Notification system and notification method

The notification system includes a detection device mounted on a vehicle and one or more portable terminals possessed by each of one or more pedestrians. The detection device detects the position of each pedestrian in a target area at a predetermined relative position to the vehicle, and transmits detection information including position information indicating the detected position to each of the one or more portable terminals. Each portable terminal receives the detection information transmitted from the detection device. When the current position of the portable terminal corresponds to any one of the detected positions indicated by the position information included in the transmitted detection information, each of the portable terminal notifies a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal of the message via the output device.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a notification system and a notification method for notifying a pedestrian present in the vicinity of a vehicle of a message.

BACKGROUND

By alerting a pedestrian present in the vicinity of the vehicle by sounding a horn or the like, the pedestrian can be alerted, and an accident be more assuredly prevented. It is preferable that the alert be selectively given to a specific pedestrian present in a particular area such as the front of the vehicle.

An attention calling device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-178127 detects a pedestrian in a predetermined area, sends a signal indicating danger to a portable terminal possessed by the detected pedestrian, and the portable terminal notifies the pedestrian of possible danger.

SUMMARY

By selectively sending a danger signal to a portable terminal possessed by a specific pedestrian present in a predetermined area around the vehicle, the pedestrian can be selectively alerted. In order to transmit such a danger signal, it is necessary to detect a pedestrian present in a predetermined area by a sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor or a camera, to identify a portable terminal possessed by the pedestrian, and to transmit a danger signal to the portable terminal. In general, the information of the pedestrian detected by the sensor is not associated with the portable terminal. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the portable terminal to be transmitted from the detected pedestrian information.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a notification system to appropriately notify a pedestrian present in a predetermined area around a vehicle of a message.

The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.(1) A notification system including a detection device mounted on a vehicle and one or more portable terminals possessed by each of one or more pedestrians, whereinthe detection device comprises a processor configured to:detect a position of each pedestrian in a target area at a predetermined relative position to the vehicle, andtransmit detection information including position information indicating the detected position to each of the one or more portable terminals via a vehicle communication circuit,each portable terminal comprises a processor configured to:receive the detection information transmitted from the detection device via a portable communication circuit, andnotify a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal of a message by an output device when the current position of the portable terminal corresponds to any one of the detected positions indicated in the position information included in the transmitted detection information.(2) The notification system according to (1), wherein the processor of each portable terminal is further configured to transmit, in a case where a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal has responded to the message, response information indicating that the pedestrian has responded to the message to the detection device via the portable communication circuit.(3) The notification system according to (1) or (2), wherein the detection information includes accuracy information indicating an accuracy of the position information.(4) The notification system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the processor of the detection device in detecting the position of each pedestrian sets the target area to a shape along a scheduled travel route of the vehicle until a predetermined time elapses.(5) A notification system including a detection device mounted on a vehicle, one or more portable terminals possessed by each of one or more pedestrians, and a server communicably connected to the detection device and the one or more portable terminals via a communication network, wherein:the detection device comprises a processor configured todetect a position of each pedestrian in a target area at a predetermined relative position with respect to the vehicle, andtransmit detection information including position information indicating the detected position to the server via a vehicle communication circuit,each portable terminal comprises a processor configured to upload device position information including a current position of the portable terminal to the server via a portable communication circuit, andthe server comprises a processor configured toreceive the device position information uploaded from each portable terminal via a server communication circuit,store the device position information in association with each portable terminal to a memory,receive the detection information from the detection device via the server communication circuit, andtransmit notification information via the server communication circuit to the portable terminal corresponding to the detected position indicated by the position information included in the detection information received from the detection device,wherein the processor of each portable terminal is further configured toreceive the notification information transmitted from the server via the portable communication circuit, andin response to reception of the notification information, notify a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal via an output device.(6) A notification method, comprising:detecting a position of each one or more pedestrians in a target area at a predetermined position to a vehicle by a detection device mounted on the vehicle,transmitting detection information including position information indicating the detected position to each of one or more portable terminals possessed by each of the one or more pedestrians by the detection device,receiving the detection information transmitted from the detection device by each of the one or more portable terminals, andnotifying, by any one of the one or more portable terminals whose current position corresponds to any one of the detected positions indicated in the position information included in the transmitted detection information, a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal via a respective output device.

