Data correction device, data correction method, data correction procedure, and vehicle

Abstract

A data correction apparatus, a data correction method, a data correction program, and a vehicle are provided. The data correction apparatus for correcting data representing the positions of zoning lines contained in map data stored as divided into regions includes: a data acquisition unit (411) that acquires map data containing point sequence data representing the positions of a first zoning line in a first region and point sequence data representing the positions of a second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in a second region adjacent to the first region; a position correction unit (412) that corrects the point data when the positions represented by the point data at the ends of the boundary sides of the first and second zoning lines deviate from each other, so that the first and second zoning lines represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary; and a position data output unit (413) that outputs point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines containing the corrected point data representing positions near the boundary.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a data correction device, a data correction method, a data correction procedure, and a vehicle equipped with a data correction device. Background Technology

[0002] Previous studies have explored dividing map data into numerous regions and correcting the map data to ensure that the boundaries of adjacent regions of the map data do not deviate from the positions of corresponding roads (see Patent Documents 1-3).

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that when there are no nodes with consistent positions on the boundary of adjacent areas, the map data should be corrected so that the positions of nodes representing the boundary of the same road become equal.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-279437

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-179217

[0007] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-121311 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] This study investigated displaying the vehicle and its surrounding lane markings on an in-vehicle monitor, allowing the driver to monitor the vehicle's movement. In this scenario, to determine the shape of the lane markings around the vehicle, the study considered using the point sequence coordinate data of the lane markings contained in a high-precision map.

[0010] with high precision Figure 1 Generally, they are provided by dividing areas into certain ranges (e.g., several hundred square meters). Furthermore, at the boundaries of adjacent areas, the following situation exists: the positions represented by the point data at the ends near the boundary of the point sequence data representing the position of the same demarcation line are inconsistent, and there is a deviation in the direction of extension of the demarcation line and / or in the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the demarcation line.

[0011] When the positions represented by point data near the boundary deviate from the direction of the zoning line's extension, the zoning line appears discontinuous on the monitor, even though it is continuous on the actual road. Furthermore, when the positions represented by point data near the boundary deviate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the zoning line's extension, the zoning line appears to deviate laterally near the boundary of the area on the monitor, even though it extends continuously on the actual road. Thus, when discontinuities appear in the zoning lines on the monitor, the display of the zoning lines towards the monitor suffers from a decrease in image quality.

[0012] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this disclosure is to enable the zoning line to be displayed smoothly on the display even if the positions represented by point sequence data representing the positions of the same zoning line deviate at the boundaries between areas of map data.

[0013] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0014] The key points of this disclosure are as follows.

[0015] (1) A data correction apparatus for correcting data representing the positions of boundary lines contained in map data that has been stored as region divisions, the data correction apparatus comprising:

[0016] The data acquisition unit acquires point sequence data representing the position of a first zoning line in a first region, and map data representing the position of a second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in a second region adjacent to the first region.

[0017] A position correction unit corrects the point data representing positions near the boundary of at least one of the first and second zoning lines when the relative distance between the position represented by point data at the end of the boundary side of the first and second regions in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by point data at the end of the boundary side of the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum reference distance. This correction ensures that the first and second zoning lines represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary.

[0018] The location data output unit outputs point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, acquired by the data acquisition unit, and point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, corrected by the location correction unit, as data representing the positions of zoning lines including the first and second zoning lines.

[0019] (2) According to the data correction device described in (1) above, the position correction unit does not correct the point data representing the position of the demarcation line when the relative distance is greater than the maximum reference distance above the minimum reference distance.

[0020] (3) According to the data correction device described in (2) above, the maximum reference distance has a first distance in the direction of extension of the first or second zoning line towards the boundary, represented by point sequence data near the boundary, and a second distance in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction, wherein the first distance is longer than the second distance.

[0021] (4) According to any one of (1) to (3) above, the position correction unit moves the position represented by the point data located at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line to overlap with the position represented by the point data located at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line, and corrects the remaining point data representing the position near the boundary of the second zoning line so that the zoning line represented by these point data becomes smooth.

[0022] (5) A vehicle having any one of the data correction devices described in (1) to (4) above, the vehicle having:

[0023] A display, configured to enable visual recognition by occupants; and

[0024] The display unit causes the display to show an image containing a delimited icon.

[0025] The display unit displays the demarcation line icon based on the data output by the location data output unit.

[0026] (6) The vehicle described in (5) above,

[0027] It also includes an autonomous driving control unit that uses the map data to perform autonomous driving control of the vehicle.

[0028] The automatic driving control unit uses data representing the position of the zoning lines that has not been corrected by the position correction unit to perform automatic driving control of the vehicle.

[0029] (7) A data correction method for correcting data representing the location of zoning lines contained in map data that has been stored as regional divisions, the data correction method comprising:

[0030] Obtain map data containing point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line in the first region, and point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in the second region adjacent to the first region;

[0031] When the relative distance between the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side of the first region and the second region in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than a predetermined minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position near the boundary of at least one of the first and second zoning lines is corrected so that the first and second zoning lines represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary; and

[0032] Output point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, and the corrected point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, as data representing the positions of zoning lines containing the first and second zoning lines.

