JP2013109495A - Vehicle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of controlling a vehicle group for decreasing at an early stage a congestion that could accidentally occurs at an unspecified place.SOLUTION: When a functionalized vehicle (on which a vehicle controller according to the present invention is installed) running in a preceding vehicle group detects any indication of a congestion such as overall speed reduction in the vehicle group, the vehicle controller detects a place of the overall speed reduction as a possible congestion place and delivers possible congestion information on the possible congestion place to a functionalized vehicle in a following vehicle group. Upon a reception of the possible congestion information from the functionalized vehicle in the preceding vehicle group, the functionalized vehicle in the following vehicle group determines a control content on how to drive the following vehicle group for controlling the congestion at the possible congestion place on the basis of the possible congestion information and a running state of the following vehicle group and controls running of the following vehicle group in accordance with the control content.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that controls traveling of a vehicle and suppresses occurrence of a traffic jam.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle group control system that appropriately controls traveling of a vehicle group when a plurality of vehicles travel as a vehicle group is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, each vehicle equipped with a control function that detects the traveling state of each vehicle in the vehicle group traveling within a predetermined control region, calculates a target speed / acceleration for each vehicle, and receives the result and the result. Communicate to the vehicle. By doing so, it is said that accidents and traffic jams in specific accident-prone areas and heavy traffic jam areas can be alleviated.

JP 2008-59094 A

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, the control content for each vehicle is determined by a fixed observation device and arithmetic processing device provided in advance in a specific control area set in a heavy traffic jam zone or a traffic accident zone. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to deal with an accidental traffic jam that may occur outside the control region assumed in advance.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of performing vehicle group control in order to suppress the occurrence of traffic congestion at an early stage even in an unspecified place. To do.

Hereinafter, the configuration employed in the present invention will be described.
The vehicle control device of the present invention includes a traffic jam candidate detection unit, a transmission unit, an acquisition unit, and a vehicle control unit. The traffic jam candidate detection means detects a traffic jam candidate location on the road corresponding to a detection condition related to a sign that develops into traffic jam based on the situation around the own vehicle detected by the detection means included in the host vehicle. When the traffic jam candidate detection unit detects a traffic jam candidate location, the transmission unit transmits traffic jam candidate information including information indicating the position of the detected traffic jam candidate location to another vehicle or an external device. In the present invention, it is assumed that the traffic jam candidate information finally reaches the succeeding vehicle. However, as a transmission method, the information is transmitted directly to the succeeding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication using wireless communication. Alternatively, a communication facility provided as an external infrastructure may be relayed and indirectly transmitted to the following vehicle.

  On the other hand, the acquisition means acquires the traffic jam candidate information generated and transmitted in the other vehicle. As a method for acquiring traffic jam candidate information, it may be received directly from the preceding vehicle of the transmission source by vehicle-to-vehicle communication using wireless communication, or indirectly through communication equipment provided as an external infrastructure. Alternatively, it may be acquired from a preceding vehicle. And when the vehicle control means acquires the traffic jam candidate information related to the traffic jam candidate location ahead of the path of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling by the acquiring unit, the surrounding vehicle traveling in the same direction on the same road as the host vehicle and the host vehicle In the own vehicle group consisting of the following, the control content related to the traveling method of the own vehicle group for suppressing the traffic jam at the candidate traffic jam location is determined, and the vehicle control is performed on the own vehicle group according to the determined control content.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, when a sign that is likely to develop into a traffic jam is detected at a place where the host vehicle is traveling, the traffic jam candidate information regarding the traffic jam candidate location can be transmitted to the subsequent vehicle. On the other hand, when traffic jam candidate information about a traffic jam candidate location ahead is acquired from a preceding vehicle, when the vehicle travels in the vicinity of the traffic jam candidate location, the travel of the vehicle group is controlled so as to suppress the traffic jam. be able to. As the travel control of the own vehicle group, for example, by adjusting the inter-vehicle distance and speed between each vehicle in the own vehicle group, or by changing the lane so as not to cause deceleration that promotes the occurrence of traffic congestion in the own vehicle group One example is to reduce the concentration of lane distribution.

