JP2018156436A - Travel control system, travel control program and autonomous vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control system or the like configured to implement a service for smoothly delivering a passenger to a destination.SOLUTION: A reservation system 100 is functioned as a travel control system and sets an area in which a vehicle APC can be autonomously traveled. The reservation system 100 determines whether it is necessary for the vehicle APC being autonomously traveled to enter a private land and, in a case where it is determined that it is necessary to enter the private land, acquires permission information to enter the private land. Based on the acquisition of the permission information, the reservation system 100 permits a travel in the private land under the autonomous travel to the vehicle APC.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The disclosure according to this specification relates to a technology for autonomously driving a vehicle.

  Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous driving vehicle that can move to a destination even in an unmanned state. The automatic driving vehicle of Patent Literature 1 receives position information of a meeting place designated by a prospective user and can move to the designated meeting place by autonomous traveling.

Japanese Patent No. 5877574

  Now, an unmanned taxi service using an autonomous driving vehicle described in Patent Document 1 has been considered in recent years. However, in the dispatch service using an unmanned taxi, there are a plurality of problems for completing the service of smoothly delivering passengers to the destination. The following issues are expected especially in a depopulated village road environment with many elderly people.

  One of them is the challenge of entering private land. Specifically, in general, when the driver is driving the vehicle, the vehicle can enter private land at the discretion of the driver. According to the entry of the vehicle into such private land, it is possible to use the vehicle efficiently, for example, by changing the direction of the private land in the vicinity or by placing the vehicle next to the entrance.

  However, it is very difficult for a vehicle that is traveling autonomously under the control of the system to determine whether the vehicle enters the private land and to give permission. For this reason, there is a concern that it is difficult to ensure the convenience of an autonomous driving vehicle that cannot enter private land as in a vehicle that is being driven by a driver.

  An object of this indication is to provide the technique of the autonomous running which can implement | achieve the service of delivering a passenger smoothly to the destination.

  In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is a travel control system that sets an area in which a vehicle (APC) can autonomously travel, and determines whether the vehicle needs to enter private land by autonomous travel. When the travel necessity determination unit (S102, S135) and the travel necessity determination unit determine that access to private land is necessary, the permission information acquisition unit (S105, S137) acquires permission information for entering private land. ) And a travel permission setting unit (S109, S139) that permits travel on private land based on the permission information acquisition by the permission information acquisition unit.

  Further, one disclosed aspect is a travel control program for setting an area in which the vehicle (APC) can autonomously travel, and the step of determining whether or not it is necessary to enter the private land of the vehicle by automatic travel (S102, S135). ) And a step of acquiring permission information for entering private land (S105, S137) and a step of permitting traveling on private land based on the acquisition of permission information (S109). , S139), and a travel control program that causes the processing unit (35, 75, 40) to execute.

  Further, one disclosed aspect is an autonomously traveling vehicle that can autonomously travel, a travel necessity determination unit (S102, S135) that determines whether it is necessary to enter private land by autonomous travel, and a travel necessity determination When it is determined that access to private land is necessary, the permission information acquisition unit (S105, S137) that acquires permission information for access to private land, and permission to travel on private land is permitted. A travel permission setting unit (S109, S139) and an automatic travel vehicle are provided.

  According to these aspects, when the vehicle needs to enter private land, permission information for entering the private land is acquired. According to the acquisition of the permission information, the vehicle can enter private land as in the case where the driver is driving. Therefore, the convenience of a vehicle that travels autonomously is ensured, and as a result, a service for smoothly delivering passengers to the destination can be realized.

  In addition, a service for smoothly delivering passengers to a destination needs to enable passing on difficult roads. Therefore, one aspect disclosed is that the road width determination unit (S155) for determining whether or not the vehicle as a vehicle can pass between the oncoming vehicle and the road width determination unit does not pass the oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that it is possible, the evacuation information acquisition unit (S156) that acquires the position information of the nearest evacuation location that can pass the oncoming vehicle, and the oncoming vehicle is closer to the evacuation location than the own vehicle In addition, the travel control system further includes a negotiation request unit (S163) for requesting the user on the own vehicle to request the user of the oncoming vehicle to retreat to the retreat location.

  According to this aspect, when traveling on a narrow road that is difficult to pass with the oncoming vehicle, it is possible to request the user of the own vehicle who is a passenger to negotiate with the oncoming vehicle user. In this way, by allowing humans to communicate with each other, smooth passing is realized, and as a result, a service for smoothly delivering passengers to the destination is realized.

  Furthermore, in order to smoothly deliver passengers to their destinations, it is considered necessary to start the vehicle after confirming the passenger's condition after the passenger gets off. Therefore, one aspect disclosed is that, based on a user position determination unit (S196) that determines whether or not a user who gets off the vehicle is more than a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and the user is more than a predetermined distance from the vehicle, The travel control system further includes a start permission unit (S199) that permits the start of the vehicle.

  According to this aspect, the start of the vehicle is suppressed until the user who gets off leaves a predetermined distance or more. As described above, according to the process of confirming that the user has left for a predetermined distance or more, the vehicle can leave without giving the user anxiety.

  Note that the reference numbers in the parentheses merely show an example of a correspondence relationship with a specific configuration in an embodiment described later, and do not limit the technical scope at all.

It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of a reservation system. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the vehicle-mounted system mounted in the vehicle. It is a figure which shows the whole image of a dispatch service. It is a figure which shows the reservation screen of a dispatch service. It is a figure which compares and shows the case where it enters in a private land, and the case where it does not enter. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the meeting place confirmation process implemented at the time of a vehicle allocation reservation by the control part of a reservation system. It is a figure which shows an example of the selection screen which permits the entrance to a some private land collectively. It is a figure which shows another example of the selection screen which permits the entrance to several private land collectively. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the boarding process implemented in automatic operation ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the process implemented by automatic driving | operation ECU, when searching for the empty space which can change a direction, and changing direction in the said empty space. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the passing process implemented in automatic operation ECU with FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the passing process implemented in automatic operation ECU with FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the alighting process implemented by automatic operation ECU with FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the alighting process implemented by automatic operation ECU with FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a different location from FIG. 14 among the getting-out processes of 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a different location from FIG. 14 among the getting-out processes of 3rd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. In addition, the overlapping description may be abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the corresponding component in each embodiment. In the case where only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of another mode described in advance can be applied to the other part of the configuration. Moreover, not only the combination of the configurations explicitly described in the description of each embodiment, but also the configuration of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if they are not explicitly described, as long as there is no problem in the combination. And the combination where the structure described in several embodiment and the modification is not specified shall also be disclosed by the following description.

(First embodiment)
The autonomous driving vehicle (hereinafter, “vehicle APC”) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a vehicle used for an unmanned taxi dispatch service. The user of the dispatch service calls the vehicle APC at the meeting place, gets on the called vehicle APC, and is transported to a desired destination. As shown in FIG. 3, such a vehicle allocation service is established by reservation processing for reservation of use of the vehicle APC, each processing for driving the vehicle APC to the destination with passengers, and billing processing for collecting the service usage fee. doing.

