Driving plan formulation device

Abstract

To improve the usefulness of a technique to settle a travel plan of a vehicle with safety considered.SOLUTION: A travel plan settling device according to the present disclosure comprises a control unit. The control unit is configured to obtain a travel plan of a vehicle and road information on an entry restricted road where human entry into a roadway is restricted, determine whether or not a road other than the entry restricted road is included in a travel path included in the travel plan on the basis of the road information, and change the travel path so as to avoid the road when it is determined that the road other than the entry restricted road is included in the travel path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving plan development device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for formulating a driving plan for a vehicle that takes safety into consideration. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for setting a driving route to a destination for an autonomous vehicle, taking into consideration the degree of risk along the driving route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-25931 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need for further improvements in the usefulness of technology for formulating safety-conscious vehicle driving plans, such as reducing the probability of accidents resulting in personal injury when formulating driving plans.

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to improve the usefulness of technology for formulating a vehicle travel plan that takes safety into consideration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A driving plan formulation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a driving plan formulation device that includes a control unit, and the control unit is configured to acquire a vehicle driving plan and road information regarding entry-restricted roads where human entry onto roadways is restricted, determine based on the road information whether a driving route included in the driving plan includes a road other than the entry-restricted road, and if it is determined that the driving route includes a road other than the entry-restricted road, change the driving route to avoid the road. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the usefulness of a technology for formulating a vehicle travel plan that takes safety into consideration is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a driving plan development system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving plan development system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a driving plan development system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the driving plan development system 1. The driving plan development system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a server 20, and a terminal device 30.

[0011] The vehicle 10 may be any vehicle, such as a bus, a car, or a motorcycle. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle that can travel at least partially autonomously. The level of autonomous driving is, for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in the classification of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). However, the vehicle 10 may be driven by a driver or remotely operated.

[0012] The server 20 is configured with one or more computers. In this embodiment, the server 20 is described as being configured with one computer. However, the server 20 may be configured with multiple computers that can communicate with each other, such as a cloud computing system.

[0013] The terminal device 30 is, for example, a smartphone, but is not limited to this and may be any computer such as a personal computer or a tablet terminal.

[0014] 1 shows only one vehicle 10, one server 20, and one terminal device 30. However, the driving plan development system 1 may include any number of vehicles 10, one server 20, and one terminal device 30. The vehicle 10, the server 20, and the terminal device 30 are communicatively connected to a network 40 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0015] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be provided later. A driving plan formulation system 1 is used, for example, to formulate a driving plan for a vehicle 10. A server 20, which is a driving plan formulation device, acquires a driving plan for the vehicle 10 and road information related to entry-restricted roads where human entry onto roadways is restricted. Based on the road information, the server 20 determines whether a driving route included in the driving plan includes a road other than the entry-restricted road. If the server 20 determines that a road other than the entry-restricted road is included in the driving route, it changes the driving route to avoid that road.

[0016] As described above, according to this embodiment, in selecting a driving route, priority is given to roads where people such as pedestrians are less likely to intrude onto the roadway, thereby reducing the probability of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the usefulness of the technology for formulating a vehicle driving plan that takes safety into consideration is improved.

[0017] In this embodiment, the "travel plan" of vehicle 10 is a travel schedule of vehicle 10. The travel plan of vehicle 10 includes information such as the departure point, intermediate points, destination, travel route which is the route traveled by vehicle 10, travel time zone, scheduled departure time from the departure point, scheduled arrival time at intermediate points, scheduled arrival time at the destination, total travel time, total travel distance, fuel consumption during travel, and weather along the travel route in the travel time zone. However, the travel plan of vehicle 10 may include information other than the above-mentioned information.

