Traffic management device, traffic management system, and traffic management method

Abstract

To provide a traffic management device, a traffic management system, and a traffic management method capable of effectively performing traffic management on vehicles.SOLUTION: A traffic management device of the present disclosure comprises: a reception unit that receives information on vehicles transmitted from an on-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision of vehicles is predicted on the basis of a speed and a traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the information on vehicles; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts an order of arrival of the vehicles at the predicted collision point; a collision determination unit that determines whether or not there is a risk of collision of vehicles at the predicted collision point; a priority setting unit that, when the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of collision of vehicles, sets priority among the vehicles on the basis of a first setting reference which sets a higher priority for a vehicle having an earlier order of arrival at the predicted collision point; and a transmission unit that transmits a signal indicating an instruction for forward traveling to the on-vehicle devices of vehicles having a higher priority and transmits a signal indicating an instruction to stop to the on-vehicle devices of vehicles having a low priority.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a traffic management device, a traffic management system, and a traffic management method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, navigation systems that provide guidance for the movement of vehicles, etc., have become common. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a mobility assistance system that can easily output map information on which a mobile object can move autonomously. This mobility assistance system updates the map information based on information about the surroundings of the mobile object transmitted from a mobility assistance terminal mounted on the mobile object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-124416 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In specific areas where a large number of containers are loaded and unloaded, such as ports and container terminals, transportation by vehicles such as trucks is the norm. In such specific areas, the shape of the passageways that can be traversed changes depending on the placement of containers. This makes it impossible to install traffic signals, and blind corners are sometimes created by containers. It is also possible that obstacles other than containers that impede vehicle passage may be placed on the passageways, causing the shape of the passageways that can be traversed to change. In order for vehicles to safely pass through such areas with changing passageways, traffic management must be performed for each vehicle without relying on fixed information regarding the passageways. Although the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 discloses map information, it requires vehicles to slow down in order to pass through intersections safely, which makes it impossible to efficiently manage vehicle traffic.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a traffic management device, a traffic management system, and a traffic management method that can efficiently manage vehicle traffic. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the traffic management device according to the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on a vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the order in which each vehicle will arrive at the predicted collision point based on the position information and speed of each vehicle; a collision determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding at the predicted collision point; a priority setting unit that sets the priority of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle that arrives earlier at the predicted collision point when the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding; and a transmitting unit that transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle with a high priority to instruct it to move forward and transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle with a low priority to instruct it to stop. a path setting unit that measures a traffic volume of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle and sets a route where the traffic volume of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual path that the vehicle can travel; Equipped with The collision point calculation unit calculates the predicted collision point based on a virtual intersection where the virtual paths intersect, in addition to the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles. Equipped with. The traffic management device according to the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on a vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the order of arrival of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on the position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a collision determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding at the predicted collision point; and, if the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other, calculates the order of arrival at the predicted collision point. a priority setting unit that sets the priority of the vehicle based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle that moves first; a transmission unit that transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle with a high priority to instruct it to go forward and transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle with a low priority to instruct it to stop; a vehicle type determination unit that determines whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle having a cargo handling device among the vehicles based on vehicle type information of each of the vehicles transmitted from each of the on-board devices and received by the receiving unit; and a hazard zone setting unit that sets a hazard zone around the cargo handling vehicle equivalent to the operating zone of the cargo handling device when the vehicle type determination unit determines that there is a cargo handling vehicle among the vehicles. Equipped with The collision determination unit determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other by including the danger zone in the size of the cargo handling vehicle, and if the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle colliding with another vehicle, the priority setting unit sets the priority of the vehicle by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets a high priority for the cargo handling vehicle. The traffic management device according to the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on a vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the order in which each vehicle will arrive at the predicted collision point based on the position information and speed of each vehicle; a collision determination unit that determines whether or not there is a risk of the vehicles colliding at the predicted collision point; and if the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other, The system includes a priority setting unit that sets the priority of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicles that arrive at the predicted collision point earlier; a transmission unit that transmits a signal to the onboard device of the vehicle with a high priority to indicate a forward movement and transmits a signal to the onboard device of the vehicle with a low priority to indicate a stop movement; and a passing determination unit that determines whether the vehicles have passed the predicted collision point based on the position information of the vehicles, and when the passing determination unit determines that the vehicles have passed the predicted collision point, the transmission unit transmits a signal to each of the vehicles to switch between a forward movement and a stop movement instruction.

[0007] A traffic management system according to the present disclosure includes the traffic management device and the vehicle-mounted device.

[0008] The traffic management method according to the present disclosure includes: a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle; receiving the signal; The server computer calculating a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the received vehicle information; The computerpredicting an arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; The computer determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; The computer When it is determined that there is a risk of collision between the vehicles, setting priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority to the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier; A transmission unit of the server transmitting a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward, and transmitting a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; measuring the traffic volume of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle, and setting a route where the traffic volume of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual path that the vehicle can travel; Includes In the step of calculating the predicted collision point, the predicted collision point is calculated based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle as well as a virtual intersection where the virtual paths intersect. . The traffic management method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: receiving information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on a vehicle by a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle; calculating a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the received vehicle information by a computer of the server; predicting the arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on the position information and speed of each of the vehicles; determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding at the predicted collision point; and, if the computer determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other, setting priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for the vehicle that arrives earlier at the predicted collision point; and transmitting a signal from a transmitting unit of the server to the on-board device of the vehicle with a higher priority. the step of transmitting a signal to the on-board unit of the vehicle with a lower priority to indicate a proceed instruction, and transmitting a signal to the on-board unit of the vehicle with a lower priority to indicate a stop instruction; the step of the computer determining whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle with a cargo handling device among the vehicles from the vehicle type information of each of the vehicles transmitted from each of the on-board units and received by the receiving unit; and the step of the computer setting a danger zone around the cargo handling vehicle equivalent to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device if it is determined that there is a cargo handling vehicle among the vehicles in the step of determining whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle, wherein the computer determines whether or not there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other by including the danger zone in the size of the cargo handling vehicle, and if the computer determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle colliding with another vehicle, the step of setting the priority sets the priority of the vehicle by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets the priority of the cargo handling vehicle high. The traffic management method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: receiving information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle by a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle; calculating a predicted collision point where the vehicles are predicted to collide with each other based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle obtained from the received vehicle information by a computer of the server; predicting the arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on the position information and speed of each of the vehicles; determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; and calculating a predicted collision point where the vehicles are predicted to collide with each other based on the speed and traveling direction of each vehicle. The method includes the steps of: if it is determined that there is a risk, setting the priority of the vehicle based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority to the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier; a transmitting unit of the server transmitting a signal to the onboard device of the vehicle with the higher priority to indicate a move forward, and transmitting a signal to the onboard device of the vehicle with the lower priority to indicate a stop; and a step of the computer determining whether the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point based on the position information of the vehicle; if the computer determines that the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point, the transmitting unit transmitting a signal to each of the vehicles to switch between a move forward and a stop instruction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the traffic management device, traffic management system, and traffic management method of the present disclosure, vehicle traffic management can be performed efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the overall configuration of a traffic management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the mechanical configuration of a traffic management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of the traffic management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of the traffic management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the mechanical configuration of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for collecting obstacle information according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operation of a traffic management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to each embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] First Embodiment A server 10, a traffic management system 1, and a traffic management method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The server 10 is an example of a traffic management device.

