Automatic driving assistance method and automatic driving assistance device

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving assistance method and automatic driving assistance device, which enable suppression of traffic flow disruptions.SOLUTION: A control device provided herein is configured to receive assistance request information transmitted from an autonomously driven vehicle requesting assistance when the vehicle stops and, if the assistance request information is received from multiple vehicles, determine the presence or absence of other vehicles in a given range behind the vehicle in a lane where the vehicle is traveling and set the priority of assistance higher for the vehicle when other vehicles are present than when no other vehicles are present.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic driving assistance method and an automatic driving assistance device for assisting automatic driving. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As a system for assisting automatic driving, for example, a system in which a controller assists an automatic driving when an automatically driving vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the system of Patent Document 1, if an abnormality occurs in an autonomously driving vehicle, the vehicle notifies a server of the abnormality. The server then tracks the vehicle based on the location received from the vehicle, and upon receiving a notification of the abnormality from the vehicle, sends driving instructions to the vehicle in response to the abnormality. In this case, the server sets a priority for the vehicle to which the driving instructions are sent based on the risk level and the allowable time set for the abnormality that has occurred in the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-102159 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system of Patent Document 1 sets the priority of vehicles to which driving instructions should be sent based on the risk level corresponding to an abnormality detected by the vehicle and the allowable time. However, this system does not fully consider the vehicle's surrounding conditions. For example, when assistance request information is transmitted from a first vehicle at the front of a convoy and a second vehicle behind the first vehicle, Patent Document 1 sets the same priority for the first and second vehicles. If the first and second vehicles have the same priority, the controller may first assist the second vehicle. In this case, the second vehicle is unable to provide assistance due to a traffic jam in front of it, and ultimately has to check and assist the first vehicle. This can cause delays in providing assistance to each vehicle, potentially disrupting traffic flow.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an automated driving assistance method and an automated driving assistance device that can suppress disruptions to traffic flow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An autonomous driving assistance method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a request receiving step of receiving assistance request information transmitted from a vehicle when the vehicle stops, and a priority setting step of, when assistance request information is received from multiple vehicles, setting a higher priority for assistance for the vehicle when there are other vehicles in a predetermined range behind the vehicle in the vehicle's own lane, compared to when there are no other vehicles, based on the presence or absence of other vehicles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This allows the priority of assistance for a vehicle that is likely to cause traffic flow disruptions due to the vehicle being stopped to be increased, thereby suppressing traffic flow disruptions due to the vehicle being stopped. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a vehicle is stuck and a following vehicle is present behind the vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example in which a vehicle is stuck and a following vehicle is present behind the vehicle. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example in which a vehicle is stuck and a following vehicle is present behind the vehicle. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart showing an autonomous driving assistance method according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An automated driving assistance method and an automated driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic driving assistance system including a control device 20 which is an automatic driving assistance device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic driving assistance system 1 of this embodiment is a system in which a vehicle 10 and a control device 20 are communicably connected via a wireless communication line such as the Internet.

[0010] First, an overview of the automatic driving assistance system 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the autonomous driving assistance system 1, the vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle equipped with a controller 16 configured by a computer, and configured to be capable of autonomous driving under the control of the controller 16. The autonomous driving of such vehicle 10 is implemented by detecting surrounding objects using a surrounding detection sensor 111 and setting a driving path so as to avoid collision with the surrounding objects. For example, a driving path for the vehicle 10 is set based on lane markings detected by the surrounding detection sensor 111, and when a leading vehicle is detected, the vehicle 10 is made to follow the leading vehicle while maintaining a certain distance from the leading vehicle.

[0011] However, in such automated driving, there are cases where the vehicle 10 stops for a long time even though no system abnormality has occurred in the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, this state will be referred to as a "stuck state," the vehicle 10 that has stopped for a long time will be referred to as a "stuck vehicle 10," and the location where the vehicle 10 is stuck will be referred to as a "stuck location." There are various reasons why the vehicle 10 may become stuck, including, for example, a preceding vehicle stopping in front of the vehicle 10 in a congested section, when the vehicle 10 mistakenly identifies a parked vehicle as a preceding vehicle that is stopped while waiting at a traffic light, or when an obstacle is detected on the road. When the vehicle 10 becomes stuck, the vehicle 10 transmits assistance request information to the control device 20, requesting assistance with driving control. Based on the received assistance request information, the control device 20 of the control center 2 then performs assistance operations for the stuck vehicle 10. Here, the assistance operation in this disclosure means that a controller waiting at the control center operates the control device 20 to remotely drive the vehicle 10 that is being driven autonomously, or the controller operates the control device 20 to send information such as warnings and guidance to the vehicle 10 that is being driven autonomously.

