Devices for automating the movement of moving objects and devices for ensuring safety

Abstract

A mobility automation device for a moving body that controls the moving body so that the moving body moves automatically has an input unit that acquires information regarding the moving body or the environment surrounding the moving body, a prediction unit that generates first predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the moving body based on the information acquired via the input unit, a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with another mobility automation device mounted on a moving body other than the moving body and receives second predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the other moving body via the input unit from the other mobility automation device, and a priority judgment unit that judges the movement priority of the moving body and the other moving body based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data, and is configured to control the movement of one or more moving bodies based on the result of judgment by the priority judgment unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated moving device for a moving object. Place The invention further relates to a security device cooperating with a mobile automation device. [Background technology]

[0002] Taking automobiles as an example of a moving object, automated driving systems for automobiles have been developed. Autonomous driving systems that assist the driver in driving the automobile have already been put to practical use. Furthermore, going beyond simple assistance to the driver, automated driving systems are gradually being put to practical use to independently control the automobile, determining how the automobile should drive and moving the automobile to the desired location according to the results of this determination.

[0003] In order to effectively execute such an autonomous driving system, it is necessary to acquire driving-related information about the driving behavior of the vehicle and the driving environment around the vehicle. Various detection devices can be used to collect driving-related information, but video cameras are particularly commonly used as detection devices because they can acquire a lot of real-time information about the driving environment. The information acquired from the detection devices is stored in an integrated circuit (IC) mounted on the vehicle. The autonomous driving system determines the appropriate driving behavior of the vehicle from the past information stored in the IC and the real-time driving-related information continuously obtained from the detection devices, and provides assistance to the driver or appropriate control of the vehicle based on the result of this determination.

[0004] An example of such an autonomous driving system, particularly for preventing collisions between automobiles, is the technology disclosed in the following Patent Document 1. Also, an example of acquiring information about the driving environment using a video camera is the technology disclosed in the following Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-123000 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-198207 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in conventional automated driving systems that obtain information about the vehicle's surroundings substantially only through video cameras, only fragmentary information about the vehicle's surroundings can be obtained, which can result in the automated driving system being unable to appropriately control the vehicle in accordance with the vehicle's surroundings.

[0007] Below, with reference to FIG. 9 or FIG. 10, we will give examples of problems that may arise when a conventional autonomous driving system can only obtain fragmentary information about the environment around the vehicle.

[0008] Assume that an automobile 206 and another automobile 208, both of which are equipped with a conventional automated driving system, are traveling near a T-junction consisting of a main road 202 with two lanes on each side and a side road 204 with a narrower road width than the main road 202, for example, a single lane in total. The automobile 206 is traveling automatically on the main road 202 from left to right in the figure, and plans to turn left onto the side road 204 after reaching a T-junction junction 210. On the other hand, the automobile 208 is traveling automatically on the side road 204 toward the location of the T-junction junction 210. It is assumed that a turnout 212 is provided on the side road 204 that can be used when vehicles pass each other.

[0009] In a conventional automated driving system that only obtains information about the surrounding environment at a given time using an on-board video camera, the system cannot create a driving plan that assumes the presence of other vehicles until the presence of other vehicles is recognized by the video camera. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 9, if vehicle 206 turns left from T-junction 210 onto side road 204 before vehicle 208 reaches T-junction 210, vehicle 206 and vehicle 208 will recognize the presence of other vehicles using their respective on-board cameras only after vehicle 206 enters side road 204.

[0010] At this time, if the automobile 208 traveling on the side road 204 has already passed the turnout 212, the automobiles 206 and 208 will be stuck facing each other on the side road 204. Even if the automobiles 206 and 208 are prevented from colliding with each other by the mobile body collision prevention device of Patent Document 1 or other automatic driving system installed in each of them, it is unclear what action the other vehicle will take next, and therefore the automatic driving system of each of the automobiles 206 and 208 will be unable to appropriately control its own vehicle. For example, the automobiles 206 and 208 will be stuck facing each other and unable to move for a while.

[0011] Another example shown in Fig. 10 assumes a problem that may occur when a car 224 and another car 226, both equipped with a conventional automatic driving system, are traveling near a three-way intersection consisting of a straight road 220 with four lanes on each side and a branch road 222 that intersects with the straight road 220 at an angle that forms a so-called Y-shaped intersection. The car 224 is automatically traveling on one lane 220A of the straight road 220, and is scheduled to cross the oncoming lane 220B of the straight road 220 from a Y-shaped branch point 228 and enter the branch road 222 (see arrow A1). On the other hand, the car 226 is automatically traveling on the oncoming lane 220B of the straight road 220 toward the location of the Y-shaped branch point 228.

[0012] In order to ensure the safe passage of automobiles, pedestrians, and the like near Y-shaped junction 228, colored traffic signals 230, 232 are installed near Y-shaped junction 228. Traffic signal 230 is a device that emits light to indicate permission to proceed or an instruction to stop to automobiles, such as automobile 224, traveling in lane 220A. On the other hand, traffic signal 232 is a device that emits light to indicate permission to proceed or an instruction to stop to vehicles, such as automobile 226, traveling in oncoming lane 220B.

[0013] In this example, traffic signal 230 indicates that automobile 224 traveling in lane 220A is permitted to proceed, while traffic signal 232 indicates that automobile 226 traveling in lane 220B is instructed to stop. In this case, automobile 224 continues traveling and, upon reaching Y-shaped junction 228, crosses oncoming lane 220B at an appropriate timing in consideration of the situation of oncoming lane 220B and attempts to change course to junction 222. On the other hand, automobile 226, following the instruction issued by traffic signal 232, begins to drive slowly in order to stop just before Y-shaped junction 228.

[0014] The surrounding environment information that can be acquired by the automatic driving system of the automobile 224 is limited to information obtained via a video camera mounted on the automobile. Essentially, it is sufficient for instructions from the traffic signal 232 to be transmitted to vehicles traveling in lane 220B, such as the automobile 226. Therefore, if the traffic signal 232 is a colored light type traffic light with a general structure, only the back side of the traffic signal 232 can be recognized from the on-board camera of the automobile 224 traveling in lane 220A, and the specific light color display content from the traffic signal 232 cannot be recognized from the automobile 224.

[0015] Therefore, the automated driving system and the occupant of automobile 224 are likely to infer, based on the information obtained from traffic signal 230, that traffic signal 232, like traffic signal 230, is emitting a light indicating that automobile 226 is permitted to proceed. In other words, the automated driving system and the occupant of automobile 224 will determine that automobile 226, which is traveling in oncoming lane 220B, will continue traveling and pass through Y-shaped intersection 228.

[0016] However, since the traffic light 232 actually indicates a stop command, the automobile 226 starts to decelerate in preparation for stopping before the Y-shaped junction 228. However, for the automobile 224, which cannot recognize the light color indication emitted by the traffic light 232, it is very difficult to understand whether the automobile 226 is decelerating or not, and even if it can recognize the automobile 226's slowing down, it is very difficult to understand the intention of the automobile 226. For example, the automatic driving system and the passenger of the automobile 224 can infer that the automobile 226 is slowing down to stop before the Y-shaped junction 228, or that the automobile 226 is simply slowing down in preparation for a pedestrian or a bicycle jumping out near the Y-shaped junction 228. Therefore, the automobile 224 cannot confidently determine that the automobile 226 will stop before the Y-shaped junction 228, and stops before the Y-shaped junction 228 to wait for the automobile 226 to pass the Y-shaped junction 228.