[0012] (Traffic Management System) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the overall configuration of a traffic management system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a traffic management system 1 is used in a specific area A, such as a port or a container terminal. Within such a specific area A, a plurality of obstacles 4 are placed. In the following, an example will be described in which the obstacles 4 are containers 4a. However, the obstacles 4 are not limited to containers 4a. The containers 4a are placed at various locations within the specific area A. Passages 101 through which vehicles 5 can pass are formed between the containers 4a. When the placement of the containers 4a changes, the passages 101 change.

[0013] Vehicles 5 that travel within the specific section A include trucks, crane trucks, forklifts, etc. In the following, a vehicle 5 equipped with a loading / unloading device for loading and unloading cargo, such as a crane truck or forklift, will be referred to as a "loading vehicle 5A," and a vehicle 5 other than a loading vehicle 5A, such as a truck, will be referred to as a "normal vehicle 5B." When there is no need to distinguish between loading vehicles 5A and normal vehicles 5B, they will be simply referred to as vehicles 5. The loading device is, for example, the crane of a crane truck or the forks of a forklift, and each loading device has a range of motion. The traffic management system 1 includes an in-vehicle device 2 and a server 10.

[0014] (onboard device) The vehicle-mounted device 2 is mounted on each vehicle 5. The vehicle-mounted device 2 is an information processing device with communication functions, so-called OBU (On Board Unit). Information such as the ID and vehicle type information of the vehicle 5 in which the vehicle-mounted device 2 is mounted is registered in each vehicle-mounted device 2. The vehicle-mounted device 2 has a display 6 that displays, for example, information related to the passage of the vehicle 5. The vehicle-mounted device 2 has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function.

[0015] (server) The server 10 is provided separately from the vehicle 5. The server 10 is wirelessly connected to the vehicle-mounted device 2. The server 10 manages the traffic of the vehicle 5 passing through the specific section A based on information obtained from the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0016] (Traffic control system functions) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the mechanical configuration of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The functional configuration of the traffic management system 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. The server 10 and the vehicle-mounted device 2 have the units shown in Fig. 2 as functional configurations configured by a combination of hardware such as a computer and its peripheral devices and software such as a program executed by the computer, or by hardware alone.

[0017] (In-vehicle device functions) The vehicle-mounted device 2 transmits information about the vehicle 5 to the server 10. The vehicle-mounted device 2 measures the position information of the vehicle 5 on which the vehicle-mounted device 2 is mounted at a predetermined interval, for example, using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The vehicle-mounted device 2 is capable of transmitting and receiving information and signals to and from external devices (for example, the server 10, etc.) via the network 3. Note that the information about the vehicle 5 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the server 10 is not limited to the position information about the vehicle 5 obtained by the GNSS function. The information about the vehicle 5 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 2 also includes, for example, the speed and traveling direction D1 of the vehicle 5 obtained by a speedometer or gyrocompass mounted on the vehicle 5. The vehicle-mounted device 2 also has a function of displaying instructions relating to the passage of the vehicle 5 on the display 6 mounted thereon.

[0018] (Server function) The server 10 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 2 via a network 3. The server 10 includes a receiving unit 11, a storage unit 12, a processing unit 20, and a transmitting unit 13.

[0019] The receiving unit 11 receives information including the position information of the vehicle 5 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5. The receiving unit 11 receives the information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 at a predetermined cycle.

[0020] The storage unit 12 stores information received by the receiving unit 11, information generated by the processing unit 20 (described later), and the like, as a database DB. Note that this database DB does not have to be stored in the storage unit 12 within the server 10, and may be stored in external storage, for example, using the cloud. In this embodiment, a vehicle trend database DB1 (an example of a database DB) is stored in the storage unit 12. The vehicle trend database DB1 manages information such as the ID, vehicle type information, location information, traveling direction D1, and vehicle speed of each vehicle 5.

[0021] The processing unit 20 processes the information received by the receiving unit 11 to generate information. The information generated by the processing unit 20 is stored in a database DB as appropriate. The processing unit 20 also processes the information received by the receiving unit 11 at a predetermined cycle and updates the generated information. The processing unit 20 also performs mapping of the position information of the vehicle 5.

[0022] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, each vehicle 5 is illustrated with an arrow pointing in the traveling direction D1.

[0023] The processing unit 20 includes a vehicle information calculation unit 21, a collision point calculation unit 22, an arrival order prediction unit 23, a collision determination unit 24, a priority setting unit 25, and a passage determination unit 26.

[0024] The vehicle information calculation unit 21 calculates the speed and traveling direction D1 for each vehicle 5 based on the position information of the vehicle 5. The collision point calculation unit 22 calculates a predicted collision point P where a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5. The arrival order prediction unit 23 predicts the arrival order of each vehicle 5 at the predicted collision point P based on the position information and speed of each vehicle 5.

[0025] The collision determination unit 24 determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other at the predicted collision point P. When the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of collision between the vehicles 5, the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority to the vehicle 5 that arrives at the predicted collision point P earlier. The subject of "priority" in "priority of vehicle 5" is the order in which vehicle 5 passes through predicted collision point P.

[0026] The passage determination unit 26 determines whether the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P based on the position information of the vehicle 5.

[0027] The transmitter 13 transmits a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a higher priority to instruct it to go forward, and transmits a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a lower priority to instruct it to stop. In addition, when the passage determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P, the transmitter 13 transmits a signal to each vehicle 5 to switch between the instruction to go forward and the instruction to stop.

[0028] (Traffic management method) A traffic management method using the above-described traffic management system 1 will be described below.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. An in-vehicle device 2 mounted on a vehicle 5 measures position information of the vehicle 5. The in-vehicle device 2 transmits information such as the position information of the vehicle 5 to a server 10. The in-vehicle device 2 transmits information to the server 10 at predetermined intervals. First, the receiving unit 11 receives information including the position information of the vehicle 5 transmitted from the in-vehicle device 2 (step S10). The received position information of the vehicle 5 is registered in the vehicle trend database DB1. When it is confirmed from the position information of the vehicle 5 that the vehicle 5 has entered the specific section A, the ID in the vehicle trend database DB1 is updated, and processing is performed to indicate that the vehicle 5 has entered the specific section A. As described above, the specific section A is a section where the position of the container 4a (obstacle 4) frequently changes, such as a port or a container terminal.

