Vehicle status estimation system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle situation estimation system, a vehicle situation estimation method and a vehicle situation estimation program which can improve accuracy of various information regarding weather around a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle situation estimation system 10 comprises: a vehicle weather information acquisition unit 46 which can acquire vehicle weather information regarding weather around a vehicle 12 from an artificial satellite 18; a vehicle external information acquisition unit 48 and a vehicle internal information acquisition unit 50 which are loaded on the vehicle 12 and can acquire vehicle travel state information from an external sensor 22 and an internal sensor 24 which can detect a travel state of the vehicle 12; and an actual weather situation information generation unit 54 which can generate actual weather situation information showing a weather situation around a road on which the vehicle 12 travels on the basis of the vehicle weather information and the vehicle travel state information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle situation estimation system. Mu Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses an invention related to an avoidance route search system. This avoidance route search system acquires weather information for an area including the planned route of a vehicle, and determines, based on this weather information, whether there are any locations on the road where it will be difficult for the vehicle to pass due to flooding or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-85080 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, weather information is obtained from a weather forecast information database, but this weather information is merely a prediction, and there is room for improvement in terms of improving the accuracy of information regarding the weather around the vehicle.

[0005] In consideration of the above, the present invention provides a vehicle situation estimation system that can improve the accuracy of various information related to the weather around the vehicle. M The goal is to obtain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle situation estimation system according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 includes a vehicle weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle from an artificial satellite, a vehicle driving information acquisition unit capable of acquiring vehicle driving state information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle and capable of detecting the driving state of the vehicle, and a real weather condition information generation unit capable of generating real weather condition information indicating the weather conditions around the road on which the vehicle is driving based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle driving state information. The vehicle driving information acquisition unit is capable of acquiring, as the vehicle driving state information, an image or video of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by an imaging unit capable of capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and further includes: a driving route setting unit capable of setting a driving route of the vehicle; a local weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring local weather information of a predetermined area from the artificial satellite; and a weather condition estimation unit capable of estimating the weather around a second vehicle when the second vehicle is driving through the predetermined area based on the actual weather condition information of a first vehicle driving through the predetermined area, the local weather information, and the driving route of a second vehicle, when the predetermined area is included in the driving route of the second vehicle. .

[0007] According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the vehicle weather information acquisition unit acquires vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle from an artificial satellite.

[0008] However, since the weather information obtainable from artificial satellites is limited to what can be observed from the artificial satellites, such as the location of rain clouds, there may be situations where, for example, a vehicle is located directly under a rain cloud according to observations from the artificial satellite, but there is no rain falling around the vehicle. In other words, it may be difficult to estimate the actual weather around the vehicle using only information obtained from artificial satellites.

[0009] On the other hand, the driving conditions of a vehicle change considerably due to the influence of weather such as rain and snow. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the weather around the vehicle by observing the driving conditions of the vehicle. However, without information on the location of rain clouds, etc., it is difficult to determine whether the driving conditions of the vehicle are due to the weather.

[0010] In the present invention, a sensor mounted on the vehicle detects the vehicle's driving state, and a vehicle driving information acquisition unit acquires vehicle driving state information from the sensor. Then, based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle driving state information, a real weather condition information generation unit generates real weather condition information indicating the weather conditions around the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Therefore, in the present invention, for example, by sharing the real weather condition information among multiple vehicles, it is possible to acquire the weather conditions around a specific vehicle.

[0012] Also,According to the present invention, the vehicle driving information acquisition unit acquires, as vehicle driving state information, images or videos of the vehicle's surroundings captured by an imaging unit capable of capturing images of the vehicle's surroundings. Therefore, for example, if it is raining around the vehicle, actual weather condition information is generated based on the images of the raining state.

[0013] In the present invention, the travel route setting unit sets a travel route for the vehicle, and the local weather information acquisition unit acquires local weather information for a predetermined area from an artificial satellite.

