AU2023201471B2

AU2023201471B2 - Operation management system

Info

Publication number: AU2023201471B2
Application number: AU2023201471A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Shun Maruyama; Shun MIZOO; Takahiro Okano; Toru Takashima
Original assignee: Komatsu Ltd; Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Komatsu Ltd; Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2022-03-18
Filing date: 2023-03-09
Publication date: 2024-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2043-03-09
Also published as: AU2023201471A1; JP2023137699A

Abstract

OPERATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ABSTRACT An operation management system, including: an information obtaining portion (11) configured to obtain driving information of each registered mobility; a platooning detecting portion (12) configured to detect two or more registered mobilities that are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning along an identical travel route; a route condition detecting portion (13) configured to detect a condition of a platooning route that is a travel route along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning, based on a target travel route and positional information; a platoon setting portion (14) configured to set a traveling order and/or a mobility-to-mobility distance in a platoon of the two or more registered mobilities; and an instruction transmitter portion (15) configured to transmit a platoon instruction to at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the traveling order and/or the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed. 41591823 1 Apo', 07 _ _ _ p I m-

Description

Apo',

07 _ _ _

p I m-

OPERATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

BACKGROUND Technical Field

[0001] The following disclosure relates to an operation management system to manage operations of a plurality of mobilities. Description of Related Art

[0002] An operation management system for managing operations of a plurality of vehicles that are capable of performing automated driving is configured to manage, for instance, platooning of the automated driving vehicles in which the automated driving vehicles travel in file in a travel direction. For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-028748 describes a platooning system in which an arrangement order of the vehicles in a platoon is determined and the vehicles are arranged in an ascending order of driving performance from the top to the end in the travel direction for preventing the platoon from being divided into separate parts.

SUMMARY

[0003] In a situation in which platooning of various mobilities (movable bodies) such as passenger vehicles and trucks is being performed, the traveling order of the mobilities in the platoon is sometimes not optimum depending on a condition of a travel route in terms of a damage risk that is a magnitude of damage upon a collision, especially, upon a rear-end collision. Thus, there remains room for improvement in the conventional operation management system. One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an operation management system that enables platooning appropriate for a traveling situation.

[0003a] It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, at least one disadvantage of present arrangements.

[0003b] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided operation management system configured to be communicable with a plurality of registered mobilities including mobilities that differ in kind or type to control the plurality of registered mobilities, comprising: an information obtaining portion configured to obtain, based on information received from each of the registered mobilities, driving information of each of the registered mobilities including information on presence or absence of an occupant, characteristic information on the kind or the type of each of the registered mobilities,

- la

information on a target travel route of each of the registered mobilities, and positional information of each of the registered mobilities; a platooning detecting portion configured to detect two or more registered mobilities among the plurality of registered mobilities that are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning along an identical travel route, based on the target travel route and the positional information; a route condition detecting portion configured to detect a condition of a platooning route that is the travel route along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning; a platoon setting portion configured to set at least one of a traveling order and a mobility-to-mobility distance in a platoon of the two or more registered mobilities detected by the platooning detecting portion, based on the driving information, the characteristic information, and information on the condition of the platooning route, the mobility-to-mobility distance being a distance between successive two registered mobilities in the platoon; and an instruction transmitter portion configured to transmit a platoon instruction that is based on a result of setting by the platoon setting portion to at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed to thereby control the at least one of the two or more registered mobilities.

[0004] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an operation management system is configured to be communicable with a plurality of registered mobilities including mobilities that differ in kind or type to manage operations of the plurality of registered mobilities. The operation management system includes: an information obtaining portion configured to obtain, based on information received from each of the registered mobilities, driving information of each of the registered mobilities including information on presence or absence of an occupant, characteristic information on the kind or the type of each of the registered mobilities, information on a target travel route of each of the registered mobilities, and positional information of each of the registered mobilities; a platooning detecting portion configured to detect two or more registered mobilities among the plurality of registered mobilities that are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning along an identical travel route, based on the target travel route and the positional information; a route condition detecting portion configured to detect a condition of a platooning route that is the travel route along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning; a platoon setting portion configured to set at least one of a traveling order and a mobility-to-mobility distance in a platoon of the two or more registered mobilities detected by the platooning detecting portion, based on the driving information, the characteristic information, and information on the condition of the platooning route, the mobility-to-mobility distance being a distance between successive two registered mobilities in the platoon; and an instruction transmitter portion configured to transmit a platoon instruction that is based on a result of setting by the platoon setting portion to at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed.

[0005] The condition of the platooning route may vary depending on, for instance, a travel route selected as a target travel route (e.g., the presence or absence of a sloping road), weather (e.g., rainy weather), etc., and various cases are considered. Further, various cases of a driving status are considered such as unmanned automated driving or manned manual driving. In the operation management system according to the present disclosure, at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is set in consideration of not only the characteristic information on the kind or the type of the registered mobility but also the condition of the platooning route and the driving information. In a case where the condition of the platooning route is a sloping road, for instance, it is considered that a damage risk, i.e., magnitude of damage upon a collision, is greater in the mobility located at a lower position on the sloping road than in the mobility located at a higher (upper) position on the sloping road. In this case, the operation management system according to the present disclosure enables the mobility of manned driving to be disposed at a higher position on the sloping road and the mobility of unmanned driving to be disposed at a lower position on the sloping road. That is, according to the present operation management system, the mobility for which safety should be ensured with a higher priority can be disposed at a position where the damage risk is small based on the condition of the platooning route. Thus, the present operation management system enables platooning of the mobilities appropriate for a traveling situation by considering the characteristics of the mobilities, the presence or absence of an occupant, and the condition of the travel route.

