Information processing device, information processing method, vehicle column management system and program

Abstract

To provide proper information to an occupant of a vehicle column, when the vehicle column is disconnected.SOLUTION: A host device 32 comprises: a vehicle column disconnection determination part 45 for determining disconnection of a vehicle column, on the basis of positional information of multiple vehicles forming the vehicle column; and a merging point determination part 46 or merging point determination part 121 for, when it is determined that the vehicle column is disconnected by the vehicle column disconnection determination part 45, determining a merging point on a front side of a position where a next vehicle column disconnection may occur at high probability, on a route or near the route of a destination. Therefore, when the vehicle column is disconnected, it is possible to determine the merging point so as not to promote further disconnection at the position where the next vehicle column disconnection may occur at high probability, and report the same to occupants of the vehicles forming the vehicle column.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a vehicle convoy management system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When multiple vehicles belonging to the same group travel in a convoy (hereafter referred to as a convoy), for example at an intersection, the light may be green when the first vehicle enters the intersection, but when the following vehicle enters the intersection, the light may change to yellow or red. In such a case, it is very dangerous for the following vehicle to enter the intersection at an unreasonable time in order to avoid separating from the convoy.

[0003] Therefore, there is a technique for controlling the traveling of vehicles in a motorcade so that the motorcade does not get separated (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-028748 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology of Patent Document 1 described above controls the arrangement of vehicles in a convoy from the front to the rear in order of decreasing driving performance, and thus allows the rear vehicle to follow the leading vehicle even if there is a delay in the transmission of signals from the leading vehicle to the following vehicles. The driving performance is based on vehicle specifications including at least one of braking performance, minimum turning radius, acceleration performance, and the size of the vehicle. However, when a vehicle is driven by a person rather than an automatic driving system, the driving of the vehicle is greatly influenced not only by the driving performance of the vehicle but also by the driver's skill, etc., so that even if the technology of Patent Document 1 is used, it is not possible to completely prevent the convoy from being separated.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides an information processing device, an information processing method, a convoy management system, and a program that provide appropriate information to occupants of a convoy when the convoy is separated, thereby making it possible to prevent or suppress separation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in having a convoy separation determination unit that determines whether the convoy has been separated based on positional information of multiple vehicles that make up the convoy, and a junction point determination unit that, when the convoy separation determination unit determines that the convoy has been separated, determines a junction point on the route to the destination or at a location close to the route, before the next location where the convoy is likely to be separated.

[0008] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a convoy separation determination step for determining whether the convoy has been separated based on position information of a plurality of vehicles constituting the convoy, and a junction point determination step for determining, if it is determined by the processing of the convoy separation determination step, a junction point on the route to the destination or at a location close to the route, before the next location where the convoy is likely to be separated.

[0009] A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute processing including a convoy separation determination step for determining whether the convoy has been separated based on position information of multiple vehicles constituting the convoy, and a junction point determination step for determining, if it is determined by the processing of the convoy separation determination step, a junction point on the route to the destination or at a location close to the route, before the next location where the convoy is likely to be separated.

[0010] A vehicle convoy management system according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a host device has a vehicle convoy division determination unit that determines whether the vehicle convoy has been divided based on position information, and a junction point determination unit that, when the vehicle convoy division determination unit determines that the vehicle convoy has been divided, determines a junction point on the route to the destination or at a location close to the route before the next location where the vehicle convoy is likely to be divided, and an information processing device mounted on a vehicle that constitutes the convoy or carried by an occupant of the vehicle has an output unit that notifies the occupant of information regarding the junction point determined by the junction point determination unit. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when a convoy is separated, appropriate information can be provided to the occupants of the convoy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a hardware block diagram of the terminal device 1. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle queue management system 21. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle train control process 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle queue management system 61. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle train control process 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle train control process 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle queue management system 101. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle train control process 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle train control process 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] [One embodiment] Hereinafter, a vehicle queue management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0014] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the terminal device 1 is used when, for example, a plurality of motorcycles (hereinafter referred to as vehicles) travel in a convoy toward a predetermined destination. The terminal device 1 is a terminal device mounted on each vehicle traveling in the convoy, or held by a user riding in each vehicle. Specifically, the terminal device 1 is a small information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet, or an in-vehicle device such as a car navigation device.

[0015] The terminal device 1 includes an operation input section 11, a communication section 12, a control section 13, a vehicle position detection unit 14, and an output section 15. The terminal device 1 may have other functions.

[0016] The operation input unit 11 includes input devices such as a touch panel, buttons, or a microphone, and receives operation inputs from a user.

[0017] The communication unit 12 transmits and receives information to and from other external devices.