[0014] In the present invention, the weather condition estimation unit estimates the weather around the second vehicle when the second vehicle is traveling through a predetermined area, based on actual weather condition information for the first vehicle traveling through the predetermined area, local weather information, and the traveling route of the second vehicle, when the predetermined area is included in the traveling route. In other words, in the present invention, actual weather condition information can be shared among multiple vehicles, ensuring accuracy in estimating the weather around the vehicles.

[0015] Claim 2 The vehicle situation estimation system according to the present invention described above is The vehicle weather information acquisition unit can acquire vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle from an artificial satellite, a vehicle driving information acquisition unit can acquire vehicle driving state information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle and capable of detecting the driving state of the vehicle, and a real weather condition information generation unit can generate real weather condition information indicating the weather conditions around the road on which the vehicle is driving based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle driving state information. The vehicle driving information acquisition unit further includes a local weather information acquisition unit that is capable of acquiring wheel speed time series information of the vehicle as the vehicle driving state information and is capable of acquiring local weather information of a specified area from the artificial satellite, and a road condition estimation unit that is capable of estimating the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle is driving based on the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle driving in the specified area and the local weather information.

[0016] Claim 2 According to the present invention described above, the local weather information acquisition unit acquires local weather information for a predetermined area from an artificial satellite.

[0017] In order to safely drive a vehicle, it is preferable to be able to grasp the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling in a specific area. In this regard, since the condition of the road surface is affected by the weather, it is also possible to estimate the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling in a specific area from local weather information for the specific area. However, since the information that can be obtained from artificial satellites is limited to what can be observed from artificial satellites, such as the location of rain clouds, it may be difficult to estimate the condition of the road surface around the vehicle using only the information obtained from artificial satellites.

[0018] In this regard, for example, when a vehicle travels on a wet road surface, the change in wheel speed of the vehicle will be different from the change in wheel speed when the vehicle travels on a dry road surface, and therefore it is conceivable to estimate the condition of the road surface around the vehicle from the change in wheel speed.

[0019] In the present invention, the vehicle driving information acquisition unit acquires vehicle wheel speed time series information as vehicle driving state information. Then, the road condition estimation unit estimates the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle is driving based on the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle driving in a predetermined area and local weather information. Therefore, in the present invention, the accuracy of the estimation of the road surface condition can be improved.

[0020] Claim 3 The vehicle situation estimation system according to the present invention described in claim 2 In the invention described above, the vehicle driving information acquisition unit is capable of acquiring acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, and brake pedal operation amount information of the vehicle as the vehicle driving state information, and the road state estimation unit is capable of estimating the friction state of the road surface based on vehicle position information based on the vehicle position signal transmitted from the artificial satellite and the vehicle driving state information.

[0021] Claim 3 According to the present invention described above, the vehicle driving information acquisition unit acquires vehicle acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, and brake pedal operation amount information as vehicle driving state information.

[0022] However, when the driving force of the vehicle's tires is being properly transmitted to the road surface, the vehicle's acceleration and therefore the vehicle's displacement tend to change in proportion to the amount of steering of the vehicle, the amount of accelerator pedal operation, and the amount of brake pedal operation.

[0023] On the other hand, when the driving force of the vehicle's tires is not being properly transmitted to the road surface, i.e., when the tires are slipping, the amount of steering of the vehicle, the amount of accelerator pedal operation, and the amount of brake pedal operation tend not to be proportional to the vehicle acceleration and vehicle displacement.

[0024] In the present invention, the road condition estimation unit estimates the friction condition of the road surface based on vehicle position information based on a vehicle position signal transmitted from an artificial satellite and vehicle running state information, thereby further improving the accuracy of road surface condition estimation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] As described above, the vehicle situation estimation system according to the present invention M is This has the excellent effect of improving the accuracy of various information relating to the weather around the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle situation estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a vehicle control device and its relationship with peripheral devices in a vehicle situation estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a data server in the vehicle situation estimation system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle situation estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing by a vehicle control device in the vehicle situation estimation system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing by a data server in the vehicle situation estimation system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] An example of an embodiment of a vehicle situation estimation system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figure 1, a "vehicle situation estimation system 10" according to this embodiment includes a vehicle control device 14 mounted on each of a plurality of "vehicles 12," a data server 16, and an "artificial satellite 18."

