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

Abstract

The present invention: assesses whether or not the capability of a component provided to a preceding utilization vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, has decreased; extracts, for a component assessed to have decreased in capability, a maintenance location where a facility at which it is possible to perform maintenance on the component assessed to have decreased in capability is present; changes a travel route leading from the current location of the preceding utilization vehicle to a destination to a travel route leading from the current location to the maintenance location, in accordance with the extracted maintenance location; and sets, on the changed travel route, a movement means change location where a user riding in the preceding utilization vehicle will alight from the preceding utilization vehicle and change to another movement means.

Description

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

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology that changes the destination when it is determined that the destination should be changed in response to an abnormal event that occurs in an autonomous vehicle during autonomous driving, and further, when the destination is changed, arranges for a connecting vehicle to go to the changed destination.

[0003] JP 2020-166756 A

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the efficiency of maintenance performed after an abnormality occurs in an autonomous vehicle, such as a deterioration in the performance of a part. As a result, for example, an autonomous vehicle that has experienced an abnormality and has not undergone maintenance may slow down traffic flow by traveling at a slower speed than other vehicles traveling at the legal speed limit. An object of the present invention is to efficiently perform maintenance on autonomous vehicles with deteriorated part performance.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a system determines whether the performance of a part of a preceding vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, has deteriorated, and detects the nature of the deterioration in performance for the part determined to have deteriorated performance. Furthermore, a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility capable of performing maintenance on the part determined to have deteriorated performance is located, is extracted based on the detected nature of the deterioration. Additionally, based on the extracted maintenance location, the driving route from the current location of the preceding vehicle to the destination is changed to a driving route from the current location to the maintenance location. A transportation change location, which is a location where a user in the preceding vehicle disembarks from the preceding vehicle and changes to another form of transportation, is then set on the changed driving route.

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform maintenance on an autonomous vehicle whose parts have deteriorated in performance.

[0007] It is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle route planning system. It is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a vehicle. It is an explanatory diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device. It is a flowchart showing the operation performed by the vehicle route planning system. It is a flowchart showing a transportation means change process.

[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] (Configuration) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle route planning system. The vehicle route planning system 1 is a system that sets a route (travel route) to be traveled by a vehicle 3 used for user travel. The vehicle route planning system 1 includes at least a control device 2 and a vehicle 3 (service vehicle). When using the vehicle 3, the user accesses the control device 2 using, for example, an electronic device to reserve the vehicle 3.

[0010] 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 home 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 vehicle 3, usage request data is generated by an electronic device and transmitted to the control device 2. The usage request data includes, for example, information on the number of people (including the user) traveling using vehicle 3, the boarding location (desired boarding location) where the user wishes to board vehicle 3, and the disembarking location (destination) where the user wishes to disembark from vehicle 3. In addition, the usage request data includes, for example, information on the date and time when the user wishes to board vehicle 3 (desired boarding date and time), and the date and time when the user wishes to disembark from 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, a reservation database (reservation DB) 25, and a facility database (facility DB) 26. 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, or road-to-vehicle communication with the vehicle 3. 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 DB 23 is a database for registering users of the vehicle route planning system 1. In the following description, a person registered in the registrant DB 23 will be referred to as a "registrant." For example, a user of a vehicle dispatch service is registered in the registrant DB 23 as a user of the vehicle route planning system 1. 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").

[0015] 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 a 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.

[0016] Furthermore, the control device 2 outputs an operation plan including the desired boarding location, desired boarding date and time, destination, disembarking date and time, and travel route to the vehicle 3. The facility DB 26 stores, in association with each other, the details of performance degradation detected when the performance of a part provided in the vehicle 3 has deteriorated, and a maintenance location where a facility is located where maintenance of the part with deteriorated performance can be performed.

[0017] <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. The vehicle 3 is also an autonomous vehicle that is automatically driven 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, it travels to the boarding location so as to arrive by the desired boarding date and time included in the operation plan. When a user boards the vehicle 3 at the boarding location, it travels to the disembarking location along the travel route included in the operation plan.

[0018] 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 34, and an actuator 35. The on-board sensor 30 includes an object sensor that detects objects around the vehicle 3 and a vehicle sensor that detects various information (vehicle state) obtained from the vehicle 3. The object sensor detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, such as the relative position between 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 ranging device such as a laser range finder (LRF), radar, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser radar. The object sensor outputs surrounding environment information, which is information about the detected surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, to the controller 34.

