Vehicle control device, drive support device, infrastructure control device, vehicle drive control system, drive control method and recording medium

Abstract

Vehicle control device (300), comprising: a transmission unit (31) configured to transmit information contactlessly to a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41), the information relating to a vehicle (30) powered by electricity supplied from a battery (38) that is rechargeable and externally supplied with energy from the infrastructure (41) contactlessly; and a control unit (37) configured to obtain information about a convoy of the vehicle (30) from a drive assist device (20) through communication and to cause the vehicle (30) to travel according to the obtained information about the convoy of the vehicle (30), wherein the drive support device (20) comprises: a receiving unit (21) configured to receive information about the vehicle (30), the information being obtained from the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41) configured to supply power to the vehicle (30) and from the vehicle control device (300) configured to control the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the power; a convoy information generation unit (22) configured to generate information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) based on the information about the vehicle (30); and a transmission unit (21) configured to transmit the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device (300), the column information generation unit (22) is configured to generate a preliminary column according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a relatively low priority vehicle (30) is removed from the preliminary convoy based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset allowable ratio.

Description

Background of the invention 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a drive assist device, an infrastructure control device, a vehicle drive control system, a drive control method, and a recording medium. 2. Description of the related prior art

[0002] A technology is known with which a vehicle group is formed between a plurality of vehicles through inter-vehicle communication (see, for example, JP 2015 - 22 423 A).

[0003] Furthermore, WO 95 / 30556 A2 discloses a system for an electric vehicle with over-the-road power supply, comprising: a fully electric vehicle; and a road network on which the vehicle travels. The fully electric vehicle has one or more on-board energy storage elements or devices that can be rapidly charged or supplied with energy derived from electrical current, such as a network of electromechanical batteries. The electric vehicle further has an on-board control unit that extracts energy from the energy storage elements as needed and converts this extracted energy into electrical power used to propel the electric vehicle. The energy storage elements can be charged during vehicle operation. Charging is accomplished via a network of power coupling elements, e.g., coils embedded in the road surface.The disclosed system also includes: an on-board power meter; a broadband communications channel through which information signals can be sent to and received from the vehicle while it is in operation; an automatic garage function that supplies power to the vehicle to both replenish the on-board energy source and adjust the vehicle's interior climate to a comfortable level before the driver and / or passengers board; electronic coupling between master and slave vehicles to increase passenger capacity and electronic actuators for responsive control of the slave vehicle; a tracking system for determining the precise location of the vehicle; a scheduling and dispatching computer for controlling the scheduling of vehicles on a route and the dispatching of vehicles based on demand, and the like.

[0004] US 2014 / 0 316 865 A1 discloses a convoy driving system that organizes and executes convoy driving of multiple vehicles along a predetermined route. The system has a grouping unit that divides the multiple vehicles into a leading group and a trailing group based on projection area information of the vehicles. It groups vehicles with a projection area in a first area into the leading group and vehicles with a projection area in a second area that is smaller than the first area into the trailing group.A final position determining unit determines a position of each of the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle groups based on the departure point information, positions the vehicles of the leading group in an ascending order of the departure point distances, and positions the vehicles of the tail group in a descending order of the departure point distances, thereby preventing deterioration of the energy consumption of the entire convoy.

[0005] Furthermore, US 2015 / 0 210 178 A1 discloses a vehicle power supply system that wirelessly supplies power to a vehicle located within a power supply area. The vehicle power supply system includes: a power receiving device provided in the vehicle; a plurality of power transmitting devices provided at mutually different positions within the power supply area; a position detecting device that detects the position of the power receiving device within the power supply area; and a control device that, based on detection results from the position detecting device, selects the power transmitting device located at a position corresponding to the power receiving device from the plurality of power transmitting devices and then causes power to be wirelessly supplied from the selected power transmitting device. Summary of the inventionProblem to be solved by the invention

[0006] In recent years, the introduction of an infrastructure including a power supply lane capable of contactlessly supplying electric power to a vehicle while driving has been discussed. For example, an exclusive self-driving road is provided with a power supply lane that supplies electric power to a vehicle and a non-power supply lane that does not supply electric power to a vehicle. Each vehicle in a platoon is controlled to supply electric power to a target vehicle. However, when inter-vehicle communication is performed, as in Patent Document 1, a communication load such as information about vehicles and information about a platoon and power supply is large, and it takes time to process the information.As a result, there was a case where necessary information could not be processed while the vehicles were moving and a suitable convoy for the journey could not be formed.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control device, a drive support device, an infrastructure control device, a vehicle drive control system, a drive control method, and a recording medium that enable appropriate convoy travel while reducing a communication load between vehicles.

