Center-side system and vehicle-side system

• US 9,478,127 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Ohki, Hidehiko, Mikuriya, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US14/240,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20140207362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/13 the indicator being in the form of a map

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of estimating a waiting time at an energy refilling facility for each of drive types. A center-side system includes a center-side receiver that receives, from a vehicle-side system, probe vehicle position information and drive type information that is information regarding a drive type of a probe vehicle. Then, the center-side system includes: a traffic condition estimation unit that estimates a traffic condition, which includes a drive type-classified number of vehicles, based on the probe vehicle position information and the drive type information, which are received by the center-side receiver; and a center-side transmitter that transmits, to an outside, the traffic condition estimated by the traffic condition estimation unit.

Claims

1. A center-side system in a probe information system, the center-side system receiving upload of traffic information from a vehicle-side system mounted on probe vehicles, comprising:

a receiver connected to a communication network connected to said vehicle-side system;

a transmitter; and

a processor configured to execute a process of

obtaining, via the receiver, vehicle position information that is information regarding positions of said probe vehicles, and drive type information that is information regarding drive types of said probe vehicles,

estimating a traffic condition, the traffic condition including a drive type-classified quantification of vehicles, which includes an estimated total number of vehicles for each of said drive types of said probe vehicles on each of roads, based on said vehicle position information obtained by said receiver and on said drive type information obtained by said receiver, and

at least one of;

transmitting, via the transmitter, to a destination outside of said center-side system, said estimated traffic condition including said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles, and

allowing said estimated traffic condition including said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles to be browsed by a browser having access from the outside;

wherein said process estimates said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles for each of possible traveling distances based on said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles of said estimated traffic condition, and on a distribution of said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles with respect to the possible traveling distances, and has said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles for each of the possible traveling distances included in said estimated traffic condition.

2. The center-side system according to claim 1, wherein

said process estimates an energy refining facility, from which each of the vehicles tries to receive energy refilling, based on said drive type-classified quantification of vehicles for each of the possible traveling distances, and has the energy refining facility included in said estimated traffic condition.

3. The center-side system according to claim 2, wherein

said receiver receives, from said vehicle-side system, vehicle speed information that is information regarding a speed of said probe vehicle, and

said process further estimates a waiting time of said probe vehicle at said energy refining facility based on said estimated energy refilling facility, and on said vehicle speed information received by said receiver, and has the waiting time included in said traffic condition.