JP2019083017A - Automatic traveling control system and center - Google Patents

Abstract

To smoothly handle an unforeseen situation that occurs during automatic driving.SOLUTION: An automatic travel control system (1) comprises: an automatic traveling control device (20) mounted on a vehicle; and a center (10). The automatic traveling control device includes: automatic traveling units (21, 23) for automatically traveling along a traveling route notified from the center; notification units (S100, S105) for notifying the center of an occurrence of a prohibited action and/or an emergency operation within a vehicle; and stop units (S125, S150) for stopping a self-vehicle when the prohibited action and/or the emergency operation occurs. On the other hand, the center includes control units (13, 15) that cause another vehicle to travel based on the stop position of a vehicle when the center receives the occurrence notification from the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic travel control system and the like.

  In a system for automatically traveling a plurality of vehicles forming a formation, when stopping the entire formation in response to an abnormality in the inter-vehicle distance of each vehicle, by stopping the vehicles sequentially from the one located behind the formation, A technique for preventing a rear impact is known (see Patent Document 1).

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-222485

However, even a vehicle having a proper inter-vehicle distance may be stopped without any advance notice, and smooth automatic traveling may be hindered.
An object of the present invention is to smoothly cope with unexpected situations that occur during automatic traveling.

  The present invention relates to an automatic travel control system (1) having an automatic travel control device (20) mounted on a vehicle and a center (10) capable of communicating with the automatic travel control device. The automatic travel control device includes an own vehicle position determination unit (22), automatic travel units (21, 23), notification units (S100, S105), and stop portions (S125, S150).

  The own vehicle position determination unit notifies the center of the positional information of the own vehicle which is a vehicle equipped with the automatic travel control device. Further, the automatic traveling unit controls the traveling direction and the speed of the own vehicle, and performs the automatic traveling to cause the own vehicle to travel to the destination notified from the center along the traveling route notified from the center. In addition, the notification unit may notify the center when a predetermined prohibited action occurs in the vehicle of the host vehicle and / or when an emergency operation for notifying that an emergency has occurred in the host vehicle has occurred. On the other hand, notification of the occurrence of a prohibited act and / or an emergency operation is issued. In addition, the stopping unit stops the own vehicle when a prohibited act and / or an emergency operation occurs. On the other hand, the center includes setting units (13, 15) and control units (13, 15). The setting unit sets a traveling route and a destination of the vehicle based on the map data, and notifies the vehicle. In addition, when the occurrence notification is received from the control unit and the vehicle, the control unit causes the other vehicle other than the vehicle to travel based on the stop position of the vehicle grasped based on the position information of the vehicle.

  According to such a configuration, when a prohibited act or an emergency occurs in the vehicle during automatic traveling, the vehicle can be stopped, and another vehicle is automatically traveled based on the stop position of the vehicle. Can. Therefore, even when the vehicle is stopped due to a prohibited action or an emergency, automatic traveling of another vehicle can be smoothly performed. Therefore, it is possible to cope with unexpected situations which occur during automatic traveling smoothly.

  The center in the automatic travel control system may be distributed to the market alone. Even in such a case, the same effect can be obtained by using it in combination with the automatic travel control device in the automatic travel control system.

In addition, the reference numerals in the parentheses described in this column and the claims indicate the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiment described later as one aspect, and the technical scope of the present invention It is not limited.

It is a block diagram of an automatic travel control system of a 1st embodiment. It is a flow chart of prohibition act etc. generation processing of a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the display part which shows generation | occurrence | production of the prohibition act (opening of a door) in 1st Embodiment. It is an explanatory view of a display screen of a display at the time of prohibition act occurrence in a 1st embodiment. It is an explanatory view of a display screen of a display at the time of prohibition act occurrence in a 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the specific example at the time of stopping the vehicle which the prohibition act etc. generate | occur | produced in 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process at the time of generation | occurrence | production of the prohibition action etc. in 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process at the time of the stop request | requirement of the user in 2nd Embodiment generate | occur | producing. It is a sequence diagram showing processing when a failure etc. occur in a 2nd embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described using the drawings.
First Embodiment
[Description of configuration]
The automatic travel control system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured of a center 10 provided corresponding to a specific area, and one or more automatic travel control devices 20 (FIG. 1).

