JP2009245294A - Traffic signal control device and method, arrival profile estimation device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly precisely achieve signal control based on the prediction of traffic demands using an arrival profile by making it possible to accurately estimate the arrival profile. <P>SOLUTION: A traffic signal control device is provided with: a prediction control part 401B for performing signal control by predicting traffic demands by using an arrival profile PF as the time-series data of the predicted traffic volume of a vehicle 5 which arrives at a stop line P of an intersection C1; and an estimation part 401A for estimating the arrival profile PF based on vehicle information including location information S3 of the vehicle 5 which travels at the upstream side of the intersection C1 in addition to the number of vehicles based on spot observation at the upstream side of the intersection C1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement in signal control in which traffic demand is predicted using an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of vehicles arriving at a stop line at an intersection.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a traffic signal control device and the like that dynamically predicts a fluctuation state at an intersection using the arrival profile and efficiently controls the signal light color of a traffic signal.

The conventional signal control method for traffic signals by system control and wide area control can be broadly classified from the viewpoint of setting method of signal control parameters (split, cycle length, offset, etc.). There are two types: periodic control and traffic sensitive control that sets signal control parameters according to traffic conditions.
Among these, the latter traffic sensitive control is classified into terminal sensitive control performed for each traffic signal controller of the terminal and central sensitive control that changes signal control parameters for a plurality of intersections that are route system controlled or surface controlled. The

Since the above-mentioned central sensitive control can perform advanced system control and wide area control (surface control) corresponding to fluctuations in traffic flow, roads with high temporal traffic fluctuations, heavy traffic volumes, and high traffic processing efficiency are required. The program selection control or the program formation control is adopted.
The program selection control is a method of selecting one optimal program for a traffic state at that time from a plurality of preset programs based on vehicle sensor information. The program formation control is a method of determining signal control parameters and signal display switching timing online based on vehicle sensor information, instead of setting a finite number of parameter values in advance.

In the central sensitive control performed by the traffic control center, program selection control is generally adopted, but this has the following disadvantages.
(1) A great deal of labor is required to design parameters.
(2) Redesign is required when the traffic situation changes greatly due to aging.
(3) The evaluation index (weighted sum of traffic volume and occupation rate) is empirical and ambiguous.
(4) The cycle length tends to be long in order to provide a margin, and it is easy for wasteful green time to occur or for the pedestrian waiting time to increase.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above disadvantages, program formation control is performed in which the central device of the traffic control center automatically updates the signal control parameters according to traffic conditions. This control method is MODERATE (Management by Origin- DEstination Related Adaptation for Traffic Optimization) control (see Non-Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in addition to the above MODERATO control, a control method called UTMS (Universal Traffic Management Systems) that further improves real-time performance by optimizing the blue time using future prediction information for signal control at some intersections May be adopted. The features of this UTMS control are as follows (see Non-Patent Document 2).
(1) Predicting future one-cycle traffic demand from now (2) Realization of real-time control based on direct evaluation of vehicle time delay (3) Distributed control decision-making: hybrid type or adjacent intersection in conjunction with central control Autonomous control mode that works with emphasis can be selected

In such UTMS control, an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume at which a vehicle arrives at an intersection stop line is estimated every predetermined time, and a simulation calculation is performed based on this arrival profile and other signal control information. Execute.
Specifically, the above simulation calculation calculates a delay time (signal stop waiting time) that is the fluctuation state of the number of queues at the entire intersection, and searches for the blue end timing at which the evaluation value based on this delay time is the smallest. The optimal blue end timing is determined (see Non-Patent Document 2).

"Revised Traffic Signal Guide" Editorial and publication Traffic Engineering Research Group (16-18, 83-87) "Development and Demonstration Experiment of Next Generation Signal Control System" SEI Technical Review No. 166, March 2004, pages 51-55

As described above, it is indispensable to estimate the arrival profile in order to perform UTMS control. Conventionally, the arrival profile is obtained as follows.
That is, the number of vehicles that have passed through the vehicle detector installed upstream of the intersection is counted every 1 to several seconds, and then the aggregated vehicle group has a predetermined vehicle speed (either set value or measured value). However, the predicted time when the vehicle group reaches the stop line is specified under the assumption that the vehicle travels. An arrival profile is a list of vehicle groups arranged in order of prediction time.

In UTMS control, usually, adjacent data, which is time-series data of predicted traffic flowing out from an adjacent upstream intersection toward the intersection, is acquired, and the arrival of the intersection is taken into account with this adjacent data. By generating a profile, the prediction accuracy of inflow traffic for the intersection from the present to the future one cycle ahead is improved.
Therefore, the inflow traffic to the intersection at each prediction time can be predicted by the arrival profile created for each inflow link.

However, since the predicted traffic volume in the arrival profile used for the conventional UTMS control is all information obtained by point observation by the vehicle detector, it can cope with changes in circumstances downstream or upstream of the vehicle detector. Can not.
For example, there is a side road between the downstream side of the vehicle detector and the stop line of the intersection, and the vehicle counted by the vehicle detector flows out of the side road, or conversely from the side road that does not pass through the vehicle detector. When the vehicle flows into the intersection, an error occurs in each vehicle group (predicted traffic volume) constituting the arrival profile, and the accuracy of signal control based on the prediction of traffic demand using the arrival profile deteriorates. It will be.

