JP7545282B2 - Mobility information providing system, server device, and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobility information providing system, a server device, and a vehicle.

For vehicles such as automobiles, the development of automatic driving technology for driving to a destination is progressing (Patent Document 1).
A vehicle travels along a route to a destination, for example. During this travel, the vehicle is required to capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle using sensors such as cameras installed in the vehicle and to travel safely while avoiding moving objects such as other vehicles.

JP 2019-212095 A

It is expected that the realization of autonomous driving of vehicles and other moving bodies will enable moving bodies to move to their destinations without the user's will, and will also enable them to assist the user in driving operations, thereby increasing the safety of travel.
However, in a situation where moving bodies such as vehicles each perform detection and control independently, it is not always possible to accurately grasp the movements of other moving bodies.
For example, unexpected movement of other moving objects, other moving objects stopped in a blind spot, or other moving objects emerging from a blind spot may require a moving object such as a vehicle to perform sudden driving control to avoid these other moving objects.

It is also possible to realize a mobile information providing system that provides information on other moving bodies to a vehicle, for example, in order to determine or control the running of the vehicle, such as an automobile. For example, it is possible to collect moving information on a plurality of moving bodies in a server device of the mobile information providing system, and instruct each moving body to move safely without colliding with other moving bodies based on the collected information.
However, even if movement information of a moving object is collected in this manner, a moving object such as a vehicle cannot always be guaranteed to move safely.
For example, a mobile information providing system may be unable to obtain new information about a certain mobile object due to, for example, a communication outage.
In this case, it is considered that the mobile information providing system may not be able to instruct the moving body for which new information cannot be acquired and other moving bodies in the vicinity thereof to move in a manner that suppresses interference between them, and may not be able to maintain the safety of the moving body for which new information cannot be acquired and other moving bodies in the vicinity thereof.

As such, it is necessary to make the movement of a moving object such as a vehicle less susceptible to the influence of the movement of other moving objects.

A mobility information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, the mobility information providing system including: a collection unit that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies, or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information ; a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a driving chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit; and a route that each of the plurality of moving bodies can travel, using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit. The present invention has a generating unit that generates information on a course or movable range that does not interfere with other moving bodies , and a control unit that controls the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body obtained based on the generated course or movable range information, wherein the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies onto a navigation chart and records them in a moving body list, estimates the current position and future predicted positions of moving bodies in the moving body list for those moving bodies for which new information has not been acquired , and maps them onto the navigation chart , and the generating unit generates information on a course or movable range that can be moved by each of the multiple moving bodies based on the navigation chart, without interfering with other moving bodies.
A mobility information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, the mobility information providing system including: a collection unit that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies, or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information; a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a driving chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit; and a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit, and transmits information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies. The apparatus has a generation unit that generates information on a course or range of movement that the moving body can move in, which does not interfere with other moving bodies, and a control unit that controls the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body, which is obtained based on the generated course or range of movement information or the course or range of movement information, and the mapping unit maps an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the occupied area increasing from a basic size depending on the elapsed time since the acquisition time of the last acquired information about the moving body, and the generation unit generates an interference judgment result when the occupied areas of multiple moving bodies overlap on the traffic chart, and upon acquiring the interference judgment result, the control unit executes movement control to suppress interference by decelerating or ensuring a safe distance between vehicles.
Preferably, the mapping unit sets a flag to forcibly generate an interference judgment result when the size of the occupied area to be mapped is a predetermined multiple of the basic size or more, and the generation unit generates the interference judgment result when the flag is set.
Preferably, the mapping unit expands the mapping size of the occupied area based on at least one of information on the size of the moving body, a position error depending on the elapsed time or travel distance from the time the information used for mapping was acquired, the movement state of the moving body, the control state of the moving body, and the state of the occupants of the vehicle as the moving body.
A mobility information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movements of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control for each of the plurality of moving bodies, the mobility information providing system including: a collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving bodies, or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information; a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a navigation chart of driving conditions with a horizontal axis representing positions along a lane and a vertical axis representing time, based on the information collected by the collection unit; and a generation unit that uses the navigation chart on which the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies to generate information on a course or range of movement that each of the plurality of moving bodies can move on, without interfering with other moving bodies. and a control unit for controlling the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information on a route or a movable range that is generated or information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body that is obtained based on the information on the route or the movable range, wherein the mapping unit determines the possibility of a lane change for a moving body that cannot acquire new information and is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions, and if it determines the possibility of a lane change, maps a lane change section for the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed on the operation map, and the generation unit generates information on a route or a movable range that suppresses the movement of the moving body moving on the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed by suppressing the speed or maintaining a distance between vehicles, and when the control unit acquires the information that suppresses the movement, it executes movement control that suppresses deceleration or interference to ensure a distance between vehicles.
Preferably, the mapping unit cancels mapping of the lane change section when another following moving body moving behind a moving body for which no new information has been acquired enters the lane change section.
Preferably, the control unit switches from movement control using information from the generation unit to movement control based on information about the vehicle when it is unable to receive information generated by the generation unit, when the current position of the latest information received from the generation unit does not match the position detected by the vehicle, or when the route from the current position of the latest information received from the generation unit is not clear and drivable.

Preferably, the mobile information providing system has a plurality of terminal devices that can be used by each of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the plurality of communication devices provided for the predetermined area or the predetermined section in which the plurality of mobile bodies move communicate with the terminal devices used by the mobile bodies moving in the predetermined area or the predetermined section that they are responsible for.

Preferably, the control unit is provided in a vehicle as the moving body.

A server device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a server device for a mobility information provision system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, and includes a collection unit in the mobility information provision system that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a driving chart of a driving situation with a position along a lane as the horizontal axis and time as the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, and a mapping unit that calculates a course or a possible movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit. The present invention has at least the collection unit, the mapping unit, and the generation unit among which are a generation unit that generates information on a range of movement that does not interfere with other moving bodies , and a control unit that controls the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using the generated course or movable range information or information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body obtained based on the course or movable range information, and among which the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies onto a navigation chart and records them in a moving body list, estimates the current position and future predicted positions of moving bodies in the moving body list for which new information has not been acquired and maps them onto the navigation chart, and the generation unit generates information on a course or movable range that each of the multiple moving bodies can move without interfering with other moving bodies, based on the navigation chart.
A server device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a server device for a mobility information provision system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, and includes a collection unit in the mobility information provision system that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a traffic chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, and a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies onto a traffic chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit, and transmits information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies. The method has at least the collection unit, the mapping unit, and the generation unit among which are a generation unit that generates information on a course or range of movement that each moving body can move in, which does not interfere with other moving bodies, and a control unit that controls the movement of each moving body using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body, which is obtained for each of the multiple moving bodies based on the generated course or range of movement information or the course or range of movement information, and the mapping unit maps an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the occupied area increasing from a basic size depending on the elapsed time since the acquisition time of the last acquired information about the moving body, and the generation unit generates an interference judgment result when the occupied areas of multiple moving bodies overlap on the traffic chart, and causes the control unit to execute movement control that suppresses interference by decelerating or ensuring a safe distance between vehicles.
A server device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a server device for a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided for a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control for each of the plurality of moving bodies, and includes a collection unit that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies in the mobility information providing system, or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a driving chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, and a generation unit that generates information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move without interfering with other moving bodies, using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit. and a control unit for controlling the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information on a generated course or movable range or information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body obtained based on the information on the course or movable range, wherein the mapping unit determines the possibility of a lane change for a moving body for which new information cannot be acquired and which is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions, and if the mapping unit determines the possibility of a lane change, maps a lane change section for the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed on the operation map, and the generation unit generates information on a course or movable range that suppresses the movement of the moving body by suppressing the speed or maintaining a distance between vehicles, for the moving body moving on the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed, and causes the control unit to execute movement control that suppresses deceleration or interference to ensure a distance between vehicles.

A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle of a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, and the vehicle includes a collection unit in the mobility information providing system that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a driving chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, and a route or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit. the present invention has at least the mapping unit, the generation unit, and the control unit, among which are a generation unit that generates information on a course or movable range that does not interfere with other moving bodies , and a control unit that controls the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information that can be used to determine or control the movement of each moving body, which information is obtained based on the generated course or movable range information, and which can be used to determine or control the movement of each moving body, the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies onto a navigation chart and records them in a moving body list, estimates the current position and future predicted positions of moving bodies in the moving body list for which new information has not been acquired, and maps them onto the navigation chart, and the generation unit generates information on a course or movable range that each of the multiple moving bodies can move in, without interfering with other moving bodies, based on the navigation chart.
A vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle of a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, and the vehicle includes a collection unit in the mobility information providing system that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a driving chart of a driving situation with a position along a lane as the horizontal axis and time as the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, and a route that each of the plurality of moving bodies can travel, using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit. the information on the route or movable range that does not interfere with other moving bodies; and a control unit that controls the movement of each of the multiple moving bodies using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body obtained based on the generated route or movable range information, or the route or movable range information, and wherein the mapping unit maps an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the occupied area increasing from a basic size depending on the elapsed time since the acquisition time of the last acquired information about the moving body, and the generation unit generates an interference judgment result when the occupied areas of multiple moving bodies overlap on the traffic chart, and upon acquiring the interference judgment result, the control unit executes movement control to suppress interference by decelerating or ensuring a safe distance between vehicles.
A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle of a mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving bodies using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, and the vehicle includes a collection unit in the mobility information providing system that collects field information including information about the movement of the plurality of moving bodies or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information, a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a driving chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit, a generation unit that generates information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move that does not interfere with other moving bodies, using the driving chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit, and a generation unit that generates information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move that does not interfere with other moving bodies ... and a control unit that controls the movement of each moving body using information on the generated course or movable range or information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each moving body obtained based on the information on the course or movable range, and among these, at least the mapping unit, the generation unit, and the control unit, wherein the mapping unit determines the possibility of a lane change for a moving body that cannot acquire new information and is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions, and when the mapping unit determines the possibility of a lane change, maps a lane change section for the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed in the operation map, and the generation unit generates information on the course or movable range that restricts the movement of the moving body moving on the lane or road to which the lane is to be changed by suppressing the speed or maintaining a distance between vehicles, and when the control unit obtains the information that restricts the movement, it executes movement control that suppresses deceleration or interference to ensure a distance between vehicles.

The present invention makes it possible to make the movement of a moving body such as a vehicle less susceptible to the influence of the movement of other moving bodies.

In addition, the present invention also maps moving bodies for which new information has not been acquired by the collection unit. As a result, the present invention can generate information on possible routes or possible ranges for each of a plurality of moving bodies, including moving bodies for which new information has not been acquired by the collection unit. It is expected that the present invention can maintain the safety of movement for moving bodies for which new information has not been acquired, as well as the safety of movement for moving bodies around the moving bodies, even when new information has not been acquired.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system for providing travel information to a moving object according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control system that controls automatic driving of the automobile shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a process of transmitting vehicle information by the external communication ECU of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of collecting field information related to the movement of a plurality of automobiles by the server CPU of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for generating information on the route or driving range of a small section in which each vehicle can travel, as primary processed information by the server CPU of FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server CPU in FIG. 2 to transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of an automobile and that is generated in the generation process in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for receiving information that can be used to determine or control the movement of the vehicle by the terminal device of the vehicle control system of FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of the automobile by the driving control ECU of the automobile control system of FIG. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of a series of processes in the mobility information providing system of the first embodiment, from obtaining routes for multiple automobiles from field information regarding the travel of multiple automobiles in a first specific example, to controlling the movement of the multiple automobiles. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a process of generating information on the routes or driving ranges of a plurality of automobiles for each lane by the automobile movement information providing system. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a region algorithm at the time of merging in the second specific example. FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the overall processing of the server device 6 in the third specific example. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for mapping a vehicle and a process for generating information on a course or a movable range, taking into consideration a case in which the server device cannot receive information on the vehicle. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an example of mapping data based on FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process for mapping the occupied area of the automobile 100 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for generating an interference determination result based on the mapping data shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of the automobile 100 in response to the result of the interference determination. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a process for forcibly generating an interference determination result based on the size of the occupied area 303 of the automobile 100 itself in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an exception mapping and generation process in the sixth embodiment when an uncontrolled vehicle changes lanes. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the movement control of a plurality of automobiles by the process of FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of a vehicle in the seventh specific example, taking into consideration cases in which the vehicle may not be able to receive information. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing detailed processing of step ST67 in FIG. 9 in the second embodiment. FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a process of collecting field information related to the movement of a plurality of automobiles by the server device of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a process of transmitting collected field information by the server device according to the sixth embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system 1 for providing travel information to a moving object according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The mobile information provision system 1 in Figure 1 has a plurality of terminal devices 2 that can be used by each of a plurality of automobiles 100 as a plurality of moving bodies traveling on a road, and a plurality of wireless base stations 4 provided along the road on which the multiple automobiles 100 travel.

Also shown in FIG. 1 is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite 110. The GNSS satellites 110 emit radio waves toward the Earth's surface that are superimposed with latitude and longitude information indicating the position of each satellite and absolute time information that is synchronized between multiple satellites. By receiving radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110, latitude and longitude information indicating the position of the received point can be generated. In addition, the time it takes for the radio waves to reach the receiving point can be calculated based on the distance that can be determined from the generated latitude and longitude and the satellite's latitude and longitude. This makes it possible to obtain the exact time for the receiving point based on the time of the GNSS satellite 110.

Note that in addition to the automobile 100, other moving objects include, for example, pedestrians, bicycles, motor cycles, and carts. The terminal device 2 may be provided for these moving objects. The terminal device 2 may be provided either fixedly to the automobile 100 or detachably.

On a road on which multiple wireless base stations 4 are installed, other automobiles 100 for which information is not provided by the mobile information providing system 1 in FIG. 1, and other automobiles 100 for which separate information is provided by other mobile information providing systems may travel. The automobiles 100 and other moving bodies do not travel on a fixed track like trains, for example. The automobiles 100 and other moving bodies can each freely and independently change their direction and speed of travel. The mobile information providing system 1 may provide mobile information to a limited number of these moving bodies rather than to all of them.

The multiple wireless base stations 4 are connected to a dedicated network 5 provided for the mobile information providing system 1. A server device 6 is further connected to the dedicated network 5.

The server device 6 is connected to a plurality of terminal devices 2 through a dedicated network 5. The plurality of wireless base stations 4, the dedicated network 5, and the server device 6 constitute a base station side system 3 that provides mobility information to mobile objects. The plurality of wireless base stations 4 may be arranged in a line for each section along a single road, and each may provide information to a terminal device 2 used by a mobile object moving in the section that each is responsible for. Alternatively, the plurality of wireless base stations 4 may be arranged for each area larger than a single road, and each may provide information to a terminal device 2 used by a mobile object moving in the area that each is responsible for.
In this specification, the term "area" refers to a place that is divided into a planar area, and is a zone.
Moreover, the term "interval" means from one point to the next point, and includes the concept of time.