[0033] (8) A data correction procedure for correcting data representing the locations of zoning lines contained in map data that has been stored as regional divisions, the data correction procedure causing a computer to execute:

[0034] Obtain map data containing point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line in the first region, and point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in the second region adjacent to the first region;

[0035] When the relative distance between the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side of the first region and the second region in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than a predetermined minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position near the boundary of at least one of the first and second zoning lines is corrected so that the first and second zoning lines represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary; and

[0036] Output point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, and the corrected point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, as data representing the positions of zoning lines containing the first and second zoning lines.

[0037] The effects of the invention

[0038] According to this disclosure, even if the positions represented by point sequence data that represent the positions of the same demarcation line deviate at the boundaries between areas of map data, the demarcation line can still be displayed smoothly on the display. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control system according to an embodiment.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a hardware structure diagram of an ECU involved in an implementation method.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the ECU's processor.

[0042] Figure 4 This is an example diagram showing a portion of the screen displayed on a monitor.

[0043] Figure 5 It is a schematic map representing the positions of point sequences in adjacent regions A (region 1) and B (region 2), represented by the positions of the same demarcation line.

[0044] Figure 6 It means that by pair Figure 5 The diagram shows an example of a boundary line icon represented by a sequence of points indicating the position of the boundary lines.

[0045] Figure 7 It is a diagram representing the reference range.

[0046] Figure 8 It is a graph showing the correction made to the point data representing the position of the boundary lines.

[0047] Figure 9 It is a graph showing the correction made to the point data representing the position of the boundary lines.

[0048] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the position correction process performed by the position correction unit.

[0049] Label Explanation

[0050] 1. Vehicle Control System

[0051] 20 ECU

[0052] 21 Communication Interface

[0053] 22 Memory

[0054] 23 Processors

[0055] 30. Automated Driving Control Department

[0056] 31 Driving Planning Department

[0057] 32 Actuator Control Unit

[0058] 40 Display Control Unit

[0059] 41 Data Correction Department

[0060] 42. Location determination of surrounding vehicles

[0061] 43 Display Section

[0062] 100 vehicles

[0063] 411 Data Acquisition Department

[0064] 412 Position Correction Unit

[0065] 413 Position Data Output Unit Detailed Implementation

[0066] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for the same constituent elements.

[0067] <Vehicle Composition>

[0068] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle 100 equipped with a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment. The vehicle control system 1 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and performs various controls on the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the vehicle control system 1 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 100 and displays the vehicle 100's display. In this embodiment, the vehicle control system 1 includes an external camera 11, a distance sensor 12, a position sensor 13, a storage device 14, a display 15, a vehicle actuator 18, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 20.

[0069] However, the vehicle control system 1 may not necessarily have all of these components. For example, if the vehicle control system 1 has an external camera 11, it may not have a distance sensor 12.

[0070] The external camera 11, distance sensor 12, position sensor 13, storage device 14, display 15, vehicle actuator 18, and ECU 20 are connected to each other via an in-vehicle network 19 in a communicative manner. The in-vehicle network 19 is a network that conforms to standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network). In addition, the ECU 20 is connected to the vehicle actuator 18 via signal lines.

[0071] The exterior camera 11 is a device for capturing images of the area surrounding the vehicle. The exterior camera 11 has a two-dimensional detector (CCD, C-MOS, etc.) composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that images the area to be captured on the two-dimensional detector. In this embodiment, the exterior camera 11 is installed, for example, inside the vehicle 100, facing forward. The exterior camera 11 captures images of the area in front of the vehicle 100 at predetermined shooting intervals (e.g., 1 / 30 to 1 / 10 of a second), and generates an image reflecting that area. Whenever an image is generated, the exterior camera 11 outputs the generated image to the ECU 20 via the in-vehicle network 19. Furthermore, the exterior camera 11 can be either a monocular camera or a stereo camera. When a stereo camera is used as the exterior camera 11, the exterior camera 11 also functions as a distance sensor 12. Multiple exterior cameras with different shooting directions or focal lengths may also be provided in the vehicle 100.

[0072] The distance sensor 12 is a sensor that measures the distance to objects present around the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the distance sensor 12 can also measure the orientation of objects present around the vehicle 100. The distance sensor 12 is, for example, radar such as millimeter-wave radar, lidar (LiDAR), or sonar. In this embodiment, the distance sensor 12 measures the distance to objects present in front of the vehicle. The distance sensor 12 outputs the measured distance to surrounding objects to the ECU 20 via the in-vehicle network 19 at predetermined intervals.

[0073] Position sensor 13 is a sensor used to determine the self-position of vehicle 100. Position sensor 13 is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. The GNSS receiver receives signals with time information from multiple positioning satellites and determines the self-position of vehicle 100 based on the received signals. Position sensor 13 outputs the self-position information of vehicle 100 to ECU 20 via in-vehicle network 19 at predetermined intervals.

[0074] Storage device 14 may be, for example, a hard disk drive or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Storage device 14 stores map data. The map data is divided into numerous regions (e.g., areas of several hundred square meters) for storage. In this embodiment, the map data representing each region includes information on road markings (e.g., lane markings or stop lines) and information on lane center lines. Specifically, in the map data of this embodiment, lane markings and lane center lines are represented by point sequence data with coordinates at regular intervals. Storage device 14 reads map data according to a map data readout request from ECU 20 and sends the map data to the ECU via in-vehicle network 19.

