Management server, patrol vehicle control device and follow-up vehicle control device

Abstract

A patrol vehicle determination unit (302) determines a route from a starting point to a destination of a certain following vehicle, and determines a plurality of patrol vehicles that are responsible for a plurality of patrol areas overlapping with the route. A route determination unit (303) determines, for each of the plurality of patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit (302), a patrol route that the certain following vehicle and other following vehicles that are scheduled to travel within the patrol area in charge can follow, and determines a portion of the patrol route that overlaps with an adjacent patrol area as a handover position for handing over the certain following vehicle to the next patrol vehicle. A reservation management unit (304) sends patrol vehicle reservation data including identification information of the certain following vehicle and the patrol route and handover position determined by the route determination unit (303) to each of the plurality of patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit (302).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management server, a patrol vehicle control device, and a follow-up vehicle control device. Background Art

[0002] In the process of developing autonomous driving technology, one or more following vehicles follow the leading vehicle through the autonomous driving technology, so that the leading vehicle and the one or more following vehicles can form a platoon to travel. As an example of such platoon travel, platoon travel of patrolling vehicles is proposed. Patent document 1 describes the following method: a patrolling vehicle repeatedly follows and leaves other patrolling vehicles on the same patrolling path until halfway, thereby moving to a place that is not on its own patrolling path.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1:

[0006] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-167669 Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0008] Due to reasons such as the platoon being cut off at an intersection, there is an upper limit on the number of subsequent vehicles that can follow a leading vehicle. Therefore, in the traffic system described in Patent Document 1, if the number of subsequent patrol vehicles is large, the leading patrol vehicle may be insufficient. In addition, if the number of subsequent patrol vehicles is small or there are no subsequent patrol vehicles, the leading patrol vehicle may run unnecessarily. Therefore, in the traffic system described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem of too many or insufficient leading patrol vehicles running in the platoon.

[0009] The present disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and its purpose is to prevent the number of leading patrol vehicles in platoon travel from being excessive or insufficient.

[0010] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0011] The management server involved in the present disclosure includes: a communication unit that communicates with multiple patrol vehicles and one or more follow-up vehicles that are scheduled to follow each of the multiple patrol vehicles; a patrol vehicle determination unit that, when the communication unit receives the origin and destination of a certain follow-up vehicle, determines a path from the origin to the destination, and determines multiple patrol vehicles that are responsible for multiple patrol areas overlapping with the path; a path determination unit that determines, for each of the multiple patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit, a patrol path that can be followed by a certain follow-up vehicle and other follow-up vehicles that are scheduled to travel in the patrol area in charge, and determines the patrol path The reservation management unit determines a portion of the vehicle that overlaps with an adjacent patrol area as a handover position for a following vehicle to be handed over to the next patrol vehicle; and a reservation management unit that sends, via a communication unit, patrol vehicle reservation data including identification information of a following vehicle and a patrol route and a handover position determined by a route determination unit to each of a plurality of patrol vehicles that a following vehicle is scheduled to follow during a period from a starting point to a destination as determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit, and sends, via a communication unit, for a certain following vehicle, reservation data for a following vehicle including identification information and a handover position of a plurality of patrol vehicles that a following vehicle is scheduled to follow during a period from a starting point to a destination.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, the management server sends reservation data to the roving vehicles and the following vehicles, so that the management server manages the roving vehicles and the following vehicles in a unified manner, thereby preventing the number of roving vehicles leading the convoy from being excessive or insufficient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the transportation system according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a patrol vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a following vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a management server according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a state transition diagram of the following vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 It is the reservation process performed by the vehicle control device ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST201).

[0020] Figure 7 It is the following waiting process performed by the following vehicle control device ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST202).

[0021] Figure 8 It is the following process performed by the following vehicle control device ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST203).

[0022] Fig. 9 It is the follow-up handover process performed by the follow-up vehicle control device ( Figure 5 Step ST202 and Figure 8 Flow chart of step ST234).

[0023] Fig.10 The destination arrival process is performed by the vehicle control device. Figure 5 Step ST205 and Figure 8 Flow chart of step ST236).

[0024] Fig.11 This is a state transition diagram of the patrol vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0025] Fig.12 It is the patrol driving process performed by the patrol vehicle control device ( Fig.11 Flow chart of step ST100).

[0026] Fig.13 is the following request processing performed by the patrol vehicle control device ( Fig.12 Flow chart of step ST112).

[0027] Fig.14 It is the handover process performed by the patrol vehicle control device ( Fig.12 Flow chart of step ST114).

[0028] Fig.15 It is the route change processing performed by the patrol vehicle control device ( Fig.12 Flow chart of step ST116).

[0029] Fig.16 It is the standby processing performed by the patrol vehicle control device ( Fig.12 Flow chart of step ST118).

[0030] Fig.17 This is a flowchart showing the main processing of the management server in the first embodiment.

[0031] Fig.18It is the reservation processing performed by the management server ( Fig.17 Flow chart of step ST302).

[0032] Fig.19 This is to explain the patrol vehicle determination process performed by the management server ( Fig.18 FIG. 15 is a diagram of step ST311).

[0033] Fig. 20 This is to explain the patrol route determination process performed by the management server ( Fig.18 FIG. 14 is a diagram of step ST313).

[0034] Fig.21 This is the delay response process performed by the management server ( Fig.17 Flow chart of step ST305).

[0035] Fig. 22 This is the delay response process on the handover side performed by the management server. Fig.21 Flow chart of step ST323).

[0036] Fig.23 This section describes the changeability determination process of the patrol route by the management server. Fig. 22 FIG. 15 is a diagram of step ST332).

[0037] Fig.24 The management server handles the delay in the handover. Fig.21 Flow chart of step ST324).

[0038] Fig.25 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drone according to Embodiment 1.

[0039] Fig.26 This is a state transition diagram of the drone in implementation mode 1.

[0040] Fig. 27 is the idle processing performed by the drone ( Fig.26 Flow chart of step ST400).

[0041] Fig.28 It is the search processing performed by the drone ( Fig.26 Flow chart of step ST401).

[0042] Fig.29 It is the follow request processing performed by the drone ( Fig.28 Flow chart of step ST422).

[0043] Fig.30 It is the tracking process performed by the drone ( Fig.26 Flow chart of step ST402).

[0044] Fig.31 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the patrol vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

[0045] Fig.32 This is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the following vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

[0046] Fig.33 This is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the management server according to the first embodiment.

[0047] Fig.34 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Hereinafter, in order to explain the present disclosure in more detail, a mode for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0049] Implementation method 1.

[0050] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the overall structure of the transportation system involved in the first embodiment. The transportation system 1 includes a management server 300, a plurality of patrol vehicles 4, 6, 8, and a plurality of follow-up vehicle groups 5, 7, 9. The patrol vehicles 4, 6, 8 are, for example, public buses, patrol buses, sightseeing buses, long-distance trucks, and night buses. The patrol vehicles 4, 6, 8 are, for example, vehicles of the autonomous driving level 5 (fully autonomous driving) defined by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineer), but can be remote-driven vehicles or manually driven vehicles. Each vehicle in the follow-up vehicle group 5, 7, 9 is a vehicle of autonomous driving level 2 (partial driving automation) or above.

[0051] The patrol vehicle 4 runs on the patrol path 1 in the patrol area for which it is responsible. A following vehicle group 5 consisting of one or more vehicles follows the patrol vehicle 4. A patrol vehicle 6 in charge of a patrol area different from that of the patrol vehicle 4 runs on the patrol path 2. However, the patrol area for which the patrol vehicle 4 is responsible and the patrol area for which the patrol vehicle 6 is responsible partially overlap, and the patrol path 1 and the patrol path 2 partially overlap. The position where the patrol path 1 overlaps with the patrol path 2 is the handover position 14. A following vehicle group 7 consisting of one or more vehicles follows the patrol vehicle 6.

[0052] In addition, the patrol vehicle 8 in charge of a patrol area different from the patrol vehicles 4 and 6 is running on the patrol path 3. However, the patrol area in charge of the patrol vehicle 6 and the patrol area in charge of the patrol vehicle 8 partially overlap, and the patrol path 2 and the patrol path 3 partially overlap. The position where the patrol path 2 overlaps with the patrol path 3 is the handover position 15. The following vehicle group 9 composed of one or more vehicles follows the patrol vehicle 8.

[0053] in addition, Figure 1 In order to simplify the description, an example is shown in which one patrol vehicle operates in three patrol areas, but a plurality of patrol vehicles may operate in one patrol area.

[0054] A residence 10 is located near the tour route 1, and a user vehicle 11 is parked there. A destination 12 of the user vehicle 11 is located near the tour route 3 and is located far from the residence 10. The user vehicle 11 is equivalent to a following vehicle.

[0055] The management server 300 uses information on the residence 10 and the destination 12 as the starting point of the user vehicle 11, and information on the patrol area in charge of the patrol vehicles 4, 6, 8, etc. to determine one or more patrol vehicles 4, 6, 8 that the user vehicle 11 follows in order to move from the residence 10 to the destination 12. In addition, the management server 300 determines a patrol route 1 that the user vehicle 11 and the follow-up vehicle group 5 that are scheduled to travel in the patrol area in charge of the patrol vehicle 4 can follow, and determines the portion of the patrol route 1 that overlaps with the adjacent patrol area as the handover position 14 of the user vehicle 11. Similarly, the management server 300 determines patrol routes 2 and 3 that the user vehicle 11 and the follow-up vehicle groups 7 and 9 that are scheduled to travel in the patrol area in charge of the patrol vehicles 6 and 8 can follow, and determines the portion of the patrol routes 2 and 3 that overlaps with the adjacent patrol area as the handover position 15 of the user vehicle 11. Then, the management server 300 transmits the touring vehicle reservation data indicating the user vehicle 11 to be followed, the touring routes 1, 2, 3, and the handover positions 14, 15 to the touring vehicles 4, 6, 8, respectively. Furthermore, the management server 300 transmits the following vehicle reservation data indicating the touring vehicles 4, 6, 8 to be followed, and the handover positions 14, 15 to the user vehicle 11.