[0030] 2, the vehicle control device 14 includes a processor "CPU (Central Processing Unit) 14A," a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 14C, a storage 14D, a communication I / F (Interface) 14E, and an input / output I / F 14F. The CPU 14A, the ROM 14B, the RAM 14C, the storage 14D, the communication I / F 14E, and the input / output I / F 14F are connected to each other via a bus 14G so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0031] The CPU 14A is a central processing unit and is capable of executing various programs. Specifically, the CPU 14A reads programs from the ROM 14B and executes the programs using the RAM 14C as a work area. The CPU 14A reads and executes the execution programs stored in the ROM 14B, thereby enabling the vehicle control device 14 to perform various functions, as will be described later.

[0032] More specifically, the ROM 14B stores various programs and various data, while the RAM 14C serves as a work area and is capable of temporarily storing programs or data.

[0033] The storage 14D includes a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various programs including an operating system and various data such as map information. The storage 14D can store information transmitted from the satellites 18 and information acquired from various devices that can communicate with the vehicle control device 14, as will be described later.

[0034] The communication I / F 14E is an interface used to connect the vehicle control device 14 to the network N and the artificial satellite 18. For example, a communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used for this interface. The communication I / F 14E may also include a wireless device. The communication I / F 14E communicates with the data server 16 via the network N, thereby enabling transmission and reception of various information with the data server 16. The communication I / F 14E also communicates with the artificial satellite 18, thereby enabling reception of image data and the like captured by a camera (not shown) mounted on the artificial satellite 18. The various pieces of information acquired from the data server 16 and the artificial satellite 18 are stored in the storage 14D.

[0035] The input / output I / F 14F is an interface through which the vehicle control device 14 communicates with each device mounted on the vehicle 12. The vehicle control device 14 is connected to various devices described below via the input / output I / F 14F so as to be able to communicate with each other. Note that these devices may be directly connected to the bus 14G.

[0036] The devices connected to the vehicle control device 14 include a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 20, and an "external sensor 22" and an "internal sensor 24" as sensors.

[0037] The GPS device 20 is equipped with an antenna (not shown) that receives position signals of the vehicle 12 from the artificial satellites 18, and is capable of measuring the current position of the vehicle 12. The position information of the vehicle 12 measured by the GPS device 20 is temporarily stored in the storage 14D. In other words, the artificial satellites 18 also function as GPS satellites.

[0038] The external sensor 22 is a group of sensors used to detect the conditions around the vehicle 12 while the vehicle 12 is traveling. The external sensor 22 includes a camera 28 as an imaging unit that captures an image of a predetermined range around the vehicle 12, a millimeter wave radar 30 that transmits a search wave within the predetermined range, and a lidar (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) 32 that scans the predetermined range. Data acquired by the external sensor 22, such as images and videos captured by the camera, is stored in the storage 14D.

[0039] The internal sensors 24 are a group of sensors used to detect the running state of the vehicle 12, and include a wheel speed sensor 32, an acceleration sensor 34, a yaw rate sensor 36, a steering angle sensor 38, an accelerator pedal sensor 40, and a brake pedal sensor 42. Data acquired by the internal sensors 24 is stored in the storage 14D.

[0040] Next, the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The vehicle control device 14 functions as a collection of a communication unit 44, a "vehicle weather information acquisition unit 46," a "vehicle external information acquisition unit 48" as a vehicle driving information acquisition unit, a "vehicle internal information acquisition unit 50" as a vehicle driving information acquisition unit, a "driving route setting unit 52," and a "actual weather condition information generation unit 54" by the CPU 14A reading and executing an execution program stored in the ROM 14B.

[0041] The communication unit 44 is capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from the data server 16 and the artificial satellite 18 .

