JP6407416B2 - Leading vehicle selection support device, travel plan creation device, leading vehicle selection support method, and travel plan creation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for supporting selection of a leading vehicle that tracks a vehicle.

  In recent years, development of a vehicle having a function of traveling following other vehicles has been progressing. When the vehicle automatically travels following another vehicle (leading vehicle), automatic driving (including semiautomatic driving such as automatic steering) of the following vehicle (following vehicle) can be realized. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the burden on the driver of the following vehicle and to contribute to the efficient operation of the traffic infrastructure.

  For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a cruise control device that displays a plurality of leading vehicle candidates on a display unit and allows a user to select one of them. In the cruise control device of Patent Document 1, a candidate for a leading vehicle is selected as a vehicle satisfying preset conditions such as position, speed, traveling direction, and the like (for example, “a vehicle whose distance from the vehicle is a certain value”, “vehicle” The vehicle is displayed on the display unit after narrowing down the vehicle to a vehicle whose speed difference is less than a certain value. By reducing the number of leading vehicle candidates in this way, the user can easily specify the leading vehicle.

JP 2014-133444 A

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, a vehicle that meets a user's intention to some extent can be a candidate for a leading vehicle. However, for example, even if there is a vehicle that is a candidate for a leading vehicle in a position close to the own vehicle, it takes time for the own vehicle to catch up if the vehicle is traveling at a high speed. When selected, the burden on the driver (driver burden) until the vehicle starts to follow the vehicle is large. Therefore, a technology that can grasp the driver's burden until the own vehicle joins the leading vehicle is desired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a leading vehicle selection support device that can obtain a driver's burden until the own vehicle joins the leading vehicle as a quantitative value. For the purpose.

The leading vehicle selection support device according to the present invention includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including information that can specify a current position of the host vehicle and a planned travel route, and a current position of another vehicle that is a leading vehicle candidate And other vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring other vehicle information including information that can predict the vehicle speed and information that can specify the planned travel route, and along the own planned travel route based on the own vehicle information and other vehicle information A merging cost calculation unit that calculates a merging cost that represents the amount of burden on the driver until the own vehicle traveling along the planned traveling route meets the other vehicle, and the vehicle passes through the intersection. A passing cost representing the size of the driver's burden when the vehicle is used is specified in advance for each intersection, and the passing cost is specified for each passing direction of the intersection. Before joining another car Taking into account the passage cost of intersection through which the car is shall to calculate the merging cost.

  According to the leading vehicle selection support device according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user (driver), a travel plan creation device, and the like with a joining cost that quantitatively indicates a driver burden until the own vehicle joins another vehicle. Thereby, for example, a leading vehicle that can be easily merged can be presented to the user, or the travel plan creation device can create a travel plan with less burden on the driver.

  Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the calculation method of merge cost. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed change of the own vehicle at the time of joining a leading vehicle. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed change of the own vehicle at the time of joining a leading vehicle. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed change of the own vehicle at the time of joining a leading vehicle. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed change of the own vehicle at the time of joining a leading vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the change of a leading vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the change of a leading vehicle. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle information display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the leading vehicle selection assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the leading vehicle selection support device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of leading vehicle specific information. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of leading vehicle specific information. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of leading vehicle specific information. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of leading vehicle specific information. It is a figure for demonstrating the passage cost of an intersection. It is a figure for demonstrating the passage cost of an intersection. It is a figure which shows the example of a passage cost table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guidance screen of the navigation device according to the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the travel plan presentation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle information delivery system which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the own vehicle information. It is a figure which shows the example of vehicle information (other vehicle information). It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between following driving | running | working and a driver | operator burden. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the travel plan creation device according to the fourth embodiment. It is a flowchart of a travel plan calculation process. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a travel plan. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a travel plan. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a travel plan. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a some travel plan. It is a figure which shows the structure of the travel plan preparation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of recalculating a travel plan. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of recalculating a travel plan. It is a figure which shows the example of a travel plan selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a travel plan selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a travel plan selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a travel plan change notification screen. 14 is a flowchart of travel plan recalculation processing in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to a sixth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle information delivery system which concerns on Embodiment 6. FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guidance screen of a navigation device according to a sixth embodiment. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation in a follow-up traveling section of the navigation device according to the sixth embodiment. 18 is a flowchart of travel plan recalculation processing in the sixth embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
In the present invention, the concept of “joining cost” is introduced as an index representing the magnitude of the driver's burden when own vehicle joins another vehicle. Since the driver's burden depends on the driving time, driving distance, number of operations during driving, etc., the merging cost is the driving time, driving distance, and acceleration amount of the own vehicle until it joins the other vehicle. , Deceleration amount, acceleration / deceleration amount (both acceleration amount and deceleration amount), etc.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the method for calculating the confluence cost will be described. For example, in order to determine the other vehicle X as a leading vehicle (merging target) from the state in which the other vehicle X is traveling in front of the own vehicle S as shown in FIG. Consider a case where the host vehicle S is merged with another vehicle X as shown in FIG. 2 (the host vehicle S can catch up with the other vehicle X). Here, the time in the state of FIG. 1 (time when the other vehicle X is determined as the leading vehicle) is t0, and the time when the host vehicle S joins the other vehicle X is t1. Further, the positions of the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X at time t are represented as Ps (t) and Px (t), respectively.

In the case where the merging cost from when the own vehicle S determines the other vehicle X as the leading vehicle to when it merges with the other vehicle X is expressed based on the travel time, the merging cost CT is the time when the other vehicle X is determined as the leading vehicle. It is expressed as a difference between t0 and time t1 when the own vehicle S joins the other vehicle X. That is,
CT = t1-t0 Formula (1)
It becomes.

On the other hand, when the merging cost is expressed with reference to the travel distance, the merging cost CD is the difference between the position Ps (t0) of the host vehicle S at time t0 and the position Ps (t1) of the host vehicle S at time t1. expressed. That is,
CD = Ps (t1) −Ps (t0) (2)
It becomes.

For simplicity, it is assumed that the speed of the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X is constant, and the speed of the host vehicle S is VFs and the speed of the other vehicle X is VFx (VFs> VFx). The position Ps (t) and the position Px (t) of the other vehicle are
Ps (t) = Ps (t0) + VFs · (t−t0) (3)
Px (t) = Px (t0) + VFx · (t−t0) Equation (4)
It is expressed. The distance D (t) between the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X at time t is
D (t) = Px (t) −Ps (t) (5)
It is expressed.

Ignoring the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X that is secured when the follow-up traveling is performed, and assuming that the distance between the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X is zero at the time of merging (that is, D (t1 ) = 0) From the above equation, the confluence cost CT based on travel time is
CT = t1-t0 = D (t0) / (VFs−VFx) (6)
It is expressed. D (t0) is the distance (Px (t0) −Ps (t0)) between the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X at time t0. As can be seen from the equation (6), the merging cost based on the travel time is the speed of the own vehicle S and the other vehicle X until the merging, and the distance (position of the position) between the own vehicle S and the other vehicle X before the merging. Difference).

Also, since the speed VFs of the host vehicle S is constant here, the equation (2) is
CD = Ps (t1) −Ps (t0) = VFs · (t1−t0) (7)
And can be transformed. Therefore, the confluence cost CD based on the travel distance is
CD = VFs · D (t0) / (VFs−VFx) (8)
It is expressed. As can be seen from the equation (8), the merging cost based on the travel distance is also calculated from the speeds of the own vehicle S and the other vehicle X until the merging and the distance between the own vehicle S and the other vehicle X before the merging. it can.

Here, the conditions under which the vehicle S can merge with the other vehicle X before the time T elapses from the time t0 are as follows:
T> t1−t0 = D (t0) / (VFs−VFx) (9)
It is. That is, the speed VFs of the own vehicle S is
VFs> VFx + D (t0) / T (10)
It is necessary to satisfy. Therefore, if the speed of the host vehicle S at time t0 is Vs0 smaller than VFx + D (t0) / T, the host vehicle S merges with the other vehicle X before time T elapses from time t0. The minimum amount of acceleration As required for ignoring the time required for acceleration is
As = VFx + D (t0) / T−Vs0 Formula (11)
It becomes. The confluence cost CA based on the acceleration amount can be defined as the necessary acceleration amount As. That is, the confluence cost CA based on the acceleration amount is defined by using T as a constant.
CA = As = VFx + D (t0) / T−Vs0 (12)
It is expressed.

  Further, in order to determine the other vehicle X as a leading vehicle from the state in which the other vehicle X is traveling behind the own vehicle S as shown in FIG. 3, and to follow the other vehicle X, as shown in FIG. Let us consider a case where the own vehicle S is joined to another vehicle X (the other vehicle X can catch up with the own vehicle S). Here, it is assumed that the time in the state of FIG. 3 (time when the other vehicle X is determined as the leading vehicle) is t0, and the time when the host vehicle S joins the other vehicle X is t1.

  Also in this case, as in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2, the confluence cost CT based on the travel time is expressed by Expression (1), and the confluence cost CD based on the travel distance is expressed by Expression (2). Is done. Assuming that the speeds of the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X are constant values VFs and VFx (VFs <VFx), the confluence cost CT based on the travel time is expressed by the equation (6), and the travel distance is The standard merging cost CD is expressed by equation (8). However, since the other vehicle X is located behind the host vehicle S, D (t) at times t0 to t1 has a negative value.

In this case, the condition for the host vehicle S to join the other vehicle X before the time T elapses from the time t0 is as follows:
T> t1−t0 = | D (t0) | / (VFx−VFs) Equation (13)
It is. That is, the speed VFs of the own vehicle S is
VFs <VFx− | D (t0) | / T (14)
It is necessary to satisfy. Therefore, if the speed of the host vehicle S at time t0 is Vs0 that is higher than VFx− | D (t0) | / T, the other vehicle X before the host vehicle S passes the time T from time t0. The minimum amount of deceleration Bs required to merge with ignoring the time required for deceleration is
Bs = Vs0− (VFx− | D (t0) | / T) (15)
It becomes. The merging cost CB based on the deceleration amount can be defined as the necessary deceleration amount Bs. That is, the confluence cost CD based on the deceleration amount is defined as T being a constant.
CB = Bs = VFx + D (t0) / T−Vs0 (16)
It is expressed.

  Thus, the merge cost can be calculated from the speeds of the host vehicle and the other vehicle and the distance (positional difference) between the host vehicle and the other vehicle before the merge. Therefore, if the speed of the host vehicle and the other vehicle and the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicle before joining can be obtained in advance, it is possible to predict the joining cost until the own vehicle joins the other vehicle. It is.

  Furthermore, if the fuel consumption data of the host vehicle S is used, the host vehicle during the period is calculated from the time until the host vehicle S joins the other vehicle X or the travel distance of the host vehicle S and the speed of the host vehicle S during that period. The fuel consumption of S can be calculated. The merge cost may be expressed based on the fuel consumption amount until the own vehicle S merges with the other vehicle X.

  In the above, the method for calculating the confluence cost when the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X are traveling on the same road has been described, but the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X may also be traveling on different roads. The confluence cost can be calculated.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, roads R1, R2, and R3 are connected at an intersection C1, the own vehicle S is scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2, and the other vehicle X is scheduled to travel on the roads R3 and R2. Think about the case. After passing through the intersection C1, the own vehicle S can join the other vehicle X on the road R2 as shown in FIG. In this case, the state in which the other vehicle X is traveling at the position where the distance to the intersection C1 on the road R3 is d1 (FIG. 5) is as follows. By considering the distance d1 as a traveling state, the merging cost can be calculated in the same way as when the vehicle S and the other vehicle X are traveling on the same road. However, it is necessary to stipulate that the point where the host vehicle S joins the other vehicle X is on the road R2 ahead of the intersection C1.

  In the above description, it is assumed that the speed of the host vehicle S is constant. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, immediately after the time t0 when the host vehicle S determines the other vehicle X as a leading vehicle, The speed of the host vehicle S may be expressed as a function of time or distance, assuming that the host vehicle S accelerates or decelerates immediately before the time t1 when the host vehicle S joins the other vehicle X. By doing so, it is possible to calculate a merging cost that is more in line with actual traveling. FIG. 8 shows an example of the speed change of the own vehicle S when the own vehicle S merges with another vehicle X traveling in front of it. FIG. 9 shows another example in which the own vehicle S travels behind it. The example of the speed change of the own vehicle S in the case of joining the car X is shown. 8 and 9 show an example in which the speed of the own vehicle S changes linearly, it may be assumed that the speed of the own vehicle S changes in a curved manner as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. .

  Similarly, in the above description, it is assumed that the speed of the other vehicle X is constant. However, if the travel plan of the other vehicle X is known, for example, if a speed change is known or can be assumed, the speed of the other vehicle X changes. The confluence cost can be calculated as a thing. By doing so, the accuracy of calculation of the merging cost can be increased.

