JP2003281674A - Traffic information processing method and traffic information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide traffic congestion information, traffic congestion length, and signal waiting information from traffic information data obtained from a vehicle such as a traveling probe car. SOLUTION: A travel information acquisition unit 23 which acquires travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position, and a traffic congestion retention position / distance which determines a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. A calculating unit that calculates a speed of the vehicle and a time-series change in the position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle; Means for determining whether or not is to continue within a predetermined speed range,
Means for outputting the position of the vehicle or its section distance at the start and end of the continuation based on the travel information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic information processing method and a traffic information processing system for processing traffic information detected by a probe car or the like, and more particularly, based on a detection value detected by the probe car or the like. The present invention relates to a method and system for generating and providing information on traffic congestion length and signal waiting time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In Japan, traffic information is collected by using a sensor or the like installed on the roadside, as represented by a road traffic information system (VICS). In Europe and Singapore, probe cars
Car) or floating car data (Fl
A mechanism for collecting information from the vehicle itself, which is called "Oating Car Data", has been introduced, and in recent years, interest in Japan has increased.

Therefore, in Japan as well, the Ministry of Construction (currently the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) has been using a car navigation system since May 2000 to grasp traffic congestion information centered on general roads in Tokyo, using trucks and trucks. A survey has begun to record the route taken by taxis. This survey was carried out in cooperation with 20 trucks of a transportation company and 20 taxis of a taxi company operating mainly in the city center, and each car is equipped with a car navigation system with a memory card. The behavior of the vehicle is recorded in the memory card. The card then collects and analyzes the stored information on a monthly basis. In this way, the peak time of traffic congestion is judged, and the authenticity of the dogma such as "the road is congested every month on" 5/10 days "and on rainy days" is confirmed, and road construction / expansion is performed. I am trying to use it for planning and setting time zones for road construction.

[0004]

By the way, analyzing the data from the probe car is a manual operation, which takes time and has a certain limit in terms of accuracy. In particular, it is very difficult to identify and analyze the congestion due to traffic concentration based on the above data. For example, just because the vehicle has stopped or is traveling at low speed does not necessarily mean that there is congestion, and when these are misinterpreted, the reliability of the analysis result is significantly reduced.

Therefore, analysis of traffic congestion does not rely on the above-mentioned data, and the flow of traffic is monitored by a vehicle detector actually installed on the roadside to determine the traffic volume, the speed of the traveling vehicle, and the occupation of the vehicle on the road surface. I decided to make a decision based on the rate. However, the vehicle detector for grasping the above-mentioned traffic congestion is installed only in a specific roadside section. For this reason, there are cases where the provision of traffic congestion information is limited to within the detector installation section, and the traffic congestion length is limited to the detector installation section distance. Therefore, it was not possible to obtain traffic jam information and traffic jam length at locations where no detector was installed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the traffic congestion information, the traffic congestion length, and the signal waiting information are obtained from the traffic information data obtained from the vehicle itself such as the probe car traveling as described above. This is the traffic information processing system provided.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a traffic information processing system capable of rapidly processing traffic information obtained from a probe car with a small amount of computer resources and outputting the traffic information in a form that is easy to use later.

[0008]

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and according to a first main aspect thereof, obtains travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position. And a traffic congestion retention position determining step of determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, the traffic congestion retention position determining step, based on the travel information of the vehicle A step of obtaining a time-series change of the speed of the vehicle and its position; a step of determining whether or not the travel of the vehicle is within a predetermined speed range and continuing; There is provided a traffic information processing method comprising a step of outputting the position of the vehicle at the end or the section distance thereof as a traffic congestion retention position.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, the data is called a probe car or floating car data, and the data collected from the car itself by using a car navigation system. Based on this, the traffic jam information and the traffic jam length can be obtained. Congestion information can be obtained without being caught in the conventional roadside vehicle detector installation section, and without being limited to the vehicle detector installation interval,
More detailed congestion length can be measured.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of obtaining travel information including the position of the vehicle and the time at the position, and the traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle are determined. A step of determining a traffic congestion retention position determining step, wherein the traffic congestion retention position determination step converts the travel process of the vehicle into a moving group divided so that a predetermined time and a part of time overlap. Determining the condition that the average travel speed of the moving group of the vehicle is within a predetermined speed range, and determining to which moving group the condition is continuously satisfied; and the moving group is within the predetermined speed range. It is desirable to have a step of outputting the reached start and end positions or the section distance from the start to the end based on the travel information.

According to such a configuration, the travel process of the vehicle is regarded as a series of moving groups for a certain fixed time that are partially overlapped and continuous, so that the vehicle ahead turns left, turns right, changes the course, and does not signal. Factors that are not related to traffic congestion, such as temporary stop of the vehicle due to crossing of pedestrians and temporary acceleration after those temporary stops, can be eliminated from the measurement of traffic congestion length, making it more accurate. You can ask for a long traffic jam.

[0012] Further, a step of judging whether the vehicle has passed two or more predetermined points set in advance on the map data based on the time-series change of the position information of the vehicle, If the configuration is such that the step of determining the traffic congestion staying position of the vehicle is performed between two predetermined points of the points judged to have passed, it is very easy to handle when obtaining the traffic congestion information in a desired section. Become.

Further, since an intersection often causes a traffic jam, it is more effective if a predetermined point on the map data includes the intersection. If the signal cycle length of an intersection (the time it takes for the signal to change from blue to red) is stored in association with the point on the electronic map, the speed will initially be 0 km / h in the traffic jam section calculated as described above. The number of signal waiting times can be provided by obtaining the reached point and dividing the transit time from the 0 km / h point to the intersection by the signal cycle length (rounding up).

