Notification device, notification method, communication terminal, and notification system

Abstract

This notification device comprises: a first acquisition means for acquiring road information that can identify the speeds of a plurality of vehicles traveling on a monitored road, and the presence or absence of a parked vehicle on the shoulder of the monitored road; a second acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information that can identify the speed and position of a monitored vehicle; a first determination means for determining whether or not the difference between the average speed of the plurality of vehicles and the speed of the monitored vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value, on the basis of the road information and the vehicle information; a second determination means for determining whether or not a parked vehicle is present ahead of the monitored vehicle, on the basis of the road information and the vehicle information; and a notification means for executing a process for notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle if it is determined that the speed difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value and that a parked vehicle is present ahead of the monitored vehicle.

Description

Notification device, notification method, communication terminal and notification system

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification device, a notification method, a communication terminal and a notification system.

[0002] Techniques for improving safety by notifying vehicle occupants of the presence of other vehicles have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for notifying an occupant of a preceding vehicle of the presence of a vehicle approaching from behind.

[0003] International Publication No. 2021 / 053763 Pamphlet

[0004] A relatively small vehicle such as a straddle-type vehicle may temporarily travel on the shoulder of a road. Parked vehicles may exist on the shoulder, and there is room for improvement in the notification method for an occupant of a vehicle traveling on the shoulder.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to alert a vehicle occupant to a parked vehicle present on a road shoulder.

[0006] According to the present invention, a first acquisition means (21) that acquires road information (10) capable of specifying the speeds of a plurality of vehicles (200) traveling on a monitored road (100) and the presence or absence of a parked vehicle (201) on the shoulder (101) of the monitored road (100); a second acquisition means (21) that acquires vehicle information (11) capable of specifying the speed and position of a monitored vehicle (5); a first determination means (21) that determines whether a speed difference between an average speed of the plurality of vehicles (200) and the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) is equal to or greater than a threshold value based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); a second determination means (21) that determines whether the parked vehicle (201) exists ahead of the monitored vehicle (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); a notification means (21) that executes processing related to notification to an occupant of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the parked vehicle (201) exists ahead of the monitored vehicle (5); A notification device characterized by the above is provided.

[0007] According to the present invention, warnings regarding parked vehicles on the roadside can be given to the occupants of the vehicles based on the vehicle's speed.

[0008] An overview diagram of the notification system. An explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the notification service. A block diagram of the server, communication terminal and distribution server. A diagram showing an example of information stored in the road database. A flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1. An explanatory diagram showing an example of how to calculate the average speed. A diagram showing a table for deriving the vehicle speed. A flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1. A flowchart showing another example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1. A flowchart showing yet another example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the relationship between the in-vehicle device and the communication terminal. A flowchart showing yet another example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1. A flowchart showing yet another example of processing performed by the notification system in Figure 1.

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features from the multiple features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] <First Embodiment> (System Overview) Figure 1 is an overview diagram of the notification system 1. The notification system 1 is a system in which a server 2 manages driving assistance services for the occupants 4 of a vehicle 5. The server 2 is connected to the occupants' mobile terminals 3 and infrastructure cameras 6 that receive the services via a communication network such as the Internet, operates the driving assistance services, and functions as a notification device in this embodiment.

[0011] In this embodiment, vehicle 5 is a saddle-type vehicle equipped with an on-board terminal 50, and the occupant 4 is the rider of the saddle-type vehicle. The saddle-type vehicle may be a motorcycle powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motorcycle powered by a motor. The mobile terminal 3 is a communication terminal such as a smartphone on which an application for receiving driving assistance services is installed. The driving assistance services of this embodiment can be provided to a large number of riders 4 who have been registered in advance.

[0012] The infrastructure camera 6 comprises a fixed-point camera 6a that photographs the road and a distribution server 6b that distributes the images captured by the fixed-point camera 6a via a communication network. The infrastructure cameras 6 are placed at numerous locations, and the server 2 can monitor roads at numerous locations.

[0013] (Service Overview) Relatively small vehicles, such as saddle-type vehicles, may temporarily travel on the shoulder of the road. Parked vehicles may be present on the shoulder, and there is a need for notification technology to the occupants of vehicles traveling on the shoulder. The driving assistance service of this embodiment is a service that alerts the occupants of vehicles traveling on the shoulder to the presence of parked vehicles. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the driving assistance service of this embodiment.

