Target information providing method, roadside unit, and target information providing system

Abstract

To reduce the amount of data of target information to be provided while providing necessary target information when necessary. [Solution] The target information provision system 10 includes a roadside device 20 and a server 30. The roadside device 20 acquires traffic light information from a traffic light 3, acquires detection information of moving objects passing through an intersection from a detection device 5, selects an information provision area based on the traffic light information, extracts necessary information based on the detection information that is required to generate target information to be provided to the information provision area, and transmits the information to the server 30. The server 30 generates target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the necessary information, and provides the information to the information provision area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a target information providing method and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] As an infrastructure technology for realizing self-driving cars, development is underway on a technology that provides self-driving cars with target information, which is information on the presence of objects detected by roadside sensors, etc. This technology provides information on other cars, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. that are out of the view of the self-driving car or in its blind spots (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-42688 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-95472 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Target information is provided to autonomous vehicles via wireless communication, and real-time communication is required. Providing target information that includes unnecessary information increases the amount of communication data and puts strain on the communication bandwidth. In addition, the increase in communication data volume affects communication time, and the data used for driving control on the autonomous vehicle side may not represent the current situation, but may be slightly delayed data. As a result, it is possible that the driving control of the autonomous vehicle may induce unexpected behavior.

[0005] Furthermore, on the side of generating target information, it is required to efficiently generate target information from a huge amount of detection data and to reduce the generation of unnecessary target information as much as possible, because excessive target information can cause an excessive processing load.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide necessary target information when necessary, while reducing the amount of data of the target information to be provided. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention to solve the above problem is: A target information providing method by a target information providing system, comprising: A signal information acquisition step (e.g., step S1 in FIG. 6) of acquiring signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition step (e.g., step S3 in FIG. 6) of acquiring detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; an area selection step (e.g., step S5 in FIG. 6) of selecting an information provision area based on the traffic signal information from a plurality of areas based on the traffic route related to the intersection; a generating step (e.g., step S11 in FIG. 6) of generating target information to be provided to the information providing area based on the detection information; a providing step (e.g., step 13 in FIG. 6) of providing the target information to the information providing area; The target information providing method includes the steps of:

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, an information provision area is selected based on the signal information of the traffic lights at the intersection, and target information to be provided to the information provision area is generated and provided based on the detection information of the intersection. This makes it possible to appropriately provide necessary target information to the necessary areas while reducing the amount of data of the target information to be provided.

[0009] The second invention is the above-mentioned invention, the area selection step includes selecting the information provision area based on a route for which a right of passage to the intersection is granted based on the traffic light information; This is a method for providing target information.

[0010] According to the second invention, it is possible to appropriately provide necessary target information to an entity that requires the target information, such as an autonomous vehicle that has been granted the right of passage at an intersection and is about to pass through the intersection, thereby ensuring the safety of passage through the intersection.

[0011] The third invention is the above-mentioned invention, the area selection step includes selecting the information provision area so as to include a route to which a right of passage to the intersection is currently granted and a route to which a right of passage is scheduled to be granted within a predetermined time; This is a method for providing target information.

[0012] According to the third invention, it is possible to appropriately provide necessary target information to an entity that requires target information, such as an autonomous vehicle that has been granted right of passage at an intersection and is about to pass through the intersection, or an entity that will soon require target information, such as an autonomous vehicle that will be granted right of passage within a specified time.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned invention, the area selection step includes narrowing down and selecting the information provision area based on a direction in which a vehicle to which the target information is to be provided passes through the intersection, the providing step includes providing the target information to the vehicle. This is a method for providing target information.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to narrow down and select an information provision area based on the direction in which a vehicle to which target object information is provided passes through an intersection, thereby reducing the amount of target object information data.

[0015] The fifth invention is the above-mentioned invention, the providing step includes suppressing provision of the target information to an area other than the information provision area. This is a method for providing target information.

[0016] According to the fifth invention, target information is not provided to objects that do not currently require target information, such as autonomous vehicles that do not have the right of way at an intersection, so it is possible to appropriately reduce the amount of target information data to be provided.