  The center 10 is a computer provided with a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an HDD and the like, and is operated and monitored by an operator. The center 10 may be configured as a PC. The center 10 operates according to a program stored in the ROM or a program loaded to the RAM, and performs processing for automatically traveling a vehicle equipped with the automatic travel control device 20 in a specific area.

  The vehicle equipped with the automatic travel control device 20 is provided with an operation unit that receives driving operations such as a steering wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, and the like. The vehicle is provided with a mode in which the vehicle travels automatically and a maintenance mode in which a user who is in the vehicle drives the vehicle via the operation unit. When accepted (override), the automatic travel is canceled and the maintenance mode is entered, and the user starts driving.

  Further, the center 10 stores map data of a specific area, and performs processing of automatic traveling based on the map data. The map data is information that changes dynamically, such as static information such as the shape of a road or a structure or lane information, and information such as traffic restrictions, accidents, traffic jams, vehicles, pedestrians, and signals on each road. And may be configured as a dynamic map composed of In such a case, the center 10 updates the dynamic map as needed based on the information acquired from the outside.

  The center 10 includes an area monitoring unit 11, a traffic control unit 12, a route planning unit 13, a reservation management unit 14, a dispatch management unit 15, a remote monitoring unit 16, a vehicle management unit 17, and a vehicle communication unit 18. And

  The area monitoring unit 11 grasps information (road information) on construction, accident, traffic jam, traffic regulation, and the like in the specific area based on the information acquired from the outside via the network. In addition, the area monitoring unit 11 acquires information (peripheral information) regarding the states of other vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, roads, and the like detected by each vehicle that is automatically traveling. When the map data is configured as a dynamic map, the dynamic map may be updated based on these pieces of information.

The passage control unit 12 grasps position information of each vehicle and controls passage of each vehicle at an intersection or the like.
The route planning unit 13 sets a traveling route from a departure place of a vehicle that is to travel automatically to a destination based on map data, road information, surrounding information, and the like. The travel route is set such that the total value of the travel times to the destinations of all the vehicles that automatically travel is minimized.

  In addition, the route planning unit 13 sets a traveling route in consideration of information of a user who gets on the vehicle. Specifically, for example, in the case where the user requests a ride with little shaking, a traveling route passing through a road with little shaking is set. Further, for example, when the user is an old man, it is assumed that the automatic traveling is performed at a low speed, and the traveling route is set so that the total value of the traveling time of all the vehicles becomes minimum.

  In addition, when the vehicle is urgently stopped, the route planning unit 13 resets the travel route of another vehicle or permits the following vehicle to overtake the urgently stopped vehicle (details will be described later) ). At this time, the traveling route is reset so that the total value of the traveling time to the destination of all the vehicles performing automatic traveling is minimized.

  The reservation management unit 14 receives an automatic travel use reservation from the user. More specifically, information about usage reservation such as usage time, departure place, destination, user information and the like is received from a terminal device such as a smartphone operated by the user. Note that the user information includes, for example, personal information such as the user's name, age, gender, physical problems, etc., and a request for automatic travel such as a request for a ride with less shaking of the vehicle during travel. It is done.

  The allocation management unit 15 manages use reservation for automatic traveling, and selects a vehicle to be allocated to the user from among vehicles in standby. Here, the vehicles to be allocated move as a whole in consideration of the position information of each vehicle in standby, the remaining energy amount, the traveling route from the departure place to the destination, and the situation of use reservation of other automatic traveling It is selected so that the total time value and the total energy consumption value are reduced. When the vehicle allocation time designated by the user approaches, the vehicle allocation management unit 15 causes the vehicle to return to the user's origin, and the destination, the departure place, and the travel with respect to the automatic travel control device 20 mounted on the vehicle. Transmits routes, travel speeds during automatic travel, etc.

  The remote monitoring unit 16 is a state of the user who is in a vehicle which is automatically traveling, a vehicle state of each vehicle (a residual amount of energy, a traveling state, an abnormality such as a vehicle or a device mounted on a vehicle) Understand the presence or absence of Then, when there is an abnormality in the vehicle, the user who is in the vehicle, etc., a stop instruction is transmitted to the vehicle to make an emergency stop, and when the abnormality is recovered, a start instruction is transmitted to the vehicle. Resume. In addition, when an emergency stop request is received from a vehicle in automatic travel, a stop instruction is transmitted to the vehicle to make an emergency stop.

