Virtual signal device, mobile body management system, mobile body, and mobile body management method

Abstract

A virtual signal device (2) according to the present disclosure comprises: an extraction unit (22) that, on the basis of the positions of vehicles (5) being managed and the positions of objects in a monitoring area, extracts target vehicles, which are the vehicles (5) that have a possibility of intersecting with the objects, and target objects, which are the objects that have a possibility of intersecting with the target vehicles; a determination unit (23) that determines the progression or stopping of the target vehicles using control information, which are rules for determining the progression or stopping of the vehicles (5), first information, which is information about the target vehicles, and second information, which is information about the target objects, and generates progression permission information indicating the progression or stopping of the target vehicles on the basis of the determined result; and an output unit (24) that outputs the progression permission information generated by the determination unit (23). The virtual signal device (2) is provided outside the vehicles (5).

Description

Virtual signaling device, mobile object management system, mobile object, and mobile object management method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a virtual signaling device, a mobile object management system, a mobile object, and a mobile object management method for managing the movement of a mobile object capable of autonomous movement.

[0002] In intersection areas such as intersections and narrow roads where there is a possibility that vehicles may cross each other or that vehicles may cross with people other than vehicles, it is desirable to appropriately control vehicle traffic. Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control system for realizing smooth traffic at intersections. In the vehicle control system described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle detection means detects vehicles approaching the intersection to enter the intersection, and a priority setting unit sets a priority for each vehicle regarding intersection entry using at least one parameter that is the approach mode of each vehicle to the intersection, and controls the vehicle speed based on the priority.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-338596

[0004] However, the vehicle control system described in Patent Document 1 requires advanced processing to calculate the environmental force for each vehicle determined to be a non-priority vehicle and perform deceleration control in accordance with the calculated environmental force.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a virtual traffic signal device that can reduce processing load and achieve smooth traffic in intersection areas.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the virtual signaling device according to the present disclosure includes an extraction unit that extracts a target mobile object, which is a managed mobile object that may intersect with an object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target mobile object, based on the position of a managed mobile object that is a managed mobile object and the position of an object within a monitoring area. The virtual signaling device further includes a determination unit that determines whether the target mobile object will proceed or stop using arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile object will proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile object, and second information, which is information about the target object, and generates proceed / non-proceed information instructing the target mobile object to proceed or stop based on the determination result, and an output unit that outputs the proceed / non-proceed information generated by the determination unit. The virtual signaling device is provided outside the managed mobile object.

[0007] The virtual traffic signal device according to the present disclosure has the effect of reducing the processing load and realizing smooth traffic in intersection areas.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to the first embodiment. A sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in the virtual signal device of the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the detection target area and the state of an object in the first embodiment. A diagram for explaining the processing of the detection device and the virtual signal device corresponding to the example shown in FIG. 3. A diagram showing another example of the detection target area and the state of an object in the first embodiment. A diagram for explaining the processing of the detection device and the virtual signal device corresponding to the example shown in FIG. 5. A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the extraction unit of the first embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the determination unit of the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the state of an object when the detection target area of ​​the first embodiment includes an intersection where a main road and a side road intersect. Another example of the processing procedure of the determination unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing procedure of the determination unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes each of the virtual signaling devices according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to a modification of the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in the virtual signaling device according to the modification of the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the determination unit according to the modification of the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to the second embodiment;

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A virtual signaling device, a mobile object management system, a mobile object, and a mobile object management method according to embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] First Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to a first embodiment. The mobile object management system 100 of this embodiment manages a mobile object capable of autonomous movement. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the mobile object is a vehicle 5 capable of autonomous movement. However, various robots capable of autonomous movement (security, cleaning, transport robots, etc.), drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), etc. may be used instead of the vehicle 5. The vehicle 5 is a managed vehicle managed by the mobile object management system 100 and is an example of a managed mobile object managed by the mobile object management system 100. The vehicle 5 is, for example, a vehicle that transports at least one of passengers and cargo, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, a bus, a passenger car, a cart, a PMV (Personal Mobility Vehicle), a truck, a towing car, a towing tractor, etc. Note that the mobile object management system 100 may also include the vehicle 5.

[0011] Although one vehicle 5 is illustrated in FIG. 1 , the number of vehicles 5 may be one or more, and the number of vehicles 5 is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 1 . The vehicle 5 is, for example, a vehicle that can travel on public roads, but may also travel on roads other than public roads. Public roads are roads defined by the Road Traffic Act, such as national expressways, general national roads, prefectural roads, and municipal roads, but are not limited to these, and may also be roads established for public traffic. The vehicle 5 may also travel within a specific facility, on a site, or the like. The vehicle 5 may also be a vehicle with a set operation plan, such as a community bus or a route bus, or a vehicle without a set operation plan.

[0012] The vehicle 5 is, for example, an autonomous vehicle, but is not limited thereto, and may be a manually driven vehicle driven by a driver. The type (model) of the vehicle 5 is, for example, a bus, a passenger car, a cart, a PMV, a truck, a towing car, a towing tractor, or the like, but these may be mixed. The type of the vehicle 5 is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the vehicle 5 is an autonomous vehicle.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile object management system 100 includes a control server 1 and a detection device 4. The control server 1 is provided separately from the vehicle 5, i.e., outside the vehicle 5. The control server 1 includes a virtual signal device 2 and a control device 3. The control device 3 manages the movement of the vehicle 5 managed by the control server 1, i.e., the managed vehicle. The virtual signal device 2 generates proceed / prohibition information indicating whether the managed vehicle can proceed into an intersection area, which is a point where the vehicle 5 may intersect with an object, and outputs the generated proceed / prohibition information to the vehicle 5. The proceed / prohibition information indicates whether the vehicle 5 should proceed or stop, similar to the light color indication of a traffic signal. Using the proceed / prohibition information allows for control similar to that of a traffic signal, so the proceed / prohibition information is virtual signal information. Note that while typical traffic signals display not only "proceed" and "stop" but also "caution" indications, in this embodiment, the proceed / prohibition information is information indicating either "proceed" or "stop." The object includes at least one of a management vehicle, i.e., vehicle 5, a general vehicle other than vehicle 5, an object other than a vehicle (vehicle 5 and a general vehicle), and a person. The intersection area includes, for example, at least one of an intersection without traffic lights (traffic signals), an intersection with traffic lights installed but with periods when the traffic lights are not controlled by their light colors, and a narrow passage where it is difficult for vehicle 5 to pass an object. Below, an example will be described in which the intersection area is an intersection without traffic lights, but the intersection area is not limited to this.

[0014] The detection device 4 detects an object present in a detection target area. The detection target area is a monitoring area of ​​the mobile object management system 100 and includes at least an intersection area. The monitoring area may be outdoors or indoors. The detection device 4 may be installed on a utility pole installed on a road, a smart pole (regardless of whether it is a signage type or a pole type), a wall of a building, or the like. Furthermore, the detection device 4 may be mounted on a vehicle 5 or on a moving object other than the vehicle 5.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 , the detection device 4 includes a sensor 41, a detection unit 42, and a transmission unit 43. The sensor 41 is a sensor for detecting an object present in a detection target area, and is, for example, at least one of an ultrasonic sensor, a temperature sensor, a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a millimeter-wave sensor, etc. The detection unit 42 detects an object present in the detection target area using sensor information acquired by the sensor 41 and outputs detection information indicating the detection result to the transmission unit 43. The transmission unit 43 transmits the detection information to the virtual signaling device 2. There may be multiple detection devices 4. In this case, the sensors 41 in the multiple detection devices 4 may be the same type of sensor, or different types of sensors may be mixed. Note that the detection device 4 may transmit the sensor information to the virtual signaling device 2. In this case, the virtual signaling device 2 includes the detection unit 42 instead of the detection device 4.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1 , the control device 3 includes a notification unit 31, a control information storage unit 32, and a receiving unit 33. The control information storage unit 32 stores control information used to control the vehicle 5. The control information includes management vehicle information, which is information related to the vehicle 5. The management vehicle information includes at least one of identification information of the vehicle 5 and location information indicating the location of the vehicle 5. The management vehicle information may include the vehicle model of the vehicle 5 or status information indicating the status of the vehicle 5. The status information may include information indicating the speed, direction of travel, operating route, driving environment (e.g., driving on a main road), etc. of the vehicle 5. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle 5 is a vehicle 5 that carries passengers, such as a bus or a taxi, the status information may include information indicating the presence or number of passengers. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle 5 is a vehicle 5 that carries cargo, such as a truck, the status information may include information indicating the presence or absence of cargo. The speed and direction of travel of the vehicle 5 may be notified to the control device 3 by the vehicle 5, or may be calculated by the control device 3 based on the position history of the vehicle 5.

[0017] The control information may also include arbitration information. The arbitration information is information indicating rules for determining whether the vehicle 5 should proceed or stop, and more specifically, information indicating predetermined rules for determining whether the vehicle 5 should proceed or stop in an intersection area. Details of the arbitration information will be described later. The arbitration information may be stored in the virtual signal device 2, and in this case, the control information does not need to include the arbitration information.

[0018] The notification unit 31 notifies the virtual signal device 2 of the control information stored in the control information storage unit 32. The receiving unit 33 acquires location information indicating the location of the vehicle 5 from the vehicle 5 and stores the location information in the control information storage unit 32 as management vehicle information. The location information may be used for control processing of the vehicle 5 by a control control unit (not shown) in the control device 3. If the management vehicle information includes status information, the receiving unit 33 may receive the status information from the vehicle 5 and store the received status information in the control information storage unit 32 as management vehicle information. Any processing may be performed as the control processing of the vehicle 5 by the control control unit, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, when the vehicle 5 operates based on an operation plan, the control control unit may create the operation plan and transmit the operation plan to the vehicle 5 via the notification unit 31 or a transmission unit (not shown). The control control unit may generate control information for controlling the traveling of the vehicle 5 and transmit the control information to the vehicle 5 via the notification unit 31 or a transmission unit (not shown).

