Map generation device and map generation system

Abstract

The invention provides a map generation device and a map generation system. A generation unit (174) of a map generation device (60) has: a first generation unit that generates a map of a travel section on the basis of identification information identified by an identification unit (14), and records map information corresponding to a section determined to be completed by a determination unit (175) in a storage unit (12); the second generation unit generates a map for the section determined to be uncompleted on the basis of identification information for the section identified by the identification unit (14) during the next travel, and stores the map for the section determined to be uncompleted on the basis of the identification information for the section identified by the identification unit (14) during the next travel. The map information of the section is added and updated to the map information recorded in the storage unit (12) by the first generation unit, and the section information recorded in the storage unit (12) by the first generation unit is rewritten.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a map generating device and a map generating system for generating a map for estimating the position of a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] As such an apparatus, there is conventionally known an apparatus configured to create a map using feature points extracted from an image captured by a camera mounted on a traveling vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the prior art, the accuracy of map information is sometimes compromised, for example, when lanes other than the driving lane are blocked due to the influence of other driving vehicles, or when the number of lanes on the road is large and a map of the road cannot be created at one time.

[0004] Generating maps required for vehicle control can improve traffic convenience and safety by enabling vehicles to move smoothly, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-174910. Summary of the invention

[0008] A map generating device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a recognition unit for recognizing the surrounding environment of a traveling vehicle; a map generating unit for generating a map based on recognition information of the recognition unit; a position estimating unit for estimating the position of the vehicle on the map generated by the map generating unit; a determination unit for determining whether the map generated by the map generating unit is completed; and a storage unit for storing map information indicating the map generated by the map generating unit, wherein the map generating unit has a first generating unit and a second generating unit, wherein the first generating unit generates a map of a travel section based on recognition information recognized by the recognition unit, records map information corresponding to a section determined to be completed by the determination unit in the storage unit, and records section information indicating a section determined to be uncompleted by the determination unit together with the position information of the vehicle in the storage unit, wherein the second generating unit generates a map for the section determined to be uncompleted based on the recognition information of the section recognized by the recognition unit at the next travel, updates the map information recorded by the first generating unit in the storage unit by adding the map information of the section, and rewrites the section information recorded by the first generating unit in the storage unit.

[0009] A second aspect of a map generation system of the present invention comprises: a map generation device of the first aspect; and an external server configured to communicate with a vehicle, wherein identification information obtained from the vehicle and other vehicles and map information generated by the vehicle and other vehicles are stored on the external server, and information is provided to the vehicle and / or other vehicles using the stored identification information and / or map information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be further clarified through the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 This is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of a map generating device according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing an example of a camera image.

[0014] Figure 3B : is a figure which shows an example of the extracted feature points.

[0015] Figure 3C : is a figure which shows an example of the selected characteristic points.

[0016] Figure 4A This is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of a program executed by the controller.

[0017] Figure 4B This is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of a program executed by the controller.

[0018] Figure 4C This is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of a program executed by the controller.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a map generation system according to Modification 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] The map generation device of the embodiment of the invention can be applied to a vehicle with an automatic driving function, that is, an automatic driving vehicle. It should be noted that the vehicle to which the map generation device of the present embodiment is applied is sometimes distinguished from other vehicles and referred to as the present vehicle. The present vehicle can be any of an engine vehicle having an internal combustion engine (engine) as a driving source, an electric vehicle having a driving motor as a driving source, and a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a driving motor as driving sources. The present vehicle can be driven not only in an automatic driving mode without the need for the driver to perform driving operations, but also in a manual driving mode based on the driver's driving operations.

[0022] First, the schematic structure of the vehicle related to autonomous driving will be described. Figure 1 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a vehicle control system 100 of a vehicle having a map generating device according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle control system 100 mainly includes a controller 10 and an external sensor group 1, an internal sensor group 2, an input and output device 3, a positioning unit 4, a map database 5, a navigation device 6, a communication unit 7 and an actuator AC for driving, which are respectively connected to the controller 10 so as to be communicable therewith.

