JPH08282326A - Automatic follow-up traveling system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an automatic follow-up traveling system by which follow-up precision is improved while a plurality of follow-up vehicles can automatically follow after a pilot vehicle. CONSTITUTION: When a pilot vehicle 2 starts running, an ECU 21 continuously computes lateral directional positions y1 (tn) at preset computing intervals so as to output these to a communication ECU 17 in its own vehicle as traveling route information. From a communication ECU 17 in the pilot vehicle 2, the traveling route information is sequently or synchronously transmitted to the communication ECUs 17 in follow-up vehicles 3, 3' via a inter-vehicle transmitter 15, a inter-vehicle group transmitter 16, and a beacon 4. On the follow-up vehicle 3 side, a control ECU 31 computes a deviation ε (tn) between a present lateral directional position y2 (tn) of its own vehicle and the lateral directional position y1 (tp) of the pilot vehicle 2 at the time (tp) when the pilot vehicle 2 passed the present traveling position of its own vehicle, and a steering quantity for a steering 8 is controlled for canceling the deviation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic tracking system, and more particularly to a technique for improving tracking accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to rationalize transportation by freight cars and reduce traffic accidents, research and development of an automatic follow-up traveling system using a highway or the like has been advanced. The automatic follow-up traveling system is an automatic follow-up drive of an unmanned (or manned) follow-up vehicle to a leading vehicle driven by a driver, which can reduce the number of drivers and cause a rear-end collision due to a dozing driving etc. It is possible to prevent it. As an automatic follow-up traveling system, conventionally, a vehicle following method, a trajectory following method, a driving information communication method, etc. have been proposed corresponding to a method in which a following vehicle recognizes a running state of a leading vehicle.

In the vehicle following system, the following vehicle recognizes the position of the leading vehicle with a camera or various sensors, and follows the leading vehicle as a target. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-227283
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-76009 and the like propose a vehicle in which a pair of left and right distance sensors are provided at the front end of the following vehicle. In these systems, the following vehicle detects the distance between the leading vehicle and the leading vehicle on the basis of the detection results of both distance sensors.
After calculating, the inter-vehicle distance D is kept constant and the deviation angle θ
The steering amount, the vehicle speed, and the like are controlled so that 0 becomes 0.

In the trajectory following system, the following vehicle measures the position of the leading vehicle with a relative position sensor or the like, and further translates and rotates this position with the movement of the own vehicle, and then in the vehicle coordinate system. The travel angle of the leading vehicle of
The steering amount is controlled so that This system is currently undergoing trial manufacture of experimental vehicles and running tests in the United States and elsewhere.

In the driving information communication system, the following vehicle receives the driving information such as the steering amount transmitted from the leading vehicle and further obtains the control start time from the inter-vehicle distance, the vehicle speed, etc. It is for running. For example, JP-A-5-17
JP-A-58-172799 and JP-A-58-172799 propose transmission of a steering operation amount and a driving operation amount such as a throttle opening from a leading vehicle to a following vehicle. In these systems, based on the driving operation amount of the leading vehicle and the difference in engine output between the own vehicle and the leading vehicle, the follower vehicle controls the steering amount and engine control of the own vehicle in order to obtain the same travel locus as the leading vehicle. Feedforward control of quantity etc.

[0006]