The notification system according to the present disclosure can appropriately notify a pedestrian present in a predetermined area around a vehicle of a message.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a notification system that can appropriately notify a pedestrian present in a predetermined area around a vehicle of a message will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The notification system includes a detection device mounted on a vehicle and one or more portable terminals possessed by each of one or more pedestrians. The detection device detects the position of each pedestrian in a target area at a predetermined relative position to the vehicle, and transmits detection information including position information indicating the detected position to each of the one or more portable terminals. Each portable terminal receives the detection information transmitted from the detection device. When the current position of the portable terminal corresponds to any one of the detected positions indicated by the position information included in the transmitted detection information, each of the portable terminals notifies a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal of the message via the output device.

FIG.1is a diagram for explaining an outline of a notification system, andFIG.2is an operation sequence diagram of the notification system.

The notification system100includes a detection device7mounted on the vehicle1traveling on the road RD, and portable terminals9-1to9-3(hereinafter also referred to as “portable terminal9”) possessed by each of the pedestrian P-1or P-3(hereinafter also referred to as “pedestrian P”) present in the vicinity of the vehicle1. The detection device7can be implemented as, for example, a drive recorder that records a situation in the vicinity of the vehicle1. The portable terminal9can be implemented as, for example, a smartphone possessed by the pedestrian P.

The detection device7detects the position of the pedestrian P-3in the target area A ahead of the vehicle1(step S11), and transmits detection information including position information indicating the position of the pedestrian P-3to the portable terminal9(each of the portable terminals9-1to9-3) (step S12).

The portable terminal9receives the detection information (step S21). The portable terminal9determines whether or not the present position corresponds to the position information included in the received detected information (step S22). The present position of the portable terminal9-3corresponds to the position information included in the received detected information (step S22:Y). Therefore, the portable terminal9-3notifies the pedestrian P-3possessing the portable terminal9-3of the message (step S23). On the other hand, the present positions of the portable terminals9-1and9-2do not correspond to the position information included in the received detected information (step S22:N). Therefore, the portable terminals9-1and9-2do not notify the pedestrians P-1and P-2possessing the respective devices.

FIG.3schematically illustrates the configuration of the vehicle1equipped with the detection device7.

The vehicle1includes an environmental camera2, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver3, DCM (data communication module)4, a storage device5, a travel controller6, and a detection device7. The vehicle1is an autonomous vehicle that can travel under the control of the travel controller6. The environmental camera2, the GNSS receiver3, the data communication module4, the storage device5, and the travel controller6and the detection device7are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as a controller area network.

The environmental camera2is an example of an environmental sensor for generating environmental data representing a situation in the vicinity of the vehicle1. The environmental camera2includes a two-dimensional detector including an array of photoelectric transducers sensitive to visible light, such as CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of an area to be imaged on the two-dimensional detector. The environmental camera2is arranged in the front upper portion of the vehicle interior, for example, with its front facing, and captures a situation in the vicinity of the vehicle1via a windshield at predetermined capturing cycles (for example, 1/30 second to 1/10 second), and outputs an environmental image as environmental data representing a situation in the vicinity of the vehicle1. Note that the vehicle1may include a sensor other than the environmental camera2as an environmental sensor, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor that generates, as peripheral data, a distance image in which each pixel has a value corresponding to a distance to an object represented by the pixel based on a state in the vicinity of the vehicle1.

The GNSS receiver3is an example of a vehicle positioning sensor, and receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites at predetermined intervals, and measures the position of the vehicle1, based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver3outputs, at predetermined intervals, a positioning signal representing a positioning result of the self-position of the vehicle1based on GNSS signal to the travel controller6and the detection device7via the in-vehicle network.

The data communication module4is an example of a vehicle communication unit, and is a device including communication circuitry for executing a wireless communication process compliant with a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth Low Energy, V2X (Vehicle to X). The data communication module4can, for example, act as a broadcaster in Bluetooth Low Energy communications and transmit data received from the detection device7in an advertising packet. The data communication module4may be implemented as part of the detection device7.

