JP2020046900A - Automatic driving assistance system and automatic driving assistance method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving assistance system which enables high-safety platoon traveling to be implemented in automatic driving, and an automatic driving assistance method.SOLUTION: A first vehicle 2a transmits traveling system information Sb on itself relating to a vehicle travel to a following second vehicle 2b which travels in a platoon, via a light-emitting pattern of light of a light-emitting unit which is provided in a vehicle body. The second vehicle 2b images the light-emitting pattern of the light that is transmitted from the first vehicle 2a traveling ahead, by an imaging section 6. An actuation processing section 17 of the second vehicle 2b analyzes the light-emitting pattern of the light from the picked-up image of the imaging section 6 and causes the second vehicle 2b to execute automatic traveling on the basis of the light-emitting pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic driving support system and an automatic driving support method for supporting automatic driving of a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, technical development of an automatic driving support system that realizes automatic driving of a vehicle at the time of driving on a highway or the like is progressing. In this type of automatic driving, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed by radio (radio wave) between the front and rear vehicles, and the following vehicle is caused to follow the preceding vehicle by keeping a certain inter-vehicle distance. 2. Description of the Related Art A technique of running a plurality of vehicles in a platoon is known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-2002-74577 JP 2008-165611 A

  By the way, if the inter-vehicle communication is tampered with by a third party or the like, normal platooning cannot be realized. Therefore, there is a need for technology development that can ensure safety when a plurality of vehicles travel in a row in automatic driving.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving support system and an automatic driving support method that can realize highly safe platooning in automatic driving.

  The automatic driving support system that solves the above problem is provided with a detection unit that detects a surrounding situation of the vehicle in the vehicle, and based on a detection signal of the detection unit, automatically drives the front and rear vehicles so as to travel in a platoon. A light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting units provided in the vehicle, a light emitting control unit that controls a light emitting pattern of the light emitting unit, and a light emitting pattern of light output from the light emitting unit. An operation processing unit that recognizes the light emission pattern when the light is received by the light receiving units of at least one of the front and rear vehicles, and reflects the recognition result in the automatic driving.

  According to this configuration, when vehicles are automatically driven in a platoon, various kinds of information are transmitted from the own vehicle to the other vehicle through optical communication between the vehicles, and the automatic driving is performed in a suitable mode. For this reason, it is possible to protect the group of vehicles traveling in a platoon from being affected by an action such as transmitting a radio wave from a distant place and performing an illegal operation. Therefore, it is possible to realize stable platooning in automatic driving.

  In the automatic driving support system, the light emission control unit transmits its own vehicle traveling system information related to vehicle traveling from one side to the other between vehicles through the light emission pattern of light of the light emitting unit, and the vehicle traveling The operation processing unit of the vehicle, which has received the system information by the light receiving unit, controls the platooning while taking an inter-vehicle distance according to the vehicle traveling system information based on the received vehicle traveling system information. Is preferred. According to this configuration, when a plurality of vehicles form a platoon and automatically travel, it is possible to set an optimum inter-vehicle distance based on vehicle travel system information transmitted to the opponent vehicle via optical communication. As a result, automatic traveling with a minimum inter-vehicle distance becomes possible. Therefore, it contributes to alleviation of traffic congestion and improvement of fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

In the automatic driving support system, it is preferable that the light receiving unit shares the element of the detection unit. According to this configuration, the number of components is reduced.
In the automatic driving support system, it is preferable that the light receiving unit is a photographing unit that photographs around the vehicle. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire the light emission pattern of the light transmitted by the optical communication between the vehicles by using the image captured by the image capturing unit installed in advance for the automatic driving.

  In the automatic driving support system, it is preferable that the vehicle traveling system information relating to vehicle traveling is vehicle specification information relating to traveling performance of the vehicle. According to this configuration, it is possible to set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance according to the traveling performance of each vehicle. Therefore, for example, it is possible to set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance in accordance with the specifications of acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, which is further advantageous in alleviating traffic congestion and improving fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

  In the automatic driving support system, a first vehicle traveling ahead emits light from the light-emitting unit provided at a rear part of the vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle includes the first vehicle. It is preferable that the light emission pattern of the light emitted from the light emitting unit of the vehicle is obtained via the light receiving unit provided at the front part of the vehicle. According to this configuration, optical communication is performed between the first vehicle and the second vehicle traveling back and forth, and the second vehicle is automatically driven to follow the first vehicle through the optical communication. Therefore, it is possible to cause the second vehicle to follow the first vehicle at an optimum inter-vehicle distance.