  In the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle equipped with the vehicle control device of the present invention, according to the configuration in which the succeeding vehicle controls the traveling of the own vehicle group for suppressing the traffic jam based on the traffic jam candidate information detected by the preceding vehicle, the traffic jam In addition to a specific control area set in a frequent occurrence zone, it is possible to take early action for traffic jam suppression for a traffic jam that may occur accidentally in an unspecified location. Thereby, it is possible to suppress congestion over a wide range without being limited to a specific control region in the prior art.

  By the way, as conditions where traffic congestion is likely to occur, in addition to topographical conditions such as uphill and sag parts (change points from downhill to uphill), irregularities such as travel restrictions due to construction and obstacles such as falling objects, etc. There are also accidental conditions. In places with such conditions, it is expected that traffic congestion will occur as a sign of traffic congestion, for example, the vehicle group will decelerate all at once, the distance between vehicles will decrease, or the vehicle will move away from a certain lane. Is done.

  Accordingly, it is conceivable that the detection of the traffic jam candidate part is performed based on the state of mutual behavior between the own vehicle and the vehicles around the own vehicle, as described in claim 2. More specifically, as described in claim 3, it may be configured to detect a traffic jam candidate location based on a detection condition based on at least one of the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle. In this way, as a method for detecting traffic jam candidate locations, by capturing the state of mutual behavior between the host vehicle and surrounding vehicles, such as the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed, signs of traffic jams that can occur accidentally in unspecified locations. It can be detected accurately.

  Furthermore, as described in claim 4, when a traffic jam candidate location is detected, a required handling level indicating a required level of handling is set according to the level of signs that develop into traffic jam at the detected traffic jam candidate location. The traffic jam candidate information that further includes information regarding the determined level of action required may be transmitted to the external device. By configuring in this way, it is possible to take a countermeasure action in accordance with the level requiring action in the subsequent vehicle group.

  Specifically, as described in claim 5, based on the information regarding the required level of handling included in the acquired traffic jam candidate information, the vehicle is based on a position a predetermined distance before the traffic jam candidate location corresponding to the required level of handling. It is good to comprise so that vehicle control with respect to a group may be started. For example, if a sign that may develop into a heavy traffic jam is detected (= high level of action required), vehicle control is started to suppress the traffic jam from a sufficiently short distance from the traffic jam candidate location, When a sign of developing into a light traffic jam is detected (= necessary action level is low), it is possible to make a distinction such as starting vehicle control for suppressing traffic jam from a slightly close distance from a traffic jam candidate location.

  Next, as a procedure of vehicle control performed by the vehicle control device on a forward traffic jam candidate location, it is conceivable to configure as described in claim 6. In other words, the vehicle control means detects the situation of the mutual behavior between the own vehicle and the vehicles around the own vehicle by the detection means, and sequentially calculates countermeasure actions for suppressing traffic jams according to the detected situation. By doing in this way, appropriate countermeasure action can be calculated according to changes in the surrounding situation such as the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed in the host vehicle group.

  Further, as defined in claim 7, at least one of the countermeasure action to be implemented in the host vehicle or the countermeasure action to be implemented in another vehicle belonging to the host vehicle group is calculated, and the host vehicle While controlling the driving | running | working of the own vehicle according to the countermeasure action for implementing, you may comprise so that the information regarding the countermeasure action for implementing in another vehicle may be transmitted with respect to the said other vehicle. In this way, not only the traveling control of the own vehicle but also the control contents such as speed adjustment and lane change which are also controlled by other vehicles in the own vehicle group are transmitted to the other vehicle, By carrying out this, it is possible to efficiently control the platooning of the vehicle group.

  In addition, when the countermeasure action transmission method to be implemented in another vehicle is used, the necessary correspondence varies depending on whether data communication is possible between the other vehicle to be transmitted and the host vehicle. Specifically, when the other vehicle that is the transmission target of the countermeasure action to be performed in the other vehicle has a function of performing data communication with the own vehicle, information on the countermeasure action to be performed in the other vehicle is What is necessary is just to make it transmit to the said other vehicle by the data communication by a communication means (Claim 8).

