Vehicle supervisory operation control system

Abstract

[Problem] To improve supervisory control of vehicles using a server device. [Solution] This vehicle supervisory operation control system includes a first server device that transmits individual control information to a controlled vehicle. A supervisory control unit of the first server device uses the error range of the estimated position of an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle to determine whether a potential travel interference may occur, and if a potential travel interference has occurred, stops the transmission of the individual control information to the controlled vehicle. When a travel control unit of the controlled vehicle no longer receives the individual control information from the first server device, the travel control unit stops travel control using the individual control information, and executes autonomous driving control based on output results of sensors provided to the own vehicle.

Description

Vehicle control and operation control system

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle driving control system.

[0002] Development of autonomous driving technologies is progressing for vehicles such as automobiles. In addition to autonomous driving based on vehicle sensors, autonomous driving based on information received from a server device, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, is also being studied.

[0003] JP 2022-140008 A JP 2022-140009 A JP 2019-160068 A

[0004] When a vehicle uses information from a server device to perform cruise control for autonomous driving, it is desirable that the information from the server device be individualized for each vehicle. In particular, it is desirable that the server device generate and transmit individual control information for each controlled vehicle under its control based on information on all vehicles in its jurisdiction. In this case, each controlled vehicle can use the individual control information corresponding to the interference determination result of the server device to perform cruise control for autonomous driving so as to effectively avoid interference with other vehicles in the vicinity.

[0005] On the other hand, it may be technically or business-wise difficult for a single server device to generate individual control information for all controlled vehicles in its jurisdiction. As the number of controlled vehicles increases, the processing load on the server device increases. Each controlled vehicle is produced by a different manufacturer, and it is not easy for numerous manufacturers to use unified individual control information. Each manufacturer desires automated driving in accordance with its own philosophy. Furthermore, at present, no unified view has been established on control using a server device. Therefore, in reality, it is expected that multiple server devices for control will be installed in a given jurisdiction or on roads under its jurisdiction. Furthermore, in the jurisdiction or on roads under the jurisdiction of a single server device, not only controlled vehicles controlled by that server device will be traveling, but also non-controlled vehicles and non-autonomous vehicles not controlled by that server device. It is desirable for the server device to determine interference between vehicles outside its jurisdiction that it does not control and controlled vehicles under its control, and to suppress such interference.

[0006] Thus, improvements are required in vehicle control using a server device.

[0007] A vehicle control driving control system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a control vehicle having a driving control unit that performs automated driving control, and a first server device that transmits individual control information to the control vehicle, and when the driving control unit of the control vehicle receives the individual control information from the first server device, performs automated driving control under control using the individual control information. The first server device is a vehicle control driving control system including a server communication device that receives location information of the control vehicle and location information of vehicles outside its jurisdiction that are traveling in a jurisdiction area or on a jurisdiction road where the control vehicle is traveling, and a server communication device that receives location information of the control vehicle according to the possibility of driving interference between the control vehicle and the vehicles outside its jurisdiction. and a control control unit that generates the individual control information, wherein the control control unit of the first server device determines the possibility of driving interference using the error range of the estimated position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, and if there is a possibility of driving interference due to a decrease in the reliability of the position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, stops transmitting the individual control information from the server communication device to the control vehicle, and when the driving control unit of the control vehicle stops receiving the individual control information from the first server device during control using the individual control information from the first server device, stops driving control using the individual control information and performs autonomous driving control based on the output results of sensors equipped in the vehicle.

[0008] In the first server device of the present invention, the server communication device receives location information of a controlled vehicle to which the first server device transmits individual control information and location information of out-of-control vehicles traveling in the jurisdiction area or jurisdiction road on which the controlled vehicle travels. The control control unit generates individual control information for the controlled vehicle according to the possibility of driving interference between the controlled vehicle and the out-of-control vehicle. At this time, the control control unit determines the possibility of driving interference with the controlled vehicle using an error range of the estimated position of the out-of-control vehicle. In this way, the first server device can determine the possibility of driving interference between an out-of-control vehicle that is not under its control and a controlled vehicle that it controls, and transmit corresponding individual control information to the controlled vehicle. The controlled vehicle can drive autonomously under control so as to suppress driving interference with out-of-control vehicles that are not under control of the first server device.

[0009] In this embodiment, the traffic control unit further stops transmitting individual control information from the server communication device to the control vehicle when there is a possibility of driving interference due to a decrease in the reliability of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle's position. As a result, the driving control unit of the control vehicle stops receiving the individual control information when the reliability of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle's position with which the host vehicle may interfere decreases during traffic control using the individual control information from the first server device. The driving control unit stops driving control using the individual control information and performs driving control based on the output results of the sensor equipped in the host vehicle. As a result, even when the reliability of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle's position received by the first server device has decreased, the driving control unit can detect the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle with which the host vehicle may interfere using the sensor of the host vehicle and control the driving of the host vehicle to suppress interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle. When a vehicle outside of the control area of ​​the first server device is traveling in the area under the control of the first server device, the control vehicle can switch between automatic driving under the control of the first server device and automatic driving based on the vehicle's own sensors depending on the reliability of the position of the vehicle outside of the control area that may cause driving interference, and can travel in an automatic driving mode that suppresses driving interference with the vehicle outside of the control area.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a control operation control system for a company's controlled vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a control system for the company's controlled vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the company's server device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the overall flow of control of a company's controlled vehicle by the company's server device in the control operation control system of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of driving control corresponding to control by the driving control device of the company's controlled vehicle. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example of control by the control control unit of the company's server device. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a controlled vehicle of another company, as an example of a vehicle not under control, is traveling in front of the company's controlled vehicle. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an ST chart used to determine interference with a preceding vehicle for the company's controlled vehicle of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of resume control for resuming interrupted control by the control control unit of the company's server device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another example of resume control for resuming interrupted control by the control control unit of the company's server device.

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a traffic control system 1 for a company's control vehicle according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 also shows a number of automobiles 2, 10, and 11 traveling on a road 100, as well as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite 110 that transmits GNSS radio waves. The automobiles 2, 10, and 11 are examples of vehicles. The traffic control system 1 in FIG. 1 includes a company's server device 3 as a first server device, a number of company's control vehicles 2, a different company's server device 4 as a second server device, a different company's control vehicle 10 traveling under the control of the different company's server device 4, and a road management server device 5 that generally manages the automobiles traveling on the road 100. Here, the company's server device 3 and the company's control vehicle 2 may be provided by the same corporate group, and the different company's server device 4 and the different company's control vehicle 10 may be provided by another corporate group. In addition, the road management server device 5 may be provided by a public institution such as the government or a management company for the road 100.

[0013] The company's server device 3 controls the travel of multiple company's control vehicles 2 through control. The company's server device 3 periodically determines the possibility of interference between multiple company's control vehicles 2, and generates and transmits individual control information according to the determination result. Individual control information may be generated for each company's control vehicle 2. As a result, the multiple company's control vehicles 2 can use their respective individual control information to travel in an autonomous driving manner while suppressing interference under the control of the company's server device 3. The multiple company's control vehicles 2 periodically transmit vehicle information, including location information such as the current position and time of the vehicle, to the company's server device 3. It is desirable that the location information include information such as the current vehicle speed. As a result, the company's server device 3 can determine the possibility of interference between each company's control vehicle 2 through future predictions using the latest location information of the multiple company's control vehicles 2.

[0014] The company's controlled vehicle 2 is an automobile capable of autonomous driving. The company's controlled vehicle 2 is capable of autonomous driving under the control of the company's server device 3. Autonomous driving is generally classified into levels 0 to 5. Autonomous vehicles at level 4 or higher are considered to be capable of autonomous driving without a driver. However, even level 2 or level 3 autonomous vehicles are technically capable of autonomous driving, for example, following a preceding vehicle while staying in a lane, provided that safety around the vehicle is ensured.

[0015] The other company's server device 4 communicates with other company's control vehicles 10, which are vehicles outside its jurisdiction, within an area overlapping with the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3, and supports the other company's control vehicles 10 in autonomous driving. The other company's server device 4 and the other company's control vehicles 10 may be similar to the company's server device 3 and the company's control vehicle 2 described above. That is, the other company's server device 4 may generate information usable by the other company's control vehicles 10 for autonomous driving and transmit it to the other company's control vehicles 10. The other company's control vehicles 10 may control the autonomous driving using the information received from the other company's server device 4. To perform such control, the other company's server device 4 may periodically receive location information, such as the current position and time, from the other company's control vehicles 10 and manage the location of the other company's control vehicles 10. The location information may include information such as the vehicle type, color, and size of the other company's control vehicles 10. The jurisdictional areas of the company's server device 3 and the other company's server device 4 overlap on the roads shown in FIG. 1 . The roads in FIG. 1 are under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3 and also under the jurisdiction of the other company's server device 4 .

