Traffic control device, traffic control method, and program

Abstract

This traffic control device is provided with: an assessment unit which assesses the driving performance of each of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a determination unit which, when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle, determines that the target vehicle is to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

Description

Traffic control device, traffic control method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a traffic control device, a traffic control method, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, self-driving cars have become increasingly common. In a world where self-driving cars are becoming more common, platooning (also called linked driving; the same applies below) is considered to be an effective way for each vehicle to drive efficiently in terms of fuel consumption and other factors.

[0003] When multiple vehicles start platooning, a group of vehicles is formed while maintaining the relative positions of the vehicles. For example, if vehicle A is traveling in front and vehicle B is traveling behind vehicle A, when vehicles A and B start platooning, they start platooning with vehicle A as the front vehicle and vehicle B as the rear vehicle.

[0004] However, when platooning, the driving performance of the rear vehicle depends on the driving performance of the front vehicle, so if the driving performance of the front vehicle is poor, platooning cannot be said to be optimal in terms of fuel economy, etc. For example, if the front vehicle has a driving tendency to repeatedly accelerate and decelerate, the rear vehicle will also be influenced by that tendency and will repeatedly accelerate and decelerate, resulting in poor fuel economy, etc.

[0005] Therefore, recently, technologies for efficiently performing platooning have also been proposed. For example, according to the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1, when a vehicle control device of a host vehicle detects multiple other vehicles while performing autonomous driving using an autonomous driving device, the vehicle control device compares the performance of the autonomous driving device installed in the host vehicle with the autonomous driving devices installed in each of the multiple other vehicles. If the performance of the autonomous driving device installed in one of the multiple other vehicles is higher than the performance of the autonomous driving device installed in the host vehicle, the vehicle control device of the host vehicle causes the host vehicle to follow the corresponding other vehicle.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-029112

[0007] The technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 makes it possible for a target vehicle to follow another vehicle with better driving performance than the target vehicle. However, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 does not uniquely determine which other vehicle the target vehicle will follow when there are multiple other vehicles with better driving performance than the target vehicle, and does not take into consideration the optimization of the entire vehicle platooning.

[0008] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a traffic control device, a traffic control method, and a program that are capable of determining which vehicle a target vehicle will follow, with a view to optimizing the entire vehicle fleet traveling in a convoy.

[0009] A traffic control device according to one embodiment includes: a judgment unit that judges the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a decision unit that decides to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle.

[0010] A traffic control method according to one embodiment is a traffic control method executed by a traffic control device, and includes: determining the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and, if the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle, deciding to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

[0011] A program according to one embodiment causes a computer to execute: a determination procedure for determining the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a determination procedure for deciding to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle if the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle.

[0012] According to the above-described aspects, it is possible to provide a traffic control device, a traffic control method, and a program that can determine the vehicle that a target vehicle will follow from the perspective of optimizing the entire vehicle platooning.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a traffic situation including a target vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic operation flow of a traffic control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic operation flow of a traffic control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a traffic situation including a target vehicle. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration example of a computer that realizes a traffic control device according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. In addition, in each of the following drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary. Furthermore, specific numerical values ​​shown below are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and are not limited thereto.

[0015] <Problems with Related Technology> Before describing each embodiment of the present disclosure, problems with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described in detail.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a traffic situation including a target vehicle. In the example of FIG. 1, vehicles A to D are traveling in a convoy. Vehicles B to D are traveling, for example, in an autonomous driving mode in a follow-up mode. Vehicle A is traveling, for example, in a manual driving mode or in an autonomous driving mode in a self-propelled mode.

[0017] Meanwhile, vehicles E and F are traveling in a platoon. Vehicle E is traveling, for example, in a self-driving mode under automatic driving, and vehicle F is traveling, for example, in a following mode under automatic driving.

[0018] The lane in which vehicles A to D are traveling in formation and the lane in which vehicles E to F are traveling in formation may be the same lane or different lanes. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the positional relationship in the traveling direction between the group of vehicles A to D and the group of vehicles E to F, and either group of vehicles may be traveling in front.

