JP2023005865A - Rank travel vehicle, irradiation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of preventing a surrounding vehicle from interrupting between rank travel vehicles.SOLUTION: A rank travel vehicle (1) includes: a rank control unit (31) for causing the rank travel vehicles to travel in a row; an irradiation unit (12) for irradiating an external object with light; and an irradiation control unit (33) for causing the irradiation unit to irradiate the object with an image showing that the rank travel vehicle is in rank travel when the rank travel vehicle is travelling in a row.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to platooning vehicles, irradiation methods, and programs.

In relation to automatic driving of vehicles, platooning, in which a plurality of vehicles travel in a platoon, is considered. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a vehicle and a group of vehicles that provide a method of coping with abnormalities that occur in vehicles running in a row. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, even if an abnormality occurs in vehicles running in a platoon, the vehicles can run at a safe speed and avoid collisions with other vehicles running in the vicinity.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-76971

However, with the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, if a vehicle suddenly cuts into the platoon, the platooning vehicles may not be able to travel safely.

A platooning vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention is a platooning vehicle, and includes a platoon control unit that causes the platooning vehicle to travel in a platoon, an irradiation unit that irradiates an external object with light, and the platooning vehicle. an irradiation control unit that causes the irradiation unit to irradiate an image indicating that the platooning vehicle is traveling in a platoon onto the object when the platooning vehicle is traveling in the platoon.

An irradiation method according to an aspect of the present invention is an irradiation method using platooning vehicles having an irradiation unit that irradiates an external object with light, comprising: a platoon control step of causing the platooning vehicles to travel in a platoon; an irradiation control step of causing the illuminating unit to irradiate an image indicating that the platooning vehicles are platooning onto the object when the traveling vehicles are platooning.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of platooning vehicles according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a platooning vehicle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a modification of image irradiation processing by the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by a control device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the irradiation image of the vehicle platooning which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by a control device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; It is a figure which shows the modification of the irradiation position of the image which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which illustrated the structure of the computer which can be used as a control apparatus which concerns on each embodiment.

[Embodiment 1]
<Configuration example>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail below.

<Plotting vehicle 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a platooning vehicle 1 (hereinafter also referred to as vehicle 1) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the platooning vehicle 1 according to this embodiment.

The platooning vehicle 1 may include a vehicle drive unit 10 , a distance measurement unit 11 , an irradiation unit 12 , a communication unit 13 and a control device 20 .

The vehicle drive unit 10 is a drive unit for running the vehicle 1, and may include, for example, a steering device, a gearbox, an engine, a motor, and the like.

The distance measuring unit 11 is a measuring device that measures inter-vehicle distances between the vehicle 1 and vehicles traveling ahead and behind. The distance measuring unit 11 may include, for example, a distance measuring unit 11 a provided in front of the vehicle 1 and a distance measuring unit 11 b provided behind the vehicle 1 . The distance measuring unit 11a may measure the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and a vehicle traveling ahead. The distance measuring unit 11b may measure the distance between the vehicle 1 and a vehicle running behind.

The distance measuring unit 11a and the distance measuring unit 11b may be configured by distance measuring devices such as a stereo camera, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), millimeter wave radar, TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or the like.

Further, the distance measurement unit 11 may acquire GPS (Global Positioning System) information. The distance measuring unit 11 acquires the GPS information of the vehicle 1 and acquires the GPS information of a vehicle running ahead or behind via inter-vehicle communication, thereby traveling ahead or behind the vehicle 1. Based on the position of the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle 1 and a vehicle traveling ahead or behind may be measured.

Further, the distance measurement unit 11 may use data measured by various methods to improve the accuracy of the measured distance.

The irradiation unit 12 is an irradiation device that irradiates an external object with light. The irradiation unit 12 may include, for example, an irradiation unit 12 a provided in front of the vehicle 1 and an irradiation unit 12 b provided behind the vehicle 1 . In one aspect, the external object onto which images are projected by the irradiation units 12a and 12b may be the road surface 6 on which the vehicle 1 travels. For example, the irradiation unit 12 a may irradiate the image 5 a onto the road surface 6 obliquely forward right of the vehicle 1 . Further, the irradiation unit 12b may irradiate the image 5b onto the road surface 6 obliquely rear right of the vehicle 1 .