[0042] The vehicle weather information acquisition unit 46 is capable of acquiring vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle 12 from the artificial satellite 18. Specifically, the vehicle weather information acquisition unit 46 is configured to transmit a coordinate signal of the vehicle 12 based on the position information of the vehicle 12 measured by the GPS device 20 to the artificial satellite 18 via the communication unit 44. When the artificial satellite 18 receives the coordinate signal from the vehicle 12, it transmits satellite image data around the vehicle 12, i.e., image data of clouds above the vehicle 12, to the communication unit 44, and the vehicle weather information acquisition unit 46 acquires this satellite image data as vehicle weather information. In other words, in this embodiment, the artificial satellite 18 also functions as a meteorological satellite.

[0043] The vehicle external information acquisition unit 48 is configured to acquire, from the external sensor 22, image data of the periphery of the vehicle 12 and three-dimensional data such as unevenness of the road surface on which the vehicle 12 is traveling, as vehicle traveling state information indicating the traveling state of the vehicle 12. In addition, the various types of information acquired by the vehicle external information acquisition unit 48 from the external sensor 22 are transmitted to the data server 16 via the communication unit 44.

[0044] The vehicle internal information acquisition unit 50 is configured to acquire, from the internal sensor 24, time series data of the wheel speed of the wheels 12A of the vehicle 12 (wheel speed time series information), time series data of the longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration of the vehicle 12, time series data of the yaw rate, time series data of the steering angle, time series data of the accelerator pedal operation amount, and time series data of the brake pedal operation amount as vehicle running state information of the vehicle 12. In addition, the various types of information acquired by the vehicle internal information acquisition unit 50 from the internal sensor 24 are configured to be transmitted to the data server 16 via the communication unit 44.

[0045] The driving route setting unit 52 sets a driving route for the vehicle 12 based on the position information of the vehicle 12, the destination of the vehicle 12 inputted by an input device (not shown), and map information. The driving route setting unit 52 transmits the position information and driving route of the vehicle 12 to the data server 16 via the communication unit 44.

[0046] The actual weather condition information generating unit 54 generates actual weather condition information indicating the weather conditions around the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling, based on the vehicle weather information acquired by the vehicle weather information acquiring unit 46 and the vehicle driving state information acquired by the vehicle external information acquiring unit 48 and the vehicle internal information acquiring unit 50. The actual weather condition information generating unit 54 is capable of transmitting the actual weather condition information to the data server 16 via the communication unit 44, and is also capable of acquiring actual weather information for any vehicle 12 via the communication unit 44.

[0047] Specifically, in this embodiment, as an example, the actual weather condition information is data that associates the location information of the vehicle 12, satellite image data around the vehicle 12, and image data around the vehicle 12 obtained by the external sensor 22. The vehicle 12 is equipped with a monitor (not shown), and the occupants of the vehicle 12 can use this monitor to check the actual weather information for any vehicle 12.

[0048] Next, the configuration of the data server 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The data server 16 includes a processor "CPU 16A," a ROM 16B, a RAM 16C, a storage 16D, and a communication I / F 16E. The CPU 16A, the ROM 16B, the RAM 16C, the storage 16D, and the communication I / F 16E are communicatively connected to one another via a bus 16F. The CPU 16A, the ROM 16B, the RAM 16C, the storage 16D, and the communication I / F 16E have essentially the same functions as those constituting the vehicle control device 14 described above. The storage 16D stores information transmitted from an artificial satellite 18, information transmitted from the vehicle control device 14, a weather estimation model for estimating the weather in a specified area, and a road condition estimation model for estimating road conditions, as will be described later. The execution programs stored in the ROM 16B are read and executed by the CPU 16A, thereby enabling the data server 16 to perform various functions.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the data server 16 functions as a collection of a communication unit 56, a local weather information acquisition unit 58, a weather condition estimation unit 60, and a road condition estimation unit 62.

[0050] The communication unit 56 is capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from the vehicle control device 14 and the artificial satellite 18 .

[0051] The local weather information acquisition unit 58 acquires weather information for a predetermined area from the artificial satellite 18, that is, satellite image data for a predetermined area, as local weather information.