Also, if adjacent data is not collected at the intersection adjacent to the upstream side of the vehicle detector, or if the adjacent intersection is outside the control area, and adjacent data cannot be obtained at the intersection, Inflow traffic to the intersection from 1 to the future is not accurately predicted.
Therefore, also in this case, the accuracy of signal control based on the prediction of traffic demand using the arrival profile is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a traffic signal capable of performing signal control based on prediction of traffic demand using an arrival profile with high accuracy so that the arrival profile can be estimated more accurately. It aims at providing a control apparatus etc.

  The traffic signal control apparatus according to the present invention (Claim 1) includes control means for performing signal control that predicts traffic demand using an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of vehicles arriving at a stop line at an intersection. An estimation means for estimating the arrival profile using vehicle information including position information of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection in addition to the number of vehicles based on point observation upstream of the intersection. It is characterized by being.

  According to the above traffic signal control apparatus, the estimation means uses the vehicle information including the position information of the current vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection in addition to the number of vehicles by point observation upstream of the intersection. When the number of vehicles by point observation (for example, the number of vehicles measured by the sensing information of the vehicle detector) can be included in the arrival profile, and the arrival profile is estimated only from the number of vehicles. Compared to, the arrival profile can be estimated more accurately.

In the traffic signal control apparatus according to the present invention, a vehicle detector for detecting the passage of the vehicle is installed upstream of the intersection, and a terminal device capable of transmitting the vehicle position information to the outside is provided in the vehicle. In this case, the estimation means can estimate the arrival profile using the number of vehicles measured by the sensing information of the vehicle detector and the position information of the vehicle transmitted by the terminal device (claim). Item 2).
As a typical example of the terminal device, an in-vehicle device having a navigation function is adopted. However, a mobile phone, a PHS terminal, a notebook PC capable of wireless communication, and the like that a passenger can arbitrarily bring into the vehicle may be used. Good.

When using the detection information of the vehicle sensor and the position information transmitted by the terminal device, the estimation means acquires the position information of the vehicle on the upstream side of the vehicle sensor and corresponds to the position information. Thus, the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile may be increased (claim 3).
In this case, since the estimation means increases the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile based on the current position of the vehicle upstream of the vehicle detector, it is not included in the current sensing information, but actually the intersection 6 (vehicle 5A in FIG. 6 and vehicles 5D to 5F in FIG. 7) can also be included as the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile, and the arrival profile can be estimated more accurately.

On the other hand, if the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile is increased based on the position information of the vehicle upstream from the vehicle detector, the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile further increases when the vehicle passes the vehicle sensor. There is a risk of being counted twice.
Therefore, the vehicle information is further included in the vehicle information, and the estimation means associates the position information of the vehicle with the sensing information of the vehicle detector based on the identification information of the vehicle. (Claim 4).

  In this case, for the vehicle counted as the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile corresponding to the position information recognized as being upstream of the vehicle detector at the present time, it is predicted again when the vehicle passes the vehicle detector. By processing so as not to count as traffic volume, it is possible to prevent a single vehicle from being counted twice as the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile.

In the traffic signal control apparatus of the present invention, the estimating means detects the vehicle that has flowed out between the vehicle detector and the stop line based on vehicle information of the vehicle, and It is preferable to reduce the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of vehicles (Claim 5).
In this case, since the estimation means reduces the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of vehicles that have flowed out, there is no error in the predicted traffic volume that constitutes the arrival profile even if there are such spilled vehicles. Can be estimated accurately.

For the same reason, in the traffic signal control apparatus of the present invention, the estimation means detects the vehicle that has flowed in between the vehicle detector and the stop line based on the vehicle information of the vehicle, and this flow It is preferable to increase the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of vehicles.
In this case, since the estimation means reduces the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of vehicles that have flowed in, there is no error in the predicted traffic volume that constitutes the arrival profile even if there are such inflowing vehicles. Can be estimated accurately.

As another measure for preventing double counting, the estimation means does not use the position information of the vehicle on the downstream side of the vehicle sensor, and the vehicle on the upstream side of the vehicle sensor. The predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile may be increased using only the location information.
In this case, since the current position of the vehicle downstream of the vehicle detector is discarded, the predicted traffic volume based on the current position information of the upstream vehicle is duplicated by the vehicle detector. Thus, double counting can be prevented even if position information and sensing information are not associated with each other.

On the other hand, when the position detector for detecting the position data of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection is provided on the infrastructure side, the vehicle sensor is not installed and the vehicle has a terminal device. Even if not, the present invention can be carried out.
That is, when there is the position detector on the infrastructure side, as the estimation means, the number of vehicles measured when the position data passes a predetermined reference point and the position data detected by the position detector. What estimates the arrival profile using the specified position information of the vehicle can be adopted.

As a typical example, the position detector can employ a video camera that generates position data from imaged vehicle image data.
When the position detector is provided on the infrastructure side, vehicle position information necessary for the arrival profile estimation processing of the present invention can be acquired from the position data of the position detector. For this reason, even if the running vehicle does not have the terminal device, it is possible to perform an estimation process using the position information of all the vehicles flowing into the intersection, and the scope of application of the present invention is expanded in this respect.

Further, since the position data uses the number of vehicles measured by passing a predetermined reference point, the sensing information of the vehicle detector is unnecessary, and the detection of the number of vehicles by the point observation and the detection of the position information of the vehicle There is also an advantage that can be performed by one position detector.
The traffic signal control method of the present invention (Claim 9) is a control method performed by the traffic signal control apparatus of the present invention (Claim 1), and has the same effects as the control apparatus.

