Sensor selection device, driving assistance server, sensor selection method, and recording medium

Abstract

The present invention reduces measurement data that can be transmitted from a plurality of transmission sources.　This sensor selection device comprises: a collection means for collecting pieces of sensor capability information about a plurality of transmission sources on which sensors are respectively mounted, the sensor capability information being capable of identifying a sensing range of each of the sensors; an acquisition means for acquiring a communication amount of a line, which is used for transmission, of the sensor of each of the transmission sources; a selection means for selecting, on the basis of the communication amount of the line of each of the transmission sources, a sensor for requesting transmission of measurement data from among sensors of which sensing areas overlap; and an instruction means for instructing the transmission source to transmit, in addition to measurement data of sensors of which sensing areas do not overlap, the measurement data of the selected sensor in the case of the sensors of which sensing areas overlap.

Description

Sensor selection device, driving assistance server, sensor selection method, and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor selection device, a driving assistance server, a sensor selection method, and a recording medium.

[0002] In recent years, road-to-vehicle cooperation systems have become known that, in addition to dynamic maps, predict the positions of objects and vehicles on the road and provide driving assistance information to traffic participants. Such road-to-vehicle cooperation systems are expected to collect information from sensors mounted on vehicles as well as from devices installed on the roadside. Meanwhile, the performance of sensors such as cameras mounted on vehicles has improved, resulting in an increase in data volume, creating a demand for reducing the amount of data transmitted. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a data volume reduction device that reduces the amount of data transmitted by transmitting, when transmitting an image from an imaging device to a dynamic map creation device, a target area including an image of an object in the image at high resolution and a region other than the target area at low resolution.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-10903

[0004] Creating driving assistance information may require a huge amount of measurement data, and the measurement data transmitted from a sensor may include redundant measurement data, such as data measured by the same type of sensor in a nearby location. In this regard, the data amount reduction device in Patent Document 1 can reduce the amount of transmission data transmitted from each imaging device, but has the problem of generating redundant data because transmission data from multiple vehicles is collected on the dynamic map creation device side.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sensor selection device, a sensor selection method, and a recording medium that are capable of reducing measurement data that may be transmitted from multiple transmission sources.

[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided a sensor selection device comprising: a collection means for collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmission sources, each equipped with a sensor; an acquisition means for acquiring the traffic volume of the line used for transmission by the sensor of each of the transmission sources; a selection means for selecting a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the line of each of the transmission sources, from which measurement data is to be requested; and an instruction means for instructing the transmission sources to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors for the sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

[0007] According to a second aspect, there is provided a driving assistance server that functions as the above-mentioned sensor selection device.

[0008] According to a third aspect, there is provided a sensor selection method that collects sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmitters, each equipped with a sensor, obtains the traffic volume of the line used for transmission from the sensor of each transmitter, selects a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the line of each transmitter, and instructs the transmitter to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmitters, each equipped with a sensor; acquiring the traffic volume of the lines used for transmission by the sensors of each of the transmitters; selecting a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the lines of each of the transmitters; and instructing the transmitters to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a sensor selection device, a driving assistance server, a sensor selection method, and a recording medium that are capable of reducing measurement data that may be transmitted from multiple transmission sources.

[0011] 1 is a diagram illustrating one configuration of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of sensors in a vehicle used in explaining the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a cooperative autonomous driving server of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a dynamic map. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a space-time grid. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a driving plan using a space-time grid. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a driving plan using a space-time grid. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of communication usage volume for each vehicle. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is an example of a rate plan (flat-rate data communication fee) of a mobile communications carrier. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another operation of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another operation of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is an example of a rate plan (tiered system) of a mobile communications carrier. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining another operation of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining another operation of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a computer constituting a sensor selection device of the present disclosure.