[0018] In this embodiment, a "restricted-access road" is a road where human intrusion onto the roadway is restricted. Restricted-access roads include, for example, pedestrian-vehicle separated roads where pedestrian paths are separated from roadways by physical means such as guardrails, curbs, or steps. Restricted-access roads also include roads where bicycle lanes are provided and bicycle paths are separated from roadways by physical means. Restricted-access roads also include expressways and other roads for automobiles only. However, restricted-access roads are not limited to the roads described above. Furthermore, when a single road includes multiple roadways, whether the road is a restricted-access road may be determined for each lane and each direction of travel. For example, in the case of a road that includes two roadways with different travel directions, if a guardrail or the like is installed on only one of the two roadways to restrict human intrusion, the road may be determined to be a restricted-access road only when traveling on that roadway.

[0019] In this embodiment, the "road information related to the entry-restricted road" includes information that can identify the entry-restricted road. For example, the road information related to the entry-restricted road is a map on which information about the entry-restricted road is mapped, but is not limited to this. The road information related to the entry-restricted road may also include information that can identify roads other than the entry-restricted road. The "roads other than the entry-restricted roads" are, for example, roads where lanes are indicated by dividing lines (white lines) or roads without dividing lines, and where pedestrian paths or bicycle paths are not physically separated from the roadway, but are not limited to these.

[0020] Next, each component of the driving plan development system 1 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle 10. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server 20.

[0021] (Vehicle configuration) 3, vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a positioning unit 12, a sensing unit 13, an output unit 14, an input unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17. Communication unit 11, positioning unit 12, sensing unit 13, output unit 14, input unit 15, storage unit 16, and control unit 17 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, for example, via an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a dedicated line.

[0022] The communication unit 11 includes a communication module for connecting to the network 40. The communication module is a communication module compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The communication module may be a communication module compatible with standards such as wired LAN (Local Area Network) or wireless LAN. The communication module may be a communication module compatible with short-range wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or infrared communication. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 is connected to the network 40 via the communication unit 11. This allows the vehicle 10 to communicate with the server 20, etc.

[0023] The positioning unit 12 includes one or more positioning devices capable of generating position information of the vehicle 10. The position information of the vehicle 10 is, for example, coordinates such as two-dimensional coordinates or three-dimensional coordinates of the location where the vehicle 10 is located.

[0024] The positioning unit 12 generates position information of the vehicle 10 by navigation using a satellite positioning system, autonomous navigation, or a combination thereof. The positioning unit 12 may include a receiver compatible with a satellite positioning system such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) in order to generate position information of the vehicle 10 by navigation using the satellite positioning system. The positioning unit 12 may include a sensor such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor in order to generate position information of the vehicle 10 by autonomous navigation.

[0025] The sensing unit 13 includes one or more sensors capable of sensing a human being present around the vehicle 10. For example, the sensor may be a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) or a RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging), but is not limited to these.

[0026] The output unit 14 includes one or more output devices. The output devices included in the output unit 14 are, for example, a display, a speaker, a lamp, etc. The output unit 14 outputs an image, sound, light, etc.

[0027] The input unit 15 includes one input device. The input device included in the input unit 15 is, for example, a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, etc. The input unit 15 accepts input operations from a user.

[0028] The storage unit 16 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like. The storage unit 16 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 16 stores any information used in the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 16 stores a system program, an application program, embedded software, or the like. The information stored in the storage unit 16 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0029] The control unit 17 includes one or more processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The control unit 17 is not limited to a processor and may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The control unit 17 controls each component of the vehicle 10 to realize functions of the vehicle 10, including the functions of the components such as the communication unit 11, the positioning unit 12, the sensing unit 13, the output unit 14, the input unit 15, and the memory unit 16. The control unit 17 may be, for example, an Autonomous Driving System (ADS), an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), or a car navigation system of the vehicle 10.

[0030] (Server configuration) 3, the server 20 includes a communication unit 21, an output unit 22, an input unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25. The communication unit 21, the output unit 22, the input unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the control unit 25 are connected to each other via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0031] The communication unit 21 includes a communication module for connecting to the network 40. The communication module is a communication module compatible with a mobile communication standard such as 4G or 5G. The communication module may be a communication module compatible with a standard such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. The communication module may be a communication module compatible with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared communication. In this embodiment, the server 20 is connected to the network 40 via the communication unit 21. This allows the server 20 to communicate with the vehicle 10, the terminal device 30, etc.

