Traffic safety assistance device, mobile information terminal, and program

Abstract

The present invention is a mobile information terminal mounted on a mobile body, said mobile information terminal comprising an interface capable of communicating with a traffic safety assistance device, a position-specifying unit for specifying the position of the mobile body, a camera capable of imaging the surroundings of the mobile body, a display unit, and an information processing unit. The information processing unit operates as follows. Traffic information requests are successively transmitted to the traffic safety assistance device via an interface together with position information regarding the point of reference as specified by the position-specifying unit. First mobile body information, which is map information regarding the surroundings of the mobile body and position information regarding another mobile body, is received in response to the traffic information requests, and the first mobile body information is mapped to the received map information and displayed on the display unit. The risk of collision is calculated from the relationship between the circumstances regarding the surroundings of the point of reference in the video captured by the camera, position information regarding the point of reference, and the first mobile body information. A warning corresponding to the risk is further mapped to the map information and displayed on the display unit.

Description

Traffic safety support device, mobile information terminal, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a traffic safety support device, a mobile information terminal capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device, and a program installed on the mobile information terminal, and is particularly suitable for use in supporting safe bicycle riding.

[0002] Various support systems have been proposed to encourage safe riding for bicycle riders.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a traffic safety support device that collects video information obtained from bicycles, cars, etc. around the vehicle on a server and shows the driver of the vehicle the location information of other vehicles and pedestrians along with map information, thereby helping to prevent accidents such as head-on collisions.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses an invention that improves bicycle safety by using images captured by cameras installed at intersections or facing bicycle lanes in normal traffic lanes to determine through image processing whether the vehicle traveling in the bicycle lane is a bicycle, a motorcycle, or a car, and then operating traffic signals appropriately or issuing a warning to cars to move away.

[0005] Regarding safe driving of automobiles, various systems for assisting this have been proposed.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses a driving situation determination device that converts image information from a camera mounted on a vehicle that captures the surrounding area into a bird's-eye view image and compares it with road signs whose shapes are stored in advance, determines whether the driving situation violates laws and regulations, and issues a warning if necessary.

[0007] Patent Literature 4 discloses a system that enables a vehicle to travel at night according to the travel environment. The system detects various travel environments of the vehicle from map data of a car navigation system, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, various sensors, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System, registered trademark) receiver, a DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) receiver, an image camera, etc., and based on the detected information, grasps the travel environment such as road curvature, intersection conditions, accident and traffic volume statistics, travel area type, travel road type, weather conditions, road surface conditions, etc., calculates the degree of support required for the travel of the vehicle based on the detected information, and controls lamps, warning alarm devices, power transmission system, braking system, and steering system according to the degree of support required.

[0008] Patent Literature 5 discloses a technology that is said to be able to issue a warning based on the possibility that the driver is not paying attention. The technology includes an approach detection module that detects the approach of the vehicle to another vehicle and a traffic volume acquisition module that acquires traffic volume at an intersection, and issues a warning when the approach of another vehicle is detected even when traffic volume is low. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is used to acquire the traffic volume, and it is calculated based on the number of vehicles traveling on the link (road) centered on the intersection.

[0009] International Publication WO20 / 217316 JP 2014-115757 A JP 2009-122825 A JP 2002-225619 A JP 2017-117148 A

[0010] The traffic safety support system disclosed in Patent Document 1 warns cyclists of approaching pedestrians and other vehicles in their blind spots, helping to prevent head-on collisions. During the process of developing this system, the inventors realized that the risk of bicycle accidents varies significantly depending on the volume and degree of congestion on the road, as well as the riding conditions of the bicycle. However, the devices that can be installed on bicycles are limited to smartphones, which cannot utilize VICS or DSRC, so the information that can be used is limited.

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a traffic safety support system that uses a portable information terminal that can be mounted on a bicycle to warn the bicycle rider of the risk of an accident that may occur in the surrounding area, thereby enabling the bicycle rider to avoid accidents involving the bicycle.

[0012] The means for solving these problems will be described below, but other problems and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the following is true.

[0014] That is, it is a portable information terminal mounted on a moving body, and is equipped with an interface capable of communicating with a traffic safety support device, a position identification unit that identifies the position of the moving body, a camera that can photograph the surroundings of the moving body, a display unit, and an information processing unit, and the information processing unit operates as follows.

[0015] The vehicle sequentially transmits traffic information requests together with its own location information identified by the location identification unit to the traffic safety support device via the interface.

[0016] In response to a traffic information request, first mobile object information, which is map information about the surroundings of the mobile object and location information of other mobile objects, is received, and the first mobile object information is mapped onto the received map information and displayed on the display unit.

[0017] The risk of collision is calculated based on the relationship between the vehicle's surroundings in the image captured by the camera, its own location information, and the first moving body information, and a corresponding warning is further mapped onto map information and displayed on the display unit.

[0018] The effects obtained by the embodiment are briefly described below.