[0012] However, as described above, when vehicle 10 becomes stuck, there is a possibility that following vehicles traveling behind vehicle 10 will also follow vehicle 10 and stop, which may cause traffic flow disruptions such as congestion. Furthermore, when assistance request information is transmitted from multiple vehicles 10, it is necessary for control device 20 to appropriately set priorities and provide assistance to vehicle 10. In other words, delays in providing assistance to vehicle 10 can be expected to cause traffic flow disruptions or worsen traffic flow disruptions, and therefore it is necessary to provide assistance to vehicles 10 in an appropriate order. In setting such priorities, if a controller checks the status of each vehicle 10 and sets the priority, the burden on the controller increases and work efficiency decreases. Furthermore, assistance to vehicle 10 may be delayed due to the controller's confirmation work. For this reason, in this embodiment, the control device 20 automatically sets priorities for the assistance request information transmitted from each vehicle 10 so as to suppress disruption of traffic flow, and guides (notifies) the controller to assist the vehicle 10 in order of highest priority. The automatic driving assistance system 1 and the automatic driving assistance method will be described in detail below.

[0013] [General configuration of vehicle 10] As described above, the vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle 10 includes a sensor group 11, a navigation device 12, a driving drive unit 13, a driving control unit 14, a communication unit 15, and a controller 16. The sensor group 11 is made up of various sensors that measure the conditions of the vehicle 10 and the surroundings of the vehicle 10. The sensor group 11 includes, for example, a surroundings detection sensor 111, a position detection sensor 112, a travel detection sensor 113, and the like. As described above, the surroundings detection sensor 111 is a sensor that detects objects around the vehicle, and detects objects within a predetermined range around the vehicle, including the area behind the vehicle. Objects to be detected include, for example, vehicles around the vehicle, road markings, signs, traffic lights, obstacles on the road that may hinder driving, etc. The specific configuration of the surroundings detection sensor 111 is not particularly limited, and for example, a general imaging camera, laser radar, millimeter-wave radar, etc. may be used.

[0014] The position detection sensor 112 is a sensor that detects the current position of the vehicle. An example of the position detection sensor 112 is a receiver that receives satellite signals of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to determine the current position.

[0015] The travel detection sensor 113 detects various information related to the travel of the vehicle. For example, the travel detection sensor 113 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc., and detects the vehicle speed and acceleration of the vehicle. In addition, sensors such as an accelerator opening detection sensor that detects the accelerator opening, and sensors that detect the rotation speed of the engine, drive motor, etc. may also be provided.

[0016] The navigation device 12 acquires map information within a predetermined distance around the vehicle. For example, the navigation device 12 may be an information recording device in which map information is recorded on a recording medium mounted on the vehicle and the map information is acquired from the recording medium. Alternatively, the navigation device 12 may receive map information by communicating with a data server in which map information is stored via a communication line such as the Internet.

[0017] This map information includes various types of information related to roads. For example, the map information includes nodes and links connecting the nodes. Nodes include information about specific locations such as intersections, railroad crossings, highway interchanges and toll booths, and parking entrances and exits. Links are information about roads connecting nodes, and may also include information about the number of lanes on the roads and the possible directions of travel for vehicles on each lane.

[0018] The navigation device 12 further generates a driving plan for the vehicle. For example, when a destination is set by the user, the navigation device 12 calculates driving plan information from the current position detected by the position detection sensor 112 to the destination.

[0019] The driving unit 13 is a mechanism for driving the vehicle 10, and includes a driving source such as an engine or a motor, a drive transmission unit that reduces the driving force of the driving source at a predetermined reduction ratio and transmits it to the driving wheels, driving wheels, a steering mechanism, a braking mechanism, etc. The traveling control unit 14 controls each component of the traveling drive unit 13 based on commands from the controller 16, and causes the vehicle 10 to travel (autonomously drive).

[0020] The communication unit 15 communicates with other devices connected to a network via a communication line such as the Internet. For example, in this embodiment, the vehicle 10 communicates with the control device 20 via the communication unit 15 to transmit and receive various information.