41591823_1

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00061 The objects, features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of the present disclosure will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of an embodiment, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a configuration of an operation management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a conceptual view illustrating an example of changing a traveling order on a sloping road (downhill) in the embodiment; Fig. 3 is a conceptual view illustrating an example of changing the traveling order on a sloping road (uphill) in the embodiment; Fig. 4 is a conceptual view illustrating an example of changing the traveling order in a skidding alert condition in the embodiment; Fig. 5 is a conceptual view for explaining an example of setting a protective bubble in the embodiment; and Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process of changing the traveling order in the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[00071 Referring to the drawings, there will be hereinafter described in detail an operation management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details of the following embodiment but may be embodied with various changes and modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0008] The operation management system 1 according to the present embodiment is an electronic control unit (ECU) or a computer (in-vehicle computer) including at least one processor and at least one memory. The memory stores various programs and various kinds of data. The processor reads out a program in the memory and executes the program so as to perform various arithmetic computations and controls. Communication in a vehicle is performed through a CAN (car area network or controllable area network).

[0009] The operation management system 1 is configured to be communicable with, in other words, communicably connected to, each of a plurality of registered mobilities including mobilities different in kind or type to manage the plurality of registered mobilities. Each registered mobility is a mobility registered

41591823_1 with the operation management system 1 to be managed by the operation management system 1. In the present embodiment, a plurality of pickup trucks (small-sized cargo trucks) and a plurality of large-sized dump trucks (large-sized heavy equipment) are registered.

[0010] The operation management system 1 is configured to be communicable with each registered mobility through a wireless device (not illustrated) and a communication network. The operation management system 1 receives, from each registered mobility, various kinds of information (such as identification information, positional information, and status information). The operation management system 1 of the present embodiment is part of a central control system and transmits information on a target travel route calculated by a route calculating portion (that will be later described) to the corresponding registered mobility. The registered mobility, for which automated driving is instructed, performs automated driving based on the received information on the target travel route.

[0011] As illustrated in Fig. 1, each registered mobility is provided with a receiver 2 of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), for instance, and an ECU 3 for controlling traveling of the registered mobility. Each registered mobility transmits, to the operation management system 1, the positional information based on measured data of the GNSS calculated by the receiver 2 and the status information indicative of the status of the mobility such as a traveling speed. That is, the operation management system 1 receives the positional information and the status information from each registered mobility. The ECU 3 executes automated driving control based on the target travel route received from the operation management system 1. Each registered mobility is provided with a wireless device (not illustrated) for communicating with the operation management system 1.

[0012] Each of part of or all of the registered mobilities is provided with a surroundings monitoring device 4. (In the present embodiment, each of all the registered mobilities is provided with the surroundings monitoring device 4.) The surroundings monitoring device 4 is configured to monitor or recognize surroundings of an own mobility. The surroundings monitoring device 4 includes, for instance, a lidar (LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The surroundings monitoring device 4 in the present embodiment includes, for instance, one or more lidars, one or more cameras for taking images of the surroundings of the own mobility, and one or more radar for measuring a distance between the own mobility and an object present in the surroundings of the own mobility. Based on the detection result of the surroundings monitoring device 4 and three-dimensional map data, for

41591823_1 instance, the surrounding situation and the own position can be recognized with high accuracy. The ECU 3 is configured to be capable of correcting locally the target travel route (target trajectory) based on the detection result of the surroundings monitoring device 4.

[0013] Detailed Configuration of Operation Management System As illustrated in Fig. 1, the operation management system 1 includes, each as a functional portion, a route calculating portion 10, an information obtaining portion 11, a platooning detecting portion 12, a route condition detecting portion 13, a platoon setting portion 14, an instruction transmitter portion 15, and a protective bubble setting portion 16. The route calculating portion 10 calculates the target travel route of each registered mobility based on the map data, and the positional information and destination information received from each registered mobility. The information on the target travel route calculated by the route calculating portion 10 is transmitted to the corresponding registered mobility.

[0014] The information obtaining portion 11 obtains, based on the information received from each registered mobility, "driving information" of each registered mobility including information on the presence or absence of an occupant, "characteristic information" on the kind or the type of each registered mobility, "information on the target travel route" of each registered mobility, and the "positional information" of each registered mobility.

[0015] The information obtaining portion 11 receives, from each registered mobility, the identification information (such as ID) based on which the mobility can be identified. The memory of the operation management system 1 stores a correspondence relationship between the identification information and the characteristic information of the registered mobility. The information obtaining portion 11 reads out, from the memory, the characteristic information (e.g., pickup truck or large-sized dump truck) corresponding to the received identification information to thereby obtain the characteristic information.

[0016] The operation management system 1 can grasp a weight of each a registered mobility (such as a relationship of magnitude of weight among different kinds of registered mobilities) based on the characteristic information. In the operation management system 1, the weight of the pickup truck is set so as to be smaller than the weight of the large-sized dump truck. The characteristic information may be referred to as information on the weight. The information obtaining portion 11 may receive, from each registered mobility, not only the identification information but also the

41591823_1 characteristic information to thereby obtain the characteristic information of each registered mobility. In this instance, it is not necessary to store, in advance, a correspondence relationship between the identification information and the characteristic information in the memory or the like.

[00171 As the driving information, the information obtaining portion 11 receives, from each registered mobility, information on the presence or absence of an occupant (i.e., manned or unmanned) and information as to whether the driving mode is an automated driving mode or a manual driving mode. That is, the driving information in the present embodiment is information indicating to which one of manned automated driving, manned manual driving, and unmanned automated driving the driving status of the registered mobility corresponds. Each registered mobility transmits its own driving information to the operation management system 1.

[00181 The information obtaining portion 11 obtains the information on the target travel route from the route calculating portion 10. The information obtaining portion 11 further obtains the positional information from each registered mobility or from the route calculating portion 10. In a case where the target travel route is calculated in the registered mobility, the information obtaining portion 11 may obtain the target travel route from the registered mobility.