[0019] In other words, a traffic safety support system can be provided that uses a portable information terminal that can be mounted on a bicycle to warn the bicycle rider of the risk of accidents that may occur in the surrounding area, thereby enabling the bicycle rider to avoid accidents involving bicycles.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a traffic safety support device of the present invention and a mobile information terminal mounted on a plurality of mobile bodies and capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a display of a mobile information terminal mounted on a mobile body. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a warning displayed on a mobile information terminal mounted on a mobile body. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a function for calculating the position of another mobile body by another mobile body and mapping it on a map. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the concept of an example data structure of a calculated risk level. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example data structure of traffic volume and a calculated risk level. FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example in which a mobile information terminal and a rear unit are attached to a mobile body. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the rear unit.

[0021] 1. Overview of the Embodiments First, an overview of the representative embodiments disclosed in the present application will be provided. Reference numerals in the drawings referred to in parentheses in the overview of the representative embodiments merely exemplify elements included in the concept of the component to which the reference numeral is attached. [1] Displaying a mapping of the risk of collision with other moving objects on a map received from a traffic safety support device The representative embodiment disclosed in the present application is a mobile information terminal (20, 30) mounted on a moving object, and includes an interface capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device (10), a position identification unit (27) that identifies the position of the moving object (20), a camera (26) that can capture images of the surroundings of the moving object (20), a display unit (24), and an information processing unit (22), and is configured as follows:

[0022] The information processing unit (22) performs the following operations.

[0023] A traffic information request is sequentially transmitted to the traffic safety support device (10) via the interface together with its own position information identified by the position identification unit (27).

[0024] In response to the traffic information request, first mobile body information, which is map information around the mobile body (20) and location information of other mobile bodies (B, V, P), is received via the interface, and the first mobile body information is mapped onto the received map information and displayed on the display unit (25).

[0025] The risk of collision is calculated based on the relationship between the situation around the vehicle in the image captured by the camera (26), the vehicle's own location information, and the first moving body information, and a warning according to the risk is further mapped onto the map information and displayed on the display unit (25).

[0026] This allows for the provision of a traffic safety support system that uses a portable information terminal (20) that can be mounted on a bicycle to indicate to the bicycle rider the risk of a potential accident occurring in the vicinity, thereby enabling the bicycle rider to avoid accidents involving the bicycle. In other words, when the mobile object is a bicycle and the mounted mobile terminal is a smartphone, the smartphone's display displays other mobile objects on a map of the bicycle's surroundings, and calculates the risk of collision between the bicycle and other mobile objects, including those in the vicinity that the bicycle has photographed and identified. If the risk is high, the smartphone can display the collision risk on the map and warn the rider. [2] Identification of Traveling Lane In the mobile information terminal (20) of [1], the information processing unit (22) identifies the lane and direction in which the mobile object (BM) is traveling from the image captured by the camera (26), and further considers the identified lane and direction to adjust the risk or issue a warning for dangerous riding.

[0027] This allows for the early detection and warning of dangerous driving such as wrong-way driving. [3] Risk calculation taking traffic volume into account In the mobile information terminal (20) of [1] or [2], the information processing unit (22) receives traffic volume information (4) around the mobile body (BM) via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and adjusts the risk level by further incorporating the received traffic volume information (4).

[0028] In the mobile information terminal (20) of [1], [2] or [3], the information processing unit (12) receives the accident history (3) around the mobile body (BM) via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and further takes into account the received accident history (3) to adjust the risk of collision.

[0029] This makes it possible to calculate the risk of collision with higher accuracy. [5] Uploading information about surrounding moving objects to a traffic safety support device In the mobile information terminal (20) according to any one of [1] to [4], the information processing unit (12) transmits second moving object information, which specifies the positions of moving objects around the mobile information terminal (20) in the video captured by the camera, to the traffic safety support device (10) via the interface.

[0030] This allows the traffic safety support device (10) to map and manage information about mobile objects, including those for which the device itself does not have a means of communication. [6] Program installed in a mobile information terminal mounted on a mobile object A representative embodiment disclosed in the present application is a program installed in a mobile information terminal (20, 30) mounted on a mobile object, and is configured as follows.

[0031] The mobile information terminal (20) includes an interface capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device (10), a position identification unit (27) that identifies the position of the mobile object, a camera (26) that can capture images of the surroundings of the mobile object, a display unit (24), and an information processing unit (22). Execution of the program causes the information processing unit (22) to perform the following operations.

[0032] The traffic safety support device (10) is caused to sequentially transmit a traffic information request together with its own position information identified by the position identification unit (27) via the interface.

[0033] In response to the traffic information request, map information (2) around the mobile body (BM) and first mobile body information, which is position information of other mobile bodies, are received via the interface, and the first mobile body information is mapped onto the received map information (2) and displayed on the display unit (24).

[0034] The risk of collision is calculated based on the relationship between the situation around the vehicle in the image captured by the camera (26), the vehicle's own location information, and the first moving body information, and a warning according to the risk is further mapped onto the map information (2) and displayed on the display unit (24).

[0035] This makes it possible to provide a traffic safety support system that uses a portable information terminal (20) that can be mounted on a bicycle to indicate to the bicycle rider the risk of an accident that may occur in the surrounding area, similar to [1], thereby enabling the bicycle rider to avoid accidents involving the bicycle. [7] Identification of lane The program of [6] causes the information processing unit (22) to identify the lane and direction in which the moving body (BM) is traveling from the image captured by the camera (27), and further takes into consideration the identified lane and direction to adjust the risk level or issue a warning for dangerous riding.

