In-vehicle device, notification control method

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle device and a notification control method that can reduce a possibility of causing trouble to a driver when notifying of an operating status of a roadside unit.SOLUTION: Every time an on-vehicle device receives assistance data distributed from an RSU, the on-vehicle device records a transmission source of reception data as the RSU that has been used by an own vehicle. Also, the on-vehicle device determines whether or not the RSU exiting in front of the own vehicle is functioning normally based on data received from the RSU or the like. When detecting that a problem occurs in the RSU existing in front of the own vehicle, the on-vehicle device changes a way to notify a driver of the occurrence of the problem in the RSU in a conspicuous manner, in a subtle manner, or by omitting the notification, based on a utilization history of the RSU.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device and a notification control method for implementing driving assistance based on information distributed from a roadside device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system including a roadside unit that distributes assistance information for passing through an intersection to a vehicle / onboard device. The roadside unit here refers to communication equipment installed along a road for performing road-to-vehicle communication. The roadside unit is also sometimes called an RSU (Roadside Unit). The roadside unit may include wireless equipment for communicating with an onboard device and a monitoring sensor for detecting moving objects.

[0003] The assistance information for passing through an intersection includes information on the presence of oncoming vehicles and information indicating the shape of the intersection. The on-board device receives the assistance information from the roadside device based on entering the service area (communication area) of the roadside device, and can perform driving assistance control such as providing information to the driver and automatic acceleration / deceleration / steering. This configuration can improve safety and convenience for the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-269699 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If a roadside unit is installed at an intersection where a driver frequently passes through, the driver may become accustomed to receiving assistance services from the roadside unit, and as a result, the driver may perform driving operations that depend on the assistance services provided by the roadside unit when passing through the intersection.

[0006] In the above-described assumed situation, if a malfunction occurs in the radio system of the roadside device, the in-vehicle device will be unable to receive assistance information and will be unable to provide driving assistance based on the received information. From the driver's perspective, this may feel like the assistance service they regularly use has suddenly become unavailable. If a malfunction occurs in a roadside device in this way, it may be confusing for drivers who regularly use that roadside device.

[0007] From this perspective, when an on-board device detects that a malfunction has occurred in a roadside unit located ahead of the vehicle, it is preferable that the on-board device notify the driver of this fact. On the other hand, even if a malfunction has occurred in a roadside unit, the impact is small for a driver who does not normally use the roadside unit. It is expected that the driver will find it annoying to be notified of a malfunction in a roadside unit that they do not normally use.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made based on the above considerations or points of view, and one of its purposes is to provide an on-board device and a notification control method that can reduce the risk of causing inconvenience to the driver when notifying the operating status of a roadside device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle-mounted device disclosed herein is configured to be capable of receiving assistance data, which is data for assisting the vehicle's driving, distributed from each of a plurality of roadside devices installed along the road, and is equipped with a roadside device detection unit (G31) that detects a front roadside device that is a roadside device located in front of the vehicle, a roadside device diagnosis unit (G3) that determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the front roadside device based on the content of a signal received from the front roadside device, the reception status of a signal from the front roadside device, or data received from an external device that is a device other than the front roadside device, a recording processing unit (G2) that performs processing to store usage history data, which is data about roadside devices that have been used, in a history memory unit (M1), and a notification control unit (G5) that controls notification to the driver regarding a malfunction in the front roadside device, and the notification control unit changes the mode of notification to the driver regarding a malfunction in the front roadside device depending on whether or not the front roadside device with a malfunction has been used in the past.

[0010] According to the above configuration, when a malfunction of the roadside unit in front is detected, a notification of the malfunction of the roadside unit in front is made in a manner according to the usage history of the roadside unit in front, thereby reducing the possibility of causing inconvenience to the driver when notifying the driver of the operating status of the roadside unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the notification control method of the present disclosure is a notification control method implemented by at least one processor for notifying a driver of the operating status of a roadside unit that distributes assistance data, which is data for assisting vehicle driving, and includes the steps of detecting a forward roadside unit that is a roadside unit located in front of the vehicle in which the processor is used (S21), performing a process of saving usage history data, which is data about roadside units that have been used, in a history memory unit (M1) (S12), determining whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside unit based on the content of a signal received from the forward roadside unit, the reception status of a signal from the forward roadside unit, or data received from an external device that is a device other than the forward roadside unit (S22), and changing the mode of notification to the driver regarding the malfunction in the forward roadside unit depending on whether or not the forward roadside unit in which the malfunction has occurred has been used in the past (S24 to S28, S34 to S39).

[0012] The notification control method is a method corresponding to the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device, and has the same functions as the vehicle-mounted device and provides the same effects.

[0013] Note that the symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overall view of a road-to-vehicle communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an RSU. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an RSU control unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a control module. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a warning image. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the recording processing unit G2. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of RSU data. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a malfunction detection message. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a notification control process. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a discreet notification image. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an emphasis notification image. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the notification control process. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of the in-vehicle system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the road-to-vehicle communication system Sys of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the road-to-vehicle communication system Sys includes a plurality of RSUs (Roadside Units) 1, a plurality of in-vehicle devices 2, and a management server 3.

[0016] The RSU 1 is a wireless communication device installed along a road and configured to perform short-range communication. In this disclosure, short-range communication refers to communication conducted directly between devices. Short-range communication refers to communication conforming to a predetermined wireless communication standard, in which the actual communication distance is, for example, approximately 150 m or 250 m.

[0017] Any standard can be adopted for short-range communications, such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) conforming to the IEEE802.11p standard, WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment), or Cellular V2X (PC5 / SideLink). IEEE (registered trademark) is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a U.S.-based organization.

[0018] Short-range communication can be implemented in accordance with V2X communication standards. V2X stands for Vehicle to X and refers to communication technology that connects vehicles to various things. The first letter "V" in V2X refers to the vehicle itself / onboard device 2, while "X" can refer to various entities other than the vehicle, such as pedestrians, other vehicles, RSU 1, networks, and servers. "X" can be interpreted as everything / something.

[0019] The RSU 1 is sometimes called a roadside unit. Communication between the RSU 1 and the in-vehicle device 2 can also be called road-to-vehicle communication or V2I communication. The "I" in V2I stands for Infrastructure and refers to the RSU 1. In this disclosure, a message (wireless signal) conforming to a short-range communication standard is referred to as a V2X message. A V2X message from the RSU 1 to the in-vehicle device 2 is also referred to as an RSU message.

[0020] The RSU1 distributes assistance data, which is information for assisting driving operations / automated driving, to the in-vehicle device 2. The assistance data is, for example, a data set indicating information about moving objects / obstacles within a predetermined distance from an intersection, road surface conditions, etc. The assistance data can also be called intersection-related data because it indicates traffic conditions near the intersection where the RSU1 is installed. The assistance data can also be a data set indicating traffic conditions near a merging / branching point on a highway. The content of the assistance data can vary depending on the installation location of the RSU1. In this disclosure, a collection of data for multiple items is referred to as a data set. The term "data set" can also be replaced with terms such as "data unit," "package," "message," "packet," or "frame." In this disclosure, the process of wirelessly distributing assistance data is also referred to as an assistance service.

[0021] The RSU 1 communicates with the management server 3, for example, via a WAN (Wide Area Network) 9. The WAN 9 is, for example, a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol) network such as the Internet. The WAN 9 may also be other types of communication networks. The RSU 1 may be connected to the management server 3 via a virtual / physical private network / dedicated line. Some of the RSUs 1 may also be configured to be able to indirectly communicate with the management server 3 through road-to-road communication. Road-to-road communication refers to short-range communication between RSUs 1. The RSU 1 corresponds to a network-connected roadside unit. Note that some RSUs 1 may be so-called stand-alone (SA) RSUs that are not connected to the management server 3.

[0022] The RSU 1 can be placed anywhere along the road. Here, along the road includes not only the side of the road but also above the road surface. The RSU 1 may also be installed as a marker buried in the road surface.

[0023] The RSU 1 may be realized as a multi-function utility pole equipped with devices such as cameras, sensors, and communication equipment that detect vehicles and pedestrians around the intersection. In one embodiment, the RSU 1 detects pedestrians and vehicles approaching the intersection in real time and transmits data indicating the positions of the detected objects to the in-vehicle device 2.

[0024] A pole-type RSU 1 may also be called a smart pole or an ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) pole. Of course, the shape of the RSU 1 is not limited to a pole-type, and it may be a box-type or a sign-type. The RSU 1 may be additionally installed on a pole or the like. The RSU 1 may also be portable.

[0025] Each RSU 1 is configured with a monitoring area, which is the range within which objects are detected, and a distribution area, which is the range within which assistance data is distributed. The distribution area can also be called a service area or a service spot. The RSU 1 identifies the position, speed, direction of movement, type, etc. of a moving object within the monitoring area using a camera 15 (described later) or the like. The moving object includes a pedestrian, a scooter, a vehicle, etc. The vehicle includes a bicycle, a moped, an electric scooter, a motorcycle, etc.

[0026] The monitoring area and the distribution area may be the same or different. The monitoring area of ​​an RSU1 installed at an intersection can be designed appropriately taking into account the shape of the intersection where the RSU1 is installed. Similarly, the distribution area can be designed according to the characteristics of the location where the RSU1 is installed. For example, an RSU1 installed at an intersection detects moving objects within a predetermined distance from the intersection and distributes information about the detected moving objects to an in-vehicle device 2 located within the predetermined distance from the intersection.

[0027] The on-board device 2 is a communication device that has the function of performing wireless communication with other vehicles and the RSU 1. The on-board device 2 is mounted on each of multiple vehicles for use. The on-board device 2 is configured to be capable of short-range communication with other on-board devices 2 and the RSU 1. Although FIG. 1 illustrates only one vehicle equipped with the on-board device 2, there may actually be two or more vehicles in the entire system. In this disclosure, for a certain on-board device 2, the vehicle in which the on-board device 2 is mounted is also referred to as the subject vehicle, and vehicles other than the subject vehicle are also referred to as other vehicles.

