IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,638,857
Granted Patent B2
US 12,638,857 · App. 18/340,178 · Granted May 26, 2026

Information processing system and self-driving assistance method

Inventors: Takanobu Mizuno (Toyota, JP); Ryuta Sonoda (Tokyo, JP); Kentaro Oka (Tokyo, JP)
Assignees: AGC Inc.; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G05D1/247G05D1/225G05D1/249G08G1/0116G08G1/09G08G1/096783H04W4/44
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,638,857
App. No.
18/340,178
Granted
May 26, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is an information processing system including: an information processor installed on a roadside, and a communication antenna installed on the roadside, wherein the information processor includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit to acquire vehicle information relating to one or more vehicles to be assisted located in a coverage area covered by the communication antenna, a transmit data generation unit to generate transmit data based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and a data sending unit to send the transmit data generated by the transmit data generation unit to the vehicle to be assisted via the communication antenna, and the transmit data includes at least one of vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle to be assisted, and drive control information.

Claims (54)

1 . An information processing system to assist a vehicle to be assisted having a self-driving function in driving, which comprises:

a roadside information processor installed on a roadside, and

a communication antenna installed on the roadside,

wherein the roadside information processor comprises:

a vehicle information acquisition unit to acquire vehicle information relating to one or more vehicles to be assisted located in a coverage area covered by the communication antenna,

a transmit data generation unit to generate transmit data based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and

a data sending unit to send the transmit data generated by the transmit data generation unit to a processor of the vehicle to be assisted via the communication antenna,

the transmit data includes vehicle position information indicating a position of the vehicle to be assisted, and drive control information,

the drive control information includes a target value relating to at least one of a velocity, an acceleration, a deceleration and a steering angle of the vehicle to be assisted,

the transmit data is transmitted at a predicted time based on an estimated arrival time of the vehicle at a predetermined road position so that the vehicle to be assisted performs self-driving based on the vehicle position information and the drive control information generated by or sent from the roadside information processor, and

the estimated arrival time of the vehicle is calculated based on a rate of change of an relative distance at each process cycle.

2 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the roadside information processor and the communication antenna are installed in/on a building.

3 . The information processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the roadside information processor and the communication antenna are installed inside the building.

4 . The information processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the communication antenna is installed on a window glass of the building.

5 . The information processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the communication antenna is installed on an interior side of the window glass of the building.

6 . The information processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the building has a living space including an office, a residence or a hotel.

7 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the communication antennas is installed,

the vehicle information includes information based on radio waves sent from an in-vehicle antenna mounted in the vehicle to be assisted,

the vehicle information acquisition unit acquires information based on the radio waves from the vehicle to be assisted via the plurality of the communication antennas, and

the transmit data generation unit calculates the position of the vehicle to be assisted, based on the information based on the radio waves from the vehicle to be assisted acquired via the plurality of the communication antennas, and known position information relating to the plurality of the communication antennas.

8 . The information processing system according to claim 7 , wherein the transmit data generation unit calculates the position of the vehicle to be assisted with accuracy with an error within 2 meters.

9 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , which further has an image sensor which makes images of the vehicle to be assisted, installed on the roadside, and

wherein the vehicle information includes sensor information generated by the image sensor,

the vehicle information acquisition unit acquires the sensor information from the image sensor, and

the transmit data generation unit generates the transmit data based on the sensor information.

10 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the transmit data generation unit generates the drive control information based on the sensor information.

11 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the drive control information includes at least one of information relating to road environment around the vehicle to be assisted, and pedestrian information around the vehicle to be assisted.

12 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the image sensor is installed together with the roadside information processor and the communication antenna in a same building at a height of from 3 meters to 15 meters from the ground.

13 . The information processing system according to claim 12 , wherein the image sensor is attached to the communication antenna.

14 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the transmit data generation unit calculates the position of the vehicle to be assisted based on the sensor information and known position information relating to the predetermined road position.

15 . The information processing system according to claim 14 , wherein the transmit data includes the known position information relating to the predetermined position as the vehicle position information, and

the data sending unit sends the transmit data, in accordance with a time when the vehicle to be assisted is assumed to be located on the predetermined position.

16 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the image sensor is installed inside a building.

17 . The information processing system according to claim 9 , wherein the communication antenna is provided on a window glass of a building, and

the image sensor is provided on the window glass on which the communication antenna is provided or on a sash to which the window glass is attached.

18 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle information includes surrounding environment information of the vehicle to be assisted based on the results detected by an in-vehicle sensor mounted in the vehicle to be assisted,

the vehicle information acquisition unit receives the surrounding environment information from the vehicle to be assisted via the communication antenna, and

the transmit data generation unit generates the transmit data based on the surrounding environment information.

19 . The information processing system according to claim 18 , wherein the in-vehicle sensor includes at least one of an image sensor and a radar sensor.

20 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the data sending unit realizes communication based on a fifth generation mobile communication system with the vehicle to be assisted.

21 . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the vehicle to be assisted is calculated by a distance measuring method employing parallax by a stereo camera.

22 . A self-driving assistance method, which comprises installing a roadside information processor and a communication antenna on a roadside, the self-driving assistance method comprising:

acquiring, via the roadside information processor, vehicle information relating to one or more vehicles to be assisted located in a coverage area covered by the communication antenna,

generating, via the roadside information processor, transmit data including vehicle position information indicating a position of a vehicle to be assisted or drive control information, based on the acquired vehicle information, and

sending, via the roadside information processor, the transmit data to a processor of the vehicle to be assisted via the communication antenna,

wherein the drive control information includes a target value relating to at least one of a velocity, an acceleration, a deceleration and a steering angle of the vehicle to be assisted,

wherein the transmit data is transmitted at a predicted time based on an estimated arrival time of the vehicle at a predetermined road position so that the vehicle to be assisted performs self-driving based on the vehicle position information and the drive control information generated by or sent from the roadside information processor, and

wherein the estimated arrival time of the vehicle is calculated based on a rate of change of an relative distance at each process cycle.

23 . The self-driving assistance method according to claim 22 , wherein the communication antenna is installed in/on a building so that the coverage area covers an intersection or a road with traffic heavier than a predetermined standard.

24 . The self-driving assistance method according to claim 22 , wherein the communication antenna is installed in/on a building so as to cover both a communication region based on a third generation mobile communication system or a fourth generation mobile communication system and a communication region based on a fifth generation mobile communication system.

25 . The self-driving assistance method according to claim 22 , which further comprises installing an image sensor which makes images of the vehicle to be assisted on the roadside,

and generating the drive control information based on sensor information from the image sensor.

26 . The self-driving assistance method according to claim 22 , which comprises updating map information by the vehicle information to make the vehicle to be assisted display the map information and the position information of the vehicle to be assisted.

27 . The self-driving assistance method according to claim 22 , wherein the position of the vehicle to be assisted is calculated by a distance measuring method employing parallax by a stereo camera.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2023
From: MIZUNO, TAKANOBU; SONODA, RYUTA; OKA, KENTARO
To: AGC INC.; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 064040/0964 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-012890 · Jan 29, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2022003040 · Jan 27, 2022
Related Publication 20230331251A1 · Oct 19, 2023
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