Entry Permission Control Device

Abstract

To provide a new method for controlling vehicle entry into an intersection. [Solution] In an entry permission / denial control device (1), a storage unit (170) stores inter-route conflict data (171) that determines whether or not routes, which are combinations of entry routes and exit routes to an intersection, conflict with each other. The entry permission / denial control device (1) includes: a driving information acquisition unit (151) that acquires driving information from a vehicle, including position information and route information of the vehicle; a priority setting unit (155) that sets a priority for an entering vehicle that is scheduled to enter the intersection based on the driving information; an arbitration unit (157) that determines whether or not a target vehicle among the entering vehicles conflicts with an entering vehicle that has a higher priority than the target vehicle based on the inter-route conflict data (171), thereby arbitrating whether or not the target vehicle should be allowed to enter the intersection; and an arbitration information notification control unit (159) that controls notification of the arbitration information to the target vehicle.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an entry permission control device that controls whether or not a vehicle is allowed to enter an intersection. [Background technology]

[0002] At intersections, traffic signal control is carried out to control the operation of traffic lights in order to ensure smooth traffic flow. One type of traffic signal control is known as priority control, which changes signal control parameters to give priority to specific vehicles, such as public vehicles such as route buses (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-115123 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, technological developments have been progressing for autonomous vehicles capable of autonomous driving. Autonomous driving is characterized by the ability to control driving direction, speed, and other aspects without human intervention. Therefore, if all vehicles passing through an intersection are autonomous, it would be extremely convenient to realize intersection entry control that allows vehicles to pass through the intersection more smoothly and efficiently than before, which would be beneficial for the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, it would be extremely convenient if a system could notify drivers of whether or not they are permitted to enter an intersection so that vehicles can pass through the intersection smoothly and efficiently, regardless of whether or not they are autonomous.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new method for controlling entry of a vehicle into an intersection or for controlling notification regarding entry. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention to solve the above problem is: An entry permission / denial control device that controls entry permission / denial to a predetermined intersection through which a vehicle passes, the vehicle is equipped with a communication control device that communicates with the entry permission control device, and an entry control device (for example, the driving control device 14 of FIG. 1) that controls entry into the intersection or controls notification regarding entry based on given arbitration information received from the entry permission control device; a route conflict data storage means (for example, the storage unit 170 in FIG. 14) for storing route conflict data that determines whether or not routes that are combinations of approach routes and exit routes to the intersection conflict with each other; A travel information acquisition means (for example, the travel information acquisition unit 151 in FIG. 14) that acquires travel information from the vehicle, the travel information including the position information of the vehicle and information indicating the route of the vehicle; a priority setting means (for example, the priority setting unit 155 in FIG. 14) for setting priorities of vehicles that are scheduled to enter the intersection based on the travel information; an arbitration means (for example, the arbitration unit 157 in FIG. 14) for determining whether or not a route conflict exists between a target vehicle among the vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection and another vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection that has a higher priority than the target vehicle, based on the route conflict data; arbitration information notification control means (for example, arbitration information notification control unit 159 in FIG. 14) that controls notification of the arbitration information indicating the arbitration result of the arbitration means to the target vehicle; The entry permission control device is provided with the above.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, a new method for controlling vehicle entry into an intersection or for controlling notification of entry into the intersection can be realized. Specifically, an entry permission / denial control device stores path conflict data that predetermines whether paths conflict with each other at the intersection. Then, a priority is set for vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection, and a target vehicle among the vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection is determined based on the path conflict data to determine whether the target vehicle's path conflicts with vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection that have a higher priority than the target vehicle. The result of the determination is notified to the target vehicle. Therefore, an autonomous vehicle can control entry into the intersection based on the notified determination result. Furthermore, a driver-driven vehicle can control notification of entry into the intersection based on the notified determination result.