[0018] The control unit 13 controls the processing executed by the terminal device 1 based on the information supplied from each unit.

[0019] The vehicle position detection unit 14 detects the current position of the vehicle using, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0020] The output unit 15 includes output devices such as a display unit, a touch panel, or a speaker, and outputs various information to present to the user based on the control of the control unit 13.

[0021] [First embodiment] (composition) FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle queue management system 21 in the first embodiment.

[0022] The vehicle queue management system 21 of the first embodiment includes a terminal device 1, a map information and traffic information providing device 31, and a host device 32. When it is determined that a vehicle queue management system 21 of the first embodiment is separated, it detects a merging point to prevent the separation from expanding further, and notifies the occupants of each vehicle.

[0023] A map information and traffic information providing device 31 (hereinafter referred to as providing device 31) provides map information and traffic information around the vehicle train to a host device 32. Here, the map information includes, for example, information on places where it is possible to stop, such as roadsides and parking lots. In addition, the traffic information includes, for example, information on congestion and crowding, accident information, parking lot congestion information, information on vehicles parked and stopped on roadsides, and operation information on trains and the like related to the opening and closing of railroad crossings.

[0024] The host device 32 includes a communication unit 12, an operation input unit 11, a control unit 13a, an output unit 15, and a vehicle position detection unit 14. The host device 32 may be a terminal device 1 mounted on one of the vehicles included in the vehicle train, or may be another information processing device. When the host device 32 is not one of the terminal devices 1 but a different control device, the host device 32 may not include the operation input unit 11, the output unit 15, and the vehicle position detection unit 14. Here, the host device 32 will be described as being the terminal device 1 mounted on one of the vehicles included in the vehicle train. Therefore, the operation input unit 11, the output unit 15, and the vehicle position detection unit 14 of the host device 32 have the same functions as the respective units described using FIG. 1, and therefore are assigned the same numbers.

[0025] The terminal device 1 installed in a vehicle other than the host device 32 transmits information regarding the user's operation input entered through the operation input unit 11 and the position information of the vehicle detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 to the host device 32 via the communication unit 12, and receives information generated by the host device 32 and, if necessary, outputs it to the output unit 15 to present it to the user.

[0026] The control unit 13a of the host device 32 is configured to include the functions of a communication control unit 41, an operation input acquisition unit 42, a vehicle position detection result acquisition unit 43, a vehicle surroundings information detection unit 44, a vehicle line separation determination unit 45, a merging point determination unit 46, and an output control unit 47.

[0027] In addition, either the host device 32 or a terminal device 1 different from the host device 32 has a navigation system function (not shown) in its control unit 13 or control unit 13a, and the destination of the motorcade and intermediate points set as necessary are registered.

[0028] The communication control unit 41 controls communication with the providing device 31 and other devices such as the terminal device 1.

[0029] The operation input acquisition unit 42 acquires operation input from the user of the host device 32 input from the operation input unit 11, or operation input from the user of the terminal device 1 whose reception is controlled by the communication control unit 41, and supplies it to each function of the control unit 13a.

[0030] The vehicle position detection result acquisition unit 43 (hereinafter referred to as the acquisition unit 43) acquires position information of the vehicle in which the host device 32 is installed, detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 of the host device 32, and position information of the vehicle in which the terminal device 1 is installed, received by the communication control unit 41, and supplies it to the vehicle convoy separation determination unit 45.

[0031] The vehicle line separation determination unit 45 (hereinafter referred to as the determination unit 45) detects the distance between each of the vehicles constituting the vehicle line at any time, based on the position information of all of the vehicles constituting the vehicle line supplied from the acquisition unit 43. When the detected distance between each of the vehicles becomes longer than a predetermined distance, the determination unit 45 determines that the vehicle line has been separated, and notifies the junction point determination unit 46. In addition, when the determination unit 45 obtains information on a junction point from the junction point determination unit 46 described later, it determines whether the vehicle line has resumed when a vehicle belonging to the vehicle line has passed the junction point.

[0032] A vehicle surroundings information detection unit 44 (hereinafter, referred to as the detection unit 44) controls the communication control unit 41 to acquire map information and traffic information from the providing device 31 at any time.

[0033] When the junction point determination unit 46 receives a notification of a segmentation of the vehicle convoy from the determination unit 45, the junction point determination unit 46 determines a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route, before the next point where the vehicle convoy is likely to be segmented, based on information on the destination or waypoint set by the navigation system of one of the vehicles and map information and traffic information detected by the detection unit 44. The junction point does not need to be a place where the entire vehicle convoy can stop, but only needs to be a place where at least the number of vehicles included in the group ahead of the segmentation can stop. It may also be a place where vehicles can travel at a slow speed without stopping.