The dedicated network 5 is installed for the mobile information providing system 1, and may be a private closed network. It may also be provided exclusively for a section of a road or an area of a region, but it is sufficient that the use is limited by specific conditions such as a specific system or section. In contrast, the Internet is a public open wide-area communication network. Other wide-area communication networks include, for example, a dedicated communication network used in an advanced transportation system such as ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance systems), and an ATM switching network used exclusively for telephone switching. The mobile information providing system 1 may use these wide-area communication networks instead of or together with the dedicated network 5. Open networks tend to have larger transmission delays than closed networks, but a certain degree of confidentiality can be maintained by encoding data, such as by encrypting it. However, by using the dedicated network 5, data communication between multiple wireless base stations 4 and server device 6 can be performed stably with low latency and large capacity at high speeds, compared to when the Internet is used. The dedicated network 5 transmits and receives information using asynchronous frames based on the TCP/IP protocol, etc., and even if frames are retransmitted due to collision detection, etc., the transmission delay caused by these is unlikely to become excessive. The dedicated network 5 can keep transmission delays small compared to the Internet, where large amounts of data can be transmitted and received asynchronously.

Note that multiple server devices 6 may be provided for a communication network consisting of a dedicated network 5 or the Internet. The multiple server devices 6 may be provided in a distributed manner for each assigned region such as a road or area, or may be provided in a lower level and a higher level that directly communicate with multiple wireless base stations 4. The multiple server devices 6 may be provided in a distributed manner for each group that divides multiple terminal devices 2 into multiple groups. In any case, the processing load of each server device 6 can be reduced by having multiple server devices 6 work together. Also, by appropriately distributing and arranging multiple server devices 6 for the transmission network, it is possible to reduce the amount of information transmitted in each part of the transmission network and in the entire network.

In such a mobile information providing system 1, the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 and the server device 6 transmit and receive data to and from each other by routing control of data packets in a communication network made up of a dedicated network 5 and multiple wireless base stations 4. When the terminal device 2 moves together with the automobile 100 and the wireless base station 4 accommodating the terminal device 2 changes, the multiple wireless base stations 4 and the server device 6 switch routing and communicate with the terminal device 2 from the wireless base station 4 that newly accommodates the moving automobile 100. The multiple wireless base stations 4 before and after the switch may transmit and receive information about the moving automobile 100 and the terminal device 2 between them.
The server device 6 collects field information related to the running of the multiple automobiles 100 through such communication. The field information may include information collected about moving bodies other than the automobiles 100. Based on the collected field information, the server device 6 generates information on the course or movable range of a small section for each automobile 100, in which the multiple automobiles 100 can run safely without colliding with each other. The server device 6 transmits the generated information as primary processed information to the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 repeatedly at predetermined intervals. The server device 6 may also organize the collected field information itself, for example, for each automobile 100, and transmit it repeatedly to the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 at predetermined intervals.
In addition, if there is only one automobile 100 that corresponds to the designated area and/or section, only one automobile 100 needs to be handled, and in that case, the primary processed information can be generated using a map collected in advance and field information for that one automobile. Also, communication may be performed only once during the time when the automobile 100 passes through the designated area and/or section. The minute section referred to here is a section in the traveling direction (front, back, left, right) of the automobile 100 that is controlled or assisted, and may be defined as, for example, the distance traveled in 200 milliseconds at a speed of 60 km per hour.
In addition, being in charge means that the wireless base station 4 is capable of communication.
Through such communication, the terminal device 2 installed in the automobile 100 repeatedly receives the primary processing information and field information transmitted by the server device 6 from the wireless base station 4 that accommodates it at predetermined intervals. The automobile 100 executes control of the movement of the automobile 100 based on the information received by the terminal device 2. In the case of autonomous driving, the automobile 100 determines a course for autonomous driving and drives the automobile according to the course. In the case of manual driving assistance, the automobile 100 adjusts the driving operation of the user riding in the automobile 100 so as not to deviate significantly from the determined course, and drives the automobile 100. The automobile 100 can drive along the determined course. The automobile 100 may notify the user riding in the automobile 100 of the information received by the terminal device 2 and information based thereon by display, voice, or the like.

Here, the field information collected by the base station such as the server device 6 may be information related to the movement of multiple mobile objects such as automobiles 100, and may include, for example, information collected from each automobile 100, road monitoring information, and local traffic information based thereon. Information collected from each automobile 100 may include, for example, driving information for each automobile 100, passenger information related to the user, information surrounding each automobile 100, and local traffic information. Driving information for automobiles 100 may include, for example, not only the direction of travel and speed of travel, but also the current location, destination, and vehicle attitude and movement. Vehicle attitude may include, for example, yaw rate.

The primary processed information transmitted by the base station such as the server device 6 to the terminal device 2 of each automobile 100 may be information that each automobile 100 can use to control or judge the running of each automobile 100, such as the direction of travel and speed of travel of the automobile 100 in the small section. The information transmitted by the server device 6 to the terminal device 2 of each automobile 100 may include, for example, information on the estimated current location of the automobile 100, the estimated maximum possible travel distance or maximum possible travel range from the current location of the automobile 100, and the estimated current time. The automobile 100 can continue to run with safety ensured by the information by the terminal device 2 repeatedly receiving this information at short predetermined intervals. The automobile 100 can safely run to, for example, a desired destination by repeatedly obtaining information for each small section at predetermined intervals and running according to the information.

Incidentally, conventional automobiles 100 can travel safely to a destination by, for example, setting a route to the destination in a navigation device and driving the vehicle while ensuring safety by following the route guidance. In this case, automobiles 100 having a driving assistance function can assist driving by capturing images of the inside and outside of the vehicle using sensors such as cameras installed in the automobile 100 and adjusting the course to avoid moving objects such as other automobiles 100.
However, such autonomous automatic driving or driving assistance does not necessarily make it possible to accurately predict and understand the movement of other automobiles 100 and the like.
For example, the other automobile 100 operated by the user may suddenly change course and move unexpectedly. In addition, other moving objects may jump out onto the course, or other automobiles 100 may be parked at the end of a corner that cannot be seen. For example, the weather may worsen due to a snowstorm, etc., and visibility may decrease. In weather such as a snowstorm, it may be difficult to see oncoming vehicles. At a junction at an intersection or interchange, other automobiles 100 may approach from the side or diagonally behind. In these cases, the self-driving vehicle must suddenly perform driving control to avoid the other automobile 100, for example, so as not to hit the other automobile 100 whose driving direction changes suddenly or to obstruct its path. It is desirable to avoid such a situation in order to prevent accidents from occurring. When controlling the movement of a moving object such as the automobile 100, it is desirable to make it as difficult as possible to cause the influence of the unexpected movement of other moving objects.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server device 6 of FIG.
The server apparatus 6 in FIG. 2 includes a server communication device 11, a server GNSS receiver 12, a server memory 13, a server CPU 14, and a server bus 15 to which these are connected.

The server communication device 11 is connected to a communication network using a dedicated network 5. The server communication device 11 transmits and receives data to and from other devices connected to the communication network, such as a plurality of wireless base stations 4 and a terminal device 2 of an automobile 100.
The server GNSS receiver 12 obtains the current time by receiving radio waves from the GNSS satellites 110. The server device 6 may include a server timer (not shown) that is calibrated by the current time of the server GNSS receiver 12.
The server memory 13 records the programs and data executed by the server CPU 14 .
The server CPU 14 reads and executes the program from the server memory 13. In this way, a server control unit is realized in the server device 6.
The server CPU 14 serving as a server control unit manages the overall operation of the server device 6. The server CPU 14 acquires information collected in the mobility information providing system 1, and generates and transmits information to be provided to a plurality of communication devices.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control system 20 that controls the automatic driving of the automobile 100 in FIG.
In the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in Fig. 3, a plurality of control devices are represented by a control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) into which each control device is built. In addition to the control ECU, the control device may have, like the server device 6 in Fig. 2, a memory for recording control programs and data, an input/output port connected to a controlled object or a device for detecting the state of the controlled object, a timer for measuring time and clock time, and an internal bus to which these are connected.
3 specifically includes, for example, a drive ECU 21, a steering ECU 22, a braking ECU 23, a cruise control ECU 24, a driving operation ECU 25, a detection ECU 26, an external communication ECU 27, and a UI operation ECU 28. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 may include other control ECUs (not shown).
These control ECUs constitute a control unit of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 .

The multiple control ECUs are connected to a vehicle network 30, such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) used in the automobile 100. The vehicle network 30 may be composed of multiple bus cables 31 to which the multiple control ECUs can be connected, and a central gateway (CGW) 32 as a relay device to which the multiple bus cables 31 are connected. The multiple control ECUs are assigned IDs as identification information that differ from each other. Basically, the control ECUs periodically output data to other control ECUs. The ID of the control ECU that is the output source and the ID of the control ECU that is the output destination are added to the data. The other control ECUs monitor the bus cable 31, and if the ID of the output destination is, for example, their own, they acquire the data and perform processing based on the data. The central gateway 32 monitors each of the multiple connected bus cables 31, and when it detects a control ECU that is connected to a bus cable 31 different from the control ECU that is the output source, it outputs data to that bus cable 31. This relay process by the central gateway 32 allows the multiple control ECUs to input and output data between other control ECUs that are connected to a bus cable 31 different from the bus cable 31 to which they are connected.

The UI operation ECU 28 is connected to a display device 41 and an operation device 42 as user interface devices for a user who is in the vehicle. The display device 41 may be, for example, a liquid crystal device or a video projection device. The operation device 42 may be, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, or a non-contact operation detection device. The display device 41 and the operation device 42 may be installed on the inner surface of the vehicle interior in which the user is riding. The UI operation ECU 28 acquires data from the vehicle network 30 and displays it on the display device 41. The UI operation ECU 28 outputs operation input to the operation device 42 to the vehicle network 30. The UI operation ECU 28 may also execute processing based on the operation input and include the processing results in the data. The UI operation ECU 28 may, for example, display a navigation screen for setting a destination, etc. on the display device 41, search for a route to the destination selected by the operation input, and include the route data in the data. The route data may include attribute information, such as the lanes, of the roads used to travel from the current location to the destination.

The driving operation ECU 25 is connected to operation members such as a steering wheel 51, a brake pedal 52, an accelerator pedal 53, and a shift lever 54, which allow the user to control the driving of the automobile 100. When an operation member is operated, the driving operation ECU 25 outputs data including the presence or absence of the operation and the amount of operation to the vehicle network 30. The driving operation ECU 25 may also execute processing regarding the operation of the operation member and include the processing results in the data. For example, when the accelerator pedal 53 is operated in a situation where there is another moving object or fixed object in the direction of travel of the automobile 100, the driving operation ECU 25 may determine that the operation is abnormal and include the determination results in the data.

The detection ECU 26 is connected to a detection member for detecting the running state of the automobile 100, such as a speed sensor 61 for detecting the speed of the automobile 100, an acceleration sensor 62 for detecting the acceleration of the automobile 100, a stereo camera 63 for capturing images of the surroundings outside the automobile 100, an in-car camera 64 for capturing images of the user in the vehicle cabin, a microphone 65 for converting sounds inside and outside the vehicle into data, and a GNSS receiver 66 for detecting the position of the automobile 100. The GNSS receiver 66 receives radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110 similar to the server GNSS receiver 12, and obtains the latitude, longitude, and current time, which are the current position of the vehicle. As a result, it is expected that the current time of the automobile 100 will match the current time by the server GNSS receiver 12 of the server device 6 with high accuracy. The detection ECU 26 acquires detection information from the detection member and outputs data including the detection information to the vehicle network 30. The detection ECU 26 may also execute processing based on the detection information and include the processing results in the data. For example, when the acceleration sensor 62 detects an acceleration exceeding a collision detection threshold, the detection ECU 26 may determine that a collision has been detected and include the collision detection result in the data. The detection ECU 26 may extract moving objects such as pedestrians and other automobiles 100 present around the vehicle based on the images from the stereo camera 63, determine the type and attributes of the moving objects, estimate the relative direction, relative distance, and moving direction of the moving objects according to the position, size, and changes of the moving objects in the images, and include information about the moving objects including these estimation results in the data and output the data to the vehicle network 30.

A communication device 71 and a communication memory 72 are connected to the external communication ECU 27. The terminal device 2 has the external communication ECU 27, the communication device 71, and the communication memory 72. The communication device 71 transmits and receives data transmitted and received by the external communication ECU 27 to and from, for example, a wireless base station 4 outside the vehicle, and the communication device 71 of another vehicle 100. The communication device 71 communicates with a plurality of communication devices provided for each area or section. The communication memory 72 is a computer-readable recording medium, and records the program executed by the external communication ECU 27, the setting values, and the data transmitted and received by the external communication ECU 27. The external communication ECU 27 transmits and receives data to and from, for example, a server device 6 using the communication device 71. The external communication ECU 27 collects vehicle information, for example, through the vehicle network 30, and transmits it to the server device 6. The external communication ECU 27, for example, obtains primary processing information sent by the server device 6 to the vehicle from the communication device 71 and records it in the communication memory 72.

The vehicle information collected by the external communication ECU 27 includes, for example, vehicle interior information such as the state of the user riding in the vehicle, information on the vehicle's running state, surrounding information such as the running environment of the vehicle, and area information in which the vehicle is running. The surrounding information may include information on other moving objects in the vicinity. The information on the running state of the vehicle includes, for example, the above-mentioned autonomous sensors (vehicle-mounted sensors: acceleration, GPS, gyro, electronic compass, air pressure, camera, radar, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, etc.) provided in the vehicle. The autonomous sensors may detect information on the movement of the vehicle, vehicle information such as information on the user of the vehicle and the vehicle number, and surrounding information or area information of the vehicle. The information on the running state of the vehicle may include information on the running state that can be calculated based on the detection of these sensors, such as information such as yaw rate. The vehicle information transmitted by the external communication ECU 27 may be the vehicle information collected by the external communication ECU 27 as is, or may be information that has been processed, filtered, encoded, or quantized on the collected information. The external communication ECU 27 serves as the terminal device 2 and repeatedly transmits the vehicle information to the communication device.
The information that the external communication ECU 27 acquires from the server device 6 may include not only the primary processed information for the vehicle itself, but also the primary processed information for other mobile objects in the vicinity. It may also include interpolated information that cannot be acquired by an autonomous sensor. The external communication ECU 27, as the terminal device 2, repeatedly receives information from the communication device that can be used for at least determining or controlling movement of the vehicle itself.

A control memory 81 is connected to the driving control ECU 24. The control memory 81 is a computer-readable recording medium, and stores programs executed by the driving control ECU 24, setting values, and the like. Information on the content of control performed by the driving control ECU 24 may be stored in the control memory 81. The driving control ECU 24 reads and executes the programs from the control memory 81. In this way, the driving control ECU 24 can function as a control unit for controlling the driving of the automobile 100.
The driving control ECU 24 acquires data from, for example, the external communication ECU 27, the detection ECU 26, the driving operation ECU 25, etc. via the vehicle network 30, and executes control of automatic driving or manual driving assistance for the driving of the automobile 100. The driving control ECU 24 generates driving control data for controlling the driving of the automobile 100 based on the acquired data, and outputs the data to the drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23. The drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 control the driving of the automobile 100 based on the input driving control data. The driving control ECU 24, as a movement control device, controls the movement of the vehicle using information received by the terminal device 2.

Next, we will explain how the mobility information providing system 1 having the above-mentioned configuration controls the routes of multiple automobiles 100.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process of transmitting the vehicle information by the external communication ECU 27 of FIG.
The external communication ECU 27 of the communication device provided in the automobile 100 repeatedly executes the process of transmitting the vehicle information shown in Fig. 4 when it is in a state in which it can communicate with the wireless base station 4. The period during which the external communication ECU 27 transmits the vehicle information may be in the range of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds, for example.

