JP2017010221A - Information providing system, information providing apparatus, route signal information relay method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the utility value of route signal information. A system according to an aspect of the present invention includes first and second mobile communication devices 5A and 5B defined below, and an information providing device 3 that wirelessly communicates with first and second mobile communication devices 5A and 5B. With. The first mobile communication device 5A transmits the route signal information received from the roadside communication device 14 of the traffic control system 9 to the information providing device 3, and the information providing device 3 receives the route signal information received from the first mobile communication device 5A. Is transmitted to at least the second mobile communication device 5B, and the second mobile communication device 5B updates its own route signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing device 3. First mobile communication device 5A: mobile communication device 5 that received route signal information at a first time point second mobile communication device 5B: mobile communication device 5 that received route signal information at a second time point before the first time point Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information providing apparatus, a route signal information relay method, and a computer program. Specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in a method of providing route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route to a mobile communication device.

There is already known an information providing system that provides signal information of an intersection managed by a road manager to a vehicle from an optical beacon installed on a road upstream of the intersection (see Patent Document 1).
In this case, the in-vehicle device of the vehicle passing through the optical beacon determines whether or not the own vehicle can safely pass the intersection based on the signal information of the downstream intersection, and decelerates to the passenger when it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass. It is possible to implement safe driving support such as prompting.

It has already been proposed that the signal information provided from the optical beacon is route signal information including signal information of a plurality of intersections as well as one intersection.
In this case, the in-vehicle device of the vehicle that passes the optical beacon calculates the recommended speed when traveling on the route based on the signal information of a plurality of downstream intersections included in the route and notifies the driver in advance, It becomes possible to execute driving support control such as calculating the remaining red time in the case of waiting stop and informing the driver.

JP 2013-152663 A

The signal information of each intersection included in the route signal information is updated by the central device of the traffic control center for each calculation period of signal control parameters such as offset.
Therefore, if the signal control parameter is updated while the vehicle is traveling along the route after receiving the route signal information from the optical beacon, the signal information at the intersection downstream of the current position may not be used. . Further, if the signal control parameters are updated before reaching the most upstream intersection on the route, the vehicle may not be able to use the signal information of all the intersections included in the route signal information.

As described above, depending on the time from the acquisition of route signal information to the next update of the signal control parameter (“information valid time” described later), signal information of some or all of the intersections included in the route cannot be used. There is.
For this reason, even if the number of intersections included in the route signal information is increased, depending on the timing at which the vehicle passes the optical beacon, the vehicle may not be able to use the signal information of all the intersections. A mechanism to be made is desired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the utility value of route signal information by allowing a vehicle to use as much signal information of intersections included in route signal information as possible.

  (1) An information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system including first and second mobile communication devices defined below and an information providing device that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices. The first mobile communication device transmits route signal information received from the roadside communication device of the traffic control system to the information providing device, and the information providing device receives the route signal information received from the first mobile communication device. Is transmitted to at least the second mobile communication device, and the second mobile communication device updates its route signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing apparatus.

First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point

  (10) The information providing apparatus of the present invention is an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above, and receives the route signal information transmitted by the first mobile communication device. And a transmitter that transmits at least the received route signal information to the second mobile communication device.

  (11) A computer program according to the present invention is a computer program for causing an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above to perform relay processing of route signal information. Receiving the route signal information transmitted by one mobile communication device and transmitting the received route signal information to at least the second mobile communication device.

  (12) A relay method of the present invention is a route signal information relay method executed by an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above, wherein the first mobile communication device Receiving the transmitted route signal information; and transmitting the received route signal information to at least the second mobile communication device.

  According to the present invention, the utility value of route signal information can be improved.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the internal structure of the information provision apparatus and the vehicle equipment mounted in the vehicle. It is a table | surface which shows an example of a format of route signal information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the provision method of the conventional route signal information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the provision method of the route signal information which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the information update process which the control part of vehicle equipment performs. It is a time chart which shows an example of the transmission / reception process of route signal information. It is a time chart which shows the modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information. It is a time chart which shows another modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information. It is a time chart which shows another modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information. It is a time chart which shows another modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information.

<Outline of Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Hereinafter, an outline of embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.
(1) The information providing system according to the present embodiment is an information providing system including first and second mobile communication devices defined below and an information providing device that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices. The first mobile communication device transmits route signal information received from the roadside communication device of the traffic control system to the information providing device, and the information providing device receives the route signal received from the first mobile communication device. Information is transmitted to at least the second mobile communication device, and the second mobile communication device updates its own route signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing apparatus.

First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point

  According to the information providing system of the present embodiment, the first mobile communication device transmits the route signal information received from the roadside communication device of the traffic control system to the information providing device, and the information providing device is transmitted from the first mobile communication device. Since the received route signal information is transmitted to at least the second mobile communication device and the route signal information of the own device is updated to the route signal information received from the information providing device, the second mobile communication device is the first mobile communication device. The latest route signal information received from the roadside communication device can be acquired.

Therefore, for example, when the vehicle of the second mobile communication device is traveling on a route, it is possible to increase the possibility that the number of signal information at intersections where the vehicle can be used increases.
For this reason, the vehicle can use as much signal information of the intersection included in the route signal information as possible, and the utility value of the route signal information is improved.

(2) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, the first mobile communication device includes a transmission time when the roadside communication device transmits the route signal information and a reception time when the own device receives the route signal information. It is preferable to transmit at least one to the information providing apparatus together with the route signal information.
According to this configuration, the information providing apparatus adds the route valid time of the route signal information to at least one of the transmission time and the reception time received from the first mobile communication device, so that the time-out time of the route signal information is increased. Can be calculated.

(3) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, when the route signal information includes an information valid time indicating a time limit of information from the present time, the information providing apparatus receives the information from the first mobile communication device. It is preferable to calculate the information valid time of the route signal information transmitted by the own device by subtracting the transmission time of the own device from the timeout time based on the route signal information.
In this way, it is not necessary for the information providing apparatus to notify the mobile communication device of the transmission time of the own apparatus, so that the traffic in the downlink direction can be suppressed.

(4) In the information providing system of this embodiment, the information providing apparatus further subtracts the transmission delay in the own apparatus from the timeout time when calculating the information valid time of the route signal information transmitted by the own apparatus. It is preferable.
In this way, since the accuracy of the information valid time calculated by the information providing device is increased, it is possible to improve the accuracy of calculating the timeout time using the information valid time by the mobile communication device.