By the way, the above-mentioned automatic follow-up traveling systems have the following problems.
That is, in the vehicle following method and the trajectory following method, since the following vehicle automatically follows the vehicle based on the attitude and the running trajectory of the leading vehicle, a predetermined following error occurs depending on the calculation processing accuracy and the control accuracy. In addition, in the driving information communication system, due to the fact that the feedforward control is performed, a predetermined tracking error also occurs due to the maintenance condition of the steering device and the engine as well as the calculation processing accuracy and control accuracy. Therefore, in the case of automatically following multiple leading vehicles,
In the trailing vehicle traveling at the end, the following error is accumulated, and there is a possibility that the vehicle deviates from the lane.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic follow-up running system which improves the follow-up accuracy and allows the lead vehicle to automatically follow a plurality of follow-up vehicles. To aim.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, therefore, in claim 1 of the present invention, in an automatic follow-up traveling system for causing a following vehicle to automatically follow a leading vehicle, at least the leading vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a transmitting unit that transmits traveling locus information including the lateral position of the host vehicle, the receiving vehicle receives the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle, and the traveling locus received by the receiving unit. A driving control amount determining means for determining a driving control amount including the steering amount of the own vehicle based on the information is proposed.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system for automatically following a plurality of following vehicles to the leading vehicle, the leading vehicle includes transmitting means for transmitting at least the traveling locus information of the own vehicle. On the other hand, the plurality of following vehicles are provided with a receiving unit that receives the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle, and a driving control amount that determines the driving control amount of the own vehicle based on the traveling locus information received by the receiving unit. Proposal with a decision means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first aspect, the operation control amount determining means determines the lateral position of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle at the current traveling point of the own vehicle. In order to eliminate the deviation from the lateral position,
It is proposed to determine the steering amount. According to claim 4 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 2, among the plurality of following vehicles, the preceding trajectory vehicle transmits the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle to the following vehicle. Suggest things.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, it is proposed that the plurality of following vehicles individually receive the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle in the automatic following traveling system of the second aspect. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, the following vehicle keeps the inter-vehicle distance substantially constant and an inter-vehicle distance measuring means for measuring an inter-vehicle distance with the immediately preceding vehicle. Therefore, a vehicle speed control means for controlling the vehicle speed is proposed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle has driving information between the driving information control means outside the vehicle. It is proposed that the vehicle is equipped with a driving information communication means for communicating. Further, in claim 8 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system of claim 7, it is proposed that the driving information control means is a traffic control information communication device installed on a traveling path.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, the leading vehicle and the following vehicle are provided with emergency information communication means for communicating emergency information with each other. To propose. According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, the leading vehicle and the following vehicle communicate emergency information between the emergency information control means outside the vehicle. Propose one with means.

According to Claim 11 of the present invention, Claim 1
Or, in the automatic follow-up traveling system of 2, at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is provided with an absolute position information receiving means for receiving the absolute position information transmitted from the absolute position information transmitting means outside the vehicle. To do. Further, a twelfth aspect of the present invention proposes the automatic follow-up traveling system of the eleventh aspect, wherein the absolute position information transmitting means is an artificial satellite.

[0015]

In the system of claim 1, for example, when the traveling locus information at a certain point of the leading vehicle is transmitted to the following vehicle, when the following vehicle reaches that point, the driving control amount determining means of the following vehicle is determined. Determines the operation control amount such as the steering amount based on the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle. Further, in the system of claim 2,
For example, the operation control amount determining means of the second follower vehicle traveling immediately after the first follower vehicle determines the steering amount and the like based on the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle regardless of the traveling state of the first follower vehicle. To do.

In the system of claim 3, for example,
When the lateral position at a certain point of the leading vehicle is transmitted to the following vehicle, when the following vehicle reaches that point, the driving control amount determining means of the following vehicle determines the lateral position of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle. The steering amount is determined so that the deviation from the lateral position is zero. Also,
In the system according to claim 4, for example, the first following vehicle transmits the received traveling locus information of the leading vehicle to the second following vehicle without modifying the information.

In the system of claim 5, for example,
The leading vehicle transmits the traveling locus information of its own vehicle to a relatively wide area by using a wireless transmitter and the like, and a plurality of following vehicles follow using the wireless receiver to receive the traveling locus information. Further, in the system of claim 6, for example, the following vehicle measures the inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle and the immediately following following vehicle by using a distance sensor or the like, and the deviation between the measurement result and the set value becomes zero. To control the engine and brakes.

Further, in the system of claim 7, for example,
The driver of the leading vehicle operates based on the vehicle speed limit information and weather information sent from the driving information control means, while the driving trajectory control information and the position information of the own vehicle are used as the driving information control means from the leading and following vehicles. Sent. Further, in the system of claim 8, for example, a traffic control information communication device installed at a predetermined interval on the roadside has a function of receiving driving information and the like, and the driving information is transmitted to other vehicle groups and the like.

According to the system of claim 9, for example,
When the driver of the leading vehicle becomes inoperable, the following vehicle receiving the emergency information stops the automatic following traveling and stops on the roadside. Further, when the following vehicle causes a vehicle failure or the like, the driver of the leading vehicle receiving the emergency information takes measures such as deceleration or stop depending on the situation. Further, in the system according to claim 10, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the leading vehicle, the emergency information is transmitted to the following vehicle and other vehicle groups via the emergency information control means. Further, when receiving emergency information or the like from the emergency information control means, the driver of the leading vehicle takes measures such as deceleration and stop depending on the situation.