[0019] 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) in three axial directions of the vehicle 3. 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. Furthermore, the vehicle sensors may 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.

[0020] 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 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 "navigation map") and high-precision map data suitable as a map for autonomous driving (hereinafter simply referred to as "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 via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication, etc. The vehicle 3 transmits and receives data to and from the control device 2 via the communication device 33.

[0021] The controller 34 is an electronic control unit that controls the vehicle 3. For example, the controller 34 controls 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.

[0022] The controller 34 executes autonomous driving control to cause the vehicle 3 to travel in accordance with the operation plan based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle state 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 operation 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 state 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.

[0023] 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 behaviors 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. Note that in the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the vehicle 3 is configured to include an in-vehicle terminal including an information output unit such as a display screen and a speaker, and an information input unit such as a touch panel and buttons.

[0024] <Functional Configuration of Vehicle> Details of the vehicle route planning system 1 will be described below. Fig. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 includes a performance degradation determination unit 40 and a degradation content detection unit 41. The performance degradation determination unit 40 determines whether or not the performance of a component included in the vehicle 3, such as an on-board sensor 30, has deteriorated. In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the component for which the performance degradation determination unit 40 determines whether or not the performance has deteriorated is the on-board sensor 30 that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3.

[0025] Furthermore, for example, when a stop sign, intersection, right or left turn road, or the like is present in a position that can be imaged by a camera included in the on-board sensor 30, and the image cannot be recognized from the image captured by the camera, the performance degradation determination unit 40 determines that the performance of the camera has deteriorated. The deterioration content detection unit 41 detects the content of the performance deterioration for a part determined by the performance degradation determination unit 40 to have deteriorated performance.

[0026] When detecting the performance degradation, for example, if the normal performance of the camera included in the on-board sensor 30 is set to "high," the degradation detection unit 41 detects the performance degradation of the camera to about 50% of normal as "medium." Furthermore, the degradation detection unit 41 detects the performance degradation of the camera to about 30% of normal as "low." Furthermore, if the degradation detection unit 41 is unable to detect the performance degradation of a part determined to have degraded performance, the degradation detection unit 41 outputs a signal including information indicating that the performance degradation could not be detected to the control device 2.

[0027] 2B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 2. 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 travelable distance calculation unit 53, a maintenance location extraction unit 54, a congestion level acquisition unit 55, and a driving route change unit 56. In addition, the control device 2 includes a transportation means detection unit 57, a predicted destination arrival time calculation unit 58, a predicted destination arrival time presentation unit 59, a transportation means change location setting unit 60, a vehicle dispatch processing unit 61, a transfer space setting unit 62, and a detection process switching unit 63.

[0028] The vehicle current location acquisition unit 50 acquires the current location of the vehicle 3 using the current location information output by the positioning device 31. When the request data acquisition unit 51 receives usage request data from the electronic device, it registers information included in the usage request data in the reservation DB 25. 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.

[0029] When creating an operation plan, the driving 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. The driving plan creation unit 52 also 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.

[0030] The travelable distance calculation unit 53 calculates the distance that the vehicle 3 equipped with a part whose performance has been determined to have deteriorated by the performance deterioration determination unit 40 can travel. Specifically, first, the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output is calculated according to the details detected by the deterioration details detection unit 41. When calculating the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output, if the performance details are detected to be "medium," the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output is calculated by multiplying the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output when the performance is "high" (normal travel speed) by a coefficient of "0.9." Furthermore, if the performance details are detected to be "low," the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output is calculated by multiplying the travelable speed that the vehicle 3 can output when the performance is "high" by a coefficient of "0.75."

[0031] After calculating the driving speed that the vehicle 3 can output, the distance that the vehicle 3 can travel is calculated based on the current location of the vehicle 3 acquired by the vehicle current location acquisition unit 50 and the operation plan (including the driving route and legal speed limit) created by the driving plan creation unit 52. The maintenance location extraction unit 54 extracts a maintenance location based on the details of performance degradation detected for the parts with degraded performance by the degradation details detection unit 41. The maintenance location extraction unit 54 also extracts a maintenance location by referring to the facility DB 26, which stores the details of performance degradation detected by the degradation details detection unit 41 in association with the maintenance locations.

