JP2004094780A - Convoy travelling system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a convoy travelling system with a merit distributed to both a forefront running vehicle and a following vehicle through convoy travelling. <P>SOLUTION: The forefront running vehicle 11 and a following vehicle 21 are respectively provided with an onboard DSRC unit 12, 22, a car navigation system 13, 23, an inter-vehicle communication part 14, 24, an onboard ETC unit 15, 25, an HMI part 16, 26, a vehicle controller 17, 27, a convoy travelling controller 18, 28 and the like. Data, such as control operation amount and travelling state amount, are transmitted from the forefront running vehicle 11 to the following vehicle by inter-vehicle communication, and automatic driving is performed by the following vehicle 21 to follow after the forefront running vehicle 11 based on the data. A user of the following vehicle 21 pays the charge for service use to the forefront running vehicle through the use of an ETC system, where the charge is determined by the convoy travelling controller 18, 28 according to various conditions of the convoy travelling, such as time and distance, weather information and road surface conditions, road classification, location, the number of following vehicles, sudden acceleration and sudden braking, and halfway cancellation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a platooning system that performs platooning between a leading vehicle and one or more follow-up vehicles having an automatic driving function while communicating travel control information by inter-vehicle communication.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The concept that vehicles capable of automatic driving form a vehicle group and perform platooning, also referred to as platoon running, is described in, for example, JP-A-5-170008, JP-A-7-200991, and JP-A-8-314541. Are known. In October 2000, a demonstration experiment including platooning was conducted by the former Ministry of Construction and the former Ministry of Transport, and was called the Smart Cruise 21. By performing this platooning, various effects such as a reduction in driver load, a reduction in traffic congestion, an improvement in fuel efficiency, and environmental protection can be expected. In order to achieve such effects, technical approaches to platooning are being conducted mainly by companies such as automobile manufacturers.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a platooning system using a car navigation device for vehicle position detection, which is conventionally considered, in a case where platooning is performed by two vehicles, a leading vehicle 1 and a follow-up vehicle 2. I have. The flowchart in FIG. 4 shows a software configuration related to a procedure of inter-vehicle communication performed between the leading vehicle 1 and the follow-up vehicle 2 in the platooning system.
[0004]
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the leading car 1 has an inter-vehicle communication unit 3 for communicating with other vehicles, a route search / guidance function to a set destination, and a function of detecting the position of the own vehicle. , A vehicle control unit 5 capable of detecting a control operation amount and a traveling state amount of the own vehicle is provided, and the following vehicle 2 also has an inter-vehicle communication unit 6, a car navigation device 7, A vehicle control unit 8 is provided. In this case, the vehicle control unit 8 of the following vehicle 2 is configured to be able to realize an automatic driving function for automatically controlling the engine (throttle), brake, steering (steering angle), transmission (gear stage), and the like. ing.
[0005]
As a result, the leading car 1 transmits the navigation information obtained by the car navigation device 4 and the vehicle control information obtained by the vehicle control unit 5 to the pursuit vehicle 2 by the inter-vehicle communication unit 3, and The car 2 inputs the information of the leading car 1 received by the inter-vehicle communication unit 6 and the navigation information detected by the car navigation device 7 to the vehicle control unit 8, and the vehicle control unit 8 performs vehicle control (automatic driving) based on the information. ), Thereby realizing a platooning in which the following vehicle 2 follows the leading vehicle 1 with a very short inter-vehicle distance.
[0006]
At this time, in order for the driver of the following vehicle 2 to make a decision on following and perform platooning, first, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. This is performed (step S1). This is performed by the following vehicle 2 scanning data periodically transmitted by other vehicles running around the following vehicle 2. When the following vehicle 2 finds an appropriate preceding vehicle (leading vehicle 1), a communication link establishment procedure is performed between the following vehicle 2 and the leading vehicle 1 (step S2), and the communication link is established. When it is determined (Yes in step S3 and step T1), transmission and reception of data between them are started (step S4, step T2).
[0007]
Here, as described above, the control operation amount (throttle opening, steering angle, brake operation amount, gear position, etc.) and the running state amount (own vehicle position, speed) , The traveling direction) is transmitted, and the following vehicle 2 performs automatic driving so as to follow the leading vehicle 1 based on the data. Data such as the position and speed of the own vehicle is transmitted, and the leading vehicle 1 grasps the behavior of the following vehicle 2. Then, when either the leading vehicle 1 or the following vehicle 2 requests the end of the following and both of them confirm the end of the following (Yes in step S5 and step T3), a procedure for releasing the communication link is performed (step S5). (S6, step T4), the pursuit (platform running) ends.