Further, in the system of claim 11, for example, the follower vehicle is based on the absolute position information of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle transmitted from the absolute position information transmitting means, based on the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle. Correct the deviation from the running locus. Further, in the system of claim 12, for example, the follower vehicle calculates the absolute position calculated value of the leading vehicle and the calculated absolute position of the own vehicle based on the absolute position information of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle received from a plurality of artificial satellites. Correct the deviation from.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic follow-up traveling system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a leading vehicle and a following vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, one leading vehicle 2 is autonomously traveling on a traveling road (highway) 1, and two following vehicles 3, 3 ′ are attached to this leading vehicle 2.
Is automatically following. A beacon (driving information control means) 4 and an emergency information control tower (emergency information control means) 5 are installed at regular intervals on the road side of the traveling road 1, and the leading vehicle 2
And communicating with the following vehicles 3 and 3'by radio waves. Further, absolute position information is transmitted to the leading vehicle 2 and the following vehicles 3 and 3'from the artificial satellite 6 in the sky by radio waves.

As shown in FIG. 2, a driver 7 is mounted on the lead vehicle 2, and the steering 8, engine 9, transmission 10, brakes are selected in accordance with the external environment such as the bend of the traveling path 1 and the speed limit. 11 and other operations are performed. The leading vehicle 2 detects absolute position information from the road-to-vehicle communication device 12 that communicates with the beacon 4, the emergency communication device 13 that communicates with the emergency information tower 5, and the artificial satellite 6. In addition to the absolute position sensor 14, an optical front-rear communication device 15 that communicates with the immediately following vehicle 3'and a radio-type in-vehicle communication device 16 that communicates in the vehicle group are installed. Has been done. All of these communication devices and sensors 12 to 16 are connected to the communication ECU 17, and all information to be received or transmitted is centrally managed by the communication ECU 17.

The leading vehicle 2 is provided with a vehicle speed sensor 18 for detecting the traveling speed of the host vehicle, a yaw rate sensor 19 for detecting a yaw angular velocity, and a g sensor 20 for detecting longitudinal and lateral accelerations. These are respectively connected to the ECU 21 that calculates the traveling locus. ECU2
After performing the calculation of the traveling locus, 1 outputs the calculation result to the communication ECU 17. Further, the driver 7 is provided with sensors (not shown) that detect the survival and awakening states of the driver 7, and the survival information and the awakening information from these sensors are output to the abnormality determination ECU 22. Abnormality judgment EC
The U22 determines the abnormality of the driver 7 from the survival information and the awakening information and outputs the determination result to the communication ECU 17, while operating the steering wheel 8, the engine 9, the transmission 10, the brake 11, and the like. In the case of the present embodiment, an actuator is attached to the steering 8, engine 9, transmission 10, brake 11, etc., and in addition to the operation by the driver 7, the abnormality determination ECU
Drive control is also performed by 22. The transmission 10 is an automatic shift type that uses a torque converter, hydraulic engagement elements, and the like. Further, a display panel 23 is incorporated in an instrument panel (not shown), and driving information and the like output from the communication ECU 17 is displayed on the driver 7. In the figure, 24 is an emergency switch operated by the driver 7, and 25 is a reflector for reflecting the light beam from the following vehicle 3.

On the other hand, the following vehicles 3 and 3'are provided with a driving mode changeover switch 30. When the driving mode is the automatic mode, the operation of the steering wheel 8, the engine 9, the transmission 10, the brake 11, etc. is controlled. ECU
31. The operation mode selector switch 30
By switching to the manual mode, the driver can drive the vehicle naturally. Follower car 3,
In the control ECU 31 of 3 ′, in addition to the communication ECU 17, information from the various sensors 14, 18, 19, 20 described above,
The inter-vehicle distance D from the immediately preceding vehicle (the leading vehicle 2 in the case of the first following vehicle 3) is input from the optical relative position sensor 32. The control ECU 31 determines the steering amount and the throttle opening based on these pieces of information, and drives and controls the steering 8, the engine 9, and the like. The following vehicle 3 has front and rear communication devices 15 installed in front of and behind the vehicle body, and information is exchanged between the communication ECU 17 and the leading vehicle 2 or the following following vehicle 3 '.
The communication ECU 17 is connected with the road-vehicle communication device 12, the emergency communication device 13, and the in-vehicle communication device 16 as in the case of the leading vehicle 2, and all the information received or transmitted by the communication ECU 17 is also transmitted by the communication ECU 17. Centrally managed.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In the present embodiment, when the trailing vehicles 3, 3'are made to automatically follow the leading vehicle 2, first, the leading vehicle 2 and the following vehicles 3, 3'are vertically aligned on the flat and straight running path 1. Initialize with the same horizontal distance to the center line.
In the initialization, absolute position information from the artificial satellite 6 or angle information from a gyro or the like may be used. Driver 7 is leading car 2 after initialization is completed
When the vehicle is started, the control ECU 31 causes the relative position sensor 32 to
Engine 9 and transmission 1 based on the detection information of
0 is driven and controlled, and the first and second follower vehicles 3 and 3'start automatic follow-up traveling with a predetermined inter-vehicle distance D, respectively.

