Information provision system and operation control system

Abstract

To provide an information providing system capable of providing various kinds of information in a simple configuration, and an operation management system utilizing the information providing system.SOLUTION: An information providing system 100 comprises: a signal superposing unit 10 which superposes a signal (superposition signal SS) on an electromagnetic wave RW; an electromagnetic induction wire IW embedded in a route RO, for transmitting the electromagnetic wave RW on which the signal is superposed by the signal superposing unit 10; and a signal reading unit 20 mounted on a vehicle VE, which travels on the route RO along the electromagnetic induction wire IW, and reading the superposition signal SS superposed on the electromagnetic wave RW. An operation management system 500 includes the information providing system 100 and comprises a management unit CT which controls the signal superposition in the signal superposing unit 10 and communicates with the vehicle VE to manage a vehicle operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information provision system that provides information to vehicles and an operation control system that uses the information provision system. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in an autonomous vehicle that travels along an electromagnetic induction line buried in a road, corrections regarding the traveling position are known to be performed using the electromagnetic induction line or markers (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] However, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not consider whether it is possible to provide the vehicle with information other than fixed information for correcting the traveling position, and it cannot be said that it is possible to provide such information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-167640 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 026921 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and has as its object to provide an information providing system that can provide various types of information with a simple configuration, and an operation management system that uses the information providing system.

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the information provision system includes a signal superposition unit that superimposes a signal on an electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic induction line that is buried in the roadway and transmits the electromagnetic wave on which the signal has been superimposed by the signal superposition unit, and a signal reading unit that is mounted on a vehicle that travels on the roadway along the electromagnetic induction line and reads the signal superimposed on the electromagnetic wave.

[0007] In the above-mentioned information provision system, a signal is superimposed on the electromagnetic waves emitted from the electromagnetic induction wire, and by receiving this on the vehicle side and reading the signal superimposed on the electromagnetic waves, dynamic information can be reliably provided to the vehicle from outside the vehicle with a simple configuration.

[0008] In a specific aspect of the present invention, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit is mounted on a vehicle and receives electromagnetic waves. In this case, by receiving the electromagnetic waves at the on-board electromagnetic wave receiving unit, it becomes possible for the vehicle to acquire information for correcting the traveling position.

[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, the signal reader is a signal extractor that extracts a corresponding signal from the electromagnetic wave received by the electromagnetic wave receiver. In this case, various information can be received by the vehicle side by the signal extracted from the electromagnetic wave.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the electromagnetic wave receiving unit is a position detecting unit that receives electromagnetic waves and detects the vehicle position, in which case it is possible to detect the vehicle position based on the reception of the electromagnetic waves.

[0011] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the signal superimposing unit superimposes a signal relating to either driving restriction information or disaster information onto the electromagnetic wave, thereby enabling vehicles to be notified of the occurrence of driving restrictions or disasters quickly and reliably.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a roadside device that provides traffic signal information by wirelessly communicating with a vehicle is included, and the signal superimposing unit superimposes a signal related to the traffic signal information from the roadside device on an electromagnetic wave. In this case, the traffic signal information is provided from the roadside device, and the related signal is provided using electromagnetic waves (making information transmission redundant), thereby improving the reliability of the information provision.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present invention, a section identification unit is provided in a vehicle and identifies a travel section, a signal superimposing unit adds a section identification ID when superimposing the signal onto an electromagnetic wave, and a signal reading unit selects and discards information based on the identification result by the section identification unit and the section identification ID read from the electromagnetic wave. In this case, it is possible to provide necessary information according to the travel section.

[0014] An operation management system for achieving the above object includes any of the above information provision systems, and has a management unit that controls signal superposition in the signal superposition unit and communicates with an autonomous vehicle as a vehicle to manage vehicle operation.

