JP5407955B2 - Congestion judgment device and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic jam determination device that determines a traffic jam factor caused by a vehicle existing near an intersection, and a computer program for realizing the traffic jam determination device.

  At an intersection, traffic congestion occurs due to a decrease in processing capacity. Various signal control methods are used in order to optimize the processing capacity at the intersection.

  It is usually determined according to the amount of traffic flowing into the intersection at what time ratio the right of traffic is given to each inflow path at the intersection. Here, the right of traffic is shown and the time ratio is called split. The split corresponds to the ratio of the blue time of each display in the time of one display cycle of the signal lamp. The split is used to determine the lamp color switching timing of each signal lamp. Usually, the split is determined by an algorithm such as load factor ratio distribution.

  The load factor ratio distribution method is an algorithm that calculates the load factor obtained from the number of inflows, queues, and saturation traffic flow rate for each display, and allocates splits according to the load factor ratio. A signal control system has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-27024 A

  In the conventional signal control system such as Patent Document 1, in order to measure the number of inflows to the intersection, a vehicle sensor is usually installed at the upstream point of the intersection, and the signal sensed by the vehicle sensor. The number of inflows is measured based on However, if a left turn traffic jam occurs due to the intersection of a pedestrian walking on a pedestrian crossing and a left turn vehicle, the left turn processing capacity will not increase due to waiting for the pedestrian waiting for the left turn vehicle, even if the green light time is extended. There was a problem that wasteful green light time increased and spurred traffic jams. Moreover, it was not possible to determine whether or not the cause of the traffic jam was a cross between a pedestrian and a left turn vehicle based only on the measurement result measured by the vehicle detector.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a traffic jam determination device capable of determining a traffic jam factor caused by a vehicle existing near an intersection and a computer program for realizing the traffic jam determination device. With the goal.

  A traffic jam judging device according to a first invention is a traffic jam judging device for judging a factor of traffic jam due to vehicles existing in the vicinity of an intersection, vehicle information acquiring means for acquiring vehicle information relating to the running state of the vehicle, and acquisition by the vehicle information acquiring means. Vehicle determination means for determining a left turn vehicle based on the vehicle information, and when the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination means is slower than the speed of the pedestrian red signal, the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian And a traffic jam judging means for judging that the traffic is a left turn traffic jam.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to the first invention, further comprising signal control means for extending a pedestrian red signal time when the traffic jam judging means judges a left turn traffic jam.

  The traffic jam judging device according to a third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the signal control means is configured such that a pedestrian green signal time is a minimum guarantee time.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traffic jam judging device according to any one of the first to third inventions, comprising an outflow area traffic jam judging means for judging a traffic jam in an intersection outflow area of a left turn vehicle judged by the vehicle judgment means. The traffic jam judging means is configured to judge that the traffic is a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of a left turn vehicle and a pedestrian when the outflow area traffic jam judging means judges that there is no traffic jam.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to the fourth invention, wherein the outflow area traffic jam judging means is such that the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is faster than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn. It is configured to determine that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the stop position of the left turn vehicle judged by the vehicle judging means is upstream of a predetermined position upstream of the intersection. The apparatus further comprises start means for starting the determination process of the traffic jam determination means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the traffic jam judgment is performed when the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle judging means is slower than a speed threshold. It has a starting means which starts the determination process of a means, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, wherein the traffic jam judging means determines the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle judging means and a pedestrian red signal. When the difference with the speed in a signal is more than a 1st threshold value, it is comprised so that it may determine with the left turn traffic jam by the intersection of a left turn vehicle and a pedestrian.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the traffic jam judging device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, wherein the traffic jam judging means is configured such that the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle judgment means is a second threshold. In the following, when the speed of the pedestrian red signal of the left turn vehicle is not less than a third threshold value that is greater than the second threshold value, it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is caused by the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. It is characterized by.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the outflow area congestion determination means includes a difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn. Is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value, it is determined that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area.

  In a traffic jam judging device according to an eleventh invention, in the fifth invention, the outflow area traffic jam judging means is such that the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is not less than a fifth threshold and the left turn in the intersection inflow area before the left turn. When the speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a sixth threshold value smaller than the fifth threshold value, it is configured to determine that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area.