The vehicle management unit 17 manages charging time and maintenance time based on the position information and the vehicle state of each vehicle.
The vehicle communication unit 18 wirelessly communicates with the automatic travel control device 20 or the like mounted on the vehicle via a cellular line or the like.

  On the other hand, the automatic travel control device 20 is mounted on a vehicle that performs automatic travel, and is configured of a computer having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an HDD, and the like. The automatic travel control device 20 stores map data, and based on the map data, automatically travels the own vehicle toward a destination along a travel route.

  The automatic travel control device 20 includes a travel route setting unit 21, a vehicle position determination unit 22, a travel control unit 23, an occupant monitoring unit 24, a periphery monitoring unit 25, a system monitoring unit 26, and an emergency stop unit 27. And a center communication unit 28. Note that these devices and parts may be configured as one device, or may be dispersed into a plurality of devices and connected via an in-vehicle LAN or the like.

The travel route setting unit 21 specifies a travel route, a destination, and the like received from the center 10 on the map data of the own device, and sets these as a travel route and the like at the time of automatic travel.
The host vehicle position determination unit 22 acquires position information of the host vehicle based on the map data, and transmits the position information to the center 10. Specifically, for example, the position information of the vehicle may be grasped by high precision GPS, or map matching may be performed to grasp the position information of the vehicle with high precision.

  The traveling control unit 23 detects the state of the host vehicle such as the vehicle speed, acceleration, steering angle, yaw rate, etc., and controls the traveling direction and the vehicle speed based on the state of the host vehicle, position information, map data, etc. Run your own vehicle along the road. The travel control unit 23 controls the traveling direction, the vehicle speed, and the like of the host vehicle by controlling an engine, a motor, a steering angle, a brake, and the like by various actuators.

  The occupant monitoring unit 24 monitors the state of the user who is in the vehicle, based on the captured image of the in-vehicle camera, a signal from a sensor that detects the presence or absence of seating, and the like. In addition, it detects prohibited acts, which will be described later.

  The periphery monitoring unit 25 grasps surrounding information based on a captured image of a camera outside the vehicle, a detection result by a laser sensor, a millimeter wave sensor or the like, and transmits the peripheral information to the center 10. Specifically, the presence or absence of an object such as another vehicle, a pedestrian, or an obstacle around the host vehicle, the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the object, the moving direction or speed of the object, the state of the road, etc. Understand as information.

  The system monitoring unit 26 detects the vehicle state of the own vehicle and transmits it to the center 10. In addition, a prohibited act to be described later is detected, and when the prohibited act is detected, that effect is transmitted to the center 10.

  The emergency stop unit 27 transmits an emergency stop request to the center 10 in response to a request from a user or a device mounted on the host vehicle. Further, in response to a stop instruction from the center 10, the above-described actuator is controlled to stop the vehicle urgently, and in response to the start instruction from the center 10, the automatic travel of the emergency stopped vehicle is resumed.

In addition, the above-mentioned override and an emergency operation described later are detected, and an operator of the center 10 is called.
The center communication unit 28 wirelessly communicates with the center 10 or the like via a cellular line or the like.

[Description of operation]
As described above, in the automatic travel control system 1 of the present embodiment, the automatic travel control device 20 causes the vehicle to automatically travel to the destination along the travel route set by the center 10, but there is a problem during automatic travel If a problem occurs, stop the vehicle. Below, the process at the time of making a vehicle stop is demonstrated in detail.

(1) Prohibition Act, etc. Occurrence of Prohibition Act, etc., which is executed when a predetermined prohibited act is performed on a vehicle that is automatically traveling, or when an emergency operation for notifying the occurrence of an emergency is performed The process will be described with reference to FIG. This processing is periodically executed by the automatic travel control system 1.

  In S100, the automatic travel control device 20 determines whether or not the user riding on the host vehicle has performed a prohibited action or an emergency operation. Then, when a positive determination is obtained (S100: Yes), the process proceeds to S105, and when a negative determination is obtained (S100: No), the present process ends.