[0052] The weather condition estimation unit 60 is configured to estimate the weather around the one vehicle 12 when the other vehicle 12 is traveling through a predetermined area, when the predetermined area is included in the traveling route, based on actual weather condition information of the one vehicle 12 traveling through the predetermined area, local weather information for the area, and the traveling route of the other vehicle 12. The weather condition estimation unit 60 then transmits the weather information for the area estimated by the weather condition estimation unit 60 to the vehicle control device 14 of the other vehicle 12 via the communication unit 56.

[0053] Specifically, the weather condition estimation unit 60 inputs the actual weather condition information of one vehicle 12 and the regional weather information of a specified region where the vehicle 12 is located into a weather estimation model, and outputs the weather of the region (sunny, rainy, etc.).

[0054] As an example, the weather estimation model is a machine-learned model that is trained according to a machine learning technique such as a convolutional neural network using a set of satellite image data for a specified area at a specified time, image data around the vehicle 12 at that time, and data on the weather (sunny, rainy, etc.) for the specified area at that time as training data.

[0055] The road condition estimation unit 62 estimates the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling based on the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle 12 traveling in a specified area obtained from the vehicle control device 14 and the local weather information of the area.

[0056] Specifically, the road condition estimation unit 62 inputs the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle 12 traveling in a specified area and the local weather information of the specified area into a road condition estimation model, and outputs the road surface conditions of the roads in the area (such as the degree of unevenness and friction coefficient).

[0057] The road condition estimation model is a machine-learned model that has been trained according to a machine learning technique such as a convolutional neural network using, as training data, a set of data including time series information on the wheel speed of the vehicle 12 when the vehicle 12 is traveling on a predetermined traveling route in a predetermined area, satellite image data of the predetermined area at that time, a height distribution measured by a lidar on the road surface of the traveling route at that time, and a friction coefficient data on the road surface of the traveling route at that time.

[0058] In addition, the road condition estimation unit 62 is also capable of outputting the friction coefficient of the road surface on which the vehicle 12 is traveling by inputting the acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, brake pedal operation amount information, and position information of the vehicle 12 while the vehicle 12 is traveling for a predetermined time into the road condition estimation model.

[0059] That is, the road condition estimation model is machine-learned using a set of data as training data, which includes acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, brake pedal operation amount information, displacement amount of the vehicle 12, and friction coefficient of the road surface of the test road when the vehicle 12 is traveling on the test road under predetermined conditions (dry or icy conditions) for a predetermined time.

[0060] In addition, when the road condition estimation unit 62 receives a predetermined request signal from the vehicle control device 14 via the communication unit 56, it transmits information regarding the road surface condition of the road on which any vehicle 12 is traveling to the vehicle control device 14.

[0061] (Actions and Effects of This Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0062] An example of the control flow of the vehicle control device 14 will be described below mainly using the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0063] When this control flow starts, the CPU 14A of the vehicle control device 14 acquires vehicle weather information from the artificial satellite 18 in step S100.

[0064] In step S101, the CPU 14A acquires vehicle running state information from the external sensor 22 and the internal sensor 24.

[0065] In step S102, the CPU 14A generates actual weather condition information indicating the weather conditions around the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling, based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle traveling state information.

[0066] In step S103, CPU 14A transmits the actual weather condition information to data server 16, and ends the control flow.

[0067] Therefore, in this embodiment, by sharing actual weather condition information among a plurality of vehicles 12 via the data server 16, it is possible to obtain the weather conditions around a specific vehicle 12.

[0068] Next, an example of the control flow of the data server 16 will be described mainly using the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0069] In step S200, CPU 16A acquires local weather information for a predetermined area from artificial satellite 18.

[0070] In step S201, the CPU 16A estimates the weather around one vehicle 12 when the other vehicle 12 travels through a specified area, based on actual weather condition information for the vehicle 12 traveling through the specified area, local weather information for the area, and the travel route of the other vehicle 12, when the specified area is included in the travel route.