[0014] Road 100 is a road under surveillance, and infrastructure cameras 6 capture images of predetermined sections of the road under surveillance. Road information 10, which is information from the captured images, is provided from infrastructure cameras 6 to server 2. In addition, vehicle information 11, which is information on the speed and location of vehicle 5, is provided to server 2 from the mobile terminal 3 of the occupant 4 of vehicle 5, which is a vehicle under surveillance. If vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101 of road under surveillance 100, and a parked vehicle 201 is estimated to be on the shoulder 101, server 2 sends a notification 12 to the mobile terminal 3 to alert the occupant 4 of vehicle 5. This allows the occupant 4 of vehicle 5 to be alerted to the parked vehicle 201 on the shoulder 101.

[0015] Whether or not vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101 can also be determined from the location information of vehicle 5, but this is affected by the accuracy of the location information. In this embodiment, the average speed of multiple vehicles 200 traveling on the monitored road 100 is compared with the speed of vehicle 5 to determine whether or not vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101. The reason why the occupant 4 of vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101 is likely because they do not want to match the flow of traffic of the group of monitored vehicles 100.

[0016] For example, if the monitored road 100 is congested, the average speed of the multiple vehicles 200 will be low, and the occupant 4 of vehicle 5 may try to drive on the shoulder 200 in order to get ahead. On the other hand, if the monitored road 100 is clear, the average speed of the multiple vehicles 200 will be high, and the occupant 4 of vehicle 5, who wants to drive slowly, may drive on the shoulder 200. Therefore, in this embodiment, the comparison result between the average speed of the multiple vehicles 200 traveling on the monitored road 100 and the speed of vehicle 5 can serve as an indicator of whether or not vehicle 5 is driving on the shoulder 101.

[0017] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by utilizing the image information from the infrastructure camera 6, the average speed of the group of vehicles on the monitored road 100 can be calculated relatively easily over a relatively wide area. By using the mobile terminal 3 as a communication terminal, warnings can be issued to the occupants of the monitored vehicle 5 without installing any additional communication equipment.

[0018] (Example of system configuration) Figure 3 is a block diagram of server 2, mobile terminal 3, and distribution server 6b. Server 2 includes a processing unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The processing unit 21 is a processor, such as a CPU, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 is a storage device such as RAM, ROM, or hard disk. The communication unit 23 includes a communication device that can communicate with mobile terminal 3 and distribution server 6b via a communication network.

[0019] The storage unit 22 stores the program executed by the processing unit 21. The program may be downloaded from a predetermined server or distributed on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The storage unit 22 also stores various types of data. In the example in Figure 3, databases 221 and 222 are exemplified as data stored in the storage unit 22.

[0020] Database 221 is a membership database that stores information about the crew member 4 receiving the service. This database stores an identifier that identifies the crew member 4, information about the mobile terminal 3 used by the crew member 4 (information necessary for communication, etc.), information about the vehicle 5, and so on.

[0021] Database 222 is a road database that stores information on the monitored road 100. Figure 4 shows an example of the information stored in database 222. Database 222 stores a record for each infrastructure camera 6. "Camera ID" is the identifier of each infrastructure camera 6. "Shooting range" is information that indicates the shooting range of the fixed-point camera 6a, for example, coordinate information that identifies the section of the monitored road 100 that the fixed-point camera 6a photographs. "Speed ​​limit" is the legal upper speed limit for the monitored road 100. "Average speed" is the average speed of multiple vehicles 200 traveling on the monitored road 100. "Parked vehicles" is information that indicates whether or not there are parked vehicles 201 on the shoulder 101, and if there are, their coordinate information is also shown. "Average speed" and "parked vehicles" are updated periodically to maintain the latest information.

[0022] Returning to Figure 3, the mobile terminal 3 includes a processing unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a display unit 34, an input unit 35, and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor 36. The processing unit 31 is a processor, such as a CPU, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 32. The storage unit 32 is a storage device such as RAM or ROM. The programs stored in the storage unit 32 also include application programs for using the driving assistance service of this embodiment. The application programs may be downloaded from a server such as server 2, or distributed on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0023] The communication unit 33 includes a communication device capable of communicating with the server 2 via a communication network. The communication unit 33 also includes a short-range wireless communication device capable of communicating with the in-vehicle terminal 50. The display unit 34 is an electronic image display device. The input unit 35 accepts operations from the occupant 4. The display unit 34 may be a touch panel display configured together with a part of the input unit 35. The GNSS sensor 36 is a sensor that detects the current location of the mobile terminal 3.

[0024] The distribution server 61b includes a processing unit 61, a storage unit 62, a communication unit 63, and a camera control unit 64. The processing unit 61 is a processor, such as a CPU, and executes programs stored in the storage unit 62. The storage unit 62 is a storage device such as RAM or ROM. Images captured by the fixed-point camera 6a are temporarily stored in the storage unit 62.