  According to the reservation process, the user can call the vehicle APC to the designated meeting place as a reservation person who reserves the use of the vehicle APC. According to the boarding process, the user can board the vehicle APC as a passenger and travel on the vehicle APC to the destination specified by the travel process. Then, the user can get off the vehicle by the getting-off process. According to the billing process, the user can pay the usage fee for the dispatch service online as a payer. In addition, the user who becomes a reservation person, a passenger, and a payer may be the same, or may differ from each other.

  The reservation system 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration mainly related to reservation processing and billing processing in the dispatch service. The reservation system 100 includes a plurality of reservation terminals 30, a vehicle allocation management system 70, and the like. Each reservation terminal 30 and the vehicle allocation management system 70 can transmit and receive information to and from each other by secure communication.

  The reservation terminal 30 is an electronic device such as a personal computer installed in the user's home. Reservation information is input to the reservation terminal 30 by a user who is a reservation person. The reservation information is, for example, information such as a use date and time for using the vehicle dispatch service, a user who becomes a passenger, a meeting place where the vehicle APC is called, and a destination from the meeting place. The reservation terminal 30 includes a display unit 31, a voice guide unit 32, an operation input unit 33, a communication unit 34, and a control unit 35.

  The display unit 31 is a liquid crystal display, an EL display, or the like, for example, and presents information to the user through vision. The display unit 31 displays a reservation screen (see FIG. 4) as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for inputting reservation information. The place where the date and time is set on the reservation screen may be, for example, a calendar display for one month or a 24-hour display. In addition, as for the setting of the waiting place and the destination on the reservation screen, a plurality of registered places may be preferentially presented in the same manner as the destination setting of the navigation device.

  The voice guide unit 32 includes a speaker or the like and presents information through the user's hearing. The operation input unit 33 is a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like. The user who becomes the reservation person can input the reservation information necessary for reservation of the dispatch service without omission by operating the operation input unit 33 according to the reservation screen (see FIG. 4). The communication unit 34 transmits information to the vehicle allocation management system 70 and receives information from the vehicle allocation management system 70.

  The control unit 35 includes at least one processor, a RAM, a memory device, an input / output interface, and the like. The control unit 35 can execute various programs stored in the memory device by the processor. The control unit 35 can execute a program for reservation processing. Note that the reservation terminal 30 is not limited to a personal computer, and may be a communication terminal dedicated to reservation of a dispatch service, or may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

  The vehicle allocation management system 70 is an electronic device such as a server installed in a management center, for example. The vehicle allocation management system 70 is capable of secure communication with an automatic driving ECU 40 mounted on a large number of vehicle APCs in addition to a large number of reservation terminals 30. The vehicle allocation management system 70 manages the vehicle allocation schedule of each vehicle APC. The vehicle allocation management system 70 includes an information database (hereinafter “information DB”) 73, a communication unit 74, and a control unit 75.

  The information DB 73 is a large-capacity memory device configured by a plurality of hard disk drives and the like. The information DB 73 stores ID information and usage history of a user who uses the dispatch service, map information of the area where the dispatch service is provided, and the like. In addition, the information DB 73 stores a dispatch schedule for each vehicle APC. Various information stored in the information DB 73 can be read out by the control unit 75.

  The communication unit 74 transmits information to the reservation terminal 30 and the automatic driving ECU 40 and receives information from the reservation terminal 30 and the automatic driving ECU 40. The communication unit 74 receives the reservation information input by the user who is the reservation person from each reservation terminal 30. The communication unit 74 provides an automatic operation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40 of each vehicle APC with a meeting place and designated date and time of the user who is a passenger, ID information, and the like.

  The control unit 75 includes at least one processor, a RAM, a memory device, an input / output interface, and the like. The control unit 75 can execute various programs stored in the memory device by the processor. As an example, the control unit 75 can execute a program for reservation processing, acquires reservation information input to each reservation terminal 30 based on the program, and assembles a dispatch schedule for each vehicle APC.

  Next, details of the in-vehicle system 110 mounted on the vehicle APC shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described.

  The in-vehicle system 110 is a configuration mainly related to the boarding process, the traveling process, and the getting-off process in the dispatch service. The in-vehicle system 110 enables the vehicle APC to autonomously travel automatically (hereinafter “autonomous travel”). The in-vehicle system 110 includes a traveling environment acquisition sensor 51, a host vehicle position specifying unit 52, a lighting device 53, an in-vehicle camera 54, a seating sensor 55, a traveling control ECU 20, a display unit 61, a voice guide unit 62, an operation input unit 63, and a communication unit. 64, automatic operation ECU40, etc. are comprised.

  The traveling environment acquisition sensor 51 is a device that detects a tangible object around the vehicle APC. The traveling environment acquisition sensor 51 can detect, for example, moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and still objects such as road traffic signals, guardrails, road signs, road markings, and lane markings. The traveling environment acquisition sensor 51 is an out-of-vehicle camera having an image sensor, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a lidar, or the like. The traveling environment acquisition sensor 51 sequentially outputs detected object information indicating the detected relative position and relative speed of the object to the automatic operation ECU 40.

  The own vehicle position specifying unit 52 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and inertia sensors such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The own vehicle position specifying unit 52 sequentially measures the current position of the vehicle APC by combining the positioning signals received from the plurality of artificial satellites by the GNSS receiver and the measurement result of the inertial sensor. The own vehicle position specifying unit 52 sequentially outputs the specified position information of the vehicle APC to the automatic driving ECU 40.

  The illumination device 53 is mounted on the vehicle APC in a posture in which the illumination light irradiation range is directed to the periphery of the vehicle APC. The lighting device 53 is controlled to be turned on and off by the automatic operation ECU 40. The illuminating device 53 can illuminate the user's feet getting on and off the vehicle APC in a dark place such as at night or in an indoor parking lot.

  The in-vehicle camera 54 is mounted on the vehicle APC in a posture capable of photographing the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment of the vehicle APC. The in-vehicle camera 54 sequentially outputs video data obtained by photographing the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment to the automatic operation ECU 40. The image by the in-vehicle camera 54 is used for detecting forgotten things in the vehicle, for example. The seating sensor 55 is installed on the seating surface of each seat installed in the vehicle. The seating sensor 55 detects the seating of the user and sequentially outputs detection information to the automatic driving ECU 40.

  The travel control ECU 20 is mainly configured by a computer having at least one processor, a RAM, a memory device, an input / output interface, and the like. The traveling control ECU 20 executes a control program stored in the memory device by a processor, and controls a group of on-vehicle actuators for traveling of the vehicle APC based on the program. The travel control ECU 20 causes the vehicle APC to travel autonomously by controlling the on-vehicle actuator group based on the control information acquired from the automatic operation ECU 40.