[0019] Here, we consider a case in which, in the traffic situation shown in Figure 1, vehicle E transitions from self-driving mode to following mode and becomes a target vehicle, and the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow is determined from vehicles A to D.

[0020] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines that a target vehicle will follow another vehicle with higher driving performance than the target vehicle. Therefore, when the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to determine a vehicle for vehicle E (target vehicle), the target vehicle is determined to follow a vehicle with higher driving performance than vehicle E (target vehicle). Specifically, in the example of FIG. 1 , vehicles with driving performance higher than the driving performance "60" of vehicle E (target vehicle) are vehicle A with driving performance "100," vehicle B with driving performance "90," and vehicle C with driving performance "70." Therefore, vehicle E (target vehicle) is determined to follow either vehicle A, vehicle B, or vehicle C. However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not uniquely determine which of vehicle A, vehicle B, or vehicle C the target vehicle will follow.

[0021] Considering only the perspective of vehicle E (target vehicle), it does not matter whether vehicle E (target vehicle) follows vehicle A, vehicle B, or vehicle C. However, from the perspective of optimizing all of the vehicles traveling in a platoon, the multiple vehicles traveling in a platoon need to travel in order of decreasing driving performance. Therefore, from the perspective of optimizing all of the vehicles traveling in a platoon, if vehicle E (target vehicle) follows vehicle A or vehicle B, vehicles A to E will not be lined up in order of decreasing driving performance. As a result, the effectiveness of platooning will not be maximized. Therefore, from the perspective of optimizing all of the vehicles traveling in a platoon, it is optimal for vehicle E (target vehicle) to follow vehicle C.

[0022] However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow will be determined to be vehicle A or vehicle B, which poses a problem in that it is not possible to determine the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from the perspective of optimizing the entire vehicle fleet.

[0023] Furthermore, in an environment where automated and manually driven vehicles coexist, the driving performance of manually driven vehicles may change. Furthermore, even automated vehicles may switch driving modes (for example, between self-driving mode and following mode) while traveling. Furthermore, some automated vehicles are capable of switching between automated and manual driving, and such vehicles may switch between automated and manual driving while traveling. Therefore, the driving performance of automated vehicles may also change.

[0024] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 assumes that the driving performance of each vehicle will not change in an environment where only autonomously driving vehicles are present, and therefore has the problem of being unable to respond to changes in the driving performance of the vehicles.

[0025] Each of the embodiments described below solves at least one of the above-mentioned problems of the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0026] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device 10. The traffic control device 10 includes a determination unit 11, a decision unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a storage unit 14. These components are connected by a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data to and from each other.

[0027] 1, the traffic control device 10 determines which vehicle will be followed by vehicle E (target vehicle) from among vehicles A to D. When making this determination, the traffic control device 10 may be mounted on vehicle E (target vehicle) or may be provided in a facility that centrally manages traffic on multiple roads (for example, a traffic control center, etc.). In the following, the traffic control device 10 will be described as a device that is provided in a traffic control center, etc., and that performs traffic control such as determining which vehicle will be followed by vehicle E (target vehicle) from among vehicles A to D.

[0028] The communication unit 13 communicates with other devices via a wireless network (not shown). For example, the communication unit 13 communicates with roadside devices installed on roads, or with in-vehicle devices mounted in vehicles A to F via the roadside devices or directly. Therefore, the communication unit 13 can acquire information acquired through road-to-vehicle communication between the roadside devices and the in-vehicle devices, and information acquired through vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the in-vehicle devices. The memory unit 14 stores various types of information.

[0029] The determination unit 11 determines the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle). In addition, in this case, the determination unit 11 also determines the driving performance of vehicles A to D in order to determine the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from vehicles A to D.

[0030] For example, for a manually driven vehicle among vehicles A to E, the judgment unit 11 may judge the driving performance using the driving tendencies of the vehicle (for example, whether or not the vehicle repeatedly accelerates and decelerates, whether or not it changes lanes frequently, whether or not it tends to brake at odd points, etc.).