  In the automatic driving support system, the operation processing unit, from the light emitting unit provided on the road installation, when receiving light according to the light emitting pattern according to the vehicle traveling on the road, recognizes the light emitting pattern, Preferably, the recognition result is reflected in the automatic driving. According to this configuration, various types of information transmitted from the light-emitting unit provided on the road-installed object through optical communication can be reflected on the automatic traveling of the vehicles traveling in the platoon. Therefore, it is more advantageous for alleviating traffic congestion and improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

  In the automatic driving support system, when the operation processing unit obtains a request to depart from the platoon running through the light emission pattern of the light from another vehicle, the operation processing unit determines whether the other vehicle and the own vehicle depart from the platoon. It is preferable to perform control to increase the inter-vehicle distance. According to this configuration, when leaving the platoon, it is possible to increase the inter-vehicle distance with the following vehicle, so that it is possible to ensure the safety of the vehicle when leaving the platoon.

  An automatic driving support method that solves the above problem is provided with a detection unit that detects a surrounding situation of the vehicle in the vehicle, and based on a detection signal of the detection unit, performs automatic driving so that front and rear vehicles run in a platoon. Controlling the light emission pattern of a light emitting unit comprising a plurality of light emitting units provided in the vehicle, the light emission pattern of the light output from the light emitting unit of at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle Recognizing the light emission pattern when received by the light receiving unit, and reflecting the recognition result in the automatic driving.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the highly safe platooning in automatic driving | operation can be implement | achieved.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic driving support system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a light emitting unit at the front of the vehicle body. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a light emitting unit at the rear of the vehicle body. The image figure of the platoon running of a several vehicle. Explanatory drawing which shows the control aspect of the automatic driving | operation through the optical communication between vehicles. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows how to take inter-vehicle distance. Explanatory drawing which shows the control aspect of the automatic driving | operation through the optical communication of ITS cooperation. (A), (b) is an operation | movement figure of the vehicle at the time of leaving | separating from platooning.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an automatic driving support system and an automatic driving support method will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic driving support system 1 automatically drives the vehicle 2 by automatically controlling the operation of the engine and the steered wheels of the vehicle 2, for example. The automatic driving refers to a state in which the vehicle 2 travels independently by itself without imposing a manual operation on the driver. In addition, the automatic driving support system 1 of the present example has a row running function of running in a row by following a preceding vehicle (first vehicle 2a) with a following vehicle (second vehicle 2b). In the case of this example, the first vehicle 2a is a preceding vehicle on the front side in the traveling direction, and the second vehicle 2b is a succeeding vehicle on the rear side in the traveling direction. Note that the total number of vehicles in the formation is not limited to two as shown in the figure, and may be three or more. Further, the second vehicle 2b to follow may be either manned or unmanned.

  The vehicle 2 includes a controller 3 that controls traveling of the vehicle 2. The controller 3 includes an automatic operation control unit 4 that controls automatic operation (platform running) when the vehicle 2 is set to automatic operation. The automatic driving control unit 4 controls automatic driving based on, for example, a detection signal Sa obtained from a detecting unit 5 provided to detect a surrounding situation of the vehicle 2. The detecting unit 5 is preferably, for example, a photographing unit 6 that photographs the surroundings of the vehicle 2 or a radar unit 7 that detects the surroundings of the vehicle 2 through radio waves. The photographing unit 6 is preferably a camera, and is arranged in front and rear of the vehicle body. In the case of this example, the photographing unit 6 sets the photographing unit 6 at the front of the vehicle body to “6a” and the photographing unit 6 at the rear of the vehicle body to “6b”. The radar unit 7 is preferably a millimeter wave radar. The automatic driving control unit 4 executes automatic driving (platform running) while controlling the vehicle speed and the steering based on the detection signal Sa of the detecting unit 5.