  A computer program according to a twelfth aspect of the invention is a computer program for causing a computer to execute a step of determining a factor of traffic congestion due to a vehicle existing near an intersection. A step of determining, and a step of determining a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian when the speed of the left turn vehicle determined in the determination step is slower than the speed of the pedestrian red signal. It is made to perform.

  In the first invention and the twelfth invention, vehicle information relating to the running state of the vehicle is acquired. Acquisition of vehicle information can acquire the vehicle information currently transmitted / received between vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, for example. The vehicle information includes, for example, a vehicle ID that is a unique identifier of the vehicle, a vehicle position and speed, a turn signal switch state (left or right turn signal on / off), an accelerator state (accelerator on / off), and a brake state. (Brake on / off). A left turn vehicle is determined based on the acquired vehicle information. The determination of the left turn vehicle may be made according to the state of the turn signal switch, or road information in the vicinity of the intersection may be stored in advance, and the vehicle existing in the left turn exclusive lane may be determined as the left turn vehicle. Also, based on the travel trajectory of the vehicle in the vicinity of the intersection (a plurality of vehicle positions at predetermined time intervals or predetermined distances), it is determined to which outflow path the vehicle has traveled from the inflow path, and travels to the outflow path in the left turn direction. It is also possible to determine that the vehicle that has been turned is a left turn vehicle.

  When the speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian green light of the pedestrian lamp is slower than the speed at the pedestrian red signal, it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is caused by the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. The pedestrian green signal may include a pedestrian blue blink signal. If the pedestrian is crossing a pedestrian crossing with a pedestrian green light, the left turn vehicle will stop or run at a relatively slow speed to prioritize the pedestrian crossing. In the pedestrian red signal, since the pedestrian does not cross the pedestrian crossing, the left turn vehicle does not need to wait for the pedestrian to cross and can turn left at a relatively high speed. Therefore, if the speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed at the pedestrian red signal, it can be determined that the left turn vehicle is waiting for the pedestrian to cross, and the cause of the traffic jam is the walking with the left turn vehicle. It can be determined that there is a left turn traffic jam due to crossing with the person.

  In the second invention, when it is determined that the left turn traffic jam, the pedestrian red signal time is extended. By extending the pedestrian red light time, the left turn vehicle can pass through the intersection without waiting for the pedestrian, and it is possible to eliminate the traffic jam early without generating unnecessary green light time.

  In the third invention, the pedestrian green signal time is the minimum guaranteed time. The minimum guaranteed time is a time that is equal to or greater than a value calculated by dividing the width of the crossing road by the walking speed of the pedestrian. The walking speed of a pedestrian crossing a pedestrian crossing is 1 m / s. For example, if the road width is 10 m, the minimum guaranteed time can be 10 seconds or more. Thereby, the safety | security of a pedestrian can be ensured, eliminating the left turn traffic jam.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is determined that there is traffic jam at the intersection outflow area of the left turn vehicle. The intersection outflow area is an area of the road on the intersection side where the left turn vehicle enters through the intersection, and can be, for example, an area within a predetermined distance from the intersection (for example, 20 m from the intersection). Judge whether or not there is traffic jam (clogging) at the intersection's outflow destination, and make the left turn traffic jam condition that no traffic jam has occurred, so that traffic jam is excluded from clogging factors The factor can be determined, and the congestion factor can be accurately determined.

  In the fifth invention, when the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is higher than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn, it is determined that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area. The intersection inflow area is, for example, an area of a road on which a left turn vehicle enters the intersection, and can be an area within a predetermined distance from the intersection (for example, 20 m from the intersection). A left turn vehicle that is congested in the intersection inflow area is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle is relatively slow, while there is no congestion (clogging) in the intersection outflow area, it is relatively fast in the intersection outflow area Since it can travel at a speed, if the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is faster than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn, it can be determined that there is no traffic jam (clogging) in the intersection outflow area it can.