  The display unit 61 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an EL display, and is installed on an instrument panel or the like of the vehicle APC. The display unit 61 presents information through vision to a user boarding the vehicle APC as a passenger. The voice guide unit 62 has a speaker or the like that reproduces sound in the vehicle. The voice guide unit 62 presents information through hearing to a user on board or a user getting off.

  The operation input unit 63 is a commander and buttons provided on the center console, or a touch panel provided integrally with the display unit 61. A user who is a passenger can set the destination of the vehicle APC using the operation input unit 63. In addition, the user can execute a determination that cannot be performed by the automatic driving ECU 40 in place of the automatic driving ECU 40 by operating the operation input unit 63 according to the presentation information on the display unit 61. The communication unit 64 receives reservation information and the like from the vehicle allocation management system 70. The communication unit 64 may be able to communicate directly with the reservation terminal 30.

  The automatic driving ECU 40 can perform driving operation of the vehicle APC on behalf of the driver by performing acceleration / deceleration control and steering control of the vehicle APC in cooperation with the travel control ECU 20. The automatic operation ECU 40 is provided with a map database (hereinafter referred to as “map DB”) 44. Detailed map information for enabling autonomous traveling is stored in the map DB 44. The automatic driving ECU 40 can perform both autonomous traveling based on map information and autonomous traveling based on detected object information acquired from the traveling environment acquisition sensor 51.

  The automatic operation ECU 40 is mainly configured by a computer having at least one processor, a RAM, a memory device, an input / output interface, and the like. The automatic operation ECU 40 can execute the autonomous running program stored in the memory device by the processor. In the automatic driving ECU 40, a route setting unit 41, a passing control unit 42, and a getting-off management unit 43 are constructed as functional blocks related to the vehicle allocation service based on the autonomous driving program.

  The route setting unit 41 calculates a travel route and a travel path. The route setting unit 41 sets a travel route to the destination set by the user based on the map information acquired from the map DB 44. In addition, the route setting unit 41 sequentially plans traveling paths that enable traveling according to the traveling route based on the map information and the detected object information around the vehicle. The route setting unit 41 generates control information to be supplied to the travel control ECU 20 based on the travel path, and sequentially outputs the control information to the travel control ECU 20.

  The route setting unit 41 acquires a meeting place designated by the user from the vehicle allocation management system 70 in relation to the vehicle allocation service. The route setting unit 41 sets a travel route for autonomously traveling the vehicle APC with the meeting place as the destination. In addition, the route setting unit 41 sets a travel plan for autonomously traveling the vehicle APC with the destination designated by the user as the destination after the user gets on. Furthermore, after the user gets off, the route setting unit 41 sets a travel plan for autonomously traveling the vehicle APC using a preset return location as a destination.

  The passing control unit 42 controls the behavior of the vehicle APC in a scene that passes the oncoming vehicle on a road having a narrow road width such as a mountainous area. The getting-off management unit 43 confirms that the user has got off the vehicle APC after arrival at the destination designated by the user, and permits the vehicle APC to start. Details of the functions of the passing control unit 42 and the getting-off management unit 43 will be described later.

Here, there are various problems in order to complete a vehicle dispatch service for smoothly delivering a user as a passenger to a destination. Particularly in villages such as mountainous areas and remote islands where there are many elderly people (so-called marginal villages), it is estimated that problems (1) to (3) occur in the dispatch service due to the road environment.
(1) Problems due to avoiding access to private land (2) Problems on difficult roads (3) Problems at departure after passengers get off

  First, the problem (1) will be described. When the driver is driving the vehicle manually, the driver can make the vehicle enter private land by his / her own judgment. Therefore, in the case of manual driving, for example, the direction can be changed using private land adjacent to a narrow street. Alternatively, it is possible to enter a private property and place the vehicle next to the entrance of the user's home.

  However, it is practically very difficult for the automatic operation ECU 40 to make a determination to permit entry into private land. Strictly avoiding entry to private land and limiting autonomously accessible areas to public roads, etc., as shown in FIG. You might be forced to make a detour. Alternatively, it may be impossible to place the vehicle APC next to the entrance. In this case, the walking distance of the user who becomes a passenger becomes longer compared to the case where it can be laid sideways. As a result, the vehicle allocation service becomes a service that is difficult to use especially for elderly people, children, and physically handicapped users.

  Therefore, in the vehicle allocation service according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, it is left to the user to determine whether or not to enter private land. According to the above, as in the case of using private land at the driver's discretion during manual driving, even in the case of a vehicle APC that autonomously travels, the travel prohibition on private land is temporarily released and This makes it possible to get off at the entrance. In addition, it is possible to avoid useless travel by changing the direction on private land that is secured so that it is easy to change direction. Hereinafter, details of each process in the dispatch service that allows the user to instruct entry into private land will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows details of processing for determining a meeting place with a user who is a passenger in the reservation processing that is performed at the time of reservation for a dispatch service. The meeting place determination process shown in FIG. 6 is executed by at least one of the reservation terminal 30 and the vehicle allocation management system 70 based on an operation input to the reservation terminal 30 of the user who is the reservation person. The details of the meeting place determination process will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In S101, the position information of the waiting place designated by the user is acquired, and the process proceeds to S102. In S102, based on the position information acquired in S101, it is determined whether the designated location designated by the user is private land, and it is determined whether entry to the private land is necessary for waiting. As an example, in S102, the map information stored in the information DB 73 is referred to, and when the designated place is out of the public road, it is determined (estimated) that the designated place is private land.

  If it is determined in S102 that the designated place is not private land and it is not necessary to enter the private land, the process proceeds to S109. In S109 in this case, the place designated by the user is set as the meeting place as it is. Then, the automatic driving ECU 40 of the vehicle APC to be dispatched is notified so as to register the meeting place as the destination at the time of dispatch.

  If it is determined in S102 that the location designated by the user is private land and it is necessary to enter the private land, the process proceeds to S103. Here, in the reservation system 100, it is possible to register in advance a private land that is permitted to enter at the time of user registration for a vehicle allocation service or when using a past vehicle allocation service. In S103, it is determined whether or not the place designated by the user is a private property that is already permitted to enter. If it is determined in S103 that the land has already been registered, the process proceeds to S109. Also in S109 in this case, the automatic operation ECU 40 of the vehicle APC is notified so that the place designated by the user is set as the meeting place as it is, and this meeting place is registered as the destination at the time of dispatch.

  If it is determined in S103 that the location designated by the user is an unregistered private land, the process proceeds to S104. In S104, the user is notified of an exemption from responsibility for trouble caused by the entry of the vehicle APC to the private property, and the process proceeds to S105. The immunity notice by S104 is performed for the user who is the reservation person, for example, by displaying characters using the display unit 31 or the like.

  In S105 when it is determined that the place designated by the user is private land and it is necessary to enter the private land, a process for obtaining permission information for entering the private land is performed, and the process proceeds to S106. A user who is a reserved vehicle can permit entry to private land by an operation input to the operation input unit 33. As an example, when the user inputs his / her home as a meeting place, based on the process of S105, the question “Would you like to meet with a vehicle in front of the entrance of the house or on the road in front of the house?” It is displayed on the display unit 31. With these questions, the user confirms whether the meeting place is within private land or outside private land.

