JP7261266B2 - VEHICLE DRIVING CONTROL DEVICE AND VEHICLE DRIVING CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control device and a vehicle travel control method, and more particularly to a vehicle travel control device and a vehicle travel control method for controlling travel of a vehicle along a planned travel route of the own vehicle.

In recent years, in order to realize the safety and comfort of the driver, the vehicle itself grasps the information of the surrounding external environment and controls the driving of the vehicle instead of the driver. Vehicles equipped with assistance systems) are known.
For example, in order to reduce the burden on the driver during long-distance driving on a highway, the own vehicle recognizes the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle and maintains the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. A technique of adaptive cruise control for following a preceding vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

The driving support device described in Patent Document 1 switches between an "autonomous driving mode" in which the own vehicle autonomously runs and a "following driving mode" in which the vehicle follows a predetermined preceding vehicle. is possible.
Specifically, the driving support device receives the planned travel route of the preceding vehicle, determines whether or not there is a route matching the planned travel route of the own vehicle in the planned travel route of the preceding vehicle, Based on the results, it is possible to switch between an "autonomous driving mode" in which the vehicle autonomously travels along the planned travel route and a "following driving mode" in which the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle.

JP 2018-124932 A

By the way, a driving support device such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 receives a planned travel route from a preceding vehicle, and selects a "follow-up driving mode" on a route where the planned travel route of the preceding vehicle and the planned travel route of the own vehicle match. Execute. Then, when the two routes no longer match, it switches from the "following driving mode" to the "autonomous driving mode" and controls the driving of the own vehicle so that it moves away from the preceding vehicle and travels autonomously. ing.
Under these circumstances, there has been a demand for technology that can switch between "follow-up driving" and "autonomous driving" according to the behavior of the preceding vehicle (changes in driving conditions) to achieve more efficient driving.
For example, if the vehicle in front stops in the middle of driving, or if it stops at a resting place in the middle of driving, it will switch from "follow-up driving" to "autonomous driving" as necessary to overtake the vehicle in front. setting a route to overtake the running vehicle), etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable the own vehicle to follow a target vehicle, change the operating state of the own vehicle as necessary, and To provide a vehicle travel control device and a vehicle travel control method that enable efficient operation of a vehicle.

According to the vehicle running control device of the present invention, the vehicle running control device controls the running of the own vehicle, and comprises: an environment information acquiring unit for acquiring environment information around the own vehicle; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle; a communication unit that receives position information of a target vehicle that is a target in traveling of the vehicle on the planned travel route; and the environment information and the position of the vehicle. a driving control unit that controls driving of the subject vehicle based on the information; a first determination unit that determines whether a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied; and a second determination unit that determines whether or not the travel condition of is satisfied, and based on the position information of the target vehicle received by the communication unit, the target vehicle chooses a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle. A third determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle has traveled; and a planned travel route setting unit that sets a new planned travel route for the subject vehicle. Based on the position information of the own vehicle and the environment information specified by and, relative operation control is performed so that the own vehicle travels relative to the target vehicle, and the planned travel route setting unit performs the operation control unit When the relative driving control is performed by the first determination unit, it is determined that the predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied, and the second determination unit determines that the predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle is established, a new planned travel route is set as the planned travel route for the own vehicle based on the environment information , the position information of the own vehicle , and the position information of the target vehicle. and when it is determined by the third determination unit that the target vehicle has traveled on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, the determination results of the first determination unit and the second determination unit are interrogated. First, a new planned travel route leading to the planned travel route of the own vehicle is set, and when the new planned travel route is set by the planned travel route setting unit, the operation control unit Instead of relative driving control, autonomous driving control is performed to autonomously drive the own vehicle along the new planned travel route based on the environmental information and the position information of the own vehicle. be.
As described above, when it is determined that the predetermined driving conditions regarding the subject vehicle and the host vehicle are satisfied while the "relative driving control" of the host vehicle is being performed, the vehicle travel control device controls the travel of the host vehicle. A new scheduled travel route is set, and "autonomous driving control" of the own vehicle is performed. Therefore, a vehicle cruise control system that enables efficient driving of the own vehicle by appropriately switching between "relative driving (follow-up driving)" and "autonomous driving" according to the behavior of the target vehicle (changes in driving conditions) is realized. be able to.

Further, the subject is a vehicle travel control method executed by a computer that controls travel of the own vehicle, wherein the computer acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the own vehicle; A position information acquisition step of acquiring position information ; a communication step of receiving position information of a target vehicle in which the own vehicle travels along a planned travel route; and the environment information and the position information of the own vehicle. Based on the above , an operation control step of performing operation control of the own vehicle, a first determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied, and a predetermined determination regarding the own vehicle a second determination step of determining whether or not a running condition is satisfied; and based on the position information of the target vehicle received in the communication step, the target vehicle travels a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle. and a planned travel route setting step of setting a new planned travel route for the own vehicle, and in the operation control step, the position information of the target vehicle is Based on the originally specified position information of the own vehicle and the environment information, relative operation control is performed to cause the own vehicle to travel relative to the target vehicle, and in the planned travel route setting step, the operation control When the relative driving control is performed by the step, it is determined in the first determination step that a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is established, and in the second determination step , a predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle is determined. When it is determined that the conditions are met, a new planned travel route is set as the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the environment information, the position information of the own vehicle, and the position information of the target vehicle. When it is determined in the third determination step that the target vehicle has traveled on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, the determination results of the first determination step and the second determination step are changed. Regardless, a new planned travel route is set until the vehicle is guided to the planned travel route, and in the operation control step, when the new planned travel route is set by the planned travel route setting step, the previous travel route is set . Vehicle driving, wherein instead of the relative driving control, autonomous driving control is performed to autonomously drive the own vehicle along the new planned travel route based on the environmental information and the position information of the own vehicle. It is also solved by the control method.
Further, the above-mentioned problem is to provide a computer as a vehicle running control device for controlling running of the own vehicle, an environment information acquisition process for acquiring environment information around the own vehicle, and a position information acquisition for acquiring the position information of the own vehicle. communication processing for receiving positional information of a target vehicle in which the vehicle travels along a planned travel route; and operation control of the vehicle based on the environmental information and the positional information of the vehicle. a first determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the subject vehicle has been established; and a second determination processing for determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle has been satisfied. a determination process; a third determination process for determining whether or not the target vehicle has traveled a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the target vehicle received by the communication processing; and a planned travel route setting process for setting a new planned travel route for the own vehicle, and in the operation control process, the position information of the own vehicle specified based on the position information of the target vehicle and the relative driving control for causing the own vehicle to travel relative to the target vehicle based on environmental information, and in the scheduled travel route setting process, when the relative driving control is performed by the driving control process, When it is determined by the first determination process that the predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is established, and when it is determined by the second determination process that the predetermined driving condition regarding the own vehicle is satisfied, the environmental information Then, based on the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the target vehicle, a new planned travel route is set as the planned travel route of the own vehicle, and the target vehicle is determined by the third determination process. When it is determined that the vehicle has traveled along a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, regardless of the determination results of the first determination process and the second determination process, the vehicle is guided to the planned travel route of the own vehicle. is set, and in the driving control process, when the new scheduled driving route is set by the scheduled driving route setting process, instead of the relative driving control, the own vehicle is controlled by the new The problem can also be solved by a vehicle travel control program that performs autonomous driving control to autonomously travel along a planned travel route based on the environmental information and the position information of the own vehicle.

According to the vehicle running control device and the vehicle running control method of the present invention, the own vehicle can run following (relative to) the target vehicle, change the driving state of the own vehicle as necessary, and control the own vehicle. Efficient operation is possible.
For example, if the target vehicle stops in the middle of driving, or if it stops at a resting place in the middle of driving, it will switch from "relative driving (follow-up driving)" to "autonomous driving" as necessary to overtake the target vehicle. (Setting a route to overtake the target vehicle) becomes possible.

1 is a configuration diagram of an entire vehicle travel control system according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a figure explaining hardware constitutions of a vehicle running control device. It is a figure explaining the hardware constitutions of a vehicle information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the position of the identification mark attached to the object vehicle. It is a figure which shows the position of the identification mark attached to the object vehicle. It is a figure explaining the hardware constitutions of an operating device. It is a figure explaining the function of a vehicle running control device, a vehicle information processing device, and an operating device. It is a figure explaining the state in which autonomous driving control is performed. It is a figure explaining the state changed from autonomous driving control to relative driving control. It is a figure explaining a mode that it changes from relative operation control to autonomous operation control, and the own vehicle overtakes a target vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which autonomous driving control is performed and the own vehicle has stopped overtaking the target vehicle; FIG. 2 is a processing flow diagram showing a vehicle travel control method according to the present embodiment; FIG. 8 is a processing flow diagram showing details of a vehicle overtaking process in FIG. 7;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle travel control system S of the present embodiment grasps the external environment of the own vehicle V, plans the planned travel route of the own vehicle V on behalf of the driver, and follows the planned travel route. A system that realizes "automatic driving" in which the own vehicle V runs by controlling the own vehicle V by using the automatic driving system, and "following driving" in which the own vehicle V follows and runs relative to a predetermined target vehicle FV. It is possible to perform "mode switching processing" for switching between the control mode and the follow-up operation control mode.
Note that the “following operation (following operation control)” may be referred to as “relative operation (relative operation control)”. In this embodiment, the operation will be described below as "relative operation".
Further, in the present embodiment, hereinafter, the "automatic operation control mode (first operation control mode)" is simply referred to as "automatic operation mode", and the "following operation control mode (second operation control mode)" is simply referred to as "relative Operation mode” will be described.

"Automatic driving (automatic driving mode)" includes "autonomous driving (autonomous driving mode)" in which the vehicle V is controlled to run autonomously, and "autonomous driving (autonomous driving mode)" in which an operator outside the vehicle V remotely controls the vehicle V. It includes "remote operation (remote operation mode)" in which the vehicle is driven by operation (external operation). That is, in the present embodiment, "autonomous operation" and "remote operation" are collectively referred to as "automatic operation". Basically, the description will be made assuming that the term "automatic operation" means autonomous operation.
In the remote operation, the operator may not be human, and may be AI (artificial intelligence), for example.

