JP2023011414A - Method for generating operation routes, program, and operation route generator - Google Patents

Abstract

To generate an operation route that can be traveled by an automated vehicle based on a predetermined operation route.SOLUTION: A method for generating an operation route to be executed by an operation route generator includes the steps of: acquiring route information on a predetermined operation route to be traveled by vehicles of a first category that can be driven by a driver; acquiring travelable condition information indicating the conditions under which vehicles of a second category, which can be driven automatically without a driver, can travel; identifying, based on the travelable condition information, a section of the operation route where the second category of vehicles cannot travel by automatic driving; and modifying the route information to replace the first route including the section in the operation route with the second route that can be traveled by automatic driving.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an operation route generation method, a program, and an operation route generation device.

The adoption of information and communication technology has improved the efficiency and convenience of transportation systems, including vehicles such as buses. For example, in Patent Literature 1, before a bus enters a narrow area where it is difficult for vehicles to pass each other, the buses communicate with each other to determine whether or not the vehicle-mounted device of the bus preferentially passes through the narrow area. It is disclosed to determine the

JP 2019-133392 A

When switching from a conventional bus driven by an existing driver to a self-driving vehicle, it may not always be possible to travel on the conventional bus route as it is due to the restrictions of automatic driving. It would be beneficial to be able to quickly generate a travel route for an autonomous vehicle based on a conventional travel route.

An object of the present disclosure, which has been made in view of such circumstances, is to provide an operation route generation method, a program, and an operation route generation device for generating an operation route on which an automatic driving vehicle can travel based on a predetermined operation route. .

An operation route generation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an operation route generation method executed by an operation route generation device. The operation route generation method includes obtaining route information of a predetermined operation route on which a first-class vehicle driven by a driver travels, and generating a second-class vehicle that can be automatically driven without a driver. Acquiring drivable condition information indicating drivable conditions; and specifying sections on the operation route where the second-class vehicle cannot travel by automatic driving based on the drivable condition information. and modifying the route information so as to replace the first route, which includes the section, among the operation routes with a second route that allows automatic driving.

A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure acquires route information of a predetermined operation route traveled by a first class vehicle driven by a driver, and automatically operates a second vehicle without a driver. Acquiring drivable condition information indicating drivable conditions for the vehicle of the classification, and based on the drivable condition information, a section on the operation route where the vehicle of the second classification cannot travel by automatic driving. and correcting the route information such that the first route including the section of the operation route is replaced with the second route that can be driven by automatic driving. to execute.

An operation route generation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires route information of a predetermined operating route on which a first-class vehicle driven by a driver travels, and a second-class vehicle capable of automatically driving without a driver. It is configured to be able to acquire travelable condition information indicating such conditions. Based on the travelable condition information, the control unit identifies a section on the travel route in which the vehicle of the second category cannot travel by automatic driving, and includes the section of the travel route. Correcting the route information so as to replace the first route with a second route capable of traveling by automatic driving can be executed to generate an operating route.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to generate an operating route on which an automatically driven vehicle can travel based on a predetermined operating route.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an operation route generation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional operating route. It is a figure explaining an example of generation of an operation route by an operation route generation method of this indication. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another example of operation route generation by the operation route generation method of the present disclosure; It is a figure which shows the example of the operation diagram by the conventional vehicle, and the example of the operation diagram by an automatic driving vehicle in contrast. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing examples of two driving routes of an autonomous vehicle corresponding to different environmental conditions; It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the operation route generation method which an operation route generation apparatus performs.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the diagrams used in the following description are schematic and do not necessarily match the actual ones.

(Overall system configuration)
An operation route generation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure exchanges route information, which is information on the operation route of a vehicle such as a bus, with a vehicle operator 20 such as a bus company, as shown in FIG. can do. The operation route generation device 10 can acquire information on the operation route along which the vehicle operated by the conventional driver travels from the vehicle operator 20 . Based on the acquired route information, the operation route generation device 10 generates route information of a new operation route when the vehicle is switched to a vehicle capable of automatic operation without a driver, and delivers it to the vehicle operator 20. can be done.