  In S106, it is determined whether or not entry permission has been obtained by the acquisition process in S105. If it is determined in S106 that permission to enter private land has been obtained, the process proceeds to S109. Even in S109 in this case, since the driving on the private land is permitted based on the acquisition of the permission information, the place designated by the user is set as the meeting place as it is. Then, the automatic driving ECU 40 is notified to allow the vehicle APC to travel to the meeting place in the private land and register the meeting place as the destination at the time of dispatch.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S106 that permission to enter is not obtained, the process proceeds to S107. In S107, the user is proposed to make the public road closest to the user's designated place as a meeting place, and the process proceeds to S108. In S108, it is determined whether or not the user's permission has been obtained for the proposal from the reservation system 100. If it is determined in S108 that the user's permission has not been obtained, the process returns to S101. On the other hand, if it is determined in S108 that the user's permission has been obtained, the process proceeds to S109. In S109 in this case, a point on the public road that has been approved by the user in S108 is set as a meeting place. Then, the automatic driving ECU 40 of the vehicle APC is notified so as to register the meeting place set on the public road as the destination at the time of dispatching, and the series of processing ends.

In S105 described above, permission information for permitting access to a plurality of private properties at once may be acquired. The permission information for permitting access to a plurality of private properties at once is input by a representative of a specific village or region, for example. Access to multiple private properties is agreed in advance by municipality, character unit, or neighborhood association unit. The representative inputs permission information based on the agreement. As described above, it may be registered in advance in units of regional representatives (persons). Such permission information can also be input by the user based on an agreement with the surrounding residents.

  Specifically, the reservation terminal 30 displays, for example, a selection screen illustrated in FIG. 7 on the display unit 31 as a GUI for inputting permission information to a user who is a representative or a reservation person. The representative or the user designates the road that becomes the boundary of the area permitted to enter the private land by giving the marking M, for example. As described above, access to a plurality of private lands within a range delimited by the plurality of markings M is permitted in a lump.

  The reservation terminal 30 can display a selection screen shown in FIG. The representative or the user can perform a selection operation of placing a plurality of private lands permitted to enter inside the frame F using a polygonal (rectangular) frame F that can be enlarged or reduced. As described above, access to a plurality of private land located in the polygonal frame F is permitted at once.

  When the operation input unit 33 is a touch panel, the user can specify a range corresponding to the frame F and select a plurality of private lands permitted to enter by tracing the screen of the display unit 31 with a finger. Further, the range of private land that is allowed to enter may be specified by inputting an address, for example.

  Next, an example of a boarding process for boarding a user who becomes a passenger will be described with reference to FIG. 2 based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The boarding process in FIG. 9 is started by the automatic operation ECU 40 that has determined whether the vehicle has approached or arrived at the meeting place.

  In S111, the image of the camera outside the vehicle of the traveling environment acquisition sensor 51 is image-analyzed, and a search process for a user who becomes a passenger is performed around the meeting place. If the passenger can be searched, the process proceeds to S112. In S112, the confirmation process of the user who becomes a passenger is implemented, and when it matches with the passenger in the reservation information, the process proceeds to S113.

  When the user who becomes a passenger is not in the vicinity of the meeting place in the above S111, the automatic operation ECU 40 leaves the correspondence to the management center (see FIG. 1). Moreover, also when the user who becomes a passenger cannot be specified, automatic operation ECU40 leaves a response to a management center. In these cases, the management center can handle a human operator instead of the vehicle allocation management system 70.

  In S113, in order to get on the user confirmed as a passenger, it is confirmed that there is no person in the movable range of the door using the detected object information of the ultrasonic sensor and the door of the vehicle APC is opened. In S114, a user's boarding is confirmed from the image | video of the in-vehicle camera 54, or the detection information of the seating sensor 55. FIG. When the passenger does not get on easily, the voice guide unit 62 reproduces a voice message prompting the user to get on. In S115, it is confirmed that there is no person or the like between the door and the vehicle body, and the door is closed.

  In S116, confirmation is made with the user as to whether or not the destination input at the time of reservation can be set, and the process proceeds to S117. When the user desires a destination different from that at the time of reservation, a new destination is set by an operation input to the operation input unit 63 by the user. In S117, the destination confirmed or input in S116 is set as the destination, a travel route is set, and the process proceeds to S118. In S118, traveling toward the destination is started, and a series of boarding processes is terminated.

  The travel route set in the route setting of S117 described above varies depending on whether or not private land information permitted to travel is associated with map information. For example, if permission to enter a private property that can change direction has already been obtained and permission information is associated with the map information, the route setting unit 41 incorporates a change of direction on the private property (see FIG. 5). You can set a driving route. On the other hand, when the private land information permitted to travel is not associated with the map information, the vehicle APC travels while searching for an empty space where the direction can be changed. Hereinafter, the details of the process of searching the empty space where the direction can be changed and requesting the passenger to enter the empty space will be described with reference to FIG. 2 based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The process shown in FIG. 10 is started by the route setting unit 41 after the travel route is set in S117 (see FIG. 9).

  In S131, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the direction of the vehicle APC for efficient movement to the destination. If it is determined in S131 that the direction change is unnecessary, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined in S131 that the direction change is necessary, the process proceeds to S132. In S132, information about the surroundings of the vehicle APC is acquired from the image of the camera outside the vehicle, and the process proceeds to S133.

  In S133, an empty space is detected from the information acquired in S133, and the process proceeds to S134. In S134, it is determined whether or not the empty space that can be changed in the empty space direction detected in S133. In order to change the direction without destroying objects on the site, at least an empty space that is longer than the length and width of the vehicle APC is required. In S134, it is determined that an empty space that is smaller than the area of the vehicle APC cannot be used for the direction change. If it is determined in S133 and S134 that there is no free space that can be turned, the process returns to S132. On the other hand, if it is determined in S133 and S134 that there is a free space that can be used for turning, the process proceeds to S135.

  In S135, it is determined whether or not the empty space that can be used for the direction change is private. In S135, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to enter private land for the direction change. In S135, based on the information on the public road in the road map stored in the map DB 44, for example, when the empty space is out of the public road, it is estimated that this empty space is private land. If it is determined in S135 that the empty space is not private land, the process proceeds to S138. On the other hand, if it is determined in S135 that the empty space is private land and it is necessary to enter the private land that is an empty space for the direction change, the process proceeds to S136.

  In S136, the information presentation which inquires a passenger about the possibility of entering a private property is implemented, and it progresses to S137. For example, according to S136, for example, a message “I want to expand the direction but can enter the vacant area of xx?” Is displayed on the display unit 61. In addition, in S136, an exemption notice that the user is responsible for a trouble caused by the entry of the vehicle APC to the private property may be performed. The notification to the user may be performed by the voice guide unit 62.