The computer program of the present invention (Claim 10) is a program for causing a computer to execute the traffic signal control method of the present invention (Claim 9), and has the same operational effects as the control method.
Furthermore, the arrival profile estimation device of the present invention (Claim 11) is a device used as the estimation means of the traffic signal control device of the present invention (Claim 1), and has the same effects as the control device. .

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the arrival profile can be accurately estimated, the accuracy of signal control based on the prediction of traffic demand using the arrival profile can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First embodiment]
[Overall system configuration]
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a traffic signal control system including a traffic signal control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic signal control system of this embodiment includes a traffic signal 1, a vehicle-mounted device 2 (see FIG. 2), a vehicle detector 3, a central device 4, a vehicle 5 equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 2, and the like. It is out.

Each traffic signal 1 is installed at each of a plurality of intersections Ci (i = 1 to 12), and is connected to a router 7 via a communication line 6 such as a telephone line. This router 7 is connected to a central device 4 in a traffic control center, and the central device 4 constitutes a local area network (LAN) with each traffic signal 1 at an intersection Ci in a predetermined area.
Therefore, the central device 4 can bidirectionally communicate with each traffic signal 1, and each traffic signal 1 can also communicate bidirectionally with other traffic signals 1. The central device 4 may be installed on the road instead of the traffic control center.

The vehicle detector 3 is installed upstream of each corresponding intersection Ci in order to count the number of vehicles flowing into each intersection Ci, and is connected to each corresponding traffic signal 1 via a communication line (not shown). Yes.
In FIG. 1, for simplification of illustration, only one signal lamp 1b is depicted at each intersection Ci, but each actual intersection Ci intersects each other as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Four signal lamps 1b are installed for going up and down the road.

[Central equipment]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the central device 4 constituting the traffic signal control device of the present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the central device 4 includes a control unit 401, a display unit 402, a communication unit 403, a storage unit 404, and an operation unit 405.
The control unit 401 of the central device 4 includes a workstation (WS), a personal computer (PC), and the like, and collects, processes (calculates), records, and controls signals of various traffic information from the traffic signal 1 and the vehicle detector 3. And provide information in an integrated manner. The control unit 401 is connected to the hardware units via an internal bus, and also controls the operations of these units.

The control unit 401 of the central device 4 controls the traffic signal 1 at the intersection Ci belonging to its own network with system control for adjusting a group of traffic signals on the same road, or wide area control that extends this system control to the road network. (Surface control) can be performed, and the MODERATO control and the UTMS control can be performed.
The MODERATO control is a macro control of all traffic signals 1 belonging to the network. In order to cope with near-saturated traffic conditions, the traffic signal called load factor is used to cycle the optimal signal control parameters for each traffic signal 1. Automatically generated for each.

For example, in the case of split control, a load factor ratio distribution method for obtaining the maximum value of the load factor of each inflow path for each indication for each intersection Ci and distributing the split normalized by the ratio of the indicated load factor Is adopted.
The load factor ρ is defined as ρ = (Q + E) / s using the inflow flow rate Q (vehicles / hour), the number of queues E (vehicles / hour), and the saturated traffic flow rate s (vehicles / hour). Is done.

On the other hand, the UTMS control micro-controls a part of traffic signals 1 belonging to the network, and predicts a change in traffic situation in advance based on information observed upstream of the intersection Ci of interest. Based on the above, the optimum blue cut-off timing is determined so as to minimize the delay time due to the signal waiting at the intersection Ci.
In such UTMS control, simulation calculation is performed based on information on stop line arrival profile PF (see FIG. 6) and signal control information at a certain intersection Ci, and fluctuations in the number E of queues from the present time to the future for one cycle or more. Calculate the situation.

  In the present embodiment, since the control unit 401 of the central device 4 performs the UTMS control, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 uses the stop line of the intersection Ci as a functional part of the computer program executed by the control unit 401. An arrival profile PF estimation unit 401A that is time-series data of the predicted traffic volume of the vehicle 5 that arrives at the vehicle, and a prediction control unit 401B that performs signal control by predicting traffic demand using the arrival profile PF ( (See FIG. 3).

Therefore, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 having the profile estimation unit 401A also has a function as an arrival profile PF estimation device.
The contents of the control processing performed by the profile estimation unit 401A and the prediction control unit 401B will be described later.

The communication unit 403 of the central device 4 is a communication interface connected to the LAN side via the communication line 6 and outputs a signal control command S1 relating to the timing of switching the color of the signal lamp 1b at every predetermined time, traffic jam information, and the like. The traffic information S2 that is included is transmitted to each traffic signal 1. The signal control command S1 is transmitted every signal control parameter calculation cycle (for example, 1.0 to 2.5 minutes), and the traffic information S2 is transmitted every five minutes, for example.
In addition, the communication unit 403 of the central device 4 detects the vehicle sensor 3 including vehicle information, which is information about the vehicle 5 on which the in-vehicle device 2 is mounted, and a pulse signal generated when the vehicle 5 passes from each traffic signal device 1. Information S5 is received in real time (for example, in a cycle of 0.1 to 1.0 seconds). The vehicle information includes at least position information S3 and identification information S4 of the vehicle 5, but may include speed information of the vehicle 5.