[0032] The following combinations are examples of linking the detected performance degradation to a maintenance location: If the component with the degraded performance is a camera and the performance degradation is due to dirt on the lens, a gas station is linked as a maintenance location where maintenance can be performed by removing the dirt from the lens. If the component with the degraded performance is a camera and the performance degradation is due to a malfunction that requires part replacement, a dealer that handles the vehicle 3 is linked as a maintenance location where maintenance can be performed by replacing the part. The maintenance location extraction unit 54 also extracts maintenance locations within the range that the vehicle 3 can travel, based on the distance that the vehicle 3 can travel, calculated by the drivable distance calculation unit 53.

[0033] When the maintenance location extraction unit 54 extracts multiple maintenance locations, the congestion level acquisition unit 55 acquires the congestion level of facilities where maintenance is possible that are located at each of the extracted maintenance locations. The congestion level of facilities where maintenance is possible is acquired, for example, using the Internet or the like, based on the reservation status of the facility. The travel route change unit 56 changes the travel route from the current location of the vehicle 3 to the destination, based on the maintenance locations extracted by the maintenance location extraction unit 54, to a travel route from the current location of the vehicle 3 to the maintenance locations extracted by the maintenance location extraction unit 54. When the maintenance location extraction unit 54 extracts multiple maintenance locations, the travel route change unit 56 sets the maintenance location where the facility with the lowest congestion level acquired by the congestion level acquisition unit 55 is located as the maintenance location of the travel route to be changed.

[0034] The transportation means detection unit 57 detects other transportation means that a user riding in the vehicle 3 as a means of transportation can use to change to after getting off the vehicle 3, along the travel route changed by the travel route change unit 56, between the current location of the vehicle 3 and the maintenance location. When the transportation means detection unit 57 detects other transportation means, for example, it detects public transportation stops, rental bicycle parking lots, and the like, that exist between the current location of the vehicle 3 and the maintenance location, based on map information stored in the map DB 24. Examples of public transportation stops include bus stops and train stations. When detecting other transportation means, the transportation means detection unit 57 detects, for example, points between the current location of the vehicle 3 and the maintenance location where a connecting vehicle can be boarded. The connecting vehicle is a manually driven vehicle (taxi, hire car) or another automatically driven vehicle.

[0035] The destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculates a continued driving predicted arrival time, which is the time at which a user riding in the vehicle 3, that is, the vehicle 3 equipped with a part determined to have degraded performance, is predicted to arrive at the destination. The continued driving predicted arrival time is calculated using, for example, the traveling speed that the vehicle 3 can output, the current location of the vehicle 3, the user's destination, and map information stored in the map DB 24. In addition, the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculates a modified arrival predicted time, which is the time at which the user is predicted to arrive at the destination if the user uses another means of transportation detected by the transportation means detection unit 57. The modified arrival predicted time is calculated using, for example, the traveling speed that the other means of transportation can output, the location at which the user changes their means of transportation from the vehicle 3 to the other means of transportation, the user's destination, and map information stored in the map DB 24. In addition, the calculated changed predicted arrival time is performed using, for example, a public transportation timetable, the distance from the location where the user changes their means of transportation from vehicle 3 to another means of transportation to the public transportation stop, or the distance from the public transportation stop to the user's destination.

[0036] When the transportation means detection unit 57 detects multiple transportation means, the predicted destination arrival time presentation unit 59 presents to the user the time at which the user is predicted to arrive at the destination for each of the multiple transportation means detected by the transportation means detection unit 57. Specifically, the predicted destination arrival time presentation unit 59 generates an information signal for displaying the continued driving predicted arrival time and the revised predicted arrival time calculated by the destination arrival time calculation unit 58, together with the corresponding transportation means, on a display screen of an in-vehicle terminal provided in the vehicle 3, and outputs the generated information signal to the vehicle 3. Furthermore, for example, the predicted destination arrival time presentation unit 59 generates an information signal for displaying the continued driving predicted arrival time and the revised predicted arrival time calculated by the destination arrival time calculation unit 58, together with the corresponding transportation means, on a display screen of an electronic device carried by the user, and outputs the generated information signal to the electronic device.