[0015] In the above-described operation management system, by including an information providing system, it becomes possible to transmit information relating to operation management to vehicles by signals superimposed on electromagnetic waves in order to manage vehicle operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing system and an operation management system. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view showing an information providing system and an operation control system. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle in an information provision system; [Figure 5] (A) to (E) are signal contents handled when providing information and managing traffic operations, and data tables showing signal contents. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a series of operations in a vehicle in the information provision system. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system and an operation management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an information providing system and an operation control system. [Figure 9] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system and an operation management system; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] [First embodiment] An example of an information provision system according to the first embodiment and an operation control system including the same will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 etc. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of the appearance of the information provision system 100 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information provision system 100 and the operation control system 500. Fig. 3 is a conceptual plan view showing an example of the operation control system 500 configured to include the information provision system 100.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the information provision system 100 is a device for providing various types of information to a vehicle VE, and is composed of a signal superposition unit 10, an electromagnetic induction line IW, and a signal reading unit 20 mounted on the vehicle VE. In the information provision system 100, the electromagnetic induction line IW buried in the road RO transmits electromagnetic waves RW toward the ground surface for the vehicle VE traveling on the road RO, and the vehicle VE detects the electromagnetic waves RW from the electromagnetic induction line IW buried at a fixed position, thereby enabling the vehicle VE to travel without straying from the road RO. Note that, as an example, the vehicle VE will be described here as an automatically driven vehicle capable of autonomous driving.

[0019] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 , the signal superimposing unit 10 superimposes signals containing various information onto the electromagnetic wave RW, which is originally a rectangular wave, and then outputs the electromagnetic wave RW to the electromagnetic induction line IW. In this case, the superimposed signal is configured, for example, with a higher frequency than the electromagnetic wave RW. In other words, the electromagnetic wave RW with the superimposed signal is output toward the ground using the electromagnetic induction line IW. The vehicle VE, which receives the electromagnetic wave RW from the electromagnetic induction line IW, first detects the electromagnetic wave RW to determine whether it is present on the road RO. In other words, by detecting the electromagnetic wave RW as fixed information and subsequently confirming the presence of the electromagnetic induction line IW, it is possible to confirm the position of the vehicle VE, such as whether it is misaligned in the lateral direction (left / right direction) relative to the traveling direction. In this embodiment, the signal reading unit 20 mounted on the vehicle VE is further capable of reading the signal (superimposed signal) contained in the electromagnetic wave RW. As a result, the vehicle VE can not only detect its own position by detecting left-right deviation using the electromagnetic waves RW from the electromagnetic induction line IW, but also obtain and utilize various information by reading the signals superimposed on the electromagnetic waves RW. In other words, the information providing system 100 can provide various dynamic information to the vehicle VE from outside the vehicle. In the following, the signal superimposed on the electromagnetic waves RW by the signal superimposing unit 10 as described above will be referred to as a superimposed signal SS.

[0020] Furthermore, looking at the above from another perspective, in the information providing system 100, the signal superposition unit 10 is a device that superimposes a signal (superimposed signal SS) on electromagnetic waves RW, and the electromagnetic induction line IW is an information propagation member that is buried in the road RO and transmits the electromagnetic waves RW on which the superimposed signal SS has been superimposed by the signal superposition unit 10. Furthermore, the signal reading unit 20 is mounted on a vehicle VE that travels on the road RO along the electromagnetic induction line IW, and is a device that, in particular, reads the signal superimposed on the electromagnetic waves RW, i.e., the superimposed signal SS.

[0021] An example of a traffic control system 500 using the information provision system 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2 and other figures. As shown in Fig. 2 or 3, the traffic control system 500 includes a management unit CT, a radio wave control unit RC, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, and an electromagnetic induction line IW. Of these, for example, the radio wave control unit RC is provided with a signal superimposing unit 10, and the on-board electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE is provided with a signal reading unit 20. As a result, the traffic control system 500 includes the information provision system 100.

[0022] In the operation control system 500, the control unit CT outputs various signal commands to control vehicle operation. In particular, here, the control unit CT issues commands regarding the signal superposition of the superposed signal SS to the signal superposition unit 10 provided in the radio wave control unit RC, thereby enabling the control unit CT to transmit various commands to the vehicle VE, which is an autonomous vehicle, by controlling the signal superposition in the signal superposition unit 10, thereby controlling the vehicle operation.

[0023] The radio wave control unit RC has an electromagnetic wave generator WG that generates rectangular-wave electromagnetic waves RW at a predetermined timing, as well as a signal superimposing unit 10, and is further connected to an electromagnetic induction line IW. The radio wave control unit RC causes the electromagnetic wave generator WG to generate a constant rectangular-wave electromagnetic wave RW, as shown enclosed by a dashed line. The signal superimposing unit 10 superimposes a signal on the electromagnetic wave RW generated by the electromagnetic wave generator WG in accordance with a command from the control unit CT. As a result, the electromagnetic wave RW superimposed with the superimposition signal SS is output from the electromagnetic induction line IW connected to the radio wave control unit RC.

