Information processing device
The information processing device on vehicles determines entry into level crossings using roadside unit data and imaging, enhancing safety by providing tailored driving assistance.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-22
AI Technical Summary
Existing systems for providing driving support at level crossings may not accurately determine whether a vehicle has entered the crossing, leading to potential safety issues.
An information processing device mounted on a vehicle that acquires positional information from a roadside unit, uses imaging to detect a display board at the crossing, and determines vehicle entry based on this information to provide appropriate driving assistance.
Enhances safety by providing accurate driving support based on vehicle entry determination, improving safety at level crossings.
Smart Images
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Figure 0007893240000002 
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing device.
Background Art
[0002] In order to reduce level crossing accidents, it has been proposed that a roadside device provided around a level crossing transmits information indicating the traffic situation on the road on the exit side of the level crossing to a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the transmission content transmitted from the roadside device to the vehicle includes the position information of the level crossing, the information on the distance between the entrance and the exit, the position information of the preceding vehicle on the exit side, the information on the signal located ahead of the level crossing, and the like. Further, when the vehicle-side system receives the information transmitted from the roadside device, it displays information for alerting the driver, and / or performs deceleration control for stopping the vehicle before the level crossing, or entry prohibition control.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In the prior art, although it is possible to obtain information on the traffic situation on the road ahead of the level crossing from the roadside device, there is a concern that it may not be possible to determine whether the vehicle has entered the level crossing, and thus appropriate support may not be provided to the driver. The prior art has room for improvement in terms of improving the certainty of determining whether the vehicle has entered the level crossing.
[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide appropriate driving support based on a determination of whether a vehicle has entered a level crossing.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a communication unit configured to acquire positional information of objects on a road from a roadside unit installed beyond a level crossing located ahead of the road while the vehicle is traveling; a positioning unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle; an imaging unit for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle and generating image information; a control unit for generating driving support information to assist the driver based on the positional information of the object, the current position of the vehicle, and information indicating the positional relationship between the level crossing and the vehicle; and an output unit for outputting the driving support information, wherein the control unit, when an image of a display board of the roadside unit installed before the level crossing is detected in the image information as information indicating the positional relationship between the level crossing and the vehicle, determines whether or not the vehicle has passed the position of the display board, and provides different driving support information according to the determination result. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to this disclosure, appropriate driving assistance can be provided based on a determination of whether or not a vehicle has entered a level crossing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a road traffic system around a level crossing according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a roadside unit system. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control unit of the information processing device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description are schematic. Dimensions and proportions shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions.
[0010] (Road traffic systems to which this disclosure applies) Figure 1 shows an example of a road traffic system in which processing by an information processing device 30 (see Figure 3) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is suitably performed. In the road traffic system of Figure 1, a road 11 crosses a railway track 12, and the intersection of the road 11 and the railway track 12 is a level crossing 13. In addition, a traffic signal 14 is provided at the end of the road above the level crossing 13 in Figure 1.
[0011] Under these traffic conditions, if vehicle 10 were to attempt to cross the level crossing 13 from the lower side in Figure 1, and the road 11 beyond the level crossing 13 were congested with objects 18 waiting at the traffic light, there is a concern that vehicle 10 would be unable to pass through the level crossing 13 and would become stuck on the tracks 12. It is extremely dangerous for vehicle 10 to stop within the level crossing 13. Note that objects 18 are moving objects on the road and include other vehicles other than vehicle 10. Other vehicles include automobiles and motorcycles, etc.
[0012] Therefore, a roadside unit 15 equipped with a sensor capable of detecting objects 18 on the road 11 is positioned beyond the level crossing 13 on the road 11. The roadside unit 15 detects the traffic conditions on the road 11 beyond the level crossing 13 and provides this traffic information to vehicles 10 traveling around the roadside unit 15. The roadside unit 15 can provide information to vehicles 10 traveling in the vicinity by wireless communication means and / or by a display board 16 installed on the roadside on the side of the lane through which the vehicle 10 is traveling before the level crossing 13. More specifically, the roadside unit 15 can detect objects 18 that exist within a detection range 17 on the road 11 and transmit the location information of the detected objects 18 to vehicles 10 traveling in the vicinity. In this application, "before the level crossing 13" means a position closer to the level crossing 13 than the level crossing 13 itself, as seen from the perspective of the vehicle 10 when it is moving towards the level crossing 13.
[0013] The vehicle 10 in this disclosure is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited to any other vehicle. The vehicle 10 may be a passenger car, a bus, or a truck. The automobile may be, for example, a gasoline automobile, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these.
