Vehicle control device and vehicle control program

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a gate travel planning unit (1431) that allows passage through a toll gate, which is a gate of a tollbooth on a toll road, by automatic driving; an other-target-vehicle identification unit (102) that identifies another target vehicle other than a host vehicle that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate; and a following advisability determination unit (144) that, when another target vehicle has been successfully identified by the other-target-vehicle identification unit (102), determines whether the host vehicle can be caused to travel in a manner of following the other target vehicle. When it is determined by the following advisability determination unit (144) that the host vehicle can be caused to travel in a manner of following the other target vehicle, the gate travel planning unit (1431) causes the host vehicle to travel in a manner of following the other target vehicle, thereby allowing the host vehicle to automatically drive through the toll gate.

Description

Vehicle control device and vehicle control program CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2024-113614 filed in Japan on July 16, 2024, and Patent Application No. 2025-105975 filed in Japan on June 23, 2025, and the contents of the base applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control program.

[0003] There are known technologies for autonomously driving a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for controlling a vehicle to automatically head toward a target gate selected from among multiple gates on a toll road. In the technology of Patent Document 1, the target gate is changed based on the relationship between the time when the mounting state of a medium storing authentication information for passing through the toll road changes and the predicted time when the vehicle will arrive at the target gate.

[0004] Patent No. 6692935

[0005] Toll gates on toll roads have multiple gates, and there are cases where multiple vehicles converge on one gate. In contrast, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not take into account the possibility that the target gate will be overlapped between the subject vehicle and another vehicle. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 1 may prevent smooth passage through the toll gate during automated driving.

[0006] One object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that enable smoother passage through toll gates in automatic driving.

[0007] The symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in an autonomously driven vehicle, and is equipped with a gate passing control unit that causes the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is the gate of a toll road toll booth, by autonomous driving, a target other vehicle identification unit that identifies a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate gate, and a following feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle when the target other vehicle identification unit is able to identify the target other vehicle, and when the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle, the gate passing control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle, thereby passing through the toll booth gate by autonomous driving.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle control program of the present disclosure is a vehicle control program that can be used in an autonomously driven vehicle, and causes a computer to function as a gate passing control unit that causes the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is the gate of a toll road toll booth, by autonomous driving; a target other vehicle identification unit that identifies a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate gate; and a following feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle when the target other vehicle identification unit is able to identify the target other vehicle.When the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle, the gate passing control unit functions to cause the vehicle to pass through the toll gate by autonomous driving by having the vehicle follow the target other vehicle.

[0010] According to the above configuration, it is possible to make the subject vehicle follow the subject vehicle that is determined to be able to follow among the subject vehicles that are scheduled to pass through the toll gate and pass through the toll gate. Therefore, even if the toll gate that the subject vehicle and the other vehicle are about to pass through overlaps, it is possible to follow the other vehicle that overlaps the toll gate and pass through the toll gate smoothly. As a result, it is possible to pass through the toll gate in an automated driving mode more smoothly.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system in embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining control of inter-vehicle distance depending on whether a followable other vehicle has been identified. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of gate passing-related processing in an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of following feasibility determination processing in a following feasibility determination unit in embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a following target determination processing in a gate traveling planning unit in embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system in embodiment 2. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 2. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of gate passing-related processing in an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a following target determination processing in a gate traveling planning unit in embodiment 2. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 3. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of gate passing-related processing in an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 3. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of continuation determination processing in an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 3. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of approaching processing in an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 3. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU in embodiment 4.

[0012] A number of embodiments for the purpose of disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous explanations in the number of embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the explanations in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) <Outline of Vehicle System 1> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving (hereinafter, referred to as an autonomous vehicle). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an autonomous driving ECU 10, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map database (hereinafter, referred to as a map DB) 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a periphery monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, a presentation device 17, and an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 18. For example, the autonomous driving ECU 10, the communication module 11, the locator 12, the map DB 13, the vehicle state sensor 14, the periphery monitoring sensor 15, the vehicle control ECU 16, and the HCU 18 may be configured to be connected to an in-vehicle LAN (LAN) (see the LAN in FIG. 1). Although the vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile, the following description will be given taking an example of use in an automobile.

[0014] There are multiple levels of autonomous driving for autonomous vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "automation levels"), as defined by the SAE, for example. The automation levels are classified into LV0 to LV5 as follows:

[0015] LV0 is a level at which the driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. The driving task may also be referred to as a dynamic driving task. The driving task may be, for example, steering, acceleration / deceleration, and periphery monitoring. LV0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. LV1 is a level at which the system assists with either steering or acceleration / deceleration. LV1 corresponds to so-called driving assistance. LV2 is a level at which the system assists with both steering and acceleration / deceleration. LV2 corresponds to so-called partial driving automation. LV1 to LV2 are also considered to be part of autonomous driving. Note that in this embodiment, driving with an automation level of LV2 or higher may be considered autonomous driving. In other words, the explanation will continue using an example where the vehicle system 1 is used in a vehicle that performs autonomous driving with assistance in both steering and acceleration / deceleration.

[0016] For example, automated driving levels 1 to 2 are levels in which the driver has the responsibility to monitor safe driving (hereinafter simply referred to as the monitoring responsibility). In other words, these levels correspond to automated driving with a monitoring responsibility. The monitoring responsibility includes visually monitoring the surroundings. Level 3 automated driving is a level in which the system can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions, with the driver taking over driving operations in emergencies. Level 3 automated driving requires the driver to be able to respond quickly when the system requests a handover. This handover can also be described as the transfer of the responsibility to monitor the surroundings from the vehicle's system to the driver. Level 3 corresponds to so-called conditional automated driving. Level 4 automated driving is a level in which the system can perform all driving tasks except under certain circumstances, such as on uncontrollable roads or in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to so-called highly automated driving. Level 5 automated driving is a level in which the system can perform all driving tasks in any environment. Level 5 corresponds to so-called fully automated driving. Autonomous driving at levels 4 and 5 may be implemented, for example, in driving sections for which high-precision map data is available. High-precision map data will be described later. For example, autonomous driving at levels 3 or higher is defined as autonomous driving in which the driver has no monitoring obligation. In other words, it corresponds to autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an autonomous vehicle is capable of implementing autonomous driving at least at level 2 or higher.

[0017] The communication module 11 transmits and receives information via wireless communication with a center external to the vehicle. That is, it performs wide-area communication. The communication module 11 receives traffic congestion information and the like from the center via wide-area communication. The communication module 11 may also be configured to perform short-range communication. Here, short-range communication refers to wireless communication in which the communication distance is limited to within several hundred meters. The short-range communication method may be DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, etc., which are compatible with IEEE 802.11p. The communication module 11 may also perform data communication related to automatic toll payment when passing through a toll gate (hereinafter referred to as a toll gate) on a toll road. This data communication is performed between the communication module 11 and a roadside unit installed at the toll gate. In this embodiment, the communication module 11 is described as including an on-board device used for this automatic payment (hereinafter referred to as a payment on-board device). An example of an in-vehicle payment device is an in-vehicle device compatible with ETC (registered trademark) 2.0.

[0018] As mentioned above, the on-board payment unit has an automatic fare adjustment function. The automatic fare adjustment function becomes available when a medium (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated medium") storing authentication information for passing through a toll road is inserted into the on-board payment unit. In other words, the automatic fare adjustment function cannot be used when the dedicated medium is not inserted into the on-board payment unit. There are types of toll gates (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated gates") that can only be used by vehicles equipped with an on-board payment unit. There are also types of toll gates (hereinafter referred to as "general gates") that can be used by vehicles not equipped with an on-board payment unit. There are also types of toll gates that are more specific than dedicated gates and general gates. For example, there are gates for different directions after passing through the gate.

[0019] The locator 12 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and an inertial sensor. The GNSS receiver receives positioning signals from multiple positioning satellites. The inertial sensor includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The locator 12 sequentially determines the vehicle position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle position) by combining the positioning signals received by the GNSS receiver with the measurement results of the inertial sensor. The vehicle position may be expressed, for example, in latitude and longitude coordinates. Note that the vehicle position may also be determined using a travel distance calculated from signals sequentially output from a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle.

[0020] The map DB 13 is a non-volatile memory that stores high-precision map data. The high-precision map data is map data with higher precision than the map data used for route guidance in the navigation function. The high-precision map data includes information usable for automated driving, such as three-dimensional road shape information, information on the number of lanes, and information indicating the permitted travel direction for each lane. The high-precision map data may also include node point information indicating the positions of both ends of road markings such as lane markings. The map DB 13 may also store map data used for route guidance. Note that the locator 12 may be configured to use three-dimensional road shape information without using a GNSS receiver. For example, the locator 12 may be configured to determine the vehicle's position using three-dimensional road shape information and detection results from the perimeter monitoring sensor 15. The three-dimensional road shape information may be generated based on captured images using REM (Road Experience Management).

[0021] Map data distributed from an external server may be received via wide-area communication via the communication module 11 and stored in the map DB 13. In this case, the map DB 13 may be configured as a volatile memory, and the communication module 11 may successively acquire map data for an area corresponding to the vehicle position.

[0022] The vehicle condition sensor 14 is a group of sensors for detecting various conditions of the vehicle. The vehicle condition sensor 14 includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering sensor, etc. The vehicle speed sensor detects the speed of the vehicle. The steering sensor detects the steering angle of the vehicle. The vehicle condition sensor 14 outputs the detected sensing information to an in-vehicle LAN. Note that the sensing information detected by the vehicle condition sensor 14 may be configured to be output to the in-vehicle LAN via an ECU installed in the vehicle.

[0023] The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 monitors the environment surrounding the vehicle. As an example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle. Examples of obstacles include moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles. Examples of obstacles include stationary objects such as fallen objects on the road and toll booth structures. The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 also detects road markings such as lane markings around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 is, for example, a perimeter monitoring camera that captures an image of a predetermined area around the vehicle, or a search wave sensor that transmits search waves within a predetermined area around the vehicle. Examples of search wave sensors include millimeter-wave radar, sonar, and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The predetermined area may be a range that at least partially includes the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle. For example, the predetermined area may be a range that at least includes the area ahead of the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring camera sequentially captures and outputs the captured images to the autonomous driving ECU 10 as sensing information. The search wave sensor sequentially outputs the scanning results based on the received signal obtained when receiving the reflected wave reflected by an obstacle to the autonomous driving ECU 10 as sensing information.

[0024] The vehicle control ECU 16 is an electronic control device that controls the driving of the vehicle. Examples of driving control include acceleration / deceleration control and / or steering control. The vehicle control ECU 16 includes a steering ECU that controls steering, a power unit control ECU that controls acceleration / deceleration, and a brake ECU. The vehicle control ECU 16 controls driving by outputting control signals to each driving control device mounted on the vehicle. Examples of driving control devices include an electronically controlled throttle, a brake actuator, and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor.

[0025] The presentation device 17 presents information to the interior of the vehicle. The presentation device 17 includes, for example, a display device and an audio output device. The display device presents information by displaying the information. The display device displays the information in accordance with instructions from the HCU 18. The display device may be, for example, a meter MID (Multi Information Display), a CID (Center Information Display), or a HUD (Head-Up Display).

[0026] The meter MID is a display device provided in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle cabin. As an example, the meter MID may be provided in a meter panel. The CID is a display device located in the center of the vehicle's instrument panel. The HUD is provided in the vehicle cabin, for example, on the instrument panel. The HUD projects a display image formed by a projector onto a predetermined projection area on the front windshield as a projection member. The light of the image reflected by the front windshield toward the interior of the vehicle is perceived by the driver sitting in the driver's seat. This allows the driver to view a virtual image of the display image formed in front of the front windshield superimposed on a portion of the foreground. The HUD may also be configured to project a display image onto a combiner provided in front of the driver's seat instead of the front windshield.

