is the position at which the sensor 29 recognizes an object that is closest to the vehicle 20.

[0062] The risk area identification unit 220 identifies area 710 as a risk area based on the coordinate information acquired by the coordinate information acquisition unit 210. Area 710 is a rectangular area defined by connecting vertices 711, 712, 714, and 713. One side of area 710 on the vehicle 20 side includes position 703 and is parallel to the y-axis. One side of area 710 on the vehicle 20 side is defined by vertices 711 and 712. Vertex 711 is determined to be at a position at least equal to position 701 in the negative y-axis direction or beyond position 701 by a predetermined amount. Vertex 711 is determined to be at a position at least equal to position 702 in the positive y-axis direction or beyond position 702 by a predetermined amount. In the example of FIG. 7 , vertex 711 is determined to be at the same position as position 701 in the negative y-axis direction, and vertex 712 is determined to be at the same position as position 702 in the positive y-axis direction. Vertex 713 is determined to be a position that is a distance L1 away from vertex 711 in the positive x-axis direction. Vertex 714 is determined to be a position that is a distance L1 away from vertex 712 in the positive x-axis direction.

[0063] 6 and 7, the risk area identification unit 220 identifies an area that includes at least the position of the vehicle 90 recognized by the sensor 29 as a risk area. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an example in which the risk area identification unit 220 identifies a rectangular area as a risk area. However, the area set as a risk area by the risk area identification unit 220 may be a quadrangular area including a parallelogram or the like. The area set as a risk area by the risk area identification unit 220 may be a polygonal area.

[0064] 8 schematically shows a processing flow relating to an information processing method executed by the vehicle 20, the vehicle 60, the server 52, and the terminal 82. In S802, the risk area identification unit 220 identifies a risk area based on information recognized by the sensor 29. For example, the risk area identification unit 220 determines four vertices that define the risk area 110 based on coordinate information output by the sensor 29 and acquired by the coordinate information acquisition unit 210. For example, the risk area identification unit 220 identifies the risk area by determining the four vertices using the method described in relation to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0065] In S808, the transmission control unit 250 transmits inquiry information as to whether a predetermined target is present within the risk area. The inquiry information includes coordinate information of the four vertices that define the risk area identified in S802. The inquiry information may include geographic coordinate information represented by the latitude and longitude of the four vertices that define the risk area. The inquiry information may include information indicating the current location of the vehicle 20 or the traveling direction of the vehicle 20.

[0066] When the server 52 receives the inquiry information transmitted from the vehicle 20, in S810, the holding control unit 310 selects two vertices that satisfy a predetermined condition from among the four vertices included in the inquiry information, based on the inquiry information received by the reception control unit 360. For example, the holding control unit 310 selects the two vertices that are closest to the vehicle 20 from among the four vertices. Specifically, the holding control unit 310 may select the vertices 111 and 112 shown in FIG. 6 from among the four vertices, or the vertices 711 and 712 shown in FIG. 7.

[0067] In S812, the holding control unit 310 registers the coordinate information of the two vertices selected in S810 as vertex information of the risk area. For example, the holding control unit 310 stores the coordinate information of the two vertices selected in S810 in the storage unit 380 as vertex information of the risk area.

[0068] Furthermore, in S813, the determination unit 320 determines whether or not the terminal 82 is present within the area defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information received from the vehicle 20. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 1 , the determination unit 320 determines that the terminal 82 is not present within the area 110 defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information. In this case, the transmission control unit 350 does not have to cause the vehicle 20 to transmit response information to the inquiry information. Note that, if the terminal 82 is not present within the area defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information, the transmission control unit 250 may cause the vehicle 20 to transmit response information indicating that no target is present within the risk area.

[0069] Thereafter, in S822, the information processing device 64 of the vehicle 60 transmits a risk area request requesting location information of the risk area to the server 52. The risk area request may include information indicating the location of the vehicle 60 and the traveling direction of the vehicle 60. In S814, the transmission control unit 350 causes the vehicle 60 to transmit, based on the risk area request, vertex information of risk areas that exist ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 60, from the vertex information of risk areas stored in the memory unit 380.

[0070] In S824, when the information processing device 64 determines, based on the current position of the vehicle 60 and the vertex information received from the server 52, that the vehicle 60 is approaching the position indicated by the vertex information, the information processing device 64 sets a risk area based on the two vertices indicated by the vertex information and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 60. For example, as described in relation to FIG. 3 , the information processing device 64 determines vertices 123 and 124 based on the coordinates of the two vertices 111 and 112 and the distance L2, and sets the area 120 defined by the vertices 111, 112, 113, and 114 as the risk area. In S825, the information processing device 64 transmits query information including the four vertices of the risk area set in S824 to the server 52.