[0008] The above object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0009] A vehicle control device according to an illustrative aspect of the present disclosure includes: a transmission unit that non-contactably transmits information related to a vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery that is rechargeable and non-contactably supplied with power from the infrastructure to an infrastructure control device; and a control unit that acquires information about a platoon of the vehicle from the outside through communication and causes the vehicle to travel according to the acquired information about the platoon of the vehicle.

[0010] Furthermore, according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, the drive assist device includes: a receiving unit that receives information about a vehicle, the information being acquired from an infrastructure control device that supplies power to the vehicle and acquired from a vehicle control device that controls the vehicle when the infrastructure supplies the power; a convoy information generating unit that generates information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle based on the information about the vehicle; and a transmitting unit that transmits the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device.

[0011] Moreover, in the above drive assist device, the convoy information generating unit generates a provisional convoy according to a preset permutation, and generates a convoy in which a relatively low priority vehicle is removed from the provisional convoy based on a preset condition when the provisional convoy exceeds a preset allowable ratio.

[0012] According to this drive assist device, it is possible to make a vehicle to be driven on a power supply lane into a high priority vehicle such as an emergency vehicle.

[0013] Moreover, the above drive assist device may further include a fee setting unit that sets, based on a ratio of the vehicles constituting the convoy and occupying a lane, a fee to be charged to a user in connection with the vehicle that has entered an exclusive road having the lane.

[0014] According to this drive assist device, it is possible to suppress vehicles from entering an exclusive road and to perform appropriate convoy travel on a power supply lane.

[0015] In addition, the fee setting unit in the above drive support device can increase the fee when the ratio of vehicles occupying the lane provided with the infrastructure becomes high.

[0016] According to this drive assist device, it is possible to suppress vehicles from entering an exclusive road and to perform appropriate convoy travel on a power supply lane.

[0017] Furthermore, an infrastructure control device according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the infrastructure supplies power to a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle with a rechargeable battery, comprises: a supply unit that causes the infrastructure to supply the power to the vehicle in a contactless manner; and a transmission unit that acquires information about the vehicle from the vehicle via the infrastructure to transmit the information about the vehicle to a drive support device that generates platoon information about the vehicle.

[0018] Furthermore, a vehicle drive control system according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure includes: a vehicle control device provided in a vehicle driven by power supplied from a rechargeable battery and controlling the vehicle; an infrastructure control device that supplies power to the battery; and a drive assist device that can communicate with both the vehicle control device and the infrastructure control device. Further, the vehicle control device includes: a first transmission unit that non-contactably transmits information related to the vehicle driven by power supplied from the rechargeable battery and supplied with power from the infrastructure externally; and a first transmission unit that transmits information related to the vehicle driven by power supplied from the rechargeable battery to the infrastructure control device.and a control unit that acquires information about a convoy of the vehicle from the outside through communication and causes the vehicle to travel according to the acquired information about the convoy of the vehicle, wherein the infrastructure control device comprises: a supply unit that causes the infrastructure to supply the power to the vehicle in a contactless manner; and a second transmission unit that acquires information about the vehicle from the vehicle via the infrastructure to transmit the information about the vehicle to the drive support device, and the drive support device comprises: a receiving unit that receives information about the vehicle, the information being acquired from a vehicle control device that controls the vehicle when the infrastructure supplies the power;a convoy information generation unit that generates information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle based on the information about the vehicle; and a third transmission unit that transmits the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device.

[0019] Furthermore, a drive control method according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, by a drive control system including a vehicle control device provided in a vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery that is rechargeable and controls the vehicle, an infrastructure control device that supplies power to the vehicle, and a drive assist device that can communicate with both the vehicle control device and the infrastructure control device, comprises: acquiring information about the vehicle, the information being acquired from the infrastructure that supplies power to the vehicle and being acquired from the vehicle when the infrastructure supplies power;Reading the acquired information about the vehicle from a memory and generating information about a convoy from a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle; and transmitting the acquired information about the convoy to the vehicle control device;

[0020] Furthermore, according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium stores a drive control program executed by a drive assist device of a drive control system including a vehicle control device provided in a vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery that is rechargeable to control the vehicle, an infrastructure control device that supplies power to the vehicle, and the drive assist device that can communicate with both the vehicle control device and the infrastructure control device.Further, the drive control program acquires information about the vehicle, the information being acquired from the infrastructure that supplies the power to the vehicle and acquired from the vehicle when the infrastructure supplies the power, generates information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle based on the acquired information about the vehicle, and transmits the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device. Effect of the invention