[0030] Thereafter, the vehicle information calculation unit 21 calculates the speed and traveling direction D1 for each vehicle 5 based on the position information of the vehicle 5 (step S11). The speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 are registered in the vehicle trend database DB1.

[0031] Next, the collision point calculation unit 22 calculates a predicted collision point P where a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 (step S12). Hereinafter, an example of predicting a collision between two vehicles 5 passing through a specific section A will be described.

[0032] In step S12, the collision point calculation unit 22 reads out the position information, speed, and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 from the vehicle trend database DB1 and maps them. Then, the collision point calculation unit 22 calculates the predicted collision point P taking into account the passage of time. The predicted collision point P is an area having a predetermined size, and the order of arrival at the predicted collision point P will differ even between vehicles 5 that will collide at the predicted collision point P. After step S12, the arrival order prediction unit 23 predicts the arrival order of the vehicles 5 at the predicted collision point P based on the position information and speed of each vehicle 5 (step S13).

[0033] Thereafter, the collision determination unit 24 determines whether or not there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other at the predicted collision point P (step S14). If the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other (step S14; YES), the priority setting unit 25 sets the priorities of the vehicles 5 based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for a vehicle 5 that arrives at the predicted collision point P earlier (step S15). Hereinafter, of the two vehicles 5 at risk of collision, the vehicle 5 that will arrive at the predicted collision point P first will be referred to as the first vehicle 51, and the vehicle 5 that will arrive later will be referred to as the second vehicle 52.

[0034] Thereafter, the transmitter 13 transmits a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with the higher priority (first vehicle 51) to instruct it to go forward, and transmits a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with the lower priority (second vehicle 52) to instruct it to stop (step S16). Then, each on-board device 2 displays an instruction to go forward or stop on the display 6 according to the signal transmitted from the transmitter 13.

[0035] In this embodiment, a "green light SB" is used on the display 6 to indicate "go ahead," and a "red light SR" is used on the display 6 to indicate "stop." Note that the indications to go ahead or stop are not limited to such signals, and the symbols that have meanings equivalent to go ahead or stop may be graphics other than signals, simple colors, or a combination of these indications. In addition, the indication to go ahead or stop may be indicated by text or sound. If two vehicles 5 arrive at the predicted collision point at almost the same time and there is no difference in the level of risk regardless of which vehicle 5 is given priority, a signal instructing both vehicles to "stop" may be transmitted. The "stop" instruction is displayed on the display 6, for example, by flashing the red light SR. When an instruction to go forward or stop is displayed on the display 6 of the vehicle-mounted device 2, the series of flows shown in FIG. 4 described above ends.

[0036] On the other hand, if the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is no risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other (step S14; NO), the transmission unit 13 does not transmit a signal to instruct each vehicle 5 to move forward or stop, and the flow of Figure 4 ends. The series of flows shown in FIG. 4 described above is executed periodically at a fixed cycle.

[0037] When a vehicle 5 passes the predicted collision point P, the vehicle 5 that has passed the predicted collision point no longer needs to be instructed to go forward. Also, a vehicle 5 that is stopped waiting for the other vehicle 5 to pass no longer needs to be instructed to stop. For this reason, it is necessary to switch the display of the instruction to go forward or stop for each vehicle 5 at an appropriate timing. Below, a means for switching the display on the in-vehicle device 2 will be described.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the state shown in FIG. 3, the first vehicle 51 passes through the predicted collision point P as shown in FIG.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 6, first, the receiving unit 11 receives the position information of the vehicle 5 in the same manner as above (step S20). Thereafter, the passing determination unit 26 determines whether the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P based on the position information of the vehicle 5 (step S21). If the passing determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P (step S21; YES), it transmits a signal to each vehicle 5 to switch between an instruction to go forward and an instruction to stop (step S22). Then, each vehicle-mounted device 2 switches the instruction to go forward or stop on the display 6 in accordance with the signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 13.

[0040] Specifically, taking the example of a change from the situation in Figure 3 to the situation in Figure 5, the display indicating to proceed (green light SB) on the first vehicle 51 is turned off, and the display indicating to stop (red light SR) on the second vehicle 52 is changed to a display indicating to proceed (green light SB). When the instruction to go forward or stop is switched on the display 6 of the vehicle-mounted device 2, the above-described series of flows shown in FIG. 6 ends. On the other hand, if the passage determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 5 has not passed the predicted collision point P (step S21; NO), the flow of Figure 6 ends without sending a signal to each vehicle 5 to switch between an instruction to move forward or stop.

[0041] In addition, if a third vehicle 53 (see Figure 7) other than the second vehicle 52 approaches the first vehicle 51 and there is a risk of a collision between the first vehicle 51 and the third vehicle 53, the flow shown in Figure 4 is started again for the first vehicle 51 and the third vehicle 53.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing of the traffic management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the first vehicle 51 again displays a display instructing it to go forward (green light SB), and the third vehicle 53 displays a display instructing it to stop (red light SR).

[0043] The above-mentioned processes are appropriately executed within the server 10. As a result, the driver of each vehicle 5 is appropriately instructed to move forward or stop by the in-vehicle device 2. In this way, the traffic of the vehicles 5 passing through the specific section A is safely managed.

[0044] (Action and effect) The server 10, traffic management system 1, and traffic management method configured as above have the following advantages.

[0045] In this embodiment, the server 10 includes a receiving unit 11, a collision point calculation unit 22, an arrival order prediction unit 23, a collision determination unit 24, a priority setting unit 25, and a transmitting unit 13. The receiving unit 11 receives information including position information of the vehicles 5 transmitted from an in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicles 5. The collision point calculation unit 22 calculates a predicted collision point P at which a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted, based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 obtained from the information about the vehicles 5 received by the receiving unit 11. The arrival order prediction unit 23 predicts the arrival order of each vehicle 5 at the predicted collision point P, based on the position information and speed of each vehicle 5. The collision determination unit 24 determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other at the predicted collision point P. If the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other, the priority setting unit 25 sets priorities of the vehicles 5 based on a first setting criterion that gives a higher priority to a vehicle 5 that arrives earlier at the predicted collision point P. The transmitter 13 transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a higher priority to instruct it to go forward, and transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a lower priority to instruct it to stop.

[0046] This allows the server 10 to issue instructions to each vehicle 5 to move forward or stop appropriately depending on the situation. Therefore, even in a situation where the passage 101 of the vehicle 5 changes due to a change in the location of the obstacle 4 (container 4a), for example, as described above, the driver of each vehicle 5 can pass safely by simply driving in accordance with the instructions displayed on the on-board device 2. In particular, the vehicle 5 is less likely to stop in a location where it is not necessary to stop. Therefore, according to the server 10 of this embodiment, traffic management of the vehicle 5 can be performed efficiently.