[0036] This allows for the early detection and warning of dangerous driving such as wrong-way driving, as in [2]. [8] Calculation of risk taking traffic volume into account The program of [6] or [7] causes the information processing unit (22) to receive traffic volume information (4) around the mobile unit (BM) via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and to further incorporate the received traffic volume information (4) into the risk adjustment.

[0037] This makes it possible to calculate the collision risk with higher accuracy, as in [3]. [9] Risk calculation taking into account accident history The program of [6], [7] or [8] causes the information processing unit (22) to receive, in response to the traffic information request, the accident history around the mobile body (BM) via the interface, and to adjust the risk by further taking into account the received accident history.

[0038] This makes it possible to calculate the risk of collision with higher accuracy, as in [4].

[10] Uploading information about surrounding moving objects to a traffic safety support device The program of any one of [6] to [9] causes the information processing unit (22) to transmit second moving object information, which specifies the positions of moving objects around the vehicle in the video captured by the camera, in response to the traffic information request via the interface.

[0039] As a result, similar to [5], the traffic safety support device (10) can map and manage information on mobile bodies for which it does not have a means of communication to the map information (2).

[11] Traffic safety support device: Calculates an accident risk based on the traffic volume in the direction of travel of a mobile body, and displays the calculated accident risk together with a map on a mobile terminal mounted on the mobile body (Figs. 1 and 2). A representative embodiment disclosed in the present application is a traffic safety support device (10) comprising an interface (13) capable of communicating with multiple mobile bodies, a storage unit (11) capable of storing map information (2), and an information processing unit (12) that maps mobile body information (1) including position information of the multiple mobile bodies to the map information (2) and sequentially updates the map information, and is configured as follows:

[0040] The map information (2) further includes traffic volume information (4) mapped for each road.

[0041] When a traffic information request accompanied by location information is received via the interface (13) from a mobile terminal mounted on a mobile body included in the plurality of mobile bodies (B, V, P), the information processing unit (12) transmits traffic volume information (4) of the road on which the mobile body is traveling and roads that intersect in the traveling direction and / or the risk of the mobile body encountering an accident calculated based on the traffic volume information to the mobile terminal (20) to display it together with the map information (2).

[0042] This allows for the provision of a traffic safety support system that uses a mobile information terminal (20) that can be mounted on a bicycle to indicate the risk of accidents that may occur in the vicinity to the bicycle rider, thereby enabling the bicycle rider to avoid accidents involving the bicycle. In other words, even if the mobile object is a bicycle and the mounted mobile terminal is a smartphone, dangerous areas can be displayed on a map without performing heavy numerical calculations. This is because traffic volume on at least the surrounding roads is managed by the traffic safety support device, not the mobile terminal, and the risk level is calculated based on the traffic volume on the road in the direction of travel of the bicycle, and only the result is sent back to the mobile terminal along with map information. Here, the risk level calculation can be performed by either the mobile information terminal or the traffic safety support terminal.

[12] The risk level is calculated for each day of the week and time period based on big data (Figs. 5 and 6). In the traffic safety support device (10) of

[11] , the information processing unit (12) calculates the traffic volume information (4) of the road for each day of the week and time period based on statistical information including the date, time, location, and population, and calculates the risk level based on the traffic volume information (4) of the road for the day of the week and time period when the traffic information request is received.

[0043]

[0023] This allows the information processing terminal (20) to estimate road traffic volume information and use it to calculate the risk level, even if it does not have a means for collecting real-time traffic volume data.

[13] Consideration of the lane in which the mobile object that issued the traffic information request is traveling The traffic safety support device (10) of

[11] or

[12] receives, via the interface (13), a video image taken in the direction of travel from the mobile object (20) that sent the traffic information request, along with the traffic information request and the location information. The information processing unit (12) identifies the lane and direction in which the mobile object is traveling based on the video image taken in the direction of travel, and, compared to the risk level when the identified direction is the forward direction and the lane is a roadway, lowers the risk level when the lane is a bicycle lane and increases the risk level when the lane is a sidewalk. When the identified direction is the backward direction, the risk level is further increased, or a warning message is sent to the mobile terminal (20).

[0044] This allows for a more accurate calculation of the risk level, reflecting the driving conditions of the mobile body, or for a higher risk level to be immediately issued a warning to the driver of the mobile body.

[14] Consideration of the lane in which the mobile body that issued the traffic information request is traveling (the mobile body identifies the lane in which the mobile body is traveling) The traffic safety support device (10) of

[11] or

[12] receives, from the mobile body that transmitted the traffic information request, the lane and direction in which the mobile body is traveling, together with the traffic information request and the position information, via the interface (13), and the information processing unit lowers the risk level when the lane is a bicycle lane, increases the risk level when the lane is a sidewalk, and further increases the risk level when the identified direction is the reverse direction, compared to the risk level when the received direction is the forward direction and the received lane is a roadway.

[0045] This allows for a more accurate risk level calculation that reflects the driving conditions of the mobile body. Since the mobile body grasps its own driving conditions on the terminal side, it can quickly issue a warning against dangerous driving.