[0025] The communication unit 43 is a communication device that can communicate with the server 2 via a communication network. The camera control unit 64 controls the camera 6a.

[0026] (Processing Example) An example of processing performed by the notification system 1 will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing between server 2 and distribution server 6b regarding the updating of the road database 222. The processing unit 21 of server 2 periodically executes the processing in steps S1 to S5 for each infrastructure camera 6.

[0027] In step S1, server 2 sends an information request to distribution server 6b. Distribution server 6b receives the information request (step S11) and sends road information 10 (see Figure 2) to server 2 (step S12). The road information 10 includes images of the monitored road 100 taken by the fixed-point camera 6a, and in this embodiment, it includes at least two images taken consecutively at predetermined shooting intervals (for example, several seconds).

[0028] In step S2, server 2 receives road information 10 from distribution server 6b. In step S3, server 2 calculates the average speed of multiple vehicles 200 on the monitored road 100 based on the road information 10. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the calculation method.

[0029] Figure 6 shows image information 10A and 10B included in road information 10. Image information 10A and 10B show the state of the monitored road 100, differing only by the time interval between images. Three vehicles 200 are given as examples of vehicles in motion. Since these vehicles are moving during the time interval between images, their positions change in image information 10A and 10B. The distance D of the position change of the same vehicle 200 between image information 10A and 10B is shown as distances D1 to D3, respectively. Whether or not the vehicle in image information 10A and 10B is the same may be determined by proximity or by the color of the body.

[0030] Since the parked vehicle 201 is parked, its position has not changed in the image information 10A and 10B. Conversely, a vehicle whose position has not changed can be identified as a parked vehicle.

[0031] Since the image information 10A and 10B are images from the fixed-point camera 6a, there is a geometric correlation between the images and the shooting section of the road 100 under monitoring. Therefore, the speed of each vehicle 200 can be derived from the distances D1 to D3 and the shooting interval time. To efficiently derive the speed of each vehicle 200, the table shown in Figure 7 may be used.

[0032] The table in Figure 7 shows the relationship between distance D and vehicle speed (vehicle speed) measured in advance, and the measurement results are presented in a table. In the table in this figure, if distance D is d1 or less, the vehicle speed is considered to be 0. If distance D is greater than d1 and d2 or less, the vehicle speed is considered to be 10 km / h. The same applies to subsequent measurements. The data in this table is stored in, for example, the road database 222, associated with each infrastructure camera 6, and the processing unit 21 reads and uses it during the processing in step S3 of Figure 5.

[0033] In step S3 of Figure 5, the server 2 identifies the speed of each vehicle 200 and then calculates its average speed. The vehicles 200 included in the calculation of the average speed may be limited to the fastest and slowest vehicles.

[0034] In step S4 of Figure 5, the server 2 determines whether or not there is a vehicle parked on the shoulder 101 based on the road information 10. If a vehicle whose speed is considered to be 0 is located at the position corresponding to the shoulder 101, it is determined that a parked vehicle exists, and the coordinates of its estimated position are calculated. In the example of Figure 6, it is determined that a parked vehicle 201 exists.

[0035] In step S5, server 2 updates database 222 according to the results of steps S3 and S4. In the example in Figure 4, "average vehicle speed" is updated according to the result of step S3, and "parked vehicles" is updated according to the result of step S4. This completes one processing cycle.

[0036] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the process between the server 2 and the mobile terminal 3 regarding alerting crew member 4. The process shown in the figure is performed when a pre-installed application program is executed on the mobile terminal 3. The processing unit 31 of the mobile terminal 3 periodically executes the process shown in the figure.

[0037] In step S21, the mobile terminal 3 generates vehicle information. The vehicle information includes the speed and current location of the vehicle 5. The current location of the vehicle 5 is determined by the detection result of the GNSS sensor 36. The speed of the vehicle 5 is also determined by the change in the detection result of the GNSS sensor 36 (change in the position of the vehicle 5). In step S22, the mobile terminal 3 transmits the vehicle information generated in step S21, along with the identifier of the occupant 4, etc., to the server 2.

[0038] In step S31, server 2 receives vehicle information. Based on the member database 221 and the identifier of the occupant 4, the vehicle 5 of the occupant 4 is designated as the vehicle to be monitored 5. In step S32, based on the received vehicle information (location information), server 2 designates the road 100 on which the vehicle to be monitored 5 is traveling as the road to be monitored 100, and refers to the "shooting range" in the road database 222 to identify the "camera ID" that will photograph the road to be monitored 100.