The data communication module4may further perform a wireless communication process compliant with a wide area wireless communication standard such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The data communication module4may transmit the data received from the detection device7in an uplink radio signal. In addition, the data communication module4can pass the data included in the received wireless signal to the detection device7.

The storage device5is an example of a vehicle storage unit, and includes, for example, a hard disk device or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device5stores a high-precision map which includes, for example, information representing a lane division line that divides a lane in a predetermined region represented in the high-precision map.

The travel controller6is a ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a communication interface, a memory, and a processor. The travel controller6reads the lane lines in the vicinity of the vehicle position represented by the positioning signal received from the GNSS receiver3from the storage device5that stores the high-precision maps.

The travel controller6inputs the environmental image received from the environmental camera2to a discriminator trained in advance so as to detect the lane line from the image, thereby detecting the lane lines in the vicinity from the environmental data.

The classifier may be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having a plurality of convolutional layers connected in series from an input-side to an output-side. By using the image including the lane line as the training data and training CNN in advance according to a predetermined training technique such as backpropagation, CNN operates as a classifier for detecting the lane line from the environmental image.

The travel controller6identifies the lane on which the vehicle1is traveling by comparing the lane division line detected from the environmental image with the lane line in the high-precision map. The travel controller6outputs a control signal to a traveling mechanism (not shown) of the vehicle1so as to travel at a target speed set in advance on a planned traveling route along a lane in which the vehicle1is currently traveling. The traveling mechanism includes, for example, an engine or a motor for powering the vehicle1, an accelerator for adjusting acceleration of the vehicle1, a brake for decelerating the vehicle1, and a steering mechanism for steering the vehicle1.

FIG.4is a schematic hardware diagram of the detection device7. The detection device7detects a pedestrian present in the vicinity of the vehicle1from the peripheral image received from the peripheral camera2. To this end, the detection device7includes a communication interface71, a memory72, and a processor73.

The communication interface71has a communication interface circuit for connecting the detection device7to the in-vehicle network. The communication interface71supplies the received data to the processor73and outputs the data supplied from the processor73to the outside.

The memory72is another example of the vehicle storage unit, and includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory72stores various types of data used for processing by the processor73, for example, area definition information for specifying a target area corresponding to a range of a position of a pedestrian to be detected. The memory72further stores photographing parameters such as a focal length, a photographing direction, and a pixel size of the optical system of the environmental camera2as various types of data. The memory72further stores, for example, a set of parameters for defining a CNN that operates as a classifier for detecting an area representing a pedestrian from environmental images (e.g. the number of layers, the layer structure, the kernels, and the weighting factors). The memory72additionally stores the standard size of the pedestrian, as well as various application programs, such as a detection program for executing a detection process.

The processor73, which is an example of a vehicle control unit, includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor73may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphics processing unit.

FIG.5is a functional block diagram of the processor73included in the detection device7.

The processor73of the detection device7includes a detection unit731and a transmission unit732as its functional blocks.

These units included in the processor73are functional modules implemented by a computer program stored in the memory72and executed by the processor73. The computer program for achieving the functions of the respective units of the processor73may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, these units included in the processor73may be implemented in the detection device7as separate integrated circuits, microprocessors, or firmware.

The detection unit731detects the position of each pedestrian in an area located at a predetermined relative position to the vehicle1.

The detection unit731inputs a peripheral image acquired from the peripheral camera2to a classifier trained in advance so as to detect, for example, a feature including a lane line and a pedestrian from an image, thereby specifying a type of the feature and an area where the feature including the lane line and the pedestrian are represented in the peripheral image.

When the peripheral sensor is a LiDAR sensor, the detection unit731may specify an area representing the pedestrian in the distance image acquired from LiDAR sensor, for example, by inputting to a classifier trained in advance so as to detect the pedestrian from the distance image.