[0008] The second invention is the above-mentioned invention, The inter-route conflict data is data that indicates, by one bit, whether or not there is a conflict for each combination of the routes, The arbitration means determines whether or not to permit the target vehicle to enter the intersection by performing a logical operation on the value of the one bit for each of the paths of the vehicles scheduled to enter that have a higher priority than the path of the target vehicle. It is an entry permission control device.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the path conflict data is stored as data representing the presence or absence of a conflict for each combination of paths using one bit. Then, a logical operation of the one-bit value representing the presence or absence of the conflict is performed to determine whether or not there is a path conflict with a vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection with a higher priority, thereby making it possible to determine whether or not to allow entry into the intersection.

[0010] The third invention is the above-mentioned invention, the route conflict data storage means stores the route conflict data for each of a plurality of intersections, the priority setting means sets a priority for each of the intersections, the arbitration means makes a decision on whether or not to permit the target vehicle to enter the intersection for each of the intersections; It is an entry permission control device.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, an entry permission / denial control device that controls entry to a plurality of intersections can be realized. That is, inter-path conflict data is stored for each intersection. Then, a priority is set for each intersection, and entry permission / denial can be determined using the corresponding inter-path conflict data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an application example of an entry permission control device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of setting data on conflicts between routes. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining setting of course conflict data. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of setting the route conflict data. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining the setting of the path conflict data. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the process of determining a vehicle scheduled to enter; [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a priority setting process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining arbitration processing. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an entry permission control device. [Figure 15]4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by an entry permission control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and 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 parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an application example of the entry permission / refusal control device 1 in this embodiment. Fig. 1 shows an example of an intersection (crossroads) IA having four routes E, W, S, and N. The entry permission / refusal control device 1 in this embodiment controls entry permission / refusal to each intersection in a road network on which an autonomously driven automobile 10 travels.

[0015] In controlling entry permission and denial, the entry permission and denial control device 1 communicates with automobiles 10 traveling on the roads via wireless base stations 3 installed at various locations so that the communication range covers the entire road network to be controlled. Specifically, the entry permission and denial control device 1 receives driving information 32 from each automobile 10. The driving information 32 is information related to the driving of the automobile 10, and includes the automobile ID of the automobile 10, location information indicating the driving position, speed information indicating the driving speed, information on the distance to the nearest intersection (for example, the distance to the stop line at the intersection), and route information indicating the route at the intersection. Each automobile 10 generates the latest driving information 32 at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the entry permission and denial control device 1 as needed.

[0016] The route information includes information on the approach route to the next intersection and information on the exit route from the intersection. For example, assume that the planned travel route of automobile 10a traveling on route W in Fig. 1 is a route that turns right at intersection IA. In this case, the travel information 32 generated by automobile 10a includes the approach route W to intersection IA and the exit route S from intersection IA in the route information, and is transmitted to the entry permission control device 1.

[0017] Then, the entry permission control device 1 determines that a vehicle 10 that is scheduled to enter the intersection is a vehicle scheduled to enter based on the received travel information 32 of each vehicle 10, and determines whether the vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection is permitted to enter the intersection. The entry permission control device 1 then notifies the relevant vehicle 10 of ruling information 34 indicating the ruling result. The ruling information 34 includes the vehicle ID of the vehicle 10, the intersection ID of the intersection, and the ruling result of whether or not the vehicle is permitted to enter the intersection. In this embodiment, the ruling result is set to "entry permitted" or "waiting for judgment."

[0018] The automobile 10 is equipped with a communication control device 12 that wirelessly communicates with the entry permission / rejection control device 1 via a wireless base station 3, and a driving control device 14 that has an automatic driving driving control function. A planned driving route is preset in the driving control device 14 by the occupant or the entry permission / rejection control device 1, and the driving control device 14 generates driving information 32 of the automobile (automobile 10) as needed along this planned driving route, transmits it to the entry permission / rejection control device 1, and controls automatic driving by receiving arbitration information 34 from the entry permission / rejection control device 1. The driving control function of the driving control device 14 includes known functions that realize various driving controls, such as preventing collisions and maintaining a safe distance between vehicles by automatically operating the accelerator, brakes, and steering wheel after recognizing other vehicles based on images captured by an on-board camera.