[0024] As described above, the electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE is mounted on the vehicle VE, and in this example, it is composed of a position detecting unit PD and a signal extracting unit EX. The position detecting unit PD receives electromagnetic waves RW from the electromagnetic induction line IW and detects the position of the vehicle VE (vehicle position). The detection result is output inside the vehicle VE as electromagnetic induction line information.

[0025] Furthermore, the signal extraction unit EX extracts the superimposed signal SS superimposed on the electromagnetic wave RW received by the electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE. In this case, the signal extraction unit EX functions as the signal reading unit 20. That is, the vehicle VE is able to read various pieces of information from the signal content (signal extraction result) extracted by the signal extraction unit EX as the signal reading unit 20.

[0026] The vehicle VE has an automatic driving program AO, an electronic control unit (vehicle ECU: Electronic Control Unit) VC, a distance measurement unit DM, a driving operation unit DO, and the like, which enables automatic driving control. That is, information is collected from various components, such as the distance measurement unit DM and a marker MK outside the vehicle VE, which will be described later, and driving commands based on the information collected by the automatic driving program AO are sent to the electronic control unit VC, which controls the operation of the driving operation unit DO, such as the steering. In addition to the automatic driving control described above, the vehicle VE is also capable of controlling its operation in accordance with information read by the electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE. An example of the internal structure of the vehicle VE will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0027] In the above example, the radio wave control unit RC is configured such that the position detection unit PD that detects the electromagnetic waves RW and the signal extraction unit EX that extracts the superimposed signal SS included in the electromagnetic waves RW function separately and independently. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the superimposed signal SS may be separated and extracted from the electromagnetic waves RW detected by the position detection unit PD. In this way, the superimposed signal SS may be extracted from one electromagnetic wave RW on which the superimposed signal SS is superimposed in addition to detecting the electromagnetic wave RW itself.

[0028] Here, in the example traffic management system 500 shown in Figure 3, an electromagnetic induction line IW is buried corresponding to the ring-shaped road RO, and a vehicle VE equipped with an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE detects electromagnetic waves RW from the electromagnetic induction line IW using the electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, performs patrol driving along the road RO, and extracts and reads the above-mentioned superimposed signal SS.

[0029] In addition to the above components, the traffic control system 500 also includes markers MK. More specifically, in addition to the electromagnetic induction line IW, multiple markers MK are embedded in the roadway RO. In the illustrated example, ten markers MK (MK1 to MK10) are installed along the electromagnetic induction line IW in the traveling direction (arrow A1) of the vehicle VE. Each marker MK is installed at a specific position at a predetermined interval indicated by ten sections INk (1≦k≦10), and holds individual ID information, such as an RFID tag. The vehicle VE detects the markers MK when passing over them, reads the ID information of each marker MK, and identifies its position from the read ID information. In this case, since the markers MK are embedded in predetermined locations, the vehicle VE can obtain information indicating an absolute position reference. In other words, the vehicle VE can accurately determine its own location when it detects each marker MKk (1≦k≦10), and after that detection, it can estimate that it is located between the nearest marker MK (marker MK1 in Figure 3) and the next marker MK (marker MK2 in Figure 3) until it detects the next marker MK.

[0030] While various types of vehicles can be considered for performing automatic driving in the above manner, a typical example is something like a golf cart. That is, it is assumed that the ring-shaped track RO is provided along the circular course of a golf course. However, the information provision system 100 of this embodiment and the traffic control system 500 using the same are not limited to this and can be applied to various different aspects.

[0031] An example configuration of a vehicle VE will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 4. As shown in the figure and as described above, the vehicle VE includes an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, as well as an automatic driving program AO, an electronic control unit VC, a distance measuring unit DM, and a driving operation unit DO configured with various units required for various operations for normal driving such as steering, acceleration, and braking, in order to enable automatic driving control. In this example, the vehicle VE is also equipped with map data MP that stores information about the planned driving route, and an RFID receiving unit RR for detecting markers MK.

[0032] The autonomous driving program AO is connected to each unit to receive information and is composed of various programs for processing the received information, in order to enable decisions regarding various actions during autonomous driving. Here, the various programs include, as an example, an autonomous driving control unit AC, a command information processing unit CP, and a self-position estimation unit PE, and the self-position estimation unit PE includes an estimated position correction unit EC. The autonomous driving control unit AC also includes a section identification unit SI for identifying the driving section indicated by the section INk (1≦k≦10) shown in FIG. 3. The autonomous driving program AO is composed of a circuit board on which the various execution programs described above are implemented, or a CPU, various storage devices, etc.