[0039] In step S33, the server 2 calculates the speed difference between the "average speed" of the monitored road 100 stored in the road database 222 and the speed of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (speed information). When vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101, as described above, the speed of vehicle 5 may be faster or slower than the average speed of the multiple vehicles 200. Therefore, in this embodiment, the speed difference is calculated as an absolute value (|average speed - speed|).

[0040] In step S34, server 2 determines whether the speed difference calculated in step S33 is greater than or equal to a threshold. The threshold is, for example, a speed value within the range of 20 to 40 km / h. If the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process proceeds to step S35. If the speed difference is less than the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is not traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process ends.

[0041] In step S35, the server 2 compares the presence and location of "parked vehicles" on the monitored road 100 stored in the road database 222 with the location of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (location information), and in step S36, it determines whether or not there is a parked vehicle in front of the monitored vehicle 5. If a parked vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S37; otherwise, the process ends.

[0042] In step S37, the server 2 processes a notification to the occupant 4 of the vehicle 5. In this embodiment, the server 2 sends a notification to the mobile terminal 3 prompting the occupant 4 to be alerted that a parked vehicle 201 is ahead. In step S23, the mobile terminal 3 receives the notification and in step S24 makes an announcement based on the received notification. The announcement is made by an announcement unit, which may, for example, display an image or message on the display unit 34 of the mobile terminal 3, or emit an alarm sound from a sound-producing unit (not shown) such as a speaker of the mobile terminal 3. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 3 may instruct the in-vehicle terminal 50 to make an announcement via short-range wireless communication, and the announcement may be made from an in-vehicle announcement unit such as an in-vehicle display unit (not shown) such as a meter or an in-vehicle sound-producing unit such as a speaker provided in the vehicle 5.

[0043] Through the above processing, it is possible to alert the occupant 4 of the vehicle 5 to the parked vehicle 201 present on the road shoulder 101, thereby improving the safety of the occupant 4.

[0044] <Second Embodiment> The content of the notification transmitted in step S35 may be varied according to the speed of the monitored vehicle 5. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an alternative processing example to FIG. 8, and is a flowchart showing processing between the server 2 and the mobile terminal 3 related to alerting the occupant 4 in the present embodiment. Differences between the processing example of FIG. 9 and the processing example of FIG. 8 will be described below.

[0045] If it is determined in step S36 that a parked vehicle exists ahead of the monitored vehicle 5, the processing proceeds to step S41. In step S41, the server 2 determines whether or not the speed (vehicle speed) of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (speed information) exceeds the speed limit indicated by the "speed limit" in the road database 222. If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit, the processing proceeds to step S42; if the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the speed limit, the processing proceeds to step S43. As the content of the notification to the occupant 4, level 1 content is selected in step S42, and level 2 content is selected in step S43.

[0046] In step S37, the server 2 performs processing related to notification to the occupant 4 of the vehicle 5. In the case of the present embodiment, the server 2 transmits different notifications to the mobile terminal 3 according to the level selected in step S42 or S43. In step S23, the mobile terminal 3 receives the notification, and performs notification based on the received notification in step S24.

[0047] When the vehicle speed of the monitored vehicle 5 exceeds the speed limit, the difficulty of an evasive maneuver with respect to the parked vehicle 201 increases. The level 1 content has a higher degree of alerting than the level 2 content. For example, in level 1, a display (such as a highlighted display) or a message that is more likely to draw the attention of the occupant 4 than in level 2 is used. Alternatively, notification to the occupant 4 is repeated more frequently in level 1 than in level 2. Or, notification to the occupant 4 is repeated more frequently in level 1 than in level 2.

[0048] As described above, in the present embodiment, changing the notification level in accordance with the vehicle speed of the monitored vehicle 5 enables more effective alerting of the occupant 4 of the vehicle 5 to the parked vehicle 201 present on the road shoulder 101, which improves the safety of the occupant 4.

[0049] <Third Embodiment> The timing of a notification transmitted in step S35 may be varied in accordance with the speed of the monitored vehicle 5. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an alternative processing example to that of Fig. 8, and is a flowchart illustrating processing between a server 2 and a mobile terminal 3 related to alerting the occupant 4 in the present embodiment. Differences of the processing example of Fig. 10 from the processing example of Fig. 8 are described below.