[0037] The transportation means change location setting unit 60 sets a transportation means change location, which is a location on the travel route changed by the travel route change unit 56, where the user in the vehicle 3 gets off the vehicle 3 and changes to another means of travel. In the embodiment, the transportation means change location is a location where the user in the vehicle 3 transfers from the vehicle 3 to a connecting vehicle that is a manually driven vehicle or another automatically driven vehicle, public transportation, or a rental bicycle. Furthermore, if the maintenance location extraction unit 54 is unable to extract a maintenance location within the range of the distance that the vehicle 3 can travel, calculated by the travelable distance calculation unit 53, the transportation means change location setting unit 60 performs the following processing.

[0038] Specifically, the transportation change location setting unit 60 sets, as the transportation change location, a shoulder on which the vehicle 3 can stop that is within a range where the vehicle 3 can travel, or a maintenance location that is within a range where the vehicle 3 can travel and that is stored in the facility DB 26. Note that the shoulder on which the vehicle 3 can stop that is within a range where the vehicle 3 can travel is acquired, for example, using map information stored in the map DB 24. Furthermore, when a shoulder on which the vehicle 3 can stop is set as the transportation change location, the control device 2 performs a process of stopping the vehicle 3 on the shoulder. The process of stopping the vehicle 3 on the shoulder is, for example, a process of including in the operation plan to the vehicle 3 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.

[0039] Furthermore, when the transportation detection unit 57 detects multiple transportation means, the transportation change location setting unit 60 sets a transportation change location corresponding to the transportation means that is predicted to arrive at the user's destination the earliest among the multiple transportation means. Note that when the transportation detection unit 57 detects multiple transportation means, this refers to when there are multiple transportation means that can be changed at the transportation change location. Furthermore, the transportation change location corresponding to the transportation means that is predicted to arrive at the destination the earliest is set using, for example, the changed predicted arrival time calculated by the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58.

[0040] Furthermore, for example, when a user who has referred to the presented predicted arrival time for continued travel, the changed predicted arrival time, and the transportation means selects a connecting vehicle as the transportation means, the transportation means change location setting unit 60 may set the transportation means change location taking into consideration the maintenance efficiency of the vehicle 3. This is because when a connecting vehicle is selected as the transportation means, there is greater freedom in setting the transportation means change location compared to when public transportation or a rental bicycle is selected as the transportation means.

[0041] Furthermore, for example, when the user, having referenced the presented predicted arrival time after continued travel, the changed predicted arrival time, and the transportation means, selects public transportation or a bicycle as the transportation means, the transportation change location setting unit 60 determines whether there are multiple candidates for the transportation change location. If there are multiple candidates for the transportation change location, the transportation change location may be set taking into consideration the maintenance efficiency of the vehicle 3. This is because there is less freedom in setting the transportation change location when public transportation or a rental bicycle is selected as the transportation means compared to when a connecting vehicle is selected as the transportation means.

[0042] When the transportation change location set by the transportation change location setting unit 60 is a location where the transportation means is changed to a connecting vehicle, the vehicle allocation processing unit 61 allocates a connecting vehicle to the transportation change location set by the transportation change location setting unit 60. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation processing unit 61 selects and allocates, for example, a manually driven vehicle or another automatically driven vehicle that can arrive at the transportation change location set by the transportation change location setting unit 60 most quickly as the connecting vehicle.

[0043] When the transfer space setting unit 62 predicts that the vehicle 3 in which the user is riding will arrive at the transportation change location later than the connecting vehicle, it sets the transportation change location to a space where multiple vehicles can stop. Note that a space where multiple vehicles can stop is, for example, a parking lot with enough space to park multiple vehicles. Furthermore, the transfer space setting unit 62 performs processing when the transportation change location set by the transportation change location setting unit 60 is a point where the transportation mode is changed to the connecting vehicle.

[0044] The detection process switching unit 63 performs a process when the degradation content detection unit 41 is unable to detect the content of the performance degradation for a part determined to have degraded performance by the performance degradation determination unit 40. Specifically, the process of detecting the content of the performance degradation by a computer (vehicle route planning system 1, vehicle route planning device) is executed by an external control facility. The control facility is, for example, a maintenance shop installed at a dealer, a facility capable of communicating with an operator belonging to the manufacturer of the vehicle 3, or a vehicle maintenance shop to which the vehicle 3 equipped with a part determined to have degraded performance can arrive by driving itself.

