Vehicle route planning device, vehicle route planning method, and vehicle route planning system

Abstract

To reduce a possibility of slowing down a traffic flow.SOLUTION: In a vehicle route planning device, a surrounding environment of a preceding vehicle is acquired, which is an automatic driving vehicle; a traveling speed that the preceding vehicle can output is calculated depending on the acquired surrounding environment; a current location of the preceding vehicle is acquired; a traveling route candidate is calculated from the current location of the preceding vehicle to a destination based on the calculated traveling speed and the acquired current location; a traffic tolerance of the calculated traveling route candidate is calculated; and a traveling route candidate selected according to the calculated traffic tolerances from the calculated traveling route candidates is output as a proposed traveling route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle route planning device, a vehicle route planning method, and a vehicle route planning system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for limiting the speed of a vehicle based on whether or not the surrounding environment of the vehicle can be accurately recognized. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-203017 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 may limit the vehicle's speed to a speed lower than the legal speed limit depending on the vehicle's surrounding environment, which may cause the vehicle to travel at a slower speed than other vehicles traveling at the legal speed, potentially slowing down traffic flow. The present invention aims to reduce the possibility of slowing down traffic flow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, the surrounding environment of a leading vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, is acquired, a driving speed that the leading vehicle can output is calculated based on the acquired surrounding environment, and the current location of the leading vehicle is acquired. Furthermore, based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location, candidate driving routes that are candidates for a driving route from the current location of the leading vehicle to a destination are calculated, and a traffic tolerance for the calculated candidate driving routes is calculated. Furthermore, a candidate driving route selected from the calculated candidate driving routes based on the calculated tolerance is output as a proposed driving route. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility of slowing down traffic flow. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle route planning system. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart illustrating operations performed by the vehicle route planning system. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a reroute process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a vehicle allocation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are designated by identical or similar reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Each drawing is a schematic diagram and may differ from the actual product. The embodiments shown below exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the devices and methods exemplified in the following embodiments. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0009] (composition) 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle route planning system 1. The vehicle route planning system 1 is a system that sets a route (travel route) along which a vehicle 3 used for user travel will travel. The vehicle route planning system 1 includes at least a control device 2 and a vehicle 3 (service vehicle).

[0010] When a user uses the vehicle 3, the user accesses the control device 2 using, for example, an electronic device to reserve the vehicle 3. The electronic device is a terminal device used by a user who utilizes the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle route planning system 1. The electronic device may be, for example, a portable information terminal that the user can carry, a small, easily portable computer, or a stationary computer installed in a house or the like. For example, dedicated application software for using the vehicle route planning system 1 is pre-installed on the electronic device. In the following description, "application software" may be referred to as "software." The user may also reserve a vehicle 3 over the Internet using the browser function of the electronic device.

[0011] When reserving the vehicle 3, the electronic device generates utilization request data and transmits the utilization request data to the control device 2. The usage request data includes, for example, information on the number of people (including the user) traveling using the vehicle 3, the boarding location (desired boarding location) where the user wishes to board the vehicle 3, and the disembarking location (destination) where the user wishes to disembark from the vehicle 3. In addition, the usage request data includes, for example, information on the date and time when the user wishes to board the vehicle 3 (desired boarding date and time), and the date and time when the user wishes to disembark from the vehicle 3 (desired disembarking date and time).

[0012] <Control device> The control device 2 (server device) performs processing according to the usage request data. The control device 2 includes a processor 20, a storage device 21, a communication device 22, a registrant database (registrant DB) 23, a map database (map DB) 24, and a reservation database (reservation DB) 25. The processor 20 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 21 may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a register, a cache memory, or a memory such as a ROM or RAM used as a main storage device. The functions of the control device 2 described below are realized, for example, by the processor 20 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 21.

[0013] The communication device 22 provides a communication function between the control device 2 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 22 may be, for example, wired communication or wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication with the vehicle 3, or the like. The control device 2 transmits and receives data to and from the vehicle 3 and electronic devices via the communication device 22.

[0014] The registrant DB23 is a database for registering users of the vehicle route planning system 1. In the following description, a person registered in the registrant DB23 will be referred to as a "registrant." For example, a user of a vehicle dispatch service is registered in the registrant DB23 as a user of the vehicle route planning system 1.

[0015] The map DB 24 stores map information of an area where the vehicle route planning system 1 provides a vehicle dispatch service. The map information may be, for example, map data for navigation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "navigation map"). In response to the usage request data, the control device 2 calculates a travel route from the desired boarding location included in the usage request data to the destination based on map information stored in the map DB 24. The control device 2 also predicts the disembarking date and time when the vehicle 3 will depart at the desired boarding date and time included in the usage request data, travel along the travel route, and arrive at the destination. The control device 2 stores the desired boarding location, desired boarding date and time, and destination included in the usage request data, as well as the travel route and disembarking date and time calculated by the control device 2, in the reservation DB 25 as an operation plan for the vehicle 3. In addition, the control device 2 outputs to the vehicle 3 an operation plan including the desired boarding location, desired boarding date and time, destination, disembarking date and time, and travel route.

[0016] <Vehicle> The vehicle 3 is a vehicle that operates in response to a user's request (a so-called demand-based transportation vehicle), and may be, for example, a shared taxi or a robot taxi. Furthermore, the vehicle 3 is an automatically driven vehicle that is driven automatically by the controller 34 in accordance with an operation plan output from the control device 2 without the involvement of a driver (human). When the vehicle 3 receives the operation plan from the control device 2, the vehicle 3 travels to the boarding location so as to arrive by the desired boarding date and time included in the operation plan. Also, when the user boards the vehicle 3 at the boarding location, the vehicle 3 travels to the disembarking location along the travel route included in the operation plan.