[0071] When the server 52 receives the inquiry information transmitted from the vehicle 60, in S815 the determination unit 320 determines whether the terminal 82 is present within the area defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information received from the vehicle 60. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 3 , the determination unit 320 determines that the terminal 82 is present within the area 120 defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information. In this case, in S816 the transmission control unit 350 causes the communication device 348 to transmit, as response information to the inquiry information, warning information indicating that the terminal 82 is present within the area to the vehicle 60. The transmission control unit 350 also causes the communication device 348 to transmit, to the terminal 82, warning information indicating that a vehicle is approaching.

[0072] When the information processing device 64 receives the warning information from the server 52, in S828, it outputs a warning to the passengers of the vehicle 60 using the HMI function of the information output device 40. Furthermore, when the terminal 82 receives the warning information from the server 52, it outputs a warning to the person 80 using the HMI function of the terminal 82 in S838.

[0073] 9 schematically shows a flow relating to another information processing method executed by the vehicle 20, the vehicle 60, the server 52, and the terminal 82. The information processing method shown in FIG. 9 is an information processing method in which, when the information processing device 24 identifies a risk area, the information processing device 24 selects two vertices and transmits them to the server 52.

[0074] In S902, the risk area identification unit 220 identifies a risk area based on information recognized by the sensor 29. The processing of S902 is the same as the processing of S802, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] In S904, the transmission control unit 250 selects two vertices that satisfy a predetermined condition from the four vertices of the risk area identified in S902. For example, the transmission control unit 250 selects the two vertices that are closest to the vehicle 20 from the four vertices. Specifically, the transmission control unit 250 may select the vertices 111 and 112 shown in FIG. 6 from the four vertices, or the vertices 711 and 712 shown in FIG. 7. In S908, the transmission control unit 250 causes the communication device 48 to transmit risk area information including coordinate information of the two vertices selected in S904 to the server 52. The coordinate information of the two vertices to be included in the risk area information may include geographical coordinate information represented by the latitude and longitude of the two vertices selected in S904.

[0076] When the server 52 receives the risk area information transmitted from the vehicle 20, in S912 the holding control unit 310 registers the coordinate information of the two vertices included in the risk area information as vertex information of the risk area. For example, the holding control unit 310 stores the coordinate information of the two vertices included in the risk area information in the storage unit 380 as vertex information of the risk area.

[0077] Thereafter, in S922, the information processing device 64 of the vehicle 60 transmits a risk area request to the server 52, requesting position information of the risk area. The processing of S922 is the same as the processing of S822. In S924, the information processing device 64 sets the risk area based on the current position of the vehicle 60 and the vertex information received from the server 52. The processing of S924 is the same as the processing of S824. In S925, the information processing device 64 transmits query information including the four vertices of the risk area set in S924 to the server 52.

[0078] When the server 52 receives inquiry information transmitted from the vehicle 60, in S915 the determination unit 320 determines whether or not the terminal 82 is present within the area defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information received from the vehicle 60. The processing of S915 is the same as the processing of S815. When the determination unit 320 determines that the terminal 82 is present within the area 120 defined by the four vertices included in the inquiry information, in S918 the transmission control unit 350 causes the communication device 348 to transmit, as response information to the inquiry information, warning information indicating that the terminal 82 is present within the area to the vehicle 60. The transmission control unit 350 also causes the communication device 348 to transmit, to the terminal 82, warning information indicating that a vehicle is approaching.

[0079] In S928, when the information processing device 64 receives the warning information from the server 52, it outputs a warning to the passengers of the vehicle 60 using the HMI function of the information output device 40. Also, in S938, when the terminal 82 receives the warning information from the server 52, it outputs a warning to the person 80 using the HMI function of the terminal 82.

[0080] As described above, the server 52 stores two of the four vertices that define the area 110 identified by the vehicle 20, thereby reducing the storage capacity required for managing the risk area. Furthermore, the server 52 transmits coordinate information of the two vertices stored in the server 52 to the vehicle 60, thereby reducing the amount of communication required for providing the vehicle 60 with coordinate information of the risk area. Furthermore, when transmitting risk area information for registering a risk area to the server 52, the information processing device 24 of the vehicle 20 transmits two of the four vertices that define the area 110, thereby reducing the amount of communication required for registering the risk area to the server 52. According to this embodiment, processing related to risk areas can be easily performed.