[0019] The platooning detecting portion 12 detects a plurality of registered mobilities that is scheduled to platoon or is currently platooning the same travel route, based on the target travel route and the positional information of each of the plurality of registered mobilities. Platooning means that a plurality of mobilities travels so as to be arranged in file, namely, a plurality of mobilities travels so as to be arranged along the travel direction with a predetermined mobility-to-mobility distance or less. The platooning detecting portion 12 can identify, based on the positional information, a plurality of registered mobilities that is currently platooning and can identify, based on the information on the target travel route, which section of the target travel route the identified plurality of mobilities travels. Further, the platooning detecting portion 12 can calculate, for instance, a planned traveling time at each location on the target travel route based on the target travel route, the positional information, and the status information (such as a traveling speed) of each registered mobility and can detect or recognize a plurality of mobilities that is scheduled to platoon.

[0020] The route condition detecting portion 13 detects a condition of a platooning route that is a travel route along which the registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning. The condition of the platooning route is represented by, for instance, a degree of a gradient of the route, weather, a

41591823_1 curvature of the route, or a road surface condition (such as a paved road, an unpaved road, or a road surface frictional coefficient). The operation management system 1 stores map data including gradient information of various routs. The route condition detecting portion 13 determines whether or not the platooning route is a sloping road with a predetermined gradient or more based on the map data including the gradient information of various routs, for instance.

[0021] The route condition detecting portion 13 determines whether the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than a predetermined value, based on information on the road surface frictional coefficient received from each registered mobility. The operation management system 1 receives, from part of or all of the registered mobilities, the information on the road surface frictional coefficient of the road on which the part of or all of the registered mobilities are currently traveling. Each of the plurality of registered mobilities is provided with wheel speed sensors. The ECU 3 of each registered mobility is capable of calculating the road surface frictional coefficient (i.e., road surface ) based on a wheel speed. The operation management system 1, namely, the route condition detecting portion 13, stores the received road surface frictional coefficient in association with the route on the map data and updates the current road surface frictional coefficient. The route condition detecting portion 13 grasps the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route based on information on the road surface frictional coefficient associated with the map data.

[0022] The platoon setting portion 14 sets, based on the driving information, the characteristic information, and the condition information of the platooning route, at least one of a traveling order and a mobility-to-mobility distance in a platoon of the plurality of registered mobilities detected by the platooning detecting portion 12. The mobility-to-mobility distance is a distance between successive two registered mobilities in the platoon. When the registered mobilities that are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning are detected, the platoon setting portion 14 sets, as necessary, at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance in the platoon, based on the driving information, the characteristic information, and the platooning route condition. The driving information represents, for instance, manned automated driving, manned manual driving, or unmanned automated driving. The characteristic information represents, for instance, the pickup truck or the large-sized dump truck. The condition information of the platooning route represents, for instance, the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more, a sloping road with a gradient less than

41591823_1 the predetermined gradient, or a skidding alert condition in which the road surface frictional coefficient is less than the predetermined value.

[00231 The instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits a platoon instruction, i.e., platoon setting information, based on the setting result of the platoon setting portion 14, to one or more of the registered mobilities for which the traveling order and/or the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed. The ECU 3 of the one or more of the registered mobilities targeted for the change of the traveling order and/or the mobility-to-mobility distance can change the traveling order and/or the mobility-to-mobility distance in conjunction with other registered mobility based on the received platoon instruction. It is noted that the platoon instruction, i.e., platoon setting information, is transmitted at least to the one or more of the registered mobilities targeted for the change of the traveling order and/or the inter-mobility distance. The platoon instruction may be transmitted to all the registered mobilities that constitute the platoon. The protective bubble setting portion 16 will be later described.

[0024] Advantageous Effects of the Present Embodiment The condition of the platooning route varies depending on, for instance, the travel route selected as the target travel route (e.g., the presence or absence of the sloping road), weather (e.g., rainy weather), etc., and various cases are considered. Further, various cases of the driving status are considered such as unmanned automated driving or manned manual driving. In the operation management system according to the present embodiment, at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is set in consideration of not only the characteristic information regarding the kind or the type of the registered mobility but also the condition of the platooning route and the driving information. In a case where the condition of the platooning route is a sloping road, especially, a downhill, for instance, it is considered that a damage risk, i.e., the magnitude of damage upon a rear-end collision, is greater in the mobility located at a lower position on the sloping road than in the mobility located at a higher (upper) position on the sloping road. In this case, the operation management system according to the present embodiment enables the mobility of manned driving to be disposed at a higher (upper) position on the sloping road and the mobility of unmanned driving to be disposed at a lower position on the sloping road. That is, according to the present embodiment, the mobility for which safety should be ensured with a higher priority can be disposed at a position where the damage risk is small based on the traveling situation. Thus, the operation management system according to the present embodiment enables platooning of the mobilities appropriate for the traveling situation by considering the

41591823_1 characteristics of the mobilities, the presence or absence of an occupant, and the condition of the travel route.

[00251 First Sloping Road Rule When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more (hereinafter simply referred to as "the sloping road" where appropriate), the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order based on the driving information such that a manned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with an occupant aboard, is located higher on the sloping road than an unmanned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with no occupant aboard. The platoon setting portion 14 stores, as the priority for ensuring safety, setting that the registered mobility of manned automated driving or manned manual driving has higher priority than the registered mobility of unmanned automated driving.

[0026] The platoon setting portion 14 stores, as a relationship of the magnitude of the damage risk in traveling on the sloping road, setting that the damage risk is smaller in the registered mobility located higher on the sloping road. The platoon setting portion 14 is configured to dispose the registered mobility having high priority for ensuring safety at a position on the sloping road where the damage risk is small. Thus, in a case where the platooning route is the sloping road (i.e., a downhill or an uphill), the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order such that the manned registered mobility (i.e., the registered mobility with an occupant aboard) that has high priority for ensuring safety is disposed at a higher (upper) position on the sloping road where the damage risk is small. This prevents or minimizes damage to the manned registered mobility in the event of a rear-end collision. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a first sloping road rule.