[0056] The user vehicle 11 is allowed to follow the patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8 while they are running on the patrol routes 1, 2, and 3 according to the reservation data, and the user vehicle 11 is instructed to detach at the handover positions 14 and 15. The user vehicle 11 receives permission to follow the patrol vehicle 4 in the vicinity of the residence 10 as the starting point according to the reservation data, moves along the patrol vehicle 4 along the patrol route 1, goes to the handover position 14, and detaches from the patrol vehicle 4. Next, the user vehicle 11 receives permission to follow the patrol vehicle 6 at the handover position 14, moves along the patrol route 2 along the patrol vehicle 6, goes to the handover position 15, and detaches from the patrol vehicle 6. Next, the user vehicle 11 receives permission to follow the patrol vehicle 8 at the handover position 15, moves along the patrol route 3 along the patrol vehicle 8, and goes to the destination 12.

[0057] Thus, the administrator server 300 can pre-set the number of following vehicles for the patrol vehicle and the location of replacing the patrol vehicle by uniformly managing the information of the patrol vehicle and the following vehicles. In addition, the management server 300 reduces the number of patrol vehicles when there are fewer following vehicles, and increases the number of patrol vehicles when there are more following vehicles, thereby preventing the number of patrol vehicles from being excessive or insufficient, so that the following vehicle group is not cut off at an intersection, etc., and no waste is generated in the patrol vehicles. In addition, the management server 300 replaces the patrol vehicle followed by the following vehicle with another patrol vehicle at a location where the patrol paths overlap with each other, thereby allowing the following vehicle to move to a distant destination without the need for the user to drive manually.

[0058] In addition, because the origin and destination of the following vehicle are close, there may be only one patrol vehicle that should be followed from the origin to the destination. In this case, the management server 300 uses the information of the origin and destination of the following vehicle and the information of the patrol area for the patrol vehicle to determine the patrol vehicle to be followed by the following vehicle and the patrol route of the patrol vehicle, and generates the patrol vehicle reservation data and the following vehicle reservation data.

[0059] in addition, Figure 1 The UAV 400 is described later.

[0060] Next, the patrol vehicle control device 100 will be described.

[0061] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the patrol vehicle control device 100 according to the first embodiment. The patrol vehicle control device 100 is mounted on Figure 1The patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8 are shown. The patrol vehicle control device 100 includes an external vehicle communication unit 101, an inter-vehicle communication unit 102, a vehicle control unit 103, a position acquisition unit 104, a route guidance unit 108, a follow-up reservation management unit 109, and a follow-up vehicle management unit 110.

[0062] The vehicle communication unit 101 communicates with the management server 300 via a public line. The inter-vehicle communication unit 102 communicates with the following vehicle control device 200 mounted on the surrounding vehicles. Unlike the external communication unit 101, the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 performs communication at a shorter distance. The vehicle control unit 103 automatically drives the patrol vehicle along the patrol route indicated by the route guidance unit 108. The position acquisition unit 104 acquires the position information of the patrol vehicle. The position information of the patrol vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit 104 is periodically sent from the external communication unit 101 to the management server 300, and from the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 to the following vehicle together with the identification information and status information of the patrol vehicle. The identification information of the patrol vehicle may be the number of the patrol vehicle, or the identification number of the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle. The status information of the patrol vehicle is information indicating the status of the patrol vehicle described later. Fig.11 Information on any one of the idle state, cruising driving state, following vehicle separation state, following vehicle addition state and queue waiting state is shown.

[0063] The route data 105 is information indicating the route of the patrol vehicle, which is included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle received by the external communication unit 101 from the management server 300. The route data 105 is stored in the route guidance unit 108. The route guidance unit 108 uses the route data 105 and the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 104 to indicate the traveling direction of the patrol vehicle to the vehicle control unit 103. The route guidance unit 108 and the vehicle control unit 103 realize the function of the autonomous driving level 5, for example.

[0064] The reservation data 106 is reservation data for the roving vehicle received by the off-vehicle communication unit 101 from the management server 300. The reservation data 106 is stored and managed in the following reservation management unit 109. The reservation data 106 includes identification information of a following vehicle scheduled to follow the roving vehicle. The identification information of the following vehicle may be the number of the following vehicle or the following vehicle control device 200 (see Figure 3 ) identification number, etc. In addition, the reservation data 106 includes the handover position, handover time, and identification information of the other patrol vehicle when the following vehicle ends following the patrol vehicle and is scheduled to follow the other patrol vehicle. In addition, the reservation data 106 includes the route information and operation start time of the patrol vehicle.

[0065] The following vehicle data 107 is information indicating the status of the following vehicle currently following the patrol vehicle. The following vehicle data 107 is stored and managed in the following vehicle management unit 110. The following vehicle data 107 includes the identification information of the following vehicle, the position information of the following vehicle, and the status information of the following vehicle received by the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 from the following vehicle currently following the patrol vehicle. The status information of the following vehicle is information indicating the status of the following vehicle described later. Figure 5 Information on any one of the idle state, reservation processing state, follow-up waiting state, follow-up state, follow-up handover state and destination arrival state is shown.

[0066] When the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 receives a following request from a surrounding vehicle, if the identification information of the surrounding vehicle matches the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data 106, the following vehicle management unit 110 issues a permission to follow to the surrounding vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102, and on this basis, manages the reservation data 106 related to the surrounding vehicle as the following vehicle data 107 of the following vehicle currently following the patrol vehicle. In addition, when the patrol vehicle arrives at the handover position of the following vehicle currently following the patrol vehicle, the following vehicle management unit 110 issues a separation instruction to the following vehicle currently following the patrol vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102.

[0067] in addition, Figure 2 The patrol vehicle control device 100 is configured such that the vehicle control unit 103 automatically drives the patrol vehicle according to the instructions of the route guidance unit 108, but it is not limited to this structure. For example, the patrol vehicle control device 100 can be configured to be manually driven by the passengers of the patrol vehicle, or remotely driven by an operator located at a remote location. In the case of manual driving, for example, the route guidance unit 108 guides the passengers of the patrol vehicle to the patrol route using at least one of sound and display, and the passengers drive manually according to the guidance. The route guidance unit 108 can use at least one of the speakers and displays (not shown) of the patrol vehicle control device 100 in guiding the patrol route, or can use at least one of the speakers and displays (not shown) of the patrol vehicle. In the case of remote driving, for example, the route guidance unit 108 sends the route data 105, position information, and other information required for remote driving (for example, images captured by the camera outside the vehicle) to the remote driving terminal via the vehicle external communication unit 101. The remote driving terminal presents the operator with various information received from the patrol vehicle control device 100, receives remote driving information from the operator, and transmits the received remote driving information to the patrol vehicle control device 100. The vehicle control unit 103 receives the remote driving information from the remote driving terminal via the off-vehicle communication unit 101, and controls the patrol vehicle using the received remote driving information.

[0068] Next, the following vehicle control device 200 will be described.

[0069] Figure 3 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a following vehicle control device 200 according to Embodiment 1. The following vehicle control device 200 is mounted on Figure 1 The user vehicle 11 is shown, and each of the following vehicles constituting the following vehicle groups 5, 7, and 9. The following vehicle control device 200 includes an external vehicle communication unit 201, an inter-vehicle communication unit 202, a vehicle control unit 203, a following processing unit 204, a reservation processing unit 205, a patrol vehicle management unit 207, a display unit 208, and an operation unit 209.

[0070] The vehicle-external communication unit 201 communicates with the management server 300 via a public line. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 202 communicates with the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the surrounding vehicles. Unlike the vehicle-external communication unit 201, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 202 performs communication at a shorter distance. The vehicle control unit 203 controls the following vehicle according to the instruction of the following processing unit 204. The vehicle control unit 203 is equivalent to a function of autonomous driving level 2 or above, for example. The position acquisition unit 210 acquires the position information of the following vehicle. The position information of the following vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit 210 is periodically sent from the vehicle-external communication unit 201 to the management server 300, and from the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 202 to the patrol vehicle together with the identification information and status information of the following vehicle.

[0071] When the following vehicle arrives at each handover position included in the roving vehicle data 206, the following processing unit 204 issues a following request to the roving vehicle scheduled to follow via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202, and when receiving permission to follow from the roving vehicle scheduled to follow via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202, the following processing unit 204 outputs an instruction to start following the roving vehicle scheduled to follow to the vehicle control unit 203. In addition, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a separation instruction from the roving vehicle scheduled to follow, the following processing unit 204 outputs an instruction to end following the roving vehicle scheduled to follow to the vehicle control unit 203. In addition, the following processing unit 204 indicates the distance between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle to the vehicle control unit 203 during the process of following the roving vehicle. When the following vehicle immediately follows the roving vehicle, the leading vehicle is the roving vehicle. When the following vehicle immediately follows another following vehicle that follows the roving vehicle, the leading vehicle is the other following vehicle. The following processing unit 204 and the vehicle control unit 203 realize functions of, for example, autonomous driving level 2 or higher.

[0072] The reservation processing unit 205 transmits information such as the departure point, departure time, and destination set by the user of the following vehicle through the operation unit 209 as the reserved vehicle information to the management server 300 via the vehicle external communication unit 201. In addition, the reservation processing unit 205 receives the identification information of one or more roving vehicles that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow during the period from the departure point to the destination, and reservation data for the following vehicle indicating the handover position and handover time of each of the one or more roving vehicles scheduled to start following, from the management server 300 via the vehicle external communication unit 201. The reservation processing unit 205 stores the received reservation data as roving vehicle data 206 in the roving vehicle management unit 207.

[0073] The patrol vehicle data 206 is information about the patrol vehicle that is scheduled to be followed, and includes reservation data for the patrol vehicle received by the reservation processing unit 205 from the management server 300. The patrol vehicle data 206 is stored and managed in the patrol vehicle management unit 207. The patrol vehicle data 206 includes identification information of the patrol vehicle that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow, and the handover position and handover time at which the following vehicle is scheduled to start following the patrol vehicle. In addition, the patrol vehicle data 206 includes identification information of the patrol vehicle that the following vehicle is currently following, position information of the patrol vehicle, and status information of the patrol vehicle received by the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 from the patrol vehicle that the following vehicle is currently following.