It is also desirable to set points that are factors such as construction sites where traffic of vehicles is partially restricted such as one-sided travel and sharp curves that require significant deceleration, which cause traffic congestion.

Further, there is a step of determining a stay factor of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, and a step of determining a traffic congestion stay position of the vehicle except when the stay factor is other than congestion. Is desirable. When the vehicle to be monitored is a taxi, when the passenger is stopped or parked at a break such as waiting for a customer, or when it is a commercial vehicle such as a truck, the parking / parking status when loading and unloading luggage is stagnant. However, it is not due to traffic congestion or congestion. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a more accurate traffic congestion retention position is included in the step of determining the congestion factor of the vehicle, and in the step of determining the traffic congestion retention position, in order to eliminate the influence of factors other than the traffic congestion. Can be asked.

It is preferable that the step of determining the stay factor of the vehicle is to determine the stay factor based on the stay time of the vehicle and the vehicle type of the vehicle. The staying factor includes at least traffic congestion, and other factors such as stoppage or parking are assumed.

The predetermined speed range or the predetermined time in the step of determining the traffic congestion stay position of the vehicle is
Seasons such as winter, weekends, rainy days, etc. where it is expected that congestion will be temporarily conspicuous in the area to drive, roads, such as skiers,
It is also preferable to change every day of the week, or depending on the residence time of the vehicle or the type of the vehicle.

According to a second main aspect of the present invention, travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and time at the position, and traffic congestion of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. A traffic congestion retention position determining means for determining a retention position, wherein the traffic congestion retention position determination means for the vehicle determines a time-series change of the speed and the position of the vehicle based on travel information of the vehicle; A means for determining whether or not the travel of the vehicle is continued for a predetermined time within a predetermined speed range, and a position of the vehicle or a section distance thereof at the start and end when the travel is continued in the travel information. A traffic information processing system is provided which has a means for outputting based on the above.

With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a traffic information processing system capable of executing the traffic information processing method.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and time at the position, and a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. A traffic group retention position determining means for determining the traffic congestion retention position determining means, wherein the traffic congestion retention position determining means converts the travel route of the vehicle into a movement group divided into predetermined time intervals and partial time overlaps. Means for determining an average travel speed of the moving group of the vehicle within a predetermined speed range, and determining to which moving group the condition is continuously satisfied; A traffic information processing system characterized by having means for outputting the position at the start and end of reaching the range or the section distance thereof based on the travel information.

Other features and remarkable effects of the present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the following description of the embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Basic Configuration) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic information processing center 1 according to this embodiment.

A reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1 is a so-called "probe car". The probe car 2 is connected to the car navigation system 3 and the position of the probe car 2 and its position. A GPS antenna 4, a vehicle speed pulse detector 5 and the like for detecting the time at the position, the traveling direction, etc. are connected. The car navigation system 3 includes the GPS antenna 4
In addition to the road navigation using the information detected by the vehicle speed pulse detector 5, the information detected above is stored in the memory card 6.

The memory card 6 is designed to collect and store the travel information collected at a predetermined cycle, for example, every month, to the traffic information processing system 8 of the traffic information processing center 1.

The traffic information processing system 8 converts the travel information into an electronic map (DRM: Digital Road).
Map) is processed together with external information 12 such as signal cycle length, construction and accident information 10 and weather information 11 associated with a predetermined point (intersection, highway entrance / exit, construction site, accident site, etc.) set in advance in Map). , Has a function of generating processed travel information 13. This processed travel information 1
As will be described in detail later, 3 is information such as passage speed or travel time generated in association with a predetermined point set in advance on the electronic map, traffic jam location, traffic jam length, and number of signal waiting times. is there.

Further, in this embodiment, a travel guidance system 15 shown in FIG. 1 is provided.
5 is 16 in FIG. 1 based on the processed travel information 13.
It has a function of providing and guiding the travel route and travel time, as well as the location of the traffic jam, the length of the traffic jam, and the number of signal waiting times to the guide user on the Internet and the traveling probe car 2, etc.

Specifically, as will be described later in detail,
The travel guide system 15 calculates an optimum travel route based on the conditions specified by the guide user 16, and based on the points on the electronic map through which the travel route passes, the optimum travel route is calculated from the processed travel information. The average travel speed or required transit time between points on the electronic map along which the route travels is extracted, and the required time for all the travel routes is calculated by totaling these. Also, this travel guide system 1
Reference numeral 5 has a function of extracting and providing information on the length of traffic jam and the number of times of waiting for a signal starting from a predetermined point from the processed travel information.

As a result, it is possible to obtain a system which can provide and guide the guide user on the Internet, the traveling probe car 2, etc. with the optimum travel route and estimated travel time as well as the congestion point and the congestion length.

When supplying these pieces of information to the probe car 2, the information is transmitted to the information receiving system 18 installed in the probe car 2, and the driver of the probe car 2 is provided with the information through the car navigation system 3. It is preferable that it is configured to provide traffic jam information and traffic jam length information together with the travel route and travel time.

The traffic information processing system 8 and the travel guidance system 1 provided in the traffic information processing center 1 will be described below.
Each component of 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Note that each component described below is actually a computer software program installed in a formatted area and a predetermined area on the storage medium of the computer system, and is executed by the CPU of the computer system. The functions of the present invention are realized by being called up on the RAM and executed.