[0017] The vehicle 3 includes an on-board sensor 30, a positioning device 31, a map database (map DB) 32, a communication device 33, a controller , and an actuator . The on-board sensors 30 include object sensors that detect objects around the vehicle 3, and vehicle sensors that detect various pieces of information obtained from the vehicle 3 (vehicle state). The object sensor detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, such as the relative position of the vehicle 3 and an object present around the vehicle 3, the distance between the vehicle 3 and the object, and the direction in which the object is present. The object sensor may include, for example, a camera that captures the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, for example, the object sensor may include a distance measuring device such as a laser range finder (LRF), radar, or a laser radar of a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The object sensor outputs surrounding environment information, which is information on the detected surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, to the controller 34. The vehicle sensors may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 3, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of each tire equipped on the vehicle 3, and a three-axis acceleration sensor (G sensor) that detects the acceleration (including deceleration) of the vehicle 3 in three axial directions. The vehicle sensors may also include, for example, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle (including the turning angle), a gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity generated in the vehicle 3, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate. The vehicle sensors may also include, for example, a seat belt sensor that detects whether a seat belt is fastened or unfastened, and a door sensor that detects whether a door is opened or closed. The vehicle sensors output vehicle state information to the controller 34.

[0018] The positioning device 31 measures the current location and attitude of the vehicle 3. The positioning device 31 may include, for example, a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The positioning device 31 may also include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 31 outputs current location information of the measured current location to the controller 34. The map DB 32 stores map information. The map information may include map data for navigation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "navigation map") and high-precision map data suitable as a map for automated driving (hereinafter simply referred to as a "high-precision map"). The communication device 33 provides a communication function between the vehicle 3 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 33 may be, for example, wireless communication using a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication, or the like. The vehicle 3 transmits and receives data to and from the control device 2 via the communication device 33 .

[0019] The controller 34 is an electronic control unit that controls the vehicle 3. For example, the controller 34 controls the automatic driving of the vehicle 3. The controller 34 includes a processor 36 and peripheral components such as a storage device 37. The processor 36 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 37 may include non-transitory tangible storage media such as registers, cache memory, and memories such as ROM and RAM used as main storage devices. The functions of the controller 34 are realized, for example, by the processor 36 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 37. The controller 34 executes autonomous driving control to cause the vehicle 3 to travel in accordance with a travel plan based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle status information from the on-board sensors 30, the positioning results of the positioning device 31, and the map information in the map DB 32. For example, the controller 34 calculates a target travel trajectory for the vehicle 3 to travel based on the current location and attitude of the vehicle 3, the travel route included in the travel plan, the map information, and the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3. In addition, the controller 34 generates, for example, a route space map that represents the route around the vehicle 3 and the presence or absence of objects, and a risk map that quantifies the degree of risk during travel. Furthermore, the controller 34 generates the target travel trajectory based on the motion characteristics of the vehicle 3, the vehicle status information, the route space map, and the risk map. The controller 34 then drives the actuator 35 so that the vehicle 3 travels along the generated target travel trajectory. The actuator 35 operates the steering device, drive device, and braking device of the vehicle 3 in response to control signals from the controller 34 to generate vehicle behavior of the vehicle 3, thereby automatically driving the vehicle 3. The actuator 35 includes a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator, and a brake control actuator.

[0020] <Vehicle functional configuration> The following describes details of the vehicle route planning system 1. Fig. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 includes a surrounding environment acquisition unit 40, an environmental factor acquisition unit 41, a recognition accuracy calculation unit 42, and an outputtable speed calculation unit 43.

[0021] The surrounding environment acquisition unit 40 uses the on-board sensor 30 to acquire the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3 (presence of nearby vehicles and pedestrians, narrowing of lanes due to road construction, etc.).

[0022] The environmental factor acquisition unit 41 acquires environmental factors using, for example, road-to-vehicle communication or the in-vehicle sensor 30. The environmental factors include at least one of sunlight conditions, weather, and time of day.

[0023] The recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 uses the surrounding environment acquired by the surrounding environment acquisition unit 40 to calculate the recognition accuracy, which is the accuracy with which the on-board sensor 30 recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3 . In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 calculates the recognition accuracy of the environment ahead of the vehicle 3 by the on-board sensor 30.

[0024] Furthermore, the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 calculates the recognition accuracy in response to at least one of a failure and a decrease in output of the on-board sensor 30. In the process of calculating the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30, for example, when there are signs of stop positions, intersections, right and left turn roads, etc. in positions that can be imaged by the camera, and the signs cannot be recognized from the image captured by the camera, the recognition accuracy is calculated to be reduced. Note that the recognition accuracy is expressed in three levels: "high," which is the normal recognition accuracy; "medium," which is the recognition accuracy when the sensor's detection accuracy has decreased to about 50% of normal; and "low," which is the recognition accuracy when the sensor's detection accuracy has decreased to about 30% of normal.

[0025] Furthermore, the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 calculates the recognition accuracy according to the environmental factors acquired by the environmental factor acquisition unit 41 . In the process of calculating the recognition accuracy according to environmental factors, for example, if the sunlight conditions are strong enough to affect the imaging capability of the camera, it is determined that there is a possibility that the recognition accuracy will be reduced, and the recognition accuracy is calculated to be reduced. Also, if the weather conditions are such as dense fog or heavy rain that they affect the imaging capability of the camera, it is determined that there is a possibility that the recognition accuracy will be reduced, and the recognition accuracy is calculated to be reduced. Furthermore, if the time period during which the vehicle 3 is traveling is a time period during which the ambient brightness affects the imaging capability of the camera, such as at night or early in the morning, it is determined that there is a possibility that the recognition accuracy will be reduced, and the recognition accuracy is calculated to be reduced.