[0021] Since information is transmitted from a vehicle to the infrastructure control device, the drive support device that has received this information from the infrastructure control device generates platoon information about the vehicle, and the vehicle travels according to this platoon information, the vehicle control device, the drive support device, the infrastructure control device, the vehicle drive control system, the drive control method, and the drive control program according to the present invention can exert the effect of enabling appropriate platoon travel while reducing a communication load between vehicles. Short description of the figures Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle drive control system equipped with a drive assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicles and a road in the vehicle drive control system provided with the drive assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the drive assist device, a vehicle control device, and a power supply control device provided in the vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining drive assist processing performed by the vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drive assist device, a vehicle control device, and a power supply control device provided in a vehicle drive control system according to a modification example of the embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating compensation structure setting processing performed by the drive assist device of the vehicle drive control system according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings of the following embodiment. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. Embodiment

[0023] First, a vehicle drive control system equipped with a drive assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicles and a road in the vehicle drive control system provided with the drive assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the drive assist device, a vehicle control device, and a power supply control device provided in the vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a vehicle drive control system 1 according to an embodiment includes a drive assist device 20, vehicles 30, and a power supply control device 40. In the vehicle drive control system 1 according to the embodiment, the drive assist device 20, each vehicle 30, and the power supply control device 40 are communicatively connected to each other via a network 10. The network 10 is composed of the internet connection network, a cellular network, or the like, which enables communication between the drive assist device 20, the vehicles 30, and the power supply control device 40. In this embodiment, the vehicles 30 correspond to vehicles capable of running in the hybrid running mode or the electric vehicle (EV) running mode.

[0025] In this embodiment, when a transmitting / receiving unit 31 provided in each of the vehicles 30 communicates with a power supply device 41 connected to the power supply control device 40, power supply signals are supplied to the vehicles 30 and information about the vehicles 30 is transmitted to the power supply control device 40.

[0026] The transmitting / receiving units 31 and the power supply devices 41 are each composed of a coil, a switching circuit, and a rectifying / smoothing circuit, and transmit and receive signals using a magnetic field resonance method. Thus, the vehicles 30 and the power supply devices 41 communicate in a non-contact state. Note that in this embodiment, examples of power supply and information transmission using electromagnetic waves are described; however, the configuration may also be power supply / information transmission using light.

[0027] The power supply devices 41 correspond to an infrastructure that is electrically connected to the power supply devices 41 provided in one lane of a plurality of lanes on which the vehicles travel, which supplies electrical power to the vehicles 30. In this embodiment, three lanes (lanes 50 to 52 as shown in Fig. 2) two lanes (lanes 50 and 51) are power supply lanes (power supply traffic lanes) that supply electric power to the vehicles 30, and the other lane (lane 52) is a non-power supply lane (non-power supply traffic lane) that does not supply electric power to the vehicles 30. A plurality of power supply devices 41 are provided at predetermined intervals in the power supply lanes. The power supply devices 41 are provided, for example, at intervals of several kilometers in a section of several tens of kilometers. This section is a power supply section in the power supply lanes. A road having a power supply lane and a non-power supply lane is, for example, an exclusive road (a special road) with predetermined gates that must be passed for entry and exit.On this exclusive road, the journey of each vehicle 30 is controlled by self-driving.

[0028] The drive assist device 20 receives information about each vehicle 30 from the power supply control device 40 and controls a vehicle convoy based on the received information. The drive assist device 20 can further perform safety confirmation processing on the vehicles 30.

[0029] As in Fig. 3, the drive assist device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a column information generation unit 22, an allowable ratio determination unit 23, a control unit 24, and a storage unit 25. The drive assist device 20 is constructed using one or more computers and the like including a central processing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like.

[0030] The communication unit 21 is connected to the network 10 to communicate with the vehicles 30 and the power supply control device 40. The communication unit 21 is composed of a receiving unit that receives information about the vehicles 30 from the power supply control device 40, and a transmitting unit that transmits instruction information related to self-driving to a transmission target vehicle 30. Note that the instruction information for self-driving is information for the vehicle 30 on the travel lane (travel position), with intervals between the vehicles 30, or the like, to form a convoy for traveling, or to remove the vehicle 30 from the convoy to move to another travel lane or another convoy. Furthermore, the receiving unit and the transmitting unit may be provided separately and not integrally.

[0031] The convoy information generation unit 22 creates convoy information about the convoy of vehicles 30. The convoy information generation unit 22 generates information that controls the convoy of vehicles 30 based on the number of vehicles traveling in the power supply section and the allowable ratio in the power supply lane. Herein, the allowable ratio is a numerical value used to determine whether the allowable ratio determination unit 23 described later allows the travel of the vehicle 30, and corresponds to the number or total weight of the vehicles that can travel in the corresponding power supply lane.

[0032] The convoy information generation unit 22 generates a preliminary convoy by, for example, arranging the vehicles 30 currently traveling on the exclusive road in the power supply lane to be in a safe permutation.