In step ST1, the external communication ECU 27 collects and acquires vehicle information from inside the vehicle. The external communication ECU 27 acquires data from the cruise control ECU 24, the detection ECU 26, the driving operation ECU 25, etc., for example, via the vehicle network 30. In this way, the external communication ECU 27 collects the vehicle's driving status, such as the vehicle's current position, traveling direction, and traveling speed, the status of the user riding in the vehicle, information about the vehicle's surroundings, and information about the area in which the vehicle is traveling. In addition, the external communication ECU 27 may calculate information, such as yaw rate, that cannot be obtained as a detection value of an autonomous sensor, based on the acquired information. The external communication ECU 27 may record the collected data in the communication memory 72. The data collected by the external communication ECU 27 may include the respective detection times.

In step ST2, the external communication ECU 27 determines whether it is time to transmit vehicle information. The external communication ECU 27 may determine whether the time elapsed since the previous transmission timing has passed a predetermined transmission period, for example, based on the current time of the GNSS receiver 66. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 may also have a vehicle timer that is connected to, for example, the vehicle network 30, the central gateway 32, the external communication ECU 27, or the driving control ECU 24 and is calibrated based on the current time of the GNSS receiver 66, and the time of this vehicle timer may be used. If the transmission period has not passed, the external communication ECU 27 returns the process to step ST1. If it is determined that the transmission timing is past the transmission period, the external communication ECU 27 proceeds to step ST3.

In step ST3, the external communication ECU 27 transmits the information collected in step ST2 from the communication device 71 to the server device 6. The communication device 71 transmits the information collected in step ST2 to the wireless base station 4 with which the communication device 71 can communicate in the current communication environment. The wireless base station 4 transmits the information received from the communication device 71 of the automobile 100 to the server device 6 via the dedicated network 5. Here, the information transmitted from the communication device 71 of the automobile 100 to the wireless base station 4 includes, for example, vehicle information such as values detected in the automobile 100 and the detection time, the latest current location of the automobile 100, the latest time of the automobile 100, etc.

In this way, the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 repeatedly transmit current or past detection information by the autonomous sensors of each vehicle to the communication device responsible for the area or section that houses each vehicle. The multiple communication devices repeatedly receive current or past information of each automobile 100 from the terminal devices 2 of the automobiles 100 moving in the area or section that each is responsible for. The multiple communication devices transmit the information received from the terminal devices 2 of the automobiles 100 to the server device 6.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of collecting field information related to the movement of a plurality of automobiles 100 by the server CPU 14 of FIG.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the collection process of FIG. 5 every time the server communication device 11 of the server device 6 receives new field information.

In step ST11, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not field information has been received. Field information includes, for example, vehicle information transmitted by each of the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100, and detection information from detection devices such as cameras installed on roads. A server device 6 (not shown) of the intelligent transportation system may transmit traffic information for the area it manages to the server device 6. The server communication device 11 receives this information. If the server communication device 11 has not received field information, the server CPU 14 repeats the process of step ST11. If the server communication device 11 receives field information, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST12.

In step ST12, the server CPU 14 judges whether or not the time, etc., of the received field information needs to be corrected. The time, etc. of the automobile 100 and the time, etc. of the server device 6 are basically based on radio waves from a common group of GNSS satellites 110, and therefore are considered to be essentially the same. However, the automobile 100 may be traveling in a situation where it cannot receive radio waves from the GNSS satellites 110, for example, in a tunnel. In this case, the time of the automobile 100 is updated by its timer, and may include an error with respect to the common time. For example, the time of the field information transmitted by such an automobile 100 may differ from the time of the server device 6.
The server CPU 14 determines whether or not such an error exists, for example, by comparing the received field information with information from the server device 6, or by comparing the position of the received field information with map data. If it is determined that there is an error equal to or greater than a set threshold, the server CPU 14 determines that correction is necessary and proceeds to step ST13. If the error is less than the threshold, the server CPU 14 determines that correction is not necessary and proceeds to step ST14.

In step ST13, the server CPU 14 corrects the received field information. There are various possible methods for correcting the field information, but for example, a value such as the time included in the field information itself may be corrected, or information on an error range may be added to the time. For example, for the time of the automobile 100 traveling through a tunnel, the server CPU 14 adds information on an error range of the time according to the elapsed time since entering the tunnel.
Additionally, the CPU 14 may also correct other information that needs to be corrected in conjunction with correcting the time, such as the position and speed of the automobile 100.
Such information for correcting the field information may be included when the automobile 100 transmits the field information, or may be added by the base station 4 that relays the field information. The correction process for the field information may be performed on the information collected by the automobile 100, or on the field information relayed by the base station 4.

In step ST14, the server CPU 14 classifies the received or modified field information by its information source and stores it in the server memory 13. As a result, the server memory 13 of the server device 6 accumulates and records information about the automobiles 100 and the user or surrounding information received from each of the multiple automobiles 100, or traffic information for the area in which each automobile 100 is moving, as field information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100. The server CPU 14 may record the time at which each piece of field information was received in association with the received field information.

In FIG. 5, the server CPU 14 directly corrects the time, etc. of the received field information when necessary.
Alternatively, for example, the server CPU 14 may execute the process of FIG. 5 without correcting the time of day or the like in the received field information.
In this case, the server CPU 14 may further generate additional field information for expanding the error range for the time, etc., of the received field information. With such additional information on the error range, the server CPU 14 can obtain information on the possible range for the position, speed, etc., of the automobile 100 in later processing. As a result, for example, it is possible to increase the possibility that the automobile 100 is actually present within the range of the position of the automobile 100 processed by the server CPU 14.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for generating information on the route or driving range of a small section in which each automobile 100 can travel, as primary processed information by the server CPU 14 of FIG.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the route generation process of Fig. 6. The cycle in which the server CPU 14 executes the route generation process may be shorter than the time it takes for the automobile 100 to finish traveling the route of the primary processing information, for example, and may be about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds.

In step ST21, the server CPU 14 determines whether it is time to generate new routes for the multiple automobiles 100. The server CPU 14 may determine whether the time elapsed since the previous generation timing has passed a predetermined generation period based on the current time of the server GNSS receiver 12. If the generation period has not passed, the server CPU 14 repeats the determination process of step ST21. If it is determined that the generation timing has passed the generation period, the server CPU 14 proceeds to step ST22.

In step ST22, the server CPU 14 obtains from the server memory 13 the latest field information received by the server communication device 11. The server CPU 14 obtains, for example, field information relating to the movements of each of the multiple automobiles 100 collected from the multiple automobiles 100. The server CPU 14 may obtain pre-processed information in which the field information has been processed, for example, in a wireless base station 4. The server CPU 14 may obtain, from each of the multiple automobiles 100, information relating to each of the movements, information about each of the users, and information about each of the surrounding areas or area information as field information relating to the movements of the multiple automobiles 100.

In step ST23, the server CPU 14 maps the driving environment onto the current map and the forecast map. The driving environment may be, for example, information on traffic congestion or road closures that indicates the state of each road. By mapping the driving environment, information indicating the driving environment is assigned to the current map and the forecast map for each position or range of each driving environment.
Here, the current map and the forecast map may be a road map of the area for which information is provided by the mobility information providing system 1. The current map and the forecast map are world maps. The current map and the forecast map may be recorded in the server memory 13.
The current time map may be a road map that maps in real time the current positions of the multiple automobiles 100 at the current time of the server GNSS receiver 12. The current time map may be a road map that maps in real time the current positions at a time that is a predetermined time later than the current time of the server GNSS receiver 12.
The forecast map may be a road map that maps the predicted positions of the multiple vehicles 100 estimated for a predetermined period of time after the road map time. The forecast map may be a road map for a time period of a few seconds after the road map time.

In step ST24, the server CPU 14 generates a moving object list for multiple automobiles 100 that the server device 6 currently needs to notify from the latest field information. The moving object list may include other moving objects, such as other automobiles 100, that the server device 6 does not need to notify.

From step ST25, the server CPU 14 starts a process for mapping the current positions of the target automobiles 100 onto the current map. By mapping the automobiles 100, information on the automobiles 100 is assigned to each of the current positions of the automobiles 100 on the current map.
The server CPU 14 acquires or estimates the current position of the unprocessed automobile 100 included in the moving object list from the latest field information. Here, the current time does not need to be the time of the server GNSS receiver 12 itself, but may be a time several hundred milliseconds later. If the time difference between the time corresponding to the latest current location of the automobile 100 and the current time is equal to or less than a threshold of about several hundred milliseconds, the server CPU 14 may set the acquired current location as the current location of the automobile 100. If the time difference is greater than the threshold, the server CPU 14 may use the host vehicle information such as the moving direction, moving speed, and attitude of the automobile 100 to calculate the direction of movement and the amount of movement already made from the latest current location acquired, and set the position of the calculation result as the current location of the automobile 100.

In step ST26, the server CPU 14 maps the current position of the moving object estimated based on the latest field information onto the current map. This allows the current positions of the multiple automobiles 100 based on the latest information to be mapped onto the current map with high accuracy.

In step ST27, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not processing has been completed for the multiple automobiles 100 in the moving object list. If processing has not been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST25. The server CPU 14 selects the next unprocessed automobile 100 and repeats the processes from step ST25 to step ST27. When processing has been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 ends the mapping process to the current map and proceeds to step ST28. As a result, the current positions of the multiple target automobiles 100 are mapped onto the current map so as to show their relative positional relationships.

From step ST28, the server CPU 14 starts processing to map the predicted positions of the target multiple automobiles 100 a predetermined period of time into the future, in this case the predicted positions a few seconds from the time of the current map, onto the predicted map.
The server CPU 14 estimates the predicted position of an unprocessed automobile 100 included in the moving object list by calculation from the latest field information. The server CPU 14 calculates the predicted position at a predicted time a small period after the current time using information of the automobile 100 being calculated. The predicted time may be a time from several hundred milliseconds to several seconds after the current time. The server CPU 14 may use host vehicle information such as the moving direction, moving speed, and attitude of the automobile 100 to calculate the moving direction and amount of movement from the current position taking into account the behavior of the automobile 100, and the position resulting from this calculation may be the predicted position of the automobile 100.

In step ST29, the server CPU 14 maps the predicted position of the moving object, estimated based on the latest field information, onto the predicted map. As a result, the predicted positions based on the latest information for the multiple automobiles 100 are mapped onto the predicted map.

In step ST30, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not processing has been completed for the multiple automobiles 100 in the moving object list. If processing has not been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST28. The server CPU 14 selects the next unprocessed automobile 100 and repeats the processes from step ST28 to step ST30. When processing has been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 ends the mapping process to the predicted map and proceeds to step ST31. As a result, the predicted positions of the multiple target automobiles 100 are mapped onto the predicted map so as to show their relative positional relationships.

In step ST31, the server CPU 14 generates a route or range in which the target automobiles 100 can travel safely. For example, the server CPU 14 generates a safe route for each of the target automobiles 100 from the current position of the current view to the predicted position of the predicted view, without interfering with or coming close to other moving bodies. For example, when the automobile 100 moves from the current position to the predicted position and does not intersect with the other automobiles 100, or intersects with the other automobiles 100 at a different time, the server CPU 14 may generate a route from the current position to the predicted position. On the other hand, when the automobile 100 moves from the current position to the predicted position and intersects with the other automobiles 100 at approximately the same time, the server CPU 14 may generate a route from the current position to the position immediately before the intersection as the route to travel. In this case, the server CPU 14 may generate a route that decelerates so as to stop at the position immediately before the intersection. Through these processes, the server CPU 14 can generate routes of small sections in which each of the multiple automobiles 100 can proceed safely, based on the virtual routes of the multiple automobiles 100 from the position of the current map to the position of the predicted map, so that the routes do not cross each other. The server CPU 14 may also generate a safe driving range in which each of the multiple automobiles 100 can proceed safely, rather than such specific routes. The safe driving range may be generated so that it does not overlap with the safe driving range of other automobiles 100, for example. The server CPU 14 records the routes or ranges generated for each automobile 100 in the server memory 13 as primary processed information obtained from the field information. The server CPU 14 generates primary processed information that can be used to determine or control the movement of the automobiles 100 in the multiple automobiles 100 or the multiple terminal devices 2 based on the acquired information.

In step ST32, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not processing has been completed for the multiple automobiles 100 in the moving object list. If processing has not been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST31. The server CPU 14 selects the next unprocessed automobile 100 and repeats the processes from step ST31 to step ST32. When processing has been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 ends the route generation process of FIG. 6.

In this way, the server CPU 14 maps the current positions of the multiple moving bodies, estimated based on the collected field information, onto the current map. The server CPU 14 also estimates future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies based on the direction of travel, speed of travel, or state of travel of each of the multiple moving bodies, estimated based on the collected field information, and the current map, and maps them onto the predicted map. The server CPU 14 then assumes the movement of the multiple moving bodies from the position on the current map to the position on the predicted map, and generates the course or driving range of the small section in which each of the multiple moving bodies can travel as primary processed information obtained based on the field information.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server CPU 14 in FIG. 2 to transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of the automobile 100 and that is generated in the generation process in FIG.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the information transmission process of Fig. 7. The cycle in which the server device 6 transmits information may be in the range of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds, which is the same as the cycle in which the automobile 100 in Fig. 4 transmits information.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6, upon collecting field information from a plurality of automobiles 100 by, for example, the process of Fig. 5, generates, as primary processed information, the routes or travelable ranges of the small sections in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can travel, as shown in Fig. 6. In addition to this, the server CPU 14 may repeatedly execute the transmission process of Fig. 7, for example, every time it executes the route generation process of Fig. 6.

In step ST41, the server CPU 14 obtains the primary processing information on the latest route or movable range of the automobile 100 recorded in the server memory 13.

In step ST42, the server CPU 14 transmits the acquired primary processing information from the server communication device 11 to the communication device 71 of the corresponding automobile 100. The primary processing information is transmitted from the server device 6 to the wireless base station 4 via the dedicated network 5, and then transmitted from the wireless base station 4 to the terminal device 2 of the automobile 100. The multiple communication devices transmit the generated primary processing information to multiple terminal devices 2 provided in the multiple automobiles 100.

In step ST43, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not processing has been completed for the multiple automobiles 100 in the moving object list. If processing has not been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST41. The server CPU 14 selects the next unprocessed automobile 100 and repeats the processes from step ST41 to step ST43. When processing has been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 ends the route generation process of FIG. 7.

As a result, the server device 6 transmits, to the multiple automobiles 100, primary processed information used for control or judgment of each of them. The server device 6 may transmit, for example, primary processed information indicating the traveling direction and traveling speed of each of the multiple automobiles 100. The primary processed information may further include the current position, the current time, the predicted time, and the like, as information for verification and confirmation. Moreover, by repeating the process of FIG. 7, the server device 6 continues to repeatedly transmit the primary processed information regarding the route of the small section to each of the multiple automobiles 100.
In addition, the server device 6 may transmit field information collected from multiple automobiles 100 to multiple automobiles 100 together with or instead of the primary processed information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for receiving information that can be used to determine or control the movement of the automobile 100 by the terminal device 2 of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in FIG.
The terminal device 2 of the automobile 100 receives the primary processing information from the wireless base station 4. The terminal device 2 may receive field information from the wireless base station 4.
The external communication ECU 27 of the terminal device 2 repeatedly executes the reception process of the primary processed information in Fig. 8. The external communication ECU 27 may repeatedly execute the reception process of Fig. 8 every time it receives the primary processed information.