[0074] The display unit 208 and the operation unit 209 are HMI (Human Machine Interface) for exchanging information between the reservation processing unit 205 and the user. The display unit 208 displays a destination setting screen generated by the reservation processing unit 205 for the user to set the destination and other reservation vehicle information. The operation unit 209 accepts user operations for setting the departure point and destination, etc., and outputs the accepted operation content to the reservation processing unit 205.

[0075] Next, the management server 300 will be described.

[0076] Figure 4 : is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management server 300 according to Embodiment 1. The management server 300 includes a communication unit 301 , a circulating vehicle determination unit 302 , a route determination unit 303 , a reservation management unit 304 , a circulating vehicle management unit 306 , and a follow-up vehicle management unit 308 .

[0077] The communication unit 301 communicates with the patrol vehicle control device 100 and the following vehicle control device 200 via a public line. The patrol vehicle determination unit 302 uses the reserved vehicle information received from the following vehicle by the communication unit 301 and the information of each patrol area that the plurality of patrol vehicles are responsible for to determine one or more patrol vehicles that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow while traveling from the starting point to the destination. For each of the one or more patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit 302, the route determination unit 303 uses the reserved vehicle information of the one or more following vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol area that the one or more following vehicles are responsible for to determine a patrol route so that the one or more following vehicles can follow, and determines the portion of the patrol route that overlaps with the adjacent patrol area as the handover position and handover time of the following vehicle. For each of the one or more patrol vehicles determined by the patrol route determination unit 302, the route determination unit 303 generates patrol vehicle reservation data including identification information of the scheduled following vehicle, the patrol route, the handover position, and the handover time, and transmits the data via the communication unit 301. Furthermore, the route determination unit 303 generates reservation data for the following vehicle including identification information, a handover position, and a handover time of one or more patrol vehicles scheduled to be followed from the origin to the destination, and transmits the reservation data via the communication unit 301 .

[0078] The reservation data 305 includes reservation data for the following vehicle and reservation data for the patrol vehicle generated by the route determination unit 303. The reservation data 305 is stored and managed in the reservation management unit 304. The reservation data 305 includes the origin, destination, departure time, identification information, handover information of the following vehicle, and route information of the patrol vehicle. The handover information includes the handover position, handover time, and identification information of each patrol vehicle when the following vehicle stops following the patrol vehicle and plans to follow another patrol vehicle.

[0079] The patrol vehicle data 307 is information indicating patrol vehicles managed by the management server 300, and includes information received by the communication unit 301 from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on each patrol vehicle, namely, identification information, position information, and state information of the patrol vehicle, and information on the patrol route determined by the route determination unit 303. The patrol vehicle data 307 is stored in the patrol vehicle management unit 306 and managed.

[0080] The following vehicle data 309 is information indicating the following vehicles managed by the management server 300, and includes the information received by the communication unit 301 from the following vehicle control device 200 mounted on each following vehicle, namely, identification information, position information, and status information of the following vehicle. The following vehicle data 309 is stored and managed in the following vehicle management unit 308.

[0081] Next, refer to Figure 1The operations of the touring vehicle control device 100 , the following vehicle control device 200 , and the management server 300 will be described.

[0082] First, the operation of the following vehicle control device 200 will be described.

[0083] Figure 5 1 is a state transition diagram of a following vehicle in Embodiment 1. Here, the following vehicle control device 200 mounted on the user vehicle 11 is described as an example.

[0084] The idle state of step ST200 is a state in which the user vehicle 11 is not following the patrol vehicle. In the idle state, if the user of the user vehicle 11 performs a reservation setting on the following vehicle control device 200, the state of the user vehicle 11 is transferred to the reservation processing state of step ST201. Figure 6 Reservation processing.

[0085] Figure 6 is a reservation process performed by the following vehicle control device 200 ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST201).

[0086] In step ST211, the reservation processing unit 205 causes the display unit 208 to display a destination setting screen. The operation unit 209 receives user operations for setting the departure point, departure time, destination, etc., and outputs the received operation content to the reservation processing unit 205. The reservation processing unit 205 receives the operation content from the operation unit 209 and generates reserved vehicle information including the departure point, departure time, destination, and identification information of the user vehicle 11.

[0087] In step ST212, the vehicle exterior communication unit 201 transmits the reserved vehicle information generated by the reservation processing unit 205 to the management server 300. In step ST213, the vehicle exterior communication unit 201 receives reservation data for following the vehicle from the management server 300.

[0088] When the external communication unit 201 receives the reservation data and the reservation data includes information indicating that "reservation is OK" (step ST213 "Yes"), the reservation processing unit 205 outputs the reservation data to the patrol vehicle management unit 207. In step ST215, the patrol vehicle management unit 207 stores the reservation data as patrol vehicle data 206. The patrol vehicle data 206 includes identification information of patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8 that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow, the starting point and the following start time of the patrol vehicle 4, the handover position 14 and the handover time of the patrol vehicle 6, and the handover position 15 and the handover time of the patrol vehicle 8.

[0089] On the other hand, when the reservation data received by the external communication unit 201 includes information indicating "reservation NG" (step ST213 "No"), the reservation processing unit 205 causes the display unit 208 to display the reason for reservation NG, etc., to notify the user of reservation NG (step ST214). In this case, the reservation processing unit 205 causes the user to set the destination, etc. again (step ST211). In addition, the reservation processing unit 205 may terminate the reservation processing without causing the user to set the destination, etc. again. When the reservation processing is terminated, the user vehicle 11 transitions to the idle state of step ST200.

[0090] If the reservation is completed, the user vehicle 11 is transferred from the reservation processing state of step ST201 to the following waiting state of step ST202. Figure 7 The follow-up is waiting to be processed.

[0091] Figure 7 The following vehicle control device 200 performs the following waiting process ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST202).

[0092] In step ST221, the vehicle external communication unit 201 receives the position information of the roving vehicle that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow from the management server 300. In step ST222, the following processing unit 204 refers to the roving vehicle data 206 to determine whether the position of the roving vehicle that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow is a followable position. For example, if the position of the roving vehicle 4 that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow is within 50 meters of the residence 10 as the starting point, the following processing unit 204 determines that it is a followable position. In addition, after the user vehicle 11 separates from the roving vehicle 4, if the position of the roving vehicle 6 that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow is within 50 meters of the handover position 14, the following processing unit 204 determines that it is a followable position.

[0093] If the position of the scheduled following roving vehicle is a followable position (step ST222 "Yes"), the following processing unit 204 transmits a following request to the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the scheduled following roving vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 (step ST223). Then, the following processing unit 204 waits for a response from the following vehicle control device 200 (step ST224 "No").

[0094] When the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a response from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle scheduled to be followed (step ST224 "Yes"), and the response is to allow following (step ST225 "Yes"), the following processing unit 204 outputs a following start instruction to the vehicle control unit 203 (step ST226). The vehicle control unit 203 enters a designated position (for example, the last) in the queue headed by the patrol vehicle according to the designated position included in the above response, and starts following.

[0095] On the other hand, if the response from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle scheduled to be followed is a refusal to follow due to some reasons (step ST225 "No"), the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to remain on standby. At this time, the following processing unit 204 may display the reason for refusing to follow on the display unit 208.

[0096] When following begins, the user vehicle 11 transitions from the following waiting state of step ST202 to the following state of step ST203. Figure 8 Follow-up processing.

[0097] Figure 8 is the following process performed by the following vehicle control device 200 ( Figure 5 Flow chart of step ST203).

[0098] In step ST231, the vehicle external communication unit 201 transmits the current position information of the user vehicle 11 acquired by the position acquisition unit 210 to the management server 300. In step ST232, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 202 transmits the current vehicle information of the user vehicle 11 to the following patrol vehicle. The vehicle information includes the position information of the user vehicle 11, the vehicle speed, the cruising range, and the status of the passengers.

[0099] In step ST233, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a "separation instruction" from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle being followed (step ST233 "Yes"), the following processing unit 204 performs the following handover processing of step ST234. The "separation instruction" is sent from the patrol vehicle currently being followed when the user vehicle 11 arrives at the handover position and changes the patrol vehicle.

[0100] On the other hand, when the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 has not received the "departure instruction" (step ST233 "No"), the following processing unit 204 uses the position information of the user vehicle 11 acquired by the position acquisition unit 210 to determine whether the user vehicle 11 has arrived at the destination 12 (step ST235 "Yes"), the following processing unit 204 performs the destination arrival processing of step ST236. On the other hand, when the user vehicle 11 has not arrived at the destination 12 (step ST235 "No"), the processing of the following vehicle control device 200 returns to step ST231.

[0101] If the user vehicle 11 receives the "separation instruction" from the patrol vehicle, the user vehicle 11 shifts from the following state of step ST203 to the following handover state of step ST204. Fig. 9 Follow-up handover processing.

[0102] Fig. 9 The following vehicle control device 200 performs the following handover process ( Figure 5 Step ST204 and Figure 8 Flow chart of step ST234).

[0103] In step ST241, the vehicle external communication unit 201 receives the position information of the patrol vehicle that the user vehicle 11 is scheduled to follow newly from the management server 300. In step ST242, the following processing unit 204 refers to the patrol vehicle data 206 to determine whether the position of the patrol vehicle that is scheduled to follow newly is a followable position. For example, when the user vehicle 11 is currently following the patrol vehicle 4 and is scheduled to follow the patrol vehicle 6 next, if the position of the patrol vehicle 6 that is scheduled to follow newly is within 50 m of the handover position 14, the following processing unit 204 determines that it is a followable position.

[0104] If the position of the new traveling vehicle to be followed is a followable position (step ST242: Yes), the following processing unit 204 transmits a following request to the traveling vehicle control device 100 mounted on the new traveling vehicle to be followed via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 (step ST243). Then, the following processing unit 204 waits for a response from the following vehicle control device 200 (step ST244).