[0033] Here, for example, a safe permutation is one in which a vehicle with a small amount of inertia is not arranged between vehicles with a large amount of inertia. The vehicle with a large amount of inertia is a bus, a truck, or the like, and the vehicle with a small amount of inertia is a light vehicle. Specifically, vehicles with lower mass are arranged in line, and vehicles with lower mass are arranged at the rear. At this time, measures can be taken to arrange a vehicle with hazardous substances, such as gasoline, at the rear end or the like.

[0034] In addition, several vehicles traveling as a group, or vehicles carrying hazardous substances (e.g., powder explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials, and the like) that could cause serious damage to the road infrastructure, are arranged in the center of the convoy. In addition, vehicles with a lower mass may be arranged before and after.

[0035] In addition, measures may be taken to position a vehicle carrying a person to be guarded, such as a state guest, in the middle of the convoy or the like.

[0036] The convoy information generation unit 22 selects the vehicles 30 traveling in the power supply section and generates a convoy based on the results of the permissible ratio determination unit 23 determining whether the permissible ratio is exceeded by the preliminary convoy. If it is determined that the permissible ratio is exceeded by the preliminary convoy, the convoy information generation unit 22 generates, according to a predetermined rule, convoy information about a vehicle 30 in the preliminary convoy that was placed in the power supply lane, has a relatively low priority, and was removed from the convoy to be placed in the non-power supply lane again.

[0037] The predetermined rule corresponds to, for example, at least preferentially arranging an emergency vehicle, a goods distributor, a disaster relief vehicle, and the like in the power supply lane, or preferentially arranging vehicles of high public interest and vehicles with a relatively low emission amount of an environmental pollutant in the power supply lane. Emergency vehicles include vehicles dealing with a threat to life, vehicles dealing with an economic crisis, and the like. A rule in which a vehicle driven by a user who has not paid a special toll for a peak period, or a vehicle to be stopped by an official organization such as the police or public security, is arranged in the non-power supply lane, or the like, may be added.

[0038] For example, the convoy information generation unit 22 generates convoy information in the power supply section based on the information about the vehicles 30 received so far at predetermined intervals. Note that the convoy information generation unit 22 may form a convoy taking into account the battery charge amounts of the vehicles 30 currently traveling in the power supply section.

[0039] The permissible ratio determination unit 23 calculates the ratio of the vehicles 30 traveling in the preliminary convoy in the power supply lane, determines whether the permissible ratio is exceeded based on this ratio when each vehicle 30 currently traveling in the power supply lane is supplied with electric power, and outputs the result to the convoy information generation unit 22. The permissible ratio is preset and stored in the storage unit 25. The permissible ratio corresponds, for example, to the total number or total weight of the vehicles 30 that can travel in the power supply section, and is set according to a point (the total number or total weight) used by the permissible ratio determination unit 23 to calculate the ratio.

[0040] The control unit 24 centrally controls the operation of each unit of the drive assist device 20.

[0041] The storage unit 25 is constructed using a computer-readable recording medium and stores various programs and data in a writable and readable manner. The storage unit 25 is constructed with a storage medium, such as an optical disk, a flash memory, or a magnetic disk, as such a recording medium and a drive device for this storage medium.

[0042] The storage unit 25 has a permissible ratio information storage unit 251. The permissible ratio information storage unit 251 stores information about the power supply section in the power supply lane of the exclusive road, the power supply characteristics by the power supply devices 41, an amount of electric power required to supply the vehicles 30, the permissible ratio (the total number or total weight) in the power supply section of the power supply lane, and the like. The permissible ratio information storage unit 251 can store information about the amount of electric power required to supply each type of the vehicles 30.

[0043] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle 30 includes the above-described transmitting / receiving unit 31, a communication unit 32, a vehicle speed sensor 33, a global positioning system (GPS) unit 34, a transmission information generation unit 35, an input / output unit 36, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 37. Furthermore, the vehicle 30 is equipped with a battery 38 that supplies each unit with electrical power. This battery 38 is configured to be rechargeable.

[0044] In this embodiment, the transmission information generation unit 35 and the ECU 37 constitute a vehicle control device 300. The vehicle control device 300 is constructed using one or more computers and the like including a CPU, an FPGA, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

[0045] As described above, the transmitting / receiving unit 31 receives the power supply signal from the power supply device 41 and transmits its own vehicle information. The transmitting / receiving unit 31 corresponds to an acquiring unit that acquires power from the infrastructure (the power supply device 41) and a transmitting unit that transmits its own information to the infrastructure through electromagnetic waves. Note that the acquiring unit that acquires power from the infrastructure and the transmitting unit that transmits its own information to the infrastructure may be provided separately and not integrally.

[0046] The communication unit 32 communicates with the drive assist device 20 through wireless communication via the network 10. The communication unit 32 receives drive assist information from the drive assist device 20 that assists the driving of the vehicle 30. Note that the drive assist information includes platoon information for the vehicle 30 on the lane at this speed or the like to form a platoon for traveling, or for the vehicle 30 to move away from the platoon to another lane or platoon.