The irradiation unit 12a and the irradiation unit 12b may be configured by a projector for projection mapping, a laser device, a lamp, or the like.

Images 5a and 5b are images showing that the vehicle 1 is running in a row. In this embodiment, the image indicating that the vehicles 1 are running in a row is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, pictures, lines, characters, symbols, numbers, marks, patterns, patterns, and the like.

The communication unit 13 may include a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication (inter-vehicle communication) with another vehicle, and may use, for example, an inter-vehicle communication system (CVSS: Connected Vehicles Support Systems). The communication unit 13 may also include a mobile communication device for communicating with a predetermined server.

<Control device 20>
The control device 20 may include a memory 21 , a storage section 22 and a main control section 30 . The memory 21 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores data, and may be, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 22 is a nonvolatile recording medium that stores data, and may be, for example, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, or the like.

The main control unit 30 is a portion that controls the vehicle 1 or the control device 20 as a whole, and may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, for example. The main control unit 30 may include a platoon control unit 31, a determination unit 32, and an irradiation control unit 33 as functional blocks.

The platoon control unit 31 controls the vehicle drive unit 10 based on the inter-vehicle distance measured by the distance measurement unit 11 and the inter-vehicle communication via the communication unit 13 to cause the platooning vehicles 1 to travel in a platoon. good. In one aspect, the platoon control unit 31 includes information indicating the vehicles included in the platoon for platooning, information indicating the order of the vehicles 1 in the platoon, information indicating the vehicle to be followed by the vehicle 1, and the vehicle to be followed by the vehicle 1. The position, traveling direction, speed, etc. of the vehicle may be acquired through inter-vehicle communication, and the vehicle drive unit 10 may be controlled based on this information and the inter-vehicle distance. The platooning algorithm is not particularly limited, and a known algorithm can be used.

The determination unit 32 acquires control information indicating whether or not platooning is being executed from the platoon control unit 31, and determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is platooning based on the control information. you can

The irradiation control unit 33 may cause the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate an image indicating that the platooning vehicle 1 is platooning onto an external object while the platooning vehicle 1 is platooning. .

For example, in Japan, on a road with multiple lanes on one side, the platooning vehicles 1 may run in the leftmost lane. On the other hand, other vehicles that may cut in front of and behind vehicle 1 are assumed to travel in the passing lane on the right side of vehicle 1 . Therefore, the irradiation units 12a and 12b may irradiate the road surface 6 on the right side of the vehicle 1 with the images 5a and 5b in order to warn the other vehicle not to cut in between the vehicles 1 .

By irradiating the image 5 as described above, it is possible to alert other vehicles so as not to get in between the platooning vehicles 1, so that the platooning vehicles 1 can travel safely.

<Example of image irradiation processing>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by the control device 20 according to this embodiment.

In step S<b>1 , the determination unit 32 may acquire control information from the row control unit 31 . The control information is information related to platooning control, and includes a flag indicating whether or not the vehicle is currently platooning, the platooning order of the vehicle 1 (for example, the platoon number, that is, the number from the head of the platoon), and the number of vehicles in the platoon. etc. may be included.

In step S2, the determination unit 32 may determine whether or not the vehicles 1 are running in a row. If the determination unit 32 determines that the vehicles 1 are running in a row (YES in step S2), the irradiation control unit 33 may generate an image and cause the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate the image in step S3. When the determination unit 32 determines that the vehicles 1 are not running in a row (NO in step S2), the main control unit 30 may end the image irradiation process without performing image irradiation.

<Example of image>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the image 5 according to this embodiment. The image 5 is an image projected onto the road surface 6 from the irradiation unit 12, and may include, for example, pictures, lines, characters, symbols, numbers, marks, patterns, patterns, and the like. For example, image 5 may be the line shown in FIG. 4 also shows images M1 to M4 as examples of the image 5 projected onto the road surface 6. As shown in FIG.