[0075] Display 15 is a display device that displays information related to vehicle 100 and driving of vehicle 100, configured so that the occupants of vehicle 100 can visually recognize it. Specifically, in this embodiment, display 15 functions as a display device that displays boundary line icons corresponding to the boundary lines around vehicle 100 and vehicle icons corresponding to other vehicles around vehicle 100. Display 15 is, for example, a device that displays images on a screen such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. Alternatively, display 15 may also be a head-up display that projects images onto a transparent panel located in front of the driver, such as a window in front of vehicle 100. In any case, display 15 can be any type of display as long as it can display images. Display 15 is connected to ECU 20 via in-vehicle network 19. Display 15 receives display signals from ECU 20 and displays an image corresponding to the received display signals.

[0076] Vehicle actuator 18 is an actuator used to control the driving of vehicle 100. Specifically, vehicle actuator 18 includes, for example, a drive actuator and a brake actuator. The drive actuator controls the internal combustion engine or electric motor used to drive vehicle 100, and the brake actuator controls the brakes used to brake vehicle 100. Additionally, vehicle actuator 18 includes a steering actuator to control the steering of vehicle 100. Vehicle actuator 18 performs acceleration, braking, and steering of vehicle 100 according to control signals sent from ECU 20 via signal lines.

[0077] Figure 2 This is a hardware structure diagram of an ECU 20 according to an implementation method. The ECU 20 has a communication interface 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. Furthermore, the communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 can be separate circuits or integrated as a single integrated circuit. Additionally, in... Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the example shown, the vehicle control system 1 has one ECU 20, but it may also have multiple ECUs separated by function.

[0078] Communication interface 21 includes a communication interface circuit and a device interface circuit. The communication interface circuit is used to connect ECU 20 to the in-vehicle network 19. The device interface circuit is used to output control signals to the vehicle actuator 18.

[0079] During communication, whenever an image is received from the external camera 11, the received image is sent to the processor 23. Furthermore, whenever the communication interface 21 receives a distance measurement result from the ranging sensor 12 to objects around the vehicle, it sends this measurement result to the processor 23. Additionally, whenever the communication interface 21 receives a self-position measurement result from the position sensor 13, it sends this measurement result to the processor 23. The communication interface 21 also sends a high-precision map read from the storage device 14 to the processor 23. Moreover, whenever the communication interface 21 receives a display signal from the ECU 20, it sends the received display signal to the display 15. Furthermore, whenever the communication interface 21 receives a control signal for the vehicle actuator 18 from the ECU 20, it sends the received control signal to the vehicle actuator 18.

[0080] Memory 22 is a storage device for storing data. Memory 22 may be, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Memory 22 stores the programs executed by the processor 23 of ECU 20 for autonomous driving control processing, display control processing, and data correction processing (details will be described later). In addition, memory 22 stores images captured by the external camera 11, distance measurements to objects around the vehicle, self-position measurement results, and various data used in autonomous driving control processing, display control processing, and data correction processing.

[0081] The processor 23 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may also have other arithmetic circuits such as logic units or numerical operation units. The processor 23 performs various processes based on the computer program stored in the memory 22. Therefore, the processor 23 outputs control signals to the vehicle actuator 18 to control the vehicle actuator 18. In addition, the processor 23 outputs display signals to the display 15 to control the image displayed on the display 15. Specifically, in this embodiment, the processor 23 functions as a correction device, a display device, and an autonomous driving device. The correction device corrects the data representing the positions of boundary lines included in the map data; the display device displays the data to the display 15; and the autonomous driving device performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle 100.

[0082] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of processor 23 in ECU20. (Example) Figure 3 As shown, broadly speaking, processor 23 includes an automatic driving control unit 30 and a display control unit 40. The automatic driving control unit 30 uses map data, self-positioning information, etc., to perform automatic driving control of vehicle 100, while the display control unit 40 controls the display of images on display 15. The automatic driving control unit 30 includes a driving plan unit 31 and an actuator control unit 32. Furthermore, the display control unit 40 includes a data correction unit 41, a surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42, and a display unit 43. Further, the data correction unit 41 includes a data acquisition unit 411, a position correction unit 412, and a position data output unit 413. These functional blocks of processor 23 are, for example, functional modules implemented by a computer program running on processor 23. Alternatively, these functional blocks of processor 23 may also be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor.

[0083] <Autonomous Driving Control>

[0084] A brief explanation of the automatic driving control process performed by the automatic driving control unit 30 will be provided. As described above, the automatic driving control unit 30 includes a driving planning unit 31 and an actuator control unit 32.

[0085] Images generated by the external camera 11, distance information to surrounding objects measured by the distance sensor 12, information indicating the vehicle's own position measured by the position sensor 13, and map data stored in the storage device 14 are input to the driving planning unit 31. In particular, in this embodiment, map data that has not undergone correction by the data correction unit 41 (described later) is input. Therefore, the automatic driving control unit 30 uses data showing the position of the boundary lines that has not undergone correction by the position correction unit 412 (described later) to perform automatic driving control of the vehicle 100. That is, the automatic driving control unit 30 uses unprocessed, highly reliable data to perform automatic driving control of the vehicle 100. Based on this input information, the driving planning unit 31 outputs the required acceleration / deceleration and the required steering angle. Furthermore, a predetermined driving route to the destination set by the driver is input to the driving planning unit 31 from a navigation system (not shown).

[0086] More specifically, during the period when the vehicle 100 is under automatic driving control, the driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined trajectory (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined driving trajectory") for the vehicle 100 to travel within a predetermined interval from the current position of the vehicle 100 to a predetermined distance ahead (e.g., 500m to 1km). Furthermore, the driving planning unit 31 calculates the required acceleration / deceleration and required steering angle (control requirement values) for the vehicle 100 to travel along the predetermined driving trajectory. The predetermined driving trajectory is, for example, represented as a set of the positions of the vehicle 100 at various times while traveling within the predetermined interval.