[0012] First, an overview of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this disclosure, the drawings relate to one or more embodiments. The reference numerals in the drawings attached to this overview are attached to each element for convenience as an example to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the illustrated form. Furthermore, connecting lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of main signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. A program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and, if necessary, a display device. Furthermore, this computer device is configured to be able to communicate with internal or external devices (including computers) via the communication interface, whether wired or wireless. Although ports or interfaces are present at the input / output connection points of each block in the drawings, they are not shown.

[0013] In one embodiment, the present disclosure can be realized by a sensor selection device 10 including, as shown in FIG. 1 , a collection unit 11, an acquisition unit 12, a selection unit 13, and an instruction unit 14. More specifically, the collection unit 11 collects sensor capability information from a plurality of transmission sources, each equipped with a sensor, capable of identifying the sensing range of the sensor. The acquisition unit 12 acquires the traffic volume of the line used for transmission by the sensor of each transmission source. The selection unit 13 selects a sensor from which measurement data is to be transmitted from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the line of each transmission source. The instruction unit 14 instructs the transmission source to transmit measurement data from the selected sensor for sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap. The connection form between the sender and the receiver of the measurement data is not particularly limited, but for example, wide area communication (V2N) using LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system) standardized by 3GPP etc. can be used. 3GPP is an abbreviation for 3rd Generation Partnership Project.

[0014] The sensor selecting device 10 configured as described above operates as follows. First, the sensor selecting device 10 collects sensor capability information that can identify the sensing range of each of the sensors C11 to C22 of multiple transmission sources V1 and V2, each equipped with a sensor (step S01 in FIG. 2). This sensor capability information may be, for example, information that identifies the sensing area using coordinates, or in the case of a camera, the position, orientation, angle of view, etc. of the camera.

[0015] Next, the sensor selecting device 10 acquires the traffic volume of the line used for transmission from the sensor of each source (step S02 in FIG. 2). This traffic volume may be, for example, the cumulative amount of data transmitted within a predetermined period managed by each source, or may be acquired from a mobile communications carrier. The traffic volume may be the amount of data (bytes), or may be a value converted into monetary value, number of frames, or the like. In other words, data regarding the usage status of communication services provided by a mobile communications carrier may be acquired.

[0016] Next, the sensor selecting device 10 selects a sensor to be requested to transmit measurement data from among the sensors whose sensing areas indicated by the sensor capability information overlap, based on the traffic volume of the line of each source (step S03 in FIG. 2). For example, the sensor selecting device 10 selects a source with a low traffic volume of the line as the sensor to be requested to transmit measurement data. Note that the processes of steps S02 to S03 above may be repeated until there are no more sensors whose sensing areas overlap.

[0017] Finally, the sensor selecting device 10 instructs the source to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap (step S04).

[0018] In FIG. 3 , symbols A11, A12, A21, and A22 denote the sensing areas of sensors mounted on the front and rear of vehicles V1 and V2. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , assume that the sensing area A11 of vehicle V1 overlaps with the sensing area A22 of vehicle V2. In this case, the sensor selecting device 10 compares the communication volume of each vehicle and selects one of the vehicles as the sensor from which measurement data transmission is requested. For example, if a rule is set to select the vehicle with the lowest communication volume, the sensor selecting device 10 selects the sensor of vehicle V2 with the lowest communication volume as the transmitting sensor. The sensor selecting device 10 then instructs vehicle V1 not to request measurement data for sensing area A11 but to transmit measurement data for sensing area A12. On the other hand, the sensor selecting device 10 instructs vehicle V2, the source of the data transmission, to transmit measurement data for sensing area A21 and sensing area A22. This makes it possible to reduce redundant measurement data that may be transmitted from the source of the data transmission.

[0019] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce redundant measurement data that may be transmitted from a transmission source.