[0031] In addition, for vehicles A to E that are operating autonomously, the judgment unit 11 may judge the driving performance using the autonomous driving functions that the vehicle is equipped with and the driving mode of the vehicle (self-driving mode, following mode, fuel efficiency priority, time priority, etc.).

[0032] Furthermore, when determining the driving performance of the vehicles A to E, the determining unit 11 may also take into consideration the vehicle type (truck, passenger car, bus, taxi, etc.) when determining the driving performance.

[0033] The determination unit 11 may use the communication unit 13 to acquire, via road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication, location information of vehicles A to E, vehicle type information, whether the vehicle is being driven manually or automatically, information on the automatic driving function and driving mode in the case of automatic driving, and information on driving tendencies in the case of manual driving. Regarding the driving tendencies of a vehicle in manual driving mode, the determination unit 11 may use the communication unit 13 to acquire video images captured by onboard cameras mounted on vehicles traveling around the vehicle in question via road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and use the acquired video images to determine the driving tendencies of the vehicle. Furthermore, driving characteristic data of each driver collected by an insurance company or the like may be collected in advance, and the driving characteristic data for each driver may be stored in the memory unit 14. In this case, regarding the driving tendencies of a vehicle in manual driving mode, the determination unit 11 may identify the driver of the vehicle, read the driving characteristic data of the identified driver from the memory unit 14, and use the read driving characteristic data to determine the driving tendencies of the vehicle. The method of identifying the driver of a vehicle may be any method. For example, the roadside device may take a picture of the face of the vehicle driver with a camera and identify the driver through facial recognition, and the judgment unit 11 may obtain information about the driver using the communication unit 13 via road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0034] The determination unit 12 determines the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from among vehicles A to D, using the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) and vehicles A to D determined by the determination unit 11. At this time, from the perspective of optimizing the entire vehicle traveling in the convoy, the determination unit 12 determines the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow by taking into account not only the driving performance of the vehicle ahead, but also, if the vehicle ahead is being followed, the driving performance of the vehicle behind the vehicle that the vehicle ahead is being followed.

[0035] Specifically, the decision unit 12 selects a front vehicle and a rear vehicle so that the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than the driving performance of the front vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the rear vehicle, and decides to drive vehicle E (target vehicle) between the selected front vehicle and rear vehicle.

[0036] For example, vehicle A is being followed by vehicle B. Furthermore, the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than that of both vehicle A and vehicle B. Therefore, when vehicle E (target vehicle) is driven between vehicle A and vehicle B, vehicles A to E are not arranged in descending order of driving performance.

[0037] Furthermore, vehicle B is being followed by vehicle C. Furthermore, the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than that of both vehicle B and vehicle C. Therefore, when vehicle E (target vehicle) is driven between vehicle B and vehicle C, vehicles A to E are not arranged in descending order of driving performance.

[0038] On the other hand, vehicle C is being followed by vehicle D. Furthermore, the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than that of vehicle C, but higher than that of vehicle D. Therefore, if vehicle E (target vehicle) is made to travel between vehicle C and vehicle D, vehicles A to E will be lined up in descending order of driving performance, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of platooning.

[0039] Therefore, the determination unit 12 selects vehicle C and vehicle D as the vehicles ahead and behind vehicle E (target vehicle). That is, the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between vehicle C and vehicle D, and that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow vehicle C.

[0040] The determination unit 12 may acquire the position information and the like of the vehicles A to E by itself in the same manner as the determination unit 11 , or may acquire the information from the determination unit 11 .

[0041] Also, in the example of Figure 1, the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is positioned between the driving performance of vehicle C and the driving performance of vehicle D, so the determination unit 12 selects vehicle C and vehicle D as the front and rear vehicles.

[0042] However, there may be a case where the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than the driving performance of any of vehicles A to D. In that case, the determination unit 12 may select the vehicle with the lowest driving performance among vehicles A to D as the front vehicle, and determine that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel behind the selected front vehicle. In other words, in that case, the determination unit 12 does not need to select a rear vehicle.