  The automatic driving support system 1 has a function of controlling automatic driving by inter-vehicle communication through optical communication (inter-vehicle communication driving control function). In the case of the present example, the inter-vehicle communication operation control function has a function of optimizing the inter-vehicle distance L between vehicles running in the platoon and supporting the driving of the vehicle 2 leaving the platooning.

  In this case, the automatic driving support system 1 includes a light emitting unit 11 including a plurality of light emitting units 10. The light emitting unit 10 is preferably, for example, a small LED. The light-emitting units 11 are connected to the controller 3 and are arranged before and after the vehicle body. In the case of this example, the light emitting unit 11 at the front of the vehicle body is “11a”, and the light emitting unit 11 at the rear of the vehicle body is “11b”. The photographing unit 6 and the light emitting unit 11 can be attached regardless of the inside or outside of the vehicle, and it is preferable that the unit (unit alone) has a waterproof structure and a dustproof structure. As the waterproof structure and the dust-proof structure, known structures can be appropriately adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting unit 11a at the front of the vehicle body is disposed on a front grill 12 provided at the front of the vehicle body. The plurality of light emitting units 10 of the light emitting unit 11a irradiate light in front of the own vehicle, and are arranged linearly so as to be arranged in the vehicle width direction. It is preferable that the photographing unit 6a and the light emitting unit 11a at the front of the vehicle body are arranged in the vicinity.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit 11b at the rear of the vehicle body is disposed, for example, on a garnish 13 provided at the rear of the vehicle body. The plurality of light-emitting units 10 of the light-emitting unit 11b emit light toward the rear of the vehicle, and are linearly arranged in the vehicle width direction. It is preferable that the photographing unit 6b and the light emitting unit 11b at the rear of the vehicle body are arranged in the vicinity.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the automatic driving support system 1 includes a light emission control unit 16 that controls the operation of the light emitting unit 11 (the plurality of light emitting units 10). The light emission control unit 16 controls turning on and off of the plurality of light emission units 10 so that the light emission units 11 are turned on in a light emission pattern according to the vehicle traveling system information Sb transmitted through optical communication. The vehicle traveling system information Sb includes vehicle specification information Sb1 relating to traveling performance (acceleration performance, deceleration performance, etc.) of the vehicle 2 and traveling information Sb2 relating to the current situation of vehicle traveling (vehicle speed, steering amount, destination, etc.). Including. Therefore, the light emission control unit 16 sequentially notifies the vehicle specification information Sb1 and the traveling information Sb2 from the own vehicle to the other vehicles through the optical communication between the vehicles. The light emission pattern includes a combination of the light emission order and the number of times of light emission of each light emitting unit 10.

  The automatic driving support system 1 includes an operation processing unit 17 that operates the vehicle 2 based on a light emission pattern of light obtained through optical communication between vehicles. When the light output unit 11 of the other vehicle receives the light output from the light emitting unit 11 of the other vehicle, the operation processing unit 17 recognizes the light emission pattern and reflects the recognition result in the automatic driving. In the case of this example, the light receiving unit 18 shares the element of the detection unit 5 (the imaging unit 6).

  The operation processing unit 17 includes a signal separation unit 19 that separates an optical communication image (light emission pattern image Sa2) between vehicles from the captured image Sa1 of the imaging unit 6, and a light emission unit 11 that emits light from the light emission pattern image Sa2 obtained after the separation. An analysis unit 20 for analyzing a pattern and an instruction content generation unit 21 for generating instruction content based on the analysis result of the analysis unit 20 are provided. The instruction content generation unit 21 outputs the generated instruction content to the automatic driving control unit 4 of the vehicle 2 to cause the vehicle 2 to travel by an operation according to the optical communication between the vehicles. In the case of this example, the first vehicle The signal separating unit 19, the analyzing unit 20, and the instruction content generating unit 21 of the second vehicle 2a are respectively set to "19a, 20a, 21a", and the signal separating unit 19, the analyzing unit 20, and the instruction content generating unit 21 of the second vehicle 2b are each set to "19b". , 20b, 21b ".