  In the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the stop position of the left turn vehicle is upstream of the predetermined position upstream of the intersection, the traffic jam determination process is started. The predetermined position can be, for example, a value obtained by integrating a saturated traffic flow rate, a green signal time (including straight driving and right turning), and an average vehicle head distance. Here, the saturated traffic flow rate is the traffic volume that flows at the maximum per lane / hour when the traffic light is always green, and is generally about one in 2 seconds. As a result, it is determined that traffic congestion has occurred when the number of vehicles exceeding the number that can flow out of the intersection during one green light time of the signal lamp is upstream of the intersection, and determination of the cause of traffic congestion Since the process can be activated, it is possible to perform the determination process of the cause of the traffic jam only when there is a traffic jam, and the processing effort can be reduced.

  In the seventh invention, when the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed threshold (for example, 5 km / h), the traffic jam determination process is started. When the pedestrian lamp is a green pedestrian light, the speed of the left turn vehicle is slow because the left turn vehicle may stop or slow down because it waits for the pedestrian crossing the pedestrian crossing. Start the process. As a result, it is possible to perform a process for determining a traffic jam factor only during a traffic jam, and to reduce the processing effort.

  In the eighth invention, if the difference between the speed of the pedestrian green signal and the speed of the pedestrian red signal of the left turn vehicle is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is caused by the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. To do. For example, if the speed difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian red signal and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian green signal is equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth1 (for example, 5 km / h) as the first threshold, Judged as a left turn traffic jam due to crossing with pedestrians. Thereby, it can be determined that the cause of the traffic jam is a left-turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left-turn vehicle and the pedestrian.

  In the ninth invention, when the speed at the pedestrian green signal of the left turn vehicle is less than or equal to the second threshold value and the speed at the pedestrian red signal of the left turn vehicle is greater than or equal to the third threshold value, Judged as a left-hand traffic jam due to crossing. Here, it is assumed that the second threshold value <the third threshold value. For example, the speed of the left-turn vehicle at the pedestrian red signal is equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth3 (for example, 10 km / h), which is the third threshold, and the speed of the left-turn vehicle at the pedestrian green signal is the second threshold. When the speed threshold value is Vth2 (for example, 5 km / h) or less (slow), it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is caused by the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. Thereby, it can be determined that the cause of the traffic jam is a left-turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left-turn vehicle and the pedestrian.

  In the tenth aspect of the invention, when the difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is equal to or greater than the fourth threshold, there is traffic jam in the intersection outflow area. Judge that there is no. The intersection inflow area is, for example, an area of a road on which a left turn vehicle enters the intersection, and can be an area within a predetermined distance from the intersection (for example, 20 m from the intersection). A left turn vehicle that is congested in the intersection inflow area is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle is relatively slow, while there is no congestion (clogging) in the intersection outflow area, it is relatively fast in the intersection outflow area Since the vehicle can travel at a speed, if the difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold, traffic jams in the intersection outflow area (clogging up) ).

  In the eleventh aspect of the invention, when the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is equal to or higher than the fifth threshold and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is equal to or lower than the sixth threshold, It is determined that there is no traffic jam. Here, the fifth threshold> the sixth threshold. The intersection inflow area is, for example, an area of a road on which a left turn vehicle enters the intersection, and can be an area within a predetermined distance from the intersection (for example, 20 m from the intersection). A left turn vehicle that is congested in the intersection inflow area is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle is relatively slow, while there is no congestion (clogging) in the intersection outflow area, it is relatively fast in the intersection outflow area Since the vehicle can travel at a speed, if the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is equal to or higher than the fifth threshold and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is equal to or lower than the sixth threshold greater than the fifth threshold, It can be determined that there is no traffic jam (clogging up) in the outflow area.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine that a traffic congestion factor due to a vehicle existing near an intersection is a left turn traffic jam due to a cross between a left turn vehicle and a pedestrian.