  In S137, permission information based on the input of the user who is a passenger is acquired. As an example, when the operation input unit 63 is a touch panel, the route setting unit 41 acquires permission information for entering private land when the user touches the “Yes” icon displayed on the display unit 61. When permission information cannot be acquired in S137, the process returns to S132. On the other hand, if “YES” is input, the process proceeds to S138.

  In S138, the information presentation “I will enter the vacant land and change direction” is performed, and the process proceeds to S139. In S139, based on the acquisition of permission information in S137, traveling on private land, that is, direction change in an empty space is permitted. As a result, the vehicle APC performs a turn using the private land under the control of the automatic driving ECU 40 and the travel control ECU 20.

  Next, the problem (2) will be described. Many roads such as mountainous areas have road widths that are difficult to pass each other. For this reason, a vehicle dispatch service that smoothly delivers passengers to a destination requires a process that enables passing on a difficult road. Therefore, in the travel process shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the normal automatic driving travel process, the travel process in a place where entry is not permitted, the travel process at the time of one-way alternating traffic, etc., the passing on the road where it is difficult to pass Processing is set.

  Hereinafter, details of the passing process performed by the passing control unit 42 on a road where it is difficult to pass the oncoming vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 2 based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The passing process of FIGS. 11 and 12 is continuously performed by the passing control unit 42 during traveling in autonomous traveling. In the following description of passing, the vehicle APC on which the user gets is described as “own vehicle” in order to distinguish it from the oncoming vehicle and the following vehicle.

  In S151, a road indicating the road width in the traveling direction of the vehicle APC is acquired, and the process proceeds to S152. In S151, for example, the road width may be calculated from the video of the camera outside the vehicle, or the road width may be calculated based on the position information specified by the own vehicle position specifying unit 52 and the map information.

  In S152, it is determined whether or not the road width acquired in S151 is wider than a road width threshold obtained by adding a predetermined value (for example, 2 m) to the lateral width of the host vehicle. If it is determined in S152 that the road width is equal to or greater than the road width threshold, the vehicle travels normally even when there is an oncoming vehicle without performing special processing (S166). On the other hand, if it is determined in S152 that the road width is less than the road width threshold, the process proceeds to S153.

  In S153, the video of the camera outside the vehicle directed forward is acquired as front information, and the process proceeds to S154. In S154, detection of the oncoming vehicle and detection of the vehicle width of the oncoming vehicle are performed based on the forward information acquired in S153, and the process proceeds to S155.

  In S155, it is determined whether or not passing between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is possible. Specifically, in S155, the road width is compared with a passing threshold obtained by adding a margin α (for example, 50 cm) to each lateral width of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. If it is determined in S155 that the road width is equal to or greater than the passing threshold, the process proceeds to S166, and the passing with the oncoming vehicle is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in S155 that the road width is less than the passing threshold value and it is impossible to pass the oncoming vehicle, the process proceeds to S156.

  In S156, the position information of the nearest evacuation place that can pass the oncoming vehicle is acquired from the map information of the map DB 44, for example, and the process proceeds to S157. In S156, not only the position information of the nearest evacuation place but also the position information of a plurality of evacuation places around the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can be acquired.

  In S157, it is determined which of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is closest to the nearest retreat location from which the position information is acquired in S156. If it is determined in S157 that the oncoming vehicle is closer to the nearest retreat location than the own vehicle, the process proceeds to S161. On the other hand, if it is determined in S157 that the own vehicle is closer to the nearest retreat location than the oncoming vehicle, the process proceeds to S158.

  In S158, detected object information such as a millimeter wave radar directed rearward is acquired as rear information, and the process proceeds to S159. In S159, based on the back information acquired in S158, the presence or absence of the following vehicle of the own vehicle is determined. If it is determined in S159 that there is a following vehicle, it is estimated that it is difficult to move backward to the retreat location, and the process proceeds to S161. On the other hand, if it is determined in S159 that there is no following vehicle, the process proceeds to S160. In S161, the vehicle starts to move back to the evacuation location, and the passing of the oncoming vehicle is executed at the evacuation location (S166).

  In S161, information on the oncoming vehicle is presented and the process proceeds to S162. In the information presentation in S161, a message is notified to the user of the oncoming vehicle using inter-vehicle communication or the like. Specifically, a message such as “Would you be able to go down to a place where you can pass each other so close?” Is displayed.

  In S162, it is determined whether or not the oncoming vehicle has moved backward by presenting the information in S161. If it is determined in S162 that the oncoming vehicle has moved backward, the vehicle follows the oncoming vehicle and moves forward to the evacuation location, and a passing with the oncoming vehicle is executed at the evacuation location (S166). On the other hand, if it is determined in S162 that the oncoming vehicle has not moved backward, the process proceeds to S163.

  In S163, information that requests negotiation with the user of the oncoming vehicle is presented to the user who is a passenger of the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to S164. In the negotiation request in S163, in order to ask the user of the oncoming vehicle to go back to the evacuation location, as an example, the message “Would you please go down to a location where you can pass the oncoming vehicle?” Is displayed This is displayed on the unit 61. Thus, the possibility of a negotiation request to the oncoming vehicle user is confirmed in advance with respect to the user of the own vehicle at the time of reservation or boarding.

  In S164, based on the image of the in-vehicle camera 54 or the detection information of the seating sensor 55, it is determined whether or not the user of the own vehicle has got off the vehicle. If it is determined in S164 that the user has not got off, the process returns to S163 and the negotiation request is continued. On the other hand, when it determines with the user getting off in S164, it progresses to S165. In S165, it is determined whether or not the oncoming vehicle has moved backward based on the image of the camera outside the vehicle. If it is determined in S165 that the oncoming vehicle has moved backward, the vehicle follows the oncoming vehicle and moves forward to the evacuation location, and a passing with the oncoming vehicle is executed at the evacuation location (S166). On the other hand, if it is determined in S165 that the oncoming vehicle has not moved backward, the process returns to S158. And when there is no following vehicle, it starts to reverse toward the evacuation place behind the own vehicle (S160).

  Next, the above problem (3) will be described. After the user who was a passenger gets off, if the user leaves the vehicle APC even though the user is in the vicinity of the vehicle APC, the user may feel uneasy. Therefore, it is preferable that the vehicle APC departs after confirming the state of the user who got off the vehicle. In order to achieve such an object, details of the getting-off process for getting the user out of the vehicle APC will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 with reference to FIG. The getting-off process shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is started by the getting-off management unit 43 based on the arrival determination of the vehicle APC at the destination.

  In S181, the information presentation which alert | reports the arrival to the destination is implemented, and it progresses to S182. In S <b> 181, for example, a message such as “Arrived at the destination. The fee is yyy. Please confirm if you like” is displayed on the display unit 61. Such notification may be performed by a voice message by the voice guide unit 62.