[0105] When the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a response allowing following from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle to be newly followed (“Yes” in step ST244), the following processing unit 204 transmits the situation of separation to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle currently following via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 (step ST245). In step ST246, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to end following and separate from the current queue. In step ST247, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to start following the patrol vehicle to be newly followed. The vehicle control unit 203 enters the designated position (for example, the end) in the queue headed by the patrol vehicle according to the designated position included in the above-mentioned response allowing following, and starts following. Here, since the handover is completed, the user vehicle 11 is transferred from the following handover state of step ST204 to the following state of step ST203.

[0106] When the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a response of refusing to follow from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle to be newly followed (step ST244 "No"), the following processing unit 204 transmits the situation of separation to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle currently following via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 (step ST248). In step ST249, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to end the following and to separate from the current queue. In step ST250, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to stop and wait at a position where the vehicle can stop around the handover position. Since the user vehicle 11 has ended the following, the vehicle 11 is transferred to the idle state of step ST200.

[0107] If the new patrol vehicle scheduled to be followed has not arrived at the followable position and a certain time (for example, 30 seconds) has passed (step ST242 "No: the certain time has passed"), the processing of the following vehicle control device 200 proceeds to step ST251. If the above-mentioned certain time has not passed (step ST242 "No: the certain time has not passed"), the processing of the following vehicle control device 200 returns to step ST241. In steps ST251 to ST254, there is a high possibility that the new patrol vehicle scheduled to be followed will not arrive at the handover position on time, so the user vehicle 11 stops and waits around the handover position. In step ST251, the following processing unit 204 sends the situation of separation to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle currently following via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202. In step ST252, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to end the following and separate from the current queue. In step ST253, the following processing unit 204 transmits the waiting status to the new patrol vehicle scheduled to follow via the external communication unit 201 and the management server 300. In step ST254, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to stop and wait at a position around the handover position where the vehicle can park. Here, the user vehicle 11 shifts from the following handover state in step ST203 to the following waiting state in step ST202.

[0108] When the user vehicle 11 arrives at the destination 12, the user vehicle 11 transitions from the following state in step ST203 to the destination arrival state in step ST205. Fig.10 The destination arrives for processing.

[0109] Fig.10 The destination arrival process ( Figure 5 Step ST205 and Figure 8 Flow chart of step ST236).

[0110] In step ST261, the following processing unit 204 transmits the separation to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle being followed via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202. In step ST262, the following processing unit 204 instructs the vehicle control unit 203 to end the following and separate from the current queue. Here, the user vehicle 11 transitions from the destination arrival state in step ST205 to the idle state in step ST200.

[0111] Fig.11 This is a state transition diagram of the patrol vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0112] The idle state of step ST100 is a state in which the patrol vehicle is not performing patrol driving. When the operation start time included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle received from the management server 300 comes, the state of the patrol vehicle is transferred from the idle state of step ST100 to the patrol driving state of step ST101. Fig.12 Tour driving handling.

[0113] Fig.12 is the patrol driving process performed by the patrol vehicle control device 100 ( Fig.11 In the cruise driving process, the route guidance unit 108 issues an instruction to the vehicle control unit 103 so that the vehicle runs on the cruise route according to the route data 105.

[0114] In step ST111, some message is received from the management server 300 via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 101, or some message is received from the following vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102. When the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 receives a "follow request" from the following vehicle ("Yes" in step ST111), the processing of the cruising vehicle control device 100 proceeds to step ST112, and in other cases ("No" in step ST111), the processing proceeds to step ST113.

[0115] In step ST113, if the current position information of the patrol vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit 104 is near the handover position (for example, within 50 m of the handover position) (step ST113 "Yes"), the processing of the patrol vehicle control device 100 is transferred to step ST114. Otherwise (step ST113 "No"), it is transferred to step ST115.

[0116] In step ST115, when the external communication unit 101 receives a "route change instruction" from the management server 300 (step ST115 "Yes"), the processing of the cruising vehicle control device 100 proceeds to step ST116, and otherwise (step ST115 "No") proceeds to step ST117.

[0117] In step ST117, when the external communication unit 101 receives the "standby instruction" from the management server 300 (step ST117 "Yes"), the processing of the cruising vehicle control device 100 transfers to step ST118, otherwise (step ST117 "No") returns to step ST111.

[0118] Fig.13 is the following request processing performed by the patrol vehicle control device 100 ( Fig.12By starting the following request process, the patrol vehicle is transferred from the patrol driving state of step ST101 to the following vehicle adding state of step ST103.

[0119] In step ST121, the following vehicle management unit 110 determines whether the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request is the following vehicle included in the reservation data 106. When the identification information of the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request matches the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data 106 (step ST122 "Yes"), the following vehicle management unit 110 determines that the surrounding vehicle is a following vehicle that is scheduled to follow the main traveling vehicle, and sends "Allow to follow" to the following vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 (step ST123). In addition, the following vehicle management unit 110 manages the reservation data 106 related to the following vehicle that has sent "Allow to follow" among the reservation data 106 managed by the following reservation management unit 109 as the following vehicle data 107. For example, the traveling vehicle 4 receives the "Follow Request" from the user vehicle 11 at the residence 10 as the starting point, and sends "Allow to follow" to the user vehicle 11. The traveling vehicle 6 receives the "Follow Request" from the user vehicle 11 at the handover location 14, and sends "Allow to follow" to the user vehicle 11. The patrol vehicle 8 receives the “follow request” from the user vehicle 11 at the handover location 15 , and sends a “follow permission” to the user vehicle 11 .

[0120] On the other hand, when the identification information of the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request is inconsistent with the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data 106 (step ST122 "No"), the following vehicle management unit 110 determines that the surrounding vehicle is an unreserved vehicle, and sends "following rejection" to the surrounding vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102. Here, the following request processing is completed, so the state of the roving vehicle is transferred from the following vehicle addition state of step ST103 to the roving driving state of step ST101.

[0121] Fig.14 is the handover process performed by the patrol vehicle control device 100 ( Fig.12 By starting the handover process, the patrol vehicle is transferred from the patrol driving state of step ST101 to the following vehicle separation state of step ST102.

[0122] In step ST131, the following vehicle management unit 110 refers to the following vehicle data 107 to confirm the information of the following vehicle that has separated from the present patrol vehicle at the handover position and is scheduled to follow another patrol vehicle. In step ST132, the following vehicle management unit 110 sends a "separation instruction" to the above-mentioned following vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102. In addition, the following vehicle management unit 110 deletes the following vehicle data 107 related to the following vehicle that has sent the "separation instruction" from the following vehicle data 107 managed by itself. Alternatively, the following vehicle management unit 110 may not delete the following vehicle data 107, but leave it as data (i.e., history) of the vehicle that has completed the handover. Here, the handover process has been completed, so the state of the patrol vehicle is transferred from the following vehicle separation state of step ST102 to the patrol driving state of step ST101. For example, the patrol vehicle 4 sends a "separation instruction" to the user vehicle 11 that is following the patrol vehicle 4 at the handover position 14, and transfers the user vehicle 11 to the patrol vehicle 6. At the handover position 15 , the touring vehicle 6 sends a “detachment instruction” to the user vehicle 11 that is following the touring vehicle 6 , and hands over the user vehicle 11 to the touring vehicle 8 .

[0123] Fig.15 is the route change processing performed by the patrol vehicle control device 100 ( Fig.12 During the period when the patrol vehicle control device 100 performs the route change process, the patrol vehicle is in the patrol driving state of step ST101.

[0124] In step ST141, the vehicle external communication unit 101 outputs the information of the tour route included in the "route change instruction" received from the management server 300 to the route guidance unit 108. The route guidance unit 108 changes the stored route data 105 to the new tour route received from the management server 300. In step ST142, the route guidance unit 108 sends a message of changing the tour route to all the following vehicles following the tour vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102. In step ST143, the route guidance unit 108 issues an instruction to the vehicle control unit 103 using the changed route data 105.

[0125] Fig.16 This is the standby process performed by the patrol vehicle control device 100 ( Fig.12 Flow chart of step ST118).

[0126] In step ST151, the route guidance unit 108 searches for a place where the queue can wait on the tour route indicated by the route data 105. Alternatively, the route guidance unit 108 may search for a place where the queue can wait in advance around the handover position. If there is a place where the queue can wait (step ST152 "Yes"), the process of the route guidance unit 108 is transferred to step ST153. If there is no place where the queue can wait (step ST152 "No"), the process is transferred to step ST156.

[0127] In step ST153, the route guidance unit 108 sends a response of "standby" to the management server 300 via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 101. In step ST154, the route guidance unit 108 sends a message of temporary standby to all the following vehicles following the present patrol vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102. In step ST155, the route guidance unit 108 instructs the vehicle control unit 103 to move to the standby place and park. Here, the queue is on standby, so the state of the patrol vehicle is transferred from the patrol driving state of step ST101 to the queue standby state of step ST104. Then, the patrol vehicle control device 100 waits for a "follow request" from the surrounding vehicles that are scheduled to follow the present patrol vehicle (step ST157 "No"). When the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 receives the "follow request" from the surrounding vehicles (step ST157 "Yes"), the route guidance unit 108 cancels the standby state and restarts the patrol driving. Here, the state of the patrol vehicle is transferred from the queue standby state of step ST104 to the patrol driving state of step ST101.

[0128] On the other hand, if there is no place where the vehicle can wait (step ST152: No), the route guidance unit 108 sends a response of "cannot wait" to the management server 300 via the vehicle external communication unit 101 (step ST156). In this case, the route guidance unit 108 instructs the vehicle control unit 103 to operate on the patrol route according to the route data 105, thereby continuing the patrol driving.

[0129] Next, the operation of the management server 300 will be described.

[0130] Fig.17 This is a flowchart showing the main process of the management server 300 in the first embodiment.

[0131] In step ST301, the communication unit 301 receives some message from the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle or from the following vehicle control device 200 mounted on the following vehicle, i.e., the user vehicle 11. When the communication unit 301 receives the "reserved vehicle information" from the user vehicle 11, the processing of the management server 300 is transferred to step ST302.