[0017] However, since automobile 226 actually follows the instruction of traffic signal 232 to stop before Y-shaped junction 228, automobile 224 could have crossed lane 220B and entered junction 222. Only after automobile 226 stops before Y-shaped junction 228 does automobile 224 understand that traffic signal 232 is issuing a stop instruction, and it resumes moving toward junction 222.

[0018] At this time, if another vehicle is traveling behind automobile 224, the following vehicle is forced to stop when automobile 224 stops, disrupting smooth traffic flow around Y-shaped intersection 228. Furthermore, the occupants of automobile 224 or automobile 226 may become frustrated due to a discrepancy between the situation they assume or understand and the actual driving state of the other vehicle.

[0019] As we have seen so far, conventional autonomous driving systems have had to control the vehicle's driving only based on fragmented information, i.e., on the current surrounding environment obtained as image information by a video camera and accumulated past data.

[0020] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a mobile object automation device and a storage medium storing a mobile object automation program that contribute to more appropriate and smoother automatic movement of a mobile object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0021] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a mobility automation device for a mobile body that controls the mobile body so that the mobile body moves automatically, the device having an input unit that acquires information regarding the mobile body or its surrounding environment, a prediction unit that generates first predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the mobile body based on the information acquired via the input unit, a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with another mobility automation device mounted on another mobile body and receives second predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the other mobile body from the other mobility automation device via the input unit, and a priority judgment unit that judges the movement priority order of the mobile body and the other mobile body based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data, and is configured to control the movement of one or more mobile bodies based on the result of judgment by the priority judgment unit.

[0022] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention configures a mobile body mobility automation program that causes a computer to function as a mobile body mobility automation device that controls the mobile body so that the mobile body moves automatically, to function as an input unit that acquires information about the mobile body or the mobile body's surrounding environment, a prediction unit that generates first predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the mobile body based on the information acquired via the input unit, a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with another mobile automation device mounted on another mobile body and receives second predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of the other mobile body from the other mobile automation device via the input unit, and a priority judgment unit that judges the movement priority of the mobile body and another mobile body based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data, and controls the movement of one or more mobile bodies based on the result of the judgment by the priority judgment unit, and stores a program of such configuration in a storage medium.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a safety assurance device that cooperates with the above-mentioned mobile automation device to ensure the safety of a user's movement, the safety assurance device having an input unit that acquires information about a user carrying the safety assurance device or the user's surrounding environment, a prediction unit that generates second predicted movement data related to the user's future movement behavior based on the information acquired via the input unit, a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with the mobile automation device and receives first predicted movement data related to the future movement behavior of a moving body equipped with the mobile automation device from the mobile automation device via the input unit, a priority determination unit that determines the movement priority of the user and the moving body based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data, and an output unit that transmits the second predicted movement data or the determination result related to the movement priority, the processing related to communication with the mobile automation device performed by the communication control unit includes transmission of the second predicted movement data or the determination result related to the movement priority by the output unit, and the safety assurance device is configured to control the movement of the moving body based on the result of the determination made by the priority determination unit of the safety assurance device. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, there is a unique effect that automatic movement of a moving object can be achieved more appropriately and smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile automation device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile automation device illustrated in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating, in the form of a flowchart, steps of a process for automating the movement of a moving object executed by the movement automation device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which safe and smooth automatic driving is achieved by executing the processing steps shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another state in which safe and smooth automatic driving is achieved by executing the processing steps shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing yet another state in which safe and smooth automatic driving is achieved by executing the processing steps shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of a safety ensuring device according to the present invention; [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram illustrating, in the form of a flow chart, a traffic management process carried out by the mobile automation device of FIG. 1 and the safety assurance device of FIG. 7 in intercommunication. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a traffic problem that may occur at a three-way intersection. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a traffic hazard that may occur at a three-way intersection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Next, an embodiment of a mobile automation device for a mobile body according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In this application, the term "mobile body" is used as a concept that broadly includes mobile machines having a power source and a mobile mechanism that receives power from the power source, particularly land mobile machines such as four-wheeled automobiles, motorcycles, and autonomous mobile robots, air mobile machines such as airplanes and drones, and water or underwater mobile machines such as ships and submarines, regardless of whether they are manned or unmanned. In the following description of the embodiment, the mobile body will be described as a four-wheeled automobile that runs on land, but the present invention can also be applied to mobile machines other than four-wheeled automobiles.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the mobile automation device 10 of the present invention, it is possible to automatically determine driving modes such as the driving direction and driving speed of a vehicle equipped with the device 10. This allows a vehicle equipped with the mobile automation device 10 to travel toward a destination without human driving operation of the vehicle or with assistance from a human driving operation of the vehicle.

[0028] 1, an automobile mobility automation device 10 has a control unit 12 that controls the entire device 10 and the hardware components of the automobile connected to the device 10, a memory unit 14 that stores a mobility automation program 16 that specifies the processing procedure for determining the driving mode and data necessary for executing the program 16, and a calculation unit 18 that executes calculation processing required for determining the driving mode. The mobility automation device 10 further has various input units 20 that acquire information necessary for determining the driving mode and input the acquired information into the device 10, and various output units 22 that supply calculation results and control signals obtained by processing based on the mobility automation program 16 to hardware components of the automobile equipped with the device 10 or to other automobiles.

[0029] The input unit 20 is connected to various input hardware and can cooperate with the connected input hardware to acquire various information or data from outside the mobile automation device 10. The input unit 20 is also connected to the control unit 12 and transmits the acquired information or data to the memory unit 14 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0030] The output unit 22 is connected to the control unit 12 and is also connected to various output hardware. The output unit 22 cooperates with the connected output hardware to transmit various information-containing signals or command signals to the outside of the mobile automation device 10 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0031] The control unit 12 has a communication control unit 24 that is responsible for controlling the wireless transmission and reception of information between the vehicle in which the mobile automation device 10 is installed and another vehicle in which another mobile automation device is installed.

[0032] The mobile automation device 10 has a wireless receiver 26 capable of receiving wireless signals transmitted from wireless transmitters in a broad sense, conceptually including other mobile automation devices equipped with wireless communication functions mounted on other automobiles, GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters, traffic control centers, and wireless transmitters installed on traffic management structures such as traffic signals and road signs. The wireless receiver 26 constitutes a part of the input unit 20 of the mobile automation device 10. The wireless receiver 26 is connected to a communication control unit 24 of the control unit 12, and executes reception processing of wireless signals under the control of the communication control unit 24.

[0033] The mobility automation device 10 further has a wireless transmission unit 28 that transmits wireless signals including driving information of the vehicle, such as the destination, the estimated time of arrival at the destination, and the planned driving route, to another vehicle equipped with another mobility automation device. The wireless transmission unit 28 constitutes a part of the output unit 22 of the mobility automation device 10. The wireless transmission unit 28 is connected to the communication control unit 24 of the control unit 12, and executes the transmission process of the wireless signal under the control of the communication control unit 24.