[0027] The audio output device presents information by outputting audio. The audio output device outputs audio in accordance with instructions from the HCU 18. Examples of the audio output device include speakers provided in the vehicle interior.

[0028] The HCU 18 is mainly composed of a computer equipped with a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The HCU 18 executes control programs stored in the non-volatile memory to perform various processes related to interactions between the occupant and the vehicle's systems. The HCU 18 controls the presentation of information by the presentation device 17. Note that the HCU 18 may use a circuit to perform at least some of the functions performed by the processor. The circuit referred to here is a hardware circuit.

[0029] The autonomous driving ECU 10 is mainly composed of a computer including, for example, a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The autonomous driving ECU 10 executes control programs stored in the non-volatile memory to perform processing related to autonomous driving. Note that the autonomous driving ECU 10 may have a circuit that performs at least some of the functions performed by the processor. The circuit referred to here is a hardware circuit. This autonomous driving ECU 10 corresponds to a vehicle control device. The configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10 will be described in detail below.

[0030] <General Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU 10> Next, the general configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10 will be described using FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the autonomous driving ECU 10 includes functional blocks, such as a driving environment recognition unit 101, a target other vehicle identification unit 102, an in-vehicle information acquisition unit 103, an action determination unit 104, a control execution unit 105, and an HCU communication unit 106. The execution of processing of each functional block of the autonomous driving ECU 10 by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the autonomous driving ECU 10 may be configured as hardware using one or more circuits. Also, some or all of the functional blocks included in the autonomous driving ECU 10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware circuits. The autonomous driving ECU 10 causes a computer to function as each of the above-mentioned functional blocks using a control program. This control program corresponds to a vehicle control program.

[0031] The driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle from the vehicle position, map data, and sensing information acquired from the perimeter monitoring sensor 15. The vehicle position may be acquired from the locator 12. The map data may be acquired from the map DB 13. As an example, the driving environment recognition unit 101 uses this information to recognize the position, shape, and movement state of objects around the vehicle and generates a virtual space that reproduces the actual driving environment. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also recognize the position and shape of lane markings around the vehicle to generate the virtual space. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may recognize the vehicle position on the map from the vehicle position and map data. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also recognize the presence, position, orientation, speed, etc. of vehicles surrounding the vehicle as the driving environment from the sensing information. The position and speed of the surrounding vehicles may be calculated as relative values ​​relative to the vehicle, and recognized from the vehicle position, vehicle speed, and this relative value.

[0032] The target other vehicle identification unit 102 identifies other vehicles other than the own vehicle (hereinafter referred to as target other vehicles) that are scheduled to pass through the toll gate. The processing by the target other vehicle identification unit 102 corresponds to a target other vehicle identification step. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may identify the target other vehicle from the results of surrounding monitoring by the surrounding monitoring sensor 15. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may determine whether the other vehicle is scheduled to pass through the toll gate, for example, from its positional relationship with the target toll gate. For example, if the other vehicle recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 101 is located in front of the toll gate as seen from the own vehicle and the distance between the other vehicle and the toll gate is less than a threshold value Thd, the other vehicle may be identified as the other vehicle scheduled to pass through the toll gate. The threshold value Thd referred to here may be a distance at which it can be estimated that there are no other junctions to proceed to other than the toll gate, and may be an arbitrarily settable distance. The location of the toll gate may be obtained from the map DB 13. The location of the toll gate may be determined using the recognition results by the driving environment recognition unit 101. The position of the other vehicle can be determined by using the recognition result from the driving environment recognition unit 101.

[0033] It is preferable that the target other vehicle identification unit 102 also classifies the size of the target other vehicle by at least one category. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may also classify the size of the target other vehicle into at least two categories: large and small. The "large" category may include large vehicles such as trucks and buses. The "small" category may include light vehicles, compact cars, and standard passenger cars. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may also classify the "small" category into two or more categories, such as "medium" and "small." In this case, the "medium" category may include standard passenger cars. Furthermore, the "small" category may include light vehicles and compact passenger cars. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may classify the size of the target other vehicle based on the size of the target other vehicle recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 101. The target other vehicle identification unit 102 may classify the size of the target other vehicle according to the vehicle type by recognizing the vehicle type of the target other vehicle using the driving environment recognition unit 101. In the following, the description will be continued by taking as an example a case where the target other vehicle identification unit 102 classifies the size of the target other vehicle into three categories: "large", "medium", and "small".

[0034] The on-board device information acquisition unit 103 acquires information about the on-board payment device. If the on-board payment device is installed in the vehicle, the on-board device information acquisition unit 103 acquires information about this on-board payment device. An example of the information about the on-board payment device is information about whether a dedicated medium is inserted into the on-board payment device (hereinafter referred to as dedicated medium insertion / removal information). If the on-board payment device is not installed in the vehicle, the on-board device information acquisition unit 103 cannot acquire information about the on-board payment device.

[0035] When the system has control over the driving operation, the behavior determination unit 104 determines a driving plan for driving the vehicle based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the driving environment recognition unit 101. The behavior determination unit 104 includes a planned route specification unit 141, a planned gate determination unit 142, a driving plan unit 143, a following feasibility determination unit 144, and an interruption detection unit 145 as sub-functional blocks.

[0036] The planned route identification unit 141 identifies a planned route for the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the planned route). The planned route is a route for directing the vehicle to a set destination. This route is a route consisting of multiple links. The planned route may be determined by the behavior determination unit 104 as a long- to medium-term travel plan. The behavior determination unit 104 may determine the planned route in the same manner as a route search in a navigation function. The behavior determination unit 104 may determine the planned route by, for example, cost calculation using the Dijkstra algorithm. The destination may be set by, for example, input from an occupant of the vehicle. Note that the planned route identification unit 141 may identify the planned route determined by a navigation device as the planned route.

[0037] The scheduled gate determination unit 142 determines the type of toll gate (hereinafter referred to as the scheduled gate) through which the vehicle is scheduled to pass, from among multiple types of toll gates. As described above, toll gates are classified into dedicated gates and general gates. Furthermore, for toll gates with gates for specific directions, the dedicated gates and general gates each have different types of gates for each direction. The scheduled gate determination unit 142 may determine the scheduled gate from information acquired by the on-board device information acquisition unit 103, for example. The scheduled gate determination unit 142 may determine the dedicated gate as the scheduled gate when the on-board device information acquisition unit 103 acquires dedicated medium attachment / detachment information indicating that a dedicated medium has been inserted. On the other hand, the scheduled gate determination unit 142 may determine the general gate as the scheduled gate when the on-board device information acquisition unit 103 cannot acquire dedicated medium attachment / detachment information indicating that a dedicated medium has been inserted.

[0038] The planned gate determination unit 142 includes a passing gate determination unit 1421. Based on the planned route identified by the planned route identification unit 141, the passing gate determination unit 1421 determines a toll gate (hereinafter, the vehicle's destination gate) through which the vehicle must pass in order to travel along the planned route. If there are gates for each direction, the passing gate determination unit 1421 may determine the vehicle's destination gate by limiting the direction to which the vehicle should travel along the planned route, also using the planned route identified by the planned route identification unit 141. Specifically, the vehicle may limit the gate to the gate in the direction in which the vehicle should travel along the planned route. For example, if a dedicated medium is inserted in the payment onboard device and the vehicle should travel toward direction A in order to travel along the planned route, the gate in the direction of direction A may be determined as the vehicle's destination gate. When the passing gate determination unit 1421 determines the vehicle's destination gate, the planned gate determination unit 142 may determine the vehicle's destination gate as the planned gate.

[0039] The driving planner 143 determines a short-term driving plan for driving the vehicle in autonomous driving mode. The driving planner 121 determines a short-term driving plan for driving the vehicle along the planned route identified by the planned route identification unit 141 based on the driving environment recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 101. Specifically, the short-term driving plan includes steering for lane changes, acceleration / deceleration for speed adjustment, steering and braking for obstacle avoidance, etc. Another example of the short-term driving plan is driving control for passing through a toll gate. The driving planner 143 includes a gate driving planner 1431 as a sub-functional block. The gate driving planner 1431 plans driving control for passing through the aforementioned toll gate in autonomous driving mode. The gate driving planner 1431 causes the control execution unit 105, described later, to execute control, thereby causing the vehicle to pass through the toll gate in autonomous driving mode. The gate driving planner 1431 corresponds to a gate passing control unit. The processing by the gate driving planner 1431 corresponds to a gate passing control process. The processing in the gate travel planning unit 1431 will be described in detail later.

[0040] The control execution unit 105 executes driving control in cooperation with the vehicle control ECU 16 when the control right of driving operation is on the system side of the host vehicle. The control execution unit 105 executes driving control such as acceleration / deceleration control and steering control of the host vehicle in accordance with the driving plan determined by the action determination unit 104. In other words, the control execution unit 105 causes the vehicle to perform automatic driving. The control execution unit 105 also executes ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) control and the like. ACC control is constant speed driving control of the host vehicle at a set vehicle speed and / or control of following a preceding vehicle. In following driving, acceleration / deceleration control is performed to maintain the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the nearest preceding vehicle at a target inter-vehicle distance. The target inter-vehicle distance may be set according to the speed of the host vehicle, for example.

[0041] When the target other vehicle identification unit 102 has identified a target other vehicle, the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines whether or not it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the host vehicle. The processing by the following feasibility determination unit 144 corresponds to a following feasibility determination step. The following feasibility determination unit 144 may use the results of periphery monitoring by the periphery monitoring sensor 15 to determine whether or not it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as following feasibility determination). Hereinafter, a target other vehicle that is determined by the following feasibility determination unit 144 to be possible for the host vehicle to follow will be referred to as a following-capable other vehicle.

[0042] For example, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may use the vehicle speed of the target vehicle recognized by the periphery monitoring sensor 15 to determine whether or not to follow the target vehicle. The following feasibility determination unit 144 may determine that it is possible to have the target vehicle follow the target vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target vehicle identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102 is equal to or less than the threshold value Tht. On the other hand, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may determine that it is not possible to have the target vehicle follow the target vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target vehicle identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102 exceeds the threshold value Tht. The threshold value Tht referred to here may be any value that can be set. If the target vehicle is allowed to follow a target vehicle with an excessively high vehicle speed, the occupants of the vehicle may feel uneasy. In contrast, the above configuration prevents the vehicle from following a target vehicle with an excessively high vehicle speed. This reduces the likelihood of the occupants of the vehicle feeling uneasy.

[0043] For example, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may use the position and orientation of the target vehicle recognized by the periphery monitoring sensor 15 in determining whether or not to follow. In this case, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may estimate the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, based on the position and orientation of the target vehicle recognized by the periphery monitoring sensor 15. Then, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may determine that it is possible to have the host vehicle follow the target vehicle, based on the fact that the type of toll gate through which the estimated target vehicle is scheduled to pass is the same as the type of planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit 142. On the other hand, the following feasibility determination unit 144 may determine that it is not possible to have the host vehicle follow the target vehicle, based on the fact that the type of toll gate through which the estimated target vehicle is scheduled to pass is different from the type of planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit 142.

[0044] When the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that the host vehicle can follow the target vehicle, the gate traveling plan unit 1431 determines a traveling plan for having the host vehicle follow the target vehicle. The gate traveling plan unit 1431 causes the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle, thereby passing through the toll gate in an automated driving manner. With the above configuration, it is possible to have the host vehicle follow a target vehicle that is determined to be able to follow the host vehicle among target vehicles scheduled to pass through a toll gate, and pass through the toll gate. Therefore, even if the toll gate that the host vehicle and another vehicle are passing through overlaps, it is possible to smoothly pass through the toll gate by following the other vehicle that overlaps the toll gate that the host vehicle is passing through. As a result, it is possible to pass through the toll gate in an automated driving manner more smoothly.