[0028] In addition, in this disclosure, the on-board device 2 itself may be referred to as its own device to distinguish it from other on-board devices 2, and an on-board device 2 used in another vehicle may be referred to as another device. Since there is a one-to-one relationship between a vehicle and an on-board device 2, the expression "vehicle" as the source / destination of a wireless signal / data / packet can be read as "on-board device." Therefore, the expressions "own device" / "other device" in the following description may be interpreted as "own vehicle" / "other vehicle."

[0029] Each vehicle-mounted device 2 periodically transmits a vehicle status message indicating information about the vehicle via short-range communication. For example, each vehicle-mounted device 2 may periodically transmit a vehicle status message indicating sender information, transmission time, current location, traveling direction, traveling speed, acceleration, steering angle, blinker / wiper operation status, etc. The message transmitted by the vehicle-mounted device 2 may be a Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM) defined in ETSI standard TS 102 637-2 or a Basic Safety Message (BSM) defined in SAE standard J 2735. Each message may include information indicating the transmission time.

[0030] Furthermore, each vehicle-mounted device 2 may transmit a message indicating information about the surrounding environment when a predetermined event is detected. The message transmitted by the vehicle-mounted device 2 may be an event message such as a Decentralized Environmental Notification Message (DENM) defined in ETSI standard TS 102 637-3.

[0031] The management server 3 is a device that manages the RSU 1. The management server 3 can diagnose whether the RSU 1 is operating normally by bidirectionally communicating with the RSU 1, for example, via a WAN 9. Examples of diagnostic methods include a watchdog timer method and a homework answer method. The watchdog timer method determines that a malfunction has occurred in the monitored device if the watchdog timer of the monitoring device expires without being cleared by a watchdog pulse input from the monitored device. The homework answer method determines whether the monitoring device is operating normally based on whether the answer returned from the monitored device is correct. In the homework answer method, the monitored device generates a response signal in response to the monitoring signal input from the monitoring device and returns it to the monitoring device. Here, the management server 3 corresponds to the monitoring device, and the RSU 1 corresponds to the monitored device.

[0032] Each RSU 1 may have a self-diagnosis function, which will be described later. The management server 3 may recognize the status of an RSU 1 by receiving a self-diagnosis result reported from the RSU 1. The management server 3 may also recognize the status of the RSU 1 based on a report from the in-vehicle device 2.

[0033] The status of the RSU1 indicates whether it is operating normally or whether some of its functions are malfunctioning. The status of the RSU1 can be classified into five patterns, for example: (A) normal, (B) camera malfunction, (C) GNSS malfunction, (D) radar malfunction, and (E) other malfunction. Note that a malfunction here refers to an abnormal state. A malfunction can also be referred to as a breakdown, failure, or abnormality.

[0034] "Camera malfunction" means that a malfunction has occurred in the camera equipped in the RSU1. "GNSS malfunction" means that a malfunction has occurred in the GNSS receiver equipped in the RSU1. GNSS is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System, and refers to a global positioning satellite system. GNSS can be GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, IRNSS, QZSS, Beidou, etc.

[0035] "Radar malfunction" means that there is a malfunction in the millimeter-wave radar / LiDAR equipped in the RSU1. LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. The concept of LiDAR can include a ToF (Time of Flight) camera that generates a distance image using the round-trip time of light. Note that a malfunction of a ToF camera may be classified as a camera malfunction. "Other malfunction" refers to a malfunction in a location other than those mentioned above, or a malfunction where the cause is unknown. A category for "unknown cause" may be prepared in addition to "other malfunctions."

[0036] The status of the RSU1 may be classified into categories such as "sonar failure" indicating a sonar failure and "jamming detected" indicating radio wave jamming. Furthermore, if various types of cameras are expected, such as color cameras, infrared cameras, and ToF cameras, the "camera failure" may be further subdivided according to the type. The status of the RSU1 may be evaluated in two stages: normal and failure. The status of the RSU1 may be expressed by a predetermined number of bit strings / codes.

[0037] In addition, when the management server 3 detects a problem in a certain RSU 1, it may perform a process of notifying the operator using a display, a speaker, or the like. The operator refers to the staff engaged in the operations related to the OAM (Operation Administration and Maintenance) of the RSU 1. Further, the management server 3 may distribute the information of the RSU 1 in which the problem has occurred to the in-vehicle device 2 moving toward the RSU 1. The information distribution to the in-vehicle device 2 may be performed by vehicle-road communication using another RSU 1, or may be performed by cellular communication. The in-vehicle device 2 may acquire the information of the RSU 1 in which the problem has occurred from the management server 3.

[0038] <Regarding the Configuration and Functions of the RSU> Here, the configuration and functions of the RSU 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the RSU 1 includes an RSU control unit 11, a wireless unit 12, a GNSS receiver 13, a millimeter-wave radar 14, a camera 15, an image analysis unit 16, and a WAN module 17.

[0039] The RSU control unit 11 is a module that controls the operation of the entire RSU 1. The RSU control unit 11 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the wireless unit 12 and the like. The RSU control unit 11 is configured as a computer including, for example, a processor 111, a memory 112, a storage 113, an input / output circuit (I / O) 114, and the like. The processor 111 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 112 is a volatile storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The processor 111 executes various processes for realizing the functions of each functional unit described later by accessing the memory 112. The storage 113 is configured to include a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. The storage 113 stores an RSU program, which is a program for realizing various functions / services. The input / output circuit 114 is a circuit module for the RSU control unit 11 to transmit and receive signals to and from other devices.

[0040] In this disclosure, the RSU 1 that the RSU control unit 11 accommodates is also referred to as its own unit / belonging unit. Also, RSUs 1 other than the belonging unit are also referred to as other units. The functions of the RSU control unit 11 will be described later.

[0041] The radio unit 12 is a communication module for performing short-range communication. The radio unit 12 includes an antenna, a transmission processing unit, and a reception processing unit. The antenna is used to transmit and receive radio waves in the frequency band used for short-range communication. The transmission processing unit modulates data input from the RSU control unit 11 and outputs the modulated data to the antenna for wireless transmission. The reception processing unit demodulates the signal received by the antenna and outputs the demodulated signal to the RSU control unit 11.

[0042] The GNSS receiver 13 is a device that sequentially (e.g., every 100 milliseconds) calculates its current position by receiving navigation signals transmitted from positioning satellites that constitute the GNSS. The current position data can be expressed as latitude, longitude, altitude, etc. The GNSS receiver 13 transmits the calculated position data to the RSU control unit 11.

[0043] Furthermore, the GNSS receiver 13 determines the current time based on the time information included in the navigation signal and outputs it to the RSU control unit 11. For example, the GNSS receiver 13 may calculate the current time based on time error information determined when calculating the position and output it to the RSU control unit 11.

[0044] The millimeter-wave radar 14 acquires information about objects present in the monitoring area by transmitting and receiving millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves. Specifically, it detects objects present in the monitoring area and estimates the direction, distance, relative speed, type, etc. of the detected object. The millimeter-wave radar 14 outputs radar detection data indicating the position, type, moving direction, moving speed, etc. of each detected object to the RSU 11.

[0045] The camera 15 is an optical camera configured to include the monitoring area in its imaging range. The camera 15 may be an infrared camera, etc. The image data generated by the camera 15 is input to the image analysis unit 16. The term "image data" used here may be interpreted as a video signal.

[0046] The image analysis unit 16 detects moving objects present within the monitoring area by analyzing images generated by the camera 15. The image analysis unit 16 may be configured to detect not only moving objects but also obstacles that affect vehicle travel. Obstacles include, for example, road construction signs, cones, puddles, snow-covered areas, and fallen objects. The image analysis unit 16 outputs camera detection data, which is a data set indicating the positions of moving objects / obstacles detected by analyzing the camera images, to the RSU 11. The camera detection data may include the position, type, movement direction, movement speed, etc. of each detected object. The function of the image analysis unit 16 may be built into the camera 16 / RSU control unit 11.

[0047] The millimeter-wave radar 14 and the camera 15 correspond to examples of area monitoring sensors for detecting traffic conditions within a monitoring area. The RSU 1 may be equipped with multiple millimeter-wave radars 14 and multiple cameras 15. The RSU 1 may also be equipped with sonar, LiDAR, or the like as area monitoring sensors. The millimeter-wave radar 14 and the camera 15 are not essential elements for the RSU 1 and may be omitted. The combination of area monitoring sensors equipped in the RSU 1 can be changed as appropriate.

[0048] The WAN module 17 is a communication module that connects the RSU 1 to the WAN 9. The WAN module 17 receives data from the management server 3 and outputs it to the RSU control unit 11, and also modulates data input from the RSU control unit 11 and transmits it to the management server 3. The RSU 1 may be connected to the WAN 9 via a wired or wireless connection. That is, the WAN module 17 may be a signal processing module that includes a connector for a wired connection, or a wireless module for cellular communication. In this disclosure, cellular communication refers to wireless communication using mobile phone lines provided by mobile communication carriers, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, and 5G.

[0049] The RSU control unit 11 has a support information distribution unit F1, a self-diagnosis unit F2, and a status notification unit F3, as shown in Figure 3, which are functional units that are realized when the processor 111 executes the RSU program stored in the storage 113.

[0050] The support information distribution unit F1 generates support data indicating the traffic conditions within a monitoring area based on, for example, output data from an area monitoring sensor. The output data from the area monitoring sensor may be radar detection data, camera detection data, image data, etc. The support information distribution unit F1 may combine output data from multiple area monitoring sensors to detect the traffic conditions within the monitoring area.

[0051] In addition, the assistance information distribution unit F1 wirelessly transmits assistance data generated based on data from the area monitoring sensors to the in-vehicle device 2 in cooperation with the wireless unit 12. In this disclosure, a wireless signal / electrical signal equivalent to a communication packet containing assistance data is also referred to as an assistance message. In this disclosure, the term "assistance data" can be interpreted as being replaced with "assistance message" as appropriate. The assistance message corresponds to a MAP message, which is one of the RSU messages.

[0052] The RSU 1 broadcasts the support message. The support information distribution unit F1 may generate and transmit the support message at a frequency of approximately once every 100 milliseconds to once every second.