Now, when the leading vehicle 2 starts traveling, EC
The U21 calculates the lateral position y1 (tn) at the time tn, which is the source of the traveling locus information, by the equation (1). In the equation (1), V is the vehicle speed (m / s), and V = (u ² + v ² ) ¹ from the longitudinal speed u input from the vehicle speed sensor 18 and the lateral speed v input from the g sensor 20. Required as ^{/ 2} . Further, θ1 is a yaw angle (rad), and from the yaw angular velocity θ1 ′ input from the yaw rate sensor 19,
It is calculated as 1 = ∫θ1'dt. Further, β1 is the center-of-gravity point slip angle (rad), and is calculated based on, for example, the ratio of the front-back g input from the g-sensor 20 and the left-right g detected values.

Y1 (tn) = ∫V · sin (θ1 (tn) + β1 (tn)) dt (1) The ECU 21 of the leading vehicle 2 continuously determines the lateral position y1 (tn) at predetermined calculation intervals. It is calculated and output as traveling locus information to the communication ECU 17 of the own vehicle.
From 17 further, front-rear communication device 15, in-vehicle communication device 1
6, via the beacon 4, the traveling track information follows the vehicle 3,
It is transmitted to the 3'communication ECU 17 sequentially or simultaneously. The main part of this is the front-rear communication device 15, and the in-vehicle group communication device 16 and the beacon 4 are used as backup. Then, the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle 2 is transmitted via the front-rear communication device 15 to the communication EC of the first following vehicle 3.
When input to U17, the travel locus information is input to the control ECU 31 of the own vehicle and is also transmitted to the second follower vehicle 3 ′ through the rear front-rear communication device 15 without being modified.

On the other hand, on the side of the following vehicle 3, the control ECU 31
Is the lateral position y2 (tn) at time tn according to equation (2).
To calculate. The symbol in the formula (2) indicates the same information as that in the formula (1), and therefore its explanation is omitted. y2 (tn) = ∫V · sin (θ2 (tn) + β2 (tn)) dt (2) Next, the control ECU 31 of the following vehicle 3 leads the current traveling point of the own vehicle by the equation (3). The time (tp) when the car 2 passes is calculated. In the expression (3), D is the inter-vehicle distance, L ₁ is the length from the center of gravity of the leading vehicle 2 to the rear end of the vehicle, and L ₂ is the length from the front end of the following vehicle 3 to the center of gravity. , V indicates the vehicle speed.

Tp = tn- (D + L ₁ + L ₂ ) / V (3) Next, the control ECU 31 of the following vehicle 3 shifts the vehicle in the lateral direction with respect to the traveling path of the leading vehicle 2 according to the equation (4). That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the current lateral position y2 (tn) of the following vehicle 3 and the lateral position y1 of the leading vehicle 2 at the time point (tp).
The deviation ε (tn) from (tp) is calculated.

Ε (tn) = y1 (tp) −y2 (tn) (4) Then, the control ECU 31 sets ε (tn) to 0.
The steering amount of the steering wheel 8 is controlled. As a result, the following vehicle 3 travels on the same locus as the leading vehicle 2, and automatic follow-up traveling with higher accuracy is realized as compared with the conventional system. On the other hand, also in the second follower vehicle 3 ′, the control ECU 31 performs automatic follow-up traveling based on the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle 2 and the lateral position of the own vehicle, as in the case of the first follower vehicle 3. Therefore, even if there is an error in the traveling locus of the first follower vehicle 3, the error does not affect the steering control of the second follower vehicle 3 ', and highly accurate automatic follow-up traveling is realized. Therefore, in this embodiment, the two trailing vehicles 3, 3'are made to automatically follow the one leading vehicle 2, but theoretically the number of the following vehicles 3, 3 '... Is increased infinitely. be able to.