[0017] The sixth invention is A roadside unit, a signal information acquisition unit that acquires signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; an area selection unit that selects an information provision area based on the traffic signal information from a plurality of areas based on a route related to the intersection; a generation unit that generates target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the detection information; a provision control unit that provides the target information to the information provision area; It is a roadside unit equipped with

[0018] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a roadside device selects an information provision area based on signal information from a traffic light at an intersection, and generates and provides target object information to be provided to the information provision area based on detection information from the intersection. This makes it possible to realize a roadside device that appropriately provides necessary target object information to necessary areas while reducing the amount of target object information data to be provided.

[0019] The seventh invention is A target information providing system including a roadside device and a server, The roadside unit a signal information acquisition unit that acquires signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; an area selection unit that selects an information provision area based on the traffic signal information from a plurality of areas based on a route related to the intersection; a necessary information extraction unit that extracts necessary information required for generating target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the detection information; a necessary information transmitting unit that transmits the necessary information to the server; Equipped with The server a generation unit that generates target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the necessary information; a provision control unit that provides the target information generated by the generation unit to the information provision area; Equipped with It is a target information providing system.

[0020] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the roadside unit selects an information provision area based on signal information from a traffic light at an intersection, extracts necessary information required for target information to be provided to the information provision area based on detection information and transmits it to a server, and the server generates and provides target information based on the necessary information. This makes it possible to realize a target information provision system that appropriately provides necessary target information to necessary areas, while reducing the data amount of the necessary information transmitted by the roadside unit, and reducing the data amount of target information provided by the server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 shows an application example of the target information providing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of selection of an information provision area. [Figure 3] Specific examples of selecting information provision areas. [Figure 4] Specific examples of selecting information provision areas. [Figure 5] An example of the functional configuration of a target information provision system. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of a process performed by the target information providing system. [Figure 7] 10 shows an application example of a roadside unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] An example of the functional configuration of a roadside unit. [Figure 9] 10 shows an application example of the target information providing system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of a setting table. [Figure 11] An example of the functional configuration of a target information provision system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals.

[0023] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 shows an application example of the target object information provision system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a top view of an intersection (crossroads) 1 to which a target object information provision system 10 is applied. The intersection 1 is a crossroads where an autonomous vehicle 7 passes, and four traffic lights 3 (3a to 3d) are installed facing four routes A to D, respectively. At this crossroads, the light colors of the traffic lights 3 (3a to 3d) change so that two intersecting traffic flows, namely a traffic flow passing through routes A and C and a traffic flow passing through routes B and D, are alternately given the right of way.

[0024] The target object information providing system 10 is a system that provides target object information to assist the passage of an autonomous vehicle 7 through an intersection 1, and includes a roadside device 20 and a server 30 that are connected to each other so as to enable data communication via a given communication network. The target object information is information on the positions and speeds of vehicles, people, etc. passing through the intersection or its vicinity.

[0025] The roadside unit 20 is installed near an intersection. The roadside unit 20 is connected to a traffic light 3 (in FIG. 1, the traffic light 3a facing direction A) installed at the intersection 1, and acquires traffic light information from the traffic light 3. The roadside unit 20 and the traffic light 3 may communicate with each other by direct connection via wired or wireless communication, or by indirect connection via a server system. The traffic light 3 may be configured to include a traffic light controller in addition to traffic light devices, in which case the roadside unit 20 may acquire traffic light information from the traffic light controller. The traffic light information includes the number of seconds for which each traffic light color will be displayed for a predetermined cycle (e.g., two cycles) from the present time.

[0026] The roadside unit 20 is also connected to the detection device 5 and acquires detection information from the detection device 5. The detection device 5 is installed near the intersection 1 so that its detection range includes the entire intersection 1, and generates detection information of moving objects passing through the intersection 1. In FIG. 1, the detection range is indicated by a shaded circle. The detection information includes the position of an object detected relative to the detection device 5. By converting this position into an absolute coordinate position, target information is generated, which includes information on the position and speed of moving objects such as automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians passing through the intersection 1. Note that in this embodiment, for ease of explanation, only automobiles are described as moving objects passing through the intersection 1. Therefore, crosswalks and the like are not illustrated at the intersection 1. However, it goes without saying that moving objects may include bicycles, pedestrians, and the like in addition to automobiles, and the intersection 1 may also have crosswalks and pedestrian traffic lights.