In addition to the above-mentioned "automatic driving" and "relative driving", there is a "manual driving (manual driving mode)" in which the driver gets on the own vehicle V and actually performs the driving operation. In the mode switching process, in addition to switching between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode, it is also possible to switch between the manual operation mode and the relative operation mode.

Note that the "vehicle V" is a vehicle that is equipped with a vehicle travel control device 1 described later and has a function of automatic driving and a function of relative driving.
The "target vehicle FV" is equipped with a vehicle information transmission device 50, which will be described later, and transmits vehicle information (specifically, vehicle identification information, current position information, and planned travel route information) through communication via a network. It is a vehicle that runs in a state where it is possible to
The target vehicle FV is not limited to a preceding vehicle that runs ahead of the own vehicle V, and may be a parallel running vehicle that runs side by side with the own vehicle V. FIG. Alternatively, it may be a following vehicle that travels behind the own vehicle.
The target vehicle FV may be, for example, a bus, taxi, truck, or the like that travels along a preset travel route, or may be a circulation bus that travels along a predetermined circulation route. Of course, other general vehicles may be used.

<Hardware Configuration of Vehicle Driving Control System>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle travel control system S includes a vehicle travel control device 1 mounted on the own vehicle V for comprehensively controlling travel of the own vehicle V, and an external environment surrounding the own vehicle V. an in-vehicle sensor 10 for detecting a GNSS signal from a satellite SA and a reference station ST to measure the current position of the vehicle V; , and an in-vehicle communication device 40 that communicates with an external device.
The vehicle running control system S is mounted on the target vehicle FV, is connected to the vehicle running control device 1 via a network, and transmits target vehicle information including position information of the target vehicle FV by communication via the network. An information transmission device 50 and an identification mark 60 attached to a target vehicle FV and embedded with vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV are provided.
In addition to the vehicle information transmission device 50 and the identification mark 60 provided in the subject vehicle FV, the subject vehicle V further includes the on-vehicle sensor 10, the in-vehicle locator 20, the in-vehicle ECU 30, the in-vehicle The configuration may further include the communication device 40 . In other words, the own vehicle V and the target vehicle EV may have the same configuration, whereby the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV are interchanged with each other, making it possible to configure the vehicle travel control system S.
Further, the vehicle running control system S is provided with a remote control device 70 installed outside the own vehicle V for operating (remotely controlling) the running of the own vehicle V by communicating with the vehicle running control device 1 via a network. .
Note that the vehicle travel control device 1, the vehicle information transmission device 50, and the remote control device 70 may communicate directly.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle travel control device 1 is a computer connected to an in-vehicle sensor 10, an in-vehicle locator 20, an in-vehicle ECU 30, and an in-vehicle communication device 40 via an in-vehicle network (CAN).
Specifically, the vehicle driving control device 1 includes a CPU as a data arithmetic and control processing device, ROM, RAM and HDD (SSD) as storage devices, and a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information data through an in-vehicle network. is a computer equipped with
The storage device of the vehicle travel control device 1 stores a vehicle travel control program in addition to a main program that performs necessary functions as a computer. function will be exhibited.
The in-vehicle ECU 30 (general ECU 31), the vehicle information transmission device 50, and the remote control device 70 are also computers having the same hardware configuration.

In order to execute "autonomous driving", the vehicle travel control device 1 uses information on the external environment obtained from the vehicle-mounted sensor 10, position information of the vehicle V obtained from the vehicle-mounted locator 20, and vehicle information obtained from the vehicle-mounted ECU 30. By controlling the in-vehicle ECU 30 (general ECU 31) based on and, the "autonomous driving" of the own vehicle V is controlled.
In addition, the vehicle travel control device 1 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle information transmitting device 50 through the vehicle-mounted communication device 40 in order to execute "relative driving (following driving)", and obtains target vehicle information including position information of a predetermined target vehicle FV. to receive Then, by controlling the in-vehicle ECU 30 (general ECU 31) based on the target vehicle information including the information of the external environment, the positional information of the own vehicle V, and the positional information of the target vehicle FV, the own vehicle V relative to the target vehicle FV is controlled. controls the "relative travel (follow-up travel)".
In addition, the vehicle travel control device 1 wirelessly communicates with the remote control device 70 through the on-vehicle communication device 40 in order to execute "remote driving", and obtains external environment information, position information of the own vehicle V, and own vehicle information. is transmitted to the remote control device 70 . The remote control device 70 receives these pieces of information, displays them on the monitor 71 (navigation monitor 72) based on the information on the external environment and the positional information of the own vehicle V, and also informs the operator of the content. can.

More specifically, the vehicle running control device 1 is newly installed in the own vehicle V in which the "autonomous driving function (in-vehicle sensor 10, in-vehicle locator 20, in-vehicle ECU 30)" is pre-installed, so that the existing " It is intended to enhance the performance of the "autonomous driving function" and to newly add the "relative driving function" and "remote driving function".

The in-vehicle sensor 10 detects moving objects (other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) around the vehicle V, various structures, road shapes, etc. as the external environment around the vehicle V. Specifically, is mainly composed of a plurality of imaging devices 11 , a plurality of radars 12 , and a plurality of lidars 13 .
In addition, the vehicle-mounted sensor 10 may further have a detection sensor other than the above.

The imaging device 11 is a small imaging camera (wide-angle camera) that captures an external image around the own vehicle V, and has a "sensing function" for driving control of the own vehicle V and a "sensing function" for the driver (operator). In order to execute the "monitoring function", external video data is created and transmitted to the vehicle travel control device 1 .
A plurality of imaging devices 11 are mounted on the own vehicle V, and are attached to the windshield of the own vehicle V. A first imaging device 11a and a second imaging device 11b pick up images of the front, right side, and left side of the own vehicle V. , a third imaging device 11c, a fourth imaging device 11d attached to the back bumper of the own vehicle V for imaging the rear of the own vehicle V, and a right and left mirror of the own vehicle V, which is attached to the left and right mirrors of the own vehicle V. A fifth image capturing device 11e and a sixth image capturing device 11f for capturing images of the rear and left oblique rear are provided as main cameras.
In addition, the imaging device 11 includes, as sub-cameras, a seventh imaging device 11g that is attached to the front bumper of the vehicle V and captures an image in front of the vehicle V, and a seventh imaging device 11g that is attached to the periphery of the left and right backlights of the vehicle V. An eighth image pickup device 11h and a ninth image pickup device 11i for capturing images of the oblique right rear and oblique left rear of the vehicle V are provided.
In this embodiment, a total of nine imaging devices 11 are attached to predetermined positions of the own vehicle V, but the number and mounting positions of the imaging devices 11 can be changed according to the type and shape of the own vehicle V. be. The same is true for the radar 12 and the lidar 13 as well.
As another example of the sub-camera, the seventh imaging device 11g may be attached to the upper part of the back glass (rear glass) of the vehicle V, and the rear side of the vehicle V may be captured from this position. In that case, the eighth imaging device 11h is preferably attached to the front right A pillar of the vehicle V, and the ninth imaging device 11i is preferably attached to the front left A pillar.

The radar 12 emits radio waves while continuously changing the irradiation direction, detects the target object by receiving the reflected wave from the target object (measures the position and speed of the target object), and detects the target object in three-dimensional space. It is a millimeter-wave radar that performs imaging. Compared to the imaging device 11 and the lidar 13, detection can be performed with high accuracy even in environmental conditions with poor visibility such as nighttime or bad weather.
The radar 12 acquires detection result data (detection signal) of the target object and transmits the detection result data to the vehicle travel control device 1 .
A plurality of radars 12 are mounted on the own vehicle V, and a first radar 12a and a second radar 12b are attached around the left and right front lights of the own vehicle V, and attached around the left and right backlights of the own vehicle V. A third radar 12c and a fourth radar 12d are provided.
Note that the radar 12 is not particularly limited to a millimeter wave radar, and may be a radar such as a laser radar or an ultrasonic sensor.

The lidar 13, also called a “lidar,” is a remote sensor that emits laser light and receives reflected light from the target object to measure the distance to the target object and perform three-dimensional spatial imaging. Compared with the imaging device 11 and the radar 12, it is possible to measure the distance to surrounding objects in units of several centimeters.
The rider 13 acquires distance measurement data obtained by measuring the distance to the target object, and transmits the distance measurement data to the vehicle travel control device 1 .
A plurality of riders 13 are mounted on the vehicle V. First riders 13a and second riders 13b are attached to the periphery of the left and right front lights of the vehicle V, and a third rider 13b is attached to the rear bumper of the vehicle V. A fourth rider 13d and a fifth rider 13e attached to the periphery of the left and right backlights of the own vehicle V are provided.

The in-vehicle locator 20 measures the current position of the vehicle V using a satellite positioning system using satellites SA and a reference station ST, and also measures the acceleration and angular velocity of the vehicle V in order to improve the measurement accuracy of the current position. It is something to do.
Specifically, the vehicle-mounted locator 20 includes a GNSS receiver 21 that receives GNSS radio waves (GPS radio waves) from a plurality of satellites SA, and an inertial measurement device 22 that measures the acceleration and angular velocity of the own vehicle V. there is

Specifically, the GNSS receiver 21 is an RTK-GNSS receiver, receives GNSS radio waves from a plurality of (specifically, four) satellites SA, and obtains "GNSS information" necessary for independent positioning. Generate. It also receives "GNSS correction information" necessary for relative positioning from an external reference station ST.
The reference station ST is a fixed reference station set at a known point, receives GNSS radio waves from a plurality of satellites SA, generates "GNSS correction information", and transmits it to the GNSS receiver 21 .
“GNSS information” is distance information between a plurality of artificial satellites SA and the GNSS receiver 21 .
The “GNSS correction information” is distance information obtained by correcting the measurement error of the “GNSS information” by the reference station ST located at a known point receiving GNSS radio waves and the reference station ST and the GNSS receiver 21 communicating.