[0034] The mobile automation device 10 has a detection unit 30 that detects driving information of the vehicle and the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The detection unit 30 constitutes a part of the input unit 20 of the mobile automation device 10. The detection unit 30 is connected to input hardware capable of detecting information of the vehicle or the outside, such as a video camera, i.e., an image sensor, that obtains visual information around the vehicle, a speedometer that detects the vehicle's traveling speed, and a direction sensor that detects the vehicle's traveling direction. A typical example of such input hardware is a sensor 32 shown in FIG. 2 and described below. Information detected by the detection unit 30 via these input hardware is supplied to the mobile automation device 10 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0035] The mobility automation device 10 has a manual operation unit 34 that receives information via input hardware operations manually performed by the vehicle occupant. The manual operation unit 34 constitutes a part of the input unit 20 of the mobility automation device 10. The manual operation unit 34 is connected to the control unit 12, and is controlled by the control unit 12 with respect to the input operation of information by the vehicle occupant or other user and the processing of the input information. The information that the manual operation unit 34 receives from the occupant includes information used to determine a planned driving route, such as a desired destination or intermediate destinations, and / or information that serves as the basis for driving assistance by the mobility automation device 10 when the occupant performs some of the operations necessary for driving the vehicle.

[0036] The calculation unit 18 is directly or indirectly connected to the control unit 12, the memory unit 14, and the input unit 20, and has a prediction unit 36 ​​that predicts the future driving behavior of the automobile equipped with the mobile automation device 10 based on information obtained via the input unit 20. The prediction process by the prediction unit 36 ​​is executed according to the provisions of the mobile automation program 16 stored in the memory unit 14 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0037] Examples of information that can be used to predict future driving conditions include location information obtained via the wireless receiving unit 26, driving information about the vehicle and information about the surrounding environment obtained via the detection unit 30, and information about intermediate points or destinations obtained via the manual operation unit 34.

[0038] The future driving behavior predicted by the prediction unit 36 ​​includes various data items related to autonomous driving, such as a driving route to a destination, a predicted driving position on a road, a predicted passing time at an arbitrary intermediate point, a predicted arrival time at a destination, and a predicted driving speed at an arbitrary intermediate point. The control unit 12 cooperates with the prediction unit 36 ​​to generate a data signal containing these items as predicted driving data (i.e., predicted movement data) according to the provisions of the mobility automation program 16. For example, based on the map information and destination information acquired by the device 10, the prediction unit 36 ​​can calculate a predicted driving position several seconds or minutes ahead as at least a part of the predicted driving data. In the process of autonomous driving processing, the mobility automation device 10 may treat the predicted driving position several seconds or minutes ahead calculated by the prediction unit 36 ​​as a short-term or medium-term destination.

[0039] The predicted driving data generated by the prediction unit 36 ​​of the mobile automation device 10 is supplied from the wireless transmission unit 28 to another mobile automation device installed in another automobile, thereby sharing the predicted driving behavior of the automobile equipped with the mobile automation device 10 with the other automobiles.

[0040] The calculation unit 18 further includes a priority determination unit 38 that determines the driving priority (i.e., travel priority) of the own vehicle and other vehicles whose planned driving routes may intersect or approach each other at a certain time. The priority determination unit 38 can determine the driving priority based on the predicted driving data generated by the mobile automation device 10 mounted on the own vehicle and the predicted driving data generated by the mobile automation device mounted on one or more other vehicles and received via the wireless receiving unit 26. The determination process by the priority determination unit 38 is executed according to the provisions of the mobile automation program 16 stored in the storage unit 14 under the control of the control unit 12. The control unit 12 cooperates with the priority determination unit 38 to generate a data signal containing the determination result regarding the driving priority as priority data according to the provisions of the mobile automation program 16. The priority data attached to the signal may include not only the determination result itself but also information or data used as a material for determining the priority.

[0041] The results of the travel priority determination calculated by the priority determination unit 38 of the mobile automation device 10 are supplied from the wireless transmission unit 28 to other mobile automation devices mounted on other vehicles, and the priority data calculated by the mobile automation device 10 is thereby shared with devices 10 mounted on other vehicles. Because of this sharing, the mobile automation device 10 can be considered to indirectly control the travel of not only its own vehicle but also other vehicles.

[0042] The priority data shared between the vehicles can be compared by the control unit 12 and used to confirm the validity of the judgment results. If there is a discrepancy in the judgment results, the mobile automation device 10 that discovered the discrepancy can send a signal to the other mobile automation devices to prompt them to make a new judgment. At the same time, the mobile automation device 10 can update the predicted driving data as necessary, transmit updated data to other vehicles, and re-judge the driving priority using the updated data.

[0043] The control unit 12 has a drive control unit 40 that controls a drive system 42 of the vehicle, which is configured to include a power source such as an engine or a motor, a transmission, drive wheels, etc. The drive control unit 40 realizes automatic driving of the vehicle equipped with the mobile automation device 10 or driving assistance for the driver of the vehicle by controlling the drive system 42 via the output unit 22. When the drive control unit 40 receives a data signal containing priority order data generated by the priority determination unit 38, it executes control of the drive system 42 that reflects the contents of the priority order data. The drive control unit 40 can generate a drive control signal to be used for controlling the drive system 42, for example by cooperating with the calculation unit 18.

[0044] The mobile automation device 10 has a drive output unit 44 that outputs the drive control signal generated by the drive control unit 40 to the drive system 42. The drive output unit 44 constitutes a part of the output unit 22 of the mobile automation device 10. It can be said that the drive output unit 44 plays a role of an interface between the mobile automation device 10 and the drive system 42 of the automobile.

[0045] With the configuration described above, a mobile body equipped with the mobile automation device 10 can directly communicate with another mobile body equipped with a mobile automation device that is in the vicinity. Information that the mobile automation device 10 can communicate with other mobile automation devices includes, but is not limited to, predicted driving data, the result of the determination of the driving priority, and the like. For example, if the mobile automation device 10 transmits and receives a wireless signal including the result of the movement of the mobile body controlled to drive according to the result of the determination to one or more other mobile automation devices that provided the predicted driving data used to determine the driving priority, it is more advantageous to realize smooth traffic. In particular, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile determined to have a low priority can immediately recognize that the own vehicle is permitted to drive and can quickly move to the next driving operation.

[0046] In particular, when the moving objects are moving at high speed, when the degree of freedom of the routes that the moving objects can take is high, or when the moving objects are already very close to each other at the time of recognizing each other's presence, it is necessary to make a decision as quickly as possible and control the moving objects accordingly in order to avoid a collision. Therefore, the ability to directly communicate between moving objects is an extremely effective advantage from the viewpoint of ensuring safety. However, communication between moving objects does not always need to be direct, and communication may be performed using communication facilities or devices such as a traffic control center depending on communication conditions such as the capacity of communication data, the wireless communication environment, the processing capacity of the mobile automation device 10, and the degree of urgency.

[0047] The mobile automation device 10 may further have a display unit 46 that is used to display various information acquired from the input unit 20 and / or future travel plans calculated by the calculation unit 18 for the vehicle occupants. The display unit 46 constitutes a part of the output unit 22 of the mobile automation device 10. It can be said that the display unit 46 plays the role of an interface between the mobile automation device 10 and output hardware such as a display 48 mounted on the vehicle. As an example of a display mode by the display unit 46, it is possible to display on the display 48 an image of the outside of the vehicle acquired by an on-board camera or an image obtained by processing the acquired image. Instead of such an image display, or by superimposing it on the displayed image, the information acquired by the input unit 20 and / or the calculation result by the calculation unit 18 may be displayed as numerical values ​​or symbols.