[0087] The driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined driving trajectory along a predetermined route to the destination. For example, the driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined driving trajectory such that if there are no right-turn or left-turn points on the predetermined driving route within the nearest predetermined interval, the vehicle 100 will travel along its current lane. On the other hand, if there are right-turn or left-turn points on the predetermined driving route within the nearest predetermined interval, the driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined driving trajectory so that the vehicle 100 can turn right or left at those points. Furthermore, the driving planning unit 31 determines the vehicle 100's current lane and current position by comparing, for example, the terrain features shown in images of the vehicle 100 obtained from a camera installed on the vehicle 100 with the terrain features shown in map data.

[0088] Furthermore, the driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined driving trajectory to prevent the vehicle 100 from colliding with objects (such as other vehicles) in its vicinity. Therefore, the driving planning unit 31 acquires a series of images from the exterior camera 11 mounted on the vehicle 100 over a recent predetermined period. The driving planning unit 31 then inputs each image from the acquired series of images into a pre-learned recognizer to detect objects around the vehicle 100, thereby detecting one or more objects around the vehicle 100 based on each image. Alternatively, the driving planning unit 31 acquires a series of ranging signals from the ranging sensor 12 over a recent predetermined period. The driving planning unit 31 then inputs the acquired series of ranging signals into a pre-learned recognizer to detect objects around the vehicle 100, thereby detecting one or more objects around the vehicle 100 based on each ranging signal.

[0089] As such a recognizer, the driving plan unit 31 uses, for example, a so-called deep neural network (DNN) with a convolutional neural network (CNN) type architecture. For such a recognizer, a large number of images or ranging signals representing the objects to be detected are pre-learned using a learning method such as backpropagation of errors.

[0090] The driving planning unit 31 tracks each object by performing predetermined tracking processing on each object detected from each image or each ranging signal, and calculates the trajectory of each object within the most recent predetermined period. It then applies predetermined prediction processing to the calculated trajectory, thereby estimating a predicted trajectory that the object will likely travel. Furthermore, based on the predicted trajectories of the tracked objects, the driving planning unit 31 sets a predetermined driving trajectory for the vehicle 100, ensuring that the predicted distance between the tracked object and the vehicle 100 up to the previous predetermined time is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance for any object.

[0091] When setting a predetermined driving trajectory, the driving planning unit 31 calculates the required acceleration / deceleration and the required steering angle so that the vehicle 100 travels along the predetermined driving trajectory. For example, the driving planning unit 31 calculates the required acceleration / deceleration and the required steering angle of the vehicle 100 at predetermined intervals based on the predetermined driving trajectory, the current position of the vehicle 100, and the current speed of the vehicle 100 measured by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown). Whenever the required acceleration / deceleration and the required steering angle are calculated, the driving planning unit 31 sends the calculated required acceleration / deceleration and the required steering angle to the actuator control unit 32.

[0092] The actuator control unit 32 sends control signals to the vehicle actuator 18 so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, decelerates, and steers according to the required acceleration / deceleration and required steering angle. The required acceleration / deceleration and required steering angle calculated by the driving plan unit 31 are input to the actuator control unit 32. Furthermore, the actuator control unit 32 outputs control signals to the vehicle actuator 18 based on the input control requirement values.

[0093] For example, when it is required that the vehicle 100 accelerate, the actuator control unit 32 sends a control signal to the drive actuator to cause the vehicle 100 to accelerate at the required speed. Similarly, when it is required that the vehicle 100 decelerate, the actuator control unit 32 sends a control signal to the brake actuator to cause the vehicle 100 to decelerate at the required speed. Furthermore, when it is required that the vehicle 100 turn, the actuator control unit 32 sends a control signal to the steering actuator to cause the vehicle 100 to turn at the required steering angle.

[0094] <Display Control>

[0095] Next, the display control processing performed by the display control unit 40 will be described. The display control unit 40 performs display control of the image on the display 15 as described above.

[0096] Figure 4 This is an example diagram showing a portion of the display screen on monitor 15. Monitor 15 is equipped with... Figure 2The road condition display area 50 shown is used by the display control unit 40 to display road conditions schematically representing the road conditions primarily in front of the vehicle 100, particularly road conditions observed from the upper rear of the vehicle 100. For example, the display control unit 40 may cause the display 15 to show the vehicle's own icon 51, the lane marking icon 52 corresponding to the lane markings on the road the vehicle 100 is traveling on, and other vehicle icons 53 corresponding to other vehicles around the vehicle 100 as road conditions. Furthermore, the display control unit 40 may also cause the display 15 to display information other than road conditions (such as vehicle speed, outside temperature, current time, gear, coolant temperature, remaining fuel, various warnings, energy consumption display, etc.) in areas outside the road condition display area 50.

[0097] In this embodiment, the vehicle icon 51 is always displayed in the same position on the display 15. Specifically, in this embodiment, the vehicle icon 51 is displayed below the center of the road condition display area 50 on the display 15. The vehicle icon 51 is always displayed facing the same direction, particularly frontally, and is displayed with a different color and / or a different shape than the other vehicle icons 53. The lane marking icons 52 are displayed in the road condition display area in such a way that the relative positions of the vehicle icon 51 and the lane marking icons 52 correspond to the relative positions of the vehicle 100 and the lane markings on the road. Additionally, the other vehicle icons 53 are displayed in the road condition display area in such a way that the relative positions of the vehicle icon 51 and the other vehicle icons 53 correspond to the relative positions of the vehicle 100 and other vehicles on the road.