[0021] The controller 16 is a computer for controlling automatic driving of the vehicle, and is configured to include, for example, a vehicle-side storage unit 161 configured with a memory or the like, a vehicle-side processor 17 configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and an input / output interface (not shown). The vehicle-side processor 17 reads and executes various programs stored in the vehicle-side storage unit 161, thereby functioning as a driving control unit 171, a surroundings detection unit 172, a request transmission unit 173, an assistance processing unit 174, and the like, as shown in Fig. 2. An example is shown in which the vehicle-side processor 17 executes the programs to realize the respective functional configurations of the driving control unit 171, the surroundings detection unit 172, the request transmission unit 173, and the assistance processing unit 174, but some or all of these may be realized by individual hardware configurations.

[0022] The driving control unit 171 performs automatic driving of the vehicle 10. For example, the driving control unit 171 sets a route along the route of the vehicle 10 that will actually travel, based on route information obtained from the navigation device 12. Then, the driving control unit 171 appropriately modifies the set route based on information obtained from the surroundings detection sensor 111, such as vehicles and obstacles around the vehicle 10, road markings, traffic lights, and signs, and outputs a driving command to the driving control unit 14 to cause the vehicle 10 to travel along the route. This allows the vehicle 10 to automatically drive along the route. For example, when a preceding vehicle is present, the driving control unit 171 causes the vehicle 10 to travel following the preceding vehicle while maintaining a certain distance from the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, when an obstacle is present on the road, the driving control unit 171 causes the vehicle 10 to travel while avoiding the obstacle by setting a route that avoids the obstacle. Furthermore, when the preceding vehicle is stopped due to traffic congestion or the like, the driving control unit 171 causes the vehicle 10 to stop while maintaining a predetermined distance from the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, when a stop command is issued based on the detection of a traffic light, a railroad crossing, or the like, the driving control unit 171 causes the vehicle 10 to stop.

[0023] The surroundings detection unit 172 monitors the situation around the vehicle 10 using the surroundings detection sensor 111. Specifically, the surroundings detection unit 172 detects other vehicles, obstacles, road markings, signs, traffic lights, and the like around the vehicle 10. The surroundings detection unit 172 also detects the positions of other vehicles and obstacles on the road. Other vehicles include other vehicles (following vehicles) traveling within a predetermined range behind the vehicle 10 in the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0024] The request sending unit 173 sends assistance request information to the control device 20 requesting assistance with autonomous driving when the vehicle 10 is stopped at the same location and the stopping time is longer than a predetermined time (i.e., when the vehicle 10 is detected as stuck). Additionally, the request transmission unit 173 transmits, together with the assistance request information, driving status information for a controller to determine whether the autonomous driving of the vehicle 10 is normal. The driving status information includes measurement values ​​measured by various sensors of the sensor group 11, such as the current position of the vehicle 10, the presence or absence of other vehicles or obstacles in the vicinity, and the positions of the other vehicles and obstacles.

[0025] The support processing unit 174 receives support command information returned from the control device 20 in response to the transmission of the support request information, and performs processing in accordance with the support command information. The support command information may include not only a command to have the controller carry out a support operation, but also information indicating that no support is required, ie, that no support operation is to be carried out. When the support command information includes support-unnecessary information, the support processing unit 174 does not perform any particular processing, and the automatic driving control by the driving control unit 171 continues. Furthermore, when the assistance command information includes assistance operation content, the assistance processing unit 174 performs processing according to the assistance operation content. For example, when the assistance operation content is remote operation content by a controller, the remote command transmitted from the control device 20 is input to the driving control unit 171. As a result, the vehicle 10 is remotely operated by the controller. Alternatively, the assistance operation content may include a notification command to issue a warning or guidance, and in this case, the assistance processing unit 174 issues the warning or guidance to the occupant of the vehicle 10 by voice or image based on the notification command.

[0026] [Configuration of control device 20] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control device 20 provided in the control center 2. As shown in FIG. The control device 20 is an automated driving assistance device of the present disclosure and is configured by a computer. The control device 20 is configured to include a control-side storage unit 21 configured by a memory or the like, a control-side processor 22 configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, an input / output interface (not shown), a monitor 23 connected via the input / output interface, a control-side communication unit 24, and the like. The control-side processor 22 reads and executes various programs stored in the control-side storage unit 21, thereby functioning as an information receiving unit 221, a priority setting unit 222, a vehicle state notification unit 223, an assistance command acquisition unit 224, a command transmission unit 225, and the like, as shown in FIG. 3 . An example is shown in which the control-side processor 22 executes the programs to realize the respective functional configurations of the information receiving unit 221, the priority setting unit 222, the vehicle state notification unit 223, the assistance command acquisition unit 224, and the command transmission unit 225, but some or all of these may be realized by individual hardware configurations.