[0047] The vehicle speed sensor 33 detects the speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 30 and outputs an electrical signal indicative of the detected vehicle speed to the ECU 37. The electrical signal indicative of the vehicle speed is output to the outside (the drive assist device 20) or stored in a storage unit (not shown).

[0048] The GPS unit 34 receives radio waves from the GPS satellites and detects the position of the vehicle 30. The detected position is output to the outside (the drive assist device 20) or stored in a storage unit (not shown) as position information about the vehicle 30.

[0049] The transmission information generation unit 35 generates transmission information, which is sent to the power supply control device 40. This transmission information includes the vehicle model, an occupant, the mass, the remaining level of the battery 38, the position information of the vehicle 30, and the like. The number of occupants can be detected using a seat sensor, for example. The transmission information generation unit 35 outputs the generated transmission information to the transmission / reception unit 31. The transmission / reception unit 31 sends the transmission information to the power supply control device 40 via the power supply device 41.

[0050] In addition, the power supply signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit 31 is supplied to the battery 38 as the electric current.

[0051] Furthermore, the input / output unit 36 ​​is composed of a touch panel display, a speaker, and the like. The input / output unit 36 ​​is configured to be capable of inputting and outputting predetermined information, such as drive assistance information, by displaying characters, values, and the like on the screen of the touch panel display and outputting a sound from the speaker, under the control of the ECU 37. Further, the input / output unit 36 ​​is configured to be capable of inputting predetermined information to the ECU 37 by operating the touch panel display and speaking to a speaker by a user or the like of the vehicle 30.

[0052] The ECU 37 is composed of an information processing device such as a microcomputer including a CPU, an FPGA, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The ECU 37 centrally controls the electrical operation of each unit of the vehicle 30. The ECU 37 is configured to perform an arithmetic operation using input data, pre-stored data, and a program, and output the result of the arithmetic operation as a control command signal. For example, when travel information (convoy information described later) is received from the drive assist device 20, the ECU 37 causes the vehicle 30 to travel according to this information. Thus, the ECU 37 causes the vehicle 30 to travel at a specific speed in a specific lane.

[0053] Note that, although not illustrated, the vehicle 30 includes a storage unit including a storage medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory, a drive device for this storage medium, and a sensor that detects an object approaching the front. The storage unit stores an operating system (OS) and programs of various applications required by the ECU 37 to centrally control the operation of each unit of the vehicle 30.

[0054] Furthermore, the vehicle 30 includes a steering mechanism and a manipulation mechanism for driving the vehicle 30. Specifically, the vehicle 30 includes a drive train and drive wheels as a drive mechanism. The drive train includes a power source that generates a drive force and outputs the drive force from an output shaft, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the drive force output from the power source to a drive wheel 2.

[0055] In addition, the manipulation mechanism is composed of a gear lever, an accelerator pedal and the like.

[0056] Note that each unit is driven according to the instruction signal under the control of the ECU 37 when the self-run of the vehicle 30 is performed.

[0057] The power supply control device 40 is connected to the power supply device 41 described above, receives the information acquired by the power supply device 41 from each vehicle 30, and controls the convoy of vehicles based on the received information. The power supply control device 40 is constructed using one or more computers and the like, including a CPU, an FPGA, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The power supply device 41 outputs the acquired transmission information to the power supply control device 40 (a control unit 45 described later). The power supply device 41 is constructed by a supply unit that transmits the power supply signal to the transmission / reception unit 31 to supply power, and a reception unit that receives information about the vehicle 30 from the transmission / reception unit 31.It should be noted that the feeding unit and the receiving unit can be provided separately and not integrally.

[0058] Further, the power supply control device 40 includes a communication unit 42, a vehicle information generation unit 43, a power supply unit 44, and the control unit 45.

[0059] The communication unit 42 is connected to the network 10 to communicate with the drive assist device 20. The communication unit 42 transmits information about the vehicle 30 obtained from the vehicle 30 to the drive assist device 20 and receives various information from the drive assist device 20.

[0060] The vehicle information generation unit 43 generates vehicle information based on the transmission information about the vehicle 30 obtained through communication with the transmission / reception unit 31. The vehicle information includes the vehicle model, an occupant, the mass, the remaining level of the battery 38, the position information about the vehicle 30, and the like.

[0061] The power supply unit 44 supplies electric power to each unit of the power supply control device 40 and supplies electric power to the power supply device 41.

[0062] The control unit 45 centrally controls the operation of each unit of the power supply control device 40.

[0063] Subsequently, the drive assist processing performed by the vehicle drive control system 1 with reference to Fig. 4 described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the drive assist processing performed by the vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. For example, the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is started after the vehicle 30 enters the exclusive road having the power supply lane and the non-power supply lane.