[0016] The road management server device 5 manages roads on which automobiles, including autonomous vehicles, travel. The road management server device 5 may receive and manage location information, such as the position and time of a non-autonomously driven vehicle 11 traveling on a road, from the non-autonomously driven vehicle 11. The location information of a non-controlled vehicle may be substituted by location information transmitted from a mobile device of the occupant of the non-autonomously driven vehicle 11. Here, the non-autonomously driven vehicle 11 in FIG. 1 is a non-controlled vehicle. Non-controlled vehicles may also include autonomous vehicles that are capable of driving autonomously under control, for example, when they are being driven manually or when they are being driven autonomously without control. Furthermore, from the perspective of the company's server device 3, non-controlled vehicles and other company's controlled vehicles 10 are considered to be vehicles outside the company's jurisdiction that are not under the control of the company's server device 3.

[0017] 1 , the company's server device 3 and the other company's server device 4 are connected to a carrier communication network 9. A plurality of base stations 8 installed in an area including a road 100 are connected to the carrier communication network 9. The plurality of base stations 8 communicate with each other using the carrier communication network 9, providing low-latency communications, such as 5G, to automobiles and mobile terminals in each zone. Unlike in FIG. 1 , the company's server device 3 and the other company's server device 4 may be connected to carrier communication networks of different carriers. The road management server device 5 is connected to an Internet network 7 that interconnects a plurality of communication networks, including the carrier communication network 9. The Internet network 7 and the carrier communication network 9 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a routing device (not shown). The configuration of these communication networks and the connection state of each server device to the communication network are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the other company's server device 4 may be connected to the Internet network 7. The road management server device 5 may be connected to the carrier communication network 9. The company's server device 3 and the other company's server device 4 connected to the carrier communication network 9 may be incorporated into the base station 8 as part of their functions. 1 also shows, by a dashed line, a support server device 6 for the company's server device 3. The support server device 6 is connected to an Internet network 7. The support server device 6 supports the company's server device 3 by supporting the communication of the company's server device 3 and by executing some of the functions of the company's server device 3.

[0018] In such a company's controlled vehicle control system 1, the company's controlled vehicle 2 capable of automatic driving has a driving control unit for automatic driving based on its own vehicle's sensors, which will be described later. The company's server device 3 periodically and repeatedly generates individual control information for the automatic driving of each company's controlled vehicle 2 and transmits it to each company's controlled vehicle 2. When the driving control unit of the company's controlled vehicle 2 receives the individual control information from the company's server device 3, it controls the driving for automatic driving of the company's controlled vehicle under control using the individual control information.

[0019] When a vehicle, such as a company's own control vehicle 2, performs cruise control for autonomous driving using information from a server device, it is desirable that the information from the server device be individual information for each vehicle, rather than common information for multiple vehicles. It is desirable that the server device generate and transmit individual control information for each control vehicle under its control based on information from all vehicles in its jurisdiction. Under such individual control, each control vehicle can use the individual control information corresponding to the interference determination results of the server device to perform cruise control for autonomous driving in a coordinated manner with other control vehicles, so as to effectively avoid interference with other vehicles in the vicinity. By having each vehicle drive according to the unified judgment of the server device and minimizing the individual judgments of multiple vehicles, it is possible to achieve unified, pre-determined cruise control that conforms to the current driving environment. This unified pre-determined harmony is expected to improve the safety of each control vehicle's driving. However, it may be technically or commercially difficult for a single server device to generate individual control information for all control vehicles in its jurisdiction. As the number of control vehicles increases, the processing load on the server device also increases. Furthermore, each control vehicle is produced by a different manufacturer based on its own unique concept, and it is not easy for numerous manufacturers to use unified individual control information. Each manufacturer desires automated driving and control that conforms to its own concept. Furthermore, at present, no unified view has been expressed regarding control using a server device. Therefore, in reality, as shown in FIG. 1 , it is expected that multiple server devices for control, such as a company's own server device 3 and another company's server device 4, will be installed in a certain jurisdiction or on roads under its jurisdiction. Furthermore, in the jurisdiction or on roads under the jurisdiction of a single server device, not only control vehicles controlled by that server device will be traveling, but also control vehicles controlled by other server devices, non-autonomous vehicles not controlled by the server device, and non-autonomous vehicles 11 will be traveling together. It is desirable for the server device to determine interference between vehicles outside its jurisdiction that it does not control and the control vehicles that it controls, and to perform individual control to suppress such interference for the control vehicles that it controls.Vehicle control using a server device like this is required to be improved to increase safety in line with reality.

[0020] 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the control system 20 of the company's control vehicle 2. The company's server device 3 is also shown in FIG. 2. The other company's control vehicle 10 may also have a control system 20 similar to that shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the other company's control vehicle 10 can travel by automatic driving under the control of the other company's server device 4.

[0021] The control system 20 of the company's control vehicle 2 in Figure 2 includes a sensor control device 21, a cruise control device 22, a drive control device 23, a steering control device 24, a braking control device 25, an external vehicle communication control device 26, and a vehicle network 29 to which these devices are connected. The vehicle network 29 may be a vehicle network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), or a broadband network for vehicles. The vehicle network 29 may also include a general network conforming to IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3 or IEEE 802.11. Using such a vehicle network 29, the control devices provided in the control system 20 can input and output information to and from other control devices via the vehicle network 29.

[0022] The sensor control device 21 controls the operation of various sensors provided in the company's control vehicle 2, and outputs detected values ​​of the various sensors or processed information obtained by processing the detected values ​​to other control devices via the vehicle network 29. In Fig. 2, sensors connected to the sensor control device 21 include a GNSS receiver 31, an outside vehicle camera 32, a lidar 33, and a speed sensor 34. In addition to these, an acceleration sensor, a steering sensor, etc. may also be connected to the sensor control device 21.

[0023] The GNSS receiver 31 receives radio waves from a plurality of GNSS satellites 110 as shown in FIG. 1 , and generates information on the position and time of the company's control vehicle 2 .

[0024] The speed sensor 34 detects the speed of the company's control vehicle 2. By using a sensor that detects acceleration in three axial directions as the speed sensor 34, the sensor control device 21 can generate information on the speed of the company's control vehicle 2 in each of the yaw, pitch, and roll directions.

[0025] The exterior camera 32 captures images of the driving environment around the company's control vehicle 2 traveling on a road or the like. The exterior camera 32 may be a monocular camera, a compound eye camera, or a 360-degree camera. It is desirable that the exterior camera 32 be capable of capturing images of the front side, which is the direction of travel of the company's control vehicle 2 traveling.

[0026] The lidar 33 scans and outputs a laser around the company's control vehicle 2 and detects reflected light. The detection result of the lidar 33 becomes spatial information including the road surface around the company's control vehicle 2.

[0027] The sensor control device 21 may judge the images captured by the external camera 32 and the detection results of the Lidar 33, and generate processed information such as information on the unevenness of the road surface around the vehicle, the types of other vehicles around the vehicle, such as preceding vehicles, and their relative directions and distances.

[0028] A vehicle communication device 37 provided in the company's control vehicle 2 is connected to the exterior communication control device 26. The vehicle communication device 37 establishes a wireless communication path with a base station 8 with which it can communicate. The vehicle communication device 37 sends and receives information to the company's server device 3 via the base station 8. The exterior communication control device 26 controls the operation of the vehicle communication device 37. The exterior communication control device 26 outputs information that the vehicle communication device 37 receives from the company's server device 3 or the base station 8 to other control devices via the vehicle network 29. The exterior communication control device 26 transmits information input from other control devices via the vehicle network 29 to the company's server device 3 via the vehicle communication device 37 and the base station 8.

[0029] The drive control device 23 has a drive device that is installed in the company's control vehicle 2, such as an engine that generates drive power using gasoline or hydrogen as fuel, a motor that generates drive power using electricity, a transmission, or a combination of these. The drive control device 23 controls the operation of the drive device using control values ​​obtained through the vehicle network 29.