[0027] The information receiving unit 221 functions as a request receiving unit of the present disclosure, and receives assistance request information transmitted from the vehicle 10. The information receiving unit 221 also receives driving state information along with the assistance request information.

[0028] The priority setting unit 222 sets priorities of the vehicles 10 for which the controller should provide support when receiving support request information from multiple vehicles 10. The priority setting unit 222 sets priorities based on the vehicles following the vehicle 10 that transmitted the support request information.

[0029] 4 to 6 are diagrams showing an example in which the vehicle 10 is stuck and there is a following vehicle behind the vehicle 10. FIG. When there is a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle 10 in the same lane (own lane) as the vehicle 10, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority than when there is no following vehicle. Therefore, when there is a following vehicle 80 behind the vehicle 10 as shown in (A) to (C) of Figure 4, the priority is set higher than when there is no following vehicle 80.

[0030] Furthermore, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority as the number of following vehicles 80 increases based on the number of following vehicles 80 within a predetermined range behind the vehicle 10 in the own lane 90. Here, the predetermined range can be, for example, a distance that can be detected by the surroundings detection sensor 111. For example, in both Figures 4(A) and 4(B), following vehicles 80 are present behind the vehicle 10, but the number of following vehicles 80 in the situation in Figure 4(B) is greater than the number of following vehicles 80 in the situation in Figure 4(A). Therefore, the priority setting unit 222 sets the priority of the vehicle 10 in Figure 4(B) higher than the priority of the vehicle 10 in Figure 4(A). 4(C), when the stopping position of the following vehicle 80 is in a no-stopping area 91, the priority is set higher than when the stopping position of the following vehicle 80 is not in a no-stopping area 91 or when there is no no-stopping area 91. Examples of no-stopping areas 91 include areas where emergency vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances enter and exit, crosswalks, intersections, and railroad crossings.

[0031] Furthermore, when there are multiple following vehicles within a predetermined range behind vehicle 10, if the multiple following vehicles 80 include an automatically driven vehicle, priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority than when no automatically driven vehicle is included. Also, the greater the number of automatically driven vehicles included in following vehicles 80, the higher the priority is set. For example, Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the following vehicles 80 of vehicle 10 include an automatically driven vehicle 81, and in Fig. 5(A) one of the following vehicles 80 is an automatically driven vehicle 81, and in Fig. 5(B) two of the following vehicles 80 are automatically driven vehicles 81. In Fig. 5(A) and Fig. 5(B), the number of following vehicles 80 behind vehicle 10 is the same. In this case, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority for vehicle 10 in Fig. 5(B), which has a larger number of automatically driven vehicles 81, than for vehicle 10 in Fig. 5(A). The number of autonomous vehicles 81 included in the following vehicles 80 can be determined by detecting the relative positions of each vehicle 10 from the driving status information transmitted together with the assistance request information, and then identifying and counting the following autonomous vehicles 81 traveling behind each vehicle 10 that have transmitted the assistance request information.

[0032] Furthermore, if the following vehicle is able to overtake the vehicle 10, the priority setting unit 222 sets a lower priority than if the following vehicle is unable to overtake the vehicle 10. 6(A) and (B) show an example of a situation in which the vehicle 10 cannot overtake another vehicle, and FIG. 6(C) shows an example of a situation in which the vehicle 10 can overtake another vehicle. As shown in Figure 6(A), if the lane 90 is a single lane in each direction and the dividing line between the lane 90 and the adjacent lane 92 (the oncoming lane in the example of Figure 6(A)) is a no-passing line 93 (e.g., an orange line) indicating that overtaking is not permitted, it is determined that overtaking is not possible. Also, as shown in Figure 6(B), even if there is an adjacent lane 92 (to the left of the own lane 90 in the example of Figure 6(C)) in the own lane 90 and the dividing line between the own lane 90 and the adjacent lane 92 is an overtaking permitted line 94 (for example, a white line) that allows overtaking, if there is another vehicle (adjacent vehicle 82) in the adjacent lane 92, it is determined that overtaking is not possible. Note that in Figure 6(B), the dividing line in the adjacent lane 92 to the right of the own lane 90 is an overtaking prohibited line 93, and overtaking is not possible.