It is a schematic diagram of the traffic congestion factor determination of the intersection by the traffic determination apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the intersection which performs traffic jam determination with the traffic jam determination apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the traffic congestion determination apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the left turn traffic jam determination by the traffic jam determination apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the left turn traffic jam determination by the traffic jam determination apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of the left turn traffic congestion determination by the traffic congestion determination apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the traffic congestion determination process of the traffic congestion determination apparatus of this Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of traffic jam factor determination at an intersection by the traffic jam determination device 10 according to the present embodiment. The traffic congestion determination device 10 determines the traffic congestion factor of an intersection by acquiring vehicle information transmitted and received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication performed by vehicles traveling within a communication range S in a required range including the intersection. When it is determined that the traffic congestion factor is a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian, the traffic jam determination device 10 extends the pedestrian red signal of the pedestrian lamp so as to cross the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. To prevent traffic jams.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of inter-vehicle communication. In vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle information can be transmitted to and received from surrounding vehicles traveling in front of or behind the vehicle. The vehicle information is information relating to the running state of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle ID, which is a unique identifier of the vehicle, the position and speed of the vehicle, the blinker switch state (left / right blinker on / off), the accelerator state (accelerator state) On / off), brake state (brake on / off) and other information.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an intersection where a traffic jam determination is performed by the traffic jam determination device 10 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, a vehicle signal lamp 1 is provided at the intersection. A predetermined point A is provided on the upstream side of the road that intersects the intersection as a reference for determining whether or not there is a traffic jam. For example, the predetermined point A can be a value obtained by integrating the saturated traffic flow rate, the green time of the signal lamp 1, and the average vehicle head distance. Here, the saturated traffic flow rate is the traffic volume that flows at the maximum per lane / hour when the traffic light is always green, and is generally about one in 2 seconds.

  An intersection inflow area B is provided on the road entering the intersection. The intersection inflow area B is, for example, an area within a predetermined distance (for example, about 20 m) from the intersection. An intersection outflow region C is provided on a road on which a left turn vehicle that has passed through the intersection inflow region B turns left at the intersection and enters. The intersection outflow area C is an area within a predetermined distance (for example, about 20 m) from the intersection. The intersection outflow area C is an area for determining whether or not a left turn vehicle that has turned left at the intersection is congested (clogged up) at the outflow destination of the intersection.

  A crosswalk 3 is provided near the intersection, and a pedestrian lamp 2 is installed on the crosswalk 3. The pedestrian lamp 2 constitutes one cycle with a pedestrian green signal (PG), a pedestrian blue blinking signal (PF), and a pedestrian red signal (PR). In addition, the green signal time of the signal lamp device 1 for vehicles is comprised by the pedestrian green signal time, the pedestrian blue blink signal time, and the pedestrian red signal time. In the example of FIG. 3, for the sake of simplicity, the vehicle signal lamp 1, the intersection inflow area B, and the intersection outflow area C are associated with a left turn vehicle traveling on one of the four roads intersecting the intersection. Although the pedestrian lamp 2, the pedestrian crossing 3 and the like are illustrated, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and each crossing road can have the same configuration. In the example of FIG. 3, the straight lane and the left turn lane are common lanes, but a configuration in which a left turn exclusive lane is provided may be used.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the traffic jam determination device 10 according to the present embodiment. The traffic jam judging device 10 includes a control unit 11 for controlling the entire device, a communication unit 12, a vehicle judgment unit 13 for judging a running state of the vehicle, a traffic jam judgment unit 14 for judging a traffic jam factor, and a pedestrian lamp 2. A signal control unit 15 for adjusting the lamp color display time, an activation unit 16 that activates processing of the traffic jam determination unit 14, an outflow area traffic jam judgment unit 17, a storage unit 18 that stores road information including position information near an intersection, and the like Is provided.

  The traffic signal controller may be the traffic jam determination device 10. That is, the congestion determination device 10 of the present embodiment is a traffic signal controller itself. Alternatively, the congestion determination device 10 may be a central signal control device that is a host device that gives a command to the traffic signal controller. That is, the traffic congestion determination device 10 of the present embodiment may be a central signal control device.

  The communication unit 12 has a function as vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information related to the running state of the vehicle. The communication unit 12 includes, for example, a wireless communication function in the UHF band as mid-range communication. Note that the present invention is not limited to the UHF band, and may have a communication function in the VHF band and a communication function such as a wireless LAN. The communication unit 12 acquires (receives) vehicle information transmitted and received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication between vehicles existing in the communication region S illustrated in FIG. The vehicle information acquired by the communication unit 12 includes, for example, a vehicle ID that is a vehicle-specific identifier, a vehicle position and speed, a turn signal switch state (left or right turn signal on / off), and an accelerator state (accelerator on / off). ), Brake state (brake on / off), and the like.

