Travel assistance device, travel assistance system, and travel assistance method

1. A travel assistance device for assisting traveling of a subsequent vehicle traveling behind a vehicle group, the vehicle group comprising a plurality of vehicles forming and operating as a vehicle platoon, the travel assistance device being located in a last vehicle of the plurality of vehicles included in the vehicle group, the travel assistance device comprising:

processing circuitry to

acquire information indicating right-or-left turning vehicles that turn right or left at an intersection among the plurality of vehicles and information indicating deceleration timing of a forefront right-or-left turning vehicle, the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle being a first vehicle to turn right or left at the intersection from among the right-or-left turning vehicles; and

turn on a direction indicator of the last vehicle at the deceleration timing of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle.

2. The travel assistance device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating a right-or-left turning direction of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle, and

the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on the right-or-left turning direction of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle at the deceleration timing of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle.

3. The travel assistance device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating lighting-up timing of a direction indicator of each of the right-or-left turning vehicles except the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle and information indicating a right-or-left turning direction of each of the right-or-left turning vehicles except the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle, and

the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on the right-or-left turning direction of each of the right-or-left turning vehicles except the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle at the lighting-up timing of the direction indicator of each of the right-or-left turning vehicles except the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle.

4. The travel assistance device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating straight-going vehicles that go straight ahead at the intersection among the plurality of vehicles and information indicating right-or-left turning timing of a rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles, and

when the last vehicle is a straight-going vehicle, the processing circuitry turns off the direction indicator of the last vehicle at the right-or-left turning timing of the rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles.

5. The travel assistance device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information on a newly joining vehicle to join the vehicle group, and

when the newly joining vehicle is traveling behind the last vehicle and a distance between the last vehicle and the newly joining vehicle is a value smaller than a threshold, the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on a right-or-left turning direction of the last vehicle at the intersection.

6. The travel assistance device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating straight-going vehicles that go straight ahead at the intersection among the plurality of vehicles and information indicating right-or-left turning timing of a rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles, and

when the last vehicle is a straight-going vehicle, processing circuitry turns off the direction indicator of the last vehicle at the right-or-left turning timing of the rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles.

7. The travel assistance device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information on a newly joining vehicle to join the vehicle group, and

when the newly joining vehicle is traveling behind the last vehicle and a distance between the last vehicle and the newly joining vehicle is a value smaller than a threshold, the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on a right-or-left turning direction of the last vehicle at the intersection.

8. The travel assistance device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating a right-or-left turning direction of a rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles, and

the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on the right-or-left turning direction of the rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles at the deceleration timing of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles.

9. The travel assistance device according to claim 8 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information indicating straight-going vehicles that go straight ahead at the intersection among the vehicles and information indicating right-or-left turning timing of the rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles, and

when the last vehicle is a straight-going vehicle, the processing circuitry turns off the direction indicator of the last vehicle at the right-or-left turning timing of the rearmost right-or-left turning vehicle among the right-or-left turning vehicles.

10. The travel assistance device according to claim 8 ,

wherein the processing circuitry acquires information on a newly joining vehicle to join the vehicle group, and

when the newly joining vehicle is traveling behind the last vehicle and a distance between the last vehicle and the newly joining vehicle is a value smaller than a threshold, the processing circuitry turns on the direction indicator of the last vehicle depending on a right-or-left turning direction of the last vehicle at the intersection.

11. A travel assistance system for assisting traveling of a subsequent vehicle traveling behind a vehicle group, the vehicle group comprising a plurality of vehicles forming and operating as a vehicle platoon, the travel assistance system being at least partly located in a last vehicle of the plurality of vehicles included in the vehicle group, the travel assistance system comprising:

processing circuitry to

acquire information indicating right-or-left turning vehicles that turn right or left at an intersection among the plurality of vehicles and information indicating deceleration timing of a forefront right-or-left turning vehicle, the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle being a first vehicle to turn right or left at the intersection from among the right-or-left turning vehicles; and

turn on a direction indicator of the last vehicle at the deceleration timing of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle.

12. A travel assistance method for assisting traveling of a subsequent vehicle traveling behind a vehicle group, the vehicle group comprising a plurality of vehicles forming and operating as a vehicle platoon, the travel assistance method being performed in a last vehicle of the plurality of vehicles included in the vehicle group, the travel assistance method comprising:

acquiring, information indicating right-or-left turning vehicles that turn right or left at an intersection among the plurality of vehicles and information indicating deceleration timing of a forefront right-or-left turning vehicle, the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle being a first vehicle to turn right or left at the intersection from among the right-or-left turning vehicles; and

turning on, a direction indicator of the last vehicle at the deceleration timing of the forefront right-or-left turning vehicle.