[0030] The steering control device 24 is connected to, for example, a steering device provided in the company's control vehicle 2. The steering control device 24 controls the operation of the steering device using a control value acquired through the vehicle network 29.

[0031] The braking control device 25 is connected to a braking device provided in the company's control vehicle 2. The braking control device 25 controls the operation of the braking device based on a control value acquired through the vehicle network 29.

[0032] The driving control device 22 controls the driving of the company's control vehicle 2. The driving control device 22 has high-precision vehicle map data 35 and a timer 36.

[0033] The cruise control device 22 may switch between cruise control under manual driving by the driver and cruise control under automated driving. Furthermore, during automated driving, the cruise control device 22 may switch between autonomous automated driving based solely on sensor information from the vehicle itself and automated driving under control using individual control information from the company's server device 3 in addition to sensor information from the vehicle itself. The cruise control device 22 acquires information about the vehicle's driving state and its surroundings from the sensor control device 21 and generates control values ​​according to the state of cruise control. In this case, the cruise control device 22 may, for example, determine the conditions of the road and lane on which the vehicle is traveling based on the latest position of the vehicle in the high-precision vehicle map data 35, and generate control values ​​for steering and acceleration / deceleration. For example, when the cruise control device 22 determines that another vehicle or other moving object is approaching in front of the vehicle based on the latest image captured by the exterior camera 32, or when the individual control information includes information indicating an equivalent determination result, the cruise control device 22 generates a control value for deceleration and outputs it to the braking control device 25. The braking control device 25 executes deceleration control in accordance with the control value. This allows the company's controlled vehicle 2 to autonomously decelerate or stop so as not to interfere with the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, when the company determines, based on the latest captured image from the exterior camera 32 or the like, that its stopped vehicle is ready to start, or when the individual control information contains information indicating an equivalent determination result, the cruise control device 22 generates a control value for acceleration and outputs it to the drive control device 23. The drive control device 23 executes acceleration control in accordance with the control value. This allows the company's controlled vehicle 2 to autonomously accelerate and start so as to follow the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, when the company determines, based on the latest captured image from the exterior camera 32 or the like, that its traveling vehicle is likely to depart from its lane, or when the individual control information contains information indicating an equivalent determination result, the cruise control device 22 generates a control value for steering and outputs it to the steering control device 24. The steering control device 24 executes steering control in accordance with the control value. This changes the direction of the company's controlled vehicle 2 while traveling, allowing the company's controlled vehicle 2 to travel in a manner that maintains the lane it is traveling in.Furthermore, when the vehicle's position as determined by the GNSS receiver 31 is compared with the vehicle high-precision map data 35 and it is determined that the vehicle needs to turn right, turn left, or change lanes, or when the individual control information includes information indicating an equivalent determination result, the cruise control device 22 generates a control value for steering and outputs it to the steering control device 24. The steering control device 24 executes steering control in accordance with the control value. This allows the company's controlled vehicle 2 to turn right, turn left, or change lanes. Through these cruise controls, the cruise control device 22 can control the company's controlled vehicle 2 to travel autonomously based on detection by the vehicle's sensors. The cruise control device 22 can also control the company's controlled vehicle 2 to travel in accordance with the control of the company's server device 3.

[0034] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the company's server device 3 in Figure 1. Figure 3 also shows the company's control vehicle 2, other company's server device 4, and other company's control vehicle 10 in Figure 1. The company's server device 3 in Figure 3 has a server GNSS receiver 41, a server DB (database) 42, a server memory 43, a server CPU 44, a server communication device 45, and a server internal bus 46 to which these are connected.

[0035] The server communication device 45 is connected to the carrier communication network 9. The server communication device 45 transmits and receives vehicle information, including at least the driving position of each vehicle, and individual control information, between multiple vehicle communication devices 37 provided in multiple company-controlled vehicles 2. As a result, the server communication device 45 receives vehicle information for each of the multiple company-controlled vehicles 2. The vehicle information may include location information, such as the current position and current time of the company-controlled vehicle 2, and detection information from the vehicle's sensors. The server communication device 45 may also receive vehicle information for vehicles other than the company-controlled vehicle 2. In FIG. 1 , the server communication device 45 receives location information for other company-controlled vehicles 10 from the other company's server device 4. The server communication device 45 also receives location information for non-autonomously driven vehicles 11 from the road management server device 5. The server communication device 45 may receive the location information for these out-of-control vehicles by directly communicating with the other company's server device 4 or the road management server device 5, or may receive it via the assistance server device 6.

[0036] The server GNSS receiver 41 receives radio waves from the GNSS satellites 110 and generates information on the position and time of the company's server device 3. This allows the time of the company's server device 3 to match the time of multiple company's control vehicles 2 with high accuracy.

[0037] The server DB 42 accumulates and records vehicle information for each of a plurality of company-controlled vehicles 2 under the control of the company's server device 3. The server DB 42 may be provided with server high-precision map data 54, a vehicle position / behavior DB (database) 52, and the like, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 . The server high-precision map data 54 may include information equivalent to the vehicle high-precision map data 35 used by the company's controlled vehicles 2, for example. The high-precision map data includes link information for each lane of a road and node information for intersections and the like. The nodes and links make it possible to identify the shape and distance of the lane in the surface direction for each lane of a road. Furthermore, the node information generally includes position information that can be associated with the position of the vehicle for each node.

[0038] The vehicle position behavior DB 52 accumulates and records vehicle information received from a plurality of the company's control vehicles 2. The vehicle position behavior DB 52 may also accumulate and record location information of vehicles outside the company's jurisdiction other than the company's control vehicles 2. In this case, the vehicle position behavior DB 52 may accumulate and record information of all vehicles present in the area under its jurisdiction or on roads under its jurisdiction.

[0039] The server memory 43 records data such as programs executed by the server CPU 44 and setting values.

[0040] The server CPU 44 reads and executes programs stored in the server memory 43. This allows the company's server device 3 to function as a server control unit that controls its operation. The company's server device 3 also includes, as functions of the server control unit, a reception processing unit 51 and a control control unit 53, as described later in FIG. 4 . Each time the server communication device 45 receives vehicle information and location information from each company's control vehicle 2, the reception processing unit 51 classifies the received information by vehicle and records it in the vehicle position / behavior DB 52 of the server DB 42. This allows the server DB 42 to record the latest location information for each vehicle. The latest vehicle information may include information such as the latest driving position, driving time, and vehicle speed of the company's control vehicle 2. The control control unit 53 uses the information stored in the server DB 42 to determine the possibility of interference between the company's control vehicle and another vehicle, such as a vehicle outside its jurisdiction, and generates individual control information for the control vehicle according to the determination result. The control control unit 53 periodically generates individual control information for each of the company's control vehicles 2 and transmits it to each of the company's control vehicles 2.

[0041] The other company's server device 4 may have the same configuration as the company's server device 3 described above. Here, the components of the other company's server device 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the company's server device 3, and individual descriptions thereof will be omitted. The other company's control vehicle 10 may have the same configuration as the company's control vehicle 2 described above. Here, the components of the other company's control vehicle 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the company's control vehicle 2, and individual descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, in FIG. 3 , the other company's control vehicle 10 transmits only location information to the other company's server device 4. The other company's control vehicle 10 may transmit vehicle information equivalent to that of the company's control vehicle 2 to the other company's server device 4. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 , the server communication device 45 of the company's server device 3 in this embodiment receives location information of the other company's control vehicle 10 from the other company's server device 4 directly from the other company's server device 4. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the server communication device 45 of the company's server device 3 receives location information of non-controlled vehicles from the road management server device 5 directly from the road management server device 5. This allows the server communication device 45 of the company's server device 3 to receive location information of the company's control vehicle 2 as well as location information of vehicles outside the company's jurisdiction that are traveling in the jurisdiction area or on the jurisdiction roads on which the company's control vehicle 2 is traveling.

[0042] Figure 4 is a timing chart showing the overall flow of control of the company's control vehicle 2 by the company's server device 3 in the traffic control operation control system 1 of Figure 1. Note that due to the size of the drawing, only one company's control vehicle 2 is shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 also shows the server high-precision map data 54 of the company's server device 3 and the vehicle position and behavior DB 52. Figure 4 also shows the driving control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2, and the receiving processing unit 51 and traffic control unit 53 of the company's server device 3. Time flows from top to bottom. Note that the step numbers in Figure 4 correspond to those in Figures 5 and 6, which will be described later.