The storage unit 404 of the central device 4 is composed of a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and stores a control program for performing the MODERATO control and the UTMS control, and a calculation program such as a traffic index and an arrival profile PF used for the control. Yes.
The storage unit 404 temporarily stores the signal control command S1 and the traffic information S2 generated by the control unit 401, the position information S3, the identification information S4, and the sensing information S5 acquired from the LAN side.

The display unit 402 of the central device 4 includes a road map of an area managed by the central device 4 and a display screen on which positions of all traffic signals 1 and light beacons (not shown) on the road map are displayed. It informs the central operator of traffic conditions such as traffic jams and accidents.
The operation unit 405 of the central device 4 includes an input interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. The operation unit 405 allows the central operator to perform a display switching operation on the display unit 402.

[Traffic signal]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the traffic signal device 1.
In FIG. 2, the intersection C where main roads RM1 and RM2 with a large traffic volume and slave roads RS1 and RS2 with a small traffic volume merge is illustrated.
The traffic signal 1 includes four signal lamps 1b installed on the main roads RM1 and RM2 and secondary roads RS1 and RS2, and a traffic signal controller 1a connected to the signal lamp 1b via a communication line 8. It has.

The traffic signal controller 1a receives the signal control command S1 from the central device 4, and based on the signal control command S1, turns on / off each signal light such as blue, yellow, red and right turn arrow of each signal lamp 1b. Control blinking.
The traffic signal controller 1a transmits the traffic information S2 received from the central device 4 and the intersection ID stored therein to the in-vehicle device 2 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 0.1 second). Further, the traffic signal controller 1 a receives the position information S 3 and the identification information S 4 of the vehicle 5 from the in-vehicle device 2 and receives the detection information S 5 from the vehicle detector 5.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the traffic signal controller 1a.
As shown in FIG. 4, the traffic signal controller 1 a includes a control unit 101, a lamp driving unit 102, a wired communication unit 103, a wireless communication unit 105, and a storage unit 104.
The control unit 101 of the traffic signal controller 1a is composed of one or a plurality of microcomputers. The control unit 101 is connected to the lamp driving unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the storage unit 104 via an internal bus, and the control unit 101 controls operations of these hardware units.

The control unit 101 of the traffic signal controller 1a drives each signal lamp 1b in accordance with a signal control command S1 which is an output resulting from the central device 4 performing system control and wide area control (MODERATO control, UTMS control, etc.) The signal lamp color of each signal lamp 1b is switched at a predetermined timing based on the command S1.
The lamp driving unit 102 includes a semiconductor relay (not shown), and corresponds to each of the blue, yellow, and red lamps of the plurality of signal lamps 1b based on the output command S1 input from the control unit 101. The AC voltage (AC 100V) or DC voltage supplied to the signal lights of each color is turned on / off.

The wired communication unit 103 of the traffic signal controller 1a is a communication interface that performs wired communication between the central device 4 and the vehicle sensor 3, and receives the signal control command S1 and the traffic information S2 from the central device 4, and the vehicle The vehicle sensing information S5 is received from the sensor 3.
The wireless communication unit 105 of the traffic signal controller 1a is a communication interface that performs wireless communication with the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 that flows into the intersection Ci, and transmits the traffic information S2 to the in-vehicle device 2 so that the vehicle 5 position information S3 and identification information S4 are received from the in-vehicle device 2.

The wireless communication unit 105 includes communication devices such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), wireless LAN, and WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), and wirelessly transmits various types of information to and from the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5. Can communicate.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the wireless communication unit 105 includes the in-vehicle device 2 of the vehicle 5 that flows in one road RM2 toward the intersection C among the plurality of roads RM1, RM2, RS1, and RS2 flowing into the intersection C. Can only communicate with.

And the radio | wireless communication part 105 of this embodiment transmits link ID of the link (in the example of FIG. 2 main road RM2) with intersection ID with respect to the vehicle-mounted apparatus 2. FIG. The in-vehicle device 2 selects information necessary for itself by collating the link ID attached to the information received from the wireless communication unit 105 with the link ID of the running link.
In addition, the extension of the communication area of the wireless communication unit 105 (the traveling direction length of the main road RM2) is set to about 50 to 200 m.

  The storage unit 104 of the traffic signal controller 1a includes a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like. The signal control command S1 and traffic information S2 received by the wired communication unit 103, and the position of the vehicle 5 received by the wireless communication unit 105. Information S3, identification information S4, and the like are stored.

[In-vehicle device]
The in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5 has a communication function for wirelessly communicating various information with the traffic signal controller 1a and a navigation function for guiding to a destination set by the passenger.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 2.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 2 includes a GPS processing unit 201, an orientation sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, a display unit 207, an audio output unit 208, and a processing unit 209. Etc.

The GPS processing unit 201 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite, and measures the position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the vehicle 5 based on time information, GPS satellite orbit, positioning correction information, and the like included in the GPS signal. To do.
The direction sensor 202 is constituted by an optical fiber gyro or the like, and measures the direction and angular velocity of the vehicle 5. The vehicle speed acquisition unit 203 acquires the speed data of the vehicle 5 measured by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) detecting the angular speed of the wheels.