Here, the prohibited act means, for example, an act that may cause the host vehicle or the user to suffer from any damage, hinder the traveling of the host vehicle, or degrade the functions of the host vehicle or the on-vehicle apparatus.
Specifically, prohibited actions include, for example, opening the door of the vehicle while traveling, removing the seat belt, taking out a part of the body from the window, removing the child seat, and using a fire in the vehicle It is possible to do things such as In addition, for example, operations that may interrupt or interrupt automatic travel such as turning off the power of a vehicle or an in-vehicle device, or actions such as damage, removal, or modification of components of the vehicle or vehicle, in-vehicle device, etc. are considered. Be Also, for example, it is possible to place an object at an inappropriate position in a car (specifically, place an object so as to prevent detection by a sensor such as an in-car camera or notification by a notification device such as a display or a speaker) . Besides this, for example, smoking or unnecessary operation on a vehicle or an on-vehicle apparatus may be prohibited.

  On the other hand, the emergency operation is an operation for notifying the center 10 of an emergency, and is performed, for example, by operating a dedicated button or lever. In addition, it is preferable to arrange these buttons, levers, etc. in a place where it is difficult for them to reach, or arrange them in a state of being covered by a cover member to make it difficult to make an erroneous operation.

  In S105, the automatic travel control device 20 notifies the center 10 of the occurrence of the prohibited act or the emergency operation while notifying the occurrence of the prohibited act or the emergency operation or the stop of the vehicle toward the inside or the outside of the vehicle by video or audio. Do.

  Note that the automatic travel control device 20 can be used for pedestrians outside the vehicle and those who are on other vehicles by means of sounds output from horns and speakers, lights such as headlights and blinkers, and displays that can be viewed from outside. The occurrence of a prohibited act may be notified.

  More specifically, for example, the meter 200 is provided with the display unit 201 indicating a prohibited act of opening the door while traveling, and the display unit 201 is caused to emit light or blink to generate the prohibited act or the like. It may be informed (FIG. 3). In addition, a message may be displayed on the display 210 indicating that the vehicle is to stop because a prohibited action or the like (for example, an operation of a door while traveling) has occurred on the center 10 (FIG. 4).

  In S110, the automatic travel control device 20 notifies that the subject vehicle is to be stopped toward the inside or the outside of the vehicle by video and audio, and shifts to the processing for stopping the subject vehicle urgently. Specifically, even if a message indicating that notification to the center 10 has been given on the display 220, that a prohibited action or the like (for example, opening a door while traveling) has occurred, or that a stop processing is to be performed is displayed. Good (Figure 5). In addition, you may make it transfer to stop processing, when a prohibition action etc. generate | occur | produce over predetermined times (for example, 2 times).

  On the other hand, the center 10 which has received the notification of the occurrence of the prohibited action notifies the operator of the occurrence of the prohibited action via the display, the speaker, and the like. In addition, the center 10 can stop the stop vehicle without stopping the passage of other vehicles etc. based on the position information and map data of the vehicle (stop vehicle) where the prohibited act etc. has occurred. Search for position). Specifically, for example, the road shoulder of a road section having a sufficient road width (for example, a road section where the other vehicle can pass by the side of a stopped vehicle without stopping in the opposite lane) A stop space or the like provided in the vehicle may be used as a stop recommended position.

  In S115, the center 10 determines whether or not the stopped vehicle can stop at the recommended stop position. Specifically, for example, when a recommended stop position exists near a stopped vehicle, it may be determined that the vehicle can be stopped at the recommended stop position. Then, if it is possible to stop at the recommended stop position (S115: Yes), the process proceeds to S145, and if it is not possible to stop (S115: No), the process proceeds to S120.

In S120, the center 10 instructs the automatic travel control device 20 of the stopped vehicle to stop on the spot and shifts to S125.
In S125, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle brings the host vehicle close to the road shoulder and stops the vehicle on the spot according to the stop instruction from the center 10. At this time, based on the detection result of the periphery monitoring unit 25, the own vehicle is stopped so as not to be in contact with other vehicles, pedestrians and the like. In addition, as a result of the stopped vehicle, it becomes difficult or impossible for other vehicles to pass through the stopped position of the stopped vehicle. Therefore, the center 10 may instruct the automatic travel control device 20 of the following vehicle of the stopped vehicle to stop.

  In S130, the center 10 resets a traveling route bypassing the stopping position as a traveling route of a succeeding vehicle or a vehicle in automatic traveling which is scheduled to pass the stopping position. Then, a new travel route is distributed to the automatic travel control device 20 of the vehicle, and automatic travel on the travel route is started, and the process proceeds to S135. In addition, in consideration of new travel routes of these vehicles, travel routes of other vehicles not passing the stop position may be reset.