[0034] Information on the junction determined by the junction determination unit 46 is transmitted to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12 under the control of the communication control unit 41, and is also supplied to its own output control unit 47. In addition, the junction determination unit 46 supplies information on the determined junction to the judgment unit 45.

[0035] Here, the separation of the vehicle train is detected based on the distance between the vehicles, but the separation of the vehicles may be detected by other methods, such as the difference in the estimated arrival time at each point or the difference in the traveling direction, or may be detected based on a combination of these values. In addition, examples of locations where the separation of the vehicle train is likely to occur include intersections, railroad crossings, curves, slopes, and locations where obstacles exist on the road.

[0036] Also, when it is determined that the vehicle train is separated, the junction point determination unit 46 may calculate a recommended speed based on the distance between the vehicles or the difference between the predicted arrival times at each point so that the speed of the vehicle at the front of the separation is as low as possible within the range that matches the surrounding road conditions, and may calculate a recommended speed for the vehicle at the rear of the separation so that the speed is as high as possible within the range that matches the speed limit and the surrounding road conditions. The calculation results are transmitted to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12 under the control of the communication control unit 41, and are also supplied to the output control unit 47 of the vehicle itself and presented to the occupants of the vehicles that make up the vehicle train. At this time, the recommended speed settings of each vehicle may be changed depending on the distance to the junction point.

[0037] The output control unit 47 controls the output of information about the junction determined by the junction determination unit 46 to the output unit 15 .

[0038] With such a configuration, the vehicle queue management system 21 of the first embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle queue is separated, can determine a junction point before the next location where the vehicle queue is likely to be separated and notify the occupants of the vehicles that make up the vehicle queue. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the vehicle queue is separated.

[0039] (Convoy control process 1) Next, a vehicle queue control process 1 executed by the vehicle queue management system 21 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0040] In step S1, the junction determination unit 46 acquires the registered contents of the destination and, if necessary, the intermediate points from the navigation system of one of the vehicles.

[0041] In step S2, the determination unit 45 constantly monitors the position information of each vehicle constituting the train, supplied from the acquisition unit 43, and detects the distance between the vehicles (or the difference in predicted arrival time at each point).

[0042] In step S3, the determination unit 45 determines whether or not a separation of the vehicle train has occurred. If it is determined in step S3 that a separation of the vehicle train has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S9, which will be described later.

[0043] If the determination unit 45 determines in step S3 that a segmentation of the vehicle convoy has occurred, the determination unit 45 notifies the junction point determination unit 46 that a segmentation of the vehicle convoy has occurred in step S4. The junction point determination unit 46 determines a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route, before the next point where there is a high possibility of a segmentation of the vehicle convoy, based on information about the destination or intermediate points set by the navigation system and map information and traffic information detected by the detection unit 44.

[0044] In step S5, the junction point determination unit 46 notifies each vehicle in the train of the determined junction point by transmitting the information about the determined junction point to each terminal device 1 and supplying it to its own output control unit 47. The junction point determination unit 46 also supplies the information about the determined junction point to the determination unit 45.

[0045] In step S6, the control unit 13 of the terminal device 1 outputs the information about the meeting point acquired by the communication unit 12 to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the terminal device 1 of the meeting point. Also, the control unit 13a of the host device 32 outputs the information about the meeting point to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the host device 32 of the meeting point.

[0046] In step S7, the determination unit 45 determines whether or not the junction point has been passed. The process of step S7 is repeated until it is determined that the junction point has been passed.

[0047] If it is determined in step S7 that the merging point has been passed, then in step S8 the determination unit 45 determines whether the vehicle procession is continuous or not based on the position information of each vehicle constituting the vehicle procession supplied from the acquisition unit 43. If it is determined in step S8 that the vehicle procession is not continuous, the process returns to step S4, and the subsequent processes are repeated. If it is determined in step S8 that the vehicle procession is continuous, the process returns to step S2, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0048] If it is determined in step S3 that the vehicle train is not separated, in step S9, the acquisition unit 43 acquires the position information of the vehicle in which the host device 32 is mounted, detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 of the host device 32, and the position information of the vehicle in which the terminal device 1 is mounted, and determines whether or not the destination has been reached. Then, the acquisition unit 43 determines whether or not a control end command has been issued based on the operation input of the user of the host device 32 acquired by the operation input acquisition unit 42, or the operation input of the user of the terminal device 1 transmitted from any of the terminal devices 1. If it is determined that the destination has not been reached and that the control end command has not been issued, the process returns to step S2, and the subsequent processes are repeated. If it is determined that the destination has been reached or that the control end command has been issued, the process is terminated.