[0019] 1 , the virtual signaling device 2 includes an acquisition unit 21, an extraction unit 22, a determination unit 23, an output unit 24, and a storage unit 25. Note that, if the arbitration information is notified from the control device 3, the virtual signaling device 2 does not need to include the storage unit 25.

[0020] The acquisition unit 21 receives the detection information transmitted from the detection device 4, acquires the detection information from the detection device 4, and outputs the acquired detection information to the extraction unit 22. When there are multiple detection devices 4, the detection information may be transmitted together with the identification information of the detection device 4, and the acquisition unit 21 may output the detection information together with the identification information of the detection device 4 to the extraction unit 22.

[0021] The extraction unit 22 extracts a target vehicle, which is a vehicle 5 that may intersect with the object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target vehicle, based on the position of a vehicle 5, which is an example of a managed moving object, and the position of an object within the monitoring area. The target vehicle is an example of a target moving object. Specifically, the extraction unit 22 uses the detection information received from the acquisition unit 21 and the managed vehicle information received from the control device 3 to generate intersection prediction information, which is information about the vehicle 5 that may intersect with the object, and outputs the generated intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23. The intersection prediction information includes first information, which is information about the target vehicle, and second information, which is information about the target object.

[0022] The first information may include, for example, at least a portion of the information included in the management vehicle information. The first information may include information indicating whether or not a passenger is riding in the management vehicle, or may include information indicating the vehicle type of the management vehicle. The target object is an object determined to have a possibility of intersecting with the vehicle 5, and the target vehicle (target moving body) is a vehicle 5 determined to have a possibility of intersecting with the target object. Note that, if the target object is a management vehicle, the second information may also include at least a portion of the information included in the management vehicle information. For example, the second information may include information indicating whether or not a passenger is riding in the management vehicle, or may include information indicating the vehicle type of the management vehicle. Details of determining whether or not there is a possibility of an intersection, and details of the target object and the target vehicle will be described later.

[0023] In addition, when the detection device 4 is mounted on a vehicle 5, for example, the detection information acquired by the detection device 4 is transmitted from the vehicle 5 equipped with the detection device 4 to the virtual signaling device 2 together with information indicating the position and attitude of the vehicle 5. The detection information and the information indicating the position and attitude of the vehicle 5 may be transmitted from the vehicle 5 to the virtual signaling device 2 via the control device 3. The acquisition unit 21 outputs this information received from the vehicle 5 to the extraction unit 22. The extraction unit 22 uses the information indicating the position and attitude transmitted from the vehicle 5 to extract detection information from the detection device 4 (detection device 4 mounted on the vehicle 5) that detects an area including the monitoring area, and uses the extracted detection information to generate intersection prediction information. In this case, the detection information of the detection devices 4 mounted on vehicles 5 other than the target vehicle is used to extract the target vehicle. Since vehicles 5 other than the target vehicle may not necessarily be present near the monitoring area, for example, the extraction unit 22 may generate intersection prediction information using both detection information acquired by a fixed detection device 4 (a detection device 4 whose detection target area is the monitoring area) and detection information acquired by a detection device 4 mounted on the vehicle 5. That is, the detection device 4 mounted on the vehicle 5 may be used to complement the fixed detection device 4. As described above, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire sensor information instead of detection information. In this case, sensor information is transmitted from the vehicle 5 instead of detection information, and the detection unit 42 included in the virtual traffic signal device 2 generates detection information using the information indicating the position and attitude transmitted from the vehicle 5 and the sensor information of the detection device 4 (the detection device 4 mounted on the vehicle 5) whose detection target area includes the monitoring area, and outputs the detection information to the extraction unit 22.

[0024] The determination unit 23 uses the arbitration information, the first information, and the second information to determine whether the target vehicle should proceed or stop, and generates proceed / non-progress information instructing the target vehicle to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination. Specifically, the determination unit 23 uses the intersection prediction information received from the extraction unit 22 and the arbitration information received from the control device 3 to determine whether the target vehicle should proceed or not, and outputs the proceed / non-progress information indicating the result of the determination to the output unit 24. Note that the determination unit 23 may further receive management vehicle information from the control device 3, and use the intersection prediction information, arbitration information, and management vehicle information to determine whether the target vehicle should proceed or not.

[0025] The output unit 24 outputs the proceeding possibility information received from the determination unit 23, i.e., the proceeding possibility information generated by the determination unit 23. In detail, the output unit 24 outputs the proceeding possibility information to the target vehicle, for example, by transmitting the proceeding possibility information to the target vehicle. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the virtual signaling device 2 transmits the proceeding possibility information to the target vehicle, but this is not limiting. The virtual signaling device 2 may transmit the proceeding possibility information to the target vehicle via at least one of the control device 3 and another device (not shown). For example, the virtual signaling device 2 may transmit the proceeding possibility information to the control device 3 together with information indicating the corresponding target vehicle, and the notification unit 31 of the control device 3 or a transmission unit (not shown) may transmit the proceeding possibility information to the corresponding target vehicle.

[0026] The storage unit 25 stores the arbitration information. Instead of receiving the arbitration information from the control device 3, the decision unit 23 may read the arbitration information stored in the storage unit 25 and use the read arbitration information to decide whether or not the target vehicle is allowed to proceed.

[0027] 1, the virtual signal device 2 and the control device 3 are shown separately, but the virtual signal device 2 may be provided within the control device 3. In this case, the extraction unit 22 and the determination unit 23 of the virtual signal device 2 read out the management vehicle information and arbitration information stored in the control information storage unit 32, respectively, and the notification unit 31 may not be provided.

[0028] 1 , the vehicle 5 includes a receiving unit 51, a control unit 52, a self-location identifying unit 53, and a location transmitting unit 54. The receiving unit 51 receives the progress possibility information transmitted from the virtual signaling device 2 and outputs the received progress possibility information to the control unit 52. Furthermore, when the control device 3 transmits an operation plan to the vehicle 5, the receiving unit 51 receives the operation plan from the control device 3 and outputs the received operation plan to the control unit 52. Furthermore, the receiving unit 51 may receive control information from the control device 3 and output the received control information to the control unit 52.

[0029] The self-location identifying unit 53 identifies the position of the vehicle 5 and outputs position information indicating the identified position to the control unit 52. As the self-location identifying unit 53, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that performs GPS positioning or the like can be used, but is not limited to this.

[0030] The control unit 52 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle 5 using the position information received from the self-location identification unit 53. When the control unit 52 receives an operation plan from the receiving unit 51, the control unit 52 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle 5 using the position information received from the self-location identification unit 53 and the operation plan. Furthermore, when the control unit 52 receives control information from the receiving unit 51, the control unit 52 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle 5 based on the control information. For example, the control unit 52 controls a driving mechanism (not shown) based on information acquired by sensors (not shown) that detect obstacles, such as a camera, LiDAR, or millimeter-wave sensor, the position information received from the self-location identification unit 53, and map information (not shown). The driving mechanism is a mechanism for driving the vehicle 5, and is, for example, a plurality of mechanisms for driving the vehicle 5, such as an accelerator operation device such as an accelerator pedal, a steering device, and a brake, but the configuration of the driving mechanism is not limited to these.

[0031] Furthermore, when the control unit 52 receives the proceeding possibility information from the receiving unit 51, the control unit 52 controls the vehicle 5 to proceed or stop based on the proceeding possibility information. When the vehicle 5 is a manually driven vehicle, for example, the vehicle 5 may display the proceeding possibility information, and the driver may proceed or stop the vehicle 5 according to the proceeding possibility information.

[0032] Next, the operation of the virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in the virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the acquisition unit 21 acquires detection information from the detection device 4 (step S1). The acquisition unit 21 outputs the acquired detection information to the extraction unit 22 (step S2).

[0033] The extraction unit 22 acquires the management vehicle information from the control device 3 (step S3). The extraction unit 22 generates intersection prediction information by extracting vehicles 5 that may intersect with the object from the management vehicle information and the detection information (step S5). The extraction unit 22 outputs the intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23 (step S6).

[0034] The decision unit 23 acquires arbitration information from the control device 3 (step S4). The decision unit 23 generates proceed / non-progress information by determining whether to proceed or stop using the intersection prediction information and the arbitration information (step S7). In detail, the decision unit 23 determines whether to proceed or stop for the target vehicle indicated by the intersection prediction information using the arbitration information, and generates proceed / non-progress information indicating the result of the determination. The decision unit 23 outputs the proceed / non-progress information to the output unit 24 (step S8). The output unit 24 outputs the proceed / non-progress information to the vehicle 5 (step S9).

[0035] Through the above processing, the target vehicle receives the proceeding / progression information and can proceed or stop based on the proceeding / progression information. This allows for smooth traffic flow in the intersection area. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is no need to perform processing with a high processing load. Furthermore, the vehicle 5 only needs to proceed or stop in accordance with the proceeding / progression information, and there is no need for the vehicle 5 to have a function for performing complex processing.

[0036] Here, specific examples will be used to explain the processing performed by the detection device 4 and the virtual traffic light device 2 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detection target area and the state of an object according to this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the hatched area 200 is the detection target area of ​​the detection device 4. The area 200 includes an intersection without a traffic light. In the example shown in FIG. 3, vehicles 5-1 and 5-2 are present within the area 200, and vehicle 5-3 is present outside the area 200. Each of the vehicles 5-1 to 5-3 is a managed vehicle, i.e., vehicle 5 according to this embodiment. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 3, a pedestrian 203 who is crossing a crosswalk 202 and a general vehicle, vehicle 201, are present within the area 200. Note that the arrows originating from vehicles 5-1 to 5-3, vehicle 201, and pedestrian 203 indicate the respective traveling directions of vehicles 5-1 to 5-3, vehicle 201, and pedestrian 203.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the processing of the detection device 4 and the virtual signaling device 2 corresponding to the example shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the detection device 4 acquires sensor information by sensing the area 200 using the sensor 41. The detection unit 42 of the detection device 4 detects an object from the sensor information and outputs detection information indicating the detection result to the transmission unit 43, which then outputs the detection information to the virtual signaling device 2. As described above, the object includes a management vehicle, i.e., the vehicle 5, a general vehicle, an object other than a vehicle, a person, etc. For example, if the sensor 41 is an image sensor that acquires images, the detection unit 42 detects the object by performing image analysis. For example, the detection unit 42 may use an image acquired when there is no object in the area 200 as a reference image, compare a newly acquired image with the reference image, and extract an area where the difference from the reference image is greater than a threshold value as an area where the object exists. The detection result includes information indicating the object's location. As described above, in this embodiment, the object's location is calculated based on the sensor information.