In step ST51, the external communication ECU 27 determines whether or not new information addressed to the vehicle has been received. The communication device 71 receives primary processing information addressed to the vehicle and field information addressed to the vehicle from the server device 6. In this case, the external communication ECU 27 determines that new information addressed to the vehicle has been received, and proceeds to step ST52. If the communication device 71 has not received new information addressed to the vehicle from the server device 6, the external communication ECU 27 repeats the process of step ST51.

In step ST52, the external communication ECU 27 acquires information addressed to the vehicle from the communication device 71. Information addressed to the vehicle refers to information that can be used to control the vehicle. Information addressed to the vehicle may include, for example, information related to the control of the vehicle's devices, as well as information about the surroundings of the vehicle that can be processed into the information.

In step ST53, the external communication ECU 27 judges whether or not the time, etc., of the acquired information addressed to the vehicle needs to be corrected. The time, etc. of the automobile 100 and the time, etc. of the server device 6 are basically based on the radio waves of the common group of GNSS satellites 110, so they are considered to be essentially the same. However, there may be a situation in which the server device 6 cannot receive the radio waves of the GNSS satellites 110, although this may be temporary. In this case, the time of the server device 6 is updated by its timer, and may include an error with respect to the common time. For example, the time of the field information transmitted by such a server device 6 may differ from the time of the automobile 100.
The external communication ECU 27 judges whether or not such an error exists by, for example, comparing the received information with the information of the vehicle itself. If it is judged that there is an error equal to or greater than a set threshold, the external communication ECU 27 judges that correction is necessary and proceeds to step ST54. If the error is less than the threshold, the external communication ECU 27 judges that correction is not necessary and proceeds to step ST55.

In step ST54, the external communication ECU 27 corrects the acquired information. There are various possible methods for correcting the information, and for example, a value such as a time included in the information itself may be corrected, or information of an error range may be added to the time, etc.
In addition, the external communication ECU 27 may also correct other information that needs to be corrected in conjunction with the correction of the time, such as the position and speed of the automobile 100.
The information for correcting such information may be included when the server device 6 transmits the information, or may be added by the base station 4 that relays the information. Also, the information correction process may be performed by the server device 6 or the base station 4.

In step ST55, the external communication ECU 27 stores the acquired information addressed to the vehicle in the communication memory 72. As a result, the information addressed to the vehicle is stored and recorded in the communication memory 72 of the automobile 100.

In this manner, the terminal device 2 of the automobile 100 receives and stores the primary processed information obtained based on the field information relating to the movements of a plurality of mobile objects.
The terminal device 2 may receive and store collected field information relating to the movements of a plurality of mobile objects.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of the automobile 100 by the driving control ECU 24 of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in FIG.
The driving control ECU 24 that controls the driving of the automobile 100 repeatedly executes driving control based on the primary processed information of Fig. 9. The driving control ECU 24 may repeat the driving control of Fig. 9 at a period shorter than the time it takes for the automobile 100 to finish driving along the route of the primary processed information. In this case, the repetition period may be, for example, about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds.

In step ST61, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether it is time to update the control. The cruise control ECU 24 may determine whether the time elapsed since the previous control timing has passed a predetermined update period based on the current time of the GNSS receiver 66. The cruise control ECU 24 may also estimate the end time of the control on the currently being executed route, and determine whether the remaining time until the estimated end time is less than a threshold value. If the update period has not passed, the cruise control ECU 24 repeats the determination process of step ST61. If it determines that it is time for control when the update period has passed, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST62.

In step ST62, the driving control ECU 24 acquires the latest primary processing information. The driving control ECU 24 acquires the primary processing information last received by the communication device 71 from the communication memory 72 via the external communication ECU 27. The driving control ECU 24 may acquire other primary processing information received previously along with the latest primary processing information. It is possible to grasp changes in movement using multiple pieces of primary processing information.

In step ST63, the cruise control ECU 24 acquires vehicle information from various parts of the vehicle. For example, the cruise control ECU 24 acquires information on the current location and other moving objects in the vicinity from the detection ECU 26. In the case of driving assistance, the cruise control ECU 24 acquires information on the operation by the user from the driving operation ECU 25.

In step ST64, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether the information matches the actual current position. The cruise control ECU 24 compares the current location detected by the vehicle with the current position contained in the latest primary processing information. If these positions match with a small error that does not interfere with cruise control, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the current positions match and proceeds to step ST65. If these positions match with a larger error than the small error, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the current positions do not match and proceeds to step ST67.

In step ST65, the cruise control ECU 24 judges whether the route from the current position indicated by the latest primary processing information is clear and drivable. For example, the cruise control ECU 24 judges whether there is a foreign object, an abnormality, a danger, or another moving object passing on the indicated route or drivable range based on the surrounding information of the vehicle detection obtained. If there is no possibility of such an obstacle, the cruise control ECU 24 judges that the indicated route is clear and proceeds to step ST66. If there is an obstacle or there is a possibility of such an obstacle, the cruise control ECU 24 judges that the indicated route or drivable range is not clear and proceeds to step ST67.
In addition, the cruise control ECU 24 may not only determine whether the indicated route is cleared based on the surrounding information of the vehicle detection acquired by the autonomous sensor, but also compare the detection value of the autonomous sensor with the information included in the latest primary processing information and determine whether the indicated route is cleared based on the error between them. If the type of physical quantity or coordinate system is different between the detection value of the autonomous sensor and the information acquired from the outside, the cruise control ECU 24 may convert the physical quantity or coordinate system of the information acquired from the outside so that it can be compared with the detection value of the autonomous sensor, and compare the converted pseudo sensor value with the detection value of the autonomous sensor. If the error is equal to or greater than the threshold, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the indicated route or driving range is not clear, and proceeds to step ST67. If the error is smaller than the threshold, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the indicated route is clear, and proceeds to step ST66.

In step ST66, the cruise control ECU 24 controls the cruise according to the instructed route.
The driving control ECU 24 generates the instructed route or the route within the instructed driving range as driving control data. When the driving control ECU 24 acquires the route as a vector including a direction and a distance or a time from the server device 6, the driving control ECU 24 may generate the driving control data along the route. When the driving control ECU 24 acquires a safe driving range from the server device 6, the driving control ECU 24 may calculate a vector based on the maximum possible direction and the distance or the time within the safe driving range, and generate the route based on the vector as driving control data.
The cruise control ECU 24 controls the driving of the vehicle based on the generated cruise control data. In the case of driving assistance, the cruise control ECU 24 adjusts the user's operation so as not to deviate significantly from the course based on the generated cruise control data. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 may adjust the user's operation so as not to deviate from the designated driving range.
In this way, the driving control ECU 24 determines the vehicle's course and controls or assists the vehicle's driving based on primary processed information obtained based on field information related to the movement of multiple moving objects received by the terminal device 2.

In step ST67, the cruise control ECU 24 generates cruise control data based on information detected independently by the autonomous sensor of the vehicle itself, rather than on the instructed route. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 may use the instructed route or driving range information as subordinate information to obtain the cruise control data based on the autonomous sensor, and generate the cruise control data so as not to exceed the instructions.
The cruise control ECU 24 controls the driving of the vehicle based on the generated cruise control data. In the case of driving assistance, the cruise control ECU 24 adjusts the user's operation so as not to deviate significantly from the course based on the generated cruise control data. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 may adjust the user's operation so as not to deviate from the designated driving range.

In this way, the driving control ECU 24 acquires the primary processed information received by the communication device 71 in the automobile 100 as a moving body, generates driving control data from the primary processed information, and controls or assists the driving of the automobile 100 using the generated driving control data. The driving control ECU 24 can execute vehicle movement judgment or movement control based on the route indicated in the acquired primary processed information, and control or assist the driving of the automobile 100. Here, the driving control data is secondary processed information used to judge or control the movement of the automobile 100.

Unlike this embodiment, the terminal device 2 may receive information other than the route or movable range information, such as field information, from the wireless base station 4. In this case, the driving control ECU 24 generates a route or movable range based on the received information by processing similar to that of the server device 6, and executes the processing of FIG. 9 based on the route or movable range. In this case, the driving control ECU 24 generates information on the route or movable range of the small section in which the vehicle can travel from the field information, and executes the processing of FIG. 9 based on the generated information.

As described above, in this embodiment, the server device 6 collects field information related to the movement of the automobile 100 as multiple moving bodies, generates a route or safe driving range for each moving body in a small section along which the multiple moving bodies can proceed safely without colliding with each other, for example, based on the collected field information, and transmits the generated route or safe driving range for the small section to each of the communication devices 71 of the multiple terminal devices 2 as primary processed information. Therefore, the communication devices 71 of the terminal devices 2 that receive the primary processed information about the moving bodies that can be used by each of them from the server device 6 can obtain route information related to their own movement that takes into account the routes along which other moving bodies will move based on the information. Each moving body obtains its own route information that takes into account the routes along which other moving bodies will move according to the information, and proceeds based on the information, thereby becoming less susceptible to the unexpected movement of other moving bodies. By multiple moving bodies such as vehicles moving according to common information, mutual safety during travel is increased.

Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of a series of processes in the mobility information providing system 1 of the first embodiment, from obtaining the routes for the multiple automobiles 100 from field information related to the traveling of the multiple automobiles 100 to controlling the movement of the multiple automobiles 100.

In step ST71, the mobility information providing system 1 collects field information related to the traveling of a plurality of automobiles 100.
In step ST72, the mobility information providing system 1 obtains the current positions of the multiple automobiles 100 based on the field information related to the traveling of the multiple automobiles 100, and maps them on the current map.
In step ST73, the mobility information providing system 1 obtains predicted positions of the multiple automobiles 100 based on field information related to the traveling of the multiple automobiles 100, and maps the predicted positions on the predicted map.
In step ST74, the mobility information providing system 1 obtains the driving range or the indicated route for each of the multiple automobiles 100 based on the current map and the predicted map.
In step ST75, the mobility information providing system 1 obtains a route that each of the multiple automobiles 100 uses for control or judgment from the driving range or instructed route of each of the multiple automobiles 100.
In step ST76, the mobility information providing system 1 controls the traveling of the multiple automobiles 100, for example, by automatic driving, along their respective routes.

In this way, the mobility information providing system 1 generates a current time map in step ST72, and generates information such as the route and movable range that each automobile 100 can travel safely without colliding through the processing of steps ST73 to ST75. The automobiles 100 under control control the travel of their own vehicles based on their respective instruction information. In this way, the automobiles 100 under control can travel safely so as not to collide with other moving objects. In this way, the processing of steps ST73 to ST75 corresponds to a control process based on collision prediction (step ST70) that predicts the possibility of collision for each automobile 100 based on mapping such as the current time map, and controls the travel of each automobile 100 to prevent the collision if there is a possibility of collision.

In the first embodiment, a server device 6 connected to multiple wireless base stations 4 executes processing from steps ST71 to ST74, and a control system 20 of an automobile 100 executes processing from steps ST75 to ST76.
In addition, for example, the server device 6 may execute the processes from step ST71 to step ST72, execute the processes from step ST71 to step ST73, or execute the processes from step ST71 to step ST75. In this case, the server device 6 transmits the primary processed information generated by each process to the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100. The automobile 100 may execute the process of step ST76 in the process based on the primary processed information received by the terminal device 2, and control the running of the automobile.

Next, a specific example of a control process for controlling the movement of multiple automobiles 100 using the mobility information providing system 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[First concrete example: an example using mapping data that compiles current and forecast maps for each lane]
The mobility information providing system 1 of this embodiment basically generates a course or a driving range for each automobile 100 for each road.
Some roads have multiple lanes on which traffic can travel in the same direction. The traffic congestion situation and the number of preceding vehicles may differ for each lane. At interchanges and junctions, the automobile 100 tends to slow down and become congested.
An example of how to deal with such a situation will be described below.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a process of generating information on the routes or driving ranges of a plurality of automobiles 100 for each lane by the mobility information providing system 1 for the automobiles 100. In FIG.
FIG. 11A shows a road having a first lane and a second lane that is passable in the same direction as the first lane.
FIG. 11(B) is a traffic diagram showing the driving conditions of multiple automobiles 100 in the first lane.
FIG. 11(C) is a traffic diagram showing the driving conditions of multiple automobiles 100 in the second lane.
In the traffic diagrams of the driving conditions in Fig. 11(B) and Fig. 11(C), the horizontal axis is the position along the lane. The vertical axis is time. The origin is the current time. Each line shown on the traffic diagram indicates the movement of each automobile 100. Each automobile 100 moves along the line as time passes from the current position intersecting with the horizontal axis, and the position changes. The current diagram may be constructed, for example, by combining multiple such traffic diagrams for each lane of a road.

The server device 6 generates a traffic chart of the driving conditions for each lane shown in Fig. 11(B) and Fig. 23(C) based on the current positions and speeds included in the field information of the multiple automobiles 100. For example, the server device 6 selects the lane in which the automobile 100 is traveling from multiple traffic charts for each lane of the road based on the position or position history acquired from the automobile 100. The server device 6 draws the current position and/or predicted position of the automobile 100 for the selected traffic chart using information such as the time, position, speed, or acceleration acquired from the automobile 100.
Based on the operation chart, the server device 6 generates information on the course or driving range for each vehicle 100 so that each vehicle 100 does not get too close to the other vehicles 100 in front and behind.
For example, in the operation chart of FIG. 11B, the first to third automobiles 100 in the front of the traveling direction are traveling from left to right in the figure with almost no speed difference. In contrast, the fourth automobile 100 closest to the origin is traveling at a speed faster than the other three automobiles 100 traveling in front of it. If the fourth automobile 100 continues traveling in this manner, there is a possibility that it will collide with the third automobile 100 from the rear. The server device 6 may estimate and judge the possibility of such a collision based on the mapping, and may generate, for example, information on a course or a driving range for maintaining the current speed for the first to third automobiles 100, and generate information on a course or a driving range for decelerating the fourth automobile 100 from the current speed to the same speed as the preceding automobile 100, in order to prevent the collision related to the judgment from occurring. Then, the fourth automobile 100 controls the automatic traveling so that it decelerates to a specified speed within the driving range that does not collide with the third automobile 100, for example, based on the information acquired from the server device 6.
In addition, the server device 6 calculates the average speeds of the automobiles 100 for each lane, for example, and compares them. The server device 6 may predictively calculate and compare the average speeds of the automobiles 100 at the timing corresponding to the predicted map. When there is a difference in average speed between the multiple lanes, the server device 6 generates information on a course or movable range for changing lanes to the lane with the faster average speed for the automobile 100 in the lane with the slower average speed. The server device 6 generates information on a course or movable range so that the automobile 100 changes lanes to the lane with the fastest average speed among the multiple lanes. The server device 6 generates a course or movable range for lane change including acceleration and deceleration so as not to get too close to other automobiles 100 traveling in the lane to which the automobile 100 is changed.
The server device 6 transmits the generated lane change route or driving range.
The control system 20 of the automobile 100 controls or determines the traveling of the automobile 100 according to the lane change course or driving range received by the terminal device 2 from the wireless base station 4. As a result, the automobile 100 changes lanes in accordance with the instruction. After changing lanes, the automobile 100 can travel while avoiding congestion and deceleration in the original lane.
For example, the speeds and average speeds of the automobiles 100 traveling on the lane in FIG. 11(B) are lower than those traveling on the lane in FIG. 11(C). In this case, the server device 6 instructs, for example, the fourth automobile 100 traveling on the lane in FIG. 11(B) to change to the lane in FIG. 11(C). When the fourth automobile 100 in FIG. 11(B) receives instruction information from the server device 6, it automatically executes the instructed lane change based on the acquired information, for example, within a driving range where it will not collide with the third automobile 100. After that, the fourth automobile 100 in FIG. 11(B) is mapped as a new third automobile 100 in FIG. 11(C).

