JP4826927B2 - Information relay device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information relay device capable of relaying information transmitted from traffic facilities such as a traffic signal controller and a vehicle detector and transmitting the information to a communication device such as an optical beacon.

  As a relay device in the traffic field, signal information including information such as signal light color and the number of remaining seconds sent from the traffic signal controller installed at the intersection, and vehicle detection such as an image sensor installed on the road An information relay device has been developed that receives sensor information including information such as the presence / absence of sensing of a vehicle, sensing position, and elapsed time after sensing, and transmits it to an optical beacon installed on the road. Yes.

  The information relay device receives signal information sent from the traffic signal controller. Then, the signal information is edited to create a plurality of signal information corresponding to each of the plurality of roads flowing into the intersection, and the information is transmitted to the plurality of optical beacons installed on each of the plurality of roads.

  The information relay apparatus receives sensor information sent from the vehicle sensor. Then, the sensor information is edited to create a plurality of sensor information corresponding to each of the plurality of roads, and the information is transmitted to a plurality of optical beacons installed on the plurality of roads.

  The optical beacon receives signal information and sensor information sent from the information relay device, and transmits these information to the in-vehicle device. The vehicle-mounted device provides the driver with information that the signal lamp color is switched from blue to yellow based on the remaining number of seconds of the signal lamp color included in the signal information. Further, the in-vehicle device is a vehicle presence / absence detected in a sensor information sent from a vehicle sensor installed on a road that intersects with a road on which the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device is mounted travels, Since there is a vehicle approaching the intersection based on the elapsed time after sensing, the driver is provided with information to call attention to driving.

  Also, as a relay device other than the traffic field, it receives a standard radio wave that transmits time information, corrects the time held by itself, transmits the time information to the child device, and corrects the holding time of the child device. A standard radio wave relay device is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-338273 A

  The information relay apparatus performs a process of transmitting signal information and sensor information almost simultaneously to the optical beacons installed on each of the plurality of roads flowing into the intersection. For this reason, when the size of the information is large, the number of destination optical beacons is large, or when the communication load between the information relay device and the optical beacon is high, all optical beacons have a predetermined allowable error. There is a possibility that the signal information and the sensor information cannot be received within a time (for example, 100 msec).

  In this case, if the optical beacon that has not received the signal information and the sensor information within the allowable error time transmits the information as it is to the in-vehicle device, the remaining number of seconds of the signal lamp color included in the signal information and after the detection Therefore, the in-vehicle device may not be able to provide appropriate information to the driver.

  Also in Patent Document 1, since the standard radio wave relay device does not transmit time information in consideration of the communication load with the slave unit, Patent Document 1 also has no means for solving the above problem. Not shown.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the communication load between the information relay device and the optical beacon when the size of the signal information and the sensor information is large, when the number of transmission optical beacons is large, or Even when the signal is high, the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information and the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information can be appropriately transmitted to the in-vehicle device via the optical beacon. An object of the present invention is to provide an information relay device that can be used.

  An information relay device according to a first aspect of the present invention provides a receiving means for receiving traffic information including time-related information from a traffic facility installed on the road, and each of a plurality of communication devices communicable with an in-vehicle device. An information relay device comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the traffic information after transmitting the traffic information to one communication device of the plurality of communication devices; A traffic information updating unit configured to transmit the traffic information to another communication device of the communication devices, and updating the traffic information by updating the information related to the time based on the predetermined time. The updated traffic information is transmitted to the other communication device (claim 1).

The traffic equipment corresponds to, for example, a traffic signal controller installed at an intersection. In this case, the traffic information is signal information including the signal lamp color transmitted from the traffic signal controller and the remaining number of seconds, and the information relating to time is the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds (claim 4).
In addition, the traffic facility corresponds to, for example, a vehicle detector installed on the road. In this case, the traffic information is sensor information including the detection result transmitted from the vehicle sensor and the elapsed time after the detection, and the information related to the time is the elapsed time after the detection.
The communication device is, for example, an optical beacon that can communicate with an in-vehicle device in a spot manner using near infrared light, or an ITS radio that can continuously communicate with the in-vehicle device of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling between intersections. Applicable.
The predetermined time may be a fixed time or a variable time.

  The information relay device according to the first invention transmits traffic information to each of the plurality of communication devices while being delayed (elapsed) by a predetermined time (for example, 100 msec). At that time, the information on the time is updated based on the predetermined time so that the error of the information on the time is kept within the allowable error time. As a result, the load of transmission processing is distributed and the appropriateness of the information related to time is maintained, so that the information relay device transmits the traffic information to the communication device while keeping the error of the information related to time within the allowable error time. Can be sent to the in-vehicle device via

  An information relay device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires a transmission preparation time required from when the traffic information is received until the traffic information is transmitted to the one communication device, and the traffic information update unit includes: Further, the traffic information may be updated by updating the information related to the time using the transmission preparation time (claim 2).