[0019] Furthermore, the driving control function of the driving control device 14 of this embodiment includes a function to control entry into an intersection based on arbitration information 34 from the entry permission control device 1. Specifically, when the arbitration information 34 indicates "entry permission," the driving control device 14 controls driving so that the vehicle enters the intersection from the entry route on which the vehicle is currently traveling and proceeds to the exit route. On the other hand, when the arbitration information 34 indicates "waiting for judgment," the driving control device 14 controls driving so that the vehicle does not enter the intersection but stops at a predetermined position (for example, the stop line at the intersection).

[0020] [detail] In this embodiment, route conflict data 171 (see FIG. 14) is prepared in advance for each intersection in the road network to be controlled and stored in the storage unit 170. The entry permission / denial control device 1 performs entry permission / denial control for each intersection to be controlled using the route conflict data 171 for that intersection. The entry permission / denial control here is performed repeatedly at a predetermined control cycle. This is because the traveling position and traveling speed of the automobile 10 change from moment to moment.

[0021] Specifically, the entry permission / denial control device 1 executes each of the processes (1) to (4) for all intersections related to the control target at each control cycle. That is, the entry permission / denial control device 1 executes (1) a planned entry vehicle determination process for determining which vehicles are scheduled to enter the intersection, (2) a priority setting process for setting priorities for the planned entry vehicles, (3) an arbitration process for determining whether a target vehicle among the planned entry vehicles is permitted to enter the intersection in accordance with the priority, and (4) an arbitration information notification control process for notifying the target vehicle of arbitration information 34 that sets the arbitration result for the target vehicle. Each process will be explained below, focusing on one intersection (for example, intersection IA in FIG. 1).

[0022] 1. About career path competition data Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of setting the inter-route conflict data 171 for an intersection IA of interest, and Figs. 3 to 6 are diagrams for explaining the setting of the inter-route conflict data 171 when the intersection is a crossroads. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing another example of setting the inter-route conflict data 171, and Figs. 8 to 10 are diagrams for explaining the setting of the inter-route conflict data 171 for the intersection in Fig. 7. The inter-route conflict data 171 determines whether or not routes that are combinations of approach routes and exit routes to a corresponding intersection conflict with each other.

[0023] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a cross intersection such as intersection IA of interest, there are four routes with route S as the entry route: a route with route W as the exit route (left turn), a route with route N as the exit route (straight ahead), a route with route E as the exit route (right turn), and a route with route S as the exit route (U-turn). Because the cross intersection has four routes E, W, S, and N, there are a total of 16 routes. Route conflict data 171 is prepared as a table of all combinations of these 16 routes, indicating whether or not the routes in the combination conflict with each other.

[0024] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the presence or absence of a conflict is represented by one bit, with "0" representing the presence of a conflict and "1" representing the absence of a conflict, and a combination table filled with "1" or "0" is prepared as inter-route conflict data 171. In Fig. 2, the routes are represented by separating the approach route and the exit route with a comma. For example, the route notation for an approach route E and an exit route N is E,N.

[0025] In this embodiment, when automobiles 10 traveling on two routes related to a combination are allowed to enter an intersection simultaneously, the two routes are considered to be "non-conflicting." Conversely, routes that do not allow simultaneous entry are considered to be "conflicting." Basically, routes that go in opposite directions, such as the combination of routes W, E and routes E, W shown in FIG. 4, do not conflict, while intersecting routes, such as the combination of routes W, E and routes S, N shown in FIG. 5, do conflict. Furthermore, although not shown, routes with the same approach route but different exit routes do not conflict. On the other hand, routes with the same exit route but different approach routes do conflict.