  Also, the evaluation value (driving evaluation value) of the quality of the other vehicle X as the leading vehicle obtained by the own vehicle S through communication with the other vehicle X (communication between vehicles or through a server), other vehicle Information such as the certainty of the planned travel route of X and the certainty of the scheduled passage time (route certainty) may be added to the calculation of the value of the confluence cost. The driving evaluation value is determined based on, for example, a track record as a leading vehicle (for example, a length of travel time as a leading vehicle), an evaluation from a follower who has led in the past, or the like. The certainty of the route is low for vehicles that do not require high planability in the planned travel route and waypoints (mainly private vehicles), and vehicles that require high planability in the planned travel route and waypoints (mainly commercial vehicles). ) Is a high value.

  For example, it is conceivable to multiply the value of the confluence cost calculated by the above method by a coefficient corresponding to the driving evaluation value of the other vehicle X and the route certainty. When the driving evaluation value of the other vehicle X is high or the route certainty is high, it is preferable to multiply by a coefficient smaller than 1 so that the merging cost is estimated to be small.

  It is also assumed that the own vehicle S changes the leading vehicle during the follow-up traveling. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, consider a case in which the vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R4 follows the road R1 with the other vehicle X1 scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2 as a leading vehicle. In this example, when the other vehicle X2 scheduled to travel on the roads R3 and R4 exists, the tracking of the own vehicle S to the other vehicle X1 is terminated at the intersection C1 (connection point of the roads R1 to R4), and then FIG. Thus, the host vehicle S can be made to follow the other vehicle X2. Thus, the follow-up travel distance can be increased by transferring the leading vehicle. In that case, the merge cost from when the own vehicle S finishes following the other vehicle X1 (when the own vehicle S arrives at the intersection C1) until it merges with the other vehicle X2 is the leading vehicle change of the own vehicle S Defined as the confluence cost for.

  The leading vehicle selection support device according to the present invention finds another vehicle (leading vehicle candidate) that can be followed by the vehicle (own vehicle) on which the device is mounted, and joins the own vehicle to each leading vehicle candidate. By calculating the confluence cost, the selection of the leading vehicle is supported. In Embodiment 1, the example which applied the leading vehicle selection assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention to the vehicle information display apparatus is shown.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of the vehicle information display device 20 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle information display device 20 has a function of automatically determining the leading vehicle of the own vehicle and presenting it to the user. The vehicle information display device 20 may be a device independent of the host vehicle, such as a smartphone or a mobile phone. In that case, it is necessary to associate a smartphone or the like as the vehicle information display device 20 with the own vehicle by registering information on the own vehicle (own vehicle information) in the leading vehicle selection support device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the vehicle information display device 20 includes a leading vehicle selection support device 10, an input device 21 that operates in cooperation with the leading vehicle selection support device 10, a communication device 22, a map information storage device 23, and a display device. 24 is configured as a system.

  The input device 21 is a user interface that receives operations and information input by the user to the leading vehicle selection support device 10. The input device 21 may be hardware such as operation buttons and a mouse, or may be a software key using icons displayed on the screen. Furthermore, a voice recognition device in which a user inputs operation contents by voice may be used.

  The information input from the input device 21 is prioritized when evaluating the own vehicle information (own vehicle information) necessary for calculating the merging cost with another vehicle and the size of the calculated merging cost. Item (priority item). The priority items are not limited to those input by the user, and may be predetermined items, for example.

  The own vehicle information acquired by the leading vehicle selection support device 10 includes at least information on the current position of the own vehicle and the planned travel route. In the present embodiment, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 is provided with a route search function, and when the user inputs a destination (and a waypoint) using the input device 21, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 It is configured to search for an appropriate route from the position to the destination and determine the planned travel route. The expression format of the destination and waypoint may be an address or a latitude / longitude.

  The above priority items serve as evaluation criteria for evaluating the size of the confluence cost. In the present embodiment, a plurality of items are prepared in advance as priority item candidates, and the user selects one or more of them as priority items. As priority items, the travel distance, travel time, fuel consumption, acceleration amount, deceleration amount, acceleration / deceleration amount, etc. until the host vehicle joins another vehicle can be considered.

  The communication device 22 is for the leading vehicle selection support device 10 to communicate with other vehicles. The leading vehicle selection support device 10 acquires information on other vehicles (other vehicle information) necessary for calculating the confluence cost with the other vehicles through communication with the other vehicles. The other vehicle information includes at least information that can identify the current position, speed, and planned travel route of the other vehicle. When the other vehicle is a commercial vehicle such as a bus or a delivery vehicle, the information on the scheduled travel route of the other vehicle may be obtained from bus operation information or delivery information of the delivery vehicle. The communication between the communication device 22 and the other vehicle may be vehicle-to-vehicle communication in which the communication device 22 and the other vehicle directly communicate with each other, or indirect in which the communication device 22 acquires information transmitted from the other vehicle to the server from the server. Communication may be used.

  The leading vehicle selection support device 10 selects a leading vehicle candidate based on the own vehicle information and the other vehicle information, and calculates a merging cost for the own vehicle to merge with each of the leading vehicle candidates. Then, the size of the merging cost is evaluated based on the priority item set (selected) by the user, and the leading vehicle candidate having the smallest merging cost is determined as the leading vehicle. When a plurality of priority items are set, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 extracts a leading vehicle candidate that minimizes the merging cost for each priority item, and the user selects one of them. You may make it select.

  Further, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 notifies the following traveling control device 40 of the own vehicle of the determined leading vehicle. The follow-up travel control device 40 controls the travel control system (not shown) of the own vehicle so that the own vehicle follows the leading vehicle. By notifying the following traveling control device 40 of the leading vehicle, it is possible to prevent the own vehicle from following the other vehicles by mistake.

  The map information storage device 23 is a storage medium that stores map information including road network data, and includes, for example, a hard disk, a removable disk, and a memory. This map information is used when the leading vehicle selection support device 10 performs a route search for determining the planned travel route of the host vehicle, or when the calculated merge cost information is displayed superimposed on the map.

  The display device 24 is for displaying the merging cost calculated by the leading vehicle selection support device 10 and presenting it to the user. In addition, when displaying the software key as the input device 21 on the screen of the display device 24, the display device 24 and the input device 21 may be configured as one touch panel having both functions.

  Next, the configuration of the leading vehicle selection support device 10 will be described. The leading vehicle selection support device 10 includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit 11, another vehicle information acquisition unit 12, a merging cost calculation unit 13, a priority item setting unit 14, a leading vehicle determination unit 15, and a display processing unit 16.

  The own vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires information about the own vehicle (own vehicle information) input from the input device 21 by the user. In the present embodiment, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 11 includes a planned travel route acquisition unit 11 a that performs route search using map information stored in the map information storage device 23. The planned travel route acquisition unit 11a determines the planned travel route of the host vehicle by searching for an optimal route between the current position of the host vehicle and the destination. According to this configuration, the user can cause the host vehicle information acquisition unit 11 to acquire the planned travel route of the host vehicle simply by inputting the destination information to the input device 21.

  The planned travel route acquisition unit 11a may acquire the planned travel route calculated by an external navigation device without calculating the planned travel route of the host vehicle. In addition, when the user can input information on the planned travel route from the input device 21, the planned travel route acquisition unit 11a may be omitted.

  The other vehicle information acquisition unit 12 communicates with another vehicle using the communication device 22 and acquires vehicle information (other vehicle information). The merging cost calculation unit 13 calculates the merging cost of the own vehicle for each of the leading vehicle candidates based on the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 12. .

  The priority item setting unit 14 acquires information on priority items selected by the user using the input device 21. The leading vehicle determination unit 15 evaluates the size of the merging cost based on the priority item selected by the user, and determines the leading vehicle candidate having the smallest merging cost as the leading vehicle. The display processing unit 16 performs processing for causing the display device 24 to display the information on the leading vehicle determined by the leading vehicle determination unit 15.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the leading vehicle selection support device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 includes at least a processor 51, a memory 52 (storage device), and an input / output interface 53. The host vehicle information acquisition unit 11, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 12, the merging cost calculation unit 13, the priority item setting unit 14, the leading vehicle determination unit 15, and the display processing unit 16 are programs in which the processor 51 is stored in the memory 52. It is realized by executing.

  The input device 21, the communication device 22, the map information storage device 23, and the display device 24 constituting the vehicle information display device 20 are connected to the input / output interface 53, and the processor 51 executes a program stored in the memory 52. Is controlled by In FIG. 14, the input device 21, the communication device 22, the map information storage device 23, and the display device 24 are externally attached to the leading vehicle selection support device 10, but their hardware is the leading vehicle selection support device 10. You may make it arrange | position inside.

  In FIG. 15, one processor 51 and one memory 52 are shown, but a plurality of processors 51 and a plurality of memories 52 cooperate to realize the function of each element of the leading vehicle selection support device 10. Good.

  Next, operation | movement of the leading vehicle selection assistance apparatus 10 which concerns on Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation.

  When the leading vehicle selection support device 10 is activated, first, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and the priority item setting unit 14 acquire information input by the user from the input device 21 (step S1). Specifically, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires host vehicle information input by the user, and the priority item setting unit 14 acquires the priority item selected by the user. The own vehicle information includes at least information capable of specifying the current position of the own vehicle and the planned travel route. Since the own vehicle information acquisition unit 11 of the present embodiment includes the planned travel route acquisition unit 11a, if the user inputs the destination of the own vehicle, the own vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is scheduled to travel of the own vehicle. The route can be acquired.

  Next, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 12 acquires other vehicle information via the communication device 22 (step S2). The other vehicle information includes at least information that can identify the current positions, speeds, and planned traveling routes of a plurality of other vehicles.

  Thereafter, the merging cost calculation unit 13 selects a leading vehicle candidate from among a plurality of other vehicles (step S3). In this process, for example, a route that is located within a certain range from the own vehicle and at least a part of the planned travel route is the same as the planned travel route of the own vehicle is selected.

  Here, the merging cost calculation unit 13 confirms whether or not a plurality of leading vehicle candidates are selected (step S4). When a plurality of leading vehicle candidates are selected (YES in step S4), the confluence cost of each leading vehicle candidate is calculated (step S5). And the leading vehicle determination part 15 evaluates the magnitude | size of merge cost based on a priority item, and determines the thing with the smallest merge cost as a leading vehicle (step S6).

  The display processing unit 16 generates image data for displaying the information (leading vehicle specifying information) for specifying the leading vehicle determined by the leading vehicle determining unit 15 on the display device 24 (step S7). The image data generated by the display processing unit 16 is input to the display device 24. As a result, the leading vehicle specifying information is displayed on the display device 24 (step S8). Thereby, the user is notified of the leading vehicle determined by the leading vehicle determination unit 15.

  If only one leading vehicle candidate is selected (NO in step S4), steps S5 and S6 are not performed, the leading vehicle candidate is determined as the leading vehicle, and the leading vehicle specifying the leading vehicle is specified. Information is displayed on the display device 24 (steps S7 and S8). If the number of leading vehicle candidates is zero, the leading vehicle specifying information is not displayed in steps S7 and S8.

  The leading vehicle selection support device 10 may repeatedly execute the operation of FIG. 16 until the own vehicle arrives at the destination. For example, it is executed at regular intervals, every time the planned travel route of the host vehicle is changed, every time the planned travel route of the lead vehicle is changed, or after the follow-up traveling of the own vehicle is completed. It is conceivable to execute it. Moreover, you may perform only while driving | running | working the area of a fixed range, such as a highway and a road more than two lanes.

  As a display mode of the leading vehicle specifying information, it is conceivable to display text as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 17, together with information indicating the other vehicle X1 determined as the leading vehicle, the merging cost (time until merging) based on the travel time is displayed. The display of the merging cost may be a merging cost represented by a time until merging, or a merging cost represented by a distance to merging or fuel consumption.

  In the display example of the leading vehicle specifying information in this specification, for convenience of illustration, the information indicating the leading vehicle is simply displayed as “vehicle X1” or the like, but in practice, the leading vehicle can be more specifically specified. Information is displayed. Since the driver must visually find the leading vehicle before starting follow-up, information that can identify the leading vehicle from the appearance, such as the vehicle type, vehicle name, body color, number of the license plate, etc. It is desirable to display it as information indicating. Further, the vehicle type, the vehicle name, and the color of the vehicle body may be expressed using a photograph or image of the vehicle.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 18, characters and figures representing the leading vehicle specifying information may be displayed superimposed on the map. In the example of FIG. 18, on the map, the position of the own vehicle S (triangle icon surrounded by a circle), the position of the other vehicle X1 determined as the leading vehicle (triangle icon), and the merge of the other vehicle X1 The cost is displayed. The merge cost (time until merge) is represented not only by characters but also by a graph. In FIG. 18, a small white triangle icon represents the position of a vehicle other than the leading vehicle. The display of the merging cost may display any one of time, distance, and fuel consumption until merging according to the setting of the priority item.