  On the other hand, if the other vehicle that is the target of transmission of countermeasure actions to be implemented in another vehicle does not have the function of performing data communication with the own vehicle, direct information transmission by inter-vehicle communication cannot be performed. Can be considered. In other words, for the other vehicle that is the target of transmission of the countermeasure action to be implemented in the other vehicle and does not have the function of performing data communication with the own vehicle by the communication means provided in the own vehicle, By performing the information presentation action by the change or the operation control of the specific presentation device, information on the countermeasure action to be performed in the other vehicle is transmitted to the passenger of the other vehicle. In this way, by transmitting information related to the countermeasure action to the occupant of the other vehicle to be transmitted by the information presentation action performed by the host vehicle, the occupant of the other vehicle can be urged to perform the countermeasure action. .

  By the way, the information regarding the control content for suppressing the traffic jam determined in the vehicle control means may be presented to the passenger of the own vehicle by the information presenting means using, for example, voice or display. 10). By configuring in this way, it is possible to cause the occupant of the own vehicle to grasp the control content for suppressing the traffic jam, and to prompt the occupant to perform voluntary countermeasure action.

It is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a vehicle control device of an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the outline | summary of the traffic congestion suppression operation | movement by the vehicle carrying a vehicle control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a main process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which detects a traffic congestion candidate location. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which performs vehicle control of the own vehicle group.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment at all, and can be implemented in various aspects.
[Description of configuration of vehicle control device]
A schematic configuration of the vehicle control device of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The vehicle control device of the embodiment includes sensors 1, own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, peripheral information acquisition unit 3, traffic jam candidate information reception unit 4, traffic jam candidate location detection unit 5, vehicle group control calculation unit 6, transmission unit 7, This is an on-vehicle electronic control device including an actuator 8 and a display unit 9.

  The sensors 1 are various peripheral monitoring sensors such as radar, sonar, and camera for detecting the situation around the host vehicle. The own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires various information related to the traveling state of the own vehicle such as the current location, speed, acceleration, brake and accelerator pedal operation amount, engine torque, steering angle of steering, etc. from various devices equipped on the own vehicle. Electronic device. The peripheral information acquisition unit 3 is an electronic device that acquires peripheral information such as the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle, the road surface condition (presence of obstacles), based on the detection information acquired by the sensors 1. is there.

  The traffic jam candidate information receiving unit 4 is a communication device that receives traffic jam candidate information transmitted from another vehicle. Specifically, the following configuration can be considered. For example, the traffic jam candidate information transmitted from the preceding vehicle is directly received by inter-vehicle communication (radio communication using radio waves and light) with the preceding vehicle traveling about several kilometers to several tens of kilometers from the own vehicle. Alternatively, the traffic jam candidate information detected in the preceding vehicle may be temporarily transmitted to a roadside communication device installed on the roadside, and the traffic jam candidate information may be received indirectly by road-to-vehicle communication with the roadside communication device. Or the structure which receives the congestion candidate information uploaded to the server via the internet from the preceding vehicle using the cloud computing and server cooperation via the internet by the internet connection by a wireless communication terminal etc. may be sufficient.

  Based on the detection information input from the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the surrounding information acquisition unit 3, the congestion candidate location detection unit 5 detects a congestion candidate location on the road corresponding to a detection condition related to a sign that develops into congestion, It is an electronic device that generates traffic jam candidate information and transmits it to the outside. The vehicle group control calculation unit 6 receives from the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the surrounding information acquisition unit 3 under the condition that the congestion candidate information reception unit 4 receives the congestion candidate information transmitted by the preceding vehicle in front of the course of the own vehicle. This is an electronic device that calculates the optimal control content of the host vehicle group for avoiding / suppressing the occurrence of traffic jams at the traffic jam candidate location based on input detection information.

  The transmission unit 7 is a communication device for performing information communication with the outside. The transmission unit 7 transmits the traffic jam candidate information related to the traffic jam candidate location detected by the traffic jam candidate location detection unit 5 to an external subsequent vehicle, a roadside communication device, and the like, and the control contents calculated by the vehicle group control calculation unit 6 Information on the countermeasure action to be performed in the vehicle is transmitted to the other vehicle.