[0026] The possible output speed calculation unit 43 calculates the possible output traveling speed of the vehicle 3 in accordance with the surrounding environment acquired by the surrounding environment acquisition unit 40. In addition, the outputtable speed calculation unit 43 calculates the travel speed that the vehicle 3 can output, in accordance with the recognition accuracy calculated by the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42. Specifically, when the recognition accuracy is "high", the legal speed limit of the road on which the vehicle 3 is traveling is calculated as the traveling speed that the vehicle 3 can output.

[0027] Also, for example, when the recognition accuracy is "medium," the traveling speed that can be output when the recognition accuracy is "high" is multiplied by a coefficient of "0.9" to calculate the traveling speed that vehicle 3 can output. Furthermore, for example, when the recognition accuracy is "low," the traveling speed that can be output when the recognition accuracy is "high" is multiplied by a coefficient of "0.75" to calculate the traveling speed that vehicle 3 can output. Furthermore, when no user is in the vehicle 3, the outputtable speed calculation unit 43 sets the outputtable traveling speed to a lower speed than when a user is in the vehicle 3. Note that to determine whether or not a user is in the vehicle 3, for example, a seat belt sensor is used.

[0028] <Controller functional configuration> FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 2. As shown in FIG. The control device 2 includes a vehicle current location acquisition unit 50, a request data acquisition unit 51, a driving plan creation unit 52, a driving route candidate calculation unit 53, an tolerance calculation unit 54, and a destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit 55. In addition, the control device 2 includes a proposed driving route output unit 56, a transfer determination unit 57, a transfer location setting unit 58, a vehicle dispatch processing unit 59, and a roadside stop processing unit 60.

[0029] The vehicle current position acquisition unit 50 acquires the current position of the vehicle 3 using the current position information output by the positioning device 31. When the request data acquisition unit 51 receives the usage request data from the electronic device, it registers the information included in the usage request data in the reservation DB 25 .

[0030] The driving plan creation unit 52 creates an operation plan in accordance with the information registered in the reservation DB 25 by the request data acquisition unit 51 . When creating an operation plan, a route from the current location to the destination is set based on the information included in the usage request data and the map information stored in the map DB 24. Furthermore, the driving plan creation unit 52 stores the calculated driving route in the reservation DB 25. As a result, the driving route set by the driving plan creation unit 52 is stored in the reservation DB 25 as an operation plan for the vehicle dispatch service provided to the user. Furthermore, the driving plan creation unit 52 outputs operation plan information related to the operation plan to the vehicle 3 provided to the user and to the electronic device.

[0031] The travel route candidate calculation unit 53 calculates travel route candidates according to the travel speed calculated by the output possible speed calculation unit 43 and the current location acquired by the vehicle current location acquisition unit 50. The candidate travel routes are candidates for travel routes from the current location of the vehicle 3 to the destination.

[0032] When calculating a candidate driving route, first, a section is detected where the driving speed calculated by the output possible speed calculation unit 43, i.e., the maximum speed at which the vehicle 3 can perform autonomous driving, is less than the legal speed limit. When detecting a section where the maximum speed is less than the legal speed, for example, the driving route set by the driving plan creation unit 52, the map information in the map DB 32, the current location acquired by the vehicle current location acquisition unit 50, and the destination included in the usage request data are referenced.

[0033] For example, if the driving route set by the driving plan creation unit 52 is composed of sections with a legal speed limit of 60 km / h and the driving speed calculated by the outputtable speed calculation unit 43 is 40 km / h, the unit 52 detects sections between the current location and the destination with a legal speed limit of 40 km / h. Next, as a candidate driving route, a driving route including a section where the legal speed limit is 40 km / h between the current location and the destination is calculated.

[0034] In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 calculates a plurality of candidate travel routes. Furthermore, when the transfer point setting unit 58 sets a transfer point, which will be described later, the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 calculates a travel route candidate from the current location of the vehicle 3 to the transfer point as a travel route candidate.

[0035] The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates the tolerance to traffic for the plurality of travel route candidates calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53. The tolerance includes at least one of the following tolerances I to V.

[0036] Tolerance I: Tolerance for the section length of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53. The evaluation criterion for tolerance I is the time that vehicle 3 is predicted to affect traffic flow when traveling on the travel route that is the travel route candidate. The section lengths of the travel route candidates are acquired using map information stored in the map DB 24, for example.

[0037] Tolerance II: Tolerance for traffic volume of the candidate driving route calculated by the candidate driving route calculation unit 53. The evaluation criterion for tolerance II is the speed of the vehicle 3 that affects other vehicles when the vehicle 3 travels on the candidate driving route. The traffic volume of the candidate travel route is acquired using, for example, road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0038] Tolerance III: Tolerance for the number of lanes of the candidate driving route calculated by the candidate driving route calculation unit 53. The evaluation criterion for tolerance III is the number of other vehicles that will be affected by the presence of vehicle 3 when vehicle 3 travels on the candidate driving route. The number of lanes of the candidate driving route is acquired using map information stored in the map DB 24, for example.