[0053] The RSU 1 may distribute the assistance message in the form of unicast, multicast, or geocast. Geocast is a flooding communication mode in which the destination is specified by location information. With geocast, the vehicle-mounted units 2 existing within a range designated as a geocast area can receive the message. Geocasting enables data distribution without specifying the identification information of the vehicle-mounted units 2 existing in the area to which the information is to be distributed.

[0054] The RSU 1 may be configured to periodically transmit an advertisement message in addition to the assistance message. The advertisement message is a message for notifying the vehicle-mounted device 2 of the presence of the RSU 1, and indicates the RSU-ID, installation location, transmission time, service type, RSU type, etc. The advertisement message may be a simple message that specializes in the contents of the header described above. The advertisement message may also be called a service announcement, which is a message for notifying surrounding areas of the services provided by the RSU 1.

[0055] The self-diagnosis unit F2 is a functional unit that diagnoses whether the associated unit is functioning normally, and is configured to be able to perform either or both of image-based diagnostic processing and time-based diagnostic processing as self-diagnosis processing. Details of the self-diagnosis unit F2 will be described separately later.

[0056] If the self-diagnosis unit F2 determines that a malfunction has occurred in its own unit, it may identify the location of the malfunction. The self-diagnosis unit F2 may be configured to identify whether the malfunction has occurred in, for example, the radio unit 12, the GNSS receiver 13, the millimeter-wave radar 14, the camera 15, or the RSU control unit 11. In other words, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may determine whether each of the devices constituting its own unit is functioning normally.

[0057] The status notification unit F3 is configured to notify the diagnosis result of the self-diagnosis unit F2 to the in-vehicle device 2, the management server 3, and other RSUs 1. For example, the status notification unit F3 periodically transmits a support message, the header of which contains a status code corresponding to the diagnosis result, from the wireless unit 12. This allows the in-vehicle device 2 to recognize the status of the RSU 1 that sent the support message based on the received support message.

[0058] In addition, the RSU1 may transmit a dedicated message for notifying the status of the RSU1, separate from the assistance message. In the present disclosure, an RSU message including data indicating the status of the RSU1 is also referred to as a status message. Among the status messages, an RSU message including a code indicating that a malfunction has occurred is also referred to as a malfunction notification message, and an RSU message including a code indicating that the RSU1 is operating normally is also referred to as a normal notification message. The RSU1 may make the advertisement message function as a status message by inserting a status code into a predetermined field, for example, an optional field, of the advertisement message.

[0059] The status message may include at least the RSU-ID, transmission time, and status code in the header or payload. The RSU-ID is the identification number (ID) of the RSU1 as the sender. The transmission time indicates the time when the message was sent. The status code is a code that indicates the status of the sender. The status message may also include information such as the installation location, target area, and message size. The target area indicates the area where the RSU1 provides services, i.e., the distribution area. The target area can be expressed, for example, by the position coordinates of the center of the area and the area radius. The target area may also be expressed only by the distance (radius) from the RSU installation location.

[0060] The status notification unit F3 may omit sending a status message if the unit is normal. The status notification unit F3 may be configured to send a malfunction notification message to the vehicle-mounted device 2 only if a malfunction is detected in its own unit. This configuration reduces the risk of inadvertently consuming short-range communication resources.

[0061] In this embodiment, the RSU1 not only notifies the management server 3 that a malfunction has occurred but also transmits a message indicating the details of the malfunction, i.e., the location of the malfunction, as a malfunction notification message. Alternatively, the malfunction notification message may be a message indicating that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the RSU1. The malfunction notification message may simply be a message indicating that the service is currently stopped. The status notification unit F3 may transmit the self-diagnosis results and data related to moving objects / obstacles in the monitoring area to the management server 3 periodically or in response to a query from the management server 3.

[0062] <About image-based diagnostic processing> The image-based diagnostic process is a process for determining the operating state of the camera 15 by comparing a current camera image with a camera image captured in the past. The image-based diagnostic process requires a reference image registration process as a preparatory process. The reference image registration process is a process for generating a reference image as a criterion for verifying whether the camera 15 (e.g., an image sensor) is functioning normally and registering the reference image in the storage 113.

[0063] The reference image is image data of fixed / still objects, with moving objects such as cars and pedestrians removed from the captured image generated by the camera 15. The reference image can also be called a fixed image. The reference image may be generated by combining multiple camera images captured at different times. In a configuration in which a comparison image is generated based on multiple images captured at different times (frames), a road surface image of an area in which a moving object was captured in a certain frame can be supplemented with an image from another frame. This reference image registration process can be triggered by a specific operation by the installer, such as pressing a record button, when the RSU 1 is installed. The reference image registration process may also be performed periodically, such as once a month.

[0064] The image-based diagnostic process includes a step of generating a comparison image based on a current image, which is the most recent image generated by the camera 15. The comparison image is an image from which moving objects have been removed, in other words, an image from which areas containing fixed / still objects have been extracted from the current image. The comparison image may also be generated by combining multiple images captured within a certain period of time. The self-diagnosis unit F2 compares the comparison image with a reference image registered in the storage 113, and if the difference between the images is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the self-diagnosis unit F2 determines that a malfunction has occurred in the camera 15 / its own unit.

[0065] The time-based diagnostic process is a process for determining whether the GNSS receiver 13 is operating normally by comparing the time information received from the in-vehicle device 2 with the time information held by the GNSS receiver 13 itself. The time-based diagnostic process can be performed at regular time intervals. If a malfunction occurs in the GNSS receiver 13, the error between the internal time, which is the time information held by the RSU control unit 11, and the actual time may exceed a predetermined value. The internal time of the RSU 1 can also be called the RSU time.

[0066] The time-based diagnostic process may include a step of calculating the average time, which is the average value of the vehicle time information contained in messages received from the vehicle-mounted unit 2 within a fixed time period (e.g., 200 milliseconds), as a population. The vehicle time information is the time information contained in the messages received from the vehicle-mounted unit 2. The average time corresponds to the average value of the times held by multiple vehicle-mounted units 2 present within the communication area of ​​the RSU 1. If the difference between the internal time and the average time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the self-diagnosis unit F2 determines that a malfunction has occurred in the GNSS receiver 13 / its own unit.

[0067] Alternatively, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may diagnose the millimeter-wave radar 14 by comparing the detection results of the millimeter-wave radar 14 with information about moving objects / obstacles in the intersection received from the in-vehicle device 2. The self-diagnosis unit F2 may also diagnose the camera 15 or the millimeter-wave radar 14 by comparing camera detection data with radar detection data. For example, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may detect a malfunction of the millimeter-wave radar 14 based on the fact that something detected by the camera 15 is not detected by the millimeter-wave radar 14. Similarly, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may detect a malfunction of the camera 15 based on the fact that something detected by the millimeter-wave radar 14 is not detected by the camera 15.

[0068] Furthermore, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may detect a malfunction of the radio unit 12 based on whether the level of noise observed by the radio unit 12 remains at or above a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or more. Note that malfunctions of the radio unit 12 can include cases where jamming radio waves are received, as well as cases where a malfunction occurs in the radio unit 12 itself.

[0069] The self-diagnosis unit F2 may detect a malfunction of the GNSS receiver 13 by comparing a registered installation position, which is the installation position coordinates registered in advance by the administrator / installer, with the latest positioning calculation result input from the GNSS receiver 13. For example, if the difference between the registered installation position and the positioning calculation result is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the GNSS receiver 13. Alternatively, it may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the GNSS receiver 13 based on the fact that current position data has not been input from the GNSS receiver 13 for a certain period of time (for example, one hour).

[0070] Furthermore, the self-diagnosis unit F2 may detect malfunctions in the RSU control unit 11 or the communication partner by performing two-way communication with the microcomputers provided in the wireless unit 12 and the image analysis unit 16. Methods for detecting malfunctions through two-way communication include a watchdog timer method and a homework answering method.

[0071] <Configuration and functions of the in-vehicle device> As shown in FIG. 4 , the in-vehicle device 2 is connected to a locator 41, a perimeter monitoring sensor 42, a vehicle sensor 43, a cellular communication unit 44, a display 45, a speaker 46, and a drive system 47 via an in-vehicle network VN so that they can communicate with each other. Various standards, such as Controller Area Network (CAN: registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), and FlexRay (registered trademark), can be adopted for the in-vehicle network VN. Note that some devices may be directly connected to the in-vehicle device 2 via dedicated cables. The connection between devices shown in this disclosure is an example, and the specific connection between devices can be changed as appropriate. In this disclosure, a system including various devices mounted on a vehicle, including the in-vehicle device 2, is also referred to as an in-vehicle system VS. The in-vehicle device 2 includes a V2X module 21 and a control module 22.

[0072] The V2X module 21 is a communication module for performing short-range communication. Like the radio unit 12, the V2X module 21 includes an antenna, a transmission processing unit, and a reception processing unit for performing short-range communication. The V2X module 21 is connected to the control module 22. The V2X module 21 transmits a radio signal obtained by performing signal processing such as modulation on a baseband signal input from the control module 22. The V2X module 21 also outputs received data obtained by performing signal processing such as demodulation on a signal received via an antenna to the control module 22. For example, the V2X module 21 receives assistance messages / data distributed from the RSU 1 and inputs the received data to the control module 22.

[0073] The control module 22 is configured as a computer including a processor 221, a memory 222, a storage 223, an input / output circuit (I / O) 224, etc. The processor 221 is, for example, a CPU. The memory 222 is, for example, a volatile storage medium such as RAM. The processor 221 accesses the memory 222 to execute various processes for realizing the functions of each functional unit described below. The storage 223 is configured to include a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. The storage 223 stores a vehicle program that is a program for the in-vehicle device 2. Execution of the vehicle program by the processor 221 corresponds to execution of a notification control method. The storage 223 corresponds to a memory unit. The input / output circuit 224 is a circuit module that enables the in-vehicle device 2 to transmit and receive signals to and from other devices. The functions of the control module 22, in other words, the functions of the in-vehicle device 2, will be described separately below.