[0038] The detection unit 42 may also detect the traveling direction, speed, etc. of an object using images acquired at different times. The detection unit 42 may also determine the type of object, such as whether the detected object is a vehicle (vehicle 5 or a general vehicle), a person, or something other than a vehicle or person, based on the size, shape, speed, etc. of the detected object. Note that the vehicle may include a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc. The object detection method, the object type determination method, and the object traveling direction and speed detection method are not limited to the above-described examples, and any method may be used. Since common methods can be used, detailed description will be omitted. For example, the object type may be determined using machine learning such as supervised learning.

[0039] In the example shown in FIG. 4 , as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 4 , three vehicles and one person are detected as objects, surrounded by dotted circles. The detection information includes object position information indicating at least the position of the detected object. The detection information may also include information indicating at least one of the type of the detected object, the direction of travel of the detected object, the speed of the detected object, and the driving environment of the detected object. The information indicating the driving environment is, for example, information obtained from map information of the intersection and the area around the intersection. In the case of an intersection where a main road and a side road intersect, the information indicating whether the object is driving on the main road. The information indicating the driving environment is not limited to this, and may also be information determined based on information such as road signs in the intersection area and the area around the intersection, and may be, for example, information indicating whether the vehicle is driving on a road with a stop sign and a stop line.

[0040] As described above, the detection unit 42 may be provided within the virtual signaling device 2. Alternatively, the extraction unit 22 may also have the function of the detection unit 42. Alternatively, the detection unit 42 may be provided in a device other than the detection device 4 and the virtual signaling device 2, and the detection information may be transmitted from the other device to the virtual signaling device 2.

[0041] The detection information is received by the acquisition unit 21 of the virtual signaling device 2 and input from the acquisition unit 21 to the extraction unit 22. Upon receiving the detection information, the extraction unit 22 uses the detection information to identify the managed vehicle. Specifically, for each detected object, the extraction unit 22 determines whether the detected object is a managed vehicle using the object position information in the detection information and the position information indicating the position of the vehicle 5 in the managed vehicle information. For example, if the difference between the object position indicated by the object position information and the position indicated by the position information indicating the managed vehicle's position is equal to or less than a threshold, the object is determined to be a managed vehicle. Alternatively, the managed vehicle information may include the managed vehicle's registration number as identification information for identifying the managed vehicle, and whether the object is a managed vehicle may be determined based on whether the registration number on the license plate (automobile registration number plate) detected based on the sensor information matches the registration number in the managed vehicle information. In other words, the position of the managed vehicle may be calculated based on the sensor information and the identification information identifying the vehicle 5. In this case, the detection unit 42 may detect the registration number on the license plate and include the registration number in the detection information, or the detection information may include an image of the license plate, and the extraction unit 22 may recognize the registration number from the image. The method of identifying the managed vehicle is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[0042] When an object is identified as a management vehicle, the extraction unit 22 determines, for each identified management vehicle, whether there is a possibility that the management vehicle will intersect with the object. This allows the extraction unit 22 to extract management vehicles that may intersect with the object. Whether there is a possibility that the management vehicle and the object will intersect may be determined, for example, based on the difference in position between the management vehicle and the object, i.e., whether the distance between the management vehicle and the object is equal to or less than a threshold value. In this case, even if the difference in position between the management vehicle and the object is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined that there is no possibility of an intersection if the management vehicle and the object are traveling in the same direction. Alternatively, the positions of the management vehicle and the object may be predicted based on their traveling direction and speed, and the determination may be based on whether there is a time when the difference in the predicted positions between the two vehicles is equal to or less than a threshold value. That is, the extraction unit 22 may extract target vehicles and target objects based on the position, traveling direction, and speed of the management vehicle and the position, traveling direction, and speed of the detected object.

[0043] In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the extraction unit 22 identifies vehicles 5-1 and 5-2 as managed vehicles based on the detection information and managed vehicle information. Vehicle 201 and pedestrian 203 are identified as non-managed vehicles. The extraction unit 22 determines whether vehicle 5-1 is likely to intersect with vehicle 5-2, vehicle 201, and pedestrian 203. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the extraction unit 22 predicts the positions of vehicles 5-1 and 5-2, vehicle 201, and pedestrian 203 based on their respective positions, traveling directions, and speeds, and determines that there is a time when the distance between vehicle 5-1 and vehicle 201 and the distance between vehicle 5-1 and pedestrian 203 will be equal to or less than a threshold value. Therefore, the extraction unit 22 determines that vehicle 5-1 is likely to intersect with vehicle 201 and pedestrian 203, and determines vehicle 5-1 as a target vehicle and vehicle 201 and pedestrian 203 as target objects corresponding to vehicle 5-1. On the other hand, the extraction unit 22 determines that there is no time when the distance between the vehicle 5-2, the vehicle 201, and the pedestrian 203 is equal to or less than the threshold value, and therefore the extraction unit 22 determines that there is no possibility that the vehicle 5-2 will intersect with an object.

[0044] Through the above processing, the extraction unit 22 determines that information about the vehicle 5-1, vehicle 201, and pedestrian 203, which are circled with dotted lines in the central diagram of FIG. 4, should be included in the intersection prediction information. Specifically, the extraction unit 22 generates intersection prediction information that includes information about a target vehicle that may intersect with an object and information about a target object corresponding to the target vehicle. The extraction unit 22 outputs the generated intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23. The information about the target vehicle includes, for example, identification information of the target vehicle, and the information about the target object includes information indicating whether the target object is a managed vehicle. The information about the target vehicle and the information about the target object may be determined according to the content of the arbitration information used in the processing by the determination unit 23. For example, if the arbitration information defines a rule depending on whether the target object is a managed vehicle, the information about the target object includes information indicating whether the target object is a managed vehicle. In addition, if the arbitration information defines rules based on the direction of travel of the management vehicle and the target object, the information regarding the management vehicle includes information indicating the direction of travel of the management vehicle, and the information regarding the target object includes the direction of travel of the target object.

[0045] The determination unit 23 uses the intersection prediction information and the arbitration information to determine whether or not the target vehicle 5-1 can proceed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the arbitration information defines a rule that the target vehicle must stop if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than a management vehicle. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the objects that the target vehicle may intersect with are vehicle 201 and pedestrian 203, not a management vehicle. Therefore, as shown in the diagram on the right side of FIG. 4, the determination unit 23 determines that vehicle 5-1, the target vehicle surrounded by a dashed circle, should be stopped, and generates proceeding / progression information instructing the vehicle to stop.

[0046] 5 is a diagram showing another example of a detection target area and an object state in this embodiment. The area 200, vehicles 5-1 to 5-3, a crosswalk 202, and a pedestrian 203 are the same as those in the example shown in FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 5, vehicle 5-4, one of vehicles 5, is present in area 200 instead of vehicle 201 in FIG. 3.

[0047] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the detection device 4 and the virtual signaling device 2 corresponding to the example shown in Fig. 5. Explanation of the processing similar to that in Fig. 4 will be omitted. In the example shown in Fig. 6, as shown in the diagram on the left side of Fig. 6, vehicles 5-1, 5-2, 5-4 and a pedestrian 203 surrounded by dotted circles are detected as objects.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the extraction unit 22 identifies vehicles 5-1 and 5-4 as management vehicles. In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that there is a possibility that vehicle 5-1 will intersect with vehicle 5-4 and pedestrian 203. Based on this determination result, the extraction unit 22 determines that information regarding vehicles 5-1, 5-4, and pedestrian 203, which are circled with dotted lines in the central diagram of FIG. 6, should be included in the intersection prediction information. The extraction unit 22 outputs the generated intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23. In the example shown in FIG. 6, intersection prediction information in which vehicle 5-1 is the target vehicle and intersection prediction information in which vehicle 5-4 is the target vehicle are generated.

[0049] Here, as in the example shown in Figure 4, the arbitration information defines a rule that the target vehicle must be stopped if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than the managed vehicle. Using the intersection prediction information and the arbitration information, the decision unit 23 determines that vehicle 5-1 is likely to intersect with pedestrian 203, and therefore determines to stop vehicle 5-1, as shown in the diagram on the right side of Figure 6. Furthermore, since the decision unit 23 has already determined that vehicle 5-1 must be stopped in its determination that vehicle 5-4 is the target vehicle, there is no longer a possibility that vehicle 5-4 will intersect with vehicle 5-1, and therefore determines to allow vehicle 5-4 to proceed.

[0050] 6, if there is no pedestrian 203, it is decided whether to allow vehicle 5-1 or vehicle 5-4 to proceed. By including in the arbitration information a rule for deciding which vehicle should be given priority when there is a possibility that managed vehicles will cross each other, the decision unit 23 can decide whether to allow vehicle 5-1 or vehicle 5-4 to proceed. Examples of arbitration information will be described later.

[0051] Next, the operation of the extraction unit 22 of this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the extraction unit 22 of this embodiment. Before performing the processing shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the extraction unit 22 has acquired managed vehicle information from the control device 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the extraction unit 22 acquires detection information (step S11). In detail, the extraction unit 22 acquires the detection information from the detection device 4 via the acquisition unit 21.

[0052] The extraction unit 22 identifies the detected object (step S12). Specifically, the extraction unit 22 identifies whether the detected object indicated by the detection information is a managed vehicle based on the managed vehicle information received from the notification unit 31 of the control device 3.

[0053] The extraction unit 22 determines whether there is an object that may possibly intersect with the identified management vehicle (step S13). Specifically, the extraction unit 22 determines whether there is an object that may possibly intersect with the object identified as the management vehicle in step S12 (the identified management vehicle). As described above, the extraction unit 22 may determine whether there is a possibility of intersection based on the distance between the identified management vehicle and the detected object. Alternatively, the extraction unit 22 may predict the respective positions of the identified management vehicle and the detected object based on the positions, traveling direction, and speed of both, and determine whether there is a possibility of intersection based on the predicted positions. The method of determining whether there is a possibility of intersection is not limited to these examples.