Next, the operation and effect of the automatic driving support system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the own vehicle 2c is operated in the platoon running mode, the own vehicle 2c is incorporated into a group of other vehicles 2d running in a platoon, and has a headway between the front and rear other vehicles 2d. The vehicle runs in a row with the distance L left by a predetermined amount. It should be noted that participation in the platooning can be transferred to the platoon in any of the manual driving and the automatic driving, for example, if an operation intended to shift to the platooning is performed in the own vehicle 2c. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, during the platooning, the photographing unit 6a at the front of the body of the first vehicle 2a traveling ahead photographs the surrounding situation and outputs the photographed image Sa1 to the controller 3 of the first vehicle 2a. I do. When the first vehicle 2a is in the front of the platoon, only the image of the surrounding situation in front of the first vehicle 2a (surrounding situation image) is reflected in the captured image Sa1, and the picture conforms to the optical communication between the vehicles. Is not shown. Accordingly, the controller 3 determines that it is not necessary to perform a process of separating and analyzing the light emission pattern image Sa2 from the captured image Sa1, and sends the captured image Sa1 to the automatic operation control unit 4.

  The automatic driving control unit 4 analyzes the photographed image Sa1 and generates an instruction content relating to the automatic driving, that is, a control command, based on the analysis result. Then, the automatic driving control unit 4 outputs this control command to each ECU or the like of the first vehicle 2a. As a result, the first vehicle 2a performs automatic driving according to the surrounding situation.

  In addition, during the platooning, the light emission control unit 16 of the first vehicle 2a traveling ahead sends the second vehicle 2b traveling backward through the light emission pattern of the light emission unit 11b (plurality of light emission units 10) at the rear of the vehicle body. The vehicle traveling system information Sb of one vehicle 2a is transmitted by optical communication between vehicles. As the vehicle traveling system information Sb, for example, vehicle specification information Sb1 and traveling information Sb2 of the first vehicle 2a are notified. The vehicle traveling system information Sb may be transmitted regularly or irregularly, or may be transmitted at a timing when the vehicle 2 has been operated by the traveling system (for example, a manual operation of driving).

  The vehicle specification information Sb1 is obtained from, for example, any one of acceleration information indicating the acceleration performance (acceleration ability) of the first vehicle 2a, deceleration information indicating the deceleration performance (braking force) of the first vehicle 2a, or a combination of these pieces of information. Preferably, The traveling information Sb2 preferably includes any one of the destination, the current vehicle speed, the current steering amount, and the like of the first vehicle 2a ahead traveling in the platoon, or a combination of these information.

  The photographing unit 6a at the front of the vehicle body of the second vehicle 2b photographs light having a light emission pattern illuminated by the light emitting unit 11b at the rear of the vehicle body of the first vehicle 2a, and outputs the photographed image Sa1 to the controller 3. When the light emission pattern image Sa2 is reflected in the captured image Sa1, the controller 3 sends the captured image Sa1 to the signal separation unit 19b of the second vehicle 2b. When the photographed image Sa1 is input, the signal separating unit 19b separates the light-emitting pattern image Sa2 from the photographed image Sa1, and outputs the light-emitting pattern image Sa2 to the analyzing unit 20b of the second vehicle 2b. The photographed image Sa1 of the photographing unit 6a of the second vehicle 2b is also sent to the automatic driving control unit 4 for controlling automatic driving.

  The analysis unit 20b of the second vehicle 2b analyzes the light emission pattern image Sa2 separated by the signal separation unit 19b, and outputs the analysis result to the instruction content generation unit 21b of the second vehicle 2b. As a method of image analysis, various image processing techniques can be used.

  The instruction content generation unit 21b of the second vehicle 2b generates the instruction content related to the automatic driving, that is, the operation command Sc, based on the analysis result by the analysis unit 20b. Then, the instruction content generation unit 21b outputs the operation command Sc to the automatic driving control unit 4 of the second vehicle 2b.