[0027] The detection device 5 is, for example, a LiDAR sensor, and generates point cloud data as detection information, which is a collection of data on angles and distances toward each reflection point on the object surface based on the position of the LiDAR sensor. Note that the detection device 5 is not limited to being configured as a single device as shown in Figure 1, but may be configured as a plurality of devices.

[0028] Based on the signal information acquired from the traffic light 3, the roadside device 20 extracts the necessary information from the detection information acquired from the detection device 5 to generate target information to be provided to the autonomous vehicle 7 and transmits the extracted information to the server 30.

[0029] The server 30 may be implemented as a computer system for each intersection that is installed at each intersection or that is integrated into the roadside unit 20, or as a computer system that is installed in a remote management center and that manages multiple intersections, or may even be implemented as a cloud computer system. The server 30 generates target information based on necessary information received from the roadside unit 20 via wired or wireless communication, and provides the target information to the automatically driven vehicle 7.

[0030] In the target information provision system 10, in order to reduce the amount of data communicated between the roadside device 20 and the server 30, and the amount of data communicated between the server 30 and the autonomous vehicle 7, an information provision area for which target information should be provided is set based on signal information obtained from a traffic light 3, and the target information is provided to the set information provision area.

[0031] Specifically, in this embodiment, the intersection 1 is divided into five areas a to e as shown in Fig. 2. That is, the intersection 1 is divided into five areas a to e, including areas a to d corresponding to the four routes A to D at the intersection 1, and area e corresponding to the intersection. These areas are used selectively for two purposes.

[0032] The first is used to select areas that will be used as sources of necessary information. The necessary information is target information to be provided to the autonomous vehicle 7 or information that will be the source of that target information. It is not necessarily necessary to provide information on all targets detected by the detection device 5. For example, a vehicle will not enter the intersection 1 from a direction that does not give it the right of way based on the phase of the traffic light 3 (a direction with a red light). Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to provide target information that uses such a vehicle as a target.

[0033] The second is used to select the information provision areas for which target information is provided. Areas that require target information are areas where vehicles are traveling or are scheduled to travel. For example, vehicles will not enter intersection 1 from a direction that does not give them the right of way based on the phase of traffic light 3 (the direction of the red light). Such vehicles do not require target information.

[0034] In this embodiment, the intersection 1 is divided into five areas a to e shown in Fig. 2. Each area includes an oncoming lane. Therefore, the number of areas selected for the second purpose is greater than the number of areas selected for the first purpose. That is, although there may be no vehicles entering the intersection 1 from a direction for which they do not have the right of way based on the phase of the traffic light 3 (a direction with a red light), there may be vehicles traveling in the oncoming lane of that direction and leaving the intersection 1.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the area selected as the information source of the necessary information is also included in the areas selected as targets for providing target information. In other words, the information providing area is also used as the area of ​​the information source of the necessary information.

[0036] Note that the area that is the source of the necessary information and the area to which target object information is provided may be set separately. For example, the area relating to the intersection 1 may be subdivided and divided into areas for oncoming traffic lanes for each direction, and by selecting from among these subdivided areas, the area that is the source of the necessary information and the area to which target object information is provided may be set separately and used. Alternatively, the area that is the source of the necessary information at a predetermined time, for example when all traffic lights 3 at the intersection 1 are red (all red), may be the entire intersection 1.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information provision area is further narrowed down and selected based on the direction of travel of the vehicle passing through the intersection 1. The autonomous vehicle 7 is basically controlled to travel after a destination and a planned travel route are set. Therefore, when the planned travel route is acquired through communication between the autonomous vehicle 7 with a set planned travel route and the roadside device 20, the direction to travel through the intersection 1 is determined from the planned travel route, and the information provision area is narrowed down based on the travel direction. For example, if the autonomous vehicle 7 is turning right at the intersection 1, landmark information for the direction of turning left is not required. If the vehicle is going straight through the intersection 1, landmark information for the direction of turning right and left is not required. The same applies to an automobile with a set planned travel route, although it is not an autonomous vehicle 7.

