Remote control system for vehicle operation

Abstract

To provide a vehicle travel remote control system that reduces the possibility of not being able to appropriately control the travel of a host vehicle.SOLUTION: A remote control system 1 in which a remote control device 4 communicates with a plurality of vehicles 2 and remotely controls them includes: a remote control value generation unit 6 that repeatedly generates remote control values for the plurality of vehicles 2; and host vehicle travel control units 3 that perform travel control based on the remote control values. The remote control device 4 generates the remote control value repeatedly generated for each vehicle 2 according to the priority or target response cycle changed according to a travel environment of each vehicle 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote control system for vehicle travel. [Background technology]

[0002] In the case of vehicles such as automobiles, it is conceivable to remotely control the running of the vehicle (Patent Documents 1 to 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-180771 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-142921 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-188407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When remotely controlling the traveling of a vehicle in this manner, it is desirable that the vehicle repeatedly transmits detection information from its own vehicle sensor, such as an image captured by an external sensor installed in the vehicle, to a server device as a remote control device, and repeatedly receives remote control values ​​for controlling the traveling of the vehicle from the server device. This allows each vehicle remotely controlled by the server device to continue receiving remote control values ​​from the server device and control the traveling of the vehicle.

[0005] However, even if each vehicle remotely controlled by the server device can continuously receive remote control values ​​from the server device, if the vehicle cannot receive the remote control values ​​necessary for driving control of the vehicle at the appropriate time, the vehicle may not be able to properly control its driving. For example, when a preceding vehicle suddenly brakes to slow down, or when the vehicle enters a curve, a delay in receiving the remote control values ​​may affect the driving control of the vehicle.

[0006] In this way, a remote control system for vehicle driving is required to reduce the possibility that the driving of the vehicle will not be properly controlled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control system for vehicle driving, in which a plurality of vehicles communicate with a remote control device separate from the plurality of vehicles, and the remote control device is capable of repeatedly transmitting remote control values ​​for controlling the driving of the vehicles to each of the plurality of vehicles, the remote control device having a remote control value generation unit that repeatedly generates the remote control values ​​that can be used for driving control of each of the plurality of vehicles, and each of the vehicles has a host vehicle driving control unit that performs driving control based on the remote control values ​​that each of the vehicles repeatedly receives from the remote control device, and the remote control device generates the remote control values ​​that are repeatedly generated for each of the vehicles by the remote control value generation unit in accordance with a priority or a target response period that varies depending on the driving environment of each of the vehicles. The priority is a priority associated with the time required for only the upstream communication or the time required for only the downstream communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the present invention, a remote control device capable of repeatedly transmitting remote control values ​​for controlling the driving of each of a plurality of vehicles generates the remote control values ​​repeatedly generated for each vehicle by a remote control value generation unit according to a priority or a target response period that varies depending on the driving environment of each vehicle. For example, when the driving environment of each vehicle is predicted to be one in which the remote control value may change, the remote control device updates the priority or the target response period so that the remote control value is processed with priority over other vehicles. This allows the remote control values ​​repeatedly generated for each vehicle to be generated at appropriate timing depending on the driving environment of each vehicle. For example, when the driving environment of each vehicle is such that a preceding vehicle is slowing down, there is a traffic light ahead, the vehicle is about to enter or exit a curve, the vehicle is traveling in a merging section, the vehicle is about to enter an intersection, or there is a crosswind, the remote control values ​​can be generated with priority over other vehicles. As a result, in the present invention, even when a plurality of vehicles whose driving is remotely controlled by the remote control system for vehicle driving are driving in a driving environment in which the remote control value may change, they can receive and use the remote control value used for driving control at the appropriate timing, just as when they are driving in a driving environment in which the remote control value is not likely to change. Vehicles whose driving is remotely controlled by the remote control system for vehicle driving of the present invention can continue to appropriately control their own driving even when the driving environment changes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a remote control system for controlling the running of an automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer device that can be used as the server device of the remote control device of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system that controls the running of the automobile shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating the flow of basic remote control in the remote control system of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the vehicle driving control by the control system of the automobile of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of reception control by the server device of the remote control device of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an unprocessed list that can be recorded in the memory of the server device of the remote control device of FIG. 1 by the reception control of FIG. 6 or the like. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a priority table for explaining the target response period for each priority shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the remote control of the remote control device of FIG. 1 by the server device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of control for determining priority by the server device of the remote control device of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of priorities in a plurality of driving environments of a vehicle. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of priorities in a number of other driving environments for automobiles. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of generation switching control by the server device of the remote control device of the remote control system for controlling the running of an automobile in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the generation control of the driving control information by the server device of the remote control device. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of vehicle driving control by the vehicle control system in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of control for adapting to the priority determined by the remote control device by the control system of the automobile in the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a good example of the correspondence between the control target point set in the remote control value generating device by the server device of the remote control device and the driving control period in the remote control of the automobile in the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a remote control system 1 for controlling the running of an automobile 2 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The remote control system 1 in Fig. 1 is for enabling remote control of the driving of automobiles 2, and includes a control system 3 provided in multiple automobiles 2, and a remote control device 4 having a server device 5 and a remote control value generating device 6 for generating remote control values. The multiple automobiles 2 and the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate wirelessly via a communication system 7 having a communication network 8 and multiple base stations 9 arranged along roads 100 along which the automobiles 2 travel. Communication between the multiple automobiles 2 and the remote control device 4 separate from the multiple automobiles 2 enables the remote control device 4 to repeatedly transmit remote control values ​​for controlling the driving of the automobiles 2 to each of the multiple automobiles 2. 1 also shows a GNSS satellite 110 that outputs GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) radio waves that can be received by multiple automobiles 2 and server device 5. By receiving radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110, automobiles 2 or server device 5 can obtain their respective positions and times in a common positioning system.

[0012] The automobile 2 is one example of an automobile 2. Other examples of automobile 2 include motorcycles, carts, and personal mobility vehicles. Under the driving control of a control system 3 provided in the automobile 2, the automobile 2 can travel on a road 100 or the like using the driving force of an engine or motor as a power source, can decelerate and stop by operating a braking device, and can change its direction of travel left or right by operating a steering device. The control system 3 of the automobile 2 may basically be capable of performing driving control according to manual driving based on the operation of the passenger of the automobile, control to assist driving by manual driving based on detection results from the automobile, or control driving by automatic driving using high-precision map data together with detection results from the automobile.

[0013] The multiple base stations 9 may be, for example, base stations 9 of a carrier communication network for mobile terminals or the like, or base stations 9 for ITS services or ADAS services for automobiles 2. The base stations 9 of the carrier communication network may be, for example, fifth-generation base stations 9. The base stations 9 may be fixedly installed on roadsides, road surfaces, or buildings, or may be provided on moving objects such as automobiles 2, ships, drones, or airplanes. The base station 9 establishes a wireless communication path for transmitting and receiving information with an AP (access point) communication device of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 located within its radio wave coverage area. When the automobile 2 travels along a road 100 and moves out of the radio wave coverage area, the base station 9 with which the wireless communication path is established switches among the multiple base stations 9. This allows the automobile 2 to continuously establish a wireless communication path while traveling, for example, with multiple base stations 9 lined up along the road 100. A wireless communication path established with a fifth-generation base station 9 can transmit and receive a significantly larger amount of information at higher speeds than a wireless communication path established with a fourth-generation base station 9. Furthermore, the fifth-generation base station 9 can have advanced information processing capabilities and the ability to transmit and receive information between base stations 9. In V2V communication between automobiles 2, automobiles 2 may transmit and receive information directly with each other, or automobiles 2 may transmit and receive information with each other via a fifth-generation base station 9. By using the fifth-generation base station 9, it is expected that high-speed communication with a maximum delay time of about 100 milliseconds will be possible for one-way communication, uplink or downlink, between the remote control device 4 and each vehicle 2. However, when multiple vehicles 2 communicate with the remote control device 4, it is not easy to achieve communication at the same maximum communication speed for all of the vehicles 2. When the automobile 2 is moving, the base station 9 with which the automobile 2 establishes a communication path switches according to changes in the position of the automobile 2. The hands-over process for switching the base station 9 may take some time.

[0014] The communication network 8 may be configured, for example, by a communication network 8 for a carrier communication network, a communication network 8 for ITS services or ADAS services, or the Internet, which is an open wide-area communication network. The communication network 8 may include a dedicated communication network 8 newly established for the remote control system 1. A communication network 8 dedicated to a carrier communication network or the Internet realizes communication on a best-effort basis. In a best-effort communication network 8, the communication bandwidth available to each device and the communication transmission delay are not fixed but change dynamically depending on the communication environment. In particular, in a communication network 8 for communication compliant with the TCP / IP protocol or the like, collisions due to asynchronous communication may occur, resulting in transmission delays due to frame retransmissions, etc. If the handshake process takes a long time, transmission delays due to frame retransmissions are likely to occur.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer device 10 that can be used as the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 of FIG. The computer device 10 of FIG. 2 includes a server communication device 11, a server GNSS receiver 12, a server timer 13, a server memory 14, a server CPU 15, and a server bus 16 to which these are connected.