[0049] Through this process, whether the convoy has been split up is constantly monitored until the convoy arrives at the destination, and if it is determined that the convoy has been split up, a joining point is set in the section up to the next point where there is a high possibility of splitting up based on map information and traffic condition information, and the user is notified of this. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the convoy is split up.

[0050] [Second embodiment] (composition) Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle queue management system 61 in the second embodiment. Note that components having the same functions as those explained using Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted as appropriate.

[0051] When it is determined that the convoy is separated, the convoy management system 61 of the second embodiment determines an appropriate vehicle arrangement for the vehicles in each group, i.e., the order in which the vehicles that make up the convoy will travel, and notifies the occupants of each vehicle, so that the occupants of each vehicle can drive more safely with peace of mind and so that the separation does not spread further.

[0052] When traveling in a convoy, the following vehicles follow the driving pace of the leading vehicle, so it is preferable to assign a driver with a high driving level, for example, who has the ability to adjust the driving pace while grasping the driving conditions of the following vehicles, at the front. Following vehicles with a low driving level following a leading vehicle with a high driving level can travel at a stable pace without getting lost to the destination, but the further back the following vehicles with a low driving level are in the convoy or the further they are from the leading vehicle with a high driving experience level, the worse they become at following the leading vehicle. If the convoy is separated while traveling, it is necessary to appropriately review the arrangement of the vehicles.

[0053] In the vehicle convoy management system 61 in the second embodiment, the driving experience information of each driver of the vehicles in the convoy is registered in a predetermined database in advance, or is registered in a predetermined database prior to the use of the system in the convoy. The driving experience information includes, for example, the license acquisition date, driving frequency, mileage, accident history, etc., and the driving level is quantified based on this information. The host device 72 has a function of acquiring the quantified driving level, determining the order of the convoy, and notifying the users of each vehicle in the convoy.

[0054] That is, the vehicle queue management system 61 in Fig. 4 has the same configuration as the vehicle queue management system 21 described using Fig. 2, except that a storage device 71 is newly provided and a host device 72 is provided instead of the host device 32. The host device 72 has the same configuration as the host device 32 described using Fig. 2, except that a control unit 13b is provided instead of the control unit 13a. The control unit 13b has the same configuration as the control unit 13a described using Fig. 2, except that a vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 is provided instead of the junction point determination unit 46.

[0055] The storage device 71 stores driving experience information of each driver of the vehicles in the convoy. The driving experience information includes, for example, the license acquisition date, driving frequency, mileage, accident history, etc., as well as a driving level obtained by quantifying the information.

[0056] When the determination unit 45 determines that the vehicle convoy has been separated, the vehicle placement determination unit 81 executes re-setting of vehicle placement based on the driving experience information of each driver in each group before and after the separation, based on the driving level information acquired from the storage device 71 by the processing of the communication control unit 41. Information on the placement of vehicles determined by the vehicle placement determination unit 81 is transmitted to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12 under the control of the communication control unit 41, and is also supplied to its own output control unit 47.

[0057] When a convoy is split, it goes without saying that in each group, the vehicle driven by the driver with the highest driving level is placed at the front, but when the number of vehicles in each group exceeds a predetermined number and becomes a relatively long array, it is possible to prevent the group from being split again by placing the vehicle driven by the driver with the second highest driving level at the end of the group, and even if the group is split again, it is possible to ensure that each group contains vehicles driven by drivers with a relatively high driving level. Also, the further back in the convoy a following vehicle with a low driving level is located, or the further away it is from a leading vehicle with a high driving experience level, the worse its ability to follow the leading vehicle becomes, so it is preferable to place a vehicle with a low driving level as close as possible to the rear of the vehicle convoy.

[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 can set the order of the motorcade based on the driving level information acquired from the storage device 71 by the communication control unit 41 even when the motorcade departs.

[0059] The convoy management system 61 having such a configuration constantly monitors whether the convoy is split up until the convoy arrives at the destination, and if it is determined that the convoy is split up, the order of the convoy is determined and notified based on the driving level information of each driver based on the driving experience information of the driver. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the convoy is split up.

[0060] (Convoy control process 2) Next, a vehicle queue control process 2 executed by the vehicle queue management system 61 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 5 and FIG.

[0061] In step S21, the vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 acquires the registered contents of the destination and, if necessary, the route points from the navigation system of any one of the vehicles.