[0038] The method for determining the necessary information using the information provision area is as follows. First, information about objects (targets) present in the information provision area is extracted from the detection information acquired from the detection device 5, and this information is set as the necessary information. For example, if the detection device 5 is a LiDAR sensor, data on reflection points within the information provision area is extracted from the acquired point cloud data, and the extracted data is set as the necessary information. The extracted necessary information is then transmitted to the server 30.

[0039] Server 30 generates target information about objects (targets) present in the information provision area based on the necessary information received from roadside device 20, and transmits the information toward the information provision area. At this time, the information may be transmitted in the form of a broadcast with destination information indicating that the information is intended for the information provision area added, or, if the positions and speeds of autonomous vehicles 7 present near intersection 1 are individually known, the information may be transmitted individually to autonomous vehicles 7 present in the information provision area as destinations.

[0040] The extraction and transmission of necessary information by roadside device 20 and the generation and provision of target object information by server 30 are repeated at predetermined time intervals. As a result, while right-of-way is granted to a certain route, autonomous vehicles 7 on that route can continue to receive the latest target object information and can safely pass through intersection 1.

[0041] Furthermore, if the roadside device 20 communicates with the autonomous vehicle 7 and obtains information about the direction in which the autonomous vehicle 7 will travel through the intersection 1, the roadside device 20 further uses this information to narrow down and select an information provision area. The examples in Figures 3 and 4 are an example of this.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a specific example of providing landmark information. FIG. 3 shows an example of providing right-turn assistance to an autonomous vehicle 7a that is attempting to turn right at the intersection 1 shown in FIG. 1 from route A. In FIG. 3, the autonomous vehicle 7a traveling on route A is given the right of way at the intersection 1 when the light color of the traffic light 3a installed on the opposite side of route A is green (or may be yellow). Therefore, when the signal information of traffic light 3a is green, the road-side unit 20 selects an information provision area for providing landmark information to the autonomous vehicle 7a traveling on route A. That is, area a corresponding to route A, areas e and d where the autonomous vehicle 7a will turn right, and area c where an oncoming vehicle is traveling are selected as information provision areas.

[0043] In addition to when the light color of traffic light 3 is green, if the remaining number of seconds for the previous red light becomes a predetermined number of seconds (for example, 3 seconds) or less, the light color of traffic light 3 will soon change to green and right of way will be granted. Therefore, the information provision area may also be selected when the remaining number of seconds for the red light becomes a predetermined number of seconds (for example, 3 seconds) or less.

[0044] Next, roadside unit 20 extracts information corresponding to information provision areas a, c, d, and e from the detection information acquired from detection device 5, and sets this information as necessary information. Then, it transmits the extracted necessary information to server 30. Server 30 generates target information about objects (targets) present in information provision areas a, c, d, and e based on the necessary information received from roadside unit 20, and transmits this information to autonomous vehicles 7a in the information provision areas a, c, d, and e. Therefore, autonomous vehicles 7a on route A can continuously receive the latest target information necessary to turn right at intersection 1, and can safely pass through intersection 1 based on this target information.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows another specific example of providing target object information. FIG. 4 shows an example of providing straight-through assistance to an autonomous vehicle 7b that is attempting to travel straight through the intersection 1 from route B at the intersection 1 shown in FIG. The autonomous vehicle 7b is granted the right-of-way when the traffic light 3b on the opposite side of route B is green. Since the right-of-way is granted alternately between routes A and C and routes B and D, the road-side unit 20 selects an information provision area for providing target object information to the autonomous vehicle 7b on route B when the traffic light information for traffic light 3a is red. In other words, area b corresponding to route B and areas b, d, and e through which the autonomous vehicle 7b will travel straight are selected as information provision areas.