In this manner, in this example of traffic control processing, information on the course or driving range of each vehicle 100 is generated so that multiple vehicles 100 traveling in each lane do not collide with each other in their respective lanes.
In addition, in this example of control processing, route or driving range information can be generated to avoid congestion.
In this embodiment, a server device 6 connected to a plurality of wireless base stations 4 via a dedicated network 5 generates information on routes or driving ranges for lane changes based on a driving chart of driving conditions.
In this case, in a situation where a complex flow of automobiles 100 occurs, such as merging at interchanges or junctions, there is a possibility that information on the route or driving range for lane changes may be delayed. In such a case, it is advisable to provide multiple server devices 6 for each of the multiple wireless base stations 4, and generate information on the route or driving range for lane changes through distributed control by the multiple server devices 6. This makes it possible to minimize information transmission delays.

[Second Specific Example: Example Considering the Occupied Area of Each Vehicle 100]
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the area algorithm of the automobile 100 at the time of merging (changing lanes) according to this embodiment. The current situation map generating means of the server device 130 converts the information from the information storage means to server time, and generates a map as a plane coordinate of the change in the position of each vehicle due to time change, with the horizontal axis being the time coordinate and the vertical axis being the position coordinate. At that time, the vehicle's driving area is set as a Path (hereinafter, a driving lane) so that it can be calculated on a plane. The solid lines represent the moving state of the moving body (here, the automobile 100). The more negative the vertical axis, the more future time is indicated, and specifically, the absolute time of actual vehicle driving is included. The positive direction of the horizontal axis represents the lane, and the inclination of each line represents the speed of the moving body. In other words, if the horizontal axis overlaps, it means that the corresponding automobile 100 will interfere, and the closer the inclination of the solid line is to vertical, the slower the speed is. The width of the occupied area is displayed around the solid line with varying thickness, which is the body length (vertical and horizontal) of the automobile 100A and the margin. In addition, when the automobiles 100 are lined up in one lane, interference can be avoided by determining that the moving object that occupies a particular location first at the scheduled travel time has a higher priority. The direction of the arrow indicates the traveling direction of the automobile 100A.
The left side of Fig. 12 shows the first lane (merging lane), and the right side shows the second lane (main lane). As shown in the upper left figure, when automobile 100A traveling in the first lane tries to change lanes to the second lane, it will overlap with the solid line of automobile 100B traveling in the second lane within the predicted travel time as shown in the upper right figure, so it can be seen that there will be interference. As shown in the lower left figure, if the travel speed is reduced, there will be no overlap within the predicted travel time as shown in the lower right figure, so it is determined that there is no interference, and automobile 100A is notified to reduce its speed and merge.

[Third concrete example, an example of mapping using past information]
In the mobility information providing system 1, for example, information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 is transmitted from the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 moving in a specific area or section for which the terminal devices 2 are responsible to multiple communication devices 4 provided in the specific area or section, and this information is collected by the server device 6, thereby generating information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the multiple automobiles 100. As a result, the multiple automobiles 100 can move safely without interfering with the other automobiles 100 based on the generated information.
However, for example, when a communication interruption occurs in the mobility information providing system 1, the server device 6 cannot obtain the latest information about the vehicle 100 that experienced the communication interruption. If the vehicle 100 that cannot obtain new information and other vehicles 100 in the vicinity thereof cannot obtain appropriate information, there is a possibility that the vehicle 100 will not be able to maintain safe mobility.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the overall processing of the server device 6 in the third specific example.
13, time flows from top to bottom. As shown in step ST200, the server device 6 continues to collect information from a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a predetermined area or a predetermined section.
Moreover, the server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the mapping process of step ST201 and the generation process of step ST202 for each processing period measured by a server timer (not shown).
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 executes mapping processing and generation processing using information collected in, for example, the previous processing cycle, and transmits the information to the multiple automobiles 100 under its control.

In the processing cycle of FIG. 13, the server device 6 repeatedly collects information from the four automobiles 100 under its control.
However, in a central processing cycle, the server device 6 cannot collect information from one vehicle 100 under its control.
Even in such a case, it is desirable for the server CPU 14 of the server device 6 to generate and transmit information about the multiple vehicles 100 under its control, including the vehicle 100 for which information has not been collected.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for mapping a vehicle and a process for generating information on a course or a movable range, taking into consideration a case in which the server device cannot receive information on the vehicle.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 of FIG. 2 repeatedly executes the process of FIG. 14 as part of the route generation process of FIG. 6 or in place of the route generation process of FIG.
In the flowchart of FIG. 14, step ST201 of the mapping process and step ST202 of the generation process in FIG. 13 are associated with each other.

In step ST211, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not to start new mapping. The server CPU 14 determines to start new mapping based on the start timing of a new processing cycle, and proceeds to step ST212. If new mapping is not to be started, the server CPU 14 repeats this process.

In step ST212, the server CPU 14 maps the automobile 100 for which new information has been acquired. The server CPU 14 calculates the current position and the future predicted position of the automobile 100 based on the newly acquired information, and maps them, for example, to the current map and predicted map described above, or to mapping data for each road or each lane, such as those shown in Figure 11 (B) and Figure 11 (C).

In step ST213, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 mapped in step ST212 is a new vehicle. The server CPU 14 generates a list of vehicles 100 generated or updated in the previous processing cycle, for example, and records it in the server memory 13. In this case, the server CPU 14 may determine whether or not the vehicle 100 mapped in step ST212 is a new vehicle not included in the list by comparing it with the list recorded in the server memory 13. If the vehicle 100 is a new vehicle, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST214. If the vehicle 100 is not a new vehicle, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST215.

In step ST214, the server CPU 14 adds the automobile 100 mapped in step ST212 to the list recorded in the server memory 13. The server CPU 14 may add information acquired about the automobile 100, such as the vehicle number, the acquired position and time, and information on the movement state such as speed, to the list. The server CPU 14 then proceeds to step ST216.

In step ST215, the server CPU 14 updates the list information about the automobile 100 mapped in step ST212 to the latest information. The server CPU 14 then proceeds to step ST216.

In step ST216, the server CPU 14 determines whether mapping based on the newly acquired information has been completed. If information on unmapped automobiles 100 remains, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST212. The server CPU 14 repeats the processes from step ST212 to step ST216 until mapping of all automobiles 100 included in the newly acquired information is completed. When mapping based on the newly acquired information is completed, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST217.

In step ST217, the server CPU 14 starts mapping for the automobiles 100 for which no new information has been acquired. The server CPU 14 reads the list recorded in the server memory 13, and extracts the automobiles 100 in the list that have not been updated with new information. The server CPU 14 also uses the information in the list for the extracted automobiles 100 to calculate and estimate the current position and predicted future position of the automobile 100.

In step ST218, the server CPU 14 determines whether the position of the extracted automobile 100, for example the current position, is within the area or section covered by the server device 6. If it is within the area or section, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST219. If it is not within the area or section, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST220.

In step ST219, the server CPU 14 maps the positions of the extracted automobiles 100 within the area or section onto the mapping data processed in step ST212. This allows automobiles 100 for which new information has not been acquired to be mapped together with automobiles 100 for which new information has been acquired. This allows the server CPU 14 to estimate and map the positions of automobiles 100 for which new information has not been acquired based on information that has already been collected about the automobiles 100, for example, previously. The server CPU 14 then proceeds to step ST221.

In step ST220, the server CPU 14 deletes from the list the information of the automobile 100 that is located outside the area or section. As a result, the list recorded in the server memory 13 contains information of only the automobiles 100 that are in the area or section that the server device 6 is responsible for. The server CPU 14 then proceeds to step ST221.

In step ST221, the server CPU 14 determines whether mapping based on the list has been completed. If information about unmapped automobiles 100 remains in the list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST217. The server CPU 14 repeats the processes from step ST217 to step ST221 until mapping is completed for all automobiles 100 in the list for which new information has not been acquired. When there are no unmapped automobiles 100 in the list, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST222.

In step ST222, the server CPU 14 generates the movable range and necessary routes for the multiple automobiles 100 based on mapping data in which the multiple automobiles 100 are set, for example, the above-mentioned current map or forecast map, or mapping data such as Figure 11 (B) or Figure 11 (C). At this time, the server CPU 14 generates information on a route that can be safely traveled without interfering with other automobiles 100.
By obtaining such route information, the automobile 100 can travel safely without interfering with other automobiles 100.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an example of mapping data based on FIG.
In Fig. 15, time flows from top to bottom. Fig. 15(A) shows mapping data for each lane in the previous processing cycle. Fig. 15(B) shows mapping data for the same lane as Fig. 15(A) in the current processing cycle. The horizontal axis of the mapping data represents the position on the lane. The vertical axis represents time. Time flows from top to bottom.

Then, the server CPU 14 calculates the current position at the current time based on the information of the four automobiles 100 acquired in the previous processing cycle of FIG. 15(A), and maps the current position on the horizontal axis. The server CPU 14 also calculates the predicted position at the predicted time based on the information of the four automobiles 100 acquired in the previous processing cycle, and maps the predicted position on the axis of predicted time below the horizontal axis. This allows the server CPU 14 to map, for each automobile 100, a vector 301 pointing from the acquired position to the current position, a vector 302 pointing from the current position to the predicted position, and lane mapping data. Note that 303 is an occupancy range according to the class of each automobile 100. The occupancy range in FIG. 15 has a fixed occupancy width for each automobile 100.

Thereafter, in the current processing cycle, the server CPU 14 starts processing the mapping data for each lane in Fig. 15(B). The server CPU 14 has not acquired information on the third-generation automobile 100. In this case, the server CPU 14 calculates the current position of the third-generation automobile 100 at the current time based on the previous information registered in the list, and maps the current position on the horizontal axis. The server CPU 14 also calculates the predicted position of the third-generation automobile 100 at the predicted time based on the previous information registered in the list, and maps the predicted position on the axis of predicted time below the horizontal axis.
This allows the server CPU 14 to map a vector 301 pointing from the acquired position to the current position, a vector 302 pointing from the current position to the predicted position, and lane mapping data for multiple automobiles 100, including automobiles 100 for which no new information has been acquired.
In this case, the server CPU 14 generates the movable range and necessary routes for the multiple automobiles 100 based on the mapping data in Fig. 15(B). At this time, the server CPU 14 generates information on the route that can be safely traveled so as not to interfere with other automobiles 100.
By obtaining such route information, the automobile 100 can travel safely without interfering with other automobiles 100.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to make the movement of an automobile 100 such as a vehicle less susceptible to the influence of the movement of other automobiles 100.
In addition, in this embodiment, the position of the automobile 100 for which new information has not been acquired can be estimated and mapped based on already acquired information, for example, the previous information. As a result, in this embodiment, information on a safe path or movable range without collision can be generated periodically and repeatedly for each of the multiple automobiles 100, including the automobile 100 for which new information has not been acquired. In this embodiment, the safety of movement of the automobile 100 for which new information has not been acquired and the safety of movement of other automobiles 100 around it can be maintained even when new information has not been acquired.

[Fourth Specific Example: Example of Mapping Occupied Areas]
Even if the mobility information providing system 1 estimates the location of the automobile 100 based on past information when the latest information cannot be obtained due to a communication outage or the like, it is not necessarily true that the automobile 100 is actually located at the estimated location.
If the automobile 100 is located in a position different from the estimated position, there is a possibility that a situation affecting safety, such as a collision or interference, may occur between that automobile 100 and the surrounding automobiles 100.
It is desirable for the mobility information providing system 1 to prevent such situations from occurring as much as possible.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process for mapping the occupied area of the automobile 100 in the fourth embodiment.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 in FIG. 2 may repeatedly execute the process of FIG. 16 together with the course generation process of FIG.
Using the flowchart of Figure 16, the server CPU 14 sets an occupied area around the position of each vehicle 100 to be mapped, in which the vehicle 100 may be located, including vehicles 100 for which the latest information cannot be obtained due to a communication outage or the like.

In step ST231, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not to start mapping of the occupied area. If the server CPU 14 starts mapping of the occupied area, the process proceeds to step ST232. If mapping of the occupied area is not necessary, the server CPU 14 ends this process.

In step ST232, the server CPU 14 acquires size information that is effective for identifying the actual size of the target automobile 100, such as the type and class of the target automobile 100. The server CPU 14 may acquire the size information from newly acquired information or from information in a list recorded in the server memory 13.

In step ST233, the server CPU 14 acquires the elapsed time since the last time information was acquired about the vehicle 100 being processed.

In step ST234, the server CPU 14 determines whether the elapsed time is greater than the processing period. If the elapsed time is equal to or less than the processing period, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST235. If the elapsed time is greater than the processing period, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST236.

In step ST235, the server CPU 14 calculates an occupied area of a basic size corresponding to the size information acquired in step ST232. Here, the basic size may be the size information acquired in step ST232 as is, or may be a size obtained by adding a minimum margin to the size information. This allows the server CPU 14 to calculate an occupied area of a mapping size corresponding to the basic size. The server CPU 14 then proceeds to step ST241.

In step ST236, the server CPU 14 starts a process for obtaining an occupied area of a size that takes into account the position error. The server CPU 14 calculates a position error according to the elapsed time from the time point when the information used for mapping was obtained. Here, the position error according to the elapsed time may be any value equal to or greater than 1, and may be, for example, a value that increases according to the distance traveled after the time of obtaining the information.
The server CPU 14 may use the distance traveled from the time point of acquisition of the information used for mapping, instead of the time elapsed from the time point of acquisition of the information used for mapping. The server CPU 14 calculates and estimates the position of the automobile 100 at each processing time. When the distance traveled from such an acquisition time point has already been estimated, the server CPU 14 can calculate a position error according to the estimated distance traveled.

In step ST237, the server CPU 14 acquires the moving state of the automobile 100. The moving state of the automobile 100 may be, for example, a normal moving state alone, a moving state while being towed, or a moving state while traveling in a convoy of multiple automobiles.

In step ST238, the server CPU 14 acquires the control state of the automobile 100. The control state of the automobile 100 may be, for example, automatic driving, manual driving, or automatic driving level.

In step ST239, the server CPU 14 acquires the occupant status of the automobile 100. The occupant status of the automobile 100 may include, for example, alertness, age, and years of experience.

In step ST240, the server CPU 14 calculates an occupied area of a size that takes into account the position error. Here, the server CPU 14 multiplies the basic size by, for example, a value of 1 or more corresponding to the position error, a value of 1 or more corresponding to the moving state, a value of 1 or more corresponding to the control state, and a value of 1 or more corresponding to the occupant state to calculate an occupied area that is larger than the basic size. Here, the normal solo moving state may be set to 1, and the moving state in towing and platooning may be set to a value greater than 1. In addition, the control state of the highest level of autonomous driving may be set to 1, and the moving state of other levels and manual driving may be set to a value greater than 1. A case in which a young occupant with more than a predetermined number of years of experience is driving in an awake state may be set to 1, and the occupant state in other cases may be set to a value greater than 1. In this way, the server CPU 14 can calculate an occupied area of a mapping size that is larger than the basic size. After that, the server CPU 14 proceeds to step ST241.