[0039] Tolerance IV: Tolerance for the cruising speed of the candidate driving route calculated by the candidate driving route calculation unit 53. The evaluation criterion for tolerance IV is the degree of impact that the speed of vehicle 3 has on traffic on the candidate driving route when vehicle 3 travels on the candidate driving route. The traffic volume of the candidate travel route is acquired using, for example, road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0040] Tolerance V: Tolerance for the degree of blockage of the candidate driving route calculated by the candidate driving route calculation unit 53. The evaluation criterion for tolerance V is the actual number of driving lanes on the candidate driving route when the vehicle 3 travels on the candidate driving route. The traffic volume of the candidate travel route is acquired using, for example, road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0041] The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates a tolerance (tolerance I) for the section length to be larger as the section length of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is shorter. The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates a tolerance for traffic volume (tolerance II) to be larger as the number of vehicles traveling per unit time on the candidate travel route calculated by the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 decreases. The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates a tolerance for the number of lanes (tolerance III) to be larger as the number of lanes of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 increases. The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates a tolerance (tolerance IV) for the cruising speed to be larger as the average traveling speed per unit time on the traveling route candidate calculated by the traveling route candidate calculation unit 53 is lower. The tolerance calculation unit 54 calculates a tolerance (tolerance V) for the degree of blockage to be larger as the blockage state in the section of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 becomes smaller. In addition, tolerances I to V may be calculated for sections of the candidate driving routes calculated by the candidate driving route calculation unit 53, for example, where the legal speed is higher than the driving speed calculated by the output allowable speed calculation unit 43.

[0042] The destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit 55 performs processing to acquire the destination arrival allowable time. The destination arrival allowable time is the time allowed to pass until the user in the vehicle 3 arrives at the destination. When obtaining the allowable time to arrive at the destination, the current time and the desired date and time of disembarking included in the usage request data are used.

[0043] The proposed driving route output unit 56 selects a driving route candidate from all the driving route candidates calculated by the driving route candidate calculation unit 53 according to the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54, and outputs the selected driving route candidate to the vehicle 3 as a proposed driving route (operation plan). Specifically, the proposed travel route output unit 56 determines whether the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than a preset tolerance threshold for all travel route candidates calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53. Then, the proposed travel route output unit 56 outputs the travel route candidate for which the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold to the vehicle 3 as a proposed travel route (operation plan). The tolerance threshold is a parameter (such as a numerical value) corresponding to the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit .

[0044] In addition, the proposed driving route output unit 56 outputs to the vehicle 3, as a proposed driving route (operation plan), a driving route candidate that arrives at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time acquired by the destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit 55, from among the driving route candidates whose tolerance is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold. In addition, when the driving route candidate calculation unit 53 calculates a connecting driving route candidate, which is a driving route candidate from the current location of the vehicle 3 to the transfer point, the proposed driving route output unit 56 outputs the connecting driving route candidate to the vehicle 3 as a proposed driving route (operation plan). Upon receiving the input of the proposed travel route, the vehicle 3 travels along the proposed travel route.

[0045] The transfer determination unit 57 determines whether the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is less than the tolerance threshold. If the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is less than the tolerance threshold, the transfer determination unit 57 determines that the user needs to transfer from the vehicle 3 they are currently riding in to another automatically driven vehicle. In the following description, the vehicle 3 in which the user is riding before transferring to another autonomously driven vehicle may be referred to as a "previously used vehicle." In the following description, the other autonomously driven vehicle to which the user transfers from the previously used vehicle may be referred to as a "transfer vehicle."

[0046] A specific example of the process in which the transfer determination unit 57 determines whether or not the user needs to transfer from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle will be described below.

[0047] (Example I) A specific state regarding tolerance I is a state in which the section length of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is 500 [m] and 50 [seconds] is required to pass through. A specific state relating to tolerance level II is a state in which the number of lanes on the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is two. A specific state relating to tolerance level III is a state in which the traffic volume on the candidate travel route calculated by the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 is sparse. A specific state relating to tolerance level IV is a state in which the cruising speed of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is 60 [km / h]. A specific state regarding the tolerance V is a state in which the blockage degree of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is low (low blockage degree). In specific example I, even if the traveling speed calculated by the output possible speed calculation unit 43 is lower than the normal traveling speed that the vehicle 3 can output, it is determined that there is little possibility of slowing down the traffic flow. Then, it is determined that there is no need for the user to transfer from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle (continue traveling).

[0048] (Example II) A specific state regarding tolerance I is a state in which the section length of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is 3 [km] and it takes 5 [minutes] to pass through. A specific state relating to tolerance level II is a state in which the number of lanes on the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is two. A specific state relating to tolerance level III is a state in which the traffic volume on the candidate travel route calculated by the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 is heavy. A specific state relating to tolerance level IV is a state in which the cruising speed of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is 60 [km / h]. A specific state regarding the tolerance V is a state in which the blockage degree of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is large (high blockage degree). In specific example II, if the traveling speed calculated by the output possible speed calculation unit 43 is lower than the normal traveling speed that the vehicle 3 can output, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the traffic flow will be slowed down. Then, it is determined that the user needs to transfer from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle (transfer required).

[0049] (Example III) A specific state regarding tolerance I is a state in which the section length of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is 3 [km] and it takes 5 [minutes] to pass through. A specific state relating to tolerance level II is a state in which the number of lanes on the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is two. A specific state relating to tolerance level III is a state in which the traffic volume on the candidate travel route calculated by the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 is high due to the occurrence of congestion. A specific state relating to tolerance level IV is a state in which the cruising speed of the candidate travel route calculated by the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 has dropped to 40 [km / h] due to the occurrence of traffic congestion. A specific state regarding the tolerance V is a state in which the blockage degree of the travel route candidate calculated by the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 is large (high blockage degree). In specific example III, even if the traveling speed calculated by the output possible speed calculation unit 43 is lower than the normal traveling speed that vehicle 3 can output, it is determined that there is little possibility of slowing down traffic flow because the cruising speed has been reduced due to congestion. It is then determined that there is no need for the user to transfer from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle (continue traveling).