[0045] If the target vehicle identification unit 102 has not identified a target vehicle that corresponds to a followable vehicle, the gate travel planning unit 1431 preferably causes the host vehicle to wait before passing through the toll gate. The waiting may be performed by decelerating or temporarily stopping the host vehicle. If the target vehicle identification unit 102 has not identified a target vehicle that corresponds to a followable vehicle, this includes a case where a target vehicle does not exist and a case where a target vehicle exists but the followability determination unit 144 has not determined that the host vehicle can follow it. According to the above configuration, if a followable vehicle is not found, the host vehicle can yield to other vehicles and thereby less likely to disrupt smooth traffic at the toll gate. As an example, the waiting before passing through the toll gate may be continued until the followability determination unit 144 determines that the host vehicle can follow the target vehicle. Alternatively, the waiting may be continued until a preset time limit is reached. The time limit may be set arbitrarily. If a followable vehicle is not found even after the time limit is reached, the following may be performed. The scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142 may be passed through by automatic driving without following driving.

[0046] If there is one other vehicle that can be followed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 may set this other vehicle as the vehicle to be followed (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle to be followed). If there are multiple other vehicles that can be followed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 may select one of the multiple other vehicles that can be followed and determine it as the vehicle to be followed. The vehicle to be followed may be selected according to any one of the following patterns C to E, for example. Patterns C and D may be combined, or patterns C and E may be combined.

[0047] In pattern C, the gate driving planning unit 1431 may change the conditions of the target vehicle that the host vehicle is to give priority to following, depending on the remaining distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate. The remaining distance may be either the remaining distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate (hereinafter referred to as the remaining distance) or the estimated remaining time until the host vehicle reaches the toll gate (hereinafter referred to as the remaining time). The remaining distance may be the distance from the host vehicle's position to the location of the toll gate in the map data. The remaining time may be estimated from the remaining distance and the host vehicle's average vehicle speed. This makes it possible to have the host vehicle follow an appropriate target vehicle depending on the remaining distance, when the conditions of the target vehicle that the host vehicle is to give priority to following vary depending on the remaining distance.

[0048] When the remaining amount is equal to or greater than a first specified value (hereinafter referred to as the first specified value), it is preferable for the gate traveling planning unit 1431 to have the host vehicle follow a target other vehicle of a smaller size category. In other words, when there are other followable vehicles of the size categories "large" and "small," the "small" followable vehicle is selected as the followable vehicle. On the other hand, when the remaining amount is less than the first specified value, it is preferable for the host vehicle to follow a target other vehicle of a larger size category. In other words, when there are other followable vehicles of the size categories "large" and "small," the "large" followable vehicle is selected as the followable vehicle. The first specified value may be a value that is approximately equal to the time when the toll gate begins to enter the sensing range of the perimeter monitoring sensor 15. The first specified value may be any value that can be set. Until the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 can recognize the surrounding environment including the toll gate, it is preferable for the host vehicle to follow a smaller vehicle so as not to interfere with this recognition. On the other hand, after the surrounding environment including the toll gate has been recognized by the surrounding monitoring sensor 15, it is preferable to have the vehicle follow a larger vehicle that is easier to recognize as a target to follow. In contrast, with the above configuration, it is possible to have the vehicle follow an appropriate target vehicle according to the remaining amount.

[0049] The gate driving planning unit 1431 may be configured to prioritize a target vehicle with a slower vehicle speed as the remaining amount described above decreases, thereby making it possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle is following a vehicle that suddenly decelerates just before the toll gate, causing anxiety to the occupants of the vehicle.

[0050] In pattern D, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 simply causes the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle, among the followable vehicles, that is scheduled to pass through a toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the host vehicle's current position. The toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass can be determined using the results of identification by the target vehicle identification unit 102 described above. The current position of the host vehicle can be determined using the host vehicle's position identified by the locator 12. The position of the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass can be determined from map data. This makes it possible to follow the target vehicle while minimizing lateral movement of the host vehicle. This reduces the likelihood of causing anxiety to the occupants of the host vehicle.

[0051] In pattern E, the gate travel planning unit 1431 simply causes the host vehicle to follow a target vehicle that is scheduled to pass through a toll gate gate close to the planned direction in which the host vehicle is scheduled to head after passing through the toll gate, among the other followable vehicles, on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit 141. For example, if there are two toll gates, one for directions A and one for directions B, and the planned route is toward direction A, the host vehicle can simply follow a target vehicle that is scheduled to pass through the gate for direction A. This makes it easier for the host vehicle to travel along the planned route, and enables smooth passage through the toll gate.

[0052] The cut-in detection unit 145 detects a cut-in by another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. The cut-in detection unit 145 may detect a cut-in based on the recognition result by the driving environment recognition unit 101. The cut-in detection unit 145 may detect a cut-in when even a part of another vehicle is located ahead of the host vehicle within a range equal to the width of the host vehicle's lane plus a margin. This margin may be 0.

[0053] When the cut-in detection unit 145 detects a cut-in by another vehicle while the host vehicle is following a target other vehicle, the gate travel planning unit 1431 preferably performs the following operation. The gate travel planning unit 1431 may control the travel of the host vehicle so that the other vehicle can cut in between the host vehicle and the target other vehicle (hereinafter, cut-in control). As an example, the cut-in control may decelerate the host vehicle and increase the distance between the host vehicle and the target other vehicle. This makes it possible to smoothly pass through the toll gate in autonomous driving even when a cut-in occurs.

[0054] When the remaining amount is less than a second specified value (hereinafter referred to as the second specified value) and there are multiple other vehicles that can be followed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 may perform the following. The gate traveling planning unit 1431 may set the inter-vehicle distance when the host vehicle is following the other vehicle that can be followed to be shorter than the set inter-vehicle distance that is set when no other vehicle that can be followed is identified. This set inter-vehicle distance is the inter-vehicle distance that should be maintained between the host vehicle and a vehicle preceding the host vehicle. The set inter-vehicle distance here may be, for example, the inter-vehicle distance set in the ACC control described above. The second specified value may be, for example, the distance from the toll gate to a point just before the toll gate where the lane markings temporarily disappear. The second specified value may be the same value as the set distance described below, or may be a different value. The second specified value may be the same value as the first specified value, or may be a value smaller than the first specified value. The second specified value may be an arbitrarily set value. This allows the vehicle to shorten the distance to the target vehicle when the distance to the toll gate is short and there is no need to search for a target vehicle, making it less likely for the vehicle to cut in and enabling smooth passage through the toll gate under automatic driving.

[0055] Here, referring to FIG. 3, a description will be given of the control of the inter-vehicle distance depending on whether or not there is another vehicle that can be followed when the remaining capacity is less than the second specified value. As shown in FIG. 3, when there is no other vehicle that can be followed, the target for maintaining the inter-vehicle distance is the vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance to be maintained is, for example, the inter-vehicle distance set in ACC control. On the other hand, when there is another vehicle that can be followed, the target for maintaining the inter-vehicle distance is the target other vehicle determined as the target to be followed. The inter-vehicle distance from this target other vehicle is set shorter than the inter-vehicle distance set to be maintained from the preceding vehicle in ACC control.

[0056] If the target vehicle identification unit 102 has not identified a followable vehicle by the time the distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, the gate travel planning unit 1431 may perform provisional control (hereinafter referred to as provisional control) such as pattern F or pattern G shown below. The distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate will be referred to as the toll gate distance below. For example, the set distance may be the distance from the toll gate to the point where the lane markings temporarily disappear just before the toll gate. The set distance may be any value that can be set.

[0057] In pattern F, the gate travel planning unit 1431 drives the host vehicle toward a toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the current position of the host vehicle among the scheduled gates determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142. This toll gate may be selected by the gate travel planning unit 1431 from among the toll gates that are determined to be passable. Whether or not the host vehicle can pass through may be determined by the gate travel planning unit 1431 based on the recognition results of the driving environment recognition unit 101 using the peripheral monitoring results of the peripheral monitoring sensor 15. For example, a toll gate that recognizes a no-entry sign may be determined to be passable. While the host vehicle is traveling in this manner, the target other vehicle identification unit 102 continues to identify the target other vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit 144 continues to determine whether or not the target other vehicle can be followed. Then, if the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that the host vehicle can follow the target other vehicle, the host vehicle is caused to follow the target other vehicle. If no other vehicle that can be followed is found by the time the vehicle reaches the scheduled gate, the vehicle can pass through the toll gate by automatic driving without following.With the above configuration, it is possible to search for other target vehicles that can be followed while minimizing the lateral movement of the vehicle.In addition, even if no other target vehicles that can be followed are found, it is possible to pass through the scheduled gate while minimizing the lateral movement of the vehicle.

[0058] In pattern G, the gate travel planning unit 1431 drives the host vehicle toward a toll gate that is closest to the planned direction of travel of the host vehicle after passing through the toll gate, among the planned gates determined by the planned gate determination unit 142, on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit 141. The gate travel planning unit 1431 may select this toll gate from among the toll gates that the host vehicle determines to be passable. While the host vehicle is traveling, the target other vehicle specification unit 102 continues to identify the target other vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit 144 continues to determine whether or not the host vehicle can follow the target other vehicle. If the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that the host vehicle can follow the target other vehicle, the host vehicle is caused to follow the target other vehicle. If no target other vehicle is found by the time the host vehicle reaches the planned gate, the host vehicle may pass through the reached planned gate using automatic driving without following. This configuration makes it easier for the host vehicle to travel along the planned route while searching for a target other vehicle that can be followed. Furthermore, even if no target vehicle that can be followed is found, it becomes possible to pass through the planned gate more easily while traveling along the planned route of the vehicle.

[0059] The HCU communication unit 106 performs processing for outputting information to the HCU 18 and processing for acquiring information from the HCU 18. The HCU communication unit 106 includes a presentation processing unit 161 as a sub-functional block. The presentation processing unit 161 indirectly controls the presentation of information on the presentation device 17 by sending instructions to the HCU 18. In other words, the presentation processing unit 161 causes information to be presented to the occupants of the vehicle. The presentation processing unit corresponds to the presentation control unit.

[0060] When the gate travel planning unit 1431 causes the host vehicle to follow a target vehicle, the presentation processing unit 161 causes the presentation device 17 to present information to inform the occupants of the host vehicle of the target vehicle. An example of the information presentation may be to display a virtual image of a frame or the like surrounding the target vehicle in the foreground of the host vehicle using a HUD or the like. Alternatively, a diagram simulating the foreground and surrounding vehicles may be displayed on a display such as an MID or CID, and a frame or the like surrounding the target vehicle among the surrounding vehicles may be highlighted. Alternatively, an audio output device may provide audio guidance on the location of the target vehicle.

[0061] <Gate Passage-Related Processing in Autonomous Driving ECU 10> Here, an example of the flow of processing related to passing through a toll gate in the autonomous driving ECU 10 (hereinafter referred to as gate passage-related processing) will be described using the flowchart in Figure 4. The flowchart in Figure 4 may be configured to be started, for example, when the toll gate distance becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance. This predetermined distance may be a value greater than the first specified value, the second specified value, and the set distance described above.