[0033] The electronic control unit VC is composed of integrated circuits and the like to control the engine operation corresponding to the operation of each part that constitutes the driving operation unit DO in accordance with the judgment results of the automatic driving program AO.

[0034] The distance measurement unit DM is configured with, for example, a LiDAR, and detects the surrounding conditions of the traveling vehicle VE. The detection results are output to the autonomous driving program AO as surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding conditions.

[0035] The map data MP stores various information about the surroundings of the vehicle, such as landmark information for at least the area that may be included in the planned driving route. For example, the autonomous driving program AO includes a program (self-position estimation unit PE) for comparing the surrounding environment information acquired by the ranging unit DM, making it possible to estimate the vehicle's own position in the vehicle VE.

[0036] As described above, the RFID receiver RR detects ID information about the markers MK (see Figure 3, etc.) embedded in the roadway RO, and the detection results (reading results) are output to the automatic driving program AO as absolute position information.

[0037] As described above, the electromagnetic wave RW is detected by the position detector PD included in the electromagnetic wave receiver RE, and the superimposed signal SS is extracted by the signal extractor EX. This information is also output from the electromagnetic wave receiver RE to the autonomous driving program AO.

[0038] As described above, the autonomous driving program AO aggregates information acquired by each unit and uses it to make various decisions for autonomous driving. In other words, the autonomous driving control unit AC of the autonomous driving program AO determines the content of autonomous driving control based on this information. To this end, the command information processing unit CP analyzes the superimposed signal SS extracted by the signal extraction unit EX and reads command information from the management unit CT (see Figure 2, etc.). As described above, the self-position estimation unit PE compares the surrounding environment information from the distance measurement unit DM with pre-registered map data MP to estimate the vehicle's own position. The self-position estimation unit PE also includes an estimated position correction unit EC, which corrects any deviations in the self-estimation from absolute position information based on, for example, the marker MK acquired by the RFID receiving unit RR, i.e., ID information using RFID. In other words, the estimated position correction unit EC is a program for correcting position deviations in the map data.

[0039] As already mentioned, the section identification unit SI of the automatic driving control unit AC is a program for identifying the section INk (1≦k≦10) shown in Figure 3, and for example, based on the identification result of the section identification unit SI and the section identification ID (details will be described later with reference to Figure 5(A)) contained as information in the superimposed signal SS when the superimposed signal SS extracted from the electromagnetic wave RW is read, it is possible to determine whether or not the information contained in the superimposed signal SS is necessary for the vehicle VE, i.e., to select and discard the information.

[0040] Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 5(A) to 5(E), an example of signal content handled in providing information and managing traffic operations, and a data table showing the signal content, will be described.

[0041] FIG. 5(A) is a transmission frame showing an example of signal content handled during information provision and traffic management, i.e., an example of the content of a signal transmitted as a superimposed signal SS. Here, the signal content includes a signal ID for identifying the signal itself, a section ID for identifying the section INk (1≦k≦10) that receives the signal (command), and command data indicating the actual signal content (command content). Here, commands indicated in the command data may include, for example, stopping, restarting, or continuing driving, as shown in the data table shown in FIG. 5(B). Note that the data table shown in FIG. 5(B) is an example, and other commands necessary for autonomous driving can be added. In addition to these, notifications of disaster information, driving restriction information (traffic restriction information), and, if there are traffic signals on the route, signal information related to the traffic signals may also be included. For example, in the case of a disaster information notification, the specific details of the disaster are notified along with the notification of driving suspension, thereby also informing the driver of the reason (cause) for the driving suspension. As a more specific example, information that requires immediate simultaneous stopping, such as emergency earthquake information, falls under disaster information. Furthermore, for example, in the case of traffic signal information notifications, different information may be provided, depending on the section of travel, regarding whether driving should be stopped or whether driving can continue. Regarding driving restriction information notifications (traffic restriction information notifications), whether a notification is given or the content of the instructions given when a notification is given may differ depending on the section of travel. Driving restrictions may include speed limits for each route or section, which may vary depending on the time of day, for example. After a driving stop, if it becomes possible to drive again, a command to resume driving will be given.