[00271 Second Sloping Road Rule When there is a plurality of the manned registered mobilities in the platoon, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order such that the registered mobility with a relatively small weight is located at a relatively high position on the sloping road. That is, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the travel route is the sloping road and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion 14 sets, based on the characteristic information, the traveling order of the plurality of the manned registered mobilities such that the smaller the weight of the registered mobility, the higher the

41591823_1 registered mobility is located on the sloping road. This is based on the following idea. That is, the heavier the mobility, the larger the damage to the mobility located at a lower position on the sloping road when the heavier mobility collides with or rear-ends the mobility located at a lower position as a result of slipping down on the sloping road or moving from a higher position to a lower position on the sloping road (i.e., traveling downhill). In a case where the platooning route is an uphill, there is a possibility that the heavier mobility may fail to start or may slip down on the uphill. The traveling order described above is set in view of the possibility.

[00281 Thus, when there is a plurality of the manned registered mobilities in the platoon, the platoon setting portion 14 disposes the registered mobility with a relatively small weight at a higher (upper) position on the sloping road where the damage risk is small. This prevents or minimizes the damage to the registered mobility with a small weight if a collision occurs in the platoon, thus preventing or minimizing the damage in the platoon as a whole. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a second sloping road rule. The second sloping road rule is applicable to setting of the traveling order of a plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities when the platoon includes the plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities.

[0029] Third Sloping Road Rule When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities that is identical in kind or type, namely, with the same weight, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a third sloping road rule.

[0030] In a case where there are, in the platoon, a first registered mobility of manned automated driving and a second registered mobility of manned manual driving, which is identical in kind to the first registered mobility, the platoon setting portion 14 sets, according to the third sloping road rule, the traveling order of the first and the second registered mobilities such that the second registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the first registered mobility of manned automated driving. The third sloping road rule is set based on an idea that manual driving ensures higher danger sensing ability and higher risk avoidance ability

41591823_1 than automated driving and makes it easier to avoid danger. According to the third sloping road rule, the registered mobility of manned manual driving is disposed at a backward position in the platoon where the rear-end collision is likely to occur, thus reducing the possibility of occurrence of the rear-end collision.

[00311 The platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order according to the third sloping road rule such that a manned automated driving pickup truck (or large-sized dump truck) is disposed ahead of a manned manual driving pickup truck (or large-sized dump truck). Thus, when there is, in the platoon, a plurality of registered mobilities that is identical in the characteristic information and the driving information except for distinction between manual driving and automated driving, the registered mobility of automated driving is disposed at a relatively frontward position in the platoon and the registered mobility of manual driving is disposed at a relatively backward position in the platoon. This prevents or minimizes the possibility of occurrence of the rear-end collision in the platoon. It is noted that the third sloping road rule specifies positions of the mobilities in the front-rear direction in the platoon and is applicable to roads other than the sloping road.

[0032] Example of Changing Traveling Order on Sloping Road Referring to Fig. 2, there will be explained an example in which there are, in the platoon, a manned automated driving pickup truck, a manned manual driving pickup truck, a manned manual driving large-sized dump truck, a manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, an unmanned automated driving pickup truck, and an unmanned automated driving large-sized dump truck.

[0033] In a case where the platooning route in this example is a sloping road, here, a downhill, the traveling order set by the platoon setting portion 14 is in the order of the unmanned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the unmanned automated driving pickup truck, the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the manned manual driving large-sized dump truck, the manned automated driving pickup truck, and the manned manual driving pickup truck, in a direction from a lower position to a higher position on the sloping road, namely, in a direction from the top to the end of the platoon in the travel direction.

[0034] When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platooning route, along which the platoon of the registered mobilities travels, is the sloping road, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order before the platooning route reaches the sloping road. The instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits, to one or more of the registered mobilities targeted for the change of the

41591823_1 travel order, a platoon instruction to instruct the one or more of the registered mobilities to change the traveling order in the platoon before the platooning route reaches the sloping road. That is, when it is detected by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platoon will travel on the sloping road in the near future, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order before the platoon reaches the sloping road and the instruction transmitter portion 15 instructs the one or more of the registered mobilities targeted for the change of the travel order to change the traveling order before reaching the sloping road. With this configuration, the traveling order is changed before the platoon reaches the sloping road, so that the registered mobilities can platoon in the traveling order suitable for the sloping road from the beginning of traveling on the sloping road. Further, overtaking traveling in changing the traveling order is performed before entering the sloping road, thus making it possible to safely change the traveling order.

[0035] In the example of Fig. 2, the details of the rules described above are set such that the priority of the rules descends in the order of the first sloping road rule, the second sloping road rule, and the third sloping road rule (i.e., the priority: the first sloping road rule > the second sloping road rule > the third sloping road rule). Each rule may be set otherwise. For instance, in a case where there is a plurality of the manned registered mobilities in the platoon, the third sloping road rule may be set such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located at a higher position on the sloping road (or located more backward in the travel direction) than the registered mobility of manned automated driving, irrespective of the weight. When this third sloping road rule is applied in combination with the second sloping road rule, it is necessary to determine which one of the two rules should have higher priority. The details of each rule, the priority for application of each rule, and whether or not each rule is applicable are suitably settable. Further, each rule is applicable to both a downhill and an uphill.

[00361 In a case where the platooning route is an uphill as illustrated in Fig. 3, the traveling order set by the platoon setting portion 14 is in the order of the manned automated driving pickup truck, the manned manual driving pickup truck, the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the manned manual driving large-sized dump truck, the unmanned automated driving pickup truck, and the unmanned automated driving large-sized dump truck, in a direction from a higher position toward a lower position on the sloping road, namely, in a direction from the top to the end of the platoon in the travel direction. In the example of Fig. 3, the manned manual driving pickup truck overtakes the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, so that

41591823_1 the traveling order is changed to the traveling order set by the platoon setting portion 14. In this case, the instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits, for instance, the platoon instruction (instruction to change the traveling order) to the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck and the manned manual driving pickup truck.

[00371 First Alert Rule The route condition detecting portion 13 determines whether the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value. When the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value, the condition of the platooning route may be a slippery or skiddy condition (hereinafter referred to as "skidding alert condition"). For instance, a road wetted with rain, a snowy road, an icy road or the like is slippery. The road surface frictional coefficient is calculated by the ECU 3 based on detection values of the wheel speed sensors provided for the registered mobility. The operation management system 1 receives information on the road surface frictional coefficient from the registered mobility that calculates the road surface frictional coefficient.