  In S <b> 182, it is determined whether or not the user who is a passenger has input to the operation input unit 63 an approval for arrival at the destination. If it is determined in S182 that there is no input corresponding to “Yes”, the process proceeds to S183, and a process for resetting the destination is performed. When the destination is reset in S183, movement to the destination is started by autonomous traveling in the normal traveling mode. On the other hand, if it is determined in S182 that there is an input corresponding to “Yes”, the process proceeds to S184.

  In S184, the lighting device 53 is turned on to start lighting around the vehicle APC, and the process proceeds to S185. Illumination by the illumination device 53 may be performed only when the periphery of the vehicle APC is dark. In S185, information on the periphery of the door is acquired using the detected object information of the ultrasonic sensor and the camera outside the vehicle, and the process proceeds to S186.

  In S186, it is determined whether or not there is a person in the movable range of the door. If it is determined in S186 that there are people in the movable range of the door, S185 and S186 are repeated until there are no more people. If it is determined in S186 that there is no person in the movable range of the door, the process proceeds to S187, and a process of opening the door whose surroundings are confirmed is performed. In addition, in S187, the user who requests to get off the vehicle APC is requested to leave the vehicle APC after getting off by a voice message by the voice guide unit 62 or the like.

  In S188, the detection information of the seating sensor 55, the image of the camera outside the vehicle, the detected object information of the ultrasonic sensor, and the like are acquired as passenger information, and the process proceeds to S189. In S189, based on the passenger information acquired in S189, it is determined whether or not the boarded user has got off. By repeating S188 and S189, the user gets off the vehicle. If it is determined in S189 that the user has got off, the process proceeds to S190. If the user does not get off easily and a predetermined time has elapsed, the user's condition is confirmed by a voice message or the like. If you feel unwell, ask the management center to take action. If there is no problem, the user is prompted to get off.

  In S190, the video of the in-vehicle camera 54 is acquired as in-vehicle information, and the process proceeds to S191. In S191, for at least one of the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment, the images before and after the user gets off the vehicle are compared to determine whether there is something left behind. If it is determined in S191 that there is something left behind by the user, the process proceeds to S192. In S192, the user who gets off the vehicle is notified by a voice message or the like that there is something left behind.

  In S191, when it is determined that there is no user forgotten thing, the process proceeds to S193. In S193, information about the vicinity of the door is acquired using the detected object information of the ultrasonic sensor and the camera outside the vehicle, and the process proceeds to S194. If it is determined in S194 that there are people in the movable range of the door, S193 and S194 are repeated until there are no more people. On the other hand, if it is determined in S194 that there is no person in the movable range of the door, the process proceeds to S195. In S195, a process for closing the door is performed, and the process proceeds to S196.

  In S196, the peripheral information of the vehicle APC is acquired using the detected object information of the ultrasonic sensor and the camera outside the vehicle, and the process proceeds to S197. In S197, the state around the vehicle APC is checked. Specifically, in S197, it is determined whether or not the user who gets off the vehicle APC is more than a predetermined distance (for example, about 1.5 m) from the vehicle APC. The predetermined distance is set to such a distance that the fallen user does not contact the vehicle APC. If it is determined in S197 that there is a person around the vehicle APC, S196 and S197 are repeated until the person leaves. When it is determined that the user or the like is away from the vehicle APC by a predetermined distance or more and there is no person around the vehicle APC, the process proceeds to S198. In S198, the lighting device 53 lit in S184 is turned off, and the process proceeds to S199. The lighting device 53 illuminates the surroundings of the vehicle APC until at least the start of the vehicle APC is permitted. In S199, the start of the vehicle APC is permitted based on the user leaving. As a result, the vehicle APC starts traveling toward, for example, a return place.

  According to the first embodiment described so far, when the vehicle APC needs to enter a private land, permission information for entering the private land is acquired. According to the acquisition of the permission information, the vehicle APC can enter private land as in the case where the driver is driving. As a result, the walking distance of the user who is a passenger is shortened, the travel time to the destination and the traveling distance are shortened, and the convenience of the autonomously traveling vehicle APC can be ensured. Therefore, a vehicle dispatch service that smoothly delivers passenger users to the destination is realized.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, even if the meeting place designated by the user who is the reservation person is in the private land, the vehicle APC can travel to the private land with the permission of the user. According to the above, for example, it becomes possible to place the vehicle APC at the entrance, and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, the meeting place with the vehicle APC called by the dispatch service is confirmed by the user by a question such as “in front of the house entrance or on the road in front of the house”. If such a question format is confirmed, even if the user is unfamiliar with the dispatch service, the user can permit the entry of the vehicle APC into the private land without any confusion. Therefore, convenience can be improved.

  Furthermore, according to 1st embodiment, when the direction change in a private land is required, the user who is a passenger can permit the direction change using a private land. According to the above, the vehicle APC performs a turn using an empty space that is a private land, and can move without making a detour to the destination.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, when the user is asked for permission to enter private land, the user is notified of the exemption. In this way, if it is understood that the user is responsible for entering private land, the vehicle APC can be made to enter private land in the same way as manual driving.

  In the first embodiment, for example, in a mountainous area or the like, when traveling on a narrow road that is difficult to pass with an oncoming vehicle, it is possible to request the user of the own vehicle (vehicle APC) to negotiate with the oncoming vehicle user. It is. In this way, a smooth passing can be realized by enabling human interaction. Therefore, a vehicle dispatch service that smoothly delivers passenger users to the destination is realized.

  Furthermore, in 1st embodiment, the possibility of the negotiation request | requirement with respect to the user of an oncoming vehicle is notified beforehand to the user of the own vehicle (vehicle APC). As described above, if the possibility of a negotiation request is notified to the user in advance, the vehicle APC may promptly prompt the user on board to move to the negotiation in a scene where the negotiation between the users is necessary. it can.

  In addition, in the vehicle allocation service according to the first embodiment, the user can permit access to a plurality of private properties at once. Thus, if entry to a plurality of private lands can be permitted at once, the user will be bothered to ask for permission to enter each time when changing direction within a specific village or getting on or off the vehicle APC. Can be released from. According to the above, a vehicle dispatch service that is easy for the user to use is realized.

  In the first embodiment, after the user gets off, the vehicle APC is permitted to start based on the user leaving a predetermined distance or more from the vehicle APC. Thus, if the start immediately after getting off is suppressed by the process of confirming that the user has left, the vehicle APC can start without giving anxiety to the user getting off the vehicle APC. Therefore, a vehicle dispatch service that smoothly delivers passenger users to the destination is realized.