[0042] For the target section for receiving the superimposed signal SS, as illustrated in Figure 5(C), a section identification ID is assigned to each section INk (1 ≦ k ≦ 10) divided by the position of the marker MKk (1 ≦ k ≦ 10), and this is incorporated into the transmission frame, so that it is possible to determine whether or not to adopt the information for each section as described above.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5(D), a marker ID is assigned to each marker MKk (1≦k≦10) in advance, and the vehicle VE acquires position information for each marker ID in advance, thereby enabling absolute position confirmation, as described above. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5(E), by determining which of the markers MKk (1≦k≦10) has been most recently passed based on information indicating whether the marker has been passed ("passed" in the figure) or not ("not passed" in the figure), the vehicle VE can determine which section INk (1≦k≦10) it belongs to. The example in FIG. 5(E) corresponds to the example shown in FIG. 3 and illustrates a case where the vehicle VE is located in markers MK1 to MK2, i.e., section IN1.

[0044] The above-described section identification process is performed by the section identification unit SI (see FIG. 4). That is, the section identification unit SI determines which section the vehicle VE belongs to. In the above case, a section identification ID is added to the transmission frame when the signal superimposing unit 10 superimposes the signal onto the electromagnetic wave RW. The section identification ID added to the transmission frame is compared with the section identification ID of the section to which the vehicle VE belongs, thereby selecting the transmission frame. From this perspective, the signal reading of the superimposed signal SS can also be considered to include the selection process of the superimposed signal SS by the section identification unit SI and the like. That is, the signal reading unit 20 can also be considered to include not only the signal extraction unit EX that extracts the superimposed signal SS, but also various units that perform various processes, such as the section identification unit SI, and to select and reject information based on the identification result by the section identification unit SI and the section identification ID read from the electromagnetic wave RW.

[0045] A series of operations in the vehicle VE in the information provision system 100 or the operation control system 500 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0046] First, in the automatic driving program AO, the vehicle VE determines whether or not it is necessary to correct the position information regarding its own estimated position based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the distance measurement unit DM, from the absolute position information based on the marker MK (step S101).

[0047] If it is determined to be necessary in step S101 (step S101: Yes), that is, if the marker MK is detected and there is a discrepancy in the self-position estimation based on the distance measurement by the distance measurement unit DM compared with the absolute position information as the detection result, this is corrected (step S102).

[0048] After correction is made in step S102, or if it is determined in step S101 that correction is not necessary (step S101: No), that is, if the marker MK is not detected, or if the marker MK is detected but there is no deviation in the self-position estimation and correction is not necessary, the vehicle VE checks the results of sensor information and communication reception from the electromagnetic induction line IW, i.e., the detection of electromagnetic waves RW by the position detection unit PD of the electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, and the extraction of the superimposed signal SS by the signal extraction unit EX (step S103).Of these, processing related to the superimposed signal SS is first performed with priority over processing corresponding to the detection results of the electromagnetic waves RW.

[0049] Specifically, in the automatic driving program AO, it is determined whether or not the superimposed signal SS includes command information from the control unit CT (step S104).

[0050] If it is determined in step S104 that command information is included (step S104: Yes), the automatic driving program AO determines the content of the command information and issues a command to the electronic control unit VC to perform an operation corresponding to the determination result (step S105), and the electronic control unit VC performs an operation corresponding to this (step S106).

[0051] After the operation of step S106 is performed, or if it is determined in step S104 that command information is not included (step S104: No), that is, if there is no processing related to the superimposed signal SS that should be prioritized, the vehicle VE performs processing according to the detection result of the electromagnetic wave RW.

[0052] Specifically, the detection results of the electromagnetic waves RW determine whether the vehicle VE is misaligned in the left-right direction (in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel) (step S107), and if it is determined that the vehicle VE is misaligned (step S107: Yes), the automatic driving program AO outputs a position correction command to the electronic control unit VC to eliminate the positional deviation (step S108), and the electronic control unit VC performs steering, braking, and accelerating operations to make the corresponding corrections (step S109).

[0053] If it is determined in step S107 that there is no positional deviation (step S107: No), the automatic driving program AO does not issue a command for position correction, and the current automatic driving is maintained (step S110).