[0020] [First Embodiment] Next, a first embodiment will be described in which the functions of the sensor selection device of the present disclosure are implemented in a cooperative autonomous driving server of a road-vehicle cooperative system that creates driving plans associated with map data for autonomous vehicles, etc. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one configuration of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a cooperative autonomous driving server 100 that receives measurement data from vehicles V1 to V4 via a network in which a base station N1 is located, and a communication traffic management database (communication traffic management DB) 300 that manages the communication traffic of each vehicle V1 to V4. In this disclosure, an attempt is made to reduce the transmission of measurement data measured by each sensor of vehicles V1 to V4.

[0021] 5 is a diagram showing the arrangement of sensors (cameras) mounted on vehicles V1 to V4 (referred to as vehicle Vn) used in the description of this disclosure. In the following description, measurement data obtained by the front camera of vehicle Vn will be referred to as Vna, and measurement data obtained by the rear sensor (camera) will be referred to as Vnb. For example, measurement data obtained by the front camera of vehicle V1 will be referred to as V1a.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the cooperative automatic driving server 100 of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, the cooperative automatic driving server 100 is shown to include a dynamic map management unit 101, a spatiotemporal grid management unit 102, a driving plan creation unit 103, an overlap determination unit 104, a scheduler 105, a sensor selection unit 106, and a communication traffic management unit 107. In the following description, it is assumed that vehicles V1 to V4 receive driving plans from the cooperative automatic driving server 100. As will be understood from the description below, the cooperative automatic driving server 100 can be called a driving assistance server because it provides vehicles with driving plans, which are a type of driving assistance information.

[0023] The vehicles V1 to V4 send a reservation request for a driving plan to the cooperative automatic driving server 100 via the network N. The vehicles V1 to V4 then drive according to the driving plan provided by the cooperative automatic driving server 100. The vehicles V1 to V4 also transmit measurement data measured by their sensors according to the transmission schedule received from the cooperative automatic driving server 100. The vehicles V1 to V4 also transmit vehicle information and sensor capability information to the cooperative automatic driving server 100 via the network N.

[0024] The vehicle information includes information on the position, speed, length, number and arrangement of sensors mounted on each vehicle, traveling direction, inter-vehicle distance, etc. This vehicle information is used to create a dynamic map, and in this embodiment, is provided to the overlap determination unit 104.

[0025] The sensor capability information includes information for identifying the sensing area of ​​each sensor, such as the sensor's recognition accuracy, coverage range performance, or measurement values. The sensor's coverage range may be expressed as coordinates or distance with the host vehicle as the origin, but for example, if the sensor is a camera, it may also be expressed as the camera's orientation and angle of view (lens focal length). The sensor's coverage range may also be expressed in a common coordinate system managed by the cooperative autonomous driving server 100.

[0026] The measurement data is measurement data from sensors mounted on vehicles V1 to V4, and although there is no particular limitation, in the following description the measurement data is described as being large volume data such as video or images from a camera.

[0027] The dynamic map management unit 101 updates the dynamic map using measurement data and the like received from the vehicles V1 to V4. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the dynamic map. In the example of FIG. 7, the dynamic map is composed of several layers. The first layer in FIG. 7 manages nearly permanent static data such as road maps and road signs. The second layer manages quasi-static data such as construction schedules and traffic regulations. The third layer manages quasi-dynamic data such as congestion conditions and accident information. The fourth layer manages dynamic data such as vehicles and pedestrians on the road and traffic signal phases. The measurement data received from the vehicles V1 to V4 is used to update the data in the third and fourth layers. The dynamic map management unit 101 updates the dynamic map using information obtained from the vehicles V1 to V4, as well as from roadside devices installed on the road and servers managing wide-area information. Using such a dynamic map makes it possible to grasp the dynamic traffic environment and create and distribute driving plans for the vehicles V1 to V4 from the cooperative automated driving server 100.

[0028] The spatiotemporal grid management unit 102 manages a spatiotemporal grid in which grids of space and time axes are created based on the dynamic map. Fig. 8 is a diagram in which cells are set in a merging section of a road.