[0016] The server communication device 11 is connected to the communication network 8. The server communication device 11 can send and receive information to and from other devices connected to the communication network 8, such as a base station 9 and a control system 3 of the automobile 2. The server GNSS receiver 12 receives radio waves from the GNSS satellites 110 to obtain the current time. The server timer 13 measures the time and duration. The time of the server timer 13 may be calibrated by the current time of the server GNSS receiver 12. The server memory 14 stores programs and data executed by the server CPU 15 . The server CPU 15 reads and executes the program from the server memory 14. In this way, the server device 5 realizes a server control unit. The server CPU 15 as a server control unit manages the overall operation of the server device 5 and the overall control of the remote control system 1. The server CPU 15 manages the multiple automobiles 2 that use the remote control system 1, the driving of the multiple automobiles 2, etc. The server CPU 15, for example, manages information received from each of the multiple automobiles 2, controls the generation of remote control values ​​for the automobiles 2 that received the information, and controls the transmission of the remote control values ​​generated for the automobiles 2 that received the information. In this case, the server memory 14 stores information received from the multiple automobiles 2, such as high-precision map data for generating the remote control values. The server CPU 15 also repeatedly receives the latest information from each automobile 2, thereby repeatedly generating and transmitting remote control values ​​for each automobile 2. This allows each automobile 2 to continue traveling in accordance with the remote control values ​​repeatedly generated by the remote control device 4.

[0017] The remote control value generating device 6 may be any device that can basically realize the same functions as the cruise control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 described later, and the computer device 10 of FIG. 2 may be used as the hardware. In this embodiment, the remote control value generating device 6 for generating the remote control values ​​of each vehicle is described as being separate from the server device 5 that manages the communication of the remote control device 4, but these can also be realized in a single computer device 10. The remote control value generating device 6 then repeatedly generates, for each of the plurality of automobiles 2, a remote control value that can be used for driving control of each of the automobiles 2. For this reason, a plurality of remote control value generating devices 6 may be connected in a one-to-many relationship to the server device 5 that manages the communications of the remote control devices 4. Here, the remote control value generating devices 6 may basically be provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of automobiles 2 managed by the remote control device 4. However, one remote control value generating device 6 may generate remote control values ​​for a plurality of automobiles 2. For example, since the remote control value generating device 6 generates remote control values ​​for automobile driving control, a plurality of remote control value generating devices 6 may be provided for each type of automobile 2. It is considered that the driving characteristics and driving control characteristics of the automobile 2 basically differ depending on the type of automobile 2.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control system 3 that controls the running of the automobile 2 in FIG. The control system 3 provided in the automobile 2 in Fig. 3 is shown with a plurality of control devices represented by control ECUs (Electronic Control Units) incorporated therein. Similar to the server device 5 in Fig. 2, the control devices may have, in addition to the control ECUs, for example, a memory for recording control programs and data, an input / output port, a timer for measuring time and clock time, and an internal bus to which these are connected (not shown). 3 shows a plurality of control ECUs for the control system 3 of the automobile 2, such as a drive ECU 21 for the drive device, a steering ECU 22 for the steering device, a braking ECU 23 for the braking device, a cruise control ECU 24, a driving operation ECU 25, a detection ECU 26, an AP communication ECU 27, and a V2V communication ECU 28. The control system 3 of the automobile 2 may include other control ECUs not shown.

[0019] The multiple control ECUs are connected to a vehicle network 30, such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), which is used in the automobile 2. The vehicle network 30 may be configured with multiple bus cables 31 that can connect the multiple control ECUs, and a central gateway (CGW) 32 that serves as a relay device to which the multiple bus cables 31 are connected. The multiple control ECUs are assigned IDs as mutually distinct identification information. Basically, a control ECU periodically outputs data to another control ECU. The data is accompanied by the ID of the control ECU that is the output source and the ID of the control ECU that is the output destination. The other control ECUs monitor the bus cable 31, and if the ID of the output destination is, for example, their own, acquire the data and perform processing based on the data. The central gateway 32 monitors each of the multiple connected bus cables 31, and when it detects a control ECU connected to a bus cable 31 different from the control ECU that is the output source, it outputs the data to that bus cable 31. Such relay processing by the central gateway 32 allows a plurality of control ECUs to input and output data to and from other control ECUs connected to bus cables 31 different from the bus cables 31 to which they are connected.

[0020] The driving operation ECU 25 is connected to operation members such as a steering wheel 51, a brake pedal 52, an accelerator pedal 53, and a shift lever 54 that allow the user to control the driving of the automobile 2. When an operation member is operated, the driving operation ECU 25 outputs data including whether or not the operation was performed, the amount of operation, etc. to the vehicle network 30. The driving operation ECU 25 may also execute processing related to the operation of the operation member and include the processing results in the data.

[0021] The detection ECU 26 is connected to host vehicle sensors for detecting the driving environment of the vehicle 2, such as a speed sensor 61 for detecting the speed of the vehicle 2, an acceleration sensor 62 for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle 2, an exterior camera 63 for capturing images outside the vehicle 2, a LIDAR 64 for detecting objects outside the vehicle 2 by emitting laser light, an interior camera 65 for capturing images inside the vehicle 2, and a GNSS receiver 66 for detecting the position of the vehicle 2. The exterior camera 63 may be, for example, a stereo camera, a monocular camera, or a 360-degree camera. The GNSS receiver 66 receives radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110 similar to those of the server GNSS receiver 12, and obtains the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the vehicle's current position, as well as the current time. This allows the current time of the vehicle 2 to be expected to match the current time measured by the server GNSS receiver 12 of the server device 5 with high accuracy. The detection ECU 26 may output detection information acquired from the host vehicle sensors, processing results based on the detection information, and the like to the vehicle network 30. For example, the detection ECU 26 may perform recognition processing on pedestrians, traffic lights, other vehicles, road shapes, and the like outside the vehicle that are included in the image captured by the exterior camera 63, and output the recognition results to the vehicle network 30. Note that, other than the in-vehicle camera 65, occupant sensors such as an in-vehicle millimeter wave sensor, a seating sensor, and a steering 51 sensor may be connected to the detection ECU 26.

[0022] The AP communication ECU 27, as an AP communication device serving as an AP communication apparatus, establishes a wireless communication link with the base station 9 in the automobile 2. During remote control, the AP communication ECU 27 repeatedly transmits and receives data to and from the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 using the wireless communication link established with the base station 9.

[0023] The V2V communication ECU 28, as a V2V communication device serving as a V2V communication device, executes V2V communication between the automobile 2 and other automobiles. By the V2V communication ECU 28 communicating with other automobiles that have established wireless communication links with the base station 9, the V2V communication ECU 28 can repeatedly send and receive data to and from the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 for remote control via the other automobiles.

[0024] A timer 42 and a memory 41 are connected to the cruise control ECU 24. The memory 41 is a computer-readable recording medium that stores programs, data, and the like to be executed by the cruise control ECU 24. The memory 41 may store data for driving assistance such as lane keeping and distance control, high-precision map data for autonomous driving, and the like. The cruise control ECU 24 reads and executes the programs from the memory 41. This allows the cruise control ECU 24 to function as a control unit for controlling the cruise of the automobile 2. The driving control ECU 24, which serves as a control unit for controlling the driving of the automobile 2, acquires information from each part of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 in order to control the driving of the own vehicle.

[0025] For example, when the travel control ECU 24 acquires information on the occupant's manual operation from the driving operation ECU 25, it generates a vehicle control value based on the occupant's manual operation as is, or generates a vehicle control value that has been fine-tuned to assist the occupant's manual operation. During autonomous driving, for example, the cruise control ECU 24 acquires information from the detection ECU 26 and the like, determines the vehicle's position in high-precision map data and the possibility of a collision with another vehicle, and generates vehicle control values ​​for autonomous driving. Autonomous driving can be achieved, for example, by vehicle control values ​​such as steering for lane keeping to maintain the lateral position of the vehicle 2 near the center of the lane, and vehicle control values ​​for accelerating and decelerating the longitudinal position of the vehicle 2 to ensure a sufficient inter-vehicle distance. The cruise control ECU 24 then outputs the generated host vehicle control values ​​to the drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 via the vehicle network 30. This allows the cruise control ECU 24, as a host vehicle control value generating unit, to generate host vehicle control values ​​to be used for cruise control of the automobile 2 based on the operation by a passenger or automatic driving of the host vehicle.

[0026] In addition, the driving control ECU 24, which serves as a control unit for controlling the driving of the automobile 2, may communicate with the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 using the AP communication ECU 27 or the V2V communication ECU 28 when remotely controlling the driving of the vehicle, and may obtain remote control values ​​from the server device 5. The remote control value generating device 6 of the remote control device 4 may generate a remote control value equivalent to the host vehicle control value generated by the above-mentioned cruise control ECU 24 by a process similar to the generation process for automatic driving by the cruise control ECU 24. The cruise control ECU 24 outputs the acquired remote control values ​​to the drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 via the vehicle network 30. As a result, the driving control ECU 24 can execute driving control based on the remote control values ​​repeatedly received from the remote control device 4 as the vehicle driving control unit.