[0074] In this embodiment, the V2X module 21 and the control module 22 are realized as a single device (ECU: Electronic Control Unit), but this is not limiting. The V2X module 21 and the control module 22 may be separated into separate devices. For example, the V2X module 21 may be realized as a V2X in-vehicle device, and the control module 22 may be realized as a driving assistance ECU, which are separate entities.

[0075] The locator 41 is a device that calculates and outputs the position coordinates of the vehicle using navigation signals transmitted from positioning satellites that constitute the GNSS. The locator 41 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver, an inertial sensor, and a map memory. The inertial sensor is, for example, a gyro sensor or an acceleration sensor. The map memory is a storage medium in which map data is saved. The locator 41 sequentially determines the position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle position) and the direction of movement of the vehicle equipped with the locator 41 by combining the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver, the detection value of the inertial sensor, and the road shape shown in the map data. The vehicle position is expressed, for example, by three-dimensional coordinates of latitude, longitude, and altitude. The vehicle position data detected by the locator 41 is input to the in-vehicle device 2. The locator 41 may be a navigation device.

[0076] The perimeter monitoring sensor 42 is a sensor that outputs a signal indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle. Examples of the perimeter monitoring sensor 42 include a camera capturing images outside the vehicle, millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, and sonar. The perimeter monitoring sensor 42 detects objects present within a detection range around the vehicle and inputs data indicating the position, moving speed, type, size, etc. of the detected object to the in-vehicle device 2. For example, the in-vehicle system VS includes a forward camera and a forward radar as the perimeter monitoring sensor 42. The forward camera is, for example, an optical / infrared camera positioned to capture images of the area ahead of the vehicle at a predetermined angle of view. The forward camera is positioned on the upper edge of the windshield on the interior side of the vehicle, the front grille, the rooftop, etc. The forward radar is a millimeter-wave radar installed on the front part of the vehicle, such as the front grille or the front bumper. The forward radar detects the distance, relative speed, relative position, size, etc. of an object present ahead of the vehicle, such as a preceding vehicle.

[0077] The vehicle sensors 43 are a group of sensors that detect information related to the state of the host vehicle. The vehicle sensors 43 include a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc. The vehicle speed sensor detects the speed of the host vehicle. The steering angle sensor detects the steering angle. The acceleration sensor detects acceleration such as the longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration of the host vehicle. The yaw rate sensor detects the angular velocity of the host vehicle. The vehicle sensors 43 input data indicating the current value (i.e., the detection result) of the physical state quantity to be detected to the in-vehicle device 2. The types of vehicle sensors 43 connected to the in-vehicle device 2 may be designed as appropriate. It is not necessary for signals from all of the sensors described above to be input to the in-vehicle device 2. A signal indicating the shift position or a signal indicating the operation state of the turn signal may also be input to the in-vehicle device 2.

[0078] The cellular communication unit 44 is a communication module for implementing cellular communication. For example, the cellular communication unit 44 transmits and receives radio waves to and from base stations around the vehicle via wireless communication conforming to cellular communication standards such as 5G. The cellular communication unit 44 transmits data input from the on-board device 2 to the management server 3. The cellular communication unit 44 also receives data addressed to the on-board device 2 from the management server 3 and inputs the data to the on-board device 2.

[0079] The display 45 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display 45 may be a head-up display. The in-vehicle system VS may be equipped with a meter display and a head-up display (HUD) as displays. At least one display 45 displays an image according to an input signal from the in-vehicle device 2. The speaker 46 is a device that converts an electrical signal into sound and outputs the sound. The speaker 46 outputs sound according to the electrical signal input from the in-vehicle device 2. Sounds in the present disclosure include voice messages, notification sounds, warning sounds, sound effects, music, etc.

[0080] The drive system 47 is a system that includes an actuator for driving the vehicle and an ECU for controlling the actuator. The components of the drive system 47 may include some or all of a power unit ECU that controls drive sources such as the engine and the drive motor, a brake actuator, a brake ECU, an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor, a steering ECU, etc.

[0081] 5, the control module 22 includes a support processing unit G1, a recording processing unit G2, an RSU diagnosis unit G3, a communication processing unit G4, and a notification control unit G5 as functional units realized by the processor 221 executing the vehicle program. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 includes an RSU detection unit G31 as a sub-functional unit.

[0082] The support processing unit G1 performs driving support based on the support data received from the RSU1. For example, the support processing unit G1 notifies the vehicle of other moving objects approaching the vehicle at an intersection. More specifically, the support processing unit G1 notifies the vehicle of the presence of pedestrians / cyclists who may be in contact with the vehicle, or the presence of oncoming vehicles when turning right. Furthermore, at an intersection without traffic lights, the support processing unit G1 may notify the vehicle of the presence of vehicles approaching from the right or left based on the support message from the RSU1.

[0083] Notification of the assistance information to the driver can be realized by displaying an image on the display 45, outputting a voice message / warning sound from the speaker 46, lighting up an indicator, applying vibration, etc. The device that generates the vibration may be provided in a part that the driver's body comes into contact with, such as the seat, seat belt, or steering wheel.

[0084] For example, when the support processing unit G1 detects another moving object that may be in contact with the vehicle based on a message from the RSU1, it displays a warning image Im1 on the display 45 along with a warning sound. Fig. 6 shows an example of the warning image Im1. In the figure, 45a indicates the display screen / display area of ​​the display.

[0085] When the in-vehicle device 2 is able to receive a signal from the RSU 1, the notification control unit G5 displays a service-in image Im2 at a predetermined position on the display 45. The service-in image Im2 is an icon image indicating that data is being received from the RSU 1. The service-in image Im2 can be, for example, an image in which a radio wave icon, which is an element that resembles a radio wave, is placed near an RSU icon, which is an element that resembles the RSU 1.

[0086] The driving assistance process performed by the assistance processing unit G1 may not only notify the driver but also perform control to intervene in driving operations such as braking and steering. In this disclosure, the driver refers to a person sitting in the driver's seat, i.e., a driver's seat occupant. The concept of a driver can also include a person who remotely operates the vehicle.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 7, when the recording processing unit G2 receives an RSU message (S11), it stores data related to the sending RSU1 in the history memory unit M1 of the storage 223 (S12). In the present disclosure, a list of RSU1s that have received messages is referred to as usage history data. The history memory unit M1 is a storage area for storing usage history data. The storage area for the history memory unit M1 may be dynamically allocated or may be allocated in advance with a predetermined size. The history memory unit M1 may be realized using a storage device independent of the storage 223.

[0088] The usage history data includes RSU data, which is detailed data for each RSU1. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, each RSU data may include an installation location, an RSU-ID, a usage count, a warning count, an intervention count, a distribution area, and the like. The usage count may include a usage count, which is the number of times a service provided by the RSU1 has been used. The usage count may correspond to the number of times a distribution area has been passed through. The usage count can also be expressed as the number of times an area has been passed through, or the number of times an assistance message has been received. Using an RSU1 may correspond to receiving an assistance message delivered from the RSU1.

[0089] The number of warnings refers to the number of times that a warning process based on a received assistance message has been performed. The warning process corresponds to, for example, a process of notifying the driver of the presence of a moving object that may come into contact with the vehicle using the display 45, speaker 46, vibrator, etc. The conditions for performing the warning process can be designed as appropriate.

[0090] The number of interventions refers to the number of times that operation intervention processing has been performed based on a received assistance message. Operation intervention processing refers to automatic vehicle control by the system, for example, to avoid contact between the vehicle and a moving object / to reduce the damage of a collision. An example of operation intervention processing is automatic braking. The operation intervention processing may include steering control in a direction to avoid a collision. The operation intervention processing can also be called collision damage reduction control / collision avoidance control. The conditions for performing the operation intervention processing can be designed appropriately. For example, it can be performed when there is a moving object whose remaining time to collision (TTC: Time To Collision) is less than a predetermined value.

[0091] The above usage history data may correspond to data mapping RSU1s that the vehicle-mounted device 2 has used. The recording processing unit G2 updates the usage history data upon receiving an RSU message. For example, when an RSU message is received from an RSU1 that has never been used before, information about that RSU1 is added to the usage history data. When the size of the usage history data exceeds a predetermined value, the recording processing unit G2 prioritizes retaining data about RSU1s that have been used frequently. In other words, when the storage capacity is full, the recording processing unit G2 prioritizes deleting data about RSU1s that have been used least frequently.

[0092] It is preferable that even if the recording processing unit G2 receives an RSU message from the same RSU1 multiple times within a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes), the increase in the number of times the RSU1 is used is set to 1. This control reduces the risk of the number of times the RSU1 is used increasing by 2 or more even if a message is received multiple times from the same RSU1 while waiting at a traffic light, for example.

[0093] Furthermore, the recording processing unit G2 does not need to record all of the number of uses, the number of warnings, and the number of interventions. The RSU data does not need to include the number of warnings or the number of interventions. In addition, the RSU data may include data indicating the observed value of the reception strength according to the distance from RSU1. For example, the recording processing unit G2 may record the reception strength at each of the points where the remaining distance to RSU1 is 25 m, 15 m, and 5 m. Note that the usage history data may also include information on the farthest reception position. The farthest reception position information is the coordinates of the position where a message from RSU1 can be received the furthest.

[0094] The RSU diagnosis unit G3 determines whether the RSU1 located ahead of the vehicle is operating normally. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 corresponds to a roadside unit diagnosis unit. The RSU1 located ahead of the vehicle refers to an RSU1 located ahead of the vehicle and at a position where short-range communication with the vehicle is possible. The area ahead of the vehicle also includes the area diagonally ahead. Hereinafter, the RSU1 to be diagnosed by the RSU diagnosis unit G3 will also be referred to as the target RSU. The target RSU can also be referred to as the forward RSU (forward roadside unit) or the communication partner. The forward RSU / target RSU can also be interpreted as an RSU1 installed in a road section that the vehicle will pass through within a predetermined time. For example, an RSU1 installed at an intersection ahead of the vehicle corresponds to the target RSU.