[0008]
By the way, in order to introduce such a platooning system into society and to be widely accepted by users, it is necessary to consider a business model. In other words, when the above-mentioned platooning is realized, the leading car 1 becomes the service providing side and the follow-up car 2 becomes the service using side. However, there has been a conventional idea of paying for such a service. Did not. In this case, it is desired to construct a system that is clear to both the service providing side and the service using side, and that merits are distributed to both sides by performing platooning.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a platooning traveling system in which merits are distributed to both a leading vehicle side and a following vehicle side by performing platooning.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the platooning system of the present invention is characterized in that a user of a following vehicle is provided with a fee receiving and paying means for paying a fee to a driver of a leading vehicle. invention). According to this, the service use side pays the service provision side for the service, and as a result, the merit is distributed to both the leading car side and the follow-up car side by performing the platooning, and as a result, In this way, the platooning system will be introduced to society and will be widely accepted by users.
[0011]
In this case, payment of the fee by the fee receiving / paying means can be performed by using an ETC system which has already been put into practical use (the invention of claim 2). According to this, it is possible to automatically perform the payment of the fee using the existing system (apparatus), which is highly convenient for the user. Further, it is desirable that the above-mentioned fee is appropriate and reasonable, which can be understood by both the leading vehicle side and the follow-up vehicle side, and that a fee determining means for determining a fee according to conditions of platooning is provided. If it does (the invention of claim 3), it will be effective.
[0012]
More specifically, from the viewpoint that the above-mentioned fee, in other words, the price of the service is desirably in accordance with the amount of the service, basically, the fee in accordance with the time and / or the distance of the platooning is used. (The invention of claim 4). As a result, the fee can be determined according to the amount of the service to be transferred between the service provider and the service provider.
[0013]
Then, even when the vehicle runs in the same time or distance, the load on the driver of the leading vehicle, that is, the ease of driving, fluctuates due to external conditions. Therefore, the fare determination means can be configured to determine the fare in consideration of a driving environment such as weather conditions and road surface conditions at the time of traveling (the invention of claim 5). According to this, for example, when there is a driving environment such as weather conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, fog, or road surface conditions such as snowfall or freezing, the load on the driver of the leading car increases, so that the fee is increased, The fee can be determined more appropriately. At this time, the determination of the driving environment can be made based on weather information and road surface conditions obtained from the outside by communication means such as DSRC (the invention of claim 6), whereby accurate information on the driving environment can be obtained. Can be obtained.
[0014]
Further, the fee determining means may be configured to determine the fee in consideration of road conditions such as a road type and a position obtained from the car navigation device (the invention of claim 7). According to this, the ease of driving on a highway is reduced, for example, between the highway and a general road, the toll on the highway is reduced, or the toll is increased on a congested road in the city center. , The fee can be determined more appropriately.
[0015]
Further, whether the number of follow-up vehicles is one or more, the load on the driver of the leading car does not change so much. (Invention of claim 8), for example, as the number of following vehicles increases, the fee paid by the user of each following vehicle decreases, thereby leading the vehicle and the following vehicle. The economic merit becomes greater for both the vehicle side and the effect of alleviating traffic congestion and the like increases as the number of vehicles in the platoon increases.
[0016]
On the other hand, in the occupant of the follow-up vehicle, the degree of comfort differs due to the driving skill of the driver of the leading car. For example, when there is a lot of sudden acceleration or sudden braking, the occupant of the follow-up vehicle gives discomfort. Will be. Therefore, the fee determining means can be configured to determine the fee in consideration of the comfort of the occupant of the following vehicle due to the driving skill of the driver of the leading vehicle (the invention of claim 9). According to this, for example, when there is sudden acceleration or sudden braking, the fee can be determined more appropriately according to the comfort level of the occupant of the following vehicle, such as reducing the fee accordingly.
[0017]
By the way, in the case of a system involving payment of a fee as described above, for example, a platooning to a specified destination is performed by a contract between the leading vehicle side and the following vehicle side. It is conceivable that for some reason it is desirable to stop platooning before reaching the ground. Therefore, if there is a cancellation in the middle of platooning from the leading vehicle or the following vehicle, a penalty according to the cancellation may be added to the fee (the invention of claim 10).