[0029] In response to a reservation request from a vehicle, the driving plan creation unit 103 reserves a cell on the time-space grid and creates a driving plan. For example, as shown in Figure 9, when vehicle V1 enters cell L3-04 and vehicle V2 enters cell L2-04, the driving plan creation unit 103 reserves cells on the time-space grid for each time period for vehicles V1 and V2 and creates a driving plan, as shown in Figure 10. The driving plan creation unit 103 then sends the created driving plan to the scheduler 105.

[0030] The overlap determination unit 104 selects two or more sensors whose sensing areas overlap based on the vehicle information and sensor capability information received from the vehicles, and sends the selected sensors to the sensor selection unit 106. This overlap determination unit 104 corresponds to the collection means 11 described above.

[0031] The overlap determination unit 104 may add the following condition to the condition that the sensing areas overlap. For example, in addition to the condition that the sensing areas overlap, the condition that the traveling direction is the same may be added. Furthermore, when the total number of surrounding vehicles is large or when congestion occurs, the overlap determination unit 104 may select the sensor of a nearby vehicle regardless of the traveling direction.

[0032] The communication traffic management unit 107 receives and manages communication traffic update data from the communication traffic management DB 300 for each vehicle in the network N. FIG. 11 shows an example of data on the data communication traffic of each vehicle over a predetermined period of time in the past, which is managed by the communication traffic management unit 107. Note that instead of receiving communication traffic update data from the network N, the communication traffic management unit 107 can also use a method of managing the communication traffic of each vehicle based on the amount of measurement data received from each vehicle. This communication traffic management unit 107 and the duplication determination unit 104 correspond to the acquisition means 12 described above.

[0033] The sensor selection unit 106 selects a sensor from which measurement data is to be requested to be transmitted from among the sensors selected by the duplication determination unit 104, based on the communication volume of the line of each vehicle managed by the communication volume management unit 107. This sensor selection unit 106 corresponds to the selection means 13 described above.

[0034] The scheduler 105 transmits the driving plan created by the driving plan creation unit 103 to the vehicles V1 to V4. Furthermore, the scheduler 105 creates a measurement data transmission schedule to transmit measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap with those of the sensors selected by the sensor selection unit 106, and transmits the schedule to the vehicles V1 to V4. This transmission schedule includes information about the sensors from which each vehicle will next transmit (or not transmit) measurement data. The transmission schedule may also be applied to the vehicle for a certain period of time. The scheduler 105 corresponds to the instruction means 14 described above. The driving plan and the transmission schedule may be integrated.

[0035] The above-described cooperative autonomous driving server 100 includes the above-described overlap determination unit 104, communication traffic management unit 107, sensor selection unit 106, and scheduler 105, and therefore corresponds to the sensor selection device 10.

[0036] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 12, first, vehicles V1 to V4 send a reservation request including vehicle information and sensor capability information to the cooperative automatic driving server 100 (step S001). Of course, the reservation request, vehicle information, and sensor capability information may each be sent separately.

[0037] Next, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 refers to the dynamic map (step S002) and creates a driving plan on a space-time grid (step S003).

[0038] Next, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 acquires the communication volume of each vehicle from the communication volume management unit 107 (step S004).

[0039] Next, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 thins out overlapping sensors using the procedure illustrated in Figure 2 (step S005). Specifically, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 selects sensors whose sensing areas overlap, and further selects sensors (transmitting sensors) from which it requests the transmission of measurement data based on the communication volume of each vehicle V1 to V4.

[0040] Next, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 creates a transmission schedule that specifies the sensors requested to transmit the selected measurement data and other sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap. Furthermore, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 transmits the driving plan created in step S003 and the transmission schedule to vehicles V1 to V4 (step S006).

[0041] The vehicles V1 to V4 travel according to the travel plan and transmit the measurement data to the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 according to the transmission schedule (step S007).

[0042] The cooperative autonomous driving server 100 that has received the measurement data updates the dynamic map using the measurement data (step S008).