[0081] Note that communication between the information processing device 24 and the server 52 may be performed using a communication method conforming to Cellular-V2X. Cellular-V2X includes communication methods such as LTE-V2X PC5 and 5G-V2X PC5. In other embodiments, communication between the information processing device 24 and the server 52 may employ a method using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications). Communication between the information processing device 24 and the server 52 may employ any communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) in addition to Cellular-V2X or DSRC (registered trademark). The information processing device 24 may communicate with the server 52 using a communication infrastructure provided by ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems).

[0082] Vehicles 20 and 60 may be examples of transportation equipment. Transportation equipment may include automobiles such as passenger cars and buses, saddle-type vehicles, bicycles, etc. In the above-described embodiment, system 10 functions as a system for issuing a warning when terminal 82 is present within a risk area, but it may also function as a system for issuing a warning when any communication device, other than terminal 82, whose location information can be managed by server 52, is present. Such a communication device may be provided in any moving object, such as an automobile, saddle-type vehicle, or bicycle.

[0083] As explained above, this embodiment was made in consideration of the fact that processing related to risk areas cannot be easily performed, and the purpose of this embodiment is to improve traffic safety while suppressing a decline in traffic smoothness.

[0084] 10 shows an example of a computer 2000 in which multiple embodiments of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. A program installed on the computer 2000 may cause the computer 2000 to function as an apparatus, such as the information processing device 24 according to an embodiment, or each part of the apparatus, or as a server, such as the server 52 according to an embodiment, or each part of the server, to perform operations associated with the apparatus, each part of the apparatus, the server, or each part of the server, and / or to perform a process or steps of the process according to an embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 2012 to cause the computer 2000 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the processing procedures and blocks of the block diagrams described herein.

[0085] The computer 2000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2012 and a RAM 2014, which are interconnected by a host controller 2010. The computer 2000 also includes a ROM 2026, a flash memory 2024, a communication interface 2022, and an input / output chip 2040. The ROM 2026, the flash memory 2024, the communication interface 2022, and the input / output chip 2040 are connected to the host controller 2010 via the input / output controller 2020.

[0086] The CPU 2012 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 2026 and RAM 2014, thereby controlling each unit.

[0087] The communication interface 2022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The flash memory 2024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2012 in the computer 2000. The ROM 2026 stores a boot program and the like executed by the computer 2000 upon activation, and / or programs dependent on the hardware of the computer 2000. The input / output chip 2040 may also connect various input / output units such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the input / output controller 2020 via input / output ports such as a serial port, a parallel port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, a monitor port, a USB port, an HDMI (registered trademark) port, etc.

[0088] The programs are provided via a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a memory card, or via a network. The RAM 2014, the ROM 2026, or the flash memory 2024 are examples of computer-readable media. The programs are installed in the flash memory 2024, the RAM 2014, or the ROM 2026 and executed by the CPU 2012. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2000, and causes cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or a method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 2000.

[0089] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 2000 and an external device, the CPU 2012 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 2014 and instruct the communication interface 2022 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 2012, the communication interface 2022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 2014 or flash memory 2024, transmits the read transmission data to a network, and writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0090] The CPU 2012 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on a recording medium such as the flash memory 2024 to be read into the RAM 2014, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2014. The CPU 2012 then writes the processed data back to the recording medium.

[0091] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 2012 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 2014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described herein and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 2014. The CPU 2012 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 2012 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0092] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on or near the computer 2000. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as the computer-readable medium. The programs stored in the computer-readable medium may be provided to the computer 2000 via a network.

[0093] When computer 2000 is made to function as control unit 200, a program installed in computer 2000 and causing computer 2000 to function as control unit 200 may act on CPU 2012 or the like to cause computer 2000 to function as each unit of control unit 200. When the information processing described in these programs is read into computer 2000, it functions as each unit of control unit 200, which is a specific means formed by the software and the various hardware resources described above working together. These specific means then perform calculations or processing of information according to the intended use of computer 2000 in this embodiment, thereby constructing a specific control unit 200 according to the intended use.

[0094] When computer 2000 is made to function as control unit 300, a program installed in computer 2000 and causing computer 2000 to function as control unit 300 may act on CPU 2012 or the like to cause computer 2000 to function as each unit of control unit 300. When the information processing described in these programs is read into computer 2000, it functions as each unit of control unit 300, which is a specific means formed by the software and the various hardware resources described above working together. These specific means then perform calculations or processing of information according to the intended use of computer 2000 in this embodiment, thereby constructing a specific control unit 300 according to the intended use.