[0054] As described above, the information provision system 100 according to this embodiment includes a signal superimposing unit 10 that superimposes a signal (superimposed signal SS) on an electromagnetic wave RW, an electromagnetic induction line IW that is buried in the road RO and transmits the electromagnetic wave RW superimposed by the signal superimposing unit 10, and a signal reading unit 20 that is mounted on a vehicle VE traveling on the road RO along the electromagnetic induction line IW and reads the superimposed signal SS superimposed on the electromagnetic wave RW. The traffic management system 500 according to this embodiment also includes the information provision system 100 and includes a management unit CT that controls the signal superimposition by the signal superimposing unit 10 and communicates with the vehicle VE to manage vehicle operation. In the information provision system 100, a signal (superimposed signal SS) is superimposed on the electromagnetic wave RW emitted from the electromagnetic induction line IW. The vehicle receives the signal and reads the superimposed signal SS superimposed on the electromagnetic wave RW, enabling dynamic information to be provided to the vehicle VE from outside the vehicle VE with a simple configuration.

[0055] Second Embodiment An example of the information provision system according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 7 and other figures. Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information provision system 100 and the operation control system 500 according to this embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the information provision system 100 and the operation control system 500, and corresponds to Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information provision system 100 and the operation control system 500, and corresponds to Fig. 4. However, Fig. 9 also shows the components related to the vehicle VE as well as the components on the infrastructure side that make up the operation control system 500.

[0056] The operation control system 500 including the information provision system 100 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is constructed as a system for performing operation control while supporting autonomous driving from the infrastructure side by communicating bidirectionally between the infrastructure side and the vehicle side in a separate system from the system for transmitting and receiving the superimposed signal SS superimposed on the electromagnetic wave RW.

[0057] An overall overview of the traffic management system 500 according to this embodiment will be described below. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , the traffic management system 500 according to this embodiment includes a management unit CT, a radio wave control unit RC, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, and an electromagnetic induction line IW, similar to the first embodiment. In addition to these, the roadside device 70 is also included. A communication unit TT is provided in the vehicle VE to enable communication with the management unit CT and the roadside device 70. As an example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the vehicle VE is assumed to be, for example, a circular bus BU that travels along a predetermined route, with an electromagnetic induction line IW buried along the route. However, the information provision system 100 according to this embodiment and the traffic management system 500 using the same can be applied to various different aspects, such as delivery vehicles that handle the last mile.

[0058] 8, when a vehicle VE travels as a circular bus BU that visits bus stops (bus stops) BS in a specific order, the roadside device 70 is installed at bus stops BS and traffic lights SG at intersections on the predetermined route of the circular bus BU, and is capable of communicating with vehicles VE passing nearby via short-range communication, and is also connected to the management unit CT so that it can communicate with them. Note that the connection with the management unit CT is not limited to being wired as shown in the figure, but may be wireless communication.

[0059] The roadside device 70 is composed of various circuit boards, a CPU, a storage device, etc., and provides information to vehicles VE passing nearby, such as information regarding the arrival and departure status at bus stops BS and signal information indicating the timing of changing the light color of traffic lights SG at intersections. In other words, the roadside device 70 is a device for providing information through wireless communication with vehicles VE, and in this case, it particularly provides signal information. The vehicles VE determine whether or not they can pass and when to depart based on the information provided by the roadside device 70 and operate accordingly, or they receive the determination results from the roadside device 70 and operate accordingly. In other words, the roadside device 70 functions as an information providing device or a determination device. A more specific configuration example of the roadside device 70 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0060] As described above, the vehicle VE is also capable of communicating with the control unit CT. That is, the vehicle VE drives under the control of the control unit CT in accordance with instructions from the control unit CT, and if a roadside unit 70 is present near the location where the vehicle VE is actually driving, the vehicle VE receives information about the location and its surroundings from the roadside unit 70. As described above, the vehicle VE receives various information from the control unit CT and the roadside unit 70, thereby enabling more stable and safer autonomous driving.

[0061] Here, under the above circumstances, it may be considered unnecessary to provide information using the superimposed signal SS, since the vehicle VE is capable of autonomous driving through two-way communication on a separate system with the above-mentioned control unit CT and roadside device 70. However, it may be considered to use the superimposed signal SS, for example, in cases where a failure occurs in communication on the separate system, or when it is necessary to check whether there are any errors in the communication content.

[0062] In consideration of such a situation, the traffic control system 500 of this embodiment incorporates the information provision system 100 as a communication means separate from the above-mentioned communication system.