  In S135, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle provides the user with the reason why the own vehicle has stopped via the display, the speaker, etc. (indication that the prohibited action or emergency operation has been made, specific contents of the prohibited action, etc. Informing the Moreover, it is confirmed via a display or a speaker whether or not the user is to resume the automatic traveling, and the process proceeds to S140.

In S140, when the automatic travel control device 20 for a stopped vehicle receives a request to resume the automatic traveling via the touch panel, the key switch or the like, the automatic traveling is resumed, and the present process is ended.
On the other hand, in S145 in which the stopped vehicle can stop at the recommended stop position, the center 10 instructs the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle to stop the subject vehicle at the recommended stop position, and the process proceeds to S150. Transition.

  In S150, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle moves the own vehicle to the recommended stop position and stops the vehicle according to the stop instruction from the center 10. At this time, based on the detection result of the periphery monitoring unit 25, the own vehicle is stopped so as not to be in contact with other vehicles, pedestrians and the like. In addition, even if the stopped vehicle stops at the recommended stopping position, the other vehicles can travel on the side of the stopped vehicle without interfering with the traveling of the oncoming vehicle or the like.

  In S155, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle notifies the reason why the own vehicle has stopped, as in S135. Moreover, it is confirmed via a display or a speaker whether or not the user is to resume the automatic traveling, and the process proceeds to S140.

In S160, as in S140, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle resumes the automatic travel when it receives a request to resume the automatic travel, and shifts to S165.
In S165, the center 10 resets the travel route of the other vehicle in response to the fact that the stopped vehicle has resumed automatic traveling. Then, the newly set travel route is distributed to the automatic travel control device 20 of another vehicle, automatic travel on the new travel route is started, and the present process is ended.

Here, a specific example in the case where the vehicle in which the prohibited act or the like has occurred is urgently stopped by the prohibited act or the like generation processing will be described (FIG. 6).
When a prohibited act or the like occurs in the vehicle 30 which is traveling automatically, and the center 10 is notified of this, the center 10 searches for a recommended stop position.

  At this time, it is assumed that the vehicle 30 is traveling in the overtaking impossible section 50 (a section in which overtaking can not be performed without preventing traveling of an oncoming vehicle or the like). In this case, the center 10 instructs the automatic travel control device 20 of the vehicle 30 to stop on the spot if a stop recommended position does not exist in the block where the vehicle 30 is traveling and the block adjacent to the block. good.

  Then, the automatic travel control device 20 of the vehicle 30 stops the own vehicle on the spot according to the instruction, but this makes traveling of the stop position of the vehicle 30 difficult or impossible. For this reason, the center 10 resets the traveling route of the vehicle or the like which is automatically traveling which is to pass the stopping position, and starts the automatic traveling on the new traveling route.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the vehicle 30 travels in the overtaking impossible section 50, but the stoppable section 60 exists in a block in which the vehicle 30 is traveling or in a block adjacent to the block. In this case, the center 10 may set the shoulder of the stoppable section 60 to the stop recommended position and instruct the automatic travel control device 20 of the vehicle 30 to stop at the recommended stop position.

  Then, the automatic travel control device 20 of the vehicle 30 stops the own vehicle at the recommended stop position according to the instruction, but stopping the vehicle 30 at the recommended stop position does not prevent the travel of other vehicles. 10 does not reset the travel routes of other vehicles.

Second Embodiment
Next, the automatic travel control system 1 of the second embodiment will be described. The automatic travel control system 1 of the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and the automatic travel is performed in the same manner as the first embodiment, but according to the prohibited action, the emergency operation, etc. The process for stopping the vehicle is different. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

(1) About the stop of the vehicle according to the prohibited act etc. First, the process in the case of stopping the vehicle urgently according to the prohibited act or the emergency operation will be described (FIG. 7).

  If the prohibited operation such as opening the door or removing the seat belt or emergency operation is performed during the automatic traveling of the own vehicle (S300), the automatic travel control device 20 detects this and performs the stop processing for making the own vehicle emergency stop (S305). At this time, the automatic travel control device 20 keeps the door of the host vehicle locked.

