Traffic information estimation device and traffic information estimation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10147317-B2
Application number	US-201515542361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2015
Priority date	Mar 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a traffic information estimation device and a traffic information estimation method for estimating a time period of switching of a traffic signal display. The traffic information estimation device includes: an acquisition unit ( 203 ) acquiring arrangement information indicating an arrangement of vehicles in accordance with a time passage on a road on which a traffic signal is installed; a determination unit ( 205 ) determining changes in density of the vehicles by using the arrangement information; and a calculation unit ( 206 ) calculating a display change cycle indicating a time period of switching of a display of the traffic signal based on a time interval between the changes in density of the vehicles. According to such a configuration, it is possible to simplify processing to estimate of a change cycle of the traffic signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A traffic information estimation device mounted on each of vehicles and performing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicles on a road on which a traffic signal is installed and forming a network by sharing information via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, comprising:
an acquirer acquiring a distribution data including position information indicating respective positions of the vehicles and time information indicating time points when the vehicles were present at the respective positions, which are accumulated in each of the vehicles on the road, from one of the vehicles forming the network, and acquiring arrangement information indicating an arrangement of the vehicles in accordance with a time passage on the road on which the traffic signal is installed by using the distribution data;
a determinator determining changes in a density of the vehicles by using the arrangement information; and
a calculator calculating a display change cycle indicating a time period of switching of a display of the traffic signal based on a time interval between the changes in the density of the vehicles.

2. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement information indicates formation of a vehicle group of the vehicles on the road at each of the time points.

3. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculator performs determination that the traffic signal is switched to red when the density of vehicles traveling toward the traffic signal changes from sparse to dense or when the density of vehicles traveling away from the traffic signal changes from dense to sparse, and calculates the display change cycle of the traffic signal in accordance with the determination.

4. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculator performs determination that the traffic signal is switched to green when the density of vehicles traveling toward the traffic signal changes from dense to sparse or when the density of vehicles traveling away from the traffic signal changes from sparse to dense, and calculates the display change cycle of the traffic signal in accordance with the determination.

5. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement information acquired by the acquirer indicates an arrangement of vehicles in accordance with a time passage on an opposite lane of the road on which the traffic signal is installed,
wherein the determinator determines changes in a density of vehicles on the opposite lane by using the arrangement information, and
wherein the calculator calculates the display change cycle of the traffic signal based on a time interval between the changes in the density of vehicles on the opposite lane.

6. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement information acquired by the acquirer indicates an arrangement of vehicles in accordance with a time passage on a road intersecting the road on which the traffic signal is installed,
wherein the determinator determines changes in a density of vehicles on the road intersecting the road on which the traffic signal is installed by using the arrangement information, and
wherein the calculator calculates the display change cycle of the traffic signal based on a time interval between the changes in the density of vehicles on the road intersecting the road on which the traffic signal is installed.

7. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a communicator receiving distribution data including position information indicating positions of the vehicles, and time information indicating time points when the vehicles were present at the positions,
wherein the acquirer acquires the arrangement information based on the distribution data received by the communicator.

8. The traffic information estimation device according to claim 7 , further comprising a generator generating distribution data including position information indicating a position of a host vehicle, and time information indicating a time point when the host vehicle was present at the position,
wherein the communicator transmits the distribution data generated by the generator.

9. A traffic information estimation method performing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication between vehicles via a traffic information estimation device mounted on each of vehicles on a road on which a traffic signal is installed and forming a network by sharing information via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the method comprising:
acquiring a distribution data including position information indicating respective positions of the vehicles and time information indicating time points when the vehicles were present at the respective positions, which are accumulated in each of the vehicles on the road, from one of the vehicles forming the network, and acquiring arrangement information indicating an arrangement of the vehicles in accordance with a time passage on the road on which the traffic signal is installed by using the distribution data;
determining changes in density of the vehicles by using the arrangement information; and
calculating a display change cycle indicating a time period of switching of a display of the traffic signal based on a time interval between the changes in density of the vehicles.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Hirata Akira
• Ujiie Junya
• Yoshida Michinori
• Tomaru Yoshihiro
• Shimotani Mitsuo
• Okabe Ryo

Classifications

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · CPC title

• G08G1/096 Primary

  provided with indicators in which a mark progresses showing the time elapsed, e.g. of green phase · CPC title

• G08G1/096741

  where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle · CPC title

• G08G1/096791

  where the origin of the information is another vehicle · CPC title