(5) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, when the route signal information includes an information valid time indicating a time limit of information from the present time, the information providing apparatus receives the information from the first mobile communication device. When the timeout time based on the route signal information is the latest, it is preferable to transmit the route signal information.
In this way, it is possible to prevent a temporary increase in the amount of communication in the downlink direction of the information providing apparatus and reduce the processing load on the mobile communication device.

(6) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the information providing apparatus limits a transmission destination of the route signal information to the mobile communication device having a current position on the route.
In this way, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of communication in the downlink direction of the information providing apparatus due to unnecessary information transmission, and to reduce the processing load on the mobile communication device.

(7) In the information providing system of the present embodiment, the information providing apparatus may exclude the signal information of the intersection where the mobile communication device has passed from the route signal information transmitted to the mobile communication device. preferable.
In this way, since the data amount of the route signal information can be individually reduced, the communication amount in the downlink direction of the information providing apparatus can be reduced.

(8) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, when the route signal information includes an information valid time indicating a time limit of information from the present time, the mobile communication device receives the information received from the information providing device. When the time-out time based on the route signal information is the latest, it is preferable to update the route signal information of the own device to the route signal information received from the information providing apparatus.
In this way, it is possible to prevent an erroneous driving support control using old route signal information from being executed in advance.

(9) In the information providing system according to the present embodiment, the mobile communication device has its own route when the route signal information received from the information providing device is information on the route on which the host vehicle is traveling. It is preferable to update the signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing apparatus.
In this way, it is not necessary to update the route signal information irrelevant to the travel route of the host vehicle, so that the processing load on the mobile communication device can be reduced.

  (10) The information providing apparatus of the present embodiment is an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above, and receives route signal information transmitted by the first mobile communication device. A receiving unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits at least the received route signal information to the second mobile communication device.

  According to the information providing apparatus of the present embodiment, the receiving unit receives the route signal information transmitted from the first mobile communication device, and the transmitting unit transmits the received route signal information to at least the second mobile communication device. The latest route signal information received by the first mobile communication device from the roadside communication device can be provided to the second mobile communication device.

Therefore, for example, when the vehicle of the second mobile communication device is traveling on a route, it is possible to increase the possibility that the number of signal information at intersections where the vehicle can be used increases.
For this reason, the vehicle can use as much signal information of the intersection included in the route signal information as possible, and the utility value of the route signal information is improved.

(11) A computer program according to the present embodiment is a computer program for causing an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above to execute relay processing of route signal information, Each step performed by the transmission unit and the reception unit is included.
Therefore, the computer program of the present embodiment has the same effects as the information providing apparatus of the present embodiment.

(12) The relay method of the present embodiment is a route signal information relay method executed by the information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined above, and includes the transmission unit and the reception Each step performed by the unit.
Therefore, the relay method of the present embodiment has the same effects as the information providing apparatus of the present embodiment.

<Details of Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, you may combine arbitrarily at least one part of embodiment described below.

[Overall configuration of information provision system]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information providing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an internal configuration of the information providing apparatus 3 and the in-vehicle device 5 mounted on the vehicle 4 constituting the information providing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, “vehicle” refers to an automobile (including a motorcycle), a motorbike, a light vehicle, a trolley bus, and the like. The “in-vehicle device” refers to a computer device that has a communication function or the like that is permanently or temporarily mounted on the vehicle 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted on an information providing device 3 provided in an information processing center 2 and a plurality of vehicles 4 that perform wireless communication with the information providing device 3. The vehicle-mounted machine 5 (refer FIG. 2) was provided.
The in-vehicle device 5 has a function as a “mobile communication device” that performs wireless communication with the information providing device 3 via a mobile communication network or the like. The in-vehicle device 5 according to the present embodiment can also perform wireless communication with a roadside communication device 14 described later including an optical beacon or the like.

The in-vehicle device 5 includes a navigation device. The navigation device may be a dedicated device incorporated in the vehicle 4 or may be a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a laptop computer) temporarily mounted in the vehicle 4. .
The in-vehicle device 5 includes an ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) communication device that communicates with the roadside communication device 14 (second communication unit 52 in FIG. 2). The ITS communicator includes a dedicated device attached to the dashboard of the vehicle 4 or the like.

In the information providing system 1, the information providing apparatus 3 collects probe data (also referred to as “floating car data”) from a large number of registered vehicles 4 with respect to registered members (users) who have joined in advance. In consideration of the above, the search for the optimum route to the destination and the generation of traffic information (such as traffic jam information and travel time) are performed, and the results are provided to the user.
Therefore, the user of the information providing system 1 can obtain a search result with higher accuracy than the route search considering only the VICS (registered trademark) information from the information providing apparatus 3.

The information providing device 3 obtains VICS information distributed by FM multiplex broadcasting from a road traffic information center (not shown).
The information providing apparatus 3 can communicate with the radio base station 6 via a public communication network 7 such as the Internet. The in-vehicle device 5 can wirelessly communicate with the wireless base station 6. For this reason, the in-vehicle device 5 can transmit and receive predetermined information to and from the information providing device 3 almost in real time (for example, every 3 seconds) by mobile communication via the wireless base stations 6 in various places.

The navigation device of the in-vehicle device 5 includes an input device and an output device including a display and a speaker. When a predetermined travel condition is input to the input device, the travel condition is transmitted to the information providing apparatus 3.
When the navigation device of the in-vehicle device 5 receives the provision information such as the optimum route and traffic information from the information provision device 3, the content of the received provision information is displayed on the display together with the road map or is output as a voice. Can be presented to the user.

  The navigation device of the in-vehicle device 5 also includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Therefore, the navigation device of the in-vehicle device 5 has a position detection function and a time synchronization function of the host vehicle using GPS.

[Overall configuration of traffic control system]
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic control system 9 of this embodiment includes a central device 11 provided in a traffic control center 10, a traffic signal 12, a traffic signal controller 13, and a roadside included in the jurisdiction area of the central device 11. And a communication device 14.
The traffic signal controller 13 is installed at each intersection in the jurisdiction area, and is connected to the central apparatus 11 via the router 16 via a dedicated communication line 15 such as a telephone line.

The central device 11 constitutes a traffic signal controller 13 at an intersection included in the jurisdiction area and a LAN (Local Area Network).
Accordingly, the central device 11 can perform bidirectional communication with the traffic signal controller 13 at each intersection, and each traffic signal controller 13 can also perform bidirectional communication with other traffic signal controllers 13. In addition, the central apparatus 11 does not necessarily need to be installed in the traffic control center 10, and may be installed on the road.