[0095] The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may recognize the presence of the target RSU by receiving an RSU message. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may also detect the target RSU based on map data showing the installation location of RSU1. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may also detect the target RSU based on usage history data. The configuration that detects the forward RSU as the diagnosis target based on map data / reception of V2I messages / usage history data corresponds to the RSU detection unit G31 (roadside unit detection unit). The RSU diagnosis unit G3 corresponds to the malfunction detection unit.

[0096] The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may diagnose the target RSU in various ways. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may diagnose the target RSU based on data included in a message received from the target RSU. For example, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU based on the difference between the time information included in the message received from the target RSU and the time held by the RSU itself being equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Diagnosis based on the difference in time information corresponds to the time-based diagnosis process described above. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may also determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU based on the difference between the installation location information included in the message received from the target RSU and the location of the target RSU recognized by the vehicle being equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Furthermore, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU if the security information in the received RSU message is inappropriate. Examples of cases where the security information is inappropriate include when an electronic certificate is not assigned or when the electronic certificate has expired.

[0097] Furthermore, for an RSU1 with a usage history, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may compare the past reception status with the current reception status to determine whether the target RSU is functioning normally. For example, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may estimate the communication area of ​​the target RSU based on a set of locations where messages from the target RSU have been received in the past. Then, if the vehicle is located within the communication area but cannot receive a message from the target RSU, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU.

[0098] Furthermore, for an RSU1 with a usage history, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 determines whether the vehicle is located within the distribution area of ​​the target RSU based on distribution area information acquired during past use. If the vehicle is located within the distribution area of ​​the target RSU but is unable to receive messages from the target RSU, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU. This corresponds to a reception-status-based diagnosis process (determination process) that diagnoses the target RSU based on the reception status of messages from the target RSU.

[0099] Note that if a large vehicle such as a truck is present in front of the vehicle, it may be difficult to receive a message from the target RSU. Therefore, if a front camera or the like detects that a large vehicle is present within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may cancel the execution of the reception-condition-based diagnosis process. In other words, it is preferable that the reception-condition-based diagnosis process be executed on the condition that no large vehicle is present within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle. This configuration reduces the risk of erroneously determining that a malfunction has occurred in an RSU1 that is operating normally. Note that a large vehicle may be a vehicle with a height of a predetermined value (e.g., 3 m) or more. Whether a vehicle is a large vehicle or not may be defined by a vehicle classification prescribed by law.

[0100] The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine whether the target RSU is operating normally by comparing the detection results of the surroundings monitoring sensor 42 of the own vehicle with the location information of the moving object notified by the target RSU. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU based on the fact that the surroundings monitoring sensor 42 of the own vehicle has detected a moving object that has not been notified by the target RSU. In addition, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine whether the target RSU is operating normally by comparing the location information of the moving object obtained from another vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the location information of the moving object obtained from the target RSU.

[0101] The RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine that a failure has occurred in the target RSU based on receiving a failure notification message from the target RSU. This configuration also corresponds to a configuration for detecting a failure in a previous RSU based on data received from the previous RSU.

[0102] Furthermore, the RSU diagnostic unit G3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU based on receiving data indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU from an external device such as another in-vehicle device 2 or the management server 3. The RSU diagnostic unit G3 may confirm the determination that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU if it receives information from the target RSU itself indicating that a malfunction is occurring and the RSU diagnostic unit G3 itself determines that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU. One or more of the various methods described above can be adopted as the RSU diagnosis method by the in-vehicle device 2.

[0103] The communication processing unit G4 controls data communication with the management server 3, the RSU 1, and other in-vehicle devices 2. For example, when the RSU diagnosis unit G3 detects a malfunction in the RSU 1, the communication processing unit G4 sends a malfunction detection report to the management server 3 as a reporting process. The malfunction detection report is a communication packet indicating that the target RSU may not be functioning normally. The communication processing unit G4 corresponds to the report processing unit.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 9, the malfunction detection report includes source information, the identification number (RSU-ID) of the RSU 1 to be reported, and the time when the malfunction was detected. The malfunction detection report may also include some or all of the installation location of the RSU 1 to be reported, a status code, and an environment code. Each piece of data may be described in the header, or some or all of the data may be stored in the payload. The source information may be expressed, for example, by a vehicle ID / MAC address / IP address of the in-vehicle device 2. The environment code is information indicating the surrounding environment when the status of the RSU 1 is determined, such as whether there is a preceding vehicle, the classification of the preceding vehicle (whether it is a large vehicle or not), the weather, etc. D21 to D26 shown in FIG. 9 represent data fields in which various data are placed in a message / communication packet as a malfunction detection report.

[0105] The malfunction detection report may be transmitted to the management server 3 via cellular communication. Alternatively, the malfunction detection report may be transmitted to the management server 3 via the RSU 1. Each RSU 1 may forward the malfunction detection report received from the in-vehicle device 2 to the management server 3.

[0106] Furthermore, the communication processing unit G4 may transmit a malfunction detection message, which is a V2X message containing the same content as the malfunction detection report, to another device via short-range communication. The communication processing unit G4 may add information about the RSU in which a malfunction has been detected to the header / payload of the host vehicle status message that is periodically transmitted and transmit the message. That is, the communication processing unit G4 may cause the host vehicle status message to function as a malfunction detection message.

[0107] In a configuration in which the diagnosis results of the forward RSU are shared via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the in-vehicle device 2 may be able to respond (e.g., notify the driver) based on a notification from the preceding vehicle, taking into account the possibility that the forward RSU 1 may not be functioning properly even before the vehicle enters the communication area of ​​the target RSU. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the diagnosis results of the RSU diagnosis unit G3 are shared between in-vehicle devices 2 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may be able to more accurately determine whether a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU by integrating the diagnosis results from multiple in-vehicle devices 2. For example, the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may determine whether the target RSU is operating normally by majority vote. The communication processing unit G4 may transmit a data set indicating this to other devices or the management server 3, not only when it determines that a malfunction has occurred in the target RSU, but also when it determines that the target RSU is operating normally. The message indicating the determination result of the RSU diagnosis unit G3 may also be called a diagnosis result report.

[0108] The notification control unit G5 performs a malfunction notification process, which is a process of notifying the driver of a malfunction that the RSU diagnosis unit G3 has detected in the front RSU (target RSU). The malfunction notification of the front RSU can be performed using one or more of the following: displaying an image on the display 45, outputting a warning sound, turning on an indicator, applying vibrations, and applying a steering reaction force. Hereinafter, the RSU in which a malfunction has been detected will also be referred to as an error RSU.

[0109] For example, if the error RSU is an RSU1 that has been used in the past, the notification control unit G5 displays a predetermined error notification image as a fault notification process. An RSU1 that has been used in the past is an RSU1 that has received a support message from the RSU1 in a past trip. Here, a trip refers to a series of trips from when the driving power source is turned on to when it is turned off. The number of times the error RSU has been used is determined by referring to the usage history data stored in the storage 113. An RSU1 that is not registered in the usage history data, in other words, an RSU1 that has been used zero times, corresponds to an RSU1 that the vehicle has never used in the past.

[0110] Furthermore, if the number of times the error RSU has been used is zero, the notification control unit G5 may not notify the driver that a malfunction has occurred in the RSU1. Furthermore, if the error RSU1 has been used a predetermined number of times or more in the past, the notification control unit G5 may notify the driver of the malfunction of the RSU1 in a stronger manner than when the number of times the error RSU has been used is less than the predetermined number of times. The notification control unit G5 may change the notification manner regarding the malfunction of the RSU1 depending on the number of times it has been used in the past. Elements that configure the manner of notification using an image include the display position, display size, whether or not to blink, and color. Elements that configure the manner of notification using sound include the volume, the output interval of the warning sound, and the frequency (pitch) of the sound.

[0111] When a malfunction is detected in a frequently used RSU1, the notification control unit G5 preferably notifies the driver in a more conspicuous (stronger) manner than when a malfunction is detected in an infrequently used RSU1. The notification control unit G5 may be configured to change the notification manner to be more conspicuous as the number of times the RSU1 is used increases. This configuration makes it easier for the driver to recognize that an RSU1 along a road the driver regularly travels is not functioning properly. As a result, the driver is more likely to take measures such as driving more carefully than usual or checking the surrounding area. In other words, the risk of the driver over-relying on an RSU1 that is not functioning properly can be reduced. Paradoxically, when a malfunction is detected in an RSU1 that is used infrequently or has no usage history, the notification control unit G5 may weaken the intensity of the notification or omit the notification altogether compared to when a malfunction is detected in an RSU1 that is regularly used. This configuration reduces the risk of the driver being annoyed.

[0112] When the notification control unit G5 receives an RSU message and the sender of the received message is functioning normally, the notification control unit G5 displays a service-in image Im2 at a predetermined position on the display 45. The notification control unit G5 may be provided in the support processing unit G1 as one of its functions. Alternatively, the notification control unit G5 may be provided as an HMI control unit that controls an HMI (Human Machine Interface) such as the display 45.

[0113] <Supplementary information on the operation of the notification control unit> The notification control unit G5 may perform a notification control process based on the detection of a malfunction of the front RSU by the RSU diagnosis unit G3. In one aspect, the notification control process is a process for notifying the driver of a malfunction of the front RSU. For example, the notification control process may include steps S21 to S28 as shown in FIG. 10.

[0114] Step S21 is a step in which the RSU detection unit G31 searches for a forward RSU. For example, the RSU detection unit G31 searches for a forward RSU based on map data indicating the installation location of the RSU1 or usage history data. Step S61 may be a process of sending a message to the RSU1 requesting the return of a response signal. The vehicle-mounted device 2 / RSU diagnosis unit G3 as the RSU detection unit G31 may perform an active scan in step S61. If a forward RSU is not found, this flow is terminated. On the other hand, if a forward RSU is found, step S22 is executed.

[0115] Step S22 is a step in which the RSU diagnosis unit G3 determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU. As described above, whether a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU can be determined in a variety of ways. In addition, a variety of information can be used as material for determining whether a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU. The RSU diagnosis unit G3 can determine whether a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU using any of the content of the signal received from the forward RSU, the reception status of the signal from the forward RSU, and data received from the management server 3 or other devices.