[0048] The mobile automation device 10 may further include an audio unit 50 that outputs audio, such as an artificial voice or a warning sound, corresponding to various information acquired from the input unit 20 and / or the calculation results calculated by the calculation unit 18, to notify the vehicle occupants. The audio unit 50 constitutes a part of the output unit 22 of the mobile automation device 10. It can be said that the audio unit 50 plays a role of an interface between the mobile automation device 10 and output hardware such as a speaker 52 mounted on the vehicle.

[0049] Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the embodiment of the mobile automation device 10 according to the present invention described above will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, at least the main part of the embodiment of the mobile automation device 10 according to the present invention can be realized by a computer 60, which is generally called a microcomputer or a microcontroller. In other words, it can be understood that the computer 60 has the function of the mobile automation device 10, which is one embodiment of the present invention, by executing the mobile automation program 16.

[0050] The computer 60 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 62 that controls the operation of the components of the computer 60 and external devices connected to the computer 60, and a storage device that includes a non-volatile memory 64 that non-temporarily stores information acquired from outside the computer 60 and calculation results obtained by the CPU 62, and a volatile memory 66 that temporarily stores them. The computer 60 further includes an input port 68 that receives various information and data from outside the computer 60, and an output port 70 that transmits various signals, such as control signals and information-containing signals obtained from calculation processing by the CPU 62, to the outside of the computer 60. In the computer 60, the non-volatile memory 64, the volatile memory 66, the input port 68, and the output port 70 are all connected to the CPU 62.

[0051] The CPU 62 of the computer 60 functions as the control unit 12 and the calculation unit 18 of the mobile automation device 10 shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, in order to clearly show that the CPU 62 functionally includes the control unit 12 and the calculation unit 18 of the mobile automation device 10, the control unit 12 and the calculation unit 18 are shown as dashed blocks within the CPU 62 block.

[0052] The non-volatile memory 64 and the volatile memory 66 of the computer 60 function as the storage unit 14 of the mobile automation device 10. In Fig. 2, in order to clearly show that the non-volatile memory 64 and the volatile memory 66 are components of the storage unit 14, the functional blocks of the storage unit 14 are depicted as dashed blocks containing blocks representing the non-volatile memory 64 and the volatile memory 66.

[0053] In this application, the non-volatile memory 64 refers to a storage device that can maintain the stored contents even without external power supply, and is a concept that broadly includes not only so-called ROM (Read Only Memory) but also devices in which information once stored can be rewritten. An example of a storage device that can be implemented in the computer 60 as the non-volatile memory 64 is a flash memory in which information once stored can be rewritten using electricity. However, other storage devices in which information can be rewritten, not limited to flash memory, may be used as the non-volatile memory 64.

[0054] On the other hand, the volatile memory 66 in this application means a storage device that can maintain its stored contents only when power is applied. Representative storage devices constituting the volatile memory 66 include RAM (Random Access Memory), more specifically DRAM (Dynamic RAM) or SRAM (Static RAM).

[0055] By non-temporarily storing the travel automation program 16 in the non-volatile memory 64, the CPU 62 can execute automatic driving or driving assistance of the automobile equipped with the computer 60 according to the processing procedures defined in the travel automation program 16. Furthermore, if the non-volatile memory 64 storing the travel automation program 16 is a rewritable storage device such as a flash memory, the program can be easily updated as necessary.

[0056] The input port 68 and the output port 70 of the computer 60 serve as the input section 20 and the output section 22, respectively, of the mobile automation device 10. In Fig. 2, in order to clearly show that the input port 68 and the output port 70 are components of the input section 20 and the output section 22, respectively, the functional blocks of the input section 20 and the output section 22 are depicted as dashed blocks containing blocks representing the input port 68 and the output port 70, respectively.

[0057] Various input hardware are connected to the input port 68. For example, various sensors 32 such as a video camera (image sensor), a speedometer, and a driving direction detector that receive image signals related to the surrounding environment, a wireless receiving device 74 consisting of parts such as an antenna, an operation panel 76 that allows the user to input driving conditions desired by the user such as a destination and intermediate points, and a driving operation system 78 such as a steering wheel and brakes are connected to the input port 68. The input hardware (32, 74, 76, 78) connected to the input port 68 may be broadly understood as constituting a part of the input unit 20 of the mobile automation device 10.

[0058] Various output hardware are connected to the output port 70. For example, a wireless transmission device 80 composed of components such as an antenna, a drive system 42 that transmits the output from the power source to the drive wheels, a display 48 that displays an image related to the information acquired by the input unit 20 and / or the calculation result by the calculation unit 18, and a speaker 52 that emits a sound associated with the information acquired from the input unit 20 or the calculation result by the calculation unit 18 are connected to the output port 70. The output hardware (42, 48, 52, 80) connected to the output port 70 may be broadly understood as constituting a part of the output unit 22 of the mobile automation device 10.

[0059] Incidentally, by storing a mobile automation program 16 that is readable by the computer 60 in a non-transitory storage medium 90, the mobile automation program 16 can be loaded into the computer 60, and the computer 60 can function as an embodiment of the mobile automation device 10 of the present invention.

[0060] Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media (non-transitory computer-readable media) 90 include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, ultraviolet EPROM (UV-EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), universal serial bus (USB) memory, and other optical or magnetic storage.

[0061] The movement automation program 16 can be newly written or updated in the computer 60 by connecting the storage medium 90 on which the program 16 is written to the input port 68 by wire or wirelessly, and storing the program 16 imported into the computer 60 via the input port 68 in the non-volatile memory 64 under the control of the control unit 12 (see arrow P1 in Figure 2).

[0062] The connection of the storage medium 90 to the input port 68 can be realized by connecting a read driver that is compatible with the type of the storage medium 90 and enables the computer 60 to appropriately read the program 16 stored in the storage medium 90 to the input port 68. Alternatively, if the non-transitory computer-readable medium 90 is provided in a wireless network, the program 16 may be configured to be loaded into the computer 60 via the wireless transmission unit 28.

[0063] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of the processing steps of the mobile automation program 16 executed by an embodiment of the mobile automation device 10 according to the present invention, from determining driving priority (mobility priority) to automatically driving an automobile (mobile body) equipped with the mobile automation device 10 in accordance with this determination, will be described.

[0064] When the automobile equipped with the device 10 starts autonomous driving, the mobile automation device 10 collects information acquired by the input unit 20 that is necessary for generating predicted driving data to be executed by the prediction unit 36 ​​(step S10).

[0065] For example, the detection unit 30 cooperates with the sensor 32 to detect information regarding the vehicle's driving condition and the external environment, and from this the mobile automation device 10 can obtain image information acquired by a video camera (image sensor), the current driving speed acquired by a speedometer, and the current driving direction acquired by a direction indicator.

[0066] If the automobile equipped with the mobile automation device 10 uses a GPS, the mobile automation device 10 can also obtain map information of the current location and the surrounding area in which the mobile automation device 10 is traveling from the wireless receiving unit 26.

[0067] From the manual operation unit 34, the mobility automation device 10 can obtain various signals generated due to operations by the driver, passengers, and other users of the vehicle. For example, the mobility automation device 10 can obtain signals containing information about the destination and intermediate destinations generated in response to the operation of the operation panel 76 by the vehicle user, and signals containing the operation details of the driving operation system 78, such as the steering wheel and brakes, when the driver is responsible for part of the driving operation of the vehicle himself.

[0068] After performing control related to information acquisition processing involving control of the input unit 20, the control unit 12 of the mobility automation device 10 performs control processing for storing the information acquired by the mobility automation device 10 in the volatile memory 66 or non-volatile memory 64 constituting the storage unit 14. In addition, as necessary, the control unit 12 can also erase or update the acquired information temporarily stored in the storage unit 14. For example, the acquired information regarding an oncoming vehicle can be reset after the two vehicles have safely passed each other and moved away from each other.

