JP7549490B2 - Mobility information providing system and server device - Google Patents

Description

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

For automobiles and other vehicles, development of autonomous 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 the moving information of a plurality of moving bodies in a server device of the mobile information providing system, and to 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, the moving object, such as a vehicle, is not necessarily able to move appropriately and safely.
For example, when attempting to collect information on a plurality of mobile objects moving within a specific area or section and generate instructions for each of the mobile objects, the processing load is essentially high.
Moreover, an emergency such as an accident may occur in a specified area or section of a moving body. In this case, it is necessary to reliably generate instructions to change the movement of the moving body where the emergency occurred and the surrounding moving bodies. On the other hand, if the processing load increases excessively due to an emergency, the processing of the mobile information providing system may not be able to keep up, and the moving body may not be able to obtain the necessary instructions. If such a situation actually occurs, the moving body will not be able to move safely in response to the emergency.

As such, vehicles and other moving objects need to be able to move while maintaining safety according to the situation.

A mobility information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a mobility information providing system capable of receiving information relating 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 capable of transmitting information that can be used for movement judgment or movement control in each of the plurality of moving bodies, the system comprising: 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 positions of the plurality of moving bodies based on the information collected by the collection unit; an overall generation unit that is capable of repeatedly generating information on paths or movable ranges for the plurality of moving bodies in the predetermined area or a predetermined section using the information in which the positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit; and a mobile information providing system that provides information on the moving bodies in a portion of the predetermined area or a predetermined section. When a specific area is set, the identification unit generates information on the paths or movable ranges of the multiple moving bodies in the specific area using information in which the positions of the multiple moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit, and an identification unit identifies the specific area in the specified area or the specified section based on the information collected by the collection unit, and when new information is generated by the mapping unit before the generation process by the overall generation unit is completed for the information previously generated by the mapping unit, the identification unit interrupts the generation process by the overall generation unit and causes the identification generation unit to execute a generation process using the new information, thereby causing the identification generation unit to execute a generation process for information on the paths or movable ranges of the moving bodies in the specific area in priority to the overall generation unit.

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, based on the information collected by the collection unit, the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies onto a traffic chart of driving conditions with the position along a lane on the horizontal axis and time on the vertical axis, and the overall generation unit can use the traffic chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to repeatedly generate information on routes or possible ranges of movement for the multiple moving bodies in the specified area or specified section, which does not interfere with or approach other moving bodies heading from the current position to the future predicted position, and when a specific area for the moving bodies is set in a part of the specified area or specified section, the specific generation unit can use the traffic chart on which the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit to generate information on routes or possible ranges of movement for the multiple moving bodies in the specific area, which does not interfere with or approach other moving bodies heading from the current position to the future predicted position.

Preferably , when the specific area is identified by the identification unit, the identification generation unit executes a generation process for the multiple moving objects in the specific area prior to the overall generation unit.

Preferably, the identification unit manages the identification generation unit and the overall generation unit, and in normal times when the specific area has not been identified for the specified area or the specified section, causes the identification generation unit and the overall generation unit in the overall generation unit to execute a generation process for the multiple moving bodies in the specified area or the specified section, and in times when the specific area has been identified for the specified area or the specified section, causes the identification generation unit to execute a generation process for the multiple moving bodies in the specific area, and causes the overall generation unit to execute a generation process for the remaining multiple moving bodies outside the specific area.

Preferably, the mapping unit repeatedly maps the positions of the multiple moving bodies based on the information collected by the collection unit, and the identification unit causes the identification generation unit and the overall generation unit to generate information on the paths or possible movement ranges of the multiple moving bodies each time new information is generated by the mapping unit to map the positions of the multiple moving bodies.

Preferably, the identification unit identifies a section of a road or lane where a moving object whose information collected by the collection unit includes emergency information is located as the specific area, and the identification generation unit generates information on a course or movable range based on deceleration for multiple moving objects in the specific area.