[0043] The cruise control device 22 of the company's controlled vehicle 2 acquires sensor information of its own vehicle in step ST2, and transmits each vehicle information to the company's server device 3 in step ST3. The vehicle information may include the current position, time, and speed of the company's controlled vehicle 2, as well as detection information from its own vehicle's sensors. Furthermore, the cruise control device 22 uses the sensor information of its own vehicle and the individual control information of step ST2 to generate and output control values ​​for controlling the cruise of its own vehicle in step ST8. As a result, the drive control device 23, braking control device 25, and steering control device 24 execute control in accordance with the control values ​​in step ST31. Furthermore, the cruise control device 22 repeats this series of controls for each control cycle of the company's controlled vehicle 2. As a result, the company's controlled vehicle 2 can continue to drive autonomously, for example, in accordance with the individual control information, while avoiding interference with other vehicles predicted by the sensor information of its own vehicle.

[0044] Furthermore, the other company's server device 4 and the road management server device 5 periodically transmit location information of the vehicles they manage to the company's server device 3. When the server communication device 45 receives new vehicle information or location information, the reception processing unit 51 classifies the received information by vehicle and records it in the vehicle location behavior DB 52. As a result, the vehicle location behavior DB 52 accumulates and records the latest location information for multiple vehicles under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3. In the vehicle location behavior DB 52, the multiple vehicles may be classified by vehicle using identification information for each vehicle.

[0045] The traffic control unit 53 periodically uses information recorded in the vehicle position behavior DB 52 to determine interference between each of the company's controlled vehicles 2 and other vehicles, and generates and transmits individual traffic control information for each of the company's controlled vehicles 2 under its jurisdiction. Specifically, in step ST11, the traffic control unit 53 first maps the vehicles recorded in the vehicle position behavior DB 52 to the server high-precision map data 54. This allows the traffic control unit 53 to obtain information indicating the driving environment of the company's controlled vehicles 2 traveling in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3 or on roads under its jurisdiction. Next, in step ST18, the traffic control unit 53 uses the mapping results to determine the possibility of interference between each of the company's controlled vehicles 2 and, for example, a preceding vehicle. Next, in step ST19, the traffic control unit 53 generates individual traffic control information for each of the company's controlled vehicles 2. For a company's controlled vehicle 2 that may interfere with a preceding vehicle, the traffic control unit 53 generates individual traffic control information to suppress such interference. Next, in step ST22, the control control unit 53 transmits the generated individual control information to the company's control vehicles 2. Each company's control vehicles 2 can use the individual control information for its own vehicle received by the vehicle communication device 37 from the company's server device 3 to generate control values ​​in accordance with the requirements of the individual control information, thereby controlling the autonomous driving of its own vehicle. By controlling the autonomous driving of multiple company's control vehicles 2 in accordance with the control of the company's server device 3, the company's control vehicles 2 can safely drive in autonomous driving without interfering with each other under unified control by the company's server device 3.

[0046] Here, the control period in which the driving control device 22 in the company's control vehicle 2 repeats the above-mentioned processing and the control period in which the control control unit 53 in the company's server device 3 repeats the above-mentioned processing may be the same or different.

[0047] 5 is a flowchart of an example of driving control corresponding to traffic control by the driving control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2. The driving control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 repeatedly executes the driving control of FIG. 5 at the control cycle of FIG. 4.

[0048] In step ST1, the driving control device 22 determines whether it is time to start the control cycle in Fig. 4. The driving control device 22 may determine whether it is time to start the control cycle based on the time measured by the timer 36. If it is not time to start the control cycle, the driving control device 22 repeats this process. When it is time to start the control cycle, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST2.

[0049] In step ST2, the cruise control device 22 acquires detection information from the sensor of the vehicle. The detection information from the sensor of the vehicle includes information such as the current position, time, and speed of the company's control vehicle 2. The detection information from the sensor of the vehicle may also include information on surrounding vehicles, such as a preceding vehicle, identified based on detection by the sensor of the vehicle.

[0050] In step ST3, the driving control device 22 transmits the latest information acquired in step ST2 as vehicle information from the vehicle communication device 37 to the company's server device 3.

[0051] In step ST4, the driving control device 22 acquires the most recent individual control information received by the vehicle communication device 37 from the company's server device 3. If the communication state between the driving control device 22 and the company's server device 3 is good, the driving control device 22 can acquire the most recent individual control information at the current time. The individual control information may include request information regarding acceleration / deceleration, steering, braking, stopping, etc., along with the time the individual control information was generated or transmitted.

[0052] In step ST5, the cruise control device 22 determines whether the individual control information acquired in step ST4 is the latest. If the communication state between the cruise control device 22 and the company's server device 3 becomes poor, the vehicle communication device 37 cannot receive the latest individual control information from the company's server device 3. In this case, the cruise control device 22 acquires previous individual control information in step ST4. For example, if the individual control information is older than the control period of the company's server device 3, the cruise control device 22 determines that the individual control information acquired in step ST4 is not the latest and proceeds to step ST7 to perform cruise control for autonomous driving based only on the detection information of the vehicle's sensors without using the individual control information. Note that even when the vehicle is not traveling under controlled traffic control, the cruise control device 22 determines that the individual control information acquired in step ST4 is not the latest and proceeds to step ST7. On the other hand, if the individual control information acquired in step ST4 is older than the control period of the company's server device 3 and is the latest, the cruise control device 22 proceeds to step ST6 to perform autonomous driving under controlled traffic control.

[0053] In step ST6, the cruise control device 22 uses the latest individual control information acquired in step ST4 to generate a route for cruise control in accordance with the latest individual control information. At this time, the cruise control device 22 generates a route for cruise control so as not to be unreasonable with respect to the detection information of the host vehicle's sensors. For example, if the individual control information indicates that the vehicle should maintain its current driving mode and it is determined that maintaining the current driving mode is safe based on the detection information of the host vehicle's sensors, the cruise control device 22 generates a route for maintaining the current driving mode. On the other hand, even if the individual control information indicates that the vehicle should maintain its current driving mode, if it is determined that maintaining the current driving mode is not safe based on the detection information of the host vehicle's sensors, the cruise control device 22 generates a reasonable route that avoids interference based on the detection information of the host vehicle's sensors. The cruise control device 22 then proceeds to step ST8.

[0054] In step ST7, the cruise control device 22 generates a route for cruise control based only on the detection information from the sensor of the host vehicle, without using the latest individual traffic control information acquired in step ST4. For example, if it is determined that it is safe to maintain the current driving mode based on the detection information from the sensor of the host vehicle, the cruise control device 22 generates a route for maintaining the current driving mode. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not safe to maintain the current driving mode based on the detection information from the sensor of the host vehicle, the cruise control device 22 generates a reasonable route that avoids interference, etc., based on the detection information from the sensor of the host vehicle. The cruise control device 22 then proceeds to step ST8.

[0055] In step ST8, the cruise control device 22 outputs the control values ​​generated in this cruise control to the drive control device 23, the steering control device 24, and the braking control device 25. This enables the company's controlled vehicle 2 to travel safely by automatic driving. Thereafter, the cruise control device 22 ends this control.

[0056] 6 is a flowchart of an example of control by the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3. The control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 repeatedly executes the control of FIG. 6 at the control cycle of FIG.

[0057] In step ST11, the control control unit 53 maps the multiple vehicles recorded in the vehicle position / behavior DB 52 onto the server high-precision map data 54. As a result, vehicles in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3 or on roads under its jurisdiction are mapped onto the server high-precision map data 54. The server high-precision map data 54 clarifies the relative positions of multiple vehicles, including the company's controlled vehicle 2. The driving environment of the multiple company's controlled vehicles 2 traveling in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3 or on roads under its jurisdiction is made clear by mapping onto the server high-precision map data 54.

[0058] In step ST12, the control control unit 53 selects an unprocessed company controlled vehicle 2 that is traveling under control.

[0059] In step ST13, the traffic control unit 53 selects a vehicle preceding the company's controlled vehicle 2 related to the processing selected in step ST12. Note that the traffic control unit 53 may select all vehicles around the company's controlled vehicle 2 related to the processing.

[0060] In step ST14, the traffic control unit 53 generates an ST chart as shown in Fig. 8. Then, the traffic control unit 53 maps the company's controlled vehicle 2 related to the process and the preceding vehicle on the ST chart by the inter-vehicle distance therebetween.