The inertial measurement unit 22, also called an IMU, includes a 3-axis gyro sensor (angular velocity meter) and a 3-axis acceleration sensor (accelerometer), and measures the three-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration of the own vehicle V. , information on the acceleration and angular velocity of the host vehicle V is transmitted to the vehicle running control device 1 .
The vehicle travel control device 1 performs positioning by combining GNSS information (GNSS correction information) received from the GNSS receiver 21 and information on the angular velocity and acceleration of the own vehicle V received from the inertial measurement device 22. The current position of the own vehicle V can be measured within the error range.

The in-vehicle ECU 30 is, for example, an ECU for ADAS, and is connected to the vehicle running control device 1 and is connected to a general ECU 31 of a higher hierarchy that transmits and receives various data, and to the general ECU 31 as a higher hierarchy, respectively. A steering wheel ECU 32, an accelerator ECU 33, and a brake ECU 34 are provided as lower hierarchies for subdividedly controlling steering, acceleration and deceleration, etc., forming a hierarchical structure.
The steering wheel ECU 32 is also called a driving support computer, and the accelerator ECU 33 and the brake ECU 34 are also called a power management control unit.
The number and functions of individual ECUs connected to the general ECU 31 are not particularly limited to the three ECUs 32 to 34 described above, and other ECUs may be provided on the same hierarchy as these ECUs. .

The steering wheel ECU 32 controls the electric power steering V1 of the own vehicle V in response to instructions from the general ECU 31, and mainly controls the traveling direction of the own vehicle V. FIG.
The electric power steering V1 has a steering mechanism for steering the front wheels of the vehicle V. As shown in FIG. For example, in the manual driving mode, the front wheels of the host vehicle V are steered by the steering operation of the steering wheel V1a by the driver.

The accelerator ECU 33 controls the electric throttle V2 of the own vehicle V in response to instructions from the general ECU 31, and mainly controls the acceleration and deceleration of the own vehicle V.
The electric throttle V2 has a driving mechanism that outputs a driving force for rotating the driving wheels of the own vehicle V. As shown in FIG. For example, in the manual operation mode, the engine output is adjusted in response to the driver's accelerator operation of the accelerator pedal V2a.

The brake ECU 34 controls the electromagnetic brake device V3 of the own vehicle V in response to instructions from the integrated ECU 31, and mainly controls the deceleration and stop of the own vehicle V. FIG.
The electromagnetic brake device V3 is attached to each wheel of the own vehicle V, and has a mechanism for decelerating or stopping the own vehicle V by applying resistance to the rotation of the wheels. For example, in the manual operation mode, the operation of the electromagnetic brake device V3 is adjusted in response to the braking operation of the brake pedal V3a by the driver.

The in-vehicle communication device 40 is a device that communicates information with a vehicle information transmission device 50 mounted on the target vehicle FV, a remote control device 70 installed outside, and an external server (not shown) through a network.
Specifically, the in-vehicle communication device 40 receives the target vehicle information including the position information of the target vehicle FV acquired by the vehicle information transmission device 50 as information necessary for the “relative driving”, and sends the target vehicle information to the vehicle travel control device 1. to send.
In addition, the in-vehicle communication device 40 transmits, to the remote operation device 70, the information of the external image acquired by the vehicle travel control device 1 as information necessary for "remote operation" and the information of the current position. Further, the driving operation information of the own vehicle V is received from the remote operation device 70 that has received the user input by the operator, and is transmitted to the vehicle travel control device 1 .
In addition, the in-vehicle communication device 40 can perform information communication with an external server (not shown), and can receive, for example, the latest traffic information and weather information from the external server.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A, the vehicle information transmission device 50 is mounted on the target vehicle FV, acquires target vehicle information including current position information of the target vehicle FV, and transmits the target vehicle information to the own vehicle V. It is a computer for transmitting to a vehicle, and has an in-vehicle locator 51 and an in-vehicle communication device 52 as a specific hardware configuration.
The "target vehicle information" includes position information (real-time position information) of the target vehicle FV, information on the planned travel route, and vehicle identification information. remembered.
The "vehicle identification information" is a vehicle ID that identifies the target vehicle FV, and information such as the vehicle type name, model, and chassis number is associated with each vehicle ID and stored in the storage unit 500. be. The vehicle identification information is stored in the storage unit 500 and also embedded in the identification mark 60 attached to the target vehicle FV.

The vehicle-mounted locator 51, like the vehicle-mounted locator 20 described above, includes a GNSS receiver 51a that receives GNSS radio waves (GPS radio waves) from a plurality of satellites SA, and an inertial measurement device 51b that measures the acceleration and angular velocity of the target vehicle FV. ,have.
The vehicle-mounted communication device 52 is a device that communicates information with the vehicle travel control device 1 mounted on the own vehicle V through a network.
Specifically, the in-vehicle communication device 52 transmits target vehicle information to the vehicle travel control device 1 (the in-vehicle communication device 40) at all times or as necessary as information necessary for the "relative driving" of the own vehicle V. .
Specifically, the in-vehicle communication device 52 can transmit the position information of the target vehicle FV in real time among the target vehicle information.
"Transmission in real time" includes the case where the position information is transmitted at the same timing as the change of the position information of the target vehicle FV, as well as the case where the position information is transmitted with some time lag.

The identification mark 60, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, is a two-dimensional bar code in which vehicle identification information for identifying the target vehicle FV is embedded (stored). It is In addition, the identification mark 60 may be embedded with information capable of specifying the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV.
The identification mark 60 is recognized by the imaging device 11 of the own vehicle V. FIG.
More specifically, when the imaging device 11 recognizes the identification mark 60 in the image captured by the imaging device 11, the vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV embedded in the identification mark 60, the information that can identify the planned travel route, and the like. is obtained as the recognition result. Then, the vehicle travel control device 1 can acquire the vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV from the imaging device 11 through network communication in a predetermined communication method or an in-vehicle network (CAN).
In the above example, the vehicle identification information can be obtained from the vehicle information transmitting device 50 and the identification mark 60, but it is sufficient if it can be obtained from at least one of them.

The identification mark 60 includes a first identification mark 60a, a second identification mark 60b, and a third identification mark 60c attached to the center, left end, and right end of the vehicle width direction on the rear surface of the target vehicle FV. The FV has a fourth identification mark 60d, a fifth identification mark 60e, and a sixth identification mark 60f attached to the central portion, the left end portion, and the right end portion, respectively, on the front surface of the FV.
The identification mark 60 includes a seventh identification mark 60g, an eighth identification mark 60h, and a ninth identification mark 60i attached respectively to the center, front end, and rear end of the left side of the target vehicle FV in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A tenth identification mark 60j, an eleventh identification mark 60k, and a twelfth identification mark 60l are attached to the central portion, the front end portion, and the rear end portion of the right side of the target vehicle FV, respectively.
Note that the first identification mark 60a, the fourth identification mark 60d, the seventh identification mark 60g, and the tenth identification mark 60j arranged at the respective central portions of the rear surface, front surface, and both side surfaces of the target vehicle FV are different from other identification marks. It is somewhat large in comparison. Therefore, it becomes easier for the imaging device 11 to recognize the identification mark 60 when the host vehicle V is traveling around the target vehicle FV. In other words, it becomes easier for the vehicle travel control device 1 to detect the presence of the target vehicle FV.

Each of the identification marks 60a to 60l is embedded with vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV, and is also embedded with mark position information indicating the position (vehicle position) at which the individual identification mark 60 is attached in the target vehicle FV. ing.
Therefore, when one of the identification marks 60a to 60l is recognized by the imaging device 11 of the own vehicle V, the vehicle travel control device 1 acquires the vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV, Vehicle FV can be detected.
Further, by recognizing, for example, the identification mark 60a and the identification mark 60c among the identification marks 60a to 60l, or by recognizing only the identification mark 60c, the vehicle travel control device 1 can determine the position of the mark based on the mark position information. Therefore, it can be detected that the own vehicle V is behind the target vehicle FV and further to the right of the target vehicle FV.
In particular, the vehicle travel control device 1 controls the vehicle V based on the environment information around the vehicle V, the position information of the vehicle V, the position information of the target vehicle FV, and the mark position information obtained from the identification mark 60. The position (relative position) of the target vehicle FV with respect to V can be accurately grasped.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the remote control device 70 is a computer operated by an operator to perform "remote driving" of the own vehicle V. As a specific hardware configuration, the remote control device 70 includes a plurality of monitors 71. , a navigation monitor 72 , a steering wheel 73 , an accelerator pedal 74 , a brake pedal 75 and a plurality of operation switches 76 .
Note that the remote control device 70 may further include components such as a speaker, a microphone, and a shift lever.

The monitor 71 and the navigation monitor 72 are display units for outputting visual information for performing "remote driving". A synthesized video (synthesized image) synthesized based on predetermined layout information is displayed.
The predetermined layout information is, for example, a display mode of a layout that does not create blind spots for the operator and is easy for the operator to operate. At this time, a plurality of pieces of layout information including predetermined layout information may be associated with each other by a layout ID (layout identification information) and stored in the storage section 100 of the vehicle running control device 1 . In this case, when predetermined layout information is changed using the operation switch 76 or the like, the changed layout ID is transmitted from the remote control device 70 to the vehicle travel control device 1 .
Then, the vehicle travel control device 1 generates a synthesized image by synthesizing the external image based on the layout information for the changed layout ID, and transmits the synthesized image to the remote control device 70 . By doing so, the synthesized image is changed and displayed on the monitor 71 .

The steering wheel 73 is an operation unit that is operated by an operator and used to adjust the steering angle (steering amount) of the own vehicle V. As shown in FIG.
An accelerator pedal 74 and a brake pedal 75 are operating units operated by an operator and used to adjust the drive of the electric throttle V2 of the own vehicle V and the operation of the electromagnetic brake device V3.
A plurality of operation switches 76 are used for user input of setting information for performing "remote operation", for example. For example, by appropriately operating the operation switch 76, the operator can switch the external image (composite image) of the own vehicle V to a predetermined layout display, or switch between the autonomous driving mode, the relative driving mode, and the remote driving mode. You can switch between driving modes.

