Vehicle control device, convoy travel management device, and convoy travel management method

A convoy travel management device comprising:

• processing circuitry
• to manage information indicating a driving control function of a host vehicle and information indicating a state of an occupant of the host vehicle as first driving control information;
• to collect, from at least one different vehicle, information indicating a driving control function of the at least one different vehicle and information indicating a state of an occupant of the at least one different vehicle as second driving control information, determine a traveling order in a convoy of the host vehicle and the at least one different vehicle so that a vehicle and another vehicle each of which can be a leading vehicle are respectively disposed at a head of the convoy and an inside of the convoy using the first driving control information and the second driving control information, and notify the at least one different vehicle of traveling order information indicating the traveling order;
• to determine whether or not the host vehicle can be a leading vehicle using the first driving control information when there is occurrence of a cut-in vehicle to an area around the host vehicle performing convoy travel in accordance with the traveling order information;
• to notify the at least one different vehicle of convoy configuration information when the host vehicle can be the leading vehicle and the cut-in vehicle continues cutting in, the convoy configuration information indicating that the convoy is to be divided into a first convoy ahead of the cut-in vehicle and a second convoy behind the cut-in vehicle and that the host vehicle is to become a leading vehicle of the second convoy;
• to generate traveling control information including an instruction to cause the cut-in vehicle to cut in front of the host vehicle and an instruction to be the leading vehicle of the second convoy, on a basis of the convoy configuration information;
• and
• to cause the host vehicle to perform the convoy travel in accordance with the traveling order determined, and cause the cut-in vehicle to cut in front of the host vehicle and set the host vehicle as the leading vehicle of the second convoy in accordance with the traveling control information generated.

A convoy travel management method for controlling traveling of a plurality of vehicles that perform convoy travel, the convoy travel management method comprising:

• collecting, from each of the plurality of vehicles, information indicating a driving control function of a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles and information indicating a state of an occupant of the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles as driving control information, determining a traveling order in a convoy of the plurality of vehicles so that a vehicle and another vehicle each of which can be a leading vehicle are respectively disposed at a head of the convoy and an inside of the convoy using the collected driving control information, and notifying each of the plurality of vehicles of traveling order information indicating the traveling order;
• determining, from among following vehicles that are following a leading vehicle of the convoy, a new leading vehicle that can be another leading vehicle using the driving control information in response to notification of cut-in vehicle information indicating occurrence of a cut-in vehicle to the convoy from any of the plurality of vehicles that are performing the convoy travel in accordance with the traveling order information, and dividing the convoy into a first convoy ahead of the cut-in vehicle and a second convoy behind the cut-in vehicle when the cut-in vehicle continues cutting in;
• and
• notifying the new leading vehicle of traveling control information including an instruction to cause the cut-in vehicle to cut in front of the new leading vehicle and an instruction to be a leading vehicle of the second convoy.