  If the information related to time is updated by further using the transmission preparation time required from when the traffic information is received until the traffic information is transmitted to the one communication device, the appropriateness of the information related to time can be maintained. .

  An information relay device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises second acquisition means for acquiring a required transmission time from when the traffic information is transmitted to the communication device until the communication device receives the traffic information, The traffic information updating means may be further configured to update the traffic information by updating the information related to the time using the required transmission time (Claim 3).

  If the time information is updated by further using the transmission time required for the communication device to receive the traffic information after the traffic information is transmitted to the communication device, the time information is more appropriate. Become.

  According to the present invention, even when the size of traffic information is large, the number of destination communication devices is large, or even when the communication load between the information relay device and the communication device is high, the time information is appropriate. Traffic information can be transmitted to the in-vehicle device via the communication device.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline | summary of the traffic system containing the information relay apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an information relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a traffic information edit / transmission process. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a traffic information edit / transmission process. It is a figure which shows the example of the format of the signal information for one road which flows into an intersection. It is a figure which shows the specific data example of signal information S1 for roads L1. It is a figure which shows the specific example of data of the signal information S1 for the road L1 which updated. It is a figure which shows the example of the format of the sensor information for one road which flows into an intersection. It is a figure which shows the specific data example of the sensor information D1 for roads L1. It is a figure which shows the specific example of data of the sensor information D1 for the updated road L1.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a traffic system including an information relay device according to the present invention. The traffic system includes an information relay device 1, a traffic signal controller 2, a vehicle sensor 3, a road communication device 4, an in-vehicle device 5, a central device 7, and the like. The central device 7 is installed in the traffic control center, and is connected to the traffic signal controller 2 installed in each of the plurality of intersections IS via a communication line such as a telephone line. The central device 7 may be installed on the road instead of being installed in the traffic control center. The traffic signal controller 2 is connected to the information relay apparatus 1 installed at each of a plurality of intersections IS via a communication line such as a telephone line. The vehicle detector 3 is installed on each of a plurality of roads L1, L2, L3, and L4 (collectively referred to as roads L) flowing into the intersection IS. Connected via a communication line. The roadside communication device 4 is installed on each of a plurality of roads L1, L2, L3, and L4 flowing into the intersection IS, and is connected to the information relay device 1 via a communication line such as a telephone line. Yes. In FIG. 1, the vehicle detector 3 and the road communication device 4 are shown only on the road L1 and the road L2, but actually the vehicle detector 3 and the road communication device 4 are also installed on the road L3 and the road L4. Has been.

  The central device 7 transmits a signal control command including information such as a split to the plurality of traffic signal controllers 2 at a predetermined cycle.

  The traffic signal controller 2 controls lighting, extinguishing and blinking of each signal lamp of the signal lamp device 21 based on the signal control command received from the central device 7. In addition, the traffic signal controller 2 creates signal information S including the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds, and transmits the signal information S to the information relay device 1 connected to the traffic signal controller 2.

  The vehicle detector 3 is, for example, an image type vehicle detector, and includes an imaging device 3a that images the sensing area DA on the road L and an imaging control device 3b that controls the imaging device 3a. When the vehicle detector 3 senses a vehicle passing through the sensing area DA at predetermined intervals, calculates the position, speed, etc. of the vehicle, and senses the vehicle (presence / absence of sensing), when sensing the vehicle Creates the sensor information D including the position and speed of the vehicle and the elapsed time after the detection (elapsed time since the detection result was updated), and the information relay device 1 connected to the vehicle sensor 3 Send to. The vehicle sensor 3 may be an ultrasonic vehicle sensor or a far-infrared vehicle sensor.

  When the information relay device 1 receives the signal information S including the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds from the traffic signal controller 2, the information relay device 1 edits this information by traffic information editing / transmission processing to be described later, and road L1, road L2, road A plurality of signal information S1, signal information S2, signal information S3, and signal information S4 (collectively referred to as signal information Sedit) corresponding to each of L3 and road L4 are created and connected to the information relay device 1 Corresponding signal information Sedit is transmitted to the roadside communication device 4 installed on each of the existing road L1, road L2, road L3, and road L4.

  Further, when the information relay device 1 receives the sensor information D including the vehicle detection result, the position and speed of the detected vehicle, and the elapsed time after the detection from the vehicle detector 3, the information relay device 1 performs the traffic information editing / transmission process to be described later. A plurality of sensor information D1, sensor information D2, sensor information D3, sensor information D4 corresponding to each of the road L1, the road L2, the road L3, and the road L4 by editing the information (collectively, the sensor Information Degit), and corresponding sensor information Degit is transmitted to the road communication device 4 installed on each of the road L1, road L2, road L3, and road L4 connected to the information relay device 1 To do.