[0050] If it is determined in step S36 that a parked vehicle is present ahead of the monitored vehicle 5, the process proceeds to step S51. In step S51, the server 2 determines whether or not the speed (vehicle speed) of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (speed information) exceeds the speed limit indicated by the "speed limit" stored in a road database 222. If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit, the process proceeds to step S52, and if the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the speed limit, the process proceeds to step S53. As notification timings for the occupant 4, timing A is selected in step S52, and timing B is selected in step S53.

[0051] Timing A is an earlier timing than timing B. When the vehicle speed of the monitored vehicle 5 exceeds the speed limit, the time it takes for the monitored vehicle 5 to reach the parked vehicle 201 may be short, which increases the difficulty of an evacuation maneuver or results in a longer braking distance during evacuation. For example, timing A is a timing when the remaining time until the monitored vehicle 5 reaches the parked vehicle 201 is 2 to 5 minutes, and timing B is a timing when the remaining time is 30 seconds to 1 minute.

[0052] In step S54, server 2 estimates the remaining time until the monitored vehicle 5 reaches the parked vehicle 201. The initial value of the remaining time can be calculated from the speed of the monitored vehicle 5, the position of the parked vehicle 201, and the position of the monitored vehicle 5. This data is obtained from the vehicle information received in step S31 and the "parked vehicles" stored in the road database 222. The remaining time is updated by counting down from this initial value.

[0053] In step S55, the server 2 determines whether the remaining time estimated in step S54 has reached the notification timing selected in step S53 or S54. If it is determined that the remaining time has reached the notification timing, the process proceeds to step S37; otherwise, the process returns to step S54. The processing in steps S37, S23, and S24 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0054] In this embodiment, by changing the timing of notifications according to the vehicle speed of the monitored vehicle 5, the occupants 4 of the vehicle 5 can be more effectively alerted to parked vehicles 201 on the shoulder 101, thereby improving the safety of the occupants 4.

[0055] <Fourth Embodiment> The threshold used in step S34 may be set to a different value depending on the speed limit of the monitored road 100. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an alternative processing example to Figure 8, and in this embodiment, it is a flowchart showing the processing between the server 2 and the mobile terminal 3 regarding alerting the occupant 4. The differences between the processing example in Figure 11 and the processing example in Figure 8 will be explained below.

[0056] When the speed difference is calculated in step S33, in step S61, server 2 sets a threshold to compare with the speed difference. Small vehicles, such as saddle-type vehicles, have relatively low top speeds. Therefore, the higher the speed limit, the smaller the threshold can be. For example, on a regular road with a relatively low speed limit of about 40-60 km / h, the threshold is set to a value in the range of 25-35 km / h. On a highway with a relatively high speed limit of about 80-120 km / h, the threshold is set to a value in the range of 15-25 km / h.

[0057] Once a threshold is set in step S61, the process proceeds to step S34. The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0058] In this embodiment, by changing the threshold according to the speed limit, it is possible to more accurately estimate whether or not the vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101.

[0059] As a modification of this embodiment, even if the speed difference in step S34 is less than a threshold, if the speed limit of the monitored road 100 is 80 km / h or more and the speed of vehicle 5 exceeds the speed limit, the process may proceed to step S35. On roads such as expressways where the speed limit of the monitored road 100 is 80 km / h or more, the average speed of the group of vehicles may be high. On such roads, the accuracy of estimating whether or not vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101 based on the speed difference may decrease. Therefore, by assuming that vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101 and proceeding to step S35 if the speed of vehicle 5 exceeds the speed limit, the occupant 4 of vehicle 5 can be more effectively alerted to parked vehicles 201 on the shoulder 101, thereby improving the safety of the occupant 4.

[0060] <Fifth Embodiment> In each of the above embodiments, the mobile terminal 3 generates vehicle information (step S21) and provides notification based on the server 2 (step S24). However, some of these may be performed using the devices of the vehicle 5.

[0061] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the on-board device 50 mounted on the vehicle 5 and the mobile terminal 3. The on-board device 50 and the mobile terminal 3 can communicate via short-range wireless communication. The vehicle 5 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 51 to detect its speed, a GNSS sensor 52 to detect its current position, and a meter panel 53 to display information to the rider.

[0062] In step S21, when generating vehicle information, the mobile terminal 3 may acquire detection results from the vehicle speed sensor 51 and the GNSS sensor 52 via wireless communication with the in-vehicle device 50, and generate vehicle information based on the acquired detection results.

[0063] Furthermore, in step S24, when the mobile terminal 3 makes a notification based on the notification received in step S23, it may instruct the meter panel 53 to make the notification via wireless communication with the in-vehicle device 50.