[15] Consideration of Accident History The traffic safety support device (10) of any one of

[11] to

[14] further stores accident history information in the storage unit. When there is accident history information (3) related to the location information of the mobile body that transmitted the traffic information request, the information processing unit (12) further increases the risk level based on the accident history information (3) and / or transmits the accident history information (3) to the mobile terminal (20) to display it together with the map information (2).

[0046] This allows for more accurate risk calculations, taking into account accident history.

[16] Identifying the positions of surrounding moving objects from video captured by other moving objects and displaying the mapping on map information In any one of

[11] to

[15] , the traffic safety support device (10) receives video captured by other moving objects via the interface. The information processing unit (12) identifies the position of another moving object captured in the received video and maps it on the map information (2), and when a traffic information request is received, transmits to the mobile terminal position information of the other moving object that is present on the road on which the moving object that issued the traffic information request is traveling and on roads that intersect in the direction of travel, for display together with the map information.

[0047] This allows the traffic safety support device (10) to notify the mobile body that has issued the traffic information request of the presence of other mobile bodies in the vicinity, thereby reducing accidents such as head-on collisions.

[0048] 2. Details of the embodiment The embodiment will be described in further detail.

[0049] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a traffic safety support device of the present invention and a portable information terminal that is mounted on a plurality of moving bodies and is capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device.

[0050] The traffic safety support device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with mobile information terminals 20, 30 mounted on multiple mobile bodies via a communication network 100. In this patent application, a mobile body refers to a moving body in traffic, such as a pedestrian, a bicycle, a wheelchair, a motorcycle, or an automobile. A mobile information terminal may be, for example, a smartphone or tablet carried by a pedestrian or installed on a bicycle, wheelchair, motorcycle, or automobile. It may also be a driving assistance device mounted on an automobile, including a navigation system, a drive recorder, a surround view monitor, or the like. Note that the mobile body may also include a mobile body that does not carry or have a mobile information terminal mounted thereon. Here, the mobile information terminal mounted on the driver's own mobile body BM is referred to as mobile information terminal 20, and the mobile information terminal mounted on another mobile body B is referred to as mobile information terminal 30.

[0051] The communication network 100 may be capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device 10 via, for example, a mobile phone communication network. In particular, if the mobile phone communication network complies with the fifth generation (5G) or later standard, it not only has wide bandwidth but also low latency, making it more suitable for preventing traffic accidents. <Configuration of Traffic Safety Support Device> The traffic safety support device 10 includes an interface 13, a storage unit 11, and an information processing unit 12. More specifically, the traffic safety support device 10 may be a data server equipped with the interface 13 for connecting to a network such as the Internet, and may be realized using, for example, a cloud server. The storage unit 11 of the traffic safety support device 10 stores mobile object information 1 including location information of the mobile object and map information 2. The mobile objects in this case include some of the multiple mobile objects equipped with a terminal with which the traffic safety support device 10 can communicate via the above-mentioned communication network 100, but may also include mobile objects not equipped with such a terminal or mobile objects not carrying such a terminal.

[0052] The storage unit 11 stores mobile object information 1 including location information of a plurality of mobile objects, map information 2, and may further store accident history information 3 and traffic volume information 4. Each mobile object is mapped to the map information 2 based on its location information. That is, each mobile object is associated with another mobile object so that its location on the map can be determined based on its location information.

[0053] The accident history information 3 indicates that an accident has occurred at a location in the past, includes location information of the location where the accident occurred in the past, and is mapped onto the map information 2 based on the location information.

[0054] The traffic volume information 4 is the traffic volume at a certain location, area, or road. The traffic volume information 4 may be calculated by the traffic safety support device 10 for each road, day of the week, and time of day. Alternatively, the traffic safety support device 10 may obtain the traffic volume information 4 from a business operator that keeps track of traffic information and pedestrian flow. In this case, the information processing unit 12 receives the traffic volume information 4 from an external device via the interface 13.

[0055] The risk level is a numerical value that indicates the possibility that a mobile body will be involved in a traffic accident, and is calculated based on the moving population and surrounding environment in a certain location, area, road, etc. Details of how the risk level is calculated will be described later. Note that there is also an embodiment in which the risk level is calculated and used by the mobile information terminal 20 on the mobile body side, and is not stored in the memory unit 11 of the traffic safety support device 10.

[0056] The mobile object information 1 and the traffic volume information 4 may be erased by being overwritten at an appropriate interval. The traffic volume information 4 may be received periodically, or may be received as needed depending on the situation, such as when an event is held or a disaster occurs. <Configuration of Mobile Information Terminal> The mobile information terminals 20 and 30 are, for example, smartphones or tablets, and include communication units 21 and 31, information processing units 22 and 32, storage units 23 and 33, display units 24 and 34, sensors 25 and 35, cameras 26 and 36, position identification units 27 and 37, and an interface (not shown) (see also FIG. 5 cited in the second embodiment described below).