  The actuator 8 is an actuator that operates various in-vehicle devices such as an accelerator, a brake, a steering, a lighting, a horn, and the like according to the control content calculated by the vehicle group control calculating unit 6. The display unit 9 is a display device for presenting information related to the control content calculated by the vehicle group control calculation unit 6 to the driver.

[Overview of operation]
Next, an outline of the operation of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a functionalized vehicle) equipped with the vehicle control device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the preceding vehicle group and the following vehicle group that travel on the same road along the traveling direction indicated by the arrows each include a functionalized vehicle equipped with the vehicle control device of the present embodiment. A situation is assumed in which a plurality of non-functionalized vehicles (peripheral vehicles) that are not equipped with a vehicle control device are traveling around the vehicle.

  If a functionalized vehicle traveling in the preceding vehicle group in such a situation detects a traffic jam sign such as an overall speed decrease in the host vehicle group, the location is designated as a traffic jam candidate location. And the traffic jam candidate information related to the traffic jam candidate location is transmitted to the functionalized vehicle in the succeeding vehicle group. The traffic jam candidate information includes information indicating the position of the traffic jam candidate location, information indicating the level of required handling indicating the degree of traffic jam signs, and the like. Further, the traffic jam candidate information is transmitted by direct transmission by vehicle-to-vehicle communication with subsequent functionalized vehicles or by indirect transmission by road-to-vehicle communication via a roadside communication device.

  When the functionalized vehicle traveling in the following vehicle group receives the traffic jam candidate information from the functional vehicle of the preceding vehicle group, the traffic jam is determined based on the content of the traffic jam candidate information and the traveling status of the own vehicle group. The control content regarding the traveling method of the own vehicle group for suppressing the congestion at the candidate location is determined, and the traveling of the own vehicle group is controlled according to the control content.

[Description of main processing]
Next, the procedure of main processing executed by the vehicle control device of the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, 1 Hz) when the vehicle is traveling.

  In this main process, two judgments are roughly made. First, it is determined whether or not the traffic jam candidate information related to the traffic jam candidate location ahead of the path of the road on which the vehicle is traveling has been received by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication or the road-to-vehicle communication in the traffic jam candidate information receiving unit 4 (S100). ). When the traffic jam candidate information from the front of the route is received (S100: YES), the vehicle control of the own vehicle group for suppressing the traffic jam is performed for the traffic jam candidate portion indicated by the traffic jam candidate information (S102). A specific procedure for vehicle control of the host vehicle group will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the traffic jam candidate information from the front of the route has not been received (S100: NO), secondly, the traffic jam candidate location is detected at the traveling position of the host vehicle, and as a result, whether or not the traffic jam candidate location has been detected. Is determined (S104). However, if the traffic jam candidate information from the front of the route is received and the traffic jam suppression action based on the vehicle control of the own vehicle group is taken in S102, the new traffic jam candidate location is not detected. A specific procedure for detecting a traffic jam candidate location will be described later. When a traffic jam candidate location is detected (S104: YES), traffic jam candidate information related to the detected traffic jam candidate location is transmitted to the outside (subsequent functional vehicle or roadside communication device) (S106). On the other hand, when no traffic jam candidate part is detected (S104: NO), this process ends.

[Description of traffic jam candidate point detection processing]
Next, the procedure in which the vehicle control device of the embodiment detects a traffic jam candidate location will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The traffic jam candidate location detection unit 5 collects various types of detection information related to the periphery of the host vehicle from the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the surrounding information acquisition unit 3 (S200). The information collected here includes, for example, information such as the current location, speed, acceleration, brake or accelerator pedal operation amount, engine torque, steering angle of steering, etc. as information related to the traveling state of the host vehicle. Further, as information on the surroundings, the distance between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicles in the host vehicle group within a predetermined range (for example, a radius of about several tens of meters to several hundreds of meters), relative speed, road surface condition ( Information such as the presence or absence of obstacles).

  Then, based on the information around the own vehicle collected in S200, it is determined whether or not a sign of occurrence of traffic congestion has been detected (S202). If a sign of occurrence of traffic jam is detected (S202: YES), the process proceeds to S204. If no sign of traffic jam is detected (S202: NO), this process ends.