[0061] In step ST15, the control control unit 53 sets a control monitoring area as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 (described later). Here, the control monitoring area may be longer in the direction of travel of the company's control vehicle 2 than the detection range 61 of the company's own vehicle's sensor. The control monitoring area may be at least twice, preferably at least three times, the detection range 61 of the company's control vehicle 2. This allows the company's control vehicle 2 to initiate control in response to a preceding vehicle, etc., based on a longer distance than the driving control under manual driving with the driver's visual line of sight. The autonomous driving of the company's control vehicle 2 under control can be expected to be more stable because it can deal with preceding vehicles in advance compared to driving under manual driving. The control monitoring area may also be increased or decreased depending on the speed and braking distance of the company's control vehicle 2 under processing.

[0062] In step ST16, the traffic control unit 53 determines whether the preceding vehicle is an out-of-control vehicle. If the preceding vehicle is, for example, the company's controlled vehicle 2, the traffic control unit 53 determines that it is not an out-of-control vehicle and proceeds to step ST18. On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle is an out-of-control vehicle other than the company's controlled vehicle 2, the traffic control unit 53 determines that it is an out-of-control vehicle and proceeds to step ST17.

[0063] In step ST17, the control control unit 53 sets an error range 63 for the estimated position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, which is the preceding vehicle mapped on the ST chart. If the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle is the preceding vehicle, the error range 63 may be set only behind the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, but it may also be set in front of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle. Here, the error range 63 for the estimated position may be set to be wider depending on the time of reception of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle's location information or the elapsed time since the time of the location information. In this case, the longer the elapsed time, the wider the error range 63 for the estimated position becomes in front of and behind the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle. In addition, the error range 63 for the estimated position may be expanded or contracted depending on the type of the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle's past driving performance, etc. For example, if the preceding vehicle is not a controlled vehicle such as the company's controlled vehicle 2 or another company's controlled vehicle 10, the error range 63 for the estimated position may be wider than that for a controlled vehicle. Alternatively, for example, if the preceding vehicle has a large change in speed in its past driving performance, the error range 63 of the estimated position may be set to be larger than that of a controlled vehicle. Alternatively, for example, if the preceding vehicle has a low autonomous driving level, the error range 63 of the estimated position may be set to be larger than that of a high autonomous driving level. The error range 63 of the estimated position may be obtained by multiplying the elapsed time value by multiple coefficients corresponding to multiple determination factors.

[0064] In step ST18, the traffic control unit 53 determines the possibility of interference between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle. In this case, the traffic control unit 53 may determine the possibility of interference between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on whether the company's controlled vehicle 2 traveling overlaps with the error range 63 of the estimated position of the vehicle outside its jurisdiction on the ST chart. If the company's controlled vehicle 2 overlaps with the error range 63 of the estimated position of the vehicle outside its jurisdiction on the ST chart, the traffic control unit 53 determines that there is a possibility of interference between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle. On the other hand, if the company's controlled vehicle 2 does not overlap with the error range 63 of the estimated position of the vehicle outside its jurisdiction on the ST chart, the traffic control unit 53 determines that there is no possibility of interference between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

[0065] In step ST19, the traffic control unit 53 generates individual traffic control information for the company's controlled vehicle 2 involved in the processing. If there is a possibility that the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle will interfere with each other on the ST chart, the traffic control unit 53 generates individual traffic control information to suppress such interference. The traffic control unit 53 may, for example, generate individual traffic control information to decelerate to the speed of the preceding vehicle. In this case, the traffic control unit 53 may repeatedly generate individual traffic control information to decelerate continuously until it decelerates to the speed of the preceding vehicle. If there is no possibility that the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle will interfere with each other on the ST chart, the traffic control unit 53 may, for example, generate individual traffic control information to maintain the current traveling speed.

[0066] In steps ST20 and ST21, the traffic control unit 53 determines whether the reliability of the location of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction is declining. The traffic control unit 53 first determines whether the time of reception of the location information of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction or the elapsed time since the time of the location information is equal to or greater than a threshold. Here, the threshold is set to be at least longer than the control period of the company's controlled vehicle 2. The threshold is also set to be at least longer than the reception period of the preceding vehicle's location information. In this case, if the traffic control unit 53 is unable to continuously receive periodic location information of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction, the traffic control unit 53 can determine that the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold. If the company's server device 3 is unable to receive the latest current location information from the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction that is not under its control, the traffic control unit 53 determines that the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold and proceeds to step ST21. On the other hand, if the traffic control unit 53 is able to continuously receive periodic location information of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction and the elapsed time is less than the threshold, the traffic control unit 53 determines that the elapsed time is not equal to or greater than the threshold and proceeds to step ST22.

[0067] In step ST21, the control control unit 53 further determines whether or not the interference determination based on the ST chart in step ST18 has determined that there is a possibility of interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, which is the preceding vehicle, within the error range 63. If it has not determined that there is a possibility of interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle within the error range 63, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST22. If the preceding vehicle is its own controlled vehicle 2, the error range 63 is not set. In this case, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST22. On the other hand, if it has determined that there is a possibility of interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle within the error range 63, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST23. In this way, if there is a possibility of traveling interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle within the error range 63 due to a decrease in the reliability of the position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, which is the preceding vehicle, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST23.

[0068] In step ST22, the control control unit 53 transmits the generated individual control information from the server communication device 45 to the company's controlled vehicle 2 involved in the processing. Each company's controlled vehicle 2 can generate control values ​​according to the requests of the individual control information using the individual control information of its own vehicle received by the vehicle communication device 37 from its own server device 3, thereby controlling the autonomous driving of its own vehicle. Thereafter, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST24.

[0069] In step ST23, the control control unit 53 stops transmission from the server communication device 45 to the company's control vehicle 2. As a result, the company's control vehicle 2 involved in the processing stops receiving individual control information from the company's server device 3. When the cruise control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 stops receiving individual control information from the company's server device 3 during control using the individual control information from the company's server device 3, it determines in step ST5 that the information is not up to date and performs cruise control based on the vehicle's sensors. The cruise control unit 22 stops cruise control using the individual control information and starts cruise control based only on the vehicle's sensors. The control control unit 53 then proceeds to step ST24.

[0070] In step ST24, the control control unit 53 determines whether or not selection has been completed for all of the company's controlled vehicles 2. If selection has not been completed for all of the company's controlled vehicles 2 in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3, the control control unit 53 returns the process to step ST12. The control control unit 53 repeats the processes from step ST12 to step ST24 until selection has been completed for all of the company's controlled vehicles 2 in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3. When selection has been completed for all of the company's controlled vehicles 2 in the area under the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3, the control control unit 53 terminates this control. By controlling the autonomous driving of multiple company's controlled vehicles 2 in accordance with the control of the company's server device 3, the company's controlled vehicles 2 can travel safely by autonomous driving without interfering with each other under unified control by the company's server device 3.

[0071] 7 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which another company's control vehicle 10, as an example of a non-control vehicle, is traveling in front of the company's control vehicle 2. The dashed line S in Fig. 7 corresponds to the lane of the jurisdiction road 100 in Fig. 1 on which the company's control vehicle 2 is traveling, which can be generated based on the link information and node information in the server high-precision map data 54.

[0072] In FIG. 7 , the dashed line S maps the company's own controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10 traveling ahead of it as a preceding vehicle. The position of each vehicle may be determined by a distance traveled from the location information based on the period from the time of the location information to the current processing time and the latest vehicle speed. A semi-elliptical dashed line indicates the detection range 61 of the company's own vehicle's sensor in front of the company's controlled vehicle 2. The control control unit 53 sets a control monitoring distance 62 in the direction of travel of the company's own controlled vehicle 2 that is longer than the detection range 61 of the company's own vehicle's sensor in the direction of travel of the company's controlled vehicle 2. If the preceding vehicle is a vehicle outside its jurisdiction, such as the other company's controlled vehicle 10, the control control unit 53 sets an error range 63 of the estimated position at least behind the vehicle outside its jurisdiction. In the example of FIG. 7 , the control control unit 53 sets the error range 63 of the estimated position only behind the vehicle outside its jurisdiction.