[0054] The position of the managed vehicle may be included in the detection information or the managed vehicle information. Similarly, the direction of travel and speed may be included in the detection information or the managed vehicle information. Furthermore, if the managed vehicle information includes a travel route, the extraction unit 22 may determine the direction of travel of the managed vehicle based on the travel route. Furthermore, if the sensor 41 is a sensor that acquires images, the detection unit 41 or the extraction unit 22 may detect whether or not the turn signal is on, thereby estimating the travel method.

[0055] If there is an object that may intersect with the identified management vehicle (Yes in step S13), the extraction unit 22 sets the management vehicle that may intersect with the object as a target vehicle, and generates intersection prediction information (step S14). In detail, the extraction unit 22 sets the management vehicle that may intersect with the object as a target vehicle, extracts objects that may intersect with the target vehicle, and sets the extracted objects as target objects. The extraction unit 22 generates intersection prediction information that includes information about the target vehicle and information about the target objects.

[0056] The extraction unit 22 outputs the intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23 (step S15) and ends the processing. If there is no object that may intersect with the identified management vehicle (step S13 No), the extraction unit 22 ends the processing. Note that even if there is no intersecting object, the extraction unit 22 may output "no intersection" as the intersection prediction information. The above-described processing is performed each time detection information is output from the acquisition unit 21.

[0057] In addition, if there are multiple managed vehicles that may intersect with the object, in step S14, intersection prediction information is generated for each managed vehicle that may intersect with the object, with that managed vehicle as the target vehicle.

[0058] Next, a detailed description will be given of the operation of the determination unit 23 in this embodiment. The determination unit 23 determines whether the target vehicle can proceed based on the arbitration information, and therefore the specific processing of the determination unit 23 is determined depending on the content of the arbitration information.

[0059] The arbitration information may include, for example, common rules, rules regarding intersections between target vehicles and objects other than managed vehicles, and rules regarding intersections between target vehicles and managed vehicles (intersections between managed vehicles). Common rules are general traffic rules such as giving priority to pedestrians and giving priority to vehicles traveling on main lanes over side roads. Note that, for example, if the intersection area is a place where the Road Traffic Act does not apply, common rules may not be defined, and rules other than general traffic rules may be defined as traffic rules.

[0060] The rule regarding the intersection of the target vehicle with an object other than the managed vehicle is, for example, a rule that the target vehicle must stop if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than the managed vehicle, but is not limited to this.

[0061] The rule regarding the intersection of management vehicles may be, for example, at least one of the following rules, but is not limited to these: (1) A slower management vehicle stops, and a faster management vehicle proceeds (faster management vehicle has priority). (2) A management vehicle that entered the intersection area first proceeds, and a management vehicle that entered the intersection area later stops (first management vehicle has priority). (3) Based on the priority of each vehicle type, a higher priority vehicle proceeds, and a lower priority vehicle stops. (4) A management vehicle that can carry passengers proceeds, and a management vehicle that does not carry passengers stops (passenger-capable management vehicle has priority). Note that if the management vehicles include private cars, the priority order may be set as follows: passenger-capable management vehicle > private car > commercial vehicle (such as a truck) (passenger-capable management vehicle has the highest priority), and a higher priority management vehicle proceeds, and a lower priority management vehicle stops. (5) In the case of two managed vehicles that can carry passengers, the managed vehicle with passengers will proceed and the managed vehicle without passengers will stop (managed vehicles with passengers have priority).

[0062] For example, when combining the above rules (1) to (5), a priority order may be set to determine which of the rules (1) to (5) takes precedence. For example, if (5) has the highest priority and the priority order is set as (5), (4), (3), (2), and (1), and if two managed vehicles that may intersect have the same priority when determined by rule (5), the next highest priority rule (4) is used for determination, and so on. Note that priority may be used instead of the priority order described in (3) and (4). For example, the lower the numerical value (1) or (2) in the order of priority, such as first or second, the higher the priority. Priority may be indicated, for example, by two types, priority or non-priority, or by a number from 1 to 5. When priority is indicated by a numerical value, the priority may be determined so that a higher numerical value indicates a higher priority, or the priority may be determined so that a lower numerical value indicates a higher priority.

[0063] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the determination unit 23 of this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the arbitration information defines general traffic rules as common rules, and defines a rule regarding intersections between the target vehicle and an object other than the management vehicle, which states that the target vehicle must stop if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than the management vehicle. Note that before performing the processing shown in FIG. 8, the determination unit 23 acquires arbitration information from the control device 3. As shown in FIG. 8, the determination unit 23 acquires intersection prediction information (step S21). In detail, the determination unit 23 receives the intersection prediction information from the extraction unit 22.

[0064] The determination unit 23 determines whether the target object is a managed vehicle (step S22). Specifically, the determination unit 23 determines whether the target object is a managed vehicle based on information about the target object included in the intersection prediction information. If the target object is a managed vehicle (step S22: Yes), the determination unit 23 determines whether the target vehicle is traveling on a main lane (step S23). Specifically, the determination unit 23 determines whether the target vehicle is traveling on a main lane based on the intersection prediction information.

[0065] For example, the information about the target vehicle in the intersection prediction information may include information indicating the target vehicle's traveling direction, and the determination unit 23 may determine whether the target vehicle is traveling on the main lane by calculating the angle between the extension direction of the main lane and the side road and the traveling direction of the target vehicle. The information indicating the extension direction of the main lane and the side road may be included in the arbitration information, may be stored in the storage unit 25, or may be stored in the storage unit 25 as part of the map information. For example, the determination unit 23 determines that the target vehicle is traveling on the main lane when the angle between the extension direction of the main lane and the traveling direction of the target vehicle is equal to or smaller than a threshold value, and determines that the target vehicle is traveling on the side road when the angle between the extension direction of the side road and the traveling direction of the target vehicle is equal to or smaller than a threshold value. Furthermore, as described above, the detection information may include information indicating whether the detected object is traveling on the main lane. In this case, the extraction unit 22 extracts information corresponding to the target vehicle, indicating whether it is traveling on the main lane, from the detection information and includes the information in the intersection prediction information. Alternatively, the extraction unit 22 may determine whether the target vehicle is traveling on a main lane and include the determination result in the intersection prediction information. In this case, the determination unit 23 may refer to the information to determine whether the target object is a managed vehicle. Alternatively, if the managed vehicle information includes the travel route of the managed vehicle, the determination unit 23 may determine whether the target vehicle is traveling on a main lane based on the travel route in the managed vehicle information.

[0066] If the target vehicle is traveling on the main line (step S23: Yes), the determination unit 23 determines the target vehicle as a priority vehicle (a management vehicle to be allowed to proceed) (step S24), and ends the process. If the target vehicle is not traveling on the main line (step S23: No), the determination unit 23 determines the target vehicle as a non-priority vehicle (a management vehicle to be stopped) (step S25), and ends the process.

[0067] Also, if the determination result in step S22 is No, the determination unit 23 performs step S25 and ends the processing. The above-described processing is performed each time intersection prediction information is output from the extraction unit 22. Note that if there are multiple target objects, in step S22, the determination unit 23 determines No if at least one of the multiple target objects is an object other than a managed vehicle. Also, if there are multiple target vehicles, the processing shown in FIG. 8 is performed for each target vehicle, i.e., for each intersection prediction information.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the state of an object when the detection target area in this embodiment includes an intersection where a main road and a side road intersect. In the example shown in FIG. 9, vehicles 5-6 to 5-8 are present within area 200, which is the detection target area, and vehicle 5-5 is present outside area 200. Vehicles 5-5 to 5-8 are each vehicle 5. In the example shown in FIG. 9, vehicle 5-8, which is surrounded by a dashed circle, is determined to have the potential to intersect with vehicle 5-7, which is surrounded by a dotted circle. Vehicle 5-8 is determined to be allowed to proceed because it is traveling on the main road, and vehicle 5-7 is determined to be stopped because it is not traveling on the main road.

[0069] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing procedure of the determination unit 23 of this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the arbitration information defines a rule regarding intersections between the target vehicle and an object other than the management vehicle, such that the target vehicle must stop if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than the management vehicle, and defines the above-mentioned rule (3) as a rule regarding intersections between management vehicles. Note that before performing the processing shown in FIG. 10, the determination unit 23 acquires the arbitration information from the control device 3.

[0070] Steps S21 and S22 are the same as the example shown in FIG. 8 . If step S22 returns Yes, the determination unit 23 acquires the vehicle model of the target vehicle and the vehicle model of the target object (step S31). Specifically, the determination unit 23 acquires the vehicle model of the target vehicle and the vehicle model of the target object by extracting, from the managed vehicle information, the vehicle models corresponding to the target vehicle and the target object in the intersection prediction information. Alternatively, the vehicle model may be determined by image analysis based on sensor information, and the object's vehicle model may be included in the detection information. In this case, the extraction unit 22 includes the vehicle models of the target vehicle and the target object in the intersection possibility information, and the determination unit 23 acquires the vehicle model of the target vehicle and the target object by extracting the vehicle model of the target vehicle and the vehicle model of the target object from the intersection prediction information.

[0071] The determination unit 23 determines whether the vehicle model of the target vehicle has a higher priority than the vehicle model of the target object (step S32). Specifically, the determination unit 23 determines whether the vehicle model of the target vehicle has a higher priority than the vehicle model of the target object based on the arbitration information. If the vehicle model of the target vehicle has a higher priority than the vehicle model of the target object (Yes in step S32), the determination unit 23 performs step S24 and ends the processing. If the vehicle model of the target vehicle does not have a higher priority than the vehicle model of the target object (No in step S32), the determination unit 23 performs step S25 and ends the processing. Steps S24 and S25 are the same as the example shown in FIG. 8 . Note that, if the priority of the vehicle model of the target vehicle and the priority of the vehicle model of the target object are the same in step S32, the determination of whether the target vehicle can proceed is made based on rules other than the rules based on the vehicle model in the arbitration information.