  In this embodiment, traffic flow concentration, speed reduction, and unnatural lane change occur due to unspecified factors such as uphills, sag parts, road construction, falling objects, broken cars, etc. It assumes a location that meets the conditions such as being. In order to detect such traffic jam candidate locations, based on the information from the surrounding information acquisition unit 3, the movement of other vehicles in the vehicle group traveling in the same direction around the own vehicle is grasped, and at a specific location all at once. It detects a situation where the vehicle is slowing down or the distance between vehicles is reduced, or a movement avoiding a specific lane or obstacle is likely to be a traffic jam. Further, based on the information from the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the inclination of the own vehicle is measured using the correlation between the G sensor and the engine torque and the vehicle speed, and traffic congestion such as uphill or sag is likely to occur from the measurement result. Detect topographic conditions. Then, comprehensively consider the detection results of traveling conditions and topographical conditions where traffic jams are likely to occur, and detect these as signs that develop into traffic jams when those conditions reach a predetermined standard.

  In step S204, which is performed when a traffic jam sign is detected, a required countermeasure level is set according to the level of the detected traffic jam sign. The countermeasure required level is an index indicating the degree of necessity of the countermeasure action that is expected according to the degree of signs of congestion. For example, a high countermeasure level is set when a sign of occurrence of traffic congestion is relatively severe, such as when multiple conditions in which traffic congestion is likely to occur are detected in duplicate or the degree of detected conditions is significant. On the other hand, even if there is a sign of occurrence of traffic congestion, if it is relatively mild, the countermeasure level required is set low.

  Subsequently, traffic jam candidate information including information indicating the position (coordinates, etc.) where the traffic jam sign is detected in S202 and information indicating the countermeasure required level set in S204 is generated, and the traffic jam candidate information is transmitted by the transmission unit 7. This is transmitted to the following vehicle (S208). As described above, the traffic jam candidate information is transmitted by direct transmission by vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a subsequent functional vehicle or by indirect transmission by road-to-vehicle communication via a roadside communication device. After the traffic jam candidate information is transmitted, this process is terminated.

[Explanation of vehicle group control processing]
Next, a procedure in which the vehicle control device of the embodiment performs vehicle control of the host vehicle group will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is repeatedly executed in a predetermined cycle.

  First, the vehicle group control calculation unit 6 receives relevant traffic jam candidate information at a point ahead of the course of the host vehicle through the traffic jam candidate information receiving unit 4 (S300). When the forward traffic jam candidate information is received, various detection information relating to the periphery of the own vehicle is collected from the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the surrounding information acquisition unit 3 (S302). The information collected here includes, for example, information such as the current location, speed, acceleration, brake or accelerator pedal operation amount, engine torque, steering angle of steering, etc. as information related to the traveling state of the host vehicle. Further, information on the surroundings includes information such as an inter-vehicle distance and a relative speed between the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicles in the own vehicle group existing within a radius of several tens m to several hundreds m from the own vehicle.

  Next, based on the information around the own vehicle collected in S302, the optimal arrangement of each vehicle in the own vehicle group when passing through the traffic jam candidate location indicated by the traffic jam candidate information is calculated (S304). Here, as an optimal arrangement for suppressing the occurrence of traffic jams when passing through a traffic jam candidate location, each vehicle in the own vehicle group forms a platoon in which the inter-vehicle distance is maintained as wide and even as possible. In addition, when there are a plurality of one-side lanes on a traveling road, the arrangement may be determined so that the vehicles in the own vehicle group are arranged in a staggered manner in the plurality of lanes.

  And the control content which each vehicle of the own vehicle group for implement | achieving the optimal arrangement | positioning of the own vehicle group calculated by S304 is determined (S306). The control content determined here includes countermeasure actions to be implemented in the host vehicle and countermeasure actions to be implemented in other vehicles belonging to the host vehicle group. Control details such as adjusting the speed of each vehicle or changing lanes are determined so that the vehicle is optimally arranged.