[0073] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of an ST chart used to determine interference with a preceding vehicle for the company's controlled vehicle 2 in Figure 7. The horizontal axis represents the position in creepage distance on the road under its jurisdiction in Figure 7. The vertical axis represents time. Time flows from top to bottom. The origin may be, for example, the time at which the ST chart is generated. The control control unit 53 maps the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which serves as a preceding vehicle traveling in front of it, to their respective positions on the horizontal axis of the ST chart. In addition, an error range 63 is mapped behind the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which is a preceding vehicle outside of its jurisdiction. Note that Figure 8 shows not only the error range 63 behind the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which serves as a preceding vehicle, but also the error range in front of it with a double-headed arrow.

[0074] As shown by the solid line in Fig. 8, the traffic control unit 53 maps onto the ST chart a movement line segment P1 along which the company's own control vehicle 2 continues to travel the control monitoring distance 62 from its position on the horizontal axis at the speed indicated by the latest location information. The traffic control unit 53 also maps onto the ST chart a movement line segment P10 along which the other company's control vehicle 10, a preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction, continues to travel from its position on the horizontal axis at the speed indicated by the latest location information. The traffic control unit 53 then maps onto the ST chart movement line segments P11 and P12 for the error range 63 before and after the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction. As a result, a parallelogram area indicating the error range 63 of the position of the other company's control vehicle 10 is mapped onto the ST chart, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 8.

[0075] In the ST chart generated in this manner, the traffic control unit 53 determines the possibility of future interference between the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10, a preceding vehicle outside of the company's jurisdiction that is traveling ahead of the company's controlled vehicle 2. In FIG. 8 , the movement line segment P1 of the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the movement line segment P10 of the other company's controlled vehicle 10, a preceding vehicle outside of the company's jurisdiction, do not intersect or touch on the ST chart. Therefore, the traffic control unit 53 can determine that there will be no direct interference between the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10, a preceding vehicle outside of the company's jurisdiction. For example, if the preceding vehicle is the company's controlled vehicle 2, the traffic control unit 53 will determine that there is no possibility of interference. In this case, the traffic control unit 53 can generate individual control information for the company's controlled vehicle 2 that maintains its current traveling position. In contrast, the preceding vehicle in FIG. 8 is the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which is outside of the company's jurisdiction. The movement line segment P1 of the company's controlled vehicle 2 intersects with the line segment P11 of the error range 63 of the estimated position of the other company's controlled vehicle 10. That is, the control monitoring distance 62 and the error range 63 of the estimated position overlap. In this case, the control control unit 53 determines that there is a possibility of interference between the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which is a preceding vehicle outside of its jurisdiction. As a result, the control control unit 53 basically generates individual control information for the company's controlled vehicle 2, which causes the vehicle to decelerate from its current speed so that the control monitoring distance 62 and the error range 63 of the estimated position do not overlap, as exemplified by the movement line segment P2 in FIG. 8 . Furthermore, the control control unit 53 may continue to generate individual control information for deceleration until the control monitoring distance 62 and the error range 63 of the estimated position no longer overlap. Note that, unlike FIG. 8 , the movement line segment P1 of the company's controlled vehicle 2 may overlap with the movement line segment P10 of the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which is a preceding vehicle outside of its jurisdiction. In this case, there is a possibility that interference will occur between the company's controlled vehicle 2 and the other company's controlled vehicle 10, which is a preceding vehicle outside of the company's jurisdiction, regardless of the reliability of the position of the other company's controlled vehicle 10. In this case, the control control unit 53 may determine in step ST21 that interference is not within the error range 63, and proceed to step ST22.

[0076] Next, we will explain the control for resuming transmission of individual control information after the transmission of individual control information to our company's control vehicle 2 has been stopped. Even during the period when the transmission of individual control information is stopped, our company's control vehicle 2 continues to transmit vehicle information, including its own vehicle's location information, from the vehicle communication device 37 to our company's server device 3, as shown in FIG. 4 . Furthermore, even during the period when the transmission of individual control information is stopped, the control control unit 53 periodically executes the control control of FIG. 6 while repeatedly executing the resume control of FIG. 9 and the resume control of FIG. 10 . That is, even when the transmission of individual control information to our company's control vehicle 2 has been stopped, the control control unit 53 determines the possibility of interference between our company's control vehicle 2 and vehicles outside its control, such as other company's control vehicle 10, and continues to generate individual control information for our company's control vehicle 2 according to the determination result. When the transmission stoppage is lifted, the control control unit 53 of our company's server device 3 resumes transmission and can transmit the last generated individual control information from the server communication device 45 to our company's control vehicle 2, whose transmission has been stopped.

[0077] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of restart control by the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 to restart the interrupted control.

[0078] In step ST41, the control control unit 53 determines whether or not there is any of the company's control vehicles 2 that have stopped transmitting individual control information. If there is at least one of the company's control vehicles 2 that have stopped transmitting individual control information, the control control unit 53 determines that there is a company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting individual control information, and proceeds to step ST42. On the other hand, if there is no company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting individual control information, the control control unit 53 ends this control.

[0079] In step ST42, the traffic control unit 53 determines whether new location information has been received since the transmission of the out-of-control vehicle, which is the preceding vehicle causing the suspension of transmission of the company's controlled vehicle 2 whose individual traffic control information transmission has been suspended. As shown in the reliability determination process of steps ST20 and ST21 in FIG. 6 , the suspension of transmission of individual traffic control information is executed when the preceding vehicle is an out-of-control vehicle and the location information of the out-of-control vehicle is out of date and its reliability has decreased. By receiving new location information about the out-of-control vehicle causing the suspension of transmission, the reliability of the preceding vehicle's position can be restored. If new location information has been received since the transmission suspension, the traffic control unit 53 proceeds to step ST43. On the other hand, if new location information has been received since the transmission suspension, the traffic control unit 53 terminates this control.

[0080] In step ST43, the traffic control unit 53 corrects the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, because the reliability of the position of the preceding vehicle has been restored. The traffic control unit 53 corrects the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, in the server high-precision map data 54 and the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, in the ST chart to the position of the new location information received after transmission was stopped. In addition, because the reliability of the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, has been restored, the traffic control unit 53 deletes the error range 63 of the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, from the ST chart.

[0081] In step ST44, the traffic control unit 53 cancels the transmission of the individual traffic control information to the company's controlled vehicle 2, which transmission had been stopped by the processing of step ST23 in Fig. 6. Furthermore, the traffic control unit 53 can subsequently determine in the judgment of step ST20 in Fig. 6 that the elapsed time of the location information of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction is not equal to or greater than the threshold, and therefore can resume the transmission of the individual traffic control information to the company's controlled vehicle 2 by the processing of step ST22.

[0082] In this way, after the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 stops transmitting individual control information to the company's control vehicle 2, when it receives new location information from the other company's server device 4 or the like about a vehicle outside of control, such as the other company's control vehicle 10 that caused the transmission to stop, the control control unit 53 can resume transmitting the individual control information from the server communication device 45 to the company's control vehicle 2.

[0083] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another example of restart control for restarting interrupted control by the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3.

[0084] In step ST51, the control control unit 53 determines whether or not there is any of the company's control vehicles 2 that have stopped transmitting individual control information. If there is at least one of the company's control vehicles 2 that have stopped transmitting individual control information, the control control unit 53 determines that there is a company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting individual control information, and proceeds to step ST52. On the other hand, if there is no company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting individual control information, the control control unit 53 ends this control.

[0085] In step ST52, the traffic control unit 53 determines whether the location of the preceding vehicle causing the suspension of transmission of the individual traffic control information for the company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmission has been detected by the company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmission. The cruise control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 continues to periodically transmit vehicle information, including detection information from its own vehicle's sensors, to the company's server device 3, even during the period when transmission of the individual traffic control information is suspended. The traffic control unit 53 determines whether the preceding vehicle causing the suspension of transmission has been detected by its own vehicle's sensors in the vehicle information received after the suspension of transmission. For example, the traffic control unit 53 analyzes the vehicle information, including images captured by the exterior camera 32 and spatial information from the Lidar 33, to extract the position and characteristics of the preceding vehicle of the company's control vehicle 2. The characteristics may be, for example, the size, color, etc. of the preceding vehicle. If the position of the preceding vehicle detected by its own vehicle's sensors is within the error range 63 of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction, the traffic control unit 53 may determine that the location of the preceding vehicle has been detected by the company's control vehicle 2 that has stopped transmission. Furthermore, if the location information of the out-of-control vehicle as the preceding vehicle includes information such as the vehicle model, size, and color of the out-of-control vehicle, the control control unit 53 may further compare it with the characteristics of the preceding vehicle detected by the sensor of the vehicle itself, and if they match, may determine that the location of the preceding vehicle has been detected by the company's controlled vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting. If the location of the preceding vehicle has been detected by the company's controlled vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting, the control control unit 53 proceeds to step ST53. On the other hand, if the location of the preceding vehicle has not been detected by the company's controlled vehicle 2 that has stopped transmitting, the control control unit 53 ends this control.

