Running vehicle control method for automatically controlling a plurality of vehicles running on a road

A running vehicle control method using a moving target method, for controlling a plurality of vehicles running on a road including a main line and a branch line, comprising:

• assigning a converging moving target, on the main line, for a converging vehicle which is about to enter and converge onto the main line from the branch line;
• assigning a to-be-converged moving target to a to-be-converged vehicle running on the main line;
• and
• varying, based on a vehicle running condition on the main line, at least one of an interval of generation of at least one of the assigned converging moving target and the assigned to-be-converged moving target, and a speed of movement of at least one of the assigned converging moving target and the assigned to-be-converged moving target to prevent the converging vehicle from coinciding with the to-be-converged vehicle at a point of convergence.

A running vehicle control method using a moving target method, for controlling a plurality of vehicles running on a road including a main line and a branch line, comprising:

• assigning a first moving target, on the main line, for a converging vehicle which is about to enter and converge onto the main line from the branch line;
• setting an adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region in front of and behind the assigned first moving target;
• varying a length of said approach prohibition region in accordance with a running condition of a to-be-converged vehicle running on the main line;
• and
• alternatively performing either one of the following steps, one of accelerating and decelerating a second moving target assigned to a first to-be-converged vehicle running on the main line, when the first to-be-converged vehicle, subject to a control by the moving target method, has entered the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region, such that the first to-be-converged vehicle is excluded from the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region;
• and
• one of accelerating and decelerating the assigned first moving target, when a second to-be-converged vehicle running on the main line, not subject to a control by the moving target method, has entered the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region, such that the second to-be-converged vehicle is excluded from the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region.