  In S310, the automatic travel control device 20 notifies the center 10 that the host vehicle is to be stopped by a prohibited action or the like. Then, information related to the prohibited act (for example, the occurrence of the prohibited act, the effect of stopping the own vehicle, etc.) is notified to the inside or the outside of the vehicle by video or audio (S315).

  Note that the stop processing may be performed without the notification, the stop processing may be started after the notification, or only the notification may be performed, and the stop processing may not be performed. In addition, after the notification is made, if the prohibited action is not performed within a predetermined time or the emergency operation is canceled, the automatic traveling may be continued without starting the stop process. .

  Here, if the road width of the road section during which the vehicle in which the prohibited action or the like occurs is narrow, or if there is not a sufficient stop space on the road shoulder of the road section, etc. It may interfere. In such a case, the center 10 instructs the automatic travel control device 20 of the following vehicle to stop (S320).

  Then, communication is performed between the center 10 and the automatic travel control device 20 of the stopped vehicle, and a call between the operator and the user becomes possible through these. Specifically, the operator can confirm the situation of the user riding on the stopped vehicle, or the user can notify the operator of the situation (S325, S330).

  In S335, the automatic travel control device 20 releases the lock of the door of the own vehicle when the stop processing of the own vehicle is completed. Then, the center 10 is notified that the vehicle can be dismounted (S340).

  In response to this, the operator indicates to the user that the locked vehicle has been unlocked via the center 10 and the automatic travel control device 20, or that the vehicle is dismounted from the vehicle after confirming the safety of the surroundings. Tell etc. (S345).

  In S350, the center 10 resets a traveling route such as a following vehicle stopped or a vehicle scheduled to pass through the stopping position of the stopped vehicle, and transmits a new traveling route to the automatic travel control device 20 for these vehicles. Do. The automatic travel control device 20 having received the new travel route starts the automatic travel along the travel route.

(2) About stopping of the vehicle according to the user's request for stopping Next, processing for stopping the vehicle urgently according to the user's request for stopping will be described (FIG. 8).

  In S400 and S405, the automatic cruise control device 20 starts communication with the center 10 in response to an instruction from the user, and enables a call between the operator and the user. At this time, the user notifies the operator that he feels sick or drunk on the vehicle, and requests the vehicle to stop. Also, in response to this, the operator informs the user that the vehicle should be stopped at a safe place.

  In S410, the center 10 searches the recommended stop position around the stopped vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle (stopped vehicle) requested to stop and the map data, etc., and the recommended travel position for the automatic travel control device 20. In addition to giving notice, it instructs to stop at the recommended stop position.

  In S415, the automatic travel control device 20 of the stop vehicle starts the stop processing according to the stop instruction from the center 10, and stops the own vehicle at the stop recommended position. At this time, based on the detection result of the periphery monitoring unit 25, the own vehicle is stopped so as not to be in contact with other vehicles, pedestrians and the like.

In S420, the automatic travel control device 20 notifies the center 10 that the host vehicle has stopped at the recommended stop position.
In S425, when the center 10 receives the notification from the automatic travel control device 20, the travel routes of all the other vehicles are reset in consideration of the stop position of the stopped vehicle, and the automatic travel control device 20 of these vehicles is Send a new driving route. At this time, with respect to the vehicle scheduled to travel at the stop position, it is determined whether the vehicle will be passed and the stop position will be passed or the stop position will be bypassed.

  Thereafter, in response to a request from the user, the automatic travel of the stopped vehicle is resumed. Specifically, for example, when a conversation is made between the operator and the user, and the user wishes to go to the hospital, the operator and the user may consult with each other to determine the hospital of the transfer destination (S430) ~ S440).

  Then, the operator sets the destination of the stopped vehicle at the center 10, and the center 10 sets a traveling route to a new destination (for example, 病院 hospital as an example), and the automatic travel control device 20 for the stopped vehicle The new destination and traveling route are transmitted (S445).

  In S450, the center 10 resets the travel routes of all the other vehicles according to the setting of the new travel route of the stopped vehicle, and transmits the new travel routes to the automatic travel control devices 20 of these vehicles.

In S455, the automatic travel control device 20 of the stopped vehicle receives a new destination and a travel route from the center 10, and starts the automatic travel along the travel route.
(3) About the stop of the vehicle according to a failure etc. Next, the processing in the case of making a vehicle emergency stop according to a failure etc. is explained (Drawing 9).