[0032] The output unit 22 includes one or more output devices. The output devices included in the output unit 22 are, for example, a display, a speaker, a lamp, etc. The output unit 22 outputs an image, sound, light, etc.

[0033] The input unit 23 includes one input device. The input device included in the input unit 23 is, for example, a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, etc. The input unit 23 accepts input operations from the user.

[0034] The storage unit 24 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like. The storage unit 24 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 24 stores any information used in the operation of the server 20. For example, the storage unit 24 stores a system program, an application program, embedded software, or the like. The information stored in the storage unit 24 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0035] The control unit 25 includes one or more processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The control unit 25 is not limited to a processor and may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 25 controls each component to realize the functions of the server 20, including the functions of the components such as the communication unit 21, the output unit 22, the input unit 23, and the memory unit 24 described above.

[0036] (Operation of the driving plan formulation system) The operation of the driving plan development system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving plan development system 1. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 shows the operations of the vehicle 10, the server 20, and the terminal device 30 included in the driving plan development system 1. Therefore, the description of the operations corresponds to a control method of the driving plan development system 1, and also corresponds to a control method of each of the vehicle 10, the server 20, and the terminal device 30 included in the driving plan development system 1.

[0037] In step S101, the control unit 25 of the server 20 acquires a travel plan for the vehicle 10 and road information relating to access-restricted roads where human access to roadways is restricted.

[0038] Any method can be used to acquire the driving plan for the vehicle 10 and road information related to the entry-restricted roads. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may receive the driving plan for the vehicle 10 and road information related to the entry-restricted roads from another system via the communication unit 21. Alternatively, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may generate a driving plan for the vehicle 10 based on information received via the communication unit 21 from the vehicle 10, the terminal device 30, or another computer. The driving plan may be, for example, a time-priority plan that shortens the driving time from the departure point to the destination, or a distance-priority plan that shortens the driving distance from the departure point to the destination, but is not limited to these. The control unit 25 may store the received driving plan for the vehicle 10 and road information related to the entry-restricted roads in the memory unit 24.

[0039] In step S102, the control unit 25 of the server 20 acquires pedestrian flow information relating to the flow of people along a road.

[0040] "People flow information" is information about the flow of people along a road. For example, people flow information may be expressed as the number of people per certain distance on a road (pedestrian density), but is not limited to this. People flow information may be created based on GPS data from smartphones or other devices carried by pedestrians walking on the road. Furthermore, for example, people flow information may be statistical data (pedestrian count survey results) provided by a local government or the like. Alternatively, people flow information may be created based on the number of pedestrians captured in images captured by a dashcam traveling on the road. People flow information may be, for example, information acquired in real time, past statistical data, predicted values based on past statistical data, or a combination thereof.

[0041] Any method can be used to acquire the people flow information. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 can receive the people flow information from the vehicle 10, the terminal device 30, or another system via the communication unit 21. The control unit 25 may store the received people flow information in the storage unit 24.

[0042] In step S103, the control unit 25 of the server 20 determines, based on the road information relating to the entry-restricted roads, whether or not the travel route included in the travel plan includes roads other than the entry-restricted roads.

[0043] For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may map road information regarding entry-restricted roads to a driving route included in a driving plan and determine whether or not a road other than the entry-restricted road exists on the driving route. If the control unit 25 determines that a road other than the entry-restricted road exists on the driving route, the control unit 25 may store in the memory unit 24 the road other than the entry-restricted road included in the driving route of the vehicle 10.

[0044] In step S103, when the control unit 25 of the server 20 determines that there are no roads other than the entry-restricted roads on the travel route (step S103-No), it does not perform the process of step S104, and executes the processes of step S105 and thereafter. At this time, the control unit 25 may store in the memory unit 24 the current travel route included in the travel plan of the vehicle 10 as the travel route after the change made by the process of step S104.

[0045] On the other hand, in step S103, if the control unit 25 of the server 20 determines that the driving route includes roads other than the entry-restricted roads (step S103-Yes), it proceeds to step S104 and changes the driving route to avoid roads other than the entry-restricted roads.