  In addition, the timing for implementing the optimal arrangement of the host vehicle group for suppressing the occurrence of traffic jams is also determined according to the level of action required included in the received traffic jam candidate information. For example, when the required action level is set to be higher than normal, it is determined to start vehicle control for optimally arranging the host vehicle group from a distance sufficiently near from the traffic jam candidate location. Further, when the required action level is set low, it is determined to start vehicle control for optimally arranging the host vehicle group from a slightly close distance from the traffic jam candidate location. Alternatively, the highway may start the vehicle control of the own vehicle group at an earlier stage than the general road according to the type of road that is running. The position at which the vehicle control of the own vehicle group is started may be determined within a range of 1 km to a few dozen km in front of the traffic jam candidate location, for example, depending on the level of action required and the type of road.

  As the contents of the vehicle control of the own vehicle group, various methods can be adopted according to the scale of the own vehicle group and the equipment content of the non-functionalized vehicle (peripheral vehicle) other than the own vehicle (functionalized vehicle). For example, when a non-functional vehicle in the vehicle group is equipped with a communication device capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with a functional vehicle, the non-functional vehicle is implemented in the non-functional vehicle. Send information about your countermeasure action. And the non-functional vehicle which received the information regarding countermeasure action from the functional vehicle performs vehicle control in each vehicle according to the control content shown by the received information.

  On the other hand, if a non-functional vehicle in the vehicle group is not equipped with a communication device capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the functional vehicle, the functional vehicle is accelerating / decelerating the vehicle, changing the lane, flashing control of the light, By executing a specific pattern of information presentation behavior, such as ringing of horns, for the non-functionalized vehicle, information regarding the countermeasure behavior to be implemented in the non-functionalized vehicle is indirectly transmitted to the passenger of the non-functionalized vehicle. Communicate. The passengers of the non-functionalized vehicle receive information presenting behavior by the functionalized vehicle and perform driving operations such as adjusting the inter-vehicle distance or changing the lane according to this, thereby realizing the optimal arrangement of the own vehicle group.

  In addition, if there is a sufficient distance between the vehicle group and the preceding vehicle group that runs in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle group, the vehicle will intentionally increase the acceleration by standing at the head of the vehicle group. It is also possible to take countermeasures such as improving the speed of the entire vehicle group. Alternatively, when the host vehicle group is a small-scale vehicle composed of the host vehicle and a small number of surrounding vehicles, the host vehicle performs a countermeasure action such as ensuring a sufficiently large inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle in the host vehicle group. It is also possible. In the case where the own vehicle group is small, the traffic jam suppressing effect can be obtained only by doing this.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. In next step S308, it is determined whether or not vehicle-to-vehicle communication is possible with a non-functionalized vehicle that is a target for transmitting the control contents to be performed on the surrounding vehicles determined in step S306. When vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the non-functionalized vehicle to be transmitted is possible (S308: YES), the process proceeds to S310. On the other hand, if vehicle-to-vehicle communication cannot be performed because the non-functionalized vehicle to be transmitted is not equipped with a communication device for vehicle-to-vehicle communication (S308: NO), the process proceeds to S312.

  In step S310 that is performed when vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the non-functional vehicle to be transmitted is possible, information regarding the control contents to be performed by the non-functional vehicle is transmitted to the non-functionalized communication target by the transmission unit 7. Send to the vehicle.

  In S312, the control content performed in the own vehicle determined in S306 and the information presenting action for the non-functionalized vehicle that cannot perform inter-vehicle communication with the own vehicle are executed / presented at a predetermined timing. Here, the control content (speed control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change, etc.) to be performed in the host vehicle and information presentation behavior for the non-functionalized vehicle may be automatically executed through the actuator 8, or the display unit 9 It is also possible to make an instruction to the driver by presenting through the driver.

[Correspondence with configuration described in claims]
The correspondence between the configuration of the vehicle control device of the embodiment and the configuration described in the claims is as follows. The peripheral information acquisition unit 3 of the embodiment corresponds to detection means in the claims. Further, the traffic jam candidate information receiving unit 4 corresponds to an acquisition unit. Further, the traffic jam candidate location detection unit 5 corresponds to a traffic jam candidate detection unit, a determination unit, and a transmission unit. The vehicle group control calculation unit 6 corresponds to vehicle control means. The transmission unit 7 corresponds to a communication unit.