M1 is a mark that notifies other vehicles that entry is prohibited, and may be intended to prohibit other vehicles from entering in front of or behind vehicle 1 . M2 may be a character indicating that the vehicle 1 is running in a row and other vehicles are prohibited from cutting in front of or behind the vehicle 1 . M3 is a mark that notifies other vehicles of prohibition of traveling outside the designated direction, and may be intended to prohibit other vehicles from moving in front of or behind vehicle 1 . M4 is a mark that notifies other vehicles of lane change prohibition, and may be intended to prohibit other vehicles from changing lanes in front of and behind the vehicle 1 from the passing lane to the driving lane.

<Modified example of image irradiation processing>
The irradiation control unit 33 may change the image according to the inter-vehicle distance between the platooning vehicle 1 and a vehicle traveling in front or behind the platooning vehicle 1 in the platoon. Further, the irradiation control unit 33 may change the luminous intensity of the light emitted by the irradiation unit 12 according to at least one of the brightness around the vehicle platoon 1, the time of day, and the weather.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of image irradiation processing by the control device 20 according to this embodiment. Steps S11 and S12 in FIG. 5 are the same as steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 3, so description thereof is omitted.

If the vehicle 1 is running in a row (YES in step S12), the control device 20 causes the irradiation control unit 33 of the main control unit 30 to detect the front or rear of the vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 11 in step S13. You may acquire the inter-vehicle distance between other vehicles which drive|work. Next, in step S14, the irradiation control unit 33 may adjust the type and thickness of the linear or dedicated marker in the image 5 according to the acquired inter-vehicle distance.

For example, when the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and there is little risk of another vehicle cutting in, the color of the image 5 may be made lighter to make the lines of the image 5 thinner, or the image 5 may be emitted. It doesn't have to be. As a result, the power saving effect can be obtained whether or not the image 5 is illuminated. On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle distance is smaller than the predetermined value and there is a high risk of another vehicle cutting in, the illumination control unit 33 darkens the color of the image 5 and thickens the lines of the image 5. good too. As a result, the image 5 can be easily seen from other vehicles, so that the intention of prohibiting interruption is easily conveyed, and the effect of prohibiting interruption is improved.

Further, in another aspect, when the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and there is a high possibility that another vehicle will cut in, the illumination control unit 33 darkens the color of the image 5 and thickens the lines of the image 5. may As a result, the image 5 can be easily seen from other vehicles, so that the intention of prohibiting interruption is easily conveyed, and the effect of prohibiting interruption is improved. On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle distance is smaller than the predetermined value and the possibility of another vehicle cutting in is low, the illumination control unit 33 may lighten the color of the image 5 and thin the lines of the image 5 . As a result, the effect of power saving can be achieved while the image 5 is emitted.

Subsequently, in step S15, the irradiation control unit 33 of the main control unit 30 may obtain the illuminance around the vehicle 1 using the illuminance sensor, or obtain the current date and time using the calendar and clock functions. You may Also, the irradiation control unit 33 may acquire weather information via the communication unit 13 . Next, in step S16, the irradiation control unit 33 may adjust the light intensity of the irradiation unit 12 according to the acquired illuminance or date and time.

For example, when the illuminance is low due to rainy weather, or when the sunset time of the date has passed, the irradiation control unit 33 may adjust the luminous intensity of the irradiation unit 12 to decrease. On the other hand, when the illuminance is high due to fine weather, or when it is before the sunset time of the date, the irradiation control unit 33 may adjust the luminous intensity of the irradiation unit 12 to increase. As described above, the image 5 can be easily seen from other vehicles, so that the intention of prohibiting interruption can be easily conveyed, thereby achieving the effect of preventing interruption.

In step S17, the irradiation control unit 33 of the main control unit 30 may cause the irradiation unit 12 whose light intensity is adjusted to irradiate the image 5 whose type and thickness are adjusted.

Note that, when it is detected that another vehicle has cut in front of or behind the vehicle 1 , the illumination control section 33 may increase the light intensity of the illumination section 12 and illuminate the image 5 .

Only one of steps S13 to S14 and steps S15 to S16 may be executed.