[0027] As a driving controller, the drive ECU 21 controls the operation of the driving force power source such as the engine or motor of the automobile 2 by inputting control values ​​generated or acquired from the driving control ECU 24, and controls the acceleration of the automobile 2 in accordance with the control values. As a driving controller, the steering ECU 22 controls the operation of the steering force generating unit such as the steering 51 motor of the automobile 2 by inputting control values ​​generated or acquired from the driving control ECU 24, and controls the driving direction of the automobile 2 in accordance with the control values. As a driving controller, the braking ECU 23 controls the operation of braking force generating units such as the brake pump of the automobile 2 by inputting control values ​​generated or acquired from the driving control ECU 24, and controls the deceleration of the automobile 2 in accordance with the control values.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating the flow of basic remote control in the remote control system 1 of FIG. 4 shows an example in which one automobile 2 repeatedly communicates with a remote control device 4 through a communication system 7 including a communication network 8. In the figure, time flows from top to bottom.

[0029] 4, first, the automobile 2 acquires information about its own vehicle in step ST2, and transmits the vehicle information to the remote control device 4 through the communication system 7 in step ST3. The automobile 2 may transmit to the remote control device 4 at least the detection information of its own vehicle sensor, including an image captured by an external sensor installed in its own vehicle, its own vehicle position, and the time. After receiving this uplink data from the automobile 2, the remote control device 4 acquires the latest vehicle information about the automobile 2 in step ST33, generates and acquires a remote control value using the vehicle information received from each automobile 2 in steps ST33 and ST34, and transmits the acquired remote control value to the automobile 2 via the communication system 7 in step ST38. After receiving the downlink data from the remote control device 4, the automobile 2 executes driving control using the remote control values ​​in step ST5. The automobile 2 acquires from the remote control device 4 remote control values ​​that can be input to the driving controller in the same way as the host vehicle control values ​​generated by the host vehicle, and executes driving control. The automobile 2 and the remote control device 4 repeat the above-described series of processes. As a result, the automobile 2 receives multiple remote control values ​​repeatedly transmitted from the remote control device 4, and can continuously execute driving control using the remote control values. The automobile 2 executes driving control of the automobile 2 using a driving control cycle corresponding to the reception cycle of the multiple remote control values ​​transmitted from the remote control device 4, thereby realizing driving under remote control.

[0030] In such remote control, the safety and reliability of the driving of the remotely controlled automobile 2 depend on the short transmission period of the multiple remote control values ​​transmitted from the remote control device 4. Depending on the driving environment, the driving control of the automobile 2 may require control, preferably at a period of 100 milliseconds, or at least at a period of approximately 200 milliseconds, otherwise it may be expected that lane keeping control or vehicle distance maintaining control, for example, will not be sufficiently reliable. That is, even if each remotely controlled automobile 2 is able to continuously receive remote control values, if it is unable to receive the remote control values ​​necessary for driving control of the automobile at the appropriate time, it may not be able to properly control the driving of the automobile. For example, if the preceding vehicle 101 suddenly brakes to decelerate, or if the automobile enters a curve, a delay in receiving the remote control values ​​may affect the driving control of the automobile. Even in the case of FIG. 4, it is desirable to set the driving control period to 100 milliseconds. On the other hand, it is not highly feasible to make the remote control device 4 always realize a transmission or reception cycle of 100 milliseconds for each vehicle 2 from the viewpoint of processing load, etc. In particular, if a carrier communication network for mobile terminals and the like is used as part of the communication network 8, communications for other purposes will occur, and it is therefore considered difficult to realize even for the fifth generation. In this way, the remote control system 1 for the driving of the automobile 2 is required to reduce the possibility that the driving of the own vehicle will not be able to be remotely controlled appropriately. Note that the automobile 2 waits for reception of downlink data from the remote control device 4 during the response period of the remote control device 4 from when the automobile 2 transmits the vehicle information as uplink data to the remote control device 4 in step ST3 until when the automobile 2 receives downlink data from the remote control device 4. If the response period can be shortened according to the driving environment, the driving control period can also be shortened.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the vehicle driving control by the control system 3 of the automobile 2 of FIG. The host vehicle travel control in FIG. 5 controls the travel of the host vehicle by switching between the remote control process from steps ST2 to ST5 and the host vehicle control process from steps ST7 to ST12. For example, the driving control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 repeatedly executes the own vehicle driving control shown in FIG. 5 in order to control the driving of the own vehicle. Note that a control ECU other than the driving control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2, for example, the remote control ECU 29 shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3, may repeatedly execute part of the processing for the host vehicle driving control in Fig. 5, for example, the processing from step ST2 to ST6 in Fig. 5. The same applies to the control of each of the following flowcharts.

[0032] In step ST1, the cruise control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 determines whether to select remote control as the cruise control of the host vehicle. The cruise control ECU 24 may determine whether to select remote control based on, for example, the operation of an occupant of the host vehicle. If remote control is selected, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST2. If remote control is not selected, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST7.

[0033] From step ST2, the cruise control ECU 24 starts remote control. The cruise control ECU 24 acquires vehicle information of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle. The vehicle information may include at least detection information from the host vehicle sensor, including an image captured by an external sensor installed in the host vehicle, and the host vehicle's position, time, speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc., as determined by the GNSS receiver 66.

[0034] In step ST3, the cruise control ECU 24 transmits the vehicle information of its own vehicle acquired in step ST2 to the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 transmits the vehicle information of its own vehicle to the remote control device 4 using the communication path established by the AP communication ECU 27 or the communication path established by the V2V communication ECU 28. The vehicle information of its own vehicle transmitted from the automobile 2 is received by the server communication device 11 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4, for example, via a base station 9, a carrier communication network, or the Internet. The remote control device 4 generates a remote control value for the automobile 2 using the vehicle information received from each automobile 2, and transmits it to the automobile 2 that sent it.

[0035] In step ST4, the cruise control ECU 24 waits to receive a remote control value from the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 repeats this process until it receives a remote control value from the remote control device 4. When the AP communication ECU 27 or the V2V communication ECU 28 receives downlink data of the remote control value transmitted from the remote control device 4 to the host vehicle, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST5.

[0036] In step ST5, the cruise control ECU 24 executes cruise control based on the remote control value received from the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 outputs the remote control value to the drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23. The drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 execute their respective cruise controls based on the input remote control value. As a result, the cruise of the automobile 2 is controlled by the remote control value generated by the remote control device 4.

[0037] In step ST6, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether or not to terminate cruise control. For example, if the occupant operates an ignition switch (not shown), the cruise control ECU 24 determines to terminate cruise control and terminates this control. If the cruise control does not terminate, the cruise control ECU 24 returns the process to step ST1. The cruise control ECU 24 repeatedly executes, for example, the remote cruise control described above until it determines to terminate cruise control in step ST6. As a result, the cruise of the automobile 2 continues to be controlled by the multiple remote control values ​​repeatedly generated by the remote control device 4.

[0038] Step ST7 is a process of controlling the host vehicle that is started when the cruise control ECU 24 determines in step ST1 that the host vehicle is not remotely controlled. The cruise control ECU 24 acquires vehicle information of the host vehicle that is detected in the host vehicle. The vehicle information of the host vehicle acquired in step ST7 may be the same as the vehicle information of the host vehicle acquired in step ST2.

[0039] In step ST8, the cruise control ECU 24 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle acquired in step ST7 to the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle to the remote control device 4 using the communication path established by the AP communication ECU 27 or the communication path established by the V2V communication ECU 28. The vehicle information of the vehicle transmitted from the vehicle 2 is received by the server communication device 11 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4, for example, via a base station 9, a carrier communication network, or the Internet. The remote control device 4 maps the positions of multiple vehicles 2 in a virtual space using high-precision map data, and generates a drivable range and drivable direction for each vehicle 2 based on the mapping. The remote control device 4 transmits cruise control information based on the generated drivable range and direction to the vehicle 2 that transmitted the information. The remote control device 4 may also generate speed limit information, drivable lanes and routes, and transmit this information to the vehicle 2 that transmitted the information.

[0040] In step ST9, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether the AP communication ECU 27 or the V2V communication ECU 28 has received new cruise control information from the remote control device 4. If new cruise control information has been received, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST10. If new cruise control information has not been received, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST11.

[0041] In step ST10, the cruise control ECU 24 acquires new cruise control information.

[0042] In step ST11, the cruise control ECU 24 autonomously generates a host vehicle control value in the host vehicle based on the vehicle information acquired from each part of the host vehicle in step ST7. If new cruise control information has been acquired in step ST10, the cruise control ECU 24 may generate a host vehicle control value that drives within that range.

[0043] In step ST12, the cruise control ECU 24 executes cruise control using the host vehicle control value generated by the host vehicle. The cruise control ECU 24 outputs the host vehicle control value to the drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23. The drive ECU 21, the steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 execute their respective cruise controls using the input host vehicle control value. As a result, the cruise of the automobile 2 is autonomously controlled by the host vehicle. Thereafter, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST6. The cruise control ECU 24 repeatedly executes, for example, the above-described autonomous cruise control of the host vehicle until it determines in step ST6 to end the cruise control. As a result, the cruise of the automobile 2 continues to be controlled by the multiple remote control values ​​that are repeatedly generated autonomously by the host vehicle.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of reception control by the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 of FIG. The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 repeatedly executes the reception control of FIG.

[0045] In step ST21, the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 determines whether or not new vehicle information has been received from the automobile 2. If new vehicle information has not been received from the automobile 2, the server CPU 15 repeats this process. When the server communication device 11 receives new vehicle information, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST22.

[0046] In step ST22, the server CPU 15 acquires the received priority of the automobile 2. For example, if the newly received vehicle information does not include a priority request, the server CPU 15 may acquire a low priority.