[0043] Furthermore, the timing at which the determination unit 11 and the decision unit 12 start the above-described processing is assumed to be the timing at which the vehicle E (target vehicle) transitions from the self-driving mode to the following mode, but is not limited to this. For example, the determination unit 11 and the decision unit 12 may start the above-described processing when the distance between the vehicle E (target vehicle) and any of the vehicles A to D falls within a predetermined range.

[0044] Furthermore, when the determination unit 12 determines that the vehicle to be followed by vehicle E (target vehicle) is vehicle C, vehicle E (target vehicle) travels in a follow mode, following vehicle C. If vehicle C subsequently changes course (enters a store along the road, changes lanes, etc.), the determination unit 12 may cancel the follow mode of vehicle E (target vehicle).

[0045] 1, vehicle F is traveling in a following mode, following vehicle E (target vehicle). Therefore, when the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow vehicle C, the determination unit 12 may subsequently cancel the following mode of vehicle F.

[0046] Thereafter, when vehicle F transitions to the following mode or when the distance between vehicle F and any of vehicles A to E falls within a predetermined range, the determination unit 11 and the decision unit 12 may start the above-described process with vehicle F as the target vehicle. In this case, if there is no change in the driving performance of vehicles A to F in FIG. 1 , the decision unit 12 will decide that vehicle F (target vehicle) will follow vehicle D.

[0047] Fig. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the general operation flow of the traffic control device 10. Fig. 3 shows the operation of determining the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from vehicles A to D when the driving performance of vehicles A to E is the example shown in Fig. 1.

[0048] First, the determination unit 11 determines the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) and vehicles A to D (step S11). Then, the determination unit 12 uses the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) and vehicles A to D determined by the determination unit 11 to select a leading vehicle and a trailing vehicle such that the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than that of the leading vehicle and higher than that of the trailing vehicle. Then, the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between the selected leading vehicle and trailing vehicle (step S12). As a result, the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between vehicle C and vehicle D, and determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow vehicle C.

[0049] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the determination unit 11 determines the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) and vehicles A to D. The determination unit 12 uses the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) and vehicles A to D to select a leading vehicle and a trailing vehicle such that the driving performance of vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than the driving performance of the leading vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the trailing vehicle. Then, the determination unit 12 determines to have vehicle E (target vehicle) travel between the selected leading vehicle and trailing vehicle.

[0050] In this way, according to the first embodiment, the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow is determined taking into consideration not only the driving performance of the vehicle in front but also the driving performance of the vehicle behind it. Therefore, it is possible to determine the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from the perspective of optimizing the entire vehicle platooning.

[0051] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device 10A. The traffic control device 10A differs from the traffic control device 10 shown in Fig. 2 in that an identification unit 15 is added.

[0052] When the determination unit 12 selects a front vehicle and a rear vehicle traveling in front of and behind the vehicle E (target vehicle), the identification unit 15 identifies the driving modes of the selected front vehicle and rear vehicle. For example, the driving modes of an autonomously driven vehicle may be a self-driving mode, a following mode, a fuel efficiency priority mode, a time priority mode, etc.

[0053] In addition, the identification unit 15 may acquire information such as the position information of the vehicle in front and the vehicle behind, information on whether the vehicle is being driven manually or automatically, and information on the driving mode in the case of automatic driving, by itself in the same manner as the judgment unit 11, or may acquire the information from the judgment unit 11.

[0054] The determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle when the driving modes of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle identified by the identification unit 15 satisfy predetermined conditions.

[0055] For example, the predetermined condition may be that the driving mode of the rear vehicle is a follow mode when the rear vehicle is autonomously driven, or that the driving mode of the front vehicle is a self-driving mode or a follow mode when the front vehicle is autonomously driven. Other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0056] Fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the general operation flow of the traffic control device 10A. Fig. 5 shows the operation of determining the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from vehicles A to D when the driving performance of vehicles A to E is the example shown in Fig. 1.

[0057] First, the determination unit 11 determines the driving performance of the vehicle E (target vehicle) and the vehicles A to D (step S21). Next, the determination unit 12 uses the driving performance of the vehicle E (target vehicle) and the vehicles A to D determined by the determination unit 11 to select the front vehicle and the rear vehicle such that the driving performance of the vehicle E (target vehicle) is lower than the driving performance of the front vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the rear vehicle (step S22).