  Further, in the first embodiment, it is requested to leave the vehicle APC toward the user who gets off the vehicle APC. According to the above, a situation where the user stays in the vicinity of the vehicle APC and the vehicle APC cannot start is less likely to occur.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, the lighting device 53 illuminates the surroundings of the vehicle APC when the user gets off. Therefore, even when the user gets off the vehicle APC in the dark place, the user can grasp the current situation.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, the user is notified from the vehicle APC when an object is left behind in the vehicle. According to such a function, the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In the first embodiment, the reservation system 100 and the in-vehicle system 110 each correspond to a “travel control system”, the control units 35 and 75 and the automatic operation ECU 40 correspond to a “processing unit”, and the vehicle APC performs “automatic operation”. It corresponds to “vehicle”. The control units 35 and 75 correspond to a “position information acquisition unit”, a “travel necessity determination unit”, a “permission information acquisition unit”, a “travel permission setting unit”, and an “exemption liability notification unit”. Further, the route setting unit 41 corresponds to a “travel necessity determination unit”, “permission information acquisition unit”, “travel permission setting unit”, “exemption notification unit”, “direction change determination unit”, and “empty space determination unit”. To do. In addition, the passing control unit 42 corresponds to a “road width determination unit”, a “evacuation information acquisition unit”, a “negotiation request unit”, and a “following vehicle determination unit”. Furthermore, the getting-off management unit 43 corresponds to a “user position determination unit”, a “start permission unit”, a “separation request unit”, an “illumination control unit”, a “thing left behind determination unit”, and a “thing left behind notification unit”.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modification of the first embodiment. In the disembarking process of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the contents of S181 to S195, S198, and S199 are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 15 is executed when the home of the user boarding the vehicle APC is set as the destination.

  The getting-off management unit 43 (see FIG. 2) acquires, as home information, an image of the outside camera capable of photographing the user's home from among the outside monitoring outside cameras mounted on the vehicle APC, for example (S296). Then, by analyzing the video acquired as home information, it is determined whether or not the user who got off the vehicle APC has returned to the home and closed the home door (S297). The getting-off management unit 43 permits the start of the vehicle APC based on the closing of the door at home (S199). As described above, the vehicle APC starts traveling toward a return place or the like.

  Even in the second embodiment as described above, the user can determine whether or not he / she can enter private land, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be exhibited. In addition, the getting-off management unit 43 of the second embodiment confirms that the door of the home is closed and starts the vehicle APC. By adopting such a process, the vehicle APC can play a role of watching over the user until the user returns home correctly. For this reason, the vehicle allocation service can provide users with a high level of security as a service for delivering elderly people and children to their homes. The getting-off management unit 43 of the second embodiment further corresponds to a “return home determination unit”.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present disclosure is another modification of the first embodiment. Also in the getting-off process of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the contents of S181 to S195, S198, and S199 are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 16 is executed when the home of the user boarding the vehicle APC is set as the destination.

  The getting-off management unit 43 (see FIG. 2) can communicate with the reservation terminal 30 (see FIG. 1) installed at the user's home through the communication unit 64 (see FIG. 2). The user who gets off the vehicle APC inputs to the reservation terminal 30 that the request for the dispatch service has been completed. As a result, a request completion notification is transmitted from the reservation terminal 30 to the automatic driving ECU 40. The getting-off management unit 43 closes the door of the vehicle APC, and then performs a request completion notification reception process (S396). Then, the getting-off management unit 43 determines whether or not the request completion notification has been received (S397), and when the request completion notification is received, permits the vehicle APC to start.

  Even in the third embodiment as described above, the user can determine whether or not he / she can enter private land, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be exhibited. In addition, with the getting-off process of the third embodiment, the vehicle APC can watch the user from getting off to returning home with high certainty. The reservation terminal 30 of the third embodiment further corresponds to a “communication device”, and the getting-off management unit 43 further corresponds to a “notification acquisition unit”.

(Other embodiments)
Although a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. can do.

  The vehicle APC of the above-described embodiment was able to perform both autonomous traveling based on the map DB constructed for autonomous traveling and autonomous traveling by the traveling environment acquisition sensor. However, the vehicle APC may be an automatic traveling vehicle that only performs autonomous traveling based on the map DB, or may be an automatic traveling vehicle that only performs autonomous traveling by a traveling environment acquisition sensor. If it is the structure which performs autonomous driving | running | working with the information of a driving environment acquisition sensor, the map information stored in map DB should just have the detail of the grade used for a navigation apparatus.

  For example, in an autonomous driving vehicle that performs autonomous traveling based on a map DB, traveling information for traveling on private land is stored in advance in the map DB. When the private land travel restriction is canceled by the user's approval, the autonomous driving vehicle can travel on the private land based on the data of the map DB.

  On the other hand, when the travel information for traveling on private land is not in the map DB, when the travel restriction on private land is released by the user's approval, the autonomous driving vehicle acquires private land information by the travel environment acquisition sensor. Drive on. Similarly, even in an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously travels only with the information of the travel environment acquisition sensor (autonomous sensor), when the travel restriction on private land is released by the user's approval, the travel on private land based on the information of the travel environment acquisition sensor To be implemented.

  In addition, the meeting place determination process in the above embodiment may be performed only by the reservation terminal 30 among the reservation terminal 30 and the vehicle allocation management system 70, or may be performed only by the vehicle allocation management system 70. When the reservation terminal 30 performs all the meeting place determination processing, the reservation terminal 30 corresponds to a “travel control system”. In the case where the vehicle allocation management system 70 performs all meeting place determination processing, the vehicle allocation management system 70 corresponds to a “travel control system”.

  Each control unit and the memory device of each ECU in the above embodiment can store a travel control program for setting and changing an area in which the vehicle APC can autonomously travel according to a user's permission. Various non-transitory tangible storage media such as a flash memory and a hard disk can be used for such a memory device.

  The function of notifying forgotten items and the function of illuminating the surroundings at night may be omitted as appropriate. Further, in the passing process, the step relating to the determination of the presence or absence of the following vehicle may be omitted. Similarly, in the passing process, the step relating to the determination of the road width may be omitted, and when there is a following vehicle, the user may be requested to negotiate with the oncoming vehicle.

  Moreover, the conditions for permitting the start of the vehicle APC after the user gets off may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the aspect of the interface which presents information to the user who becomes a reservation person, a passenger, and a payer may be changed suitably. Then, the automatic operation ECU may leave the response to the operator of the management center when encountering a difficult situation.

  In the above embodiment, the vehicle APC can automatically open and close the door when the user gets on and off the vehicle. However, the user who is a passenger may open and close the door. However, even in a vehicle in which the user manually opens and closes the door, it is desirable that the automatic operation ECU has a lock function that monitors the situation around the vehicle and appropriately prohibits the opening and closing of the door. In particular, elderly people and children are particularly vulnerable to safety checks. In addition, unmanned taxis using autonomously traveling vehicles APC do not have personnel who can help elderly people get on and off, unlike manned taxis. For this reason, it is particularly important to check the surrounding conditions by the in-vehicle system when the user gets on and off. Prohibiting the opening and closing of the door with the lock function is particularly effective for improving the user's sense of security and reliability in a vehicle dispatch service for elderly people and children.

  In addition, manned taxi doors in Japan are virtually all automatic doors. Therefore, a user who does not have the habit of closing the door can leave the vehicle without closing the door. Therefore, it is desirable for the vehicle APC used as an unmanned taxi to include a mechanism that allows the door to be opened and closed.

