Vehicle guidance system, vehicle guidance method, management device, and control method for same

• US 9,607,511 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Wakayama, Hisaya, Shiota, Naoki, Kamimura, Junpei, Iga, Norihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stroud, James E
• Application Number:
  US15/027,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20160232787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 701/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights

Abstract

This vehicle guidance system carries out guidance of vehicles that are traveling on roads making up a road network, the vehicle guidance system being provided with: a flow detection unit that detects the flow of vehicles on each of the roads making up a road network, and generates flow information indicating the detection result; a storage unit that creates associations between the flow information for the roads which has been generated by the flow detection unit, and road-identifying information indicating the corresponding roads, and storing the information; a decision unit that, for each of the roads making up the road network, specifies a candidate road that is a road which vehicles flow from the road in question, acquires the flow information that is stored in association with the road-identifying information indicating the specified candidate road in question, and based on the acquired flow information, decides on a flow increase or decrease policy of vehicles on the candidate road; and a guidance unit that carries out guidance of the vehicles, in accordance with the decision by the decision unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle guidance system that guides vehicles traveling on roads included in a road network, the vehicle guidance system comprising:

a flow rate detection unit that detects a flow rate of vehicles on each of the roads included in the road network, and generating flow rate information representing a detection result;

a storage unit that stores the flow rate information of each of the roads generated by the flow rate detection unit in association with road identification information that identifies a road corresponding to the flow rate information;

a determination unit that specifies, as a candidate road, a road which vehicles enter from each of the roads included in the road network, acquires the flow rate information stored in the storage unit in association with the road identification information of the candidate road specified, and determines a rule regarding changing of the flow rate of vehicles on the candidate road based on the flow rate information acquired; and

a guidance unit that guides vehicles according to a determination result by the determination unit.

2. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance unit guides a larger number of vehicles to the candidate road on which the determination unit determined that the flow rate of vehicles is to be increased than to the candidate road on which the determination unit determined that the flow rate of vehicles is to be decreased, out of the candidate roads specified.

3. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flow rate detection device that is installed on the road included in the road network and includes the flow rate detection unit;

a vehicle guidance device that is installed at each of intersections where a plurality of the roads are connected to each other and includes the guidance unit; and

a management device that is communicable with the flow rate detection device and the vehicle guidance device and includes the storage unit and the determination unit.

4. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flow rate detection device that installs on the road included in the road network and includes the flow rate detection unit; and

a vehicle guidance device that is communicable with the flow rate detection device, installs at each of intersections where a plurality of the roads are connected to each other, and includes the storage unit, the determination unit and the guidance unit,

wherein the determination unit specifies the candidate road which vehicles enter from each of roads connected to the intersection where the vehicle guidance device is installed.

5. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position detection unit mounted on a vehicle for periodically detecting a position of the vehicle and generating position information representing a detected position;

a vehicle guidance device that is installed at each of intersections where a plurality of the roads are connected to each other, and includes the guidance unit; and

a management device that is communicable with the vehicle and the vehicle guidance device, and includes the flow rate detection unit, the storage unit, and the determination unit,

wherein the flow rate detection unit acquires the position information generated by the position detection unit, and detects the flow rate of vehicles on each of the roads based on the position information acquired.

6. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance unit causes a display device installed at an intersection to display for guiding the vehicles.

7. The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1 wherein

the guidance unit causes a display device provided in the vehicle to display for guiding the vehicles.

8. A vehicle guidance method for guiding vehicles traveling on roads included in a road network in a vehicle guidance system, the vehicle guidance method comprising:

detecting a flow rate of vehicles on each of the roads included in the road network, and generating flow rate information representing a detection result;

storing the flow rate information of each of the roads in association with road identification information that identifies a road corresponding to the flow rate information;

specifying, as a candidate road, a road which vehicles enter from each of the roads included in the road network, acquiring the flow rate information stored in association with the road identification information of the candidate road specified, and determining a rule regarding changing of the flow rate of vehicles on the candidate road based on the flow rate information acquired; and

guiding vehicles according to a determination result.

9. A management device comprising:

An acquisition unit that acquires flow rate information representing a detection result on a flow rate of vehicles on each of roads included in a road network;

a storage unit that stores the flow rate information of each of the roads acquired by the acquisition unit in association with road identification information that identifies a road corresponding to the flow rate information; and

a determination unit that specifies, as a candidate road, a road which vehicles enter from each of the roads included in the road network, acquires the flow rate information stored in the storage unit in association with the road identification information of the candidate road specified, determining a rule regarding changing of the flow rate of vehicles on the candidate road based on the flow rate information acquired and causing guidance unit that guides vehicles to guide the vehicles according to the determination result.

10. A method for controlling a management device which manages guiding of vehicles traveling on each of roads included in a road network, the method comprising:

acquiring flow rate information representing a detection result on a flow rate of vehicles on each of the roads included in the road network;

storing the flow rate information of each road in association with road identification information that identifies a road corresponding to the flow rate information; and

specifying, as a candidate road, a road which vehicles enter from each of the roads included in the road network, acquiring the stored flow rate information in association with the road identification information of the candidate road specified, determining a rule regarding changing of a flow rate of vehicles on the candidate road based on the flow rate information acquired and causing guidance unit that guides vehicles to guide the vehicles according to the determination result.