[0045] (Operation) Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation performed by the vehicle route planning system 1. In the following description, the vehicle 3 in which the user is riding before changing the transportation mode at the transportation mode change location may be referred to as the "preceding use vehicle." Also, the flowchart shown in Figure 3 starts from a state in which the trip plan creation unit 52 has output operation plan information to the preceding use vehicle and the electronic device, and the preceding use vehicle in which the user is riding is traveling.

[0046] In step S1, the performance degradation determination unit 40 diagnoses the performance of the components (on-board sensors 30) equipped in the preceding vehicle. That is, in step S1, the preceding vehicle self-diagnoses the condition of the on-board sensors 30. In step S2, the performance degradation determination unit 40 determines whether the performance of the on-board sensors 30 has deteriorated from normal performance. If it is determined that the performance of the on-board sensors 30 has deteriorated (step S2: Y), the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that the performance of the on-board sensors 30 has not deteriorated (step S2: N), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0047] In step S3, the degradation detection unit 41 detects the details of the performance degradation for the parts determined to have degraded performance in step S2. In step S4, the preceding vehicle continues normal driving toward the user's destination. In step S5, the degradation detection unit 41 determines whether it is possible to detect the details of the performance degradation for the parts determined to have degraded performance in step S2. If it is determined that it is possible to detect the details of the performance degradation (step S5: Y), the process proceeds to step S6. If it is determined that it is impossible to detect the details of the performance degradation (step S5: N), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0048] In step S6, the travelable distance calculation unit 53 calculates the distance that the preceding vehicle with the degraded performance of the part can travel. In step S7, the detection process switching unit 63 causes the control facility to execute a process to detect the performance degradation of the part determined to have degraded performance in step S1. In step S8, the control facility detects the performance degradation of the part determined to have degraded performance in step S2.

[0049] In step S9, the maintenance location extraction unit 54 extracts a maintenance location according to the performance degradation detected in step S3 or step S8. In step S10, the driving route change unit 56 performs a process (reroute process) to change the driving route of the preceding vehicle to a driving route to the maintenance location according to the maintenance location extracted in step S9. In step S11, the preceding vehicle drives the driving route changed in step S10. In step S12, the destination arrival predicted time presentation unit 59 presents to the user the predicted time at which the user will arrive at the destination for each of the multiple means of transportation detected by the transportation means detection unit 57.

[0050] In step S13, the transportation change location setting unit 60 performs a process of setting a transportation change location on the travel route changed in step S10 (transportation change process). The transportation change process will be described later. In step S14, the user travels to the destination by the preceding vehicle or another transportation means, depending on the transportation change location set in step S13. If the user travels to the destination by another transportation means, the preceding vehicle travels to a maintenance location.

[0051] 4 is a flowchart showing the transportation mode change process. In step S20, the transportation mode change setting unit 60 determines whether the preceding vehicle can arrive at the destination based on the distance that the preceding vehicle can travel, calculated in step S6. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle can arrive at the destination (step S20: Y), the process proceeds to step S21. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle cannot arrive at the destination (step S20: N), the process proceeds to step S22. In step S21, the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculates a changed predicted arrival time. In step S22, the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculates a changed predicted arrival time.

[0052] In step S23, the transportation mode change setting unit 60 compares the predicted continued driving arrival time calculated by the predicted destination arrival time calculation unit 58 with the changed predicted arrival time calculated in step S21. Then, it is determined whether the changed predicted arrival time is earlier than the predicted continued driving arrival time. That is, in step S23, it is determined whether the alternative means of the preceding vehicle will arrive at the destination earlier than the preceding vehicle. If it is determined that the changed predicted arrival time is earlier than the predicted continued driving arrival time (step S23: Y), the process proceeds to step S25. If it is determined that the changed predicted arrival time is later than the predicted continued driving arrival time (step S23: N), the process proceeds to step S24. Note that if it is determined that the changed predicted arrival time and the predicted continued driving arrival time are the same, the process may proceed to either step S24 or step S25.

[0053] In step S24, the preceding vehicle continues normal driving toward the user's destination. Note that the processing of step S24 is performed, for example, with the user's approval. In step S25, the transportation mode change location setting unit 60 sets a transportation mode change location, which is a point where the user gets off the preceding vehicle and changes to another transportation mode, in accordance with the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculated in step S21. In step S26, the transportation mode change location setting unit 60 sets a transportation mode change location, which is a point where the user gets off the preceding vehicle and changes to another transportation mode, in accordance with the destination arrival predicted time calculation unit 58 calculated in step S22.