<Functions of Vehicle Driving Control System>
As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle travel control device 1 is functionally described as follows: a storage unit 100 storing various programs and various data; an environment information acquisition unit 101; a position information acquisition unit 102; Main components include a control unit 103, a vehicle detection unit 104, a communication unit 105, a mode change unit 106, a condition determination unit 107, a planned travel route setting unit 108, and an image processing unit 109. there is
These are composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, communication interface, various programs, and the like.
The storage unit 100 stores vehicle identification information of the own vehicle V, information of the planned travel route of the own vehicle V, and the like.

The vehicle information transmission device 50 will also be described from the functional aspect. 1, and a communication unit 502 that transmits and receives various data to and from it.
The storage unit 500 stores "target vehicle information" including current position information of the target vehicle FV, information on the planned travel route, and vehicle identification information.
The location information acquisition unit 501 acquires the “current location information” of the target vehicle FV in real time using the vehicle-mounted locator 51 . By storing the acquired "current position information" in the storage unit 500, it becomes possible to record the travel locus (past travel route) of the target vehicle FV equipped with the vehicle information transmission device 50. , the storage unit 500 stores the travel locus of the target vehicle FV.
The communication unit 502 uses the in-vehicle communication device 52 to transmit the "target vehicle information" to the vehicle running control device 1 (the in-vehicle communication device 40). In addition, among the target vehicle information, the "current position information" of the target vehicle FV is transmitted in real time.

The remote operation device 70 will also be described from the functional aspect. , a screen display unit 702 for displaying vehicle information on a monitor 71 and contents based on information on the current position of the vehicle V (for example, vehicle navigation) on a navigation monitor 72; and a user notification unit 704 for notifying the operator of the user.

The functions of the vehicle travel control device 1 will be described in detail below.
<<external environment information and location information of own vehicle>>
The environmental information acquisition unit 101 acquires “environmental information (strictly speaking, detection information of the external environment)” around the vehicle V from the in-vehicle sensor 10 .
More specifically, as the "environmental information", external image data around the vehicle V is acquired from the imaging device 11, detection result data of target objects around the vehicle V is acquired from the radar 12, Distance measurement data obtained by measuring the distance between the vehicle V and the target object is obtained.
The "environmental information" is specifically detection information of moving objects (other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) around the own vehicle V, various structures, road shapes, etc., and is also known as driving environment information. It includes traffic environment information, road environment information, and the like.

The environmental information acquisition unit 101 can acquire information about the running state of the target vehicle FV from the in-vehicle sensor 10 in real time as "environmental information".
"Information about the running state" is information about the constant-speed running motion, acceleration motion, deceleration motion, stop motion, left-turn motion, right-turn motion, backward motion, etc. of the target vehicle FV. Behavior information (information based on behavior).
The environment information acquisition unit 101 acquires information about the running state of the target vehicle FV in real time, so that the vehicle running control device 1 can, for example, It is possible to detect that the running target vehicle FV has stopped, that the stopped target vehicle FV has started running, or that the target vehicle FV has started running on a route different from the planned running route.
At this time, "the target vehicle FV has started traveling on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle V (the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV and the planned travel route of the own vehicle V no longer match)". is stored in the storage unit 500 of the target vehicle FV, based on the "traveling trajectory of the target vehicle FV" and the "traveling trajectory of the own vehicle V" described later, the traveling trajectory of the own vehicle V is determined by itself. The determination is made depending on whether or not the vehicle V is on the planned travel route.

The environment information acquisition unit 101 may further acquire "vehicle information" of the own vehicle V from the in-vehicle ECU 30 . Examples of the "vehicle information" include "steering angle information" obtained from the steering wheel ECU 32, "throttle opening information" obtained from the accelerator ECU 33, and "brake depression amount information" obtained from the brake ECU 34. .

The position information acquisition unit 102 acquires “current position information” of the own vehicle V from the in-vehicle locator 20 .
Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 102 acquires GNSS information (GNSS correction information) from the GNSS receiver 21, acquires information on the angular velocity and acceleration of the vehicle V from the inertial measurement device 22, and obtains the GNSS information (GNSS correction information). correction information), angular velocity and acceleration information, the current position of the own vehicle V is identified.
By storing the acquired "current position information" in the storage unit 100, it becomes possible to record the travel locus (past travel route) of the own vehicle V equipped with the vehicle travel control device 1. , the storage unit 100 is in a state in which the travel locus of the host vehicle V is stored. This travel locus of the own vehicle V is used to determine whether or not the own vehicle V is on the planned travel route, and to set a new planned travel route that guides the vehicle onto the planned travel route as necessary.

The "current position information" may be an "absolute position" calculated by independent positioning, a "relative position" calculated by relative positioning, or the "information on the angular velocity and acceleration" of the own vehicle V. "Corrected absolute position" or "corrected relative position" corrected based on the above may be used.
It is said that the positional accuracy of the "absolute position" is about ±10 m, and the positional accuracy of the "relative position" is about ±40 cm. The positional accuracy of the "corrected absolute position" is higher than that of the absolute position, and the positional accuracy of the "corrected relative position" is about ±5 cm, which is the highest positional accuracy.
Methods for calculating the "absolute position", "relative position", "corrected absolute position", and "corrected relative position" will be described in detail below.

The absolute position calculator 102a acquires the above-mentioned "GNSS information" required for independent positioning through the GNSS receiver 21, and calculates the "absolute position" of the own vehicle V by independent positioning.
The "absolute position" of the own vehicle V is defined by receiving GNSS radio waves from a plurality of satellites SA, measuring the distances between the satellites SA located at known points and the own vehicle V, and calculating the respective measured distances ( This is the three-dimensional position of the own vehicle V obtained by solving a three-dimensional equation for obtaining an unknown point from (corresponding to GNSS information).

The relative position calculator 102b acquires the above-mentioned "GNSS correction information" necessary for relative positioning, corrects the "absolute position" by relative positioning, and calculates the "relative position" of the own vehicle V. FIG.
The "relative position" of the own vehicle V is the distance (the distance between each artificial satellite SA and the own vehicle V) from which GNSS radio waves are received at the reference station ST located at a known point and the measurement error is smaller from the reference station ST. , and the three-dimensional position of the own vehicle V obtained from each measured distance (corresponding to GNSS correction information).
As the calculation method of the “relative position”, there are a calculation method of the RTK positioning method (interferometric positioning method) and a calculation method of the DGPS positioning method (relative positioning method). Any calculation method may be used.

The corrected position calculation unit 102c acquires the "information on the angular velocity and acceleration" of the vehicle V, and corrects the absolute position of the vehicle V based on the "GNSS information" and the "information on the acceleration and angular velocity". Calculate the corrected absolute position.
The “corrected absolute position” of the own vehicle V is the three-dimensional position of the own vehicle V obtained by positioning by combining GNSS information and angular velocity and acceleration information (also called IMU information) of the own vehicle V. .
Further, the corrected position calculation unit 102c calculates a "corrected relative position" by correcting the relative position of the own vehicle V based on the "GNSS correction information" and the "acceleration and angular velocity information".

The reception determination unit 102d determines whether or not the GNSS information can be received in real time, and when it is determined that the GNSS information can be received in real time, it determines whether or not the GNSS correction information can be received in real time. .
Specifically, the reception determining unit 102d assumes that there is an obstacle in the surroundings of the vehicle V and that radio waves cannot be received from the satellite SA, and that data cannot be transmitted/received to/from the reference station ST. It is determined whether or not radio waves can be received from the satellite SA, and whether or not data can be transmitted/received to/from the standard station ST.

When the reception determination unit 102d determines that the GNSS information and the GNSS information can be received in real time, the position information acquisition unit 102 obtains the current position of the host vehicle V using the "corrected relative position" with the highest position accuracy. Identify.
Further, when it is determined that the GNSS information can be received in real time and the GNSS correction information cannot be received in real time, the position information acquisition unit 102 uses the "corrected absolute position" with high position accuracy to determine the current position of the vehicle V. Locate.
Furthermore, when it is determined that the GNSS information and the GNSS correction information cannot be received in real time, the position information acquisition unit 102 calculates based on the immediately received "GNSS information" and "acceleration and angular velocity information". It is also possible to identify the current position of the own vehicle V using the "estimated position".

The position information acquisition unit 102 acquires the most accurate "corrected relative position" as the "position information" of the own vehicle V. FIG. On the other hand, when data cannot be transmitted/received to/from the reference station ST, the "correction absolute position" is acquired. Alternatively, if there is an obstacle around the own vehicle V and radio waves cannot be received even from the satellite SA, the "estimated position" is acquired.
Note that the actual travel route information (travel trajectory information, Also called travel history information) is generated.
The generated travel route information (travel route data) of the own vehicle V includes information on travel date and time, travel time, and information on the driving mode of the own vehicle V (for example, the number of times the driving mode is changed, the execution time of each driving mode). and the vehicle information of the target vehicle FV that is the object to be followed in the relative driving mode, etc. are linked and stored in the storage unit 100 .

<<Autonomous Driving Control>>
The operation control unit 103 controls the general ECU 31 based on the "environmental information" obtained by the environmental information obtaining unit 101 and the "positional information of the own vehicle V" obtained by the positional information obtaining unit 102, and controls the own vehicle. "Autonomous operation control" of V is performed (see FIG. 6A).
Note that the operation control unit 103 acquires "vehicle information" of the own vehicle V from the in-vehicle ECU 30 and further combines the "vehicle information" to control the general ECU 31 when performing the "autonomous operation control" of the own vehicle V. Also good.