The roadside communication device 14 is installed, for example, on the inflow route of the main road, and is connected to the traffic signal controller 13 via the communication line 15.
The roadside communication device 14 is a communication device that wirelessly communicates with the in-vehicle device 5 that supports VICS. The roadside communication device 14 includes, for example, an optical beacon that performs optical communication using near-infrared light with an in-vehicle device that supports optical communication, or an ITS wireless device that performs wireless communication in the 700 MHz band. In the following description, it is assumed that an optical beacon is employed as the roadside communication device 14.

The central device 11 can execute traffic sensitive control that changes signal control parameters (cycle length, split, and offset) according to traffic conditions for traffic signals 12 at each intersection belonging to the jurisdiction area.
Specifically, based on the amount of traffic flowing into the intersection, system control that adjusts a series of traffic signals 12 included in the system section, wide area control that extends this system control to the road network, and the like are performed. The resulting signal control parameter is transmitted to the traffic signal controller 13.

The traffic signal controller 13 generates the lighting color switching timing (step seconds) of the traffic signal 12 according to the signal control parameter received from the central device 11.
In addition, the traffic signal controller 13 switches the signal light device such that the blue light, the yellow light, the red light, and the right turn light, etc. of the traffic light 12 are turned on, off, or blinking according to the generated switching timing. Supply power.

[Internal configuration of information providing device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the information providing device 3 includes a computer device 30 composed of a server computer or the like, a communication device 31 that is a communication interface connected to the computer device 30, and various databases 32 to 32 stored in a hard disk or the like. 34.
The communication device 31 is connected to the radio base station 6 via the public communication network 7. The communication device 31 can transmit / receive predetermined information to / from the in-vehicle device 5 through wireless communication between the wireless base station 6 and the first communication unit 51 of the in-vehicle device 5.

The member database 32 stores member identification information registered in the information providing system 1 and vehicle IDs. The computer device 30 transmits the provision information to the vehicle ID stored in the member database 32.
The traffic information database 33 stores VICS information acquired from the road traffic information center, probe data including the position and time (running locus) of the vehicle 4 collected from each vehicle 4, and the like. These pieces of information are sequentially updated at every reception, and the latest information is held.

The map database 34 stores road map data 35. The road map data 35 includes “intersection data” and “link data”.
Among these, “intersection data” is data in which intersection IDs assigned to intersections nationwide are associated with the intersection positions. The “link data” includes data in which the following information 1) to 4) is associated with the link ID of a specific link assigned corresponding to a road in the whole country.

1) Position of start point / end point / interpolation point of specific link 2) Link ID connected to start point of specific link
3) Link ID connected to the end point of a specific link
4) Link cost of specific link The road map data 35 of the present embodiment constitutes a network corresponding to the actual road alignment and traveling direction, and therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. The network is represented by a pair of directed links l (lowercase letters L).

Specifically, the road map data 35 is composed of a directed graph in which a node n is set for each intersection, and each node n is connected by a pair of links l in opposite directions. Accordingly, in the case of a one-way road, only one-way link l is set. Note that the node n may be set at a midway point on the road other than the intersection.
Further, the link data of the road map data 35 includes a road type indicating whether the specific link 1 corresponding to each road on the map is a general road or a toll road.

As shown in FIG. 2, the computer device 30 of the information providing device 3 includes a storage device 36 including a hard disk and a random access memory, and a control device 37 including a CPU and the like that reads and executes various computer programs from the storage device 36. And.
The computer program includes a communication control program for executing a relay process for transferring the latest “route signal information” received from the vehicle-mounted device 5 of the specific vehicle 4 to the vehicle-mounted device 5 of another vehicle 4.

  Further, the control device 37 of the computer device 30 determines which vehicle 4 is based on a monitoring function for monitoring the current position of the registered member's vehicle 4 from the latest probe data and the distance from the current position of the vehicle 4 to the link. It has a map matching function that determines whether a link is running.

[Internal configuration of in-vehicle device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 5 includes a first communication unit 51 for communication with the radio base station 6, a second communication unit 52 for communication with the roadside communication device (optical beacon) 14, A control unit 53 including a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) that performs communication control and the like, and a storage unit 54 including a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM connected to the control unit 53 are provided.

The first communication unit 51 of the in-vehicle device 5 includes a communication interface that performs wireless communication with the wireless base station 6. The first communication unit 51 can transmit and receive information to and from the information providing device 3 through communication between the wireless base station 6 and the communication device 31 via the public communication network 7.
The second communication unit 52 of the in-vehicle device 5 includes a communication interface that performs optical communication using near infrared rays. The second communication unit 52 can transmit and receive an uplink signal and a downlink signal that are optical signals while passing through the communication area of the optical beacon 14.

The storage unit 54 of the in-vehicle device 5 stores a computer program executed by the control unit 53 and various data received from the information providing device 3 and the central device 11.
The control unit 53 of the in-vehicle device 5 can execute relay processing of various data such as probe data and reception data, driving support control for the driver of the vehicle 4 and the like by executing the above computer program.

Specifically, the control unit 53 generates an uplink signal including the probe data accumulated in the storage unit 54, and causes the second communication unit 52 to transmit the generated uplink signal. The probe data transmitted in the uplink is transferred to the central apparatus 11 by the optical beacon 14.
When the downlink signal received by the second communication unit 52 includes traffic information or regulation information, the control unit 53 outputs the acquired traffic information and regulation information from the output device of the navigation device.

When the downlink signal received by the second communication unit 52 includes “route signal information” to be described later, the control unit 53 can execute the following various driving support controls.
For example, the control unit 53 generates notification information for suppressing unnecessary acceleration / deceleration based on the signal lamp color at the time of entering the downstream intersection predicted from the signal information of the downstream intersection, and the generated notification information is navigated. Output to the output device of the device. This leads to safe driving when the vehicle 4 passes through the intersection, and the fuel consumption of the vehicle 4 can be suppressed.

Based on the stop and transmission time of the host vehicle predicted from the signal information of the downstream intersection, the control unit 53 uses the fuel consumption when starting with idling stop and the fuel consumption when starting without performing The ECU (Engine Control Unit) is controlled so that the lower fuel consumption is achieved. Thereby, the fuel consumption of the vehicle 4 can be suppressed.
The control unit 53 notifies the driver in advance of the blue start time predicted from the signal information of the downstream intersection when the host vehicle is waiting for the signal. As a result, smooth traffic flow at the intersection is expected.