[0054] As described above, in the present invention, if the performance of the parts has not deteriorated, the preceding vehicle continues normal driving (driving by automatic driving) and drives along the driving route included in the operation plan. On the other hand, if the performance of the parts has deteriorated, the preceding vehicle either continues driving or changes the means of transportation from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle, public transportation, etc.

[0055] Effects of the Embodiments (1) A computer included in a vehicle route planning device constituting the vehicle route planning system 1 executes a process for determining whether the performance of a part included in a preceding-use vehicle, which is an autonomously driven vehicle, has deteriorated. In addition, for a part determined to have deteriorated performance, the computer executes a process for detecting the nature of the deterioration in performance, and a process for extracting a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility capable of performing maintenance on the part determined to have deteriorated performance is located, based on the detected nature of the deterioration. Furthermore, the computer executes a process for changing the driving route from the current location of the preceding-use vehicle to the destination to a driving route from the current location to the maintenance location, based on the extracted maintenance location. Then, the computer executes a process for setting a transportation mode change location on the changed driving route, which is a location where a user in the preceding-use vehicle disembarks from the preceding-use vehicle and changes to another transportation mode.

[0056] This makes it possible to set a transportation change location when a user needs to change their transportation mode from the preceding vehicle to another transportation mode, taking into account the efficiency of maintenance for the preceding vehicle. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to efficiently perform maintenance on a preceding vehicle whose parts have deteriorated in performance and its traveling speed has decreased. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility that a preceding vehicle that has not undergone maintenance will slow down traffic flow by traveling at a speed lower than other vehicles traveling at the legal speed limit.

[0057] (2) The computer references a database (facility DB 26) that stores the details of the detected performance degradation in association with the maintenance location, and extracts the maintenance location. This makes it possible to improve the speed and accuracy of extracting the maintenance location.

[0058] (3) When the computer extracts multiple maintenance locations, it obtains the congestion level of facilities at each of the extracted maintenance locations where maintenance can be performed.The computer then sets the maintenance location with the facility with the lowest acquired congestion level as the maintenance location for the changed driving route.This makes it possible to reduce the time required for maintenance on vehicles with previously used parts that have deteriorated in performance.

[0059] (4) The computer calculates the distance that a vehicle equipped with a part determined to have deteriorated performance can travel, and extracts a maintenance location within the range that the vehicle can travel based on the calculated distance. This allows maintenance of the deteriorated part to be performed on the vehicle before it becomes unable to travel.

[0060] (5) If the computer is unable to extract a maintenance location within the travelable range of the preceding vehicle, it sets a shoulder of the road within the travelable range of the preceding vehicle where the preceding vehicle can stop as the travel mode change location. Alternatively, it sets a facility where maintenance can be performed that is within the travelable range of the preceding vehicle and is stored in the database as the travel mode change location. In this way, when a shoulder of the road is set as the travel mode change location, it becomes possible for a preceding vehicle with a degraded part to stop in a location that will have less of an impact on traffic flow before it becomes unable to move and slows down traffic flow. Furthermore, when a facility where maintenance can be performed is set as the travel mode change location, it becomes possible for a preceding vehicle with a degraded part to have maintenance performed on the degraded part before it becomes unable to move.

[0061] (6) The transportation mode change point is a point where a user in a preceding vehicle transfers from the preceding vehicle to a transfer vehicle that is a manually driven vehicle or another automatically driven vehicle, public transportation, or a rental bicycle. This allows the user in the preceding vehicle to travel to their destination from the preceding vehicle, which has deteriorated parts performance, in a shorter time than walking.

[0062] (7) When there are multiple means of transportation that can be changed at the transportation change location, the computer sets the transportation change location corresponding to the transportation means that is predicted to arrive at the destination earliest among the multiple means of transportation. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for a user in a preceding vehicle to arrive at the destination after getting off the preceding vehicle with a degraded part.

[0063] (8) If there are multiple modes of transportation that can be transferred at the transportation mode change location, the computer presents the user with the predicted arrival time at the destination for each of the multiple modes of transportation. This makes it possible to present the user in the preceding vehicle with transportation mode options that take into account the predicted arrival time at the destination.