The communication unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2 receives the traffic information S2 from the wireless communication unit 105 when entering the communication area of the wireless communication unit 105 of the traffic signal controller 1a while the vehicle 5 is traveling toward an intersection Ci. Then, its own position information S3 and speed information S4 are transmitted to the wireless communication unit 105 in real time (for example, in a cycle of 0.1 to 1.0 seconds).
The storage unit 205 of the in-vehicle device 2 is configured by a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like, and stores the traffic information S2 received by the communication unit 204. The storage unit 205 stores road map data.

This road map data includes the intersection data that associates the intersection ID with the position of the intersection, the link ID, the link start point, the end point, and the interpolation point (corresponding to the point where the road bends), and the link start point. It consists of link data that links the link ID of the link to be connected, the link ID of the link connected to the end point of the link, and the link cost.
For example, there are as many link costs as the number of combinations of a link and its end point, and after entering the start point of the link, exit the end point of the link and enter the start point of the next link to be connected. The time required until is set.

  That is, the link cost includes the cost (time) required to travel from the start point to the end point of the link and the cost (time) required to travel from the end point of the link to the start point of the next link, that is, the intersection. The cost required to pass is included.

The operation unit 206 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a touch panel, buttons, and the like, and a passenger of the vehicle 5 including a driver can set a destination.
The display unit 207 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes a monitor device (not shown) attached to the dashboard portion of the vehicle 5 and displays the created image data to the passenger.
The audio output unit 208 outputs the audio data created by the processing unit 209 from a speaker (not shown).

The processing unit 209 of the in-vehicle device 2 includes one or a plurality of microcomputers and the like, and includes a GPS processing unit 201, a direction sensor 202, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation unit 206, and a display unit. Each process of the audio output unit 208 is controlled.
Further, the processing unit 209 includes each data of the position of the vehicle 5 measured by the GPS processing unit 201, the azimuth and angular velocity of the vehicle 5 measured by the direction sensor 202, the speed of the vehicle 5 acquired by the vehicle speed acquisition unit 203, and the storage unit 205. Based on the road map data stored in the map, the map matching process is performed to determine the position of the vehicle 5 on the road map data link.

[Arrival Profile Estimation Processing]
FIG. 6 is a correspondence diagram between the planar shape of the road and the arrival profile to show the estimation process of the arrival profile.
As described above, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 includes the estimation unit 401A of the arrival profile PF and the prediction control unit 401B that performs signal control that predicts traffic demand using the arrival profile PF. The feature is in the point of the estimation process of the arrival profile PF performed by the estimation unit 401A. In the following, an arrival profile estimation process performed by the profile estimation unit 401A will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the profile estimation unit 401A determines the number of vehicles that have passed through the vehicle detector 3 (vehicles based on point observation) based on the detection information S5 sequentially received from the vehicle detector 3 located upstream of the intersection C1. The passage data D1 obtained by counting the number of units) every 1 to several seconds is constantly collected.
The profile estimation unit 401A specifies the predicted time when the vehicle group (number of vehicles) at each time point constituting the passage data D1 travels at a predetermined vehicle speed v and the vehicle group reaches the stop line P. The arrival profile PF is generated by arranging the passing data D1 including the vehicle groups in the order of the predicted time.

On the other hand, the profile estimation unit 401A obtains adjacent data D2 that is time-series data of predicted traffic flowing out from the adjacent intersection C2 toward the intersection C1 on the upstream side of the vehicle detector 3, and the traffic signal controller at the intersection C2 Acquired from 1a. The adjacent data D2 is time-series data in which the number of vehicles flowing out from the intersection C2 toward the intersection C1 is predicted and totaled every 1 to several seconds.
Therefore, the profile estimation unit 401A predicts that the vehicle group (number) at each time point constituting the adjacent data D2 will reach the stop line P under the assumption that the vehicle group travels at a predetermined vehicle speed v. The arrival time PF is generated by specifying the time and arranging the adjacent data D2 composed of the respective vehicle groups in the order of the predicted time.

The predetermined vehicle speed v may be a fixed value set in advance, or the vehicle speed acquired from the in-vehicle device 2 when the vehicle information from the in-vehicle device 2 is included in the vehicle information. Can also be used.
The profile estimation unit 401A according to the present embodiment includes the vehicle data in addition to the passing data D1 that is the time series data of the number of vehicles based on the sensing information S5 and the adjacent data D2 that is the time series data based on the outflow traffic from the adjacent intersection C2. 5, correction processing for increasing or decreasing the predicted traffic volume of the vehicle 5 arriving at the stop line P is performed using the current position information S <b> 3 of the vehicle 5 transmitted by the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5, and the estimation accuracy of the arrival profile PF To improve.

[In case of upstream of vehicle detector]
Specifically, the profile estimation unit 401A compares the road map data stored in the storage unit 404 with the current position information S3 of the vehicle 5 and compares the current vehicle 5 traveling on the link including the intersection C1. The position (the position of the vehicle 5 at the current time t0) is sequentially identified.
Then, it is determined whether or not the current position of the vehicle 5 is upstream of the position of the vehicle detector 3. If the current position of the vehicle 5 is upstream, the arrival profile PF is determined by the number of the determined vehicles 5. Processing to increase the predicted traffic volume.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when there is a side road R1 between the vehicle detector 5 and the intersection C2, and the vehicle 5A flows from the side road R1 at the current time t0, the profile estimation unit 401A determines that the vehicle 5A is a predetermined one. Under the assumption that the vehicle travels at the vehicle speed v, the predicted time when the vehicle 5A reaches the stop line P is specified, and the number of vehicles at the predicted time is added to the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF.
The vehicle 5A is not included in the passing data D1 and the adjacent data D2 at the current time t0, but is actually a vehicle that arrives at the stop line P in the time zone between the passing data D1 and the adjacent data D2. Therefore, the arrival profile PF can be estimated more accurately by including the number of such vehicles 5A in the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF.