When the downlink signal received by the second communication unit 52 includes “route signal information” to be described later, the control unit 53 extracts the route signal information from the downlink signal and uses the extracted route signal information as the first communication. The data is transmitted to the unit 51 and transferred to the information providing apparatus 3.
As described above, in this embodiment, the route signal information received by the in-vehicle device 5 from the roadside communication device such as the optical beacon 14 is relayed to the information providing device 3 through a general communication route different from the traffic control system 9. Is done.

[Route signal information format]
FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the format of route signal information generated and transmitted in the traffic control system 9.
“Route signal information” refers to information including signal information of one or a plurality of intersections included in a predetermined route including a system section, position information of the intersections, link information between the intersections, and the like. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the route signal information items include “information valid time”, “number of stored intersections”, “route signal information at intersection (1)”, and “UTMS link information” (UTMS) in order from the top. Is an abbreviation of Universal Traffic Management System).
“Information valid time” means the time from the current time to the scheduled offset update time. The “offset update scheduled time” is a scheduled time when the central apparatus 11 updates the offset of the intersection included in the route for which the route signal information is to be generated.

In the traffic sensitive control of the central device 11, the signal control parameter is updated every predetermined control period (for example, 1 minute, 2.5 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.). Therefore, the offset update scheduled time and the contents of the route signal information are also updated every control cycle of the traffic sensitive control.
For this reason, the time during which one route signal information is valid is until the offset update scheduled time. That is, when viewed from the receiving side of the route signal information, the offset update scheduled time means the last time (hereinafter referred to as “time-out time”) when the route signal information is valid.

The “number of stored intersections” is the number of intersections included in one route signal information. In the storage intersection number I, any numerical value from 1 to 16 is written.
“Route signal information of intersection (1)” means signal information of the most upstream intersection among I intersections designated by the number of stored intersections. In FIG. 3, only one signal information of the intersection (1) is illustrated, but when the number of stored intersections I = 2 or more, the signal information after the intersection (2) is the same as that of the intersection (1). Continue in format.

“Route signal information of intersection (1)” includes “intersection position information”, “elapsed time until cycle start”, “blue start time (minimum)”, “blue start time (maximum)”, “blue end time” (Minimum), “blue end time (maximum)”, “yellow time”, and “red start time (maximum)”.
The “intersection position information” includes “intersection reference coordinates”. In “intersection reference coordinates”, the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the center of the intersection are described.

In “Elapsed time until cycle start”, a time difference from the current time to the cycle start time of the intersection is described. Hereinafter, the elapsed time until the start of the cycle is referred to as “cycle start time”.
“Blue start time (minimum)” describes the minimum number of seconds from the start of the cycle to the start of blue in the outflow direction of the service target (the direction in which the vehicle 4 flows out of the intersection). The “blue start time (maximum)” describes the maximum number of seconds from the start of the cycle in the outflow direction of the service object to the start of blue.

The “blue end time (minimum)” describes the minimum number of seconds from the start of the cycle in the outflow direction of the service object to the end of blue. The “blue end time (maximum)” describes the maximum number of seconds from the start of the cycle in the outflow direction of the service object to the end of blue.
“Yellow time” indicates the yellow time in the outflow direction of the service target. “Red start time (maximum)” describes the maximum number of seconds from the start of the cycle in the outflow direction of the service object to the start of red after the end of the blue hour.

“UTMS link information” includes “number of stored links” and “UTMS link (1)”.
“Number of stored links” describes the number of links from the installation point of the optical beacon 14 to the most downstream intersection of the route. Therefore, the number of stored links means the number of link information included in one route signal information. In the storage link number L, any numerical value from L = 0 to 255 is written.

  “UTMS link (1)” means link information on the most upstream side among L UTMS links specified by the number of stored links. In FIG. 3, only one piece of information on the link (1) is illustrated, but when the number of stored links L is 2 or more, the link information after the link (2) is the same format as the case of the link (1). Continue on.

“UTMS link (1)” includes “secondary mesh coordinates” and “link number”.
In the “secondary mesh coordinates”, secondary mesh coordinate values for the corresponding UTMS link are described. In the “link number”, the value of the link number for the corresponding UTMS link is written.

[Problems of conventional route signal information providing methods]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional method for providing route signal information.
In FIG. 4, an area surrounded by a broken line indicates a route R including intersections J1 to J4 where signal information is provided. In the example of FIG. 4, the vehicle 4 travels on the road from the left side (upstream side) to the right side (downstream side), and the route R on which the vehicle 4 is scheduled to travel has four intersections J1 to J4 in order from the upstream side. Is included. These points are the same in the case of FIG. 5 described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the central device 11 of the traffic control center 10 sends the route signal information of the route R to the optical beacon 14 located on the upstream side of the route R (for example, the inflow route of the intersection J1) for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute). ) Every time.
When receiving the route signal information, the optical beacon 14 counts down the information valid time and cycle start time (see FIG. 3) every predetermined time (for example, 1 second) according to the local clock of the own device, and downlinks these times. Update to the time value at the time of transmission.

The optical beacon 14 transmits a downlink signal including the route signal information after updating the time value to the communication area of the own device. Thereby, the vehicle equipment 5 of the vehicle 4 that passes through the communication area of the optical beacon 14 acquires in advance signal information of the plurality of intersections J1 to J4 included in the route R.
For this reason, the vehicle-mounted device 5 that can execute the above-described driving support control can execute the driving support control at the upstream point of each of the intersections J1 to J4 using the signal information of each of the intersections J1 to J4 included in the route R. It becomes like this.

However, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 4, for example, if the effective route time becomes zero (= time-out time has elapsed) while the vehicle 4 is traveling upstream of the intersection J3, the vehicle 4 displays the signal information after the intersection J3. It becomes unavailable.
Alternatively, when the route effective time of the route signal information at the time of reception from the optical beacon 14 is very short (for example, 10 seconds or less), the time-out time elapses before the vehicle 4 reaches the first intersection J1, and the vehicle 4 cannot use signal information of all the intersections J1 to J4.