[0026] In addition, for some combinations of routes, whether or not they conflict can be set individually for each intersection. For example, for the combination of routes W and S and routes N and E shown in Figure 6, for intersections where the road width is wide and simultaneous entry of vehicles 10 traveling on each route is permitted, route conflict data 171 is prepared in which the data for that combination is set to non-conflict (the data is set to "1"). In cases such as when intersection IA is a large (wide) intersection, it is possible to allow simultaneous entry of such routes. In Figure 2, the data for the combination of routes N and E and routes W and S is shown with hatching, and an example is shown in which each is set to "1".

[0027] However, even if the intersections are of the same type (here, a crossroads), there may be intersections where it is desirable to prohibit simultaneous entry, such as an intersection where narrow roads intersect. In the path conflict data 171 for such intersections, the data for the combination is set to "0."

[0028] Although the setting of the inter-path conflict data 171 has been explained using a cross intersection as an example, the inter-path conflict data 171 can be set in a similar manner for various intersections such as three-way intersections, four-way intersections, five-way intersections or more. That is, the inter-path conflict data 171 is prepared for all combinations of paths that pass through the intersection, and contains data on whether the paths conflict with each other (for example, one-bit data indicating whether the paths conflict with each other).

[0029] For example, Fig. 7 shows an example of setting the inter-route conflict data 171 when the intersection is a three-way intersection (Y-junction). Basically, routes that do not intersect with each other do not conflict, such as the combination of routes A, B and routes B, C shown in Fig. 8, but routes that intersect with each other do conflict, such as the combination of routes B, A and routes A, C shown in Fig. 9. In addition, routes with the same exit direction also conflict with each other, such as the combination of routes A, B and routes C, B shown in Fig. 10.

[0030] 2. Processing to determine entering vehicles FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the process for determining whether a vehicle is scheduled to enter the intersection IA. In the process, the entry permission / denial control device 1 determines, based on the travel information 32 received from each vehicle 10 (vehicle management information 173 updated and managed based on the travel information 32; see FIG. 14), that a vehicle that is within a predetermined distance from the intersection IA is scheduled to enter the intersection IA. In FIG. 11, the distance that is considered to be a vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection IA is shown as a target range in the shape of a dashed circle centered on the intersection IA. The entry permission / denial control device 1 determines that a vehicle 10 that is traveling on the entry route of its course, among the vehicles 10 whose travel position is located within the target range, is scheduled to enter the intersection IA, and sets the vehicle 10 as a vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection IA. Information on the distance to the next intersection in the received travel information 32 can also be used to determine whether a vehicle is scheduled to enter the intersection IA. In the case of FIG. 11, five vehicles 10a to 10e are determined to be scheduled to enter and are set as scheduled vehicles.

[0031] The size of the target range may be the same for all intersections, or may be different for each intersection. For example, the size of the target range to be applied to each intersection can be set appropriately depending on the size of the intersection, traffic volume, etc.

[0032] 3. Management of vehicles entering the area In this embodiment, an entry vehicle list 175 is prepared for each intersection (see FIG. 14). The entry permission control device 1 manages the vehicles that are scheduled to enter for each intersection by registering, rearranging, and deregistering the vehicles that are scheduled to enter in the entry vehicle list 175 as needed.

[0033] First, the entry of a planned-entry vehicle into the planned-entry vehicle list 175 is performed based on the result of the above-mentioned planned-entry vehicle determination process. The planned-entry vehicle list 175 is set in association with the vehicle ID of the vehicle 10 determined to be a planned-entry vehicle in the planned-entry vehicle determination process, the route of the planned-entry vehicle at intersection IA, and the arbitration result of the subsequent process (see, for example, FIG. 12(b)). If a vehicle 10 is determined to be a new planned-entry vehicle at intersection IA in the planned-entry vehicle determination process, the entry permission / denial control device 1 registers the vehicle ID in the planned-entry vehicle list 175 for intersection IA. At this time, the route is set to the route indicated by the route information in the travel information 32 received from the vehicle 10. In addition, the arbitration result is set to "waiting for determination" as an initial value. The arbitration result is rewritten to "entry permitted" when a ruling is made in the subsequent arbitration process to permit the planned-entry vehicle to enter intersection IA.