[0046] Next, information corresponding to information provision areas b, d, and e is extracted from the detection information obtained from detection device 5, and this information is set as necessary information, and the extracted necessary information is transmitted to server 30. Server 30 generates target information for objects (targets) present in information provision areas b, d, and e based on the necessary information received from roadside unit 20, and transmits this information to autonomous vehicles 7b in information provision areas b, d, and e. Therefore, autonomous vehicles 7b on route B can continuously receive the latest target information necessary for traveling straight through intersection 1, and can safely travel through intersection 1 based on this target information.

[0047] Fig. 5 shows an example of the functional configuration of the target information providing system 10. As shown in Fig. 5, the target information providing system 10 includes a roadside device 20 and a server 30. The roadside device 20 includes a signal information acquiring unit 21, a detection information acquiring unit 22, an area selecting unit 23, a necessary information extracting unit 24, and a necessary information transmitting unit 25.

[0048] The traffic light information acquisition unit 21 acquires traffic light information from the traffic lights 3 at the intersection 1 .

[0049] The detection information acquisition unit 22 acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection 1. Specifically, the detection information acquisition unit 22 acquires detection information including information on the position of an automobile, which is a moving object, from a detection device 5 installed so that the entire intersection 1 is included in its detection range.

[0050] The area selection unit 23 selects an information provision area based on traffic light information from among multiple areas based on the route through the intersection 1. The area selection unit 23 also selects an information provision area based on the route for which right of way to the intersection 1 is granted based on the traffic light information. The area selection unit 23 also selects an information provision area so as to include the route for which right of way to the intersection 1 is currently granted and the route for which right of way is scheduled to be granted within a predetermined time. Furthermore, if information on the planned driving route of the autonomous vehicle 7 (information on which direction to travel through the intersection 1) can be obtained, the area selection unit 23 narrows down and selects an information provision area based on that information.

[0051] Specifically, intersection 1 is divided into five areas a to e, with areas a to d corresponding to four routes A to D, respectively, and area e corresponding to the intersection (see Fig. 2), and an information provision area to which target information is to be provided is selected for each area based on signal information obtained from traffic lights 3. In other words, the information provision area is selected so as to include the route of autonomous vehicle 7 on the route that has been granted right of way at intersection 1, and the area where autonomous vehicle 7 must be aware of the presence of targets for safe autonomous driving control.

[0052] The necessary information extraction unit 24 extracts necessary information required to generate target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the detection information. That is, information relating to objects (targets) existing in the information provision area is extracted from the detection information and used as the necessary information.

[0053] The necessary information transmitting unit 25 transmits the necessary information to the server 30 .

[0054] The server 30 includes a target information generating unit 31 and a provision control unit 32 .

[0055] The target information generating unit 31 generates target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the necessary information received from the roadside device 20. That is, the target information is generated as information on the position and speed of an object (target) existing in the information provision area.

[0056] The provision control unit 32 provides the target information generated by the target information generating unit 31 to the information provision area, while inhibiting the provision of the target information to areas other than the information provision area.

[0057] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the process for providing target information performed by the target information providing system 10. In FIG. 6, the left side shows the process of the roadside device 20, and the right side shows the process of the server 30.

[0058] First, in the roadside device 20, the traffic light information acquisition unit 21 acquires traffic light information from the traffic light 3 at the intersection (step S1). The detection information acquisition unit 22 acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection 1 from the detection device 5 (step S3). Next, the area selection unit 23 selects an information provision area from multiple areas based on the traffic route related to the intersection based on the traffic light information (step S5). Furthermore, if the roadside device 20 communicates with the autonomous vehicle 7 and acquires information on the direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle 7 through the intersection 1, the information provision area is narrowed down based on the information on the travel direction (step S6). The examples in FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate this. Next, the necessary information extraction unit 24 extracts necessary information required to generate target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the detection information (step S7). The necessary information transmission unit 25 then transmits the extracted necessary information to the server 30 (step S9).