(Traffic Information Processing System) As shown in FIG. 2, the traffic information processing system 8 includes a travel information storage unit 20 for storing travel information received through the memory card 6 and an electronic map for storing an electronic map. Storage 21
A processed travel information storage unit 22 that stores the processed travel information, a travel information acquisition unit 23 that acquires the travel information from the travel information storage unit 20, and a position information of the probe car 2 in the travel information. A passing point determination unit 24 that determines whether the probe car 2 has passed two or more predetermined points set in advance on the electronic map based on the time-series change, and the time-series change of the position information. Based on the above, the transit time required to pass between the points of the travel route determined to have passed by the probe car 2 is calculated, and the calculation result is associated with each point on the electronic map. An inter-point transit time calculation unit 25 that outputs the processed travel information storage unit 22, and a transit speed between the points based on the transit time calculated for each point, The passing speed calculation / aggregation unit 26 that outputs the calculation result of the above to the processed travel information storage unit 22 in a state of being associated with each point on the electronic map, and the probe car of the travel information about a specified designated point. 2. A traffic congestion retention determination unit 27 that determines whether or not there is congestion due to traffic congestion, starting from the point based on the time-series change of the position information, and the probe car obtained from the travel information when there is traffic congestion. The traffic congestion retention length and the number of signal waiting times are calculated from the position 2 and the time data at the position, and the calculation result is output to the processed travel information storage unit 22 in a state associated with each point on the electronic map. It has a congestion retention length / signal waiting count calculation unit 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, the travel information acquisition unit 23 determines, based on the travel information stored in the travel information storage unit 20, a position 29 of the probe car 2 every second, a time 30 at that position, and a time 30 at that position. Information on the speed 31 at the position, the traveling direction 32 at the position, the vehicle type 33, and the event 34 at the position is acquired. Here, the phenomenon 34 is "actual vehicle vacant information", "waiting for passenger", "rest", "passenger boarding / alighting stop" in taxis, etc., "luggage loading information", "parking by unloading" in a commercial vehicle, etc. Is. Each such event can be detected by various sensors provided in the probe car 2. Then, it is preferable that the event thus detected is stored as the travel information together with a code for identifying each event.

Next, the passing point judging section 24, as shown in FIG. 4, acquires the position information 29 of the probe car.
In the middle, a temporary route creating unit 3 that creates a temporary route by connecting the positions where the traveling direction of the probe car 2 has changed with the shortest distance
5, a passage candidate point extraction unit 36 for extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the temporary route among the points set in advance on the electronic map, and the probe car 2 based on the extracted points. Of the transit path and the estimated transit path, and outputs an error signal when the distance between them is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 38, and when the error signal is output, the passage route is divided at a position where the distance between the temporary route and the estimated passage route is equal to or more than a predetermined value, and the extracted points are divided for each divided route. Based on the above, the passage route re-estimation unit 39 that re-estimates the passage route of the probe car, and the point on the passage route estimated above is determined as the point that the probe car has passed. Passing point and outputs the output section 40
Have and.

The passing point judging section 24 has a function of efficiently specifying the point on the electronic map where the probe car 2 has passed. Less than,
The function of each component is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 and FIGS.
This will be described with reference to the electronic maps of FIG. 9 and the schematic diagrams of FIGS. Note that reference numerals S1 to S9 in FIG. 5 are reference numerals for the steps, and coincide with step numbers in the following description.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the temporary route creating section 35 designates a starting point S and an ending point E of a portion to be processed in the passage of the probe car 2 (step S1 in FIG. 5). Then, the provisional route creation unit 35 uses the direction information 32 in the travel information to recognize the position where the direction has changed as shown in FIG. 7, and connects the positions with a straight line (step S2). . This straight line constitutes the temporary path 41.

Next, the passage candidate point extraction unit 36
Extracts all points within a width of 30 m from the center of the temporary path 41 (step S3). This point is set as coordinates in advance in the electronic map as indicated by P1 to P8 in the schematic diagram of FIG. 10, and the position on the road 42 that affects traffic congestion retention, for example, an intersection It is set at the entrance of a highway, a sharp curve, etc. As shown in FIG. 10, the temporary route 41 is
Depending on the GPS error, the road 42 on the electronic map
Not necessarily listed above. Therefore, all the points within about 30 m (chain line in the figure) are extracted in consideration of the above error. In this example, P1, P2, P3 and P4 are extracted. FIG. 8 shows this state on the electronic map.

Further, the passage candidate point extracting section 36
4, as shown in FIG.
And a passing candidate point re-extracting unit 45. The extraction point presence / absence determining unit 44 determines two positions (K1, K shown in FIG. 10) in which the traveling direction on the temporary route 41 has changed.
It is determined whether at least one or more points P have been extracted during 2) (step S4 in FIG. 5). Then, the passage candidate point re-extracting unit 45 is
When it is determined that at least one or more points are not extracted by the above, the two positions (for example, K1 and K2)
The passing distance points are extracted by increasing the predetermined distance 30 m by 10 m only for the temporary route between them (step S).
5).

When the passage candidate points are extracted by the above steps, the passage route estimating unit 37 performs the shortest route search for all the passage candidate points P1, P2, P3, P4, and The optimum route matching the road on the data is calculated (step S6). As a result, the route P1-P2-P3-P4 shown by the solid line in FIG.
Is determined as the optimum route 46. Further, FIG. 9 shows the optimum route 46 on the electronic map. Then, the error signal output unit 38 causes the optimum path 46 determined by this.
And the provisional route 41 are compared with each other, and it is determined whether or not there is a portion where these differences are equal to or more than a predetermined value (step S7). In this case, the passage route re-estimation unit 39 divides the temporary route at a place where the difference is equal to or more than a predetermined value (step S8), and executes steps S4 to S7 again for each temporary route. Then, if the error between the estimated passing route and the temporary route falls within a predetermined value, the passing point extraction unit 40 causes all the points (P1, P2, P3, P4) on the estimated passing route. ) Is determined as the passing point and output (step S9).

Next, the point-to-point transit time calculation unit 25
(FIG. 2) outputs the required transit time between each passing point based on the passing points output as described above. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, the required travel time between points is calculated for each of P1 and P2 and between P2 and P3, and the processed travel is performed in a state where the calculation result is associated with each point on the electronic map. It is output to the information storage unit 22 (FIG. 2).