[0071] In step S202, the CPU 16A estimates the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling, i.e., the degree of road surface unevenness and the friction coefficient, based on the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle 12 traveling in a specified area obtained from the vehicle control device 14 and the local weather information for the area.

[0072] In step S203, the CPU 16A estimates the friction coefficient of the road surface on which the vehicle 12 is traveling based on the acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, brake pedal operation amount information, and position information of the vehicle 12 while the vehicle 12 is traveling for a predetermined time, and then ends the control flow.

[0073] Therefore, in this embodiment, the actual weather condition information can be shared among a plurality of vehicles 12, and the accuracy of the estimation of the weather around the vehicles 12 can be ensured.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the accuracy of estimating the road surface conditions of the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling can be improved.

[0075] In this way, in this embodiment, the accuracy of various information relating to the weather around the vehicle 12 can be improved.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, the road condition estimation unit 62 estimates the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle 12 is traveling using a road condition estimation model, but the road condition estimation unit 62 may estimate the road surface condition using a different method. For example, the road condition estimation unit 62 may estimate the road surface condition from the similarity between time-series sample data of wheel speeds when the vehicle 12 is traveling on a specific road in fine weather and time-series data of wheel speeds when the vehicle 12 is actually traveling on this road. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10 Vehicle situation estimation system 12 vehicles 14A CPU (Processor) 16A CPU (processor) 18 Satellite 22 External Sensor (Sensor) 24 Internal sensor (sensor) 28 Camera (imaging unit) 46 Vehicle weather information acquisition unit 48 Vehicle external information acquisition unit (vehicle driving information acquisition unit) 50 Vehicle internal information acquisition unit (vehicle driving information acquisition unit) 52 Travel route setting unit 54 Actual weather condition information generation unit 58 Regional Weather Information Acquisition Department 60 Weather Condition Estimation Unit 62 Road condition estimation unit

Claims

1. a vehicle weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle from an artificial satellite; a vehicle driving information acquisition unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that is capable of acquiring vehicle driving state information from a sensor that is capable of detecting a driving state of the vehicle; a current weather condition information generating unit capable of generating current weather condition information indicating weather conditions around a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle traveling state information; and The vehicle driving information acquisition unit is capable of acquiring, as the vehicle driving state information, an image or video of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by an imaging unit capable of capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and a travel route setting unit capable of setting a travel route for the vehicle; a local weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring local weather information for a predetermined area from the artificial satellite; a weather condition estimation unit that is capable of estimating the weather around a second vehicle when the second vehicle is traveling through the predetermined area based on the actual weather condition information of the first vehicle traveling through the predetermined area, the local weather information, and the traveling route of the second vehicle, when the predetermined area is included in the traveling route of the second vehicle; Further provided with Vehicle situation estimation system.

2. A vehicle weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring vehicle weather information relating to the weather around the vehicle from an artificial satellite; a vehicle driving information acquisition unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that is capable of acquiring vehicle driving state information from a sensor that is capable of detecting a driving state of the vehicle; a current weather condition information generating unit capable of generating current weather condition information indicating weather conditions around a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle weather information and the vehicle traveling state information; and The vehicle driving information acquisition unit is capable of acquiring wheel speed time series information of the vehicle as the vehicle driving state information, and a local weather information acquisition unit capable of acquiring local weather information for a predetermined area from the artificial satellite; a road condition estimation unit capable of estimating a road surface condition of a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the wheel speed time series information of the vehicle traveling in the predetermined area and the local weather information; Further provided with Vehicle situation estimation system.

3. The vehicle driving information acquisition unit is capable of acquiring acceleration information, steering amount information, accelerator pedal operation amount information, and brake pedal operation amount information of the vehicle as the vehicle driving state information, and the road condition estimation unit is capable of estimating a friction condition of the road surface based on vehicle position information based on the vehicle position signal transmitted from the artificial satellite and the vehicle running state information; The vehicle situation estimation system according to claim 2 .

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