[0047] In step ST23, the server CPU 15 registers the received vehicle information of the automobile 2 in the unprocessed list 70 in the server memory 14. Thereafter, the server CPU 15 returns the process to step ST21 and repeats the processes from step ST21 to step ST23. As a result, when the server device 5 receives new vehicle information from one vehicle 2 or vehicle information from another vehicle, the server device 5 can temporarily record the new vehicle information by adding or updating the unprocessed list 70 in the server memory 14.

[0048] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an unprocessed list 70 that can be recorded in the server memory 14 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 of FIG. 1 by the reception control of FIG. The pending list 70 of FIG. 7 has a number of records for each vehicle 2 from which the remote control device 4 has received vehicle information.

[0049] 7, the first record 71 from the top is for vehicle 2 with identification information 001, and records the priority of vehicle 2 and the time of receipt of the latest vehicle information for vehicle 2. Unprocessed vehicle information has already been processed, so there is no data. In addition, the priority is low. The second record 72 from the top is for vehicle 2 with identification information 002, and records the priority of vehicle 2, the time the latest vehicle information for vehicle 2 was received, and any unprocessed vehicle information. The priority is medium. The third record 73 from the top is for vehicle 2 with identification information 003, and records the priority of vehicle 2, the time the latest vehicle information for vehicle 2 was received, and unprocessed vehicle information. The priority is high. In the unprocessed list 70 in the state shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle information of the multiple automobiles 2 is recorded in the order in which it was received.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a priority table 80 for explaining the target response period for each priority shown in FIG. The target response period refers to a period that is acceptable as the response period in Fig. 4. However, even if the actual response period exceeds the target response period, this does not necessarily cause a problem in the driving control of each vehicle 2. The target response period indicates a desirable target. The priority table 80 in FIG. 8 illustrates low, medium, and high as priorities that can be obtained for each vehicle 2.

[0051] A target response period of 500 milliseconds is associated with a record 81 with a low priority in the priority table 80 of Fig. 8. When the automobile 2 is traveling in a traveling environment in which the remote control value is unlikely to change significantly, such as when the automobile 2 is traveling at a slow speed on a straight highway with a sufficient distance between the front and rear vehicles, it is considered highly likely that the automobile 2 will be able to continue traveling in its lane even if the remote control value is updated at a target response period of 500 milliseconds, which is relatively long. The medium priority record 82 is associated with a target response period of 300 milliseconds. A target response period of 100 milliseconds is associated with the high priority record 83. For example, when entering a curve or when the preceding vehicle 101 suddenly brakes, the traveling of the automobile 2 needs to be controlled so that it changes greatly in a short period. By performing remote control according to the remote control values ​​updated every 100 milliseconds, it is considered that the automobile 2 is more likely to be able to continue traveling while maintaining good lane alignment even in a traveling environment where these remote control values ​​change greatly.

[0052] Here, the response period is the total time for both uplink and downlink communication. The time required for just uplink communication and the time required for just downlink communication may be associated with each priority. As a result, when the server CPU 15 receives new vehicle information from a vehicle 2 with a low priority, for example, the server CPU 15 can adjust and manage the timing of generating a remote control value based on the vehicle information of that vehicle 2 so that the remote control value can be transmitted to the transmitting vehicle 2 within 500 milliseconds from the time of reception. The server CPU 15 can prevent the generation process of a remote control value based on multiple pieces of vehicle information from being executed in the order of reception. Furthermore, by receiving and recording the transmission time of the uplink data of each vehicle 2 in the unprocessed list 70, rather than the reception time of the uplink data of the server device 5, control with a more accurate response period becomes possible. In particular, unlike the downlink data, the uplink data includes images captured by the outside camera 63. It takes time to transmit image data.

[0053] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the remote control of the remote control device 4 of FIG. 1 by the server device 5. In FIG. The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 repeats the remote control shown in FIG.

[0054] In step ST31, the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 determines whether or not there is unprocessed received vehicle information in the unprocessed list 70 recorded in the server memory 14. If there is no unprocessed vehicle information, the server CPU 15 repeats this process. If there is unprocessed vehicle information, the server CPU 15 proceeds to step ST32 to process it.

[0055] In step ST32, the server CPU 15 selects the vehicle information of the automobile 2 with the nearest deadline in the unprocessed list 70.

[0056] In step ST33, the server CPU 15 acquires the vehicle information of the automobile 2 selected in step ST32.

[0057] In step ST34, the server CPU 15 provides vehicle information to the remote control value generation device 6 connected to the server device 5 of the remote control device 4, and instructs it to generate a remote control value. The remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value using the provided vehicle information. The remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value for each vehicle 2 based on images captured by the exterior camera 63 included in the vehicle information of each vehicle 2, etc. The remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value that can be used directly in the vehicle 2 that sent the vehicle information, for example, for lane keeping control or vehicle distance control, by processing equivalent to that of the cruise control ECU 24 of the vehicle 2 that sent the vehicle information. The remote control value generation device 6 outputs the generated remote control value to the server device 5.

[0058] In step ST35, the server CPU 15 acquires the remote control value generated by the remote control value generation device 6 from the remote control value generation device 6.

[0059] In step ST36, the server CPU 15 determines the driving environment based on the image captured by the exterior camera 63 included in the vehicle information of the automobile 2, in order to determine the priority of transmission of the remote control value together with the remote control value to the automobile 2. The server CPU 15 may indirectly determine the driving environment based on, for example, the difference (amount of change) between the magnitude of the latest remote control value generated by the remote control device 4 and the previous remote control value.

[0060] In step ST37, the server CPU 15 determines the priority of each vehicle 2 corresponding to the driving environment based on the driving environment of each vehicle 2 determined in step ST36. The server CPU 15 may update the priority recorded for the vehicle 2 involved in the processing in the server memory 14. By updating to a different priority in the server memory 14, the priority and target response period for the vehicle 2 involved in the processing from the next time onwards will be changed. For example, if the driving environment of the vehicle 2 involved in the processing is expected to change from a driving environment in which the remote control value is unlikely to change significantly to a driving environment in which the remote control value is likely to change significantly, the server CPU 15 may determine that the priority of the vehicle 2 involved in the processing is to be higher than that of other vehicles driving in driving environments in which the remote control value is unlikely to change significantly. In addition, for example, if the driving environment of the vehicle 2 involved in the processing is expected to change from a driving environment in which the remote control value is likely to change significantly to a driving environment in which the remote control value is not likely to change significantly, the server CPU 15 may determine to lower the priority of the vehicle 2 involved in the processing to the same level as other vehicles driving in driving environments in which the remote control value is not likely to change significantly. In the processing of the above-mentioned steps ST36 and ST37, the server CPU 15 predicts the driving environment of each vehicle 2 based on the information received from each vehicle 2, and determines the priority corresponding to the target response period of each vehicle 2 according to the predicted driving environment of each vehicle 2. In addition, for example, the server CPU 15 may map information received from multiple automobiles 2 onto high-precision map data or the like, and determine changes in the driving environment and priority of each automobile 2 based on information other than the own automobile, or based on a combination of these.

[0061] In step ST38, the server CPU 15 transmits the remote control value and priority generated by the above-described processing to the vehicle 2 that is the source of the processing. After transmitting the vehicle information in step ST3 of Fig. 5, the control system 3 of the vehicle 2 that is the source of the processing waits to receive the remote control value in step ST4. The control system 3 of the vehicle 2 that is the source of the processing executes remote driving control using the remote control value received from the server device 5 in step ST5. Thereafter, the server CPU 15 returns the process to step ST31. In this way, the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 can repeatedly generate and transmit a remote control value according to the latest driving environment for each of the multiple automobiles 2 by repeating the remote control of Fig. 9. The server CPU 15 can continuously generate, for example, a remote control value of the steering amount for lane keeping control, or a remote control value of the acceleration / deceleration amount for vehicle distance control or vehicle speed control. At this time, the server CPU 15 can update the priority according to the driving environment of each vehicle 2, and repeat the process to generate a remote control value for each vehicle 2 in the target response period corresponding to the updated priority.

[0062] For example, if the unprocessed list 70 is in the state shown in Figure 7, the server CPU 15 executes the control shown in Figure 9 sequentially for the second and third records 72 and 73 from the top, since the first record 71 from the top does not contain any unprocessed vehicle information. Furthermore, although the server CPU 15 receives the second-highest record 72 before the third-highest record 73, the server CPU 15 may process the third-highest record 73 before the second-highest record 72 according to priority.

[0063] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of control for determining priority by the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 of FIG. The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 repeatedly executes the priority determination of FIG. 10 as the processing of steps ST36 and ST37 of FIG. 9, for example.