[0050] When the transfer determination unit 57 determines that a transfer is necessary, the transfer location setting unit 58 sets a transfer location within a range from the current location such that the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold. The transfer point is the point where passengers transfer from a preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle.

[0051] The vehicle allocation processing unit 59 allocates a connecting vehicle to the connecting point set by the connecting point setting unit 58. In addition, the vehicle allocation processing unit 59 selects and allocates a connecting vehicle from among the autonomous vehicles that can arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time acquired by the destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit 55, according to the connecting location set by the connecting location setting unit 58.

[0052] If the transfer point setting unit 58 cannot set a transfer point at the travel speed calculated by the outputtable speed calculation unit 43, the shoulder stopping processing unit 60 stops the preceding vehicle on a shoulder that is available for stopping and exists between the current location and the destination. The shoulders on which the vehicle can stop between the current location and the destination are acquired using map information stored in the map DB 24, for example. In addition, the process of stopping the preceding vehicle on the shoulder is a process of including in the operation plan and outputting to the preceding vehicle a driving route from the current location to near the shoulder and an actuator control signal for moving the preceding vehicle from near the shoulder to the shoulder and stopping it there.

[0053] (operation) Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the vehicle route planning system 1. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 starts from a state in which the trip plan creation unit 52 outputs operation plan information to the preceding use vehicle and the electronic device, and the preceding use vehicle with a user in it is traveling. In Fig. 3, the processes performed between the control device 2 and the vehicle 3 are indicated by dashed arrows.

[0054] In step S1, the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 diagnoses the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30. That is, in step S1, the preceding use vehicle self-diagnoses the state of the on-board sensor 30. In step S2, the recognition accuracy calculation unit 42 determines whether the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has decreased (for example, whether the recognition accuracy is "medium" or "low"). If it is determined that the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has decreased (step S2: Y), the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has not decreased (step S2: N), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0055] In step S3, the possible output speed calculation unit 43 calculates the possible travel speed of the preceding vehicle. In step S4, the preceding vehicle continues to travel normally. In step S5, the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 determines whether the travel speed calculated in step S3 is less than a speed threshold (for example, the legal speed of the road on which the preceding vehicle is traveling according to the operation plan). If it is determined that the calculated travel speed is less than the speed threshold (step S5: Y), the process proceeds to step S15. If it is determined that the calculated travel speed is equal to or greater than the speed threshold (step S5: N), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0056] In step S6, the preceding vehicle decelerates to the traveling speed calculated in step S3. In step S7, the preceding vehicle continues traveling at the traveling speed calculated in step S3. In step S8, the preceding vehicle requests the control device 2 to output travel route candidates (reroute candidates) that are candidates for a new travel route (reroute).

[0057] In step S9, the control device 2 performs a process of calculating travel route candidates (rerouting process), which will be described later. In step S10, the preceding vehicle sets the travel route candidate calculated in step S9 as a new operation plan. In step S11, the preceding vehicle travels according to the operation plan set in step S10. In step S12, the preceding vehicle transmits to the control device 2 the result of determining whether the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has decreased while the preceding vehicle is traveling according to the operation plan set in step S10, and the traveling speed that can be output.

[0058] In step S13, the control device 2 performs a process of allocating a connecting vehicle (vehicle allocation process), which will be described later. In step S14, the connecting vehicle receives an input of an operation plan including a driving route to the connecting point set by the connecting point setting unit 58, and sets a driving route to the connecting point.

[0059] In step S15, the preceding vehicle stops at the shoulder set by the shoulder stopping processing unit 60. In step S16, the preceding vehicle requests the control device 2 to transfer to a connecting vehicle.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the reroute process. In step S20, the candidate travel route calculation unit 53 calculates a plurality of candidate travel routes according to the travel speed calculated in step S3 and the current location acquired by the current vehicle location acquisition unit 50. In step S21, the candidate driving route calculation unit 53 calculates the predicted time at which the vehicle 3 will arrive at the destination if it travels at the driving speed calculated in step S3 and at or below the legal speed for the multiple candidate driving routes calculated in step S20.

[0061] In step S22, the proposed travel route output unit 56 extracts, from the plurality of travel route candidates calculated in step S20, a travel route candidate that will arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time calculated in step S21. In step S23, the proposed travel route output unit 56 determines whether it was possible to extract a travel route candidate that will arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time. If it is determined that it is possible to extract a travel route candidate that will arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time (step S23: Y), the process proceeds to step S24. If it is determined that it is not possible to extract a travel route candidate that will arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time (step S23: N), the process proceeds to step S29.

[0062] In step S24, the proposed travel route output unit 56 determines whether or not any travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 is equal to or greater than the legal speed exists among the travel route candidates that could be extracted in step S23. If it is determined that any travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 is equal to or greater than the legal speed exists (step S24: Y), the process proceeds to step S25. If it is determined that any travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 is equal to or greater than the legal speed does not exist (step S24: N), the process proceeds to step S26. In step S25, the proposed travel route output unit 56 sets the travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 is equal to or greater than the legal speed limit as the proposed travel route.