[0057] The communication units 21 and 31 communicate with the traffic safety support device 10 via the interface and the communication network 100. The information processing units 22 and 32 are computers including a processor, memory, etc., and execute installed programs. The storage units 23 and 33 are literally storage devices, and are preferably electrically rewritable non-volatile memory. The display units 24 and 34 may be display devices using any medium, such as liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence (EL). The sensors 25 and 35 measure information such as the speed, acceleration, angular velocity, direction, and attitude of the mobile object. The cameras 26 and 36 are cameras that can capture images in the direction of travel of the mobile information terminals 20 and 30 when attached to the mobile object. The position identification units 27 and 37 are, for example, global positioning systems (GPS), which can determine the location information of the mobile object using latitude and longitude coordinates. <Display of the Mobile Information Terminal> Figure 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the display of a mobile information terminal mounted on a mobile object.

[0058] When the mobile information terminal 20 is attached to its own mobile body BM and traveling, it displays a traffic safety support screen 70, which is a screen for traffic safety support according to the present invention, as shown in Fig. 2. The traffic safety support screen 70 in Fig. 2 displays a roadway 69, a sidewalk 65, a bicycle lane 64, and mobile bodies moving on these roads, such as a person P, a bicycle B, and a car V. The traffic safety support screen 70 also clearly displays information important for traffic safety support, such as a crosswalk 66.

[0059] The user's own moving body BM, to which the mobile information terminal 20 is attached, is displayed larger than other marks and is therefore more conspicuous on the traffic safety support screen 70. The user's own moving body BM can estimate the direction of travel of the moving body BM from the video captured by the mobile information terminal 20 and changes in position information, and can indicate the moving direction 68 in the form of an arrow or the like. In Figure 2, the moving direction 68 is shown as a direction from the shaft of the arrow to the arrowhead at the tip of the triangle.

[0060] When the risk level reaches a near miss value, which means that an accident may occur but does not result in an accident, the information processing unit 22 can display the other moving body (B, V, P) in a different manner from normal conditions on the display unit 24 by changing the color or flashing the display. This allows the driver of the moving body to recognize the possibility of an accident and can take measures to reduce the risk level early, such as braking or changing the driving route.

[0061] Accident history information 62 is displayed at locations where accidents have occurred in the past to alert the driver. Traffic congestion display 63 indicates the state of traffic congestion, such as congestion, and is displayed by estimating it from traffic volume information 4, etc.

[0062] FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a warning displayed on a portable information terminal mounted on a mobile object.

[0063] If the danger level of the moving body BM increases further, the mobile information terminal 20 displays a warning display 61 on the traffic safety support screen 70. Figure 3 shows the warning display when the information processing unit 22 analyzes the image from the camera 26 and determines that the moving body BM is traveling the wrong way down a one-way bicycle lane. The warning display 61 can be displayed according to the cause of the danger level.

[0064] The warning display 61 is displayed in a prominent location on the display unit 24 where it is easy to recognize. Here, the information processing unit 22 can adjust the display position and size so that the warning display 61 does not obscure the driver's own moving body BM or the cause of the display. Specifically, in the case of the "No Wrong Way Driving" display shown in FIG. 2, the information processing unit 22 adjusts the display position and size of the warning display 61 so that the bicycle lane 64 related to the driver's own moving body 61 and its direction of travel 64 is not obscured by the warning display 61. This makes it easier for the driver of the driver's own moving body BM to understand the content of the warning display 61 and can take evasive action quickly.

[0065] Even if the driver applies the brakes or the like to reduce the risk and the warning display 61 disappears from the display unit 24, if the near miss state described above is still present, the information processing unit 22 can maintain the color of the moving object (B, V, P) that is the target of the warning display 61 in the near miss state. This allows the mobile information terminal 20 to continue to alert the driver. <Operation of the mobile information terminal> Figure 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a function that calculates the position of another moving object using other moving objects and maps it on a map.

[0066] The portable information terminal 20 receives map information of its surroundings from the traffic safety support device 10. In addition, the information processing unit 22 can grasp the position, traveling direction, and speed of its own moving body BM from the output of the position identification unit 27 and the output of the sensor 25.

[0067] The camera 26 is mounted on the moving body BM and captures images in the direction of travel, which are then analyzed by the information processing unit 22. Existing methods can be used for the image analysis process. This allows the information processing unit 22 to recognize the moving bodies B, V, and P captured in the images. From the camera image and information on the position, direction of travel, and speed of the moving body BM, the information processing unit 22 determines the positions, direction of travel, and speed of moving bodies B2, B3, V1, and P1, and maps them on a map.

[0068] In FIG. 4 , moving body BM is moving toward an intersection. Near the intersection, moving bodies B1, B2, B3, V1, and P1 are also moving toward the intersection, but these moving bodies B1, B2, B3, V1, and P1 are in a blind spot and cannot be seen by moving body BM. Moving bodies B1 and B3 are equipped with mobile information terminals 30, and therefore transmit information about their own positions, traveling direction, and speed to traffic safety support device 10. At this time, moving bodies B1 and B3 can also obtain information about the positions, traveling direction, and speed of moving bodies B2, V1, and P1 from images of their surroundings and transmit this information to traffic safety support device 10. Using information from moving bodies B1 and B3, traffic safety support device 10 can obtain information about the positions, traveling direction, and speed of moving bodies B1, B2, B3, V1, and P1. The moving body BM receives map information from the traffic safety support device 10, as well as the positions, traveling directions, and speeds of the moving bodies B1, B2, B3, V1, and P1, thereby becoming aware of the presence of hidden moving bodies that cannot be detected by the camera 26 of the moving body BM. The information processing unit 22 can calculate the risk level taking into account the presence of these hidden moving bodies. This allows the information processing unit 22 to calculate the risk level with greater accuracy. Furthermore, the information processing unit 22 can communicate the situation to the driver in an easy-to-understand manner by mapping the moving bodies B1, B2, B3, V1, and P1 on a map.