  The road communication device 4 is, for example, an optical beacon, and includes a communication unit 4a that performs wireless communication of various types of information with the in-vehicle device 5 mounted on the vehicle 6, and a communication control device 4b that controls the communication unit 4a. It is out. The communication control device 4b is provided with a storage unit such as a ROM. From the road communication device 4 to the intersection IS (stop line before the intersection IS) of the road L where the road communication device 4 is installed. Distance information is stored in advance. For example, information on the distance from the road communication device 4 to the stop line P1 before the intersection IS is stored in advance in the storage unit of the road communication device 4 installed on the road L1. In addition, the information of these distances is not limited to the structure memorize | stored previously, The structure acquired and memorize | stored from the central apparatus 7 grade | etc., May be sufficient. When the road communication device 4 receives the signal information Sedit and the sensor information Degit from the information relay device 1, these information and distance information are mounted on the vehicle 6 passing through the communication area TA (shaded portion) of the road communication device 4. Is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 5.

  The in-vehicle device 5 wirelessly communicates various information with the road communication device 4. When the vehicle 6 passes through the communication area TA of the road communication device 4, the in-vehicle device 5 performs wireless communication with the road communication device 4 and acquires signal information Sedit, sensor information Degit, and distance information.

  When the in-vehicle device 5 acquires the signal information Sedit, the vehicle-mounted device 5 notifies the driver of how many seconds the signal light color will change from blue to yellow based on the signal light color included in the signal information Sedit and the remaining number of seconds. Further, the in-vehicle device 5 further acquires distance information, the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information Sedit, the distance to the stop line included in the distance information, the speed of the vehicle 6 acquired from the vehicle 6. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 6 can safely pass the intersection IS in blue. If it is determined that the vehicle 6 can pass, the driver is informed to travel while maintaining the current speed, and cannot pass. If it is determined, the driver is informed to decelerate so that the vehicle can be safely stopped at the stop line before the intersection IS.

  When the in-vehicle device 5 acquires the sensor information Degit and the distance information, the vehicle detection result (presence / absence of detection), the position and speed of the detection vehicle, the detection vehicle position on the intersection side road L2 and the road L4 included in the sensor information Delete Based on the elapsed time later, the number of seconds after the intersecting roads L2 and L4 is calculated, and the distance to the stop line included in the distance information is obtained from the vehicle 6 Based on the speed of the vehicle 6, the number of seconds after which the vehicle 6 reaches the intersection IS is calculated, and when it is determined that another vehicle and the vehicle 6 reach the intersection IS almost simultaneously, Since other vehicles are approaching the intersection IS from the road L2 and the road L4, information that prompts them to drive with caution is notified to prevent encounter accidents.

  In order for the in-vehicle device 5 to properly perform the above-mentioned safe driving support for the driver, the signal light color included in the signal information Sedit and the error in the remaining number of seconds, the after-detection included in the sensor information Degit The error in elapsed time is required to be within a predetermined allowable error time (for example, 100 msec).

  Next, the information relay apparatus 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information relay apparatus. The information relay apparatus 1 includes an application processing unit 11, a protocol conversion unit 12, and the like. The application processing unit 11 includes a calculation unit 1101, a storage unit 1102, an I / F unit 1103, and the like. The protocol conversion unit 12 includes a calculation unit 1201, a storage unit 1202, an I / F unit 1203, and the like.

  The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 includes one or a plurality of microcomputers, and the signal information S from the traffic signal controller 2 and the sensor information from the vehicle sensor 3 via the I / F unit 1103. D is received, traffic information editing / transmission processing described later is performed, and the edited signal information Sedit and sensor information Degit are output to the protocol conversion unit. The storage unit 1102 of the application processing unit 11 includes a storage device such as a memory, and records various types of information.

  The calculation unit 1201 of the protocol conversion unit 12 is composed of one or a plurality of microcomputers, acquires the signal information Sedit and the sensor information Dedit output from the application processing unit 11, and sends them to the destination road communication device 4. Then, the signal information Sedit and the sensor information Degit are transmitted via the I / F unit 1203. The storage unit 1202 of the protocol conversion unit 12 includes a storage device such as a memory, and records various types of information.

  When receiving the signal information S or the sensor information D, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 performs the following traffic information editing / transmission process. 3 and 4 are flowcharts of the traffic information editing / transmission process.

  The calculation unit 1101 determines whether the received information is the signal information S or the sensor information D (step S01). If the received information is the signal information S (YES in step S01), the calculation unit 1101 proceeds to the processing after step S02. Based on the received signal information S, the calculation unit 1101 creates signal information Sedit based on each of the road L1, road L2, road L3, and road L4 for each road L (step S02). That is, the calculation unit 1101 creates signal information S1 for road L1, signal information S2 for road L2, signal information S3 for road L3, and signal information S4 for road L4.