[Embodiment 2]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as the members described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated. The irradiation control unit 33 according to the present embodiment may cause the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate an image at a position according to the order of the platooning vehicles 1 in the platoon.

<Example of image irradiation processing>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by the control device 20 according to this embodiment. Steps S21 and S22 in FIG. 6 are the same as steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 3, so description thereof is omitted.

If the vehicles 1 are running in a row (YES in step S22), the control device 20 controls the irradiation control unit 33 of the main control unit 30 in step S23 to determine the row order of the vehicles 1 from the control information acquired in step S21. may be obtained. Next, in step S<b>24 , the irradiation control unit 33 may determine whether the platoon order of the vehicles 1 corresponds to the front, middle position, or rear end.

For example, the irradiation control unit 33 can determine which one the platoon order corresponds to by comparing the platoon order and the number of vehicles in the platoon. If the platoon order is 1, the platoon order corresponds to the top. If the platoon order is 2 or more and is smaller than the number of vehicles in the platoon, the platoon order corresponds to an intermediate position. If the platooning order matches the number of vehicles in the platoon, the platooning order corresponds to the tail end.

When the platoon order of the vehicles 1 corresponds to the top (the top of step S24), the main control unit 30 may terminate the image irradiation process without performing image irradiation. When the platoon order of the vehicles 1 corresponds to an intermediate position (intermediate position in step S24), in step S25, the illumination control unit 33 may generate an image for an intermediate vehicle forward. When the platoon order of the vehicle 1 corresponds to the rearmost vehicle (the rearmost vehicle in step S24), in step S26, the irradiation control unit 33 may generate front and rear images for the rearmost vehicle.

Then, in step S27, the irradiation control unit 33 may cause the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate the generated image.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an irradiation image of the vehicle platooning 1 according to the present embodiment. In the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7, the leading vehicle 1a of the platooning vehicles 1 does not have to emit an image. The intermediate vehicle 1b may irradiate the road surface 6 obliquely forward right with the image 5a. The rearmost vehicle 1c may irradiate the road surface 6 obliquely forward to the right with the image 5a and the road surface 6 obliquely rearward to the right with the image 5b.

According to the above, the image 5a may be projected onto the road surface 6 adjacent between the front and rear platooning vehicles 1 . Therefore, other vehicles traveling in the overtaking lane on the right side of the lane of the platooning vehicle 1 can recognize the image 5a and know that they are prohibited to cut in between the platooning vehicles 1 . Further, the image 5b may be projected onto the road surface 6 obliquely right behind the rearmost vehicle 1c. Therefore, the following vehicle of the last vehicle 1c can recognize the image 5b and can know that it is prohibited to cut in between the leading vehicles 1 in the platoon.

Although the platooning vehicles 1 emit the image 5 near the lane boundary on the road surface 6 , the image 5 may be emitted at other locations on the road surface 6 . Also, the leading vehicle 1a may irradiate an image. The irradiation control unit 33 may change the image 5 according to the order of the platooning vehicles 1 in the platoon. For example, the color and/or size of the image 5 may be changed from the last vehicle 1c to the leading vehicle 1a. As a result, it is possible to indicate to the surrounding vehicles how far the platoon is extending and to which position in the platoon they are approaching.

[Embodiment 3]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members explained in Embodiments 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will not be repeated. The irradiation control unit 33 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the number of lanes on the road on which the platooning vehicle 1 is traveling is two or more lanes on one side, and if the number of lanes is two or more lanes on one side , the irradiation unit 12 may be caused to irradiate the image 5 .

<Example of image irradiation processing>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of image irradiation processing by the control device 20 according to this embodiment. Steps S31 and S32 in FIG. 8 are the same as steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 3, so description thereof is omitted.

If the vehicles 1 are running in a row (YES in step S32), the control device 20 may cause the irradiation control section 33 of the main control section 30 to acquire traffic information in step S33. The traffic information is information about roads around the current position, and can be obtained from VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System, registered trademark) or the like. Next, in step S34, the irradiation control unit 33 may refer to the traffic information and determine whether or not the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicles 1 are traveling in a row is two or more lanes in each direction.