  Also, in the flow of FIG. 16, when only one leading vehicle candidate is selected (NO in step S4), the leading vehicle is determined immediately, and therefore the processing in steps S5 and S6 is not performed. However, also in this case, the process of steps S5 and S6 is performed to calculate the merging cost for merging with the leading vehicle. In steps S7 and S8, the merging cost is displayed on the display device 24 together with the leading vehicle specifying information. Also good.

  The vehicle information display device 20 according to the present invention calculates a merging cost that quantitatively indicates a driver's burden until the own vehicle merges with another vehicle, and determines the other vehicle having a smaller merging cost as a leading vehicle. Therefore, a leading vehicle that can be easily merged can be presented to the user.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 16, the merging cost is evaluated based on one priority item (traveling time), and one other vehicle that minimizes the cost is selected as a leading vehicle. Then, the merging cost is evaluated, and for each priority item, a leading vehicle candidate that minimizes the merging cost may be extracted, and the user may select one of them. In that case, it is good to display the several leading vehicle specific information on the display apparatus 24 simultaneously. FIG. 19 shows an example in which a plurality of leading vehicle specifying information is displayed as text. The minimum value of the confluence cost for each priority item is indicated by a thick frame. When the user selects any leading vehicle candidate on the screen of FIG. 19, the screen may be switched to a screen as shown in FIG. 18 showing the selected leading vehicle.

  Moreover, in Embodiment 1, the leading vehicle determination part 15 showed the example which determines one vehicle with the lowest confluence | merging cost among leading vehicle candidates as a leading vehicle (that is, narrows down a leading vehicle candidate to one). However, the operation of the leading vehicle determination unit 15 is not limited to this. For example, the leading vehicle determination unit 15 may extract several vehicles from the smaller merging cost and present the result to the user, and the user may select one of those vehicles according to his / her preference. Good. In that case, a plurality of leading vehicle specifying information indicating several leading vehicle candidates after the leading vehicle determination unit 15 narrows down the leading vehicle candidates may be displayed on the display device 24 at the same time. FIG. 20 is a display example in which characters and figures representing a plurality of leading vehicle specifying information are superimposed and displayed on a map.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the driver's burden for the own vehicle and other vehicles to pass through the intersection has been ignored. However, in the second embodiment, when calculating the merge cost, the own vehicle and the other vehicles before the merge. Taking into account the influence of each intersection that passes through. In the present invention, the concept of “passing cost” is introduced as an index representing the magnitude of the driver burden for the vehicle to pass through the intersection.

  Usually, when a vehicle passes an intersection, the time required for passing differs depending on whether the vehicle goes straight, turns right, or turns left. At general intersections, it takes longer time to go straight because it slows down when turning right or left. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, when the own vehicle S turns right at the intersection C1 and merges with the other vehicle X, the merge cost of the own vehicle S goes straight through the intersection C1 and merges with the other vehicle X as shown in FIG. It can be considered that it is larger than the confluence cost.

  For example, it is assumed that the passing cost for each passing direction (combination of the approach direction and the exit direction) at the intersection C1 is expressed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 23, the approach direction and the exit direction are represented using directions of north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The passing cost is expressed based on the travel distance. From the table in FIG. 23, for example, when the vehicle S makes a right turn at the intersection C1 as shown in FIG. 21 (the entry direction is north and the exit direction is east), the driver's burden corresponding to traveling the vehicle S for 40 m is calculated. In other words, as shown in FIG. 22, when the vehicle S goes straight on the intersection C1 (the entry direction and the exit direction are both east), it is understood that a driver burden corresponding to traveling the vehicle S for 10 m is required.

In the second embodiment, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 holds a table (passing cost table) as shown in FIG. 23 indicating the passing cost of each intersection. Then, when the merging cost calculation unit 13 calculates the merging cost, after adding the passing cost of each intersection where the own vehicle and the other vehicle pass to the travel distance until the own vehicle and the other vehicle merge, Calculate the confluence cost. Thereby, the merging cost can be calculated more in line with actual traveling. Specifically, considering the passage cost, the distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle that is the leading vehicle is modified from Equation (5),
D (t) = (Px (t) −passage cost between time t0 and time t of other vehicle X) − (Ps (t) −passage cost between time t0 and time t of own vehicle S) ... Formula (17)
Can be expressed as

  In this equation, the other vehicle X should originally travel by Px (t) from time t0 to time t, but there is a penalty to decelerate at the intersection, so in practice, “Px (t) −passing cost” It means that you can only proceed. The same applies to the own vehicle S.

  Although the detailed description is omitted, the above equation may be further modified in consideration of the number of intersections passing through. For example, if another vehicle that is a leading vehicle is traveling in front of your vehicle, and your vehicle passes through more intersections than other vehicles, your vehicle will decelerate at the intersection more often, The mileage required to catch up with other vehicles becomes longer, so the merge cost increases. On the other hand, when other vehicles pass more intersections than the own vehicle, the mileage required for the own vehicle to catch up with other vehicles will be shortened by reducing the number of other vehicles at the intersection. Becomes smaller. In addition, when the vehicle and the other vehicle travel on the same route, the vehicle and the other vehicle decelerate at the intersection in the same way, so the travel distance required for the vehicle to catch up with the other vehicle is affected by the passage of the intersection. The confluence cost does not change.

  In the passing cost table of FIG. 23, the passing cost when turning left is 60 m, the passing cost when going straight is 10 m, and the passing cost when turning right is 40 m regardless of the approach direction. For example, an intersection where roads with different speed limits cross Etc., these values differ depending on the approach direction. At junctions where expressways cross three-dimensionally, there is a junction (ramp) junction road to turn right or left, so the length of the junction and the decrease in speed limit on the junction will be reflected in the passing cost. Is done. Although FIG. 23 shows a static passing cost table, for example, the passing cost may change dynamically depending on the state of traffic lights and traffic congestion at each intersection.

  The passing cost table may be held in the merging cost calculation unit 13 or may be included in the map information stored in the map information storage device 23. Alternatively, instead of holding the passing cost table itself in the leading vehicle selection support device 10, the confluence cost calculation unit 13 determines the attributes of each intersection (T-junction, crossroads, number of lanes, junction, entrance / exit of service area / parking area) Etc.), the passing cost of each intersection may be calculated each time.

<Embodiment 3>
In Embodiment 3, the leading vehicle selection support device 10 according to the present invention is applied to a navigation device. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the navigation device 30 according to the third embodiment. The navigation device 30 has a configuration in which a current position acquisition device 31, a route search device 32, and a guidance device 33 are added to the vehicle information display device 20 of FIG.

  The hardware configuration of the navigation device 30 is basically the same as in FIG. 15, and the current position acquisition device 31, the route search device 32, and the guidance device 33 are also processors, as are the elements of the leading vehicle selection support device 10. 51 is realized by executing a program stored in the memory 52. Further, the navigation device 30 may not be permanently installed in the own vehicle, and may be, for example, a portable navigation device that can be brought into the own vehicle.

  The current position acquisition device 31 of the navigation device 30 calculates the current location of the navigation device 30 from position information acquired from GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like.

  The route search device 32 searches for an optimum route from the departure point to the destination set by the user. Normally, since the current location acquired by the current position acquisition device 31 is automatically set as the departure location, the user simply inputs the destination, and the route from the current location to the destination (the planned travel route of the host vehicle) can be obtained. Can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the planned travel route acquisition unit 11 a included in the own vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires the planned travel route of the host vehicle calculated by the route search device 32.

  The guidance device 33 provides guidance information to the driver so that the vehicle travels along the planned travel route calculated by the route search device 32. Further, in the present embodiment, the guide device 33 guides the host vehicle to the position of the leading vehicle so that the host vehicle can travel following the leading vehicle determined by the leading vehicle selection support device 10. The operation for the leading vehicle selection support device 10 to determine the leading vehicle may be the same as that in the first embodiment.

  For example, the guide device 33 acquires the position of the other vehicle that is the leading vehicle determined by the leading vehicle selection support device 10 through inter-vehicle communication using the communication device 22. And the own vehicle is guided to the position which can follow a leading vehicle from the positional relationship of the own vehicle and a leading vehicle. For example, the positions of the host vehicle and the leading vehicle are displayed on the map displayed on the display device 24. When the host vehicle approaches the leading vehicle to some extent, the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle is enlarged as shown in FIG. Good. At that time, it is more preferable to indicate an area (followable area) in which the vehicle can start following traveling.

  Further, in FIG. 25, an example of an image showing the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle is an image created by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) included in the processor 51 of FIG. Although shown, instead of this, for example, an image in front of the own vehicle taken by a camera mounted on the own vehicle may be used. In that case, it is preferable to synthesize and display an image indicating a followable area on the image ahead of the vehicle. Moreover, you may display a followable area in a driver | operator's visual field using a head-up display. The head-up display is a display device that directly displays an image in the driver's field of view by displaying an image on a screen (for example, a windshield) through which the driver can see forward.

  Further, the guide information generated by the guide device 33 may be displayed as a voice message from a speaker or the like in the vehicle, in addition to being displayed on the display device 24. For example, when the leading vehicle is determined by the leading vehicle selection assisting device 10, it is possible to follow the vehicle X1 from the next intersection. When joining the vehicle X1, the vehicle travels at a speed of 40 km / h or higher and can automatically follow the vehicle. "Please move to" and output a voice message such as "Prompt the user to join his vehicle to the leading vehicle." In addition, with the display as shown in FIG. 25, “The leading vehicle is traveling at a speed of 40 km / h. Travel at a speed of 40 km / h or more and move to a followable area. You may output a voice message saying "It will begin."

  Here, the followable area depends on the performance of the follow-up travel control device 40, typically the inter-vehicle distance that can be followed. The performance of the follow-up traveling control device 40 may be stored in advance in the leading vehicle selection support device 10, or the leading vehicle selection support device 10 may obtain through communication with the following traveling control device 40. In the case of the latter method, it is possible to reflect the dynamic performance of the follow-up travel control device 40 according to the travel environment such as weather, brightness, time, etc., and the leading vehicle selection support device 10 has a more accurate follow-up area. Can be displayed on the display device 24.

  In the example of FIG. 25, a special display effect may be given to the image of the leading vehicle. For example, if the leading vehicle image that is currently being tracked is surrounded by a blue solid line frame and the leading vehicle is changed, the frame of the leading vehicle image that is following is changed to a yellow dashed line, and the vehicle to be newly tracked is blue. It is preferable to display so that the current and future leading vehicles can be identified, for example, by enclosing with a dashed frame and completing the transfer of the leading vehicle, such as enclosing the new leading vehicle with a blue solid frame. Further, when it is difficult to follow the current leading vehicle, when a new following vehicle to be transferred cannot be found, a red dashed frame may be added to the image of the current leading vehicle.

  The timing for giving such a special display effect may be only for a certain period before and after changing the leading vehicle. Such a special display effect may also be applied to a case where an image in front of the host vehicle photographed by the camera is displayed on the display device 24 or a head-up display is used. In addition, the special display effect is not limited to the display of the frame, and may be an effect using other figures or characters.

<Embodiment 4>
Embodiment 4 shows an example in which the leading vehicle selection support device according to the present invention is applied to a travel plan creation device that creates a travel plan for the host vehicle.

  FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a configuration of a travel plan presentation device 220 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle information distribution system that distributes information (vehicle information) of vehicles traveling in various places to the travel plan presentation device 220.

  The travel plan presentation device 220 is a device that creates a travel plan for the host vehicle 100 and presents the created travel plan to the user. Here, the travel plan presentation device 220 is described as being mounted on the host vehicle 100. However, the travel plan presentation device 220 may be mounted on a device independent of the host vehicle 100, such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. Good. However, when using the travel plan presenting device 220 independent of the own vehicle 100, the information (own vehicle information) of the own vehicle 100 is registered in the travel plan presenting device 220, and the travel plan presenting device 220 is used as the own vehicle. It is necessary to associate with 100.

  The travel plan presented by the travel plan presentation device 220 includes not only the planned travel route of the vehicle 100 but also a follow-up travel plan in which the vehicle 100 travels while following the other vehicle 101. That is, the travel plan includes at least information on the planned travel route of the host vehicle 100, information indicating a section (manual operation section) in which the host vehicle 100 travels by manual operation on the planned travel route, and the own vehicle Information indicating a section (following traveling section) in which the vehicle 100 is caused to follow the other vehicle 101 (leading vehicle) and information indicating the other vehicle 101 that is the leading vehicle in each following traveling section are included.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the travel plan presentation device 220 includes a travel plan creation device 200, an input device 221, a communication device 222, a map information storage device 223, and a display device 224 that operate in conjunction with the travel plan creation device 200. It is configured as a system consisting of

  The input device 221 is a user interface that receives operations and information input by the user to the travel plan creation device 200. The input device 221 may be hardware such as operation buttons and a mouse, or may be a software key using an icon displayed on the screen. Furthermore, a voice recognition device in which a user inputs operation contents by voice may be used.