[0069] The accident history information 62 is recorded in the traffic safety support device 10. If the accident history information 62 is in the area of ​​the map information 2 requested by the portable information terminal 20, the traffic safety support device 10 also transmits the accident history information 62 together with the map information 2 to the information processing terminal 20.

[0070] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the concept of an example of the data structure of the calculated risk level.

[0071] 5, the position of the moving body BM and the position of its destination are indicated on the map as moving body points 67 by symbols A to G. The arrow of movement direction 68 indicates movement from symbol D to symbol A of moving body point 67. The same applies to the other arrows, which indicate that the moving body BM moves from the shaft portion of the arrow to the arrowhead portion.

[0072] The position of each moving object point 67 on the map indicates a position on the road, with movement from symbol A to D passing through a sidewalk 65, symbols B to E passing through a bicycle lane 64, and symbols C to F passing through a roadway 69. Symbols D to G and E to G indicate left turns.

[0073] The mobile information terminal 20 mounted on the mobile object BM calculates the risk level based on the surrounding image captured by the camera 26. The information extracted from the surrounding image includes, for example, the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (sidewalk, roadway, bicycle lane), the direction (forward, backward), the direction and speed of the surrounding mobile objects, and the distance from the vehicle itself.

[0074] For example, when the system determines, based on the surrounding image captured by the camera 26, that the lane in which the moving body BM is traveling is a bicycle lane going from symbol B to symbol E, the system calculates the risk level to be lower than when traveling on the road. When traveling on a sidewalk, the system generally calculates the risk level to be higher. Furthermore, the system also takes into account map information sent from the traffic safety support device 10, information on other moving bodies, traffic congestion, and the like, to adjust the risk level. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the moving body BM is traveling on a sidewalk and there is a possibility of encountering a pedestrian P coming from a blind spot in the direction of travel on the sidewalk, the system significantly increases the risk level to encourage the user to take action to avoid an accident. On the other hand, when traveling on a sidewalk, if there are no other moving bodies, such as pedestrians, on the same route or on intersecting roads, the system may reduce the risk level to the same level as when traveling in a bicycle lane.

[0075] If accident history information 62 is available from the traffic safety support device 10, the mobile information terminal 20 mounted on the mobile body BM can take this information into consideration when adjusting the risk level. For example, if there is accident history information 62 in the direction of travel of the mobile body BM, the risk level is adjusted to be higher. At this time, the similarity between the lane in which the mobile body BM is traveling and the accidents may also be taken into consideration. For example, when the mobile body BM is traveling on a sidewalk, the history of collisions between bicycles and pedestrians on the sidewalk can be set to contribute to a greater adjustment of the risk level, while the history of accidents between automobiles on the roadway can be set to contribute only to a slightly greater adjustment of the risk level.

[0076] In this way, the mobile information terminal 20 can determine the position, direction of travel, and speed of its own moving body BM from the output of the position identification unit 27 and the output of the sensor 25, receive map information including information on surrounding moving bodies from the traffic safety support device 10, and then calculate the level of danger based on the surrounding conditions photographed by its own camera 26.

[0077] Furthermore, it is more preferable to adjust the calculated risk level by receiving information on traffic volume and accident history from the traffic safety support device 10. <Operation of Traffic Safety Support Device> The traffic safety support device 10 has a server function that communicates with multiple mobile information terminals 20, 30 and supervises the processing. When traffic information including map information 2 is requested from the mobile information terminals 20, 30, the traffic information support device 10 transmits the map information 2 as well as mobile object information 1, accident history information 3, and traffic volume information 4 for that area to the mobile information terminal.

[0078] The traffic safety support device 10 can also map and record information on the positions, traveling direction, and speed of the moving objects B, V, and P sent from the mobile information terminals 20 and 30. In response to a request from the mobile information terminals 20 and 30, the traffic safety support device 10 can transmit information on the positions, traveling direction, and speed of the moving objects B, V, and P together with map information 2 to the mobile information terminals 20 and 30.

[0079] The traffic safety support device 10 can obtain the accident history information 3 and traffic volume information 4 from other organizations, etc. via the network 100. The traffic safety support device 10 may estimate the traffic volume information from information from multiple mobile information terminals 20, 30. The traffic safety support device 10 records this accident history information 3 and traffic volume information 4 in the recording unit 11, and transmits information corresponding to an area requested by the mobile information terminal 20, 30 to the mobile information terminal.

[0080] [Embodiment 2] In embodiment 1, the analysis of the video captured by the camera 26 and the calculation of the risk level are performed by the mobile information terminal 20, but in embodiment 2, some or both of these functions are performed by the traffic safety support device 10.