[0047] In this embodiment, the server 10 further includes a passage determination unit 26. The passage determination unit 26 determines whether the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P based on the position information of the vehicle 5. When the passage determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P, the transmission unit 13 transmits a signal to each vehicle 5 to switch between an instruction to move forward and an instruction to stop.

[0048] This allows the server 10 to appropriately and immediately erase or switch the go or stop instruction displayed on each vehicle 5. This makes the flow of vehicles 5 even smoother. Therefore, according to this embodiment, traffic management of vehicles 5 is performed even more efficiently.

[0049] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a server 210, a traffic management system 1A, and a traffic management method according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same configurations and procedures as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same names and symbols, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. The server 210 is an example of a traffic management device.

[0050] (Traffic Management System) FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the mechanical configuration of a traffic management system 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the traffic management system 1A includes an in-vehicle device 2 and a server 210.

[0051] (onboard device) The vehicle-mounted device 2 of this embodiment receives position information and direction information of an obstacle 4 that obstructs the passage of a vehicle 5. The vehicle-mounted device 2 also transmits vehicle model information of the vehicle 5.

[0052] (server) The server 210 includes the functions of a receiving unit 11, a storage unit 12, a processing unit 220, and a transmitting unit 13.

[0053] The storage unit 12 of this embodiment stores at least two databases DB, which include a vehicle movement database DB1 and a path shape database DB2.

[0054] The receiving unit 11 of this embodiment receives the position information and direction information of the obstacle 4 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 2. The receiving unit 11 also receives the vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0055] Similar to the first embodiment, the processing unit 220 of this embodiment includes a vehicle information calculation unit 21, a collision point calculation unit 22, an arrival order prediction unit 23, a collision determination unit 24, a priority setting unit 25, and a passage determination unit 26. The processing unit 220 also includes a passage setting unit 27, a passage size setting unit 28, a priority direction setting unit 29, a vehicle type determination unit 30, and a danger area setting unit 31. Each function of the processing unit 220 specific to this embodiment will be described below.

[0056] 9 to 13 are diagrams for explaining an example of the processing of the traffic management system 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] (Aisle setting section) The path setting unit 27 measures the traffic volume of the vehicles 5 based on the position information of the vehicles 5, and sets a route where the traffic volume of the vehicles 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual path 201 (see FIG. 9) that the vehicles 5 can travel. In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the collision point calculation unit 22 calculates the predicted collision point P based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5. Furthermore, the collision point calculation unit 22 calculates the predicted collision point P based on the virtual intersection 201P at which the virtual paths 201 intersect, in addition to the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5.

[0058] Furthermore, the path setting unit 27 corrects the virtual path 201 based on the position information and direction information of the obstacle 4 (see FIG. 10).

[0059] (Aisle size setting department) The passage size setting unit 28 sets the virtual passage 201 with a relatively high traffic volume of vehicles 5 as a main passage 202 for the virtual intersection 201P, and sets the virtual passage 201 with a relatively low traffic volume of vehicles 5 as a small passage 203 (see FIG. 11). In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority to the vehicle 5 that arrives at the predicted collision point P earlier. Furthermore, in addition to this first setting criterion, the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 based on a second setting criterion that sets a high priority to the vehicle 5 traveling through the main passage 202 and sets a low priority to the vehicle 5 traveling through the small passage 203.

[0060] (Priority direction setting section) The priority direction setting unit 29 sets the traveling direction D1 of the two traveling directions D1 of the small passage 203, which has a greater traffic volume of vehicles 5, as the priority direction D4 (see FIG. 12). The transmitter 13 of this embodiment transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 that is approaching the virtual intersection 201P while traveling through the main passage 202, to instruct the vehicle 5 to go straight or turn in the priority direction D4.

[0061] (Vehicle type determination section) The vehicle type determination unit 30 determines whether or not there is a loading vehicle 5A (see Figure 13) equipped with loading equipment among the vehicles 5 from the vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 transmitted from each vehicle-mounted device 2 and received by the receiving unit 11. As described above, the cargo handling vehicle 5A is, for example, a crane truck or a forklift, and the cargo handling device is, for example, a crane or a fork. Furthermore, it is desirable that the GNSS of the vehicle-mounted device 2 mounted on the cargo handling vehicle 5A be comparable to the GNSS of the vehicle-mounted device 2 mounted on a normal vehicle 5B (a vehicle not equipped with a cargo handling device, such as a truck).

[0062] (Danger zone setting section) If the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines that there is a cargo handling vehicle 5A among the vehicles 5, the danger area setting unit 31 sets a danger area A1 around the cargo handling vehicle 5A, which corresponds to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device (see FIG. 13). In this embodiment, the collision determination unit 24 determines whether or not there is a risk of collision between the vehicles 5, with the danger zone A1 included in the size of the cargo handling vehicle 5A. Furthermore, if the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of collision between the cargo handling vehicle 5A and another vehicle 5 (in the illustrated example, the normal vehicle 5B), the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 by giving top priority to the third setting criterion that sets the priority of the cargo handling vehicle 5A high.

[0063] (Traffic management method) A traffic management method using the above-described traffic management system 1A will be described below.

[0064] 14 to 16, 18, and 19 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the operation of the traffic management system 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The traffic management method of this embodiment is based on the processing flow of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 14, the traffic management method of this embodiment further includes the following steps: a passage setting step S30, a passage correction step S40 (see Fig. 15), a passage size setting step S50, a priority direction setting step S60, and a danger area setting step S70.

[0065] (Aisle setting step) The path setting step S30 is executed before the step S12 of calculating the predicted collision point P.

[0066] 15, in the passage setting step S30, first, the passage setting unit 27 measures the traffic volume of vehicles 5 based on the position information of the vehicles 5 (step S31). The passage setting unit 27 measures the traffic volume of vehicles 5 for each traveling direction D1 calculated from the position information of the vehicles 5. Then, the passage setting unit 27 sets a route where the traffic volume of vehicles 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual passage 201 that can be traveled by the vehicles 5, as shown in FIG. 9 (step S32). The virtual passage 201 is registered in the passage shape database DB2.

[0067] Thereafter, in step S12, the collision point calculation unit 22 calculates a predicted collision point P taking into account not only the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 but also the virtual intersection 201P where the virtual paths 201 intersect.

[0068] In addition, in the path setting step S30, a path correction step S40 is executed before the flow ends.

[0069] (Aisle correction step) As shown in FIG. 10, a case where an obstacle 4 is placed in a specific section A will be described as an example. 16, in the path correction step S40, first, the receiving unit 11 receives position information and direction information of an obstacle 4 that obstructs the passage of the vehicle 5 (step S41). Next, the path setting unit 27 corrects the virtual path 201 based on the position information and direction information of the obstacle 4 (step S42). As a result, the virtual path 201 in the area that is impassable due to the obstacle 4 is deleted, as shown in FIG. 10. The correction of the virtual path 201 is registered in the path shape database DB2.