  The automatic driving control unit 4 of the second vehicle 2b recognizes an image (surrounding situation image) that does not take into account the light emission pattern of the light emitting unit 11b from the photographed image Sa1 directly obtained from the photographing unit 6a at the front of the vehicle body. The instruction content of the automatic operation, that is, the control command is recognized based on the image. Therefore, the automatic driving control unit 4 of the second vehicle 2b controls the automatic driving (platform running) based on this control command and the operation command Sc acquired from the instruction content generation unit 21b. As a result, the second vehicle 2b automatically travels following the first vehicle 2a while taking the surrounding situation into consideration and leaving the inter-vehicle distance L according to the optical communication (light emission pattern) between the vehicles.

  In the case of this example, the automatic driving control unit 4 of the second vehicle 2b controls the automatic driving (platform running) based on the operation command Sc input from the instruction content generation unit 21b. That is, the automatic driving control unit 4 of the second vehicle 2b controls the automatic driving of the platoon running based on the vehicle driving system information Sb acquired through the light emission pattern of the optical communication between the vehicles. For example, when the operation command Sc includes a command that takes into account acceleration information and deceleration information as the vehicle specification information Sb1, the inter-vehicle distance L is reduced to such an extent that they do not collide with each other, and platooning is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when vehicle specification information Sb1 (acceleration / deceleration information) is transmitted between the front and rear vehicles through optical communication between the vehicles, the vehicle specification information Sb1 (acceleration / deceleration information) is included in the vehicle specification information Sb1 (acceleration / deceleration information). The platooning is executed with the appropriate inter-vehicle distance L. By the way, for example, when the acceleration performance of the preceding vehicle is high, it is necessary for the following vehicle to quickly catch up with the preceding vehicle. When the deceleration performance of the preceding vehicle is low, it is assumed that the possibility that the preceding vehicle will suddenly decelerate is low. Therefore, in these cases, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is preferable that the vehicle speed is adjusted so as to reduce the inter-vehicle distance L during platooning.

  On the other hand, when the acceleration performance of the preceding vehicle is low, the following vehicle can catch up with the preceding vehicle immediately, so that the inter-vehicle distance L may have a margin. Further, when the deceleration performance of the preceding vehicle is high, it is necessary to keep a distance so that the following vehicle does not collide when the preceding vehicle suddenly decelerates. Therefore, in these cases, it is preferable that the vehicle speed is adjusted so that the inter-vehicle distance L is increased during platooning, as shown in FIG. 6B.

  During platooning, the subsequent second vehicle 2b may be able to recognize that the destinations of the front and rear vehicles are the same based on the driving information Sb2 obtained from the first vehicle 2a through optical communication. In this case, the second vehicle 2b may perform automatic traveling simply following the first vehicle 2a based on various information input from the first vehicle 2a through optical communication. In this case, the automatic driving of the second vehicle 2b becomes a simple automatic driving.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, the automatic driving may be controlled so that the inter-vehicle distance L differs between the vehicles. In the example of the figure, the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicles 2r and 2s is “L1”, the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicles 2s and 2t is “L2 (> L1)”, and the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicles 2t and 2u is "L3 (<L1 <L2)". Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance L is further optimized.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the automatic driving support system 1 operates in cooperation with an intelligent transportation system (ITS) 24, which realizes improvement of traffic safety and congestion mitigation by utilizing communication technology. ITS cooperation). In this case, the light-emitting unit 11 is provided on the road-installed object 25, and the driving support information Sb3 relating to the driving environment on the road can be transmitted to the vehicle 2 via optical communication. The road installation object 25 includes, for example, a traffic light, a road sign, a street light, and the like. The driving support information Sb3 is so-called ITS information, and includes various information related to the driving environment such as traffic congestion prediction, accident information, weather forecast, and the like.

  When receiving the light (light emission pattern) output from the light emitting unit 11, the imaging unit 6 a at the front of the vehicle body (or the imaging unit 6 b at the rear of the vehicle body) outputs the captured image Sa 1 to the signal separation unit 19. Thereafter, the light emission pattern image Sa2 output from the light emitting unit 11 is obtained through the same processing as when the vehicle specification information Sb1 and the travel information Sb2 are received. Then, the automatic driving control unit 4 executes the automatic driving (platform running) reflecting the operation command Sc derived from the light emission pattern image Sa2. The driving support information Sb3 notified by the intelligent transportation system 24 is not limited to optical communication, but may include information via radio waves.