[0098] like Figure 3 As shown, the display control unit 40 includes a data correction unit 41 that corrects data indicating the position of the zoning lines, a surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42 that determines the position of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 100, and a display unit 43 that causes the display 15 to display an image containing the zoning line icon.

[0099] Information indicating the driver's own position, measured by the positioning sensor 13, map data stored in the storage device 14, and a predetermined driving route to the destination set by the driver are input to the data correction unit 41. After correcting a portion of the point sequence data indicating the positions of zoning lines contained in the map data that has been stored in multiple regions, as described later, the data correction unit 41 outputs the corrected point sequence data to the display unit 43. Alternatively, as described later, the data correction unit 41 directly outputs the point sequence data indicating the positions of zoning lines contained in the map data that has been stored in multiple regions to the display unit 43.

[0100] The image generated by the external camera 11 and the distance information to surrounding objects measured by the ranging sensor 12 are input to the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42. In this embodiment, the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42 determines the relative positions of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 100 relative to the vehicle 100 based on the input information. Furthermore, the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42 outputs the relative position information of each of the other vehicles relative to the vehicle 100 to the display unit 43.

[0101] Specifically, the surrounding vehicle location determination unit 42 detects other vehicles present around the vehicle 100 by inputting a series of time-series images and / or a series of time-series ranging signals into a pre-learned recognizer, similar to the driving planning unit 31 described above. Such a recognizer may, for example, use a CNN.

[0102] The point sequence data representing the position of the zoning line output from the data correction unit 41, the relative position information of other vehicles output from the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42, and the self-position information measured by the position sensor 13 are input to the display unit 43.

[0103] Display unit 43 outputs a display signal to display unit 15 so that its own vehicle icon 51 is always displayed in the same position. Furthermore, display unit 43 calculates the relative position of vehicle 100 to the zoning line based on its own position information and dot sequence data indicating the position of the zoning line. Display unit 43 also outputs a display signal to display unit 15 such that the zoning line icon 52 is displayed with the relative position of its own vehicle icon 51 corresponding to the calculated relative position of vehicle 100 to the zoning line. Additionally, display unit 43 outputs a display signal to display unit 15 such that other vehicle icons 53 are displayed with the relative position of its own vehicle icon 51 corresponding to the relative position determined by the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42. Therefore, display unit 43 displays the zoning line icon 52 based on the dot sequence data indicating the position of the zoning line output from data correction unit 41, and displays other vehicle icons 53 based on the relative positions of other vehicles determined by the surrounding vehicle position determination unit 42.

[0104] <Break and deviation of the boundary line icon>

[0105] As mentioned above, map data is stored, for example, by dividing it into large areas of hundreds of square meters. Furthermore, as mentioned above, in map data, boundary lines are represented by point sequences of coordinates at regular intervals. Therefore, at the boundary of adjacent areas, it is necessary to connect the point sequences representing the position of a boundary line in one area with the point sequences representing the position of the same boundary line in the other area. Essentially, the map data is created such that at such boundaries, the positions (coordinates) represented by the point data at the boundary end of the point sequence representing the position of a boundary line in one area coincide with the positions (coordinates) represented by the point data at the boundary end of the point sequence representing the position of the same boundary line in the other area.

[0106] However, in map data produced in this way, at the boundaries between regions, the positions represented by the point data at the ends of the boundary line in the point sequence data representing the positions of the same demarcation line may sometimes be offset (misaligned). This situation is represented as... Figure 5 .

[0107] Figure 5 This is a schematic map representing the positions of point sequences within adjacent regions A (region 1) and B (region 2), indicated by their positions relative to the same demarcation line. Figure 5 For ease of illustration, a dividing line separating region A and region B is shown in the image, but such dividing lines are not included in the actual map data. Figure 5 The example shown illustrates the case where zoning lines X and Y extend across the boundaries of regions A and B. Furthermore, in this specification, the region containing the current location of vehicle 100 is referred to as region A, and the region where vehicle 100 is scheduled to continue its journey from region A is referred to as region B.

[0108] like Figure 5 As shown, the map data related to region A includes point sequence data Xa1, Xa2, ... and Ya1, Ya2, ... of the zoning lines X and Y (the first zoning line) within region A. Similarly, the map data related to region B includes point sequence data Xb1, Xb2, ... and point sequence data Yb1, Yb2, ... of the zoning lines X and Y (the second zoning line) within region B.

[0109] Furthermore, in Figure 5In the example shown, the position represented by the point sequence data Xa1, Xa2, ... representing the position of the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Xa1, Xa2, ... representing the position of the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Xb1, Xb2, ... representing the position of the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Xb1, Xb2, ... representing the position of the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Xb1, Xb2, ... representing the position of the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Ya1, Ya2, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Ya1, Ya2, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yab1, Yb2, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Y ...1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb2, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1, ... representing the boundary-side end of the point sequence data Yb1, Yb1 Figure 5 In the example shown, the positions represented by the point data at the ends deviate from each other in the extension directions of the zoning lines X and Y, as well as in the directions perpendicular to the extension directions of the zoning lines X and Y.