[0063] In step S26, the proposed driving route output unit 56 evaluates the degree of influence that the vehicle 3 in which the user is riding has on traffic flow in the section where the driving speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed. Note that the degree of influence that the vehicle 3 in which the user is riding has on traffic flow is evaluated using the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 for the driving route candidate where the driving speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed. In step S27, the proposed travel route output unit 56 determines whether the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold for the travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed. This determines whether or not there is a travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed (a small-impact route) that has a small degree of influence on traffic flow. A small-impact route is a travel route candidate whose tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold. If it is determined that a small-impact route exists among the travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed (step S27: Y), the process proceeds to step S28. If it is determined that a small-impact route does not exist among the travel route candidate whose travel speed calculated in step S3 does not exceed the legal speed (step S27: N), the process proceeds to step S29. In step S28, the proposed travel route output unit 56 sets the small impact route determined to exist in step S27 as a proposed travel route.

[0064] In step S29, the transfer determination unit 57 determines that the user needs to transfer from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle. Further, in step S29, the transfer location setting unit 58 sets a transfer location within a range from the current location such that the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation unit 54 is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold. In step S30, the travel route candidate calculation unit 53 sets the connecting travel route candidate as a proposed travel route. In step S31, the proposed travel route output unit 56 outputs one of the proposed travel route set in step S25, the proposed travel route set in step S28, and the proposed travel route set in step S30 as a proposed travel route (operation plan).

[0065] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the vehicle allocation process. In step S40, the vehicle allocation processing unit 59 determines whether a transfer point has been set. If it is determined that a transfer point has been set (step S40: Y), the process proceeds to step S41. If it is determined that a transfer point has not been set (step S40: N), the vehicle allocation process is terminated, and the operation performed by the vehicle route planning system 1 is terminated.

[0066] In step S41, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 59 selects a connecting vehicle from among the autonomous vehicles that can arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time acquired by the destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit 55, based on the set transfer location. In step S42, the vehicle allocation processing unit 59 allocates the connecting vehicle selected in step S41.

[0067] As described above, in the present invention, when the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has not decreased, the preceding vehicle continues normal driving (driving by automatic driving) and travels along the travel route included in the operation plan. On the other hand, when the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has decreased, the system performs processing such as outputting a proposed travel route, transferring from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle, and dispatching the connecting vehicle, depending on the travel speed that the preceding vehicle can output, the tolerance, and the tolerance threshold. That is, for example, when the legal speed limit for the travel route included in the operation plan is 60 km / h and the recognition accuracy of the on-board sensor 30 has decreased and the travel speed that can be output has dropped to 40 km / h, processing is performed according to the degree of influence that the preceding vehicle has on traffic flow.

[0068] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) A computer included in a vehicle route planning device constituting the vehicle route planning system 1 executes a process of acquiring the surrounding environment of the preceding vehicle and a process of calculating a driving speed that the preceding vehicle can output based on the acquired surrounding environment. In addition, a process of acquiring the current location of the preceding vehicle and a process of calculating candidate driving routes that are candidates for the driving route from the current location of the preceding vehicle to the destination based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location are executed. Furthermore, a process of calculating a traffic tolerance for the calculated candidate driving routes and a process of selecting a candidate driving route from the calculated candidate driving routes based on the calculated tolerance are executed as a proposed driving route. This makes it possible to limit the driving speed of the vehicle in which the user is riding to a driving speed that can be output depending on the vehicle's surrounding environment, and to calculate candidate driving routes for traffic flow that are suitable for the driving speed that can be output. Therefore, even when the vehicle is traveling at a speed that is limited to a speed lower than the legal speed limit due to the surrounding environment of the vehicle, it is possible to reduce the possibility of slowing down traffic flow.

[0069] (2) The tolerance includes at least one of tolerances for the section length of the calculated candidate driving route, traffic volume of the calculated candidate driving route, number of lanes of the calculated candidate driving route, cruising speed of the calculated candidate driving route, and degree of blockage of the calculated candidate driving route. This makes it possible to set a proposed driving route depending on the structure and traffic conditions of the candidate driving route.

[0070] (3) The shorter the section length of the calculated travel route candidate is, the greater the tolerance for the section length is calculated to be. This makes it possible to calculate tolerance by reflecting a structure in which the section length of the candidate travel route is short, i.e., a structure in which vehicles with a reduced outputtable travel speed have a greater impact on traffic flow.

[0071] (4) The computer calculates a larger tolerance for traffic volume as the number of vehicles traveling per unit time on the calculated travel route candidate decreases. This makes it possible to calculate tolerance by reflecting situations where the number of vehicles traveling per unit time on a candidate travel route is low, i.e., situations where vehicles with reduced output travel speeds have a significant impact on traffic flow.

[0072] (5) The computer calculates a larger tolerance for the number of lanes as the calculated driving route candidate has more lanes. This makes it possible to calculate tolerance by reflecting a structure in which the candidate driving route has a large number of lanes, i.e., a structure in which vehicles with a reduced outputtable driving speed have a large impact on traffic flow.

[0073] (6) The computer calculates a larger tolerance for cruising speed as the average driving speed per unit time on the calculated driving route candidate decreases. This makes it possible to calculate tolerance by reflecting situations where the average driving speed per unit time of the candidate driving route is low, i.e., situations where vehicles with a reduced outputtable driving speed have a significant impact on traffic flow.

[0074] (7) The computer calculates the tolerance for the degree of blockage to be higher as the blockage state in the section of the calculated travel route candidate becomes smaller. This makes it possible to calculate tolerance by reflecting situations where the blockage in the section of the candidate driving route is small, i.e., situations where vehicles with reduced outputtable driving speeds have a large impact on traffic flow.

[0075] (8) The computer calculates the driving speed that can be output based on the accuracy of recognition of the environment ahead of the preceding vehicle by the onboard sensor that acquires the surrounding environment of the preceding vehicle. This makes it possible to calculate the driving speed that the vehicle can output based on the ability to detect the distance to the vehicle ahead, which is an important parameter for the driving of an autonomous vehicle.