Preferably, each of the multiple moving bodies has 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 to determine or control the movement of each moving body obtained based on the information on the course or movable range, and a notification unit that, when the identification unit has identified the specific area, notifies a moving body moving in the specific area that it is moving in the specific area, and the control unit changes the movement control of each moving body in response to the notification from the notification unit.
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 providing system that can receive information related to the movements of a plurality of moving objects 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 objects, and includes a collection unit in the mobility information providing system 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 positions of the plurality of moving objects based on the information collected by the collection unit, an overall generation unit that can repeatedly generate information on paths or movable ranges for the plurality of moving objects in the predetermined area or a predetermined section using the information in which the positions of the plurality of moving objects are mapped by the mapping unit, and a mobile information generating unit that can generate information on paths or movable ranges for the plurality of moving objects in the predetermined area or a predetermined section. The information processing device has an identification generation unit that, when a specific area for the moving body is set in the mapping unit, generates information on the paths or movable range of the multiple moving bodies in the specific area using information in which the positions of the multiple moving bodies are mapped by the mapping unit, and an identification unit that identifies the specific area in the specified area or the specified section based on the information collected by the collection unit, and when new information is generated by the mapping unit before the generation process by the overall generation unit is completed for the information previously generated by the mapping unit, the identification unit interrupts the generation process by the overall generation unit and has the identification generation unit execute a generation process using the new information, thereby causing the identification generation unit to execute a generation process for information on the paths or movable range of the moving bodies in the specific area in priority to the overall generation unit.

The present invention allows a moving object to move safely.

In addition, in the present invention, a specific area can be set for a part of a specified region or section that is managed by the mobility information providing system. When a specific area is set, the specific generation unit generates information on the paths or possible movement ranges of multiple moving bodies in the specific area in priority over the overall generation unit. As a result, in the present invention, even if the processing load of the mobility information providing system becomes large, it is possible to ensure that information on the paths or possible movement ranges of the movements of at least multiple moving bodies in the specific area is generated.

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 an explanatory diagram of functions realized by a server device of the third specific example. FIG. 14 is a timing chart of normal processing by the server device of FIG. FIG. 15 is a timing chart of emergency processing by the server device of FIG. FIG. 16 is a timing chart of emergency processing under high load by the server device of FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing detailed processing of step ST67 in FIG. 9 in the second embodiment. FIG. 18 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. 19 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 latitude and longitude of the satellite. This makes it possible to obtain the accurate 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 the 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, for example, several tens of milliseconds to several seconds.

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, on the order of 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 automobiles 100 estimated for a predetermined period of time after the road map time. The forecast map may be a road map at a time about 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 the processes from steps ST71 to ST74, and a control system 20 of an automobile 100 executes the processes 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. 17(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 the 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 complicated 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 Specific Example, Specific Example of Server Device 6]
When collecting information on a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a specific area or section and generating instructions for each automobile 100, the processing load on the server device 6 is essentially high.
Furthermore, an emergency such as an accident may occur in a specified area or section of the automobile 100. In this case, the server device 6 needs to reliably generate instructions to change the movement of the automobile 100 in which the emergency has occurred and other automobiles 100 in its vicinity.
On the other hand, if the processing load increases excessively due to an emergency or the like, the server device 6 of the mobility information providing system 1 may not be able to keep up with the processing. The server device 6 that is unable to keep up with the processing will not be able to give necessary instructions to the automobile 100. If such a situation actually occurs, the automobile 100 will not be able to move safely in response to the emergency or the like.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of functions realized by the server device 6 of the third specific example.
2 reads and executes a program recorded in the server memory 13. As a result, the server device 6 realizes a management unit 201, a collection unit 202, a mapping unit 203, an overall unit 204, an emergency unit 205, and a notification unit 206 as specific units.
13 also shows a server timer 207 connected to the server bus of the server device 6. The server timer 207 keeps track of time or clock time, such as a processing cycle.

The collection unit 202 periodically collects field information including information about the movements of multiple automobiles 100 or pre-processed information that is the processed field information.

The mapping unit 203 maps the positions of the multiple automobiles 100 to mapping data, such as a current map or a forecast map, on a repeated processing cycle basis based on the information collected by the collection unit 202.

Using the mapping data in which the positions of the multiple automobiles 100 are mapped by the mapping unit 203, the overall unit 204 repeatedly generates information on the routes or movable ranges of small sections in which the multiple automobiles 100 can move without interfering with each other, for the multiple automobiles 100 in a specified area or section, assuming, for example, the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 from their positions on the current map. The overall unit 204 can basically generate information on the routes or movable ranges in a processing cycle for all of the multiple automobiles 100 in a specified area or section.

The management unit 201 determines whether the information collected by the collection unit 202 includes emergency information of the automobile 100 for each processing cycle. When an emergency such as an accident occurs, the automobile 100 transmits emergency information to the server device 6. The emergency information may be from another server device or the like. When the automobile 100 that issued the emergency information is included, the management unit 201 specifies the section of the road or lane in which the automobile 100 is located as a specific area. Here, the specific area may be a part of the specific area or specific section that the server device 6 is responsible for, and may specify a part of the area or a part of the section of the route. In addition, the management unit 201 may specify the specific area without relying on the emergency information, for example, during a time period when traffic is congested. The management unit 201 may specify the specific area by fixing, for example, a day of the week or a time period when traffic is congested.
The management unit 201 also manages the resources of the server device 6. The management unit 201 manages, for example, the generation process by the emergency unit 205 and the generation process by the overall unit 204. The management unit 201 manages the processing of the emergency unit 205 and the overall unit 204 every time information in which the positions of the multiple automobiles 100 are mapped is newly generated for each processing cycle by the mapping unit 203. The management unit 201 generates, by the emergency unit 205 and the overall unit 204, information on the paths or movable ranges of small sections in which the multiple automobiles 100 can move safely without colliding with each other.