[00381 When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value, the platoon setting portion 14 sets, based on the driving information, the traveling order such that the manned registered mobility is located more backward in the travel direction than the unmanned registered mobility. When the platooning route is in the skidding alert condition, the possibility of occurrence of a rear-end collision is considered to be higher than usual. Further, in the rear-end collision, the damage risk is considered to be higher in the registered mobility that is rear-ended than the registered mobility that rear-ends. Based on this idea, the platoon setting portion 14 is configured to dispose, at a backward position in the travel direction where the damage risk is relatively small, the registered mobility having high priority for ensuring safety, namely, the manned registered mobility. The platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order such that the manned registered mobility is disposed more backward than the unmanned registered mobility. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a first alert rule.

[00391 Second Alert Rule When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered

41591823_1 mobilities or a plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion 14 sets, based on the characteristic information, the traveling order of the plurality of the manned registered mobilities or the plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities such that the smaller the weight of the registered mobility, the more backward the registered mobility is located in the travel direction. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a second alert rule. The second alert rule is set based on an idea that the smaller the weight of the mobility, the smaller the damage to a preceding mobility traveling ahead of the mobility with a smaller weight when the mobility with a smaller weight collides, from behind, with the preceding mobility. This prevents or minimizes the damage upon the rear-end collision.

[0040] Third Alert Rule When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities that is identical in kind or type (namely, with the same weight), the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving. This rule for setting the traveling order is referred to as a third alert rule. Like the third sloping road rule, the third alert rule is set based on an idea that manual driving ensures higher danger sensing ability and higher risk avoidance ability than automated driving. It is thus possible to prevent or minimize a possibility of occurrence of the rear-end collision.

[0041] Example of Changing Traveling Order in Skidding Alert Condition Referring to Fig. 4, there will be explained an example in which there are, in the platoon, the manned automated driving pickup truck, the manned manual driving pickup truck, the manned manual driving large-sized dump truck, the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the unmanned automated driving pickup truck, and the unmanned automated driving large-sized dump truck.

[0042] When the condition of the platooning route is the skidding alert condition in this example, the traveling order set by the platoon setting portion 14 is in the order of the unmanned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the unmanned automated driving pickup truck, the manned automated driving large-sized dump truck, the manned manual driving large-sized dump truck, the manned automated driving

41591823_1 pickup truck, and the manned manual driving pickup truck, in a direction from the top to the end of the platoon in the travel direction.

[00431 When it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the condition of the platooning route, along which the platoon is scheduled to travel, is the skidding alert condition, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order before the current condition of the platooning route becomes the skidding alert condition. The instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits the platoon instruction to change the traveling order in the platoon before the current condition of the platooning route becomes the skidding alert condition. That is, when it is detected by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platoon will travel, in the near future, along a route whose condition is the skidding alert condition (hereinafter referred to as "bad road" where appropriate), the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order before the platoon reaches the bad road and the instruction transmitter portion 15 instructs each registered mobility to change the traveling order before reaching the bad road. With this configuration, the traveling order is changed before the platoon reaches the bad road, and the registered mobilities can platoon in the traveling order suitable for traveling on the bad road from the beginning of traveling on the bad road. Further, overtaking traveling in changing the traveling order is performed before entering the bad road, thus making it possible to safely change the traveling order.

[0044] In the example of Fig. 4, the rules described above are set such that the priority of the rules descends in the order of the first alert rule, the second alert rule, and the third alert rule (i.e., the priority: the first alert rule > the second alert rule > the third alert rule). Each rule may be set otherwise. For instance, in a case where there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities, the third alert rule may be set such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving, irrespective of the weight. When this third rule is applied in combination with the second alert rule, it is necessary to determine which one of the second alert rule and the third alert rule should have higher priority. The details of each rule, the priority for application of each rule, and whether or not each rule is applicable are suitably settable.

[0045] There is set, in the operation management system 1, which rule or rules should be applied or whether a new rule should be applied when the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road and the skidding alert condition. In the present embodiment, when the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road and the skidding alert condition, the sloping road rule is applied. In the examples of Figs. 2 and 4, because the rules of the same details are set for the sloping road and the skidding

41591823_1 alert condition and the sloping road is a downhill, the traveling order is the same between the two conditions. If the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road and the skidding alert condition, one of the sloping road rule and the alert rule, which one has high priority, may be applied or a new rule or rules may be applied.

[00461 Changing Mobility-to-Mobility Distance The platoon setting portion 14 reduces the mobility-to-mobility distance to a value smaller than a set value in a normal condition (such as an initial value) in a situation in which a plurality of registered mobilities is required to arrive at a destination immediately such as a situation in which large-sized mobilities are required to travel in a dense state for urgent excavation or the like (i.e., an efficiency-oriented situation) or a situation in which a small-sized mobility with an occupant aboard is required to head for a site (i.e., in case of emergency). The platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order based on the alert rule, for instance, as well as changing the mobility-to-mobility distance.

[00471 In a case where the registered mobilities travel in a platoon with a reduced mobility-to-mobility distance, the rear-end collision is likely to occur due to the reduced mobility-to-mobility distance. (Here, the mobility-to-mobility distance is a distance between successive two of the registered mobilities in the platoon.) Thus, the platoon setting portion 14 changes the traveling order based on the alert rule in view of the damage risk. (See Fig. 4.) That is, the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order based on the first alert rule, the second alert rule, and the third alert rule to reduce the mobility-to-mobility distance, e.g., to uniformly reduce the mobility-to-mobility distances in the platoon constituted by three or more registered vehicles. With this configuration, it is possible not only to cope with the efficiency-oriented situation or the emergency situation but also to prevent or minimize damage in the event of the rear-end collision. It is noted that a rule for setting the traveling order in reducing the mobility-to-mobility distance may be separately set. For reducing the mobility-to-mobility distance, the platoon setting portion 14 may apply only the first alert rule, only the first alert rule and the second alert rule, or only the first alert rule and the third alert rule.