[0064] When the vehicle 30 enters the exclusive road and passes through the power supply device 41, the power supply signal from the power supply control device 40 is supplied to the vehicle 30 via the power supply device 41 and the transmitting / receiving unit 31 (step S101). Upon receiving the power supply signal, electric power is supplied to the battery 38 of the vehicle 30.

[0065] Furthermore, when passing over the power supply device 41, the vehicle control device 300 transmits the transmission information about the vehicle 30 to the power supply device 41 (the power supply control device 40) via the transmitting / receiving unit 31 (step S102). As described above, the transmission information includes the vehicle model, an occupant, the mass, the remaining level of the battery 38, the position information of the vehicle 30, and the like.

[0066] It should be noted that the order of steps S101 and S102 described above can be reversed.

[0067] Upon receiving the transmission information about the vehicle 30, the vehicle information generation unit 43 generates the vehicle information about the vehicle 30 (step S103). As described above, the vehicle information includes at least information necessary for the processing of the drive assist device, such as the vehicle model, an occupant, the mass, the remaining charge of the battery 38, the position information about the vehicle 30, and the like. The vehicle information generation unit 43 transmits the generated vehicle information to the drive assist device 20 (step S104).

[0068] When the drive assist device 20 has received the vehicle information, the convoy information generation unit 22 generates the convoy information about the vehicles 30 in the power supply lane and the non-power supply lane (steps S105 to S107).

[0069] At step S105, the convoy information generation unit 22 generates the preliminary convoy so that the vehicles 30 are in a safe permutation.

[0070] At step S106 following step S105, the permissible ratio determination unit 23 determines whether the ratio of the vehicles 30 in the preliminary platoon in the power supply lane exceeds the permissible ratio (step S106). The permissible ratio determination unit 23 outputs the determination result to the platoon information generation unit 22.

[0071] Thereafter, the column information generation unit 22 generates the column information based on the determination result of the allowable ratio determination unit 23 (step S107). The column information generation unit 22 generates the column information with the provisional column as a main column if the provisional column does not exceed the allowable ratio. On the other hand, the column information generation unit 22 changes the provisional column according to the predetermined rule to generate the column information if the provisional column exceeds the allowable ratio.

[0072] Once the convoy information is generated, the drive assist device 20 transmits the generated convoy information to the vehicles 30 (step S108). In step S108, the convoy information is transmitted to all vehicles 30 belonging to the convoy formation area.

[0073] When the convoy information is received, the vehicle control device 300 causes the vehicle 30 to travel according to the determined lane and arrangement under the control of the ECU 37 (step S109). At this time, the rearrangement of the vehicles 30 is performed in a section (other than the power supply section) where the power supply devices 41 are not arranged in the power supply lane. Furthermore, the maintenance of each interval between the vehicles 30 and the like after the convoy formation is controlled through inter-vehicle communication.

[0074] In this embodiment described above, the decision of the convoy in the power supply lane and the non-power supply lane is transmitted from the vehicle 30 to the drive assist device 20 via the infrastructure (the power supply control device 40 including the power supply device 41), and each vehicle 30 in the convoy is controlled by generating the convoy information in the drive assist device 20. According to this embodiment, since a suitable convoy is formed without inter-vehicle communication, suitable convoy travel can be realized while reducing a communication load between vehicles. Modification example

[0075] Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configurations of a drive assist device, a vehicle control device, and a power supply control device provided in a vehicle drive control system according to a modification example of the embodiment of the present invention. A vehicle drive control system 1A according to the modification example includes a drive assist device 20A instead of the above-described drive assist device 20. Otherwise, the configuration is the same as that of the vehicle drive control system 1, so its description is omitted.The drive assist device 20A includes a toll setting unit 26 in addition to the configuration of the drive assist device 20 described above. A fee charged to a user associated with a target vehicle 30 is set based on the information about the vehicle 30 passing through the power supply device 41. This fee is preset and is changed accordingly depending on the number or total weight of the vehicles traveling in the power supply lane. In this modification example, an example in which the fee is a toll (cash) is described, but other fees such as points or virtual currency may also be charged, or the power supply mode (the size of the supply rate) may be changed for the power supply rate as a fee.Note that in this modification example, an example is described in which the fee is charged to the vehicle 30 that has communicated with the power supply devices 41 by traveling in the power supply lane, but the set fee may be calculated at the time of passing the gate at the entrance to the exclusive road or at the time of passing the gate at the exit from the exclusive road.