  The vehicle allocation service according to the present disclosure can improve the usability of an unmanned taxi that is a foot for an elderly person, particularly in a depopulated area. More specifically, the autonomous driving ECU can entrust the user with the judgment of whether to enter private land or negotiation with an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road. According to such processing, the disadvantages of unmanned taxis over manned taxis can be complemented by the user and can be eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an unmanned taxi that is convenient for elderly people.

APC vehicle (automated driving vehicle), 30 reservation terminal (communication device, travel control system), 35 control unit (processing unit, position information acquisition unit, travel necessity determination unit, permission information acquisition unit, travel permission setting unit, exemption notification Part), 40 automatic operation ECU (travel control system, processing part), 41 route setting part (travel necessity determination part, permission information acquisition part, travel permission setting part, exemption notification part, direction change judgment part, empty space judgment part ), 42 Passing control unit (road width determination unit, evacuation information acquisition unit, negotiation request unit, subsequent vehicle determination unit), 43 Get-off management unit (user position determination unit, return home determination unit, notification acquisition unit, start permission unit, separation) Request unit, lighting control unit, left-behind item determination unit, left-behind item notification unit), 53 lighting device, 70 dispatch management system (travel control system), 75 control unit (processing unit, position information acquisition unit, travel necessity determination unit, permission) information The resulting unit, travel permission setting section, disclaimer notification unit), 100 reservation system (ACC system)

Claims (18)

A travel control system for setting an area where a vehicle (APC) can autonomously travel,
A travel necessity determination unit (S102, S135) that determines whether the vehicle needs to enter private land by autonomous traveling;
A permission information acquisition unit (S105, S137) for acquiring permission information for entering private land when it is determined that the travel necessity determination unit needs to enter private land;
A travel control system comprising: a travel permission setting unit (S109, S139) that permits traveling on private land based on the permission information acquired by the permission information acquisition unit. A position information acquisition unit (S101) for acquiring position information of a meeting place designated by a user who reserves the use of the vehicle;
The travel necessity determination unit determines whether the meeting place is private land,
The permission information acquisition unit acquires the permission information based on a user input when the meeting place is private land,
The travel control system according to claim 1, wherein the travel permission setting unit permits travel to the meeting place based on acquisition of the permission information.   Whether the permission information acquisition unit sets the waiting area in front of the entrance of the user's home as the meeting place or the road in front of the house as the waiting position for acquiring the permission information. The travel control system according to claim 2, wherein the user is presented with the question. A direction change determination unit (S131) for determining whether or not to change the direction of the vehicle;
An empty space determination unit (S134) that determines whether or not there is an empty space that can change direction when the direction change determination unit determines that the direction change of the vehicle is necessary;
The travel necessity determination unit determines whether the empty space is private land,
The permission information acquisition unit acquires the permission information based on an input of a user boarding the vehicle when the empty space is private land,
The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the travel permission setting unit permits a direction change in the empty space based on the acquisition of the permission information.   The travel control according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising an exemption notification section (S104, S136) for notifying that the user is responsible for a trouble caused by entering the private land of the vehicle. system. A road width determination unit (S155) that determines whether or not the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other,
When the road width determination unit determines that the passing with the oncoming vehicle is impossible, the retreat information acquiring unit (S156) acquires position information of the nearest retreat location where the passing with the oncoming vehicle is possible. When,
When the oncoming vehicle is closer to the evacuation location than the own vehicle, a negotiation request unit that requests the user of the oncoming vehicle to ask the user of the oncoming vehicle to move back to the evacuation location. The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising (S163). When it is determined by the road width determination unit that it is impossible to pass the oncoming vehicle, the vehicle further includes a subsequent vehicle determination unit (S159) that determines whether there is a subsequent vehicle of the host vehicle,
The negotiating request unit is a user who boarded the host vehicle to request the user of the oncoming vehicle to retreat to the retreat location when the subsequent vehicle determining unit determines that the subsequent vehicle is present. The travel control system according to claim 6, wherein the travel control system according to claim 6 is requested. A road width determination unit (S155) that determines whether or not the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other,
A subsequent vehicle determination unit (S159) that determines whether or not there is a subsequent vehicle of the host vehicle when it is determined by the road width determination unit that a passing with the oncoming vehicle is impossible;
When the subsequent vehicle determination unit determines that the following vehicle is present, boarding the host vehicle asks the user of the oncoming vehicle to move backward to a retreat location where the vehicle can pass the oncoming vehicle. The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a negotiation request unit (S163) that requests a user to perform.   The travel control system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the possibility of a negotiation request to the oncoming vehicle user is confirmed in advance by the user of the own vehicle.   The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the permission information acquisition unit acquires the permission information for permitting access to a plurality of private properties at once. A user position determination unit (S196) for determining whether or not the user getting off the vehicle has been separated from the vehicle by a predetermined distance or more;
The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: a start permission unit (S199) that permits the start of the vehicle based on a user having left the predetermined distance or more from the vehicle.   The travel control system according to claim 11, further comprising a separation request unit (S187) for requesting the user who gets on the vehicle to leave the vehicle after getting off the vehicle. A return determination unit (S296) that determines whether or not a user who gets off the vehicle at the destination has closed the door of the home when the home of the user boarding the vehicle is set as the destination; ,
The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a start permission unit (S199) that permits the start of the vehicle based on a user closing the door of the home. A notification acquisition unit (S396) that performs acquisition processing of a request completion notification transmitted from the communication device (30) in the home when the home of the user boarding the vehicle is set as a destination;
The travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: a start permission unit (S199) that permits the vehicle to start based on the notification acquisition unit acquiring the request completion notification. .   A lighting control unit (S184, S198) that causes the lighting device (53) mounted on the vehicle to illuminate the surroundings of the vehicle until the start of the vehicle is permitted at least by the start permission unit when the user gets off. The travel control system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising: For at least one of the vehicle compartment and the cargo compartment of the vehicle, compare the images before and after the user gets off, and determine whether there is something left behind (S191),
The traveling control system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising: a lost article notifying unit (S192) that notifies the user of the presence of the lost article when it is determined that the user has left behind. A travel control program for setting an area where a vehicle (APC) can autonomously travel,
A step (S102, S135) of determining whether the vehicle needs to enter private land by automatic traveling;
A step (S105, S137) of obtaining permission information for entering the private land when it is determined that access to the private land is necessary;
A travel control program for causing the processing unit (35, 75, 40) to execute the step (S109, S139) for permitting travel on the private land based on the acquisition of the permission information. An autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous traveling,
A travel necessity determination unit (S102, S135) that determines whether it is necessary to enter private land by autonomous travel;
A permission information acquisition unit (S105, S137) for acquiring permission information for entering the private land when it is determined that the travel necessity determination unit needs to enter the private land;
An automatic traveling vehicle comprising: a travel permission setting unit (S109, S139) that permits travel on the private land based on the permission information.

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