If the road has two or more lanes on one side (YES in step S34), the irradiation control unit 33 may cause the irradiation unit 12 to irradiate the image. If the road does not have two or more lanes on one side (that is, it has one lane on one side) (NO in step S34), the main control unit 30 may end the image irradiation processing without executing image irradiation. As a result, it is possible to avoid performing unnecessary irradiation and obtain the effect of power saving.

[Embodiment 4]
Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members explained in Embodiments 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will not be repeated. In Embodiments 1 to 3, the irradiating section 12 irradiates the image onto the road surface 6, but may irradiate the image onto other locations. For example, the external object to which the illuminating unit 12 irradiates light may be a road surface or a vehicle traveling in front of the platooning vehicle 1 in the platooning.

<Modified Example of the Irradiation Position of Image 5>
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modification of the irradiation position of the image 5 according to this embodiment. The irradiation unit 12 of the intermediate vehicle 1b may irradiate the image 5 onto the rear surface 4 of the leading vehicle 1a. In particular, the irradiation unit 12 may irradiate the image 5 onto the right end of the rear surface 4 of the leading vehicle 1a. As a result, other vehicles traveling in the overtaking lane on the right side of the lane of the platooning vehicle 1 can recognize the image 5 and know that it is prohibited to cut in between the platooning vehicles 1 .

[Embodiment 5]
Embodiments of the present invention are described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as those of the members described in Embodiments 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated. In this embodiment, a modified example of the platooning control method will be described.

In the example of FIG. 7, the leading vehicle 1a may be manned or unmanned. When the leading vehicle 1a is manned, the configuration may be such that the driver of the leading vehicle 1a can recognize that the image is being projected. For example, a panel in the driver's seat may indicate that the image is being projected. Further, the configuration may be such that the driver of the leading vehicle 1a can switch ON/OFF of the image irradiation manually or the like. For example, by operating a switch near the steering wheel, an instruction may be given to the control device 20 of the leading vehicle 1a.

When the platooning vehicle 1 is the leading vehicle 1a of the platoon traveling in a platoon, the platooning vehicle 1 transmits a signal indicating whether or not the platooning vehicle 1 is to irradiate an image to the other vehicles in the platoon. good too.

When the platooning vehicle 1 is not the leading vehicle 1a, a signal indicating whether or not the leading vehicle 1a is to illuminate an image is received from the leading vehicle 1a, and the illumination control unit 33 controls the illuminating unit according to the signal. 12 may be illuminated with an image.

In the example of FIG. 7, the determination by the determining unit 32 of the control device 20 may be performed by each vehicle running in the platoon, or may be performed by only the leading vehicle 1a. When the determination is performed only by the leading vehicle 1a, the leading vehicle 1a may instruct the intermediate vehicle 1b, and the intermediate vehicle 1b may instruct the trailing vehicle 1c (that is, serial control). You may instruct|indicate to the intermediate|middle vehicle 1b and the last vehicle 1c (namely, parallel control).

Which vehicle becomes the leading vehicle 1a may be changed depending on the situation. For example, if the leading vehicle 1a leaves the platoon on the way, the trailing intermediate vehicle 1b may become the leading vehicle 1a.

[Example of realization by hardware configuration and software]
The control blocks of the control device 20 (the platoon control unit 31, the determination unit 32, and the irradiation control unit 33 included in the main control unit 30) are implemented by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. It may be realized, or it may be realized by software using a CPU. In the latter case, the controller 20 may be configured using a computer (electronic computer) as shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer 910 that can be used as the control device 20. As shown in FIG. A computer 910 includes an arithmetic device 912 , a main memory device 913 , an auxiliary memory device 914 , and an input/output interface 915 which are connected to each other via a bus 911 . The computing unit 912, main memory 913, and secondary memory 914 may each be, for example, a CPU, random access memory (RAM), solid state drive, or hard disk drive. The input/output interface 915 is connected to an input device 920 for the user to input various information to the computer 910 and an output device 930 for the computer 910 to output various information to the user. The input device 920 and the output device 930 may be built in the computer 910 or may be connected (externally attached) to the computer 910 . For example, input devices 920 may be buttons, keyboards, mice, touch sensors, etc., and output devices 930 may be lamps, displays, printers, speakers, and the like. Also, a device having both functions of the input device 920 and the output device 930, such as a touch panel in which a touch sensor and a display are integrated, may be applied. A communication interface 916 is an interface for the computer 910 to communicate with an external device.