  Information input from the input device 221 includes information on the own vehicle 100 (vehicle information) necessary for the travel plan creation device 200 to create a travel plan, and when the travel plan creation device 200 creates a travel plan. The item to be prioritized (first priority item) and the item to be prioritized when evaluating the size of the merging cost in the travel plan (second priority item) are included.

  The travel plan creation device 200 communicates with the follow-up travel control device 40 and transmits a follow-up travel instruction according to the travel plan to the follow-up travel control device 40. The follow-up travel control device 40 controls the travel control system (not shown) of the own vehicle 100 based on the follow-up travel instruction, and causes the own vehicle 100 to follow the leading vehicle to be followed. Further, the follow-up travel control device 40 allows the host vehicle 100 to run at a constant speed when the host vehicle 100 is traveling in a section where manual driving is planned (manual driving section), or allows the user to run the host vehicle. Or urging them to perform 100 manual operations. The first and second priority items are not limited to those input by the user, and may be predetermined, for example.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of own vehicle information. The own vehicle information only needs to include at least information that can identify a scheduled travel route from the departure point to the destination of the own vehicle 100 and information about the scheduled departure time of the own vehicle. In FIG. 28, as the attached information (attached vehicle information) of the own vehicle information, information on the performance (vehicle performance) such as the maximum speed and the optimum speed of the own vehicle 100, and guidance when the own vehicle 100 travels in a follow-up manner. Vehicle conditions to be permitted (lead vehicle conditions). The vehicle performance information is used when the travel plan creation device 200 creates a travel plan to make another vehicle 101 that the vehicle 100 can follow in terms of performance a candidate for a leading vehicle. The leading vehicle condition is used in order for the other vehicle 101 according to the user's preference to be a candidate for the leading vehicle when the travel plan creation device 200 creates a travel plan.

  FIG. 28 shows an example in which the leading vehicle condition is “excluding small cars”. For example, “vehicles with inferior vehicle performance compared to own vehicle”, “running constraint conditions are the same as the own vehicle”, “driving method ( Vehicles having the same engine, EV (Electric Vehicle), FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle), etc. ”may be used. In addition, the leading vehicle condition is not an alternative of being acceptable or not, and priority may be provided (for example, “a small vehicle or a normal vehicle is given priority over a light vehicle”).

  Further, in the present embodiment, the travel plan creation device 200 has a route search function, and when the user inputs a departure place and a destination (and a waypoint) using the input device 221, the travel plan creation device. 200 is configured to search for an appropriate route and determine a scheduled travel route. In addition, when there is a leading vehicle candidate whose destination is a point close to the destination of the host vehicle 100, the traveling plan creation apparatus 200 matches the planned traveling route of the host vehicle in accordance with the planned traveling route of the leading vehicle candidate. May be corrected. The expression format of the departure point, destination, and waypoint may be an address, or a latitude / longitude.

  The first priority item is an evaluation standard for evaluating the magnitude of the burden on the driver (driver burden) for the travel plan including the follow-up travel plan. Hereinafter, this driver burden is referred to as “follow-up cost”. In the present embodiment, a plurality of items are prepared in advance as candidates for the first priority item, and the user selects one or more of them as the first priority item. As a first priority item, the ratio of the follow-up travel section in the total length of the planned travel route (the length of the follow-up travel distance), the arrival time at the destination, the ratio of the travel time of the follow-up travel section in the total travel time ( The length of follow-up travel time), the number of changes in the leading vehicle, etc. can be considered. Increasing the follow-up travel distance, increasing the arrival time at the destination, increasing the follow-up travel time, and reducing the number of changes of the leading vehicle lead to a reduction in follow-up cost. It is also conceivable that information on the other vehicle 101 as the leading vehicle (driving evaluation value, route certainty, etc. shown in FIG. 29) is set as the first priority item.

  As the first priority item, when the proportion of the follow-up travel section in the total length of the planned travel route (the length of the follow-up travel distance) is selected, the follow-up cost is, for example, the driver's burden in the follow-up travel to the follow-up travel distance. And the sum of the normal travel distance multiplied by the coefficient representing the driver's burden during normal travel can be used. Similarly, when another item is selected as the first priority item, a coefficient (predetermined or set by the user) representing the driver burden corresponding to the item and each parameter It is possible to make the follow-up cost by using a product that is multiplied.

  On the other hand, the second priority item is the same as the priority item described in the first embodiment, and serves as an evaluation criterion for evaluating the size of the merge cost. In the present embodiment, a plurality of items are prepared in advance as candidates for the second priority item, and the user selects one or more of them as the priority items. As the second priority item, a travel distance, a travel time, a fuel consumption amount, an acceleration amount, a deceleration amount, and an acceleration / deceleration amount until the own vehicle joins another vehicle can be considered.

  The travel plan creation device 200 minimizes the follow-up cost evaluated based on the first priority item set (selected) by the user, or minimizes the confluence cost evaluated based on the second priority item. Next, create a travel plan. When a plurality of first priority items are set, the travel plan creation device 200 creates a travel plan that minimizes the follow-up cost for each first priority item, and the user One may be selected. Similarly, when a plurality of second priority items are set, the travel plan creation device 200 creates a travel plan that minimizes the merging cost for each second priority item, and the user One of them may be selected. In addition, the travel plan creation device 200 may comprehensively evaluate the follow-up cost and the merging cost of the travel plan to create a travel plan with a smaller driver burden. The driver burden obtained by comprehensively evaluating the tracking cost and the merging cost is referred to as “total tracking cost”.

  Here, “overall evaluation of the follow-up cost and the merge cost” indicates that the evaluation is based on a predetermined evaluation formula (total evaluation formula) using the follow-up cost and the merge cost as parameters. For example, if the first priority item and the second priority item are items of the same type such as distance and time, the total follow-up cost may be calculated simply by adding them. On the other hand, when the first priority item and the second priority item are different types of items, the total follow-up cost is calculated by normalizing and adding the follow-up cost and the merge cost to a predetermined ratio. calculate. At this time, the tracking cost and the merging cost may be multiplied by a coefficient based on information indicating whether the user gives priority to the tracking cost or the merging cost. Each coefficient of the tracking cost and the merging cost may be determined based on a user input or may be a predetermined value.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 26, the communication device 222 of the travel plan presentation device 220 is for the travel plan creation device 200 to communicate with the vehicle information server 102 of the vehicle information distribution system (FIG. 27). The vehicle information server 102 collects vehicle information transmitted by a plurality of vehicles (other vehicles) 101 traveling in various places, and in response to a request from the travel plan creation device 200, the vehicle information of each other vehicle 101 is obtained. It transmits to the travel plan creation apparatus 200 as other vehicle information. At this time, the vehicle information server 102 does not necessarily have to transmit the vehicle information of all the other vehicles 101 as the other vehicle information to the travel plan creation device 200. Only the vehicle information of the other vehicle 101 may be transmitted, or only the vehicle information of the other vehicle 101 existing within a certain range from the planned travel route of the host vehicle 100 may be transmitted.

  As shown in FIG. 27, in the vehicle information distribution system of the present embodiment, the other vehicle 101 that is a private vehicle directly transmits vehicle information to the vehicle information server 102. However, when the other vehicle 101 is a commercial vehicle (route bus, express bus, delivery vehicle, commercial leading vehicle, etc.), the other vehicle 101 transmits not only the vehicle information directly to the vehicle information server 102 but also the other vehicle. A mode in which the company 103 to which the company 101 belongs transmits vehicle information of the other vehicle 101 to the vehicle information server 102 is also conceivable. In this case, the vehicle information may include bus operation information (route map, timetable, operation delay information, etc.), delivery vehicle delivery information (delivery route and delivery schedule), and the like.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicle information (other vehicle information) transmitted from the vehicle information server 102 to the travel plan creation device 200. The other vehicle information can predict at least the planned traveling route of the plurality of other vehicles 101, the scheduled passage time of each point on the planned traveling route, and the traveling speed at each point on the planned traveling route. Information only needs to be included. When the other vehicle 101 is a commercial vehicle, the information may be obtained from bus operation information or delivery information of a delivery vehicle.

  The other vehicle information in FIG. 29 does not include information on the traveling speed at each point on the planned traveling route, but the predicted speed of the other vehicle 101 can be calculated from the scheduled passing time at each point. Of course, the other vehicle information may include information on the predicted speed of the other vehicle 101. In that case, since the travel plan creation device 200 can estimate the scheduled passage time of each point from the planned travel route and the predicted speed, the vehicle information server 102 does not necessarily distribute the information of the scheduled passage time of each point. Also good.

  In FIG. 29, as additional information (attached other vehicle information) of other vehicle information, the estimated departure time of the other vehicle 101, the departure place, the destination, and the quality evaluation value (driving evaluation value) as the leading vehicle, It includes certainty of the scheduled travel route and scheduled passage time (route certainty), and vehicle conditions (tracking vehicle conditions) that allow tracking when the vehicle is a leading vehicle. The driving evaluation is determined based on, for example, a track record as a leading vehicle (for example, a length of travel time as a leading vehicle), an evaluation from a follower who has led in the past, or the like. The route certainty is low for other vehicles 101 (mainly private cars) that do not require high planning for the planned travel route and waypoints, and other vehicles 101 (for which high planning properties are required for the planned travel route and waypoints). High value (mainly for commercial vehicles).

  Returning to the description of FIG. 26, the map information storage device 223 of the travel plan presenting device 220 is a storage medium for storing map information including road network data, and includes, for example, a hard disk, a removable disk, and a memory. This map information is used when the travel plan creation device 200 performs a route search for determining the planned travel route of the vehicle 100, or when the created travel plan is displayed superimposed on the map.

  The display device 224 is for displaying the travel plan created by the travel plan creation device 200 and presenting it to the user. In addition, when displaying the software key as the input device 221 on the screen of the display device 224, the display device 224 and the input device 221 may be configured as one touch panel having both functions.

  Next, the configuration of the travel plan creation device 200 will be described. The travel plan creation device 200 includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit 211, another vehicle information acquisition unit 212, a travel plan calculation unit 213, a priority item setting unit 214, a travel plan holding unit 215, and a display processing unit 216.

  The own vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires information of the own vehicle 100 (own vehicle information) input from the input device 221 by the user. An example of the own vehicle information is shown in FIG. 28. The own vehicle information includes at least information that can specify a planned travel route from the departure point of the own vehicle 100 to the destination, information on the scheduled departure time of the own vehicle, and As long as it is included.

  In the present embodiment, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 211 includes a planned travel route acquisition unit 211 a that performs route search using map information stored in the map information storage device 223. The planned travel route acquisition unit 211a determines the planned travel route of the host vehicle 100 by searching for an optimal route between the departure point and the destination of the host vehicle 100. According to this configuration, since the user only has to input the information of the departure place and the destination to the input device 221 instead of the information of the planned travel route of the host vehicle 100, the convenience is improved.

  The planned travel route acquisition unit 211a may acquire the planned travel route calculated by an external navigation device without calculating the planned travel route of the vehicle 100 itself. In addition, when the user can input information on the planned travel route from the input device 221, the planned travel route acquisition unit 211a may be omitted.

  Other vehicle information acquisition unit 212 acquires vehicle information (other vehicle information) of a plurality of other vehicles 101 from vehicle information server 102 using communication device 222. An example of other vehicle information is shown in FIG. 29. The other vehicle information includes at least a planned travel route of each other vehicle 101, a scheduled passage time of each point on the planned travel route, and the planned travel route. Information that can predict the traveling speed at each point is sufficient.

  The travel plan calculation unit 213 creates a travel plan for the host vehicle 100 based on the host vehicle information and the other vehicle information. As described above, the travel plan includes at least information on the planned travel route, information indicating the manual operation section and the follow travel section on the travel planned route, and the other vehicle 101 that is a leading vehicle in each follow travel section. And information indicating. In addition, the travel plan calculation unit 213 selects a leading vehicle from a plurality of other vehicles 101 for each follow-up travel section.

  Furthermore, the travel plan calculation unit 213 includes a follow-up cost calculation unit 213a that calculates a follow-up cost in the travel plan, and a merge cost calculation unit 213b that calculates a merge cost in the travel plan. A travel plan is created so that the follow-up cost is minimized.

  The priority item setting unit 214 acquires information on the first and second priority items selected by the user using the input device 221, and sends the selected first and second priority items to the travel plan calculation unit 213. Set.

  The travel plan holding unit 215 holds the travel plan calculated by the travel plan calculation unit 213. The display processing unit 216 performs processing for causing the display device 224 to display the travel plan held in the travel plan holding unit 215.

  The hardware configuration of the travel plan creation apparatus 200 according to Embodiment 4 is basically the same as that of FIG. 15 and includes at least a processor 51, a memory 52 (storage device), and an input / output interface 53. . The host vehicle information acquisition unit 211, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 212, the travel plan calculation unit 213, the priority item setting unit 214, the travel plan holding unit 215, and the display processing unit 216 are programs in which the processor 51 is stored in the memory 52. (A storage area as the travel plan holding unit 215 is secured in the memory 52).