Note that a narrow gap is often maintained between a first vehicle 100 traveling in a platoon in line under the same conditions and the other vehicles 100 before and after it that are also traveling in a platoon. In this case, it is desirable for the server CPU 14 to ensure that the gap between the vehicles is not greater than the gap required for platooning. The server CPU 14 may, for example, calculate the basic size of the first vehicle 100 traveling in a platoon as the occupied area.

In step ST241, the server CPU 14 maps the calculated occupied area. The occupied area is mapped with the calculated mapping size.

In step ST242, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not mapping of the occupied areas of all automobiles 100 has been completed. If mapping of the occupied areas of all automobiles 100 has not been completed, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST232. The server CPU 14 repeats the processes from step ST232 to step ST242 until mapping of the occupied areas of all automobiles 100 has been completed.

As a result, the server CPU 14 maps the occupied areas not only for automobiles 100 that have not acquired the latest information, but also for automobiles 100 that have acquired the latest information. In addition, the server CPU 14 maps the occupied areas of automobiles 100 that have not acquired the latest information to areas that are generally larger than the occupied areas of automobiles 100 that have acquired the latest information.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for generating an interference determination result based on the mapping data shown in FIG.
In Fig. 17, time flows from top to bottom. Fig. 17(A) shows mapping data for each lane in the previous processing cycle. Fig. 17(B) shows mapping data for the same lane as Fig. 17(A) in the current processing cycle. The horizontal axis of the mapping data represents the position on the lane. The vertical axis represents time. Time flows from top to bottom.
Then, the server CPU 14 maps the occupied area 303 together with the positions of the four automobiles 100 based on the information of the four automobiles 100 for which information was obtained in the previous processing cycle of Fig. 17(A). The occupied area of each automobile 100 here has a fixed mapping size due to the processing of step ST235.
Furthermore, in the current processing cycle of Fig. 17B, the server CPU 14 maps the occupied areas 303 together with the positions of the four automobiles 100, regardless of whether information has been acquired. Here, the occupied areas of the three automobiles 100 for which information has been acquired have a fixed mapping size as in Fig. 17A, as a result of the processing in step ST235. In contrast, the occupied areas of the automobiles 100 mapped based on the previous past information have a mapping size that is expanded according to the elapsed time.

Furthermore, in the mapping data of Figure 17 (B), unlike Figure 15 (B) in which information on all four automobiles 100 has been obtained, the enlarged occupied area 303 of the third automobile 100 overlaps and interferes with the occupied area 303 of the fourth automobile 100.
In this case, the server CPU 14 generates an "interference determination result" in place of the normal route etc. in the process of step ST222. The server CPU 14 may generate an "interference determination result" together with the normal route etc. in the process of step ST222.
Then, the automobile 100 can control its movement so as to suppress interference by acquiring the generated "interference determination result." The automobile 100 can control its movement so as to, for example, decelerate or secure a safe distance between the automobiles.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of the automobile 100 in response to the result of the interference determination.
The driving control ECU 24 of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in FIG. 3 repeatedly executes the driving control of FIG. 18 at short intervals, for example, of about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds.
The processes from step ST61 to step ST67 are the same as those in Fig. 9. However, before step ST62, the process of acquiring the vehicle information is executed in step ST63.
Then, when the latest information is acquired in step ST62, the cruise control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST271.

In step ST271, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether the latest acquired information includes an "interference judgment result." If an "interference judgment result" is not included, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST64. If an "interference judgment result" is included, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST272.

In step ST272, the cruise control ECU 24 executes interference suppression control in response to the "interference determination result." For example, the cruise control ECU 24 controls the movement of the host vehicle to decelerate or maintain a safe distance between vehicles in order to suppress interference. The cruise control ECU 24 then advances the process to step ST67.

In this way, when the cruise control ECU 24 acquires an "interference judgment result," it can control the movement of the vehicle to decelerate to suppress interference or to maintain a safe distance between vehicles. The cruise control ECU 24 can also control the movement of the vehicle based on information about the vehicle from autonomous sensors and the like.

As described above, in this embodiment, at least for automobiles 100 moving within a specified area or section and not acquiring new information, or for automobiles 100 outside the jurisdiction that have not acquired any information in the first place, an occupied area larger than a mapping size corresponding to the actual size of those automobiles 100 can be mapped, and information can be generated on a route or range of movement that can be safely moved without interfering with other automobiles in that occupied area.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, when interference between an automobile 100 for which new information has not been acquired and, for example, another automobile 100 located before or after it is determined, an interference determination result is generated instead of generating information on the course or movable range of those automobiles 100. Then, the automobile 100 acquires the interference determination result generated instead of the course or movable range information, and switches to control based on the detection value of the autonomous sensor so as to increase the driving safety by automatic driving or driving assistance compared to the case where there is no interference prediction result, and can suppress interference by decelerating or increasing the distance between the automobiles so as to give priority to the movement of the automobile 100 for which new information has not been acquired.

[Fifth Specific Example: Example of Forcefully Generating an Interference Judgment Result]
In the above-described example, an expanded occupied area is mapped according to the travel distance after acquisition, and the expanded occupied area increases the likelihood of interference by the automobile 100.
However, when the occupied area is expanded in this manner according to the distance traveled after acquisition, etc., depending on the circumstances, the occupied area may be exaggerated and may overlap with the occupied areas of other automobiles 100 .

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a process for forcibly generating an interference determination result based on the size of the occupied area 303 of the automobile 100 itself in the fifth embodiment.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 in FIG. 2 may repeatedly execute the process of FIG. 19 in addition to the processes of FIGS. 14 and 16.

In step ST281, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not it is necessary to determine the size of the occupied area to be mapped. If it is not necessary to determine the size of the occupied area, the server CPU 14 repeats this process. If it is necessary to determine the size of the occupied area, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST282.

In step ST282, the server CPU 14 determines whether the size of the occupied area to be mapped is equal to or greater than twice the basic size. The server CPU 14 may make the determination using a magnification other than twice. If the size of the occupied area to be mapped is equal to or greater than twice the basic size, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST283. If the size of the occupied area to be mapped is not equal to or greater than twice the basic size, the server CPU 14 skips step ST283 and ends this process.

In step ST283, the server CPU 14 sets a flag to forcibly generate an interference determination result. The server CPU 14 then ends this process.

When the flag for forcibly generating an interference judgment result is set in this manner, the server CPU 14 generates an interference judgment result without making a specific interference judgment, as shown in step ST284.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the mapping size of at least an automobile 100 that has not acquired new information is more than twice its actual size, interference judgment results are forcibly generated for other automobiles 100 in front and behind the automobile 100, without specifically judging the interference between them. Therefore, the other automobiles 100 in front and behind the automobile 100 can reliably acquire the interference judgment results and switch to control based on the detection values of the autonomous sensors to increase the driving safety of automatic driving or driving assistance compared to when there is no interference prediction result, and can suppress interference by slowing down or increasing the distance between the automobiles to give priority to the movement of the automobiles 100 that have not acquired new information.

[Sixth Specific Example: Example of Forcefully Generating an Interference Judgment Result]
An automobile 100 from which the server device 6 cannot obtain new information may change lanes, just like other automobiles 100, for example, at a road junction or on a road with lane restrictions.
It is desirable for the mobility information providing system 1 to be able to handle such situations as much as possible.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an exception mapping and generation process in the sixth embodiment when an uncontrolled vehicle changes lanes.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 in FIG. 2 may repeatedly execute the process of FIG. 20 in addition to the course generation processes of FIG. 14 and FIG.

In step ST251, the server CPU 14 determines the possibility of lane change for the out-of-control automobile 100 as a mapping process. Out-of-control automobiles 100 include, for example, automobiles 100 for which the latest information cannot be obtained and automobiles 100 that are not under control. The server CPU 14 determines the possibility of lane change, for example, based on the estimated position of the road on which these out-of-control automobiles 100 are moving. For example, a road may merge with another road at its end, or there may be traffic regulations included in the field information. An out-of-control automobile 100 proceeding toward such a place will change lanes to move to a lane of another road or another lane of the road on which it is moving when merging or due to traffic regulations on the lane on which it is moving. If such a situation is expected, the server CPU 14 determines that the out-of-control automobile 100 will change lanes, and proceeds to step ST252. If the out-of-control automobile 100 does not change lanes, the server CPU 14 repeats this process.

In step ST252, the server CPU 14 performs mapping processing by setting lane change sections for the road to which the vehicle 100 outside of its jurisdiction is expected to change lanes. The server CPU 14 sets lane change sections for sections where the vehicle 100 outside of its jurisdiction is expected to change lanes. The server CPU 14 may set lane change sections for all of the multiple lanes of the road.

In step ST253, the server CPU 14 generates a movement restriction for the automobile 100 heading toward the lane change section as a generation process. For example, another automobile 100 moving toward the lane change section on a road where an automobile 100 outside the jurisdiction is changing lanes executes control to suppress the movement of the own vehicle based on the movement restriction. The other automobile 100 may execute movement control such as decelerating or maintaining a safe distance between the automobiles.

In step ST254, the server CPU 14 determines, as a mapping process, whether or not the lane change has been completed for the vehicle 100 outside its jurisdiction that is predicted to change lanes. The server CPU 14 is unable to obtain information on the vehicle 100 outside its jurisdiction that is predicted to change lanes. For this reason, the server CPU 14 determines, for example, whether or not another vehicle 100 following the vehicle 100 outside its jurisdiction that is predicted to change lanes has changed lanes and entered the lane change section. If the other following vehicle 100 has not entered the lane change section, the server CPU 14 repeats this process. When the other following vehicle 100 enters the lane change section, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST255.

In step ST255, the server CPU 14 cancels the setting of the lane change section as a mapping process. The server CPU 14 may also cancel the movement restriction setting for other vehicles 100 heading toward the lane change section.

In step ST256, the server CPU 14 performs generation processing to generate a route with no movement restrictions for the automobile 100 heading toward the lane change section. Other automobiles 100 moving toward the lane change section can continue moving without movement restrictions.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the movement control of a plurality of automobiles by the process of FIG.
21(A) to 21(E) correspond in sequence to each processing stage in FIG. 20.
In FIG. 21, one side road merges into a two-lane road.

21A, an uncontrolled automobile 100, designated by reference number 1, is moving from a side road toward a two-lane road. The server CPU 14 sets a lane change section for a merging section with the side road on the two-lane road to which the automobile is to merge. The automobile moving through the lane change section at this point passes through the merging section without being restricted in movement.
As shown in Fig. 21B, an uncontrolled automobile 100 indicated by reference number 1 enters a two-lane road from a side road. At this time, another automobile 100 indicated by reference number 2 following the uncontrolled automobile 100 and traveling on the two-lane road to which the uncontrolled automobile 100 is to merge decelerates based on the setting of the lane change section.
As shown in FIG. 21C, another following vehicle 100, denoted by reference numeral 2, traveling on the two-lane road ahead of the merging road, decelerates and enters the lane change section.
21(D), when the following automobile 100 indicated by reference number 2 traveling on the two-lane road to which the vehicle is to merge passes through the lane change section, the movement restriction is released and the automobile 100 accelerates back to its original speed and continues to move. Also, the following automobile 100 indicated by reference number 3, which is under control and merges behind the automobile 100 indicated by reference number 1 and is not under control, enters the lane change section. The server CPU 14 cancels the setting of the lane change section set in the merging section.
As shown in FIG. 21(E), another vehicle 100 under the control of reference number 3 can move through the merging section without any restrictions on its movement.

As described above, in this embodiment, when it is expected that at least an automobile 100 that has not acquired new information will change lanes due to, for example, merging or lane restrictions, a lane change section is mapped to the lane or road to which the automobile 100 is to change lanes. Then, for other automobiles 100 traveling on the lane or road to which the automobile 100 is to change lanes, information on a course or movable range is generated that suppresses movement by, for example, suppressing speed from the previous speed and maintaining a distance between the automobiles until the automobile 100 passes through the lane change section. The other automobiles 100 traveling on the lane or road to which the automobile 100 is to change move in a more suppressed state than when the lane change section is not mapped. This allows an automobile 100 that has not acquired new information to secure a distance between the automobiles to which the automobile 100 is to change lanes to merge.
In addition, in this embodiment, when another vehicle 100 traveling behind the vehicle 100 for which new information has not been acquired enters a lane change section, the mapping of the lane change section is cancelled. This allows the vehicles 100, including the other vehicle 100 traveling behind the vehicle 100, to move through the merging section without being restricted in their movements.

[Seventh Specific Example: Example of a Car that Cannot Acquire Information from the Server Device 6]
In the mobility information providing system 1, for example, information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 is transmitted from the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100 moving in a specific area or section for which the terminal devices 2 are responsible to multiple communication devices 4 provided in the specific area or section, and this information is collected by the server device 6, thereby generating information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the multiple automobiles 100. As a result, the multiple automobiles 100 can move safely without interfering with the other automobiles 100 based on the generated information.
However, for example, if a communication interruption occurs in the mobility information providing system 1 , the automobile 100 cannot obtain new information from the server device 6 .
It is desirable for the mobility information providing system 1 to be able to handle such situations as much as possible.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a process for controlling automatic driving or driving assistance of a vehicle in the seventh specific example, taking into consideration cases in which the vehicle may not be able to receive information.
The driving control ECU 24 of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in FIG. 3 repeatedly executes the driving control of FIG. 22 at short intervals, for example, of about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds.
The processes from step ST61 to step ST67 are the same as those in Fig. 9. However, before step ST62, the process of acquiring the vehicle information is executed in step ST63.
Then, when the vehicle information is acquired from the autonomous sensor or the like in step ST63, the cruise control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST261.

In step ST261, the driving control ECU 24 determines whether or not the latest information has been acquired from the server device 6. The driving control ECU 24 may determine that the latest information has not been acquired multiple times in succession, rather than just once. If the latest information has been acquired from the server device 6, the driving control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST62. If the latest information has not been acquired from the server device 6, the driving control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST67.
In step ST67, the cruise control ECU 24 controls the cruise based on the vehicle information from the autonomous sensor, etc. In general, the cruise control based on the vehicle information from the autonomous sensor, etc., requires safety to be ensured based on the vehicle information, so the speed is reduced and a larger distance is maintained between the vehicles compared to the cruise control based on the information from the server device 6.
Furthermore, the driving control ECU 24 may switch the driving state of the automobile 100 from automatic driving to manual driving. Furthermore, the driving control ECU 24 may lower the automatic driving level. When making these switches, the driving control ECU 24 may make the switch after obtaining approval from the occupant.

When new information becomes available from the server device 6 thereafter, the cruise control ECU 24 determines in step ST261 that the latest information has been acquired, and proceeds to step ST62. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 can resume movement based on the information from the server device 6.
Furthermore, the driving control ECU 24 may switch the driving state of the automobile 100 from manual driving to automatic driving. Furthermore, the driving control ECU 24 may increase the automatic driving level. When switching between these modes, the driving control ECU 24 may perform the switching after obtaining approval from the occupant.

As described above, in this embodiment, when new information cannot be obtained from the server device 6, the control of movement is switched from control using information generated by the server device 6 to control using only the autonomous sensor. This allows the automobile 100 to continue moving while ensuring safety, even when new information cannot be obtained from the server device 6.