As described above, depending on the length of the route valid time at the time of receiving the route signal information, part or all of the signal information of the intersections J1 to J4 included in the route R becomes useless information due to the time-out, and an appropriate service is provided to the vehicle. 4 may not be provided.
It should be noted that each time included in the route signal information received by the vehicle 4 even if an abnormality such as a failure occurs in the traffic signal controller 13 or a forced intervention is performed by the road administrator within the route effective time. The signal information at the intersections J1 to J4 is different from the actual signal information.

[New method of providing route signal information]
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a route signal information providing method according to the present embodiment. If the provision method of FIG. 5 is employ | adopted, said problem by timeout will be thru | or suppressed.
In FIG. 5, the first and second vehicles 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B are all registered member vehicles 4 of the information providing system 1. The first vehicle 4 </ b> A is a registered member vehicle 4 that communicates with the optical beacon 14 at the first time point. The vehicle 4B is the registered member's vehicle 4 that has communicated with the optical beacon 14 at a second time before the first time.

Reference numeral 5A denotes an in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as “first in-vehicle device”) of the first vehicle 4A. Reference numeral 5B denotes an in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as “second in-vehicle device”) of the second vehicle 4B.
Accordingly, the first in-vehicle device 5A is the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the route signal information from the optical beacon 14 at the first time point out of the in-vehicle devices 5 that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device 3, and the second in-vehicle device 5B is Among the in-vehicle devices 5 that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device 3, the in-vehicle device 5 that has received the route signal information from the optical beacon 14 at a second time before the first time.

Reference symbol Ia is route signal information that the first vehicle-mounted device 5A transmits to the information providing device 3 of the information processing center 2. The information valid time of the route signal information Ia is assumed to be Ta.
The code | symbol Ib is the route signal information which the 2nd vehicle equipment 5B hold | maintains. The information valid time of the route signal information Ib is assumed to be Tb.

The symbol ta is a timeout time of the route signal information Ia. The timeout time ta can be calculated by ta = Ta + tsa, where tsa is the start time of the information valid time Ta.
Reference symbol tb is a timeout time of the route signal information Ib. The timeout time tb can be calculated by tb = Ta + tsb, where tsb is the start time of the information valid time Tb.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the information providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the route signal information Ia is received in order to prevent the signal information of some or all of the intersections from being wasted as much as possible due to the expiration of the route effective time. The latest route signal information Ia is relayed to the second in-vehicle device 5B in the order of the first in-vehicle device 5A → the information providing device 3 → the second in-vehicle device 5B.
That is, each communication subject constituting the information providing system 1 executes the following first to third processes.

1st process: The vehicle equipment 5 (1st vehicle equipment 5A) which received the route signal information Ia from the optical beacon 14 transmits the received route signal information Ia to the information provision apparatus 3.
Second process: The information providing apparatus 3 that has received the route signal information Ia from the first onboard device 5A transmits the received route signal information Ia to at least another onboard device 5 (second onboard device 5B).

  Third processing: The vehicle-mounted device 5 (second vehicle-mounted device 5B) that has received the route signal information Ia from the information providing device 3 uses the timeout times ta and tb of the route effective times Ta and Tb to determine the route signal information of the own device. An information update process (see FIG. 6) for determining whether or not to update to the route signal information Ia received is executed.

In the second processing (relay processing of the information providing device 3), the transmission method of the route signal information Ia by the information providing device 3 may be broadcast transmission, or multicast transmission excluding the first in-vehicle device 5A is performed for a predetermined time. It may be a method of performing only.
When adopting broadcast transmission, the first vehicle-mounted device 5A can receive the route signal information Ia transmitted from the own device to the information providing device 3 from the information providing device 3 immediately after passing through the optical beacon 14.

When multicast transmission is adopted, the information providing apparatus 3 performs multicast transmission with a destination narrowed down to other than the first in-vehicle device 5A for a predetermined time (for example, 20 seconds) after receiving the route signal information Ia. After the elapse of time, the first in-vehicle device 5A is included in the multicast transmission destination.
In this case, the first in-vehicle device 5A does not receive the route signal information Ia transmitted by itself until it passes through the optical beacon 14 until the predetermined period elapses, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, the second in-vehicle device 5B. Similarly, the route signal information Ia can be received.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of information update processing performed by the control unit 53 of the in-vehicle device 5.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 53 of the in-vehicle device 5 always determines whether or not the route signal information Ia is received from the information providing device 3 (step ST11).
When the route signal information Ia is received, the control unit 53 determines whether or not the storage unit 54 has already stored the route signal information (step ST12).

When the determination result is negative, the control unit 53 stores the received route signal information Ia in the storage unit 54 (step ST14).
When the determination result is affirmative, the control unit 53 calculates a timeout time ta of the received route signal information Ia and a timeout time tb of the route signal information Ib being stored (step ST13).

The timeout times ta and tb of the route signal information Ia and Ib are calculated by adding the start times tsa and tsb to the information valid times Ta and Tb.
When the information providing device 3 updates the information valid times Ta and Tb based on the transmission time t3 of the own device, but the start time tsa and tsb does not notify the reception side of the transmission time t3 (see FIG. 7). The reception time r3 of the route signal information in the in-vehicle device 5 on the reception side may be adopted.

Next, the control unit 53 determines whether or not the timeout time ta is later than the timeout time tb, that is, ta> tb (step ST15).
In the case of ta> tb, it means that the route signal information Ia has a future timeout time than the route signal information Ib, and the former is the latest information. Therefore, the determination in step ST15 is equivalent to the determination of whether or not the timeout time ta of the received route signal information Ia is the latest.

When the determination result is negative, the control unit 53 does not update the route signal information to the received route signal information Ia (step ST17). That is, the control unit 53 does not adopt the received route signal information Ia, but continues to adopt the current route signal information Ib.
When the determination result is affirmative, the control unit 53 updates the route signal information to the received route signal information Ia (step ST17). That is, the control unit 53 replaces the route signal information stored in the storage unit 54 with the route signal information Ia from the current route signal information Ib.

  Thus, according to the vehicle-mounted device 5 of the present embodiment, the control unit 53 displays the route signal information of its own device only when the timeout time ta of the route signal information Ia received from the information providing device 3 is the latest. Since the received route signal information Ia is updated, it is possible to prevent an erroneous driving support control using the past route signal information Ib from being executed.

In the information update process of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the route signal information Ia received from the information providing device 3 is information related to the route on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the route is determined when this determination result is affirmative. A process for updating the signal information Ia may be added. Note that the above determination can be made based on whether or not the difference between the current position of the host vehicle and the coordinates of the link information (see FIG. 3) included in the route signal information Ia is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
In this way, it is not necessary to update the route signal information Ia that is unrelated to the travel route of the host vehicle, so that the processing load on the in-vehicle device 5 can be reduced.