[0070] (Method of collecting information on obstacles) FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for collecting information about an obstacle 4 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 illustrates a case where the obstacle 4 is a container 4a. The obstacle 4 is illustrated as a schematic rectangular shape that is long in one direction. In the following description, the direction of the long side of the obstacle 4 will be referred to as the "front-rear direction D2" and the direction of the short side of the obstacle 4 will be referred to as the "left-right direction D3."

[0071] As shown in FIG. 17 , information about the obstacle 4 is collected using, for example, a tag 7 attached to the obstacle 4. The tag 7 has built-in GNSS and communication means. The tag 7 periodically transmits its position information (e.g., longitude and latitude) and orientation (e.g., direction) information to the server 210. The tag 7 is also called a tracker. The communication means of the tag 7 is, for example, general WiFi or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication (low power communication). It is desirable that the GNSS of the tag 7 has the same performance as the GNSS of the vehicle-mounted device 2. The tag 7 is attached to a predetermined position on the obstacle 4.

[0072] In this case, the server 210 receives the position information and orientation information of the tag 7 at the receiving unit 11. Thereafter, the server 210 identifies the position and orientation of the obstacle 4 based on the position information and orientation information of the tag 7. Furthermore, the server 210 sets a no-passage area A2 for the vehicle 5 based on the position information of the tag 7.

[0073] The no-passage area A2 includes the obstacle 4 inside. The occupied area of ​​the no-passage area A2 is larger than the exclusive area of ​​the obstacle 4. The range of the no-passage area A2 in the front-to-back direction D2 is set, for example, based on the center position of the tag 7, from a length L1 forward in the front-to-back direction D2 to a length L2 rearward in the front-to-back direction D2. Furthermore, the range of the no-passage area A2 in the front-to-back direction D2 is set, for example, based on the center position of the tag 7, from a length W1 to the right in the left-to-right direction D3 to a length W2 to the left in the left-to-right direction D3.

[0074] In this embodiment, the case where information about the obstacle 4 is collected using the above-mentioned tag 7 has been described, but this is not limiting. The method of collecting information about the obstacle 4 can be changed as appropriate. For example, information about the obstacle 4 may be collected by installing a gyrocompass on the obstacle 4.

[0075] (Aisle size setting step) As shown in FIG. 14, the passage size setting step S50 is executed after the passage setting step S30. In the passage size setting step S50, for the virtual intersection 201P, as shown in Fig. 11, the virtual passage 201 with a relatively high traffic volume of vehicles 5 is set as a main passage 202, and the virtual passage 201 with a relatively low traffic volume of vehicles 5 is set as a small passage 203. These main passages 202 and small passages 203 are registered in the passage shape database DB2. In the subsequent step S14, the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 not only in accordance with the order of arrival at the predicted collision point P, but also taking into account a second setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle 5 passing through the main passage 202 and a low priority for the vehicle 5 passing through the small passage 203.

[0076] (Priority direction setting step) As shown in FIG. 14, the priority direction setting step S60 is executed after the passage setting step S30. As shown in Fig. 18, in the priority direction setting step S60, the priority direction setting unit 29 sets the traveling direction D1 of the two traveling directions D1 in the small passage 203, which has the greater traffic volume of vehicles 5, as the priority direction D4 (see Fig. 12) (step S61). Thereafter, the transmitter 13 transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 that is approaching the virtual intersection 201P while traveling through the main passage 202, to instruct the vehicle 5 to proceed straight or turn in the priority direction D4 (step S62). Then, as shown in Fig. 12, the display 6 of the in-vehicle device 2 displays, for example, an arrow indicating the instruction to proceed straight or turn in the priority direction D4 as instructed by the transmitter 13. This guides the vehicle 5 so that it does not proceed in the direction opposite to the priority direction D4.

[0077] (Danger zone setting step) As shown in FIG. 14, the danger zone setting step S70 is executed before the step S14 of determining whether there is a risk of collision between the vehicles 5. 19, in the danger zone setting step S70, the receiving unit 11 receives vehicle type information of the vehicles 5 transmitted from each of the vehicle-mounted devices 2 (step S71). The vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 is registered in the vehicle trend database DB1. Thereafter, the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle 5A equipped with a cargo handling device among the vehicles 5, based on the vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 received by the receiving unit 11 (step S72).

[0078] If the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines that a cargo handling vehicle 5A is present among the vehicles 5 in the specific section A (step S72; YES), the hazard zone setting unit 31 sets a hazard zone A1 around the cargo handling vehicle 5A, which corresponds to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device (step S73), and ends the flow of the hazard zone setting step S60. Then, in the subsequent step S13, the collision determination unit 24 regards the hazard zone A1 as the size of the cargo handling vehicle 5A and determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other. Furthermore, if the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle 5A colliding with another vehicle 5 (step S14; YES), in step S15 the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5 by giving top priority to the third setting criterion that sets a high priority to the cargo handling vehicle 5A.

[0079] FIG. 13 illustrates a case in which the first vehicle 51 is determined to be a cargo handling vehicle 5A. As shown in FIG. 13, the danger zone A1 is set to a range that is longer in front of and behind the traveling direction D1 of the first vehicle 51 than the actual operating range of the cargo handling equipment mounted on the cargo handling vehicle 5A. Note that the danger zone A1 may also be set to be approximately the same as the actual operating range of the cargo handling equipment. Furthermore, the second vehicle 52 and the third vehicle 53 are traveling in a direction that intersects with the traveling direction D1 of the first vehicle 51. There is a risk that the second vehicle 52 and the third vehicle 53 will collide with the first vehicle 51 in turn. At this time, the danger zone A1 of the first vehicle 51 extends in the traveling direction D1 of the first vehicle 51 to a position that overlaps the predicted collision point P between the first vehicle 51 and the second vehicle 52 and the predicted collision point P between the first vehicle 51 and the third vehicle 53. In such a case, only the first vehicle 51 is shown a green light SB instructing it to proceed, and the second vehicle 52 and the third vehicle 53 are shown a red light SR instructing them to stop. These displays are maintained until the danger zone A1 of the first vehicle 51 no longer overlaps with the predicted collision point P.

[0080] On the other hand, if the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines that there is no cargo handling vehicle 5A among the vehicles 5 in the specific section A (step S72; NO), the hazard area setting unit 31 does not set a hazard area A1 corresponding to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device around the cargo handling vehicle 5A (step S74), and ends the flow of hazard area setting step S70 in Figure 19. Then, the subsequent steps S14 and S15 are executed as usual without taking the hazard area A1 into consideration.

[0081] (Action and effect) The server 210, traffic management system 1A, and traffic management method configured as above have the following advantages.