[0076] The toll setting unit 26 sets the toll for a vehicle entering the exclusive road based on the ratio of vehicles occupying the power supply lane in the convoy generated by the convoy information generating unit 22. This ratio indicates a proportion of the vehicles 30 in a preset section, such as a power supply section. The toll setting unit 26 sets the toll based on the ratio of vehicles traveling in the power supply lane in the convoy generated by the convoy information generating unit 22 and a preset toll table. In the toll table, for example, the ratio described above is associated with the toll, and the larger the ratio, the higher the toll. Note that different toll rates may be set for the emergency vehicles described above and other vehicles.In the toll ratio setting, the toll increase rate can be changed between high-priority vehicles, such as emergency vehicles, and other relatively low-priority vehicles. In this case, the increase rate of the toll collected by emergency vehicles is lower than the increase rate of the toll collected by other vehicles. Furthermore, in the case where the power supply rate corresponds to a fee, the higher the rate, the smaller the supply rate. The toll setting unit 26 corresponds to a fee setting unit.

[0077] Subsequently, the drive assist processing performed by the vehicle drive control system 1A will be described with reference to Fig. 6 described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining compensation system processing performed by the drive assist device of the vehicle drive control system according to this modification example. Fig. The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is started later by the column information generating unit 22.

[0078] When the toll setting unit 26 has acquired the convoy information generated by the convoy information generating unit 22 (step S201), the permissible ratio determining unit 23 calculates the ratio of the vehicles 30 traveling in this convoy in the power supply lane (step S202).

[0079] Based on the calculated ratio and the preset toll table, the toll setting unit 26 sets the toll fee to be charged to the user for the vehicle that will now enter the exclusive road (step S203). The toll setting unit 26 sets the toll with reference to the ratio and the toll table.

[0080] The toll setting unit 26 determines whether the toll set at step S203 has been changed from the toll immediately before the setting (step S204). If the toll setting unit 26 has determined here that the toll will not be changed (step S204: No), this charging system setting processing ends. On the other hand, if the toll setting unit 26 has determined that the toll will be changed (step S204: Yes), the processing proceeds to step S205.

[0081] In step S205, the control unit 24 notifies the vehicle traveling near the exclusive road of the toll information. For example, the information about the toll change is communicated. The notification can be sent to each vehicle 30 individually or displayed on a notice board provided by the road or the like.

[0082] In the above-described modification example, as in the above-described embodiment, the decision of the convoy in the power supply lane and the non-power supply lane is transmitted from the vehicle 30 to the drive assist device 20 via the infrastructure (the power supply control device 40 including the power supply device 41), and each vehicle 30 in the convoy is controlled by generating the convoy information in the drive assist device 20. According to this embodiment, since a suitable convoy is formed without inter-vehicle communication, suitable convoy travel can be realized while reducing a communication load between vehicles.

[0083] In addition, in this modification example, the fee system is varied according to the situation of the vehicles running in the power supply lane, so that it is possible to suppress the entry of too many vehicles 30 and better control the running of the vehicle 30.

[0084] Note that the example in which the vehicle 30 is controlled by self-driving has been described in the embodiment and the modification example described above, but, for example, assuming that a driver drives the vehicle 30, the information about the lane and speed may be output to the vehicle 30 to control the driving of the vehicle 30.

[0085] Moreover, in the above-described embodiment and modification example, even if the vehicle 30 has been continuously entering the exclusive road before the vehicle 30 enters the exclusive road, the vehicle 30 can be informed of the travel in the non-power supply lane according to the situation of the exclusive road.