The detection unit731reads, from the storage device5that stores the high-precision maps, the information of the lane lines in the vicinity of the vehicle position representing the positioning signal received from the GNSS receiver3, and estimates the position and the traveling direction of the vehicle1at the time when the environmental data is generated by comparing the position of the lane line detected from the environmental data with the position of the lane line read from the storage device5. The detection unit731may acquire the position and the traveling direction of the vehicle1from the travel controller6, or may specify the position and the traveling direction by the own vehicle position represented by the positioning signal received from GNSS receiver and the direction information acquired from a direction sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle1.

The detection unit731estimates the direction in which the pedestrian is present with respect to the vehicle1by using the position of the region in which the pedestrian is represented in the environmental data and the photographing parameter of the environmental camera2stored in the memory72.

The detection unit731estimates the distance of the pedestrian from the vehicle1by using the size of the region represented by the pedestrian in the environmental data and the standard size of the pedestrian stored in the memory72.

The detection unit731obtains the position of the pedestrian in the world coordinate system at the time of generation of the environmental image by using the position and the traveling direction of the vehicle1, the direction in which the pedestrian is facing with respect to the vehicle1, and the distance of the pedestrian from the vehicle1.

The detection unit731compares the position of the pedestrian in the world coordinate system represented in the peripheral image with the target area A specified by the area definition information stored in the memory72, and detects the pedestrian located in the target area A.

The target area A is set based on predetermined area definition information. The target area A is, for example, a rectangular area from the front end of the vehicle1to 20 m away in the vertical direction and from the left end in 1 m of the left end to the right end of the vehicle1in the horizontal direction.

In addition, the target area A may have a shape along the scheduled traveling route of the vehicle1from the current time to a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds). Accordingly, when the vehicle1is traveling on a straight road, the target area A is a rectangular area.

When the vehicle1is traveling on a curved road, the target area A has a curved shape. When the vehicle1is scheduled to turn right or left at the intersection, the target area A has a shape corresponding to a traveling scheduled route that turns right or left. The detection unit731acquires, from the travel controller6, a travel scheduled route of the vehicle1from the current time to a predetermined time.

The length of the target area A in the front-rear direction may vary depending on the speed of the vehicle1. For example, when the vehicle1is traveling at a high speed, since the position after a predetermined time of the vehicle1is farther than when traveling at a low speed, the longitudinal length of the target area may be longer than when traveling at a low speed. In addition, the target area A may be set at the rear of the vehicle1when the vehicle1is traveling backward.

The transmission unit732transmits detection information including position information indicating the position of the pedestrian detected in the target area A in the world coordinate system to each of the one or more portable terminals9carried by each of the one or more pedestrians located in the vicinity of the vehicle1.

The transmission unit732outputs detection information to the data communication module4, and causes the data communication module4to transmit signal including the detection information, for example, an advertising packet in Bluetooth Low Energy communication. At this time, the portable terminal9operates as an observer in Bluetooth Low Energy communication, and receives the detection information by scanning an advertising packet transmitted from the data communication module4. The transmission unit732may cause the data communication module4to transmit the detection information by wireless communication processing conforming to the wide area wireless communication standard.

The detection information may include accuracy information indicating the probability of the position information. The accuracy is determined according to, for example, the type and the number of GNSS satellites corresponding to the radio waves received by the GNSS receiver3at the generation of the positioning signal of the vehicle1.

FIG.6is a diagram illustrating an example of the detection information.

In the detection information821, for each of the detected moving objects, an identifier (ID) for identifying the object, position information representing latitude and longitude of the object, and accuracy information representing the accuracy of the position information indicated by an error (m) in the position of the object are associated with each other.

FIG.7is a schematic hardware diagram of the portable terminal9. The portable terminal9includes a short-range wireless circuit91, a wide-area wireless circuit92, a GNSS receiver93, an output device94, an input device95, a memory96, and a processor97.

The short-range wireless circuit91is an example of a portable communication unit, and includes a communication circuit and an antenna for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data between the portable terminal9and a device at a relatively short distance. The short-range wireless circuit91supplies the received data to the processor97. The short-range wireless circuit91also transmits the data supplied from the processor97to the outside, being a circuit for wireless communication conforming to a standard, such as Bluetooth Low Energy, NFC (Near Field Communication), and IEEE 802.11.