  At that time, the calculation unit 1101 updates the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds information included in the received signal information S. Specifically, from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the received signal information S, the signal information Sedit created by the calculation unit 1101 in step S03 after the calculation unit 1101 receives the signal information S is obtained. The remaining number of seconds is updated by subtracting the time required to be ready for transmission in step S04 (hereinafter referred to as signal information transmission preparation time SPT). Thereby, the error of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information Sedit and the remaining number of seconds is kept within a predetermined allowable error time. When the signal information transmission preparation time SPT is longer than the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the signal lamp color included in the signal information Sedit is also updated (the second signal lamp color is advanced to the current signal lamp color, 3 The first signal lamp color is raised to the second signal lamp color, and similarly, the signal lamp color is sequentially raised). The signal information transmission preparation time SPT is stored in the storage unit 1102 of the application processing unit 11 and may be measured manually in advance, or the information processing apparatus 1 periodically measures itself. good.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the format of signal information for one road flowing into an intersection. In the figure, the data length of each record is 1 byte. “Lamp information (1)” is information of the signal lamp 21 on one road L flowing into the intersection IS in the present embodiment. “Lamp color information (1)” indicates information on the current signal lamp color, and “Lamp color information (2)” indicates information on the second signal lamp color. The “round signal lamp color display” indicates the lamp color of the round lamp in the lamp color information, and “0: unknown” “1: blue” “2: yellow” “3: red” “4: yellow blinking” “5” : Red flashing ”and“ 6: Light extinction ”. The “blue arrow signal display direction” indicates the traffic permission direction indicated by the blue arrow lamp, and the traffic permission direction indicated by the blue arrow lamp is “bit7: diagonally left behind”, “bit6: left”, “bit5: diagonally left front”. There are eight directions: “bit4: straight ahead”, “bit3: diagonally right front”, “bit2: right”, “bit1: diagonally right back”, and “bit0: U-turn”. “Minimum remaining number of seconds” indicates the minimum number of seconds (0.1 second unit: 0.0 to 240.0 seconds) of the scheduled continuation of the lamp color, and when the remaining number of seconds is fixed, the fixed seconds When the number of remaining seconds is variable, the minimum number of remaining seconds is stored. “Maximum remaining number of seconds” indicates the maximum number of seconds (0.1 second unit: 0.0 to 240.0 seconds) of the scheduled continuation of the lamp color, and when the remaining number of seconds is fixed, the determined seconds If the remaining number of seconds is variable, the maximum remaining number of seconds is stored. In the present embodiment, simply “the number of remaining seconds” includes both the “minimum remaining seconds” and the “maximum remaining seconds”. The details of this format are described in a standard document issued by the New Traffic Management System Association (hereinafter referred to as UTMS Association).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific data example of the signal information S1 for the road L1. Since “Route 0” corresponds to the road L1, and “Route 0, 1 lamp number” is “0x12 (hexadecimal number)”, the lamp number of the road L1 is “1”. Since “lamp information (1) lamp color information (1) round signal lamp color display” is “0x01”, the lamp color of the current round lamp on the road L1 is “blue”. "Lamp information (1) Lamp color information (1) Minimum remaining seconds" and "Lamp information (1) Lamp color information (1) Maximum remaining seconds" are both "0x0118 (hexadecimal)" (= 280 ( Therefore, the remaining number of seconds of “blue” is 28.0 seconds. In the signal information S sent from the traffic signal controller 2, the remaining number of “blue” is 28.2 seconds, but the signal information transmission preparation time SPT is 200 msec (= 0.2). Therefore, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 subtracts 0.2 seconds from 28.2 seconds and updates it to 28.0 seconds. Also, since “lamp information (1) lamp color information (2) round signal lamp color display” is “0x02”, the lamp color of the second round lamp on the road L1 is “yellow”. "Lamp information (1) Lamp color information (2) Minimum remaining seconds" and "Lamp information (1) Lamp color information (2) Maximum remaining seconds" are both "0x0064 (hexadecimal number)" (= 40 ( Therefore, the remaining number of seconds of “yellow” is 4.0 seconds.