[0110] Figure 6 It means as Figure 5 The diagram shows an example of a demarcation line icon represented by a sequence of point data indicating the X and Y positions of the demarcation line. Specifically, Figure 6 Region M is the region near the boundary of region A and region B. Furthermore, the zoning line icon 52X in the figure is displayed based on the point sequence data Xa1, Xa2, ... and Xb1, Xb2, ... representing the position of zoning line X, and the zoning line icon 52Y is displayed based on the point sequence data Ya1, Ya2, ... and Yb1, Yb2, ... representing the position of zoning line Y.

[0111] As from Figure 6 As can be seen, in region M, the dividing line icons 52X and 52Y are unnaturally interrupted in their extension directions. Furthermore, in region M, the dividing line icons 52X and 52Y are unnaturally deviated in the direction perpendicular to their extension directions. When the positions represented by the point data at the ends deviate from each other in both the extension direction and the direction perpendicular to it, unnatural interruptions and / or deviations occur in the dividing line icons 52, resulting in a decrease in the overall quality of the displayed dividing line icons.

[0112] <Data Correction for Administrative Division Lines>

[0113] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the positions of the point data representing the ends of the point sequence data indicating the positions of the same demarcation line at the boundary of adjacent regions deviate from each other, the data correction unit 41 corrects a portion of the point sequence data representing the positions of the demarcation line and outputs the corrected point sequence data. (Refer to...) Figure 3 as well as Figures 7-9The correction processing of point sequence data in the data correction unit 41 will be explained.

[0114] The data correction unit 41 includes a data acquisition unit 411, a position correction unit 412, and a position data output unit 413. The data acquisition unit 411 acquires map data containing point sequence data representing the position of the zoning line. When the zoning line extends across the boundary of an adjacent area, the position correction unit 412 corrects the point data representing the position of the zoning line near the boundary. The position data output unit 413 outputs both the uncorrected point sequence data and the corrected point data representing the position of the zoning line as point sequence data representing the position of the zoning line.

[0115] Information indicating the vehicle's own position as measured by the positioning sensor 13, map data stored in the storage device 14, and a predetermined driving route to the destination set by the driver are input to the data acquisition unit 411. Furthermore, based on the input information, the data acquisition unit 411 acquires point sequence data that represents the positions of the zoning lines of the road that the vehicle 100 is scheduled to travel from its current position to a predetermined distance ahead (e.g., 300 to 500 meters).

[0116] When the road from the current position of the vehicle 100 to a predetermined distance ahead falls within a certain area, the data acquisition unit 411 acquires point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines of the predetermined road to be traveled up to the predetermined distance ahead, from only the map data of that area. In this case, the point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines does not deviate, therefore, no correction is needed for the point sequence data. Therefore, the data acquisition unit 411 outputs the acquired point sequence data to the position data output unit 413, instead of outputting the acquired point sequence data to the position correction unit 412, which performs point data correction.

[0117] On the other hand, if the road from the current position of the vehicle 100 to a predetermined distance ahead does not fall within a single area, the data acquisition unit 411 acquires point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines of the planned route up to the predetermined distance ahead from map data of the area (area A) where the vehicle 100 is currently located and the adjacent area (area B) that the vehicle 100 is scheduled to enter next. That is, the data acquisition unit 411 acquires map data including point sequence data Xa1, Xa2, ... and Ya1, Ya2, ... representing the positions of zoning lines (first zoning lines) in area A (first area) and point sequence data Xb1, Xb2, ... and Yb1, Yb5, ... representing the positions of zoning lines (second zoning lines) corresponding to the aforementioned zoning lines (first zoning lines) in area A in area B (second area), which is adjacent to area A. In this case, as described above, the point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines at the boundaries between adjacent areas may deviate; therefore, depending on the situation, the point sequence data needs to be corrected. Therefore, the data acquisition unit 411 outputs the acquired point sequence data to the position correction unit 412, which performs point data correction.

[0118] The point sequence data of the boundary lines crossing the boundaries of regions A and B is input from the data acquisition unit 411 to the position correction unit 412. When such point sequence data is input, the position correction unit 412 first calculates the relative distance between the positions represented by the boundary-side point data Xa1, Ya1 of the point sequence data representing the positions of the boundary lines (first boundary lines) in region A (first region) and the positions represented by the boundary-side point data Xb1, Yb1 of the point sequence data representing the positions of the boundary lines (second boundary lines) in region B. Furthermore, if the calculated relative distance is within a predetermined reference range, the position correction unit 412 corrects a portion of the point data in these point sequence data. On the other hand, if the calculated relative distance is outside the reference range, the position correction unit 412 does not correct these point sequence data.

[0119] Figure 7 This is a diagram representing a reference range. The reference range DX represents the reference range for the position represented by point data Xa1. Therefore, the position correction unit 412 determines whether to correct the point data representing the zoning lines represented by these point data Xa1 and Xb1 based on whether the position represented by point data Xb1 is within the reference range DX. Additionally, the reference range DY represents the reference range for the position represented by point data Ya1. Therefore, the position correction unit 412 determines whether to correct the point data representing the zoning lines represented by these point data Ya1 and Yb1 based on whether the position represented by point data Yb1 is within the reference range DY.