[Second embodiment]
The above-described embodiment is an example of the control of a plurality of automobiles 100 by the mobility information providing system 1. Each automobile 100 controls the movement of its own vehicle by using information from the mobility information providing system 1 as necessary.
When the control system 20 of the automobile 100 of the mobility information providing system 1 controls the traveling of the automobile 100 based on the own vehicle information, the control system 20 gives priority to using the information detected by the autonomous sensor over the information received from the wireless base station 4 .
However, depending on the driving environment, each autonomous sensor may not be able to perform detection with sufficient accuracy. For this reason, it is conceivable that the control system 20 of the automobile 100 increases the types of autonomous sensors and controls driving based on the overall detection of the autonomous sensors. However, it is not preferable to increase the number of autonomous sensors capable of detection with such high accuracy indefinitely when manufacturing the automobile 100. Moreover, even if the types of autonomous sensors are increased, it is not necessarily possible to perform detection with sufficient accuracy in all driving environments.
An example of how to deal with such a situation will be described below.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the detailed process of step ST67 in FIG.
The driving control ECU of the automobile 100 executes the process of FIG. 23 in step ST67 of FIG.

In step ST81, the driving control ECU determines whether the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor is sufficient. An example of an autonomous sensor is a stereo camera that captures an image in front of the automobile 100. In an environment such as backlight, the stereo camera may not be able to capture a sufficient image of nearby moving objects or lanes on the road surface. If the captured image is not like this, the driving control ECU determines that the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor is sufficient and proceeds to step ST82. If the captured image is like this, the driving control ECU determines that the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor is not sufficient and proceeds to step ST83.

In step ST82, the driving control ECU uses the detection values of the autonomous sensors in priority over the information received from the wireless base station 4 to determine the route for controlling the driving of the vehicle.

In step ST83, the driving control ECU uses the information received from the wireless base station 4 in preference to the detection value of the autonomous sensor to determine a route for controlling the driving of the vehicle. The driving control ECU may generate pseudo sensor information of the same format and physical quantity as the detection information of the autonomous sensor from the information received from the wireless base station 4, and use this to determine a route for controlling the driving of the vehicle.

In this manner, in this embodiment, depending on the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensor, the priority is switched between the detection value of the autonomous sensor and the information received from the wireless base station 4. In this embodiment, for example, it is possible to deal with a temporary loss of visibility.
For example, when image recognition by the stereo camera is lost due to backlight or falls below a threshold, the control based on the world map is temporarily used with priority over the information from the stereo camera. The information from the world map is bird's-eye view information for a very short period of time, so it is possible to extract the path that the preceding vehicle has taken. Information from the autonomous sensors of other automobiles 100 is also reflected.
In addition, even in automatic braking control, if the autonomous sensor is unsuitable for use because its recognition rate is below 80%, the driving control ECU may compare the recognition results of the autonomous sensor with the information on the world map, and if there is a difference between the two that is greater than a threshold, the information on the world map may be given priority over the recognition results of the autonomous sensor.
In addition, if the detection accuracy of some of the autonomous sensors is low, the driving control ECU may instead generate pseudo sensor information based on world map information, and combine this with information from other autonomous sensors to use in determining a course for controlling the driving of the vehicle.

[Third embodiment]
When the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in the mobility information providing system 1 of the embodiment described above controls driving using its own vehicle information, it uses information detected by the autonomous sensor in priority over information received from the wireless base station 4.
However, there may be situations where each autonomous sensor cannot detect sufficient information. For example, in driving environments such as snowy fields, snowstorms, and loss of visibility, autonomous sensors such as stereo cameras cannot detect sufficient information. The automobile 100 has no roads and is unclear as to where it can drive. In addition, an oncoming vehicle may suddenly appear. The autonomous sensor is not in a situation where it can be used properly, and the information of the range that can be captured is reduced.
An example of how to deal with such a situation will be described below.

The control system 20 of the automobile 100 determines, based on the received world map and weather information, driving sections where detection by the autonomous sensor is not expected.
When traveling in such a section, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 estimates the width in which the automobile can travel from, for example, standing trees, and determines a course to follow in the estimated possible travel direction. The possible travel direction may be estimated by transmitting an image from the terminal device 2 of the automobile 100 to the server device 6 or the wireless base station 4, and processing may be performed on the base station side.
When it is determined based on the autonomous sensor that visibility is completely lost, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 prioritizes the pseudo sensor information obtained from the received world map over the detection information of the autonomous sensor, even when controlling driving using the vehicle information. However, for information related to collision safety, such as detection of an actual collision, the detection information of the autonomous sensor is prioritized. Driving in a snowstorm area is basically performed at the slowest speed. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 determines the route using the pseudo sensor information obtained from the world map. In such a process, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 may further grasp the number of automobiles 100 traveling in the area, the current location of each automobile 100, and the start timing of entry into the area, simulate their driving trajectories, and determine the route based on the simulation.

Furthermore, when the server device 6 or the wireless base station 4 detects that oncoming vehicles are approaching each other based on the world map, it issues a warning to both of the automobiles 100. This makes it possible to avoid a collision.
Here, if the oncoming vehicle is outside the management of the system and is recognized as being outside the snowstorm section, the system may simulate the passable area through which the vehicle is expected to pass based on the expected time the vehicle will pass nearby and the current travel path of other vehicles, and notify the vehicle to avoid interference in that area. If interference cannot be avoided, calculations are made to avoid interference at least in the short time it takes to pass through in the simulation.
If an oncoming vehicle or motorcycle is not managed by the system and is detected for the first time within a snowstorm section, an emergency notification is sent to vehicles traveling in that specific section and the information is posted on the world map. A simulation is performed with more uncertainties for fast-moving objects in the calculation, and the estimate of the need for safety is increased (leaning in the direction of safety). If the person is a child or other person, a notification is sent to the nearest vehicle and the information is posted on the world map.

[Fourth embodiment]
In the mobility information providing system 1 according to the embodiment described above, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 basically controls the traveling of the automobile 100 based on the detection information of the autonomous sensor. In this case, even if the user mistakenly depresses the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal while not recognizing a pedestrian or the like, the automobile 100 can be prevented from starting toward the pedestrian or the like.
However, the autonomous sensor provided in the automobile 100 does not always operate normally. The autonomous sensor may not be able to perform normal detection due to deterioration over time. In addition, if the detection result of the autonomous sensor is incorrect due to the driving environment such as nighttime, backlight, or the lights of oncoming vehicles, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 may not be able to appropriately control the driving of the vehicle based on the detection information of the autonomous sensor.
An example of how to deal with such a situation will be described below.

The control system 20 of the automobile 100 judges whether the detection information of the autonomous sensor is appropriate. For example, if the image captured by the stereo camera is completely dark or completely white, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 judges that the detection information of the autonomous sensor is inappropriate. In this case, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 checks other moving objects in the traveling direction based on the information of the world map. If it is confirmed that there is another moving object in the traveling direction based on the information of the world map, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 judges that there is another moving object in the traveling direction even if it cannot be determined by the detection information of the autonomous sensor, and executes driving control accordingly. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 executes braking control to prevent starting using the detection information of the pseudo sensor obtained from the world map.
The control system 20 of the automobile 100 may use the information of the pseudo sensor described above when it determines that only the autonomous sensor of the automobile 100 is unable to recognize a pedestrian or the like in the world map while other automobiles are visible. In this case, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 may set the reliability of the pseudo sensor to high when the determination occurs over an arbitrary period of time or occurs a predetermined number of times or more. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 may use the detection information of the highly reliable pseudo sensor to select a route or time difference that does not interfere with pedestrians not recognized by the autonomous sensor and their moving direction, and execute driving control based on the selection.

[Fifth embodiment]
In the mobility information providing system 1 of the embodiment described above, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 switches the operation mode between automatic driving and driving assistance for manual driving by the user.
The user of the automobile 100 is essentially responsible for its autonomous driving.
For example, when the operation mode of the automobile 100 is switched from automatic driving to driving assistance while the automobile 100 is moving, the user is responsible for the events before and after the switch. In automatic driving, the driving must be controlled so that the user is not liable for damages, including the timing of the switch to driving assistance.
In particular, if the user needs to apply strong braking immediately after the operation mode of the automobile 100 while it is moving is switched from automatic driving to driving assistance, it will be a harsh situation for the user. In reality, it is expected that few users will be able to apply full brakes when such a situation occurs.
An example of how to deal with such a situation will be described below.

The control system 20 of the automobile 100 repeatedly determines the reliability of the world map received by the terminal device 2 from the server device 6 while the automobile 100 is traveling. If the reliability of the received world map is low, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 prohibits the operation mode of the automobile 100 from being switched from manual driving to automatic driving.
During autonomous driving, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 repeatedly compares the detection information of the pseudo sensor obtained from the world map with the detection information of the autonomous sensor. If the information differs by a threshold or more, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 does not use the detection information of the pseudo sensor obtained from the world map. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 basically uses the detection information of the autonomous sensor to control the traveling of the automobile 100 during autonomous driving.
When there is some kind of disturbance, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 ends the automatic driving and executes control to switch the operation mode of the automobile 100 from automatic driving to manual driving. In this transition control, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 first controls the running of the automobile 100 so as to widen the distance between the automobile 100 and the preceding vehicle. The distance between the automobile 100 and the preceding vehicle may be set according to the speed. When the autonomous sensor detects that a predetermined distance has been obtained, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 notifies the user that automatic driving will be switched to manual driving. The control system 20 of the automobile 100 does not use information from the world map for this detection. After a few seconds, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 switches the actual operation mode from automatic driving to manual driving.
By maintaining such a distance from the preceding vehicle, the user is less likely to need to apply strong braking immediately after the operation mode of the automobile 100 while traveling switches from automatic driving to driving assistance. The user can understand that automatic driving will switch to manual driving with ample judgment and start the operation for manual driving. An emergency situation in which the user is required to apply strong braking immediately after switching to manual driving is less likely to occur.

[Sixth embodiment]
The server device 6 in each of the above-described embodiments collects information from a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a specific area or section for which it is responsible, maps the information, generates information that can be used for the automobiles 100 to make a decision or control their movement, and transmits the information to the automobiles 100. Each automobile 100 uses the information received from the server device 6 to make a decision or control its movement.
In addition, for example, a part or all of the processing by the server device 6 may be executed in each of the multiple automobiles 100. For example, each automobile 100 may collect field information from other automobiles 100 as shown in FIG. 7, perform mapping to a current map or a forecast map, generate information on a movable range and a course that can be used in the automobile for its own movement judgment or movement control, and use the information for the movement judgment or movement control such as automatic driving of the automobile. In this case, the server device 6 and the multiple wireless base stations 4 perform the function of transmitting and receiving data between the multiple automobiles 100. The wireless base station 4 is provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section where the multiple automobiles 100 move, and communicates with the terminal device 2 used in the automobile 100 moving in the predetermined area or predetermined section that it is responsible for.

In this case, the server device 6 generates and transmits primary processing information based on the field information.
The terminal device 2 in the vehicle receives the information generated by the server device 6 from the wireless base station 4 .
The vehicle control system 20 generates driving control data as secondary processed information based on the field information or the primary processed information thereof received by the terminal device 2 .
Here, the primary processed information refers to information generated based on the field information in the server device 6. The secondary processed information refers to information generated based on the field information and the primary processed information in the control system 20 of the vehicle.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a process of collecting field information related to the movement of a plurality of automobiles 100 by the server device 6 of this embodiment.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the collection process of FIG. 24 every time the server communication device 11 of the server device 6 receives new field information.

In step ST111, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not field information has been received. The field information includes, for example, vehicle information transmitted by each of the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100, and detection information from a detection device such as a camera installed on the road. A server device 6 (not shown) of the intelligent transportation system may transmit traffic information for the area it manages to the server device 6. The server communication device 11 receives this information. If the server communication device 11 has not received field information, the server CPU 14 repeats the process of step ST111. If the server communication device 11 receives field information, the server CPU 14 advances the process to step ST112.

In step ST112, the server CPU 14 classifies the received field information by its information source and accumulates it in the server memory 13. As a result, the server memory 13 of the server device 6 accumulates and records information about the automobiles 100 and the user or surrounding information received from each of the multiple automobiles 100, or traffic information of the area in which each automobile 100 is moving, as field information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100. The server CPU 14 may record the time when each piece of field information was received in association with the received field information.

In step ST113, the server CPU 14 generates a moving object list for the multiple automobiles 100 that the server device 6 needs to notify at present, based on the received field information. The moving object list may include other moving objects, such as other automobiles 100 that the server device 6 does not need to notify, so that they can be distinguished from the multiple automobiles 100 that the server device 6 needs to notify.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a process for transmitting collected field information by the server device of this embodiment.
The server CPU 14 of the server device 6 repeatedly executes the transmission process of FIG.

In step ST141, the server CPU 14 extracts information related to the traveling of each automobile 100 from the multiple pieces of field information recorded in the server memory 13. For a certain automobile 100, the server CPU 14 may extract information related to the traveling of the automobile as well as information related to the traveling of the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the automobile.

In step ST142, the server CPU 14 transmits the extracted field information from the server communication device 11 to the communication device 71 of the corresponding automobile 100. The field information is transmitted from the server device 6 to the wireless base station 4 via the dedicated network 5, and then transmitted from the wireless base station 4 to the terminal device 2 of the automobile 100. The multiple wireless base stations 4 transmit the field information to multiple terminal devices 2 provided in the multiple automobiles 100.

In step ST143, the server CPU 14 determines whether or not processing has been completed for multiple automobiles 100 in the moving object list. If processing has not been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 returns the process to step ST141. The server CPU 14 selects the next unprocessed automobile 100 and repeats the processes from step ST141 to step ST143. When processing has been completed for all automobiles 100 in the moving object list, the server CPU 14 ends the route generation process of FIG. 6.

As a result, the server device 6 transmits field information to the multiple automobiles 100 for use in controlling or making decisions about each of them. The server device 6 may transmit a moving object list and, for example, primary processed information indicating the traveling direction and traveling speed of each of the multiple automobiles 100 together with the field information. The primary processed information may further include, as information for verification and confirmation, the current position, the current time, and a predicted time a short period after the current time. Moreover, the server device 6 continues to repeatedly transmit field information related to the course of the short section to each of the multiple automobiles 100 by repeating the processes of Figs. 24 and 25.
In addition, the server device 6 may transmit the field information collected from the multiple automobiles 100 to the multiple automobiles 100 together with or instead of the field information.

Then, each automobile 100 that has received the field information from the server device 6 executes the process in Fig. 6 to generate information on the route of the automobile itself. However, in this case, since each automobile 100 has received the moving object list or information based thereon from the server device 6, it is not necessary to execute the process in step ST24.
Furthermore, each automobile 100 executes the process of FIG. 9 using information about the course of its own vehicle that it has generated, to control the traveling of its own vehicle.

As described above, in this embodiment, the server device 6 collects field information related to the movement of the automobiles 100 as multiple moving bodies and transmits it to each automobile 100. Then, each automobile 100 can determine and control its own movement based on information common to the multiple automobiles 100. By each automobile 100 executing processing based on information common to the multiple automobiles 100, the multiple automobiles 100 can generate a route or safe driving range for each small section of the moving body that allows safe progression without colliding with each other, and can use the route or safe driving range for the generated small section. Each automobile 100 is less susceptible to the unexpected movement of the other automobiles 100. Mutual safety during the traveling of the multiple automobiles 100 is increased.