[0063] An example configuration of the vehicle VE and infrastructure equipment will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. As shown in the figure and as described above, the vehicle VE is provided with an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, an automatic driving program AO, an electronic control unit VC, a distance measuring unit DM, a driving operation unit DO, map data MP, and an RFID receiving unit RR, and is further equipped with a communication unit TT for communicating with the management unit CT and roadside devices 70.

[0064] Here, the vehicle VE communicates with the management unit CT via the communication unit TT to transmit location information resulting from an estimation of its own location to the management unit CT, while also being able to exchange map information and route information with the management unit CT. In this case, it is possible to configure the vehicle VE without providing map data MP, but it is also possible, for example, to accumulate map information and the like from the management unit CT in the map data MP, or to compare information previously stored in the map data MP with information from the management unit CT while traveling. The management unit CT manages the operation of the vehicle VE based on communication with the communication unit TT.

[0065] Furthermore, when the vehicle VE reaches a range where it can communicate with the roadside device 70, it transmits (queries) location information about its own location to the roadside device 70, thereby receiving information from the roadside device 70. In the drawing, the roadside device 70 attached to the traffic light SG is shown as an example.

[0066] The illustrated example of roadside device 70 includes a main control unit 70A that is configured with various circuit boards, a CPU, a storage device, and the like and is connected to the other components of roadside device 70 to perform various operational processes; a communication unit 70t that communicates with vehicle VE and management unit CT; a map data unit 70m that includes topographical data and the like about the location where roadside device 70 (traffic light SG) is installed; and roadside sensors 70s that monitor the area around traffic light SG. In particular, here, roadside device 70 is connected to traffic light SG and receives traffic light information from traffic light SG, and provides traffic light information and the like about traffic light SG to vehicle VE in response to an inquiry from vehicle VE. Furthermore, roadside device 70 may monitor the area around traffic light SG (the intersection where traffic light SG is located and its surroundings) using roadside sensors 70s and the like, and provide the vehicle VE with the monitoring results along with information about traffic conditions in the area. As described above, the roadside device 70 is a device that provides information to the vehicle VE through I2V (Infrastructure to Vehicle) communication, which provides information from the infrastructure side to the vehicle side.

[0067] Meanwhile, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle VE is equipped with an electromagnetic wave receiving unit RE, enabling information provision by the information provision system 100. That is, the vehicle VE can receive a superimposed signal SS as a command from a management unit CT capable of communicating with the roadside device 70 via a radio wave control unit RC and an electromagnetic induction wire IW. In this case, for example, by including the signal information content related to the traffic light SG as the superimposed signal SS, redundant information can be provided in addition to the signal information provided by the I2V system, thereby improving reliability. In other words, the signal superimposing unit 10 superimposes the signal information itself from the roadside device 70 or a signal related to this (a signal for verifying the validity of the signal information) on the electromagnetic wave RW as the superimposed signal SS, thereby enabling the vehicle VE to determine the accuracy of the information received from the roadside device 70.

[0068] As described above, in the illustrated vehicle VE, the automatic driving program AO is provided with a command collating unit CO in addition to the automatic driving control unit AC, etc. That is, the command collating unit CO is configured with a program for collating signal information as the superimposed signal SS or a signal related thereto with signal information from the roadside device 70, and checking for errors in the signal information.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment as well, by reading the superimposed signal SS, dynamic information can be reliably provided to the vehicle VE from outside the vehicle VE with a simple configuration. In particular, in this embodiment, traffic signal information is provided from the roadside device 70, and related signals are provided in the information providing system 100 using electromagnetic waves RW (making information transmission redundant), thereby improving the reliability of information provision.

[0070] 〔others〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0071] First, in the above, the information provision system 100 or the operation control system 500 is used in a golf cart, a shuttle bus, or the like as a vehicle VE, but the information provision system 100 or the operation control system 500 can be used in various other ways without being limited to these. Also, in the above, the vehicle VE is an autonomous vehicle, but it is also possible to apply the information provision system 100, etc. to vehicles other than autonomous vehicles.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above description, the marker MK is described as using RFID to indicate an absolute position reference, but various other forms of marker MK are possible, not limited to those that detect RFID as described above. For example, it is also possible to use an on-board camera or the like to detect various landmarks that exist along the road as an absolute position reference.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above, for example, by assigning a section identification ID to each section INk on the road, the vehicle VE can compare it with its own driving section and select and discard information, but this is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the management unit CT may assign a vehicle ID to the vehicle VE to be managed, and output the transmission frame with the vehicle ID attached, so that each superimposed signal SS is information output about itself, and whether it is information about an accident.