[0069] The prediction unit 36 ​​of the calculation unit 18 appropriately uses the information stored in the memory unit 14 to make predictions regarding the future driving behavior of the automobile equipped with the mobile automation device 10 (step S20).

[0070] Matters related to autonomous driving, such as the driving route to the destination predicted by the prediction unit 36, the predicted driving position on the road, the predicted passing time at any intermediate point, the predicted arrival time to the destination, and the predicted driving speed at any intermediate point, are contained in a signal transmitted to the outside of the mobile automation device 10 as predicted driving data. The process related to the generation of a signal containing the predicted driving data is executed in accordance with the provisions of the mobile automation program 16 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0071] The mobile automation device 10 stores the predicted travel data of the vehicle generated in step S20 in the memory unit 14, and transmits a wireless signal containing the predicted travel data to an external device from the wireless transmission unit 28 (step S30). The external transmission of the predicted travel data signal is performed, among other things, under the control of the communication control unit 24. The destination of the predicted travel data signal is, for example, another vehicle equipped with another mobile automation device that is traveling within a predetermined distance range from the vehicle.

[0072] The mobile automation device 10 can receive a predicted travel data signal generated by a mobile automation device according to the present invention mounted on another vehicle traveling around the vehicle under the control of the communication control unit 24 via the wireless receiving unit 26 (step S40). The information contained in the received predicted travel data signal is stored in the volatile memory 66 or non-volatile memory 64 constituting the storage unit 14 under the control of the control unit 12.

[0073] The priority determination unit 38 of the calculation unit 18 compares the predicted driving data of the vehicle generated in step S20 with the predicted driving data of the other vehicles contained in the wireless signal received in step S40, and makes a priority determination as to which vehicle should be given the driving priority when there is a possibility that the planned driving routes will intersect or approach each other (step S50). The control unit 12 cooperates with the priority determination unit 38 to generate a wireless data signal containing the determination results regarding the driving priority order and information related to the determination results as priority order data.

[0074] The communication control unit 24 of the mobile automation device 10 controls and operates the wireless transmission unit 28 to transmit a wireless data signal containing the priority order data generated in step S50 to another mobile automation device that is the source of the predicted travel data signal received in step S40. Furthermore, the communication control unit 24 of the mobile automation device 10 controls and operates the wireless reception unit 26 to receive a wireless data signal containing the priority order data generated by another mobile automation device that is the destination of the predicted travel data signal in step S30. That is, the mobile automation devices that have exchanged predicted travel data now communicate with each other to exchange priority order data (step S60).

[0075] Meanwhile, the mobile automation device 10 can check whether its own determination of driving priority order was appropriate by comparing the priority order data received from other vehicles with the priority order data generated by its own device 10. Through such a check, the safety of automated driving can be further improved.

[0076] If a difference is found between the results of prioritization calculated by the mobile automation devices 10, the mobile automation device 10 can notify the other mobile automation device that calculated a result different from its own judgment result that there is a difference between the mutual judgment results and prompt it to make a re-judgment. At the same time, the mobile automation device 10 may also make a re-judgment regarding the driving priority in its own device 10. Furthermore, as necessary, the mobile automation device 10 can re-acquire information on the driving state and external environment of its own vehicle, update the predicted driving data using the re-acquired information, re-transmit the updated predicted driving data to the other mobile automation devices, and make a re-judgment using the updated predicted driving data.

[0077] The drive control unit 40 controls the drive system 42 via the drive output unit 44 to realize automatic driving according to the priority order data generated by the priority determination unit 38 (step S70). The automobile whose drive system 42 is controlled by the drive control unit 40 travels on the road while adjusting the driving direction, decelerating, stopping temporarily, and other operations as necessary to ensure the safe and smooth passage of each automobile according to the priority order determined by the priority determination unit 38 in comparison with other automobiles traveling nearby the automobile.

[0078] If a difference is found in the prioritization results calculated by each mobile automation device in the previous processing step S60, it is highly preferable for the drive control unit 40 to control the vehicle to perform operations that will ensure the safety of the vehicle and its surroundings as quickly and as much as possible, such as slow driving or stopping, so as to quickly and maximally ensure the safety of the vehicle and its surroundings.

[0079] After performing the automatic traveling in step S70, the mobile automation device 10 can control and operate the wireless transmission unit 28 by the communication control unit 24 to transmit to another mobile automation device a notification that the automatic traveling of the own vehicle, which has been controlled according to the determined traveling priority order, has been completed. The mobile automation device 10 can further receive from the other mobile automation device, via the wireless receiving unit 26, a notification that the automatic traveling of the other vehicle according to the determined priority order has been completed (step S80).

[0080] The processing of the travel automation program 16 from step S10 to S80 continues until the automobile equipped with the travel automation device 10 arrives at the destination set in advance by the user by operating the operation panel 76. That is, the travel automation device 10, particularly the control unit 12 and the calculation unit 18, cooperate to determine whether the automobile equipped with the device 10 has arrived at the destination (step S90). If the travel automation device 10 determines that the automobile has not yet arrived at the destination (option No in step S90), it returns to step S10 and continues to execute the automatic driving processing according to the provisions of the travel automation program 16. On the other hand, if the travel automation device 10 determines that the automobile has arrived at the destination (option Yes in step S90), it ends the automatic driving processing according to the provisions of the travel automation program 16 that has been executed up to that point.

[0081] In addition, if the result of the priority ranking decision received from the other mobile automation devices in the previous processing step S60 differs from the result of the decision made by the priority decision unit 38 of the device 10, the choice that the mobile automation device 10 takes in step S90 will naturally be "No." Therefore, the mobile automation device 10 can return to step S10 to recollect information (step S10), update the predicted travel data (step S20), retransmit the updated predicted travel data to the other mobile automation devices (step S30), re-receive the predicted travel data updated by the other mobile automation devices (step S40), and make a new decision based on the updated predicted travel data obtained in steps S20 and S40 (step S50).

[0082] Next, an example of the autonomous driving behavior of each vehicle will be described when the embodiment of the mobility automation system 10 according to the present invention executes the driving priority determination process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 3. First, assume that vehicle 206 and vehicle 208, both equipped with the mobility automation system 10 according to the present invention, are traveling near a T-junction consisting of a main road 202 with two lanes on each side, one lane on each side, and a side road 204 with a full width of one lane.

[0083] As described above in the section [Problems to be Solved by the Invention], if the mobile automation system installed in each vehicle was based on the conventional technology, the vehicles 206 and 208 would be stopped facing each other on the side road 204 and unable to move for a while, as shown in Figure 9. However, if the vehicles 206 and 208 are equipped with the mobile automation system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, such a situation can be avoided.

[0084] First, we will describe an example of a case where the right of way on the side road 204 is granted to a vehicle 206 traveling on a main road 202. An example of a case where the right of way on the side road 204 is granted to a vehicle 206 traveling on a main road 202 is a case where a vehicle 206 that is planning to turn left onto the side road 204 from the main road 202 is expected to reach a T-junction 210 soon, while a vehicle 208 traveling on the side road 204 toward the T-junction 210 has not yet reached a turnout 212.

[0085] The mobility automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 collect information on the driving behavior of the automobiles and the surrounding environment while driving on the main road 202 or the side road 204 (step S10). The mobility automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 each generate predicted driving data of the automobiles based on the collected information, and update the predicted driving data as necessary with the addition of collected information (step S20).