[Route signal information transmission / reception processing]
FIG. 7 is a time chart illustrating an example of route signal information transmission / reception processing.
In FIG. 7, a right-pointing arrow means “route signal information” transmitted and received between respective communication subjects. In the time chart of FIG. 7, the time advances downward.
Time t0 is the transmission time of the route signal information in the central apparatus 11. Time r0 is the reception time of the route signal information in the optical beacon 14.

Time t1 is the transmission time of the route signal information in the optical beacon 14. Time r1 is the reception time of the route signal information in the first vehicle-mounted device 5A.
Time t2 is the transmission time of the route signal information in the first in-vehicle device 5A. Time r2 is the reception time of the route signal information in the information providing apparatus 3.
Time t3 is the transmission time of the route signal information in the information providing device 3. Time r3 is the reception time of the route signal information in the second in-vehicle device 5B.

Time te is a timeout time. Time tc is the cycle start time. When the route R includes a plurality of intersections J1 to J4, there are a plurality of cycle start times tc corresponding to the intersections J1 to J4. However, in FIG. 7, only one cycle start time tc is shown for simplification of illustration.
The above points are the same in the case of FIGS. In the following description, the process in which the first and second vehicle-mounted devices 5A and 5B and the information providing device 3 are the subject is executed by the control unit 53 of the vehicle-mounted device 5 and the control device 37 of the information processing device 3.

As shown in FIG. 7, the central apparatus 11 transmits route signal information including the information valid time Te0 and the cycle start time (“elapsed time until the cycle start time” in FIG. 3) Tc0 at the transmission time t0. Send to. The transmission period of the route signal information in the central device 11 is, for example, 1 minute. The central device 11 calculates the information valid time Te0 and the cycle start time Tc0 by the following equations.
Te0 = te-t0
Tc0 = tc−t0

The central device 11 does not notify the optical beacon 14 of the transmission time t0. In this case, the optical beacon 14 uses the route signal information reception time r0 as the start time of the information valid time Te0 and the cycle start time Tc0.
The transmission period of route signal information in the optical beacon 14 is, for example, 0.1 seconds. Therefore, the optical beacon 14 is updated by counting down the currently valid information valid time Te0 and cycle start time Tc0 according to the local time until the next route signal information is received from the central device 11.

That is, the optical beacon 14 transmits the transmission cycle from the information valid time Te0 and the cycle start time Tc0 included in the route signal information received from the central device 11 every time the transmission cycle (= 0.1 second) of the own device passes. By subtracting, the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start period Tc1 at the transmission time t1 of the own device are sequentially calculated.
Therefore, the following expression is established as a result between the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start period Tc1, the timeout time te, and the cycle start time tc.
Te1 = te-t1
Tc1 = tc−t1

The optical beacon 14 notifies the transmission time t1 to the first vehicle-mounted device 5A together with the route signal information. In this case, the first vehicle-mounted device 5A sets the transmission time t1 of the route signal information as the start time of the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start time Tc1.
Therefore, the first vehicle-mounted device 5A can calculate the dime-out time te and the cycle start time tc of the route signal information by the following equations.
te = Te1 + t1
tc = Tc1 + t1

When the first vehicle-mounted device 5A receives the route signal information transmitted by the optical beacon 14 at the reception time r1, the information providing device directly receives the received route signal information at the transmission time t2, which is the next transmission timing for the information providing device 3. 3 to send.
That is, the first vehicle-mounted device 5A relays the route signal information including the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start time Tc1 to the information providing device 3, and transmits the transmission time t1 notified from the optical beacon 14 to the information providing device 3. .

When the information providing apparatus 3 receives the route signal information transmitted by the first vehicle-mounted device 5A at the reception time r2, the information providing time and the cycle start time at the transmission time t3, which is the next transmission timing for the second vehicle-mounted device 5B. Update to a time value.
That is, the information providing apparatus 3 calculates the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3 of the route signal information transmitted at the transmission time t3 by the following equations.
Te3 = Te1- (t3-t1)
Tc3 = Tc1- (t3-t1)

The information providing device 3 transmits route signal information including the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3 to the second vehicle-mounted device 5B at the transmission time t3. The second in-vehicle device 5B receives the route signal information at the reception time r3.
The information providing device 3 does not notify the transmission time t3 to the second in-vehicle device 5B. In this case, the second in-vehicle device 5B sets the reception time r3 of the route signal information as the start time of the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3.

Therefore, the second in-vehicle device 5B can calculate the timeout time te and the cycle start time tc by the following equations.
te = Te3 + r3
tc = Tc3 + r3

Based on the calculated timeout time te, the second in-vehicle device 5B determines whether or not the received route signal information is the latest (whether or not the timeout time te is the future) (step ST15 in FIG. 6).
Further, when the above determination result is the latest, the second in-vehicle device 5B updates its own route signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing device 3 (step ST16 in FIG. 6).

In the time chart of FIG. 7, when the optical beacon 14 does not notify the transmission time t1, the reception time r1 of the first vehicle-mounted device 5A is adopted as the start time of the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start time Tc1. Good.
In this case, the first in-vehicle device 5A may notify the information providing device 3 of the reception time r1 of the route signal information from the optical beacon 14.

[Effects of information provision system]
As described above, according to the information providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the first in-vehicle device 5A transmits the route signal information Ia received from the optical beacon 14 to the information providing device 3, and the information providing device 3 The route signal information Ia received from the vehicle-mounted device 5A is transmitted to at least the second vehicle-mounted device 5B, and the second vehicle-mounted device 5B updates the route signal information of the own device to the route signal information Ia received from the information providing device 3 ( (See FIG. 5).

Therefore, the second in-vehicle device 5B can acquire the route signal information Ia received by the first in-vehicle device 5A from the optical beacon 14 and having the latest timeout time ta (the time is the future).
Accordingly, when the second vehicle 4B is traveling on the route R, there is a higher possibility that the number of signal information at the intersection where the second vehicle 4B can be used increases, and the intersections J1 to J4 included in the route signal information. The second vehicle 4B can use as much signal information as possible.