[0074] In the example shown in the second embodiment, signal information or a signal related thereto is transmitted as the superimposed signal SS, i.e., equivalent content is sent in duplicate to serve as a check function, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in parallel with this, or instead of this, various information such as disaster information as exemplified in the first embodiment may be output separately from the communication between the roadside device 70 or the like and the vehicle VE. Also, the superimposed signal SS may be output as an emergency signal in the event of an abnormality in communication with the roadside device 70 or the like.

[0075] Furthermore, the placement of the markers MK in the example shown in the second embodiment can be in various forms. For example, as illustrated in Figure 8, each marker MK can be placed in the direction of travel (arrow A1) of the vehicle VE, just before a bus stop BS or a traffic light SG, at a starting position where communication with the roadside device 70 is possible, so that the vehicle VE can detect each marker MK, correct its position based on an absolute reference, and use this as a trigger to start communication with the corresponding roadside device 70.

[0076] Furthermore, the aspects exemplified in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, etc. may be combined as appropriate within a range that does not cause inconsistency.

[0077] In addition, various other configurations are possible for configuring the information provision system 100 besides those described above. For example, if a monitoring sensor unit is provided at a traffic light SG, this may be used as the roadside sensor 70s.

[0078] The management unit CT can also take various forms, for example, it can be set up as a management center (management server) in a remote location, or various processes and data storage can be performed on the cloud.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above, we have described the case where the superimposition signal SS is superimposed on an electromagnetic wave RW that is originally a rectangular wave, but the electromagnetic wave RW before the signal superimposition is not limited to a rectangular wave and various types can be used.For example, the (original) electromagnetic wave RW before superimposition can be a sine wave, a triangular wave, a sawtooth wave, etc., and the superimposition signal SS can be superimposed on these. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 10...signal superposition unit, 20...signal reading unit, 70...roadside device, 70A...main control unit, 70m...map data unit, 70s...roadside sensor, 70t...communication unit, 100...information provision system, 500...operation management system, A1...arrow, AC...automatic driving control unit, AO...automatic driving program, BS...bus stop (stop), BU...locomotive bus, CO...command matching unit, CP...command information processing unit, CT...management unit, DM...distance measurement unit, DO...driving operation unit, EC...Estimated position correction unit, EX...Signal extraction unit, IN, INk...Section, IW...Electromagnetic induction line, MK...Marker, MKk...Marker, MP...Map data, PD...Position detection unit, PE...Self-position estimation unit, RC...Radio wave control unit, RE...Electromagnetic wave receiving unit, RO...Route, RR...RFID receiving unit, RW...Electromagnetic wave, SG...Traffic signal, SI...Section identification unit, SS...Superimposed signal, TT...Communication unit, VC...Electronic control unit, VE...Vehicle, WG...Electromagnetic wave generator

Claims

1. a signal superimposing unit that superimposes a signal on an electromagnetic wave; an electromagnetic induction wire that is buried in the track and transmits the electromagnetic wave on which the signal is superimposed by the signal superimposing unit; a signal reading unit that is mounted on a vehicle that travels on the road along the electromagnetic induction line and that reads a signal superimposed on the electromagnetic wave; a section identification unit provided in the vehicle and configured to identify a travel section; Equipped with the signal superimposing unit adds a section identification ID when superimposing the signal onto the electromagnetic wave; The signal reading unit selects and discards information based on the identification result by the section identification unit and the section identification ID read from the electromagnetic wave.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic wave receiving unit mounted on the vehicle for receiving the electromagnetic waves.

3. 3. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the signal reading unit is a signal extracting unit that extracts a corresponding signal from the electromagnetic wave received by the electromagnetic wave receiving unit.

4. 4. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the electromagnetic wave receiving unit is a position detecting unit that receives the electromagnetic waves and detects a vehicle position.

5. 5. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the signal superimposing unit superimposes a signal relating to either driving regulation information or disaster information onto the electromagnetic wave.

6. a roadside device that provides signal information by wirelessly communicating with the vehicle; 6. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the signal superimposing unit superimposes a signal relating to the signal information from the roadside device onto the electromagnetic wave.

7. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 includes: An operation management system including a management unit that controls signal superposition in the signal superposition unit and communicates with an autonomous vehicle as the vehicle to manage vehicle operation.

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