On the other hand, the point-to-point transit time calculation unit 25
As shown in FIG. 12, a stay discriminating unit 47 that discriminates the staying position of the probe car 2 and the staying factor based on the travel time between the points, and the staying time when the staying factor is other than congestion is the point. And a residence time removal unit 48 that removes it from the passing time between them. Further, the stay determination unit 47
Is a stay position output unit 49 that outputs the position where the vehicle is staying in the travel information, based on the speed of the vehicle, the duration of the speed, the travel distance in a predetermined time, or the time required per travel distance. And a staying time calculating unit 50 that calculates the staying time based on the staying position and the time at that position, and a staying factor determining unit 51 that determines the staying factor based on the length of the staying time. ,
A retention position / retention factor output unit 52 that outputs the retention factor in association with the retention position.

Hereinafter, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
The procedure (steps S10 to S12) of this retention determination will be described.

First, the staying position output unit 49 and the staying time calculating unit 50 determine the continuous stop time at each position, that is, the continuous speed of 0 km / h, based on the position information stored in the memory card 6 every second. The time is calculated, and its position and its continuous stop time are specified (step S10). Then,
The retention factor determination unit 51 determines the retention factor at each position based on the vehicle type of the probe car 2, the continuous stop time, and the event data received from the probe car 2 (step S11). The vehicle type information includes, for example,
The distinction between general vehicles, taxis / hire, and commercial vehicles (trucks, etc.) is described. If the probe car 2 is a taxi or a hire, the event data includes actual vehicle empty vehicle detection information. In this case, if the vehicle type is a taxi and the actual vehicle empty vehicle detection information fluctuates during a stop,
It can be determined that there was a passenger getting on and off. Further, when the vehicle is stopped for a long time in an empty state, it can be determined that it is waiting for a customer or a break.

FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b) show the stay factor determination table 54 for ordinary vehicles and taxis. In the case of a general vehicle, as shown in FIG.
Depending on the stop time, it is determined to be a traffic light / traffic jam or break. On the other hand, in the case of a taxi, as shown in FIG.
Based on the stop time and the actual vehicle vacant vehicle information (displayed as actual / empty), each retention factor of traffic light / traffic jam, stop-by, waiting for passengers, getting on / off passengers, and rest is determined.

Such retention factors are stored in the processed travel information storage unit 22 in association with the retention position (corresponding to the electronic map) and time.

Next, the staying time removing unit 48 removes the staying time when the staying factor is other than signal waiting / traffic congestion from the passing time (step S12). In the case of a taxi, even if it is judged that the stop time is within 2 minutes, which is usually a signal waiting or a traffic jam, it is judged that it is the passenger's boarding / alighting time based on the occurrence of the event that the actual vehicle becomes empty. When traveling, the time will be removed from the travel time.

Next, the passing speed calculating / totalizing unit 26
As shown in FIG. 15, a passing speed calculation unit 55 that calculates the passing speed between the points based on the required time between the points of the probe car 2 (calculated as constant within the section), and the passing speed calculating section 55 The average passing speed calculation unit 56 that calculates the average of the passing speeds of all the probe cars 2, the deviation value calculation unit 57 that calculates the deviation value of the travel time of the probe car 2 from the average time, and the calculation result are measured. The output unit 58 outputs the data in association with the points, time, and the like.

The passing speed calculator 55 is adapted to obtain the passing speed by dividing the distance between the points acquired from the electronic map by the travel time between the points.
That is, the passing speed is the running average speed between the points by the probe car 2. Next, the average passing speed calculation unit 56 calculates the average passing speed of all probe cars 2 by integrating the passing speeds of all the probe cars 2 that have passed between the points and dividing by the total number. This average speed is the average speed obtained for all probe cars 2 in all time zones. The deviation value calculator 57 compares the average speed with the passing speed of the probe car 2 to obtain a deviation value of the passing speed of the probe car 2 from the average speed. This deviation value is applied to the average speed later when determining the passing speed under a specific time period and a specific external condition. The output unit 58 stores the information obtained in the above steps in the processed travel information storage unit 22.

Next, the configurations and functions of the traffic congestion retention determination unit 27, the traffic congestion retention position / distance, and the signal waiting frequency calculation unit 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19. It should be noted that reference numerals S13 to S21 in FIG. 19 are reference numerals for steps, and coincide with step numbers in the following description.

16 and 17 are schematic diagrams for explaining the method of calculating the congestion retention length and the number of signal waiting times in this embodiment. In this figure, a case is shown in which the congestion retention length and the like starting from the intersection indicated by 75 are obtained. In FIG. 16, the arrow 76 indicates the traveling direction of the traffic, and the black dots 77 actually indicate the position of the vehicle every 1 second, but in FIG. It is shown in a simplified manner.

In this embodiment, a position data group L1 for 20 seconds (originally 20 black dots, which is shown as 10 in FIG. 16 for simplification) is acquired from the intersection 75 as a starting point, and the position data group L1 is acquired. Find the average speed. If the average speed is 20 km or less, the position data group L
The position data group L2 for the next 20 seconds is acquired so as to be overlapped with 1 and 10 seconds, and the average speed in the position data group L2 is similarly obtained. Then, when the average speed is 20 km or less, similarly, the next position data group L3 is similarly obtained to determine to what extent the state in which the average speed is 20 km or less continues. In this way, the tail end of the traffic jam related to this intersection is specified, and the length to this tail end is calculated as the traffic jam length. Further, the number of signal waiting times can be obtained by dividing the time required to pass through this traffic congestion by the cycle length of the signal change.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the traffic congestion toward Shibuya was calculated starting from the Sangenjaya intersection in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, the results shown in FIG. 17 were obtained.
The congestion length at 11:00 am on June 28 was 561 m, and it took 5 minutes and 19 seconds to pass through this congestion, and the average traveling speed in this congestion was 6.3 km / h.