[0018]
In addition, if a configuration is provided in which an approximate fee presenting means for presenting an approximate fee to be paid and received by the platooning to the user of the following vehicle at least before the platooning is started (the invention of claim 11), The user of the follow-up vehicle can know the approximate charge in advance, and can make a contract after being convinced to pay the charge. At the time of contract, it may be configured to check whether there is a balance exceeding the estimated fee in the account of the follow-up vehicle user, and to enable platooning only when the balance is greater than the estimated fee. (Invention of claim 12) This can prevent a trouble that a fee is not paid beforehand.
[0019]
If it is determined that the driving environment is not suitable for platooning based on weather information or road surface conditions obtained from the outside by the communication means, a prohibition means for prohibiting execution of platooning may be provided. (Invention of claim 13). According to this, it is possible to prevent the platoon running in a situation where the load of the driver of the leading car becomes extremely large and it becomes impossible, or in a situation where an accident or the like is likely to occur.
[0020]
And, as described above, if the platooning system involves payment of fees, it will be possible to develop it as a business (business), and corporate vehicles whose business is to be the leading car in platooning will be By adopting a system that works as the leading car (invention of claim 14), it can be expected that a new business model will lead to an increase in business opportunities, and eventually to economic and industrial development.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a configuration of a platooning system according to the present embodiment. Here, a case is shown in which one follow-up vehicle 21 follows the leading vehicle 11 to perform platooning. ing. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to realize a platooning system, the following devices are mounted on vehicles (leading vehicle 11 and follow-up vehicle 21).
[0022]
That is, the leading car 11 includes a DSRC (dedicated short-range communication) onboard device 12, a car navigation device 13, an inter-vehicle communication unit 14, an ETC onboard device 15, an HMI (human machine interface) unit 16, a vehicle control unit 17, A traveling control unit 18 is provided, and these are mutually connected by a network 19 such as an in-vehicle LAN. At this time, the vehicle control unit 17 is connected to the network 19 via the gateway 20, so that unauthorized access from the outside is prevented.
[0023]
Similarly, the following vehicle 21 also has a DSRC on-board unit 22, a car navigation device 23, an inter-vehicle communication unit 24, an ETC on-board unit 25, an HMI unit 26, a vehicle control unit 27, a platoon running control unit 28, a gateway 30, A network 29 for connecting them to each other is provided.
[0024]
The on-board DSRC devices 12 and 22 acquire weather information, road surface conditions, and congestion information from the outside by communication with a DCRC base station (road station) 31 provided at a key point on the road. And constitutes a communication means. As is well known, the car navigation devices 13 and 23 have a function of detecting the position and traveling direction (azimuth) of the own vehicle using a GPS or the like, and a function of searching for and guiding a route to a set destination. ing. At this time, destination information (including a plurality of passing points) set by the driver (occupant) is registered in the car navigation devices 13 and 23. In addition, map data is stored, and road type information can be obtained.
[0025]
The vehicle-to-vehicle communication units 14 and 24 communicate with other vehicles. As will be described later, when performing platooning, a request or approval for follow-up and travel control information ( Communication such as a control operation amount and a running state amount) is performed. The ETC on-vehicle devices 15 and 25 constitute an ETC system by performing wireless communication (so-called road-to-vehicle communication) with an ETC road device 32 provided at a key point on a road. Reference numeral 32 is connected to a support center 33 which performs a payment settlement process and the like, and the support center 33 is connected to a host computer 34 of a financial institution such as a bank.
[0026]
At this time, the on-board ETC devices 15 and 25 communicate with the ETC road device 32 based on the user's insertion of an IC card having a toll settlement function, for example, to automatically pay a toll on an expressway. Can be performed. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the on-board ETC devices 15 and 25 are used to receive and pay a charge related to platooning, check the balance, and the like. Has become.
[0027]
The HMI units 16 and 26 are configured to include a display unit such as an LCD and an operation input unit, and perform necessary status display related to platooning, notification of start / cancel of platooning, communication within the platoon, and the like. It is for. The driver operates the HMI units 16 and 26 to set in advance whether or not the vehicle can run in platoon (whether or not the vehicle itself can be the leading vehicle 11). The HMI units 16 and 26 may be integrated with the car navigation devices 13 and 23 described above.
[0028]
The vehicle control units 17 and 27 are configured to be able to detect control operation amounts (throttle opening, steering angle, brake operation amount, gear position, etc.) of the own vehicle, and to provide a given control operation amount (throttle Based on data (running control information) such as opening, steering angle, brake operation amount, gear position, and running state amount (own vehicle position, speed, traveling direction), the engine (throttle), brake, steering ( It is configured to be able to execute automatic operation for automatically controlling a steering angle), a transmission (gear stage), and the like.