  In the case of the ITS cooperation, the inter-vehicle distance management for the interrupted vehicle may be performed as one of the measures for preventing the occurrence of traffic congestion due to the interrupt brake in response to the interrupt of another vehicle. For example, if the vehicle approaches a junction such as an interchange while traveling on a highway, vehicle-to-vehicle management may be performed so that vehicle consolidation is not hindered and the overall speed of a group of vehicles traveling in platoon does not decrease. In a situation where traffic congestion occurs, the inter-vehicle distance L between vehicles running in platoon is increased from a certain distance before the traffic congestion by using a wireless network (for example, DCM: Data Communication Module), and the congestion point is determined. The deceleration traffic may be alleviated.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, when the operation of leaving the platoon is performed by the first vehicle 2a (indicating the intention), the second vehicle 2b that is the succeeding vehicle is the preceding vehicle. An operation for supporting the detachment of the first vehicle 2a may be performed. When recognizing the operation of leaving the platoon, the first vehicle 2a transmits a request to leave the platoon running (leaving request Sb4) to the second vehicle 2b through the light emission pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, when the second vehicle 2b (the operation processing unit 17) receives the departure request Sb4 from the first vehicle 2a, the second vehicle 2b (the operation processing unit 17) and the departure first vehicle 2a and the own vehicle, the second vehicle 2b, Is controlled to increase the inter-vehicle distance L between. In the case of this example, when the operation processing unit 17 of the second vehicle 2b acquires the departure request Sb4 from the first vehicle 2a through optical communication, the operation processing unit 17 temporarily lowers the speed of the second vehicle 2b, and The distance L between vehicles is increased. Thereby, when the first vehicle 2a leaves the platoon, even if the driving operation is performed by switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving, a safe departure with a sufficient inter-vehicle distance with the second vehicle 2b behind is ensured. Is done.

  By the way, in the case of the present example, when the vehicles 2 form a platoon and run automatically, the own vehicle (in this example, the first vehicle 2a) and the opponent vehicle (in this example, the second vehicle 2b) through the optical communication between the vehicles. ) To transmit the various information, and to execute the automatic driving in a suitable mode. For this reason, it is possible to protect the group of vehicles traveling in a platoon from being affected by an action such as transmitting a radio wave from a distant place and performing an illegal operation. Therefore, it is possible to realize platooning with high safety in automatic driving.

  The light emission control unit 16 transmits its own vehicle traveling system information Sb related to vehicle traveling from one side to the other between the vehicles through the light emission pattern of the light emitting unit. The operation processing unit 17 of the vehicle 2 that has acquired the vehicle traveling system information Sb by the photographing unit 6 determines the inter-vehicle distance L based on the received vehicle traveling system information Sb, Controls traveling. For this reason, when a plurality of vehicles form a platoon and run automatically, it is possible to set the optimum inter-vehicle distance L based on the vehicle traveling system information Sb transmitted to the opponent vehicle through optical communication. As a result, automatic traveling with a minimum inter-vehicle distance L is possible. Therefore, it contributes to alleviation of traffic congestion and improvement of fuel efficiency of the vehicle 2.

The light receiving unit 18 shares the element of the detection unit 5 (the imaging unit 6 in this example). Therefore, it contributes to suppressing the number of parts.
The light receiving unit 18 is the photographing unit 6 that photographs the periphery of the vehicle. Therefore, the light emission pattern of the light transmitted by the optical communication between the vehicles can be acquired by using the photographed image Sa1 of the photographing unit 6 installed in advance for the automatic driving.

  The vehicle traveling system information Sb is vehicle specification information Sb1 related to the traveling performance of the vehicle 2. This makes it possible to set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance L according to the traveling performance of each vehicle 2. Therefore, for example, it is possible to set an appropriate inter-vehicle distance L according to the specifications of acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 2, which is further advantageous for alleviating traffic congestion and improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 2.