A driver-driven vehicle is referred to herein as a first class vehicle. Vehicles that can operate automatically without a driver are called second class vehicles. Vehicles of the first category include, for example, manually driven vehicles without driving assistance from an in-vehicle system, and vehicles that perform low-level automated driving. Low-level automated driving is automated driving that only supports driving by the driver, or automated driving that requires constant monitoring by the driver. Low-level automated driving includes, for example, Level 1 and Level 2 automated driving defined by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Vehicles in the second category include vehicles that operate with a high level of autonomy in which all driving operations are automated. High-level automated driving includes, for example, automated driving of level 3 or higher or level 4 or higher defined in SAE.

The operation route generation device 10 is a computer such as a personal computer, workstation, general-purpose computer, or the like. The operation route generation device 10 may be placed at a business office or the like of a business operator that receives a request from a vehicle operation business operator 20 and generates an operation route. The operation route generation device 10 may transmit and receive route information through communication with a computer owned by the vehicle operation business operator 20 . Alternatively, the operation route generation device 10 may exchange route information with the vehicle operation business operator 20 in the form of a storage medium. Storage media include magnetic storage media, optical storage media, and semiconductor storage media. The operation route generation device 10 may acquire, from the vehicle operator 20, information on the second-class vehicle to be switched in addition to the existing route information on the first-class vehicle.

The operating route generation device 10 can acquire road information around the operating route from the road information provider 30 . The road information provider 30 is, for example, a company that provides road maps, but is not limited to this. The number of road information providers 30 is not limited to one, and may be plural. The road information includes geographical information about roads, traffic regulation information, and information necessary for determining whether or not automatic driving is possible. Geographical information about roads includes information about absolute positions of roads. Traffic regulation information includes regulation information such as speed limits, one-way streets, height restrictions, and no right or left turns. The information required to determine whether autonomous driving is possible includes road types such as highways and general roads, distinction between urban areas and mountainous areas, number of lanes, presence or absence of road shoulders, lane indication status, and guardrails. This includes information such as the presence or absence of infrastructure that cooperates with automated driving vehicles.

(Configuration of operation route generation device)
The operation route generation device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a control unit 12, an output unit 13, and a storage unit 14, as shown in FIG.

Acquisition unit 11 is configured to acquire information from outside including vehicle operator 20 and road information provider 30 . Acquisition unit 11 may include a communication module for receiving information from the outside. The acquisition unit 11 may also include a reading device for reading a storage medium provided from the outside.

The control unit 12 is configured to be able to execute the process of generating the operation route of the second-class vehicle, and controls each component included in the operation route generation device 10 . Control unit 12 may include one or more processors. Control unit 12 may include various processors. Processors include general-purpose processors that execute programmed functions by loading specific programs, and dedicated processors that specialize in specific processes.

Based on the drivable condition information indicating the drivable conditions for the 2nd class vehicle, the control unit 12 determines the section where the 2nd class vehicle cannot travel by automatic driving on the operation route of the 1st class vehicle. is configured to identify the The drivable condition information may be included in the second-class vehicle information acquired from the vehicle operator 20 . Alternatively, the control unit 12 may acquire the travelable condition information from an external database or the like via the acquisition unit 11 based on the information of the vehicle of the second classification.

The control unit 12 replaces the first route, which includes a section on which the second-class vehicle cannot travel, among the existing operating routes, based on the road information and the travelable condition information acquired from the road information provider 30. It is configured to set a second route that is possible. The second route is a route that vehicles of the second classification can travel. The control unit 12 is configured to correct the route information so as to replace the first route of the operating routes with the second route.

The output unit 13 is configured to output the generated route information. The output unit 13 may include a communication module for transmitting information to the outside. Also, the output unit 13 may include a writing device for writing information to a storage medium. The output unit 13 may be configured as a communication unit or medium reading/writing unit shared with the acquisition unit 11 .

The storage unit 14 is configured to store a program executed by the control unit 12, information necessary for processing executed by the control unit 12, and information obtained as a result of execution by the control unit 12. The information necessary for the processing executed by the control unit 12 includes route information, travelable condition information, and road information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 . The storage unit 14 includes at least one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device. The semiconductor memory may include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. RAM may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM). Magnetic storage devices include hard disks and the like.