[0062] First, in step S1, the scheduled gate determination unit 142 determines the scheduled gate of the type through which the host vehicle is scheduled to pass. In step S2, the target other vehicle identification unit 102 identifies the target other vehicle that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate. In step S3, if the target other vehicle identification unit 102 can identify the target other vehicle (YES in S3), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the target other vehicle identification unit 102 cannot identify the target other vehicle (NO in S3), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0063] In step S4, the gate travel planning unit 1431 performs standby control to wait for the vehicle to pass through the toll gate by decelerating or temporarily stopping the vehicle. In the example of this embodiment, standby control is performed by decelerating the vehicle. In step S5, if the toll gate distance is less than the set distance (YES in S5), the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if the toll gate distance is equal to or greater than the set distance (NO in S5), the process returns to S2 and repeats. The toll gate distance may be determined by the driving environment recognition unit 101.

[0064] In step S6, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 performs provisional control of the above-mentioned F pattern or G pattern, and then proceeds to step S7. In step S7, if the host vehicle has reached the toll gate to which it was directed under provisional control (YES in S7), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not reached the toll gate to which it was directed under provisional control (NO in S7), the process returns to S2 and repeats. In step S8, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 passes the toll gate that it has reached using automatic driving without following driving, and then the gate passing-related processing ends. Automatic driving without following driving is automatic driving that passes through the toll gate by performing steering control and acceleration / deceleration control so as not to get too close to the toll gate structure.

[0065] In step S9, the followability determining unit 144 performs a followability determining process, and the process proceeds to step S10. Here, an example of the flow of the followability determining process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0066] First, in step S91, if the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle is equal to or less than the threshold value Tht (YES in S91), the process proceeds to step S92. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle exceeds the threshold value Tht (NO in S91), the process proceeds to step S94. In step S92, the following feasibility determination unit 144 estimates the toll gate through which the subject vehicle is scheduled to pass. Then, if the estimated toll gate through which the subject vehicle is scheduled to pass is the same type of gate as the scheduled gate determined in S1 (YES in S92), the process proceeds to step S93. On the other hand, if the estimated toll gate is not the same type of gate as the scheduled gate determined in S1 (NO in S92), the process proceeds to step S94.

[0067] In step S93, the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that the subject vehicle can be caused to follow the target vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, in step S94, the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that the subject vehicle cannot be caused to follow the target vehicle (hereinafter, "following is possible"), and the process proceeds to step S10. If there are multiple vehicles identified as target vehicles in S2, it is sufficient to determine that the subject vehicle can be followed if at least one of the multiple target vehicles satisfies the above-mentioned two conditions. On the other hand, it is sufficient to determine that the subject vehicle cannot be followed if all of the multiple target vehicles do not satisfy the above-mentioned two conditions. Here, two conditions, vehicle speed and gate type, are used as an example, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is also possible to configure the following feasibility determination to be made based on only one of the conditions.

[0068] 4, in step S10, if the tracking feasibility determination unit 144 determines that tracking is possible (YES in S10), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if the tracking feasibility determination unit 144 determines that tracking is not possible (NO in S10), the process proceeds to S4.

[0069] In step S11, the gate travel planning unit 1431 performs a process of determining a target to be followed, and then the process proceeds to step S12. Here, an example of the flow of the process of determining a target to be followed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0070] First, in step S111, if the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that there is one target other vehicle that can be followed (YES in S111), the process proceeds to step S112. On the other hand, if the following feasibility determination unit 144 determines that there are multiple target other vehicles that can be followed (NO in S111), the process proceeds to step S113.

[0071] In step S112, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 determines that one target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit 144 has determined to be followable is the one to be followed, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S113, the gate traveling planning unit 1431 determines a target to be followed from among the multiple target other vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit 144 has determined to be followable, in accordance with one of the above-mentioned patterns C to E, and the process proceeds to step S12.

[0072] Returning to Fig. 4, in step S12, the gate traveling plan unit 1431 starts the host vehicle following the target other vehicle determined to be the following target in S11. In step S13, if the cut-in detection unit 145 detects the cut-in of another vehicle (YES in S13), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the cut-in detection unit 145 does not detect the cut-in of another vehicle (NO in S13), the process proceeds to step S15. In step S14, the gate traveling plan unit 1431 performs the cut-in control described above.

[0073] In step S15, if the host vehicle has passed through the toll gate while following the target vehicle (YES in S15), the gate passing-related processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not passed through the toll gate (NO in S15), the processing returns to S12 and is repeated. If cut-in control is being performed in S14, the processing returns to S12 and the host vehicle starts following the vehicle that has cut in. If cut-in control is not being performed in S14, the processing returns to S12 and the host vehicle continues following the target vehicle up to that point. Whether the host vehicle has passed through the toll gate can be determined by the autonomous driving ECU 10 based on the host vehicle's position measured by the locator 12.

[0074] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the target other vehicle is identified based on the results of periphery monitoring by the periphery monitoring sensor 15, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the target other vehicle may be identified based on information acquired from other vehicles via wireless communication (hereinafter, referred to as embodiment 2). An example of the configuration of embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0075] 7 , the vehicle system 1a of the second embodiment includes an autonomous driving ECU 10a, a communication module 11a, a locator 12, a map DB 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a periphery monitoring sensor 15, and a vehicle control ECU 16. The vehicle system 1a of the second embodiment includes a communication module 11a instead of the communication module 11. The vehicle system 1a of the second embodiment includes an autonomous driving ECU 10a instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10. Except for these points, the vehicle system 1a of the second embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the first embodiment.

[0076] The communication module 11a is similar to the communication module 11 of the first embodiment, except for some differences. The differences will be described below. The communication module 11a transmits and receives information to and from other vehicles via wireless communication. In other words, it performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communication module 11a may also transmit and receive information to and from roadside devices installed on the roadside via wireless communication. In other words, it may perform road-to-vehicle communication. When performing road-to-vehicle communication, the communication module 11a may receive information about surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the host vehicle via the roadside device. Furthermore, the communication module 11a may receive information about surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the host vehicle via wide-area communication via a center.

[0077] <General Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU 10a> Next, the general configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10a will be described using Figure 8. The autonomous driving ECU 10a has, as functional blocks, a driving environment recognition unit 101a, a target other vehicle identification unit 102a, an in-vehicle information acquisition unit 103, an action determination unit 104a, a control execution unit 105, and an HCU communication unit 106. The autonomous driving ECU 10a has the driving environment recognition unit 101a instead of the driving environment recognition unit 101. The autonomous driving ECU 10a has the target other vehicle identification unit 102a instead of the target other vehicle identification unit 102. The autonomous driving ECU 10a has the action determination unit 104a instead of the action determination unit 104. Except for these points, the autonomous driving ECU 10a is similar to the autonomous driving ECU 10 of embodiment 1. This autonomous driving ECU 10a also corresponds to a vehicle control device. The execution of the processing of each functional block of the autonomous driving ECU 10a by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method, and the control program of the autonomous driving ECU 10b that causes a computer to function as each part of the above-mentioned functional blocks corresponds to a vehicle control program.

[0078] The driving environment recognition unit 101a is the same as the driving environment recognition unit 101 of the first embodiment except for some differences in processing. The following describes these differences. When the driving environment recognition unit 101a can acquire the positions, orientations, speeds, etc. of surrounding vehicles via the communication module 11a, it also uses this information to recognize the driving environment.

[0079] The target other vehicle identification unit 102a is the same as the target other vehicle identification unit 102 in the first embodiment, except for some differences in processing. The differences will be described below. The target other vehicle identification unit 102a identifies the target other vehicle from information acquired from the other vehicle via wireless communication. This wireless communication may be vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, or wide-area communication. The information acquired from the other vehicle may be the position, direction, speed, destination, and dedicated medium attachment / detachment information of the in-vehicle payment device of the other vehicle. The target other vehicle identification unit 102a may use the position of the other vehicle acquired via wireless communication as the position of the other vehicle. The target other vehicle identification unit 102a may also identify the target other vehicle using the results of periphery monitoring by the periphery monitoring sensor 15. The processing by the target other vehicle identification unit 102a also corresponds to the target other vehicle identification process.

[0080] The target other vehicle identification unit 102a preferably identifies the destination of the target other vehicle from information about the destination of the other vehicle acquired from the other vehicle via wireless communication. The destination information may be information about the destination used by the navigation function of the other vehicle. The target other vehicle identification unit 102a preferably identifies the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass from information acquired from the other vehicle via wireless communication that can identify the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass. Examples of information that can identify the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass include dedicated medium attachment / detachment information of the payment onboard unit of the other vehicle. The target other vehicle identification unit 102a may identify the other vehicle as scheduled to pass through a dedicated gate when it acquires dedicated medium attachment / detachment information indicating that dedicated medium has been inserted. On the other hand, the target other vehicle identification unit 102a may identify the other vehicle as scheduled to pass through a general gate when it cannot acquire dedicated medium attachment / detachment information indicating that dedicated medium has been inserted. Alternatively, the type of toll gate that the target vehicle is scheduled to pass through can be narrowed down and identified based on the destination information of the target vehicle, even down to the direction. When estimating the type of toll gate that the target vehicle is scheduled to pass through based on the results of recognition of the target vehicle by the perimeter monitoring sensor 15, the accuracy of the estimation decreases significantly the further the target vehicle is from the toll gate. In contrast, with the above configuration, the type of toll gate that the target vehicle is scheduled to pass through can be identified with higher accuracy even when the target vehicle is far from the toll gate.

[0081] The behavior determination unit 104a includes, as sub-functional blocks, a planned route specification unit 141, a planned gate determination unit 142, a travel plan unit 143a, a following feasibility determination unit 144a, and an interruption detection unit 145. The behavior determination unit 104a includes the travel plan unit 143a instead of the travel plan unit 143. The behavior determination unit 104a includes the following feasibility determination unit 144a instead of the following feasibility determination unit 144. Except for these points, the behavior determination unit 104a is similar to the behavior determination unit 104 of the first embodiment.

[0082] The driving planner 143a is similar to the driving planner 143 of the first embodiment, except that it includes a gate driving planner 1431a instead of the gate driving planner 1431. The gate driving planner 1431a is similar to the gate driving planner 1431 of the first embodiment, except for some differences in processing. These differences will be explained below. The gate driving planner 1431a also corresponds to a gate passage control unit. Furthermore, the processing in the gate driving planner 1431a also corresponds to a gate passage control step.

[0083] The following feasibility determination unit 144a is similar to the following feasibility determination unit 144 of the first embodiment, except for some differences in processing. The following describes these differences. The processing by the following feasibility determination unit 144a also corresponds to a following feasibility determination process. The following feasibility determination unit 144a uses information acquired from the target vehicle via wireless communication to determine whether or not to follow. The target vehicle here is identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102a. Information acquired from the target vehicle via wireless communication is likely to more accurately estimate the path of the target vehicle than the periphery monitoring results from the periphery monitoring sensor 15 of the host vehicle. Therefore, using information acquired from the target vehicle via wireless communication enables more accurate following feasibility determination. Note that the following feasibility determination unit 144a may use both the information acquired from the target vehicle via wireless communication and the periphery monitoring results from the periphery monitoring sensor 15 to determine whether or not to follow.

[0084] The following feasibility determination unit 144a may determine that it is possible to have the subject vehicle follow the target vehicle, based on the fact that the type of toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102a, is the same type as the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142. On the other hand, the following feasibility determination unit 144a may determine that it is not possible to have the subject vehicle follow the target vehicle, based on the fact that the type of toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102a, is a different type from the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142.