[00481 In a case where the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road and/or the bad road, the platoon setting portion 14 may increase the mobility-to-mobility distance so as to be greater than the value in the normal condition (such as the initial value) as well as setting and changing the traveling order. That is, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion 13 that the platooning

41591823_1 route is the sloping road and/or the bad road, the platoon setting portion 14 may increase the mobility-to-mobility distances uniformly. This enables the mobility-to-mobility distances to be adjusted depending upon situations, thus preventing or minimizing a risk of the rear-end collision more effectively. Each registered mobility changes the mobility-to-mobility distance based on the platoon instruction (instruction to change the mobility-to-mobility distance) received from the instruction transmitter portion 15.

[0049] Setting Protective Bubble The protective bubble setting portion 16 sets, for each registered mobility, a protective bubble having a predetermined region such that the protective bubbles of the respective registered mobilities are prohibited from overlapping each other. For instance, the protective bubble is set for each registered mobility in the form of a circle, a sphere, or a bubble, centered around the registered mobility. The protective bubble setting portion 16 sets a relatively large predetermined protective bubble for the large-sized dump truck and a relatively small predetermined protective bubble for the pickup truck.

[0050] The operation management system 1 and the ECU 3 of each registered mobility perform automated driving such that the protective bubble of own mobility and the protective bubble of other mobility do not overlap each other. When the protective bubbles of two registered mobilities overlap, the operation management system 1 stops both the two registered mobilities, for instance,. When the operation management system 1 detects overlapping of two protective bubbles of two registered mobilities based on protective-bubble setting information and the positional information, for instance, the operation management system 1 transmits a stop command to both the two registered mobilities whose protective bubbles overlap. The ECU 3 of each registered mobility that receives the stop command executes a stopping control based on the received stop command. When the protective bubbles of two registered mobilities are about to overlap (such as when the distance between the two registered mobilities becomes less than a predetermined value), the operation management system 1 may transmit, to at least one of the two registered mobilities, i) a warning or ii) a command regarding acceleration or deceleration (i.e., a speed) and/or a steering angle, so as to prevent the protective bubbles from overlapping.

[0051] When the platoon setting portion 14 changes the traveling order, the protective bubble setting portion 16 changes the protective bubble of each of the registered mobilities targeted for the change of the traveling order so as to make the

41591823_1 protective bubbles of the respective registered mobilities less likely to overlap each other in overtaking traveling. Specifically, as illustrated in Fig. 5, when a first registered mobility 91 traveling behind a second registered mobility 92 in the travel direction overtakes the second registered mobility 92 by passing the left side of the second registered mobility 92, the protective bubble setting portion 16 reduces the protective bubble of the first registered mobility 91 at a portion thereof located on the right side of the first registered mobility 91, in other words, the protective bubble setting portion 16 cuts a right-hand half portion of the protective bubble of the first registered mobility 91, and reduces the protective bubble of the second registered mobility 92 at a portion thereof located on the left side of the second registered mobility 92, in other words, the protective bubble setting portion 16 cuts a left-side half portion of the protective bubble of the second registered mobility 92. On the other hand, when the first registered mobility 91 traveling behind the second registered mobility 92 in the travel direction overtakes the second registered mobility 92 by passing the right side of the second registered mobility 92, the protective bubble setting portion 16 reduces the protective bubble of the first registered mobility 91 at a portion thereof located on the left side of the first registered mobility 91, in other words, the protective bubble setting portion 16 cuts a left-side half portion of the protective bubble of the first registered mobility 91, and reduces the protective bubble of the second registered mobility 92 at a portion thereof located on the right side of the second registered mobility 92, in other words, the protective bubble setting portion 16 cuts a right-side half portion of the protective bubble of the second registered mobility 92. This prevents overlapping of the protective bubbles when the first registered mobility 91 overtakes the second registered mobility 92, making it easy for the first registered mobility 91 to overtake the second registered mobility 92 and ensuring smooth change of the traveling order.

[0052] When the first registered mobility 91 overtakes the second registered mobility 92, the instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits, for instance, an indicated speed (indicated vehicle speed) or a command for decreasing an upper-limit speed (upper-limit vehicle speed) to the second registered mobility 92 and transmits, for instance, an overtaking permission signal or an overtaking instruction (such as an instruction to change the target trajectory) to the first registered mobility 91. TheECU 3 of each of the first registered mobility 91 and the second registered mobility 92 executes changing the traveling order based on the instructions from the operation management system 1. In a case where each ECU 3 is configured to recognize the protective bubble, the instruction transmitter portion 15 transmits, to each registered mobility, the changed protective bubble information. In a case where the registered

41591823_1 mobility of manual driving is included in the mobilities involved in an overtaking event, a driver of the registered mobility of manual driving that receives the instruction is notified of the details of the instruction. For instance, the details of the instruction are indicated on a display in the mobility. It is noted the shape and the size of the protective bubble are suitably settable.

[00531 Referring next to Fig. 6, there will be described one example of a flow of the process of changing the traveling order. The operation management system 1 obtains, from each registered mobility, various kinds of information (such as the identification information and the positional information of each registered mobility) via a communication network (Si). The operation management system 1 detects a plurality of registered mobilities that is scheduled to platoon or is currently platooning, based on the target travel route and the positional information of each registered mobility (S2). The operation management system 1 detects and determines the condition of the platooning route, along which the plurality of registered mobilities is scheduled to platoon or is currently platooning, based on the map data containing the road gradient information and the information received from each registered mobility, i.e., accumulated data (S3).