  The vehicle determination part 13 has a function as a vehicle determination means which determines whether the vehicle which heads for an intersection is a left turn vehicle based on the vehicle information acquired by the communication part 12. FIG. The determination as to whether or not the vehicle is a left turn vehicle can be made, for example, by determining that a vehicle whose left turn signal is on is a left turn vehicle. If a left turn lane is provided, whether or not the vehicle is a left turn vehicle is also determined by referring to a road map near the intersection and whether or not the vehicle is in the left turn lane. can do. Further, the vehicle determination unit 13 determines on which outflow path the vehicle has traveled from the inflow path based on the travel trajectory of the vehicle in the vicinity of the intersection (a plurality of vehicle positions at every predetermined time or every predetermined distance), and the left turn It is also possible to determine that the vehicle that has traveled on the direction outflow path is a left turn vehicle.

  When the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination unit 13 is slower than the speed of the pedestrian red signal, the traffic jam determination unit 14 walks with the left turn vehicle. It has a function as a traffic jam judging means for judging a left turn traffic jam due to crossing with a person.

  The activation unit 16 has a function as an activation unit that activates the traffic jam determination process by the traffic jam determination unit 14. Hereinafter, a method for determining a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of a left turn vehicle and a pedestrian at an intersection and a start condition for the traffic jam determination process will be described.

  5 and 6 are schematic diagrams showing an example of left turn traffic jam determination by the traffic jam judgment device 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a case where the pedestrian lamp 2 is a pedestrian green signal (PG) or a pedestrian blue blinking signal (PF), and FIG. 6 shows the pedestrian lamp 2 is a pedestrian red signal (PR). Show the case. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a vehicle with a pattern is a left turn vehicle, and a vehicle without a pattern represents a straight-ahead vehicle.

  It is determined whether or not there is a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. The speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian green signal (PG, PF) of the pedestrian lamp 2 is the pedestrian red signal (PR). If it is slower than the speed at, it is determined that there is a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. As shown in FIG. 5, when the pedestrian lamp 2 is a pedestrian green signal (PG or PF) and the pedestrian is crossing a pedestrian crossing, the left turn vehicle 203 is stopped or compared to give priority to the pedestrian crossing. You will drive at a slower speed. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pedestrian lamp 2 is a pedestrian red signal (PR), the pedestrian does not cross the pedestrian crossing, so the left turn vehicles 204 and 205 need to wait for the pedestrian to cross. You can turn left at a relatively fast speed. Therefore, if the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian blue signal (which may include the pedestrian blue flashing signal) is slower than the speed in the pedestrian red signal, determine that the left turn vehicle is waiting for the pedestrian to cross Therefore, it can be determined that the cause of the traffic jam is a left-turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left-turn vehicle and the pedestrian. Note that the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian green signal and the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian red signal may be different vehicles or the same vehicle.

  In the above example, as a condition for determining a left turn traffic jam due to crossing with a pedestrian, the speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian blue signal (which may include a pedestrian blue flashing signal) is slower than the speed at the pedestrian red signal However, the determination condition includes the following condition. For example, the speed difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian red signal and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian blue signal can be equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth1 (for example, 5 km / h) as the first threshold. As another condition, the speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian red signal is a speed threshold Vth3 (for example, 10 km / h) or more (fast) as the third threshold, and the speed of the left turn vehicle at the pedestrian green signal is The speed threshold value Vth2 (for example, 5 km / h) or less (slow) may be used as the second threshold value. Here, it is assumed that the second threshold value <the third threshold value.

  In addition, as a condition for judging left turn traffic jams due to crossing with pedestrians, the condition is that the speed of a left turn vehicle with a pedestrian blue signal (which may include a pedestrian blue flashing signal) is slower than the speed of a pedestrian red signal In addition, the following second condition can be taken into consideration. That is, the traffic jam in the intersection outflow area C of the left turn vehicle is determined, and when it is determined that there is no traffic jam, it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian.

  The outflow area congestion determination unit 17 has a function as an outflow area congestion determination unit that determines congestion in an intersection outflow area of a left turn vehicle. Judge whether or not there is traffic jam (clogging) at the intersection's outflow destination, and make the left turn traffic jam condition that no traffic jam has occurred, so that traffic jam is excluded from clogging factors The factor can be determined, and the congestion factor can be accurately determined.