[0058] Next, the identification unit 15 identifies the driving modes of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle selected by the determination unit 12 (step S23). Next, the determination unit 12 determines whether the driving modes of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle identified by the identification unit 15 satisfy a predetermined condition (step S24).

[0059] In step S24, if the driving modes of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle satisfy the predetermined condition (Yes in step S24), the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between the front vehicle and the rear vehicle (step S25). As a result, in this case, the determination unit 12 determines that vehicle E (target vehicle) will travel between vehicle C and vehicle D, and that the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow is vehicle C.

[0060] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the identification unit 15 identifies the driving modes of the vehicle ahead of and the vehicle behind the vehicle E (target vehicle). When the driving modes of the vehicle ahead of and the vehicle behind the vehicle E satisfy a predetermined condition, the determination unit 12 determines to cause the vehicle E (target vehicle) to travel between the vehicle ahead of and the vehicle behind the vehicle.

[0061] Therefore, for example, it is possible to confirm that the front and rear vehicles are traveling in a formation based on the driving modes of the front and rear vehicles, and then incorporate vehicle E (target vehicle) into that formation. Other effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment described above.

[0062] Third Embodiment Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device 10B. The traffic control device 10B differs from the traffic control device 10 shown in Fig. 2 in that a detection unit 16 is added.

[0063] When the determination unit 12 determines that the vehicle to be followed by vehicle E (target vehicle) is vehicle C, vehicles A to E will travel in a convoy thereafter. In this example, vehicles A to E will travel in a convoy in the order of vehicle A, vehicle B, vehicle C, vehicle E, and vehicle D.

[0064] The detection unit 16 detects a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E traveling in the platoon. For example, for a manually driven vehicle among the vehicles A to E, the detection unit 16 may detect a dynamic change in driving performance using the driving tendencies of that vehicle. Furthermore, for an automatically driven vehicle among the vehicles A to E, the detection unit 16 may detect a dynamic change in driving performance depending on whether the vehicle's driving mode has been switched (e.g., switched between self-driving mode and following mode). Furthermore, for a vehicle among the vehicles A to E that can switch between automatic and manual driving, the detection unit 16 may detect a dynamic change in driving performance depending on whether the switch between automatic and manual driving has occurred. Note that a vehicle that has switched between automatic and manual driving may notify surrounding vehicles of this fact. In this case, upon receiving this notification, the detection unit 16 may determine that the vehicle that sent the notification has switched between automatic and manual driving.

[0065] In addition, the detection unit 16 may acquire information such as the location information of vehicles A to E, information on whether the vehicle is being driven manually or automatically, information on the driving mode if the vehicle is being driven automatically, and information on the driving tendencies if the vehicle is being driven manually, by itself in the same manner as the judgment unit 11, or by acquiring the information from the judgment unit 11.

[0066] When the detection unit 16 detects that the driving performance of any of the vehicles A to E has changed dynamically, the determination unit 11 re-determines the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E. The decision unit 12 uses the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E re-determined by the determination unit 11 to rearrange the vehicles A to E.

[0067] For example, suppose that the driving performance of vehicles A to D remains unchanged, while the driving performance of vehicle E dynamically changes from "60" to "40," becoming lower than the driving performance of vehicle D, which is "50." In this case, the determination unit 12 rearranges vehicles A to E so that vehicle E travels behind vehicle D, i.e., so that the vehicles travel in a convoy in the order of vehicle A, vehicle B, vehicle C, vehicle D, and vehicle E.

[0068] Note that, here, an example of rearranging vehicles A to E traveling in a convoy has been described, but as mentioned above, vehicle F, which was following vehicle E, may also be incorporated into the convoy. In this case, the detection unit 16 only needs to detect that the driving performance of each of vehicles A to F has changed dynamically. Furthermore, when the driving performance of any of vehicles A to F has changed dynamically, the determination unit 11 only needs to re-determine the driving performance of each of vehicles A to F. Furthermore, the determination unit 12 only needs to re-determine the driving performance of each of vehicles A to F. Other than the above, the configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

[0069] 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic operation flow of the traffic control device 10B. Note that Fig. 7 illustrates the operation in a situation where vehicles A to E are traveling in a convoy after vehicle C has been determined as the vehicle to be followed by vehicle E (target vehicle).