[0086] In step ST53, the traffic control unit 53 corrects the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, because the reliability of the position of the preceding vehicle has been restored by detection by the sensor of the subject vehicle. The traffic control unit 53 corrects the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, in the server high-precision map data 54 and the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, in the ST chart to the positions detected by the sensor of the subject vehicle. In addition, because the reliability of the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, has been restored, the traffic control unit 53 deletes the error range 63 of the estimated position of the preceding vehicle, which is out of its jurisdiction, from the ST chart.

[0087] In step ST54, the traffic control unit 53 cancels the transmission of the individual traffic control information to the company's controlled vehicle 2, which transmission was stopped by the processing of step ST23 in Fig. 6. Furthermore, the traffic control unit 53 can subsequently determine in the judgment of step ST20 in Fig. 6 that the elapsed time of the location information of the preceding vehicle outside its jurisdiction is not equal to or greater than the threshold, and therefore can resume the transmission of the individual traffic control information to the company's controlled vehicle 2 by the processing of step ST22.

[0088] In this way, if the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 can confirm that the detection information of the preceding vehicle by the company's control vehicle 2 is that of the other company's control vehicle 10 after stopping the transmission of individual control information to the company's control vehicle 2, the control control unit 53 can determine the possibility of interference between the control vehicle and a vehicle outside its jurisdiction, assuming that the other company's control vehicle 10 is in an estimated position based on the detection information of the preceding vehicle. Furthermore, the control control unit 53 can generate individual control information for the control vehicle according to the determination result, and resume transmission of the latest individual control information from the server communication device 45 to the control vehicle.

[0089] As described above, the company's server device 3 of this embodiment includes a control control unit 53 that determines the possibility of interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and vehicles outside its jurisdiction, and generates individual control information for the company's control vehicle 2 according to the determination result. The server communication device 45 receives location information for vehicles outside its jurisdiction that are traveling in the jurisdictional area or roads on which the company's control vehicle 2 is traveling, in addition to vehicle information including location information for the company's control vehicle 2 to which the company's server device 3 transmits individual control information. The control control unit 53 also determines the possibility of interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and vehicles outside its jurisdiction, and generates individual control information for the company's control vehicle 2 according to the determination result. For vehicles outside its jurisdiction, the control control unit 53 determines the possibility of interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and the vehicle outside its jurisdiction, using the error range 63 of the estimated position. In this way, the company's server device 3 can determine the possibility of interference between vehicles outside its jurisdiction that it does not control and the company's control vehicle 2 that it controls, and transmit the corresponding individual control information to the company's control vehicle 2. The company's control vehicle 2 can travel by autonomous driving under control so as to suppress interference with out-of-control vehicles that are not controlled by the company's server device 3. Here, the other company's server device 4 of this embodiment communicates with the other company's control vehicle 10, which is an out-of-control vehicle, in an area overlapping with the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3, and supports the autonomous driving of the other company's control vehicle 10. The company's server device 3 then receives location information of the other company's control vehicle 10 from the other company's server device 4. In this case, the company's server device 3 and the company's control vehicle 2 can control the autonomous driving of the company's control vehicle 2 so as to suppress interference with the other company's control vehicle 10 that is not controlled by the company's server device 3. It is expected that interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and the other company's control vehicle 10 will be suppressed well in the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control control unit 53 further stops the transmission of individual control information from the server communication device 45 to the company's control vehicle 2 when there is a possibility of interference due to a decrease in the reliability of the position of an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, such as an other company's control vehicle 10. As a result, the driving control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 stops receiving the individual control information when the reliability of the position of an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle that may interfere with the company's vehicle decreases during control using the individual control information from the company's server device 3. The driving control device 22 stops driving control using the individual control information and performs driving control based on the company's vehicle's sensors. As a result, even when the reliability of the position of an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle received by the company's server device 3 has decreased, the driving control device 22 can detect an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle that may interfere with the company's vehicle using the company's sensor and control the driving of the company's vehicle to suppress interference with the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle. When an out-of-control vehicle is traveling in the jurisdiction of the company's server device 3, the driving control device 22 can continuously perform autonomous driving by switching between autonomous driving under the control of the company's server device 3 and autonomous driving based on the company's own vehicle's sensors depending on the reliability of the out-of-control vehicle's location. In particular, in this embodiment, the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 determines the possibility of interference between the company's own control vehicle 2 and the out-of-control vehicle using a control monitoring distance 62 that is longer in the direction of travel of the company's own control vehicle 2 than the detection range 61 of the company's own vehicle's sensors. This prevents the driving control device 22 of the company's own control vehicle 2 from immediately determining that there will be interference with the out-of-control vehicle when switching the autonomous driving control from autonomous driving under the control of the company's server device 3 to autonomous driving based on the company's own vehicle's sensors. After switching from controlled to autonomous driving and after the autonomous driving has stabilized, the driving control device 22 can detect the out-of-control vehicle using the company's own vehicle's sensors, determine the interference, and execute corresponding control. The automatic driving of the company's controlled vehicle 2 is less likely to become unstable and change suddenly immediately after switching from controlled to autonomous driving.In contrast, if the control monitoring distance 62 is the same distance range as the detection range 61 of the vehicle's sensor, the cruise control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 must immediately execute cruise control to suppress interference with vehicles outside its jurisdiction after switching from control. In this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a situation involving a sudden change in cruise behavior.

[0091] In this embodiment, the other company's server device 4 repeatedly transmits the latest location information of the other company's control vehicle 10 to the server communication device 45 of the company's server device 3. In this case, the company's server device 3 can, in principle, continue to determine the possibility of human interference using the latest location information of the other company's control vehicle 10. On the other hand, due to communication interruptions or communication packet loss, the company's server device 3 may not be able to receive the latest location information of the other company's control vehicle 10 from the other company's server device 4. In this case, the control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 sets the error range 63 of the estimated position of the other company's control vehicle 10 to be wider depending on the time of reception or the elapsed time since the location information of the other company's control vehicle 10 received from the other company's server device 4. In addition, the control control unit 53 sets a control monitoring distance 62 in the traveling direction of the company's control vehicle 2 involved in the individual control processing, which is longer than the vehicle monitoring area monitored by the company's control vehicle 2's own sensor. Then, when the other company's control vehicle 10 is traveling in the direction of travel of the company's control vehicle 2 and the error range 63 of the estimated position of the other company's control vehicle 10 overlaps with the control monitoring distance 62, the control control unit 53 determines that the company's control vehicle 2 and the other company's control vehicle 10 will interfere with each other. As a result, even when the control control unit 53 cannot receive the latest location information of the other company's control vehicle 10, it can reliably determine the possibility of interference between the other company's control vehicle 10 and the company's control vehicle 2 through a wide-range interference determination. As a result, even if the other company's control vehicle 10 is traveling at a speed or the like that has changed since the position in the last location information, the control control unit 53 can be expected to set the error range 63 accordingly and reliably determine the possibility of interference with the company's control vehicle 2. In addition, if the time elapsed since the reception time or location time of the location information of another company's control vehicle 10, which is a vehicle outside its jurisdiction, exceeds a threshold value, the control control unit 53 stops transmitting individual control information from the server communication device 45 to its own control vehicle 2, thereby reducing the reliability of the location of the vehicle outside its jurisdiction and resulting in the possibility of driving interference.As a result, when the reliability of the position of another company's control vehicle 10 as an out-of-jurisdiction vehicle in the company's server device 3 decreases, the driving control device 22 of the company's control vehicle 2 can use the vehicle's sensors to detect out-of-jurisdiction vehicles that may interfere with the company's vehicle, and control the driving of the company's vehicle to suppress interference with out-of-jurisdiction vehicles.