  First, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the signal information S4 for the road L4 via the protocol conversion unit 12 to the roadside communication device 4 installed on the road L4 (step S03). The time required for the roadside communication device 4 to receive the signal information Sedit after the calculation unit 1101 outputs the signal information Sedit to the protocol conversion unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as signal information transmission required time SNT. For example, 80 msec. ) Is within the above-described allowable error time (100 msec), the error between the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information S4 transmitted from the road communication device 4 to the in-vehicle device 5 is the allowable error time. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the signal information S4 can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  Further, after step S04, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 also sends signal information S3, signal information S2, and signal information for each road to the road L3, the road L2, and the road communication device 4 installed on the road L1. S1 needs to be transmitted, but if these are continuously transmitted to these road communication devices 4, some of the signal light color and the remaining number of seconds included in the received signal information Sedit are included in these road communication devices 4. Some errors exceed the allowable error time. The signal information transmission required time SNT is required until the protocol conversion unit 12 transmits the signal information Sedit to the roadside communication device 4 after the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 outputs the signal information Sedit to the protocol conversion unit 12. And the time required for the road communication device 4 to receive the signal information Sedit after the protocol conversion unit 12 transmits the signal information Sedit. For example, the former value is 20 msec, and the latter Is 60 msec, 20 msec has already passed when the protocol conversion unit 12 transmits the signal information S4 to the on-road communication device 4 installed on the road L4, and is further installed on the road L3. At the time when the signal information S3 is transmitted to the road communication device 4, 40 msec elapses, and the road L2, road Each signal information S2 to the road communication device 4 is located on the first, so that each at the time of transmitting the signal information S1 60 msec, 80 msec has passed. When the road communication device 4 installed on the road L4, road L3, road L2, and road L1 receives the signal information S4, signal information S3, signal information S2, and signal information S1, respectively, 80 msec, 100 msec, and 120 msec, respectively. 140 msec has elapsed. Therefore, the signal information S1 transmitted by the road communication device 4 installed on the road L1, the signal information S2 transmitted by the road communication device 4 installed on the road L2, and the signal transmitted by the road communication device 4 installed on the road L3. The error between the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in each of the information S3 exceeds the allowable error time. If it does so, the vehicle-mounted apparatus 5 which received signal information S1, signal information S2, or signal information S3 from these roadside communication apparatuses 4 cannot perform the above-mentioned safe driving support appropriately.

  Therefore, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 delays (elapses) each predetermined time (for example, 100 msec) with respect to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L3, the road L2, and the road L1. Signal information S3, signal information S2, and signal information S1 are transmitted. At that time, the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information S3, signal information S2, and signal information S1 are updated by subtracting the predetermined time. Thereby, the load of the transmission processing of the protocol conversion unit 12 is distributed, and the error of the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information Sedit at the time when the road communication device 4 transmits to the in-vehicle device 5 is Since it is kept within the allowable error time, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the signal information Sedit can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S04), and subtracts the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S3 for the road L3. The signal information S3 is updated (step S05). If the predetermined time is subtracted from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the signal lamp color included in the signal information S3 is also updated. For example, the predetermined time is 500 msec (= 0.5 seconds), the current signal lamp color is “blue”, the remaining number of seconds is 0.1 second, the second signal lamp color is “yellow”, and the remaining number of seconds is 4. 0.0 second, when the third signal lamp color is “red” and the remaining number of seconds is 3.0 seconds, the above-mentioned predetermined time (0.5 seconds) is calculated from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color (0.1 seconds). ) Is reduced to -0.4 seconds, the second signal lamp color "red" is made the current signal lamp color, and the remaining number of seconds is calculated to be 4.0 seconds, plus -0.4 seconds. Update to 3.6 seconds.

The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the updated signal information S3 to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L3 (step S06).
The calculation unit 1101 further waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S07), and subtracts twice the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S2 for the road L2, thereby obtaining a signal. Information S2 is updated. “Twice the predetermined time” means that the calculation unit 1101 creates the signal information S2 for the road L2 in step S02 and then waits in step S04 and the predetermined time in step S07. This is because it has passed. If the predetermined time is subtracted from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the signal lamp color included in the signal information S2 is also updated.

The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the updated signal information S2 to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L2 (step S09).
The calculation unit 1101 further waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S10), and subtracts three times the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S1 for the road L1, thereby obtaining a signal. Information S1 is updated. The “three times” of the predetermined time is that the calculation unit 1101 generates the signal information S1 for the road L1 in step S02 and then waits in step S04 and the predetermined time in step S07. This is because the predetermined time waiting in step S10 has elapsed. When the predetermined time is subtracted from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the signal lamp color included in the signal information S1 is also updated.

  If the specific data example of the signal information S1 for the road L1 created by the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 in step S02 is as shown in FIG. 6, the specific information of the signal information S1 for the road L1 updated in step S11 is shown. A typical data example is shown in FIG. Both “Lamp Information (1) Lamp Color Information (1) Minimum Remaining Seconds” and “Lamp Information (1) Lamp Color Information (1) Maximum Remaining Seconds” are decreased by 0.3 seconds to “0x115 (16 It can be seen that the decimal number) "(= 27.7 seconds).