[0033] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(C), if there is an adjacent lane 92 adjacent to the own lane 90 (to the left of the own lane 90 in the example of Figure 6(C)), the dividing line between the own lane 90 and the adjacent lane 92 is an overtaking permitted line 94 (for example, a white line), and there is no adjacent vehicle 82 in the adjacent lane 92, it is determined that overtaking is possible. Note that in Figure 6(C), the dividing line of the adjacent lane 92 to the right of the own lane 90 is an overtaking prohibited line 93, and overtaking is not possible. However, even if the above conditions are met, if the following vehicle 80 behind the vehicle 10 has been stopped behind the vehicle 10 and following the vehicle 10 for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined that overtaking is impossible. In other words, if the road is one where overtaking is possible and the following vehicle 80 continues to be stopped behind the vehicle 10, the priority setting unit 222 determines that there is a reason why overtaking is not possible, and determines that overtaking is impossible for the vehicle 10.

[0034] The priority setting unit 222 can determine whether or not there is an adjacent lane 92 adjacent to the own lane 90 and the type of lane marking between the own lane 90 and the adjacent lane 92 based on the surrounding image included in the driving condition information transmitted together with the assistance request information. Alternatively, the priority setting unit 222 may read information about the road corresponding to the position where the vehicle 10 is stuck from map information recorded in the control-side memory unit 21.

[0035] To set the priority of the vehicle 10 as described above, priority condition information in which added points are set in advance for conditions such as the presence or absence of following vehicles 80, the presence or absence of following vehicles 80 stopped in the no-stopping zone 91, the number of following vehicles 80, the number of automatically driven vehicles 81 included in the following vehicles 80, and whether or not overtaking is possible is stored in the control-side storage unit 21. The priority setting unit 222 then reads out the added points corresponding to the conditions that apply to the situation around the vehicle 10 and calculates the priority by adding the added points. There may be multiple conditions, and in this case, the added points corresponding to the multiple conditions are added as the priority for the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the added points may be different for each road corresponding to the position where the vehicle 10 is stuck. Alternatively, the priority setting unit 222 may set the priority based on whether or not there is a following vehicle 80, and if there are vehicles 10 with the same priority, set the priority between these identical vehicles 10 based on other conditions.

[0036] [Autonomous driving assistance method] Next, an automatic driving assistance method in the automatic driving assistance system 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the automatic driving assistance method in the control device 20 of this embodiment. In the autonomous driving assistance system 1 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 10 performing autonomous driving stops and a preset time has elapsed, the request sending unit 173 of the vehicle 10 detects that the vehicle 10 is stuck and sends assistance request information and driving status information to the control device 20. In the control device 20, when the information receiving unit 221 receives support request information (step S1: request receiving step), the priority setting unit 222 determines whether support request information has been received from multiple vehicles 10 (step S2). If the determination in step S2 is NO, the vehicle state notification unit 223 notifies the controller by, for example, displaying the driving state information on the monitor 23 (step S3). This allows the controller at the control center 2 to determine whether the vehicle 10 is in a situation requiring assistance or not requiring assistance.

[0037] If the determination in step S2 is YES, the priority setting unit 222 calculates a priority based on the following vehicle 80 based on information (for example, image information) behind the vehicle 10 included in the traveling state information (step S4). As described above, the priority setting unit 222 sets the priority based on a determination of whether or not the following vehicle 80 can overtake the vehicle 10, based on whether or not there are following vehicles 80 behind the vehicle 10 in the lane 90 in which the vehicle 10 is traveling, whether or not there are following vehicles 80 stopped in the no-stopping zone 91, the number of following vehicles 80, the number of automatically driven vehicles 81 included in the multiple following vehicles 80, and the presence or absence of adjacent lanes 92 and adjacent vehicles 82. For example, the priority is set by reading out a point value corresponding to each of the above conditions from priority condition information stored in advance in the control-side memory unit 21 and adding the points.