[0082] In this embodiment, the server 210 further includes a passage setting unit 27. The passage setting unit 27 measures the traffic volume of the vehicles 5 based on the position information of the vehicles 5, and sets routes where the traffic volume of the vehicles 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as the virtual passage 201 through which the vehicles 5 can travel. The collision point calculation unit 22 calculates a predicted collision point P based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5, as well as a virtual intersection 201P where the virtual passages 201 intersect.

[0083] This allows the server 210 to accurately calculate the predicted collision point P where a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted. Therefore, according to the server 210 of this embodiment, traffic management of the vehicles 5 can be performed more efficiently.

[0084] In this embodiment, the server 210 further includes a passage size setting unit 28. The passage size setting unit 28 sets, for the virtual intersection 201P, a virtual passage 201 with a relatively high traffic volume of vehicles 5 as a main passage 202, and sets a virtual passage 201 with a relatively low traffic volume of vehicles 5 as a small passage 203. The priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicles 5 based on, in addition to the first setting criterion, a second setting criterion that sets a high priority for vehicles 5 traveling through the main passage 202 and a low priority for vehicles 5 traveling through the small passage 203.

[0085] This allows the server 210 to set with high precision the priority of the vehicle 5. Therefore, according to the server 210 of this embodiment, traffic management of the vehicle 5 can be performed more efficiently. Furthermore, vehicles 5 can flow more smoothly in the main passage 202 where congestion of vehicles 5 is likely to occur. This prevents differences in the flow of vehicles 5 between the main passage 202 and the small passage 203. This alleviates the sense of unfairness that occurs when waiting at a traffic light at an intersection.

[0086] In this embodiment, the server 210 further includes a priority direction setting unit 29. The priority direction setting unit 29 sets the traveling direction D1 of the two traveling directions D1 of the small passage 203, which has a greater traffic volume of vehicles 5, as the priority direction D4. The transmitter 13 transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 that is approaching the virtual intersection 201P while traveling through the large passage 202, to instruct the vehicle 5 to go straight or turn in the priority direction D4.

[0087] According to this embodiment, the server 210 can present the priority direction D4 to the driver of each vehicle 5 that may enter the small passage 203. This allows the vehicle 5 to smoothly pass through the small passage 203. Therefore, according to the server 210 of this embodiment, traffic management of the vehicles 5 can be performed more efficiently.

[0088] In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives position information and direction information of an obstacle 4 that obstructs the passage of the vehicle 5. The path setting unit 27 modifies the virtual path 201 based on the position information and direction information of the obstacle 4.

[0089] This allows the server 210 to set with high accuracy the virtual passage 201 that can be traveled by the vehicle 5. Therefore, according to the server 210 of this embodiment, traffic management of the vehicle 5 can be performed more efficiently.

[0090] In this embodiment, the server 210 further includes a vehicle type determination unit 30 and a hazard zone setting unit 31. The vehicle type determination unit 30 determines whether one of the vehicles 5 is a cargo handling vehicle 5A equipped with a cargo handling device, based on the vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 transmitted from each in-vehicle device 2 and received by the receiving unit 11. If the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines that one of the vehicles 5 is a cargo handling vehicle 5A, the hazard zone setting unit 31 sets a hazard zone A1 around the cargo handling vehicle 5A, which corresponds to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device. The collision determination unit 24 determines whether there is a risk of collision between the vehicles 5, including the hazard zone A1 in the size of the cargo handling vehicle 5A. If the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of collision between the cargo handling vehicle 5A and another vehicle 5, the priority setting unit 25 sets the priority of the vehicle 5, giving top priority to the third setting criterion that sets a high priority to the cargo handling vehicle 5A.

[0091] If the vehicles 5 include a cargo handling vehicle 5A equipped with a cargo handling device, there is a risk of the cargo handling device coming into contact with the other vehicle 5 if the other vehicle 5 enters the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device. According to this embodiment, the server 210 can prevent the vehicle 5 from entering the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device. This allows each vehicle 5 to pass through even more safely. Therefore, the server 210 of this embodiment can more efficiently manage the traffic of the vehicles 5.

[0092] (Hardware configuration) The servers 10 and 210 of the above-described embodiments are implemented in a computer 1100 shown in Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a computer according to each embodiment. The computer 1100 includes a processor 1110, a main memory 1120, a storage 1130, and an interface 1140.

[0093] The operations of the above-mentioned functional units of the servers 10 and 210 are stored in the form of a program in the storage 1130. The processor 1110 reads the program from the storage 1130, loads it into the main memory 1120, and executes the above-mentioned processing in accordance with the program. The processor 1110 also allocates a storage area in the main memory 1120 corresponding to the above-mentioned storage unit 12 in accordance with the program.

[0094] The program may be for realizing some of the functions to be performed by the computer 1100. For example, the program may be combined with other programs already stored in the storage 1130 or other programs implemented in other devices to perform the functions. Furthermore, the computer 1100 may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to or instead of the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include a PAL (Programmable Array Logic), a GAL (Generic Array Logic), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, some or all of the functions to be performed by the processor 1110 may be realized by the integrated circuit.

[0095] Examples of storage 1130 include a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a semiconductor memory. Storage 1130 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 1100, or an external medium connected to computer 1100 via interface 1140 or a communication line. Furthermore, when this program is distributed to computer 1100 via a communication line, computer 1100 that receives the program may load the program into main memory 1120 and execute the above-mentioned processing. Storage 1130 may also be a non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0096] The program may also be a program for realizing part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that realizes the above-described functions in combination with another program already stored in storage 1130.

[0097] (Other embodiments) The above describes in detail the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. In the above embodiment, the case where two or three vehicles 5 are passing through the specific section A has been described as an example, but this is not limited to this. The server 10, 210 and the traffic management system 1, 1A may also be used when four or more vehicles 5 are passing through. The server 10, 210 and the traffic management system 1, 1A may also be applied to a case where multiple vehicles 5 are lined up in a line and form a convoy. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle information calculation unit 21 calculates the speed and traveling direction D1 of the vehicle 5 based on the position information of the vehicle 5 has been described, but this is not limiting. The speed and traveling direction D1 of the vehicle 5 may be directly acquired using a speedometer or gyrocompass mounted on the vehicle 5. In this case, the vehicle information calculation unit 21 is unnecessary, and step S11 of calculating the speed and traveling direction D1 of the vehicle 5 is omitted from the operation flow of the traffic management system. In the above embodiment, the case where step S13 of predicting the arrival order at the predicted collision point P is performed before step S14 of determining the risk of collision between the vehicles 5 has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, step S13 may be performed after step S14.