[0081] When the traffic safety support device 10 analyzes the video captured by the camera 26, the mobile information terminal 20 may send the video itself to the traffic safety support device 10. Alternatively, the mobile information terminal 20 may send parameters and the like after performing a certain amount of analysis to the traffic safety support device 10. In the latter case, the amount of data is smaller than when the video itself is sent, and therefore the time required for communication can be reduced.

[0082] When the traffic safety support device 10 calculates the risk level, the mobile information terminal 20 transmits information such as the position information, direction of travel, and speed of its own moving body BM to the traffic safety support device 10. The information processing unit 12 of the traffic safety support device 10 calculates the risk level using the information such as the position information, direction of travel, and speed of the moving body BM transmitted from the information processing terminal 20, and one or more of the information on the positions, direction of travel, and speed of other moving bodies B, V, and P mapped on the map, accident history information 3, and traffic volume information 4. The traffic safety support device 10 transmits the calculated risk level to the mobile information terminal 20 that transmitted the position information, etc. of its own moving body BM.

[0083] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of traffic volume and calculated risk level.

[0084] In the table of FIG. 6 , "from" and "to" represent the start and end points of travel point 67. "Moving population" is the value of the moving population received from the traffic safety support device 10. "Risk level" indicates the risk level when traveling from "from" to "to." That is, the first row indicates that the "moving population" on the route when traveling from symbol A to D of travel point 67 is 300 people / hour, and the risk level at that time is 50. The second row indicates that the "moving population" on the route when traveling from symbol B to E of travel point 67 is 100 people / hour, and the risk level at that time is 10. The same applies to the following rows.

[0085] The table of values ​​shown in Figure 6 shows the conditions on each route from 17:00 to 18:00 on Mondays, and this table is recorded for each hour as the risk level in the recording unit 11. This allows the risk level to be calculated taking into account the traffic conditions on each lane for each hour, making it possible to obtain a more accurate risk level.

[0086] The information processing unit 22 can calculate the degree of risk by taking into account data obtained from other sources, as shown in the table of Fig. 6. The traffic safety support device 10 can be configured with equipment with higher performance than the information processing terminal 20, and therefore can calculate the degree of risk using a large amount of data, as shown in the table of Fig. 6.

[0087] [Embodiment 3] In embodiment 3, a rear unit is attached to the moving body BM itself.

[0088] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a typical example in which a mobile device and a rear unit are attached to a moving object, and Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the rear unit.

[0089] 7, the mobile information terminal 20 is installed in front of the mobile body BM, and the rear unit 50 is installed behind the mobile body BM. As shown in FIG. 8, the rear unit 50 is composed of a communication unit 51, an image processing unit 52, a storage unit 53, a camera 55, and a sensor 54.

[0090] The communication unit 51 can communicate with the mobile information terminal 20 in front and send data from the camera 55 and the sensor 54. The communication unit 51 may be connected to the Internet 100 for communication. The image processing unit 52 analyzes the video captured by the camera 55 and also controls each block. The memory unit 53 records the output data from the camera 55 and the sensor 54 and the analysis results. The sensor 54 measures information such as the speed, acceleration, direction, and attitude of the moving body. The camera 55 captures video behind the moving body BM. The image processing unit 52 analyzes the captured video and transmits the analysis results to the mobile information processing terminal 20 attached in front. The mobile information processing terminal 20 can grasp the position, traveling direction, and speed of the other moving bodies B, V, and P behind it, and can calculate the level of danger with higher accuracy.

[0091] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on an embodiment, but it goes without saying that the invention is not limited thereto and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0092] The present invention relates to a traffic safety support device and a program installed on a mobile information terminal capable of communicating with the traffic safety support device, and is particularly suitable for use in avoiding bicycle collision accidents.

[0093] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Mobile object information 2 Map information 3 Accident history information 4 Traffic volume information 10 Traffic safety support device 11 Memory unit 12 Information processing unit 13 Interface 20, 30 Portable information terminal 21, 31 Communication unit 22, 32 Information processing unit 23, 33 Memory unit 24, 34 Display unit 25, 35 Sensor 26, 36 Camera 27, 37 Position identification unit 50 Rear unit 51 Communication unit 52 Image processing unit 53 Memory unit 54 Sensor 55 Camera 61 Warning display 62 Accident history information 63 Traffic congestion display 64 Bicycle-only lane 65 Sidewalk 66 Crosswalk 67 Mobile object point 68 Direction of movement 69 Roadway 70 Traffic safety support screen 100 Communication network BM Own mobile object (bicycle) B, B1, B2, B3 Other moving objects (bicycles) P, P1 Other moving objects (people) V, V1 Other moving objects (cars)

Claims

1. A portable information terminal mounted on a moving body, comprising: an interface capable of communicating with a traffic safety support device, a position identification unit that identifies the position of the moving body, a camera that can capture images of the surroundings of the moving body, a display unit, and an information processing unit, wherein the information processing unit: sequentially transmits traffic information requests via the interface to the traffic safety support device together with the moving body's own position information identified by the position identification unit; in response to the traffic information request, receives first moving body information via the interface which is map information of the surroundings of the moving body and position information of other moving bodies, maps the first moving body information onto the received map information and displays it on the display unit; calculates a risk of collision based on the relationship between the situation around the moving body in the image captured by the camera, the moving body's own position information, and the first moving body information, and further maps a warning according to the risk onto the map information and displays it on the display unit.

