IP Library › Granted Patent US 12711866
Granted Patent B2
US 12711866 · App. 18/783,452 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Assistance controlling apparatus, assistance controlling method, and computer-readable storage medium

Inventors: Yuta Sakagawa (Saitama, JP); Takahiro Kurehashi (Saitama, JP)
Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
G08G1/166B60R21/34G08G1/005G08G1/093G08G1/0104
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12711866
App. No.
18/783,452
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An assistance controlling apparatus includes: an acquiring unit which acquires position information of a plurality of user terminals; an identifying unit which identifies, among the plurality of user terminals, a first user terminal and a second user terminal which are moving at a distance of a predetermined value or less from each other, based on a history of position information of the plurality of user terminals; and an assistance controlling unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant when one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is detected to move to an opposite side of a road with respect to a position of another of the first user terminal or the second user terminal.

Claims (60)

1 . An assistance controlling apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

an acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire position information of a plurality of user terminals;

an identifying unit that uses the at least one processor to identify, among the plurality of user terminals, a first user terminal and a second user terminal which are moving at a distance of a predetermined value or less from each other, based on a history of position information of the plurality of user terminals; and

an assistance controlling unit that uses the at least one processor to perform control related to assistance for a traffic participant when one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is detected to move to an opposite side of a road with respect to a position of an other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, the assistance controlling apparatus further comprises

a determining unit that uses the at least one processor to determine whether current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in different directions from each other, based on the history of the position information of the first user terminal and the second user terminal, wherein

the assistance controlling unit reduces the assistance for the traffic participant when the current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are identified by the determining unit as points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in the different directions from each other.

2 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the assistance controlling unit performs control for causing a moving object which approaches a position of the second user terminal to output a warning.

3 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the acquiring unit further acquires information indicating whether users associated with the plurality of user terminals are speaking, and

the identifying unit identifies, among the plurality of user terminals, the first user terminal and the second user terminal which are moving at the distance of the predetermined value or less from each other, and with which the users associated with each of the user terminals are speaking alternately, based on the history of position information of the plurality of user terminals.

4 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire interpersonal relationship information indicating a degree of companionship among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, wherein

the assistance controlling unit enhances assistance for the traffic participant more as the degree of companionship between a user associated with the first user terminal and a user associated with the second user terminal is higher.

5 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit acquires the interpersonal relationship information indicating the degree of companionship between the plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, based on the history of position information of the plurality of user terminals.

6 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire interpersonal relationship information indicating an interpersonal relationship among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, wherein

the assistance controlling unit determines whether to enhance or reduce assistance for the traffic participant according to the interpersonal relationship between a user associated with the first user terminal and a user associated with the second user terminal.

7 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire information indicating a parent-child relationship between a first user associated with the first user terminal and a second user associated with the second user terminal, wherein

the assistance controlling unit performs control related to assistance for the traffic participant in a case where a user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be a parent of a user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, based on information acquired by the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit.

8 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the assistance controlling unit reduces the assistance for the traffic participant in a case where the user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be a child of the user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, than in the case where the user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be the parent of the user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, based on the information acquired by the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit.

9 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the acquiring unit further acquires information indicating whether users associated with the plurality of user terminals are speaking, and

the identifying unit identifies, among the plurality of user terminals, the first user terminal and the second user terminal which are moving at the distance of the predetermined value or less from each other and with which the users associated with each of the user terminals are speaking alternately, based on the history of the position information of the plurality of user terminals.

10 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire interpersonal relationship information indicating a degree of companionship among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, wherein

the assistance controlling unit enhances assistance for the traffic participant more as the degree of companionship between a user associated with the first user terminal and a user associated with the second user terminal is higher.

11 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire interpersonal relationship information indicating an interpersonal relationship among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, wherein

the assistance controlling unit determines whether to enhance or reduce the assistance for the traffic participant according to the interpersonal relationship between a user associated with the first user terminal and a user associated with the second user terminal.

12 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire information indicating a parent-child relationship between a first user associated with the first user terminal and a second user associated with the second user terminal, wherein

the assistance controlling unit performs the control related to the assistance for the traffic participant in a case where a user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be a parent of a user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, based on information acquired by the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit.

13 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the assistance controlling unit reduces the assistance for the traffic participant in a case where the user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be a child of the user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, than in the case where the user associated with the one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is determined to be the parent of the user associated with the other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, based on the information acquired by the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit.

14 . An assistance controlling apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

an acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire position information of a plurality of user terminals;

an identifying unit that uses the at least one processor to identify, among the plurality of user terminals, a first user terminal and a second user terminal which are moving at a distance of a predetermined value or less from each other, based on a history of position information of the plurality of user terminals; and

an assistance controlling unit that uses the at least one processor to perform control related to assistance for a traffic participant when one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is detected to move to an opposite side of a road with respect to a position of an other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, the assistance controlling apparatus further comprises

an interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire interpersonal relationship information indicating a degree of companionship among a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, wherein

the assistance controlling unit enhances the assistance for the traffic participant more as the degree of companionship between a user associated with the first user terminal and a user associated with the second user terminal is higher.

15 . The assistance controlling apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

the interpersonal relationship information acquiring unit acquires the interpersonal relationship information indicating the degree of companionship between the plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals, based on the history of position information of the plurality of user terminals.

16 . An assistance controlling method comprising:

acquiring position information of a plurality of user terminals;

identifying, among the plurality of user terminals, a first user terminal and a second user terminal which are moving at a distance of a predetermined value or less from each other, based on a history of position information of the plurality of user terminals; and

performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant when one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is detected to move to an opposite side of a road with respect to a position of an other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, the assistance controlling method further comprises

determining whether current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in different directions from each other, based on the history of the position information of the first user terminal and the second user terminal, wherein

the performing control includes reducing the assistance for the traffic participant when the current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are identified as points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in the different directions from each other.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program, wherein the program causes a computer to function as:

an acquiring unit that uses the computer to acquire position information of a plurality of user terminals;

an identifying unit that uses the computer to identify, among the plurality of user terminals, a first user terminal and a second user terminal which are moving at a distance of a predetermined value or less from each other, based on a history of position information of the plurality of user terminals; and

an assistance controlling unit that uses the computer to perform control related to assistance for a traffic participant when one of the first user terminal or the second user terminal is detected to move to an opposite side of a road with respect to a position of an other of the first user terminal or the second user terminal, the assistance controlling apparatus further comprises

a determining unit that uses the computer to determine whether current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in different directions from each other, based on the history of the position information of the first user terminal and the second user terminal, wherein

the assistance controlling unit reduces the assistance for the traffic participant when the current positions of the first user terminal and the second user terminal are identified by the determining unit as points at which the first user terminal and the second user terminal start moving in the different directions from each other.