  The input device 221, the communication device 222, the map information storage device 223, and the display device 224 constituting the travel plan presentation device 220 are connected to the input / output interface 53, and the processor 51 executes a program stored in the memory 52. Is controlled by In FIG. 26, the input device 221, the communication device 222, the map information storage device 223, and the display device 224 are configured to be externally attached to the travel plan creation device 200, but their hardware is the interior of the travel plan creation device 200. You may make it arrange | position to.

  In FIG. 15, one processor 51 and one memory 52 are shown, but a plurality of processors 51 and a plurality of memories 52 may cooperate to realize the function of each element of the travel plan creation device 200. .

  Here, the relationship between the following traveling and the driver burden (following cost) will be described while showing some examples of the following traveling. 30 to 55, the own vehicle S corresponds to the own vehicle 100 of FIG. 27, and the other vehicles X1, X2,... Correspond to the other vehicle 101 of FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 30, the own vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2 and the other vehicle X1 scheduled to travel on the roads R3 and R2 are approximately at the intersection C1 (connection point of the roads R1, R2 and R3). Consider the case where the same time is reached. After the host vehicle S and the other vehicle X1 enter the road R2, as shown in FIG. 31, the driver of the host vehicle S performs a specific operation on the host vehicle S with the host vehicle S following the other vehicle X1. Then, the own vehicle S starts following traveling with the other vehicle X1 as the leading vehicle. Usually, the driver's burden is reduced by following the own vehicle S (following cost can be reduced).

  However, when the speed of the other vehicle X1 is very slow, for example, if the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X1, the arrival time at the destination will be delayed (running time will be longer), so it will be burdened to drive for a long time. For the driver who feels like this, the driver burden may increase. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 32, the driver's burden is reduced by manually driving the vehicle S on the road R2 to shorten the travel time to the destination. Thus, the follow-up driving and the driver's burden are not in a fixed relationship and vary depending on the driver's preference.

  The 1st priority item which a user inputs into travel plan creation device 200 using input device 221 serves as an evaluation standard for evaluating a driver burden based on such a driver's preference. For example, if the first priority item is “the length of the following travel distance”, the travel plan as shown in FIG. 32 is more burdensome to the driver than the travel plan as shown in FIG. Rated as big. If the first priority item is “arrival time at the destination”, the travel plan as shown in FIG. 32 in which the travel time is shortened is more burdensome to the driver than the travel plan as shown in FIG. Rated as small.

  Next, consider a case where there are two other vehicles X1 and X2 that can be followed by the host vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2, as shown in FIG. In this example, the other vehicle X1 is scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2 like the host vehicle S, and the other vehicle X2 is scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R3. The other vehicle X1 is assumed to be slower than the other vehicle X2.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 34, when the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X1, the vehicle S can be made to follow the other vehicle X1 on the roads R1 and R2, so that the driver can increase the following distance. Although the burden can be reduced, the arrival time at the destination will be delayed. In addition, if the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X2 as shown in FIG. 35, the driver's burden can be reduced in that the travel time can be reduced, but only the vehicle up to the intersection C1 (the connection point of the roads R1, R2, R3). Since the vehicle S cannot be caused to follow, the following travel distance is shortened.

  In the present embodiment, it is also assumed that the leading vehicle is changed during the follow-up running. For example, as shown in FIG. 36, consider a case in which the own vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R4 follows the road R1 with the other vehicle X1 scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2 as the leading vehicle. In this example, it is assumed that there is another vehicle X2 scheduled to travel on the roads R3 and R4, and the other vehicle X1 and the other vehicle X2 arrive at the intersection C1 (connection point of the roads R1 to R4) at substantially the same time. In this case, it is possible to finish following the other vehicle X1 of the own vehicle S at the intersection C1, and then cause the own vehicle S to follow the other vehicle X2 as shown in FIG. Thus, the follow-up travel distance can be increased by transferring the leading vehicle.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ease of changing the leading vehicle is also taken into consideration. For example, as shown in FIG. 38, there are two other vehicles X1 and X2 that the vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R4 can follow, and both the other vehicles X1 and X2 are scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2. Consider a case. In this case, the distance at which the host vehicle S can follow the other vehicle X1 and the distance at which the host vehicle S can follow the other vehicle X2 are the same. However, considering the connection to the other vehicle X3 scheduled to travel on the roads R3 and R4, the driver's burden changes depending on which of the other vehicles X1 and X2 the vehicle S follows.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 39 (the own vehicle S is not shown), the other vehicle X1 reaches the intersection C1 (connection point of the roads R1 to R4) at substantially the same time as the other vehicle X3, and the other vehicle X2 Assume that the intersection C1 is reached at a time earlier than X3. In this case, if the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X1 as shown in FIG. 40, the connection to the other vehicle X3 can be easily performed as shown in FIG. 41 (if the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X2, Without waiting for the other vehicle X3, the host vehicle S cannot follow the other vehicle X3), and the driver's burden can be reduced.

  However, if the speeds of the other vehicles X1 and X3 are very slow, even if the leading vehicle can be easily changed, it is conceivable that the driver's burden will increase due to the arrival time at the destination being delayed. In such a case, the own vehicle S is made to follow the other vehicle X2 as shown in FIG. 42 to reach the intersection C1 quickly, and the own vehicle S is manually operated on the road R4 as shown in FIG. Thus, the driver burden can be reduced.

  In addition, when there is no other vehicle that can be a leading vehicle in the vicinity of the own vehicle S, it is also considered to stop the own vehicle S and wait for the other vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 44, consider a case where there is another vehicle X1 with the road R1 as a travel route behind the host vehicle S scheduled to travel on the road R1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 45, if the own vehicle S is stopped in the service area SA and waits for the other vehicle X1 to approach, then the own vehicle S follows the other vehicle X1 as shown in FIG. The own vehicle S can be caused to follow the road R1. By waiting for the other vehicle X1 in this way, the follow-up mileage can be lengthened and the driver's burden can be reduced (the arrival time at the destination is delayed, but the driver's burden can be reduced by stopping the vehicle S and waiting). Increase is suppressed).

  The waiting of the host vehicle S can also be used to change (transfer) the leading vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 47, the host vehicle S scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R2 travels following the other vehicle X1 scheduled to travel on the roads R1 and R3. Consider a case in which there is another vehicle X2 that uses R1 and R2 as travel routes. In this case, the tracking of the host vehicle S to the other vehicle X1 is terminated before the service area SA, and as shown in FIG. 48, the host vehicle S is stopped in the service area SA and waits for the other vehicle X2 to approach. Thereafter, the leading vehicle can be changed from the other vehicle X1 to the other vehicle X2 by causing the host vehicle S to follow the other vehicle X2 as shown in FIG. As a result, the host vehicle S can be caused to follow the road R2 as well as the road R2.

  In the above example, the existence of another vehicle that travels on the road on which the vehicle S is traveling or the next road is considered. However, the travel plan creation device 200 of the present embodiment further travels on the road ahead. A travel plan for the vehicle 100 is created in consideration of the presence of the vehicle.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 50, when the own vehicle S is scheduled to travel on the roads R1, R8, R9, R6, not only the traveling road R1 and the next road R8 but also a further road Consider other vehicles traveling on R9 and R6. For example, when the first priority item is set to “the length of the following travel distance”, the vehicle S is caused to follow the other vehicle X1 on the road R8 as shown in FIG. 51, and as shown in FIG. A travel plan for the host vehicle S is created so that the host vehicle S follows the other vehicle X2 on the road R9 (that is, the other vehicle X1 and the other vehicle X2 are connected). In addition, even if the first priority item is set to “the length of the following travel distance”, when it is expected that there is no other vehicle that can follow the own vehicle S on the road R6 as shown in FIG. 53, A travel plan for manually driving the host vehicle S on the road R6 is established.

  In the example of FIG. 50, when the first priority item is set to “arrival time at the destination” and the speeds of the other vehicles X1 and X2 are very slow, the host vehicle S is moved along the road R8. A travel plan for manually driving without following the other vehicle X1 is created. In this case, as shown in FIG. 54, the own vehicle S arrives at the intersection C2 (the connection point of the roads R3, R4, R8, and R9) before the other vehicle X2, so that the roads R9 and R6 also appear as shown in FIG. A travel plan is made so that the vehicle S is driven manually. Although it is possible to wait for the other vehicle X2 in the state of FIG. 54, it would be meaningless to reduce the travel time by manually driving the vehicle S on the road R8. Travel plans are not preferred.

  Next, the operation of the travel plan creation apparatus 200 according to Embodiment 4 will be described. FIG. 56 is a flowchart showing the operation.

  When the travel plan creation device 200 is activated, first, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 211 and the priority item setting unit 214 acquire information input by the user from the input device 221 (step S101). Specifically, the own vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires the own vehicle information input by the user, and the priority item setting unit 214 acquires the first and second priority items selected by the user. The own vehicle information includes at least information that can identify a scheduled travel route from the departure point of the own vehicle 100 to the destination, and information of the scheduled departure time of the own vehicle. Since the own vehicle information acquisition unit 211 of the present embodiment includes the planned travel route acquisition unit 211a, if the user inputs the departure point and the destination of the own vehicle 100, the own vehicle information acquisition unit 211 The planned travel route of the car 100 can be acquired.

  Next, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 212 acquires the other vehicle information via the communication device 222 (step S102). The other vehicle information includes information capable of predicting at least a scheduled traveling route of a plurality of other vehicles 101, a scheduled passage time of each point on the scheduled traveling route, and a traveling speed at each point on the planned traveling route. Is included.

  Thereafter, the travel plan calculation unit 213 performs a process (travel plan calculation process) for calculating a travel plan of the host vehicle 100 (step S103). Details of the travel plan calculation process will be described later.

  The travel plan calculated by the travel plan calculation unit 213 is stored in the travel plan holding unit 215 (step S104). The display processing unit 216 generates image data for displaying the travel plan stored in the travel plan holding unit 215 on the display device 224 (step S105). The image data generated by the display processing unit 216 is input to the display device 224, and as a result, the travel plan is displayed on the display device 224 (step S106).

  Next, the travel plan calculation process (step S103 in FIG. 56) will be described in detail. FIG. 57 is a flowchart of the travel plan calculation process.

  When the travel plan calculation process is started, the travel plan calculation unit 213 divides the vehicle into a plurality of sections by setting a plurality of division points on the planned travel route of the vehicle 100 (step S201). Between two adjacent division points is one section, and each section is a unit for calculating a travel plan. Any method may be used for arranging the dividing points. For example, a method is considered in which a point having a specific attribute such as a point where a plurality of roads are connected (intersection, branching point, etc.) or a point where a vehicle can be stopped (parking area, service area, road station, etc.) is used as a division point. It is done. Further, a simple method of arranging the dividing points for every fixed distance may be used. If the planned travel route is finely divided (the number of division points is increased), more patterns of travel plans can be calculated, but the calculation amount for calculating them becomes enormous. Therefore, the number of division points may be determined according to the calculation capability of the processor 51 as the travel plan calculation unit 213 and the definition required for the travel plan.

Here, the starting point of the planned travel route (departure) as a division point P _0, is (N + 1) of the division point P ₀ ~P _N is set to end point (destination) and dividing point P _N of the planned travel route, Assume that the planned travel route is divided into N sections. Further, a section divided by the division point P _i and the division point P _{i + 1} is defined as a section Q _i . That is, the first section is represented as Q ₀ and the last section is represented as Q _N−1 .

  Next, the travel plan calculation unit 213 clears “calculated travel plan set RF” that is a collection of data in which the calculated travel plan data is stocked (step S202). The travel plan calculation unit 213 calculates a plurality of travel plans having different patterns, stores them in the calculated travel plan set RF, and then selects the first and second selected by the user from the stored travel plans. A tracking cost, a merging cost, or a total tracking cost evaluated based on the priority items is extracted and output. Here, from the travel plans stored in the calculated travel plan set RF, the one with the minimum total follow-up cost is extracted.

Next, the travel plan calculation unit 213 clears “during travel plan R”, which is data of a travel plan being calculated (step S203). When the calculated traveling plan R is cleared, each variable used for calculating the traveling plan is initialized based on the vehicle information. In the present embodiment, a variable T representing time, a variable L representing a position, and a variable D representing a section are used (hereinafter, these variables are simply referred to as “time T”, “position L”, “section D ”). The initialization, time T is set to the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 100, the position L is set to the division point P ₀ is the starting place, the interval D is set to the interval Q ₀ is the first interval.