  The first vehicle 2a traveling ahead emits light from the light emitting unit 11 provided at the rear of the vehicle body. The second vehicle 2b traveling behind the first vehicle 2a transmits a light emission pattern of light emitted from the light emitting unit 11 of the first vehicle 2a to a light receiving unit (a photographing unit in this example) provided in a front part of the vehicle body. 6) through to get. For this reason, optical communication is performed between the first vehicle 2a and the second vehicle 2b traveling back and forth, and the second vehicle 2b is automatically driven to follow the first vehicle 2a through this optical communication. Therefore, the second vehicle 2b can follow the first vehicle 2a with the optimum inter-vehicle distance L.

  When the operation processing unit 17 receives light from the light-emitting unit 11 provided on the road-installed object 25 in accordance with a light-emitting pattern (vehicle driving support information Sb3 in this example) relating to vehicle traveling on the road, the operation processing unit 17 converts this light-emitting pattern. Recognize and reflect the recognition result on automatic driving. Therefore, various kinds of information transmitted from the light emitting unit 11 provided on the road installation object 25 through optical communication can be reflected on the automatic traveling of the vehicles 2 traveling in a platoon. Therefore, it is more advantageous for alleviating traffic congestion and improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

  When the operation processing unit 17 obtains a notification (leaving request Sb4) of leaving from the platoon running from another vehicle (in this example, the first vehicle 2a) through the light emission pattern, the other vehicle (vehicle) that leaves the platoon. In the example, control is performed to increase the inter-vehicle distance L between the first vehicle 2a) and the host vehicle (the second vehicle 2b in the present example). Therefore, when leaving the platoon, it is possible to increase the inter-vehicle distance with the following vehicle, so that the safety of the vehicle 2 when leaving the platoon can be ensured.

The present embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
The vehicle traveling system information Sb is transmitted through optical communication from the subsequent second vehicle 2b to the first vehicle 2a traveling ahead, and the automatic driving of the first vehicle 2a ahead is controlled to realize a desired platooning. You can also.

When three or more vehicles are platooned, for example, the vehicle running system information Sb of the first vehicle 2 may be transmitted to all subsequent vehicles 2 after the second vehicle to control platooning.
Various parameters such as the movement of the surrounding vehicle, the type of road sign, the position of the white line, the sidewalk position, the presence / absence and movement of a pedestrian, the presence / absence and movement of a bicycle, and the presence / absence of a bicycle can be adopted as the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2.

The detection unit 5 is not limited to the imaging unit 6 and the radar unit 7, but may use another member such as an infrared sensor.
The light emitting unit 10 of the light emitting unit 11 is not limited to the LED, and may be any member that can perform optical communication.

The arrangement of the light emitting units 10 is not limited to the arrangement aligned in the horizontal direction, and the arrangement may be changed as appropriate, for example, in the vertical direction, or in a combination of arrangement in the vertical and horizontal directions.
The light emitting pattern of the light emitting unit 11 is not limited to a combination of lighting and turning off, and various parameters such as a lighting time and a blinking interval can be applied.

  The vehicle traveling system information Sb is not limited to the vehicle specification information Sb1, but includes the traveling information Sb2, the driving support information Sb3, and the departure request Sb4 described in the embodiment. Further, the vehicle traveling system information is not limited to these information and requests, and may have any content as long as it is information necessary for maintaining and controlling the platooning.

  The vehicle traveling system information Sb is not limited to various types of traveling information relating to the own vehicle. For example, various types of information obtained from another vehicle 2 traveling in the vicinity not participating in platooning may be used, and this information may be relayed to another vehicle 2 traveling in platooning.

The vehicle specification information Sb1 may be, for example, information such as vehicle weight, gasoline remaining amount, and mileage.
When the first vehicle 2a leaves the platoon, the first vehicle 2a temporarily accelerates to increase the inter-vehicle distance L with the subsequent second vehicle 2b, and then the first vehicle 2a takes off from the platoon. Good.

  -Support for departure from platooning may be directed to the second vehicle 2b. In this case, a departure request Sb4 is sent from the second vehicle 2b to the first vehicle 2a through optical communication, and the inter-vehicle distance L between the first vehicle 2a and the second vehicle 2b is wider than usual. In this case, traveling safety when the second vehicle 2b departs from platooning can be ensured.