[0046] Any method can be used to change the driving route to avoid roads other than the entry-restricted roads. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may regenerate a driving route based on the driving plan for the vehicle 10, excluding roads other than the entry-restricted roads generated in step S103. As described above, the driving plan for the vehicle 10 includes information such as the departure point, intermediate points, destination, driving route, driving time zone, estimated time of departure from the departure point, estimated time of arrival at the intermediate points, estimated time of arrival at the destination, total driving time, total driving distance, fuel consumption associated with the driving, and weather along the driving route during the driving time zone. If the vehicle 10 is already traveling along the driving route, the control unit 25 may acquire location information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21. In such a case, when changing the driving plan, the control unit 25 may use the location information of the vehicle 10 instead of the departure point in the driving plan. In this way, by changing the driving route to avoid roads other than the entry-restricted roads, the likelihood of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling can be reduced. The control unit 25 may update the driving plan for the vehicle 10 stored in the storage unit 24 so that the driving plan includes the changed driving route.

[0047] In step S104, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may further determine whether or not a pedestrian flow equal to or greater than a threshold is expected on roads other than the entry-restricted roads.

[0048] Specifically, when the driving route includes a road other than an access-restricted road and a pedestrian flow equal to or greater than a threshold is expected on that road, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may change the driving route to avoid that road. On the other hand, even when the driving route includes a road other than an access-restricted road, the control unit 25 may not change the driving route to avoid that road if a pedestrian flow equal to or greater than a threshold is not expected on that road. This makes it possible to prevent impacts on the driving plan by not avoiding an access-restricted road where there are no restrictions on human entry onto the roadway and there is little pedestrian flow and a low risk of a personal injury accident.

[0049] The threshold used to determine pedestrian flow may be determined for each road depending on, for example, the width of the road, visibility, past history of personal injury accidents, etc. Furthermore, for example, the threshold may differ depending on at least one of the driving time period and the weather along the driving route during the driving time period. Driving time periods include, for example, morning, daytime, evening, and nighttime, but are not limited to these, and may include any time period. For example, even for the same road, visibility is poorer at night than during the daytime, making personal injury accidents more likely to occur, so the threshold may be set lower. For example, even for the same road, visibility is poorer in rainy weather than in sunny weather, making personal injury accidents more likely to occur, so the threshold may be set lower. This improves the accuracy of determining roads along the driving route that are more likely to have personal injury accidents.

[0050] In step S104, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may further determine whether or not the conditions defined in the driving plan are satisfied when the driving route is changed.

[0051] Specifically, even if the driving route of the vehicle 10 includes a road other than the restricted-access road, if the conditions defined in the driving plan are not met by avoiding the road, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may allow the changed driving route to include a road other than the restricted-access road. The conditions defined in the driving plan include, but are not limited to, the estimated time of arrival at an intermediate destination, the estimated time of arrival at the destination, the total driving time, the total driving distance, or the amount of fuel consumed during the driving. This reduces the risk that changing the driving route of the vehicle 10 will result in the vehicle not being able to reach the destination by the estimated arrival time or due to a lack of fuel, thereby failing to achieve the conditions defined in the driving plan.

[0052] In step S105, the control unit 25 of the server 20 outputs a driving plan including the changed driving route.

[0053] Any method can be used to output the driving plan including the changed driving route. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may output the driving plan itself via the output unit 22 such as a display, or may transmit the driving plan to the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 30 via the communication unit 21. As a result, the driving plan including the changed driving route can be used in the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 30 for controlling the vehicle in autonomous driving or the like, or for displaying the driving route in a navigation system or the like. This allows the vehicle 10 to preferentially drive on roads where pedestrians and other people are less likely to intrude onto the roadway, thereby reducing the likelihood of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0054] In step S106, when the changed driving route includes a road other than the entry-restricted road, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may be configured to transmit a control command to the vehicle 10 to improve safety while traveling on roads other than the entry-restricted road. For example, the control command may include a control command to increase the sensitivity with which the sensor 13 of the vehicle 10 detects humans while traveling on roads other than the entry-restricted road. Alternatively, the control command may include a control command to lower the upper limit of the traveling speed of the vehicle 10 while traveling on roads other than the entry-restricted road. This makes it possible to reduce the probability of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling, even if the vehicle 10 is unable to avoid roads other than the entry-restricted road and the changed driving route includes roads other than the entry-restricted road.