For example, in FIG. 5, when the second vehicle 4B is traveling upstream of the intersection J4, the timeout time tb of the route signal information Ib has elapsed, and the timeout time ta of the route signal information Ia has not yet elapsed. By the update to the route signal information Ia, the second vehicle 4B can use the signal information of the intersection J4.
As described above, according to the information providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the vehicle 4 can use as much signal information of the intersections J1 to J4 included in the route signal information as possible, thereby improving the utility value of the route signal information. Can be made.

According to the information providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the first in-vehicle device 5A transmits the transmission time t1 when the optical beacon 14 transmits the route signal information to the information providing device 3 together with the route signal information (see FIG. 7). .
For this reason, the information provision apparatus 3 can calculate the time-out time te of the received route signal information by adding the route effective time Te1 of the route signal information to the transmission time t1 received from the first in-vehicle device 5A. .

The first in-vehicle device 5A may transmit the reception time r1 when the own device receives the route signal information to the information providing device 3 together with the route signal information.
In this case, the information providing device 3 can calculate the time-out time te of the received route signal information by adding the route effective time Te1 of the route signal information to the reception time r1 received from the first in-vehicle device 5A. .

According to the information providing system 1 of the present embodiment, the information providing apparatus 3 subtracts the transmission time t3 of its own apparatus from the timeout time te (= Te1 + t1) of the route signal information, and transmits it to the second in-vehicle device 5B. Since the information valid time Te3 of the signal information is calculated (see FIG. 7), the information providing device 3 does not need to notify the in-vehicle device 5 of the transmission time t3.
That is, the vehicle-mounted device 5 on the receiving side may determine the validity of the route signal information by regarding the reception time r3 of the route signal information as the start time of the information valid time Te3. For this reason, the amount of communication in the downlink direction can be suppressed by the amount that transmission at the transmission time t3 is unnecessary.

However, since there are a large number of registered members, when the information providing device 3 needs to transmit route signal information to a large number of vehicle-mounted devices 5, from the transmission command of the control device 37 to the actual transmission operation by the communication device 31. Transmission delay Δt3 may not be negligible.
Therefore, the information providing apparatus 3 may calculate the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3 by the following expression.

Te3 = Te1- (t3-t1) -Δt3
Tc3 = Tc1− (t3−t1) −Δt3
In this way, the accuracy of the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3 is increased, so that the in-vehicle device 5 on the receiving side can accurately calculate the timeout time te and the cycle start time tc.

[First Modification]
FIG. 8 is a time chart showing a modification of the transmission / reception processing of route signal information.
In the above-described embodiment, the information providing device 3 relays the route signal information received from the first in-vehicle device 5A to at least the second in-vehicle device 5B without considering the new or old time-out time te.
Therefore, for example, when a relatively large number of vehicles 4 pass through the optical beacon 14 continuously and the first in-vehicle device 5A is concentrated in a short time, a large number of route signal information having the same timeout time te is obtained. There is a possibility of being provided to the vehicle-mounted device 5 via the information providing device 3.

For this reason, the traffic in the downlink direction of the information providing device 3 temporarily increases, and the in-vehicle device 5 must frequently execute the information update process (FIG. 6) for the route signal information that does not need to be updated. The processing load of the in-vehicle device 5 increases.
Therefore, as shown in step ST20 of FIG. 8, the information providing device 3 executes transmission of the route signal information received from the first vehicle-mounted device 5A only when the time-out time te of the received route signal information is the latest. It is preferable to do.

Specifically, the information providing apparatus 3 compares the time-out time tx of the received route signal information with the time-out time ty of the newly received route signal information. If ty = tx, the information providing device 3 compares the route signal information. The route signal information may be transmitted when ty> tx without transmitting.
By executing such processing, it is possible to prevent a temporary increase in the communication amount of the information providing apparatus 3 in the downlink direction and to reduce the processing load of the in-vehicle device 5.

[Second Modification]
FIG. 9 is a time chart showing another modification of the transmission / reception processing of route signal information.
In the above-described embodiment, the information providing device 3 relays the route signal information received from the first in-vehicle device 5A to at least all the second in-vehicle devices 5B. That is, the destination of route signal information is not particularly limited. However, in this relay method, the route signal information is also provided to the vehicle-mounted device 5 that does not need route signal information because it does not travel on the route R.

For this reason, the amount of communication in the downlink direction of the information providing apparatus 3 increases unnecessarily, and the in-vehicle device 5 must execute a process of discarding unnecessary route signal information, and the processing load on the in-vehicle device 5 is large. Become.
Therefore, as shown in step ST30 of FIG. 9, the information providing apparatus 3 may limit the destination of the received route signal information to the in-vehicle device 5 present on the route R targeted in the route signal information. preferable.

Specifically, the information providing apparatus 3 extracts from the database 33 the vehicle 4 that is the current position that matches or is close to the coordinate value of the link information (see FIG. 3) included in the route signal information, and the extracted vehicle 4 Route signal information may be transmitted only to the in-vehicle device 5.
In this way, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of communication in the downlink direction of the information providing apparatus 3 due to unnecessary information transmission, and to reduce the processing load on the in-vehicle device 5.

In the above-described embodiment, the information providing device 3 does not change the data content of the route signal information received from the first vehicle-mounted device 5A except for the update of the information valid time, and at least the route signal information is transmitted to the second vehicle-mounted information. Relay to machine 5B.
That is, the signal information of some intersections J1 to J4 is not deleted from the route signal information, and includes signal information of all the intersections J1 to J4 regardless of the presence or absence of unnecessary intersection signal information. Route signal information is uniformly transmitted to the in-vehicle device 5.

However, if attention is paid to the vehicle 4B traveling upstream of the intersection J4 in FIG. 5, for example, the signal information of the intersections J1 to J3 that have already passed is unnecessary for the vehicle 4B, and the intersection J4 that passes after the present time. Only signal information is sufficient.
Therefore, as shown in step ST40 of FIG. 9, the information providing device 3 excludes the signal information of the intersections J1 to J3 that have passed from the route signal information, and transmits the route signal information after the exclusion to the in-vehicle device 5. It is preferable.

Specifically, the information providing device 3 determines the intersection where the vehicle 4 is scheduled to enter based on the link information and the intersection position information (see FIG. 3) included in the route signal information and the current position and direction of the vehicle 4. What is necessary is just to transmit to the vehicle equipment 5 the route signal information which specified and contains the signal information of the specified intersection and the intersection of the downstream.
In this way, since the data amount of the route signal information can be individually reduced, the communication amount in the downlink direction of the information providing device 3 can be reduced.