[0014] (Roadside unit system configuration) The roadside unit system installed on the road 11 includes, for example, a roadside unit 15 installed on the roadside of the road 11, and a display board 16 that can communicate with the roadside unit 15 by wired or wireless communication, as shown in Figure 2.
[0015] The roadside unit 15 includes, for example, a plurality of components that are arranged on a utility pole or a dedicated columnar structure. The plurality of components include, for example, an external I / F unit 21, a control unit 22, a sensor unit 23, and a vehicle communication unit 24.
[0016] The external I / F unit 21 is a communication interface that connects the roadside unit 15 to an external server or the like that manages the roadside unit 15, enabling communication between the two. The external server can transmit information to be displayed on the display board 16 and operation instructions to the roadside unit 15. The external server can also transmit various programs to be executed by the information processing device 30 to the information processing device 30. The external I / F unit 21 may support wired communication systems such as optical cables, or wireless communication systems such as 4th generation mobile communication systems (4G) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5th generation mobile communication systems (5G), or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).
[0017] The control unit 22 comprises one or more processors and memory. The processors include general-purpose processors that execute programmed functions by loading specific programs, and dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Dedicated processors may include DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). The control unit 22 manages each component of the roadside unit 15 and executes processing as the roadside unit 15. The control unit 22 can transmit information generated based on information detected by the sensor unit 23 to vehicles 10 traveling in the vicinity via the vehicle communication unit 24. The control unit 22 can control the display content of the display board 16.
[0018] The sensor unit 23 is a sensor that detects objects 18 located within a detection range 17 on the road 11. The sensors in the sensor unit 23 include, for example, sensors selected from various sensors such as cameras, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, millimeter-wave radar, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The information detected by the sensor unit 23 is processed by the control unit 22 according to the type of sensor in the sensor unit 23. For example, if the sensor unit 23 includes a camera, the control unit 22 performs image processing to recognize objects 18 included in the image. In this way, the control unit 22 grasps the objects 18 located within the detection range 17 along with their position information. The roadside unit 15 has accurate coordinate information of its installed location and can use this to calculate the position coordinates of the detected objects 18. The roadside unit 15 may also be equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver to acquire coordinate information of its installed location.
[0019] The vehicle communication unit 24 provides a vehicle-to-roadside communication function for communicating with the vehicle 10 located around the roadside unit 15. The vehicle communication unit 24 may use a communication system compliant with ARIB STD-T109 or IEEE802.11p. Also, the vehicle communication unit 24 may use a mobile communication system based on 4G or 5G such as LTE. The vehicle communication unit 24 notifies the surrounding vehicles 10 of the presence or absence of the object 18 located within the detection range 17, and when the object 18 exists, its position information. The communication from the vehicle communication unit 24 to the vehicle 10 may be performed by a broadcast method or a multicast method.
[0020] In addition to those described above, the roadside unit 15 may include various components such as a temperature sensor, a sensor for measuring the flow of people, a sensor for detecting the road surface condition, and a speaker for providing information by voice. Further, the roadside unit 15 may be equipped with devices and facilities for various purposes, such as a base station for wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or 5G, charging facilities for digital devices, street lights, solar panels, etc.
[0021] The display board 16 displays the information generated by the roadside unit 15. The display board 16 displays characters and / or graphics, for example, by a large number of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged two-dimensionally. The display board 16 may support color display or single-color display. The control unit 22 controls the display content of the display board 16. The display board 16 is arranged immediately in front of the level crossing 13 in order to alert the driver of the vehicle 10 before passing through the level crossing 13. The control unit 22 may display a message for alerting the driver of the vehicle 10, such as "There are vehicles waiting for signals ahead", when a plurality of objects 18 are staying in the detection range 17. However, there may be cases where the driver of the vehicle 10 does not notice the display on such a display board 16, or where the information for the vehicle 10 is not displayed on the display board when the vehicle 10 passes through the display board 16. The information displayed on the display board 16 is not limited to the information for the driver of the vehicle 10, and may also display information for pedestrians, etc.
[0022] (Configuration of the information processing device) The vehicle 10 is equipped with an information processing device 30 that provides information to assist the driver in driving. As shown in Figure 3, the information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a positioning unit 34, an imaging unit 35, and an output unit 36.
[0023] The communication unit 31 includes a communication interface for V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication with the outside of the vehicle 10. The communication interface may include communication faces that support wide-area communication and narrow-area communication. The communication interface includes an infrastructure-vehicle communication interface that corresponds to the communication method of the vehicle communication unit 24 of the roadside unit 15. The communication unit 31 can acquire position information of an object 18 on the road 11 beyond the level crossing 13 from the roadside unit 15.