  As described above, the information relay apparatus 1 according to the present invention transmits the signal information Sedit to the roadside communication apparatuses 4 installed on a plurality of roads L while being delayed (elapsed) by a predetermined time. To do. At that time, the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information Sedit are updated by subtracting the predetermined time. Thereby, the load of the transmission processing of the information relay device 1 is distributed, and the error of the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information Sedit when the road communication device 4 transmits to the in-vehicle device 5 is Since it is kept within the allowable error time, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the signal information Sedit can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  On the other hand, if the received information is sensor information D (NO in step S02), operation unit 1101 of application processing unit 11 proceeds to the process after step S22. Based on the received sensor information D, the calculation unit 1101 creates sensor information Degit based on each of the road L1, road L2, road L3, and road L4 for each road L (step S22). That is, the calculation unit 1101 creates sensor information D1 for the road L1, sensor information D2 for the road L2, sensor information D3 for the road L3, and sensor information D4 for the road L4.

  At that time, the calculation unit 1101 updates information on the elapsed time after sensing included in the received sensor information D. Specifically, at the elapsed time after sensing included in the received sensor information D, the sensor information Degit created by the calculation unit 1101 in step S23 after the calculation unit 1101 receives the sensor information D is stored. The elapsed time after sensing is updated by adding the time required to be ready for transmission in step S24 (hereinafter referred to as sensor information transmission preparation time DPT). Thereby, the error of the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information Degit is kept within a predetermined allowable error time. The sensor information transmission preparation time DPT is stored in the storage unit 1102 of the application processing unit 11 and may be measured manually in advance, or the information processing apparatus 1 periodically measures itself. Also good.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the format of sensor information for one road flowing into the intersection. In the figure, the data length of each record is 1 byte. In the present embodiment, the “detection area (1)” is a road L that intersects with one road L flowing into the intersection IS at the intersection IS (if one road L flowing into the intersection IS is a road L1, this road The road that intersects the road at the intersection IS is, for example, the sensing area DA in the road L2. “Information acquisition elapsed time” indicates an elapsed time (0.1 second unit: 0.0 to 25.4 seconds) after the detection information is updated. In the present embodiment, after the detection in the detection area DA. Elapsed time (elapsed time since the vehicle sensing result in the sensing area DA was updated). The “presence / absence of four-wheel obstacle” indicates the presence / absence of a four-wheel obstacle in the detection area, and is “0: none” or “1: presence”. In this embodiment, the vehicle detected in the sensing area DA. Applicable to existence. In the present embodiment, “target lane (1)” corresponds to the road L itself because all the roads L are one lane. “Number of four-wheeled obstacles (K)” indicates the number of four-wheeled obstacles (0 to 5) more than the output mini vehicle, and in this embodiment, corresponds to the number of vehicles sensed in the sensing area DA. To do. “Four-wheel obstacle (1)” indicates the first vehicle of the “four-wheel obstacle number (K)”. “Speed” indicates the moving speed of the obstacle (km / h unit: 0 to 254 km / h), and corresponds to the speed of the vehicle sensed in the sensing area DA in this embodiment. The “distance from the base point to the obstacle” is the distance from the base point (intersection center or optical beacon head position) to the specified position type of the obstacle (0.1 m unit: −3276.8 to 3276.6 m) In this embodiment, this corresponds to the distance to the center of the intersection I of the vehicle sensed in the sensing area DA, that is, the position of the vehicle sensed in the sensing area DA. The details of this format are described in a standard document issued by the UTMS Association.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of data of the sensing record information D1 for the road L1. “Detection area (1)” corresponds to road L2, and “detection area number” is “1”. Since the “detection area (1) information acquisition elapsed time” is “0x04”, the elapsed time after detection is 0.4 seconds. In the sensor information D sent from the vehicle sensor 3, the elapsed time after the detection is 0.1 seconds, but the sensor information transmission preparation time DPT is 300 msec (= 0.3 seconds). Therefore, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 updates 0.3 seconds by adding 0.3 seconds to 0.4 seconds. Since “detection area (1) four-wheel obstacle presence / absence, etc.” is “0x01”, the presence / absence of the vehicle detected by the vehicle detector 3 installed on the road L2 in the detection area DA is “present”. “Detection area (1) number of target lanes (J)” is “0x01”, which corresponds to road L2 being one lane. Since “Detection area (1) Target lane (1) Number of four-wheel obstacles (K) etc.” is “0x01”, the number of vehicles detected by the vehicle detector 3 installed on the road L2 in the detection area DA Is “1”. Since “detection area (1) target lane (1) four-wheel obstacle (1) speed” is “0x28 (hexadecimal)” (= 40 (decimal)), vehicle detection on the road L2 is detected. The speed of the vehicle detected by the device 3 in the detection area DA is “40 km / h”. “Detection area (1) Target lane (1) Four-wheel obstacle (1) Distance from base point to obstacle” is “0x05DC (hexadecimal number)” (= 1500 (decimal number)), so road L2 The position of the vehicle sensed in the sensing area DA by the vehicle sensor 3 installed in is “150 m from the intersection IS center”.