[0029]
The platooning control units 18 and 28 are configured to include a microcomputer (CPU), and manage and control the entire platooning by a software configuration. At this time, as will be described later, the platooning control units 18 and 28 determine whether or not platooning is possible based on the acquired information, calculate and present an approximate fee for the platooning, make a contract procedure, and calculate a fee (final fee calculation). Decision), cancellation procedure, processing of platooning records, etc. are performed.
[0030]
With the above-described configuration, the procedure of the platooning contract and the procedure of termination (cancellation) are performed by the communication between the leading car 11 and the follow-up car 21 by the inter-vehicle communication units 14 and 24. It has become. When the platooning contract is concluded, the leading car 11 follows the traveling control information (data of the control operation amount and the traveling state amount) obtained by the car navigation device 13 and the vehicle control unit 17 by the inter-vehicle communication unit 14. The information is transmitted to the car 21.
[0031]
On the other hand, the follower vehicle 21 inputs the information of the leading vehicle 11 received by the inter-vehicle communication unit 24 and the navigation information detected by the car navigation device 23 to the vehicle control unit 27, and the vehicle control unit 27 In this manner, vehicle control (automatic driving) is performed, thereby realizing platooning in which the following vehicle 21 follows the leading vehicle 11 with a very short inter-vehicle distance. At this time, data such as the position and speed of the own vehicle is transmitted from the following vehicle 21 to the leading vehicle 11 so that the leading vehicle 11 can grasp the behavior of the following vehicle 21.
[0032]
In the platooning system according to the present embodiment, the user of the trailing vehicle 21 pays the service usage fee to the driver of the leading vehicle 11. As described above, payment of this fee is performed using the ETC system (the on-board ETC devices 15 and 25). The platooning control units 18 and 28 determine the toll according to the conditions of the platooning and the like, and thus function as toll determining means.
[0033]
Specifically, the platooning control units 18 and 28 basically determine a fee (basic fee) according to the time and distance during which the platooning was performed. In this case, it goes without saying that the basic fee increases as the time spent in platooning increases and as the distance increases. In addition, even in the case of platooning for the same time or distance, the fee is increased or decreased according to external conditions such as the load on the driver of the leading car 11 fluctuating.
[0034]
That is, the driving environment (weather conditions and road conditions during traveling) is determined based on weather information and road conditions obtained from outside by the onboard DSRC devices 12 and 22, and weather conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, and fog, For example, when there is a driving environment such as a road surface condition such as snowfall or freezing, the load on the driver of the leading car 11 increases, so that the fare is increased. Further, according to road conditions such as the road type and position obtained from the car navigation devices 13 and 23, for example, when passing through an expressway, the fee is reduced as compared with when passing through a general road, and congestion in the city center is reduced. Roads that are easy to access are charged higher. Further, as the number of the following vehicles 21 increases, the fee is reduced.
[0035]
On the other hand, in the occupant of the trailing vehicle 21, there is a case where the degree of comfort differs due to the driving skill of the driver of the leading vehicle 11, and for example, when sudden acceleration or sudden braking occurs, the occupant of the As a thing that gives discomfort, the fee is reduced according to the number of times. Also, if there is a cancellation in the middle of the platoon running from the leading car 11 or the follow-up car 21 while the platoon is running, a penalty according to the cancellation is added to the fee, that is, the leading car 11 side cancels in the middle. Is performed, the fee is reduced according to the content (time of cancellation, etc.), and if the trailing vehicle 21 side cancels halfway, the fee is increased according to the content (time of cancellation, etc.). Has become.
[0036]
In the present embodiment, the platooning control units 18 and 28 determine an approximate fee to be paid and received by platooning before the platooning is started (a contract is established), and at least the approximate fee is calculated. The information is presented to the user of the car 21, that is, displayed on the HMI unit 26. Also, at the time of the contract, it is checked whether or not the user's account of the follow-up vehicle 21 has a balance that is equal to or greater than the estimated charge. And).
[0037]
Further, in this embodiment, the platooning control units 18 and 28 are determined to be in an operating environment unsuitable for platooning based on weather information and road surface conditions obtained from the outside by the on-board DSRC devices 12 and 22. (For example, when the weather condition is heavy rain or snow, or when the road surface condition is frozen or submerged), execution of platooning is prohibited. Therefore, the platoon running control units 18 and 28 also function as an approximate fee presenting unit and a prohibiting unit.