[0024] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. The memories are, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main memory, an auxiliary memory, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used for the operation of the information processing device 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store system programs, application programs, and embedded software.
[0025] The control unit 33 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or ASIC. The control unit 33 controls each part of the information processing device 30 and executes processes related to the operation of the information processing device 30.
[0026] The positioning unit 34 detects the current position of the vehicle 10. The positioning unit 34 includes a receiver compatible with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The positioning unit 34 can obtain information such as the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 10's current position using signals from the GNSS receiver. GNSS is a system that measures the position of the vehicle 10 using artificial satellites, and includes, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. The positioning unit 34 can transmit a signal representing the positioning result of the vehicle 10's current position based on the GNSS signal to the control unit 33 at predetermined intervals.
[0027] The control unit 33 can detect the direction of travel of the vehicle 10 by any method, including changes in the vehicle 10's current position and the direction the vehicle 10 is facing as detected by a compass sensor or the like. The control unit 33 can recognize if there is an object 18 in front of the vehicle 10 based on the relationship between the position information of the object 18 obtained from the roadside unit 15 via the communication unit 31 and the current position of the vehicle 10 obtained from the positioning unit 34.
[0028] The imaging unit 35 includes one or more cameras capable of imaging the area around the vehicle 10. The imaging unit 35 may include a camera that captures a wide-angle image with its optical axis pointed forward of the vehicle 10, and / or a camera that captures the area to the side of the vehicle 10. The imaging unit 35 includes an optical system such as a lens and an image sensor. The image sensor may include either a CCD image sensor (Charge-Coupled Device Image Sensor) or a CMOS image sensor (Complementary MOS Image Sensor). The image sensor converts the image formed on the light-receiving surface by the optical system into an electrical signal. The imaging unit 35 can transmit image information of images taken of the area outside the vehicle 10 while it is in motion to the control unit 33.
[0029] The control unit 33 can perform image recognition processing based on image information acquired from the imaging unit 35. The control unit 33 identifies the display board 16 located on the side before the level crossing 13. The display board 16 has a high-brightness section equipped with numerous LEDs for displaying images. The section of the display board 16 that displays images may have a shape such as a vertically elongated rectangle. Using these features, the control unit 33 can detect the display board 16 of the roadside device 15 from the acquired image information of the vehicle 10. The control unit 33 may be configured to detect the display board 16 from the image information using machine learning. The control unit 33 can determine from the image of the detected display board 16 whether or not the vehicle has passed the location of the display board 16. The control unit 33 may determine that the vehicle has passed the location of the display board 16 when the display board 16 is located directly beside the vehicle 10 based on the image information. Furthermore, even if the lateral direction is not included in the field of view captured by the imaging unit 35 and the display board 16 is detected on the front side of the vehicle 10, the control unit 33 may calculate the timing of passing the side of the display board 16 by taking into account the speed of the vehicle 10. When the control unit 33 determines that the vehicle 10 has passed the position of the display board 16 on the roadside device 15 installed before the level crossing 13, it determines that the vehicle 10 has entered the level crossing 13.
[0030] The output unit 36 outputs information to the driver of the vehicle 10. The output unit 36 includes, for example, a display that outputs information as an image, a speaker that outputs information as sound, etc. The display may be selected from various displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic electroluminescence (EL) displays, inorganic EL displays, plasma display panels (PDPs), and field emission displays (FEDs). The display may also be a head-up display (HUD). The HUD may project the display image onto the front windshield or onto a combiner placed on the dashboard. The speaker converts the audio signal into physical vibrations to generate sound in space. The speaker can be an audio speaker installed inside the vehicle 10. The speaker can be placed in the doors, dashboard, and pillars of the vehicle 10, etc. A well-known general-purpose speaker can be used as the speaker. The output unit 36 outputs the driving support information generated by the control unit 33 to the driver of the vehicle 10 in the form of images and / or sound. Alternatively, the output unit 36 may be an output interface that outputs information to an external device of the information processing device 30.
[0031] The control unit 33 can output driver assistance information to the output unit 36 to assist the driver of the vehicle 10 in driving. The control unit 33 can generate different driver assistance information depending on whether the vehicle 10 has passed the position of the display board 16 and entered the level crossing 13. If the vehicle 10 has not yet entered the level crossing 13, the control unit 33 can change the content of the driver assistance information based on the road conditions beyond the level crossing 13, that is, whether or not there are objects 18 on the road 11 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 10. The control unit 33 may further change the content of the driver assistance information depending on the number of objects 18 within the detection range 17 detected by the roadside device 15 beyond the level crossing 13, and the position of each object 18. If the vehicle 10 has already entered the level crossing 13, the control unit 33 may generate and present driver assistance information instructing the driver to quickly exit the level crossing 13.