[0120] As from Figure 7 As can be seen from the reference ranges DX and DY, the reference range is the range above a predetermined minimum reference distance dmin. The minimum reference distance dmin is, for example, the distance at which unnatural interruptions and / or deviations will not occur in the zoning line icon 52 if the positions represented by the point data at the ends of the boundary side are below this minimum reference distance. By making the reference range above the minimum reference distance, the computational load in the processor 23 can be reduced.

[0121] Furthermore, the reference range is the range from the minimum reference distance dmin to the maximum reference distance dmax. Specifically, in this embodiment, as from... Figure 7 As can be seen, the maximum reference distance dmax is the first maximum reference distance dmax1 in the region where the boundary line represented by the point sequence data near the boundary extends toward the boundary and is at a predetermined angle (less than 90 degrees) below the extension direction. The second maximum reference distance dmax2 is in the region where the extension direction is at or above the predetermined angle (including the region in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction). The first maximum reference distance dmax1 is longer than the second maximum reference distance dmax2.

[0122] Here, when the relative distance is large, the deviation between the positions represented by the point data at the ends may not be due to errors between map data of different regions, but rather to deviations and / or interruptions on the actual demarcation lines. In this embodiment, when the maximum reference distance dmax is large, as described above, no correction is performed on the point sequence data. Therefore, it is possible to suppress erroneous corrections even in cases where deviations and / or interruptions occur on the actual demarcation lines.

[0123] Furthermore, when zoning lines are represented by point sequence data, the positions represented by adjacent point data will separate along the extension direction of the zoning lines. Therefore, between map data of different regions, deviations in the extension direction of the zoning lines can easily occur at the positions represented by the point data at the ends. In this embodiment, by making the first maximum reference distance dmax1 in the extension direction of the zoning lines longer than the second maximum reference distance dmax2, the deviation in the extension direction of the zoning lines can be appropriately corrected.

[0124] If it is determined that the relative distance between the positions represented by the point data at the ends is within the reference range, the position correction unit 412 corrects the point data representing the position near the boundary of at least one of the zoning lines in region A or region B represented by the point sequence data, so that the zoning line in region A (first zoning line) and the zoning line in region B (second zoning line) are smoothly connected at the boundary.

[0125] Figure 8and Figure 9 This is a graph showing the corrections made to the point data indicating the positions of the boundary lines. Figure 8 and Figure 9 In the example shown, only five point data points Xb1~Xb5 and Yb1~Yb5 representing the positions of the demarcation lines X and Y in region B (e.g., point data located within 5~10m of the boundary) are corrected. Furthermore, when correcting the point data representing the positions of the demarcation lines, correction can be applied only to the point data representing the positions of the demarcation lines X and Y in region A (e.g., point data Xa1~Xa5 and Ya1~Ya5), or it can be applied to the point data representing the positions of the demarcation lines X and Y in both regions A and B (e.g., point data Xb1~Xb3, Yb1~Yb3, Xa1~Xa3, and Ya1~Ya3).

[0126] When correcting the point data, the position correction unit 412 first performs the following... Figure 8 As shown, the point data Xb1 and Yb1 are corrected so that the positions represented by the point data Xb1 and Yb1 at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines X and Y in region B are moved to overlap with the positions represented by the point data Xa1 and Ya1 at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines X in region A.

[0127] Next, the position correction unit 412 as follows Figure 9 As shown, the remaining point data Xb2-Xb5 and Yb2-Yb5 representing positions near the boundary in the point sequence data representing the positions of the demarcation lines X and Y within region B are corrected to make the demarcation lines represented by these points smoother. In this embodiment, the position correction unit 412 uses Hermitian curves to correct the remaining point data. Therefore, the curves represented by point data Xb1-Xb5 are set such that they extend from the position represented by point data Xb1 towards the position represented by point data Xa2, and from the position represented by point data Xb5 towards the position represented by the uncorrected point data Xa4. Similarly, the curves represented by point data Yb1 to Yb5 are configured such that they extend from the position represented by point data Yb1 towards the position represented by point data Ya2, and from the position represented by point data Yb5 towards the position represented by the uncorrected point data Ya4. Furthermore, the position correction unit 412 can use any correction method to correct the point data to make the demarcation lines smoother.

[0128] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the position correction process performed by the position correction unit 412. The process illustrated is executed whenever the predetermined travel distance ahead includes the boundary between areas of map data.

[0129] The position correction unit 412 first determines the point data Xa1, Ya1 representing the endpoint of a certain boundary line within region A, and the point data Xb1, Yb1 representing the starting point of a boundary line within region B corresponding to that boundary line (step S11). Next, the position correction unit 412 calculates the relative distance Δd between the position represented by the endpoint point data Xa1, Ya1 and the starting point point data Xb1, Yb1 (step S12). Then, the position correction unit 412 determines whether the relative distance Δd is greater than or equal to the minimum reference distance dmin (step S13). If, in step S13, the relative distance Δd is determined to be less than the minimum reference distance dmin, the position correction unit 412 does not perform any correction for any point data within the two regions (step S14).

[0130] If, in step S13, it is determined that the relative distance Δd is greater than or equal to the minimum reference distance dmin, the position correction unit 412 calculates the inner product Dt of vector V0 and vector V1 (step S15). Here, vector V0 is the vector from the position represented by point data Xa2 and Ya2, which represent the point preceding the endpoint of the aforementioned demarcation line in region A, to the position represented by data Xa1 and Ya1, which represent the endpoint of the demarcation line in region A (see reference). Figure 7 Additionally, vector V1 is the vector from the position represented by data Xa1 and Ya1, which indicate the endpoint of a certain demarcation line within region A, to the position represented by data Xb1 and Yb1, which indicate the starting point of the corresponding demarcation line within region B (see reference). Figure 7 ).