[0064] (9) If the computer predicts that the preceding vehicle will arrive at the transportation change point later than the connecting vehicle, it sets the transportation change point to a space that can accommodate multiple vehicles. This reduces the possibility that connecting vehicles waiting at the transportation change point until the preceding vehicle arrives will slow down traffic flow.

[0065] (10) If the computer is unable to detect the performance degradation, an external control facility executes a process to detect the performance degradation. This makes it possible to detect the performance degradation of the parts of the preceding vehicle even if the computer processing is unable to detect the performance degradation.

[0066] (11) The component that determines whether performance has deteriorated is the sensor (on-board sensor 30) that detects the surrounding environment of the preceding vehicle. This makes it possible to efficiently perform maintenance on the on-board sensor 30 depending on the nature of the deterioration in the performance of the on-board sensor 30 to detect the surrounding environment, which is an important element in the operation of an autonomous vehicle.

[0067] (12) In a vehicle route planning method, a determination is made as to whether the performance of a part equipped in a preceding use vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, has deteriorated, and for parts determined to have deteriorated performance, the details of the deterioration in performance are detected and the detected details are transmitted to a control device 2. The control device 2 then extracts a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility is located where maintenance can be performed for the part determined to have deteriorated performance, based on the detected details. Furthermore, based on the extracted maintenance location, the driving route from the current location of the preceding use vehicle to the destination is changed to a driving route from the current location to the maintenance location. Additionally, a transportation change location, which is a location where a user in the preceding use vehicle disembarks from the preceding use vehicle and changes to another transportation mode, is set on the changed driving route.

[0068] This makes it possible to set a transportation change location when a user needs to change their transportation mode from the preceding vehicle to another transportation mode, taking into account the efficiency of maintenance for the preceding vehicle. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to efficiently perform maintenance on a preceding vehicle whose parts have deteriorated in performance and its traveling speed has decreased. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility that a preceding vehicle that has not undergone maintenance will slow down traffic flow by traveling at a speed lower than other vehicles traveling at the legal speed limit.

[0069] (13) The vehicle route planning system 1 includes a control device 2 that determines whether the performance of a part of a preceding use vehicle, which is an autonomous vehicle, has deteriorated, detects the details of the performance deterioration for the part determined to have deteriorated, and receives the detected details. Furthermore, the control device 2 extracts a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility is located where maintenance can be performed for the part determined to have deteriorated performance, in accordance with the received details. Then, in accordance with the extracted maintenance location, the driving route from the current location of the preceding use vehicle to the destination is changed to a driving route from the current location to the maintenance location. In addition, a transportation change location, which is a location where a user in the preceding use vehicle disembarks from the preceding use vehicle and changes to another transportation mode, is set on the changed driving route.

[0070] This makes it possible to set a transportation change location when a user needs to change their transportation mode from the preceding vehicle to another transportation mode, taking into account the efficiency of maintenance for the preceding vehicle. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to efficiently perform maintenance on a preceding vehicle whose parts have deteriorated in performance and its traveling speed has decreased. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility that a preceding vehicle that has not undergone maintenance will slow down traffic flow by traveling at a speed lower than other vehicles traveling at the legal speed limit.

[0071] (Variations of the Embodiments) (1) In the embodiment, the transportation mode change point is a point where a user in a preceding vehicle transfers from the preceding vehicle to another autonomously driven connecting vehicle, public transportation, or a rental bicycle, but this is not limited to this. That is, the transportation mode change point may be a point where a user in a preceding vehicle gets off the preceding vehicle and walks to the destination. This processing is performed, for example, when there is traffic congestion on the road from the transportation mode change point to the destination or when there is a delay in public transportation.