[0043] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. The lower part of FIG. 13 shows the data communication volume of each of vehicles V1 to V4. Here, it is assumed that the sensing area of ​​the rear sensor of vehicle V2 in FIG. 13 overlaps with the sensing area of ​​the front sensor of vehicle V1. On the other hand, the communication volume of vehicle V1 is 100 MB, and the communication volume of vehicle V2 is 500 MB. When selecting the sensor with the lower communication volume, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 selects the front sensor of vehicle V1. Similarly, when the sensing area of ​​the rear sensor of vehicle V3 overlaps with the sensing area of ​​the front sensor of vehicle V2, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 compares the communication volumes of vehicles V2 and V3 and selects the front sensor of vehicle V2 with the lower communication volume. Similarly, when the sensing area of ​​the rear sensor of vehicle V4 overlaps with the sensing area of ​​the front sensor of vehicle V3, the cooperative autonomous driving server 100 compares the communication volumes of vehicles V3 and V4 and selects the rear sensor of vehicle V4 with the lower communication volume. As a result, transmission of the measurement data V2b behind the vehicle V2 and the measurement data V3a and V3b in front and behind the vehicle V3 is suppressed, making it possible to reduce the amount of communication in the uplink direction.

[0044] In addition, there may be cases where the communication volume of vehicles equipped with sensors whose sensing areas overlap is similar or the number of overlapping measurements is two or more. In such cases, the sensor that transmits measurement data may be selected using the following rules in combination.

[0045] Examples of the rules include the following. A combination of these rules may be used. (1) Selection based on the importance of the sensor For example, if the sensors are cameras with different resolutions and angles of view, the sensor selection unit 106 selects a sensor with a higher resolution and a wider angle of view. Furthermore, if it is defined that the sensors located at the front of the vehicles V1 to V4 are more important than the other sensors, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensors located at the front of each of the vehicles V1 to V4.

[0046] (2) Selection based on a preset allowable overlap number of measurement data: The allowable overlap number is the number of sensors whose sensing areas overlap to be selected. For example, if the allowable overlap number is 2, the sensor selection unit 106 selects two sensors from two or more sensors whose sensing areas overlap based on the communication volume.

[0047] (3) Selection Based on Priority of Source Vehicle The sensor selection unit 106 selects a sensor to transmit measurement data based on the location, moving speed, total number of vehicles, and communication volume of each vehicle of the source vehicle. For example, if a rule is established that, among two vehicles each equipped with two or more sensors whose sensing areas overlap, the vehicle closer to the intersection is given priority, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensor equipped on the vehicle closer to the intersection. Also, for example, if a rule is established that, among two vehicles each equipped with two or more sensors whose sensing areas overlap, the vehicle traveling at a slower speed is given priority, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensor equipped on the vehicle traveling at a slower speed. Furthermore, the sensor selection unit 106 can also select sensors based on the total number of vehicles equipped with sensors whose sensing areas overlap. For example, if there are many vehicles equipped with sensors whose sensing areas overlap, blind spots may increase due to the proximity of the vehicles, so a rule can be set to increase the number of sensors to select.

[0048] The above-described sensor selection rules do not need to be fixed, and may be changed based on road conditions, communication conditions, the needs of the autonomous driving manager, or a combination thereof. For example, when road conditions are such that there are many pedestrians or bicycles, the rules may be switched to select more sensors. Also, when communication conditions indicate that the lines for transmitting measurement data are congested, the rules may be switched to select fewer sensors. Furthermore, when a more precise dynamic map is required due to the needs of the autonomous driving manager, weather, time of day, etc., the rules may be switched to select more sensors.

[0049] Furthermore, the sensor selection rules described above may be changed based on one or a combination of the position, travel speed, and length of a vehicle not participating in the cooperative autonomous driving system. For example, if a vehicle not participating in the cooperative autonomous driving system is located between vehicles whose sensing areas overlap, that vehicle may create a blind spot in the sensing area. In this case, the blind spot can be reduced by increasing the number of sensors to be selected (allowable overlap number).