[Matching processing between location information and sensing information]
By the way, when the predicted traffic volume correction process based on the position information S3 of the vehicle 5 is also performed on the downstream side of the vehicle detector 3, the vehicle 5A on the upstream side of the vehicle detector 3 at the current time t0 subsequently receives the vehicle detector. When the vehicle passes 3, the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF is also counted by the sensing information S5 associated with this passage, and the predicted traffic volume is counted twice for one vehicle 5A.
Therefore, in order to prevent such double counting, the profile estimation unit 401A of the present embodiment performs a matching process for associating the position information S3 of the vehicle 5 with the detection information S5 of the vehicle detector 3. .

Specifically, when the estimated traffic volume at the current time t0 is counted by the position information S3 of the vehicle 5A, the profile estimation unit 401A uses the identification information S4 (for example, vehicle ID) of the vehicle 5A for the count data. It is attached.
Then, the profile estimation unit 401A predicts a passing time when the vehicle 5A corresponding to the count data with the identification information S4 passes through the vehicle detector 3 based on the vehicle speed v, and this passing time (or a time close thereto) ) Is detected based on the position information S3 and is not counted as the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF.

The association between the position information S3 and the sensing information S5 can be performed not only when the vehicle 5A is on the upstream side but also when the vehicle 5A is on the downstream side of the vehicle detector 3.
That is, even when the vehicle 5A is downstream of the vehicle detector 3 at the present time t0, by using the position information S3 of the vehicle 5A, the time when the vehicle 5A has passed the vehicle detector 3 in the past is calculated backward. The position information S3 of the vehicle 5A having the specific vehicle ID and the sensing information S5 can be associated with each other.

[In case of downstream of vehicle detector]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, there are side roads R2 and R3 between the downstream side of the vehicle detector 3 and the stop line P at the intersection C1, and the vehicle 5 counted by the vehicle detector 3 flows out of the side road R3. If the vehicle 5B from the side road R2 that has not passed through the vehicle detector 3 flows into the intersection C1, an error occurs in the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF.

Therefore, when the current position of the vehicle 5 is downstream of the vehicle detector 3 (in the case of the vehicles 5B and 5C in FIG. 6), the profile estimation unit 401A, based on the position information S3 of the vehicle 5, It is determined whether the vehicles 5B and 5C flow out of the link between the vehicle detector 3 and the stop line P or flow into the link.
This determination can be performed by comparing the coordinates of the link included in the road map data stored in the storage unit 404 with the position information S3 of the vehicle 5.

Then, when the outflow of the vehicle 5C is detected by the above determination, the profile estimation unit 401A performs a process of reducing the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF by the number of the outflowing vehicles 5C. Further, when the inflow of the vehicle 5B is detected by the above determination, the profile estimation unit 401A performs a process of increasing the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF by the number of the inflowing vehicles 5B.
Therefore, according to the profile estimation unit 401A of the present embodiment, even if there is an inflow vehicle 5B or an outflow vehicle 5C on the downstream side of the vehicle detector 3, there is no error in the predicted traffic volume constituting the arrival profile PF. The arrival profile PF can be accurately estimated.

[UTMS control by prediction controller]
The arrival profile PF estimated by the profile estimation unit 401A is generated for each inflow link in each direction connected to the intersection C1.
Therefore, the prediction control unit 401B predicts inflow traffic to the intersection C1 from the present to the future of one cycle using each arrival profile PF, and executes a simulation calculation based on the arrival profile PF and other signal control information. .

  Specifically, the simulation calculation calculates a delay time (signal stop waiting time) that is a fluctuation state of the number of queues in the entire intersection Ci, and searches for a blue end timing at which the evaluation value based on the delay time becomes the smallest. And determining the optimal blue end timing.

  As described above, according to the traffic signal control system of the present embodiment, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 is installed on the upstream side of the intersection C1 when performing UTMS control which is one of the signal controls for predicting traffic demand. Since the arrival profile PF is estimated based on the current position information S3 of the vehicle 5 transmitted by the in-vehicle device 2 mounted on the vehicle 5 in addition to the detected information S5 from the vehicle sensor 3, Compared to the conventional method in which the arrival profile PF is estimated only by the sensing information S5 of the vehicle detector 3, the arrival profile PF can be estimated more accurately, and the UTMS control can be performed with higher accuracy.

[Modification of First Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a correspondence diagram between the planar shape of the road and the arrival profile for showing another estimation process different from FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, in this modification, there is no adjacent intersection C <b> 2 on the upstream side of the vehicle detector 3, or it is far away, or the adjacent intersection C <b> 2 is outside the control area of the central device 4. Therefore, the adjacent data D2 is not collected.

Also in the estimation process of the profile estimation unit 401A according to this modification, the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF is increased using the position information S3 of the vehicles 5D to 5F on the upstream side of the vehicle detector 3 at the current time t0. The process to make it.
In this case, since the predicted traffic volume corresponding to the position information S3 at the current time t0 is added to the arrival profile PF, the arrival profile PF is generated as compared with the case where the arrival profile PF is generated only by the point observation (sense information S5) by the vehicle detector 3. The demand forecast period using profile PF can be taken long. For this reason, the arrival profile PF can be accurately estimated even without the adjacent data D2 on the upstream side.