Next, the mode of traveling control in the following vehicle 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Follower 3
When the ignition key is turned on, the traveling control subroutine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control interval (for example, 65.5 ms). When this subroutine is started, the control ECU 3
First of all, in step S1, 1 reads input information from the communication ECU 17 and various sensors. Next, the control ECU 3
1 determines whether or not the operation mode changeover switch 30 is in the automatic mode in step S3, and this determination is N
o (that is, manual mode),
In step S5, the control by the control ECU 31 of the actuators such as the steering wheel 8 and the engine 9 is stopped. This is a case where the following vehicle 3 travels manually during cargo handling, and the automatic following travel is stopped.

If the determination in step S3 is Yes,
In step S7, the control ECU 31 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the vehicle group including the leading vehicle 2 and other following vehicles 3'in addition to the own vehicle. If this determination is No, it is determined in step S9 whether or not an emergency signal is input from the emergency communication device 13 or the like, and if this determination is also No, step S9.
At 11, the automatic follow-up control mode is selected. Then, in step S13, the longitudinal control according to the automatic follow-up control mode (that is, the engine 9 that maintains a predetermined inter-vehicle distance D) is performed.
Etc.), and lateral control (steering 8 control) according to the trajectory of the leading vehicle 2 described above is performed in step S15.

On the other hand, if there is an abnormality in the vehicle group and the determination in step S7 is Yes, the control ECU 31 selects the error control mode in step S17, and then executes step S1.
In 3, the vertical control (running, slowing down or stopping depending on the content of the abnormality) is executed according to the error control mode. When the emergency signal from the emergency switch 24 or the emergency information tower 5 is input and the determination in step S9 is Yes, the control ECU 31 selects the emergency control mode in step S19, and then the emergency control in step S13. Performs vertical control according to the mode (slow or stop depending on the abnormality). As a result, the driver 7 of the leading vehicle 2
Even if the vehicle becomes inoperable or an accident or the like occurs in the vehicle group, a secondary accident or the like caused by the runaway of the following vehicles 3, 3'is prevented. When an abnormality occurs in the vehicle group, the emergency information is transmitted to other vehicle groups or the like via the emergency communication device 13 and the emergency information tower 5.

Although the description of the specific embodiments has been completed, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, two follower vehicles are made to follow one lead vehicle, but a large number of follower vehicles may be made to follow. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the communication between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is performed by light, but it may be performed by radio waves or the like. Further, a navigation system may be mounted on the leading vehicle and the driver may drive based on the information. Furthermore, specific device configurations, control procedures, and the like can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to claim 1 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system for automatically following the leading vehicle, the leading vehicle is at least the own vehicle. While including a transmitting means for transmitting traveling locus information including a lateral position, the following vehicle, receiving means for receiving the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle,
Since the driving control amount determining means for determining the driving control amount including the steering amount of the own vehicle based on the traveling locus information received by the receiving means is provided, the tracking accuracy of the following vehicle is improved and the tracking of a large number of vehicles is performed. The lateral position error is not accumulated even when the vehicle automatically follows.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system for automatically following a plurality of following vehicles to the leading vehicle, the leading vehicle transmits at least the traveling locus information of the own vehicle. A means for receiving the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle, and a driving method for determining the driving control amount of the own vehicle based on the traveling locus information received by the receiving means. Since the control amount determining means is provided, each follower vehicle will follow the vehicle based on the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle, and the follow-up accuracy does not deteriorate even when a large number of follower vehicles are automatically followed. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first aspect, the operation control amount determining means determines the lateral position of the leading vehicle at the current traveling point of the own vehicle and the own vehicle. Since the steering amount is determined in order to eliminate the deviation from the lateral position of the vehicle, the tracking accuracy is improved as compared with the conventional automatic tracking traveling system. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the second aspect, between the plurality of following vehicles, the traveling locus transmitted from the leading vehicle to the following vehicle that follows the preceding following vehicle. Since the information is transmitted, the traveling locus information is surely transmitted to the following vehicle behind which radio waves or light are difficult to reach.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the second aspect, the plurality of following vehicles individually receive the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle. Even if some transmitters of the following vehicle break down, the following vehicles can automatically follow.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, the following vehicle has an inter-vehicle distance measuring means for measuring an inter-vehicle distance with a preceding vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance is substantially constant. Since the vehicle speed control means for controlling the vehicle speed is provided so as to maintain the vehicle speed, even if the leading vehicle accelerates or brakes, the inter-vehicle distance does not become too short or too wide.

[0039] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is connected to a driving information control means outside the vehicle. Since the driving information communication means for communicating driving information is provided, it becomes possible for the leading vehicle to drive based on speed limit information, weather information, etc.,
Even if a transmitter or the like of a part of the following vehicle fails, the following information can be automatically followed by the following vehicle by transmitting the traveling locus information through the driving information control means.