In order to enable such processing, the traffic congestion retention position determination unit 27, as shown in FIG. 18, is a processing target portion (for example, a point such as an intersection) for checking the presence or absence of traffic congestion and its traveling direction. A processing target point receiving unit 59 that specifies the number of the processing target points, and a stay determination unit 47 in the processing target route.
A retention factor data reference unit 60 for checking whether or not there is a stop condition due to a retention factor (waiting for customers, rest, loading / unloading of luggage, etc.) other than the traffic jam / signal determined in (FIG. 12) and a processing target point (for example, An intersection) is used as a starting point, and a travel group conversion unit 63 that converts a travel path of the vehicle into predetermined intervals and a partial travel time is divided, and an average travel speed of the vehicle in the travel group is calculated. From the moving group average speed calculation unit 64, the reference speed determination unit 65 that checks whether the average travel speed of the moving group is within the traffic congestion reference speed range (for example, the determination reference speed Vkm / h or less), and the processing target starting point It has a signal cycle length comparison unit 66 that compares the time required for the section up to the rearmost moving group K with the signal cycle length, and a signal waiting number calculation unit 67.

The method of determining the congestion of the traffic congestion and the method of calculating the traffic congestion retention length and the number of signal waiting times will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the processing target location (for example, a point such as an intersection) for checking whether there is a traffic congestion position,
The processing target point receiving unit specifies the traveling direction from which direction the traveling route toward the processing target portion is to be checked (step 13).

Next, the retention factor data reference unit 60 causes retention factors other than the traffic jam / signal determined by the retention determination unit 47 (FIG. 12) in the processing target route (waiting for customers, rest, loading / unloading of luggage, etc.). It is checked whether or not there is a state of being stopped at (step 14). The stay factor, the stay position, and the time determined by the stay determination unit 47 are stored in the processed travel information storage unit 22 in association with the points on the electronic map. By specifying the point of the route and the direction of travel, the above information is extracted and compared for reference. If there is a congestion factor other than congestion / signal, it is not a traffic congestion and the retention position determination process is stopped, it is determined that there is no congestion congestion, and the determination result is associated with each point on the electronic map. It is output to the processed travel information storage unit 22 (FIG. 2) (step 19). If there is no staying factor other than traffic jam / signal in the processing target route, the moving group conversion step (step 1
Perform 5).

In step 15, the travel group conversion unit 63 stores travel speed data 31 of the probe car at each position of the processing target route stored in the travel information acquisition unit 23 and time data 30 at each position. 16 is used.
As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the probe car is moved for a predetermined time A seconds (temporarily 20 seconds in the present embodiment) starting from the processing target location designated in step 14 and proceeding from the traveling direction of the vehicle.
Set to seconds) A movement data group (traffic congestion extension tail end movement group parameter: n = 0) including the position of the vehicle during traveling and the time and speed at that position is generated.

Next, the moving group average speed calculation unit 64 calculates the average travel speed of the vehicle in the moving group n = 0 generated by the moving group conversion unit 63 using various data in the travel information acquisition unit 23. Then, the reference speed determination unit 65 causes the average travel speed of the moving group and a predetermined traffic congestion determination reference speed range (for example, the determination reference speed Vkm / h or less, which is 20 in this embodiment).
(km / h or less) is compared (step 16).
If the average travel speed of the moving group (n = 0) is Vkm / h or less, the traffic congestion extension determination parameter: m = 0, the traffic congestion extension end moving group data: K = n, and the previous movement data group ( A movement data group (n = n +) of a vehicle that has traveled for A seconds in the same manner with a shift of n = 0) and t seconds (10 seconds in this embodiment)
1) is created by the moving group conversion unit 63 (step 1
5) Calculate the average travel speed of the movement data group (n = 1) and compare it with the traffic congestion judgment reference speed range (step 1
6). Repeat steps 15 to 16 until the average travel speed of the movement data group n becomes Vkm / h or more, and Vkm / h
When the traffic congestion extension determination parameter m is m =
Let m + 1. m is compared with the traffic congestion determination parameter repeat count setting value: M (three times in this embodiment) (step 17), and if m <M, the moving group is further shifted for t seconds, and m ≧ M. Until steps 15 to 17 are repeated until m ≧ M, K (K = n) becomes the traffic congestion extension last data group. By repeating the process until m ≧ M, the accuracy of the traffic congestion analysis can be improved.

Next, the signal cycle length comparison unit 66 calculates the required travel time T from the intersection, which is the starting point to be processed, to the last point of the K data group calculated as above.
Signal cycle long time calculated using various data in the travel information acquisition unit 23 and associated with points on the electronic map stored as external information: tsignal (time until the signal changes from blue to red) information 10 (FIG. 1) (step 18). If tsignal ≧ T, it is determined that traffic is not congested because the vehicle can pass with a single signal, and the processed travel information storage unit 2 is associated with the determination result associated with each point on the electronic map.
2 (FIG. 2) (step 19). tssigna
If l <T, it is determined that there is congestion congestion, and the distance from the start point of the m = 0 moving group to the end point of the K data group is defined as the congestion congestion distance, and the travel time of the same section Congestion residence time. Traffic congestion retention position / distance calculator 2
8 (FIG. 2), the traffic congestion staying distance and the required time are calculated using various data in the travel information acquisition unit 23, and the processed travel information in a state where the calculation result is associated with each point on the electronic map. The data is output to the storage unit 22 (FIG. 2) (step 20).