[0050] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce redundant measurement data that may be transmitted from vehicles V1 to V4. The reason for this is that a configuration is adopted in which sensors with overlapping sensing areas are selected based on the vehicle positions, etc., and sensors with measurement data that can be reduced are further selected from those sensors, and the selected sensors are reflected in the transmission schedule.

[0051] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described in which sensors are selected based on the communication volume corresponding to a flat-rate communication plan. This embodiment can be realized with the same configuration as the first embodiment, so the differences in operation will be described below. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the communication volume management unit 107 of the cooperative automatic driving server 100 stores the details of the fee plans to which each of the vehicles V1 to V4 subscribes.

[0052] Figure 14 shows an overview of a flat-rate data plan offered by a mobile communications carrier. This plan allows high-speed data communication for a fixed period of time, for a fixed fee, as long as the data volume does not exceed a maximum of ZZ GB.

[0053] If vehicles V1 to V4 are subscribed to such a pricing plan, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the vehicle with the least amount of communication traffic. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, if the upper limit of data communication traffic for vehicles V1 and V2 is 10 GB each, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensor of vehicle V1 with the least amount of communication traffic.

[0054] On the other hand, the upper limit of data communication volume may differ for each vehicle. For example, as shown in Fig. 16, the upper limit of data communication volume for vehicle V1 may be 10 GB, and the upper limit of data communication volume for vehicle V2 may be 20 GB. In this case, the sensor selection unit 106 may select the sensor for vehicle V2, which has a margin up to the upper limit of data communication volume, rather than the sensor for vehicle V1, which has a small communication volume.

[0055] In either case, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, there is the effect of preventing the occurrence of a situation in which the data communication volume of a particular vehicle exceeds the upper limit, and avoiding communication speed restrictions or increased line costs.

[0056] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described in which sensors are selected based on communication volume corresponding to a communication plan known as a tiered system. This embodiment can also be realized with a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, so differences in operation will be described below. In this embodiment, too, the communication volume management unit 107 of the cooperative automatic driving server 200 is assumed to store the details of the fee plans to which each vehicle V1 to V4 subscribes.

[0057] Figure 17 shows an overview of a mobile communications carrier's tiered data communication plan. In this plan, the communication fee (line fee) increases each time the data communication volume exceeds a threshold, such as Z1 GB or Z2 GB, during a certain period of time. Note that tiered data communication plans typically do not impose any restrictions on communication speed.

[0058] If vehicles V1 to V4 are subscribed to such a rate plan, the sensor selection unit 106 selects a vehicle with a large amount of data communication capacity (remaining capacity before communication charges increase) until the next rate increase. For example, as shown in Figure 18, if vehicles V1 and V2 have 1 GB and 2 GB of remaining capacity before communication charges increase, respectively, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensor of vehicle V2, which has a large remaining capacity (communicable data capacity) before communication charges increase.

[0059] On the other hand, the contents of the tiered data communication fee plan may differ for each vehicle. For example, as shown in Fig. 19, if the remaining capacity before the communication fee increase for vehicles V1 and V2 is 4 GB and 2 GB, respectively, the sensor selection unit 106 selects the sensor for vehicle V1, which has a large cumulative data communication volume but a large remaining capacity before the communication fee increase.

[0060] In either case, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the amount of data communication of a specific vehicle increases.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments can be made without departing from the basic technical concept of the present disclosure. For example, the network configurations, element configurations, and data representation formats shown in the drawings are examples intended to aid in understanding the present disclosure, and are not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings.

[0062] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments described above, the cooperative automatic driving server 100 is described as selecting a sensor (transmitting sensor), but the cooperative automatic driving server 100 may also select a sensor for which transmission is to be suppressed. Furthermore, the transmission schedule may be in a form that specifies sensors that are not to be transmitted, rather than specifying sensors that are to be transmitted.