[0095] Various embodiments have been described with reference to block diagrams. In the block diagrams, each block may represent (1) a stage of a process in which an operation is performed or (2) a portion of an apparatus responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and portions may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry including logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logic operations, flip-flops, registers, memory elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0096] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that the computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon constitutes at least a portion of an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to provide means for performing the operations specified in a process or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0097] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0098] The computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, either locally or over a wide-area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., and executed to provide means for performing the operations specified in the process steps or block diagrams described. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0099] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0100] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 10 Systems 20, 60, 90 vehicles 21 Radar 22 Camera 24 Information processing equipment 25 GNSS receiver 26 Vehicle speed sensor 29 Sensors 40 Information output device 48 Communication Equipment 50 base stations 52 servers 64 Information processing equipment 70 road 80 people 82 terminals 110, 120 area 111, 112, 113, 114, 123, 124 vertices 200 control section 208 Control Unit 210 Coordinate information acquisition unit 220 Risk Area Identification Department 250 Transmission control section 260 Reception control section 280 Storage section 300 control section 310 Holding control section 320 Judgment Department 348 Communication Equipment 350 Transmission control section 360 Reception control section 380 Storage section 601, 602, 603, 701, 702, 703 position 710 Area 711, 712, 713, 714 Vertices 2000 Computer 2010 Host Controller 2012 CPU 2014 RAM 2020 Input / Output Controller 2022 Communication Interface 2024 flash memory 2026 ROM 2040 Input / Output Chip

Claims

1. a risk area identification unit that identifies a risk area outside the moving object; a transmission control unit that controls transmission of risk area information indicating the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit to a server that stores information about risk areas; Equipped with the risk area identification unit identifies an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area; The transmission control unit performs control to transmit coordinate information of some of the plurality of points to the server as the risk area information. Information processing device.

2. The certain points are points among the plurality of points that satisfy a predetermined condition. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the number of the plurality of points is three or more; The some points are two points among the plurality of points.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The certain points are two points among the plurality of points that are closest to the position of the moving body. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The certain points are the two points among the plurality of points that are the furthest apart in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the moving body. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

6. a coordinate information acquisition unit that acquires coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the moving body captured by an imaging device mounted on the moving body; Furthermore, The risk area identification unit identifies the risk area based on the coordinate information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. a coordinate information acquisition unit that acquires coordinate information of an object recognized from an image of the outside of the moving body captured by an imaging device mounted on the moving body; Furthermore, the coordinate information includes, as coordinates of each of a plurality of points defining the position of the object, a first relative coordinate in a first direction along a traveling direction of the moving body and a second relative coordinate in a second direction intersecting with the first direction; the risk area identification unit identifies, based on the coordinate information, an area defined by three or more points included in the coordinate information as the risk area; The transmission control unit selects two points closest to a position of the moving body from among the three or more points based on the first relative coordinates included in the coordinate information, and determines the part of the points based on the selected two points. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

8. The plurality of points are a plurality of vertices that define the area identified as the risk area. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. The server includes a mobile edge computing (MEC) server. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. The moving body is a vehicle. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. A vehicle comprising the information processing device according to claim 10.

12. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The server A system comprising:

13. identifying a risk area outside the mobile unit; a step of controlling transmission of risk area information indicating the identified risk area to a server that stores information about risk areas; Equipped with The step of identifying the risk area includes identifying an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area; The step of controlling transmission includes controlling to transmit coordinate information of some of the plurality of points to the server as the risk area information. Information processing methods.

14. A program for causing a computer to: a risk area identification unit that identifies a risk area outside the mobile object; and a transmission control unit that controls transmission of risk area information indicating the risk area identified by the risk area identification unit to a server that stores information about risk areas; It functions as the risk area identification unit identifies an area defined by a plurality of points as the risk area; The transmission control unit performs control to transmit coordinate information of some of the plurality of points to the server as the risk area information. program.

15. a reception control unit that performs control to receive risk area information indicating a risk area outside the moving body that is identified by the moving body; a storage control unit that controls storage of information about the risk area; Equipped with the risk area information includes a plurality of points defining the risk area; The storage control unit selects some of the points included in the risk area information and performs control to store coordinate information of the selected some of the points. server.

16. a server according to claim 15; The moving body A system comprising:

17. performing a control step for receiving risk area information indicating a risk area outside the mobile body identified by the mobile body; providing a control for maintaining information about said risk area; Equipped with the risk area information includes a plurality of points defining the risk area; The step of performing control to hold the information about the risk area includes performing control to select some points from the plurality of points included in the risk area information and to hold coordinate information of the selected some points. Information processing methods.

18. A program for causing a computer to: a reception control unit that performs control to receive risk area information indicating a risk area outside the mobile body identified by the mobile body; and A storage control unit that controls storage of information about the risk area It functions as the risk area information includes a plurality of points defining the risk area; The storage control unit selects some of the points included in the risk area information and performs control to store coordinate information of the selected some of the points. program.

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