[0064] In step ST41, the server CPU 15 determines whether or not there are dynamic environmental factors in the driving environment of the vehicle 2 involved in the processing. Dynamic environmental factors include, for example, whether or not the preceding vehicle 101 suddenly decelerates, whether or not there are traffic lights 102 in the direction of travel, whether or not there are driving disturbances such as crosswinds, etc. The server CPU 15 may determine whether or not there are these dynamic environmental factors by analyzing images captured by the exterior camera 63 acquired from each vehicle 2. For example, if the brake lights of the preceding vehicle 101 included in the image of the front captured by the exterior camera 63 change from off to on, or if the size of the preceding vehicle 101 included in the image increases by more than a predetermined rate, the server CPU 15 may determine that the preceding vehicle 101 is suddenly decelerating and that there is a dynamic surrounding environmental factor. In addition, if the traffic light 102 included in the image captured in front of the vehicle by the external camera 63 changes from green to yellow or red, the server CPU 15 may determine that there is a dynamic surrounding environmental factor that requires the vehicle to slow down so as to stop in front of the traffic light 102 in the direction of travel. Furthermore, if the image capturing position of the preceding vehicle 101 included in the forward image captured by the external camera 63 shifts to the side without the vehicle being steered, the server CPU 15 may determine that there is a dynamic surrounding environmental factor, such as a disturbance in driving due to a crosswind or the like. Furthermore, if a pedestrian 105 on the shoulder of the road, included in the image captured in front of the vehicle by the external camera 63, is predicted to move onto the roadway, the server CPU 15 may determine that there is a dynamic surrounding environmental factor that requires the vehicle to stop to avoid the pedestrian 105. If there are dynamic surrounding environmental factors, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST42. If there are no dynamic surrounding environmental factors, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST43.

[0065] In step ST42, the server CPU 15 determines that the priority of the automobile 2 involved in the processing is high. After that, the server CPU 15 ends this control and advances the processing to step ST38 in FIG.

[0066] In step ST43, the server CPU 15 determines whether or not there are static environmental factors for the road 100 as the driving environment of the automobile 2 involved in the processing. Examples of static environmental factors for the road 100 include the entrance or exit of a sharp curve, a merging section, a branching section, an intersection, etc. The server CPU 15 may determine whether or not these static environmental factors for the road 100 exist by analyzing images captured by the exterior camera 63 acquired from each automobile 2. For example, if the traveling route curves to the left or right in the image of the front taken by the outside camera 63, the server CPU 15 may determine that the vehicle is heading towards a curve and that there is a static road 100 environmental factor. Furthermore, when a new adjacent lane appears in the image of the road ahead captured by the outside camera 63, the server CPU 15 may determine that there is a static road 100 environmental factor, assuming that the vehicle is heading toward a merging section or a branching section. Furthermore, if a road 100 appears in a direction different from the traveling direction in the image of the front captured by the outside camera 63, the server CPU 15 may determine that there is a static road 100 environmental factor, assuming that the vehicle is heading towards an intersection. If there are static environmental factors of the road 100, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST44. If there are no static environmental factors of the road 100, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST45.

[0067] In step ST44, the server CPU 15 determines that the priority of the automobile 2 involved in the processing is medium. After that, the server CPU 15 ends this control and advances the processing to step ST38 in FIG.

[0068] In step ST45, the server CPU 15 determines that the priority of the automobile 2 involved in the processing is low. After that, the server CPU 15 ends this control and advances the processing to step ST38 in FIG.

[0069] In this way, the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 can update the priority and target response period so that, for example, when it is expected that the driving environment of each automobile 2 will include deceleration of the preceding vehicle 101, a traffic light 102 in the driving direction, the entrance or exit of a curve, a merging or branching section, an intersection, etc., the automobile 2 will be processed preferentially over other automobiles with lower priority that are not in any of the driving environments.

[0070] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of priorities in a plurality of driving environments of the automobile 2. In FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of priorities in other multiple driving environments of the automobile 2. 11 and 12 show driving environments of a plurality of automobiles 2 in cases (CASE) 1 to 9. In FIG.

[0071] In case 1, the automobile 2 is traveling on a straight road 100. In this case, the automobile 2 is not traveling in a driving environment that causes a sudden and large change in the control value. The server CPU 15 may determine the priority of the automobile 2 in case 1 as low.

[0072] In case 2, the automobile 2 traveling on the straight road 100 is subjected to a disturbance caused by a crosswind. In this case, the automobile 2 may need to suddenly and significantly change the steering control value, for example, to correct the attitude change caused by the crosswind. The server CPU 15 may determine a high priority for the automobile 2 in case 2.

[0073] In case 3, the automobile 2 is traveling on a straight road 100 toward the entrance of a corner. After this, the automobile 2 needs to change, for example, the steering control value at the entrance of the corner. The server CPU 15 may determine a medium priority for the automobile 2 in case 3.

[0074] In case 4, the automobile 2 is swerving outward on the curving road 100 at the entrance to a corner. In this case, the automobile 2 may need to make sudden and large changes to the steering control value or deceleration control value so that the automobile 2 can travel in the center of the lane on the road 100. The server CPU 15 may determine a high priority for the automobile 2 in case 4.

[0075] In case 5, the vehicle 2 is traveling along a curved road 100 while maintaining the center of the lane of the road 100. In this case, the vehicle 2 is not traveling in a driving environment that causes a sudden and large change in the control value. The server CPU 15 may determine a low priority for the vehicle 2 in case 5.

[0076] In case 6, the preceding vehicle 101 traveling ahead of the vehicle 2 performs braking control by sudden braking. In this case, the vehicle 2 may need to suddenly and significantly change the deceleration control value in order to maintain a distance between the preceding vehicle 101 and the vehicle 2. The server CPU 15 may determine a high priority for the vehicle 2 in case 6.

[0077] In case 7, there is a traffic light 102 in the direction of travel of the road 100 on which the automobile 2 is traveling. In this case, when the traffic light 102 changes from green to yellow or red, the automobile 2 may need to change the deceleration control value so that the automobile 2 can stop before the traffic light 102. The server CPU 15 may determine a high priority for the automobile 2 in case 7.

[0078] In case 8, automobile 2 is traveling in a merging section of merging lane 104 that merges with main lane 103. In this case, automobile 2 needs to change the steering control value or the like so as to move from merging lane 104 to main lane 103. Server CPU 15 may determine a medium priority for automobile 2 in case 8.

[0079] In case 9, a pedestrian 105 is present on the shoulder of a straight road 100 on which the automobile 2 is traveling. There is a possibility that the pedestrian 105 will subsequently step onto the road 100 on which the automobile 2 is traveling. In this case, the automobile 2 may need to change the steering control value or deceleration control value so as to stop to avoid the pedestrian 105. The server CPU 15 may determine a high priority for the automobile 2 in case 9.

[0080] In this way, the server CPU 15 assigns a low priority to a vehicle 2 in a driving environment where the remote control value is unlikely to change suddenly and a medium or high priority to a vehicle 2 in a driving environment where the remote control value is likely to change suddenly and significantly. The server CPU 15 also changes the target response period for repeatedly generating remote control values ​​for each vehicle 2 in accordance with changes in the driving environment while the vehicle is traveling. This prevents the processing load on the server CPU 15 from becoming as high as when remote control values ​​are repeatedly generated at high priority for all of the multiple vehicles 2, and allows the server CPU 15 to repeatedly generate remote control values ​​at the required period for a vehicle 2 that requires a remote control value at the target response period corresponding to high priority.

[0081] For example, when automobile 2 is traveling on a straight road 100 in a traveling environment of Case 1, server CPU 15 determines the priority to be low, repeatedly generates remote control values ​​at relatively long intervals, and transmits them to automobile 2. During the remote control, if automobile 2 encounters a crosswind as in the traveling environment of Case 2, server CPU 15 determines the priority to be high, repeatedly generates remote control values ​​at short intervals, and transmits them to automobile 2. As a result, even if automobile 2 experiencing a crosswind while traveling on straight road 100 temporarily deviates from the center of the lane due to the disturbance of the crosswind, it is possible for automobile 2 to return to the center of the lane and continue traveling without deviating from the lane because the remote control values ​​are subsequently updated frequently at high intervals.

[0082] In addition, for example, the automobile 2 may travel from a state in which it is traveling on a straight road 100 as in the above-described case 1 to a state in which it is heading toward the entrance of a corner as in case 3. In this case, the server CPU 15 of the remote control device 4 may change the priority of the automobile 2 traveling toward the entrance of the corner from low to medium. When the server CPU 15 determines the priority to be high, it repeatedly generates remote control values ​​at short intervals and transmits them to the automobile 2. As a result, the automobile 2 traveling from the straight road 100 toward the entrance of the corner can obtain an appropriate speed and steering angle through remote control even at the entrance of the corner, and can continue traveling while maintaining the center of the lane on the curving road 100.

[0083] In addition, for example, while automobile 2 is traveling on a straight road 100 in the driving environment of Case 1, pedestrian 105 may appear on the shoulder of road 100 as in Case 9. There is a possibility that pedestrian 105 will cross road 100 in front of automobile 2. In this case, server CPU 15 determines the medium priority of automobile 2, repeatedly generates remote control values ​​at relatively short intervals, and transmits them to automobile 2. As a result, even if pedestrian 105 crosses road 100 immediately before automobile 2, automobile 2 can sufficiently decelerate before reaching pedestrian 105 and stop just before the position where pedestrian 105 will cross.