[0034] Next, the order of the vehicles scheduled to enter is rearranged based on the results of a priority setting process, which will be described later.

[0035] The registration of a vehicle that is scheduled to enter from the list of vehicles scheduled to enter 175 is cancelled when the vehicle 10 in question passes through the intersection. For example, the entry permission / refusal control device 1 monitors the driving position of the vehicle that is scheduled to enter. When the vehicle that is scheduled to enter passes through the intersection IA and proceeds from the entry route to the exit route, the entry permission / refusal control device 1 deletes the record of the vehicle that is scheduled to enter from the list of vehicles scheduled to enter 175 of the intersection IA, and cancels the registration.

[0036] 4. Priority setting process In the priority setting process, the entry permission / rejection control device 1 sets a priority to each of the vehicles that are scheduled to enter determined in the process for determining whether or not the vehicle is scheduled to enter. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining the priority setting process, and shows vehicles 10a to 10e that are determined to be vehicles that are scheduled to enter in the preceding process for determining whether or not the vehicle is scheduled to enter (Fig. 12(a)), and an example of rearrangement of the vehicles that are scheduled to enter in the list 175 of vehicles that are scheduled to enter prepared for the intersection IA (Fig. 12(b)).

[0037] The entry permission control device 1 first sets the priority of the entry-planned vehicle whose corresponding arbitration result is "entry permitted" to, for example, 1st among the entry-planned vehicles. This applies to the entry-planned vehicle that has been arbitrated to be allowed to enter in the previous arbitration process and has not yet passed through intersection IA.

[0038] Next, the entry permission control device 1 calculates the estimated arrival time at intersection IA for the entering vehicles whose arbitration result is "awaiting judgment." For example, the entry permission control device 1 calculates the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 10 at intersection IA from the traveling position and traveling speed of the vehicle 10 based on the traveling information 32 from the vehicle 10. Then, the entry permission control device 1 sorts the entering vehicles that are "awaiting judgment" in order of their estimated arrival time and sets priorities from second place onwards.

[0039] 5. Arbitration Process 13 is a diagram for explaining the arbitration process, and shows an example of the list of vehicles scheduled to enter 175 after the arbitration process. In the arbitration process, the entry permission control device 1 sequentially sets the scheduled entering vehicles whose arbitration result is "awaiting judgment" as target vehicles and determines whether or not to permit the target vehicles to enter intersection IA.

[0040] Here, the entry permission / denial control device 1 identifies an entering vehicle with a higher priority than the target vehicle from the entering vehicle list 175 after the priority setting process shown in Fig. 12(b), and determines whether or not there is a conflict in route between the identified entering vehicle and the target vehicle based on the route conflict data 171. In this example, the entry permission / denial control device 1 sequentially determines whether or not to permit entry into intersection IA for the three entering vehicles with second or lower priority, one after the other.

[0041] For example, if we focus on the second-place vehicle (vehicle 10c) scheduled to enter as the target vehicle, there are two vehicles scheduled to enter at higher ranks, so we determine whether the target vehicle and each of these two vehicles scheduled to enter have competing routes.

[0042] Specifically, first, data corresponding to each combination of the target vehicle's routes S and N and the routes E and W and routes W and N of the top two vehicles scheduled to enter is read from the route conflict data 171. Then, a logical operation is performed on the read data (a 1-bit value indicating the presence or absence of a conflict), and if the logical product (AND) is "1", a ruling is made to allow the target vehicle to enter intersection IA. If all the read data are "1", this is because the target vehicle's route does not conflict with any of the routes of the top two vehicles scheduled to enter. In this case, the ruling result is "permit entry". On the other hand, if the logical product is "0", that is, if some or all of the read data are "0", a ruling is not made to allow the target vehicle to enter intersection IA. In this case, the ruling result is "waiting for judgment". In this example, the route conflict data 171 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the latter, so the decision result for the vehicle 10c remains "waiting for decision" as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG.