2. A mobile information terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing unit identifies the lane and direction in which the moving object is traveling from the image captured by the camera, and adjusts the degree of danger by further taking into consideration the identified lane and direction, or issues a warning about dangerous driving.

3. A mobile information terminal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the information processing unit receives traffic volume information around the mobile object via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and further incorporates the received traffic volume information to adjust the degree of risk.

4. A mobile information terminal as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the information processing unit receives accident history information in the vicinity of the mobile object via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and further adjusts the degree of risk by taking the received accident history into account.

5. A mobile information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information processing unit transmits second moving object information, which identifies the positions of moving objects around the terminal in the image captured by the camera, to the traffic safety support device via the interface.

6. A program installed in a portable information terminal mounted on a moving body, the portable information terminal comprising an interface capable of communicating with a traffic safety support device, a position identification unit that identifies the position of the moving body, a camera that can capture images of the surroundings of the moving body, a display unit, and an information processing unit, the program causing the information processing unit to: sequentially transmit traffic information requests via the interface to the traffic safety support device together with the moving body's own position information identified by the position identification unit; receive first moving body information, which is map information of the surroundings of the moving body and position information of other moving bodies, via the interface in response to the traffic information request, map the first moving body information onto the received map information and display it on the display unit; calculate a collision risk based on the relationship between the situation around the moving body in the image captured by the camera, the moving body's own position information, and the first moving body information, and further map a warning according to the risk onto the map information and display it on the display unit.

7. A program as claimed in claim 6, which causes the information processing unit to identify the lane and direction in which the moving object is traveling from the image captured by the camera, and to adjust the degree of danger taking into further consideration the identified lane and direction, or to issue a warning as to dangerous driving.

8. A program as claimed in claim 6 or 7, which causes the information processing unit to receive traffic volume information around the mobile object via the interface in response to the traffic information request, and to further incorporate the received traffic volume information into adjustments to the degree of risk.

9. A program as claimed in claim 6, claim 7 or claim 8, which causes the information processing unit to receive, in response to the traffic information request, accident history information in the vicinity of the mobile object via the interface, and further incorporate the received accident history into the calculation of the degree of risk.

10. A program according to any one of claims 6 to 9, which causes the information processing unit to transmit second moving object information, which identifies the positions of moving objects around the vehicle in the image captured by the camera, to the traffic safety support device via the interface.

11. A traffic safety support device comprising an interface capable of communicating with a plurality of moving bodies, a memory unit capable of holding map information, and an information processing unit which maps moving body information including position information of the plurality of moving bodies onto the map information and successively updates it, wherein the map information further includes traffic volume information for each road which is mapped thereto, and when a traffic information request accompanied by position information is received via the interface from a mobile body terminal mounted on a moving body included in the plurality of moving bodies, the information processing unit transmits traffic volume information of the road on which the moving body is traveling and roads which intersect in the direction of travel and / or a risk of the moving body encountering an accident calculated based on the traffic volume information to the mobile terminal for display together with the map information.

12. A traffic safety support device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information processing unit calculates traffic volume information for the road for each day of the week and time period based on statistical information including date, time, location and population, and calculates the degree of danger based on the traffic volume information for the road for the day of the week and time period when the traffic information request is received.

13. A traffic safety support device as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the traffic safety support device receives, via the interface, an image taken in the traveling direction from the mobile object that transmitted the traffic information request, together with the traffic information request and the location information, and the information processing unit identifies the lane and direction in which the mobile object is traveling based on the image taken in the traveling direction, and lowers the risk level when the lane is a bicycle lane and increases the risk level when the lane is a sidewalk compared to the risk level when the identified direction is the forward direction and the lane is a roadway, and further increases the risk level when the identified direction is the reverse direction, or transmits information to the mobile terminal to prompt a warning.

14. A traffic safety support device as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the traffic safety support device receives, via the interface, from the mobile body that transmitted the traffic information request, the lane and direction in which the mobile body is traveling, together with the traffic information request and the location information, and the information processing unit lowers the risk level when the lane is a bicycle lane and increases the risk level when the lane is a sidewalk, compared to the risk level when the received direction is a forward direction and the received lane is a roadway, and further increases the risk level when the identified direction is a reverse direction.

15. A traffic safety support device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the memory unit further stores accident history information, and when there is accident history information related to the location information of the mobile body that transmitted the traffic information request, the information processing unit further increases the risk level based on the accident history information and / or transmits the accident history information to the mobile terminal to be displayed together with the map information.

16. A traffic safety support device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the traffic safety support device receives an image captured from another moving body via the interface, the information processing unit identifies a position of a further moving body captured in the received image and maps it onto the map information, and when the information processing unit receives a traffic information request, transmits to the mobile terminal position information of the further moving body that is present on the road on which the moving body that issued the traffic information request is traveling and on a road that intersects with the road in the direction of travel, for display together with the map information.

Images