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, the remote control device 4, which can repeatedly transmit remote control values ​​for controlling the driving of each of the multiple vehicles 2, generates the remote control values ​​repeatedly generated for each vehicle 2 by the remote control value generation device 6 according to a priority or a target response period that changes depending on the driving environment of each vehicle 2. For example, if the driving environment of each vehicle 2 is expected to be one in which the remote control value may change significantly, the remote control device 4 updates the priority or target response period so that the vehicle 2 is processed with priority over other vehicles in driving environments in which the remote control value is not likely to change significantly. This allows the remote control values ​​repeatedly generated for each vehicle 2 to be generated at appropriate timing depending on the driving environment of each vehicle 2. For example, if the driving environment of each vehicle 2 is such that the preceding vehicle 101 is slowing down, there is a traffic light 102 ahead, the vehicle is about to enter or exit a curve, the vehicle is traveling in a merging section, the vehicle is about to enter an intersection, or there is a crosswind, the remote control values ​​can be generated with priority over other vehicles that are not in any of these driving environments. As a result, in this embodiment, even when each of the multiple automobiles 2 whose traveling is remotely controlled by the remote control system 1 for traveling of the automobiles 2 travels in a traveling environment in which the remote control value may change significantly, it can receive and use the remote control value used for each traveling control at an appropriate timing, just as when it travels in a traveling environment in which the remote control value is not likely to change significantly. The automobiles 2 whose traveling is remotely controlled by the remote control system 1 for traveling of the automobiles 2 of this embodiment can continue to appropriately control their own traveling even when the traveling environment changes.

[0085] [Second embodiment] Next, a remote control system 1 for driving a vehicle 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The remote control system 1 of this embodiment is capable of switching between providing the vehicle 2 with remote control values ​​used for remote control and driving control information that can be used for controlling the vehicle itself. Below, differences from the above-mentioned embodiment will be mainly described.

[0086] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of generation switching control by the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 of the remote control system 1 for controlling the travel of the automobile 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention. The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 continuously executes the switching control of FIG. 13 in order to switch between and provide one of the remote control values ​​and the driving control information to each of the multiple automobiles 2.

[0087] In step ST61, the server CPU 15 acquires unprocessed vehicle information from the unprocessed list 70 recorded in the server memory 14, for example. Here, the server CPU 15 may select the vehicle information of the automobile 2 with the nearest deadline in the unprocessed list 70, similar to step ST32.

[0088] In step ST62, the server CPU 15 first determines whether the automobile 2 from which the vehicle information has been acquired is in a state where it is unable to travel. In the automobile 2, if a malfunction occurs in the cruise control ECU 24, which serves as the host vehicle control value generation unit, it may become difficult to generate control values ​​for autonomous driving, which is considered to be a high-load process in the host vehicle, at an appropriate interval. Furthermore, even when the automobile 2 is being manually driven, if a malfunction occurs in the driver or other occupant, it may become difficult for the cruise control ECU 24 to generate the host vehicle control value based on the manual operation. When such a driving-disabled state occurs, the driving control ECU 24 may include the state in the vehicle information and transmit the information to the server device 5 of the remote control device 4. Furthermore, the server CPU 15 may independently determine whether or not the vehicle is in an inoperable state based on an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 65 included in the vehicle information acquired from the automobile 2.

[0089] Furthermore, in step ST62, the server CPU 15 determines not only whether the automobile 2 for which the vehicle information has been acquired is in a state where it cannot run, but also whether the automobile 2 is in another state. Here, the server CPU 15 may determine, for example, whether the area in which the automobile 2, for which the vehicle information has been acquired, is traveling is a specific area that is set to give priority to remote control. Here, specific areas can be set, for example, as locations where remote driving control may reduce the risk of accidents more than autonomous driving control.Specific examples of specific areas that can be set include intersections with poor visibility, automatic parking areas, and locations where infrastructure information can only be obtained from the server side. In step ST62, the server CPU 15 may determine only one of the travel-disabled state and the specific area. The server CPU 15 may also be configured to determine the driving conditions of the automobile 2 outside the above-mentioned specific area. Examples of driving conditions of the automobile 2 outside the specific area include when there is a traffic light ahead, when the automobile is about to enter or exit a curve, when the automobile is about to enter a merging section, when the automobile is about to enter an intersection, etc. The server CPU 15 may also be configured to determine the driving conditions of the automobile 2 that change dynamically. Examples of driving conditions of the automobile 2 that change dynamically include when a preceding vehicle slows down, when there is a crosswind, etc.

[0090] If the automobile 2 for which the vehicle information has been acquired is in a state where it cannot be driven, or is driving in a specific area, the server CPU 15 advances the process to step ST63 for remote control. On the other hand, if the automobile 2 for which the vehicle information has been acquired is not in a state where it is unable to travel and is not traveling in a specific area, the processing may proceed to step ST64 to assist the autonomous control of the vehicle.

[0091] In step ST63, the server CPU 15 executes remote control. The server CPU 15 executes the processes of, for example, steps ST34 to ST38 in Fig. 9, and transmits the generated remote control value and priority to the sending vehicle 2. The server CPU 15 executes the server remote control of Fig. 9 as part of the switching control of Fig. 13. For the vehicle 2 determined to be inoperable, the remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value to be used for driving control of the vehicle 2. Thereafter, the server CPU 15 returns the process to step ST61. The remote control here is executed by the server CPU 15 because the automobile 2 is in a state where it cannot travel. The server CPU 15 may generate a remote control value that guides the automobile 2, which is in a state where it cannot travel, to stop on the road 100 on which it is traveling, to pull over to the shoulder of the road and stop, or to guide it to a first aid facility such as a hospital.

[0092] In step ST64, the server CPU 15 executes generation control for driving control information that can be used when the driving control ECU 24 of the automobile 2 generates its own vehicle control value. Thereafter, the server CPU 15 returns the process to step ST61.

[0093] In this way, the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 serves as a switching control unit, and executes the generation process for each vehicle 2 by switching between generation control of remote control values ​​and generation control of driving control information depending on the driving disability state of the vehicle 2. When the server CPU 15 determines that each vehicle 2 is disabled, it switches the generation process for that vehicle 2 from generation control of driving control information to generation control of remote control values.

[0094] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the generation control of the driving control information by the server device 5 of the remote control device 4. The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 may repeatedly execute the generation control of the driving control information of FIG. 14 for the plurality of automobiles 2 for which the driving control information is generated in the remote control device 4. The automobile 2 involved in the processing of step ST64 in FIG.

[0095] In step ST71, the server CPU 15 determines whether it is a periodic timing for generating driving control information. The driving control information may be, for example, information on the driving range in which the automobile 2 is estimated to be able to travel within a predetermined time. In this case, the server CPU 15 determines whether the periodic timing is shorter than the time it is expected that the automobile 2 will reach the boundary of the driving range. If it is not a periodic timing for generating driving control information, the server CPU 15 ends this control. If it is a periodic timing for generating driving control information, the server CPU 15 proceeds to step ST72.

[0096] In step ST72, the server CPU 15 acquires the latest field information. The field information includes the speed and direction of movement included in the vehicle information of multiple traveling automobiles 2, traffic information in the area managed by the remote control device 4, etc.

[0097] In step ST73, the server CPU 15 maps the positions of the plurality of automobiles 2 in a virtual space based on high-precision map data, and generates the range and direction in which each of the plurality of mapped automobiles 2 can travel.

[0098] In step ST74, driving control information is generated for each vehicle 2, including the information on the driving range and driving direction generated for each vehicle 2. The driving control information may include priority information and the like.

[0099] In step ST75, the server CPU 15 transmits the driving control information generated for each of the plurality of automobiles 2 in step ST74 to each automobile 2. As a result, in step ST10, the plurality of automobiles 2 can obtain, as their driving control information, information useful for snake driving control, such as the range in which each automobile can travel and the direction in which each automobile can travel.

[0100] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the vehicle driving control by the control system 3 of the automobile 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention. The driving control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 repeatedly executes the own vehicle driving control shown in FIG. 15 in order to control the driving of the own vehicle. In addition, a control ECU other than the driving control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2, for example, the remote control ECU 29 shown by the dashed line in Figure 3, may repeatedly execute part of the processing of the vehicle driving control in Figure 15 (for example, the processing from steps ST2 to ST54 in Figure 15). Steps ST1 to ST12 may be the same as those in FIG.

[0101] After acquiring the vehicle information of the host vehicle in step ST2, the cruise control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST51. In step ST51, the cruise control ECU 24 makes a simple prediction and judgment of the driving environment of the host vehicle based on the acquired vehicle information of the host vehicle. In step ST52, the cruise control ECU 24 determines the priority that the host vehicle will request from the remote control device 4, based on the simply predicted driving environment of the host vehicle. The cruise control ECU 24 also records the determined priority in the memory 41. The determination of the priority of each vehicle 2 in steps ST51 and ST52 may be the same as that in FIG. 10 or may be a simplified version of that in FIG. Thereafter, the cruise control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST3. The driving control ECU 24, as a driving control unit of the vehicle in each vehicle 2, transmits a processing request to the remote control device 4 with the priority determined in the vehicle.

[0102] The server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 receives the priority provisionally determined by the automobile 2 together with the vehicle information from the automobile 2. The server CPU 15 acquires the received priority and registers it in the unprocessed list 70 in step ST22 of the server reception control in FIG. In addition, in step ST37 of the server remote control in FIG. 7, the server CPU 15 determines the priority of each vehicle 2 based on the driving environment of each vehicle 2 determined in step ST36, and compares it with the priority received from that vehicle 2. If the received priority is higher than the priority determined by the server CPU 15, the server CPU 15 determines whether there is room for the processing load of the remote control device 4, including processing for other vehicles. If there is room for the processing load, the server CPU 15 determines the received priority as the final priority. If there is not room for the processing load, the server CPU 15 determines the priority determined by the server CPU 15 as the final priority. Furthermore, if the received priority matches or is lower than the priority determined by the server CPU 15 itself, the server CPU 15 determines the priority determined by the server CPU 15 itself as the final priority. Even when the server CPU 15 determines the priority determined by itself as the final priority, the server CPU 15 may determine whether the processing load of the remote control device 4 has room to spare.