When the own vehicle V starts traveling along the planned travel route of the own vehicle V, the operation control unit 103 performs “autonomous operation control” to start the autonomous operation of the own vehicle V. FIG.
Specifically, when the host vehicle V starts running, the "autonomous operation mode" is set, and the operation control unit 103 performs autonomous operation control in the "autonomous operation mode".
After that, the host vehicle V travels toward the destination of the planned travel route while the mode changing unit 106 changes the driving mode between the "autonomous driving mode" and the "relative driving mode".
Note that when the target vehicle FV to be tracked is already detected at the timing when the own vehicle V starts running, and the position information of the target vehicle FV can be obtained in real time, the mode changing unit 106 switches from the "autonomous driving mode". The state may be changed to the "relative operation mode". In that case, the operation control unit 103 performs relative operation control in a state where the "relative operation mode" is set, and starts relative operation of the own vehicle V with respect to the target vehicle FV.
Alternatively, when the host vehicle V starts running, the "remote operation mode" is set instead of the "autonomous operation mode", and the operation control unit 103 controls the remote It is good also as performing operation control.

The vehicle detection unit 104 detects that a predetermined preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle V is the target vehicle FV to be followed on the planned travel route of the own vehicle V (see FIG. 6B).
The "subject vehicle to be followed" means a vehicle that travels on a planned travel route that at least partially matches the planned travel route of the own vehicle V, as well as a planned travel route of the own vehicle V within a certain travel distance (travel time). This includes vehicles that will travel on the same route as
For example, a vehicle that is traveling in the vicinity of the own vehicle V when traveling on an expressway or general road that does not have a branch point within a certain traveling distance (traveling time).

Specifically, the vehicle detection unit 104 detects that the preceding vehicle is the target vehicle FV based on the recognition result of the identification mark 60 of the predetermined preceding vehicle recognized by the imaging device 11 .
For example, when the first identification mark 60a of the target vehicle FV is recognized, the vehicle detection unit 104 detects that the target vehicle FV exists at a position ahead of the own vehicle V.
Alternatively, when the seventh identification mark 60g of the target vehicle FV is recognized, the vehicle detection unit 104 detects that the target vehicle FV exists on the right side of the own vehicle V.

More specifically, the vehicle detection unit 104 acquires the recognition results of the identification marks 60a to 60l of the target vehicle FV from the imaging device 11 in real time, thereby obtaining the vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV (shape of the target vehicle FV, size) and the mark position information stored in each of the identification marks 60a to 60l, the relative position of the target vehicle FV with respect to the own vehicle V can be accurately detected in real time.
For example, the vehicle travel control device 1 detects that the target vehicle FV is traveling slightly to the left of the host vehicle V, or that the target vehicle FV is running parallel to the host vehicle V. It is possible to accurately detect that the vehicle V is running slightly ahead of the vehicle V, or the like. In this case, the relative position of the target vehicle FV may be specified, for example, by a three-dimensional coordinate position with the own vehicle V as the center position.
By doing so, as shown in FIG. 6B, the host vehicle V can be relatively driven while maintaining an appropriate inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle V and the target vehicle FV. Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, the own vehicle V can be autonomously driven so that the own vehicle V can appropriately overtake the target vehicle FV.

Although the vehicle detection unit 104 detects the target vehicle FV based on the recognition result of the identification mark 60, the target vehicle FV may be detected by other detection means.
For example, the vehicle detection unit 104 acquires the vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV from the vehicle information transmission device 50 mounted on the target vehicle FV by wireless communication using the on-vehicle communication device 40, and based on the vehicle identification information. The target vehicle FV may be detected.
In other words, the target vehicle FV may be detected by the identification mark 60 attached to the target vehicle FV, or the target vehicle FV may be detected by wireless communication with the vehicle information transmission device 50 mounted on the target vehicle FV. It is good also as a state which can be detected.

The communication unit 105 receives target vehicle information including at least position information of the target vehicle FV detected by the vehicle detection unit 104 .
Specifically, when the vehicle detection unit 104 detects the target vehicle FV, the communication unit 105 starts communication with the vehicle information transmission device 50 via the network.
Then, the communication unit 105 receives the position information of the target vehicle FV and the information of the planned travel route from the vehicle information transmission device 50 mounted on the target vehicle FV.
It should be noted that the positional information acquiring section 501 of the vehicle information transmission device 50 acquires the "current positional information" of the target vehicle FV in real time in the same manner as the positional information acquiring section 102 described above.

<<Mode change (Autonomous operation ⇒ Relative operation)>>
The mode changing unit 106 changes from the "autonomous operation mode (autonomous operation control)" to the "relative operation mode (relative operation control)" when a predetermined relative operation start condition is satisfied.
Specifically, the mode changing unit 106 detects the target vehicle FV by the vehicle detecting unit 104 when the autonomous driving control is performed with the "autonomous driving mode" set as shown in FIG. 6A. , when the target vehicle information is received by the communication unit 105, the "autonomous driving mode" is changed to the "relative driving mode" as shown in FIG. 6B.

More specifically, when the vehicle detection unit 104 detects a preceding vehicle as a "predetermined relative driving start condition", it determines whether or not the preceding vehicle is the target vehicle FV. If it is determined that there is, the preceding vehicle is recognized as the target vehicle FV. Then, the mode changing unit 106 changes from the "autonomous operation mode" to the "relative operation mode".
If it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not the target vehicle FV, even if the preceding vehicle is detected, the "predetermined relative driving start condition" is not satisfied. No mode change by 106 is made.
Here, the "target vehicle FV" is a vehicle having a vehicle ID registered in advance by the vehicle running control device 1 (storage unit 100) mounted on the own vehicle V and identified by the vehicle ID. If the vehicle ID is set for the preceding vehicle, the "predetermined relative driving start condition" is satisfied, and if the vehicle ID is not set, the condition is not satisfied.

More specifically, when the target vehicle FV is detected while the autonomous driving control is being performed with the "autonomous driving mode" set, the mode changing unit 106 sets the "autonomous driving mode". Set the "relative operation mode" with . In other words, while the "autonomous operation mode" is enabled, the "relative operation mode" is changed from the disabled state to the enabled state.
At this time, the mode changing unit 106 preferentially continues the “autonomous operation mode” while both modes are set. That is, the operation control unit 103 continues to perform autonomous operation control.
Then, when the target vehicle information of the target vehicle FV is obtained while the autonomous driving control is continuing with both modes set, the mode changing unit 106 selects "relative mode" with both modes set. Operation mode" is given priority. That is, the operation control unit 103 newly performs relative operation control.
It should be noted that the mode changing unit 106 is operated when the target vehicle information of the target vehicle FV is not obtained while the autonomous driving control is continuing in a state where both modes are set. If wireless communication with the vehicle information transmission device 50 cannot be established, the "relative driving mode" once set is returned to the unset state. In other words, the "relative operation mode" is returned from the enabled state to the disabled state. At this time, since the "autonomous operation mode" remains set (enabled), the operation control unit 103 continues to perform autonomous operation control.

<<Relative operation control>>
The operation control unit 103 controls the general ECU 31 based on the "environmental information", "positional information of the subject vehicle V", and "subject vehicle information of the subject vehicle FV" to control the subject vehicle FV. "relative operation control" is performed (see FIG. 6B).
In addition, in executing the "relative driving control", the driving control unit 103 further combines the "vehicle identification information of the target vehicle FV" obtained from the recognition result of the identification mark 60, and controls the general ECU 31 to perform the target Suitable relative driving can be performed according to the type of vehicle FV (shape, size, running performance, fuel consumption, engine displacement, etc.).

Further, the "relative driving control" performed by the driving control unit 103 is based on the "position information of the target vehicle FV" included in the target vehicle information acquired from the target vehicle FV, and based on the position information of the target vehicle FV. This is a control process for specifying the position information of the vehicle V traveling on the travel locus (past travel route) drawn by the . In this relative driving control, in order to appropriately secure the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV on the traveling locus, predetermined position information is provided with a set inter-vehicle distance according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle V. is controlled to run.
Specifically, the traveling speed acquisition unit acquires the "information on the angular velocity and acceleration" of the vehicle V from the inertial measurement device 22, and calculates the "traveling velocity" of the vehicle V by integrating the acceleration and the angular velocity. Get in real time.
Then, the operation control unit 103 refers to the "inter-vehicle distance data" shown in FIG. Based on the positional information of the own vehicle and the environmental information, relative driving control is performed to make the own vehicle V travel relative to the target vehicle FV.
In this relative driving control, the position information specified based on the position information of the target vehicle FV is corrected based on the "position information of the own vehicle V" so that the own vehicle V actually travels, and the trajectory is corrected. I do. In other words, this is a process of correcting the deviation (error) between the position information where the own vehicle is traveling and the position information where the own vehicle is actually traveling, which is specified based on the position information of the target vehicle FV, and correcting the trajectory. .
As a result, the storage unit 100 stores the travel locus along which the own vehicle V actually traveled (the travel locus based on the position information of the own vehicle V).

The operation control unit 103 performs relative operation control while referring to the “inter-vehicle distance data” stored in the storage unit 100 to set the inter-vehicle distance according to the running speed of the own vehicle V.
The "inter-vehicle distance data" is a data table showing the correspondence relationship between the traveling speed of the own vehicle V and the set inter-vehicle distance.
Note that the operation control unit 103 is not limited to this, and the target vehicle V and the target vehicle FV are synchronized (for example, when the target vehicle FV runs "1 m", the target vehicle V also runs "1 m"). Relative driving control of own vehicle V may be performed with respect to vehicle FV.