[0038]
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 2 shows a software configuration mainly concerning a procedure of inter-vehicle communication performed between the leading vehicle 11 and the follow-up vehicle 21 in the platoon traveling system. Here, when the driver of the trailing vehicle 21 makes a decision to follow and performs platooning, a predetermined operation (including a destination setting) of the HMI unit 26 by the driver of the trailing vehicle 21 is performed. First, the azimuth and distance of the following opponent by the following vehicle 21 are detected (step S11).
[0039]
This is performed by the following vehicle 21 scanning data periodically transmitted by other vehicles running around the following vehicle 21. At this time, destination information (including a passing point) is input to the car navigation device 13 of another vehicle that is likely to be the leading vehicle 11 (a setting indicating that platooning is allowed). The transmission data includes the platoon running permission / prohibition setting and destination information. When the trailing vehicle 21 finds an appropriate preceding vehicle, that is, a leading vehicle 11 that travels in the vicinity and includes its own destination in the destination information and the platoon traveling control unit 28 determines that it can physically follow the vehicle. Then, a request for establishing a communication link is made to the leading vehicle 11 by the inter-vehicle communication, and a procedure for establishing a communication link is performed between the following vehicle 21 and the leading vehicle 11 (step S12).
[0040]
When a communication link is established between the follower vehicle 21 and the leading vehicle 11 (Yes in step S13 and step T11), a contract procedure for platooning is performed (step S14, step T12). In this contract procedure, for example, the platooning control unit 18 of the leading car 11 calculates an approximate fee for platooning, and the ETC system has a balance in the driver's account of the follow-up vehicle 21 equal to or greater than the approximate fee. This is done by confirming whether or not, and presenting the approximate charge to the following vehicle 21 to ask for a judgment.
[0041]
It should be noted that if the driver's account of the following vehicle 21 does not have a balance exceeding the estimated charge, or if the driver of the following vehicle 21 (or the driver of the leading vehicle 11) refuses to run in platoon, the contract is not established. Become. At this time, even if it is determined that the driving environment is unsuitable for platooning based on weather information and road surface conditions obtained from outside by the onboard DSRC devices 12 and 22, platooning is prohibited and the contract is terminated. It is not established.
[0042]
When a platooning contract is concluded (Yes in step S15 and step T13), transmission and reception of data between vehicles by inter-vehicle communication are started, and platooning is executed. Here, control operation amounts (throttle opening, steering angle, brake operation amount, gear position, etc.) and traveling state amounts (own vehicle position, speed, traveling direction), etc., from the leading vehicle 11 to the following vehicle 21 are provided. Is transmitted, and the following vehicle 21 performs automatic driving so as to follow the leading vehicle 11 based on the data. Is transmitted, and the leading vehicle 11 grasps the behavior of the following vehicle 21 (step S16, step T14).
[0043]
During the execution of the platooning, the platooning control unit 18 of the leading vehicle 11, as described above, sets various conditions of the platooning (time and distance, weather information and road surface conditions, road type and position, The rate is sequentially updated in accordance with the number of vehicles, rapid acceleration, rapid braking, etc. (step T15). The updated fee data is transmitted to the following vehicle 21 and displayed on the HMI unit 26, so that the driver of the following vehicle 21 can check the fee.
[0044]
Thereafter, when the platooning to the destination is completed, or when the leading car 11 or the follow-up car 21 requests a halfway cancellation, the two confirm that the follow-up has been completed (steps S17 and T16). Yes), a procedure for canceling the platooning is performed (step S18, step T17). The cancellation procedure is performed by first determining a final fee based on the above-described successively updated fee, a penalty for an early cancellation, and the like, and performing a payment process.
[0045]
This payment process is performed by transferring the fee from the occupant (driver) account of the follow-up vehicle 21 to the account of the driver of the leading car 11 using the ETC system (the on-board ETC device 15, 25). At this time, the driver of the leading car 11 can confirm that the fee has been transferred to his / her account. Thereafter, a procedure for releasing the communication link is performed (step S19, step T18), and the follow-up (platform running) ends.
[0046]
As described above, according to the platooning system of the present embodiment, the follower vehicle 21 serving as the service user pays a fee for the service to the leading car 11 serving as the service provider, so that the service is provided. It is clear to both the providing side and the service using side, and by performing the platooning, the merits are distributed to both the leading car 11 side and the follow-up car 21 side. It will lead to acceptance.