[0131] Next, the position correction unit 412 determines whether the relative distance Δd is less than or equal to the first maximum reference distance dmax1 and the inner product Dt is greater than the reference value Dtref, and whether the relative distance Δd is less than or equal to the second maximum reference distance dmax2 and the inner product Dt is less than or equal to the reference value Dtref (step S16). If none of the conditions in step S16 are met, the position correction unit 412 does not correct any point data in the two regions (step S14).

[0132] On the other hand, if any of the conditions is met in step S16, such as Figure 8As shown, the position correction unit 412 corrects the data Xb1 and Yb1 so that the positions represented by the point data Xb1 and Yb1, which represent the starting point in the region B of the demarcation line, overlap with the positions represented by the point data Xa1 and Ya1, which represent the ending point in the region A of the same demarcation line (step S17).

[0133] Next, as Figure 9 As shown, the position correction unit 412 corrects the point data Xb2~Xb5 and Yb2~Yb5, which represent positions within a predetermined distance from the starting point of the zoning line in region B, so that the zoning line represented by these points becomes smooth (step S18).

[0134] The position correction unit 412 outputs to the position data output unit 413 point sequence data containing the corrected point data, representing the positions of the zoning lines in region A and region B.

[0135] When the location data output unit 413 receives point sequence data directly from the data acquisition unit 411—that is, when it obtains point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines for a predetermined route up to a predetermined distance from a map data of a single area—it directly outputs the point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines within that area, acquired by the data acquisition unit 411, to the display unit 43 as data representing the positions of the zoning lines. On the other hand, when the location data output unit 413 receives point sequence data from the location correction unit 412, it outputs point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines outside the boundaries of areas A and B, acquired by the data acquisition unit 411, and point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines near the boundaries of areas A and B, corrected by the location correction unit, as point sequence data representing the positions of zoning lines. As described above, the display unit 43 generates a display signal for the display 15 based on the point sequence data representing the positions of the zoning lines output in this way.

[0136] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A data correction apparatus for correcting data representing the positions of boundary lines contained in map data that has been stored as regional divisions, the data correction apparatus comprising: The data acquisition unit acquires point sequence data representing the position of a first zoning line in a first region, and map data representing the position of a second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in a second region adjacent to the first region. A position correction unit corrects the point data representing positions near the boundary of at least one of the first and second zoning lines when the relative distance between the position represented by point data at the end of the boundary side of the first and second regions in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by point data at the end of the boundary side of the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum reference distance. This correction ensures that the first and second zoning lines represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary. The location data output unit outputs point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, acquired by the data acquisition unit, and point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, corrected by the location correction unit, as data representing the positions of zoning lines including the first and second zoning lines. When the relative distance is greater than the maximum reference distance above the minimum reference distance, the position correction unit does not correct the point data representing the position of the demarcation line.

2. The data correction device according to claim 1, The maximum reference distance has a first distance in the direction of extension of the first or second zoning line toward the boundary, represented by point sequence data near the boundary, and a second distance in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction, wherein the first distance is longer than the second distance.

3. The data correction device according to claim 1 or 2, The position correction unit moves the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line to overlap with the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line, and corrects the remaining point data representing the position near the boundary of the second zoning line so that the zoning line represented by these point data becomes smooth.

4. A vehicle having the data correction device according to claim 1 or 2, the vehicle having: A display, configured to enable visual recognition by occupants; and The display unit causes the display to show an image containing a delimited icon. The display unit displays the demarcation line icon based on the data output by the location data output unit.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, It also includes an autonomous driving control unit that uses the map data to perform autonomous driving control of the vehicle. The automatic driving control unit uses data representing the position of the zoning lines that has not been corrected by the position correction unit to perform automatic driving control of the vehicle.

6. A data correction method for correcting data representing the location of boundary lines contained in map data that has been stored as regional divisions, the data correction method comprising: Obtain map data containing point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line in the first region, and point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in the second region adjacent to the first region; When the relative distance between the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side of the first region and the second region in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than a predetermined minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position near the boundary of at least one of the first zoning line and the second zoning line is corrected so that the first zoning line and the second zoning line represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary; Output point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, and the corrected point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, as data representing the positions of zoning lines containing the first and second zoning lines; as well as When the relative distance is greater than the maximum reference distance above the minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position of the demarcation line is not corrected.

7. A computer program product comprising a data correction program that corrects data representing the location of boundary lines contained in map data that has been stored as zoned areas, the data correction program causing a computer to perform: Obtain map data containing point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line in the first region, and point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line corresponding to the first zoning line in the second region adjacent to the first region; When the relative distance between the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side of the first region and the second region in the point sequence data representing the position of the first zoning line and the position represented by the point data at the end of the boundary side in the point sequence data representing the position of the second zoning line is greater than a predetermined minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position near the boundary of at least one of the first zoning line and the second zoning line is corrected so that the first zoning line and the second zoning line represented by the point sequence data are smoothly connected at the boundary; Output point sequence data representing positions outside the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, and the corrected point data representing positions near the boundaries of the first and second zoning lines, as data representing the positions of zoning lines containing the first and second zoning lines; as well as When the relative distance is greater than the maximum reference distance above the minimum reference distance, the point data representing the position of the demarcation line is not corrected.

Images