[0063] (Hardware Configuration) In each embodiment of the present disclosure, each component of each device represents a functional unit block. Some or all of the components of each device are realized by an arbitrary combination of an information processing device 900 and a program, for example, as shown in FIG. 20 . FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 that realizes each component of each device. The information processing device 900 includes, as an example, the following configuration: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901 - ROM (Read Only Memory) 902 - RAM (Random Access Memory) 903 - Program 904 loaded into RAM 903 - Storage device 905 that stores the program 904 - Drive device 907 that reads and writes to a recording medium 906 - Communication interface 908 that connects to a communication network 909 - Input / output interface 910 that inputs and outputs data - Bus 911 that connects each component

[0064] Each component of each device in each embodiment is realized by the CPU 901 acquiring and executing a program 904 that realizes the function. That is, the CPU 901 in FIG. 20 executes a sensor selection program and a transmission schedule creation program, and performs an update process for each calculation parameter stored in the RAM 903, the storage device 905, etc. The program 904 that realizes the function of each component of each device is stored in the storage device 905 or the ROM 902 in advance, for example, and is read by the CPU 901 as needed. The program 904 may be supplied to the CPU 901 via the communication network 909, or may be stored in advance on the recording medium 906, and the drive device 907 may read the program and supply it to the CPU 901.

[0065] There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device may be realized by any combination of a separate information processing device 900 and a program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components provided in each device may be realized by any combination of a single information processing device 900 and a program. In other words, each unit (processing means, function) of the sensor selection device (cooperative autonomous driving server) shown in the first to third embodiments can be realized by a computer program that causes a processor installed in the device to execute each of the above-mentioned processes using its hardware.

[0066] In addition, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by other general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus.

[0067] Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits and programs.

[0068] When some or all of the components of each device are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally or decentralized. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, or the like, in a form in which each device is connected via a communication network.

[0069] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to only the above-described embodiments. In other words, those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the above-described embodiments to construct various modified forms without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0070] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0071] [Supplementary Note 1] A sensor selection device comprising: a collection means for collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmission sources, each equipped with a sensor; an acquisition means for acquiring the communication volume of the line used for transmission by the sensor of each of the transmission sources; a selection means for selecting a sensor whose sensing area overlaps with another sensor, from which measurement data is to be transmitted, based on the communication volume of the line of each of the transmission sources; and an instruction means for instructing the transmission sources to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap. [Supplementary Note 2] The selection means of the sensor selection device can be configured to select sensors that can avoid communication speed limits or increased line costs, based on the communication volume of each line of the transmission sources. [Supplementary Note 3] The selection means of the sensor selection device can be configured to avoid communication speed limits and increased line costs by selecting sensors whose communication volume is lower than that of other transmission sources. [Supplementary Note 4] The selection means of the sensor selection device may be configured to select sensors with large communication capacity, thereby avoiding limiting the communication speed of the line or increasing line costs. [Supplementary Note 5] The instruction means of the sensor selection device may be configured to create a transmission schedule specifying the sensors that should transmit the measurement data, thereby instructing the source of measurement data from which the source of measurement data should be requested. [Supplementary Note 6] The instruction means of the sensor selection device may be configured to instruct the source of measurement data from which the source of measurement data should be suppressed, thereby instructing the source of measurement data to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap. [Supplementary Note 7] The sensor selection device may be configured as a driving assistance server.[Supplementary Note 8] A sensor selection method comprising: collecting, for a plurality of transmitters each equipped with a sensor, sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of the sensor; acquiring communication volume for each line used for transmission by the sensor of each transmitter; selecting a sensor for which measurement data is to be transmitted from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap based on the communication volume of the line for each transmitter; and instructing the transmitter to transmit measurement data from the selected sensor for sensors whose sensing areas overlap in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap. [Supplementary Note 9] A recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: collecting, for a plurality of transmitters each equipped with a sensor, sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of the sensor; acquiring communication volume for each line used for transmission by the sensor of each transmitter; selecting, for sensors whose sensing areas are overlapping, a sensor for which measurement data is to be transmitted from the selected sensor for sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the communication volume of the line for each transmitter. The embodiments described in the above Supplements can be combined with each other after making necessary modifications. For example, a configuration that combines the contents of Supplementary Note 2 and the contents of Supplementary Note 5, selects sensors that can avoid an increase in line costs, and creates a transmission schedule is also included in the scope of disclosure of this specification. The embodiments of Supplements 8 and 9 can be expanded into the embodiments of Supplements 2 to 6, just like Supplementary Note 1.