The wide-area wireless circuit92is another example of the portable communication unit, and includes a communication circuit and an antenna for the portable terminal9to perform wide-area wireless communication. The wide-area wireless circuit92is, for example, a circuit for transmitting and receiving data to and from a wireless base station included in a communication network. The wide-area wireless circuit92supplies the received data to the processor97, and transmits the data supplied from the processor97to the wireless base station.

The GNSS receiver93, which is an example of a mobile positioning sensor, receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites at predetermined intervals, and measures the position of the portable terminal9based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver93outputs, to the processor97, a positioning signal representing the positioning of the portable terminal9based on GNSS signal at each predetermined cycle.

The output device94, which is an example of a portable output unit, performs output to a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9. The output device94includes, for example, a device such as a display or a speaker. The display is a device for displaying images, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescent display. The display displays an image corresponding to the image data received from the processor97. The speaker is a device that outputs sound. The output device94outputs images, sounds, or the like in accordance with a signal generated by the processor97. The output device94may include a light source that emits light in a predetermined pattern or a vibrator that vibrates in a predetermined pattern in accordance with a signal generated by the processor97.

The input device95, which is an example of a portable input unit, receives an operation by a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9. The input device95includes, for example, a device such as a touch panel layered on a display and a microphone that receives sound. The input device95generates a signal corresponding to the received operation, and outputs the signal to the processor97.

The memory96, which is an example of a portable storage unit, includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory96stores various types of data used for processing by the processor97, for example, message information representing the contents of a message notified to a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9. The message information is, for example, voice information indicating a voice such as “A vehicle is approaching. Please be careful”, voice information indicating an alarm sound, character information indicating a text such as “A vehicle is approaching. Please be careful.” The memory96temporarily stores the detection information821received from the detection device7. The memory72stores various application programs, for example, a notification program for a executing a detection method.

The processor97, which is an example of a portable control unit, includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor97may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphics processing unit.

FIG.8is a functional block diagram of the processor97included in the portable terminal9. The processor97of the portable terminal9includes a reception unit971, a notification unit972, and a response transmitting unit973as functional blocks.

Each of these units included in the processor97is a functional module that is implemented by a computer program stored in the memory96and executed on the processor97. The computer program for achieving the functions of the respective units of the processor97may be provided in a form recorded in a computer-readable portable recording medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, these units included in the processor97may be implemented in the portable terminal9as independent integrated circuits, microprocessors, or firmware.

The reception unit971receives the detection information transmitted from the detection device7via the short-range wireless circuit91. As described above with respect to the transmission unit732of the detection device7, communication between the short-range wireless circuit91and the detection device7is performed using a broadcast communication technique. When Bluetooth Low Energy communication is used as a broadcast communication technique, for example, the short-range wireless circuit91operates as an observer in Bluetooth Low Energy communication, and can receive detection information by scanning advertising packets periodically transmitted at predetermined intervals from the detection device7operating as a broadcaster.

The notification unit972receives the positioning signal from the GNSS receiver93at predetermined intervals and identifies the position of the portable terminal9represented by the positioning signal. Further, the notification unit972determines whether or not the identified position of the portable terminal9corresponds to any one of the positions indicated in the position information included in the received detection information. When the identified position of the portable terminal9corresponds to any one of the positions indicated in the position information included in the received detection information, the notification unit972notifies the pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9of the message via the output device94.

The notification unit972determines whether or not the identified position of the portable terminal9corresponds to the position information associated with the moving object for each moving object included in the received detection information. When the position of the identified portable terminal9is included in the range of the distance indicated by the accuracy information associated with the moving object from the position indicated by the position information associated with any of the moving objects included in the received detection information, the notification unit972determines that the identified position of the portable terminal9corresponds to any one of the positions indicated by the position information included in the received detection information.

When it is determined that the identified position of the portable terminal9corresponds to any one of the positions indicated by the position information included in the received detection information, the notification unit972outputs the message information stored in the memory96to the output device94and notifies the pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9.