  If a vehicle (car X) is automatically turned off due to a failure or a problem or if steering becomes impossible or communication between the center 10 and the automatic travel control device 20 is interrupted (S500, S505 And X) automatic travel control device 20 stops the own vehicle in an emergency. At this time, the automatic travel control device 20 may cause the subject vehicle to make an emergency stop by operating an auxiliary brake (such as a parking brake) provided separately from the main brake (service brake).

  On the other hand, when the communication with the automatic travel control device 20 for the Xth car is interrupted, the center 10 can not grasp the position information of the Xth car (S515). Therefore, the automatic travel control device 20 of the other vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the position information of the Xth car received last is instructed to stop (S520).

  After that, the operator of the center 10 makes a call with the user who is in the car No. X by using the emergency contact means, to hear the user's situation, the current location, and convey information for the purpose of rescue (S525). The emergency contact means may be a telephone set provided in the vehicle separately from the automatic travel control device 20. Also, the user's telephone number may be registered in advance, and the user's mobile phone may be used as an emergency contact means.

[effect]
In the automatic travel control system 1 according to the first and second embodiments, an action that may hinder the automatic travel of the vehicle, a vehicle in automatic travel, or a user in the vehicle may be damaged. An act or an act that may reduce the function of the vehicle or in-vehicle device is detected as a prohibited act. Then, when the prohibited act is detected, the vehicle is stopped after the notification related to the prohibited act is made. In addition, when an emergency operation indicating the occurrence of an emergency is performed, the vehicle is stopped after a notification relating to the emergency is issued.

For this reason, while the improper action and emergency which were carried out during automatic traveling are certainly detected, the user who gets on the vehicle, the person who exists outside the vehicle, and the operator of the center 10 respond to these. I can handle it smoothly. In addition, since the vehicle in which the dangerous act or the like has occurred is stopped, the user can get off the vehicle, and the dangerous act or the like can be dealt with smoothly.

In addition, when there is a possibility that the stopped vehicle may interfere with the traveling of the following vehicle, the following vehicle in automatic traveling is stopped. Therefore, a collision between the following vehicle and the stopped vehicle can be prevented.
Furthermore, the traveling route of the other vehicle in automatic traveling which is scheduled to pass the stopping position of the vehicle is reset as the traveling route bypassing the stopping position. For this reason, the other vehicle can perform smooth automatic traveling.

[Other embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can take various forms, without being limited to the said embodiment.

  (1) The automatic travel control system 1 of the first and second embodiments includes a roadside installation device having the same function in place of or in addition to the center 10, and the automatic travel control device 20 and the roadside Automatic traveling may be performed by wireless communication with the installation device.

  Further, the automatic travel control system 1 includes an on-vehicle device having the same function in place of or in addition to the center 10, and performs inter-vehicle communication between the automatic travel control device 20 and the on-vehicle device You may drive automatically.

  (2) In the first and second embodiments, automatic traveling control is performed by the automatic traveling control system 1 configured of the center 10 and the automatic traveling control device 20. However, the automatic traveling control device 20 alone It is also possible to automatically drive the vehicle.

In such a case, for example, the automatic travel control device 20 may receive an input from a user such as a destination and the like, and set a travel route for automatic travel based on map data.
Also, it is considered that the automatic travel control device 20 alone performs the occurrence processing of prohibited acts etc. in the same manner as the first embodiment, or stops the own vehicle according to the prohibited acts etc. in the same manner as the second embodiment. Be

  Specifically, when the automatic travel control device 20 searches for a recommended stop position and a prohibited action or the like occurs, it is conceivable to stop the vehicle at the recommended stop position on the spot or on the spot. Also, when stopping the own vehicle, the automatic travel control device 20 for the stop vehicle instructs the automatic travel control device 20 for the following vehicle to stop, or for the automatic travel control device 20 for the following vehicle or other vehicles It is possible to instruct the review of the traveling route. Note that these processes correspond to an example of the stopping means and the indicating means in the claims.

