Road stud system, method for controlling road stud, and control program of road stud

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12065794-B2
Application number	US-202217988838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2022
Priority date	Nov 26, 2021
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

In a road stud system, a road stud includes a terminal storage unit, a light emission unit, and a radio communication unit. The light emission unit emits a light having a first color tone or a second color tone in a first or second direction. The radio communication unit receives an instruction signal for an operation of the light emission unit. A control system that controls a plurality of road studs includes a determination unit and an instruction unit. The determination unit determines whether an overlapping area is in a first state in which passage of a pedestrian is prioritized or a second state in which passage of an automobile is prioritized. The instruction unit sends an instruction signal, in accordance with the result of the determination, regarding the direction of the light emission and the color tone to each of the road studs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A road stud system comprising a control system for controlling a plurality of road studs embedded in or on outer edges of an overlapping area where a sidewalk and a roadway overlap each other and the plurality of road studs controlled by the control system, wherein
each of the road studs comprises:
a terminal storage unit configured to store preset identification information;
a light emission unit configured to emit a light having a first color tone or a second color tone that is different from the first color tone in a preset first direction or a second direction that is different from the first direction; and
a radio communication unit configured to receive an instruction signal for an operation of the light emission unit from the preset control system based on the identification information, and

the control system comprises:
a determination unit configured to determine whether the overlapping area is in a first state in which passage of a pedestrian is prioritized or a second state in which passage of an automobile is prioritized; and
an instruction unit for sending an instruction signal, in accordance with the result of the determination, regarding the direction of the light emission and the color tone to each of the road studs, wherein

each of the road studs further comprises a moving body detection unit configured to generate a detection signal indicating that a nearby moving body has been detected and the radio communication unit transmits the detection signal to the control system,
the determination unit further determines whether or not it is possible that a moving body may enter the overlapping area based on the detection signal, and
when the result of the determination shows that the overlapping area is in the first state, the instruction unit instructs that a light having the second color tone be emitted in the first direction in a case in which it is possible that an automobile may enter the overlapping area.

2. The road stud system according to claim 1 , wherein
when the result of the determination shows that the overlapping area is in the first state, the instruction unit instructs that a light having the first color tone be emitted in the first direction and instructs that a light having the second color tone be emitted in the second direction, and
when the result of the determination shows that the overlapping area is in the second state, the instruction unit instructs that a light having the second color tone be emitted in the first direction and instructs that a light having the first color tone be emitted in the second direction.

3. The road stud system according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination unit sets the result of the determination as the first state when a pedestrian is detected in a sidewalk which is in or near the overlapping area or when an automobile is not detected in a roadway which is in or near the overlapping area, and
the determination unit sets the result of the determination as the second state when the result of the determination shows that the overlapping area is not in the first state.

4. The road stud system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control system further comprises:
a group control apparatus including a group control unit that is connected to each of the plurality of road studs in such a way that the group control apparatus and each of the plurality of road studs can perform radio communication, the group control unit controlling the plurality of road studs based on the identification information; and
an overall control apparatus that is connected to a plurality of the group control apparatuses in such a way that the overall control apparatus and the plurality of the group control apparatuses can communicate with each other and controls the plurality of road studs based on the identification information via the group control apparatus.

5. The road stud system according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal storage unit stores unique fixed position information as the identification information.

6. The road stud system according to claim 5 , wherein the control system instructs the road studs embedded in positions along the outer edges of the overlapping area in the first state or the second state to perform a light emission operation based on the fixed position information.

7. A method for controlling a road stud executed by a control system for controlling a plurality of road studs embedded in or on outer edges of an overlapping area where a sidewalk and a roadway overlap each other and the plurality of road studs controlled by the control system, wherein
each of the road studs comprises:
a terminal storage step of storing preset identification information;
a light emission step of emitting a light having a first color tone or a second color tone which is different from the first color tone in a preset first direction or a second direction that is different from the first direction; and
a radio communication step of receiving, based on the identification information, an instruction signal for an operation of the light emission step from the preset control system, and

the control system comprises:
a determination step of determining whether the overlapping area is in a first state in which passage of a pedestrian is prioritized or a second state in which passage of an automobile is prioritized; and
an instruction step of sending an instruction signal, in accordance with the result of the determination, regarding the direction of the light emission and the color tone to each of the road studs, wherein

each of the road studs further comprises a moving body detection step of generating a detection signal indicating that a nearby moving body has been detected and the radio communication step transmits the detection signal to the control system,
the determination step further determines whether or not it is possible that a moving body may enter the overlapping area based on the detection signal, and
when the result of the determination shows that the overlapping area is in the first state, the instruction step instructs that a light having the second color tone be emitted in the first direction in a case in which it is possible that an automobile may enter the overlapping area.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling road studs, the program being a control program of road studs and executed by a control system for controlling a plurality of road studs embedded in or on outer edges of an overlapping area where a sidewalk and a roadway overlap each other and the plurality of road studs controlled by the control system, wherein
each of the road studs comprises:
a terminal storage step of storing preset identification information;
a light emission step of emitting a light having a first color tone or a second color tone which is different from the first color tone in a preset first direction or a second direction that is different from the first direction; and
a radio communication step of receiving, based on the identification information, an instruction signal for an operation of the light emission step from the preset control system, and

the control system comprises:
a determination step of determining whether the overlapping area is in a first state in which passage of a pedestrian is prioritized or a second state in which passage of an automobile is prioritized; and
an instruction step of sending an instruction signal, in accordance with the result of the determination, regarding the direction of the light emission and the color tone to each of the road studs, wherein

each of the road studs further comprises a moving body detection step of generating a detection

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oikawa Susumu
• Nakatani Hiroyuki
• Kitahama Kenichi

Classifications

• E01F9/30

  Arrangements interacting with transmitters or receivers otherwise than by visible means, e.g. using radar reflectors or radio transmitters (E01F11/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G08G1/166

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• G08G1/02

  using treadles built into the road (pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00) · CPC title

• G08G1/095

  Traffic lights · CPC title

• G08G1/005

  including pedestrian guidance indicator · CPC title