[0072] 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, 26...facility database, 30...on-board sensor, 31...positioning device, 34...controller, 35...actuator, 40...performance degradation determination unit, 41...degradation content detection unit, 50...vehicle current location acquisition unit, 51...request data acquisition unit, 52...travel plan creation unit, 53...travelable distance calculation unit, 54...maintenance location extraction unit, 55...congestion level acquisition unit, 56...travel route change unit, 57...transportation means detection unit, 58...destination arrival predicted time calculation unit, 59...destination arrival predicted time presentation unit, 60...transportation means change location setting unit, 61...vehicle dispatch processing unit, 62...transfer space setting unit, 63...detection processing switching unit

Claims

A process of determining whether or not the performance of a part provided in the preceding use vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, has deteriorated; A process of detecting the details of the performance degradation for the component determined to have degraded performance; A process of extracting a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility capable of performing maintenance on the part determined to have deteriorated performance exists, according to the detected content; a process of changing a travel route from a current location of the preceding use vehicle to a destination location according to the extracted maintenance location, to a travel route from the current location to the maintenance location; A process of setting a transportation means change point on the changed travel route, which is a point where the user in the preceding vehicle gets off the preceding vehicle and changes to another transportation means; A vehicle path planning device comprising a computer that executes the above. 　 The computer 2. A vehicle route planning device as described in claim 1, which executes a process of extracting the maintenance location by referring to a database that stores the detected performance degradation details and the maintenance location in association with each other. 　 The computer When a plurality of the maintenance locations are extracted, a process of acquiring a congestion degree of the facilities that are capable of maintenance and that are located in each of the extracted plurality of maintenance locations; 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, further comprising a process of setting the maintenance location where the facility with the acquired lowest congestion level is located as the maintenance location of the travel route to be changed. 　 The computer A process of calculating a distance that the preceding use vehicle equipped with the part determined to have deteriorated performance can travel; 3. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 2, further comprising: a process of extracting the maintenance location within a range that the preceding vehicle can travel in accordance with the calculated distance. 　 The computer 5. A vehicle route planning device as described in claim 4, wherein if it is not possible to extract the maintenance location within the range that the preceding vehicle can travel, a process is executed to set as the transportation means change location a shoulder of the road that is within the range that the preceding vehicle can travel and where the vehicle can stop, or a facility that is within the range that the preceding vehicle can travel and where maintenance can be performed and is stored in the database. 　 The vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, wherein the transportation means change point is a point where a user riding in the preceding vehicle transfers from the preceding vehicle to a connecting vehicle, which is a manually driven vehicle or another automatically driven vehicle, public transportation, or a rental bicycle. 　 The computer 7. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 6, wherein, when there are a plurality of means of transportation that can be changed at the means of transportation change point, a process is executed to set a means of transportation change point corresponding to the means of transportation that is predicted to arrive at the destination earliest among the plurality of means of transportation. 　 The computer 7. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 6, wherein, when there are a plurality of means of transportation to which the user can transfer at the transportation means change location, a process is executed to present to the user a predicted time of arrival at the destination for each of the plurality of means of transportation. 　 The computer 7. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 6, wherein, when it is predicted that the preceding vehicle will arrive at the transportation change location later than the connecting vehicle, a process is executed to set the transportation change location as a space capable of accommodating multiple vehicles. 　 The computer 2. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, wherein, if it is impossible to detect the details of the performance degradation, an external control facility executes a process for detecting the details of the performance degradation.

11. The vehicle route planning device according to claim 1, wherein the component that determines whether performance has deteriorated is a sensor that detects the surrounding environment of the preceding vehicle. 　 Determine whether the performance of parts equipped in the leading vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, has deteriorated; Detecting the details of the performance degradation for the component determined to have degraded performance; Transmitting the detected content to a control device; The control device extracting a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility capable of performing maintenance on the part determined to have deteriorated performance exists, according to the detected content; According to the extracted maintenance location, a travel route from a current location of the preceding use vehicle to a destination is changed to a travel route from the current location to the maintenance location; A vehicle route planning method that sets a transportation means change point on the changed driving route, which is a point where a user riding in the preceding vehicle gets off the preceding vehicle and changes to another transportation means. 　 Determine whether or not the performance of a part provided in the preceding use vehicle, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, has deteriorated, and detect the details of the deterioration in performance for the part determined to have deteriorated performance; a control device that receives the detected content; The control device extracting a maintenance location, which is a location where a facility capable of performing maintenance on the part determined to have deteriorated performance exists, according to the received content; According to the extracted maintenance location, a travel route from a current location of the preceding use vehicle to a destination is changed to a travel route from the current location to the maintenance location; A vehicle route planning system that sets a transportation means change point on the changed driving route, which is a point where a user riding in the preceding vehicle gets off the preceding vehicle and changes to another transportation means.

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