(Example of route generation)
Generation of an operation route by the operation route generation device 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, it is assumed that the operating route of existing Class 1 vehicles is defined as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, stops S1 to S5 indicate stops for vehicles of the first class, which are buses. Stops S1 to S5 are stop positions for vehicles of the first class. Stop S1 is the departure point for vehicles of the first class. Stop S5 is a destination point for vehicles of the first category. Although FIG. 2 shows a travel route from stop S1 to stop S5, there may simultaneously be a route from stop S5 to stop S1 going in the opposite direction on the same travel route. In FIG. 2, the operating route is shown linearly. However, an actual travel route may include various winding shapes.

The acquisition unit 11 of the operating route generation device 10 acquires route information of the operating route shown in FIG. Acquisition unit 11 further acquires road information and travelable condition information. Based on the road information and the travelable condition information, the control unit 12 identifies a section Png on the travel route in which the second-class vehicle cannot travel by automatic driving. The travelable condition information includes, for example, information on an operational design domain (ODD). The operation design area is the driving environment conditions that are the prerequisites for the operation of the automated driving system. The operation design area differs for each automated driving system. For example, if the roads on which automatic driving is possible are limited to roads with a speed limit of less than 40 km/h in the operation design area of the second class vehicle, roads with a speed limit of 40 km/h or more included in the operation route A part becomes section Png which cannot run. In addition, when roads on which automatic driving is possible are limited to roads in which sidewalks and roadways are separated, sections of roads without sidewalks become sections Png where driving is impossible.

As shown in FIG. 3, when there is a section Png between the bus stop S2 and the bus stop S3 in which the vehicle of the second classification cannot travel, the control unit 12 selects the route including the section Png as the first route R1. Identify as The first route R1 can be a route between the bus stop S2 and the bus stop S3, including a section Png and having both ends at a fork in the road. The control unit 12 extracts a plurality of candidate routes CR1, CR2 and CR3 through which vehicles of the second classification can travel. In the example of FIG. 3, the control unit 12 sets the candidate route CR1 closest to the first route R1 as the second route R2 from among the plurality of route candidates CR1, CR2 and CR3.

The closeness of distance between the first route R1 and each of the candidate routes CR1, CR2 and CR3 can be determined in a number of ways. For example, the control unit 12 determines the proximity of the candidate routes CR1, CR2, and CR3 based on the sum of the shortest distances from each point included in the plurality of points on the first route R1. good. Also, for example, the control unit 12 may determine the closeness of the distance using the distance from the first route R1 at the point farthest from the first route R1 on each of the candidate routes CR1, CR2 and CR3. . Further, for example, the control unit 12 compares the area of the terrain surrounded by the first route R1 and each of the candidate routes CR1, CR2 and CR3. It may be determined that the distance to CR3 is short.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the stop S3 is included in the section Png in which the vehicle of the second classification cannot travel, the control unit 12 may set the second route R2 that does not pass through the stop S3. . Stop S3 is the first stop position. In this case, the control unit 12 may set the stop S3-1 at which the second class vehicle should stop on the second route R2 based on the position information of the stop S3. Stop S3-1 is the second stop position. For example, the control unit 12 may set the stop S3-1 at a position on the second route R2 that is closest in distance to the stop S3 on the first route R1. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may set the stop S3-1 to a position on the second route R2 that allows the quickest movement to the stop S3 on the first route R1 on foot. The control unit 12 can include the information of the newly set stop S3-1 in the corrected route information.

The control unit 12 may generate a second-class vehicle operation plan based on the first-class vehicle operation plan. The operation plan can be represented by, for example, an operation diagram that expresses the position of each vehicle for each hour in a diagram. FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation diagram D1 of the first class vehicle on the existing operation route and the operation diagram D2 after replacing the vehicle with the second class vehicle. A second-class vehicle that is an automatically driven vehicle may have a lower maximum travelable speed than a first-class vehicle driven by a driver. The control unit 12 generates an operation plan for the second-class vehicle based on the maximum speed at which the second-class vehicle can travel and the corrected route information. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 5, the speed of the second-class vehicle represented by the slope of the graph is lower than the speed of the first-class vehicle.