Claims

[1] Vehicle control device (300), comprising: a transmission unit (31) configured to transmit information contactlessly to a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41), the information relating to a vehicle (30) powered by electricity supplied from a battery (38) that is rechargeable and externally supplied with energy from the infrastructure (41) contactlessly; and a control unit (37) configured to obtain information about a convoy of the vehicle (30) from a drive assist device (20) through communication and to cause the vehicle (30) to travel according to the obtained information about the convoy of the vehicle (30), wherein the drive support device (20) comprises: a receiving unit (21) configured to receive information about the vehicle (30), the information being obtained from the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41) configured to supply power to the vehicle (30) and from the vehicle control device (300) configured to control the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the power; a convoy information generation unit (22) configured to generate information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) based on the information about the vehicle (30); and a transmission unit (21) configured to transmit the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device (300), the column information generation unit (22) is configured to generate a preliminary column according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a relatively low priority vehicle (30) is removed from the preliminary convoy based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset allowable ratio. [2] Drive assistance device (20), comprising: a receiving unit (21) configured to receive information about a vehicle (30), the information being obtained from a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41) configured to supply power to the vehicle (30) and from a vehicle control device (300) configured to control the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the power; a convoy information generation unit (22) configured to generate information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) based on the information about the vehicle (30); and a transmission unit (21) configured to transmit the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device (300), wherein the column information generation unit (22) is configured to generate a preliminary column according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a relatively low priority vehicle (30) is removed from the preliminary convoy based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset allowable ratio. [3] The drive assist device (20A) according to claim 2, further comprising a fee setting unit (26) configured to set a fee to be charged to a user in association with the vehicle (30) that has entered an exclusive road having the lane, based on a ratio of the vehicles (30) constituting the convoy and occupying a lane. [4] The drive assist device (20A) according to claim 3, wherein the fee setting unit (26) is configured to increase the fee when the ratio of the vehicles (30) occupying the lane provided with the infrastructure (41) becomes high. [5] Control device (40) of an infrastructure (41) configured to supply energy to a vehicle control device (300) configured to control a vehicle (30) comprising a battery (38) that is rechargeable, the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41) comprising: a supply unit (44) configured to cause the infrastructure (41) to supply the energy to the vehicle (30) in a contactless manner; and a transmission unit (42) configured to obtain information about the vehicle (30) from the vehicle (30) via the infrastructure (41) in order to transmit the information about the vehicle (30) to a drive support device (20) configured to generate convoy information about the vehicle (30), wherein the drive support device (20) comprises: a receiving unit (21) configured to receive information about the vehicle (30), the information being obtained from the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41) configured to supply power to the vehicle (30) and from the vehicle control device (300) configured to control the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the power; a convoy information generation unit (22) configured to generate information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) based on the information about the vehicle (30); and a transmission unit (21) configured to transmit the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device (300), the column information generation unit (22) is configured to generate a preliminary column according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a relatively low priority vehicle (30) is removed from the preliminary convoy based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset allowable ratio. [6] Vehicle drive control system (1), comprising: a vehicle control device (300) provided in a vehicle (30) driven by power supplied from a rechargeable battery (38) and configured to control the vehicle (30); a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41) configured to supply energy to the battery (38); and a drive support device (20) which is configured such that it can communicate with both the vehicle control device (300) and the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41), wherein the vehicle control device (300) comprises: a first transmission unit (31) configured to transmit information contactlessly to the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41), the information relating to the vehicle (30) driven by the current supplied by the battery (38), which is rechargeable and externally supplied with energy from the infrastructure (41) in a contactless manner; and a control unit (37) configured to obtain information about a convoy of the vehicle (30) from the outside through communication and to cause the vehicle (30) to travel according to the obtained information about the convoy of the vehicle (30), wherein the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41) comprises: a supply unit (44) configured to cause the infrastructure (41) to supply the energy to the vehicle (30) in a contactless manner; and a second transmission unit (42) configured to obtain information about the vehicle (30) from the vehicle (30) via the infrastructure (41) to transmit the information about the vehicle (30) to the drive support device (20), and wherein the drive assist device (20) comprises: a receiving unit (21) configured to receive information about the vehicle (30), the information being obtained from a vehicle control device (300) configured to control the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the energy; a convoy information generation unit (22) configured to generate information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) based on the information about the vehicle (30); and a third transmission unit (21) configured to transmit the generated information about the convoy to the vehicle control device (300), wherein the convoy information generation unit (22) is configured to generate a preliminary convoy according to a preset permutation, and to generate a convoy in which a relatively low-priority vehicle (30) is removed from the preliminary convoy based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset permissible ratio. [7] A drive control method by a drive control system (1) having a vehicle control device (300) provided in a vehicle (30) driven by power supplied from a battery that is rechargeable and controls the vehicle (30), a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41) that supplies power to the vehicle (30), and a drive support device (20) that can communicate with both the vehicle control device (300) and the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41), the drive control method comprising: Obtaining information about the vehicle (30), wherein the information is obtained from the infrastructure (41) that supplies the vehicle (30) with the energy and is obtained from the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the energy; Reading the obtained information about the vehicle (25) from a memory (25) and generating information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30); and Transmitting the generated information about the column to the vehicle control device (300), wherein upon reading, a preliminary convoy is generated according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a vehicle (30) with a relatively low priority is removed from the preliminary convoy is generated based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset permissible ratio. [8] A computer-readable recording medium storing a drive control program executed by a drive assist device of a drive control system (1) comprising a vehicle control device (300) provided in a vehicle (30) driven by power supplied from a rechargeable battery to control the vehicle (30), a control device (40) of an infrastructure (41) that supplies power to the vehicle (30), and the drive assist device (20) that can communicate with both the vehicle control device (300) and the control device (40) of the infrastructure (41), wherein the drive control program obtains information about the vehicle (30), the information being obtained from the infrastructure (41) which supplies the vehicle (30) with energy and being obtained from the vehicle (30) when the infrastructure (41) supplies the energy, Information about a convoy of a plurality of vehicles (30) including the vehicle (30) is generated based on the acquired information about the vehicle (30), and transmits the generated information about the column to the vehicle control device (300), wherein when generating the information, a preliminary convoy is generated according to a preset permutation, and a convoy in which a vehicle (30) with a relatively low priority is removed from the preliminary convoy is generated based on a preset condition when the preliminary convoy exceeds a preset permissible ratio.

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