[0072] When there are multiple target vehicles, the process shown in FIG. 10 is performed for each target vehicle, i.e., for each piece of intersection prediction information. When there are multiple target vehicles, after a decision is made to stop the target vehicle 5 in the process for one target vehicle, the process for another target vehicle may be performed again, assuming that the vehicle 5 determined to be stopped has been stopped for a certain period of time, by the extraction unit 22 and the decision unit 23. For example, if an object other than a managed vehicle potentially intersects with the target vehicle, the time for stopping the vehicle 5 may be the time until it is assumed that the possibility of intersecting with the object has disappeared. A rule for determining the time for stopping the vehicle 5 may also be defined as arbitration information. Furthermore, a rule may be defined that the vehicle 5 that has been stopped for a period of time or longer based on the progress possibility information is given the highest priority for progress, thereby preventing the vehicle 5 from being stopped for a long period of time. When there are multiple target vehicles, instead of sequentially deciding whether to proceed for each target vehicle as described above, the decision unit 23 may decide whether to proceed for each target vehicle by taking into account the status of the multiple target vehicles. For example, if there are multiple target vehicles with the same direction of travel, for each direction of travel of the target vehicles, the target vehicle with the highest priority among the target vehicles with the same direction of travel may be extracted as the high-priority target vehicle, and the priorities of the high-priority target vehicles may be compared to allow the target vehicle corresponding to the direction of travel with the highest priority to proceed.

[0073] 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing procedure of the determination unit 23 of this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the arbitration information defines a rule regarding intersections between the target vehicle and an object other than the management vehicle, such that the target vehicle must stop if there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with an object other than the management vehicle, and defines the above-mentioned rule (5) as a rule regarding intersections between management vehicles. Note that before performing the processing shown in FIG. 11, the determination unit 23 acquires the arbitration information from the control device 3.

[0074] Steps S21 and S22 are the same as the example shown in Fig. 8. If the answer to step S22 is Yes, the determination unit 23 determines whether or not a passenger is on board the target vehicle (step S41). In detail, the determination unit 23 extracts information indicating the presence or absence of a passenger in the target vehicle from the intersection prediction information, and determines whether or not a passenger is on board the target vehicle based on the extracted information.

[0075] If a passenger is in the target vehicle (step S41: Yes), the determination unit 23 performs step S24 and ends the process. If a passenger is not in the target vehicle (step S41: No), the determination unit 23 performs step S25 and ends the process. Steps S24 and S25 are the same as the example shown in FIG. 8. Note that, in step S41, if passengers are in both the target vehicle and the target object, or if passengers are not in both the target vehicle and the target object, the determination of whether the target vehicle can proceed is made based on a rule other than the rule based on the presence or absence of passengers in the arbitration information.

[0076] In the examples shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , if there are multiple target vehicles, the processing shown in FIG. 10 or 11 is performed for each target vehicle, i.e., for each intersection prediction information item. Note that if there are multiple target vehicles, after a decision is made to stop the target vehicle 5 in the processing for one target vehicle, the processing for another target vehicle may be performed again, assuming that the vehicle 5 determined to be stopped has been stopped for a certain period of time, by the extraction unit 22 and the determination unit 23, assuming that the vehicle 5 determined to be stopped has been stopped for a certain period of time. Note that, for example, if an object other than a managed vehicle may intersect with the target vehicle, the time for stopping the vehicle 5 may be the time until it is assumed that there is no longer a possibility of intersection with the object. For example, rules for determining the time for stopping the vehicle 5 may also be defined as arbitration information. Note that, if there are multiple target vehicles, instead of sequentially deciding whether to proceed for each target vehicle as described above, the determination unit 23 may decide whether to proceed for each target vehicle by taking into account the status of the multiple target vehicles. For example, if there are multiple target vehicles with the same direction of travel, for each direction of travel of the target vehicles, the target vehicle with the highest priority among the target vehicles with the same direction of travel may be extracted as the high-priority target vehicle, and the priorities of the high-priority target vehicles may be compared to allow the target vehicle corresponding to the direction of travel with the highest priority to proceed.

[0077] The flowchart described above is an example, and the process of the decision unit 23 may be a process according to the content of the arbitration information, and is not limited to the above example.

[0078] Next, the hardware configuration of the virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment will be described. In the virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment, a computer program describing the processing of each virtual signaling device 2 is executed on a computer system, so that the computer system functions as the virtual signaling device 2. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes each virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, this computer system includes a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and a transmission unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

[0079] In FIG. 12 , the control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program describing the processing of the virtual signaling device 2 of this embodiment. The input unit 102 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, etc., and is used by a user of the computer system to input various information. The memory unit 103 includes various types of memory, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device, such as a hard disk, and stores programs to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained during processing, etc. The memory unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for programs. The control unit 101 and the memory unit 103, for example, constitute a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a single circuit or multiple circuits. The display unit 104 is composed of a display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. Note that a touch panel in which the input unit 102 and the display unit 104 are integrated may also be used. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and transmitter that perform communication processing. The transmitting unit 106 is a speaker or the like. Note that Fig. 12 is just an example, and the configuration of the computer system that realizes each virtual signaling device 2 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 12. For example, the transmitting unit 106 may not be provided.

[0080] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment is ready to be executed will be described. In the computer system having the above configuration, for example, the program is installed in the storage unit 103 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM inserted in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the program is executed, the program read from the storage unit 103 is stored in the main storage area of ​​the storage unit 103. In this state, the control unit 101 executes the processing as each of the virtual signaling devices 2 of this embodiment in accordance with the program stored in the storage unit 103.

[0081] In the above description, a program describing the processing in each virtual signal device 2 is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, etc., it is also possible to use a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105.

[0082] The program of this embodiment causes a computer system to execute, for example, the steps of extracting a target vehicle, which is a vehicle 5 that may intersect with an object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target vehicle, based on the position of the vehicle 5 and the position of an object within a monitoring area; determining whether the target vehicle should proceed or stop using the arbitration information, the first information, and the second information, and generating proceedability information that instructs the target vehicle to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; and outputting the proceedability information.

[0083] The extraction unit 22 and the determination unit 23 shown in Fig. 1 are realized by the control unit 101 shown in Fig. 12 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 12. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the extraction unit 22 and the determination unit 23. The acquisition unit 21 and the output unit 24 shown in Fig. 1 are realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Fig. 12. Some functions of the acquisition unit 21 and the output unit 24 may be realized by the control unit 101. The storage unit 25 shown in Fig. 1 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 12.

[0084] The control device 3, the control unit 52 of the vehicle 5, and the detection unit 42 of the detection device 4 shown in Fig. 1 are also each realized by, for example, the computer system illustrated in Fig. 12. The control unit 52 and the detection unit 42 may be realized by a processing circuit configured by the control unit 101 and the storage unit 103.

[0085] The virtual signal device 2 and the control device 3 may each be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the virtual signal device 2 and the control device 3 may be realized by a cloud computer system. Furthermore, the virtual signal device 2 and the control device 3 may be integrated and realized by a single computer system.

[0086] Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to a modified example of this embodiment. A mobile object management system 100a according to a modified example of this embodiment is the same as the mobile object management system 100 shown in Fig. 1, except that it includes a control server 1a instead of the control server 1. The control server 1a includes a virtual signaling device 2a and a control device 3. The control device 3 is the same as the control device 3 shown in Fig. 1, but in this modified example, the control information storage unit 32 does not store arbitration information, and the notification unit 31 does not transmit arbitration information to the virtual signaling device 2.

[0087] The virtual signaling device 2a includes a determination unit 23a instead of the determination unit 23 and does not include the storage unit 24, but is otherwise similar to the virtual signaling device 2 shown in FIG. 1 . The determination unit 23a includes a priority determination unit 26 that determines the priority between intersecting objects, i.e., the priority between the target vehicle and the target object. The determination unit 23a determines whether the target vehicle should proceed using the priority determined by the priority determination unit 26. The priority may be indicated, for example, by two types, "priority" or "non-priority," or by a numerical value ranging from 1 to 5. When the priority is indicated by a numerical value, the priority may be determined so that a larger numerical value indicates a higher priority, or so that a smaller numerical value indicates a higher priority. Furthermore, although an example in which priority is determined will be described here, a priority order may be determined instead of the priority.

[0088] Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure in a virtual signaling device 2a according to a modified example of this embodiment. Steps S1, S2, S3, S5, and S6 are the same as those in the example shown in Figure 2. In this modified example, arbitration information is not acquired from the control device 3, so step S4 shown in Figure 2 is not performed. The determination unit 23a determines a priority based on the intersection prediction information and the management vehicle information (step S7a), and generates progress / prohibition information by determining whether to proceed or stop using the priority (step S7b). Steps S8 and S9 are the same as those in the example shown in Figure 2.

[0089] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the determination unit 23a according to a modified example of the present embodiment. In this modified example, rules for determining priority are defined in advance as arbitration information, and the priority determination unit 26 is configured to execute processing in accordance with this arbitration information. This arbitration information is also an example of a rule for determining whether a managed vehicle should proceed or stop. As with the mobile object management system 100 shown in FIG. 1, priority may be determined by a combination of multiple rules. In the example shown in FIG. 15, it is assumed that a rule that prioritizes objects other than managed vehicles when there is a possibility that the target vehicle will intersect with them and a rule that determines priority based on the vehicle type are defined.

[0090] Steps S21 and S22 are similar to the example shown in FIG. 8 , but step S22 is executed by the priority determination unit 26. If the answer to step S22 is Yes, the priority determination unit 26 determines the priorities of the target vehicle and the target object based on the vehicle types of the target vehicle and the target object (step S51). The priority order for each vehicle type is determined in advance. The determination unit 23a determines the target vehicle or object that indicates the highest priority as a priority vehicle (a management vehicle to proceed), and determines the other target vehicles and target objects as non-priority vehicles (a management vehicle to stop) (step S52), and ends the process.