When there is congestion due to traffic congestion, the signal waiting count calculation unit 67 first causes the time tf at the final point when the vehicle speed becomes 0 km / h in the K movement data group.
And the time ts at which the vehicle was located at the processing start point, that is, the intersection in this embodiment, as the position information 2 in the travel information acquisition unit 23.
9. Specified from the time information 30, the time (tjam) obtained by subtracting tf from ts is divided by the signal cycle long time tsignal, rounded up to calculate the number of signal waiting times, and the calculation result is calculated on each electronic map. It is output to the processed travel information storage unit 22 (FIG. 2) in a state associated with points (step 21).

According to this embodiment, the travel route of the vehicle is
Since the moving group for a certain period of time is considered to be a part of overlapping and continuous and the judgment process of the traffic congestion retention position is performed, for example, when the vehicle ahead turns left, turns right, changes the course, or crosses pedestrians other than at traffic lights. Factors that are not related to traffic congestion, such as temporary stop of the vehicle involved and temporary acceleration after those temporary stops, can be removed from the measurement of traffic congestion length, and more accurate traffic congestion length can be obtained. it can. Also, by comparing the travel time T from the intersection, which is the starting point to be processed, to the last point of the K data group with the signal cycle long time tsignal, the traffic congestion analysis of the stop factor that is simply the reason for waiting for the signal at the intersection Can be excluded from.

In the above embodiment, the traffic congestion determination reference speed range is set to 20 km / h or less, the predetermined time A = 20 seconds, and the shift time t = 10 seconds, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The information stored in the processed travel information storage unit 22 and output as necessary is as shown in FIG. 20, for example. The processed travel information will be described below.

First, the vehicle identification of item 1 is a character string for identifying the probe car. For example, 1: General vehicle,
It is defined as 2: taxi, 3: transport vehicle, etc., and is stored together with the vehicle number of the probe car 2. Next, item 2
The point numbers of ~ 5 are two point numbers that define the points, and the smaller number is the node 1,
The larger one is stored as node 2. The mesh number is the number of the section (mesh) on the electronic map to which the node belongs.

As the direction code of item 6, a code indicating the traveling direction of the probe car is stored. For example, it is defined as 1: the direction from the node 1 to the node 2 and 2: the direction from the node 2 to the node 1. Also,
Item 7 is the road type of the point acquired from the information stored in the electronic map (DRM). For example, 1: Expressway, 2: City Expressway, 3: Main local road,
Each code is stored as 4: general prefectural road, 5: other road, 0: unexamined. Also, the point-to-point length of item 8 is
Points obtained from electronic map (node 1, node 2)
The distance between is stored.

On the other hand, the passing speed / time between points of item 9 stores the passing speed and the passing time between the passing points of the probe car calculated by the passing speed calculating section 55 (FIG. 15). Items 10 to 13 store actual travel dates and times of the probe cars. Each time of entry and advance is the time matched with the point (node). Then, in item 14, the average passing speed calculator 5
The average passing speed calculated in 6 and the deviation value calculated in the deviation value calculation unit 57 are stored in item 15. Item 16 includes external information 12 (long signal cycle, construction / congestion information 10, weather information 11) when the probe car is running.
Etc. (see FIG. 1).

Further, in items 17 and 18, the traffic congestion retention position / distance calculating unit 26 (FIG. 2) calculates the traffic congestion retention position / retention length, and in item 19, the signal waiting frequency calculation unit 67.
In the item 20, the number of signal waiting times calculated in (FIG. 18) is associated with the stay factor determined by the stay determination unit 47 (FIG. 12), the stay position, and the time associated with each point on the electronic map. It is stored in.

The processed travel information output in this way is travel time and passing speed, traffic congestion retention location, retention length, number of signal waiting times at a predetermined time associated with points set in advance on the electronic map. Information. Therefore, by using the processed travel information, it is possible to easily obtain the tabulation result as shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, for example.

(Travel Guidance System) Next, a travel guidance system 1 for carrying out travel guidance using the processed travel information.
5 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, this system 15
A travel route start point / end point receiving unit 68 that receives the start point and the end point of a desired travel route from the guide user 16 (FIG. 1), for example, and an environment / condition receiving unit 69 that receives the environment / conditions when the travel is desired. A travel route passage point extraction unit 70 that calculates a travel route from the start point to the end point based on the start point and the end point of the travel route, and extracts points on the map through which the travel route passes, and between each passing point A transit time / speed acquisition unit 71 that acquires the aggregated transit time / speed, and a traffic congestion retention position / distance acquisition that acquires the traffic congestion retention position / retention distance, the number of signal waiting times, etc. that are aggregated between passing points The unit 72 and the average passing speed between the points are corrected by applying the parameters according to the received environment and conditions, and the correction between the points is performed. Passing speed correction unit 7 for calculating a overspeed
4 and a travel time calculation unit 73 that calculates the total travel time of the travel route based on the passing speed between all the points forming the travel route.

The configuration and function of each component of this travel guidance system will be described below with reference to the operation thereof with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the travel route start point / end point receiving unit 68.
The environment / condition receiving unit 69 provides an interface for travel time guidance to a guide user who has accessed through, for example, the Internet network, and allows the user to input the start and end points of the travel route and the environment / conditions at the time of travel request. (Step S22). The starting point and the ending point of the travel route may be displayed on a map on the interface and selected from them, or the address may be directly input. In addition, the environment / conditions at the time of requesting a trip include, for example, a desired travel date, weather (rain, snow), and season setting. Then, when the user inputs the above information and presses the send button, for example, the information is transmitted to the travel time guidance system (step S23).

Next, the travel route passage point extraction unit 70
Calculates an optimum route on the electronic map based on the start point and the end point. The calculation of this optimum path is performed by a generally known method. Then, a plurality of points through which the optimum route passes are extracted from this electronic map (step S24). This point is described above in P1 in Fig. 10.
As described and shown in P8 to P8, the coordinates are set in advance in the electronic map, and the position on the road 42 that affects the congestion of the traffic congestion, such as an intersection, a highway entrance, a sharp curve, etc. It has been set.