When a specific area for the automobiles 100 is set in a specific region or part of a specific section, the emergency unit 205 uses information on the positions of the automobiles 100 mapped by the mapping unit 203 to generate information on the path or movable range of a small section that changes the movement of the automobiles 100 in the specific area to slow down. This allows the movement of the automobiles 100 in the specific area to be basically controlled to slow down.
The overall unit 204 judges overall interference at a low cycle, and the emergency unit 205 judges local interference corresponding to an emergency. By having the overall unit 204 and the emergency unit 205, the server device 6 can execute multi-rate processing according to the situation.

When the information collected by the collection unit 202 includes emergency information and a specific area is identified, the notification unit 206 transmits the relevant part of the information collected by the collection unit 202 to the automobile 100 moving in the specific area. The information transmitted by the notification unit 206 may include the emergency information transmitted by the automobile 100 to the server device 6.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart of normal processing by the server device 6 of FIG.
If the information collected by the collection unit 202 does not include emergency information, the server CPU 14 of the server device 6 executes the normal processing of FIG.
14, time flows from top to bottom. As shown in step ST200, the collection unit 202 continues to collect information from a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a predetermined area or a predetermined section.

When the server timer starts measuring a new processing cycle, in step ST201, the server CPU 14 executes management processing by the management unit 201. In the case of FIG. 14, the server CPU 14 does not identify a specific area because the collected information does not include emergency information. In this case, the server CPU 14 instructs the mapping unit 203 and the overall unit 204 to perform processing among the mapping unit 203, the notification unit 206, the emergency unit 205, and the overall unit 204.

In step ST202, the server CPU 14 executes the mapping process as the mapping unit 203.

In step ST203, the server CPU 14 executes the process of generating routes, etc. as the overall unit 204. Because no specific area has been specified, the server CPU 14 generates routes, etc. for each of the multiple automobiles 100 moving in the specified area or section based on the control instructions of the management unit 201. The generated routes, etc. are transmitted to the multiple automobiles 100. The control unit of the automobiles 100 then controls the movement of each automobile 100 for each small section of route or movable range, based on the information on the small section of route or movable range that is periodically and repeatedly generated for each automobile.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart of the emergency processing by the server device 6 of FIG.
When emergency information is included in the information collected by the collection unit 202, the server CPU 14 of the server device 6 executes the emergency process of FIG.
15, time flows from top to bottom. As shown in step ST200, the collection unit 202 continues to collect information from a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a predetermined area or a predetermined section.

When the server timer starts measuring a new processing cycle, in step ST201, the server CPU 14 executes management processing by the management unit 201. In the case of FIG. 15, the server CPU 14 identifies a specific area because the collected information includes emergency information. In this case, the server CPU 14 instructs the mapping unit 203, notification unit 206, emergency unit 205, and overall unit 204 to all carry out processing.

In step ST211, the server CPU 14 executes notification processing as the notification unit 206. The server CPU 14 transmits relevant information, including emergency information, to multiple automobiles 100 in a specific area. Based on the received information, the control unit of the automobile 100 controls the movement of each automobile 100, for example, to slow down.

In step ST202, the server CPU 14 executes the mapping process as the mapping unit 203.

In step ST212, the server CPU 14 executes a process of generating routes, etc. as the emergency unit 205. The server CPU 14 generates routes, etc. for each of the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area. The generated routes, etc. are transmitted to the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area. The control units of the automobiles 100 in the specific area can reliably receive information on the routes or movable ranges of the small sections for each automobile 100 and control the movement of each automobile.

In step ST213, the server CPU 14 executes a process of generating routes and the like as the overall unit 204. The server CPU 14 generates routes and the like for each of the remaining automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area. The generated routes and the like are transmitted to the automobiles 100 that are not in the specific area. The control units of the automobiles 100 that are not in the specific area receive information on the routes or movable ranges of the small sections for each of the automobiles 100, and can control the movement of each of the automobiles 100.
The server CPU 14 may generate routes and the like for all of the remaining automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area, or may generate routes and the like for some of the remaining automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area. The remaining automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area may be in a common moving state, for example, by platooning. In this case, the server CPU 14 may generate one route and the like common to the multiple automobiles 100 that are platooning. The server CPU 14 may skip the process of generating routes and the like for some of the remaining automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area.