[0038] Alternatively, the priority conditions are set based on the above conditions, and when there are vehicles 10 with the same priority, further priorities are set among the vehicles 10 with the same priority based on other conditions. For example, the priority setting unit 222 sets priorities based on the presence or absence of a following vehicle 80, and when there are vehicles 10 with the same priority, priorities are set among these vehicles 10 with the same priority based on the presence or absence of a following vehicle 80 stopping in a stopping no-go area 91. When there are vehicles 10 with the same priority in the priority setting based on the presence or absence of a following vehicle 80 stopping in a stopping no-go area 91, further priorities are set among these vehicles 10 with the same priority based on the number of following vehicles 80. When there are vehicles 10 with the same priority in the priority setting based on the number of following vehicles 80, further priorities are set among these vehicles 10 with the same priority based on the number of automatically-driven vehicles 81 included in the following vehicles 80. When there are vehicles 10 with the same priority in the priority setting based on the number of automatically-driven vehicles 81, further priorities are set among these vehicles 10 with the same priority based on whether or not the following vehicle 10 can be overtaken.

[0039] Thereafter, the vehicle state notification unit 223 notifies the controller of the driving state of the vehicle 10 that transmitted the support request information by, for example, displaying the driving state information transmitted from the vehicle 10 on the monitor 23 in descending order of priority (step S5: notification step). This allows the controller at the control center 2 to determine whether the vehicle 10 is in a state requiring support or a state not requiring support in descending order of priority. At this time, the vehicle state notification unit 223 notifies the controller of the priority of the vehicle 10 that transmitted the support request information. This allows the controller to know whether the vehicle 10 has a high priority when checking it.

[0040] Furthermore, it is preferable that the driving condition information notified to the controller is various kinds of real-time information about the vehicle 10. Therefore, it is preferable that the driving condition information of the vehicle 10 is not limited to various kinds of information detected by the sensor group 11 only when the vehicle 10 transmits the assistance request information, but that the vehicle 10 continuously transmits the driving condition information after transmitting the assistance request information, and that the information receiving unit 221 continuously receives the driving condition information. For example, when transmitting images of the area around the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 continuously transmits images of the situation after the assistance request information is transmitted, rather than transmitting still images at the time the assistance request information is transmitted. This allows the controller to check the status of the vehicle 10 based on live streaming video. At this time, the information receiving unit 221 requests the vehicle 10 that transmitted the assistance request information to transmit driving condition information with a data volume based on the priority. That is, the information receiving unit 221 requests each vehicle 10 to transmit driving state information so that the amount of data transmitted by a vehicle 10 with a lower priority is smaller than that transmitted by a vehicle 10 with a higher priority. For example, a vehicle 10 with a lower priority may be requested to transmit only its current location, and as the priority increases, an image showing the state of the vehicle 10's surroundings and the distance to nearby obstacles (including other vehicles) may be requested. Alternatively, a vehicle with a lower priority may be requested to reduce the frame rate of the image information (video) to be transmitted. Note that even when the information receiving unit 221 has requested a reduction in the amount of data of the driving state information to be transmitted, if a controller inputs an instruction to increase the amount of data of the driving state information, the information receiving unit 221 returns to normal driving state information.

[0041] After step S3 or step S5, the controller checks the driving state information to determine whether or not an assist operation should be performed, and inputs the determination result to the control device 20. For example, if an assist operation is necessary, the controller inputs the details of the assist operation, and if an assist operation is not necessary, the controller inputs no-assist information indicating that no assistance is required. As a result, the assistance command acquisition unit 224 of the control device 20 acquires the input determination result (step S6). Furthermore, the command transmitting unit 225 transmits assistance command information according to the determination result to the vehicle 10 (step S7).

[0042] [Effects of this embodiment] The control device 20 functioning as the autonomous driving assistance device of this embodiment includes a control-side memory unit 21 and a control-side processor 22. The control-side processor 22 functions as an information receiving unit 221 and a priority setting unit 222 by reading and executing a program stored in the control-side memory unit 21. The control device 20 then performs a request receiving step (step S1) and a priority setting step (steps S2 and S4). In step S1, the information receiving unit 221 receives assistance request information transmitted from the vehicle 10 when the vehicle 10 stops. If the priority setting unit 222 determines in step S2 that assistance request information has been received from multiple vehicles 10, in step S4, the priority setting unit 222 determines whether or not there is a following vehicle 80 within a predetermined range behind the vehicle 10 in the current lane 90, and if there is a following vehicle 80, sets a higher priority for assistance for the vehicle 10 compared to if there is no following vehicle 80.