[0076] (9) The computer calculates the recognition accuracy in response to at least one of a failure and a decrease in output of the on-board sensor 30. This makes it possible to calculate the traveling speed that the vehicle can output in accordance with the change (decrease) in the performance of the on-board sensor 30, which is an important factor in the traveling of an autonomous driving vehicle.

[0077] (10) The computer calculates the recognition accuracy according to environmental factors including at least one of sunlight conditions, weather, and time of day. This makes it possible to calculate the driving speed that the vehicle can output in response to changes in the environment in which the on-board sensor 30 detects various parameters, which is an important factor in the driving of an autonomous vehicle.

[0078] (11) If the tolerance of the calculated driving route candidate is less than the tolerance threshold, the computer executes a process to set a transfer point, which is a point where the preceding vehicle will transfer to another autonomous vehicle, within a range from the current location where the tolerance is greater than or equal to the tolerance threshold. This makes it possible to shorten the time required to reach the destination in situations where continuing to ride in the preceding vehicle would be expected to increase the likelihood of slowing down traffic flow.

[0079] (12) The computer dispatches the connecting vehicle. This makes it possible to shorten the time required to transfer from the preceding vehicle to the connecting vehicle, and also to reduce the effort required to transfer from the preceding vehicle to the connecting vehicle.

[0080] (13) The computer executes a process to obtain an allowable destination arrival time, which is the time allowed to pass until the user of the preceding vehicle arrives at the destination. In addition, the computer selects a connecting vehicle from among autonomous vehicles that can arrive at the destination within the allowable destination arrival time, depending on the connecting location. This makes it possible to avoid an increase in the time required to arrive at the destination after transferring from the preceding vehicle to the connecting vehicle.

[0081] (14) If the computer is unable to set a transfer point at the driving speed that can be output, it stops the preceding vehicle on a shoulder of the road between the current location and the destination where the vehicle can stop. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of the preceding vehicle slowing down traffic flow in situations where continuing to ride in the preceding vehicle would increase the possibility of slowing down traffic flow.

[0082] (15) The computer executes a process to acquire an allowable destination arrival time, which is the time allowed to pass until the user of the preceding vehicle arrives at the destination. In addition, the computer outputs, as a proposed driving route, a candidate driving route that will arrive at the destination within the allowable destination arrival time. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which it is impossible to arrive at the destination within the allowable destination arrival time, even if the travel speed that can be output is reduced.

[0083] (16) When no user is in the preceding vehicle, the computer sets the outputtable traveling speed to a lower speed than when a user is in the preceding vehicle. This makes it possible to reduce the load on the vehicle when there is no demand to reach the destination.

[0084] (17) The computer selects, from the calculated travel route candidates, a travel route candidate whose calculated tolerance is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold, and outputs the selected travel route as a proposed travel route. This makes it possible to output, as a proposed driving route, a candidate driving route with a traffic flow that is suitable for the driving speed that the vehicle in which the user is riding can output.

[0085] (18) In the vehicle route planning method, the surrounding environment of a leading vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, is acquired, a driving speed that the leading vehicle can output is calculated based on the acquired surrounding environment, and the acquired surrounding environment and the calculated driving speed are transmitted to the control device 2. The control device 2 then acquires the current location of the leading vehicle and calculates candidate driving routes that are candidates for the driving route from the current location of the leading vehicle to the destination based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location. In addition, the control device 2 calculates traffic tolerance for the calculated candidate driving routes, and outputs a candidate driving route selected from the calculated candidate driving routes based on the calculated tolerance as a proposed driving route. This makes it possible to limit the driving speed of the vehicle in which the user is riding to a driving speed that can be output depending on the vehicle's surrounding environment, and to calculate candidate driving routes for traffic flow that are suitable for the driving speed that can be output. Therefore, even when the vehicle is traveling at a speed that is limited to a speed lower than the legal speed limit due to the surrounding environment of the vehicle, it is possible to reduce the possibility of slowing down traffic flow.

[0086] (19) A vehicle route planning system 1 includes a control device 2 that receives information about the surrounding environment of the leading use vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, acquired by the leading use vehicle, and a travel speed that the leading use vehicle can output, calculated by the leading use vehicle based on the acquired surrounding environment. Furthermore, the control device 2 acquires the current location of the leading use vehicle, and calculates candidate travel routes that are candidates for the travel route from the current location of the leading use vehicle to the destination based on the calculated travel speed and the acquired current location. In addition, the control device 2 calculates traffic tolerance for the calculated candidate travel routes, and outputs a candidate travel route selected from the calculated candidate travel routes based on the calculated tolerance as a proposed travel route. This makes it possible to limit the driving speed of the vehicle in which the user is riding to a driving speed that can be output depending on the vehicle's surrounding environment, and to calculate candidate driving routes for traffic flow that are suitable for the driving speed that can be output. Therefore, even when the vehicle is traveling at a speed that is limited to a speed lower than the legal speed limit due to the surrounding environment of the vehicle, it is possible to reduce the possibility of slowing down traffic flow.