  First, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the sensor information D4 for the road L4 to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L4 via the protocol conversion unit (step S23). The time required for the roadside communication device 4 to receive the sensor information Degit after the calculation unit 1101 outputs the sensor information Degit to the protocol conversion unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as sensor information transmission required time DNT) is described above. When the signal information transmission required time SNT is 80 msec and within the above-described allowable error time (100 msec), the post-sensing included in the sensor information D4 transmitted to the in-vehicle device 5 by the road communication device 4 Since the elapsed time error is within the allowable error time, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the sensor information D4 can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  After step S24, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 also includes the road information L3, the road L2, and the roadside communication device 4 installed on the road L1. Although it is necessary to transmit the sensor information D1, on the roads installed on the road L3, the road L2, and the road L1 while being delayed (elapsed) by a predetermined time (for example, 100 msec) as in the signal information Sedit. Sensor information D3, sensor information D2, and sensor information D1 are transmitted to the communication device 4, respectively. At that time, the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information D3, sensor information D2, and sensor information D1 is updated by adding the predetermined time. Thereby, the load of the transmission processing of the protocol conversion unit 12 is distributed, and the error of the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information Dedi when the road communication device 4 transmits to the in-vehicle device 5 is the allowable error time. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the sensor information Degit can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S24), and adds the predetermined time to the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information D3 for the road L3, thereby detecting the sensor. Information D3 is updated (step S25). The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the updated sensor information D3 to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L3 (step S26).

  The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 further waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S27), and adds twice the predetermined time to the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information D2 for the road L2. Thus, the sensor information D2 is updated. “Twice the predetermined time” means that the calculation unit 1101 creates the sensor information D2 for the road L2 in step S22 and then waits for the predetermined time in step S24 and the predetermined time in step S27. This is because time has passed.

The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 transmits the updated sensor information D2 to the road communication device 4 installed on the road L2 (step S29).
The calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 further waits for the predetermined time (100 msec) (step S30), and adds three times the predetermined time to the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information D1 for the road L1. To update the elapsed time after sensing. The “three times” of the predetermined time is that the calculation unit 1101 creates the sensor information D1 for the road L1 in step S02 and then waits for the predetermined time in step S24 and the predetermined time in step S27. This is because the time and the predetermined time waiting in step S30 have elapsed.

  If the specific data example of the sensor information D1 for the road L1 created by the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 in step S22 is as shown in FIG. 9, the sensor information D1 for the road L1 updated in step S31. A specific example of the data is as shown in FIG. It can be seen that “detection area (1) information acquisition elapsed time” has increased by 0.3 seconds to “0x07”.

  As described above, the information relay device 1 according to the present invention transmits the sensor information Degit to the road communication devices 4 installed on the plurality of roads L while being delayed (elapsed) by a predetermined time. Send. At that time, the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information Degit is updated by adding the predetermined time. Thereby, the load of the transmission processing of the information relay device 1 is distributed, and the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information Dedi at the time when the road communication device 4 transmits to the in-vehicle device 5 is within the allowable error time. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the sensor information Degit can appropriately perform the above-mentioned safe driving support.

  In the above-described embodiment, the signal information transmission required time SNT and the sensor information transmission required time DNT are both 80 msec, which are within the allowable error time (100 msec), but the signal information transmission required time SNT, When the sensor information transmission required time DNT exceeds the above-described allowable error time, for example, when it is 200 msec, the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 of the information relay device 1 performs the signal information transmission required time SNT, In consideration of the sensor information transmission required time DNT, the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the signal information Sedit, and the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information Dedit are updated.

  Specifically, when the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 creates the signal information S4 in step S02, the signal information transmission preparation time is calculated from the number of remaining seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the received signal information S. In addition to subtracting SPT, signal information transmission time SNT (200 msec) is further subtracted. When the total of the signal information transmission preparation time SPT and the signal information transmission required time SNT is larger than the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S4, the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S4. Also update.

  In addition, in step S05, the calculation unit 1101 not only subtracts the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S3, but further subtracts the signal information transmission required time SNT (200 msec). In addition, when the time required for the process of step S05 is large (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the signal information transmission required time SNT. When the total of the predetermined time and the signal information transmission time SNT is larger than the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S3 is also updated.

  In addition, the calculation unit 1101 not only subtracts twice the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S2 in step S08, but further subtracts the signal information transmission time SNT (200 msec). . In addition, when the time required for the process of step S08 is long (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the signal information transmission required time SNT. Further, when the total of the predetermined time and the signal information transmission required time SNT is larger than the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S2 is also updated.