[0043] Furthermore, if we focus on the third-place vehicle (vehicle 10e) as the target vehicle, there are three vehicles that are ranked higher and are scheduled to enter, so we determine whether the target vehicle has a conflicting route with each of the three vehicles that are scheduled to enter.

[0044] Specifically, first, data corresponding to each combination of the target vehicle's routes E and S and the routes E and W, W and N, and S and N of the top three entering vehicles is read from the route conflict data 171. Then, if the logical product of the read data is "1," entry is permitted; if the logical product is "0," the system waits for a decision and determines whether or not to permit entry into the intersection. In this example, since all data for each combination in the route conflict data 171 in FIG. 2 are "1," the determination result for vehicle 10e is updated to "entry permitted," as indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 13. According to this process, vehicle 10e's estimated arrival time at intersection IA is later than vehicle 10c and thus its initial priority is lower. However, since its route does not conflict with any of the higher-ranking entering vehicles, it is determined to be permitted to enter the intersection before vehicle 10c.

[0045] A similar judgment is made for the fourth-place vehicle planning to enter, and a decision is made as to whether or not it will be allowed to enter intersection IA.

[0046] 6. Arbitration Information Notification Control Processing In the arbitration information notification control process, the entry permission / denial control device 1 controls to notify the target vehicle of arbitration information 34 indicating the arbitration result for the target vehicle. For a vehicle 10 that has been permitted to enter intersection IA through this process, arbitration information 34 with the arbitration result set to "entry permitted" is sent. For a vehicle 10 that has been determined to be a vehicle scheduled to enter and has been subject to arbitration processing, but has not been permitted to enter and is still waiting for a decision, arbitration information 34 with the arbitration result set to "waiting for decision" is sent.

[0047] [Function Configuration] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the entry permission control device 1. As shown in Fig. 14, the entry permission control device 1 includes an operation input unit 110, a display unit 120, a communication unit 130, a processing unit 150, and a storage unit 170, and is configured as a type of computer system.

[0048] The operation input unit 110 is realized by an input device such as a button switch or a touch panel, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation input to the processing unit 150. The display unit 120 is realized by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch panel, and performs various displays corresponding to display signals from the processing unit 150. The communication unit 130 is realized by a wired or wireless communication device, and communicates with a given external device.

[0049] The processing unit 150 is realized by, for example, an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a control board including the arithmetic circuit, and controls the operation of the entry permission / denial control device 1 by performing various arithmetic processes based on programs, data, etc. stored in the storage unit 170. In this embodiment, the processing unit 150 includes a traveling information acquisition unit 151, an entry-planned vehicle determination unit 153, a priority setting unit 155, an arbitration unit 157, and an arbitration information notification control unit 159. Each of these functional units may be an arithmetic processing block realized as software by executing a program, or may be a circuit block realized by a signal processing circuit. In this embodiment, the processing unit 150 will be described as an arithmetic processing block realized as software by executing a predetermined program.

[0050] The travel information acquisition unit 151 acquires travel information from the automobile 10 traveling on the road network to be controlled. Here, the travel information acquisition unit 151 receives travel information 32 from the automobile 10 by communication via the communication unit 130. Then, the travel information acquisition unit 151 updates and manages automobile management information 173 based on the received travel information 32. The automobile management information 173 stores, for each relevant automobile 10, the travel position, travel speed, route, etc. obtained from the travel information 32 in association with the automobile ID of the automobile 10.

[0051] The entering vehicle determination unit 153 is a functional unit that executes the entering vehicle determination process, and determines, for each intersection, an entering vehicle that is scheduled to enter the intersection.