[0091] If the answer to step S22 is No, the priority determination unit 26 determines the priority of the target vehicle to a value indicating non-priority (step S53). For example, the priority determination unit 26 sets the priority of the target vehicle to a value indicating the lowest priority, and sets the priority of the target object to a value indicating a higher priority than the value indicating the lowest priority. After step S53, the determination unit 23a performs step S52 and ends the processing. The processing when there are multiple target vehicles is similar to the example described in the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11. The flowchart described in FIG. 15 is an example, and the processing of the determination unit 23a may be processing according to the content of the rule for determining the priority, and is not limited to the above example. Furthermore, the virtual signaling device 2a may be provided within the control device 3.

[0092] The above description has been given using a vehicle 5 as an example of a moving body, but when applying the processing of this embodiment (including modifications) to a moving body that does not travel on roads, such as a drone, the intersection area may be set to, for example, an area where drone routes intersect, or an area where many drones fly, etc. When the moving body is a drone, the processing of this embodiment (including modifications) can be applied to intersections between drones.

[0093] The virtual signal device 2a, like the virtual signal device 2, is realized by, for example, the computer system shown in FIG. 12. The virtual signal device 2a may be realized by a plurality of computer systems. For example, the virtual signal device 2a may be realized by a cloud computer system. Furthermore, the virtual signal device 2a and the control device 3 may be integrated and realized by a single computer system.

[0094] The processing of the virtual signal device 2 and the processing of the virtual signal device 2a may be combined. That is, both the first arbitration information, which is arbitration information acquired from the control device 3, and the priority determination based on the second arbitration information, which is arbitration information for determining the priority, may be combined. For example, the priority order for each vehicle type may be determined in the first arbitration information, and the priority determiner 26 of the determiner 23a may determine the priority according to the vehicle type for the target vehicle and target object based on the second arbitration information, and then correct the determined priority based on the presence or absence of a passenger to determine the priority.

[0095] As described above, in this embodiment, the virtual signaling devices 2, 2a use the results of detection by the detection device 4 that detects objects in a detection target area including an intersection area to generate travel possibility information indicating whether the vehicle 5 can proceed, and output the travel possibility information to the vehicle 5. This makes it possible to reduce the processing load and achieve smooth traffic in the intersection area.

[0096] Second Embodiment. Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to a second embodiment. A mobile object management system 100b according to this embodiment includes a control server 1b. Note that the mobile object management system 100b may also include a vehicle 5. The control server 1b is the same as the control server 1 according to the first embodiment, except that it includes a virtual signaling device 2b instead of the virtual signaling device 2. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

[0097] In the first embodiment, the virtual signaling device 2 generated the progress possibility information using the object detection results based on the sensor information acquired by the detection device 4, but in the present embodiment, the virtual signaling device 2b generates the progress possibility information without using sensor information. In the present embodiment, since sensor information is not used, a determination is made as to whether or not there is a possibility that managed vehicles 5 will intersect with each other. In the present embodiment, the monitoring area of ​​the mobile object management system 100b includes the intersection area. The monitoring area may also include the periphery of the intersection area. For example, the monitoring area may include an area extending a certain distance outside the intersection area along the roads connected to the intersection area. The definition of the monitoring area is not limited to this example.

[0098] The managed vehicle information in this embodiment includes at least one of location information indicating the location of the vehicle 5 and an operation plan for the vehicle 5. The managed vehicle information may include the vehicle model of the vehicle 5, or status information indicating the status of the vehicle 5. As in the first embodiment, the status information may include information indicating the speed, direction of travel, operating route, driving environment, etc. of the vehicle 5. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle 5 is a vehicle 5 that carries passengers, such as a bus or a taxi, the status information may include information indicating the presence or absence of passengers or the number of passengers. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle 5 is a vehicle 5 that carries cargo, such as a truck, the status information may include information indicating the presence or absence of cargo.

[0099] The virtual signaling device 2b is similar to the virtual signaling device 2 of the first embodiment except that it does not include the acquisition unit 21 and includes an extraction unit 22a instead of the extraction unit 22. The extraction unit 22a of the virtual signaling device 2b uses the management vehicle information to extract vehicles 5 that may intersect with other vehicles 5 as target vehicles. For example, the management vehicle information includes location information indicating the location of the vehicle 5, and the extraction unit 22a extracts the target vehicles based on the location information. Note that, when extracting, the extraction unit 22a may extract vehicles 5 that are present in a monitoring area including an intersection area that is subject to control for whether or not to proceed, as processing targets, based on the location of the vehicle 5, and then extract the target vehicle from among the processing target vehicles 5.

[0100] The method for determining the possibility of an intersection based on the positions of the vehicles 5 is the same as in the first embodiment. For example, the extraction unit 22a determines that there is a possibility of an intersection when the distance between the vehicles 5 is equal to or less than a threshold value. The management vehicle information may include an operation plan for the vehicles 5, and the extraction unit 22a may extract target vehicles based on the operation plan. If the management vehicle information includes the speed and traveling direction of the vehicles 5 in addition to the position information, the possibility of an intersection may be determined similarly to the first embodiment by predicting the position of the vehicles 5 using the position, speed, and traveling direction of the vehicles 5. The management vehicle information may include a traveling route, and the extraction unit 22a may predict the traveling direction of the vehicles 5 using the traveling route. The extraction unit 22a may store the position information in the management vehicle information, estimate the speed and traveling direction of the vehicles 5 based on the time change in the position indicated by the position information, and determine the possibility of an intersection using the estimated result.

[0101] When the extraction unit 22a extracts a target vehicle, it extracts an object that may intersect with the target moving body as the target object. In this embodiment, the target object is the management vehicle, i.e., vehicle 5. The extraction unit 22a generates intersection prediction information in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and outputs the generated intersection prediction information to the determination unit 23.

[0102] The process of the determination unit 23 is the same as in the first embodiment, but because the target object is a controlled vehicle, it is not necessary to determine whether the target object is a controlled vehicle in step S22 shown in Figures 8, 10, and 11. That is, in this embodiment, the same process as in the first embodiment is performed on the assumption that the target object is a controlled vehicle.

[0103] In addition, as in the modification of the first embodiment, the determination unit 23 in the virtual signaling device 2 b may be provided with the priority determination unit 26, so that the virtual signaling device 2 b determines the priority and generates the progress possibility information using the determined priority.

[0104] The virtual signal device 2b, like the virtual signal device 2, is realized by, for example, the computer system shown in Fig. 12. The virtual signal device 2b may be realized by a plurality of computer systems. For example, the virtual signal device 2b may be realized by a cloud computer system. Furthermore, the virtual signal device 2b and the control device 3 may be integrated and realized by a single computer system.

[0105] As described above, in this embodiment, the proceeding possibility information indicating whether the vehicle 5 can proceed or not is generated according to the state of the vehicle 5 around the intersection area, and the proceeding possibility information is output to the vehicle 5. This makes it possible to reduce the processing load and realize smooth traffic in the intersection area.

[0106] Third Embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to a third embodiment. A mobile object management system 100c according to this embodiment includes a detection device 4 and a control server 1c. The control server 1c includes an air traffic control arbitration device (hereinafter also referred to as air traffic control arbitration) 2c having an air traffic control arbitration function, and a waypoint management device (hereinafter also referred to as waypoint management function) 3a having a waypoint management function. The air traffic control arbitration device is an example of a virtual signal device. An autonomous mobility function device (hereinafter also referred to as autonomous mobility function) 5a having an autonomous mobility function is a mobile object capable of autonomous movement similar to the vehicle 5 of the first embodiment, such as a vehicle, a robot (security, cleaning, transport robot, etc.), a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle), etc. Hereinafter, the autonomous mobility function 5a will also be referred to as a vehicle 5a. The waypoint management device is an example of a control device or operation management device that manages the movement of managed mobile objects. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment.

[0107] In the first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which the vehicle 5 is primarily a vehicle that travels on roads. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the vehicle 5a is a robot capable of autonomous movement that travels indoors, within a specific site, or the like, such as a transport robot. The vehicle 5a travels outdoors, indoors, within a specific site, or the like. While one vehicle 5a is illustrated in FIG. 17 , the number of vehicles 5a is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 17 , and the number of vehicles 5a may be one or more. In this embodiment, the intersection area is, for example, an intersection where the paths of the vehicles 5a intersect, a narrow narrow passage, or the like.

[0108] The configuration and operation of the air traffic control type arbitration 2c are similar to those of the virtual signaling device 2 of the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, the output unit 24 transmits the progress possibility information to the way point management function 3a, and the way point management function 3a transmits the progress possibility information to the vehicle 5a. That is, the output unit 24 transmits the progress possibility information to the target vehicle via the way point management function 3a.

[0109] The waypoint management function 3a includes a notification unit 31, a position information storage unit 34, and a transmission / reception unit 35. The transmission / reception unit 35 communicates with the vehicle 5a. For example, the transmission / reception unit 35 receives position information indicating the position of the vehicle 5a from the vehicle 5a, and stores the received position information in the position information storage unit 34. The transmission / reception unit 35 also transmits to the vehicle 5a the progress possibility information received from the output unit 24 of the air traffic control type arbitration 2c. The position information storage unit 34 stores the position information. The position information storage unit 34 also stores the arbitration information similar to that of the first embodiment. The notification unit 31 notifies the extraction unit 22 of the position information, and notifies the determination unit 23 of the arbitration information similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0110] The waypoint management function 3a may use a traffic control map to manage the movement of the vehicle 5a, which is an example of a managed mobile object. The waypoint management function 3a may include a route control unit (not shown) that creates a route plan according to the traffic control map of the vehicle 5a. The route control unit may transmit a travel route to the vehicle 5a via the transceiver 35 based on the route plan. The traffic control map may be, for example, a topological graph map, a map shown with nodes and edges, but is not limited to this. The traffic control map may be, for example, determined by an operator managing the vehicle 5a, but is not limited to this. Furthermore, because the areas in which the vehicle 5a can travel may differ depending on the vehicle width, etc., a traffic control map for each type of vehicle 5a (traffic control map (by robot type)) may be created based on the traffic control map. The route control unit may instruct the travel route by transmitting a traffic control map (by robot type) to the vehicle 5a according to the type of vehicle 5a via the transceiver 35.