[0032] (Information processing methods) The following describes the processing flow performed by the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 with reference to Figure 4. The methods disclosed herein can be executed by a processor included in the information processing device 30 according to a program. Such programs can be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of recording media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, and semiconductor memory. Magnetic recording media include, for example, hard disks and magnetic tapes. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory). Semiconductor memory includes RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and flash memory. Non-temporary computer-readable media are not limited to these.
[0033] First, as vehicle 10 approaches the level crossing 13, the control unit 33 detects the communication from the roadside unit 15 via the communication unit 31 (S01). Assume that the roadside unit 15 is simultaneously transmitting information to vehicles 10 traveling in the surrounding area.
[0034] The control unit 33 obtains the number of objects 18 located on the road 11 and the position information of each object 18 from communication with the roadside unit 15 (S02). Objects 18 are typically other vehicles waiting for the signal 14 beyond the level crossing 13 to switch. The control unit 33 obtains the position information of the objects 18 as information such as latitude and longitude.
[0035] The control unit 33 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 based on the signal from the positioning unit 34 (S03). The current position of the vehicle 10 is information such as latitude and longitude. This allows the control unit 33 to understand the positional relationship between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the position of the object 18. However, this alone is not enough for the control unit 33 to understand the positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the level crossing 13. In particular, the control unit 33 cannot determine whether the vehicle 10 has already entered the level crossing 13.
[0036] The control unit 33 detects the image of the roadside unit system's display panel 16 from the image information acquired from the imaging unit 35 (S04).
[0037] The control unit 33 determines whether or not the vehicle has passed the location of the signboard 16 based on the image of the signboard 16 detected in S04 (S05). Passing the location of the signboard 16 means that the vehicle has entered the level crossing 13. Note that "passing the location of the signboard 16" means passing to the side of the location where the signboard 16 is installed on the road 11.
[0038] If the vehicle passes the position of the sign 16 (S05: Yes), it is undesirable for the vehicle 10 to remain inside the level crossing 13. Therefore, the control unit 33 generates driving support information that prompts the vehicle 10 to quickly exit the level crossing 13, regardless of the presence and position information of the object 18 (S06). The control unit 33 outputs the generated driving support information to the output unit 36 (S06). That is, the control unit 33 displays the driving support information on the display which is the output unit 36, and / or notifies the driver of the driving support information via the speaker.
[0039] If vehicle 10 has not passed the location of the display board 16 (S05: No), the control unit 33 determines whether one or more objects 18 are located within the detection range 17 on the road 11 beyond the level crossing 13 that vehicle 10 has crossed (S07).
[0040] An object 18 located within the detection range 17 may become an obstacle to the vehicle 10 from crossing the level crossing 13. Therefore, if there is an object 18 beyond the level crossing 13 (S07: Yes), the control unit 33 generates driver assistance information to alert the driver (S08) and outputs it to the output unit 36. In this case, the control unit 33 may display a message such as "The area beyond the level crossing is congested. Please wait before entering the level crossing." on the display which is the output unit 36, and / or announce it by voice from the speaker.
[0041] On the other hand, if there is no object 18 beyond the level crossing 13 (S07: No), the control unit 33 generates driver assistance information to inform the driver that it is safe to drive (S09) and outputs it to the output unit 36. In this case, the control unit 33 may display a message such as "The area beyond the level crossing is clear. Proceed with caution." on the display which is the output unit 36, and / or announce it by voice from the speaker.
[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, the control unit 33 detects the image of the display board 16 from the image information captured by the imaging unit 35 to determine whether the vehicle 10 is entering the level crossing 13, thereby enabling appropriate driving assistance to be provided to the driver of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the vehicle 10 is not entering the level crossing 13, the control unit 33 can provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver of the vehicle 10 based on the position information of the object 18 acquired from the roadside device 15. As a result, the safety of the vehicle 10 that is traveling through or about to enter the level crossing 13 is improved. In addition, the information processing device 30 according to this embodiment does not require a processor that performs detailed digital map information and / or advanced image recognition processing, so it can be provided at a low cost.
[0043] In one embodiment, the roadside unit 15 may be configured to cooperate with the signal 14 and notify the vehicle 10 of the signal status. The control unit 33 of the vehicle 10 may generate driving support information in addition to the presence of a vehicle within the detection range 17 beyond the level crossing 13, depending on the signal status. For example, if the color of the signal 14 is "red", the control unit 33 may generate driving support information that discourages entry into the level crossing 13. For example, if the color of the signal 14 is "blue", the control unit 33 may generate driving support information that allows entry into the level crossing 13 even if an object 18 is present in the detection range 17.