[0064] Thus, in this embodiment, by utilizing the vehicle 5's devices, driving assistance services can be provided to the occupant 4 even if the mobile terminal 3 is not equipped with a GNSS sensor 36 or the like.

[0065] <Sixth Embodiment> In the first to fifth embodiments, a mobile terminal 3 was exemplified as a communication terminal that communicates with the server 2, but an in-vehicle device 50 may also be used as a communication terminal. In this case, the in-vehicle terminal 50 only needs to have at least the configurations corresponding to each of the configurations 31 to 36 of the mobile terminal 3 exemplified in Figure 3.

[0066] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an alternative processing example to Figure 8, and in this embodiment, it is a flowchart showing the processing between the server 2 and the in-vehicle device 50 regarding alerting the occupant 4. The processing example in Figure 13 is basically the same as the processing example in Figure 8, except that the in-vehicle device 50 performs the processing for the mobile terminal 3. The processing unit of the in-vehicle device 50 periodically executes the processing shown in the figure.

[0067] In step S71, the in-vehicle device 50 generates vehicle information. The vehicle information includes the vehicle's speed and current position, which can be identified by the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 51 and GNSS sensor 52 as illustrated in Figure 12. In step S72, the in-vehicle device 50 transmits the vehicle information generated in step S71, along with the occupant's identifier, etc., to the server 2.

[0068] In step S81, server 2 receives vehicle information. Based on the member database 221 and the identifier of the occupant 4, the vehicle 5 of the occupant 4 is designated as the vehicle to be monitored 5. In step S32, based on the received vehicle information (location information), server 2 designates the road 100 on which the vehicle to be monitored 5 is traveling as the road to be monitored 100, and refers to the "shooting range" in the road database 222 to identify the "camera ID" that will photograph the road to be monitored 100.

[0069] In step S83, server 2 calculates the speed difference between the "average speed" of the monitored road 100 stored in the road database 222 and the speed of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (speed information). In step S84, server 2 determines whether the speed difference calculated in step S83 is greater than or equal to a threshold. If the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process proceeds to step S85. If the speed difference is less than the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is not traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process ends.

[0070] In step S85, the server 2 compares the presence and location of "parked vehicles" on the monitored road 100 stored in the road database 222 with the location of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (location information), and in step S86, it determines whether or not there is a parked vehicle in front of the monitored vehicle 5. If a parked vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S87; otherwise, the process ends.

[0071] In step S87, the server 2 sends a notification to the in-vehicle device 50 prompting the occupant 4 to be alerted that a parked vehicle 201 is located ahead. In step S73, the in-vehicle device 50 receives the notification and in step S74 makes an announcement based on the received notification. The announcement is made, for example, by displaying an image or message on the meter panel 53 as illustrated in Figure 12. The announcement may also be made by emitting an alarm sound.

[0072] Through the above process, the in-vehicle device 50 can be used as a communication terminal to alert the occupants 4 of the vehicle 5 to parked vehicles 201 located on the shoulder 101, thereby improving the safety of the occupants 4.

[0073] <Seventh Embodiment> Server 2 may only provide the "average vehicle speed" and "parked vehicle" information (referred to as driving environment information) shown in Figure 4, and the mobile terminal 3 may perform the processing related to alerting the occupant 4. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing between Server 2 and the mobile terminal 3 regarding alerting the occupant 4.

[0074] In step S91, the mobile terminal 3 sends a request for information provision of driving environment information to the server 2. The information provision request includes information on the current location of the monitored vehicle 5 based on the detection results of the GNSS sensor 36.

[0075] In step S101, server 2 receives an information request. In step S102, server 2 identifies the road 100 on which the monitored vehicle 5 is traveling as the monitored road 100 based on the received location information, reads the "average speed" and the presence and location of "parked vehicles" for the monitored road 100 stored in the road database 222, and generates driving environment information that identifies these. In step S103, server 2 transmits the driving environment information generated in step S102 to the mobile terminal 3 that requested the information.

[0076] In step S92, the mobile terminal 3 receives and acquires driving environment information from the server 2. In step S93, the mobile terminal 3 acquires vehicle information (information on the speed and current location of the monitored vehicle 5). The current location of vehicle 5 is determined by the detection result of the GNSS sensor 36. The speed of vehicle 5 is also determined by the change in the detection result of the GNSS sensor 36 (change in the position of vehicle 5).

[0077] In step S94, the mobile terminal 3 calculates the speed difference between the "average speed" of the monitored road 100 and the speed of the monitored vehicle 5, as indicated by the vehicle information (speed information). The speed difference is calculated as an absolute value (|average speed - speed|).