[0103] After executing the driving control using the remote control value in step ST5, the driving control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST53. In step ST53, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether the priority requested by the host vehicle has been obtained in the remote control of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 may obtain the priority in the server device 5 contained in the information received from the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 and compare it with the priority recorded in the memory 41 in step ST52. If the priority in the server device 5 is lower than the priority recorded in the memory 41, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the requested priority has not been obtained and proceeds to step ST54. Otherwise, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST6. In step ST54, because the priority in the server device 5 is lower than the requested priority, the cruise control ECU 24 generates a host vehicle control value for decelerating the speed of the host vehicle and executes deceleration control using the host vehicle control value in order to reduce the possibility of control deviation due to a delay in receiving the remote control value. Priorities are, for example, of three levels: high, medium, and low, as shown in FIG. 8 . Each priority is associated with a target response period. The cruise control ECU 24 only needs to generate a host vehicle control value for decelerating the vehicle to a speed that will not cause control deviation, even if the target response period is that of the priority in the server device 5. Furthermore, the speed limit corresponding to each such priority may be pre-stored in the memory 41 as, for example, the priority table 80 shown in FIG. 8 . The speed limit corresponding to the priority may be a speed at which the vehicle 2 stops. The cruise control ECU 24 then proceeds to step ST6.

[0104] If it is determined in step ST9 that new driving control information has not been received from the remote control device 4, the driving control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST55. In step ST55, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether it has received a remote control value, rather than cruise control information, from the remote control device 4. If the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 determines in step ST62 of the switching control in Fig. 13 that the automobile 2 is unable to travel, it executes remote control in step ST63, rather than generating cruise control information in step ST64. In this case, the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 may transmit a remote control value to the automobile 2 to which it previously transmitted cruise control information. If a remote control value has been received as new information from the server device 5, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST5 and executes cruise control based on the remote control value. On the other hand, if the cruise control ECU 24 has received cruise control information as new information from the server device 5, the cruise control ECU 24 proceeds to step ST11 to generate a host vehicle control value and execute cruise control based on the host vehicle control value.

[0105] In this way, when the driving control ECU 24, which serves as the driving control unit of each automobile 2, receives a remote control value from the remote control device 4, it can use the remote control value for driving control of the automobile 2, giving priority to the own vehicle control value generated by the own vehicle. Furthermore, if the priority requested by the remote control device 4 is not obtained, the travel control ECU 24 can execute deceleration control according to the priority set by the remote control device 4.

[0106] For example, when the vehicle 2 is proceeding toward the entrance of a corner as in Case 3 described above, the vehicle 2 may request a medium priority, but the server CPU 15 of the remote control device 4 may only determine a low priority, resulting in the vehicle 2 deviating from its lane at the entrance of the corner. However, in such a case, the vehicle 2 may execute deceleration control in step ST54 to gain time before the vehicle deviates from its lane. Furthermore, the server CPU 15 of the remote control device 4 may subsequently determine the possibility of lane deviation and determine a high priority instead of a medium priority. If the server CPU 15 determines a high priority, it repeatedly generates and transmits remote control values ​​at short intervals to the vehicle 2. As a result, the vehicle 2, which may have initially deviated from its lane at the entrance of the corner, may be able to enter and pass through the corner so as to return to the center of the lane without deviating from its lane, because the remote control values ​​are then frequently updated at high intervals.

[0107] [Third embodiment] Next, a remote control system 1 for driving a vehicle 2 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The remote control system 1 of this embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that when the vehicle 2 requests a priority in remote control, such as in the host vehicle driving control of Fig. 15 as in the second embodiment, but the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 determines not to execute processing at the requested priority, the adaptive control of the vehicle 2 in response to this and the control of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 corresponding to the adaptive control of the vehicle 2 are performed. The following mainly describes the differences from the above-described embodiments.

[0108] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of control for adapting to the priority determined by the remote control device 4 by the control system 3 of the automobile 2 in the third embodiment of the present invention. The driving control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 repeatedly executes adaptive control to the priority shown in FIG. 16 as one of the driving controls of the host vehicle. Moreover, the cruise control ECU 24 may execute adaptive control to the priority shown in FIG. 16 instead of the processing from step ST53 to step ST54 shown in FIG.

[0109] In step ST81, the cruise control ECU 24 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 determines whether the priority requested by the vehicle has been obtained in the remote control of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4. The cruise control ECU 24 may obtain the priority in the server device 5 contained in the information received from the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 and compare it with the priority recorded in the memory 41 in step ST52 of FIG. 15. If the priority in the server device 5 is lower than the priority recorded in the memory 41, the cruise control ECU 24 determines that the requested priority has not been obtained and proceeds to step ST82. Otherwise, the requested priority has been obtained, so the cruise control ECU 24 ends this control.

[0110] In step ST82, the cruise control ECU 24 executes deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle to a speed corresponding to the received priority. Because the priority in the server device 5 is lower than the requested priority, the cruise control ECU 24 may temporarily generate a host vehicle control value for decelerating the vehicle from the current vehicle speed to a speed corresponding to the priority, even during remote control, and execute deceleration control using the host vehicle control value. This reduces the possibility that the vehicle 2 will travel beyond the section for which the remote control value generation device 6 of the remote control device 4 is generating the remote control value.

[0111] In step ST83, the cruise control ECU 24 extends the cruise control target time for steering and other operations under its own remote control from the standard time based on the information received from the remote control device 4. The standard cruise control target time may be, for example, several to several tens of times the reference control period. The standard cruise control target time may also be set to coincide with the reference control period. Such a standard cruise control target time basically corresponds favorably to the period (transmission period in FIG. 4) at which the cruise control ECU 24 of the automobile 2 receives remote control values ​​from the remote control device 4. The standard cruise control target time may also be several to several tens of times the reference control period. Here, the cruise control ECU 24 may extend, for example, the period (reception period in FIG. 4) at which it transmits the vehicle information 3 from the standard period. If the period for transmitting the vehicle information 3 is extended, the reception period and transmission period in FIG. 4 will also be extended, and ultimately the cruise control period will also be extended. Here, the cruise control ECU 24 may use, for example, the priority of the server device 5 as information received from the remote control device 4. The server device 5 approves and denies priority requests for each vehicle 2 due to communication delays and the like. The communication or processing load on the server device 5 may be becoming tight. Therefore, if the requested priority cannot be obtained from the server device 5, the cruise control ECU 24 may extend the cruise control target time in accordance with a lower priority of the server device 5. The extension amount of the cruise control target time may be set in advance for each priority and recorded in memory 41, or may be calculated based on communication delays, the increase in the period, or the driving environment.

[0112] In step ST84, the cruise control ECU 24 determines whether the priority requested by the vehicle 2 is now available in the server device 5. The server device 5 initially denies the priority requested by the vehicle 2, but then changes the priority in the server device 5 due to a change in the communication environment or processing environment of the remote control device 4, reducing the load, etc. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 becomes able to obtain the priority requested by the vehicle as the priority in the server device 5. If the priority requested by the vehicle is not available from the server device 5, the cruise control ECU 24 repeats this process. When the priority requested by the host vehicle becomes available in the server device 5, the cruise control ECU 24 advances the process to step ST85.

[0113] In step ST85, the cruise control ECU 24 returns the cruise control target time extended in step ST83 to the original standard time. As a result, the cruise control ECU 24 extends the cruise control period during the period in which the server device 5 cannot obtain the priority requested by the host vehicle, thereby making it difficult for the load on the server device 5 to overflow.

[0114] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a good example of the correspondence between the control target point set in the remote control value generating device 6 by the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 and the driving control period in the remote control of the automobile 2 in the third embodiment of the present invention. If the server CPU 15 of the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 denies the priority request of the automobile 2, it is preferable to set the control target point and curvature target value to be set in the remote control value generating device 6 to generate a steering remote control value farther than usual. Three cases are shown in Figure 17.

[0115] Case 1 is a setting example in which the current cycle is equal to or shorter than the standard cruise control target time. Here, the automobile 2 is traveling on a straight road 100 along the lane. In this case, the server CPU 15 of the remote control device 4 may set a steering control target point on the road 100 that is a travel distance from the current position of the automobile 2 in a standard cruise control target time. The steering control target point may be a position that is a distance from the current position of the automobile 2 that is the product of the standard cruise control target time and the vehicle speed. The steering control target point is set in the center of the lane in which the automobile 2 is traveling on the straight road 100, using high-precision map data or the like. Based on these settings, the remote control value generating device 6 generates a remote control value for the steering amount of the automobile 2. The remote control value generating device 6 can generate a remote control value for a minute steering amount that is just needed to suppress control deviation from the current position of the automobile 2 toward the control target point. Upon receiving such a steering remote control value, the automobile 2 can control its driving so that it stays in the center of the lane it is driving on on a straight road 100 by remote lane keeping control at a normal driving control cycle.