[0132] When the communication unit 301 receives "circuit vehicle information" from the circuit vehicle, in step ST303, the circuit vehicle management unit 306 stores the received information as circuit vehicle data 307. The circuit vehicle information includes identification information and position information of the circuit vehicle.

[0133] When the communication unit 301 receives “following vehicle information” from the following vehicle, in step ST304, the following vehicle management unit 308 stores the received information as following vehicle data 309. The following vehicle information includes identification information and position information of the following vehicle.

[0134] When the communication unit 301 receives the “delay information” from the patrol vehicle, the process of the management server 300 proceeds to step ST305 .

[0135] In addition, when it is predicted that the patrol vehicle on the handover side cannot reach the handover position stored in the reservation data 106 of the patrol vehicle control device 100 on the handover side according to the handover time, the delay information is transmitted from the vehicle exterior communication unit 101 of the patrol vehicle control device 100 on the handover side to the management server 300. In addition, when it is predicted that the patrol vehicle on the handover side cannot reach the handover position stored in the reservation data 106 of the patrol vehicle control device 100 on the handover side according to the handover time, the delay information is also transmitted from the vehicle exterior communication unit 101 of the patrol vehicle control device 100 on the handover side to the management server 300. The prediction of whether the handover position can be reached according to the handover time can be performed by the route guidance unit 108. The prediction method can use a known technique, so the description is omitted.

[0136] Fig.18 The management server 300 performs reservation processing ( Fig.17 Flow chart of step ST302).

[0137] In step ST311 , the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 and the route determination unit 303 determine the patrol vehicle that the following vehicle that transmitted the reservation vehicle information in step ST301 is scheduled to follow and the patrol route that the patrol vehicle is to travel, using a method described later.

[0138] In step ST312, the reservation management unit 304 stores the contents determined by the roving vehicle determination unit 302 and the route determination unit 303 as reservation data 305. In step ST313, the reservation management unit 304 transmits the reservation data 305 for the roving vehicle to the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the roving vehicle determined by the roving vehicle determination unit 302 via the communication unit 301. In step ST314, the reservation management unit 304 transmits the reservation data 305 for the following vehicle via the communication unit 301 to the following vehicle to which the reservation vehicle information was transmitted in step ST301.

[0139] Fig.19 This is to explain the patrol vehicle determination process ( Fig.18 FIG. 31 shows step ST311 of the process of FIG. 31 . The patrol vehicle determination unit 302 uses the reserved vehicle information received from the user vehicle 11 to determine the route 20 from the residence 10 to the destination 12. The patrol vehicle determination unit 302 determines the patrol vehicle that patrols the route 20 so that the adjacent patrol areas 21 and 22 overlap, and the adjacent patrol areas 22 and 23 overlap. The overlapping portion of the patrol area 21 and the patrol area 22 becomes the handover position candidate 24, and the overlapping portion of the patrol area 22 and the patrol area 23 becomes the handover position candidate 25. In addition, although not shown in the figure, it is assumed that the patrol vehicle 4 is responsible for the patrol area 21, the patrol vehicle 6 is responsible for the patrol area 22, and the patrol vehicle 8 is responsible for the patrol area 23.

[0140] The patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 that the three patrol vehicles are responsible for are not clearly determined areas, but are areas that serve as references for determining the above-mentioned handover position candidates. For example, when the patrol area 22 and the patrol area 23 do not overlap, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 can make adjustments such as expanding at least one of the patrol area 22 and the patrol area 23. In addition, when the number of patrol vehicles operating in the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 is reduced due to the small number of follow-up vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 can make adjustments such as expanding the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23. On the contrary, when the number of patrol vehicles operating in the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 is increased due to the large number of follow-up vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 can make adjustments such as reducing the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23. For example, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 enlarges or reduces the size of the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 so that the number of follow-up vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 is within a specified number (for example, 5). If the patrol areas 21, 22, and 23 are enlarged so that the patrol areas 21 and 23 overlap, the patrol area 22 is unnecessary, and therefore, the patrol vehicle in charge of the patrol area 22 is unnecessary, and the number of patrol vehicles can be reduced.

[0141] Furthermore, for example, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 adjusts the number of patrol vehicles that operate in one patrol area by increasing or decreasing the number of vehicles so that the number of following vehicles that are scheduled to follow one patrol vehicle is within a predetermined number.

[0142] Fig. 20 This is to explain the patrol route determination process performed by the management server 300 ( Fig.18 The route determination unit 303 determines the patrol route 1 of the patrol vehicle 4 so that the user vehicle 11 (not shown) starting from the patrol area 21 of the patrol vehicle 4 determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 (residence 10) and other following vehicles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d starting from the patrol area 21 can follow. At this time, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 allows the patrol route 1 of the patrol vehicle 4 to pass through the handover position candidate 24. Then, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 determines the handover position candidate 24 overlapping with the adjacent patrol area 22 in the patrol route 1 as the handover position 14 of the user vehicle 11. In addition, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 uses the position information of the patrol vehicle 4 and the like to determine the handover time when the patrol vehicle 4 arrives at the handover position 14.

[0143] The route determination unit 303 performs the same processing as the processing for the tour area 21 on the tour area 22 and the tour area 23, and determines the tour route 2 of the tour vehicle 6 and the tour route 3 of the tour vehicle 8. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 203 determines the tour route 2 of the tour vehicle 6 that can be followed by other following vehicles starting from the tour area 22. At this time, the tour vehicle determination unit 302 allows the tour route 2 of the tour vehicle 6 to pass through the handover position candidates 24 and 25. Then, the tour vehicle determination unit 302 determines the handover position candidate 24 overlapping with the adjacent tour area 21 in the tour route 2 as the handover position 14 of the user vehicle 11, and determines the handover position candidate 25 overlapping with the adjacent tour area 22 as the handover position 15 of the user vehicle 11. In addition, the tour vehicle determination unit 302 uses the position information of the tour vehicle 6 and the like to determine the handover time when the tour vehicle 6 arrives at the handover positions 14 and 15.

[0144] Fig.21 This is the delay response process performed by the management server 300 ( Fig.17 Flow chart of step ST305).

[0145] In step ST321, the route determination unit 303 obtains information (such as position information) of the patrol vehicle associated with the delay information received by the communication unit 301 from the patrol vehicle data 307 managed by the patrol vehicle management unit 306. For example, when the patrol vehicle on the handover side transmits the delay information, the route determination unit 303 obtains information of the patrol vehicle on the handover side and information of the patrol vehicle on the handover side that is scheduled to hand over the following vehicle from the patrol vehicle on the handover side from the patrol vehicle on the handover side, from the patrol vehicle data 307. In addition, for example, when the patrol vehicle on the handover side transmits the delay information, the route determination unit 303 obtains information of the patrol vehicle on the handover side and information of the patrol vehicle on the handover side that is scheduled to hand over the following vehicle from the patrol vehicle on the handover side from the patrol vehicle on the handover side from the patrol vehicle on the handover side from the patrol vehicle on the handover side, from the patrol vehicle data 307. In addition, the route determination unit 303 obtains reservation data for the patrol vehicle associated with the delay information received by the communication unit 301 from the reservation data 305 managed by the reservation management unit 304.

[0146] In step ST322, the route determination unit 303 uses the current position information, handover position, and handover time of the patrol vehicle acquired in step ST321 to determine whether the patrol vehicle on the handover following vehicle side is delayed. If the patrol vehicle on the handover side is delayed (step ST322 "Yes"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 is transferred to step ST323, and if the patrol vehicle on the handover side is delayed (step ST322 "No"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 is transferred to step ST324. Figure 1In the case where the user vehicle 11 follows the touring vehicle 4, the touring vehicle 4 is the handover side and the touring vehicle 6 is the handover side.

[0147] Fig. 22 The management server 300 performs the handover delay response process ( Fig.21 Flow chart of step ST323).

[0148] In step ST331 , the route determination unit 303 acquires reservation data and current position information on each of the patrolling vehicles on the handover side and the receiving side from the reservation data 305 , the patrolling vehicle management unit 306 , and the patrolling vehicle data 307 .

[0149] In step ST332, the route determination unit 303 uses the various information acquired in step ST331 to determine whether the patrol route of the patrol vehicle on the handover side can be changed. If the patrol route can be changed (step ST332 "Yes"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 is transferred to step ST333, and if the patrol route cannot be changed (step ST332 "No"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 is transferred to step ST335.

[0150] In step ST333, the route determination unit 303 changes the handover position at which the follow-up vehicle is handed over from the handover-side roving vehicle to the handover-side roving vehicle, and changes the handover-side roving route and the handover-side roving route according to the changed handover position. In step ST334, the route determination unit 303 transmits a route change instruction including the changed roving route to the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the handover-side roving vehicle and the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the handover-side roving vehicle via the communication unit 301.

[0151] When the patrol route of the patrol vehicle on the handover side cannot be changed, the following vehicle following the patrol vehicle on the handover side stops around the handover position and waits until the patrol vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position. Therefore, in step ST335, the route determination unit 303 sends a message to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit 301 that the following vehicle to be followed is waiting at the handover position.

[0152] Fig.23 This section describes the process of determining whether or not the patrol route can be changed by the management server 300. Fig. 22FIG. 332 of step ST333 of the present invention. A convoy on the handover side consisting of a patrol vehicle 4 and a follower vehicle group 5 including a user vehicle 11 travels on a patrol route 1. The patrol route 1 is the handover side, and the patrol route 2 is the handover side. The patrol vehicle 6 (not shown) operating on the patrol route 2 on the handover side is delayed due to traffic conditions, etc. Therefore, in order to hand over the user vehicle 11 to the patrol vehicle 6, the patrol vehicle 4 on the handover side delays time until the patrol vehicle 6 reaches the handover position 14. Therefore, the route determination unit 303 searches for a bypass route 30 that the patrol vehicle 4 can bypass around the handover position 14, and if there is a bypass route 30 that can bypass around the handover position 14, it is determined that the patrol route can be changed. The route determination unit 303 sets the route obtained by adding the bypass route 30 to the patrol route 1 as the changed patrol route. In this example, the tour route 1 can be changed without changing the handover position 14 , but when there is no circumferential route 30 passing through the handover position 14 , the route determination unit 303 may change the handover position 14 to a position where a circumferential route can be set.