[0052] The priority setting unit 155 is a functional unit that executes priority setting processing, and sets a priority for each intersection to each vehicle that is scheduled to enter the intersection and that has been determined by the entering vehicle determination unit 153 for that intersection.

[0053] The arbitration unit 157 is a functional unit that executes arbitration processing, and for each intersection, it makes a decision as to whether or not to permit entry into the intersection for a vehicle (target vehicle) that is scheduled to enter and whose arbitration result is "waiting for decision."

[0054] The arbitration information notification control unit 159 is a functional unit that executes arbitration information notification control processing, and controls the notification of arbitration information 34 in which the arbitration result by the arbitration unit 157 is set to the target vehicle.

[0055] The storage unit 170 is realized by a storage medium such as an IC memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 170 pre-stores or temporarily stores each time processing is performed programs for operating the entry permission / rejection control device 1 and implementing various functions of the entry permission / rejection control device 1, as well as data used during execution of the programs. In this embodiment, the storage unit 170 stores route conflict data 171 (see Figures 2 and 7), automobile management information 173, and a planned entry vehicle list 175 (see Figure 12, etc.). As described above, the route conflict data 171 and the planned entry vehicle list 175 are prepared for each intersection.

[0056] [Processing flow] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the entry permission control device 1. Note that Fig. 15 focuses on one intersection and shows the flow of processing performed in one control cycle. In actual processing, the processing of Fig. 15 is performed for all intersections related to the control target in each control cycle.

[0057] First, the planned-entry vehicle determination unit 153 determines an incoming vehicle that is scheduled to enter a target intersection (step S1). Here, the planned-entry vehicle determination unit 153 refers to vehicle management information 173 that is updated and managed based on the travel information 32 from each vehicle 10, and determines a vehicle 10 that is located on the approach path of its own route within the target range of the target intersection as an incoming vehicle. At this time, if there is a vehicle 10 that has been determined to be newly scheduled to enter, it is registered in the planned-entry vehicle list 175 for the target intersection.

[0058] Next, the priority setting unit 155 sets priorities for the vehicles that are scheduled to enter determined in step S1 based on the list of vehicles scheduled to enter 175. First, the priority setting unit 155 sets the priority of the vehicles that are scheduled to enter and that have already been granted entry permission in the previous arbitration process to first (step S3). Next, the priority setting unit 155 calculates the estimated arrival time at the target intersection for the remaining vehicles scheduled to enter that are awaiting determination from their traveling positions and traveling speeds (step S5). Then, the priority setting unit 155 sets the priorities of the vehicles scheduled to enter that are awaiting determination to second or lower in order of the estimated arrival times calculated in step S5 (step S7). Thereafter, the processing of loop L is executed with the vehicles scheduled to enter that are awaiting determination sequentially as target vehicles (steps S9 to S17).

[0059] That is, in loop L, first, the arbitration unit 157 reads data from the inter-route conflict data 171 as to whether or not the routes involved in each combination of the target vehicle and each of the entering vehicles with a higher priority than the target vehicle conflict with each other (step S11).

[0060] Then, the arbitration unit 157 determines whether or not the target vehicle is permitted to enter the corresponding intersection by determining whether or not there is a conflict between the routes of the target vehicle and each of the higher-ranking vehicles scheduled to enter based on the data read out in step S11 (step S13). Here, the arbitration unit 157 makes a decision to permit entry if the logical product of the data read out in step S11 (a one-bit value indicating whether or not there is a conflict between the routes of each combination) is "1". If the logical product is "0", the unit remains on standby to make a decision.

[0061] Then, the arbitration information notification control unit 159 performs control to notify the target vehicle of the arbitration information 34 indicating the result of the arbitration performed in step S13 (step S15).

[0062] When the processing of Loop L has been executed for all vehicles waiting for judgment, the processing for the target intersection in the current control cycle is completed.