<<Mode change (Relative operation ⇒ Autonomous operation)>>
(When the target vehicle stops)
As shown in FIG. 6B, the mode changing unit 106 sets the predetermined driving conditions for the target vehicle FV and the predetermined driving conditions for the own vehicle V when the relative driving control is performed in the state where the "relative driving mode" is set. When each of the conditions is satisfied, the mode is changed from the relative operation mode to the "autonomous operation mode".
The "predetermined driving condition for the target vehicle FV" means that the vehicle V needs to overtake the target vehicle FV in order for the vehicle V to travel efficiently, or that the vehicle V travels on a route different from that of the target vehicle FV. This is a case where it is detected from the behavior (change in running state) of the target vehicle FV that there is a need.
For example, it is detected from the behavior of the target vehicle FV that the target vehicle FV has stopped on the side of the road (roadside strip) or has started to stop. For example, the acceleration of the target vehicle FV becomes 0 (km/h/s) or less, and the difference in running speed (km/h) from the host vehicle V becomes a predetermined threshold or more. It is assumed that
The "predetermined travel condition for own vehicle V" is a case where it is detected that own vehicle V can travel along the planned travel route to overtake target vehicle FV.

Specifically, first, the condition determination unit 107 (first determination unit 107a) determines whether or not the "predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle FV" is satisfied while the relative driving control is being performed.
When the first determination unit 107a determines that the above-described running condition is met, the second determination unit 107b determines whether or not the "predetermined running condition regarding the host vehicle V" is met.
When the second determination unit 107b determines that the above-described running condition is satisfied, the mode changing unit 106 changes from the "relative operation mode" to the "autonomous operation mode".
On the other hand, when the first determination unit 107a determines that the running condition is not satisfied, or when the second determination unit 107b determines that the driving condition is not satisfied, the mode changing unit 106 changes the "relative The operation mode” is continued, and the operation control unit 103 continues to perform the “relative operation control”.
In other words, the predetermined running conditions regarding the target vehicle FV and the own vehicle V can also be rephrased as "relative driving cancellation conditions" for canceling the relative driving control of the own vehicle V. FIG.

In the following, as shown in FIG. 6C, a description will be given assuming that the target vehicle FV that is running stops on the side of the road. At this time, the fact that the target vehicle FV stops on the side of the road is defined as a "predetermined travel condition for the target vehicle FV". It is also assumed that own vehicle V can overtake target vehicle FV.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the environment information acquisition unit 101 detects that the target vehicle FV has stopped on the side of the road while the relative driving control is being performed in a state where the "relative driving mode" is set. has started).
Based on the detection result, the first determination unit 107a determines that the running condition for the target vehicle FV is satisfied.
Subsequently, the second determination unit 107b determines that the vehicle V travels along the planned travel route to overtake the target vehicle FV based on the environment information, the position information of the vehicle V, and the position information of the target vehicle FV. is possible (it is determined that the driving condition for the host vehicle V is met).
Based on these determination results, the mode changing unit 106 changes from the "relative operation mode" to the "autonomous operation mode".

When the mode is changed to the "autonomous driving mode" by the mode changing unit 106, the planned travel route setting unit 108 determines the position of the own vehicle V based on the environment information, the position information of the own vehicle V, and the position information of the target vehicle FV. A new scheduled travel route is set (see FIG. 6C).
When a new planned travel route is set by the planned travel route setting unit 108, the operation control unit 103 controls the own vehicle V along the new planned travel route based on the environment information and the position information of the own vehicle V. Autonomous operation control is performed to autonomously drive the
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, the driving control unit 103 performs autonomous driving control so that the own vehicle V overtakes the target vehicle FV.

(When the target vehicle separates at a junction)
In addition to the target vehicle FV determined by the first determination unit 107a and the second determination unit 107b, and the running conditions regarding the host vehicle V, the mode change unit 106 performs relative driving control in a state where the "relative driving mode" is set. When a condition corresponding to the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV is established while the vehicle is being operated, the relative operation mode is changed to the "autonomous operation mode". Then, the planned travel route setting unit 108 sets a new planned travel route for the own vehicle V. FIG.
In this case, the mode changing unit 106 forcibly changes the mode from the relative operation mode to the "autonomous operation mode" regardless of the determination results of the first determination unit 107a and the second determination unit 107b.

The "predetermined condition according to the planned travel route" is a case where it is detected that the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV and the planned travel route of the own vehicle V no longer match.
For example, the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV is acquired in advance and does not match, or the planned travel route of the target vehicle FV is changed and the changed planned travel route no longer matches. etc. is assumed.
In the following description, it is assumed that the target vehicle FV and the own vehicle V are separated at a branch point.

The communication unit 105 transmits the position information of the target vehicle FV and the traveling schedule from the vehicle information transmitting device 50 when the relative driving control is performed in a state where the "relative driving mode" is set as shown in FIG. 6B. Receive "target vehicle information" including route information.
Based on the "target vehicle information", the third determination unit 107c determines whether or not the target vehicle FV has traveled a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle V.
When the third determination unit 107c determines that the target vehicle FV has traveled on a different route, the mode change unit 106 selects the relative driving mode regardless of the determination results of the first determination unit 107a and the second determination unit 107b. ” to “autonomous operation mode”.

When the mode is changed to the "autonomous operation mode" by the mode changing unit 106, the planned traveling route setting unit 108 sets a new planned traveling route of the vehicle V leading to the existing planned traveling route of the own vehicle V. .
When a new planned travel route is set by the planned travel route setting unit 108, the operation control unit 103 performs autonomous driving control of the own vehicle V along the new planned travel route so that the own vehicle V follows the existing planned travel route. It autonomously travels so as to return to a predetermined point on the route. After that, the own vehicle V autonomously travels from the predetermined point to the destination along the existing scheduled travel route.

＜＜Overtaking the target vehicle＞
Next, a detailed description will be given of the operation control in which the own vehicle V overtakes the target vehicle FV.
As shown in FIG. 6C, when the target vehicle FV that is running stops on the side of the road (driving conditions regarding the target vehicle FV are satisfied) and the own vehicle V can overtake the target vehicle FV (the When the travel condition is satisfied), the planned travel route setting unit 108 newly sets the first travel route to the third planned travel route.

More specifically, when the host vehicle V is located behind the target vehicle FV, the planned travel route setting unit 108 sets the current “travel position P1” of the host vehicle V and the “second position P1” next to the target vehicle FV. A "first planned travel route R1" connecting the first planned travel position (travel position P2)" is set.
Then, when the own vehicle V reaches the position next to the target vehicle FV, the planned travel route setting unit 108 determines that the current "driving position P2" of the own vehicle V is positioned ahead of the target vehicle FV. A "second planned travel route R2" connecting with the "second planned travel position (travel position P3)" is set.
Then, when the own vehicle V reaches a position ahead of the target vehicle FV, the planned travel route setting unit 108 sets the "third planned travel route R3" based on the current "travel position P3" of the own vehicle V. ”.

The "first planned travel route R1" is a planned travel route for the own vehicle V to catch up with the target vehicle FV and line up alongside the target vehicle FV.
The “second planned travel route R2” is a planned travel route for the host vehicle V to overtake the target vehicle FV and reach a position ahead of the target vehicle FV.
The “third planned travel route R3” is a planned travel route for the own vehicle V, which has overtaken the target vehicle FV, to reach the destination based on the current travel position (as a start position).
Note that the planned travel route setting unit 108 sets the first to third planned travel routes so that the subject vehicle V smoothly overtakes the target vehicle FV, but is not limited to this.
For example, in an environment where there are many obstacles such as moving objects and buildings around the vehicle V, the planned travel route setting unit 108 selects first to Nth (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 4) travel routes. A planned route may be set.
Further, for example, in an environment where there are no obstacles around the own vehicle V, or when the target vehicle FV is completely separated from the travel road (when it stops on a wide road side strip), the planned travel route setting unit In 108, only the first planned travel route (planned travel route to the destination) may be set.

<< Stop overtaking the target vehicle >>
Next, a detailed description will be given of the operation control in which the own vehicle V stops overtaking the target vehicle FV.
As shown in FIG. 6D, description will be made on the assumption that the stopped target vehicle FV starts traveling again while the self-driving control is being performed so that the own vehicle V overtakes the target vehicle FV.
The first determination unit 107a determines whether or not the stopped target vehicle FV has started traveling based on the environment information while the autonomous driving control is being performed.

When the first determination unit 107a determines that the target vehicle FV has started traveling, if the host vehicle V has not started traveling along the new planned travel route, the mode changing unit 106 determines that the "autonomous driving mode” to “relative operation mode”. Then, the operation control unit 103 performs relative operation control.
That is, the host vehicle V stops overtaking the target vehicle FV and runs following the target vehicle FV (returns to the running state shown in FIG. 6B).

When the first determination unit 107a determines that the target vehicle FV has started traveling, if the own vehicle V has started traveling along a new planned traveling route, as shown in FIG. The unit 103 performs autonomous driving control so that the host vehicle V moves to a position where relative driving control can be performed.
Specifically, the planned travel route setting unit 108 connects the current "travel position P4" of the host vehicle V and the "planned travel position (travel position P5)" located behind the target vehicle FV that has started traveling. Set the "scheduled return route R4".
Then, when the own vehicle V reaches a position behind the target vehicle FV, the mode changing unit 106 changes from the "autonomous driving mode" to the "relative driving mode". Then, the operation control unit 103 performs relative operation control of the host vehicle V. FIG.

Note that when the own vehicle V has already passed the target vehicle FV, that is, when the own vehicle V reaches a position ahead of the target vehicle FV and the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV are separated by a predetermined distance (threshold value) or more. Alternatively, the operation control unit 103 may perform autonomous operation control as it is, and the own vehicle V may overtake the target vehicle FV.
Alternatively, when the host vehicle V and the target vehicle FV are not separated by a predetermined distance (threshold value) or more, the operation control unit 103 performs autonomous operation control, and the host vehicle V waits for the target vehicle FV to advance, and then You may move to the rear position of the object vehicle FV. Naturally, after that, the operation control unit 103 performs relative operation control of the host vehicle V. FIG.
That is, based on the positional relationship (overtaking positional relationship) between the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV, the "judgment unit (overtaking judgment part)” may be included in the vehicle travel control device 1 .