This embodiment is an example in which the processing of the server device 6 in the first embodiment is implemented in the automobile 100. The processing of the server device 6 in the above-mentioned second to fifth embodiments can be the processing of the automobile 100, as in this embodiment. In this case, the processing of the server device 6 in each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be read as the processing of the control system 20 of the automobile 100. In this case, the processing of the server device 6 is distributed and processed individually for each automobile 100 by the control systems 20 of the multiple automobiles 100. Each automobile 100 basically executes processing for its own vehicle. Note that each automobile 100 may execute processing for other automobiles 100 on its behalf and transmit the results, for example, depending on the spare capacity of each automobile's processing.
In such a case, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 may execute all or part of the processing of the server device 6 in each embodiment.
For example, the server device 6 relays field information from a plurality of automobiles 100 and transmits it to the automobiles 100. In this case, the control system 20 of each automobile 100 executes all the processes of the server device 6 in each embodiment, from collecting the field information from the plurality of automobiles 100.
For example, the server device 6 receives and collects field information from a plurality of automobiles 100, and transmits the information to the automobiles 100. In this case, the control system 20 of each automobile 100 executes the processing of the server device 6 in each embodiment after collecting the field information from the plurality of automobiles 100.
For example, the server device 6 receives and collects field information from multiple automobiles 100, and performs mapping to mapping data such as a current map or a forecast map. In this case, the control system 20 of each automobile 100 performs the processing based on the mapping data in each embodiment and subsequent processing.
In either case, the mobile information providing system 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment and its modified example has a server device 6 that collects or relays field information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 moving in a predetermined area or a predetermined section covered by the mobile information providing system 1, along with multiple terminal devices 2 that can be used by the multiple automobiles 100 as multiple moving bodies through wireless base stations 4 as multiple communication devices. The server device 6 can communicate with multiple terminal devices 2 that can be used by each of the multiple automobiles 100 as multiple moving bodies, as in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, or may be provided in a concentrated manner in correspondence with the multiple wireless base stations 6, etc. The multiple automobiles 100 and the server device 6 may map the field information related to the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 that is collected or relayed to mapping data on either one side or both sides, and generate information for determining or controlling the movement of each of the multiple automobiles 100 based on the mapping data. Each of the multiple automobiles 100 moves according to the information generated for each of them, so that the multiple automobiles 100 can move safely without colliding with each other.

The above embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the server device 6 in the mobility information providing system 1 and the control system 20 of each automobile 100 cooperate to execute a series of processes in each embodiment.
Additionally, for example, the various processes in the above-described embodiments may all be executed by the server device 6. In this case, the control system 20 of each automobile 100 or the like may transmit information required for processing to the server device 6 via the terminal device 2 and the wireless base station 4, and the results of processing by the server device 6 may be received by the terminal device 2 via the wireless base station 4. Furthermore, the control system 20 of the automobile 100 may determine and control the running of the automobile 100 based on the received information.
Furthermore, for example, the server device 6 may execute only a part of the various processes in the above-mentioned embodiment, such as collection, and the remaining processes may be executed by the control system 20 of each automobile 100. In this case, the server device 6 only collects field information and transfers it to the terminal devices 2 of the multiple automobiles 100. The control system 20 of each automobile 100 executes mapping based on the field information, generates information on the course or movable range of the automobile, and controls the movement based on the generated information.
Furthermore, for example, instead of the server device 6, the control system 20 of each automobile 100 may execute all of the various processes of the above-mentioned embodiment. In this case, the process of the server device 6 may be read as the process of each automobile 100. Then, the server device 6 may transmit the information collected from the multiple automobiles 100 to each automobile 100 so as to relay the information. In this case, the server device 6 may not transmit field information to each automobile 100 uniformly, but may transmit, for example, field information of other automobiles 100 in the surrounding area required by each automobile 100. For example, the server device 6 may transmit field information of other automobiles 100 in a predetermined section or a predetermined area classified by the road on which each automobile 100 is traveling to each automobile 100.
In addition, for example, the server device 6 may be composed of a plurality of distributed server devices and may be provided to be distributed among a plurality of wireless base stations 4. The plurality of distributed server devices may be distributed to process information according to the stage of processing, or may be distributed to each area to correspond to the areas of the plurality of wireless base stations 4. The plurality of distributed server devices corresponding to each of the plurality of wireless base stations 4 may be provided integrally with the wireless base station 4. In this case, the distributed server device may manage the routing of data by the wireless base station 4, and may immediately process data received from the automobile 100 and transmit it to the automobile 100. The wireless base station 4 having such a function of the distributed server device can minimize the transmission delay time of information. The wireless base station 4 having the function of the distributed server device can, for example, execute part of the processing of the control system 20 of the automobile 100 in place of it, and function as a part of the components of the control system 20 of the automobile 100. The plurality of wireless base stations 4, for example, realize the processing of the server device 6 described above in a distributed manner by cooperative processing in which they communicate with each other without going through the server device 6. In this case, each wireless base station 4 fixedly installed with respect to the road may, for example, classify information of the multiple automobiles 100 accommodated in each communication area into multiple roads based on the position within each communication area, group the information based on the road classification, and relay the grouped information to multiple other wireless base stations 4. A server device 6 separate from the multiple wireless base stations 4 may not be necessary. Also, the processing of the server device 6 described above may be distributed and realized by cooperative processing between the multiple wireless base stations 4 and the server device 6.
Furthermore, for example, the wireless base station 4 used together with the server device 6 may be a general-purpose wireless base station capable of communicating with a mobile terminal, or a wireless base station provided exclusively for the automobile 100 or the like. A base station for ADAS communication or the like is provided on an expressway. The base station for ADAS communication can be used as the wireless base station 4 in the above-mentioned embodiment. Also, the automobile 100 may communicate with the base station or the server device 6 through another automobile 100 by, for example, V2V, instead of directly communicating with the base station or the server device 6.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile information providing system 1 has one server device 6. In addition, for example, the mobile information providing system 1 may include multiple server devices 6. The multiple server devices 6 may be assigned different areas, or may be assigned overlapping areas such as a wide area and a narrow area. The multiple server devices 6 may be distributed in the mobile information providing system 1 by multiple carriers. The multiple server devices 6 may process their respective areas and cooperate with each other by sending and receiving information to each other. When another server device 6 fails, the server device 6 may also process the area of the other server device 6. In these cases, the multiple server devices 6 can realize the processing of the server device 6 described in each of the above-described embodiments. The mobile information providing system 1 may be made redundant by using an alternative server device 6 that is not normally used.

The first embodiment described above is an example of applying the present invention based on the first embodiment of the previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-240029. An example of executing the processing of the server device 6 in Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-240029 by the automobile 100 is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-240030. In addition, the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-240031 describes another example of the mobility information providing system 1. The contents of these applications are incorporated by reference into this application.
For example, the configuration and processing of the travel information providing system 1 of the first embodiment exemplified in this application may be changed from that shown in Fig. 12 to that shown in Fig. 19 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-240029. Even in this case, the effects of the present invention can be obtained by applying the contents of each of the above-mentioned embodiments to the modified configuration and processing of the travel information providing system 1.

The times in the mobility information providing system 1 are the time when the automobile 100 transmits to the server device 6, the time when the server device 6 receives, the time when the server device 6 transmits the processing result to the automobile 100, the measured time when the automobile 100 receives the processing result, the predicted time that the automobile 100 is scheduled to pass, and the actual driving time that the automobile 100 actually drives the predicted section. In a closed system, the time difference between the automobile 100 and the server device 6 can be shortened.

1...mobile information providing system, 2...terminal device, 3...base station side system, 4...wireless base station, 5...dedicated network, 6...server device, 11...server communication device, 12...server GNSS receiver, 13...server memory, 14...server CPU, 15...server bus, 20...control system, 21...driving ECU, 22...steering ECU, 23...braking ECU, 24...driving control ECU, 25...driving operation ECU, 26...detection ECU, 27...external communication ECU, 28...UI operation ECU, 3 0...vehicle network, 31...bus cable, 32...central gateway, 41...display device, 42...operation device, 51...steering wheel, 52...brake pedal, 53...accelerator pedal, 54...shift lever, 61...speed sensor, 62...acceleration sensor, 63...stereo camera, 64...in-vehicle camera, 65...microphone, 66...GNSS receiver, 71...communication device, 72...communication memory, 81...control memory, 100...automobile (mobile body), 110...GNSS satellite

Claims (15)

A mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies ;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the course or movable range information;
having
The mapping unit:
Mapping current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a navigation chart and recording them in a moving body list;
Estimating the current location and the future predicted location of a moving object for which no new information has been acquired from the moving object list , and mapping them on a navigation chart;
The generation unit is
generating information on a course or a movable range that each of the plurality of moving bodies can move without interfering with other moving bodies based on the operation chart;
Mobility information system.
A mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
having
The mapping unit:
Mapping an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the area increasing in size from a basic size depending on the time elapsed since the last acquired information about the moving object;
The generation unit is
generating an interference judgment result when the occupied areas of a plurality of moving bodies overlap in the operation chart;
The control unit is
When the interference determination result is obtained, a movement control is executed to suppress the interference by decelerating or by ensuring a vehicle-to-vehicle distance.
Mobility information system.
The mapping unit:
If the size of the occupied area to be mapped is equal to or larger than a predetermined multiple of the basic size, a flag is set to forcibly generate an interference determination result;
The generation unit is
generating an interference determination result if the flag is set;
The mobility information providing system according to claim 2 .
The mapping unit:
The mapping size of the occupancy area is expanded based on at least one of information on the size of the moving body, a position error according to the elapsed time or the moving distance from the acquisition point of the information used for mapping, a moving state of the moving body, a control state of the moving body, and a state of an occupant of a vehicle as the moving body.
4. The transportation information providing system according to claim 2 or 3 .
A mobility information providing system that can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
having
The mapping unit:
Determining the possibility of lane changing for a moving object that cannot acquire new information and is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions;
When it is determined that a lane change is possible, the lane change section is mapped to the lane or road to which the lane change is to be made on the operation chart;
The generation unit is
Generate information on a course or a movable range for restricting the movement of a moving object moving on the lane or road to which the change is made by suppressing the speed or maintaining a distance between vehicles;
The control unit is
When the information for suppressing movement is acquired, a movement control for suppressing interference to ensure deceleration or a vehicle-to-vehicle distance is executed.
Mobility information system.
The mapping unit:
When another following moving body moving behind the moving body for which new information has not been acquired enters the lane change section, the mapping of the lane change section is cancelled.
The mobility information providing system according to claim 5 .
The control unit is
When the information generated by the generation unit cannot be received,
When the current position of the latest information received from the generating unit does not match the position detected by the vehicle itself, or
If the route from the current position in the latest information received from the generating unit is not clear and drivable,
Switching from movement control using the information of the generation unit to movement control based on the vehicle information;
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The mobility information providing system includes a plurality of terminal devices that can be used in each of the plurality of mobile objects,
The plurality of communication devices provided for the predetermined area or the predetermined section in which the plurality of mobile bodies move communicate with the terminal devices used in the mobile bodies moving in the predetermined area or the predetermined section that the plurality of communication devices are responsible for.
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The control unit is provided in a vehicle as the moving body.
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
A server device of a mobility information providing system, which is capable of receiving information related to the movements of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and capable of transmitting information that can be used for determining or controlling the movements of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
At least the collecting unit, the mapping unit, and the generating unit;
The mapping unit:
Mapping current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a navigation chart and recording them in a moving body list;
Estimating the current location and the future predicted location of a moving object for which no new information has been acquired from the moving object list, and mapping them on a navigation chart;
The generation unit is
generating information on a course or a movable range that each of the plurality of moving bodies can move without interfering with other moving bodies based on the operation chart;
Server device.
A server device of a mobility information providing system, which is capable of receiving information related to the movements of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and capable of transmitting information that can be used for determining or controlling the movements of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system ,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies ;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
At least the collecting unit, the mapping unit, and the generating unit ;
The mapping unit:
Mapping an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the area increasing in size from a basic size depending on the time elapsed since the last acquired information about the moving object;
The generation unit is
When the occupied areas of a plurality of moving bodies overlap on the operation chart, an interference judgment result is generated, and the control unit is made to execute a movement control for suppressing the interference by decelerating or ensuring a vehicle-to-vehicle distance.
Server device.
A server device of a mobility information providing system, which is capable of receiving information related to the movements of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and capable of transmitting information that can be used for determining or controlling the movements of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system ,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies ;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the course or movable range information;
At least the collecting unit, the mapping unit, and the generating unit ;
The mapping unit:
Determining the possibility of lane changing for a moving object that cannot acquire new information and is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions;
When it is determined that a lane change is possible, the lane change section is mapped to the lane or road to which the lane change is to be made on the operation chart;
The generation unit is
Generate information on a course or a movable range for restricting the movement of a moving object moving on the lane or road to which the lane or road is to be changed by suppressing the speed or maintaining a space between vehicles, and have the control unit execute a movement control for suppressing interference to ensure deceleration or a space between vehicles;
Server device.
A vehicle of a mobile information providing system, which can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
The present invention includes at least the mapping unit, the generating unit, and the control unit,
The mapping unit:
Mapping current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies on a navigation chart and recording them in a moving body list;
Estimating the current location and the future predicted location of a moving object for which no new information has been acquired from the moving object list, and mapping them on a navigation chart;
The generation unit is
generating information on a course or a movable range that each of the plurality of moving bodies can move without interfering with other moving bodies based on the operation chart;
vehicle.
A vehicle of a mobile information providing system, which can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
The present invention includes at least the mapping unit, the generating unit, and the control unit,
The mapping unit:
Mapping an occupied area onto a traffic chart, the area increasing in size from a basic size depending on the time elapsed since the last acquired information about the moving object;
The generation unit is
generating an interference judgment result when the occupied areas of a plurality of moving bodies overlap in the operation chart;
The control unit is
When the interference determination result is obtained, a movement control is executed to suppress the interference by decelerating or by ensuring a vehicle-to-vehicle distance.
vehicle.
A vehicle of a mobile information providing system, which can receive information related to the movement of a plurality of moving objects using a plurality of communication devices provided in a predetermined area or a predetermined section, and can transmit information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the plurality of moving objects,
In the mobility information providing system,
A collection unit that collects field information including information about the movements of the plurality of moving objects or pre-processed information obtained by processing the field information;
a mapping unit that maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on a travel chart of a driving situation in which a position along a lane is on the horizontal axis and time is on the vertical axis based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a generation unit that uses a navigation chart in which current positions and predicted future positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on a course or a movable range in which each of the plurality of moving bodies can move, which does not interfere with other moving bodies;
a control unit that controls the movement of each of the plurality of moving bodies by using information that can be used for determining or controlling the movement of each of the moving bodies, the information being obtained based on the generated course or movable range information or the information on the course or movable range information;
The present invention includes at least the mapping unit, the generating unit, and the control unit,
The mapping unit:
Determining the possibility of lane changing for a moving object that cannot acquire new information and is heading toward a road junction or a road with lane restrictions;
When it is determined that a lane change is possible, the lane change section is mapped to the lane or road to which the lane change is to be made on the operation chart;
The generation unit is
Generate information on a course or a movable range for restricting the movement of a moving object moving on the lane or road to which the change is made by suppressing the speed or maintaining a distance between vehicles;
The control unit is
When the information for suppressing movement is acquired, a movement control for suppressing interference to ensure deceleration or a vehicle-to-vehicle distance is executed.
vehicle.

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