When receiving a response to a message from a pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9, the response transmitting unit973transmits response information indicating that a response has been made by the pedestrian to the detection device7via the short-range wireless circuit91. The short-range wireless circuit91may transmit the response-information to the detection device7, for example, by Bluetooth Low Energy communication.

The response transmitting unit973may receive a response to the message by the pedestrian by detecting a touch of the pedestrian with respect to an area of the message displayed on the display by the input device95which is, for example, a touch panel layered on the display. The response transmitting unit973may receive a response to the message of the pedestrian by receiving a voice response (e.g., “OK”) from the pedestrian to the message by the input device95which is, for example, a microphone.

Note that the reception unit971may receive the detection information transmitted from the detection device7via the wide-area wireless circuit92. The response transmitting unit973may transmit the response information to the detection device7via the wide-area wireless circuit92.

The detection device7compares the number of pieces of position information included in the detection information with the number of pieces of response information received from the portable terminal9. When the number of received response information is less than the number of pieces of position information included in the detection information, the detection device7transmits, to the travel controller6, a safety travel request signal requesting that the travel of the vehicle1be more carefully controlled, such as making the distance to the surrounding object longer or making the travel speed slower.

By configuring the detection device7and the portable terminal9as described above, the notification system100can appropriately notify the pedestrian present in the predetermined area around the vehicle of the message.

The notification system100can selectively transmit a message to a pedestrian present in a predetermined area around the vehicle without specifying a pedestrian or a portable terminal possessed by the pedestrian. Therefore, the notification system100can appropriately notify a pedestrian of the message while appropriately protecting the privacy of the pedestrian.

FIG.9is a diagram for explaining an outline of a notification system according to an alternative embodiment, andFIG.10is an operation sequence diagram of the notification system according to the alternative embodiment.

The notification system200includes a detection device7mounted on the vehicle1, one or more portable terminals9each possessed by one or more pedestrians P present in the vicinity of the vehicle1, and a server10communicably connected to the communication networking NW. The server10includes a communication circuit (an example of a server communication unit, not shown), a memory (an example of a server storage unit, not shown), and a processor (not shown). The detection device7can communicate with the server10via the data communication module4and the wireless base station WBS included in the communication network NW. The portable terminal9can communicate with the server10via the wide-area wireless circuitry92and the wireless base station WBS included in the communication networking NW.

The processor97of the portable terminal9further includes an upload unit (not shown) as a functional block. The upload unit uploads the device position information to the server10periodically (for example, every other minute) via the wide-area wireless circuit92(step S41).

The processor of the server10includes a position registration unit (not shown) as a functional block. The position registration unit receives the device position information from the portable terminal9via the communication interface, and stores the present position of the portable terminal in the memory in association with the portable terminals (step S51).

The detection unit731of the detection device7detects the position of the pedestrian P in the target area A (step S31). The transmission unit732of the detection device7transmits detection information including position information indicating the position of the pedestrian P to the server10via the data communication module4and the wireless base station WBS included in the communication network NW (step S32).

The processor of the server10further includes a notification transmitting unit (not shown) as a functional block. The notification transmitting unit receives the detection information from the detection device via the communication circuitry, and determines whether each of the present positions of the portable terminals stored in the memory corresponds to the detected position indicated by the position information included in the detection information received from the detection device (step S52). The notification transmitting unit transmits notification information to the portable terminal determined to correspond to the position at which the present position is detected among the portable terminals via the communication circuit (step S52:Y). The notification information is information indicating that the portable terminal to be transmitted should give a predetermined notification to the pedestrian possessing the portable terminal. In addition, the notification transmitting unit does not transmit the notification to the portable terminal associated with the present position that is not determined to correspond to the detected position (step S52:N).

Among the portable terminals, the portable terminal9that has received the notification information notifies the pedestrian possessing the portable terminal9of the message via the output device94(step S42).

Such a process of the detection device7, the portable terminal9, and the server10enables the notification system200appropriately notify the pedestrian present in the predetermined area around the vehicle of the message.

It should be noted that those skilled in the art apply various changes, substitutes, and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.