  (3) The function possessed by one component in the first and second embodiments may be distributed as a plurality of components, or the function possessed by a plurality of components may be integrated into one component. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the first and second embodiments may be replaced with a known configuration having the same function. Further, part of the configuration of the first and second embodiments may be omitted. In addition, at least a part of the configurations of the first and second embodiments may be added to or replaced with other configurations in the first and second embodiments. In addition, all the aspects contained in the technical thought specified only by the words described in the claim are an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) The present invention can be realized in various forms other than the automatic traveling control system 1 described above, the center 10 constituting the automatic traveling control system 1, the automatic traveling control device 20, and the like. Further, the present invention can be realized in the form of a program for causing a computer to function as the center 10 or the automatic travel control device 20, a medium storing the program, a method corresponding to processing executed by the program, or the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic travel control system, 10 ... Center 11 ... Area monitoring part 12 ... Traffic control part, 13 ... Route plan part, 14 ... Reservation management part, 15 ... Dispatch management part, 16 ... Remote monitoring part, 17 ... Vehicle Management unit, 18: Vehicle communication unit, 20: Automatic travel control device, 21: Travel route setting unit, 22: Vehicle position grasping unit, 23: Travel control unit, 24: Occupant monitoring unit, 25: Peripheral monitoring unit, 26 ... System monitoring unit, 27 ... Emergency stop unit, 28 ... Center communication unit.

Claims (5)

An automatic travel control system (1) having an automatic travel control device (20) mounted on a vehicle and a center (10) capable of communicating with the automatic travel control device,
The automatic travel control device
A vehicle position determination unit (22) for notifying the center of position information of a vehicle which is the vehicle on which the automatic travel control device is mounted;
An automatic travel unit (21, which controls the traveling direction and the speed of the vehicle) and causes the vehicle to travel to the destination notified from the center along the traveling route notified from the center 23) and
In the case where a predetermined prohibited action occurs in the vehicle of the host vehicle and / or an emergency operation for notifying that an emergency has occurred in the host vehicle, the center A notification unit (S100, S105) for performing occurrence notification to notify that a prohibited action and / or the emergency operation has occurred;
And a stop unit (S125, S150) for stopping the vehicle when the prohibited act and / or the emergency operation occurs.
The center is
A setting unit (13, 15) configured to set the traveling route and the destination of the vehicle based on map data and to notify the vehicle;
A control unit (13, 15) for causing another vehicle other than the vehicle to travel based on the stop position of the vehicle which is grasped based on the position information of the vehicle when the occurrence notification is received from the vehicle;
Automatic travel control system (1) comprising: In the automatic travel control system according to claim 1,
The automatic travel control system, wherein the control unit causes the other vehicle to travel past the stop position, passing the generated vehicle that is stopped at the stop position. In the automatic travel control system according to claim 1,
The control unit sets a detour route for detouring the stopping position as the traveling route of the other vehicle, and notifies the detouring route to the automatic travel control device mounted on the other vehicle. Control system. The automatic travel control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
When the control unit receives the occurrence notification from the vehicle, the control unit notifies the vehicle of a stop instruction,
The stopping unit stops the own vehicle equipped with the automatic travel control device provided with the stopping unit at the stopping position according to the stopping instruction from the center.
The automatic travel control system further includes a notification unit (S135, S150) for notifying the reason why the host vehicle is stopped when the automatic travel control device receives the stop instruction from the center. A center (10) capable of communicating with an automatic travel control device (20) mounted on a vehicle,
The automatic travel control device
A vehicle position determination unit (22) for notifying the center of position information of a vehicle which is the vehicle on which the automatic travel control device is mounted;
An automatic travel unit (21, which controls the traveling direction and the speed of the vehicle) and causes the vehicle to travel to the destination notified from the center along the traveling route notified from the center 23) and
In the case where a predetermined prohibited action occurs in the vehicle of the host vehicle and / or an emergency operation for notifying that an emergency has occurred in the host vehicle, the center A notification unit (S100, S105) for performing occurrence notification to notify that a prohibited action and / or the emergency operation has occurred;
And a stop unit (S125, S150) for stopping the vehicle when the prohibited act and / or the emergency operation occurs.
The center is
A setting unit (13, 15) configured to set the traveling route and the destination of the vehicle based on map data and to notify the vehicle;
A control unit (13, 15) for causing another vehicle other than the vehicle to travel based on the stop position of the vehicle which is grasped based on the position information of the vehicle when the occurrence notification is received from the vehicle;
A center (10) comprising

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