For optical communication, for example, laser light, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, or the like can be used.
-The light receiving part 18 may be comprised from a member different from the detection part 5.
The light receiving unit 18 is not limited to the photographing unit 6 and may be any sensor that can acquire light.

-The platooning of the vehicles 2 is not limited to running in which the vehicles 2 are lined up in the front-rear direction.
-The driving support information Sb3 may include information on, for example, a slope, a curve, a tunnel, and the like.

  In the case where the driving support information Sb3 can be notified to the vehicle 2 also by radio waves, it is preferable that information exchanged by optical communication is basically positioned at a higher position, and information transmitted and received by radio waves is positioned at a lower position. .

The operation processing unit 17 may be configured to be incorporated in the automatic operation control unit 4.
The automatic driving support system 1 may be configured to be retrofittable to an existing vehicle.
-The automatic driving support system 1 is not limited to performing the process of optimizing the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicles. The point is that various types of information can be transmitted between the vehicles through optical communication between the vehicles, and automatic running in a platoon based on the information can be realized.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic driving assistance system, 2 ... Vehicle, 2a ... 1st vehicle, 2b ... 2nd vehicle, 5 ... Detection part, 6 (6a, 6b) ... Photographing part, 10 ... Light emission part, 11 (11a, 11b) ... Light-emitting unit, 16: Light-emission control unit, 17: Operation processing unit, 18: Light-receiving unit, 25: Road installation, Sa: Detection signal, Sb: Vehicle traveling system information, Sb1: Vehicle specification information, Sb2: Travel information, Sb3 ... Driving support information, Sb4... Leaving request, L.

Claims (9)

An automatic driving support system that includes a detection unit that detects a surrounding state of the vehicle in the vehicle, and controls automatic driving so that the front and rear vehicles run in a platoon based on a detection signal of the detection unit,
A light-emitting unit comprising a plurality of light-emitting units provided in the vehicle,
A light emission control unit that controls a light emission pattern of the light emitting unit,
An operation processing unit that recognizes the light emission pattern when the light emission pattern of the light output from the light emitting unit is received by at least one of the front and rear light receiving units of the vehicle, and reflects the recognition result in the automatic driving. Automatic driving support system. The light emission control unit, from one of the vehicles to the other, transmits its own vehicle travel system information related to the vehicle travel through the light emission pattern of the light of the light emitting unit,
The operation processing unit of the vehicle, which has received the vehicle traveling system information at the light receiving unit, controls the platoon traveling while taking an inter-vehicle distance according to the vehicle traveling system information based on the received vehicle traveling system information. The automatic driving support system according to claim 1, wherein The automatic driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit shares an element of the detection unit. The automatic driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light receiving unit is a photographing unit that photographs the periphery of the vehicle. The automatic driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle traveling system information relating to vehicle traveling is vehicle specification information relating to traveling performance of the vehicle. The first vehicle traveling ahead emits light from the light emitting unit provided at the rear of its own vehicle body,
The second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle acquires a light emission pattern of light emitted from a light emitting unit of the first vehicle via the light receiving unit provided in a front part of the own vehicle. The automatic driving support system according to any one of 1 to 5. The operation processing unit, when receiving light from the light-emitting unit provided on a road-installed object according to a light-emitting pattern related to vehicle traveling on a road, recognizes the light-emitting pattern, and recognizes the recognition result as the automatic driving. The automatic driving assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the automatic driving assistance system is reflected in the automatic driving assistance system. The operation processing unit, when a request to depart from the platoon is obtained from another vehicle through the light emission pattern of the light, control to increase the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle departing from the platoon and the own vehicle. The automatic driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which performs the operation. An automatic driving support method for providing a detection unit for detecting a surrounding condition of the vehicle in the vehicle, and controlling automatic driving so that the front and rear vehicles run in a platoon based on a detection signal of the detection unit,
Controlling a light emitting pattern of a light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting units provided in the vehicle;
Recognizing the light emitting pattern when the light emitting pattern of the light output from the light emitting unit is received by at least one of the light receiving units of the front and rear vehicles, and reflecting the recognition result in the automatic driving. How to help.

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