[0059] Then, in the server 30, the target information generating unit 31 generates target information to be provided to the information provision area based on the necessary information received from the roadside device 20 (step S11). Then, the provision control unit 32 provides the generated target information to the information provision area (step S13).

[0060] As described above, in the target object information provision system 10 of the first embodiment, the roadside device 20 selects an information provision area for which target object information should be provided, based on signal information acquired from the traffic light 3, extracts information necessary for generating target object information for the information provision area from the detection information acquired from the detection device 5, and transmits the information to the server 30. The server 30 generates target object information based on the information received from the roadside device 20 and provides the information to the information provision area. This makes it possible to provide necessary target object information to an autonomous vehicle 7 passing through the intersection 1 when necessary, while reducing the amount of data communication between the roadside device 20 and the server 30 and between the server 30 and the autonomous vehicle 7.

[0061] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted or simplified. The second embodiment is an embodiment of a roadside unit having the same functions as the target information providing system 10 of the first embodiment described above.

[0062] Fig. 7 shows an example of application of the roadside device according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 shows a top view of an intersection 1 to which a roadside device 20B according to the second embodiment is applied. As in Fig. 1, this intersection 1 is a crossroads, and four traffic lights 3a to 3d are installed facing four routes A to D, respectively. In addition, the light colors of the traffic lights 3a to 3d change so that two intersecting traffic flows, a traffic flow traveling on routes A and C and a traffic flow traveling on routes B and D, are alternately given the right of way.

[0063] The roadside unit 20B is a system that provides target information to assist the passage of an autonomous vehicle 7 through the intersection 1, and is installed near the intersection 1. The roadside unit 20B is connected to a traffic light 3 (traffic light 3a facing direction A in FIG. 7 ) installed at the intersection 1, and acquires signal information from the traffic light 3. The roadside unit 20B is also connected to a detection device 5, and acquires detection information from the detection device 5.

[0064] The roadside device 20B selects an information provision area in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, based on traffic light information acquired from the traffic light 3. Furthermore, when the roadside device 20B communicates with the automatically driven vehicle 7 and acquires information on the direction in which the automatically driven vehicle 7 will travel through the intersection 1, the roadside device 20B further uses this information to narrow down and select an information provision area.

[0065] Then, based on the detection information acquired from the detection device 5, target information to be provided to the information provision area is generated and provided to the information provision area. That is, information on objects present in the information provision area is extracted from the detection information acquired from the detection device 5, and based on the extracted information, target information, which is information on the position and speed of objects (targets) present in the information provision area, is generated and transmitted to the information provision area.

[0066] Fig. 8 shows an example of the functional configuration of the roadside device 20B. As shown in Fig. 8, the roadside device 20B includes a traffic light information acquisition unit 21, a detection information acquisition unit 22, an area selection unit 23, a necessary information extraction unit 24, a necessary information transmission unit 25, a target information generation unit 31B, and a provision control unit 32.

[0067] The target information generating unit 31B generates target information to be provided to the information providing area based on the detection information acquired by the detection information acquiring unit 22. That is, the target information generating unit 31B extracts information necessary for generating target information to be provided to the information providing area from the detection information, and generates target information to be provided to the information providing area based on the extracted information.

[0068] In this way, the roadside device 20B in the second embodiment selects an information provision area for which to provide target object information based on signal information acquired from the traffic light 3, and generates target object information based on detection information acquired from the detection device 5 and provides the generated target object information to the information provision area. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data in communication between the roadside device 20 and the autonomously driven vehicle 7 while providing the autonomously driven vehicle 7 passing through the intersection 1 with the target object information it needs when necessary.

[0069] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first or second embodiment described above will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted or simplified. The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the roadside unit 20 in the target information providing system 10 of the first embodiment is configured to be connected to two or more (plural) traffic lights 3 and acquire signal information from each traffic light 3.