[0086] The mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 transmit wireless signals containing predicted travel data generated by their own vehicles to the other automobiles, and receive wireless signals containing predicted travel data generated by the mobile automation devices 10 of the other automobiles (steps S30 and S40). This allows each of the automobiles 206, 208 to recognize the presence of the other automobile before detecting it with its own on-board video camera.

[0087] The mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 compare the predicted driving data of their own vehicles that they generated with the received predicted driving data of the other vehicles, and determine which of the automobiles 206, 208 should be given priority on the side road 204 (step S50). In this example, the priority determination unit 38 of the mobile automation device 10 determines that the automobile 206, which is expected to soon reach the T-junction 210, should be given priority on the side road 204.

[0088] The mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 transmit the judgment results regarding priority running to the other vehicles. At the same time, the mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 can receive the judgment results regarding priority running calculated by the mobile automation devices 10 of the other vehicles from the other vehicles (step S60). By receiving the judgment results calculated by the other vehicles, the mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 can confirm that the automobiles 206, 208 share the same judgment results regarding the priority running right.

[0089] The mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206 and 208 control the drive system 42 via the drive output unit 44 according to the calculated judgment result regarding the priority travel (step S70). In this example, since the automobile 206 has the priority travel right on the side road 204, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 208 steers the automobile 208 to the waiting area 212 and stops the automobile 208 at the waiting area 212 until the automobile 206 turns left at the T-junction 210 and passes the automobile 206 traveling on the side road 204 (see arrow D1 in FIG. 4). After detecting that the automobile 206 has passed the waiting area 212 provided on the side road 204 (arrow D2 in FIG. 4), the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 208 stopped at the waiting area 212 restarts the automobile 208 and returns it to the side road 204, and resumes traveling on the side road 204.

[0090] An example of a detection method by the travel automation device 10 of the automobile 208 at this time is the process based on step S80 described above. More specifically, the travel automation device 10 of the automobile 206 transmits a wireless signal including information indicating that the automobile 206 has completed automatic traveling according to the priority level assigned to the automobile 206 at the timing of passing through the waiting area 212 to the travel automation device 10 of the automobile 208. By receiving this wireless signal, the travel automation device 10 of the automobile 208 can detect that the automobile 206 has passed through the waiting area 212 provided on the side road 204.

[0091] On the other hand, an example of a case where the right of way on the side road 204 is granted to a vehicle 208 already traveling on the side road 204 will be described. An example of a case where the right of way on the side road 204 is granted to a vehicle 208 is a case where the vehicle 208 traveling on the side road 204 has already passed a turnout 212 and is expected to reach a T-junction 210 soon, while the distance from the current position of a vehicle 206 that is planning to turn left from the main road 202 onto the side road 204 to the T-junction 210 is relatively far, and it is expected that the vehicle 206 will take a considerable amount of time to reach the T-junction 210.

[0092] In this case, the priority determination unit 38 of the mobile automation device 10 mounted on the automobiles 206, 208 determines that the automobile 208 should be given the priority to travel on the side road 204 (steps S10 to S50). The mobile automation devices 10 of the automobiles 206, 208 control the drive system 42 via the drive output unit 44 according to the mutually calculated determination results (steps S60 to S70). In this example, since the automobile 208 has the priority to travel on the side road 204, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 206 stops the automobile 206 before the T-junction 210 and waits until the automobile 208 traveling on the side road 204 passes through the T-junction 210 and enters the main road 202 (see FIG. 5). The mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 206 stopped just before the T-junction 210 detects that the automobile 208 has passed the T-junction 210 and entered the main road 202 (arrow D3 in Figure 5), and then performs automatic driving control to restart the automobile 206 so that the automobile 206 turns left at the T-junction 210 and enters the side road 204.

[0093] We will also briefly explain examples of automatic driving operations that can be performed by the mobile automation device 10 of automobiles 206, 208 when the automobiles are traveling near a T-junction where not only the side road 204 but also the main road 202 are one lane wide, and the side road 204 does not have a waiting area 212.

[0094] Near a T-junction as shown in Fig. 6, automobile 206 is automatically traveling on main road 202 from the bottom to the top of the figure, and plans to turn left onto side road 204 after reaching T-junction 210. On the other hand, automobile 208 traveling on side road 204 plans to turn right after passing T-junction 210. Here, it is assumed that automobile 208 has been given the right of way as a result of the processing of steps S10 to S50.

[0095] First, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 206 controls the drive system 42 to drive the automobile 206 until it passes the T-junction 210, and stops the automobile 206 at a position slightly past the T-junction 210 (movement indicated by arrow D4 in step S70). The mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 206 transmits a signal including information regarding the driving result of the automobile 206 to the automobile 208. By receiving this signal, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 208 recognizes that there is no longer any impediment to the intended driving of the automobile 208 which has the priority driving right (step S80).

[0096] After the automobile 208 turns right at the T-junction 210 and enters the main road 202 (movement indicated by arrow D5 in step S70), the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 208 transmits a signal including information about the driving result to the automobile 206. By receiving this signal, the mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 206 recognizes that the automobile 208, which had a higher driving rank compared to its own vehicle, has left the T-junction and the driving right around the T-junction 210 has been transferred to the automobile 206 (step S80). The automobile 206 temporarily retreats to just before the T-junction 210, then moves forward again and turns left at the T-junction 210. This movement of the automobile 206 can be considered as the movement indicated by arrow D6, which is a result of executing the processing step S70 of the mobile automation program 16 that has looped through step S90.

[0097] As yet another example, we will explain the autonomous driving behavior of automobiles 224 and 226, both equipped with mobile automation device 10, assuming a situation shown in Figure 10, i.e., automobiles 224 and 226 are traveling near a three-way intersection where a straight road 220 and a branch road 222 intersect at an angle that forms a so-called Y-shaped intersection.

[0098] The mobility automation device 10 of the automobile 224 compares the predicted driving data of its own vehicle generated by itself with the received predicted driving data of the other vehicle to determine whether the automobile 224 has the right of way, i.e., whether the automobile 224 can have priority over the automobile 226 traveling in the oncoming lane 220B at and around the Y-shaped intersection 228 (steps S10 to S50).

[0099] At this time, even if the sensor 32 (particularly the video camera) of the vehicle itself cannot detect the light-emitting display color of the traffic signal 232, the mobile automation device 10 mounted on the vehicle 224 can recognize the content of the instruction currently being issued by the traffic signal 232 to the vehicle 226 from the information contained in the predicted travel data supplied from the device 10 mounted on the vehicle 226, which is an oncoming vehicle. Therefore, in the situation shown in Fig. 10, the mobile automation device 10 of the vehicle 224 recognizes that the traffic signal 232 is issuing an instruction signal to the vehicle 226 to stop, and determines that the vehicle 224 has the right of way over the vehicle 226 when entering the branch road 222.

[0100] The mobile automation device 10 of the automobile 224 controls the drive system 42 via the drive output unit 44 according to the calculated determination result regarding the priority right of way (steps S60 to S70). That is, the automobile 224 can cross the oncoming lane 220B and enter the junction 222 without having to temporarily stop before the Y-shaped junction 228, regardless of the presence of the automobile 226 that is still traveling even though it is decelerating.