[0153] Fig.24 The management server 300 performs the handover delay processing ( Fig.21 Flow chart of step ST324).

[0154] In step ST341, in order to confirm whether the patrol vehicle on the handover side and its following vehicle group can wait around the handover position, the route determination unit 303 sends a "waiting instruction" to the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit 301, and waits for a response. If the communication unit 301 receives a response of "waiting is possible" from the patrol vehicle control device 100 (step ST341 "Yes"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 ends. On the other hand, if the communication unit 301 receives a response of "unable to wait" from the patrol vehicle control device 100 (step ST341 "No"), the processing of the route determination unit 303 transfers to step ST342.

[0155] In step ST342, the route determination unit 303 searches for a detour route for the roving vehicle on the handover side that arrives at the handover position first to detour around the handover position, and changes the roving route of the roving vehicle on the handover side according to the detour route found. In step ST343, the route determination unit 303 transmits a route change instruction including the changed roving route to the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the roving vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit 301.

[0156] In addition, the route determination unit 303 of the management server 300 determines the patrol routes 1, 2, and 3 of the patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8, but it is conceivable that the patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8 cannot approach the user vehicle 11 in the follow-up standby due to some reasons. For example, there is a reason such as the road width is narrow or complicated when the patrol vehicle 4 and the follow-up vehicle group 5 are traveling in a queue. In this case, the management server 300 moves the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicles 4, 6, and 8 to the user vehicle 11 in the follow-up standby, and sets the drone 400 as the patrol vehicle to make the user vehicle 11 follow. Specifically, the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicle 4 guides the user vehicle 11 from the residence 10 to the patrol vehicle 4. In addition, for example, the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicle 6 guides the user vehicle 11 in the handover position 14 to the patrol vehicle 6. In addition, for example, the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicle 6 guides the user vehicle 11 in the handover position 15 to the patrol vehicle 6. Furthermore, for example, the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicle 6 guides the user vehicle 11 from the patrol vehicle 6 to the destination 12. The follow-up vehicle control device 200 mounted on the user vehicle 11 follows the drone 400 instead of following the patrol vehicle.

[0157] Fig.25 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drone 400 according to Embodiment 1. The drone 400 includes a position acquisition unit 401 , a communication unit 402 , a drone control unit 403 , a route guidance unit 404 , and a follow-up reservation management unit 406 .

[0158] The route determination unit 303 of the management server 300 determines the guidance route of the drone 400 based on the position information of the following vehicle, the position information of the roving vehicle, the handover position, etc. The guidance route is, for example, a route that connects the starting point or handover position where the following vehicle is waiting to the roving route of the roving vehicle that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow. The communication unit 301 transmits the drone reservation data including the guidance route determined by the route determination unit 303 and the identification information of the following vehicle to the roving vehicle control device 100 mounted on the roving vehicle. The vehicle external communication unit 101 of the roving vehicle control device 100 transmits the drone reservation data received by the management server 300 to the drone 400. The communication unit 402 of the drone 400 receives the drone reservation data transmitted by the roving vehicle control device 100. The route guidance unit 404 stores the guidance route included in the drone reservation data received by the communication unit 402 as route data 405. The roving reservation management unit 406 stores the identification information of the roving vehicle included in the drone reservation data as reservation data 407.

[0159] The position acquisition unit 401 acquires the position information of the drone 400. The communication unit 402 communicates with the patrol vehicle control device 100 mounted on the patrol vehicle and the follow-up vehicle control device 200 mounted on the follow-up vehicle. The drone control unit 403 causes the drone 400 to fly along the guidance path indicated by the path guidance unit 404. The path guidance unit 404 instructs the drone control unit 403 to cause the drone 400 to fly along the guidance path indicated by the path data 405. The follow-up reservation management unit 406 communicates with the follow-up vehicle control device 200 mounted on the follow-up vehicle via the communication unit 402, thereby determining whether the follow-up vehicle is consistent with the follow-up vehicle included in the reservation data 407.

[0160] Next, the operation of the drone 400 will be described.

[0161] Fig.26 This is a state transition diagram of drone 400 in Embodiment 1.

[0162] The idle state of step ST400 is a state where the drone 400 is mounted on a patrol vehicle. Fig. 27 Idle processing.

[0163] Fig. 27 It is the idle processing performed by the drone 400 ( Fig.26 Flow chart of step ST400).

[0164] The following vehicle management unit 110 of the paging vehicle control device 100 refers to the reservation data 106, and when the own patrol vehicle approaches the standby position (for example, the handover position) of the following vehicle scheduled to follow the own patrol vehicle, the "separation instruction" is sent to the drone 400 via the vehicle external communication unit 101. In addition, the patrol vehicle control device 100 may include the reservation data for the drone in the "separation instruction" and send it.

[0165] In step ST411, if the communication unit 402 receives a "separation instruction" from the patrol vehicle control device 100 (step ST411 "Yes"), the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST412. If the "separation instruction" is not received (step ST411 "No"), the communication unit 402 repeats the processing of step ST411.

[0166] In step ST412, the route guidance unit 404 transmits the separation from the patrol vehicle to the patrol vehicle control device 100 via the communication unit 402. In step ST413, the route guidance unit 404 issues an instruction to the drone control unit 403 to start flying the drone 400 according to the guidance route shown in the route data 405. Here, the state of the drone 400 is transferred from the idle state of step ST400 to the search state of step ST401.

[0167] Fig.28 is the search process performed by the drone 400 ( Fig.26 The search process is performed while the drone 400 is flying along the guidance path.

[0168] In step ST421, if the communication unit 402 receives a "follow request" from the following vehicle control device 200 mounted on the following vehicle (step ST421 "Yes"), the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST422. If the "follow request" is not received (step ST421 "No"), the communication unit 402 repeats the processing of step ST421.

[0169] Fig.29 It is the follow request processing performed by the drone 400 ( Fig.28 Flow chart of step ST422).

[0170] In step ST431, the following reservation management unit 406 determines whether the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request is the following vehicle included in the reservation data 407. When the identification information of the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request is consistent with the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data 407 (step ST432 "Yes"), the following reservation management unit 406 determines that the surrounding vehicle is a following vehicle that is scheduled to follow the patrol vehicle, and sends "Allow to follow" to the following vehicle via the communication unit 402 (step ST433). On the other hand, when the identification information of the surrounding vehicle that has sent the following request is inconsistent with the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data 407 (step ST432 "No"), the following reservation management unit 406 determines that the surrounding vehicle is a vehicle that has not been reserved, and sends "Refuse to follow" to the surrounding vehicle via the communication unit 402. Here, the following request processing is completed, and therefore, the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST423.

[0171] If "following permission" has been sent ("Yes" in step ST423), the process of the drone 400 shifts to step ST424. Here, the state of the drone 400 shifts from the search state in step ST401 to the tracking state in step ST402.

[0172] In addition, when "follow rejection" is sent but a certain time (e.g., 5 minutes) has passed after the handover location is reached (step ST423 "Yes"), it is determined that the search for the following vehicle has failed, and the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST423. In this case, the state of the drone 400 is also transferred from the search state of step ST401 to the tracking state of step ST402.

[0173] On the other hand, if "Following permission" is not sent and a certain time has not passed after reaching the handover location (step ST423 "No"), the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST421, and the drone 400 waits for a "Following request" from other following vehicles.

[0174] In step ST424, the route guidance unit 400 issues an instruction to the drone control unit 403 so that the drone 400 flies to the scheduled meeting point with the patrol vehicle according to the guidance route shown in the route data 405. The follow-up vehicle follows the drone 400 to the scheduled meeting point. The state of the drone 400 is transferred from the search state of step ST401 to the tracking state of step ST402.

[0175] Fig.30 The tracking process performed by the drone 400 ( Fig.26 Flow chart of step ST402).

[0176] In step ST441 , the route guidance unit 404 compares the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 401 with the scheduled meeting point until the drone 400 arrives at the scheduled meeting point (step ST441 : No).

[0177] If the drone 400 arrives at the scheduled meeting point (step ST441 "Yes"), the path guidance unit 404 instructs the drone control unit 403 to wait near the scheduled meeting point. In step ST443, the path guidance unit 404 communicates with the patrol vehicle control device 100 via the communication unit 402 to determine whether there is a patrol vehicle scheduled to follow near the drone 400 (step ST443). If there is a patrol vehicle near the drone 400 (step ST443 "Yes"), the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST444. If there is no patrol vehicle (step ST443 "No"), the processing of the drone 400 returns to step ST442.

[0178] In step ST444, the route guidance unit 404 sends a "separation instruction" to the following vehicle scheduled to follow the above-mentioned patrol vehicle via the communication unit 402. In step ST445, if the route guidance unit 404 receives a "separation response" from the above-mentioned following vehicle via the communication unit 402 (step ST445 "Yes"), the processing of the drone 400 is transferred to step ST446, and if the "separation response" is not received (step ST445 "No"), the processing of the drone 400 returns to step ST445.

[0179] In step ST446 , the route guidance unit 404 instructs the drone control unit 403 to land the drone 400 at a predetermined position of the patrol vehicle. When the drone 400 lands, the state of the drone 400 shifts from the tracking state in step ST402 to the idle state in step ST400 .

[0180] In the above example, the drone 400 guides the follow-up vehicle to a predetermined meeting point with the patrol vehicle to be followed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a remote operator may remotely drive the follow-up vehicle to the predetermined meeting point.

[0181] Finally, the hardware configurations of the patrol vehicle control device 100 , the following vehicle control device 200 , the management server 300 , and the drone 400 will be described.

[0182] Fig.31 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a patrol vehicle control device 100 according to Embodiment 1. In the patrol vehicle control device 100, the external vehicle communication unit 101 is an external vehicle communication device 123, the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 is an inter-vehicle communication device 124, the vehicle control unit 103 is a vehicle control device 125, and the position acquisition unit 104 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 126. In addition, the functions of the route guidance unit 108, the following reservation management unit 109, and the following vehicle management unit 110 in the patrol vehicle control device 100 are realized by the processor 120 executing the program stored in the memory 121. In addition, the route data 105, the reservation data 106, and the following vehicle data 107 in the patrol vehicle control device 100 are stored in the memory 121.