[0070] Fig. 9 shows an application example of the target object information provision system according to the third embodiment. Fig. 9 shows a top view of an intersection 1 to which a target object information provision system 10C according to the third embodiment is applied. As in Fig. 1, this intersection 1 is a crossroads, and four traffic lights 3a to 3d are installed facing four routes A to D, respectively. In addition, the light colors of the traffic lights 3a to 3d change so that two intersecting traffic flows, a traffic flow traveling on routes A and C and a traffic flow traveling on routes B and D, are alternately given the right of way.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 9, a target information provision system 10C in the third embodiment includes a roadside device 20C and a server 30. The roadside device 20C is connected to two traffic lights 3 (in Fig. 9, a traffic light 3a installed on the opposite side of route A and a traffic light 3d installed on the opposite side of route D) and acquires traffic light information from each traffic light 3. Then, based on the acquired traffic light information, an information provision area is selected in accordance with a setting table 29, an example of which is shown in Fig. 10.

[0072] FIG. 10 is an example of the setting table 29. The setting table 29 is a data table that associates a signal step, which is a combination of the light colors of the traffic lights 3 facing each direction, with an information provision area to be selected. When the light color is green or yellow, it indicates that there is right of way to the intersection 1, and when the light color is red, it indicates that there is no right of way to the intersection 1. The signal step corresponds to the transition of the signal cycle of the intersection 1.

[0073] First, at signal step ST1, where all traffic lights 3 are red (all red) and no traffic flows at intersection 1 are given the right-of-way, no area is selected as an information provision area. Next, when the light colors of traffic lights 3a and 3c facing routes A and C change to green, and the system transitions to signal step ST2, where the right-of-way is given to traffic flows from routes A and C, all areas a, b, c, d, and e are selected as information provision areas. Next, when the light colors of traffic lights 3a and 3c change to yellow, and the system transitions to signal step ST3, the same is true. Next, when traffic light 3a facing route A changes to a right-turn arrow light, and the system transitions to signal step ST4, where the right-of-way is given to traffic flows turning right from route A, areas a, d, and e are selected as information provision areas. Next, the light color of traffic lights 3a and 3c changes to red, and all traffic lights 3 become red (all red), and the system transitions to signal step ST5, where no traffic flow is given the right of way, and again no areas are selected as information provision areas.

[0074] Subsequently, when the lights of traffic lights 3b and 3d facing routes B and D change to green and the system transitions to signal step ST6, where the right-of-way is given to the traffic flow on routes B and D, all areas a, b, c, d, and e are selected as information provision areas. The same is true when the lights of traffic lights 3b and 3d change to yellow and the system transitions to signal step ST7. Then, when the lights of traffic lights 3b and 3d change to red and all traffic lights 3 are red (all red), one signal cycle ends and the system returns to the first signal step ST1.

[0075] 10, for example, in the case of signal steps ST1 and ST5, which are immediately preceding signal steps that include a route where the light color will change to green at the next signal step, the information provision area may be updated to include the information provision area of ​​the next signal step a predetermined number of seconds before the end of the immediately preceding signal step. This is to start providing target information in advance to traffic flows that will soon be given the right of way as the light color changes to green.

[0076] The information provision areas in setting table 29 in Figure 10 are the general rule. For example, if at signal step ST2 the only autonomous vehicle 7 that can enter intersection 1 is a vehicle attempting to turn right from route A, and road-side unit 20C has acquired information from that autonomous vehicle 7 that it will turn right, then the information provision areas are narrowed down to areas a, c, d, and e, as described with reference to Figure 3. In this way, the road-side unit 20C narrows down the information provision areas based on information about the direction of travel of the vehicle entering intersection 1, and determines the information provision areas.

[0077] Fig. 11 shows an example of the functional configuration of a target object information providing system 10C. As shown in Fig. 11, the target object information providing system 10C includes a roadside device 20C and a server 30. The roadside device 20C includes a signal information acquiring unit 21C, a detection information acquiring unit 22, an area selecting unit 23C, a necessary information extracting unit 24, and a necessary information transmitting unit 25.

[0078] The traffic light information acquisition unit 21C acquires traffic light information from each of the plurality of traffic lights 3 at the intersection 1.