[0078] In step S95, the mobile terminal 3 determines whether the speed difference calculated in step S94 is greater than or equal to a threshold. The threshold is, for example, a speed value within the range of 20 to 40 km / h. If the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process proceeds to step S96. If the speed difference is less than the threshold, it is estimated that the monitored vehicle 5 is not traveling on the shoulder 101, and the process ends.

[0079] In step S96, the mobile terminal 3 compares the presence and location of "parked vehicles" on the monitored road 100 included in the driving environment information with the location of the monitored vehicle 5 indicated by the vehicle information (location information), and in step S97, it determines whether or not there is a parked vehicle in front of the monitored vehicle 5. If a parked vehicle exists, the process proceeds to step S98; otherwise, the process ends.

[0080] In step S98, the mobile terminal 3 performs processing related to notifying the occupant 4 of the vehicle 5. In this embodiment, it issues a notification prompting the occupant 4 to be aware that there is a parked vehicle 201 ahead. The process is then completed.

[0081] In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 3 performed the processing in steps S91 to S98, but the in-vehicle terminal 50 may perform these processing.

[0082] Furthermore, steps S41 to S43 disclosed in the second embodiment (Figure 9), steps S51 to S55 disclosed in the third embodiment (Figure 10), and step S61 disclosed in the fourth embodiment may be executed on the mobile terminal 3 in the same execution order as the server 2. The detailed contents are omitted as they overlap with the contents shown in each embodiment.

[0083] <Other Embodiments> In the above embodiments, image information from the infrastructure camera 6 was used as an example of road information 10, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, road information 10 may be information obtained from each vehicle 200 and 201 traveling on the monitored road 100. The information obtained from each vehicle may be the vehicle's location information and speed information, or it may be image information captured by the vehicle's onboard camera. In addition, road information 10 may be traffic information distributed by an organization that manages the road.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, step S87 provided a notification to alert the occupant 4, but in addition to this, a control command to activate the vehicle's braking system and decelerate the vehicle 5 may also be transmitted to the on-board device 50.

[0085] <Summary of Embodiments> The above embodiments disclose at least the inventions of the following items.

[0086] Item 1. A first acquisition means (21) that acquires road information (10) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition means (21) that acquires vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of a vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination means (21) that determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); and a second determination means (21) that determines whether or not the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11). A notification device comprising: notification means (21) that performs processing related to notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and that the parked vehicle (201) is located in front of the monitored vehicle (5). According to this embodiment, the occupants of the vehicle can be alerted to parked vehicles located on the roadside.

[0087] Item 2. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, characterized in that the speed difference is the absolute value of the difference between the average speed and the speed of the monitored vehicle (5). According to this embodiment, it becomes easier to determine that the monitored vehicle is in a state different from the flow of traffic on the monitored road, and the accuracy of estimating shoulder driving can be improved.

[0088] Item 3. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, wherein the notification means (21) performs a first notification process if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) is less than or equal to the speed limit of the monitored road, and performs a second notification process if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) exceeds the speed limit. According to this embodiment, it is possible to more effectively alert the occupants of a vehicle to parked vehicles on the roadside, thereby improving the safety of the occupants.

[0089] Item 4. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, comprising an estimation means (21) for estimating the remaining time until the monitored vehicle (5) reaches the parked vehicle (201), wherein the notification means (21) executes a notification process at the timing when the remaining time is a first time if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) is less than or equal to the speed limit of the monitored road (100), and executes a notification process at the timing when the remaining time is a second time if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) exceeds the speed limit. According to this embodiment, by changing the timing of the notification according to the vehicle speed of the monitored vehicle, it is possible to more effectively alert the occupants of the vehicle to parked vehicles on the roadside, thereby improving the safety of the occupants.

[0090] Item 5. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, wherein the threshold is set according to the speed limit of the monitored road (100). According to this embodiment, by changing the threshold according to the speed limit, it is possible to more accurately estimate whether or not a vehicle is driving on the shoulder of the road.

[0091] Item 6. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, wherein the road information is image information captured by an infrastructure camera (6) that photographs the road to be monitored (100). According to this embodiment, by utilizing the image information from the infrastructure camera, the average speed of the group of vehicles on the road to be monitored can be calculated relatively easily over a relatively wide area.

[0092] Item 7. A notification device (2) as described in Item 1, wherein the processing related to the notification is the process of sending a notification to the mobile terminal of the occupant of the monitored vehicle (5). According to this embodiment, the occupant of the vehicle can be alerted to parked vehicles on the roadside without adding any special communication devices to the monitored vehicle.