[0116] If no malfunction is detected in the front RSU (S22 NO), this flow ends. If no malfunction is detected in the front RSU, the assistance processing unit G1 performs appropriate driving assistance processing using the assistance message received from the front RSU. On the other hand, if it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the front RSU (S22 YES), the in-vehicle device 2 performs step S23.

[0117] Step S23 is a step in which the notification control unit G5 refers to the usage history data stored in the storage 113 and obtains the number of times the preceding RSU has been used as the error RSU. The number of times the error RSU has been used can be identified by searching the usage history data using the RSU-ID / installation location of the error RSU as a search key. Nu in the figure indicates the number of times the error RSU has been used.

[0118] Step S24 is a step of determining whether the number of times the error RSU has been used is 0. Step S24 corresponds to a step of determining whether the error RSU has been used in the past. The notification control unit G5 can determine that the number of times the error RSU has been used is 0 based on the fact that information about the error RSU is not registered in the usage history data. Furthermore, the notification control unit G5 can determine that the number of times the error RSU has been used is 1 or more based on the fact that information about the error RSU is registered in the usage history data.

[0119] If the number of times the error RSU has been used is 0 (YES in S24), the notification control unit G5 hides the service-in image (S25). Accordingly, the support processing unit G1 changes the operation settings so as not to execute driving support processing based on a message from the error RSU. Step S25 corresponds to control to ignore the existence of the RSU1 in which a malfunction has been detected, if the RSU1 has never been used before.

[0120] On the other hand, if the number of times the error RSU is used is not 0 (NO in S24), the notification control unit G5 determines whether the number of times the error RSU is used is less than a predetermined switching threshold (Th) in step S26. The switching threshold is a threshold for switching between notifying the driver of a malfunction of the front RSU in a discreet manner and in a relatively noticeable manner. The switching threshold is set to a value that predicts, based on past usage records, that the driver is aware of the presence of the RSU1 in question and expects assistance from the RSU1. For example, the switching threshold can be set to 5 times or 10 times.

[0121] A conspicuous notification refers to a notification in a manner intended to clearly make the driver aware that a malfunction has occurred in the front RSU. A conspicuous notification involves outputting a voice message / sound effect at a volume equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or applying vibration. A conspicuous notification corresponds to outputting a stimulus of sufficient intensity to attract the driver's attention. On the other hand, a discreet notification refers to a notification in which the stimulus is relatively weaker than a conspicuous notification. A discreet notification refers to a notification mode that aims to not bother the occupants. A discreet notification refers to a notification mode that mainly involves displaying an image, does not apply vibration to the driver, and sets the output volume to a predetermined value or less. Setting the output volume to a predetermined value or less includes not outputting any sound.

[0122] The discreet mode can also be rephrased as an inconspicuous mode. The notification control unit G5 of this embodiment is configured to be able to control the notification mode in two stages: a conspicuous mode and a discreet mode. Of course, the notification control unit G5 may be configured to be able to select one of three or more notification modes, each with a different stimulus intensity, according to the type of malfunction / the driver's dependency on the support of the RSU1 / the number of uses. The malfunction notification process can be divided into a discreet notification process and an emphasis notification process according to the intensity of the notification mode (stimulus).

[0123] If the number of times the error RSU is used is less than the switching threshold (S26 YES), the notification control unit G5 performs a discreet notification process (S27). The discreet notification process is a process of discreetly notifying that a malfunction is occurring in the forward RSU. The discreet notification process includes displaying a discreet notification image Im3 at a predetermined position on the display 45. The discreet notification image Im3 is a malfunction notification image formed in a discreet manner. The malfunction notification image is an image indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU. This configuration corresponds to a configuration of displaying a malfunction notification image in a discreet manner.

[0124] The discreet notification image Im3 can be, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, an image in which a cross (x) is added to the side of the RSU icon and text Tx3 indicating that the RSU is out of order is placed nearby. The combined image with a cross added to the side of the RSU icon is also referred to as an RSU outage icon. The discreet notification image Im3 shown in FIG. 11 can be interpreted as an image in which text Tx3 is placed to the side of the RSU outage icon in one aspect. Note that the display position of the discreet notification image Im3 can be the same as that of the service-in image Im2. For example, the discreet notification image Im3 can be displayed so that the position of the RSU icon is the same as that of the service-in image Im2.

[0125] In this disclosure, the display positions of the service-in image Im2 and the discreet notification image Im3 are referred to as basic display positions. The basic display positions may be set to relatively inconspicuous locations, such as the top, bottom, right, or left end of the display area of ​​the display 45. Note that the color of the RSU icon in the service-in image Im2 may be set to white, blue, or green, while the RSU icon in the discreet notification image Im3 may be set to gray, yellow, red, or the like. The status of the preceding RSU may be expressed by different colors of the RSU icons.

[0126] In this embodiment, the notification control unit G5 does not output a warning sound (notification sound) as a discreet notification process. In other words, if the number of times the error RSU is used is less than the switching threshold, the notification control unit G5 does not output a warning sound (notification sound). By configuring the notification regarding a malfunction of an RSU1 whose number of times of use is less than a predetermined value to be limited to displaying an icon image, the risk of causing annoyance to the driver can be reduced. Furthermore, since a malfunction notification image is displayed even though no sound is output, a driver who notices that assistance by the RSU1 is not being performed can recognize the operating status of the system by visually checking the basic display position. In another aspect, the discreet notification process may be accompanied by output of a sound effect at a volume that is not discreet.

[0127] Furthermore, if the number of times the error RSU is used is equal to or greater than the switching threshold (NO in S26), the notification control unit G5 performs an emphasis notification process (S28). The emphasis notification process corresponds to a process of notifying in a conspicuous manner that a malfunction has occurred in the forward RSU. The emphasis notification process includes displaying an emphasis notification image Im4, which is a malfunction notification image formed in a conspicuous manner, at a predetermined position on the display 45. The emphasis notification process also includes outputting a warning sound (notification sound) from the speaker 46 simultaneously with / before / a predetermined time after displaying the emphasis notification image.

[0128] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the notification control unit G5 displays an image including text directly / indirectly indicating that the front RSU has failed as an emphasis notification image Im4 in the center of the display screen of the display 45. This configuration corresponds to a configuration in which a malfunction notification image is displayed in a conspicuous manner. The display position of the emphasis notification image is referred to as a temporary display position. The temporary display position may be a position that is more easily visible to a driver facing forward of the vehicle than the basic display position. The size of the emphasis notification image Im4 is larger than that of the modest notification image Im3. The notification control unit G5 may also display an RSU pause icon Im4a at the basic display position in parallel with the emphasis notification image Im4. Furthermore, if the in-vehicle system VS has a meter display and a HUD as the display 45, the display destination of the emphasis notification image Im4 may be set to the HUD.

[0129] <About the effects> Drivers tend to become familiar with the support services of RSU1s on frequently used routes. As a result, when passing through a service spot of a frequently used RSU1, the driver may tend to perform driving operations assuming that the support service from that RSU1 is available. However, if some kind of malfunction occurs in an RSU1, the service may be completely stopped or the service quality (e.g., object detection accuracy) may be reduced. From the driver's perspective, whether an RSU1 that is used frequently is operating normally can be important information.

[0130] On the other hand, a malfunction in an RSU1 that has never been used before is likely not important to the driver. This is because the driver does not expect or anticipate receiving support services from an RSU1 that has never been used before. In addition, it is difficult for the driver to even perceive that an RSU1 is installed on a road that the driver has never driven on before. A notification of a malfunction in an RSU1 that the driver has never used is of little importance to the driver and may even be annoying to the driver.

[0131] In other words, the importance / impact of a malfunction in a front RSU may differ depending on the number of times the driver has used the RSU 1. The present disclosure is created based on this idea, and when the in-vehicle device 2 detects that a malfunction has occurred in an RSU 1 located in front of the vehicle, it changes the mode of notification to the driver depending on the number of times the RSU 1 has been used. Note that changing the mode of notification here also includes stopping notification.

[0132] For example, if the in-vehicle device 2 detects a malfunction in an RSU 1 that has never been used before, the in-vehicle device 2 does not notify the driver of the malfunction. According to the above control mode, it is possible to reduce the possibility of causing inconvenience to the driver.

[0133] Furthermore, when the in-vehicle device 2 recognizes that an RSU 1 with a usage count equal to or greater than a predetermined value has a malfunction, it notifies the driver that a malfunction is occurring in the front RSU in a more conspicuous manner than when the in-vehicle device 2 recognizes that an RSU 1 with a usage count equal to or greater than a predetermined value has a malfunction. For frequently used RSUs, the driver is likely to rely on the support services of the RSU 1, and the impact of a malfunction may be significant. With the above configuration, the driver can easily recognize in advance any malfunctions in the RSU 1 that they use on a daily basis. As a result, it is expected that the driver will perform driving operations more carefully than usual without relying on the support of the RSU 1.

[0134] Furthermore, notifications regarding malfunctions of RSU1 whose usage count is less than a predetermined value are limited to displaying an icon image. This configuration reduces the risk of causing inconvenience to the driver. Furthermore, because the malfunction notification image is displayed, a driver who notices that assistance by the RSU1 is not being performed can recognize the operating status of the front RSU based on the image display.

[0135] One possible configuration is to display a predetermined reception icon on the meter display when the in-vehicle device 2 receives a signal from the RSU 1. The reception icon is an icon image indicating that the service of the RSU 1 is available and that radio waves from the roadside device are being received, and may correspond to the service-in image Im2. The display of the reception icon can be used as a basis for determining whether the roadside device ahead is operating normally.

[0136] However, it is difficult for the driver to determine whether the forward RSU is operating normally just by whether the reception icon is displayed. Outside the distribution area of ​​RSU1, the reception icon is hidden even if RSU1 is operating normally. In other words, there are two cases where the reception icon is hidden: when outside the distribution area, or when RSU1 is malfunctioning. Therefore, it is difficult for the driver to determine the status of the forward RSU just by whether the reception icon is displayed. In addition, the driver may not always pay attention to the display position of the reception icon.