Next, the transit time / speed acquisition unit 71 uses the combination of all two adjacent points (node 1 and node 2) among the plurality of points and the transit direction to store the processed travel information storage unit 22. The information (see FIG. 20) is searched for and the processed travel information whose two points and the passing direction are the same and which is the closest to the set condition is extracted (step S25).

Next, the passing speed correction unit 74 obtains and applies a predetermined deviation value according to the date and time and the environment / condition to the average passing speed between the points, and applies the corrected passing between the points. The speed is calculated (step 26). The predetermined parameter according to the environment / condition is a parameter predetermined according to the weather, the day of the week, etc., and is applied by, for example, multiplying the passing speed.

Then, the travel time calculation unit 73 divides the distance between the points by the travel speed calculated by the passage speed correction unit 74 to obtain the travel time between the points, and the optimum route is calculated. The travel times for all the routes are calculated by adding them up for all the sections constituting (step 27). In addition, this travel time calculation unit 7
No. 3 instructs the point extraction unit 70 to search for another route when it is determined that the route is heavily congested and it takes more than a predetermined time compared with the required time calculated at the average speed It is supposed to emit. In addition to the method described above, the average travel speed of all routes may be calculated based on the travel speed between points, and the travel required time of all routes may be calculated based on the average travel speed.

The traffic congestion retention position / distance acquisition unit 72 acquires information on the traffic congestion retention position, retention length, and number of signal waiting times in the route from the processed travel information storage unit 22, and informs the guide user of the information. An interface for displaying the travel time calculated by the travel time calculating unit 73, the traffic congestion stay position / stay distance, and the number of signal waiting times together with the map or description of the optimum route (step) is provided. S28).

According to such a guidance system, since the travel information is provided by using the actually aggregated information such as the average speed between the passage points and the passage time, more accurate travel time and traffic congestion can be obtained. Can provide retention information.

Further, this information may be provided to a traveling probe car or a general vehicle and presented through route guidance of car navigation.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned one embodiment, and can be variously modified without changing the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the average passing speed between two points is calculated and output in order to calculate the travel time, but the present invention is not limited to this. If the travel time can be calculated only by summing the passing time between two points, it is not necessary to calculate the passing speed.

The vehicle type of the probe car is not limited to that of the above-mentioned one embodiment. Furthermore, the means for collecting traffic information is not limited to that of the above-mentioned one embodiment. In the above embodiment, the information is acquired via the memory card, but it may be acquired wirelessly.

Further, in the above-mentioned one embodiment, the "event" of the probe car is stored in the memory card, and this event is utilized to judge the actual vehicle / empty vehicle in the taxi, for example, but the above event is not always necessary. Does not have to be output / used. For example, in the case of a taxi, it may be possible to determine the above event from the work data of the vehicle, and in this case, this data may be used.

Further, in the one embodiment, when the passage candidate points are extracted on the basis of the temporary route, 3 from the temporary route are extracted.
All routes within 0 m are extracted, but the route is not limited to this. The distance from the temporary route can be changed as appropriate according to the situation of the road.
For example, it may be set to 20 m in the city and 40 m in the suburbs.

Further, in the above embodiment, the stopping time is set to 2 minutes or less as the criterion for judging whether the vehicle is in the signal waiting / congested state, but the present invention is not limited to this. According to the applicant's prior investigation and analysis, "2 minutes"
It has been proved that the above-mentioned event and other events can be separated most appropriately by the standard. However, this may also change in the future depending on the road environment and other factors.

Furthermore, the information used as parameters in the travel guidance system is not limited to the above. For example, various other data may be used as parameters as shown in FIG.

[0087]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if a vehicle detector for observing traffic congestion is not installed on the roadside, traffic congestion retention position, retention distance, The number of signal waiting times can be calculated. Further, it is possible to provide a traffic information processing system capable of quickly processing data from the probe car with a small amount of computer resources and manually outputting the data in a form that can be easily used later.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a traffic information processing center.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining types of information acquired by a travel information acquisition unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passage point determination unit.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a point-to-point passing time calculation unit.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing of a point-to-point passing time calculation unit.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a table for determining a retention determination factor.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a passage speed calculation / totalization unit.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining movement group generation and traffic congestion position determination.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a traffic congestion stay position determination unit.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a process of a traffic congestion stay position determination unit.