[0085] For example, the following feasibility determination unit 144a may use the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle acquired from the target other vehicle via wireless communication to determine whether or not the target other vehicle can be followed. In this case, the following feasibility determination unit 144a may determine whether or not the target other vehicle can be followed based on whether or not the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle is equal to or less than the threshold value Tht, in the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

[0086] The following feasibility determination unit 144a preferably estimates the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, using the destination of the target vehicle identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102a, before the toll gate distance becomes less than the aforementioned set distance. The following feasibility determination unit 144a then preferably determines whether the target vehicle can follow the target vehicle based on whether there is a target vehicle estimated to be scheduled to pass through the target gate determined by the passing gate determination unit 1421. Specifically, if the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass matches the type of the target gate, it may be determined that the target vehicle can follow the target vehicle. According to the above configuration, by using information acquired from the target vehicle via wireless communication, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the target vehicle can follow the target vehicle, even when the target vehicle is far from the toll gate.

[0087] It is preferable that the following feasibility determination unit 144a estimates the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, even after the gate traveling plan unit 1431 has started the host vehicle's traveling to follow the target vehicle. It is also preferable that the following feasibility determination unit 144a continues to determine whether or not the host vehicle can be made to follow the target vehicle, based on whether or not there is a target vehicle that is estimated to be scheduled to pass through the target gate determined by the passing gate determination unit 1421.

[0088] If a followable vehicle is identified before the toll gate distance becomes less than the set distance, the gate driving planning unit 1431a preferably causes the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle before the toll gate distance becomes less than the set distance. Identifying a followable vehicle means that the target vehicle corresponding to the followable vehicle has been identified by the target vehicle identification unit 102a. As described above, using information acquired from the other vehicle via wireless communication makes it possible to more accurately determine whether or not to follow the target vehicle, even when the target vehicle is far from the toll gate. Therefore, using information acquired from the other vehicle via wireless communication makes it possible to determine whether or not to follow the target vehicle and cause the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle, even when the target vehicle is far from the toll gate. By starting follow-up driving from a location farther away from the toll gate, it is possible to avoid the need to perform various processes required for follow-up driving with little time to spare after approaching the toll gate. This enables smoother passage through the toll gate gate during automated driving.

[0089] When the following feasibility determination unit 144a determines that it is not possible for the host vehicle to follow the target other vehicle that the host vehicle is currently following, the gate traveling plan unit 1431a may do the following. The gate traveling plan unit 1431a may stop the host vehicle from following the target other vehicle. Then, when a target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit 144a determines to be possible for the host vehicle to follow is newly identified, the gate traveling plan unit 1431a may cause the host vehicle to follow the target other vehicle. When the following feasibility determination unit 144a makes a new following feasibility determination, the following feasibility determination unit 144a may make the following feasibility determination using the results of periphery monitoring by the periphery monitoring sensor 15. With the above configuration, when the toll gate through which the target other vehicle that the host vehicle is currently following is about to pass changes, it is possible to change the target to be followed by the host vehicle.

[0090] <Gate Passage-Related Processing in Autonomous Driving ECU 10a> Here, an example of the flow of gate passage-related processing in the autonomous driving ECU 10a will be described using the flowchart in Figure 9. The flowchart in Figure 9 may also be configured to be started, for example, when the toll gate distance becomes equal to or less than the predetermined distance described above. The same step numbers are used for processing that is the same as the gate passage-related processing in embodiment 1.

[0091] First, in steps S1 to S10, the same processes as in steps S1 to S10 of embodiment 1 may be performed. In step S11a, which replaces S11 in embodiment 1, the gate travel planning unit 1431a performs a process of determining a target to be followed, and then the process proceeds to step S12. Here, an example of the flow of the process of determining a target to be followed in embodiment 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0092] First, in steps S111 to S112, the same processes as those in steps S111 to S112 in embodiment 1 may be performed. In step S113a instead of S113 in embodiment 1, the gate traveling planning unit 1431a determines a target vehicle to be followed from among the target vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit 144a has determined to be followable, in accordance with one of the above-described patterns D to E, and the process proceeds to step S12.

[0093] Returning to FIG. 9 , steps S12 to S14 may be similar to steps S12 to S14 in the first embodiment. In step S14a following S14, the following feasibility determination unit 144a re-estimates the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass. Then, the following feasibility determination is made based on whether the type of toll gate through which the estimated target vehicle is scheduled to pass is the same as the scheduled gate determined in S1. Specifically, if the type of gate is the same as the scheduled gate determined in S1, it is determined that following is possible. On the other hand, if the type of gate is not the same as the scheduled gate determined in S1, it is determined that following is not possible. In S14a, if the following feasibility determination determines that following is possible (YES in S14a), the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the determination of whether or not the vehicle can be followed determines that the vehicle cannot be followed (NO in S14a), the gate traveling planning unit 1431a stops the vehicle from following the target vehicle and returns to S2 to repeat the process. In step S15, the same process as S15 in the first embodiment may be performed.

[0094] In the second embodiment, not only information acquired from other vehicles via wireless communication (hereinafter, referred to as "communication results") but also the results of periphery monitoring by the periphery monitoring sensor 15 may be used to identify the target other vehicle and determine whether it can be followed, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is also possible to use only the communication results of the communication results and the periphery monitoring results to identify the target other vehicle and determine whether it can be followed.

[0095] (Fourth embodiment) The configuration of the vehicle system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and may be the configuration of the following fourth embodiment. An example of the configuration of the fourth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the vehicle system 1 includes an autonomous driving ECU 10b instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10.

[0096] <General Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU 10b> Next, the general configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10b will be described using FIG. 11 . The autonomous driving ECU 10b includes, as functional blocks, a driving environment recognition unit 101, a target other vehicle identification unit 102, an in-vehicle information acquisition unit 103, an action determination unit 104b, a control execution unit 105, and an HCU communication unit 106. The autonomous driving ECU 10b is similar to the autonomous driving ECU 10 of the first embodiment, except that the autonomous driving ECU 10b includes the action determination unit 104b instead of the action determination unit 104. This autonomous driving ECU 10b also corresponds to a vehicle control device. Furthermore, the execution of processing by a computer of each functional block of the autonomous driving ECU 10b corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method. Furthermore, the control program of the autonomous driving ECU 10b that causes a computer to function as each of the above-mentioned functional blocks corresponds to a vehicle control program.

[0097] The behavior determination unit 104b includes, as sub-functional blocks, a planned route specification unit 141, a planned gate determination unit 142, a driving plan unit 143b, a following feasibility determination unit 144b, an interruption detection unit 145, and an interruption feasibility determination unit 146. The behavior determination unit 104b includes the driving plan unit 143b instead of the driving plan unit 143. The behavior determination unit 104b includes the following feasibility determination unit 144b instead of the following feasibility determination unit 144. The behavior determination unit 104b includes the interruption feasibility determination unit 146. Except for these points, the behavior determination unit 104b is similar to the behavior determination unit 104 of the first embodiment.

[0098] The driving planner 143b is similar to the driving planner 143 of the first embodiment, except that it includes a gate driving planner 1431b instead of the gate driving planner 1431. The gate driving planner 1431b is similar to the gate driving planner 1431 of the first embodiment, except that some processing is different. These differences will be explained below. The gate driving planner 1431b also corresponds to a gate passage control unit. Furthermore, the processing in the gate driving planner 1431b also corresponds to a gate passage control step.

[0099] The following feasibility determination unit 144b determines whether the subject vehicle can be allowed to follow the subject vehicle before the distance from the subject vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the aforementioned set distance. The set distance may be, for example, the distance from the toll gate to the point just before the toll gate where the lane markings temporarily disappear. The subject vehicle may be a subject vehicle identified by the subject vehicle identification unit 102. If the distance from the subject vehicle to the toll gate is equal to or greater than the set distance, it is considered difficult to accurately estimate the toll gate gate through which the subject vehicle is scheduled to pass based on the position and orientation of the subject vehicle recognized by the perimeter monitoring sensor 15. Therefore, if the distance from the subject vehicle to the toll gate is equal to or greater than the set distance, it is preferable that the following feasibility determination unit 144b determine whether the subject vehicle can be followed based on whether the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle identified by the subject vehicle identification unit 102 is equal to or less than the aforementioned threshold value Tht. In addition, the following feasibility determination unit 144b may also determine whether following is possible based on the condition of whether the type of toll gate through which the estimated target vehicle is scheduled to pass is the same type as the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142.

[0100] The cut-in permission determination unit 146 determines whether a vehicle that is not a new target for a following-running activity can cut in between the host vehicle and the target vehicle that is following the host vehicle by the time the host vehicle reaches the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142. This determination is hereinafter referred to as a cut-in permission determination. If the scheduled gate is the outermost gate of multiple toll gates, the cut-in permission determination unit 146 may determine that a vehicle that is not a new target for a following-running activity cannot cut in. This is because, when the host vehicle heads toward such a gate, any vehicle that cuts in front of the host vehicle will only have room to head toward the same gate, making it a new target for the host vehicle. Furthermore, if the scheduled gate is not the outermost gate of multiple toll gates, the cut-in permission determination unit 146 may determine that a vehicle that is not a new target for a following-running activity cannot cut in, for example, if the distance between the host vehicle and the scheduled gate is sufficiently close so that there is no room for another vehicle to cut in. This distance may be set arbitrarily. Alternatively, the cut-in possibility determination unit 146 may estimate the approachable range of vehicles other than the target other vehicle from the positions and speeds of those vehicles before the host vehicle reaches the scheduled gate, and then determine whether the host vehicle can cut in. In other words, even if no vehicles other than the target other vehicle are present in a position where they can cut in, it may be determined that other vehicles that are not a target for new following-up driving cannot cut in.

[0101] The gate traveling planning unit 1431b causes the host vehicle to travel in the lane on the planned gate side of the multiple lanes in a road with multiple lanes in each direction before the distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance. The lane on the planned gate side of the multiple lanes in each direction may be the leftmost lane if the planned gate is located on the left side of the toll gate. The lane on the planned gate side of the multiple lanes in each direction may be the rightmost lane if the planned gate is located on the right side of the toll gate. In a road with one lane in each direction, the host vehicle can continue traveling in that single lane. Furthermore, if a target vehicle determined by the following feasibility determination unit 144b to be capable of being followed by the host vehicle is identified before the distance from the host vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, the gate traveling planning unit 1431b causes the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle. This causes the host vehicle to travel in the lane on the planned gate side while following the target vehicle that is capable of being followed, even before approaching the toll gate. By keeping the vehicle in the lane on the scheduled gate side, it becomes possible to have the vehicle follow other target vehicles that are more likely to pass through the scheduled gate. Also, whereas there is a risk that there will be little time to find other target vehicles that can be followed once the vehicle gets too close to the toll gate, it becomes possible to find other target vehicles that can be followed with ample time to follow.

[0102] It is preferable that the gate driving planning unit 1431b prioritizes a vehicle ahead of the host vehicle traveling in the lane on the planned gate side as a target to be followed. This is because such a vehicle ahead is more likely to pass through the planned gate. If there is no vehicle ahead of the host vehicle traveling in the lane on the planned gate side as a target vehicle that can be followed, the gate driving planning unit 1431b may perform the following. The gate driving planning unit 1431b may also set a target vehicle traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane on the planned gate side as a target to be followed. In this case, in countries where left-hand traffic is legal, it is preferable to set a target vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane on the left side as a target to be followed. On the other hand, in countries where right-hand traffic is legal, it is preferable to set a target vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane on the right side as a target to be followed. According to this, by setting a target vehicle in a lane that tends to travel slower than the host vehicle's lane as a target to be followed, it becomes easier to find a target vehicle that can be followed.