Furthermore, when the crew of the vehicle operator does not board the second-class vehicle, the second-class vehicle is equipped at the monitoring center of the vehicle operator 20 when passengers get on and off at each stop S1 to S5. It is assumed that safety confirmation is performed by visually checking the image transmitted from the camera. In such a case, each stop S2, S3-1, S4 on the operating route may require more time for safety confirmation. Therefore, in the operation diagram D2 of the second class vehicle, the stop time T2 at each of the stops S2, S3-1, and S4 is equal to the stop time T2 at each of the stops S2, S3, and S4 in the existing operation diagram D1 of the first class vehicle. It may be set longer than the time T1.

As described above, in one example, in the operation schedule D2 of the second class vehicle, compared with the operation schedule D1 of the first class vehicle, the required time for the outward trip from the stop S1 to S5 and the return trip from the stop S5 to S1 It can take a long time. However, the travel plan that can be generated differs depending on the maximum speed of the second class vehicle and the sophistication and automation of the system for detecting boarding and disembarking of passengers. The control unit 12 may generate the second-class vehicle operation schedule D2 so as to be as close as possible to the existing first-class vehicle operation schedule D1.

The second category of vehicle drivable condition information may include, in addition to the above information, environmental conditions related to at least one of weather and sunshine conditions. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a second-class vehicle can travel the second route R2-1 during the daytime or in fine weather, but may not be able to travel the second route R2-1 at night or in the rain. In such a case, the control unit 12 can set another second route R2-2 for nighttime or rainy weather. That is, the control unit 12 can generate a plurality of different corrected route information by setting a plurality of different second routes R2-1 and R2-2 according to different environmental conditions.

(Operation route generation method)
With reference to FIG. 7, the procedure of the operation route generation method executed by the operation route generation device 10 will be described. The method executed by the operation route generation device 10 can be regarded as being executed by the control unit 12 controlling each component of the operation route generation device 10 . The method disclosed in this specification can be executed by a processor included in the control unit 12 of the operation route generation device 10 according to a program. Such programs can be stored in non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage media, magneto-optical storage media, semiconductor memories, and the like.

First, the operation route generation device 10 acquires route information of a predetermined operation route of a first class vehicle driven by a driver from the vehicle operator 20 (step S101).

The operation route generation device 10 acquires the travelable condition information indicating the travelable conditions of the automatically operable second class vehicle from the vehicle operator 20 or other external information source (step S102).

The operating route generation device 10 acquires road information around the operating route from the road information provider 30 (step S103). Steps S101 through S103 may be performed in a different order than shown here. Also, steps S101 to S103 may be performed at least partially in parallel.

Based on the road information acquired in step S103 and the travelable condition information acquired in step S102, the operation route generation device 10 determines that the vehicle of the second classification cannot travel by automatic driving on the operation route acquired in step S101. section is specified (step S104). In addition, when there is no section in which traveling by automatic operation is impossible, the operation route generation apparatus 10 may proceed to step S108 without correcting the route information.

The operation route generation device 10 selects a second route, which is an alternative to the first route including the section Png that cannot be driven by automatic driving specified in step S104, and which can be driven by automatic driving by vehicles of the second class, based on the road information. (step S105). When a plurality of candidate routes for the second route are extracted, the operating route generation device 10 may determine the candidate route closest to the first route as the second route R2.

When the first route includes the stop position of the first class vehicle, the operation route generation device 10 sets the stop position of the second class vehicle at a position close to the stop position of the first route on the second route. (Step S106). When the first route does not include the stop position of the vehicle of the first classification, the operation route generation device 10 proceeds to step S107 without executing step S106.

The operation route generation device 10 generates a new operation route by replacing the first route in the operation route with the second route determined in step S105, and corrects the route information based on this operation route (step S107).

The operation route generation device 10 generates an operation plan according to the route information corrected in step S107 (step S108). The operation route generation device 10 ends the process after step S108.

The operation route generation device 10 may store the route information corrected in step S107 and the operation plan generated in step S108 in the storage unit 14 . The route information and the operation plan stored in the storage unit 14 of the operation route generation device 10 may be transmitted from the output unit 13 to the vehicle operation business operator 20 via a communication line. Alternatively, the route information and the operation plan stored in the storage unit 14 of the operation route generation device 10 may be stored in a medium by the output unit 13 and handed over to the vehicle operation business operator 20 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operation route generation device 10 identifies a section in which automatic driving cannot be performed on the existing operation route of the first class vehicle, The route information is corrected so as to replace the route with a second route that allows automatic driving. As a result, the operation route generation device 10 can generate an operation route on which the automatically driven vehicle can travel, based on the predetermined operation route.