[0070] First, the detection unit 16 detects whether the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E traveling in the convoy has changed dynamically (step S31). If the detection unit 16 detects that the driving performance of any of the vehicles A to E has changed dynamically in step S31 (Yes in step S31), the determination unit 11 re-determines the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E (step S32).

[0071] Thereafter, the determination unit 12 rearranges the vehicles A to E using the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E that has been re-determined by the determination unit 11 (step S33).

[0072] In addition, in this embodiment 3, when the driving performance of vehicles A to E is the example shown in Figure 1, the operation of determining the vehicle that vehicle E (target vehicle) will follow from vehicles A to D may be the same as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0073] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the detection unit 16 detects that the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E traveling in the platoon has changed dynamically. When the determination unit 11 detects that the driving performance of any of the vehicles A to E has changed dynamically, the determination unit 11 re-determines the driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E. The determination unit 12 uses the re-determined driving performance of each of the vehicles A to E to rearrange the vehicles A to E.

[0074] Therefore, if the driving performance of vehicles A to E traveling in the platoon changes after vehicle E is incorporated into the platoon, vehicles A to E are rearranged, making it possible to respond to the change in driving performance of vehicles A to E. Other effects of the present embodiment 3 are similar to those of the above-described embodiment 1.

[0075] <Fourth Embodiment> This fourth embodiment corresponds to an embodiment that is a broader concept of the first to third embodiments described above. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a traffic control device 10C. The traffic control device 10C includes a determination unit 11X and a determination unit 12X. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a traffic situation including a target vehicle 20. The traffic control device 10C is a device that, in a situation where a second vehicle 40 is traveling behind a first vehicle 30, determines whether the target vehicle 20 is to follow the first vehicle 30 or the second vehicle 40.

[0076] The determination unit 11X determines the driving performance of each of the target vehicle 20, the first vehicle 30, and the second vehicle 40. The decision unit 12X decides to allow the target vehicle 20 to travel between the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 40 when the driving performance of the target vehicle 20 is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle 30 and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle 40.

[0077] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the vehicle to be followed by the target vehicle 20 is determined taking into consideration not only the driving performance of the first vehicle 30 in front but also the driving performance of the second vehicle 40 behind. Therefore, it is possible to determine the vehicle to be followed by the target vehicle 20 from the perspective of optimizing the entire vehicle platooning.

[0078] The traffic control device 10C may further include an identification unit that identifies the driving modes of the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 40. In this case, the determination unit 12X may make the above determination when the driving modes of the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 40 satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0079] The traffic control device 10C may further include a detection unit that detects a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the target vehicle 20, the first vehicle 30, and the second vehicle 40. In this case, when the determination unit 11X detects a dynamic change in the driving performance of either the first vehicle 30 or the second vehicle 40, the determination unit 11X may re-determine the driving performance of each of the target vehicle 20, the first vehicle 30, and the second vehicle 40. The determination unit 12X may re-locate the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 40 using the re-determined driving performance of the target vehicle 20, the first vehicle 30, and the second vehicle 40.

[0080] Furthermore, the determination unit 11X may make the above determination when the distance between the target vehicle 20 and the first vehicle 30 or the second vehicle 40 falls within a predetermined range. Alternatively, the determination unit 11X may make the above determination when the target vehicle 20 transitions to the following mode.

[0081] Furthermore, when the above determination is made, the target vehicle 20 may travel in a follow-up mode between the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 30. In this case, the determination unit 12X may determine to cancel the follow-up mode of the target vehicle 20 when the first vehicle 30 changes course.

[0082] Furthermore, when the driving performance of the target vehicle 20 is lower than the driving performance of both the first vehicle 30 and the second vehicle 40, the decision unit 12X may decide to have the target vehicle 20 travel behind the second vehicle 40. Furthermore, the first vehicle 30 may be manually driven or automatically driven, and the target vehicle 20 and the second vehicle 40 may be automatically driven.