[0103] The following feasibility determination unit 144b preferably also estimates the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, similar to the following feasibility determination unit 144. The following feasibility determination unit 144b may estimate the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, based on the position and orientation of the target vehicle recognized by the periphery monitoring sensor 15. The following feasibility determination unit 144b may continue to estimate the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass, even after the gate travel planning unit 1431b has started following the target vehicle. Then, when the following feasibility determination unit 144b estimates that the target vehicle is scheduled to pass through a toll gate of a type other than the scheduled gate, it may determine that it is not possible to have the target vehicle follow the target vehicle. On the other hand, when the following feasibility determination unit 144b estimates that the target vehicle is scheduled to pass through the scheduled gate, it may determine that it is possible to have the target vehicle follow the target vehicle. The scheduled gate is determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142.

[0104] When the following feasibility determination unit 144b determines that it is not possible for the host vehicle to follow the target other vehicle that the host vehicle is currently following, the gate traveling planner 1431b preferably takes the following action. The gate traveling planner 1431b may stop the host vehicle from following the target other vehicle. The gate traveling planner 1431b may suppress the speed of the host vehicle to a specified speed or lower. The specified speed may be a low speed at which the host vehicle is estimated to be overtaken by surrounding vehicles on the road to the scheduled gate, and may be an arbitrarily settable value. When the speed of the host vehicle exceeds the specified speed, the gate traveling planner 1431b decelerates the host vehicle. Then, when a target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit 144b determines to be possible for the host vehicle to follow is newly identified, the gate traveling planner 1431b causes the host vehicle to follow the target other vehicle. The target other vehicle is identified by the target other vehicle identification unit 102.

[0105] When the host vehicle is made to follow a target vehicle before the distance from the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, it is difficult to accurately estimate the toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass based on the recognition results of the perimeter monitoring sensor 15. Therefore, as the host vehicle approaches the toll gate, the following feasibility determination may determine that the host vehicle cannot follow the target vehicle. With the above configuration, in such a case, the host vehicle stops following the target vehicle and reduces its speed. This makes it possible to encourage new target vehicles to approach the host vehicle, making it easier to find a new target vehicle that the host vehicle can follow and resume following the target vehicle.

[0106] The gate travel planning unit 1431b may be configured to preset a set vehicle speed that serves as an upper limit for passing through a toll gate by autonomous driving. The set vehicle speed may be a speed that is estimated to be unlikely to cause anxiety to the occupants of the host vehicle when passing through a toll gate by autonomous driving, and may be an arbitrarily settable value. When the following feasibility determination unit 144b estimates that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142, and the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed, the gate travel planning unit 1431b preferably increases the set vehicle speed. Note that the target other vehicle here refers to the target other vehicle that is being followed by the host vehicle. This makes it possible to increase the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle so that the target other vehicle can follow the target other vehicle even if it is faster than the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle. When increasing the set vehicle speed, the gate travel planning unit 1431b may be configured to increase the set vehicle speed by a predetermined fixed amount. This fixed amount may be an arbitrarily settable value. When increasing the set vehicle speed, the gate traveling plan unit 1431b may be configured to increase the set vehicle speed by an amount corresponding to the speed of the target other vehicle.

[0107] Even if the gate traveling planning unit 1431b has increased the set vehicle speed because the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed, it is preferable to do the following. The gate traveling planning unit 1431b can simply lower the increased set vehicle speed when the cut-in possibility determination unit 146 determines that cut-in is not possible. This reduces the set vehicle speed when cut-in attempts are no longer made, allowing the target other vehicle to pass through the scheduled gate smoothly along the travel path of the target other vehicle without cut-in attempts. Furthermore, lowering the increased set vehicle speed can reduce the sense of anxiety felt by the occupants compared to passing through the scheduled gate at the increased set vehicle speed. When lowering the increased set vehicle speed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431b can be configured to return the increased set vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed before the increase. When lowering the increased set vehicle speed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431b can be configured to lower the increased set vehicle speed to a value different from the set vehicle speed before the increase.

[0108] <Gate Passage-Related Processing in Autonomous Driving ECU 10b> Next, an example of the flow of gate passage-related processing in the autonomous driving ECU 10b will be described using the flowchart in Figure 12. The flowchart in Figure 12 may also be configured to be started, for example, when the toll gate distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance described above. This predetermined distance is a value greater than the set distance. The same step numbers are used for processing that is the same as the gate passage-related processing in embodiment 1.

[0109] First, in step S1, the same processing as in S1 in embodiment 1 may be performed. In step S1b following S1, the gate travel planning unit 1431b drives the vehicle in the lane on the planned gate side of the multiple lanes in the case of multiple lanes on one side of the road, and then proceeds to step S2. S1b is started before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance.

[0110] Steps S2 to S12 may be performed in the same manner as steps S2 to S12 in embodiment 1. In step S12b following S12, a continuation determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S12c. Here, an example of the flow of the continuation determination process will be described using the flowchart in FIG. 13.

[0111] First, in step S121b, the following feasibility determination unit 144b estimates the toll gate through which the target vehicle that is being followed by the host vehicle is scheduled to pass. If the estimated toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass is the same type as the scheduled gate determined in S1 (YES in S121b), the process proceeds to step S122b. On the other hand, if the estimated toll gate through which the target vehicle is scheduled to pass is not the same type as the scheduled gate determined in S1 (NO in S121b), the process proceeds to step S123b.

[0112] In step S122b, the following feasibility determination unit 144b determines that the subject vehicle can be made to follow the target vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S12c. On the other hand, in step S123b, the following feasibility determination unit 144b determines that the subject vehicle cannot be made to follow the target vehicle (hereinafter, "following is possible"), and the process proceeds to step S12c.

[0113] 12, in step S12c, if it is determined in S12b that following is possible (YES in S12c), the gate traveling planning unit 1431b causes the host vehicle to continue following the target other vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if it is determined in S12b that following is not possible (NO in S12c), the gate traveling planning unit 1431b causes the host vehicle to stop following the target other vehicle, suppresses the speed of the host vehicle to a specified speed or less, and the process proceeds to S4.

[0114] In steps S13 and S14, the same processes as in steps S13 and S14 in embodiment 1 may be performed. In step S14b following S14, approach processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S14c. Here, an example of the flow of approach processing will be described using the flowchart in FIG.

[0115] First, in step S141b, if the speed of the target vehicle that is being followed by the host vehicle exceeds the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle (YES in S141b), the process proceeds to step S142b. On the other hand, if the speed of the target vehicle that is being followed by the host vehicle does not exceed the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle (NO in S141b), the process proceeds to step S143b. In step S142b, the gate traveling planner 1431b increases the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

[0116] In step S143b, the cut-in permission determination unit 146 determines whether or not to cut in. If it is determined that another vehicle that is not a new target of the following-up drive cannot cut in between the host vehicle and the target other vehicle that is following the host vehicle (YES in S143b), the process proceeds to step S144b. On the other hand, if it is determined that another vehicle that is not a new target of the following-up drive can cut in between the host vehicle and the target other vehicle that is following the host vehicle (NO in S143b), the process proceeds to step S145b. In step S144b, the gate driving planner 1431b lowers the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S14c. The gate driving planner 1431b may, for example, return the set vehicle speed to the value before it was increased in S142b.

[0117] In step S145b, if the cut-in detection unit 145 detects a cut-in by another vehicle (YES in S145b), the process proceeds to step S146b. On the other hand, if the cut-in detection unit 145 does not detect a cut-in by another vehicle (NO in S145b), the process proceeds to step S143b and repeats. In step S146b, the gate traveling plan unit 1431b lowers the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The gate traveling plan unit 1431b may, for example, return the set vehicle speed to the value before the set vehicle speed was increased in S142b. In step S147b, the gate traveling plan unit 1431b performs the cut-in control described in embodiment 1, and the process proceeds to step S14c.

[0118] Returning to FIG. 12 , in step S14c, if cut-in control was performed in the approach processing of S14b (YES in S14c), the process proceeds to step S15b. On the other hand, if cut-in control was not performed in the approach processing of S14b (NO in S14c), the process proceeds to step S15c. In step S15b, if the host vehicle has passed through the toll gate while following the target vehicle (YES in S15b), the gate passing-related processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not passed through the toll gate (NO in S15b), the process returns to S12, where the host vehicle starts following the vehicle that has cut in, and the processing is repeated. Whether or not the host vehicle has passed through the toll gate may be determined in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. In step S15c, if the host vehicle has passed through the toll gate while following the target vehicle (YES in S15c), the gate passing-related processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the vehicle has not passed through the toll gate (NO in S15c), the process of S15c is repeated.

[0119] (Embodiment 5) The configuration of the vehicle system 1 according to the fifth embodiment is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and may be the configuration of the following embodiment 5. An example of the configuration of embodiment 5 will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 according to embodiment 5 is similar to the vehicle system 1 according to embodiment 1, except that it includes an autonomous driving ECU 10c instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10.

[0120] <General Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU 10c> Next, the general configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10c will be described using FIG. 15 . The autonomous driving ECU 10c includes, as functional blocks, a driving environment recognition unit 101, a target other vehicle identification unit 102, an in-vehicle information acquisition unit 103, a behavior determination unit 104c, a control execution unit 105, and an HCU communication unit 106. The autonomous driving ECU 10c is similar to the autonomous driving ECU 10 of the first embodiment, except that the autonomous driving ECU 10c includes the behavior determination unit 104c instead of the behavior determination unit 104. This autonomous driving ECU 10c also corresponds to a vehicle control device. Furthermore, the execution of processing by a computer of each functional block of the autonomous driving ECU 10c corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method. Furthermore, the control program of the autonomous driving ECU 10c that causes a computer to function as each of the above-mentioned functional blocks corresponds to a vehicle control program.

[0121] The behavior determination unit 104c includes, as sub-functional blocks, a planned route specification unit 141, a planned gate determination unit 142, a travel planner 143c, a following feasibility determination unit 144, an interruption detection unit 145, and a target other vehicle trajectory specification unit 147. The behavior determination unit 104c includes the travel planner 143c instead of the travel planner 143. The behavior determination unit 104c includes the target other vehicle trajectory specification unit 147. Except for these points, the behavior determination unit 104c is similar to the behavior determination unit 104 of the first embodiment.

[0122] The driving planner 143c is similar to the driving planner 143b of the second embodiment, except that it includes a gate driving planner 1431c instead of the gate driving planner 1431b. The gate driving planner 1431c is similar to the gate driving planner 1431b of the second embodiment, except that some processing is different. More specifically, it is similar to the gate driving planner 1431b of the second embodiment, except that it lowers the set vehicle speed that had been increased based on the identification result by the target other vehicle trajectory identification unit 147, rather than the judgment result by the interruption possibility determination unit 146. This difference will be explained below. The gate driving planner 1431c also corresponds to a gate passage control unit. Furthermore, the processing by the gate driving planner 1431c also corresponds to a gate passage control process.

[0123] The target other vehicle trajectory identification unit 147 identifies, from the periphery monitoring results of the periphery monitoring sensor 15, the travel trajectory of the target other vehicle that is following the host vehicle when it passes through the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit 142. The target other vehicle trajectory identification unit 147 may identify, from the sensing information of the periphery monitoring sensor 15, the change over time in the position of the target other vehicle recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 101 as the travel trajectory.

[0124] The gate traveling planning unit 1431c performs the following even when the set vehicle speed of the subject vehicle has been increased because the speed of the subject vehicle being followed is greater than the set vehicle speed. The gate traveling planning unit 1431c reduces the increased set vehicle speed when the subject vehicle trajectory identification unit 147 identifies the travel path of the subject vehicle being followed when it passes through the scheduled gate. This reduces the set vehicle speed when the travel path of the subject vehicle being followed when it passes through the scheduled gate. This allows the subject vehicle to smoothly pass through the scheduled gate along the travel path of the subject vehicle without having to forcefully follow the target vehicle to match its speed. Furthermore, reducing the increased set vehicle speed can reduce the sense of anxiety felt by the occupants compared to passing through the scheduled gate at the increased set vehicle speed. When reducing the increased set vehicle speed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431c may be configured to return the set vehicle speed to the original speed before it was increased. When lowering the increased set vehicle speed, the gate traveling planning unit 1431c may be configured to lower the set vehicle speed to a value different from the set vehicle speed before being increased.