[0137] To address the above-mentioned issue, the in-vehicle device 2 displays a malfunction notification image, which is different from the service-in image, based on the detection of a malfunction in the forward RSU 1. With this configuration, when the driver cannot receive the service of the RSU 1, the driver can distinguish whether the reason is due to the location (outside the distribution area) or due to a malfunction in the RSU 1.

[0138] Furthermore, in the assumed configuration, even if the area monitoring sensor malfunctions, the receiving icon itself may be displayed normally if the wireless equipment is functioning normally. Therefore, the driver does not notice the malfunction of the area monitoring sensor, and therefore the degradation of the object recognition capability of the RSU1. Note that even if the wireless equipment of the RSU1 is normal, if a malfunction occurs in the monitoring sensor, the driver may not be notified of a moving object (e.g., an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian) that should be notified.

[0139] To address this issue, the vehicle-mounted device 2 can also detect malfunctions occurring in parts other than the wireless unit 12. The vehicle-mounted device 2 also displays a malfunction notification image when it detects a malfunction occurring in a part other than the wireless unit 12. Therefore, with the above configuration, the driver can recognize that a malfunction has occurred in a part other than the communication function.

[0140] Unlike traffic lights and electronic bulletin boards, the operating status of the RSU 1 is often not visually recognizable. In fact, the driver may not even be aware of the location of the RSU 1. This makes it difficult for the driver to recognize whether the RSU installed at an intersection or other location they are about to pass is operating normally. To address this issue, the configuration of the in-vehicle device 2 described above notifies the driver of information about a malfunctioning RSU 1 by image / audio. This makes it easier for the driver to recognize whether the RSU installed at an intersection or other location they are about to pass is operating normally.

[0141] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications described below are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, various modifications other than those described below can be implemented without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. For example, the various supplements and modifications described below can be implemented in appropriate combinations as long as no technical contradictions arise. Note that components having the same functions as the components described above are given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. Furthermore, when only a portion of the configuration is mentioned, the above description can be applied to the other portions.

[0142] <Variation (1)> In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle device 2 has been described as changing the mode of the malfunction notification process (notification mode) based on the number of times the error RSU is used. However, the in-vehicle device 2 may also change the notification mode based on the number of warnings. For example, if the number of times the warning process based on the assistance message received from the error RSU has been performed is zero, the malfunction notification process is canceled. However, if the number of past warnings is one or more, the malfunction notification process is performed. Furthermore, similar to the above-described number of uses, the intensity of the warning may be changed in conjunction with the number of warnings. For example, if the number of warnings is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., three times), an emphasis notification process is performed. However, if the number of warnings is less than the predetermined value, a more subdued notification process is performed. This configuration also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment. It is also assumed that some drivers have the RSU 1's assistance message-based warning function turned off. A driver who routinely turns off the assistance message-based warning function is less interested in the operating status of the RSU 1 and is therefore likely to find the malfunction notification process unnecessary. A configuration that determines the mode of the malfunction notification process based on the number of warnings can reduce the risk of causing inconvenience to drivers who routinely turn off the assistance message-based warning function.

[0143] As another example, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may change the notification mode using both the number of uses and the number of warnings. For example, the notification control process may be configured as shown in Fig. 13. The notification control process shown in Fig. 13 includes steps S33 to S39. Steps S31 to S35 are the same as steps S21 to S25.

[0144] Step S36 is a step for determining whether the number of uses is less than a predetermined first switching threshold (Th1). The first switching threshold can be set to 5, 10, 15, etc. Step S37 is a step for determining whether the number of warnings is less than a predetermined second switching threshold (Th2). The second switching threshold can be set to 1, 3, 5, etc. The second switching threshold is set to a value smaller than the first switching threshold. Steps S38 to S39 are similar to steps S27 to S28. Each step can be executed in the order shown by the arrows in FIG. 13.

[0145] According to the flow shown in Fig. 13, the in-vehicle device 2 performs emphasis notification processing when the number of warnings is equal to or greater than the second switching threshold, even if the number of usages is less than the first switching threshold. For the location where the warning processing was performed, the driver is likely to recognize that an RSU1 is installed and that assistance services are available. Furthermore, the driver is likely to expect to be able to receive the same assistance service again. In this way, when a malfunction occurs in an RSU1 that has performed the warning processing even if the number of usages is small, safety can be improved by performing emphasis notification processing instead of discreet notification processing.

[0146] Additionally, the notification control unit G5 may change the notification mode depending on the number of interventions. For example, if the number of interventions based on the support message received from the error RSU is zero, the notification control unit G5 cancels the malfunction notification process, whereas if the number of past interventions is one or more, the notification control unit G5 performs the malfunction notification process. Similarly to the number of uses described above, the notification intensity may be changed in conjunction with the number of interventions. For example, if the number of interventions is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., two times), the notification control unit G5 performs an emphasis notification process, whereas if the number of warnings is less than a predetermined value, the notification control unit G5 performs a modest notification process. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may be configured to perform the emphasis notification process if the number of interventions is one or more, even if the number of uses / warnings is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may change the notification mode regarding the malfunction of the RSU1 by appropriately combining the number of uses, the number of warnings, and the number of interventions of the RSU1 in which the malfunction is detected.

[0147] <Variation (2)> The vehicle-mounted device 2 may notify the location / cause of the malfunction. For example, if an abnormality is detected in the camera 15, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may display a malfunction notification image including text / icon indicating that the camera 15 of the RSU 1 is malfunctioning. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may also determine whether the malfunction type of the RSU 1 will result in a service outage. The malfunction type can be classified into a service outage type and a quality (reliability) degradation type. The service outage type includes malfunctions in all or a predetermined number or more of the area monitoring sensors, a failure of the wireless unit 12, a failure of the RSU control unit 11, etc. Malfunctions that fall under the quality degradation type include a failure of some of the area monitoring sensors, a failure of the GNSS receiver 13, etc.

[0148] If the malfunction occurring in the forward RSU corresponds to a service outage type, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may display an outage image, which is a malfunction notification image indicating that the service is out of service. Furthermore, if the malfunction occurring in the forward RSU corresponds to a quality degradation type, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may display a quality degradation image. The quality degradation image is a malfunction degradation image indicating that the service quality is degraded (function is degraded).

[0149] The in-vehicle device 2 may also change the image to be displayed depending on whether the RSU in which a malfunction has occurred has stopped or is continuing to distribute assistance messages. If the RSU in which a malfunction has been detected continues to distribute assistance messages, a quality degradation image is displayed. On the other hand, if the RSU in which a malfunction has been detected has stopped distributing assistance messages, an inactive image is displayed. Whether distribution of assistance messages is continuing can be determined based on the reception status of assistance messages from the RSU in question and notifications from the RSU in question, the management server 3, or other in-vehicle devices 2.

[0150] <Variation (3)> Although the above describes an embodiment in which both the RSU 1 and the in-vehicle device 2 each have a function for diagnosing the RSU 1, this is not limiting. The in-vehicle device 2 does not have to have the RSU diagnosis unit G3. Furthermore, the RSU 1 does not have to have the self-diagnosis unit F2. It is sufficient that either the RSU 1, the in-vehicle device 2, or the management server 3 has a function for diagnosing the RSU 1.

[0151] <Variation (4)> The on-board device 2 may display a bad environment icon when a forward camera or the like detects the presence of a large vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle. The bad environment icon is an icon image indicating that the environment is bad for road-to-vehicle communication, and in reality, that there is a risk that road-to-vehicle communication may fail / that assistance via road-to-vehicle communication may not be available. This configuration is expected to have the effect of encouraging the driver to perform more careful driving operations.

[0152] <Variation (5)> The content of the assistance data / the services of the RSU1 can be changed as appropriate. The assistance data may be traffic light-related data indicating the lighting state of a traffic light. The traffic light-related data may include lighting cycle information, such as the remaining time for which the current lighting state will be maintained and the next lighting state, in addition to the current lighting state. The message / communication packet / communication frame indicating the assistance data may correspond to a Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) message. The RSU1 may be provided integrally with the traffic light.

[0153] The assistance data may also be control data for assisting the vehicle in autonomous driving within an intersection. The assistance service provided by the RSU1 may be used to implement / continue autonomous driving. For example, the assistance data transmitted by the RSU1 may be data related to driving control, such as stopping / starting / target speed / steering angle of the autonomous vehicle. The assistance data may also be camera image data or map data showing the shape of the intersection, etc.

[0154] In the above embodiment, the operation of each component is described assuming that the RSU1 is installed at an intersection. However, the RSU1 may also be installed at locations other than intersections. The RSU1 may be installed at a junction or branch point on a highway. The RSU1 may distribute assistance data such as a dataset indicating the traffic conditions near the junction or branch point, for example, the position and speed of vehicles within the monitoring area. The RSU1 may also be installed near the exit of a tunnel. In this case, the RSU1 may distribute assistance data such as a dataset indicating the wind speed, rainfall, road surface conditions, and presence or absence of traffic congestion near the tunnel exit. An RSU1 installed in a road section with poor visibility may distribute a dataset notifying moving objects within the monitoring area and the road shape. The content of the assistance data may differ for each RSU1. Note that road sections with poor visibility include intersections with fences, trees, or buildings at the corners, gradient changes from an uphill to a downhill slope, and sharp curves with a curvature greater than a predetermined value. The monitoring area may be set to cover areas that are likely to be blind spots for the vehicle driver or camera.

[0155] <Variation (7)> As shown in Fig. 14, the in-vehicle system VS may include an autonomous driving ECU 48. The in-vehicle device 2 may be configured to be able to communicate with the autonomous driving ECU 48 via the in-vehicle network VN or directly via a dedicated cable. The autonomous driving ECU 48 is an ECU that controls the drive system 47 based on the detection results of the periphery monitoring sensor 42 and map data, thereby causing the vehicle to drive automatically. The autonomous driving ECU 48 is also called an autonomous driving device.

[0156] In a configuration in which the in-vehicle device 2 is connected to the autonomous driving ECU 48, an error signal may be transmitted to the autonomous driving ECU 48 based on the detection of a malfunction in the front RSU. The error signal is a signal indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the front RSU. ErrSg in FIG. 14 represents the error signal.