[0063] As described above, according to this embodiment, for each intersection, route conflict data 171 is set, which determines whether or not the routes conflict with each other for all combinations of routes that pass through the intersection. Then, a priority is set for vehicles that are scheduled to enter the intersection, and the route conflict data 171 for the intersection is used to determine whether or not the routes conflict with those of vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection with higher priorities, thereby making it possible to determine whether or not each vehicle 10 is permitted to enter the intersection. The vehicle 10 can control its entry into the intersection in accordance with the arbitration result notified as arbitration information 34 at any time.

[0064] [Variations] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which entry permission / denial control is performed for each intersection in a road network on which an autonomously driven automobile 10 travels. That is, arbitration information 34 (arbitration result) is notified to the autonomously driven automobile, and the entry control device (cruising control device 14) on the automobile side controls entry into the intersection using the arbitration information 34. On the other hand, the present invention can also be applied to a case in which notification control for entry into an intersection is performed for each intersection in a road network on which a driver-driven automobile travels, and a notification for entry into the intersection is issued. In this case, the entry permission / denial control device 1 can be realized with a configuration similar to that of the above embodiment. Meanwhile, the entry control device (cruising control device 14) of the automobile performs so-called navigation, with the destination and planned driving route set in advance by the occupant, and generates driving information 32 of the automobile as needed and transmits it to the entry permission / denial control device 1. Notification control for entry into the intersection is then performed by displaying or outputting audio based on the arbitration information 34 received from the entry permission / denial control device 1. For example, if the received ruling result is "permit to enter," the vehicle's entry control device (cruise control device 14) displays on the display device an instruction to enter the next intersection and proceed to the exit route.If the ruling result is "waiting for decision," the vehicle's entry control device displays on the display device an instruction to stop without entering the intersection. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1...Entry permission control device 150...Processing section 151...Driving information acquisition unit 153...Entry vehicle detection section 155...Priority setting unit 157...Adjudication Department 159... Ruling information notification control unit 170...Storage section 171...Career Path Competition Data 173…Car management information 175...List of vehicles scheduled to enter 10. Automobiles 12...Communication control device 14...Traction control device 3...Radio base station 32...Driving information 34…Arbitration information

Claims

1. An entry permission / denial control device that controls entry permission / denial to a predetermined intersection through which a vehicle passes, the vehicle is equipped with a communication control device that communicates with the entry permission control device, and an entry control device that controls entry into the intersection or controls notification regarding entry based on given arbitration information received from the entry permission control device, a route conflict data storage means for storing route conflict data that determines whether or not routes that are combinations of approach routes and exit routes to the intersection conflict with each other; a travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information from the vehicle, the travel information including location information of the vehicle and information indicating the route of the vehicle; a priority setting means for setting priorities of vehicles that are scheduled to enter the intersection based on the travel information; an arbitration means for determining whether or not a target vehicle among the vehicles scheduled to enter the intersection is permitted to enter the intersection by determining, based on the inter-path conflict data, whether or not a path conflict exists between the target vehicle and another vehicle scheduled to enter the intersection that has a higher priority than the target vehicle; arbitration information notification control means for controlling notification of the arbitration information indicating the arbitration result of the arbitration means to the target vehicle; An entry permission control device comprising:

2. The inter-route conflict data is data that indicates, by one bit, whether or not there is a conflict for each combination of the routes, The arbitration means determines whether or not to permit the target vehicle to enter the intersection by performing a logical operation on the value of the one bit for each of the paths of the vehicles scheduled to enter that intersection, the paths having a higher priority than that of the target vehicle. The entry permission control device according to claim 1 .

3. the route conflict data storage means stores the route conflict data for each of a plurality of intersections, the priority setting means sets a priority for each of the intersections, the arbitration means makes a decision on whether or not to permit the target vehicle to enter the intersection for each of the intersections; The entry permission control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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