[0062] In step S22, the vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 acquires driving level information of the drivers of the vehicles constituting the convoy from the storage device 71, and determines the order of the convoy based on this. It goes without saying that the order of the convoy is preferably arranged so that a vehicle driven by a driver with the highest driving level is placed at the head of the convoy, but by placing a vehicle driven by a driver with the second highest driving level at the end of the convoy, it is possible to prevent the convoy from being separated, and even if it is separated, it is possible to ensure that vehicles driven by drivers with a relatively high driving level are included in each group.

[0063] In step S23, the vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 supplies the determined vehicle convoy order to the communication control unit 41, which transmits it to each terminal device 1, and also supplies it to its own output control unit 47, thereby notifying each vehicle.

[0064] In step S24, the control unit 13 of the terminal device 1 outputs the information on the order of the motorcade acquired by the communication unit 12 to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the terminal device 1 of the order of the motorcade. Then, the output control unit 47 of the host device 72 outputs the information on the order of the motorcade to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the host device 72 of the order of the motorcade.

[0065] In step S25, the determination unit 45 constantly monitors the position information of each vehicle constituting the train, supplied from the acquisition unit 43, and detects the distance between the vehicles or the difference in the predicted arrival time at each point.

[0066] In step S26, the determination unit 45 determines whether or not a separation of the vehicle train has occurred. If it is determined in step S26 that a separation of the vehicle train has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S32, which will be described later.

[0067] If it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle convoy has been separated, then in step S27, the vehicle placement determination unit 81 determines whether or not the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group (or the difference in the predicted arrival time at each point) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, based on the position information of each vehicle constituting the vehicle convoy supplied from the acquisition unit 43. The predetermined value is, for example, a value that allows the rearmost vehicle of the leading group to be visually observed from the leading vehicle of the following group, and may be a value determined empirically or experimentally, or a value that can be set by the user. If it is determined in step S27 that the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group is within the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S31, which will be described later.

[0068] If the vehicle placement determination unit 81 determines in step S27 that the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, then in step S28, the vehicle placement determination unit 81 determines the order of the vehicle convoy in each of the separated groups based on the driving level information from the driving experience information of each driver. It goes without saying that the order in each group is preferably such that the vehicle driven by the driver with the highest driving level is placed at the head of the vehicle convoy, but by placing the vehicle driven by the driver with the second highest driving level at the end of the group, it is possible to prevent the vehicle convoy from being separated again, and even if it does become necessary to separate again, it is possible to ensure that each group includes a vehicle driven by a driver with a relatively high driving level.

[0069] In step S29, the vehicle arrangement determination unit 81 transmits the determined vehicle train order to each terminal device 1 and also supplies it to its own output control unit 47, thereby notifying each vehicle.

[0070] In step S30, the control unit 13 of the terminal device 1 outputs the information on the order of the vehicle motorcade acquired by the communication unit 12 to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the terminal device 1 of the order of the vehicle motorcade. Then, the output control unit 47 of the host device 72 outputs the information on the order of the vehicle motorcade to the output unit 15, and notifies the user of the host device 72 of the order of the vehicle motorcade.

[0071] If it is determined in step S27 that the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group is within a predetermined value, or after the processing of step S30 is completed, in step S31, the determination unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle train is continuous based on the position information of each vehicle constituting the vehicle train supplied from the acquisition unit 43. If it is determined in step S31 that the vehicle train is not continuous, the processing returns to step S27, and the subsequent processing is repeated. If it is determined in step S31 that the vehicle train is continuous, the processing returns to step S25, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

[0072] If it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle train is not separated, in step S32, the acquisition unit 43 acquires the position information of the vehicle in which the host device 72 is mounted, detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 of the host device 72, and the position information of the vehicle in which the terminal device 1, the reception of which is controlled by the communication control unit 41, is mounted, and determines whether or not the destination has been reached, and determines whether or not the control end has been commanded, based on the operation input of the user of the host device 72 acquired by the operation input acquisition unit 42, or the operation input of the user of the terminal device 1 transmitted from any of the terminal devices 1 via the communication unit 12 by the communication control unit 41. If it is determined that the destination has not been reached and that the control end has not been commanded, the process returns to step S25, and the subsequent processes are repeated. If it is determined that the destination has been reached or that the control end has been commanded, the process is terminated.

[0073] By this process, whether the convoy is split up or not is constantly monitored until the convoy arrives at the destination, and if it is determined that the convoy is split up, the order of the convoy is determined and notified based on the driving level information of each driver according to the driving experience information of the driver. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the convoy is split up.