[0125] (Embodiment 6) In the above-described embodiments, the autonomous driving ECUs 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c are shown as corresponding to the vehicle control device, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an ECU other than the autonomous driving ECUs 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c may be shown as corresponding to the vehicle control device. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the autonomous driving ECUs 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c are shown as including the driving environment recognition units 101 and 101a, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an ECU other than the autonomous driving ECUs 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c may be configured to perform the functions of the driving environment recognition units 101 and 101a. In this case, the autonomous driving ECUs 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c may acquire information recognized by an ECU performing the functions of the driving environment recognition units 101 and 101a and identify the driving environment.

[0126] (Disclosed Technical Ideas) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple clauses. Some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, with the subsequent clause alternatively referring to the preceding clause. Furthermore, some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, referring to another multiple dependent clause. These multiple dependent clauses define multiple technical ideas.

[0127] (Technical Idea 1) A vehicle control device that can be used in an automatically driving vehicle, comprising: a gate passing control unit (1431, 1431a, 1431b, 1431c) that causes the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is the gate of a toll road, by the automatic driving; a target other vehicle identification unit (102, 102a) that identifies a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate gate; and a follow feasibility determination unit (144, 144a, 144b) that determines whether the target other vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle if the target other vehicle identification unit is able to identify the target other vehicle, and when the follow feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle, the gate passing control unit causes the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle, thereby causing the vehicle to pass through the toll gate gate by the automatic driving.

[0128] (Technical Idea 2) A vehicle control device according to Technical Idea 1, wherein the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to wait to pass through the toll gate by slowing down or temporarily stopping if the target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines as being capable of causing the vehicle to follow has not been identified by the target other vehicle identification unit.

[0129] (Technical Idea 3) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 1 or 2, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit also identifies the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle identified by the target other vehicle identification unit is below a threshold, while determining that it is not possible for the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle identified by the target other vehicle identification unit exceeds the threshold.

[0130] (Technical Idea 4) A vehicle control device described in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 3, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit (102) identifies the target other vehicle from a peripheral monitoring result obtained by a peripheral monitoring sensor (15) mounted on the vehicle and monitoring the periphery of the vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit (144) uses the peripheral monitoring result obtained by the peripheral monitoring sensor to determine whether or not it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle.

[0131] (Technical Idea 5) A vehicle control device described in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit (102a) identifies the target other vehicle from information obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication, and the following feasibility determination unit (144a) uses the information obtained from the target other vehicle via wireless communication to determine whether or not it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle.

[0132] (Technical Idea 6) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 5, comprising a planned gate determination unit (142) that determines a planned gate that is the toll gate of a type that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through, from among the toll gates that are divided into multiple types, and the target other vehicle identification unit also identifies the type of toll gate that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that can identify the toll gate that the other vehicle is scheduled to pass through, and the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle based on the fact that the type of toll gate that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through, identified by the target other vehicle identification unit, is the same type as the planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit, but determines that it is not possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle based on the fact that the type of toll gate that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through, identified by the target other vehicle identification unit, is a different type from the planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit.

[0133] (Technical Idea 7) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 6, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that can identify the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and the gate passing control unit, when there are multiple target other vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be followed, causes the vehicle to follow one of the target other vehicles that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the current position of the vehicle.

[0134] (Technical Idea 8) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 6, comprising a planned route identification unit (141) that identifies a planned route, which is a route along which the vehicle is planned to travel, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is planned to pass from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that can identify the toll gate through which the other vehicle is planned to pass, and wherein the gate passing control unit, when there are multiple target other vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be followed, causes the vehicle to follow one of the target other vehicles that is scheduled to pass through a toll gate that is close to the planned direction the vehicle is heading after passing through the toll gate on the planned route identified by the planned route identification unit.

[0135] (Technical Idea 9) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 5 to 8, comprising: a planned route specification unit (141) that specifies a planned route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel; and a passing gate determination unit (1421) that determines, based on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit, a host vehicle destination gate that is the toll gate through which the vehicle must pass in order to travel along the planned route; the target other vehicle specification unit specifies the destination of the target other vehicle from information on the destination of the other vehicle obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication; and the following feasibility determination unit estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, using the destination of the target other vehicle specified by the target other vehicle specification unit, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, and determines whether or not it is possible to make the target other vehicle follow the vehicle based on whether or not there is a target other vehicle that is estimated to be scheduled to pass through the host vehicle destination gate determined by the passing gate determination unit. The gate passage control unit is a vehicle control device that, if a target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be capable of having the vehicle follow before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, causes the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance.

[0136] (Technical Idea 10) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 9, wherein the following feasibility determination unit, even after the gate passing control unit has started the vehicle following the target other vehicle, estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and continues to determine whether it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle based on whether there is a target other vehicle that is estimated to be scheduled to pass through the vehicle's destination gate determined by the passing gate determination unit; and when the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is not possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle that the vehicle is currently following, the gate passing control unit stops the vehicle from following the target other vehicle, and when a new target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be possible for the vehicle to follow is identified, the vehicle control device causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle.

[0137] (Technical Idea 11) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 10, wherein the gate passage control unit changes the conditions for the target other vehicle that the vehicle is to follow with priority, depending on a remaining amount, which is either the remaining distance from the vehicle to the toll gate or the estimated remaining time until the vehicle reaches the toll gate.

[0138] (Technical Idea 12) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 11, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the target other vehicle by at least categorizing its size, and the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle of a smaller size category when the remaining amount is equal to or greater than a first specified value, and causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle of a larger size category when the remaining amount is less than the first specified value.

[0139] (Technical Idea 13) A vehicle control device as set forth in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 12, comprising an interruption detection unit (145) that detects another vehicle cutting in ahead of the vehicle, and the gate passage control unit, when the interruption detection unit detects an interruption by another vehicle while the vehicle is being driven in a state where the target other vehicle is following the vehicle, controls the driving of the vehicle so that the other vehicle can cut in between the vehicle and the target other vehicle.

[0140] (Technical Idea 14) A vehicle control device described in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 13, wherein the gate passage control unit, when the remaining amount, which is either the remaining distance from the vehicle to the toll gate or the estimated remaining time until the vehicle reaches the toll gate, is less than a second specified value, if the following feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle, shortens the inter-vehicle distance when the vehicle is made to follow the target other vehicle to less than the set inter-vehicle distance, which is set as the inter-vehicle distance to be maintained between the vehicle and a vehicle preceding the vehicle, and which is set when the following feasibility determination unit does not determine that the vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle.

[0141] (Technical Idea 15) A vehicle control device as set forth in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 14, comprising a scheduled gate determination unit (142) that determines a scheduled gate that is the toll gate of the type through which the vehicle is scheduled to pass, from among the toll gates that are classified into a plurality of types; and the gate passage control unit, if the following feasibility determination unit has not determined that the vehicle can be made to follow the other vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, causes the vehicle to run toward the toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the current position of the vehicle, out of the scheduled gates determined by the scheduled gate determination unit, and if the following feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be made to follow the other vehicle, causes the vehicle to follow the other vehicle.

[0142] (Technical Idea 16) A vehicle control device as set forth in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 14, comprising: a planned gate determination unit (142) that determines a planned gate that is a toll gate of a type through which the vehicle is scheduled to pass, from among the toll gates that are classified into a plurality of types; and a planned route specification unit (141) that specifies a planned route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, wherein the gate passing control unit, if it has not determined that it is possible for the vehicle to follow another target vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, drives the vehicle toward a toll gate that is closest to the planned direction the vehicle will head after passing through the toll gate, on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit, among the planned gates determined by the planned gate determination unit, and, if it is determined by the following possibility determination unit that it is possible for the vehicle to follow the other target vehicle.

[0143] (Technical Idea 17) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 16, comprising a presentation control unit (161) that controls the presentation of information by a presentation device of the vehicle, wherein the presentation control unit causes the presentation device to present information to notify an occupant of the vehicle of the target other vehicle when the gate passage control unit causes the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle.

[0144] (Technical Idea 18) A vehicle control device described in any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, comprising a scheduled gate determination unit (142) that determines a scheduled gate that is the toll gate of a type that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through, from among the toll gates that are divided into multiple types, wherein the gate passing control unit (1431b) causes the vehicle to travel in the lane on the scheduled gate side of multiple lanes in the case of multiple lanes on one side, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, the following feasibility determination unit (144b) determines whether or not it is possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, and the gate passing control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle, if the target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be possible for the vehicle to follow, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance.

[0145] (Technical Idea 19) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 18, wherein the following feasibility determination unit also estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and even after the gate passing control unit has caused the vehicle to start following the target other vehicle, estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and when it is estimated that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through a toll gate of a type other than the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit, determines that it is not possible for the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle, and when the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is not possible for the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle for the target other vehicle that the vehicle is following, the gate passing control unit stops the vehicle from following the target other vehicle and suppresses the speed of the vehicle to a specified speed or less, and when a target other vehicle that is determined by the following feasibility determination unit to be possible for the vehicle to follow is newly identified, causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle.

[0146] (Technical Idea 20) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 18 or 19, wherein the gate passage control unit pre-sets a set vehicle speed that is the upper limit when passing through the toll gate by the automatic driving, the following feasibility determination unit also estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and the gate passage control unit increases the value of the set vehicle speed when the following feasibility determination unit estimates that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through the planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit and the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

[0147] (Technical Idea 21) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 20, comprising an interruption possibility determination unit (146) that determines whether another vehicle that is not a target of a new following run can cut in between the vehicle and the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the scheduled gate, and the gate passage control unit reduces the increased value of the set vehicle speed at the time when it is determined by the interruption possibility determination unit that the vehicle is not able to cut in, even if the value of the set vehicle speed has been increased because the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

[0148] (Technical Idea 22) A vehicle control device as described in Technical Idea 20, comprising a target other vehicle trajectory identification unit (147) that identifies the driving trajectory of the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle when it passes through the scheduled gate based on the results of surrounding monitoring by a surrounding monitoring sensor (15) that is mounted on the vehicle and monitors the periphery of the vehicle, and the gate passage control unit (1431c) reduces the increased value of the set vehicle speed when the target other vehicle trajectory identification unit is able to identify the driving trajectory of the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle when it passes through the scheduled gate, even if the value of the set vehicle speed has been increased because the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

[0149] (Technical Idea 23) A vehicle control method that can be used in an automatically driving vehicle, comprising: a gate passing control step executed by at least one of a processor and a circuit, for causing the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is a gate of a toll gate on a toll road, by the automatic driving; a target other vehicle identification step for identifying a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate gate; and a following feasibility determination step for determining whether the target other vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle, if the target other vehicle can be identified in the target other vehicle identification step, in the gate passing control step, if it is determined that the vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle, the vehicle is made to follow the target other vehicle, thereby causing the vehicle to pass through the toll gate gate by the automatic driving.

[0150] In this disclosure and claims, the term "processor" refers to one or more hardware processors configured to execute the processing defined by computer program code (i.e., one or more instructions of a computer program) included in a computer program by loading the code each time. In other words, a "processor" is a hardware device that executes one or more programmed processes. Therefore, computer program code can also be considered software that can define the processing of the processor depending on its content. For example, a "processor" may be a general-purpose or specific-purpose processor, such as a CPU, microprocessor, GPU, or DFP (Data Flow Processor), but is not limited to these.