[0079] The area selection unit 23C selects an information provision area based on the traffic light information from among a plurality of areas based on the route relating to the intersection 1. Specifically, the area selection unit 23C selects an information provision area that corresponds to the combination of light colors of the plurality of traffic lights 3 indicated by the traffic light information acquired from each of the plurality of traffic lights 3, in accordance with the setting table 29. Furthermore, if the area selection unit 23C is able to acquire information on the planned driving route of the autonomous vehicle 7 (information on which direction to travel through the intersection 1), it narrows down and selects an information provision area based on that information.

[0080] [Action and effect] According to the first to third embodiments, an information provision area is selected based on signal information from the traffic lights 3 at the intersection, and target information to be provided to the information provision area is generated and provided based on detection information of the intersection. This makes it possible to appropriately provide necessary target information to autonomous vehicles 7 in the necessary areas while reducing the amount of target information data to be provided.

[0081] [Variations] It should be noted that the embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0082] For example, the roadside device 20 in the second embodiment may also be configured to be connected to two or more traffic signals 3, similar to the third embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10,10C...Target information provision system 20,20B,20C…Roadside machine 21,21C…Signal acquisition section 22...Detection information acquisition unit 23, 23C...Area selection section 24… Necessary information extraction part 25...Necessary information transmission section 30...Server 31…Target information generation unit 32...Provision control unit 1...Intersection 3(3a~3d)…Traffic light 5. Detection device 7(7a,7b)...Autonomous vehicles

Claims

1. The target information provision system a signal information acquisition step of acquiring signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition step of acquiring detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; a planned driving route information acquisition step of acquiring information on a planned driving route from a vehicle passing through the intersection; an area selection step of selecting an information provision area from a plurality of areas based on a route related to the intersection, based on a specific route that is a route for which the right of passage to the intersection is granted based on the traffic signal information and that corresponds to a direction of passing through the intersection based on the planned travel route; a generating step of extracting information about a moving object present in the information provision area from the detection information and generating target information for the vehicle; a providing step of providing the target information to the information providing area for the vehicle; A target information providing method that executes the above.

2. the area selection step includes determining, as the specific route, a route corresponding to a direction in which the vehicle will travel through the intersection based on the planned travel route, from among a route for which the vehicle is currently granted right of passage to the intersection and a route for which the vehicle is scheduled to be granted right of passage within a predetermined time, and selecting the information provision area based on the specific route. The target information providing method according to claim 1 .

3. the providing step includes suppressing provision of the target information to an area other than the information provision area.

3. The target information providing method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A roadside unit, a signal information acquisition unit that acquires signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; a planned driving route information acquisition unit that acquires information about a planned driving route from a vehicle passing through the intersection; an area selection unit that selects an information provision area from a plurality of areas based on a route related to the intersection, based on a specific route that is a route for which a right of passage to the intersection is granted based on the traffic signal information and that corresponds to a direction of passing through the intersection based on the planned travel route; a generation unit that extracts information about a moving object present in the information provision area from the detection information and generates target information for the vehicle; a provision control unit that provides the target information to the vehicle in the information provision area; A roadside unit comprising:

5. A target information providing system including a roadside device and a server, The roadside unit a signal information acquisition unit that acquires signal information from a traffic light at an intersection; a detection information acquisition unit that acquires detection information of a moving object passing through the intersection; a planned driving route information acquisition unit that acquires information about a planned driving route from a vehicle passing through the intersection; an area selection unit that selects an information provision area from a plurality of areas based on a route related to the intersection, based on a specific route that is a route for which a right of passage to the intersection is granted based on the traffic signal information and that corresponds to a direction of passing through the intersection based on the planned travel route; a necessary information extraction unit that extracts information about moving objects present in the information provision area from the detection information and extracts necessary information required for generating target information for the automobile; a necessary information transmitting unit that transmits the necessary information to the server; Equipped with The server a generation unit that generates target information for the vehicle to be provided to the information provision area based on the necessary information; a provision control unit that provides the target information generated by the generation unit to the information provision area; Equipped with Target information provision system.

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