In this way, when the server CPU 14 identifies a specific area for a specified region or section, the emergency unit 205 executes a generation process for multiple automobiles 100 that are in the specific area, and the overall unit 204 executes a generation process for the remaining multiple automobiles 100 that are outside the specific area.
Furthermore, when the server CPU 14 has specified a specific area, it can execute the generation process for the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area before the generation process for the remaining multiple automobiles 100 outside the specific area. In this way, the server CPU 14 can execute the generation process for the information on the path or movable range of the automobiles 100 in the specific area before the overall unit 204 for new mapping data.

FIG. 16 is a timing chart of the high-load emergency processing by the server device 6 of FIG.
When emergency information is included in the information collected by the collection unit 202, the server CPU 14 of the server device 6 may execute the emergency process shown in FIG.
16, time flows from top to bottom. As shown in step ST200, the collection unit 202 continues to collect information from a plurality of automobiles 100 moving in a predetermined area or a predetermined section.
The process performed by the server CPU 14 for each processing cycle in FIG. 16 is basically the same as that in FIG.

In step ST221, the server CPU 14, as the overall unit 204, executes a process of generating routes, etc. for the remaining multiple automobiles 100. The server CPU 14 generates routes, etc. for each of the remaining multiple automobiles 100 that are not included in the specific area. The generated routes, etc. are transmitted to the remaining multiple automobiles 100 that are not in the specific area.

Then, while the server CPU 14 is executing processing as the overall unit 204, when the timing for starting the next processing cycle arrives, the server CPU 14 interrupts the processing being performed as the overall unit 204. The server CPU 14 starts processing the new information. The server CPU 14 executes notification processing in step ST201 of the new processing cycle, executes mapping processing in step ST202, and generates routes and the like for multiple automobiles 100 in a specific area in step ST212.

Then, the server CPU 14 executes processing as the overall part 204 in a new step ST222. In this step ST222, the server CPU 14 resumes the remaining processing as the overall part 204 that was interrupted the previous time. When the remaining processing as the overall part 204 the previous time is completed, the server CPU 14 may start the remaining processing as a new overall part 204. This allows the control units of the remaining automobiles 100 that are not in the specific area to receive information on the course or movable range of each small section and control the movement of each automobile.

The server CPU 14 may transmit information collected from the multiple automobiles 100 other than emergency information in the notification process described above. The information collected from each automobile 100 may include not only the position and time of each automobile, but also, for example, sensor information indicating the state of each automobile, and images of the interior or exterior of the automobile captured by each automobile. By distributing such information in real time, each automobile 100 can independently generate a map showing the road conditions in the vicinity based on the captured images of the exterior of the automobile. Each automobile 100 may transmit information such as a micro map processed in this manner to the server CPU 14. By combining, for example, multiple micro maps processed in a distributed manner in the multiple automobiles 100, the server CPU 14 can easily identify the location of an object on the road without directly executing all of the series of processes for identifying the presence and location of an object on the road.

As described above, in this embodiment, the automobile 100 is able to travel safely.

In addition, in this embodiment, a specific area can be set for a part of the specified area or section that the mobility information providing system 1 is responsible for. When a specific area is set, the server CPU 14 generates information on the route or movable range that changes the movement of the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area, prior to the overall processing. As a result, in this embodiment, even if a situation occurs in which it is not easy to generate information on the route or movable range for all automobiles 100 in the specified area or section due to a large processing load on the mobility information providing system 1, it is possible to ensure that information on the route or movable range that changes the movement of at least the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area that need to change their movement is generated. In addition, information for the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area can be transmitted to the multiple automobiles 100 in the specific area without delay across processing cycles.

In addition, in this embodiment, if a specific area is not set for a specified area or a specified section, the server CPU 14 executes overall processing for multiple automobiles 100 in the entire specified area or specified section, as shown in FIG. 14. If a specific area is set, emergency processing for the specific area is executed in priority over overall processing for areas other than the specific area, as shown in FIG. 15. If there is still time remaining in the processing cycle after emergency processing for the specific area is executed, overall processing for areas other than the specific area is executed in a subordinate manner. If overall processing for areas other than the specific area cannot be completed within one processing cycle, the remaining time in the next or subsequent processing cycles is used to execute and complete overall processing for areas other than the specific area, as shown in FIG. 16.