[0151] In this disclosure and in the claims, the term "memory" refers to one or more hardware memories that are non-transitory tangible recording media configured to store computer program code and / or data accessible to a processor. The "memory" may be implemented using memory technologies such as SRAM, SDRAM, non-volatile / flash-type memory, or other types of memory. Computer program code constituting a program may be stored in the memory and executed by a processor to cause the processor to perform the various functions described above.

[0152] In this disclosure or in the claims, the term "circuit" refers to one or more hardware logic circuits configured to perform specific processing based on a pre-designed circuit configuration. In other words (and in contrast to "processor"), a "circuit" in this disclosure or in the claims refers to a hardware device that performs specific processing based on a circuit configuration, rather than processing defined by software such as computer program code. For example, a "circuit" may include custom ICs such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) designed using a Hardware Description Language (HDL). In other words, a "circuit" in this disclosure or in the claims includes all hardware circuits except for a processor that executes processing by reading computer program code.

[0153] In the present disclosure or claims, the expression "at least one of a processor and a circuit" should be interpreted as a disjunction (logical OR), and not as at least one processor and at least one circuit. Therefore, in the present disclosure or claims, "at least one of a processor and a circuit" includes cases where only a circuit performs all functions. Also, in the present disclosure or claims, "at least one of a processor and a circuit" includes cases where only a processor performs all functions. In the present disclosure or claims, "at least one of a processor and a circuit" includes cases where a circuit performs some functions and a processor performs the remaining functions.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that can be used in an autonomously driven vehicle, comprising: a gate passage control unit (1431, 1431a, 1431b, 1431c) that causes the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is a gate to a toll gate on a toll road, by autonomous driving; a target other vehicle identification unit (102, 102a) that identifies a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate gate; and a follow feasibility determination unit (144, 144a, 144b) that determines whether the target other vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle when the target other vehicle identification unit is able to identify the target other vehicle; and when the follow feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be made to follow the target other vehicle, the gate passage control unit causes the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle, thereby causing the vehicle to pass through the toll gate gate by autonomous driving.

2. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to wait to pass through the toll gate by slowing down or temporarily stopping if the target other vehicle that the following possibility determination unit determines as being capable of causing the vehicle to follow has not been identified by the target other vehicle identification unit.

3. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit also identifies the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible for the target other vehicle to cause the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle identified by the target other vehicle identification unit is below a threshold, but determines that it is not possible for the target other vehicle to cause the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle based on the fact that the vehicle speed of the target other vehicle identified by the target other vehicle identification unit exceeds the threshold.

4. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit (102) identifies the target other vehicle from the results of peripheral monitoring by a peripheral monitoring sensor (15) mounted on the vehicle and monitoring the periphery of the vehicle, and the following feasibility determination unit (144) uses the results of peripheral monitoring by the peripheral monitoring sensor to determine whether or not it is possible for the vehicle to be caused to follow the target other vehicle.

5. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit (102a) identifies the target other vehicle from information obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication, and the following feasibility determination unit (144a) uses the information obtained from the target other vehicle via wireless communication to determine whether or not it is possible for the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle.

6. A vehicle control device as set forth in claim 5, comprising a scheduled gate determination unit (142) that determines, from among the toll gates classified into a plurality of types, a scheduled gate that is the toll gate of the type through which the vehicle is scheduled to pass; the target other vehicle identification unit also identifies the type of toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that is capable of identifying the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass; and the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle on the basis that the type of toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, identified by the target other vehicle identification unit, is the same type as the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit, but determines that it is not possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle on the basis that the type of toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, identified by the target other vehicle identification unit, is a different type from the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit.

7. A vehicle control device as described in claim 6, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that can identify the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and the gate passing control unit, when there are multiple target other vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit determines are possible for the vehicle to follow, causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the current position of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle control device as described in claim 6, comprising a planned route identification unit (141) that identifies a planned route that is a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass from information that is obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication and that is capable of identifying the toll gate through which the other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and wherein the gate passing control unit, when there are multiple target other vehicles that the following feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be followed, causes the vehicle to follow one of those target other vehicles that is scheduled to pass through a toll gate close to the planned direction in which the vehicle is scheduled to head after passing through the toll gate on the planned route identified by the planned route identification unit.

9. A vehicle control device as set forth in claim 5, comprising: a planned route specification unit (141) that specifies a planned route, which is a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel; and a passing gate determination unit (1421) that determines, based on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit, a host vehicle destination gate, which is the toll gate that the vehicle must pass through in order to travel along the planned route; the target other vehicle specification unit specifies the destination of the target other vehicle from information on the destination of the other vehicle obtained from the other vehicle via wireless communication; and the following feasibility determination unit estimates the toll gate that the target other vehicle will pass through, using the destination of the target other vehicle specified by the target other vehicle specification unit, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, and determines whether or not it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle, based on whether or not there is a target other vehicle that is estimated to be scheduled to pass through the host vehicle destination gate determined by the passing gate determination unit. The gate passage control unit is a vehicle control device that, if a target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be capable of having the vehicle follow before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance, causes the target other vehicle to follow the vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance.

10. A vehicle control device as described in claim 9, wherein the following feasibility determination unit, even after the gate passing control unit has started the vehicle following the target other vehicle, estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and continues to determine whether it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle based on whether there is a target other vehicle estimated to be scheduled to pass through the vehicle's destination gate determined by the passing gate determination unit; and when the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is not possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle that the vehicle is currently following, the gate passing control unit stops the vehicle from following the target other vehicle, and when a new target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be possible for the vehicle to follow is identified, the vehicle control device causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle.

11. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein the gate passage control unit changes the conditions for the target other vehicle that the vehicle is to be given priority to follow, depending on a remaining amount, which is either the remaining distance from the vehicle to the toll gate or the estimated remaining time until the vehicle reaches the toll gate.

12. A vehicle control device as described in claim 11, wherein the target other vehicle identification unit identifies the target other vehicle by at least categorizing its size, and the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle of a smaller size category when the remaining amount is equal to or greater than a first specified value, and causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle of a larger size category when the remaining amount is less than the first specified value.

13. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, comprising an interruption detection unit (145) that detects another vehicle cutting in front of the vehicle, and wherein the gate passage control unit, when the interruption detection unit detects an interruption by another vehicle while the vehicle is being driven to follow the target other vehicle, controls the driving of the vehicle so that the other vehicle can cut in between the vehicle and the target other vehicle.

14. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, wherein, when the remaining amount, which is either the remaining distance from the vehicle to the toll gate or the estimated remaining time until the vehicle reaches the toll gate, is less than a second specified value, the gate passage control unit, if it is determined by the follow feasibility determination unit that the vehicle is capable of following the target other vehicle, shortens the inter-vehicle distance when the vehicle is caused to follow the target other vehicle to less than the set inter-vehicle distance that is set as the inter-vehicle distance to be maintained between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead of it when it is not determined by the follow feasibility determination unit that the vehicle is capable of following the target other vehicle.

15. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, comprising a scheduled gate determination unit (142) that determines a scheduled gate that is the toll gate of the type that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through, from among the toll gates that are classified into a plurality of types; and the gate passage control unit, if the follow feasibility determination unit has not determined that the vehicle can be made to follow the other vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, causes the vehicle to drive toward the toll gate that requires the least lateral movement from the current position of the vehicle, out of the scheduled gates determined by the scheduled gate determination unit, and if the follow feasibility determination unit determines that the vehicle can be made to follow the other vehicle, causes the vehicle to follow the other vehicle.

16. A vehicle control device as claimed in claim 1, comprising: a planned gate determination unit (142) that determines, from among the toll gates classified into a plurality of types, a planned gate that is the toll gate of the type through which the vehicle is scheduled to pass; and a planned route specification unit (141) that specifies the planned route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel; wherein the gate passage control unit, if it has not been determined by the follow feasibility determination unit that it is possible for the vehicle to follow another target vehicle before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance, causes the vehicle to travel towards a toll gate that is closest to the direction in which the vehicle is scheduled to head after passing through the toll gate, on the planned route specified by the planned route specification unit, among the planned gates determined by the planned gate determination unit, and, if it is determined by the follow feasibility determination unit that it is possible for the vehicle to follow the other target vehicle.

17. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, comprising a presentation control unit (161) that controls the presentation of information by the presentation device of the vehicle, wherein the presentation control unit causes the presentation device to present information to inform occupants of the vehicle of the target other vehicle when the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle.

18. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, comprising a scheduled gate determination unit (142) that determines a scheduled gate that is the toll gate type that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through, from among the toll gates that are classified into multiple types; the gate passage control unit (1431b) causes the vehicle to travel in the lane on the scheduled gate side of the multiple lanes in the case of multiple lanes on one side, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than a set distance; the following feasibility determination unit (144b) determines whether or not it is possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle, before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance; and the gate passage control unit causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle, if the target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines to be possible for the vehicle to follow, is identified before the distance from the vehicle to the toll gate becomes less than the set distance.

19. A vehicle control device as set forth in claim 18, wherein the following feasibility determination unit also estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and even after the gate passage control unit has caused the vehicle to start following the target other vehicle, the unit continues to estimate the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and when it is estimated that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through a toll gate of a type other than the scheduled gate determined by the scheduled gate determination unit, the unit determines that it is not possible for the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle, and when the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is not possible for the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle that the vehicle is currently following, the gate passage control unit stops the vehicle from following the target other vehicle and reduces the speed of the vehicle to a specified speed or below, and when a new target other vehicle that the following feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible for the vehicle to follow is identified, the vehicle control device causes the vehicle to follow the target other vehicle.

20. A vehicle control device as described in claim 18 or 19, wherein the gate passage control unit pre-sets a set vehicle speed that is an upper limit when passing through the toll gate by the automatic driving, the following possibility determination unit also estimates the toll gate through which the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass, and the gate passage control unit increases the set vehicle speed when the following possibility determination unit estimates that the target other vehicle is scheduled to pass through the planned gate determined by the planned gate determination unit and the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

21. A vehicle control device as described in claim 20, further comprising an interruption possibility determination unit (146) that determines whether or not another vehicle that is not the subject of a new following run can cut in between the vehicle and the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the scheduled gate, and the gate passage control unit lowers the increased value of the set vehicle speed at the time when it is determined by the interruption possibility determination unit that the vehicle cannot cut in, even if the set vehicle speed value has been increased because the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

22. A vehicle control device as described in claim 20, comprising a target other vehicle trajectory identification unit (147) that identifies the travel trajectory of the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle when it passes through the scheduled gate based on the results of periphery monitoring by a periphery monitoring sensor (15) that is mounted on the vehicle and monitors the periphery of the vehicle, and the gate passage control unit (1431c) reduces the increased value of the set vehicle speed when the target other vehicle trajectory identification unit is able to identify the travel trajectory of the target other vehicle that is following the vehicle when it passes through the scheduled gate, even if the value of the set vehicle speed has been increased because the speed of the target other vehicle is greater than the set vehicle speed.

23. A vehicle control program usable in an autonomously driven vehicle, which causes a computer to function as: a gate passage control unit (1431, 1431a) that causes the vehicle to pass through a toll gate, which is a gate to a toll road, by autonomous driving; a target other vehicle identification unit (102, 102a) that identifies a target other vehicle, which is a vehicle other than the vehicle, that is scheduled to pass through the toll gate; and a follow feasibility determination unit (144, 144a, 144b) that determines whether or not it is possible to have the target other vehicle follow the vehicle when the target other vehicle identification unit has identified the target other vehicle; and the vehicle control program causes the gate passage control unit to function so that, when the follow feasibility determination unit determines that it is possible to have the vehicle follow the target other vehicle, the vehicle passes through the toll gate by autonomous driving by having the target other vehicle follow the vehicle.

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