[0111] The type of vehicle 5a may include vehicle types such as vehicles 5a for transporting people and vehicles 5a for transporting cargo, as in the first embodiment, and the arbitration information may include a rule that vehicles 5a for transporting people are given priority over vehicles 5a for transporting cargo. Also, the type of vehicle 5a may include whether it is private or non-private, and the arbitration information may include a rule that non-private vehicles 5a are given priority over private vehicles 5a.

[0112] Vehicle 5a is similar to vehicle 5a in embodiment 1, except that vehicle 5a includes receiver 51a instead of receiver 51. Receiver 51a receives progress possibility information from waypoint management function 3a and outputs the received progress possibility information to control unit 52. As in embodiment 1, location transmitter 54 transmits location information indicating the location of vehicle 5a to waypoint management function 3a. Location transmitter 54 may, for example, periodically transmit location information indicating the location of vehicle 5a.

[0113] The processing in the air traffic control type arbitration 2c is basically the same as in the first embodiment, but the rules set as the arbitration information may be part of the driving rules. The arbitration information in this embodiment may be set with rules different from general traffic rules depending on the location where the vehicle 5a is traveling and the purpose of the vehicle 5a. Furthermore, the extraction unit 22 can perform processing similar to that in the first embodiment by using the location information notified by the notification unit 31 in the same way as the location information of the vehicle 5 included in the managed vehicle information. The arbitration information, i.e., the driving rules, may be added to the traffic control map. For example, for each edge of the traffic control map, driving rules such as whether to drive on the left or right side, whether stopping is permitted in an aisle, and the number of vehicles allowed to enter an aisle at the same time may be defined. In this case, the traffic control map may be stored in the location information storage unit 34 or in another device (not shown) separate from the waypoint management function 3a. If the traffic control map is stored in another device, the notification unit 31 may obtain the traffic control map from the other device and transmit the obtained traffic control map to the air traffic control type arbitration 2c to notify the air traffic control type arbitration 2c of the arbitration information. The notification unit 31 may notify the air traffic control type arbitration 2c of the arbitration information by transmitting a traffic control map to the air traffic control type arbitration 2c. A traffic control map (by robot type) may be used instead of the traffic control map. That is, the determination unit 23 may acquire the arbitration information by acquiring a traffic control map or a traffic control map (by robot type) from the traffic control device.

[0114] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of a mobile object management system according to the third embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, a mobile object management system 100d includes a detection device 4 and a control server 1d. The control server 1d includes an air traffic control arbitration device (hereinafter also referred to as air traffic control arbitration) 2d and a control device 3b. The control device 3b includes a notification unit 31 and a control information storage unit 32. The notification unit 31 and the control information storage unit 32 are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the control information storage unit 32 does not need to store managed vehicle information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, the arbitration information may also be added to the traffic control map or the traffic control map (by robot type).

[0115] The air traffic control arbitration 2d determines whether the vehicle 5a can proceed by communicating with the mobility management system 7. The mobility management system 7 includes a vehicle (autonomous mobility function) 5a and a waypoint management function 6. The vehicle 5a is the same as the example shown in FIG. 17 .

[0116] The waypoint management function 6 is a traffic management device and includes a transceiver unit 61, a progress possibility inquiry unit 62, and a movement instruction generation unit 63. The waypoint management function 6 may manage the movement of the vehicle 5a using a traffic management map or a traffic management map (by robot type). The transceiver unit 61 communicates with the vehicle 5a and the air traffic control type arbitration 2d. The transceiver unit 61 receives location information indicating the location of the vehicle 5a from the vehicle 5a and outputs the received location information to the progress possibility inquiry unit 62. The progress possibility inquiry unit 62 manages the arrival of the vehicle 5a at each node on the route based on the location information, generates entry request information inquiring about the possibility of entering the next node on the route from the current node, and outputs the entry request information to the transceiver unit 61. Upon receiving the entry request information from the progress possibility inquiry unit 62, the transceiver unit 61 transmits the entry request information to the air traffic control type arbitration 2d. The entry request information includes the next node to be queried about whether entry is permitted, the node where the vehicle 5a is currently located, and the identification information of the vehicle 5a. The waypoint management function 6 may transmit the traffic control map or the traffic control map (by robot type) to which the arbitration information has been added to the air traffic control arbitration 2d.

[0117] Furthermore, when the transmission / reception unit 61 receives, from the air traffic control arbitration 2d, proceeding possibility information that is a response to the entry request information, the transmission / reception unit 61 outputs the received proceeding possibility information to the movement instruction generation unit 63. When the movement instruction generation unit 63 receives the proceeding possibility information from the transmission / reception unit 61, if the proceeding possibility information indicates proceeding, the movement instruction generation unit 63 generates a movement instruction to move the target vehicle to the next node and outputs the generated movement instruction to the transmission / reception unit 61. The movement instruction may include information indicating the next node. That is, when the proceeding possibility information indicates proceeding, the waypoint management function 6 may transmit a movement instruction to the target vehicle instructing it to move to the next node on the movement path of the target vehicle. When the proceeding possibility information indicates stopping, the movement instruction generation unit 63 generates a movement instruction to stop vehicle 5a and outputs it to the transmission / reception unit 61. When the transmission / reception unit 61 receives a movement instruction from the movement instruction generation unit 63, it transmits the movement instruction to vehicle 5a. Vehicle 5a operates in accordance with the movement instruction. In addition, the movement instruction generation unit 63 may grasp the departure of the vehicle 5a from each node based on the position information of the vehicle 5a, and transmit departure information indicating the departure of the vehicle 5a from the node to the air traffic control type arbitration 2d via the transmission / reception unit 61.

[0118] When the acquisition unit 21 of the air traffic control type arbitration 2d receives approach request information from the waypoint management function 6, it outputs the approach request information to the extraction unit 22. The extraction unit 22 manages the local position (currently existing node) of each vehicle 5a based on the approach request information, and generates intersection prediction information based on the current position of each vehicle 5a, as in embodiment 1. The determination unit 23 generates proceeding possibility information, as in embodiment 1, and outputs the generated proceeding possibility information to the output unit 24. When the output unit 24 receives the proceeding possibility information from the determination unit 23, it transmits the received proceeding possibility information to the waypoint management function 6.

[0119] Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 21 receives departure information from the waypoint management function 6, it outputs the departure information to the extraction unit 22. When the extraction unit 22 receives the departure information from the acquisition unit 21, it updates the position of each vehicle 5a that it manages based on the departure information.

[0120] Also, as in the second embodiment, the progress possibility information may be generated without using the detection device 4. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example configuration of a mobile object management system according to the present embodiment. The mobile object management system 100e shown in FIG. 19 includes a control server 1e. The control server 1e includes an air traffic control type arbitration device (hereinafter also referred to as air traffic control type arbitration) 2e having an air traffic control type arbitration function, and a way point management function 3a. The way point management function 3a is the same as the example shown in FIG. 17. The air traffic control type arbitration 2e is the same as the air traffic control type arbitration 2c except that the acquisition unit 21 is omitted. However, as in the second embodiment, the extraction unit 22 determines whether there is a possibility of an intersection between vehicles 5a using the position information of vehicles 5a instead of using detection information. In addition, the detection device 4 may be removed from the mobile object management system 100d shown in Figure 18, and the mobile object management system 100d may determine whether there is a possibility of an intersection between vehicles 5a using the position information of the vehicles 5a without using the detection information, similar to the mobile object management system 100e shown in Figure 19.

[0121] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the example of defining an intersection area such as an intersection as one node, and more detailed nodes may be defined. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of node definition in this embodiment. In the diagram on the left side of FIG. 20, one intersection corresponds to one node B, and in the diagram on the right side of FIG. 20, one intersection corresponds to five nodes, nodes B1 to B5. In this way, one intersection may correspond to one node, but one intersection may also correspond to multiple nodes. Note that FIG. 20 is an example, and the definition of a node is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 20.

[0122] For example, a vehicle 5a traveling from B3 to B4 and another vehicle 5a traveling from B2 to B5 may cross each other at the same time. By indicating the routes of the vehicles 5a in units of nodes, the extraction unit 22 may determine whether there is a possibility of an intersection based on a combination of the node where each vehicle 5a is currently located and the next node. That is, a plurality of nodes may be defined within the monitoring area, and the movement route of the vehicle 5a may be indicated by a combination of nodes. The extraction unit 22 may extract target vehicles and target objects according to the combination of nodes indicating the movement route of the vehicle 5a. Furthermore, whether there is a possibility of an intersection between the vehicles 5a may be determined using not only the node where the vehicle 5a is currently located and the next node on the route of the vehicle 5a, but also the next node (the node after the next). Furthermore, the arbitration information may define rules according to the movement route indicated by the nodes.

[0123] In the above example, arbitration information is used, but as in the modified example of the first embodiment, the determination unit 23 may include a priority determination unit 26 to determine the priorities. In this case, the rules for determining the priorities become part of the travel rules. As described above, the travel rules may be added to the traffic control map or the traffic control map (by robot type).

[0124] In addition, the vehicle 5a and the waypoint management function 6 may be integrated, in which case the exchange of information between the vehicle 5a and the waypoint management function 6 is carried out by input and output of information within the device instead of by communication between the devices.

[0125] The air traffic control type arbitration 2c, 2d, and 2e, the way point management functions 3a and 6, and the control device 3b are each realized, for example, by the computer system shown in FIG. 12. The air traffic control type arbitration 2c, 2d, and 2e, the way point management functions 3a and 6, and the control device 3b may each be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the air traffic control type arbitration 2c, 2d, and 2e, the way point management functions 3a and 6, and the control device 3b may be realized by a cloud computer system. Furthermore, the air traffic control type arbitration 2c and the way point management function 3a may be integrated and realized by a single computer system. The air traffic control type arbitration 2d and the control device 3b may be integrated and realized by a single computer system. The air traffic control type arbitration 2e and the way point management function 3a may be integrated and realized by a single computer system.