In addition, when there are a plurality of candidate routes that can be the second route, the operation route generation device 10 sets the candidate route closest to the first route as the second route. You can choose your route.

In addition, when the first stop position where the vehicle of the first classification should stop is included in the section where automatic driving is impossible, the operation route generation device 10 performs the first stop position based on the position information of the first stop position. It is possible to set a second stop position where the vehicle of the second classification should stop on the second route. As a result, it is possible to provide stop positions corresponding to the stop positions arranged on the existing route on the corrected route. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce the decrease in convenience for passengers who use the stop positions on the existing service route.

Further, the drivable condition information includes environmental conditions related to at least one of weather and sunshine conditions, and the operating route generation device 10 can generate a plurality of modified route information according to different environmental conditions. As a result, the operating route generation device 10 can set operating routes for a plurality of automatically driven vehicles that minimize changes to existing operating routes according to different environments.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, a new operation plan can be generated based on the corrected operation route.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and many modifications and alterations are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and it is possible to combine a plurality of means or steps, etc. into one or divide them. .

10 Operation route generation device 11 Acquisition unit 12 Control unit 13 Output unit 14 Storage unit 20 Vehicle operator 30 Road information provider S1-S5 Stop Png Section where automatic driving is impossible R1 First route R2 Second route CR1 -CR3 Candidate route D1 First-class vehicle operation schedule D2 Second-class vehicle operation schedule T1, T2 Stop time

Claims (11)

An operation route generation method executed by an operation route generation device,
Acquiring route information of a predetermined operating route traveled by a first class vehicle driven by a driver;
Acquiring drivable condition information indicating drivable conditions for a second-class vehicle capable of automatically driving without a driver;
Based on the travelable condition information, specifying a section on the operation route where the vehicle of the second category cannot travel by automatic driving;
and modifying the route information so as to replace a first route of the operating route including the section with a second route capable of traveling by automatic operation. 3. The step of specifying the section includes obtaining information on roads around the operating route and the operating route, and specifying the section based on the road information and the drivable condition information. 1. The operation route generation method according to 1. 3. The operating route generation method according to claim 1, wherein when there are a plurality of candidate routes that can be said second route, said candidate route closest to said first route is set as said second route. 4. The operating route generation method according to claim 3, wherein said candidate route closest to said first route is determined based on a sum of shortest distances from said candidate route of each point on said first route. If the section includes a first stop position where the vehicle of the first classification should stop, the vehicle of the second classification stops on the second route based on the position information of the first stop position. The operating route generation method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a second stop position to be set is set. The operation route generation method according to claim 5, wherein the second stop position is set at a position on the second route that is closest to the first stop position. 7. The drivable condition information includes environmental conditions related to at least one of weather and sunshine conditions, and generating a plurality of modified route information according to different environmental conditions. Operation route generation method described in. Further generating an operation plan for the second class of vehicles based on the operation plan for the first class of vehicles, the maximum speed at which the second class of vehicles can travel, and the corrected route information. The operating route generation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: 9. The operation plan of the second class of vehicles according to claim 8, wherein the stop time at each stop location is longer than the stop time at the corresponding stop location included in the operation plan of the first class of vehicles. How to generate operating routes. Acquiring route information of a predetermined operating route traveled by a first class vehicle driven by a driver;
Acquiring drivable condition information indicating drivable conditions for a second-class vehicle capable of automatically driving without a driver;
Based on the travelable condition information, specifying a section on the operation route where the vehicle of the second category cannot travel by automatic driving;
A program that causes a computer to execute a process including correcting the route information so as to replace the first route including the section of the operation route with a second route that allows automatic driving. Acquisition of route information of a predetermined operation route on which a first-class vehicle driven by a driver travels, and travel indicating conditions under which a second-class vehicle capable of automatically driving without a driver can travel. an acquisition unit configured to acquire possible condition information;
Based on the drivable condition information, specifying a section on the operation route in which the vehicle of the second category cannot travel by automatic driving; A control unit configured to be able to generate an operating route, including correcting the route information so as to replace it with a second route that can travel by automatic driving;
Operation route generation device comprising.

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