[0087] (Modification of the embodiment) (1) In the embodiment, the traveling speed that can be output by the vehicle 3 is calculated according to the accuracy of recognition of the environment ahead of the vehicle 3 by the on-board sensor 30, but this is not limited to this. That is, the traveling speed that can be output by the vehicle 3 may be calculated according to, for example, the accuracy of recognition of the environment around the vehicle 3 by the on-board sensor 30, or the accuracy of communication capabilities such as road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0088] (2) In the embodiment, the travel route candidate whose calculated tolerance is equal to or greater than the tolerance threshold is selected from the calculated travel route candidates and output as the proposed travel route, but this is not limited to this. That is, the travel route candidate whose calculated tolerance is the largest from the calculated travel route candidates may be selected and output as the proposed travel route. In this case, it is possible to simplify the process of selecting the travel route candidate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1...vehicle route planning system, 2...controller, 3...vehicle, 20, 36...processor, 21, 37...storage device, 22, 33...communication device, 23...registrant database, 24, 32...map database, 25...reservation database, 30...on-board sensor, 31...positioning device, 34...controller, 35...actuator, 40...surrounding environment acquisition unit, 41...environmental factor acquisition unit, 42...recognition accuracy calculation unit, 43...output possible speed calculation unit, 50...vehicle current location acquisition unit, 51...request data acquisition unit, 52...travel plan creation unit, 53...travel route candidate calculation unit, 54...tolerance calculation unit, 55...destination arrival allowable time acquisition unit, 56...proposed travel route output unit, 57...transfer determination unit, 58...transfer location setting unit, 59...vehicle dispatch processing unit, 60...roadside stop processing unit

Claims

1. A process of acquiring the surrounding environment of the leading vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle; A process of calculating a travel speed that the preceding vehicle can output according to the acquired surrounding environment; A process of acquiring a current location of the preceding vehicle; A process of calculating candidate driving routes that are candidates for the driving route from the current location of the preceding use vehicle to the destination, based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location; A process of calculating a traffic tolerance of the calculated travel route candidate; a process of selecting a travel route candidate from the calculated travel route candidates in accordance with the calculated tolerance as a proposed travel route; A vehicle path planning device comprising a computer that executes the above.

2. 2. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, wherein the tolerances include at least one of a tolerance for a section length of the calculated travel route candidate, a tolerance for a traffic volume of the calculated travel route candidate, a tolerance for a number of lanes of the calculated travel route candidate, a tolerance for a cruising speed of the calculated travel route candidate, and a tolerance for a blockage degree of the calculated travel route candidate.

3. The computer 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance for the section length is calculated to be larger as the section length of the calculated travel route candidate becomes shorter.

4. The computer 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance for traffic volume is calculated to be larger as the number of vehicles traveling per unit time on the calculated travel route candidate decreases.

5. The computer 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance for the number of lanes is calculated to be larger as the number of lanes of the calculated travel route candidate increases.

6. The computer 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance for the cruising speed is calculated to be larger as the average traveling speed per unit time of the calculated travel route candidate decreases.

7. The computer 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance for the degree of blockage is calculated to be larger as the blockage state in the section of the calculated travel route candidate decreases.

8. The computer 8. A vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, which executes a process of calculating the outputtable driving speed in accordance with the recognition accuracy of the environment ahead of the preceding vehicle by an on-board sensor that acquires the surrounding environment of the preceding vehicle.

9. The computer The vehicle route planning device according to claim 8 , wherein the recognition accuracy is calculated in response to at least one of a failure and a decrease in output of the on-board sensor.

10. The computer 9. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 8, wherein the recognition accuracy is calculated depending on environmental factors including at least one of sunlight conditions, weather, and time of day.

11. The computer A vehicle route planning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, which executes a process of setting a transfer point, which is a point where the preceding vehicle will transfer to another autonomous vehicle, within a range from the current location where the tolerance of the calculated driving route candidate is less than a predetermined tolerance threshold, so that the tolerance is greater than or equal to the tolerance threshold.

12. The computer The vehicle route planning device according to claim 11, which executes a process of dispatching the connecting vehicle.

13. The computer A process of acquiring an allowable destination arrival time, which is an amount of time allowed to pass until the user in the preceding vehicle arrives at the destination; The vehicle route planning device according to claim 12, wherein the device executes a process of selecting the connecting vehicle from among automatically driven vehicles that can arrive at the destination within the allowable destination arrival time, depending on the connecting location.

14. The computer 13. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 12, wherein, if it is not possible to set the transfer point at the outputtable driving speed, a process is executed to stop the preceding vehicle on a shoulder of the road between the current location and the destination where the vehicle can be stopped.

15. The computer A process of acquiring an allowable destination arrival time, which is an amount of time allowed to pass until the user in the preceding vehicle arrives at the destination; 8. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, further comprising a process of outputting, as the proposed travel route, a travel route candidate that allows the vehicle to arrive at the destination within the destination arrival allowable time.

16. Acquire the surrounding environment of the leading autonomous vehicle, Calculating a travel speed that the preceding vehicle can output according to the acquired surrounding environment; transmitting the acquired surrounding environment and the calculated traveling speed to a control device; The control device Acquire the current location of the preceding vehicle; calculating a candidate driving route from the current location of the preceding vehicle to the destination based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location; Calculating a traffic tolerance for the calculated travel route candidate; a vehicle route planning method for selecting a travel route candidate from the calculated travel route candidates in accordance with the calculated tolerance, and outputting the selected travel route candidate as a proposed travel route;

17. a control device that receives the surrounding environment of the preceding use vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, acquired by the preceding use vehicle, and the driving speed that the preceding use vehicle can output, calculated by the preceding use vehicle in accordance with the acquired surrounding environment; The control device Acquire the current location of the preceding vehicle; calculating a candidate driving route from the current location of the preceding vehicle to the destination based on the calculated driving speed and the acquired current location; Calculating a traffic tolerance for the calculated travel route candidate; The vehicle route planning system outputs, as a proposed travel route, a travel route candidate selected from the calculated travel route candidates in accordance with the calculated tolerance.

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