[0126] As described above, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the vehicle 5 a is an autonomous mobile robot. As described in this embodiment, even when the vehicle 5 a is an autonomous mobile robot, it is possible to suppress the processing load and achieve smooth traffic in the intersection area.

[0127] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0128] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e Air traffic control server, 2, 2a, 2b Virtual signal device, 2c, 2d, 2e Air traffic control arbitration, 3, 3b Air traffic control device, 3a, 6 Waypoint management function, 4 Detection device, 5, 201 Vehicle, 5a Autonomous movement function, 7 Movement management system, 21 Acquisition unit, 22, 22a Extraction unit, 23, 23a Determination unit, 24 Output unit, 25 Memory unit, 26 Priority determination unit, 31 Notification unit, 32 Air traffic control information memory unit, 33, 51, 51a Reception unit, 34 Position information memory unit, 35, 61 Transmission / reception unit, 41 Sensor, 42 Detection unit, 43 Transmission unit, 52 Control unit, 53 Self-position identification unit, 54 Position transmission unit, 62 Proceeding possibility inquiry unit, 63 Movement instruction generation unit, 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e. A mobile management system.

Claims

1. an extraction unit that extracts, based on the position of a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed, and the position of an object within a monitoring area, a target mobile object, which is a managed mobile object that may intersect with the object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target mobile object; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; provided outside the management mobile body, A virtual signaling device, characterized in that the position of the object is calculated using sensor information acquired by a sensor that detects the object.

2. An extraction unit that extracts, based on the position of a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed, and the position of an object within a monitoring area, a target mobile object, which is a managed mobile object that may intersect with the object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target mobile object; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; provided outside the management mobile body, The virtual signaling device is characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the location of the managed mobile object from location information indicating the location of the managed mobile object transmitted from the managed mobile object.

3. An extraction unit that extracts, based on the position of a managed mobile body, which is a mobile body to be managed, and the position of an object within a monitoring area, a target mobile body, which is a managed mobile body that may intersect with the object, and a target object, which is an object that may intersect with the target mobile body; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; provided outside the management mobile body, The management mobile body transmits location information indicating the location of the management mobile body to a control device that controls the movement of the management mobile body, A virtual signaling device characterized in that the extraction unit uses the location indicated by the location information obtained from the control device as the location of the managed mobile object.

4. 2. The virtual signaling device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the management mobile object is calculated based on the sensor information and identification information for identifying the management mobile object.

5. the determination unit is a priority determination unit that determines a priority between the target moving body and the target object using the arbitration information; Equipped with 5. The virtual signaling device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether the target moving object should proceed or stop based on the priority determined by the priority determining unit.

6. The first information includes information indicating whether or not a passenger is riding in the managed mobile object when the managed mobile object is a vehicle, The virtual signaling device described in claim 5, characterized in that when the target object is the managed mobile object, the priority determination unit determines whether the target mobile object will proceed or stop based on the presence or absence of passengers riding on the target mobile object and each of the target objects.

7. the first information includes information indicating the type of vehicle of the managed mobile object when the managed mobile object is a vehicle; The virtual signal device described in claim 5, characterized in that when the target object is the managed mobile object, the priority determination unit determines whether the target mobile object will proceed or stop based on the target mobile object and the respective vehicle types of the target objects.

8. 5. The virtual traffic light device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring area includes an intersection where no traffic lights are installed.

9. 5. A virtual signaling device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring area includes a bottleneck.

10. A virtual signal device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the extraction unit extracts the target moving body and the target object based on the position, direction of travel and speed of the management moving body and the position, direction of travel and speed of the object.

11. 5. The virtual signaling device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit transmits the progress possibility information to the target moving object.

12. The virtual signaling device according to claim 3 , wherein the output unit transmits the progress information to the target moving object via the control device.

13. The movement of the managed mobile object is managed by a traffic management device using a traffic management map indicated by nodes and edges, The virtual signal device described in claim 3 or 12, characterized in that when the progress possibility information indicates progress, the operation management device sends a movement instruction to the target mobile body instructing the target mobile body to move to the next node on the target mobile body's movement path.

14. The traffic control map is generated for each type of the managed mobile object, and the arbitration information is added to the traffic control map for each type of the managed mobile object, The virtual signaling device according to claim 13, wherein the determining unit acquires the traffic control map for each type of the managed mobile object from the traffic control device.

15. A plurality of nodes are defined within the monitoring area, and a movement route of the managed mobile object is indicated by a combination of the nodes; The virtual signaling device according to claim 12, wherein the extraction unit extracts the target moving object and the target object according to a combination of the nodes indicating the movement route of the management moving object.

16. a control device that manages the movement of a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed; a virtual signaling device provided outside the management mobile body; Equipped with The virtual signal device an extraction unit that extracts a target moving body, which is the managed moving body that may cross the object, and a target object, which is the object that may cross the target moving body, based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of an object within a monitoring area; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; Equipped with A mobile object management system, characterized in that the position of the object is calculated using sensor information acquired by a sensor that detects the object.

17. A control device that manages the movement of a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed; a virtual signaling device provided outside the management mobile body; Equipped with The virtual signal device an extraction unit that extracts a target moving body, which is the managed moving body that may cross the object, and a target object, which is the object that may cross the target moving body, based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of an object within a monitoring area; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; Equipped with A mobile object management system, wherein the extraction unit extracts the location of the managed mobile object from location information indicating the location of the managed mobile object transmitted from the managed mobile object.

18. A control device that manages the movement of a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed; a virtual signaling device provided outside the management mobile body; Equipped with The virtual signal device an extraction unit that extracts a target moving body, which is the managed moving body that may cross the object, and a target object, which is the object that may cross the target moving body, based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of an object within a monitoring area; a decision unit that uses arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the managed mobile body, and second information, which is information about the target object, to determine whether the managed mobile body should proceed or stop, and generates progress permission information that instructs the target mobile body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output unit that outputs the progress possibility information generated by the determination unit; Equipped with The management mobile body transmits location information indicating the location of the management mobile body to a control device that controls the movement of the management mobile body, A mobile object management system characterized in that the extraction unit uses the location indicated by the location information obtained from the control device as the location of the managed mobile object.

19. A mobile body capable of autonomous movement, a receiving unit for receiving go / no-go information instructing the vehicle to go or stop, the go / no-go information being generated by a virtual signal device provided outside the vehicle; a control unit that controls the movement of the moving object based on the progress possibility information; Equipped with The virtual signal device extracts objects that may intersect with the moving body in the monitoring area based on the position of the moving body and the positions of objects in the monitoring area, determines whether the moving body should proceed or stop based on information about the extracted objects, information about the moving body, and arbitration information that is a rule for determining whether the moving body should proceed or stop, and generates the proceed / non-proceed information based on the result of the determination, A moving body, wherein the position of the object is calculated using sensor information acquired by a sensor that detects the object.

20. A mobile body capable of autonomous movement, a receiving unit for receiving go / no-go information instructing the vehicle to go or stop, the go / no-go information being generated by a virtual signal device provided outside the vehicle; a control unit that controls the movement of the moving object based on the progress possibility information; Equipped with The virtual signal device extracts objects that may intersect with the moving body in the monitoring area based on the position of the moving body and the positions of objects in the monitoring area, determines whether the moving body should proceed or stop based on information about the extracted objects, information about the moving body, and arbitration information that is a rule for determining whether the moving body should proceed or stop, and generates the proceed / non-proceed information based on the result of the determination, A mobile body, wherein the location of the managed mobile body is extracted from location information indicating the location of the mobile body transmitted from the mobile body.

21. A mobile body capable of autonomous movement, a receiving unit for receiving go / no-go information instructing the vehicle to go or stop, the go / no-go information being generated by a virtual signal device provided outside the vehicle; a control unit that controls the movement of the moving object based on the progress possibility information; Equipped with The virtual signal device extracts objects that may intersect with the moving body in the monitoring area based on the position of the moving body and the positions of objects in the monitoring area, determines whether the moving body should proceed or stop based on information about the extracted objects, information about the moving body, and arbitration information that is a rule for determining whether the moving body should proceed or stop, and generates the proceed / non-proceed information based on the result of the determination, the moving body transmits position information indicating the position of the moving body to a control device that controls the movement of the moving body; A mobile body characterized in that the virtual signaling device uses the position indicated by the position information obtained from the control device as the position of the mobile body.

22. A mobile object management method in a virtual signaling device provided outside a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed, comprising: A step of extracting a target moving body that is the managed moving body that may intersect with the object and a target object that is the object that may intersect with the target moving body based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of the object in the monitoring area; a step of determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop using arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the target moving body, and second information, which is information about the target object, and generating progress possibility information that instructs the target moving body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; outputting the progress information; Including, A mobile object management method, characterized in that the position of the object is calculated using sensor information acquired by a sensor that detects the object.

23. A mobile object management method in a virtual signaling device provided outside a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed, comprising: A step of extracting a target moving body that is the managed moving body that may intersect with the object and a target object that is the object that may intersect with the target moving body based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of the object in the monitoring area; a step of determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop using arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the target moving body, and second information, which is information about the target object, and generating progress possibility information that instructs the target moving body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; outputting the progress information; Including, A mobile object management method, characterized in that the location of the managed mobile object is extracted from location information indicating the location of the managed mobile object transmitted from the managed mobile object.

24. A mobile object management method in a virtual signaling device provided outside a managed mobile object, which is a mobile object to be managed, comprising: an extraction step of extracting a target moving body, which is the managed moving body that may intersect with the object, and a target object, which is the object that may intersect with the target moving body, based on the position of the managed moving body and the position of an object within a monitoring area; a generation step of determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop using arbitration information, which is a rule for determining whether the target moving body should proceed or stop, first information, which is information about the target moving body, and second information, which is information about the target object, and generating progress possibility information that instructs the target moving body to proceed or stop based on the result of the determination; an output step of outputting the progress possibility information; Including, The management mobile body transmits location information indicating the location of the management mobile body to a control device that controls the movement of the management mobile body, A mobile object management method, characterized in that in the extraction step, a position indicated by the position information acquired from the control device is used as the position of the managed mobile object.