According to claim 8 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 7, since the operation information control means is a traffic control information communication device installed on a traveling road, capital investment on the road side Becomes smaller. Further, according to claim 9 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 1 or 2, the leading vehicle and the following vehicle are provided with emergency information communication means for communicating emergency information with each other. , It becomes possible to take prompt measures when the driver of the leading vehicle becomes inoperable or the following vehicle causes an accident.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the first or second aspect, the leading vehicle and the following vehicle transmit the emergency information between the emergency information control means outside the vehicle. Since emergency information communication means for communication is provided, it is possible to exchange emergency information with other vehicle groups, the overall operation system can be operated smoothly, and a rear-end collision accident can be prevented. It will be possible.

According to claim 11 of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 1 or 2, at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is transmitted from an absolute position information transmitting means outside the vehicle. Further, since the absolute position information receiving means for receiving the absolute position information is provided, it is possible for the following vehicle to correct the deviation between the traveling locus information of the leading vehicle and the traveling locus of the host vehicle.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic follow-up traveling system according to the eleventh aspect, since the absolute position information transmitting means is an artificial satellite, it is possible to obtain extremely accurate absolute position information. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic follow-up traveling system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a leading vehicle and a following vehicle.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a lateral shift of a following vehicle with respect to a traveling locus of a leading vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a traveling control subroutine of a following vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Driving Road 2 Leading Vehicle 3, 3'Following Vehicle 4 Beacon 5 Emergency Information Tower 6 Artificial Satellite 7 Driver 8 Steering 9 Engine 10 Transmission 11 Brake 12 Road-to-Vehicle Communication Device 13 Emergency Communication Device 14 Absolute Position Sensor 15 Front-to-Back Communication Machine 16 In-vehicle communication machine 17 Communication ECU 18 Vehicle speed sensor 19 Yaw rate sensor 20 g sensor 22 Abnormality determination ECU 23 Display panel 24 Emergency switch 30 Driving mode changeover switch 31 Control ECU 32 Relative position sensor

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI Technical indication location G08G 1/16 G08G 1/16 E H04B 7/26 H04B 7/26 (72) Inventor Ryoji Kimura Minato-ku, Tokyo 5-3, Shiba Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An auto-following traveling system in which a following vehicle automatically follows a leading vehicle, wherein the leading vehicle includes a transmitting means for transmitting traveling locus information including at least a lateral position of the vehicle, while Receiving means for receiving the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle, and driving control amount determining means for determining a driving control amount including the steering amount of the own vehicle based on the traveling locus information received by the receiving means; An automatic follow-up traveling system characterized by being equipped with. 2. An automatic follow-up traveling system for automatically causing a plurality of following vehicles to follow a leading vehicle, wherein the leading vehicle includes at least transmitting means for transmitting traveling locus information of the own vehicle, while the plurality of following vehicles are provided. However, it has a receiving means for receiving the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle, and a driving control amount determining means for determining the driving control amount of the own vehicle based on the traveling locus information received by the receiving means. The feature is an automatic tracking system. 3. The driving control amount determining means determines the steering amount so as to eliminate a deviation between a lateral position of the leading vehicle and a lateral position of the own vehicle at a current travel point of the own vehicle. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 4. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 2, wherein between the plurality of following vehicles, a preceding following vehicle transmits the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle to the following following vehicle. . 5. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of following vehicles individually receive the traveling locus information transmitted from the leading vehicle. 6. The following vehicle includes an inter-vehicle distance measuring means for measuring an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle, and a vehicle speed control means for controlling a vehicle speed so as to keep the inter-vehicle distance substantially constant. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 1 or 2. 7. The driving information communication means for communicating driving information with at least one of the driving information control means outside the vehicle, wherein at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is equipped with driving information communication means. The automatic follow-up traveling system described in 2. 8. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 7, wherein the driving information control means is a traffic control information communication device installed on a traveling path. 9. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to claim 1, wherein the leading vehicle and the following vehicle are provided with emergency information communication means for communicating emergency information with each other. 10. The leading vehicle and the following vehicle are equipped with emergency information communication means for communicating emergency information with an emergency information control means outside the vehicle.
The automatic tracking system described. 11. The absolute position information receiving means for receiving the absolute position information transmitted from the absolute position information transmitting means outside the vehicle, at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle is provided. Item 1. The automatic follow-up traveling system according to item 1 or 2. 12. The automatic tracking system according to claim 11, wherein the absolute position information transmitting means is an artificial satellite.