[0074] Also, it is possible to perform a process of resetting the order of the vehicle convoy (processing of step S28) in all cases where the vehicle convoy is split without making the determination in step S27 described above, but for example, when the distance between the leading group and the trailing group is not so great that the last vehicle in the leading group can be seen from the leading vehicle of the trailing group, it may be possible to shorten the distance and return the vehicle convoy to its original state without changing the arrangement of the groups, and in fact it is safer to drive without rearranging the groups. By making the determination in step S27 described above, the user can drive more safely and with more peace of mind even if the vehicle convoy is split.

[0075] [Third embodiment] Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle queue management system 101 in the third embodiment. Note that the same reference symbols are used to designate components having the same functions as those described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, or Fig. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0076] When it is determined that a motorcade is split, the motorcade management system 101 of the third embodiment prioritizes determining a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route before a point where there is a high possibility of the next motorcade split, but if it is not possible to set a junction point before a point where there is a high possibility of the next motorcade split, it sets a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route that is closest to the leading vehicle of the motorcade, calculates the recommended travel speed of each split group, and notifies the user. The motorcade management system 101 can also determine an appropriate rearrangement of the vehicles in each group to prevent the split from spreading further, and notify the occupants of each vehicle.

[0077] That is, the vehicle queue management system 101 in Fig. 7 has the same configuration as the vehicle queue management system 61 described with reference to Fig. 4, except that a host device 111 is newly provided instead of the host device 72. The host device 111 has the same configuration as the host device 72 described with reference to Fig. 4, except that a control unit 13c is provided instead of the control unit 13b. The control unit 13c has the same configuration as the control unit 13b described with reference to Fig. 4, except that a merging point determination unit 121 and a recommended speed calculation unit 122 are provided.

[0078] When the junction point determination unit 121 (hereinafter referred to as the determination unit 121) receives a notification of the separation of the vehicle train from the determination unit 45, the junction point determination unit 121 detects a junction point based on information of the destination or route set by a navigation system of one of the vehicles, and map information and traffic information detected by the detection unit 44. At that time, the determination unit 121 prioritizes setting a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route before a point where the next vehicle train is likely to be separated, but if there is no suitable junction point before a point where the next vehicle train is likely to be separated, the determination unit 121 determines a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route that is closest to the leading vehicle of the vehicle train. The information of the junction point determined by the determination unit 121 is transmitted to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12 under the control of the communication control unit 41, and is also supplied to its own output control unit 47. The determination unit 121 also supplies information of the determined junction point to the recommended speed calculation unit 122 and the determination unit 45.

[0079] If the merging point determined by the determination unit 121 is not before the next point where there is a high possibility of the vehicle train being split, the recommended speed calculation unit 122 (hereinafter referred to as the calculation unit 122) calculates a recommended speed for the group of vehicles in front of the split to be as slow as possible in accordance with the surrounding road conditions, based on the distance between the vehicles or the difference in the predicted arrival time at each point, so that the vehicles can merge as quickly as possible, and calculates a recommended speed for the group of vehicles in the rear of the split to be as fast as possible in accordance with the speed limit and the surrounding road conditions. The recommended speed calculated by the calculation unit 122 is transmitted to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12 under the control of the communication control unit 41, and is also supplied to its own output control unit 47.

[0080] The vehicle convoy management system 101 of the third embodiment, having such a configuration, constantly monitors whether the vehicle convoy is split until the vehicle convoy arrives at the destination, and when it is determined that the vehicle convoy is split, determines a junction point, and also determines the order of the vehicle convoy based on driving level information based on the driving experience information of each driver, and can notify the occupants of the vehicles that make up the split vehicle convoy. Furthermore, when the determined junction point is not before a point where the next vehicle convoy is likely to split, the vehicle convoy management system 101 of the third embodiment can calculate the recommended driving speed of each split group and notify the occupants of the vehicles that make up the split vehicle convoy. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the vehicle convoy is split.

[0081] (Vehicle convoy control process 3) Next, a vehicle queue control process 3 executed by the vehicle queue management system 101 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 8 and FIG.

[0082] In steps S41 to S46, the same processing as in steps S21 to S26 is executed. That is, information on the destination and route points is acquired from the navigation system, the order of the motorcade is determined based on the driving level information, the determined order of the motorcade is notified to each vehicle and presented to the user, the distance between vehicles and the like are monitored, and it is determined whether or not the motorcade has been separated.

[0083] If it is determined in step S46 that a segmentation of the vehicle convoy has occurred, in step S47, the determination unit 121 detects the location where the next segmentation of the vehicle convoy is likely to occur based on the information of the destination or route set by the navigation system and the map information and traffic information detected by the detection unit 44.

[0084] In step S48, the determination unit 121 sets a junction point that is closest to the leading vehicle in the motorcade on the route to the destination or near the route, based on the information of the destination or intermediate destinations set by the navigation system and the map information and traffic information detected by the detection unit 44.