In addition, in the estimation process of FIG. 7, instead of performing the matching process for preventing double counting, the position information S3 of the vehicle 5 downstream from the vehicle sensor 3 is not used at the current time t0, and the vehicle detection is performed. The predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF is increased using only the position information S3 of the vehicles 5D to 5F on the upstream side of the vessel 3.
In this case, since the current position of the vehicle 5 on the downstream side of the vehicle sensor 3 is discarded, the predicted traffic volume at the current time t0 based on the current positions of the upstream vehicles 5D to 5F is detected by the vehicle sensor 3. There is no overlap with the predicted traffic volume at the current time t0 based on the information S5.

  For this reason, it is possible to prevent one vehicle 5D to 5F from being counted twice as the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF even if the positional information S3 of the vehicle 5 is not associated with the sensing information S5. it can.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a correspondence diagram between the planar shape of the road and the arrival profile for illustrating the second embodiment of the present invention.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 7) in the following (1) to (3). Other device configurations and prediction control performed by the central device 4 are as follows. The contents and the like are the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

(1) The vehicle detector 3 is not provided on the upstream side of the intersection C1, and instead, a video camera 9 is provided for photographing the vehicle 5 traveling toward the intersection C1 and acquiring the image data. Yes.
(2) The video camera 9 has a function as a position detector that generates the position data S6 of the vehicle 5 based on the image data, and this position data S6 is transmitted to the central device 4 via the traffic signal controller 1a. Transmit to the control unit 401 in real time.

(3) The profile estimation unit 401A of the central device 4 generates the number of vehicles by point observation based on the acquired position data S6 and the position information S3 of the vehicle 5 at the current time t0, and uses these to generate the arrival profile PF. presume.
Hereinafter, the description of the second embodiment having the above differences (1) to (3) will be made with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the video camera 9 is installed at a predetermined position away from the intersection C1 upstream, and the shooting direction of the video camera 9 is upstream from the installation position (opposite the intersection C1). Is directed. Accordingly, the shooting area A (hatched portion in FIG. 8) of the video camera 9 is set within a predetermined length range upstream from the installation position of the camera 9.
In addition, since the queue length that the vehicle can drive with one red signal is approximately 150 m, the length of the shooting area A may be as long as the queue length can be substantially covered.

The video camera 9 detects the current position of the vehicle 5 by extracting the front and the rear of the vehicle 5 based on the captured real-time image data. The current position of the vehicle 5 detected by the video camera 9 is a position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 5 (for example, a distance from the stop line at the intersection).
The video camera 9 can also detect the speed of the vehicle 5 based on image data with different shooting times, and can detect the vehicle type and color from the characteristics of the entire vehicle 5. The video camera 9 may be either a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

The video camera 9 transmits the detected position data S6 of the vehicle 5 to the traffic signal controller 1a through the communication line in real time, and the communication unit 404 of the central device 4 transmits the position data S6 from the traffic signal controller 1a in real time. Receive at.
The profile estimation unit 401A of the central device 4 sets a reference point P0 at the upstream end of the imaging area A, and counts the number of times this position data S6 has passed the reference point P0 every 1 to several seconds. Passing data D1 is collected.

That is, since the number of passages of the position data S6 with respect to the reference point P0 is equivalent to the number of vehicles obtained from the sensing information S5 of the vehicle detector 3, the passing data D1 is obtained using the number of passages instead of the sensing information S5. To collect.
Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the profile estimation unit 401A has the vehicle group (number of vehicles) at each time point constituting the passage data D1 running under a predetermined vehicle speed v. The predicted time at which the group reaches the stop line P is specified, and the arrival profile PF is generated by arranging the passing data D1 including the vehicle groups in the predicted time order.

  On the other hand, the profile estimation unit 401A specifies the position information S3 of the vehicles 5D to 5F upstream of the reference position P0 at the current time t0 based on the position data S6 from the video camera 9, and the position information of the vehicle 5 Using S3, a process for increasing the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile PF is performed.

  Thus, also in the traffic signal control system of the present embodiment, the predicted traffic volume corresponding to the position information S3 at the current time t0 is added to the arrival profile PF, so that the arrival profile is obtained only by point observation (the number of passages with respect to the reference position P0). Compared to the case of generating a PF, the demand prediction period using the arrival profile PF can be made longer. For this reason, the arrival profile PF can be accurately estimated even without the adjacent data D2 on the upstream side.

Further, in this embodiment, the position information S3 of the vehicle 5 necessary for the estimation process in the profile estimation unit 401A is acquired from the position data S6 of the video camera 9 on the infrastructure side. Even if it does not have, it is possible to perform highly accurate estimation processing using the position information S3 of all the vehicles 5 flowing into the intersection. Further, in this embodiment, the number of passages with respect to the reference point P0 of the position data S6 Since the number of vehicles by observation is obtained, the sensing information S5 of the vehicle detector 3 is unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to detect both the number of vehicles by point observation and the position information S5 of the vehicle 5 only by installing one video camera 9.

  In the second embodiment, as the position detector for detecting the position data S6 of the vehicle 5 on the infrastructure side, not only the video camera 9, but also the current position of the vehicle 5 by, for example, a sound wave or a reflected wave of radio waves is used. A radar device for measuring may be employed.