[Third Modification]
FIG. 10 is a time chart showing another modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information.
In the above-described embodiment, the information providing device 3 updates the information valid time and the cycle start time so that the transmission time t3 of the own device becomes the start time (see FIG. 7). It may be omitted.

That is, the information providing apparatus 3 uses the route signal information including the information valid time Te1 and the cycle start time Tc1 calculated by the optical beacon 14 as transmission targets, and uses the optical beacon transmission time t1 as in the first vehicle-mounted device 5A. You may decide to notify the machine 5.
In this case, the in-vehicle device 5 on the reception side can calculate the timeout time te and the cycle start time tc by using the calculated transmission time t1 and the calculation formula of te = Te1 + t1, tc = Tc1 + t1.

[Fourth Modification]
FIG. 11 is a time chart showing another modification of the transmission / reception process of route signal information.
In the above-described embodiment, the first in-vehicle device 5A transmits the information valid time Te1, the cycle start time Tc1, and the transmission time t1 notified from the optical beacon 14 to the information providing apparatus 3 as they are (see FIG. 7). ), The first vehicle-mounted device 5A updates the information valid time Te2 and cycle start time Tc2 according to the transmission time t2 of the own device, and the route signal information including the updated times Te2 and Tc2 together with the transmission time t2 of the own device. You may transmit to the provision apparatus 3. FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the first in-vehicle device 5A calculates the information valid time Te2 and the cycle start time Tc2 at the transmission time t2 of the own device according to the following equation, and calculates the calculated times Te2 and Tc2 together with the transmission time t2. You may transmit to the information provision apparatus 3. FIG.
Te2 = Te1- (t2-t1)
Tc2 = Tc1- (t2-t1)

When the information providing device 3 updates the information valid time and the cycle start time according to the transmission time t3 of the own device, the information providing device 3 may calculate the information valid time Te3 and the cycle start time Tc3 to be included in the route signal information by the following equations. .
Te3 = Te2- (t3-t2)
Tc3 = Tc2- (t3-t2)
In this case, the second in-vehicle device 5B uses the received times Te3, Tc3 and the reception time r3 of the own device to calculate the timeout time te and the cycle start time tc according to the calculation formula of te = Te3 + r3, tc = Tc3 + r3. can do.

However, the information providing apparatus 3 uses the second vehicle-mounted time information Te2 and cycle start time Tc2 included in the route signal information received from the first vehicle-mounted device 5A and the transmission time t2 notified from the first vehicle-mounted device 5A. You may decide to transmit to machine 5B as it is.
In this case, the second vehicle-mounted device 5B can calculate the time-out time te and the cycle start time tc using the received times Te2 and Tc2 and the transmission time t2 according to the calculation formulas te = Te2 + t2 and tc = Tc2 + t2. it can.

  The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes all modifications within the scope equivalent to the configurations described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information provision system 2 Information processing center 3 Information provision apparatus 4 Vehicle 4A 1st vehicle 4B 2nd vehicle 5 Onboard equipment (mobile communication device)
5A First in-vehicle device (first mobile communication device)
5B Second in-vehicle device (second mobile communication device)
6 Radio base station 7 Public communication network 9 Traffic control system 10 Traffic control center 11 Central device 12 Traffic signal 13 Traffic signal controller 14 Roadside communication device (optical beacon)
15 Communication line 16 Router 30 Computer device 31 Communication device (transmitter, receiver)
32 member database 33 information database 34 map database 35 road map data 36 storage device 37 control device 51 first communication unit 52 second communication unit 53 control unit 54 storage unit

Claims (12)

An information providing system comprising first and second mobile communication devices defined below, and an information providing device that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices,
The first mobile communication device transmits the route signal information received from the roadside communication device of the traffic control system to the information providing device,
The information providing device transmits the route signal information received from the first mobile communication device to at least the second mobile communication device,
The second mobile communication device is an information providing system that updates route signal information of the own device to the route signal information received from the information providing device.
First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point   The first mobile communication device provides at least one of a transmission time when the roadside communication device transmits the route signal information and a reception time when the own device receives the route signal information together with the route signal information. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the information providing system transmits the information to a device. The route signal information includes an information valid time indicating the time limit of information from the present time,
The information providing device calculates an information valid time of the route signal information transmitted by the device by subtracting a transmission time of the device from a timeout time based on the route signal information received from the first mobile communication device. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.   The information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the information providing apparatus further subtracts a transmission delay in the own apparatus from the timeout time when calculating the information valid time of the route signal information transmitted by the own apparatus. The route signal information includes an information valid time indicating the time limit of information from the present time,
The said information provision apparatus performs transmission of the said route signal information, when the timeout time based on the said route signal information received from the said 1st mobile communication apparatus is the newest. Information providing system according to item.   The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information providing apparatus limits a destination of the route signal information to the mobile communication device having a current position on the route.   The said information provision apparatus excludes the said signal information of the said intersection which the said mobile communication apparatus has already passed from the said route signal information transmitted to the said mobile communication apparatus. Information provision system. The route signal information includes an information valid time indicating the time limit of information from the present time,
The mobile communication device updates its route signal information to the route signal information received from the information providing device when a time-out time based on the route signal information received from the information providing device is latest. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   The mobile communication device receives the route signal information of the own device from the information providing device when the route signal information received from the information providing device is information on the route on which the host vehicle is passing. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the information is updated to signal information. An information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with first and second mobile communication devices defined below,
A receiving unit for receiving route signal information transmitted by the first mobile communication device;
An information providing apparatus comprising: a transmission unit that transmits at least the route signal information received to the second mobile communication device.
First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point A computer program for causing an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with the first and second mobile communication devices defined below to execute relay processing of route signal information,
Receiving the route signal information transmitted by the first mobile communication device;
Transmitting the received route signal information to at least the second mobile communication device.
First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point A route signal information relay method executed by an information providing apparatus that wirelessly communicates with first and second mobile communication devices defined below,
Receiving the route signal information transmitted by the first mobile communication device;
And transmitting the received route signal information to at least the second mobile communication device.
First mobile communication device: A mobile communication device that wirelessly communicates with an information providing device and that has received route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of a route from a roadside communication device of a traffic control system at a first time point Communication device Second mobile communication device: Among mobile communication devices that wirelessly communicate with the information providing device, route signal information including signal information of one or more intersections of the route is obtained from the road side communication device of the traffic control system from the first time point. Mobile communication device received at the previous second time point

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