Next, the travel plan calculation unit 213 refers to the map information in the map information storage device 223 and can stop the own vehicle 100 near the position L and wait for the other vehicle 101 as a leading vehicle. It is determined whether there is a (standby possible point) (step S204). The “near position L” here may be in front of or in the middle of section D (including position L) (however, when position L is division point P ₀ , it is in front of section D (section Q ₀ )). There is no leg). For example, a certain distance from the position L may be defined as “near position L”, or two sections (section D and the section immediately before it) sandwiching position L may be defined as “near position L”. Good. Further, the standby possible point may not be a point on the planned travel route, and a standby point may be a point within a certain range around the planned travel route (for example, a range of 20 m around the section D and the immediately preceding section). It is good. In this case, the shorter the distance between the planned travel route and the standby point, the faster the time that can be merged with the leading vehicle, that is, the follow-up traveling can be started earlier, so the driver's burden is reduced.

  When there is a standby point near the position L (YES in step S204), the travel plan calculation unit 213 searches for other vehicles 101 that are candidates for a leading vehicle that can wait at the standby point. Specifically, the travel plan calculation unit 213 searches the other vehicle 101 passing through the section D within a predetermined time from the time T to search for a vehicle that can join in the section D based on the other vehicle information ( Step S205).

  Here, whether or not the other vehicle 101 can join the own vehicle 100 in the section D is determined by whether or not the own vehicle 100 can join within a predetermined time after entering the section D (standby is possible). If the point is an intermediate point in the section D, it is determined based on whether or not the vehicle 100 can join the waiting point after the vehicle 100 has departed). For example, the other vehicle 101 that travels in the section D at a speed that exceeds the vehicle performance of the host vehicle 100 cannot merge.

And the travel plan calculation part 213 selects the action in the area D from the following two types, and adds the selected content to the travel plan R being calculated (step S206).
[Action 1-1] Wait for the other vehicle 101 found in step S205 at the standby possible point.
[Action 1-2] Do not wait for the other vehicle 101.
When the action 1-1 is selected in step S206, the time T is updated by adding the waiting time to the time T. When action 1-2 is selected in step S206, the value of time T is maintained.

  In step S206, either action 1-1 or action 1-2 is selected, but ultimately, a travel plan for selecting action 1-1 and action 1-2 are selected by processing in step S211 described later. Both the travel plan to be created will be created. However, if the corresponding other vehicle 101 is not found in step S205, the action 1-1 is not selected.

If a plurality of corresponding other vehicles 101 are found in step S205, the action 1-1 is further divided into a plurality of options, and a travel plan for waiting for each of the other vehicles 101 is created. For example, if two vehicles A and B are found as corresponding other vehicles 101 in step S205, one of the following three actions is selected in step S206.
[Action 1-1A] Wait for vehicle A at a point where standby is possible.
[Action 1-1B] Wait for vehicle B at a point where standby is possible.
[Action 1-2] Do not wait for the other vehicle 101 (vehicle A, vehicle B).

  In addition, when many corresponding other vehicles 101 are found by step S205, you may limit the object (action to which the own vehicle 100 waits) of the action 1-1 to some of them. For example, among the corresponding other vehicles 101, only those having a relatively short waiting time may be targeted, or only those having a destination relatively close to the destination of the vehicle 100 may be targeted. Conceivable. By doing so, the choices in step S206 are reduced, and the calculation load of the processor 51 as the travel plan calculation unit 213 can be reduced.

  Note that the processes in steps S205 and S206 are not performed when there is no standby point near position L (NO in step S204).

  Next, the travel plan calculation unit 213 searches for other vehicles 101 that are candidates for the leading vehicle of the host vehicle 100 in the section D. Specifically, the travel plan calculation unit 213 can pass the section D among the other cars 101 in the vicinity of the position L at the time T based on the other car information, and the own vehicle 100 can join in the section D. Is searched (step S207). Here again, whether or not the other vehicle 101 can join the own vehicle 100 in the section D is determined by whether or not the own vehicle 100 can join within a predetermined time after entering the section D.

  In step S207, when the first priority item selected by the user includes an item related to the other vehicle 101 as the leading vehicle, only the other vehicle 101 suitable for the first priority item is searched. Also good. For example, when the driving evaluation value or the route certainty of the other vehicle 101 is selected as the first priority item, only the other vehicle 101 with a certain level or higher is set as the search target.

  Further, in step S207, when the difference between the time T and the current time is larger than a predetermined threshold (that is, when the time T indicates a time after a long time has elapsed from the current time), the path certainty is obtained. It is preferable to search only the other vehicle 101 having a high speed. This is because, after a long time has elapsed, there is a high possibility that the planned travel route and the scheduled passage time of the other vehicle 101 with low route certainty have been changed. In addition, it is preferable to search only the other vehicle 101 having a vehicle performance equal to or lower than that of the own vehicle 100. This is because it may be difficult for the host vehicle 100 to travel following the other vehicle 101 having higher vehicle performance than the host vehicle 100.

Thereafter, the travel plan calculation unit 213 selects an action in the section D from the following two ways, and adds the contents to the calculated travel plan R (step S208).
[Action 2-1] The host vehicle 100 is caused to travel following the other vehicle 101 found in step S207.
[Action 2-2] Manually drive the vehicle 100.

  When the action 2-1 is selected, the section D is set as a follow-up traveling section, and information for identifying the other vehicle 101 that is the leading vehicle in the section D (for example, a vehicle body number, a registration ID for the vehicle information distribution system, etc.) Is added to the calculated travel plan R. Then, the time T is updated by adding the travel time of the section D calculated from the predicted speed of the other vehicle 101 as the leading vehicle to the time T. Moreover, the position L is updated by setting the position L to the next division point. Furthermore, the section D is updated by setting the position D to the next section (section starting from the updated position L). In addition, when the same other vehicle 101 is selected as a leading vehicle in successive sections, the traveling plan is such that the leading vehicle is not changed in those sections.

  When the action 2-2 is selected, the section D is a manual operation section. In this case, the time T is updated by adding the travel time of the section D calculated based on the speed of the vehicle 100 to the time T. Moreover, the position L is updated by setting the position L to the next division point. Furthermore, the section D is updated by setting the position D to the next section (section starting from the updated position L).

  In step S208, either action 2-1 or action 2-2 is selected, but ultimately, a travel plan for selecting action 2-1 and action 2-2 are selected by the processing in step S211 described later. Both the travel plan to be created will be created. However, if the corresponding other vehicle 101 is not found in step S207, the action 2-1 is not selected in step S208.

When a plurality of corresponding other vehicles 101 are found in step S207, the action 2-1 is further divided into a plurality of options, and a travel plan for causing each other vehicle 101 to follow the own vehicle 100 is created. . For example, when two vehicles A and B are found as corresponding other vehicles 101 in step S207, one of the following three actions is selected.
[Action 2-1A] The vehicle 100 is caused to travel following the vehicle A.
[Action 2-1B] The vehicle 100 is caused to travel following the vehicle B.
[Action 2-2] Manually drive the vehicle 100.

  Further, when many other vehicles 101 are found in step S207, the target of the action 2-1 (the target that the vehicle 100 follows) is limited to a part of them according to the first priority item. May be. For example, only the other vehicle 101 whose destination is a point relatively close to the destination of the own vehicle 100 may be targeted. By doing so, the choices in step S208 are reduced, and the calculation load of the processor 51 as the travel plan calculation unit 213 can be reduced.

Next, the travel plan calculation unit 213 confirms whether or not the updated position L is the destination (division point P _N ) (step S209). If the position L is not the destination, that is, if the position L is an intermediate point on the planned travel route (NO in step S209), in order to calculate a travel plan for the section starting from the position L (updated section D), The process returns to step S204.

  When the position L is the destination (the end point of the planned travel route) (YES in step S209), the travel plan for the entire travel planned route is stored in the calculated travel plan R, and the calculated travel is calculated. It adds to the plan set RF (step S210). Then, it is determined whether or not all the action combination patterns (behavior combination patterns) that can be selected in step S206 and step S208 have been selected (whether all travel plans corresponding to each action combination pattern have been created). (Step S211).

  If there is an unselected action combination pattern (NO in step S211), the process returns to step 203 in order to create a travel plan corresponding to these action combination patterns. In the second and subsequent loops, the same action combination pattern as previously selected is not selected.

  When all the action combination patterns have been selected (YES in step S211), all the travel plans corresponding to the respective action combination patterns are stored in the calculated travel plan set RF. In this case, a travel plan that is determined to have a low overall follow-up cost is extracted from the calculated travel plan set RF and output (step S212).

  The total follow-up cost of each travel plan is evaluated by summing up the follow-up cost and the merge cost. The follow-up cost of each travel plan is evaluated by the follow-up cost calculation unit 213a in consideration of the first priority item. . For example, when the first priority item is “the length of the follow-up travel distance”, it is determined that the follow-up cost is smaller as the travel plan has the largest proportion of the follow-up travel section in the total length of the planned travel route. When the first priority item is “arrival time at destination”, it is determined that the travel plan with the earliest expected arrival time at the destination has a smaller follow-up cost. When the first priority item is “the length of the follow-up travel time”, it is determined that the follow-up cost is smaller for a travel plan having the largest travel time ratio of the follow-up travel section in the total travel time. When the first priority item is “the number of changes of the leading vehicle”, it is determined that the follow-up cost is smaller as the travel plan has a smaller number of changes of the leading vehicle.

  Further, for example, when the first priority item is “driving evaluation value”, it is determined that the follow-up cost is smaller as the travel plan has a higher average value of the driving evaluation values of the other vehicle 101 serving as the leading vehicle. When the first priority item is “route certainty”, it is determined that the follow-up cost is smaller as the travel plan has a higher average value of the route certainty evaluation value of the other vehicle 101 serving as the leading vehicle.

  The merging cost of each travel plan is evaluated by the merging cost calculation unit 213b in consideration of the second priority item. For example, when the second priority item is “travel distance until the host vehicle joins another vehicle”, the merging cost calculation unit 213b determines whether the host vehicle 100 in each following travel section joins the leading vehicle. The travel cost is calculated, and the travel plan with the smaller sum is determined to have a lower merge cost. For example, when the second priority item is “acceleration / deceleration amount until the host vehicle joins another vehicle”, the host vehicle 100 in each following travel section joins the leading vehicle by the merging cost calculation unit 213b. The acceleration amount or deceleration amount until the vehicle is calculated is calculated, and it is determined that the merging cost is smaller as the travel plan has a smaller sum.

  The calculation of the follow-up cost and the merging cost of each travel plan does not necessarily have to be performed after the travel plans for all sections are determined (for example, step S212), but the process for determining the travel plans for each section (steps S204 to S209). Loop).

  In step S212 in FIG. 57, the travel plan calculation unit 213 may output a plurality of travel plans so that the user can select one of them. For example, the travel plan calculation unit 213 outputs a predetermined number of travel plans from the smallest total follow-up cost, or outputs the one with the smallest follow-up cost or merge cost for each first or second priority item. A mode to perform is conceivable.

  The travel plan output by the travel plan calculation unit 213 is displayed on the display device 224 by the processing of steps S105 and S106 in FIG. Here, an example of the display mode of the travel plan output by the travel plan calculation unit 213 is shown.

  As a display mode of the travel plan, a text display as shown in FIG. 58 can be considered. Since the content of the travel plan is displayed in text, it is effective when, for example, the travel plan is communicated to a third party by telephone or the like.

  Further, the travel plan may be displayed as a graph as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 59, the follow-up travel section and the manual operation section are color-coded, so that it becomes easy to grasp the ratio of the follow-up travel section or the manual operation section in the entire planned travel route. Therefore, there is an advantage that the user can intuitively recognize the driver burden of the travel plan.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 60, characters and figures representing a travel plan may be superimposed on the map. In the example of FIG. 60, a line indicating a planned travel route of the vehicle 100 (a triangular icon surrounded by a circle) is displayed in different colors for the follow-up travel section and the manual operation section. Further, on the map, the current position (triangle icon) of the other vehicle 101 serving as the leading vehicle and its planned travel route are also shown. By displaying the travel plan superimposed on the map, the contents of the travel plan can be expressed intuitively and specifically.

  When the travel plan calculation unit 213 outputs a plurality of travel plans in step S212 in FIG. 57 so that the user can select one of them, the plurality of travel plans may be displayed on the display device 224 at the same time. FIG. 61 is a display example when a plurality of travel plans are respectively graphed and displayed simultaneously. When the travel plans are graphed, the user can intuitively recognize the driver burden of the travel plans. Therefore, when the travel plans that are graphed are displayed side by side, the driver burdens of the travel plans can be easily compared. For example, if the user looks at the screen of FIG. 61, the travel plan with the longest follow-up travel distance is “travel plan 3”, and the travel plan with the smallest number of changes in the leading vehicle is “travel plan 1”. Can be seen at a glance.

  In FIG. 61, the length of the horizontal axis of each graph represents distance, but may represent time. The display form in which the length of the horizontal axis with each graph represents time is when the driver wants to select a travel plan with a long follow-up travel time or when he wants to select a travel plan with the earliest arrival time at the destination, Selection is easy and effective.