[0092] In this embodiment, the vehicle communication device 37 of the company's control vehicle 2 continues to transmit vehicle information, including location information of the company's control vehicle 2, to the company's server device 3, even when individual control information has not been received. Furthermore, even when the control control unit 53 has stopped transmitting individual control information to the company's control vehicle 2, it continues to determine the possibility of interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and the other company's control vehicle 10 and generate individual control information for the company's control vehicle 2 according to the determination result. After stopping the transmission of individual control information to the company's control vehicle 2, if the control control unit 53 receives new location information of the other company's control vehicle 10, the location of which is highly reliable, from the other company's server device 4, the control control unit 53 resumes transmission from the server communication device 45 to the control vehicle. As a result, when the company's server device 3 determines the location of the other company's control vehicle 10 with high reliability and its reliability is restored, the company's control vehicle 2 can return from the driving control based on its own vehicle's sensors to driving control under control using the individual control information.

[0093] In this embodiment, when the vehicle communication device 37 of the company's control vehicle 2 does not receive individual control information, it transmits detection information of the preceding vehicle based on the company's control vehicle's own sensor, along with location information of the company's control vehicle 2, to the company's server device 3. Furthermore, when the control control unit 53 can confirm that the detection information of the preceding vehicle by the company's control vehicle 2 is the other company's control vehicle 10, it determines that the other company's control vehicle 10 is in an estimated position based on the detection information of the preceding vehicle, and determines the possibility of driving interference between the company's control vehicle 2 and the other company's control vehicle 10. Furthermore, the control control unit 53 generates individual control information for the company's control vehicle 2 according to the determination result, and resumes transmission of the latest individual control information from the server communication device 45 to the company's control vehicle 2. As a result, when the location of the other company's control vehicle 10 becomes clear in the company's server device 3, the company's control vehicle 2 can return from driving control based on the company's sensor to driving control under control using the individual control information.

[0094] In this way, in this embodiment, the company's control vehicle 2 switches to autonomous automatic driving based on its own vehicle's sensors when the reliability of the traffic control information cannot be said to be high. In this case, the company's control vehicle 2 can autonomously control its own driving based on the information from its own vehicle's sensors without being affected by the traffic control information. The company's control vehicle 2 can autonomously control its own automatic driving by utilizing the functions provided in its own vehicle, even when the reliability of the traffic control information cannot be said to be high. Furthermore, when the reliability of the position of the preceding vehicle, which is the cause of the reliability of the traffic control information, is subsequently restored, the company's control vehicle 2 can receive new individual traffic control information from the company's server device 3. The company's control vehicle 2, which was temporarily removed from traffic control, can automatically return to traffic control when the reliability of the control information is restored.

[0095] The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the other company's control vehicle 10 is an example of an out-of-control vehicle. The above-described embodiment mainly describes a case where the other company's control vehicle 10 is a preceding vehicle of the company's control vehicle 2. The control control unit 53 of the company's server device 3 may set an error range for the estimated position in the control control of FIG. 6 in the same way as for the other company's control vehicle 10, and may execute the same control as for the other company's control vehicle 10, even when an out-of-control vehicle other than the other company's control vehicle 10 is a preceding vehicle. The control control unit 53 may also set an error range for the estimated position in the control control of FIG. 6 in the above-described embodiment, even when the out-of-control vehicle, such as the other company's control vehicle 10, is a merging vehicle or a following vehicle other than a preceding vehicle. In this case, the control control unit 53 determines whether the out-of-control vehicle, such as a merging vehicle or a following vehicle, interferes with the company's control vehicle 2, generates individual control information according to the determination result, and may stop transmitting the individual control information if the interference is within the error range.

[0097] 1... Traffic control system, 2... Company's control vehicle (control vehicle), 3... Company's server device (first server device), 4... Other company's server device (second server device), 5... Road management server device, 6... Support server device, 7... Internet network, 8... Base station, 9... Carrier communication network, 10... Other company's control vehicle (other control vehicle, vehicle outside jurisdiction), 11... Non-autonomous driving vehicle (vehicle outside jurisdiction), 20... Control system, 21... Sensor control device, 22... Driving control device, 23... Drive control device, 24... Steering control device, 25... Braking control device, 26... Exterior vehicle communication control device, 29... Vehicle network, 31... GNSS receiver (sensor of own vehicle), 32... Exterior vehicle Camera (sensor of host vehicle), 33... Lidar (sensor of host vehicle), 34... Speed ​​sensor (sensor of host vehicle), 35... High-precision vehicle map data, 36... Timer, 37... Vehicle communication device, 41... Server GNSS receiver, 42... Server DB, 43... Server memory, 44... Server CPU, 45... Server communication device, 46... Server internal bus, 51... Reception processing unit, 52... Vehicle position / behavior DB, 53... Control control unit, 54... Server high-precision map data, 61... Vehicle sensor detection range (host vehicle monitoring area), 62... Control monitoring distance, 63... Error range of estimated position, 100... Road (road under jurisdiction), 110... GNSS satellite

Claims

1. A vehicle control driving control system comprising: a control vehicle having a driving control unit that performs automated driving control; and a first server device that transmits individual control information to the control vehicle, wherein the driving control unit of the control vehicle, when receiving the individual control information from the first server device, performs automated driving control under control using the individual control information, wherein the first server device comprises: a server communication device that receives location information of the control vehicle and location information of out-of-jurisdiction vehicles traveling in a jurisdiction area or jurisdiction road on which the control vehicle is traveling; and a control control unit that generates the individual control information of the control vehicle according to the possibility of driving interference between the control vehicle and the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, wherein the control control unit of the first server device determines the possibility of the driving interference using an error range of the estimated position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, and when there is a possibility of driving interference due to a decrease in the reliability of the position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle, stops transmission of the individual control information from the server communication device to the control vehicle, and the driving control unit of the control vehicle When the individual control information from the first server device is no longer received during control using the individual control information from the first server device, the vehicle control driving control system stops driving control using the individual control information and performs automatic driving control based on the output results of sensors equipped in the vehicle.

2. A vehicle control driving control system as described in claim 1, further comprising a second server device that communicates with other controlled vehicles that are outside the jurisdiction of the first server device within an area overlapping with the jurisdiction of the first server device and supports the other controlled vehicles in autonomous driving, and the server communication device of the first server device receives location information of the other controlled vehicles from the second server device.

3. The vehicle control driving control system described in claim 2, wherein the second server device repeatedly transmits the latest location information of the other controlled vehicle to the server communication device of the first server device, and the control control unit of the first server device sets the error range of the estimated position of the other controlled vehicle to be wider depending on the elapsed time from the time of the location information of the other controlled vehicle received from the second server device, and stops transmission of the individual control information from the server communication device to the controlled vehicle when the elapsed time from the time of the location information of the other controlled vehicle reaches or exceeds a threshold value, resulting in a possibility of driving interference due to a decrease in the reliability of the location of the vehicle outside its jurisdiction.

4. The vehicle control driving control system of claim 3, wherein the control control unit sets a control monitoring distance for the controlled vehicle related to the individual control processing that is longer than the vehicle monitoring area monitored by the sensor, and determines that there is a possibility of driving interference when the error range of the estimated position of the other controlled vehicle overlaps with the control monitoring distance.

5. The vehicle control driving control system described in claim 4, wherein the control control unit, when the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle is a preceding vehicle of the control vehicle related to the individual control processing and is in the direction of travel of the control vehicle, sets the error range of the estimated position of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle to the rear of the out-of-jurisdiction vehicle and sets the control monitoring distance in the direction of travel of the control vehicle, and when the elapsed time from the time of the location information of the other control vehicle becomes equal to or exceeds a threshold value and the error range of the estimated position of the other control vehicle overlaps with the control monitoring distance, resulting in the possibility of driving interference, stops transmission of the individual control information from the server communication device to the control vehicle.

6. A vehicle control driving control system as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein the control vehicle has a vehicle communication device that continues to transmit location information of the control vehicle to the first server device even when the individual control information is not received, and the control control unit, after stopping the transmission of the individual control information to the control vehicle, resumes transmission from the server communication device to the control vehicle when it receives new location information of the other control vehicle from the second server device.

7. A vehicle control driving control system as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein the control vehicle has a vehicle communication device that, when the individual control information is not received, transmits detection information of the preceding vehicle based on the sensor along with location information of the control vehicle to the first server device, and the control control unit, when it can be confirmed that the detection information of the preceding vehicle by the control vehicle is the other controlled vehicle, assumes that the other controlled vehicle is at an estimated location based on the detection information of the preceding vehicle, generates the individual control information of the control vehicle according to the possibility of driving interference between the control vehicle and the vehicle outside its jurisdiction, and resumes transmission of the individual control information from the server communication device to the control vehicle.

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