[0157] According to this configuration, the autonomous driving ECU 48 can perform emergency control such as reducing the speed, making a handover request, changing the route, or starting a Minimal Risk Maneuver (MRM) based on receiving an error signal. In other words, the autonomous driving ECU 48 can plan and execute a response according to the operating state of the forward RSU with ample time to spare. This configuration can improve the safety of the autonomous driving system. Note that the handover request is a process of requesting the driver to take over driving operations, and may also be called a driving change request / handover request.

[0158] <Variation (8)> The management server 3 may determine that a malfunction has occurred in one RSU 1 based on the receipt of malfunction detection reports from multiple in-vehicle devices 2 within a certain period of time for that RSU 1. A configuration that determines the status of the RSU 1 based on reports from multiple in-vehicle devices 2 can reduce the risk of misjudging the status of the RSU 1.

[0159] Furthermore, information about an RSU 1 in which a malfunction is detected may be delivered in advance from the management server 3 to the in-vehicle device 2. This configuration enables early implementation of malfunction notification processing and processing such as proposing / selecting a driving route that avoids the malfunctioning RSU 1. In particular, if the malfunctioning RSU 1 is an RSU 1 that provides information essential for implementing / continuing autonomous driving, the autonomous driving ECU 48 may be able to select an alternative route or make a handover request early based on the notification from the management server 3.

[0160] <Variation (9)> The RSU 1 does not need to include an area monitoring sensor such as a camera 15. The RSU 1 for distributing traffic light-related data only needs to be connected to a lighting control unit that controls the lighting state of the traffic light, and the area monitoring sensor can be an optional element. The hardware / functions of the RSU 1 can be changed as appropriate depending on the service of the RSU 1.

[0161] <Variation (10)> Road-to-vehicle communication may be implemented using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), UWB-IR (Ultra Wide Band - Impulse Radio), EnOcean (registered trademark), Wi-SUN (registered trademark), etc. Bluetooth standards include BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and Bluetooth Classic. Various Wi-Fi standards can be adopted, such as IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11ac, and IEEE802.11ax (so-called Wi-Fi 6).

[0162] <Additional remarks (1)> The above-described vehicle-mounted device 2 can be used in various vehicles that travel on roads. The vehicle-mounted device 2 of the present disclosure can be mounted on various vehicles that can travel on roads, such as four-wheeled vehicles, two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, etc. A motorized bicycle can also be included in the category of two-wheeled vehicles. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may be used in vehicles such as robot taxis, unmanned buses, unmanned delivery robots, and patrol cars that automatically travel a predetermined route for road facility inspection / crime prevention. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may be configured to be detachable by the user. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or the like that has the above-described short-range communication function and is brought into the vehicle by the user.

[0163] <Additional remarks (2)> The present disclosure also includes the following technical ideas: The following technical ideas are also applicable to a communication control method.

[0164] [Technical thought 1] An in-vehicle device configured to be able to receive assistance data, which is data for assisting a vehicle in traveling, distributed from each of a plurality of roadside devices installed along a road, a roadside device detection unit (G31) that detects a roadside device in front of the vehicle, the roadside device being the roadside device; a roadside device diagnosis unit (G3) that determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside device based on the content of a signal received from the forward roadside device, a reception status of the signal from the forward roadside device, or data received from an external device other than the forward roadside device; a record processing unit (G2) for storing usage history data, which is data about the roadside device that has been used, in a history storage unit (M1); a notification control unit (G5) that controls a notification to a driver regarding a malfunction of the forward roadside device, The notification control unit The vehicle-mounted device changes a mode of notifying the driver about the malfunction of the forward roadside device depending on whether the driver has used the forward roadside device in the past in which the malfunction has occurred.

[0165] [Technical thought 2] The vehicle-mounted device according to Technical Idea 1, the recording processing unit records the number of times of use for each roadside device, The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on the number of times the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred is used.

[0166] [Technical thought 3] The vehicle-mounted device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, The notification control unit is an in-vehicle device that makes the notification more noticeable as the number of times the road side ahead where a problem occurs increases.

[0167] [Technical thought 4] The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 3, The recording processing unit is an in-vehicle device that stores data of the roadside device as the source of the received assistance data as the usage history data.

[0168] [Technical thought 5] The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 4, the recording processing unit stores, as the usage history data for each roadside device, information indicating whether or not a warning process has been performed based on the assistance data received from the roadside device; The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on whether or not the warning process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred.

[0169] [Technical Thought 6] The vehicle-mounted device according to Technical Idea 5, The notification control unit is an on-board device that, if the warning process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred, makes the notification manner more noticeable than if the warning process has not been performed.

[0170] [Technical Thought 7] The vehicle-mounted device according to Technical Idea 5, the recording processing unit records the number of warnings, which is the number of times the warning process has been performed; The notification control unit is an in-vehicle device that makes the notification more noticeable as the number of times the warning using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction occurs increases.

[0171] [Technical Thought 8] The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 7, the recording processing unit stores, as the usage history data for each roadside device, information on whether or not an operation intervention process based on the assistance data received from the roadside device has been performed; The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on whether or not the operation intervention process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred.

[0172] [Technical Thought 9] The vehicle-mounted device according to Technical Idea 8, The notification control unit is an on-board device that, if the operation intervention process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred, makes the notification mode more noticeable than if the operation intervention process has not been performed.

[0173] [Technical Thought 10] An on-board device according to any one of technical ideas 1 to 9, which is used in connection with an automatic driving device, The notification control unit is an on-board device configured to, when it determines that a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside unit, transmit an error signal to the automatic operation device indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside unit.

[0174] <Additional remarks (3)> The various flowcharts shown in this disclosure are merely examples, and the number of steps constituting the flowcharts and the execution order of the processes can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the devices, systems, and methods described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special-purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. The devices and methods described in this disclosure may be implemented using dedicated hardware logic circuits. The devices and methods described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor that executes a computer program with one or more hardware logic circuits. Examples of processors (computing cores) that can be used include a CPU, MPU, GPU, and DFP (Data Flow Processor). Some or all of the functions of this disclosure may be implemented using a system-on-chip (SoC), an integrated circuit (IC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The concept of an IC also includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transient tangible storage medium. Examples of storage media for the program include a hard-disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), and flash memory. The scope of this disclosure also includes programs for causing a computer to function as the RSU control unit 11, control module 22, and management server 3, as well as non-transient tangible storage media such as semiconductor memory on which the programs are stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] 1 RSU (roadside unit), 2 in-vehicle unit, 3 management server (external device), 11 RSU control unit, F1 support information distribution unit, F2 self-diagnosis unit, F3 status notification unit, 22 control module, 223 storage, M1 history memory unit, G1 support processing unit, G2 recording processing unit, G3 RSU diagnosis unit (roadside unit diagnosis unit), G31 RSU detection unit (roadside unit detection unit), G4 communication processing unit, G5 notification control unit

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device configured to be able to receive assistance data, which is data for assisting a vehicle in traveling, distributed from each of a plurality of roadside devices installed along a road, a roadside device detection unit (G31) that detects a roadside device in front of the vehicle, the roadside device being the roadside device; a roadside device diagnosis unit (G3) that determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside device based on the content of a signal received from the forward roadside device, a reception status of the signal from the forward roadside device, or data received from an external device other than the forward roadside device; a record processing unit (G2) for storing usage history data, which is data about the roadside device that has been used, in a history storage unit (M1); a notification control unit (G5) that controls a notification to a driver regarding a malfunction of the forward roadside device, The notification control unit The vehicle-mounted device changes a mode of notifying the driver about the malfunction of the forward roadside device depending on whether the driver has used the forward roadside device in the past in which the malfunction has occurred.

2. 2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, the recording processing unit records the number of times of use for each roadside device, The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on the number of times the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred is used.

3. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 2, The notification control unit is an in-vehicle device that makes the notification more noticeable as the number of times the forward roadside device in which a malfunction occurs increases.

4. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, The recording processing unit is an in-vehicle device that stores data of the roadside device as the source of the received assistance data as the usage history data.

5. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, the recording processing unit stores, as the usage history data for each roadside device, information indicating whether or not a warning process has been performed based on the assistance data received from the roadside device; The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on whether or not the warning process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred.

6. 6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 5, The notification control unit is an in-vehicle device that, if the warning process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred, makes the notification manner more noticeable than if the warning process has not been performed.

7. 6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 5, the recording processing unit records the number of warnings, which is the number of times the warning process has been performed; The notification control unit is an in-vehicle device that makes the notification more noticeable as the number of times the warning using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction occurs increases.

8. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, the recording processing unit stores, as the usage history data for each roadside device, information on whether or not an operation intervention process, such as automatic braking or steering, based on the assistance data received from the roadside device has been performed; The notification control unit is an on-board device that changes the notification mode depending on whether or not the operation intervention process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred.

9. 9. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 8, The notification control unit is an on-board device that, if the operation intervention process has been performed using the assistance data from the forward roadside device in which a malfunction has occurred, makes the notification mode more noticeable than if the operation intervention process has not been performed.

10. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2, which is used in connection with an automatic driving device, The notification control unit is an on-board device configured to transmit an error signal indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside unit to the automatic operation device based on the roadside unit diagnosis unit determining that a malfunction has occurred in the forward roadside unit.

11. 1. A notification control method implemented by at least one processor for notifying a driver of an operation state of a roadside device that distributes assistance data, which is data for assisting vehicle driving, comprising: Detecting a forward roadside device that is the roadside device located in front of a vehicle that is a vehicle in which the processor is used (S21); Executing a process of storing usage history data, which is data about the roadside device that has been used, in a history storage unit (M1) (S12); determining whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the roadside device ahead based on the content of a signal received from the roadside device ahead, a reception status of the signal from the roadside device ahead, or data received from an external device other than the roadside device ahead (S22); and changing a notification mode to the driver regarding the malfunction of the forward roadside unit depending on whether or not the driver has used the forward roadside unit in the past in which the malfunction has occurred (S24 to S28, S34 to S39).

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