  Also in this embodiment, for convenience of illustration, the information indicating the leading vehicle is simply displayed as “follow the vehicle X1” or the like, but actually, information that can identify the leading vehicle more specifically is displayed. Since the driver must visually find the leading vehicle before starting follow-up, information that can identify the leading vehicle from the appearance, such as the vehicle type, vehicle name, body color, number of the license plate, etc. It is desirable to display it as information indicating. Further, the vehicle type, the vehicle name, and the color of the vehicle body may be expressed using a photograph or image of the vehicle.

<Embodiment 5>
FIG. 62 is a diagram showing a configuration of a travel plan presentation device 220 according to the fifth embodiment. The travel plan presentation device 220 according to the fifth embodiment has a configuration in which a travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 is added to the configuration of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 26). The travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 instructs the travel plan calculation unit 213 to recalculate the travel plan when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  The hardware configuration of the travel plan presentation device 220 according to the fifth embodiment is also basically the same as that in FIG. 15, and the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 is similar to the other elements in the travel plan creation device 200. 51 is realized by executing a program stored in the memory 52.

  The travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 according to the fifth embodiment performs the travel plan when a certain time has elapsed since the previous travel plan was calculated and when other vehicle information distributed by the vehicle information server 102 has changed. The calculation unit 213 is instructed to recalculate the travel plan.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 50, it is assumed that a travel plan that causes the vehicle 100 to follow the other vehicle X1 and the other vehicle X2 is created as shown in FIGS. R8, R9). After the travel plan is created, as shown in FIG. 63, when another vehicle X3 scheduled to travel on the roads R4, R9, and R6 appears, the vehicle S follows the other vehicle X3 instead of the other vehicle X2 on the road R9. If the travel plan is changed so that the vehicle travels, the road R6 can also follow the road as shown in FIG. As a result, the follow-up travel distance becomes longer, and the follow-up cost can be reduced (when the first priority item is “the length of the follow-up travel distance”). The travel plan recalculation instructing unit 217 makes it possible to change such a travel plan.

  If the recalculated travel plan can reduce the driver's burden (following cost, merge cost or total follow-up cost) than the current travel plan, it is desirable to change the travel plan. In addition, even if the recalculated travel plan has a higher driver burden than the current travel plan, the travel plan is recalculated if the current travel plan is not available. I have to change it. However, even in such a case, it is not preferable to change the travel plan without user approval.

  Therefore, when a travel plan that can reduce the driver's burden than the current travel plan is obtained by recalculation in a state where the current travel plan is available, the display processing unit 216 displays either one as shown in FIG. A screen (travel plan selection screen) that allows the driver to select whether to adopt the travel plan is displayed on the display device 224. In the travel plan selection screen of FIG. 65, the recalculated travel plan and text and icons for selecting whether or not to change the travel plan are superimposed on the map.

  On the travel plan selection screen, as shown in FIG. 66, text representing the current travel plan and text representing the recalculated new travel plan may be displayed side by side. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 67, a graph representing the current travel plan and a graph representing the recalculated new travel plan may be displayed side by side on the travel plan selection screen. If both the current travel plan and the recalculated travel plan are displayed on the travel plan selection screen as shown in FIGS. 66 and 67, the user can easily compare the two.

  Further, when the travel plan is recalculated in a state where the current travel plan is not available, the travel plan is automatically changed regardless of whether or not the driver burden can be reduced, as shown in FIG. Then, a screen (travel plan change notification screen) for notifying the driver to that effect is displayed. In the travel plan change notification screen in FIG. 68, the travel plan after the change (recalculated travel plan) and the text indicating that the travel plan has been changed are superimposed on the map. Although illustration is omitted, on the travel plan change notification screen, the travel plan after the change may be displayed as text or a graph.

  Next, a process (travel plan recalculation process) for recalculating the travel plan in the travel plan creation apparatus 200 according to the fifth embodiment will be described. FIG. 69 is a flowchart showing the processing.

  The travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 checks whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the previous travel plan creation (step S301). When a certain time has elapsed since the previous travel plan creation (YES in step S301), the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 causes the travel plan calculation unit 213 to perform a travel plan calculation process to recalculate the travel plan ( Step S306). The travel plan calculation process in step S306 may be the same as that shown in FIG.

  When the predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous travel plan creation (NO in step S301), the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 transmits the other vehicle 101 that is the leading vehicle of the host vehicle 100 via the communication device 222. Other vehicle information is acquired (step S302), and it is confirmed whether or not the other vehicle information has been changed (step S303). Even when the other vehicle information is changed (YES in step S303), the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 causes the travel plan calculation unit 213 to recalculate the travel plan (step S306).

  If a certain time has not elapsed since the previous travel plan was created and no other vehicle information has been changed (NO in step S303), the travel plan is not recalculated and the current travel plan is It is maintained (step S304). That is, the travel plan stored in the travel plan holding unit 215 is maintained.

  When the travel plan calculation process in step S306 is completed and a recalculated travel plan is obtained, the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 confirms whether or not the current travel plan is available (step S307). If there is a large change in the other vehicle information that contributes to the current travel plan 101 (a change that cannot maintain the current travel route), the current travel plan becomes unusable. This determination can be made by checking whether or not the same travel plan as the current travel plan is stored in the calculated travel plan set RF during the travel plan calculation process in step S306.

  If the current travel plan is available (YES in step S307), it is confirmed whether or not the driver burden (following cost, merge cost or total follow-up cost) can be reduced by the recalculated travel plan (step S308). ). That is, it is confirmed whether the follow-up cost, the merge cost, or the total follow-up cost of the recalculated travel plan is smaller than that of the current travel plan. If the driver burden cannot be reduced by the recalculated travel plan (NO in step S308), the current travel plan is maintained (step S304).

  If the driver burden can be reduced by the recalculated travel plan (YES in step S308), image data of the travel plan selection screen as shown in FIG. 65 is generated (step S309), and the travel plan selection screen is displayed on the display device 224. (Step S310). If there is a travel plan change instruction from the user (YES in step S311), the recalculated travel plan is adopted. That is, the travel plan held in the travel plan holding unit 215 is changed from the current travel plan to the recalculated one (step S312).

  If a travel plan change instruction is not obtained from the user (NO in step S311), the current travel plan is maintained (step S304).

  On the other hand, if the current travel plan is not available (NO in step S307), the recalculated travel plan is automatically adopted (step S313), and an image of the travel plan change notification screen as shown in FIG. Data is generated (step S314), and a travel plan change notification screen is displayed on the display device 224 (step S315).

  After the above processing, it is confirmed whether or not traveling of the vehicle 100 has been completed (step S305). If the user inputs that fact or the travel plan creation device 200 can confirm that the current location of the host vehicle 100 is the destination, it is determined that the travel of the host vehicle 100 has ended (YES in step S305), and the travel The plan recalculation process is terminated. If the traveling of the host vehicle 100 is not completed, the above processing is repeatedly executed until the traveling is completed.

  In addition, there are cases where the current driving plan is not available, such as when the planned driving plan of the leading vehicle has been changed, or when it is impossible to travel according to the driving plan due to traffic problems such as traffic congestion. It is done. In addition, when a vehicle having a new advantageous tracking condition (condition matching the first priority item) is discovered by inter-vehicle communication or the like, the process of changing the tracking plan so as to follow the vehicle (recalculation) And the display thereof may be performed.

<Embodiment 6>
In the sixth embodiment, the travel plan presenting device 220 according to the present invention is applied to a navigation device. FIG. 70 is a diagram showing a configuration of the navigation device 230 according to the sixth embodiment. The navigation device 230 has a configuration in which a current position acquisition device 231, a route search device 232, and a guidance device 233 are added to the travel plan presentation device 220 of FIG.

  The hardware configuration of the navigation device 230 is basically the same as that in FIG. 15, and the current position acquisition device 231, the route search device 232, and the guidance device 233 are also similar to the elements of the travel plan creation device 200 in the processor 51. Is realized by executing a program stored in the memory 52.

  FIG. 71 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle information distribution system according to the sixth embodiment. The vehicle information distribution system is substantially the same as that in FIG. 27, but has a configuration in which a navigation device 230 including a travel plan presentation device 220 is mounted on the host vehicle 100. The navigation device 230 may not be permanently installed in the host vehicle 100, and may be a portable navigation device that can be brought into the host vehicle 100, for example.

  The current position acquisition device 231 of the navigation device 230 calculates the current location of the navigation device 230 from position information acquired from GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like.

  The route search device 232 searches for an optimum route from the departure point to the destination set by the user. Normally, since the current location acquired by the current location acquisition device 231 is automatically set as a departure location, the user simply inputs the destination and the route from the current location to the destination (the planned travel route of the vehicle 100). Can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the planned travel route acquisition unit 211 a included in the own vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires the planned travel route of the host vehicle 100 calculated by the route search device 232.

  The guidance device 233 provides guidance information to the driver so that the host vehicle 100 travels according to the travel plan created by the travel plan creation device 200 (the travel plan stored in the travel plan holding unit 215). . The guide device 233 not only guides the planned travel route as in the conventional navigation device, but also guides the host vehicle 100 to the position of the leading vehicle so that the host vehicle 100 can follow and travel as planned. In order to wait for the car, the vehicle 100 is guided to a waiting point (service area or the like).

  For example, when the own vehicle 100 enters the following travel section by manual driving, the guidance device 233 acquires the position of the leading vehicle (other vehicle 101) by inter-vehicle communication using the communication device 222. And the own vehicle 100 is guided to the position which can follow a leading vehicle from the positional relationship of the own vehicle 100 and a leading vehicle. For example, if the positions of the host vehicle 100 and the leading vehicle are displayed on the map displayed on the display device 224 and the host vehicle 100 approaches the leading vehicle to some extent, the positional relationship between the host vehicle 100 and the leading vehicle as shown in FIG. Should be enlarged. At that time, it is more preferable to indicate an area (followable area) where the own vehicle 100 can start following traveling.

  72, an image showing the positional relationship between the host vehicle 100 and the leading vehicle is an image created by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) included in the processor 51 of FIG. However, instead of this, for example, an image in front of the host vehicle 100 captured by a camera mounted on the host vehicle 100 may be used. In that case, it is preferable to synthesize and display an image indicating the followable area on the video in front of the vehicle 100. Moreover, you may display a followable area in a driver | operator's visual field using a head-up display. The head-up display is a display device that directly displays an image in the driver's field of view by displaying an image on a screen (for example, a windshield) through which the driver can see forward.

  Also in the present embodiment, the travel plan creation device 200 communicates with the follow-up travel control device 40 and transmits a follow-up travel instruction according to the travel plan to the follow-up travel control device 40. The follow-up travel control device 40 controls the travel control system (not shown) of the own vehicle 100 based on the follow-up travel instruction, and causes the own vehicle 100 to follow the leading vehicle to be followed. Further, the follow-up travel control device 40 allows the host vehicle 100 to run at a constant speed when the host vehicle 100 is traveling in a section where manual driving is planned (manual driving section), or allows the user to run the host vehicle. Or urging them to perform 100 manual operations.

  The guidance information generated by the guidance device 233 may be displayed as a voice message from a speaker or the like in the host vehicle 100 in addition to being displayed on the display device 224. For example, when shifting from manual driving to following driving, or when changing the leading vehicle in the middle of following driving, for example, “From the next intersection, the vehicle can run at 40 km / h to join the vehicle X1 and can automatically follow. Please output a voice message saying “Please move to a position.” To prompt the user to follow the vehicle 100 with the leading vehicle. In addition, with the display as shown in FIG. 72, “The leading vehicle is traveling at a speed of 40 km / h. Travel at a speed of 40 km / h or more and move to a followable area. You may output a voice message saying "It will begin."

  Here, the followable area depends on the performance of the follow-up travel control device 40, typically the inter-vehicle distance that can be followed. The performance of the follow-up travel control device 40 may be stored in advance in the travel plan creation device 200, or the travel plan creation device 200 may obtain it through communication with the follow-up travel control device 40. In the case of the latter method, it is possible to reflect the dynamic performance of the follow-up travel control device 40 according to the travel environment such as weather, brightness, and time, and the travel plan creation device 200 can provide a more accurate followable area. It can be displayed on the display device 224.

  In the example of FIG. 72, a special display effect may be given to the image of the leading vehicle. For example, if the leading vehicle image that is currently being tracked is surrounded by a blue solid line frame and the leading vehicle is changed, the frame of the leading vehicle image that is following is changed to a yellow dashed line, and the vehicle to be newly tracked is blue. It is preferable to display so that the current and future leading vehicles can be identified, for example, by enclosing with a dashed frame and completing the transfer of the leading vehicle, such as enclosing the new leading vehicle with a blue solid frame. Further, when it is difficult to follow the current leading vehicle, when a new following vehicle to be transferred cannot be found, a red dashed frame may be added to the image of the current leading vehicle.

  The timing for giving such a special display effect may be only for a certain period before and after changing the leading vehicle. Further, such a special display effect may be applied to a case where an image in front of the host vehicle 100 taken by the camera is displayed on the display device 224 or a head-up display is used. In addition, the special display effect is not limited to the display of the frame, and may be an effect using other figures or characters.