  The outflow area congestion determination unit 17 determines that there is no congestion in the intersection outflow area C when the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area C is faster than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area B before the left turn. As shown in FIG. 6, the left turn vehicle 202 that is congested in the intersection inflow area B is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle 204 is relatively slow, whereas there is no traffic jam (clogging) in the intersection outflow area C. In this case, since the left turn vehicle 205 can travel at a relatively high speed in the intersection outflow region C, the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow region C is faster than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow region B before the left turn. In this case, it can be determined that there is no traffic jam (clogging up) in the intersection outflow area C.

  As another method, the outflow area congestion determination unit 17 uses the difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area C and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area B before the left turn as a fourth threshold value. When the threshold value is Vth4 (for example, 5 km / h) or more, it is determined that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area C. As shown in FIG. 6, the left turn vehicle 202 that is congested in the intersection inflow area B is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle 204 is relatively slow, whereas there is no traffic jam (clogging) in the intersection outflow area C. In this case, since the left turn vehicle 205 can travel at a relatively high speed in the intersection outflow region C, the difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow region C and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow region B before the left turn. Is equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth4 as the fourth threshold, it can be determined that there is no traffic jam (clogging up) in the intersection outflow area C.

  Further, as another method, the outflow area congestion determination unit 17 has the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area C equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth5 (for example, 10 km / h) as the fifth threshold, and the inflow of the intersection before the left turn When the speed of the left turn vehicle in the area B is equal to or less than the speed threshold Vth6 (for example, 5 km / h) as the sixth threshold, it is determined that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area C. Here, the fifth threshold> the sixth threshold. As shown in FIG. 6, the left turn vehicle 202 that is congested in the intersection inflow area B is stopped or the speed of the left turn vehicle 204 is relatively slow, whereas there is no traffic jam (clogging) in the intersection outflow area C. In this case, since the left turn vehicle 205 can travel at a relatively high speed in the intersection outflow region C, the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow region C is equal to or higher than the speed threshold Vth5 as the fifth threshold, and the intersection inflow before the left turn When the speed of the left turn vehicle in the area B is equal to or lower than the speed threshold Vth6 as the sixth threshold, it can be determined that there is no traffic jam (clogging up) in the intersection outflow area C.

  Next, activation conditions for the traffic jam determination process will be described. When the stop position of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination unit 13 is upstream of the predetermined position A upstream of the intersection, the activation unit 16 activates the traffic jam determination process. In the example of FIGS. 5 and 6, the left turn vehicle 201 that is stopped exists upstream from the predetermined point A, so the traffic jam determination unit 14 performs the traffic jam determination process. As a result, it is determined that traffic congestion has occurred when the number of vehicles exceeding the number that can flow out of the intersection during one green light time of the signal lamp is stopped upstream of the intersection. Since the factor determination process can be activated, the congestion factor determination process can be performed only during a traffic jam, and the processing effort can be reduced.

  Another activation condition can also be provided. That is, the activation unit 16 activates the traffic jam determination process when the speed of the left turn vehicle in the pedestrian green signal is slower than a speed threshold (for example, 5 km / h). When the pedestrian lamp 2 is a pedestrian green signal, the speed of the left turn vehicle is slow because the left turn vehicle may be stopped or slowing down because it waits for the pedestrian while crossing the pedestrian crossing. Start the judgment process. As a result, it is possible to perform a process for determining a traffic jam factor only during a traffic jam, and to reduce the processing effort.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of left turn traffic jam determination by the traffic jam determination device 10 of the present embodiment. The example of FIG. 7 shows a case where the left turn vehicle 206 that has turned left at the intersection is congested in the intersection outflow area C. In such a case, even if the pedestrian red light time of the pedestrian lamp 2 is extended, the traffic on the left turn is still congested, so it is possible to eliminate the left turn traffic jam due to the intersection with the pedestrian at the intersection. Can not. Therefore, in the state as shown in the example of FIG. 7, that is, when the left turn vehicle turns left at the intersection and is congested in the intersection outflow area C, the congestion determination processing by the congestion determination unit 14 is not performed.