[effect]
According to the vehicle control apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
When a functionalized vehicle equipped with the vehicle control device of the embodiment is detected in the preceding vehicle group, the traffic jam candidate information related to the traffic jam candidate location can be transmitted to the subsequent functionalized vehicle. Then, the succeeding functionalized vehicle that has received the traffic jam candidate information transmitted from the preceding functionalized vehicle travels in the vehicle group so as to suppress the traffic jam when the vehicle group travels near the traffic jam candidate location. Can be controlled. With such a configuration, not only a specific control area set in a heavy traffic jam zone but also a traffic jam that can occur accidentally in an unspecified location can be taken early to take action to control the traffic jam. it can. Thereby, it is possible to suppress congestion over a wide range without being limited to a specific control region in the prior art.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sensors, 2 ... Own vehicle information acquisition part, 3 ... Peripheral information acquisition part, 4 ... Congestion candidate information reception part, 5 ... Congestion candidate location detection part, 6 ... Vehicle group control calculation part, 7 ... Transmission part, 8 ... actuator, 9 ... display section.

Claims (10)

A traffic jam candidate detection means for detecting a traffic jam candidate location on a road corresponding to a detection condition related to a sign that develops into a traffic jam based on a situation around the own vehicle detected by a detection means included in the host vehicle;
When the traffic jam candidate detection unit detects a traffic jam candidate location, a transmission unit that transmits traffic jam candidate information including information indicating the position of the detected traffic jam candidate location to another vehicle or an external device;
Acquisition means for acquiring the traffic jam candidate information generated and transmitted in another vehicle;
When the acquisition means acquires the traffic jam candidate information related to a traffic jam candidate location ahead of the path of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, the host vehicle includes the host vehicle and a surrounding vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle. A vehicle control means for determining a control content related to a traveling method of the own vehicle group for suppressing traffic jam at the candidate traffic jam location and performing vehicle control on the own vehicle group according to the determined control content. A vehicle control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The said traffic congestion candidate detection means detects the said traffic congestion candidate location by the detection conditions based on the state of the mutual behavior of the own vehicle and the vehicle surrounding the own vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
The traffic jam candidate detecting means detects the traffic jam candidate location according to a detection condition based on at least one of an inter-vehicle distance or a relative speed as a mutual behavior between the host vehicle and vehicles around the host vehicle. apparatus. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
According to the detected degree of signs of developing into a traffic jam at the traffic jam candidate location, further comprising a determining means for determining a required level of response indicating the level of response required for the traffic jam candidate location,
The vehicle control apparatus characterized in that the transmission means transmits the traffic jam candidate information further including information on the required level of action determined by the determination means to an external device. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein
The vehicle control means performs vehicle control with respect to the host vehicle group based on information on the required level of handling included in the acquired traffic jam candidate information based on a position a predetermined distance before the traffic jam candidate location according to the level of required handling. A vehicle control device characterized by starting. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The vehicle control means detects a state of mutual behavior between the own vehicle and a vehicle around the own vehicle by the detecting means, and sequentially calculates control contents for traffic jam suppression according to the detected situation. A vehicle control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 6,
The vehicle control means calculates at least one of a countermeasure action to be implemented in the host vehicle as the control content and a countermeasure action to be implemented in another vehicle belonging to the host vehicle group, and is implemented in the host vehicle. A vehicle control device that controls the traveling of the host vehicle in accordance with a countermeasure action to be performed, and transmits information regarding the countermeasure action to be performed in the other vehicle to the other vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein
The vehicle control means is a transmission target of countermeasure action to be performed in the other vehicle, and the other vehicle has a function of performing data communication with the own vehicle by a communication means provided in the own vehicle. A vehicle control device that transmits information on the countermeasure action to be implemented in a vehicle to the other vehicle by data communication by the communication means. In the vehicle control device according to claim 7 or 8,
The vehicle control means is a target of transmission of countermeasure actions to be performed in the other vehicle, and is not subject to any other vehicle having no function of performing data communication with the own vehicle by means of communication means included in the own vehicle. Information related to the countermeasure action to be implemented in the other vehicle is transmitted to the passenger of the other vehicle by performing an information presentation action by changing the running state of the vehicle or controlling the operation of a specific presentation device. A vehicle control device. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the vehicle control means presents information regarding the determined control content using information presenting means for presenting information to a passenger of the host vehicle.

Images