  Also, for example, when waiting for a leading vehicle at a point where you can wait, wait for your vehicle 100 with the voice message “Waiting for the leading vehicle. Enter the service area. The arrival of the leading vehicle is about 10 minutes later.” It is recommended to guide you to a possible point, and then prompt the departure with a voice message “The leading vehicle is approaching. Start driving” when the leading vehicle approaches.

  Here, operation | movement of the guidance apparatus 233 of the navigation apparatus 230 when the own vehicle 100 drive | works the following driving | running | working area is demonstrated. FIG. 73 is a flowchart showing the operation. Note that the operation of the guide device 233 when the host vehicle 100 travels in the manual driving section may be the same as that of a general navigation device, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  When the host vehicle 100 is traveling in the following travel section, the guidance device 233 guides the host vehicle 100 to a position where the other vehicle 101 that is the leading vehicle in the section can travel following the travel plan (step S401). (When the vehicle 100 is already following the leading vehicle as planned, the guidance is not necessary).

  And the guidance apparatus 233 confirms whether there is any change of the leading vehicle based on a travel plan (step S402). If there is a change in the leading vehicle (YES in step S402), the guidance device 233 sets the leading vehicle targeted for guidance as the leading vehicle after the change (step S403), and returns to step S401.

  If there is no change in the lead vehicle based on the travel plan (NO in step S402), the guidance device 233 checks whether there is a change in the lead vehicle due to the change (re-creation) of the travel plan (step S404). ). If there is a change in the leading vehicle due to the change in the travel plan (YES in step S404), the guide device 233 sets the leading vehicle to be the guidance target as the changed leading vehicle (step S405), and the process proceeds to step S401. Return.

  Further, if there is no change in the lead vehicle based on the travel plan and no change in the lead vehicle due to the change in the travel plan (NO in step S404), the guidance device 233 confirms whether or not the own vehicle 100 has arrived at the destination. (Step S406). If own vehicle 100 has arrived at the destination (YES in step S406), guide device 233 ends the guidance process. If the vehicle 100 has not arrived at the destination (NO in step S406), the process returns to step S401.

  With the above processing, the guidance device 233 can always grasp the leading vehicle that is the target of guidance.

  Next, a travel plan recalculation process performed by the travel plan creation device 200 of the navigation device 230 according to the sixth embodiment will be described. FIG. 74 is a flowchart of the travel plan recalculation process. The flow in FIG. 74 is basically the same as the flow shown in FIG. 69, but the condition for executing the travel plan calculation process (step S306) for recalculating the travel plan is greater than the flow in FIG. doing.

  That is, in the flow of FIG. 69, step S306 is executed when a certain time has elapsed since the previous travel plan was created and when other vehicle information of the other vehicle 101 serving as the leading vehicle is changed. In the flow of FIG. 74, step S306 is also executed in the following cases. Since the other flow is the same as that of FIG. 69, description thereof is omitted here.

  In the flow of FIG. 74, the travel plan recalculation instruction unit 217 acquires the position of the own vehicle 100 (own vehicle position) from the current position acquisition device 231 (step S351), and the position of the own vehicle 100 or the amount of change thereof (that is, Even when the traveling distance of the host vehicle 100 satisfies a predetermined condition (YES in step S352), step S306 is executed. The “predetermined condition” in step S352 is, for example, when the vehicle 100 has traveled a certain distance, the vehicle 100 is a predetermined point (for example, a point having a specific attribute such as an intersection or a service area, This is the case where the vehicle 100 has taken a different action from the travel plan when passing through the time when the travel plan is created (such as the division point set in step S201 in FIG. 57).

  Furthermore, even when it is detected by vehicle-to-vehicle communication via the communication device 222 that the currently following leading vehicle is acting differently from the vehicle information (other vehicle information) (YES in step S353). ), The travel plan calculation process of step S306 is executed. The action different from the other vehicle information is, for example, traveling on a route different from the planned traveling route, passing through each point at a time greatly deviating from the scheduled passing time, and the like.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations that are not illustrated can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Leading vehicle selection assistance apparatus, 11 Own vehicle information acquisition part, 11a Planned travel route acquisition part, 12 Other vehicle information acquisition part, 13 Confluence cost calculation part, 14 Priority item setting part, 15 Leading car determination part, 16 Display processing part , 20 vehicle information display device, 21 input device, 22 communication device, 23 map information storage device, 24 display device, 40 following travel control device, 30 navigation device, 31 current position acquisition device, 32 route search device, 33 guidance device, 51 processor, 52 memory, 53 input / output interface, 100 own vehicle, 101 other vehicle, 102 vehicle information server, 103 company, 200 travel plan creation device, 211 own vehicle information acquisition unit, 211a planned travel route acquisition unit, 212 other vehicle Information acquisition unit, 213 travel plan calculation unit, 213a follow-up cost calculation unit, 213b join Cost calculation unit, 214 priority item setting unit, 215 travel plan holding unit, 216 display processing unit, 217 travel plan recalculation instruction unit, 220 travel plan presentation device, 221 input device, 222 communication device, 223 map information storage device, 224 Display device, 230 navigation device, 231 current position acquisition device, 232 route search device, 233 guidance device.

Claims (21)

A host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including information that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the planned travel route;
Other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including information that can predict the current position and speed of another vehicle that is a leading vehicle candidate and information that can specify a planned travel route;
Based on the own vehicle information and the other vehicle information, a large burden on the driver until the own vehicle traveling along the own planned travel route joins the other vehicle traveling along the own planned travel route. A confluence cost calculating unit for calculating confluence costs representing
Equipped with a,
A passing cost representing the size of the driver's burden when the vehicle passes the intersection is defined in advance for each intersection,
The passing cost is defined for each passing direction of the intersection,
The merging cost calculation unit calculates the merging cost in consideration of a passing cost of an intersection through which the host vehicle and the other vehicle pass before the host vehicle joins the other vehicle. Leading vehicle selection support device. The other vehicle information acquisition unit acquires other vehicle information of a plurality of other vehicles as a leading vehicle candidate,
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 1, wherein the merging cost calculation unit calculates the merging cost for each of the plurality of other vehicles. Determining a leading vehicle that evaluates the size of the merging cost of the plurality of other vehicles based on one or more priority items, and narrows down the leading vehicle candidates to those having a relatively small merging cost among the plurality of other vehicles. Further comprising
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 2 . The leading vehicle determination unit determines the one of the plurality of other vehicles with the minimum merging cost.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . The leading vehicle determination unit narrows down the leading vehicle candidates to several vehicles with a relatively low merge cost, and determines a user's selection from the several vehicles as a leading vehicle.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . The priority item is one selected by the user from a plurality of pre-defined items.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . The plurality of items are any of a travel distance, a travel time, a fuel consumption amount, an acceleration amount, a deceleration amount, and an acceleration / deceleration amount until the own vehicle joins the other vehicle.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 6 . Information for specifying one or a plurality of leading vehicle candidates after the leading vehicle determination unit narrows down is displayed on the display device.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . The position of one or a plurality of leading vehicle candidates after the leading vehicle determination unit narrows down is displayed on the display device in a superimposed manner on a map.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . The joining cost of one or a plurality of leading vehicle candidates after the leading vehicle determination unit narrows down is displayed on a display device.
The leading vehicle selection support device according to claim 3 . A vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle information including a planned travel route and a scheduled departure time of the vehicle;
Other vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring other vehicle information including information that can predict the traveling schedule route and speed of each point on the planned traveling route of a plurality of other vehicles,
Based on the own vehicle information and the other vehicle information, a follow-up driving plan for causing the own vehicle traveling along its own planned traveling route to follow the leading vehicle traveling along its own planned traveling route is traveled. A travel plan calculation unit that calculates and outputs a travel plan including:
With
The travel plan calculation unit
A follow-up cost calculation unit that calculates a follow-up cost indicating the amount of burden on the driver for the travel plan;
A merging cost that calculates a merging cost that represents the size of a driver's burden for merging the host vehicle that travels along the planned traveling route with the leading vehicle that travels along the planned traveling route. And the calculation part
A travel plan is created so that a total follow-up cost indicating a driver burden evaluated based on a comprehensive evaluation formula having the follow-up cost, the join cost, or the follow-up cost and the join cost as parameters is minimized ,
A passing cost representing the size of the driver's burden when the vehicle passes the intersection is defined in advance for each intersection,
The passing cost is defined for each passing direction of the intersection,
The merging cost calculation unit calculates the merging cost in consideration of a passing cost of an intersection through which the host vehicle and the other vehicle pass before the host vehicle joins the other vehicle. A travel plan creation device. In the travel plan, each section obtained by dividing the travel schedule route of the host vehicle into a plurality of sections is set as a manual operation section in which the host vehicle is traveled by manual driving or the host vehicle is allowed to travel by following the leading vehicle. It includes information indicating whether it is a section, and information indicating the other vehicle that is the leading vehicle in each follow-up traveling section.
The travel plan creation device according to claim 11 . The follow-up cost calculation unit evaluates the magnitude of the follow-up cost of the travel plan based on one or more first priority items,
The merging cost calculation unit evaluates the size of the merging cost of the travel plan based on one or more second priority items.
The travel plan creation device according to claim 11 . Each of the first priority item and the second priority item is selected by a user from a plurality of predetermined items.
The travel plan creation device according to claim 13 . The plurality of items for the first priority item include the length of the follow-up travel distance, the arrival time at the destination, the length of the follow-up travel time, the number of changes in the leading vehicle, the driving evaluation value of the leading vehicle, and the leading One of the path certainty of the car
The travel plan creation device according to claim 14 . The plurality of items regarding the second priority item are any one of a travel distance, a travel time, a fuel consumption amount, an acceleration amount, a deceleration amount, and an acceleration / deceleration amount until the own vehicle joins each leading vehicle.
The travel plan creation device according to claim 14 . The travel plan is output to a follow-up travel control device that causes the vehicle to follow the travel.
The travel plan creation device according to claim 11 . The host vehicle information acquisition unit of the leading vehicle selection support device acquires host vehicle information including information that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the planned travel route,
Other vehicle information acquisition unit of the leading vehicle selection support device acquires other vehicle information including information capable of predicting the current position and speed of the other vehicle that is a leading vehicle candidate and information capable of specifying the planned travel route,
The merging cost calculation unit of the leading vehicle selection support device travels along its own scheduled travel route based on the own vehicle information and the other vehicle information, and the own vehicle travels along its own planned travel route. Calculate a confluence cost that represents the size of the driver's burden until it joins the other vehicle ,
A passing cost representing the size of the driver's burden when the vehicle passes the intersection is defined in advance for each intersection,
The passing cost is defined for each passing direction of the intersection,
The merging cost calculation unit calculates the merging cost in consideration of a passing cost of an intersection through which the host vehicle and the other vehicle pass before the host vehicle joins the other vehicle. A leading vehicle selection support method. The other vehicle information acquisition unit acquires other vehicle information of a plurality of other vehicles as a leading vehicle candidate,
The merging cost calculation unit calculates the merging cost for each of the plurality of other vehicles,
The leading vehicle determination unit of the leading vehicle selection support device narrows down the leading vehicle candidates to those having a relatively low merging cost among the plurality of other vehicles.
The leading vehicle selection support method according to claim 18 . The joining cost of one or a plurality of leading vehicle candidates after the leading vehicle determination unit narrows down is displayed on a display device.
The leading vehicle selection support method according to claim 19 . The vehicle information acquisition unit of the leading vehicle selection support device acquires the vehicle information including the planned travel route and the scheduled departure time of the vehicle,
The other vehicle information acquisition unit of the leading vehicle selection support device acquires other vehicle information including information that can predict a scheduled travel route of a plurality of other vehicles and a scheduled passage time and speed of each point on the planned travel route. ,
The travel plan calculation unit of the leading vehicle selection support device travels along the own travel schedule route along the own travel route along the own travel route based on the own vehicle information and the other vehicle information. Calculate and output a travel plan that includes a follow-up travel plan to follow the leading vehicle.
In the travel plan creation method,
The travel plan calculation unit,
Calculate the follow-up cost indicating the size of the burden on the driver for the travel plan,
Calculate a merging cost that represents the size of a driver burden for merging the vehicle that travels along the planned travel route with the leading vehicle that travels along the planned travel route for the travel plan,
A travel plan is created so that a total follow-up cost indicating a driver burden evaluated based on a comprehensive evaluation formula having the follow-up cost, the join cost, or the follow-up cost and the join cost as parameters is minimized ,
A passing cost representing the size of the driver's burden when the vehicle passes the intersection is defined in advance for each intersection,
The passing cost is defined for each passing direction of the intersection,
The travel plan calculation unit calculates the merging cost in consideration of a passing cost of an intersection through which the host vehicle and the other vehicle pass before the host vehicle joins the other vehicle. A travel plan creation method.

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