[0047]
Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the payment is performed using the ETC system that has already been put into practical use, so that the payment is automatically performed using the existing on-board ETC devices 15 and 25. Can be made more convenient for the user. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned fare is determined according to various conditions of the platooning, so that both the leading car and the follow-up car can be satisfied and appropriate. Can be done.
[0048]
In the above embodiment, the leading car 11 was not specifically mentioned. However, as described above, if the platooning system involves payment of a fee, it can be developed as a business. By adopting a system in which corporate vehicles that operate as the leading car in platooning can work as the leading car, it will lead to increased business opportunities as a new business model, and eventually to economic and industrial development. Can be expected.
[0049]
In the above embodiment, the fare is determined based on the time and distance of platooning, weather information and road surface conditions, road conditions such as road type and position, the number of follow-up vehicles 21, and the comfort level of the occupants of the follow-up vehicles 21. , Etc., is performed on the basis of cancellation or the like, but the fee may be determined using a part of the conditions. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the detailed description of the case where three or more platoons are run, that is, the case where there are two or more follow-up vehicles 21 is omitted, but the second and subsequent follow-up vehicles 21 also carry the leading vehicle 11 Based on performing inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle (or the preceding pursuit vehicle 21), a platoon run (follow-up) can be similarly performed.
[0050]
In addition, in the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted DSRC device as the communication means is configured separately from the vehicle-mounted ETC device. However, these may be integrally configured, that is, the configuration may be such that the vehicle-mounted ETC device is also used as the communication means. In the above embodiment, the car navigation device is used to detect the position of the vehicle. However, the position of the vehicle may be detected by detecting a magnetic nail or the like provided on the road. However, the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a view schematically showing a configuration of a platooning system.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of inter-vehicle communication performed between a leading vehicle and a following vehicle in the platooning system.
FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional example.
FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
In the drawing, 11 is a leading car, 21 is a follow-up car, 12 and 22 are DSRC on-board units (communication means), 13 and 23 are car navigation devices, 14 and 24 are inter-vehicle communication units, and 15 and 25 are ETC on-board units ( 16 and 26 are HMI units, 17 and 27 are vehicle control units, 18 and 28 are platooning control units (toll determination means, approximate fee presentation means, prohibition means), 19 and 29 are networks, and 31 is The DSRC base station 32 indicates an ETC road machine.

Claims (14)

In a platooning traveling system that performs platooning while communicating information for traveling control by inter-vehicle communication between a leading vehicle and one or more following vehicles having an automatic driving function,
A platooning system, wherein a user of the following vehicle is provided with a fee receiving / paying means for paying a fee to a driver of the leading vehicle. 2. The platooning system according to claim 1, wherein the fee receiving / paying means performs payment / payment using an ETC system. The platooning system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a fee determining means for determining the toll according to conditions of the platooning or the like. 4. The platooning system according to claim 3, wherein the fare determination means determines a fare according to a time and / or a distance during which the platooning is performed. 5. 5. The platooning system according to claim 4, wherein the fare determination means determines the fare in consideration of a driving environment such as a weather condition or a road surface condition during traveling. The platooning system according to claim 5, wherein the determination of the driving environment is performed based on weather information or road surface conditions obtained from outside by a communication unit. The platooning system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the toll determining means determines a toll in consideration of road conditions such as a road type and a position obtained from a car navigation device. The platooning system according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the fare determination means determines the fare in consideration of the number of follow-up vehicles. The platooning according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the fare determining means determines the fare in consideration of a degree of comfort of an occupant of a following vehicle caused by a driving skill of a driver of a leading vehicle. system. 10. The method according to claim 4, wherein, if there is a cancellation in the middle of the platoon running from the leading car or the trailing car, the fee determining means adds a penalty according to the cancellation to the fee. A platooning system according to any of the above. 11. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising an estimated fee presenting means for presenting an estimated fee to be paid and received by the platooning to at least a user of a follow-up vehicle before the platooning is started. The platooning system described. 12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the balance of the user of the follow-up vehicle is equal to or more than the estimated charge, and the platooning is enabled only when the balance is equal to or more than the estimated charge. A platooning system according to any of the above. When it is determined that the driving environment is not suitable for platooning based on weather information and road surface conditions obtained from the outside by the communication means, the vehicle is provided with prohibiting means for prohibiting execution of platooning. A platooning system according to any one of claims 1 to 12. 14. The platooning system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a corporate vehicle whose purpose is to be the leading car in platooning serves as the leading car.

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