[0101] On the other hand, the automobile 226 traveling in the oncoming lane 220B can recognize the light-emitting display color of the traffic signal 232, and the mobile automation device 10 mounted on the automobile 226 can receive the predicted driving data and the judgment result regarding the priority driving from the automobile 224. Therefore, the device 10 mounted on the automobile 226 recognizes that the other automobile 224 has the priority driving right near the Y-shaped junction 228, and can control the driving of the automobile 226. At this time, it is preferable that the device 10 mounted on the automobile 226 executes a process of displaying on the display 48 the traffic conditions near the Y-shaped junction 228 predicted in the near future, the presence or absence of the priority driving right, and the driving schedule of each automobile 224, 226 associated therewith. This is because the display on the display 48 can give the occupants of the automobile 226 a sense of security about the automatic driving currently being performed.

[0102] Meanwhile, a transmitter for transmitting a wireless signal carrying information required for the mobile automation device 10 to recognize the surrounding environment and determine driving priority may be attached to a structure such as a traffic signal or a traffic sign. In the example shown in Fig. 10, a transmitter may be attached to the traffic signals 230 and 232 so that a vehicle 226 or 224 traveling in the oncoming lane of these signals can recognize the driving permission or stop instruction transmitted by the traffic signals 230 and 232 in a light color display format. This allows the mobile automation device 10 to obtain information about the surrounding environment even when there is no other vehicle near the vehicle that can provide predicted driving data.

[0103] In addition to such information, the transmitters attached to these structures may function as relay transmitters that collect traffic information and / or information related to surrounding traffic conditions transmitted by traffic management facilities such as traffic control centers, and transmit radio signals containing such information as appropriate. In this case, the mobile automation device 10 mounted on a vehicle traveling near a structure equipped with a transmitter can more quickly and efficiently obtain necessary and sufficient information for generating predicted travel data or determining priority travel.

[0104] A safety assurance device that has an essential configuration in common with the mobile automation device according to the present invention and is formed in a size and shape that is easy to carry can also be considered as an embodiment of the present invention. The safety assurance device 300, which is an embodiment of the present invention, cooperates with the mobile automation device 10 to build a traffic management system that supports the safe and smooth movement of all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. It can be said that such a safety assurance device 300 is included in many embodiments of the mobile automation device 10.

[0105] 7 shows an embodiment of a safety assurance device 300 that cooperates with the mobile automation device 10 to form part of a traffic management system. Among the components of the safety assurance device 300, components that have substantially the same functions as the components of the mobile automation device 10 are given the same reference numerals. In other words, most of the components included in the safety assurance device 300 are common to the components of the mobile automation device 10.

[0106] The configuration of the safety ensuring device 300 is essentially the same as that of the mobile automation device 10, except that it is not necessary to provide components equivalent to the drive control unit 40 and the drive output unit 44 that operate in association with a drive unit provided in a mobile device such as an automobile. However, the portable safety ensuring device 300 may have a configuration that allows it to be connected in the form of a circuit to a mobile object such as a two-wheeled vehicle or an electric wheelchair, and in this case, the safety ensuring device 300 connected to the mobile object functions as a mobile automation device. When such a configuration is adopted, the safety ensuring device 300 may have a configuration that includes the drive control unit 40 and the drive output unit 44.

[0107] The safety ensuring device 300, which does not include the drive control unit 40 and the drive output unit 44, ensures the safe movement of the user of the safety ensuring device 300, i.e., the carrier, by calling attention to the user by the operation of the output unit 22. As an embodiment of the safety ensuring device 300, a smartphone having a safety ensuring program 316 stored in a built-in storage device is taken as an example. The safety ensuring device 300 in the form of a smartphone includes a display unit 46, a voice unit 50, and a vibration unit 352 that vibrates the smartphone in the output unit 22, and can notify the device carrier of information about the surrounding environment, such as the presence of an approaching vehicle, by vibration. In FIG. 7, a notification device or means that notifies the carrier of the safety ensuring device 300 of information about the surrounding environment, including the display unit 46, the voice unit 50, and the vibration unit 352, is shown as a notification unit 354 that is a part of the output unit 22.

[0108] The movement of the person carrying the safety ensuring device 300 after the notification unit 354 has issued a warning is detected by the detection unit 30. The detection result is then transmitted to the mobile automation device 10 via the wireless transmission unit 28, and information regarding the movement of the person carrying the safety ensuring device 300 is also shared with the communication destination device. It is preferable that the warning notification by the output unit 22 continues until the detection unit 30 detects that the person carrying the safety ensuring device has taken action to avoid danger.

[0109] The safety assurance program 316 stored in the memory unit 14 of the safety assurance device 300 has essentially the same content as the mobile automation program 16 in terms of the program contents that operate the safety assurance device 300, such as communication with other mobile automation devices 10, priority judgment using received information, and transmission of the judgment results.

[0110] If the safety assurance device according to the present invention is portable, when a person carrying the safety assurance device is walking or riding on a moving body not equipped with a mobile automation device, such as a bicycle, the mobile automation device 10 mounted on a moving device such as an automobile can quickly detect the presence of a bicycle or pedestrian before acquiring image information. On the other hand, for a person carrying the safety assurance device 300 and moving on the road, the person's presence can be notified to a moving automobile at an earlier stage. In other words, for a person carrying the safety assurance device 300, the safety of his / her movement is ensured by the safety assurance device 300.

[0111] An example of the processing steps of the mobile automation program 16 and the safety assurance program 316 associated with mutual communication between the mobile automation device 10 and the safety assurance device 300 according to the present invention, which are executed by each embodiment of these devices, will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the following, the mobile automation device 10 will be described assuming a situation in which it is mounted on a moving automobile, and the safety assurance device 300 is carried by a pedestrian, i.e., a user who is moving.

[0112] The execution operations of the safety ensuring device 300 storing the safety ensuring program 316 are essentially common to the execution operations of the mobile automation device 10 storing the mobile automation program 16. Therefore, in Fig. 8, the execution operations of the safety ensuring device 300 that are substantially common to the execution operations of the mobile automation device 10 are shown with the same reference numerals as steps S10 to S60 and S80 to S90.

[0113] 8, the dashed arrows indicate the direction of transmission of data collected by the travel automation device 10 and the safety assurance device 300 to the other device and the results of calculation. The safety assurance device 300 cooperates with the travel automation device 10 to collect information on the travel state of the carrier or the environment around the carrier (step S10), predict the travel pattern of the carrier based on the collected information (step S20), transmit and receive predicted data created by each device to and from the travel automation device 10 (steps S30-S40), and make priority decisions based on the obtained predicted data and transmit and receive the results of the decisions (steps S50-S60).

[0114] 7, unlike the mobile automation device 10 shown in FIG. 1, the safety ensuring device 300 does not have the drive control unit 40 and drive output unit 44, and therefore does not perform an operation equivalent to the direct control of the drive system in step S70 in the mobile automation device 10. However, the safety ensuring device 300 can indirectly control the behavior of the moving person by issuing a warning to the carrier through a signal output from the notification unit 354 (step S170). Note that when the mobile automation device 10 includes the configuration of the safety ensuring device 300 as in the illustrated embodiment, such a warning can also be executed by the mobile automation device 10.

[0115] The safety ensuring device 300 detects the movement of the carrier after the warning and transmits the detection result to the mobility automation device 10. The safety ensuring device 300 then receives a notification from the mobility automation device 10 of the travel result of the mobile object, that is, a notification that the automatic travel of the mobile object has been completed according to the determined travel priority (step S80). The safety ensuring device 300 continues the operations of steps S10 to S80 until the destination is reached (step S90).