[0072] The disclosures of the above-cited patent documents are incorporated herein by reference and may be used as the basis or part of this disclosure, as necessary. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of this disclosure (including the claims), and further based on its basic technical concept. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including elements of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of this disclosure. In other words, this disclosure naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical concept. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges described herein, any numerical value or subrange within that range should be construed as specifically described, even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited documents, when used in part or in whole in combination with the disclosures herein as part of this disclosure, in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure, are also deemed to be included in the disclosures of this application.

[0073] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 Collection means 12 Acquisition means 13 Selection means 14 Instruction means 10 Sensor selection device 100 Cooperative automated driving server 101 Dynamic map management unit 102 Spatio-temporal grid management unit 103 Driving plan creation unit 104 Overlap determination unit 105 Scheduler 106 Sensor selection unit 107 Communication volume management unit 300 Communication volume management database (communication volume management DB) 900 Information processing device 901 CPU (Central Processing Unit) 902 ROM (Read Only Memory) 903 RAM (Random Access Memory) 904 Program 905 Storage device 906 Recording medium 907 Drive device 908 Communication interface 909 Communication network 910 Input / output interface 911 Bus A11-A22 Sensing area C3 Camera C11-C22 Sensor I1-I3 Roadside unit Ic1-Ic3 Roadside unit sensor N Network N1 Base station V1-V4 Source (vehicle)

Claims

1. A sensor selection device comprising: a collection means for collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of sensors mounted on a plurality of transmission sources; an acquisition means for acquiring the traffic volume of the lines used for transmission by the sensors of each of the transmission sources; a selection means for selecting a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the lines of each of the transmission sources, from which measurement data is to be requested; and an instruction means for instructing the transmission sources to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

2. The sensor selection device according to claim 1, wherein said selection means selects a sensor that can avoid limiting the communication speed of said line and increasing line costs based on the communication volume of each line of said source.

3. The sensor selection device according to claim 2, wherein the selection means selects a sensor from a source with a smaller amount of communication traffic than other sources, thereby avoiding limiting the communication speed of the line or increasing line costs.

4. The sensor selection device according to claim 2, wherein said selection means selects a sensor with a large margin of communication capacity, thereby avoiding limiting the communication speed of said line or increasing line costs.

5. The sensor selection device according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means creates a transmission schedule specifying the sensors that should transmit said measurement data, thereby instructing said source of transmission from which sensors said measurement data should be requested.

6. A sensor selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the instruction means instructs the source of transmission of the sensor from which the transmission of the measurement data is to be suppressed, thereby instructing the source of transmission to transmit measurement data from the selected sensor for sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do overlap.

7. A driving assistance server that functions as the sensor selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A sensor selection method comprising: collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmitters, each equipped with a sensor; obtaining the traffic volume for each line used for transmission by the sensor of each transmitter; selecting a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the lines of each transmitter; and instructing the transmitter to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

9. A recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: collecting sensor capability information capable of identifying the sensing range of each of a plurality of transmitters, each equipped with a sensor; acquiring the traffic volume of the lines used for transmission by the sensors of each of the transmitters; selecting a sensor from among sensors whose sensing areas overlap, based on the traffic volume of the lines of each of the transmitters; and instructing the transmitters to transmit measurement data from the selected sensors whose sensing areas overlap, in addition to measurement data from sensors whose sensing areas do not overlap.

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