[0043] As a result, even when assistance request information is received from multiple vehicles 10 that are stuck in the same traffic situation, a high priority is set for a vehicle 10 among these multiple vehicles 10 that has a following vehicle 80 and is likely to disrupt traffic flow (cause congestion). By providing assistance to vehicles 10 based on such priorities, it is possible to prevent disruptions to traffic flow. In addition, it is no longer necessary for a controller to check the status of each vehicle 10 and determine which vehicle 10 should receive assistance first, which reduces the burden on the controller and improves work efficiency.

[0044] In this embodiment, in step S4, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority as the number of following vehicles 80 in a predetermined range behind the vehicle 10 increases. The greater the number of following vehicles 80, the higher the possibility of traffic flow disruption occurring due to vehicle 10 getting stuck, and the greater the impact if traffic flow disruption occurs. In contrast, in this embodiment, the priority setting unit 222 increases the assistance priority for vehicle 10 the greater the number of following vehicles 80, so that traffic flow disruption can be suppressed and the number of other vehicles affected by traffic flow disruption can also be reduced.

[0045] In this embodiment, in step S4, when an automatically driven vehicle 81 is present within a predetermined range behind the vehicle 10, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority than when an automatically driven vehicle 81 is not present. If the following vehicles 80 include an autonomous vehicle 81, the following autonomous vehicles 81 also become stuck due to the vehicle 10 becoming stuck, and typically these autonomous vehicles 81 also transmit assistance request information. In such a situation, the following autonomous vehicles 81 cannot be cleared from being stuck unless the preceding vehicle 10 is cleared from being stuck. In this embodiment, the priority of a vehicle 10 that has an autonomous vehicle 81 following it is increased, and assistance is provided more quickly. This increases the likelihood that the following autonomous vehicles 81 can be cleared from being stuck, and reduces the number of assistance request information received from a large number of vehicles.

[0046] In this embodiment, in step S4, the priority setting unit 222 sets a higher priority when the following vehicle 80 is stopped in the stopping prohibition area 91 compared to when there is no stopping prohibition area 91 or when the following vehicle 80 is not stopped in the stopping prohibition area 91. This allows the vehicle 10 to quickly become unstuck, thereby enabling the following vehicle 80 to escape from the no-stopping area 91.

[0047] In this embodiment, in step S4, the priority setting unit 222 determines whether the following vehicle 80 is able to overtake the vehicle 10 based on whether there is an adjacent lane 92 adjacent to the own lane 90, and if overtaking is not possible, sets a higher priority than if overtaking is possible. If the following vehicle 80 can overtake the stuck vehicle 10, the following vehicle 80 can overtake the vehicle 10, thereby preventing disruption to traffic flow. Therefore, when the following vehicle 80 can overtake the vehicle 10, the priority is lowered compared to when the following vehicle 80 cannot overtake the vehicle 10, and by prioritizing assistance for the vehicle 10 in situations where the following vehicle 80 cannot overtake the vehicle 10, disruption to traffic flow can be prevented.

[0048] In this embodiment, in step S4, even if it is determined that overtaking of vehicle 10 is possible, if the following vehicle 80 does not overtake the vehicle and the vehicle is stopped for a predetermined period of time, the priority setting unit 222 determines that overtaking of vehicle 10 is impossible. Even if there is an adjacent lane 92 and no adjacent vehicle 82, if the following vehicle 80 continues to be stopped behind the vehicle 10, there may be other reasons why the following vehicle 80 cannot overtake. Therefore, in such a case, the priority setting unit 222 determines that overtaking is not possible and increases the priority of the vehicle 10, thereby preventing disruption of traffic flow.

[0049] In this embodiment, in step S5, the vehicle state notification unit 223 notifies the controller of the reception of the assistance request information from the vehicle 10 in descending order of priority. This allows the controller to check the status of the vehicles 10 in descending order of priority and provide support to the vehicles 10. Since the controller does not need to set priorities based on the statuses of multiple vehicles 10, it is possible to reduce the burden on the controller and improve operational efficiency.

[0050] In this embodiment, in step S5, the vehicle state notification unit 223 notifies the controller of the vehicle 10 to be supported and its priority. This allows the controller to know the priority of the vehicle 10 that is the notified support target, and to grasp in advance the urgency of the support for the vehicle 10.