[0098] <Additional Notes> The traffic management devices 10 and 210, the traffic management systems 1 and 1A, and the traffic management methods described in the respective embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0099] (1) The traffic management device 10, 210 according to the first aspect includes a receiving unit 11 that receives information including position information of the vehicle 5 transmitted from an on-board device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5; a collision point calculation unit 22 that calculates a predicted collision point P where a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 obtained from the information of the vehicle 5 received by the receiving unit 11; an arrival order prediction unit 23 that predicts the arrival order of each vehicle 5 at the predicted collision point P based on the position information and speed of each vehicle; The system includes a collision determination unit 24 that determines whether there is a risk of collision at the predicted collision point P, a priority setting unit 25 that sets the priority of the vehicle 5 based on a first setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle 5 that arrives at the predicted collision point P earlier when the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of collision between the vehicles 5, and a transmission unit 13 that transmits a signal to the onboard device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a high priority to instruct it to move forward and transmits a signal to the onboard device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a low priority to instruct it to stop. Examples of the traffic management device 10, 210 include the above-mentioned servers 10, 210.

[0100] This allows the traffic management devices 10, 210 to issue instructions to each vehicle 5 to move forward or stop appropriately depending on the situation. Therefore, the driver of each vehicle 5 can travel safely by simply driving in accordance with the instructions displayed on the in-vehicle device 2. In particular, this reduces the chance of the vehicle 5 stopping at a location where it is not necessary to stop.

[0101] (2) The traffic management device 210 according to the second aspect is the traffic management device 210 of (1), and includes a passage setting unit 27 that measures the traffic volume of the vehicle 5 based on the position information of the vehicle 5 and sets a route on which the traffic volume of the vehicle 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual passage 201 through which the vehicle 5 can travel, and the collision point calculation unit 22 may calculate the predicted collision point P based on a virtual intersection 201P at which the virtual passages 201 intersect, in addition to the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5.

[0102] This allows the traffic management device 210 to calculate with high accuracy the predicted collision point P where a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted.

[0103] (3) The traffic management device 210 according to the third aspect is the traffic management device 210 of (2), and includes a passage size setting unit 28 that sets the virtual passage 201 where the traffic volume of the vehicle 5 is relatively high as a main passage 202 and sets the virtual passage 201 where the traffic volume of the vehicle 5 is relatively low as a small passage 203 for the virtual intersection 201P, and the priority setting unit 25 may set the priority of the vehicle 5 based on a second setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle 5 passing through the main passage 202 and a low priority for the vehicle 5 passing through the small passage 203 in addition to the first setting criterion.

[0104] This allows the traffic management device 210 to set the priority of the vehicle 5 with high accuracy.

[0105] (4) The traffic management device 210 according to the fourth aspect is the traffic management device 210 of (3), and includes a priority direction setting unit 29 that sets the direction D1 of travel in which the vehicle 5 has a greater traffic volume as the priority direction D4, out of the two directions D1 of travel in the small passage 203, and the transmitter 13 may transmit a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 that approaches the virtual intersection 201P while traveling through the main passage 202, instructing it to go straight or turn in the priority direction D4.

[0106] According to this aspect, the traffic management device 210 can present the priority direction D4 to the driver of each vehicle 5 that may enter the small passage 203. This allows the vehicle 5 to pass through the small passage 203 smoothly.

[0107] (5) The traffic management device 210 according to the fifth aspect is any one of the traffic management devices 210 of (2) to (4), wherein the receiving unit 11 receives position information and direction information of an obstacle 4 that obstructs the passage of the vehicle 5, and the passage setting unit 27 may modify the virtual passage 201 based on the position information and direction information of the obstacle 4.

[0108] This allows the traffic control device 210 to set the virtual passage 201 through which the vehicle 5 can travel with high accuracy.

[0109] (6) The traffic management device 210 according to the sixth aspect is a traffic management device 210 according to any one of (1) to (5), and includes a vehicle type determination unit 30 that determines whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle 5A with a cargo handling device among the vehicles 5 from the vehicle type information of each vehicle 5 transmitted from each of the on-board devices 2 and received by the receiving unit 11, and a hazard area setting unit 31 that sets a hazard area A1 around the cargo handling vehicle 5A equivalent to the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device when the vehicle type determination unit 30 determines that there is a cargo handling vehicle 5A among the vehicles 5, and the collision determination unit 24 determines whether or not there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other by including the hazard area A1 in the size of the cargo handling vehicle 5A, and when the collision determination unit 24 determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle 5A colliding with another vehicle 5, the priority setting unit 25 may set the priority of the vehicle 5 by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets a high priority to the cargo handling vehicle 5A.

[0110] If one of the vehicles 5 is a cargo handling vehicle 5A equipped with a cargo handling device, there is a risk of the cargo handling device coming into contact with the other vehicle 5 if the other vehicle 5 enters the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device. According to this aspect, the traffic control device 210 can prevent the vehicle 5 from entering the operating area of ​​the cargo handling device. This allows each vehicle 5 to pass through even more safely.

[0111] (7) The traffic management device 10, 210 according to the seventh aspect is a traffic management device 10, 210 according to any one of (1) to (6), and is provided with a passage determination unit 26 that determines whether the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P based on the position information of the vehicle 5, and when the passage determination unit 26 determines that the vehicle 5 has passed the predicted collision point P, the transmission unit 13 may transmit a signal to each of the vehicles 5 to switch between an instruction to move forward or stop.

[0112] This allows the traffic management device 10, 210 to appropriately and immediately erase or switch the go or stop instruction displayed on each vehicle 5. This makes the flow of vehicles 5 even smoother.

[0113] (8) A traffic management system 1, 1A according to an eighth aspect includes the traffic management device 10, 210 according to any one of (1) to (7) and the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0114] (9) A traffic management method according to a ninth aspect includes the steps of receiving information including position information of the vehicles 5 transmitted from an on-board device 2 mounted on the vehicles 5, calculating a predicted collision point P at which a collision between the vehicles 5 is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction D1 of each vehicle 5 obtained from the received information of the vehicles 5, predicting the arrival order of each vehicle 5 at the predicted collision point P based on the position information and speed of each vehicle 5, determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding at the predicted collision point P, and if it is determined that there is a risk of the vehicles 5 colliding with each other, setting priorities of the vehicles 5 based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for the vehicle that arrives earlier at the predicted collision point P, and transmitting a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a higher priority to indicate a move forward and transmitting a signal to the on-board device 2 of the vehicle 5 with a lower priority to indicate a stop. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1...traffic management system 1A...traffic management system 2...vehicle-mounted device 3...network 4...obstacle 4a...container 5...vehicle 5A...loading vehicle 5B...normal vehicle 51...first vehicle 52...second vehicle 53...third vehicle 6...display 7...tag 10...server (traffic management device) 11...receiving unit 12...storage unit 13...transmitting unit 20...processing unit 21...vehicle information calculation unit 22...collision point calculation unit 23...arrival order prediction unit 24...collision determination unit 25...priority setting unit 26...passing determination unit 27...passage setting unit 28...passage size setting unit 29...priority direction setting unit 30...vehicle type determination unit 31...hazard area setting unit 101...passage 201...virtual passage 201P...virtual intersection 202...main passage 203...small passage 210...server (traffic management device) 220...processing unit 1100...Computer 1110...Processor 1120...Main memory 1130...Storage 1140...Interface A...Specific area A1...Danger area A2...No-passage area D1...Direction of travel D2...Forward / backward direction D3...Left / right direction D4...Priority direction DB...Database DB1...Vehicle movement database DB2...Passage shape database P...Predicted collision point SB...Green light SR...Red light

Claims

1. a receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a collision determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; a priority setting unit that sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier when the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other; and a transmitter that transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; a path setting unit that measures a traffic volume of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle and sets a route where the traffic volume of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual path that the vehicle can travel; Equipped with the collision point calculation unit calculates the predicted collision point based on a virtual intersection at which the virtual paths intersect in addition to the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles; Traffic management device.