[0183] The functions of the route guidance unit 108, the following reservation management unit 109, and the following vehicle management unit 110 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is expressed in the form of a program and stored in the memory 121. The processor 120 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 121 to implement the functions of each unit. That is, the patrol vehicle control device 100 includes the memory 121, which is used to store the program that is finally executed when executed by the processor 120. Figure 12 to Figure 16 In addition, the program can also be said to be a program that causes a computer to execute the steps or methods of the route guidance unit 108, the follow-up reservation management unit 109 and the follow-up vehicle management unit 110.

[0184] Fig.322 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a following vehicle control device 200 according to Embodiment 1. In the following vehicle control device 200, the external vehicle communication unit 201 is an external vehicle communication device 223, the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 is an inter-vehicle communication device 224, the vehicle control unit 203 is a vehicle control device 225, the position acquisition unit 210 is a GPS sensor 226, the display unit 208 is a display device 227, and the operation unit 209 is an input device 228. In addition, the functions of the following processing unit 204, the reservation processing unit 205, and the touring vehicle management unit 207 in the following vehicle control device 200 are realized by the processor 220 executing the program stored in the memory 221. In addition, the touring vehicle data 206 in the following vehicle control device 200 is stored in the memory 221.

[0185] The functions of the following processing unit 204, the reservation processing unit 205, and the patrol vehicle management unit 207 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is expressed in the form of a program and stored in the memory 221. The processor 220 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 221 to implement the functions of each unit. That is, the following vehicle control device 200 includes a memory 221, which is used to store the program that is finally executed when executed by the processor 220. Figure 6 to Figure 10 In addition, the program can also be said to be a program that causes a computer to execute the steps or methods of the following processing unit 204, the reservation processing unit 205 and the patrol vehicle management unit 207.

[0186] Fig.33 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 300 according to Embodiment 1. In the management server 300, the communication unit 301 is a communication device 322. In the management server 300, the functions of the touring vehicle determination unit 302, the route determination unit 303, the reservation management unit 304, the touring vehicle management unit 306, and the follow-up vehicle management unit 308 are implemented by a processor 320 that executes a program stored in a memory 321. In addition, the reservation data 305, the touring vehicle data 307, and the follow-up vehicle data 309 in the management server 300 are stored in the memory 321.

[0187] The functions of the roving vehicle determination unit 302, the route determination unit 303, the reservation management unit 304, the roving vehicle management unit 306, and the following vehicle management unit 308 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is expressed in the form of a program and stored in the memory 321. The processor 320 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 321, thereby implementing the functions of each unit. That is, the management server 300 has a memory 321, which is used to store the program that is finally executed when executed by the processor 320. Figures 17 to 24In addition, the program can also be said to be a program that causes a computer to execute the steps or methods of the patrol vehicle determination unit 302, the route determination unit 303, the reservation management unit 304, the patrol vehicle management unit 306 and the follow-up vehicle management unit 308.

[0188] Fig.34 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a drone 400 according to Embodiment 1. In the drone 400, the position acquisition unit 401 is a GPS sensor 426, the communication unit 402 is a communication device 422, and the drone control unit 403 is a drone control device 423. In addition, the functions of the route guidance unit 404 and the follow-up reservation management unit 406 in the drone 400 are implemented by the processor 420 executing the program stored in the memory 421. In addition, the route data 405 and the reservation data 407 in the drone 400 are stored in the memory 421.

[0189] The functions of the route guidance unit 404 and the follow-up reservation management unit 406 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is expressed in the form of a program and stored in the memory 421. The processor 420 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 421 to implement the functions of each unit. That is, the drone 400 has a memory 421, which is used to store the program that is ultimately executed when executed by the processor 420. Figure 27 to Figure 30 In addition, this program can also be said to be a program that causes a computer to execute the steps or methods of the route guidance unit 404 and the follow-up reservation management unit 406.

[0190] Here, the processor 120 , 220 , 320 , 420 refers to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, a computing device, a microprocessor, or the like.

[0191] Memories 121, 221, 321, 421 may be non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or flash memory, or magnetic disks such as hard disks and floppy disks, or optical disks such as CDs (Compact Discs) or DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs).

[0192] As described above, the management server 300 involved in the first embodiment includes a communication unit 301, a patrol vehicle determination unit 302, a route determination unit 303, and a reservation management unit 304. The communication unit 301 communicates with a plurality of patrol vehicles and one or more follower vehicles scheduled to follow each of the plurality of patrol vehicles. If the communication unit 301 receives the origin and destination of a certain follower vehicle, the patrol vehicle determination unit 302 determines a route from the origin to the destination, and determines a plurality of patrol vehicles in charge of a plurality of patrol areas overlapping with the route. The route determination unit 303 determines a patrol route that can be followed by the above-mentioned follower vehicle and other follower vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol area in charge of each of the plurality of patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit 302, and determines the portion of the patrol route that overlaps with the adjacent patrol area as the handover position for handing over the above-mentioned follower vehicle to the next patrol vehicle. The reservation management unit 304 transmits reservation data for a traveling vehicle including identification information of the following vehicle and the traveling route and handover position determined by the route determination unit 303 to each of the plurality of traveling vehicles that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow during the journey from the origin to the destination, determined by the traveling vehicle determination unit 302, via the communication unit 301, and transmits reservation data for a following vehicle including identification information of the plurality of traveling vehicles that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow during the journey from the origin to the destination and handover position to the following vehicle via the communication unit 301. Thus, the management server 300 transmits reservation data to the traveling vehicle and the following vehicle, so that the management server 300 manages the traveling vehicle and the following vehicle in a unified manner, thereby preventing the number of traveling vehicles that become the leading vehicles of the platoon from being excessive or insufficient. In addition, the management server 300 can replace the traveling vehicle followed by the following vehicle with another traveling vehicle at a location where the traveling routes intersect with each other, thereby continuously replacing the traveling vehicle from the origin to the destination of the following vehicle. Thus, passengers following the vehicle can move to a distant destination without manual driving.

[0193] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when a roving vehicle on the handover side that a certain following vehicle is following arrives at the handover position earlier than a roving vehicle on the handover side that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow next, the route determination unit 303 transmits a standby instruction to the roving vehicle on the handover side to wait at the handover position via the communication unit 301 until the roving vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position. When the roving vehicle cannot arrive at the handover position on time due to traffic conditions, etc., the management server 300 can dynamically change the roving route of the roving vehicle. Thus, the following vehicle can start following the next roving vehicle without the need for manual driving by the passenger.

[0194] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when a circulating vehicle on the handover side that a certain following vehicle is following arrives at the handover position later than a circulating vehicle on the handover side that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow next, the route determination unit 303 transmits a standby instruction to the circulating vehicle on the handover side to wait at the handover position via the communication unit 301 until the circulating vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position. When the circulating vehicle cannot arrive at the handover position on time due to traffic conditions, etc., the management server 300 can make the circulating vehicle on the handover side wait at the handover position. Thus, the following vehicle can start following the next circulating vehicle without the need for manual driving by the passenger.

[0195] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when a patrol vehicle on the handover side that a certain following vehicle is following arrives at the handover position later than a patrol vehicle on the handover side that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow next, and when the patrol vehicle on the handover side cannot wait at the handover position, the route determination unit 303 changes the patrol route of the patrol vehicle on the handover side until the patrol vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position so that the patrol vehicle on the handover side circles around the handover position, and transmits the changed patrol route to the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit. When the patrol vehicle cannot arrive at the handover position on time due to traffic conditions, etc., the management server 300 can dynamically change the patrol route of the patrol vehicle. Thus, the following vehicle can start following the next patrol vehicle without the need for manual driving by the passenger.

[0196] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when a certain following vehicle cannot approach the patrol vehicle that is scheduled to follow, the route determination unit 303 determines to use the drone 400 mounted on the patrol vehicle to guide the certain following vehicle to the guidance route of the patrol vehicle, and the reservation management unit 304 transmits the reservation data for the drone including the guidance route determined by the route determination unit 303 to the drone 400 via the communication unit 301. When a following vehicle cannot approach the patrol vehicle due to traffic conditions such as narrow road width or because the origin or destination is far from the patrol route, the following vehicle is guided to the patrol vehicle by the drone 400, so there is no need to increase the number of patrol vehicles unnecessarily.

[0197] Furthermore, the patrol vehicle control device 100 according to the first embodiment includes an external communication unit 101, a route guidance unit 108, an inter-vehicle communication unit 102, and a following vehicle management unit 110. The external communication unit 101 receives the reservation data for the patrol vehicle transmitted by the management server 300. The route guidance unit 108 causes the patrol vehicle to run along the patrol route included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle received by the external communication unit 101. The inter-vehicle communication unit 102 communicates with vehicles located around the patrol vehicle. When the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 receives a following request from a vehicle, the following vehicle management unit 110 issues a permission to follow to the vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 if the identification information of the vehicle matches the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle, and issues a separation instruction to the vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 102 if the patrol vehicle arrives at the handover position included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle. Thus, the management server 300 sends the reservation data to the roving vehicle and the following vehicle, so that the management server 300 manages the roving vehicle and the following vehicle in a unified manner, thereby preventing the number of roving vehicles that become the leading convoy from being excessive or insufficient. In addition, the management server 300 can replace the roving vehicle followed by the following vehicle with another roving vehicle at a portion where the roving paths intersect with each other, thereby continuously replacing the roving vehicle from the starting point to the destination of the following vehicle. Thus, the passengers of the following vehicle can move to a distant destination without manual driving.

