Control apparatus of vehicle

1. A control apparatus of a leading vehicle comprising:

unable-to-drive vehicle recognizing means for recognizing an unable-to-drive vehicle of which a driver thereof has come into an unable-to-drive state where the driver is unable to drive the unable-to-drive vehicle;

lead running control means for performing a lead running control for making said unable-to-drive vehicle follow said leading vehicle;

joining point obtaining means for determining a joining point at which said leading vehicle is to join said unable-to-drive vehicle;

automatic joining driving means for autonomously and automatically driving said leading vehicle to the joining point such that the unable-to-drive vehicle joins thereto; and

final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position near a medical institution,

wherein said lead running control means controls said unable-to-drive vehicle to follow the leading vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising invalidating means for invalidating an operation system which is normally operable by the driver of said unable-to-drive vehicle.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said control apparatus promptly stops said unable-to-drive vehicle when the unable-to-drive state of the driver is detected or determined, and the joining point obtaining means obtains a stop position of said unable-to-drive vehicle as the joining point.

4. A control method for first and second vehicles, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting or determining, in said first vehicle, an unable-to-drive state of the driver of said first vehicle, the unable-to-drive state being a state where the driver is unable to drive said first vehicle;

b) sending outside notification from said first vehicle of the detection/determination result when it is detected or determined that the driver of the first vehicle has come into the unable-to-drive state;

c) recognizing, in said second vehicle, based on the notification sent in said step b) that the driver of said first vehicle has come into the unable-to-drive state;

d) obtaining, in said first vehicle, a joining point at which said first vehicle is to join said second vehicle;

e) obtaining, in said second vehicle, the joining point at which said second vehicle is to join said first vehicle;

f) performing, in said first and second vehicles, autonomous and automatic driving of said first and second vehicles to the joining point;

g) recognizing, in said first vehicle, said second vehicle at the joining point;

h) recognizing, in said second vehicle, said first vehicle at the joining point; and

i) performing, in said first vehicle, a follow-up running control for making said first vehicle automatically follow said second vehicle, and performing, in said second vehicle, a lead running control for leading said first vehicle to a final stop position near a medical institution.

5. The control method according to claim 4 , further comprising the step of invalidating an operation system which is normally operable by the driver of said first vehicle.

6. The control method according to claim 4 , further comprising the step of promptly stopping said first vehicle when the unable-to-drive state of the driver of said first vehicle is detected or determined, and a stop position of said first vehicle is determined as the joining point.