Vehicle Speed Control Using Probe Data for Merging Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle merging technologies are limited to areas with installed cameras or roadside apparatuses, and cannot perform speed control in advance of merging, leading to potential timing delays in speed adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A recommended traveling speed provision program and traveling support system that acquire probe information from vehicles to calculate a representative traveling speed, allowing for the provision of recommended speeds to target vehicles at arbitrary points on the lane, enabling advanced speed control support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If merging support is provided only at merging points with installed cameras or roadside apparatuses, then merging safety can be ensured at those specific locations, but speed control cannot be performed in advance and merging efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary speed control by calculating recommended traveling speeds based on probe information acquired in advance of the merging point. The ECU provides this recommended speed to the driver before the vehicle reaches the merging location, allowing the driver to adjust speed proactively rather than reactively at the last moment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the merging support function into two parts: (1) probe information acquisition from multiple vehicles in the surrounding area, and (2) recommended speed calculation and provision. This segmentation allows speed control support to be provided at arbitrary points along the lane, not just at the merging point itself.
2Measurement precision
If probe information is acquired from multiple probe vehicles, then the accuracy of representative traveling speed calculation is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs multiple functions using the same probe information acquisition infrastructure: it collects probe information from multiple vehicles, calculates representative traveling speeds for different lanes and time periods, and provides recommended speeds to multiple target vehicles. This multi-functionality improves measurement precision without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A recommended traveling speed provision program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as: an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from probe vehicles, pieces of probe information each including information of a time within a predetermined time period and a position of the corresponding probe vehicle at the time; a representative traveling speed calculation unit configured to calculate a representative traveling speed that is a representative value of traveling speeds of the probe vehicles, based on the pieces of probe information acquired by the acquisition unit; a recommended traveling speed calculation unit configured to calculate a recommended traveling speed, based on the representative traveling speed calculated by the representative traveling speed calculation unit; and a provision unit configured to provide the recommended traveling speed calculated by the recommended traveling speed calculation unit to a target vehicle.