[0083] <Hardware Configuration of Traffic Control Device> FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic hardware configuration of a computer 90 that realizes the traffic control devices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C.

[0084] The computer 90 includes a processor 91, a memory 92, a storage 93, an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 94, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 95. The processor 91, the memory 92, the storage 93, the input / output interface 94, and the communication interface 95 are connected by a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data to and from each other.

[0085] The processor 91 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The memory 92 is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). The storage 93 is, for example, a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory card. The storage 93 may also be a memory such as a RAM or a ROM.

[0086] A program is stored in the storage 93. When loaded into the computer, this program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that causes the computer 90 to perform one or more functions of the traffic control devices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C described above. The components of the traffic control devices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C described above may be realized by the processor 91 reading and executing a program stored in the storage 93. Furthermore, the storage function of the traffic control devices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C described above may be realized by the memory 92 or the storage 93.

[0087] The above-described programs may also be stored on non-transitory computer-readable media or tangible storage media. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include RAM, ROM, flash memory, SSD or other memory technologies, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), Blu-ray® disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The programs may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0088] The input / output interface 94 is connected to a display device 941, an input device 942, a sound output device 943, etc. The display device 941 is a device that displays a screen corresponding to drawing data processed by the processor 91, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, or a monitor. The input device 942 is a device that accepts operation inputs from an operator, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch sensor. The display device 941 and the input device 942 may be integrated and realized as a touch panel. The sound output device 943 is a device that outputs sound corresponding to the sound data processed by the processor 91, such as a speaker.

[0089] The communication interface 95 transmits and receives data to and from an external device. For example, the communication interface 95 communicates with the external device via a wired communication path or a wireless communication path.

[0090] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0091] Furthermore, each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not relate to only one particular embodiment, but may also relate to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0092] Furthermore, some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Supplementary Note 1) A traffic control device comprising: a determination unit that determines the driving performance of each of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a determination unit that determines to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 2) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1 further comprises an identification unit that identifies driving modes of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the determination unit makes the determination when the driving modes of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfy a predetermined condition. (Supplementary Note 3) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a dynamic change in driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle, wherein the determination unit re-determines the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle when a dynamic change in driving performance of any of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is detected, and the decision unit re-locates the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-determined driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 4) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination when a distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range. (Supplementary Note 5) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination when the target vehicle transitions to a following mode. (Supplementary Note 6) The traffic control device described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein, when the determination is made, the target vehicle travels in a follow-up mode between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and when the first vehicle changes course, the determination unit determines to cancel the follow-up mode of the target vehicle.(Supplementary Note 7) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the decision unit decides to have the target vehicle travel behind the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of both the first vehicle and the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 8) The traffic control device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the first vehicle is manually driven or automatically driven, and the target vehicle and the second vehicle are automatically driven. (Supplementary Note 9) A traffic control method executed by a traffic control device, comprising: determining the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and deciding to have the target vehicle travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 10) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, further comprising identifying a driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and making the decision when the driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition. (Supplementary Note 11) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, further comprising: detecting a dynamic change in driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; and when a dynamic change in driving performance of any of the first vehicle and the second vehicle is detected, re-determining the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; and rearranging the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-determined driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 12) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, further comprising: making the decision when a distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range. (Supplementary Note 13) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein the determination is made at a timing when the target vehicle shifts to a following mode.(Supplementary Note 14) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein, when the determination is made, the target vehicle travels in a follow mode between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the traffic control method further comprises: deciding to cancel the follow mode of the target vehicle when the first vehicle changes course. (Supplementary Note 15) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, further comprising: deciding to have the target vehicle travel behind the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of both the first vehicle and the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 16) The traffic control method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein the first vehicle is manually driven or automatically driven, and the target vehicle and the second vehicle are automatically driven. (Supplementary Note 17) A program that causes a computer to execute: a determination procedure for determining the driving performance of each of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a decision procedure for deciding to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle. (Supplementary Note 18) The program according to Supplementary Note 17, further causing the computer to execute a procedure for specifying a driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein in the decision procedure, the decision is made when the driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition. (Supplementary Note 19) The program described in Supplementary Note 17, further causing the computer to execute the steps of: detecting a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; re-determining the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle when a dynamic change in the driving performance of either the first vehicle or the second vehicle is detected; and re-locating the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-determined driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle.(Supplementary Note 20) The program according to Supplementary Note 17, wherein in the determination step, the determination is made at a timing when a distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range.