[0116] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific method of implementing the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. As long as the present invention can be implemented, the design and operation procedures can be appropriately changed. For example, auxiliary elements such as devices, circuits, and software that are used to assist the functions of the components used in the present invention can be added or omitted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 10 Mobile automation equipment 12 Control section 14 Storage section 16 Mobile Automation Program 18 Arithmetic section 20 Input section 22 Output section 24 Communication control section 26 Radio receiving unit 28 Radio transmitter 30 Detection unit 34 Manual operation section 36 Prediction Department 38 Priority Judgment Department 40 Drive control unit 44 Drive output section 46 Display section 50 Audio section 60 Computer 62 CPU 64 Non-volatile memory 66 Volatile Memory 68 input ports 70 Output Ports 90 Storage medium 300 Safety device 316 Safety Program 352 Vibration part 354 Notification Department

Claims

1. A mobile object movement automation device for controlling a mobile object so that the mobile object moves automatically, the device comprising: an input unit for acquiring information regarding the moving object or an environment surrounding the moving object; a prediction unit that generates first predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of the moving object based on information acquired via the input unit; a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with another mobile automation device mounted on a moving body other than the moving body, and receives second predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of the other moving body from the other mobile automation device via the input unit; a priority determination unit that determines a priority order of movement of the moving body and the other moving body based on first predicted movement data and second predicted movement data; A mobile automation device for a mobile body, characterized in that a moving direction and a moving speed of the mobile body or the other mobile body are controlled based on a result of the judgment by the priority judgment unit.

2. 2. The mobile automation system according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control unit for controlling a drive system of said mobile body based on a result of the determination by said priority determination unit.

3. 2. The mobile automation device according to claim 1, The apparatus further comprises an output for transmitting the first predicted movement data or the determination result regarding the movement priority; The mobile automation device, wherein the processing related to the communication with the other mobile automation device performed by the communication control unit includes transmission of first predicted movement data or a judgment result regarding the movement priority by the output unit.

4. 4. The mobile automation device according to claim 3, The output unit is further capable of transmitting a result of movement in which a direction and a speed of the moving object are controlled based on a result of the determination regarding the priority of the movement, The mobile automation device, wherein the process related to the communication with the other mobile automation device performed by the communication control unit further includes transmission and reception of the movement result.

5. 2. The mobile automation device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is A detection unit that acquires information related to the movement of the moving object or the surrounding environment of the moving object; a wireless receiving unit that receives wireless signals including information related to the surrounding environment of the mobile body and that are generated by a wireless communication device outside the mobile body, thereby acquiring the information; a manual operation unit that acquires information related to a travel schedule of the moving object based on an operation input by a user, A mobile automation device, characterized in that the first predicted movement data is data generated by the prediction unit based on information acquired via the detection unit, the wireless receiving unit, and the manual operation unit.

6. 2. The mobility automation device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying the information acquired by the input unit, the first or second predicted movement data, or the judgment result regarding the movement priority obtained by the priority judgment unit.

7. A storage medium storing a program for automating the movement of a moving object, which causes a computer to function as a moving object movement automation device for controlling the moving object so that the moving object moves automatically, The mobile automation program stored in the storage medium causes the computer to: an input unit for acquiring information regarding the moving object or the surrounding environment of the moving object; a prediction unit that generates first predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of the moving object based on information acquired via the input unit; a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with another mobile automation device mounted on a moving body other than the moving body, and receives second predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of the other moving body from the other mobile automation device via the input unit; and functioning as a priority determination unit that determines a movement priority order of the moving body and the other moving body based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data; A storage medium storing a program for automating movement of a moving object, characterized in that a moving direction and a moving speed of the moving object or the other moving object are controlled based on a result of judgment by the priority judgment unit.

8. 8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein said program further causes said computer to function as a drive control unit that controls a drive system of said moving body based on a result of the determination by said priority determination unit.

9. 8. The storage medium according to claim 7, The program further causes the computer to function as an output unit that transmits the first predicted movement data or a judgment result regarding the movement priority order; A storage medium characterized in that the processing related to communication with the other mobility automation device performed by the computer as the communication control unit includes transmission of first predicted movement data or a judgment result regarding the mobility priority by the output unit.

10. 10. The storage medium according to claim 9, the function of the output unit includes transmitting a result of movement in which a direction and a speed of the moving object are controlled based on a result of the determination regarding the priority of the movement, A storage medium, wherein the process related to the communication with the other mobile automation device performed by the communication control unit includes sending and receiving the result of the movement.

11. 8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the function of the input unit that the program causes the computer to realize is: A detection unit that acquires information related to the movement of the moving object or the surrounding environment of the moving object; a wireless receiving unit that receives a wireless signal including information related to the surrounding environment of the mobile body and that is generated by a wireless transmitting device outside the mobile body, thereby acquiring the information; and The function of the manual operation unit is to acquire information related to a travel schedule of the moving object based on an operation input by a user, A storage medium, characterized in that the first predicted movement data is data generated by the prediction unit based on information acquired via the detection unit, the wireless receiving unit, and the manual operation unit.

12. 8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the program further causes the computer to function as a display unit for displaying information acquired by the input unit, first or second predicted movement data, or a judgment result regarding the movement priority obtained by the priority judgment unit.

13. A safety assurance device that cooperates with the mobile automation device according to claim 1 to ensure the safety of a user's movement, the safety assurance device comprising: an input unit for acquiring information about a user carrying the safety assurance device or about the user's surrounding environment; a prediction unit that generates second predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of the user based on information acquired through the input unit; a communication control unit that performs processing related to communication with the mobile automation device and receives first predicted movement data related to a future movement mode of a moving body equipped with the mobile automation device from the mobile automation device via the input unit; a priority determination unit that determines a movement priority order of the user and the moving object based on the first predicted movement data and the second predicted movement data; an output unit that transmits the second predicted movement data or a judgment result regarding the movement priority order; The process related to the communication with the movement automation device performed by the communication control unit includes transmission of second predicted movement data or a judgment result regarding the movement priority order by the output unit; A safety assurance device, characterized in that the safety assurance device causes the mobile automation device to control the moving direction and speed of the mobile object based on the result of judgment by a priority judgment unit provided in the safety assurance device.

14. 14. The safety assurance device according to claim 13, further comprising a notification unit for notifying the user of the information acquired by the input unit, the first or second predicted movement data, or the judgment result regarding the movement priority obtained by the priority judgment unit.

15. In the safety assurance device according to claim 14, the input unit comprises: A detection unit that acquires information related to the movement of a user carrying the safety device or the surrounding environment of the user; a wireless receiving unit that receives a wireless signal including information related to the user's surrounding environment, the information being generated by a wireless communication device outside the safety assurance device, and acquires the information; a manual operation unit that acquires information related to the user's travel schedule based on an operation input by the user, A safety assurance device, characterized in that the second predicted movement data is data generated by the prediction unit based on information acquired via the detection unit, the wireless receiving unit, and the manual operation unit.

16. The safety device according to claim 15, The detection unit is further capable of detecting a state of movement of the user after the notification unit has notified the user of a judgment result regarding the movement priority order, The output unit is further capable of transmitting a state of movement of the user detected by the detection unit, A safety assurance device characterized in that the processing related to communication with the mobile automation device performed by the communication control unit further includes receiving the movement results of the mobile body and transmitting the movement status of the user.

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