  In addition, the calculation unit 1101 not only subtracts three times the predetermined time from the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S1 in step S11, but further subtracts the signal information transmission required time SNT (200 msec). . In addition, when the time required for the process of step S11 is large (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the signal information transmission required time SNT. Further, if the total of the predetermined time 3 times and the signal information transmission required time SNT is larger than the remaining number of seconds of the current signal lamp color, the current signal lamp color included in the signal information S1 is also updated.

  Similarly, when the calculation unit 1101 of the application processing unit 11 creates the sensor information D4 in step S22, the sensor information transmission preparation time DPT is set to the elapsed time after the detection included in the received sensor information D. In addition to the addition, the elapsed time after sensing is updated by adding the sensor information transmission time DNT.

  In addition, the calculation unit 1101 adds not only the predetermined time to the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information D3 in step S25, but also adds the sensor information transmission required time DNT (200 msec). In addition, when the time required for the process of step S25 is long (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the sensor information transmission required time DNT.

  Further, the calculation unit 1101 not only adds twice the predetermined time to the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information D2 in step S28, but further adds a sensor information transmission required time DNT (200 msec). In addition, when the time required for the process of step S28 is long (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the sensor information transmission required time DNT.

  In addition, the calculation unit 1101 adds not only three times the predetermined time to the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information D1 in step S31, but also adds the sensor information transmission required time DNT (200 msec). In addition, when the time required for the process of step S31 is long (for example, 100 msec), this time may be added to the sensor information transmission required time DNT.

  As described above, even when both the signal information transmission required time SNT and the sensor information transmission required time DNT exceed the above-described allowable error time, they are included in the signal information Sedit in consideration of these times in advance. Since the current signal lamp color, the remaining number of seconds, and the elapsed time after sensing included in the sensor information Degit are updated, the signal information Sediit is transmitted when the road transmitting device 4 transmits the information to the in-vehicle device 5. The error of the current signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds included in the error and the error of the elapsed time after detection included in the sensor information Degit are both kept within the allowable error time. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 5 can appropriately perform the above-described safe driving support.

  The signal information transmission required time SNT and the sensor information transmission required time DNT are stored in the storage unit 1102 of the application processing unit 11, respectively, and for each signal information Sedit (that is, for each on-road communication device 4 as a transmission destination), a sensor. A different value may be used for each information Deduty (that is, for each on-road communication device 4 as a transmission destination), or the same value may be used. The signal information transmission required time SNT and the sensor information transmission required time DNT may be manually measured in advance, or the information relay device 1 periodically transmits some information to the road communication device 4 and transmits this information. It is also possible to measure the time required to receive the response information for the information from and to obtain half of the time.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information relay device 1 and the traffic signal controller 2 are configured to be housed in separate housings. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information relay device 1 and the traffic signal are not limited thereto. A configuration in which the controller 2 is housed in one housing may be employed. In this case, the exchange of information between the information relay device 1 and the traffic signal controller 2 may be performed using any of wired, wireless, internal buses and the like.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information relay apparatus 11 Application processing part 1101 Operation part 1102 Storage part 1103 I / F part 12 Protocol conversion part 1201 Operation part 1202 Storage part 1203 I / F part 2 Traffic signal controller 21 Signal lamp 3 Vehicle detector 3a Imaging device 3b Imaging control device 4 Road communication device 4a Communication unit 4b Communication control device 5 In-vehicle device 6 Vehicle 7 Central device DA Sensing area IS Intersections L, L1, L2, L3, L4 Road P1, P2 Stop line TA Communication area

Claims (5)

Receiving means for receiving traffic information including time information from traffic equipment installed on the road;
Each of a plurality of communication devices communicable with an in-vehicle device is an information relay device comprising a transmission means for transmitting the traffic information,
The transmission means transmits the traffic information to another communication device of the plurality of communication devices after elapse of a predetermined time after transmitting the traffic information to one communication device of the plurality of communication devices. Configured to send,
Traffic information updating means for updating the traffic information by updating information on the time based on the predetermined time,
An information relay device configured to transmit the updated traffic information to the other communication device. An acquisition means for acquiring a transmission preparation time required from receiving the traffic information to transmitting the traffic information to the one communication device;
The information according to claim 1, wherein the traffic information updating means is further configured to update the traffic information by updating information related to the time using the transmission preparation time. Relay device. Comprising a second acquisition means for acquiring a required transmission time from when the traffic information is transmitted to the communication device until the communication device receives the traffic information;
The said traffic information update means is further comprised so that the said traffic information may be updated by updating the information regarding the said time using the said transmission required time. Information relay device. The traffic information is signal information including a signal lamp color transmitted from a traffic signal controller installed at an intersection and the remaining number of seconds.
The information relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the time is the signal lamp color and the remaining number of seconds. The traffic information is sensor information including a vehicle detection result transmitted from a vehicle sensor installed on the road and an elapsed time after detection,
The information relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the time is an elapsed time after the sensing.

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