[0044] In another embodiment, the roadside unit 15 may transmit not only the presence and location information of the object 18 detected by the sensor unit 23, but also the location information of the barrier on the far side (far side) of the level crossing 13 as seen from the vehicle 10. By receiving this information, the control unit 33 can understand the positional relationship between the object 18 located beyond the level crossing 13 and the barrier on the far side of the level crossing 13. As a result, the control unit 33 can determine whether or not there is space for the vehicle 10 to enter between the object 18 that is loitering beyond the level crossing 13 and the barrier of the level crossing 13. Consequently, the control unit 33 can more accurately determine whether or not the vehicle 10 is allowed to enter the level crossing 13 when it is in front of the level crossing 13.
[0045] Furthermore, even if the control unit 33 cannot obtain positional information of the far side of the level crossing 13 as seen from the vehicle 10 at the level crossing 13 from the roadside unit 15, it can estimate the width of the level crossing 13 based on the number of railway tracks 12 crossing the road. The control unit 33 may determine whether or not to enter the level crossing 13 based on the current position of the vehicle 10 detected by the positioning unit 34, the position of the object 18 closest to the level crossing 13, and the width of the level crossing 13.
[0046] In yet another embodiment, the roadside unit 15 may transmit to the vehicle 10 information on the maximum number of objects 18 that can remain within the detection range 17, based on the length of the detection range 17. The control unit 33 may generate driving support information according to the maximum number of objects 18 that can remain within the detection range 17 obtained from the roadside unit 15 and the number of objects 18 detected by the sensor unit 23 of the roadside unit 15. For example, if the sensor unit 23 has detected a number of objects 18 equal to the maximum number of objects 18 that can remain within the detection range 17 before the vehicle 10 enters the level crossing 13, the control unit 33 can determine that there is no space beyond the level crossing 13 where the vehicle 10 can remain. In this case, the control unit 33 may generate driving support information to prevent the vehicle from entering the level crossing 13.
[0047] In the above embodiment, the control unit 33 presented driving assistance information to the driver using an output unit 36 such as a display or speaker. However, the control unit 33 may also generate information used for driving control of the vehicle 10 as driving assistance information. In this case, the output interface that outputs driving assistance information from the information processing device 30 to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 10 can be considered as the output unit 36. For example, if the vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle 10 may stop before the level crossing 13 and enter the level crossing 13 based on the driving assistance information generated by the control unit 33. The level of automation of an autonomous vehicle may be any of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) classification, for example. However, the level of automation of an autonomous vehicle is not limited to these.
[0048] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and numerous modifications or alterations are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc., can be rearranged in a way that is not logically contradictory, and multiple means or steps, etc., can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]
[0049] 10 vehicles 11 Road 12 railroad tracks 13 railroad crossing 14 signals 15 Roadside unit 16 Display board 17. Detection range 18. Object (Other Vehicle) 21 External I / F section 22 Control Unit 23 Sensor section 24. Vehicle Communications Department 30 Information Processing Devices 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 34 Positioning Unit 35 Imaging Unit 36 Output section
Claims
1. An information processing device installed in a vehicle, A communication unit configured to acquire positional information of objects on the road from a roadside unit installed beyond a level crossing located ahead of the road being traveled, A positioning unit that detects the current position of the vehicle, An imaging unit that captures images of the exterior of the vehicle and generates image information, A control unit that generates driver assistance information to assist the driver's operation based on the position information of the object, the current position of the vehicle, and information indicating the positional relationship between the level crossing and the vehicle, The output unit that outputs the aforementioned driving support information and Equipped with, The control unit, as information indicating the positional relationship between the level crossing and the vehicle, determines whether or not the vehicle has passed the location of the roadside display board installed in front of the level crossing when an image of the display board of the roadside device installed in front of the level crossing is detected in the image information, and provides information processing to change the driving support information according to the determination result.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the object has not passed the position of the display board, and generates information based on the position information and the current position of the object as the driving support information.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit generates information to alert the driver, based on the position information of the object and the current position of the vehicle, when the object is located in the direction of travel of the vehicle, as driving support information.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit generates information as driving support information that notifies the vehicle that it can safely pass through the level crossing if there is no object in the direction of travel of the vehicle, based on the position information of the object and the current position of the vehicle.
5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, when it determines that the vehicle has passed the position of the display board, generates information as the driver support information instructing the vehicle to promptly exit the level crossing.