[0054] The operation management system 1 determines whether or not the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road or the bad road (i.e., the skidding alert condition) (S4). When the condition of the platooning route is the sloping road or the bad road (S4: Yes), the operation management system 1 changes setting of the traveling order in the platoon based on the preset rules corresponding to the route condition (S5). The operation management system 1 transmits information regarding the change of the traveling order to each of the registered mobilities that constitute the platoon (S6). The operation management system 1 changes the protective bubbles of the registered mobilities targeted for overtaking control (S7). Each of the registered mobilities that receives the instruction to change the protective bubble executes the overtaking control, as needed, at suitable timing after the protective bubble has been changed, to thereby execute changing the traveling order. The operation management system 1 executes the process described above at predetermined time intervals.

[0055] Modifications The present disclosure is not limited to the details of the embodiment illustrated above. For instance, the condition of the platooning route to be detected is not limited to the sloping road and the bad road but may include, for instance, bad weather (such as strong wind or heavy rain), an uneven road (such as a road surface

41591823_1 on which are formed ruts having protrusions with a predetermined height), or a road in open-pit mines (such as a road one-end side of which is a cliff). Whether the platooning route is an uneven road, etc., can be determined based on a comparison between an amount of change in the wheel speed detected by each wheel speed sensor of each registered mobility and a reference value, a comparison between a supply current to a steering motor in the steering system and a reference value, or estimation (calculation) based on the detection result of the surroundings monitoring device 4, for instance. The route condition detecting portion 13 detects a situation in which the traveling order or the mobility-to-mobility distance needs to be changed, and the platoon setting portion 14 sets the traveling order or the mobility-to-mobility distance based on the situation.

[00561 In a case where each registered mobility (e.g., each ECU 3) detects the road gradient based on the detection result of an acceleration sensor, etc., the operation management system 1 may obtain gradient information from each registered mobility and the route condition detecting portion 13 may determine, based on the obtained information, whether the platooning route is the sloping road. The route condition detecting portion 13 may determine, based on the gradient information previously obtained from the registered mobility, whether the platooning route along which the platoon is scheduled to travel, is the sloping road.

[00571 The positional information of the own mobility may be measured data of the global positioning system (GPS). Each registered mobility may be equipped with various sensors (such as a yaw rate sensor and an acceleration sensor) and may transmit, to the operation management system 1, the status information of the mobility based on the detection results of the sensors. The rules for setting the traveling order may be set in consideration of the magnitude of maximum deceleration of the registered mobility. The kind of the registered mobility is not limited to the pickup truck and the large-sized dump truck but may include a medium-sized truck, a small-sized passenger vehicle, etc. The route condition detecting portion 13 may obtain weather information from the registered mobility or via the Internet, for instance, and may determine the condition of the platooning route in consideration of the weather information.

[00581 The platoon setting portion 14 may store, for each of the conditions of the platooning route, a relationship between: the damage risk indicative of the extent of damage when a collision (rear-end collision) occurs in the platoon; and the position of the registered mobility in the platoon, i.e., a risk-position relationship. The platoon setting portion 14 may store, for instance, a risk-position relationship on the sloping

41591823_1 road and a risk-position relationship on the bad road. In this instance, it can be said that the platoon setting portion 14 includes positional relationship memory portion. The platoon setting portion 14 may store, for each of the conditions of the platooning route, the priority for ensuring safety with respect to the registered mobility that is set for each of combinations of the characteristic information and the driving information. The platoon setting portion 14 may store, for instance, priority information indicating that the priority for ensuring safety of the manned registered mobility is higher than the priority for ensuring safety of the unmanned registered mobility and the priority for ensuring safety of the pickup truck is higher than the priority for ensuring safety of the large-sized dump truck. In this instance, it can be said that the platoon setting portion 14 includes a priority memory portion. The platoon setting portion 14 may set at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance based on the information stored in the positional relationship memory portion and the information stored in the priority memory portion.

[0059] The operation management system 1 may be configured to set "the traveling order" or "the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance". In the present embodiment, the minimum number of the registered mobilities that constitute the platoon (i.e., the minimum number of the registered mobilities in the platoon) is two. The minimum number of the registered mobilities that constitute the platoon may be three or more. The initial values of the mobility-to-mobility distances may be uniformly a constant value or may be set based on the kind of two successive registered mobilities in the front-rear direction in the platoon.

[00601 Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and claims, the words "comprise", "comprising", and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

41591823 1

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An operation management system configured to be communicable with a plurality of registered mobilities including mobilities that differ in kind or type to control the plurality of registered mobilities, comprising: an information obtaining portion configured to obtain, based on information received from each of the registered mobilities, driving information of each of the registered mobilities including information on presence or absence of an occupant, characteristic information on the kind or the type of each of the registered mobilities, information on a target travel route of each of the registered mobilities, and positional information of each of the registered mobilities; a platooning detecting portion configured to detect two or more registered mobilities among the plurality of registered mobilities that are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning along an identical travel route, based on the target travel route and the positional information; a route condition detecting portion configured to detect a condition of a platooning route that is the travel route along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon or are currently platooning; a platoon setting portion configured to set at least one of a traveling order and a mobility-to-mobility distance in a platoon of the two or more registered mobilities detected by the platooning detecting portion, based on the driving information, the characteristic information, and information on the condition of the platooning route, the mobility-to-mobility distance being a distance between successive two registered mobilities in the platoon; and an instruction transmitter portion configured to transmit a platoon instruction that is based on a result of setting by the platoon setting portion to at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed to thereby control the at least one of the two or more registered mobilities.

2. The operation management system according to claim 1, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether or not the platooning route is a sloping road with a predetermined gradient or more, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more, the platoon setting portion sets the traveling order based on the driving information such that a manned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with an occupant aboard, is located higher on the sloping road than an unmanned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with no occupant aboard.

3. The operation management system according to claim 2, wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities or a plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion sets, based on the characteristic information, the traveling order of the plurality of the manned registered mobilities or the plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities such that the smaller a weight of the registered mobility, the higher the registered mobility is located on the sloping road.

4. The operation management system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the information obtaining portion is configured to obtain, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities that is identical in kind or type, the platoon setting portion sets the traveling order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in a travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving.

5. The operation management system according to claim 2, wherein the information obtaining portion is configured to obtain, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion sets the traveling order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in a travel direction than the registered mobility of automated driving.

6. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether or not the platooning route is a sloping road with a predetermined gradient or more, wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route, along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon, is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more, the platoon setting portion sets the traveling order before the platooning route reaches the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more, and wherein the instruction transmitter portion transmits the platoon instruction to the at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed, such that the traveling order in the platoon is changed before the platooning route reaches the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more.

7. The operation management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether a road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than a predetermined value, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value, the platoon setting portion sets, based on the driving information, the traveling order such that a manned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with an occupant aboard, is located more backward in a travel direction than an unmanned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with no occupant aboard.

8. The operation management system according to claim 7, wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities or a plurality of the unmanned mobilities, the platoon setting portion sets, based on the characteristic information, the traveling order of the plurality of the manned registered mobilities or the plurality of the unmanned mobilities such that the smaller a weight of the registered mobility, the more backward the registered mobility is located in the travel direction.

9. The operation management system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the information obtaining portion is configured to obtain, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities that is identical in kind or type, the platoon setting portion sets the travel order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving.

10. The operation management system according to claim 7, wherein the information obtaining portion is configured to obtain, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion sets the travel order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving.

11. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1 and 7-10, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether a road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than a predetermined value, wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route, along which the two or more registered mobilities are scheduled to platoon, is less than the predetermined value, the platoon setting portion sets the travel order before the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route becomes less than the predetermined value, and wherein the instruction transmitter portion transmits a platoon instruction such that the travel order in the platoon is changed before the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route becomes less than the predetermined value.

12. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1-11, further comprising a protective bubble setting portion configured to set, for each of the registered mobilities, a protective bubble having a predetermined region such that the protective bubbles of the respective registered mobilities are prohibited from overlapping each other, wherein, when a first registered mobility traveling behind a second registered mobility in the travel direction overtakes the second registered mobility by passing a left side of the second mobility, the protective bubble setting portion reduces the protective bubble of the first registered mobility at a portion of the protective bubble located on a right side of the first registered mobility and reduces the protective bubble of the second registered mobility at a portion of the protective bubble located on a left side of the second registered mobility, and wherein, when the first registered mobility overtakes the second registered mobility by passing a right side of the second registered mobility, the protective bubble setting portion reduces the protective bubble of the first registered mobility at a portion of the protective bubble located on a left side of first mobility and reduces the protective bubble of the second registered mobility at a portion of the protective bubble located on a right side of the second registered mobility.

13. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein, when the platoon setting portion reduces the mobility-to-mobility distance, the platoon setting portion sets, based on the driving information, the travel order such that a manned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with an occupant aboard, is located more backward in a travel direction than an unmanned registered mobility, which is the registered mobility with no occupant aboard.

14. The operation management system according to claim 13, wherein, when the platoon setting portion reduces the mobility-to-mobility distance and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities or a plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities, the platoon setting portion sets, based on the characteristic information, the travel order of the plurality of the manned registered mobilities or the plurality of the unmanned registered mobilities such that the smaller a weight of the registered mobility, the more backward the registered mobility is located in the travel direction.

15. The operation management system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the information obtaining portion obtains, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when the platoon setting portion reduces the mobility-to-mobility distance and there is, in the platoon, a plurality of the manned registered mobilities that is identical in kind or type, the platoon setting portion sets the travel order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of manned automated driving.

16. The operation management system according to claim 13, wherein the information obtaining portion is configured to obtain, as the driving information, information as to whether driving of each of the registered mobilities is automated driving or manual driving, and wherein, when the platoon setting portion reduces the mobility-to-mobility distance, the platoon setting portion sets the travel order such that the registered mobility of manned manual driving is located more backward in the travel direction than the registered mobility of the manned automated driving.

17. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the platoon is constituted by three or more registered mobilities, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether or not the platooning route is a sloping road with a predetermined gradient or more, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the platooning route is the sloping road with the predetermined gradient or more, the platoon setting portion uniformly increases the mobility-to-mobility distances in the platoon of the three or more registered mobilities.

18. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein the platoon is constituted by three or more registered mobilities, wherein the route condition detecting portion is configured to determine whether a road surface frictional coefficient of the platoon route is less than a predetermined value, and wherein, when it is determined by the route condition detecting portion that the road surface frictional coefficient of the platooning route is less than the predetermined value, the platoon setting portion uniformly increases the mobility-to-mobility distances in the platoon of the three or more registered mobilities.

19. The operational management system according to any one of claims 1-18, wherein when the detected two or more registered mobilities comprises a manned registered mobility and an unmanned registered mobility, wherein the manned registered mobility is a registered mobility with an occupant aboard and the unmanned registered mobility is a registered mobility with no occupant aboard, wherein the traveling order in the platoon of the two or more registered mobilities is set such that the manned registered mobility is located more backward in a travel direction than the unmanned registered mobility, or the manned registered mobility is located higher on a sloping road than the unmanned registered mobility, based on the detection result of the route condition detecting portion.

20. The operational management system according to any one of claims 1-19, wherein the platoon setting portion is further configured to: determine a safety priority associated with each of the two or more registered mobilities based on the information on presence or absence of an occupant; and determine the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance in the platoon based on the safety priority and the information on the condition of the platooning route.

21. The operational management system according to any one of claims 1-20, wherein the platoon setting portion is further configured to: determine a risk associated with each of the two or more registered mobilities based on the driving information, wherein the driving information comprises a driving status indicating one of manned automated driving, manned manual driving, and unmanned automated driving; and determine the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance in the platoon based on the risk.

22. The operational management system according to any one of claims 1-21, further comprising a protective bubble setting portion configured to: set a protective bubble for each of the detected two or more registered mobilities based on the characteristic information, each protective bubble having a predetermined region prohibited from overlapping; and in response to setting, by the platoon setting portion, the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance in the platoon, change the protective bubble of at least one of the two or more registered mobilities for which the at least one of the traveling order and the mobility-to-mobility distance is to be changed.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON&FERGUSON