[0085] In step S49, the determination unit 121 determines whether or not the junction exists within the next area with a high probability of being divided.

[0086] If it is determined in step S49 that the merging point is present up to the next area with a high possibility of separation, in step S50, the determination unit 121 supplies information on the determined merging point to the communication control unit 41, which transmits the information to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12, and also supplies the information to its own output control unit 47, thereby notifying each vehicle in the vehicle train. The determination unit 121 also supplies information on the determined merging point to the judgment unit 45.

[0087] If it is determined in step S49 that the merging point is located beyond the next area with a high possibility of separation, in step S51, the calculation unit 122 calculates a recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the front of the separation is as slow as possible, and calculates a recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the rear of the separation is as fast as possible.

[0088] In step S52, the determination unit 121 supplies information about the determined junction point to the communication control unit 41, which transmits the information to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12, and also supplies the information to its own output control unit 47, thereby notifying each vehicle in the vehicle train. The determination unit 121 also supplies information about the determined junction point to the judgment unit 45. The calculation unit 122 then supplies the calculation result of the recommended speed to the communication control unit 41, which transmits the information to each terminal device 1 via the communication unit 12, and also supplies the information to its own output control unit 47, thereby notifying each vehicle in the vehicle train.

[0089] In steps S53 to S55, the same processing as in steps S27 to S29 is executed. That is, it is determined whether the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and if it is determined that the difference in distance between the leading group and the following group is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the order of the convoy is determined in each divided group based on the driving level information according to the driving experience information of each driver, and is notified to each vehicle.

[0090] In step S56, the control unit 13 of the terminal device 1 outputs the notification content acquired by the communication unit 12 to the output unit 15 to notify the user of the terminal device 1. Then, the output control unit 47 of the host device 111 outputs the supplied information to the output unit 15 to notify the user of the host device 111.

[0091] In step S57, the determination unit 45 determines whether or not the junction point has been passed. If it is not determined in step S57 that the junction point has been passed, the process of step S57 is repeated until it is determined that the junction point has been passed.

[0092] If it is determined in step S57 that the merging point has been passed, then in step S58 the determination unit 45 determines whether the vehicle procession is continuous or not based on the position information of each vehicle constituting the vehicle procession supplied from the acquisition unit 43. If it is determined in step S58 that the vehicle procession is not continuous, the process returns to step S47, and the subsequent processes are repeated. If it is determined in step S58 that the vehicle procession is continuous, the process returns to step S45, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0093] If it is determined in step S46 that the vehicle train is not separated, in step S59, the acquisition unit 43 acquires the position information of the vehicle in which the host device 111 is mounted, detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 of the host device 111, and the position information of the vehicle in which the terminal device 1, the reception of which is controlled by the communication control unit 41, is mounted, and determines whether or not the destination has been reached, and determines whether or not the control end has been commanded, based on the operation input of the user of the host device 111 acquired by the operation input acquisition unit 42, or the operation input of the user of the terminal device 1 transmitted from any of the terminal devices 1 via the communication unit 12 by the communication control unit 41. If it is determined that the destination has not been reached and that the control end has not been commanded, the process returns to step S45, and the subsequent processes are repeated. If it is determined that the destination has been reached or that the control end has been commanded, the process is terminated.

[0094] Note that in this process as well, it is possible to skip the judgment in step S53 described above and instead perform the process of resetting the order of the motorcade (the process in step S54) whenever the motorcade is disrupted; however, by performing the judgment in step S53 described above, the user can drive more safely and with more peace of mind even if the motorcade is disrupted.

[0095] By such processing, whether the convoy is split or not is constantly monitored until the convoy arrives at the destination, and if it is determined that the convoy is split, a junction point is determined on the route to the destination or near the route before the next point where the convoy is likely to split, and if a junction point cannot be set before the next point where the convoy is likely to split, a junction point is set on the route to the destination or near the route that is closest to the leading vehicle of the convoy, and the recommended driving speed of each split group is calculated and notified to the user. In addition, in order to prevent the split from spreading further, appropriate relocation is determined for the vehicles in each group and notified to the occupants of each vehicle. This allows the user to drive with peace of mind even if the convoy is split.

[0096] [Supplementary explanation of the embodiment] The above-mentioned embodiments each show a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, the arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, the processing order in the flow charts, and the like shown in the embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Also, each figure is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0097] The above-mentioned series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes are executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed from a program recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose personal computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs.