[0023] The external sensor group 1 is a general term for a plurality of sensors (external sensors) that detect external conditions as information about the surroundings of the vehicle. For example, the external sensor group 1 includes: a laser radar that measures the distance from the vehicle to surrounding obstacles by measuring scattered light generated by omnidirectional irradiation light relative to the vehicle, a radar that detects other vehicles or obstacles around the vehicle by irradiating electromagnetic waves and detecting reflected waves, and a camera mounted on the vehicle and having an imaging element (image sensor) such as a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) to capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle (front, rear, and sides).

[0024] The internal sensor group 2 is a general term for a plurality of sensors (internal sensors) for detecting the driving state of the vehicle. For example, the internal sensor group 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration in the front-rear direction and the acceleration in the left-right direction (lateral acceleration) of the vehicle, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the driving source, and a yaw rate sensor for detecting the angular velocity of the center of gravity of the vehicle around the vertical axis. Sensors for detecting the driver's driving operation in the manual driving mode, such as the operation of the accelerator pedal, the operation of the brake pedal, and the operation of the steering wheel, are also included in the internal sensor group 2.

[0025] The input / output device 3 is a general term for devices for the driver to input commands or output information to the driver. For example, the input / output device 3 includes various switches for the driver to input various commands by operating operating components, a microphone for the driver to input commands by voice, a display that provides information to the driver by displaying images, a speaker that provides information to the driver by sound, etc.

[0026] The positioning unit (GNSS unit) 4 has a positioning sensor that receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites. Positioning satellites are artificial satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and Quasi-Zenith Satellites. The positioning unit 4 measures the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the vehicle using the positioning information received by the positioning sensor.

[0027] The map database 5 is a device for storing general map information used in the navigation device 6, and includes, for example, a hard disk or a semiconductor element. The map information includes the location information of roads, the information of the road shape (curvature, etc.), and the location information of intersections or forks. It should be noted that the map information stored in the map database 5 is different from the high-precision map information stored in the storage unit 12 of the controller 10.

[0028] The navigation device 6 is a device that searches for a target path on the road leading to the destination input by the driver and guides the driver along the target path. The input of the destination and the guidance along the target path are performed via the input / output device 3. The target path is calculated based on the current position of the vehicle measured by the positioning unit 4 and the map information stored in the map database 5. The current position of the vehicle can also be measured using the detection value of the external sensor group 1, and the target path can also be calculated based on the current position and the high-precision map information stored in the storage unit 12.

[0029] The communication unit 7 communicates with various servers (not shown) via a network including a wireless communication network represented by the Internet, a mobile phone network, etc., and obtains map information, driving history information, traffic information, etc. from the server regularly or at any time. Not only can the driving history information be obtained, but the driving history information of the vehicle can also be sent to the server via the communication unit 7. The network includes not only a public wireless communication network, but also a closed communication network set up for each specified management area, such as a wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. The obtained map information is output to the map database 5 and the storage unit 12, and the map information is updated.

[0030] The actuator AC is a driving actuator for controlling the driving of the vehicle. When the driving source is an engine, the actuator AC includes a throttle actuator for adjusting the opening of the throttle valve of the engine (throttle opening). When the driving source is a driving motor, the driving motor is included in the actuator AC. The brake actuator that operates the braking device of the vehicle and the steering actuator that drives the steering device are also included in the actuator AC.

[0031] The controller 10 includes an electronic control unit (ECU). More specifically, the controller 10 includes a computer having a computing unit 11 such as a CPU (microprocessor), a storage unit 12 such as a ROM (read-only memory) and a RAM (random access memory), and other peripheral circuits not shown in the figure, such as an I / O interface. It should be noted that although multiple ECUs with different functions, such as an engine control ECU, a travel motor control ECU, and a brake device ECU, can be independently provided, for the sake of convenience, in Figure 1 , the controller 10 is shown as a collection of these ECUs.