2. a passage size setting unit that sets the virtual passage where the traffic volume of the vehicles is relatively large as a large passage and sets the virtual passage where the traffic volume of the vehicles is relatively small as a small passage for the virtual intersection; 2. The traffic management device according to claim 1, wherein the priority setting unit sets the priority of the vehicle based on, in addition to the first setting criterion, a second setting criterion that sets a high priority for the vehicle traveling through the main passage and a low priority for the vehicle traveling through the small passage.

3. a priority direction setting unit that sets the direction of travel in which the vehicle traffic volume is greater as a priority direction out of the two directions of travel in the small passage, the transmitting unit transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle that approaches the virtual intersection while passing through the main passage, to instruct the vehicle to go straight or turn in the priority direction. The traffic management device of claim 2.

4. the receiving unit receives position information and direction information of an obstacle that is obstructing passage of the vehicle; the path setting unit modifies the virtual path based on the position information and direction information of the obstacle. A traffic management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a vehicle type determination unit that determines whether or not any of the vehicles includes a cargo handling vehicle having a cargo handling device, based on the vehicle type information of each of the vehicles transmitted from each of the on-board devices and received by the receiving unit; a danger zone setting unit that sets a danger zone corresponding to an operating zone of the cargo handling device around the cargo handling vehicle when the vehicle type determination unit determines that the cargo handling vehicle is present among the vehicles; Equipped with the collision determination unit determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other by including the danger zone in the size of the cargo handling vehicle; When the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle colliding with another vehicle, the priority setting unit sets the priority of the vehicle by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets a high priority for the cargo handling vehicle. A traffic management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device installed in a vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a collision determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; a priority setting unit that sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier when the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other; and a transmitter that transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; a vehicle type determination unit that determines whether or not any of the vehicles includes a cargo handling vehicle having a cargo handling device, based on the vehicle type information of each of the vehicles transmitted from each of the on-board devices and received by the receiving unit; a danger zone setting unit that sets a danger zone corresponding to an operating zone of the cargo handling device around the cargo handling vehicle when the vehicle type determination unit determines that the cargo handling vehicle is present among the vehicles; Equipped with the collision determination unit determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other by including the danger zone in the size of the cargo handling vehicle; When the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the cargo handling vehicle colliding with another vehicle, the priority setting unit sets the priority of the vehicle by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets a high priority for the cargo handling vehicle. Traffic management device.

7. a passage determination unit that determines whether the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point based on the position information of the vehicle, When the passing determination unit determines that the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point, the transmission unit transmits a signal to each of the vehicles to switch between an instruction to move forward and an instruction to stop. A traffic management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. A receiving unit that receives information including vehicle position information transmitted from an on-board device installed in a vehicle; a collision point calculation unit that calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the vehicle information received by the receiving unit; an arrival order prediction unit that predicts the arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a collision determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; a priority setting unit that sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority for the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier when the collision determination unit determines that there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other; and a transmitter that transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmits a signal to the on-board device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; a passage determination unit that determines whether the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point based on the position information of the vehicle; Equipped with When the passing determination unit determines that the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point, the transmission unit transmits a signal to each of the vehicles to switch between an instruction to move forward and an instruction to stop. Traffic management device.

9. A traffic management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 6 and 8; The vehicle-mounted device; Equipped with Traffic management system.

10. a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle receiving information including the vehicle position information transmitted from an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle; A step in which the server computer calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the received vehicle information; a step of the computer predicting an arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a step of the computer determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; When the computer determines that there is a risk of a collision between the vehicles, it sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority to the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier; a transmitting unit of the server transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; measuring the traffic volume of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle, and setting a route where the traffic volume of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume as a virtual passage that the vehicle can travel; Including, In the step of calculating the predicted collision point, the predicted collision point is calculated based on a virtual intersection at which the virtual paths intersect, in addition to the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles. Traffic management methods.

11. A step in which a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle receives information including location information of the vehicle transmitted from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle; A step in which the server computer calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the received vehicle information; a step of the computer predicting an arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a step of the computer determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; When the computer determines that there is a risk of a collision between the vehicles, it sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority to the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier; a transmitting unit of the server transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; a step in which the computer determines whether or not there is a cargo handling vehicle having a cargo handling device among the vehicles based on the vehicle type information of each of the vehicles transmitted from each of the in-vehicle devices and received by the receiving unit; a step of the computer setting a danger zone corresponding to an operating zone of the cargo handling device around the cargo handling vehicle when it is determined that the cargo handling vehicle is present among the vehicles in the step of determining whether or not the cargo handling vehicle is present; Including, the computer determines whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other by including the danger zone in the size of the cargo handling vehicle; When the computer determines that there is a risk of collision between the cargo handling vehicle and another vehicle, the priority setting step sets the priority of the vehicle by giving top priority to a third setting criterion that sets a high priority for the cargo handling vehicle. Traffic management methods.

12. A step in which a receiving unit of a server provided separately from the vehicle receives information including location information of the vehicle transmitted from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle; A step in which the server computer calculates a predicted collision point where a collision between the vehicles is predicted based on the speed and traveling direction of each of the vehicles obtained from the received vehicle information; a step of the computer predicting an arrival order of each of the vehicles at the predicted collision point based on position information and speed of each of the vehicles; a step of the computer determining whether there is a risk of the vehicles colliding with each other at the predicted collision point; When the computer determines that there is a risk of a collision between the vehicles, it sets priorities of the vehicles based on a first setting criterion that sets a higher priority to the vehicle that arrives at the predicted collision point earlier; a transmitting unit of the server transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a higher priority to instruct the vehicle to go forward and transmitting a signal to the in-vehicle device of the vehicle having a lower priority to instruct the vehicle to stop; a step of determining by the computer whether the vehicle has passed the predicted collision point based on the position information of the vehicle; Including, When the computer determines that the vehicles have passed the predicted collision point, the transmitter transmits a signal to each of the vehicles to switch between an instruction to move forward and an instruction to stop. Traffic management methods.

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