[0093] Item 8. A notification device as described in Item 1, wherein the monitored vehicle (5) is a saddle-type vehicle. According to this embodiment, it is possible to alert the rider of a saddle-type vehicle traveling on the shoulder of the road.

[0094] Item 9. The system comprises: a first acquisition step of acquiring road information (10) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of a vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination step of determining whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold, based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); a second determination step of determining whether the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5), based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); and a notification step of executing a process to notify the occupants of the vehicle to be monitored (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5). A notification method characterized by the following. According to this embodiment, a warning can be given to the occupants of a parked vehicle on the roadside.

[0095] Item 10. A first acquisition means (31) that acquires road information (10) from a server (2) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition means (31) that acquires vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of a vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination means (31) that determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); and a second determination means (31) that determines whether or not the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11). A communication terminal (3) is characterized by comprising: a notification means (31) that performs processing related to notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and that the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5).

[0096] Item 11. A notification system (1) comprising a server (2) and a communication terminal (3) capable of communicating with the server (2), wherein the server (2) transmits road information (10) capable of identifying the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100) to the communication terminal; the communication terminal (3) receives the information transmitted from the server (2), acquires vehicle information (11) capable of identifying the speed and location of a vehicle to be monitored (5), and determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); A notification system characterized by determining whether the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the monitored vehicle (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11), and if the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and it is determined that the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the monitored vehicle (5), then executing a process to notify the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5). According to this embodiment, the occupants of the vehicle can be alerted to parked vehicles on the roadside.

[0097] Although embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0098] 2. Notification device, 3. Mobile terminal, 6. Infrastructure camera

Claims

1. A first acquisition means (21) that acquires road information (10) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition means (21) that acquires vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of a vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination means (21) that determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); and a second determination means (21) that determines whether or not the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11). A notification device comprising: a notification means (21) that performs processing related to notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and that the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5).

2. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the speed difference is the absolute value of the difference between the average speed and the speed of the monitored vehicle (5).

3. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the notification means (21) performs a first notification process if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) is less than or equal to the speed limit of the monitored road, and performs a second notification process if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) exceeds the speed limit.

4. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, comprising estimation means (21) for estimating the remaining time until the monitored vehicle (5) reaches the parked vehicle (201), wherein the notification means (21) executes a notification process at the timing when the remaining time is a first time if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) is less than or equal to the speed limit of the monitored road (100), and executes a notification process at the timing when the remaining time is a second time if the speed of the monitored vehicle (5) exceeds the speed limit.

5. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the threshold is set according to the speed limit of the monitored road (100).

6. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the road information is image information captured by an infrastructure camera (6) that photographs the road to be monitored (100).

7. A notification device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the processing relating to the notification is the process of transmitting a notification to a mobile terminal of the occupant of the monitored vehicle (5).

8. A notification device according to claim 1, wherein the monitored vehicle (5) is a saddle-type vehicle.

9. A first acquisition step of acquiring road information (10) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on the road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of the vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination step of determining whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold, based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); a second determination step of determining whether the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5), A notification method characterized by comprising: a notification step of executing a process for notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and that the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5).

10. A first acquisition means (31) that acquires road information (10) from a server (2) that can identify the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100); a second acquisition means (31) that acquires vehicle information (11) that can identify the speed and position of a vehicle to be monitored (5); a first determination means (31) that determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11); and a second determination means (31) that determines whether or not the parked vehicle (201) is present in front of the vehicle to be monitored (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11). A communication terminal (3) is characterized by comprising: a notification means (31) that performs processing related to notifying the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5) when it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and that the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5).

11. A notification system (1) comprising a server (2) and a communication terminal (3) capable of communicating with the server (2), wherein the server (2) transmits road information (10) capable of identifying the speeds of multiple vehicles (200) traveling on a road to be monitored (100) and the presence or absence of parked vehicles (201) on the shoulder (101) of the road to be monitored (100) to the communication terminal, and the communication terminal (3) receives the information transmitted from the server (2), obtains vehicle information (11) capable of identifying the speed and location of a vehicle to be monitored (5), and determines whether the speed difference between the average speed of the multiple vehicles (200) and the speed of the vehicle to be monitored (5) is greater than or equal to a threshold based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11), A notification system characterized by determining whether the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5) based on the road information (10) and the vehicle information (11), and if it is determined that the speed difference is greater than or equal to the threshold and the parked vehicle (201) is in front of the monitored vehicle (5), then executing a process to notify the occupants of the monitored vehicle (5).

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