FIG. 20 is a format diagram showing an example of information stored in the processed travel information storage unit 22.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the processing of the travel guidance system.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing data used in the travel guidance system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Traffic Information Processing Center 2 ... Probe car 3 ... Car navigation system 4 ... GPS antenna 5 ... Vehicle speed pulse detector 6 ... Memory card 8 ... Traffic information processing system 10 ... Signal cycle length, construction / accident, traffic jam information 11 ... Weather information 12 ... External information 13 ... Processed travel information 15 ... Travel information system 16 ... Information user 18 ... Information receiving system 20 ... Travel information storage 21 ... Electronic map storage 22 ... Processed travel information storage 23 ... Travel information acquisition section 24. Passing point determination unit 25 ... Point-to-point transit time calculation unit 26. Passing speed calculation / totalization unit 27 ... Traffic congestion retention determination unit 28. Traffic congestion retention position / distance calculation unit 29 ... Position 30 ... time 31 ... speed 32 ... Running direction 33 ... Vehicle type 34 ... Event 35 ... Temporary route creation section 36 ... Passage candidate point extraction unit 37 ... Passage path estimation unit 38 ... Error signal output section 39 ... Passage route re-estimation unit 40 ... Passing point output section 41 ... Tentative route 42 ... Road 44 ... Extraction point presence / absence determining unit 45 ... Passing candidate point re-extracting unit 46 ... Optimal route 47 ... Residence determination unit 48 ... Residence time removal unit 49 ... stay position output unit 50 ... Residence time calculation unit 51 ... Retention factor determination unit 52 ... stay position / stagnation factor output section 54 ... Residence determination table 55 ... Passing speed calculation unit 56 ... Average passing speed calculator 57 ... Deviation value calculation unit 58 ... Output section 59 ... Processing point receiving section 60 ... Retention factor data reference section 61 ... Travel speed calculation unit in target route 62 ... Travel speed check section 63 ... Moving group converter 64 ... Moving group average velocity calculation unit 65 ... Reference speed determination unit 66 ... Signal cycle length comparison unit 67 ... Signal waiting frequency calculation unit 68 ... Travel route start point / end point receiver 69 ... Environment / Conditions Reception Department 70 ... Travel route passage point extraction unit 71 ... Passing time / speed acquisition unit 72 ... Traffic congestion retention position / distance acquisition unit 73 ... Travel time calculation unit 74 ... Travel speed correction unit 75 ... Intersection to be processed 76 ... Direction of travel 77 ... Vehicle position data 78 ... Movement data group

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toshio Yoshii             185 Miyanoguchi, Tosayamada Town, Kami District, Kochi Prefecture (72) Inventor Nobue Takano             Hokkaido, Kita-ku, Kita-ku, Article 13, West 8-chome (72) Inventor Masafumi Mori             3-24-10 Nashima, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture (72) Inventor Takuya Seo             1 Asahi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Makimura             2-9 Tanimotomura-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 2C032 HB03 HB22 HB25 HC08 HD21                       HD23 HD30                 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB12 AB13                       AC02 AC06 AC08 AC09 AC13                       AC20                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB12 CC12 DD04                       EE02 FF04 FF05 FF10 FF12                       FF13 FF22 FF32

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A travel information acquisition step of acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and time at the position, and a traffic congestion retention position determining step of determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. The step of determining the traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle includes a step of obtaining a time-series change of the speed and the position of the vehicle based on travel information of the vehicle, and a travel of the vehicle within a predetermined speed range. Traffic that includes a step of determining whether the vehicle continues for a certain period of time, and a step of outputting the position of the vehicle or its section distance at the start and the end when the vehicle continues as a traffic congestion retention position. Information processing method. 2. A method comprising: acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and time at the position; and determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, The step of determining the congestion retention position is a step of converting the travel process of the vehicle into travel groups that are divided at predetermined time intervals so that some time overlaps, and an average travel speed of the travel groups of the vehicle is a predetermined speed. A step of determining a condition as to whether or not the range is within a range, and determining to which moving group the condition is continuously satisfied; a position at the start and end when the moving group reaches the predetermined speed range or a section thereof A traffic information processing method comprising a step of outputting a distance based on the travel information. 3. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising two or more vehicles, which are preset on the map data, based on a time-series change of the location information of the vehicle. And a step of determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle between two predetermined points out of the points determined to have passed by the vehicle. Traffic information processing method. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined points on the map data include intersections. 5. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a staying factor of this vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, and Except for determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle. 6. The traffic information processing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of determining a cause of staying of the vehicle is to determine the cause of staying based on a staying time of the vehicle and a vehicle type of the vehicle. Traffic information processing method characterized by: 7. The traffic information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the stay factor includes at least traffic jam, stop, or parking. 8. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined speed range or predetermined time in the step of determining a traffic congestion staying position of the vehicle is a road, a season, or a staying time of the vehicle. Alternatively, the traffic information processing method is characterized in that it is changed according to the vehicle type of the vehicle. 9. A travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position, and a traffic congestion retention position determination means for determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. The vehicle traffic congestion retention position determining means includes means for determining a time-series change of the speed and the position of the vehicle based on travel information of the vehicle, and travel of the vehicle within a predetermined speed range. Traffic having a means for determining whether the vehicle is to be continued and a means for outputting the position of the vehicle or its section distance at the start and the end when the vehicle is continued based on the travel information. Information processing system. 10. A travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position, and a traffic congestion retention position determination means for determining a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle. The traffic congestion retention position determination means, the travel group conversion means for converting the travel path of the vehicle into travel groups divided so as to overlap at predetermined time intervals so that some time overlaps, and a travel group of the vehicle Means for determining whether the average travel speed is within a predetermined speed range and determining to which moving group the condition is continuously satisfied, and at the start of when the moving group reaches the predetermined speed range. A traffic information processing system comprising means for outputting a position at the end or a section distance thereof based on the travel information. 11. The system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising, based on a time-series change of the position information of the vehicle, the vehicle, a predetermined number of two or more preset on the map data. Passage point determination means for determining whether the vehicle has passed, and between two predetermined points of the points determined to have passed the vehicle, a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle is determined based on travel information of the vehicle. A traffic information processing system, comprising: 12. The traffic information processing system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined point on the map data includes an intersection. 13. The system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a stay factor determination means for determining a stay factor of the vehicle based on travel information of the vehicle, and a stay factor other than a congestion time And a means for deciding a traffic congestion retention position of the vehicle except. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the stay factor determination unit determines the stay factor based on a stay time of the vehicle and a vehicle type of the vehicle. system. 15. The traffic information processing system according to claim 14, wherein the stay factor includes at least traffic congestion, stoppage, or parking. 16. The system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the predetermined speed range or the predetermined time when determining the traffic congestion staying position of the vehicle is the road or the season, the staying time of the vehicle or the vehicle thereof. The traffic information processing system further comprising means for changing the vehicle type according to the type.