[0093] Note that some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 8 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Note 17 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 8. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0094] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Traffic control device 11, 11X Determination unit 12, 12X Decision unit 13 Communication unit 14 Memory unit 15 Identification unit 16 Detection unit 20 Target vehicle 30 First vehicle 40 Second vehicle 90 Computer 91 Processor 92 Memory 93 Storage 94 Input / output interface 941 Display device 942 Input device 943 Sound output device 95 Communication interface

Claims

1. A traffic control device comprising: a judgment unit that judges the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a decision unit that decides to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle.

2. A traffic control device as described in claim 1, further comprising an identification unit that identifies the driving modes of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the determination unit makes the determination when the driving modes of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfy predetermined conditions.

3. A traffic control device as described in claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle, wherein the determination unit, when detecting a dynamic change in the driving performance of either the first vehicle or the second vehicle, re-determines the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle, and the decision unit re-locates the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-determined driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle.

4. The traffic control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination when the distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range.

5. The traffic control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination when the target vehicle transitions to a following mode.

6. A traffic control device as described in claim 1, wherein, when the determination is made, the target vehicle travels in a follow-up mode between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the determination unit determines to cancel the follow-up mode of the target vehicle when the first vehicle changes course.

7. A traffic control device as described in claim 1, wherein the decision unit decides to have the target vehicle travel behind the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of both the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

8. The traffic control device according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle is manually driven or automatically driven, and the target vehicle and the second vehicle are automatically driven.

9. A traffic control method executed by a traffic control device, comprising: determining the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and, if the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle, deciding to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

10. The traffic control method according to claim 9, further comprising: identifying a driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and making the decision when the driving mode of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition.

11. The traffic control method of claim 9, further comprising: detecting a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; if a dynamic change in the driving performance of either the first vehicle or the second vehicle is detected, re-evaluating the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; and relocating the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-evaluated driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle.

12. The traffic control method according to claim 9, wherein the determination is made at a timing when the distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range.

13. The traffic control method according to claim 9, wherein the determination is made at the timing when the target vehicle transitions to a following mode.

14. The traffic control method of claim 9, wherein, when the determination is made, the target vehicle travels in a follow-up mode between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and the traffic control method further comprises determining to cancel the follow-up mode of the target vehicle when the first vehicle changes course.

15. The traffic control method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining to have the target vehicle travel behind the second vehicle when the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of both the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

16. The traffic control method according to claim 9, wherein the first vehicle is manually driven or automatically driven, and the target vehicle and the second vehicle are automatically driven.

17. A program that causes a computer to execute: a determination procedure for determining the driving performance of a target vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle; and a determination procedure for deciding to allow the target vehicle to travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle if the driving performance of the target vehicle is lower than the driving performance of the first vehicle and higher than the driving performance of the second vehicle.

18. The program according to claim 17, further causing the computer to execute a step of identifying the driving modes of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and in the determination step, making the determination when the driving modes of the first vehicle and the second vehicle satisfy a predetermined condition.

19. The program of claim 17, further causing the computer to execute the steps of: detecting a dynamic change in the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; if a dynamic change in the driving performance of either the first vehicle or the second vehicle is detected, re-evaluating the driving performance of each of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle; and rearranging the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the re-evaluated driving performance of the target vehicle, the first vehicle, and the second vehicle.

20. The program according to claim 17, wherein in the determination step, the determination is made at a timing when the distance between the target vehicle and the first vehicle or the second vehicle falls within a predetermined range.

Images