The auxiliary storage device 914 stores an information processing program for operating the computer 910 as the terminal device 100 or the server 200 . Arithmetic device 912 deploys the information processing program stored in auxiliary storage device 914 on main storage device 913 and executes instructions included in the information processing program, thereby converting computer 910 to terminal device 100. Alternatively, it functions as each part provided in the server 200 . The recording medium used by the auxiliary storage device 914 to record information such as an information processing program may be a computer-readable "non-temporary tangible medium", such as a tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable It may be a logic circuit or the like.

In addition, a configuration is adopted in which the computer 910 functions using a program recorded in a recording medium external to the computer 910 or a program supplied to the computer 910 via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.). You may The present invention can also be implemented in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Additional notes]
Some of the inventions described in this specification can also be described in the following appendices, but are not limited to the following.

(Appendix 1)
A platooning vehicle comprising: a platoon control unit that causes the platooning vehicle to travel in a platoon; an irradiation unit that irradiates an external object with light; and an irradiation control unit for irradiating the object with an image indicating that the platooning vehicle is platooning.

(Appendix 2)
An irradiation method by platooning vehicles having an irradiation unit for irradiating an external object with light, comprising: a platoon control step of causing the platooning vehicles to platoon; and when the platooning vehicles are platooning, and an irradiation control step of causing the irradiation unit to irradiate the object with an image indicating that the platooning vehicles are running in a platoon.

1 vehicle (platooning vehicle)
4 Back 5, 5a, 5b Image (information)
6 road surface 10 vehicle drive unit 11, 11a, 11b distance measurement unit 12, 12a, 12b irradiation unit 13 communication unit 20 control device 21 memory 22 storage unit 30 main control unit 31 formation control unit 32 determination unit 33 irradiation control unit

Claims (11)

A platooning vehicle,
a platoon control unit that causes the platooning vehicles to travel in a platoon;
an irradiation unit that irradiates light onto an external object;
an irradiation control unit that causes the irradiation unit to irradiate an image indicating that the platooning vehicle is platooning onto the object when the platooning vehicle is platooning;
A platooning vehicle characterized by comprising: 2. The platooning vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation control unit causes the irradiating unit to irradiate the image at a position corresponding to the order of the platooning vehicle in the platoon of the platooning. 3. The platooning vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation control unit changes the image according to the order of the platooning vehicles in the platoon. The irradiation control unit determines whether the number of lanes on the road on which the platooning vehicle is traveling is two or more lanes on one side, and if the number of lanes is two or more lanes on one side, the irradiation unit 4. The platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image is projected. The platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the external object is a road surface. The platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the external object is a vehicle traveling in front of the platooning vehicle in the platoon. The irradiation control unit is characterized in that the image is changed according to the inter-vehicle distance between the platooning vehicle and a vehicle traveling in front or behind the platooning vehicle in the platoon. A platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The illumination control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the illumination control unit changes the luminous intensity of the light according to at least one of brightness around the platooning vehicles, time of day, and weather. A platooning vehicle as described. If the platooning vehicle is the leading vehicle in the platoon, the platooning vehicle transmits a signal indicating whether or not the platooning vehicle is to illuminate the image to the other vehicles in the platoon. ,
If the platooning vehicle is not the leading vehicle, a signal indicating whether or not the leading vehicle is to illuminate the image is received from the leading vehicle. The platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an illuminating unit illuminates the image. An irradiation method by a platooning vehicle equipped with an irradiation unit for irradiating light onto an external object,
a platoon control step of causing the platooning vehicles to travel in a platoon;
an irradiation control step of causing the irradiation unit to irradiate an image indicating that the platooning vehicle is platooning onto the object when the platooning vehicle is platooning;
An irradiation method comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as a control unit provided in the platooning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the program for causing the computer to function as the platoon control unit and the irradiation control unit. .

Images