As described above, the positional relationship between the host vehicle V and the target vehicle FV includes front, rear, and side by side. In this case, "forward" and "rearward" refer to different positional information of the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV in one axial direction on the moving plane of the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV. A state in which the target vehicle FV is at a predetermined distance is shown. In addition, "side by side" means that the position information is the same or substantially the same in the same axial direction, and there is no predetermined distance between the vehicle V and the target vehicle FV, or even if there is, there is a running error. indicates a state in which In other words, "side by side" indicates a state in which the position information of the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV are different in the other axial direction orthogonal to the one axial direction.
Further, the position information of each of the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV is specified by an arbitrary position (coordinate position) on the own vehicle V and the target vehicle FV. In addition to the part, it may be the center point, the center of gravity, or the like.

With the above configuration, the own vehicle V can run following (relative to) the target vehicle FV, change the operating state of the own vehicle V as necessary, and drive the own vehicle V efficiently. The vehicle travel control device 1 can be realized.
In addition, by using the vehicle travel control device 1, when the target vehicle FV stops in the middle of traveling or stops at a resting place in the middle of traveling, the "relative driving (following driving)" can be changed to " It is possible to switch to "autonomous driving" and overtake the target vehicle (set a route to overtake the target vehicle).

<<Remote operation control>>
Next, "remote operation control" will be described.
The video processing unit 109 acquires external video data of the vehicle V from the plurality of imaging devices 11a to 11i, and creates a composite video (composite video data) by synthesizing the external video data based on predetermined layout information. .
By generating the composite video and transmitting the generated composite video data to the remote control device 70, the data communication cost can be reduced compared to the case of transmitting a plurality of external video data.

The communication unit 105 uses the in-vehicle communication device 40 to transmit and receive data between the vehicle travel control device 1 and the remote control device 70 .
Specifically, the communication unit 105 obtains the “environmental information” obtained by the environmental information obtaining unit 101 and the “current location information” is transmitted to the remote control device 70.
Further, the communication unit 105 receives "driving operation information" of the host vehicle V from the remote control device 70 that has received user input by the operator.
The driving control unit 103 controls the general ECU 31 based on the "driving operation information" of the own vehicle V acquired from the remote operation device 70, and executes the "remote driving control" of the own vehicle V. FIG.

With the above configuration, it is possible to realize the vehicle travel control device 1 that allows the operator to perform "remote operation control" in which the host vehicle V is remotely operated to travel.
Therefore, it is also possible to switch between "remote driving control" and "relative driving control" according to the behavior of the target vehicle FV. When the "remote driving control" is switched to the "relative driving control", the operator is released from the work of remotely driving the host vehicle V. FIG.

<Vehicle travel control method>
Next, an example of processing of a vehicle travel control program (vehicle travel control operation method) executed by the vehicle travel control system S will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.
The program according to the present embodiment includes the environment information acquisition unit 101, the position information acquisition unit 102, the operation control unit 103, and A program for realizing a vehicle detection unit 104, a communication unit 105, a mode change unit 106, a condition determination unit 107, a planned travel route setting unit 108, and an image processing unit 109, and is a vehicle travel control program. The CPU of the device 1 executes this vehicle travel control program.
The program is executed upon receiving an operation instruction from a user (specifically, the driver of the own vehicle V or an outside operator).

In the vehicle running control flow shown in FIG. 7 , first, the vehicle running control device 1 sets the “autonomous driving mode” as the own vehicle V starts running. It starts from step S1.
Note that the vehicle travel control device 1 may set the "remote operation mode" instead of the "autonomous operation mode".
If the "remote operation driving mode" is set, the operation control unit 103 will perform remote operation driving control of the host vehicle V in step S3, which will be described later.

Next, in step S2, the environmental information acquiring unit 101 starts acquiring "environmental information" around the vehicle V, and the positional information acquiring unit 102 starts acquiring "positional information of the vehicle V".
Then, in step S3, the driving control unit 103 controls the general ECU 31 based on the environmental information and the positional information of the own vehicle V to perform "autonomous driving control" of the own vehicle V (see FIG. 6A).

Next, in step S4, the vehicle detection unit 104 detects whether or not a predetermined preceding vehicle is the target vehicle FV to be followed on the planned travel route of the own vehicle V. FIG.
Specifically, based on the recognition result of the identification mark 60 of the predetermined preceding vehicle recognized by the imaging device 11, the vehicle detection unit 104 determines whether the preceding vehicle is the target vehicle FV. is determined based on the predetermined relative operation start condition.
When the vehicle detection unit 104 determines that the vehicle is the target vehicle FV by satisfying the predetermined relative driving start condition (step S4: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, when the vehicle detection unit 104 does not satisfy the predetermined relative driving start condition and does not determine that the vehicle is the target vehicle FV (step S4: No), the process returns to step S2. That is, the autonomous driving control in the "autonomous driving mode" is continued.

Next, in step S5, the mode changing unit 106 sets the "relative operation mode" while the "autonomous operation mode" is set. In other words, the "relative operation mode" is changed from the invalid state to the valid state while the "autonomous operation mode" is enabled.

Next, in step S<b>6 , the communication unit 105 attempts to receive “object vehicle information” including “position information of the object vehicle FV” detected by the vehicle detection unit 104 .
Specifically, the communication unit 105 starts communication with the vehicle information transmission device 50 mounted on the target vehicle FV via the network, and attempts to receive the position information of the target vehicle FV from the vehicle information transmission device 50 .

When the communication unit 105 receives the position information of the target vehicle FV from the target vehicle FV (step S6: Yes), the process proceeds to step S7, and the operation control unit 103 receives the "environmental information" and the "own vehicle V The general ECU 31 is controlled based on the "positional information" and "target vehicle information of the target vehicle FV" to perform "relative driving control" of the own vehicle V with respect to the target vehicle FV (see FIG. 6B).
On the other hand, when the communication unit 105 does not receive the position information of the target vehicle FV (step S6: No), the process proceeds to step S8, and the mode changing unit 106 is changed while the "autonomous driving mode" is set. After changing the "relative operation mode" from the valid state to the invalid state and canceling it, the process returns to step S2.

Next, in step S9, the first determination unit 107a determines whether or not the "predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle FV" is satisfied while the relative driving control is being performed with the "relative driving mode" set. determine whether or not
Specifically, the first determination unit 107a determines whether or not the target vehicle FV has stopped on the side of the road (see FIG. 6C).
When the first determination unit 107a determines that the above-described running condition is satisfied (step S9: Yes), the process proceeds to step S10, and the second determination unit 107b determines that the "predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle V" is satisfied. determine whether or not
Specifically, the second determination unit 107b determines whether or not it is possible for the host vehicle V to travel along the planned travel route to overtake the target vehicle FV (see FIG. 6C).

When the second determination unit 107b determines that the above-described running conditions are satisfied (step S10: Yes), the process proceeds to step S11, and the mode change unit 106 changes the "relative operation mode" from the enabled state to the disabled state. to release.
On the other hand, in the case of step S9: No, and in the case of step S10: No, the process returns to step S7.

Next, in step S12, the scheduled travel route setting unit 108 sets a new travel route, and in step S13, the operation control unit 103 performs autonomous operation control in the "autonomous operation mode" as shown in FIG. 6C. conduct.
Specifically, the driving control unit 103 performs autonomous driving control so that the own vehicle V passes the target vehicle FV.

Finally, in step S14, when the vehicle travel control device 1 determines that the host vehicle V has arrived at the destination or terminates the autonomous driving control in the autonomous driving mode (step S14: Yes), End the process of FIG.
On the other hand, when the vehicle running control device 1 continues to control the operation of the host vehicle V (step S14: NO), the process returns to step S2.

Next, the processing flow shown in FIG. 8 is a processing flow showing the details of "overtaking the target vehicle" in step S13.
First, in step S13-1, the first determination unit 107a determines, based on environmental information, whether or not the stopped target vehicle FV has started running while the autonomous driving control is being performed.
When the first determination unit 107a determines that the target vehicle FV has started running (step S13-1: Yes), the operation control unit 103 proceeds to step S13-2 to stop the overtaking of the target vehicle FV. Control operation.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the target vehicle FV has not started running (step S13-1: No), the operation control unit 103 proceeds to step S13-7 to instruct the target vehicle FV to continue overtaking. to control the operation.

Next, in step S13-3, the first determination unit 107a determines whether or not the vehicle V has already started traveling along the new planned travel route.
If it is determined that the own vehicle V has already started running (step S13-3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S13-4, and the operation control unit 103 moves the own vehicle V to a position behind the target vehicle FV. Autonomous operation control is performed so as to (see FIG. 6D).
On the other hand, if it is determined that the host vehicle V has not yet started running (step S13-3: No), the process proceeds to step S13-5.

Next, in step S13-5, the mode change unit 106 resets the "relative driving mode", and in step S13-6, the operation control unit 103 causes the own vehicle V to follow the target vehicle FV. , the relative operation control is resumed (returns to the running state shown in FIG. 6B).
After step S13-6, the process of FIG. 8 ends.

On the other hand, in step S13-7, the driving control unit 103 performs autonomous driving control so as to continue overtaking the target vehicle FV.
Then, in step S13-8, the driving control unit 103 performs autonomous driving control so that the host vehicle V moves forward of the target vehicle FV.
Finally, in step S13-9, the operation control unit 103 continues autonomous operation control so that the own vehicle passes the target vehicle FV and travels toward the destination.
After step S13-9, the process of FIG. 8 ends.

With the configuration of the vehicle travel control program, the own vehicle V can travel relative to the target vehicle FV, and the operating state of the own vehicle V can be changed as necessary.
In addition, it is possible to receive the position information of the target vehicle FV in real time and switch between "autonomous driving control" and "relative driving control" according to the behavior of the target vehicle FV.

<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle running control system S includes the vehicle running control device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 30. On the other hand, the "relative driving function and remote driving function (vehicle travel control device 1)" were newly provided, but it can be changed without particular limitation.
For example, the vehicle running control device 1 may also function as the in-vehicle ECU 30 . That is, the vehicle travel control system S includes a vehicle travel control device 1 (including the function of an in-vehicle ECU 30), an in-vehicle sensor 10, an in-vehicle locator 20, an in-vehicle communication device 40, a vehicle information transmission device 50, and an identification mark 60. , and the remote control device 70 (the in-vehicle ECU 30 may be removed from the configuration).