[0055] The control command for improving safety while traveling on roads other than restricted-entry roads may further include a control command for increasing the upper limit of the traveling speed of the vehicle 10 on restricted-entry roads. The upper limit of the traveling speed of the vehicle 10 may be set for each road within the speed limit set for that road. This makes it possible to prevent delays in the entire traveling plan even if the time spent traveling on roads other than restricted-entry roads is increased to improve safety.

[0056] The operations from step S101 to step S106 described above may be performed before the vehicle 10 travels according to the travel plan, or may be performed while the vehicle 10 travels according to the travel plan. The operations described above may also be performed repeatedly before or while the vehicle 10 is traveling. This allows the latest people flow information and the like to be used, reducing the likelihood of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling, while also reducing the impact on the travel plan.

[0057] As described above, the server 20, which is a driving plan formulation device according to this embodiment, acquires a driving plan for the vehicle 10 and road information related to entry-restricted roads where human entry onto roadways is restricted. Based on the road information, the server 20 determines whether a driving route included in the driving plan includes a road other than the entry-restricted road. If the server 20 determines that a road other than the entry-restricted road is included in the driving route, it changes the driving route to avoid that road.

[0058] According to this configuration, in selecting a driving route, priority is given to roads where people such as pedestrians are less likely to intrude onto the roadway, thereby reducing the probability of a personal injury accident occurring while the vehicle 10 is traveling. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the usefulness of the technology for formulating a vehicle driving plan that takes safety into consideration is improved.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0060] For example, in the above-described embodiment, all or part of the functions or processes described as functions or processes of server 20 may be realized as functions or processes of vehicle 10. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing all or part of the functions or processes of server 20 according to the embodiment may be stored in storage unit 16 of vehicle 10, and the program may be read and executed by control unit 17. Similarly, all or part of the functions or processes described as functions or processes of vehicle 10 may be realized as functions or processes of server 20.

[0061] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the control unit 17 or server 20 of the vehicle 10 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the control unit 17 or server 20 of the vehicle 10 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Driving plan formulation system 10 vehicles 11 Communications Department 12 Positioning unit 13 Sensing part 14 Output section 15 Input section 16 Memory section 17 Control Unit 20 servers 21 Communications Department 22 Output section 23 Input section 24 Memory section 25 Control Unit 30 Terminal Equipment 40 Network

Claims

1. A driving plan development device including a control unit, The control unit Acquire a vehicle travel plan and road information regarding access-restricted roads where human access to roadways is restricted; determining whether a driving route included in the driving plan includes a road other than the entry-restricted road based on the road information; When it is determined that the driving route includes a road other than the entry-restricted road, the driving route is changed so as to avoid the road, The control unit Further obtaining people flow information regarding people flow along roads; A driving plan development device configured to change the driving route to avoid a road other than the access-restricted road when the driving route includes the road other than the access-restricted road and when a pedestrian flow exceeding a threshold is expected on the road.

2. The travel plan further includes a travel time period, The driving schedule creation device according to claim 1 , wherein the threshold value varies depending on at least one of the driving time zone and weather along the driving route during the driving time zone.

3. 3. The driving plan creation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to allow the changed driving route to include the road other than the entry-restricted road when a condition defined in the driving plan is not satisfied by avoiding the road, even if the driving route includes the road other than the entry-restricted road.

4. the vehicle includes a sensing unit capable of sensing a person present around the vehicle; 4. The driving plan creation device of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a control command to the vehicle to increase the sensitivity of the sensing unit to detect humans while traveling on the road other than the access-restricted road when the changed driving route includes a road other than the access-restricted road.

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