[0116] Case 2 is a setting example in which the current period is equal to or shorter than the standard cruise control target time. In this case, the automobile 2 is traveling from a straight section of the road 100 to approach a corner. In this case, the server CPU 15 of the remote control device 4 sets a steering control target point on the road 100 that is the travel distance from the current position of the automobile 2 in a standard cruise control target time. The steering control target point is set in the center of the lane in which the automobile 2 is traveling, near the entrance to a corner on the road 100, using high-precision map data or the like. In this case, the steering control target point may be a position along the center of the curved lane, a distance obtained by multiplying the standard cruise control target time by the vehicle speed. The server CPU 15 also sets a curvature target point in the center of the lane between the current position of the automobile 2 and the steering control target point. The curvature target point may be, for example, an intermediate target point that enables the automobile 2 to travel with the steering amount of the remote control value at the steering control target point. For example, by starting to travel with the steering amount of the remote control value from the curvature target point, the automobile 2 can travel with the steering amount of the remote control value at the control target point. Based on these settings, the remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value for the steering amount of the automobile 2. The remote control value generation device 6 can generate a remote control value for a relatively large steering amount that moves from the current position of the automobile 2, passing through the curvature target point, toward the control target point. Upon receiving such a remote steering control value, the automobile 2 can control its driving so that it stays along the center of the lane of the road 100 when driving from a straight section of the road 100 into a corner by remote lane keeping control at a normal driving control cycle.

[0117] Case 3 is a setting example in which the current cycle is longer than the standard cruise control target time. As in case 2, the automobile 2 is traveling from a straight section of the road 100 to approach a corner. The server device 5 of the remote control device 4 then remotely controls the vehicle 2 with a priority lower than the priority requested by the vehicle 2. In this case, the cruise control ECU 24 of the vehicle 2 reduces the speed of the vehicle 2 being remotely controlled using the host vehicle control value in step ST82 of Fig. 16, and extends the cruise control period of the host vehicle in step ST83. In this case, the server CPU 15 sets the steering control target point to a position farther away than in Case 2, based on the rejection of the requested priority of the automobile 2. The server CPU 15 may set the position to a distance obtained by multiplying the extended cruise control cycle time of the automobile 2 by the vehicle speed, for example. The vehicle speed before deceleration may be used as the vehicle speed. This allows the steering control target point to be set to a position farther away from the current position of the automobile 2 by the travel distance over the extended cruise control target time. The control deviation also increases. Similarly, the server CPU 15 sets the curvature target point at a position farther than in case 2 between the current position of the automobile 2 and the steering control target point. Based on these settings, the remote control value generation device 6 generates a remote control value for the steering amount of the automobile 2. The remote control value generation device 6 can generate a remote control value for a relatively large steering amount that moves from the current position of the automobile 2, passing through a distant curvature target point, toward a distant control target point. The automobile 2 that receives such a steering remote control value can control its driving so that it stays along the center of the lane of the road 100 when driving from a straight section of the road 100 into a corner by remote lane keeping control at a driving control period that is longer than usual.

[0118] In addition to the steering control target point and curvature target point described above, the server CPU 15 may set information such as the control speed (current vehicle speed or speed limit) and road shape based on high-precision map data to the remote control value generating device 6.

[0119] As described above, in this embodiment, when the priority requested by the remote control device 4 is rejected by the remote control device 4, the automobile 2 performs autonomous speed reduction control and extends the cruise control period. Furthermore, when the server rejects the priority request from the automobile 2, it can set a control target point or the like to appropriately correspond to the extended cruise control period of the automobile 2. In the remote control system 1, the automobile 2 and the remote control device 4 can continue to perform satisfactory remote control by repeating control at each time of the extended cruise control period of the automobile 2.

[0120] The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the server device 5 of the remote control device 4 makes the final decision on priority and generation switching. Alternatively, for example, the final decision on priority and generation switching may be made by each vehicle 2.

[0121] In the above-described embodiment, the remote control device 4 is composed of one server device 5 and one remote control value generating device 6. Alternatively, the server device 5 or remote control value generating device 6 of the remote control device 4 may be configured as multiple devices, for example, by dividing it into predetermined units such as regions or the number of vehicles. The server device 5 or remote control value generating device 6 may also be divided into multiple devices based on functions or processing loads. The multiple server devices 5 or multiple remote control value generating devices 6 may be distributed and incorporated into, for example, a base station 9 of a fifth-generation communication network 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 1... remote control system, 2... automobile (vehicle), 3... control system, 4... remote control device, 5... server device, 6... remote control value generation device, 7... communication system, 8... communication network, 9... base station, 10... computer device, 11... server communication device, 12... server GNSS receiver, 13... server timer, 14... server memory, 15... server CPU, 16... server bus, 21... drive ECU, 22... steering ECU, 23... braking ECU, 24... driving control ECU, 25... driving operation ECU, 26... detection ECU, 27... AP communication ECU, 28... V2V communication ECU, 29...Remote control ECU, 30...Vehicle network, 31...Bus cable, 32...Central gateway, 41...Memory, 42...Timer, 51...Steering, 52...Brake pedal, 53...Accelerator pedal, 54...Shift lever, 61...Speed ​​sensor, 62...Acceleration sensor, 63...Exterior camera, 64...LIDAR, 65...Interior camera, 66...GNSS receiver, 70...Unprocessed list, 100...Expressway, 100...Road, 101...Preceding vehicle, 102...Traffic signal, 103...Main lane, 104...Merging lane, 105...Pedestrian, 110...GNSS satellite

Claims

1. A remote control system for vehicle travel that allows a plurality of vehicles to communicate with a plurality of remote control devices separate from the vehicles, and that can repeatedly transmit remote control values ​​for controlling travel of the vehicles from the remote control device to each of the plurality of vehicles, the remote control device has a remote control value generating unit that repeatedly generates the remote control value that can be used for driving control of each of the plurality of vehicles, Each of the vehicles has a host vehicle driving control unit that controls driving based on the remote control value repeatedly received from the remote control device, The remote control device includes: The remote control value repeatedly generated for each of the vehicles by the remote control value generating unit is generated in accordance with a priority or a target response period that is changed depending on a running environment of each of the vehicles; The priority is a priority associated with a time required for only upstream communication or a time required for only downstream communication. A remote control system for vehicle operation.

2. Each of the vehicles transmits at least the detection information of its own vehicle sensor, including an image captured by an external sensor provided on the vehicle, its own vehicle position, and time to the remote control device; the remote control value generation unit of the remote control device generates the remote control value that can be used for driving control in each of the vehicles, using information received from each of the vehicles.

2. The remote control system for vehicle travel according to claim 1.

3. The remote control device includes: predicting a driving environment for each of the vehicles based on information received from each of the vehicles; determining a priority or a target response period of each of the vehicles according to the predicted running environment of each of the vehicles; 3. The remote control system for vehicle travel according to claim 2.

4. The remote control device includes: When the driving environment of each vehicle is predicted to be one in which the remote control value may change, the priority or the target response period is updated so that the vehicle is processed with priority over other vehicles.

4. A remote control system for vehicle travel according to claim 1.

5. The remote control device includes: updating the priority or the target response period so that each vehicle is processed with priority over other vehicles when at least one of the following driving environments is predicted for each vehicle: a preceding vehicle is decelerating; there is a traffic light in the traveling direction; the vehicle is about to travel around the entrance or exit of a curve; the vehicle is traveling in a merging section; the vehicle is about to travel around an intersection; and the vehicle is about to travel through a crosswind; 5. A remote control system for vehicle travel according to claim 1.

6. In each of the vehicles, the host vehicle driving control unit transmitting a processing request based on the priority determined in the vehicle to the remote control device; If the requested priority is not obtained in the remote control device, deceleration control is performed or the period of driving control of the host vehicle is extended so as to adapt to the priority in the remote control device.

6. A remote control system for vehicle travel according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Each of the vehicles is a host vehicle control value generating unit that generates a host vehicle control value to be used for driving control of the host vehicle based on an occupant operation or automatic driving of the host vehicle; a driving controller that receives the host vehicle control value generated by the host vehicle control value generation unit and executes driving control in accordance with the control value, The remote control value generation unit of the remote control device generating the remote control value that can be input to the driving controller in each of the vehicles in the same manner as the host vehicle control value generated by the host vehicle control value generation unit of each of the vehicles; 7. A remote control system for vehicle travel according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The remote control device includes: Determine whether the host vehicle control value generation unit or the occupant is disabled for each of the vehicles, or determining whether the area in which each vehicle is traveling is a specific area set for prioritizing remote driving control over autonomous driving control; The remote control value generating unit For the vehicle determined to be disabled or for the vehicle determined to be traveling in a specific area, generate the remote control value to be used for controlling the traveling of the vehicle; The host vehicle driving control unit of each of the vehicles When the remote control value is received from the remote control device, the remote control value received from the remote control device is used for driving control of the vehicle in priority over the host vehicle control value generated by the host vehicle control value generation unit of the host vehicle.

8. The system for remotely controlling vehicle travel according to claim 7.

9. The remote control device includes: a driving control information generating unit that generates driving control information that can be used by the host vehicle control value generating unit of the vehicle when generating the host vehicle control value; a switching control unit that switches a generation process for each of the vehicles between the driving control information generation unit and the remote control value generation unit, The switching control unit When it is determined that each of the vehicles is disabled, the generation process for each of the vehicles is switched from the driving control information generation unit to the remote control value generation unit.

9. A remote control system for vehicle travel according to claim 7 or 8.

Images