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle cruise control system S includes the vehicle cruise control device 1, the vehicle-mounted locator 20, and the vehicle-mounted communication device 40. The cruise control device 1 may also function as the in-vehicle locator 20 and the in-vehicle communication device 40 .
That is, the vehicle running control system S may be composed of the vehicle running control device 1, the vehicle-mounted sensor 10, the vehicle-mounted ECU 30, the vehicle information transmission device 50, the identification mark 60, and the remote control device 70. .

In the above embodiment, the operation control unit 103 detects the target vehicle FV by the vehicle detection unit 104, receives the preceding vehicle information by the communication unit 105, and changes the mode from the "autonomous operation mode" to the "relative operation mode" by the mode change unit 106. , the relative driving control of the own vehicle V is performed.
Here, the operation control unit 103 is limited to performing the relative operation control when the target vehicle FV is detected, the preceding vehicle information is received, and then the mode is changed to the "relative operation mode". isn't it.
For example, the driving control unit 103 may perform the relative driving control when the preceding vehicle information is received, the target vehicle FV is detected after that, and then the mode is changed to the "relative driving mode".
Alternatively, the operation control unit 103 may perform the relative operation control when the target vehicle FV is detected, the mode is changed to the "relative operation mode", and the preceding vehicle information is received.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle cruise control program is stored in a recording medium readable by the vehicle cruise control device 1, and the vehicle cruise control device 1 reads and executes the program to execute the processing. Here, the recording medium readable by the vehicle running control device 1 means a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.
Alternatively, a terminal (portable terminal) serving as the vehicle running control device 1 may be used to activate dedicated software, and the vehicle running control program may be executed on a web browser.

In the above embodiments, the vehicle cruise control device and vehicle cruise control method according to the present invention have been mainly described.
However, the above embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

S vehicle driving control system V own vehicle V1 electric power steering V1a steering wheel V2 electric throttle V2a accelerator pedal V3 electromagnetic brake device V3a brake pedal FV target vehicle 1 vehicle driving control device 10 onboard sensor 11 imaging device 11a to 11i first imaging device to second 9 imaging device 12 radar (millimeter wave radar)
12a to 12d 1st to 4th radar 13 lidar 13a to 13e 1st to 5th lidar 20 in-vehicle locator 21 GNSS receiver (RTK-GNSS receiver)
22 inertial measurement unit (IMU)
30 In-vehicle ECU
31 Comprehensive ECU
32 steering wheel ECU
33 accelerator ECU
34 Brake ECU
40 In-vehicle communication device 50 Vehicle information transmission device 51 In-vehicle locator 51a GNSS receiver 51b Inertial measurement device 52 In-vehicle communication device 60 Identification marks 60a to 60l 1st identification mark to 12th identification mark 70 Remote control device 71 Display monitor 72 Display navigation monitor 73 steering wheel 74 accelerator pedal 75 brake pedal 76 operation switch 100 storage unit 101 environmental information acquisition unit 102 position information acquisition unit 102a absolute position calculation unit 102b relative position calculation unit 102c correction position calculation unit 102d reception determination unit 103 operation control unit 104 vehicle detection Unit 105 Communication unit 106 Mode change unit 107 Condition determination unit 107a First determination unit 107b Second determination unit 107c Third determination unit 108 Scheduled travel route setting unit 109 Video processing unit 500 Storage unit 501 Position information acquisition unit 502 Communication unit (second 2 communication section)
700 storage unit 701 communication unit (third communication unit)
702 Screen display unit 703 Operation data creation unit 704 User notification unit P1 to P5 Travel positions R1 to R3 First to third planned travel routes R4 Planned return route SA Artificial satellite ST Reference station

Claims (7)

A vehicle travel control device for controlling travel of the own vehicle,
an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information around the own vehicle;
a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the own vehicle;
a communication unit that receives position information of a target vehicle that is a target of travel of the subject vehicle on the planned travel route ;
an operation control unit that controls operation of the own vehicle based on the environment information and the position information of the own vehicle;
a first determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied;
a second determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle is satisfied;
a third determination unit that determines whether or not the target vehicle has traveled a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the target vehicle received by the communication unit;
a planned travel route setting unit that sets a new planned travel route for the own vehicle,
The driving control unit performs relative driving control for causing the own vehicle to travel relative to the target vehicle based on the position information of the own vehicle specified based on the position information of the target vehicle and the environment information. do,
The planned travel route setting unit
When the relative operation control is performed by the operation control unit,
When the first determination unit determines that a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle has been established, and the second determination unit determines that a predetermined driving condition regarding the own vehicle has been satisfied, the environment information and setting a new planned travel route to be the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the target vehicle ,
When it is determined by the third determination unit that the target vehicle has traveled on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, regardless of the determination results of the first determination unit and the second determination unit , setting a new planned travel route leading to the planned travel route of the own vehicle;
When the new planned travel route is set by the planned travel route setting unit , the driving control unit controls the own vehicle along the new planned travel route instead of the relative driving control. and the positional information of the own vehicle . The first determination unit determines whether the target vehicle has stopped,
The second determination unit determines whether or not the own vehicle can travel along a planned travel route for overtaking the target vehicle . 2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination is made based on the positional information of the target vehicle. The first determination unit stops when the autonomous driving control is performed by the operation control unit and the host vehicle is traveling along the new travel route to overtake the target vehicle. determining whether the target vehicle has started running,
When the first determination unit determines that the target vehicle has started running , the operation control unit moves the self-vehicle to a position where the relative operation control can be performed. 3. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2 , which performs operation control. The planned travel route setting unit
A first planned travel route connecting a current travel position of the own vehicle and a first planned travel position next to the target vehicle is set when the own vehicle is positioned behind the target vehicle. death,
A second travel connecting a current travel position of the own vehicle and a second planned travel position positioned ahead of the target vehicle when the own vehicle reaches a position alongside the target vehicle. set a planned route,
2. The vehicle travel control according to claim 1, wherein when the own vehicle reaches a position ahead of the target vehicle, a third planned travel route is set based on the current travel position of the own vehicle. Device. The vehicle travel control device includes:
An absolute position calculation unit that calculates the absolute position of the own vehicle by independent positioning using GNSS information acquired through a GNSS receiver mounted on the own vehicle;
A relative position calculation unit that calculates the relative position of the own vehicle by relative positioning using GNSS correction information required for relative positioning, which is acquired from the outside;
a position specifying unit that specifies the current position of the own vehicle using the relative position;
the communication unit that transmits information on the current position of the own vehicle to an operation device that operates the travel of the own vehicle;
2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1, wherein said position information acquisition unit acquires the current position of said own vehicle transmitted by said communication unit as position information. A vehicle travel control method executed by a computer that controls travel of an own vehicle,
The computer
an environment information acquisition step of acquiring environment information around the own vehicle;
a location information acquisition step of acquiring location information of the own vehicle;
a communication step of receiving position information of a target vehicle that is the subject of travel of the subject vehicle on the planned travel route ;
an operation control step of performing operation control of the own vehicle based on the environment information and the position information of the own vehicle;
a first determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied;
a second determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the own vehicle is satisfied;
a third determination step of determining whether or not the target vehicle has traveled a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the target vehicle received in the communication step;
a planned travel route setting step of setting a new planned travel route for the own vehicle;
In the operation control step, based on the position information of the own vehicle specified based on the position information of the target vehicle and the environment information, relative operation control is performed to cause the own vehicle to travel relative to the target vehicle. do,
In the planned travel route setting step,
When the relative operation control is performed by the operation control step,
When it is determined in the first determination step that a predetermined running condition regarding the subject vehicle has been established, and when it is determined in the second determination step that a predetermined driving condition regarding the own vehicle has been established, the environmental information and setting a new planned travel route to be the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the target vehicle ,
When it is determined in the third determination step that the target vehicle has traveled on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, regardless of the determination results of the first determination step and the second determination step. , setting a new planned travel route leading to the planned travel route of the own vehicle;
In the driving control step, when the new scheduled driving route is set by the scheduled driving route setting step , instead of the relative driving control, the own vehicle is controlled along the new scheduled driving route according to the environment information. and the position information of the own vehicle , performing autonomous driving control for autonomous driving . A computer as a vehicle driving control device that controls the driving of the own vehicle,
an environment information acquisition process for acquiring environment information around the own vehicle;
a location information acquisition process for acquiring location information of the own vehicle;
a communication process for receiving position information of a target vehicle that is the object of travel of the subject vehicle on the planned travel route;
an operation control process for controlling operation of the own vehicle based on the environment information and the position information of the own vehicle;
a first determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is satisfied;
a second determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined running condition regarding the host vehicle is satisfied;
a third determination process for determining whether or not the target vehicle has traveled a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the target vehicle received by the communication processing;
a planned travel route setting process for setting a new planned travel route for the own vehicle;
In the driving control process, based on the position information of the own vehicle specified based on the position information of the target vehicle and the environment information, relative driving control is performed to cause the own vehicle to travel relative to the target vehicle. do,
In the scheduled travel route setting process,
When the relative operation control is performed by the operation control process,
When it is determined by the first determination process that the predetermined running condition regarding the target vehicle is established, and when it is determined by the second determination process that the predetermined driving condition regarding the own vehicle is satisfied, the environmental information and setting a new planned travel route to be the planned travel route of the own vehicle based on the position information of the own vehicle and the position information of the target vehicle,
When it is determined by the third determination process that the target vehicle has traveled on a route different from the planned travel route of the own vehicle, regardless of the determination results of the first determination process and the second determination process. , setting a new planned travel route leading to the planned travel route of the own vehicle;
In the driving control process, when the new scheduled driving route is set by the scheduled driving route setting process, instead of the relative driving control, the own vehicle is driven along the new scheduled driving route with the environment information. A vehicle travel control program for performing autonomous driving control for autonomous travel based on the position information of the own vehicle.

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