  The signal control unit 15 has a function as a signal control means for extending the pedestrian red signal time of the pedestrian lamp 2 when the traffic congestion determination unit 14 determines that the traffic is a left turn traffic jam. If it turns out that left-hand traffic due to crossing with pedestrians is the cause of traffic congestion, the pedestrian red light 2 of the pedestrian lamp 2 can be extended to extend the pedestrian red light time, eliminating unnecessary green light time and eliminating the traffic jam early. Can be achieved.

  Further, the signal control unit 15 may control the pedestrian lamp 2 so that the pedestrian green signal time becomes the minimum guaranteed time. The minimum guaranteed time is a time that is equal to or greater than a value calculated by dividing the width of the crossing road by the walking speed of the pedestrian. The walking speed of a pedestrian crossing a pedestrian crossing is 1 m / s. For example, if the road width is 10 m, the minimum guaranteed time can be 10 seconds or more. Thereby, the safety | security of a pedestrian can be ensured, eliminating the left turn traffic jam.

  Next, the operation of the congestion determination device 10 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the traffic jam determination process of the traffic jam determination device 10 of the present embodiment. Since the control part 11 controls each part in the congestion determination apparatus 10, it demonstrates below that the control part 11 performs a process.

  The control part 11 acquires the vehicle information regarding a driving state from the vehicle in the communication area S (S11), and determines a left turn vehicle based on the acquired vehicle information (S12). The control unit 11 determines whether or not the stop position of the left-turn vehicle is upstream from the predetermined point A (S13). If the stop position is not upstream from the predetermined point A (NO in S13), the determination of the congestion factor is performed. Assuming that there is no need to do this, the processing from step S11 onward is continued.

  When the stop position of the right turn vehicle is upstream of the predetermined point A (YES in S13), the control unit 11 determines whether or not the speed of the left turn vehicle at the time of the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed threshold (S14). When the speed of the left turn vehicle at the time of the pedestrian green signal is not slower than the speed threshold (NO in S14), the control unit 11 smoothly turns left at the intersection without waiting for the pedestrian while the left turn vehicle crosses the pedestrian crossing. As a result, the processing after step S11 is continued without determining the cause of the traffic jam.

  When the speed of the left turn vehicle at the time of the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed threshold (YES in S14), the control unit 11 may stop or slow down because the left turn vehicle waits for a pedestrian crossing the pedestrian crossing. Assuming that there is a traffic jam factor, it is determined whether or not the speed of the left turn vehicle at the time of the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed at the time of the pedestrian red signal (S15).

  If the speed of the left turn vehicle at the time of the pedestrian green signal is slower than the speed at the time of the pedestrian red signal (YES in S15), the control unit 11 determines that a left turn traffic jam occurs due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. The person red signal time is extended (S16). If the speed at the time of the pedestrian green signal of the left turn vehicle is not slower than the speed at the time of the pedestrian red signal (NO in S15), the control unit 11 determines that it is not a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. The process of step S17 described later is performed without performing the process.

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not to end the process (S17). If the process is not ended (NO in S17), the process after step S11 is repeated and it is determined to end the process (YES in S17). The process is terminated.

  In the above-described processing procedure, the congestion determination process is performed when both the determinations in step S13 and step S14 are YES, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the process in step S14 can be omitted.

  The traffic jam determination device 10 can also be realized using a general-purpose computer having a CPU, a RAM, and the like. That is, by loading a program code defining a processing procedure as shown in FIG. 8 into a RAM provided in the computer and executing the program code by the CPU, it is possible to realize a traffic jam determination device on the computer.

  In the above-described embodiment, when traffic congestion occurs in the intersection outflow area C, the traffic congestion determination device 10 uses the result of determining the traffic congestion factor in the downstream intersection of the intersection outflow area C to use the downstream intersection. It is also possible to extend the green signal time of the vehicle to eliminate the traffic jam in the intersection outflow area C.

