Operation support apparatus and operation support method

• US 10,620,639 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Frejd, Russell
• Application Number:
  US15/942,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20180307247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

An operation support apparatus comprises an information acquisition unit configured to acquire vehicle information that is information relating to a vehicle capable of participating in convoy travel; a convoy formation unit configured to form a convoy including a plurality of vehicles; a profit calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the vehicle information, a profit generated by performing the convoy travel for each vehicle forming the convoy; and a profit distribution unit configured to generate distribution data that is data for distributing the profits among the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy.

Claims

1. An operation support apparatus, comprising:

a processor programmed to;

acquire vehicle information that is information relating to a plurality of vehicles capable of participating in convoy travel, the convoy travel being travel in which manual driving is performed for a lead vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and automated driving is performed for second and subsequent vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, the vehicle information including information relating to fuel consumption of the vehicles;

form a convoy including the plurality of vehicles;

calculate, based on the vehicle information, a profit generated by performing the convoy travel for each vehicle forming the convoy, the profit being calculated by adding up fuel cost and labor cost saved by each of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy; and

generate distribution data that is data for distributing the profits among the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy by;

determining labor cost with respect to a driver of the lead vehicle;

distributing to the lead vehicle an amount of the profit based on the labor cost with respect to the driver of the lead vehicle; and

distributing a remaining amount of the profit to all of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy.

2. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to:

determine an order of the vehicles in the convoy so as to maximize profits generated by forming the convoy.

3. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information includes information relating to routes of the plurality of vehicles; and

the processor is programmed to form the convoy such that a vehicle traveling a longer distance is arranged more forward within the convoy.

4. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information includes information relating to fuel consumption of the vehicles; and

the processor is programmed to determine an order of the vehicles in the convoy based on a sum of fuel costs that can be saved due to convoy travel.

5. The operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to:

change, when there is a vehicle positioned at a head of the convoy for more than a prescribed time, a positional order of the vehicles during the travel.

6. An operation support method, comprising:

acquiring vehicle information that is information relating to a plurality of vehicles capable of participating in convoy travel, the convoy travel being travel in which manual driving is performed for a lead vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and automated driving is performed for second and subsequent vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, the vehicle information including information relating to fuel consumption of the vehicles;

forming a convoy including the plurality of the vehicles;

calculating, based on the vehicle information, a profit generated by performing the convoy travel for each vehicle forming the convoy, the profit being calculated by adding up fuel cost and labor cost saved by each of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy; and

generating distribution data that is data for distributing the profits among the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy by;

determining labor cost with respect to a driver of the lead vehicle;

distributing to the lead vehicle an amount of the profit based on the labor cost with respect to the driver of the lead vehicle; and

distributing a remaining amount of the profit to all of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storing medium recording a computer program for causing a computer to perform functions comprising:

acquiring vehicle information that is information relating to a plurality of vehicles capable of participating in convoy travel, the convoy travel being travel in which manual driving is performed for a lead vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and automated driving is performed for second and subsequent vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, the vehicle information including information relating to fuel consumption of the vehicles;

forming a convoy including the plurality of the vehicles;

calculating, based on the vehicle information, a profit generated by performing the convoy travel for each vehicle forming the convoy, the profit being calculated by adding up fuel cost and labor cost saved by each of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy; and

generating distribution data that is data for distributing the profits among the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy by;

determining labor cost with respect to a driver of the lead vehicle;

distributing to the lead vehicle an amount of the profit based on the labor cost with respect to the driver of the lead vehicle; and

distributing a remaining amount of the profit to all of the plurality of vehicles forming the convoy.