[Other variations]
The embodiments disclosed thus far are all illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims for patent, and all modifications within the scope equivalent to the structure of the claims for patent are included in the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the control unit 401 of the central device 4 performs all the UTMS control including the estimation process of the arrival profile PF, but these calculation and control are performed by the control unit 101 of the traffic signal controller 1a. Can also be done.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the case where the central device 4 performs wide area control, and a plurality of traffic signals 1 included in the LAN perform system control or wide area control in a group unit separate from the control by the central device 4. It can also be applied to cases.
Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the vehicle-mounted apparatus 2 which has a navigation function is employ | adopted as the apparatus from which the vehicle 5 transmits vehicle information outside, the mobile phone which a passenger | crew can arbitrarily bring into a vehicle, It may be a notebook PC or the like capable of PHS and wireless communication.

  That is, the communication device for the positional information S3 from the vehicle 5 side to the infrastructure side is fixedly or temporarily mounted on the vehicle 5, and communicates wirelessly with the traffic infrastructure side to obtain the positional information S3, the identification information S4, etc. of the vehicle 5 Any terminal device that can provide vehicle information that includes the vehicle information may be used.

It is a mimetic diagram showing the whole traffic signal control system composition of a first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of a traffic signal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a central apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a traffic signal controller. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a correspondence diagram of the planar shape of a road and an arrival profile. It is a correspondence diagram of the plane shape of a road and an arrival profile for showing the modification of a first embodiment. It is a correspondence diagram of the plane shape of a road and an arrival profile for showing a second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traffic signal device 1a Traffic signal controller 1b Signal lamp 101 Control part 102 Lamp drive part 103 Wired communication part 104 Storage part 105 Wireless communication part 2 In-vehicle apparatus (terminal device)
201 GPS processing unit 202 Direction sensor 203 Vehicle speed acquisition unit 204 Communication unit 205 Storage unit 206 Operation unit 207 Display unit 208 Audio output unit 209 Processing unit 3 Vehicle detector 4 Central device (traffic signal control device)
401 Control unit (estimator)
401A Profile estimation unit (estimating means)
401B Prediction control unit (control means)
402 Display unit 403 Communication unit (acquisition means)
404 Storage unit 405 Operation unit 5 Vehicle 9 Video camera (position detector)
Ci intersection P stop line S1 signal control command S2 traffic information S3 location information S4 identification information S5 sensing information S6 location data

Claims (11)

Control means for performing signal control for predicting traffic demand using an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of vehicles arriving at a stop line at an intersection;
An estimation means for estimating the arrival profile using vehicle information including position information of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection, in addition to the number of vehicles by point observation upstream of the intersection. A traffic signal control device. A vehicle detector for detecting the passage of the vehicle is installed on the upstream side of the intersection, and a terminal device capable of transmitting the vehicle position information to the outside is provided in the vehicle,
2. The traffic signal control according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the arrival profile using the number of vehicles measured by the sensing information of the vehicle detector and the position information of the vehicle transmitted by the terminal device. apparatus.   The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation unit increases a predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile in accordance with position information of the vehicle upstream of the vehicle detector. The vehicle information further includes identification information of the vehicle,
The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the estimating means associates the position information of the vehicle with the sensing information of the vehicle detector based on the identification information of the vehicle.   The estimation means detects the vehicle that has flowed between the vehicle detector and the stop line based on the position information of the vehicle, and calculates the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of the flowed vehicles. The traffic signal control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the traffic signal control device is decreased.   The estimation means detects the vehicle flowing in between the vehicle detector and the stop line based on the position information of the vehicle, and calculates the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile by the number of the flowed-in vehicles. The traffic signal control device according to claim 2, wherein the traffic signal control device is increased.   The estimation means does not use the position information of the vehicle on the downstream side of the vehicle sensor, but uses only the position information of the vehicle on the upstream side of the vehicle sensor, and the predicted traffic volume of the arrival profile. The traffic signal control device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the traffic signal control device is increased. A position detector for detecting position data of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection is provided on the infrastructure side;
The estimation means uses the arrival profile using the number of vehicles measured when the position data passes a predetermined reference point and the position information of the vehicle specified by the position data detected by the position detector. The traffic signal control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein A traffic signal control method for performing signal control that predicts traffic demand using an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of vehicles arriving at a stop line at an intersection,
In addition to the number of vehicles by point observation upstream of the intersection, the arrival profile is estimated using vehicle information including position information of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection, thus estimated. A traffic signal control method, wherein the signal control is performed using the arrival profile. A computer program for causing a computer to perform signal control that predicts traffic demand, using an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of vehicles arriving at a stop line at an intersection,
Estimating the arrival profile using vehicle information including position information of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection, in addition to the number of vehicles by point observation upstream of the intersection;
Performing the signal control using the arrival profile estimated in the above step. An estimation device that estimates an arrival profile that is time-series data of predicted traffic volume of a vehicle arriving at a stop line at an intersection,
Obtaining means for obtaining the number of vehicles by point observation upstream of the intersection and vehicle information including position information of the vehicle traveling upstream of the intersection;
An arrival profile estimation apparatus, comprising: an estimation unit configured to estimate the arrival profile using the number of vehicles acquired by the point observation and the vehicle information.

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