[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 its own vehicle information, the control system 20 gives priority to using information detected by the autonomous sensor over 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. 17 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. 17 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 the automatic driving mode to the driving assistance mode, it will be a harsh situation for the user. In reality, it is expected that few users will be able to apply full braking 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 a good margin of 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. 18 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. 18 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. 19 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 be used for control or judgment to each of the multiple automobiles 100. 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 Figures 18 and 19.
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. A base station for ADAS communication 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 server device 6 through another automobile 100 by, for example, V2V, instead of directly communicating with the base station or 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. 18 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 (10)

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 positions of the plurality of moving objects based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a total generation unit capable of repeatedly generating information on paths or movable ranges of the plurality of moving objects in the predetermined area or predetermined section using information obtained by mapping the positions of the plurality of moving objects by the mapping unit;
a specific generation unit that generates information on paths or movable ranges of the multiple moving objects in a specific area when the specific area for the moving objects is set in the specific region or a part of the specific section, using information on the positions of the multiple moving objects mapped by the mapping unit;
an identification unit that identifies the specific area in the predetermined zone or the specific section based on information collected by the collection unit;
having
The identification unit is
When new information is generated by the mapping unit before the generation process by the overall generation unit for the information previously generated by the mapping unit is completed, the generation process by the overall generation unit is interrupted, and the specific generation unit is caused to execute the generation process using the new information,
causing the specific generation unit to execute a generation process for information on a course or a movable range of the moving object in the specific area, with priority over the overall generation unit;
Mobility information system.
The mapping unit maps current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving objects on 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,
the overall generation unit is capable of repeatedly generating information on paths or movable ranges of the plurality of moving bodies in the specified area or section, the paths or movable ranges being such that the moving bodies do not interfere with or come close to other moving bodies moving from their current positions to their future predicted positions, using the operation chart in which the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the plurality of moving bodies;
When a specific area for the moving body is set in the specific region or a part of the specific section, the specific generation unit uses the operation chart in which the mapping unit maps the current positions and future predicted positions of the multiple moving bodies to generate information on the paths or movable ranges of the multiple moving bodies in the specific area that will not interfere with or be close to other moving bodies moving from the current positions to the future predicted positions.
The transportation information providing system according to claim 1.
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.
3. The transportation information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.
When the specific area is specified by the specification unit, the specification generation unit executes a generation process for the plurality of moving objects in the specific area prior to the overall generation unit.
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The identification unit is
Manage the specific generation unit and the overall generation unit;
In a normal state where the specific area is not specified for the specific area or the specific section, the specific generation unit and the overall generation unit execute a generation process for the multiple moving objects in the specific area or the specific section;
When the specific area is specified for the specific region or the specific section, the specific generation unit executes a generation process for the plurality of moving objects that are in the specific area, and the overall generation unit executes a generation process for the remaining plurality of moving objects that are outside the specific area.
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The mapping unit repeatedly maps positions of the plurality of moving objects based on the information collected by the collection unit,
The identification unit causes the identification generation unit and the overall generation unit to generate information on paths or movable ranges of the plurality of moving bodies every time information in which the positions of the plurality of moving bodies are mapped is newly generated by the mapping unit.
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The identification unit is
Identifying a section of a road or a lane in which a moving object including emergency information is present in the information collected by the collection unit as the specific area;
The specific generation unit is
generating information on a course or a movable range based on deceleration for the plurality of moving bodies in the specific area;
The transportation information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
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;
a notification unit that notifies a moving object moving in the specific area that the moving object is moving in the specific area when the identification unit has identified the specific area;
having
The control unit changes a movement control of each moving object in response to the notification from the notification unit.
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 claim 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 positions of the plurality of moving objects based on the information collected by the collection unit;
a total generation unit capable of repeatedly generating information on paths or movable ranges of the plurality of moving objects in the predetermined area or predetermined section using information obtained by mapping the positions of the plurality of moving objects by the mapping unit;
a specific generation unit that generates information on paths or movable ranges of the multiple moving objects in the specific area by using information on which the positions of the multiple moving objects are mapped by the mapping unit when a specific area for the moving objects is set in the specific zone or a part of the specific section;
an identification unit that identifies the specific area in the predetermined zone or the specific section based on information collected by the collection unit;
having
The identification unit is
When new information is generated by the mapping unit before the generation process by the overall generation unit for the information previously generated by the mapping unit is completed, the generation process by the overall generation unit is interrupted, and the specific generation unit is caused to execute the generation process using the new information,
causing the specific generation unit to execute a generation process for information on a course or a movable range of the moving object in the specific area, with priority over the overall generation unit;
Server device.

Images