  In the above-described embodiment, the traffic jam determination process acquires signal information such as the display time and switching timing of the signal color of the signal lamp 1 for the vehicle at the intersection, and uses the signal color switching timing of the signal lamp 1 as the timing for switching. It can also be done synchronously. For example, the traffic jam determination may be performed in a time zone in which the light color of the signal lamp 1 at the intersection is a blue signal (including a right turn green signal). Thereby, the traffic jam in the time zone of a green light can be eliminated. Further, it is also possible to repeatedly determine the traffic jam for a predetermined time including a plurality of cycles, and to extend the pedestrian red signal time of the pedestrian lamp 2 when the left turn traffic jam continues repeatedly. As a result, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the light color time of the signal light device 1 for the vehicle changes frequently due to frequent changes in the light color time for pedestrians, excluding the transient left turn traffic jam, and chronic Left turn traffic can be eliminated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the congestion determination device 10 is a traffic signal controller or a central signal control device, but is not limited thereto. For example, the traffic jam determination device 10 is a device different from the traffic signal controller or the signal control device, and the traffic jam determination device 10 outputs an instruction to extend the pedestrian red signal time to the traffic signal control device or the signal control device. The controller or signal controller may extend the pedestrian red signal time according to this instruction.

  The disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

11 Control Unit 12 Communication Unit (Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit)
13 Vehicle determination unit (vehicle determination means)
14 Congestion determination unit (congestion determination means)
15 Signal control unit (signal control means)
16 Starter (Starter)
17 Outflow area congestion determination unit (outflow area congestion determination means)
18 Storage unit

Claims (12)

In the traffic jam judging device for judging the factor of traffic jam due to vehicles existing near the intersection
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information relating to the running state of the vehicle;
Vehicle determination means for determining a left turn vehicle based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition means;
A traffic jam judging means for judging a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian when the speed of the left turn vehicle judged by the vehicle judging means is slower than the speed of the pedestrian red signal. A traffic jam judging device.   The traffic judgment device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal control unit that extends a pedestrian red signal time when the traffic judgment unit judges that the traffic is a left turn traffic jam. The signal control means includes
The traffic jam determination device according to claim 2, wherein the pedestrian green signal time is configured to be a minimum guarantee time. An outflow area congestion determination means for determining a traffic jam in an intersection outflow area of a left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination means;
The traffic jam judging means
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the outflow area congestion determination unit determines that there is no congestion, the left turn congestion due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian is determined. The traffic jam judging device according to item 1. The outflow area congestion determination means
When the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is faster than the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn, it is configured to determine that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area. The congestion determination device according to claim 4.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an activation unit that activates the determination process of the traffic congestion determination unit when the stop position of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination unit is upstream of a predetermined position upstream of the intersection. The traffic jam determination device according to claim 5.   6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an activation unit that activates a determination process of the traffic congestion determination unit when the speed of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination unit is slower than a speed threshold. The traffic jam determination device according to any one of the above items. The traffic jam judging means
If the difference between the speed of the pedestrian blue signal and the speed of the pedestrian red signal of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination means is greater than or equal to the first threshold, it is determined that the left turn traffic jam is due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian. The traffic jam judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the device is configured as described above. The traffic jam judging means
If the speed of the pedestrian green signal of the left turn vehicle determined by the vehicle determination means is less than or equal to the second threshold value and the speed of the pedestrian red signal of the left turn vehicle is greater than or equal to the third threshold value greater than the second threshold value, turn left The traffic determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the traffic determination device is configured to determine a left-turn traffic jam due to a cross between a vehicle and a pedestrian. The outflow area congestion determination means
When the difference between the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold, it is determined that there is no traffic jam in the intersection outflow area. The traffic jam judging device according to claim 5, which is configured. The outflow area congestion determination means
If the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection outflow area is equal to or higher than the fifth threshold and the speed of the left turn vehicle in the intersection inflow area before the left turn is equal to or lower than the sixth threshold smaller than the fifth threshold, the intersection outflow area 6. The traffic jam judging device according to claim 5, wherein the traffic jam judging device is configured to judge that there is no traffic jam. In a computer program for causing a computer to execute a step of determining a traffic congestion factor due to a vehicle existing near an intersection,
On the computer,
Determining a left turn vehicle based on vehicle information relating to the running state of the vehicle;
When the speed of the left turn vehicle determined in the determination step is slower than the speed of the pedestrian red signal, a step of determining a left turn traffic jam due to the intersection of the left turn vehicle and the pedestrian is executed. A computer program.

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