[0098] In addition, the program executed by the computer may be a program in which processing is performed chronologically in the order described in this specification, or it may be a program in which processing is performed in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

[0099] [Summary of effects] (1) The above-mentioned host device 32 or host device 111 is a vehicle convoy interruption determination unit 45 that determines whether the vehicle convoy has been interrupted based on position information of a plurality of vehicles that constitute the vehicle convoy; When the vehicle train separation determination unit 45 determines that the vehicle train is separated, a junction point determination unit 46 or a junction point determination unit 121 determines a junction point on the route to the destination or near the route before the next point where the vehicle train is likely to be separated. has.

[0100] With this configuration, when the vehicle convoy is split, a merging point can be determined so as not to further split the vehicle convoy at a location where there is a high possibility of the vehicle convoy being split, and the occupants of the vehicles in the convoy can be notified. Therefore, the user can drive with peace of mind even if the vehicle convoy is split.

[0101] (2) In addition, the host device 111 a recommended speed calculation unit 122 that, when it is determined by the train separation determination unit 45 that the train is separated, calculates a first recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the front of the separation is as slow as possible, and calculates a second recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the rear of the separation is as fast as possible; If the junction point determination unit 121 is unable to determine a junction point before a point where there is a high possibility of the vehicle train being separated, it determines a junction point on the route to the destination or close to the route, at a point closest to the leading vehicle of the vehicle train; The recommended speed calculation unit 122 executes a calculation process when the merging point determination unit 121 is unable to determine a merging point before a location where there is a high possibility of the vehicle train being separated.

[0102] With this configuration, when the vehicle convoy is split, the system can calculate the recommended speed to the junction in addition to the junction based on the determined junction and the location of the next point where the vehicle convoy is likely to be split, and notify the vehicle occupants. Therefore, the user can drive with peace of mind even if the vehicle convoy is split. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1... terminal device, 11... operation input unit, 12... communication unit, 13, 13a, 13b, 13c... control unit, 14... vehicle position detection unit, 15... output unit, 21, 61, 101... vehicle queue management system, 31... map information and traffic information providing device, 32, 72, 111... host device, 41... communication control unit, 42... operation input acquisition unit, 43... vehicle position detection result acquisition unit, 44... vehicle surroundings information detection unit, 45... vehicle queue division determination unit, 46, 121... merging point determination unit, 47... output control unit, 71... storage device, 81... vehicle placement determination unit, 122... recommended speed calculation unit

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle or possessed by an occupant of the vehicle, a vehicle convoy interruption determination unit that determines whether the vehicle convoy has been interrupted based on position information of the plurality of vehicles that constitute the vehicle convoy; a junction point determination unit that, when it is determined by the vehicle train separation determination unit that the vehicle train has been separated, determines a junction point on a route to a destination or at a location close to the route, before a location where the vehicle train is likely to be separated next; 13. An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, a recommended speed calculation unit that, when it is determined by the vehicle train separation determination unit that the vehicle train is separated, calculates a first recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the front of the separation is as slow as possible, and calculates a second recommended speed so that the speed of the vehicle at the rear of the separation is as fast as possible, when the junction point determination unit cannot determine the junction point before the location where the vehicle train is likely to be separated, determines the junction point at a location on the route to the destination or close to the route, and closest to the vehicle at the front of the vehicle train; The recommended speed calculation unit executes a calculation process when the merging point determination unit is unable to determine the merging point before the location where the vehicle train is likely to be separated.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

3. An information processing method for an information processing device mounted on a vehicle or possessed by an occupant of the vehicle, comprising: a procession separation determination step of determining whether the procession has been separated based on position information of the plurality of vehicles constituting the procession; a junction point determination step of determining, when it is determined that the convoy has been separated, a junction point on the route to the destination or at a point close to the route, before a point where the next convoy separation is likely to occur; 13. An information processing method comprising:

4. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle or possessed by an occupant of the vehicle, a procession separation determination step of determining whether the procession has been separated based on position information of the plurality of vehicles constituting the procession; a junction point determination step of determining, when it is determined that the convoy has been separated, a junction point on the route to the destination or at a point close to the route, before a point where the next convoy separation is likely to occur; A program for causing a user to execute a process including the steps of:

5. In a vehicle convoy management system that manages a convoy of multiple vehicles, The host device a vehicle train separation determination unit that determines whether the vehicle train has been separated based on the position information; a junction point determination unit that, when it is determined by the vehicle train separation determination unit that the vehicle train has been separated, determines a junction point on a route to a destination or at a location close to the route, before a location where the vehicle train is likely to be separated next; having An information processing device mounted in the vehicle convoy or possessed by an occupant of the vehicle, an output unit that notifies the occupant of information regarding the meeting point determined by the meeting point determination unit; A vehicle convoy management system characterized by:

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