[0051] In this embodiment, the information receiving unit 221 receives the driving state information together with the assistance request information. The driving state information is continuously received from the vehicle 10, and after a priority is set for the vehicle 10, the information receiving unit 221 requests transmission of the driving state information with a data amount according to the priority. This reduces the amount of data transmission of driving status information to vehicles 10 that have a lower priority and will be provided with assistance later, thereby reducing communication delays due to an increase in the amount of communication data and processing delays due to an increase in the amount of data processed by the control device 20.

[0052] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but also includes the following modifications within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0053] For example, in the above embodiment, the priority setting unit 222 sets the priority based on whether or not there are any vehicles 80 following the vehicle 10, the number of following vehicles 80, whether or not the stopping location of the following vehicles 80 is in a no-stopping zone 91, the number of autonomous vehicles 81 included in the following vehicles 80, and whether or not the following vehicles 80 can overtake the vehicle 10. This is a priority setting for suppressing traffic flow disruptions due to congestion when the vehicle 10 is stuck. However, further conditions such as the stuck location of the vehicle 10 and its positional relationship with a location such as an intersection may be added as conditions for setting the priority. In this case, for example, these multiple conditions and an added point value for each condition are recorded in the priority condition information. Then, the priority setting unit 222 may specify conditions according to the stuck location of the vehicle 10 and the surrounding situation, and set the priority by adding an added point value corresponding to the specified condition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1...Autonomous driving assistance system, 10...vehicle, 20...control device (autonomous driving assistance device), 21...control side memory unit, 22...control side processor, 23...monitor, 24...control side communication unit, 80...following vehicle, 81...autonomously driven vehicle, 82...adjacent vehicle, 90...own lane, 91...no stopping area, 92...adjacent lane, 93...no passing line, 94...passing permitted line, 221...information receiving unit, 222...priority setting unit, 223...vehicle status notification unit, 224...assistance command acquisition unit, 225...command sending unit.

Claims

1. An automatic driving assistance method for assisting a vehicle traveling by automatic driving using a computer, comprising: The computer a request receiving step of receiving assistance request information, which is transmitted from the vehicle when the vehicle stops, requesting assistance for the vehicle; and a priority setting step of, when the assistance request information is received from a plurality of the vehicles, setting a higher priority for assistance for the vehicle if there are other vehicles in a predetermined range behind the vehicle in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, compared to when there are no other vehicles.

2. In the priority setting step, the priority is set higher as the number of other vehicles within a predetermined range behind the vehicle increases. The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

3. In the priority setting step, when the other vehicle traveling by automatic driving is present within a predetermined range behind the vehicle, the priority is set higher than when the other vehicle traveling by automatic driving is not present. The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

4. In the priority setting step, when there is a no-stop area in a predetermined range behind the vehicle and the other vehicle is stopped in the no-stop area, the priority is set higher than when there is no no-stop area and when there is no other vehicle in the no-stop area. The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

5. In the priority setting step, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle within a predetermined range behind the vehicle can overtake the vehicle based on the presence or absence of an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, and if the other vehicle cannot overtake the vehicle, the priority is set higher than if the other vehicle can overtake the vehicle. The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

6. If it is determined in the priority setting step that the vehicle can overtake, and if the other vehicle does not overtake the vehicle and stops behind the vehicle for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the other vehicle cannot overtake the vehicle. The automatic driving assistance method according to claim 5.

7. The computer a notification step of notifying a controller of the reception of the assistance request information from the vehicle in descending order of priority; The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

8. In the notification step, the priority is notified to a controller together with receiving the assistance request information. The automatic driving assistance method according to claim 7.

9. The computer receiving driving state information relating to the driving state of the vehicle together with the assistance request information, and after the priority is set in the priority setting step, requesting the vehicle to reduce the amount of data of the driving state information as the priority becomes lower; The method for assisting automatic driving according to claim 1 .

10. An automatic driving assistance device that provides driving assistance for a vehicle traveling by automatic driving, a request receiving unit that receives assistance request information, which is transmitted from the vehicle when the vehicle stops, requesting assistance for the vehicle; a priority setting unit that, when receiving the assistance request information from a plurality of the vehicles, sets a higher priority for assistance for the vehicle when there is another vehicle in a predetermined range behind the vehicle in the own lane in which the vehicle is traveling, compared to when there is no other vehicle; An autonomous driving assistance device equipped with:

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