[0198] Furthermore, the following vehicle control device 200 according to the first embodiment includes an external vehicle communication unit 201, an inter-vehicle communication unit 202, and a following processing unit 204. The external vehicle communication unit 201 transmits the origin and destination of the following vehicle to the management server 300, and receives the reservation data for the following vehicle transmitted by the management server 300. The inter-vehicle communication unit 202 communicates with the roving vehicle. When the following vehicle arrives at each handover position included in the reservation data for the following vehicle, the following processing unit 204 issues a following request to the roving vehicle scheduled to be followed via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202, starts following the roving vehicle scheduled to be followed when the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a permission to follow from the roving vehicle scheduled to be followed, and ends following the roving vehicle scheduled to be followed when the inter-vehicle communication unit 202 receives a separation instruction from the roving vehicle scheduled to be followed. Thus, the management server 300 sends the reservation data to the roving vehicle and the following vehicle, so that the management server 300 manages the roving vehicle and the following vehicle in a unified manner, thereby preventing the number of roving vehicles that become the leading convoy from being excessive or insufficient. In addition, the management server 300 can replace the roving vehicle followed by the following vehicle with another roving vehicle at a portion where the roving paths intersect with each other, thereby continuously replacing the roving vehicle from the starting point to the destination of the following vehicle. Thus, the passengers of the following vehicle can move to a distant destination without manual driving.

[0199] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when the following of the scheduled following roving vehicle is finished, the following processing unit 204 detaches from the scheduled following roving vehicle and waits at the handover position, and issues a following request to the next scheduled following new roving vehicle included in the reservation data for the following vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit 202. Thus, when the roving vehicle that the following vehicle is scheduled to follow next cannot arrive at the handover position on time due to traffic conditions, etc., the following vehicle can wait until the roving vehicle arrives. Thus, the following vehicle can start following the next roving vehicle without the need for manual driving by the passenger.

[0200] In addition, the present disclosure may modify any structural elements of each embodiment within the scope of the disclosure, or may omit any structural elements of the embodiment.

[0201] Industrial Applicability

[0202] The traffic system involved in the present disclosure can move passengers following a vehicle to a distant destination without manual driving, and is therefore suitable for a traffic system that allows a platoon of vehicles with an autonomous driving level of 2 or above to travel.

[0203] Description of symbols

[0204] 1, 2, 3 patrol vehicles

[0205] 4, 6, 8 patrol vehicles

[0206] 5, 7, 9 following vehicle groups

[0207] 10 residences

[0208] 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Place of departure

[0209] 11 User vehicles

[0210] 12Destinations

[0211] 14, 15 handover position

[0212] 20 Paths

[0213] 21, 22, 23 patrol areas

[0214] 24, 25 handover position alternate

[0215] 30 Surrounding Paths

[0216] 100 Patrol Vehicle Control Device

[0217] 101 External Vehicle Communication Department

[0218] 102 Inter-vehicle communication department

[0219] 103 Vehicle Control Department

[0220] 104 Position acquisition unit

[0221] 105 Path Data

[0222] 106 reservation data

[0223] 107 Following vehicle data

[0224] 108 Path guide unit

[0225] 109 Follow-up Reservation Management Department

[0226] 110 Follow Vehicle Management Department

[0227] 120 processors

[0228] 121 Memory

[0229] 123 External vehicle communication device

[0230] 124 Inter-vehicle communication device

[0231] 125 Vehicle Control Devices

[0232] 126GPS sensor

[0233] 200 Following vehicle control device

[0234] 201 External vehicle communication department

[0235] 202 Inter-vehicle communication department

[0236] 203 Vehicle Control Department

[0237] 204 Follow-up Processing Department

[0238] 205 Reservation Processing Department

[0239] 206 Patrol Vehicle Data

[0240] 207 Patrol Vehicle Management Department

[0241] 208 Display Department

[0242] 209 Operation Department

[0243] 210 Position Acquisition Unit

[0244] 220 processors

[0245] 221 Memory

[0246] 223 External vehicle communication device

[0247] 224 Inter-vehicle communication device

[0248] 225 Vehicle Control Device

[0249] 226GPS sensor

[0250] 227 Display Device

[0251] 228 Input Device

[0252] 300 Management Server

[0253] 301 Communications Department

[0254] 302 Patrol Vehicle Decision Department

[0255] 303 Path Determination Unit

[0256] 304 Reservation Management Department

[0257] 305 reservation data

[0258] 306 Patrol Vehicle Management Department

[0259] 307 Patrol Vehicle Data

[0260] 308 Follow-up Vehicle Management Department

[0261] 309 Followed vehicle data

[0262] 320 processor

[0263] 321 Memory

[0264] 322 communication device

[0265] 400 drones

[0266] 401 Location Acquisition Unit

[0267] 402 Department of Communications

[0268] 403 UAV Control Department

[0269] 404 Routing Guide

[0270] 405 Path Data

[0271] 406 Follow-up Reservation Management Department

[0272] 407 Reservation Data

[0273] 420 processor

[0274] 421 Memory

[0275] 422 communication device

[0276] 423 UAV control device

[0277] 426GPS sensor.

Claims

1. A management server, characterized in that: include: a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of roving vehicles and one or more following vehicles that are scheduled to follow each of the plurality of roving vehicles; a patrol vehicle determination unit that, when the communication unit receives a starting point and a destination of a certain following vehicle, determines a route from the starting point to the destination and determines a plurality of patrol vehicles in charge of a plurality of patrol areas overlapping with the route; a path determination unit, which determines, for each of the plurality of patrol vehicles determined by the patrol vehicle determination unit, a patrol path that the certain following vehicle and other following vehicles that are scheduled to travel within the patrol area in charge can follow, and determines a portion of the patrol path that overlaps with an adjacent patrol area as a handover position for handing over the certain following vehicle to the next patrol vehicle; as well as a reservation management unit that transmits, via the communication unit, reservation data for a patrol vehicle including identification information of the certain following vehicle and the patrol route and the handover position determined by the route determination unit to each of the plurality of patrol vehicles that the certain following vehicle is scheduled to follow during the journey from the origin to the destination, and transmits, via the communication unit, reservation data for a following vehicle including identification information of the plurality of patrol vehicles that the certain following vehicle is scheduled to follow during the journey from the origin to the destination, and handover position to the certain following vehicle, The roving vehicle determination unit adjusts the size of the roving area according to the number of the following vehicles scheduled to travel in the roving area for each of the plurality of roving vehicles.

2. The management server according to claim 1, wherein: When a patrol vehicle on the handover side being followed by one of the following vehicles arrives at the handover position earlier than a patrol vehicle on the handover side that the one of the following vehicles is scheduled to follow next, the path determination unit changes the patrol path of the patrol vehicle on the handover side so that the patrol vehicle on the handover side circles around the handover position until the patrol vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position, and sends the changed patrol path to the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit.

3. The management server according to claim 1, wherein: When a patrol vehicle on the handover side being followed by one of the following vehicles arrives at the handover position later than a patrol vehicle on the handover side that the one of the following vehicles is scheduled to follow next, the path determination unit sends a standby instruction to the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit, during the period from when the patrol vehicle on the handover side arrives at the handover position, forcing the patrol vehicle on the handover side to wait at the handover position.

4. The management server according to claim 3, wherein: In a case where a patrol vehicle on the handover side being followed by one of the following vehicles arrives at the handover position later than a patrol vehicle on the handover side that the one of the following vehicles is scheduled to follow next, and in a case where the patrol vehicle on the handover side cannot wait at the handover position, the path determination unit changes the patrol path of the patrol vehicle on the handover side so that the patrol vehicle on the handover side circles around the handover position during the period from the patrol vehicle on the handover side to the patrol vehicle on the handover side arriving at the handover position, and sends the changed patrol path to the patrol vehicle on the handover side via the communication unit.

5. The management server according to claim 1, wherein: The path determination unit determines to guide the certain following vehicle to the guidance path of the roving vehicle by using a drone mounted on the roving vehicle when the certain following vehicle cannot approach the roving vehicle to be followed. The reservation management unit transmits reservation data for drones including the guidance route determined by the route determination unit to the drone via the communication unit.

6. A patrol vehicle control device, The patrol vehicle control device communicates with the management server according to claim 1 and is mounted on a patrol vehicle, wherein the patrol vehicle control device comprises: an off-vehicle communication unit that receives the reservation data for the patrol vehicle sent by the management server; a route guidance unit that causes the patrol vehicle to operate within a patrol area for which the patrol vehicle is responsible, along a patrol route included in the reservation data for the patrol vehicle received by the off-vehicle communication unit; an inter-vehicle communication unit that communicates with vehicles located around the patrol vehicle; and a following vehicle management unit, wherein when the inter-vehicle communication unit receives a following request from the vehicle, the following vehicle management unit issues a permission to follow to the vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit if the identification information of the vehicle matches the identification information of the following vehicle included in the reservation data for the roving vehicle, and when the roving vehicle arrives at a handover position included in the reservation data for the roving vehicle, the following vehicle management unit issues a separation instruction to the vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit, The patrol vehicle reservation data includes data related to adjusting the size of the patrol area according to the number of the following vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol area.

7. A following vehicle control device, The following vehicle control device communicates with the management server according to claim 1 and is mounted on the following vehicle, and is characterized in that it includes: an off-vehicle communication unit that transmits a starting point and a destination of the following vehicle to the management server and receives reservation data for the following vehicle transmitted by the management server; an inter-vehicle communication unit that communicates with a roving vehicle; and a following processing unit, wherein the following processing unit sends a following request to the scheduled following roving vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication unit when the following vehicle arrives at each handover position included in the reservation data for the following vehicle, starts following the scheduled following roving vehicle within the roving area for which the scheduled following roving vehicle is responsible when the inter-vehicle communication unit receives permission to follow from the scheduled following roving vehicle, and ends following the scheduled following roving vehicle when the inter-vehicle communication unit receives a separation instruction from the scheduled following roving vehicle, The following vehicle reservation data includes data related to adjusting the size of the patrol area according to the number of following vehicles scheduled to travel in the patrol area.

8. The following vehicle control device according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the following of the scheduled-to-follow roving vehicle is finished, the following processing unit detaches from the scheduled-to-follow roving vehicle and waits at a handover position, and issues a following request to a new roving vehicle scheduled to be followed next included in the following vehicle reservation data via the inter-vehicle communication unit.

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