[0032] The storage unit 12 stores high-precision detailed map information (referred to as high-precision map information). The high-precision map information includes road location information, road shape (curvature, etc.) information, road slope information, intersection or fork location information, types of road markings such as white lines or their location information, lane number information, lane width and location information of each lane (information on the center position of the lane, lane position boundary line), location information of landmarks (buildings, traffic lights, signs, etc.) as marks on the map, and road surface contour information such as the bumps and depressions of the road surface. In the embodiment, the center line, lane boundary line, lane outer line, etc. are collectively referred to as road markings.

[0033] The high-precision map information stored in the storage unit 12 includes map information obtained from outside the vehicle via the communication unit 7 (referred to as external map information) and a map produced by the vehicle itself using the detection values ​​of the external sensor group 1 or the detection values ​​of the external sensor group 1 and the internal sensor group 2 (referred to as internal map information).

[0034] External map information is information about a map (called a cloud map) obtained through a cloud server, for example, and internal map information is information about a map (called an environmental map) composed of three-dimensional point cloud data generated by mapping using technologies such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). External map information is shared by this vehicle and other vehicles, while internal map information is unique map information of this vehicle (for example, map information that this vehicle alone possesses). Environmental maps are created by the vehicle itself on roads that the vehicle has not traveled on, newly built roads, etc. It should be noted that internal map information can also be provided to server devices and other vehicles via the communication unit 7.

[0035] The storage unit 12 stores information such as the travel trajectory information of the host vehicle, various control programs, and threshold values ​​used in the programs, in addition to the high-precision map information described above.

[0036] The calculation unit 11 includes a vehicle position recognition unit 13 , an outside world recognition unit 14 , an action plan generation unit 15 , a travel control unit 16 , and a map generation unit 17 as functional components.

[0037] The vehicle position recognition unit 13 recognizes (may also be referred to as estimating) the position of the vehicle on the map (vehicle position) based on the vehicle position information obtained by the positioning unit 4 and the map information in the map database 5 .

[0038] The vehicle position can also be recognized (estimated) using the high-precision map information stored in the storage unit 12 and the surrounding information of the vehicle detected by the external sensor group 1 , thereby recognizing the vehicle position with high precision.

[0039] The movement information (moving direction, moving distance) of the vehicle is calculated based on the detection values ​​of the internal sensor group 2, thereby identifying the position of the vehicle. It should be noted that when the position of the vehicle can be measured using an external sensor installed on or beside the road, the position of the vehicle can also be identified by communicating with the sensor via the communication unit 7.

[0040] The external recognition unit 14 recognizes the external conditions around the vehicle based on the signals from the external sensor group 1 such as laser radar, radar, camera, etc. For example, the position, speed, acceleration of surrounding vehicles (front vehicles or rear vehicles) traveling around the vehicle, the position of surrounding vehicles parked or parked around the vehicle, and the position and status of other objects are recognized. Other objects include signs, traffic lights, road markings or stop lines, buildings, guardrails, telephone poles, signs, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. The status of other objects includes the color of the traffic light (red, green, yellow), the moving speed and direction of pedestrians or bicycles, etc. Part of the stationary objects among other objects constitute landmarks that serve as indicators of positions on the map, and the external recognition unit 14 also recognizes the position and category of the landmarks.

[0041] The action plan generation unit 15 generates a driving trajectory (target trajectory) of the vehicle from the current moment to a predetermined time based on, for example, the target path calculated by the navigation device 6, the high-precision map information stored in the storage unit 12, the vehicle position identified by the vehicle position recognition unit 13, and the external conditions identified by the external recognition unit 14. When there are multiple trajectories that are candidates for the target trajectory on the target path, the action plan generation unit 15 selects the best trajectory that complies with laws and regulations and meets the standards of efficient and safe driving, and uses the selected trajectory as the target trajectory. Then, the action plan generation unit 15 generates an action plan corresponding to the generated target trajectory. The action plan generation unit 15 generates various action plans corresponding to overtaking driving for overtaking a preceding vehicle, lane change driving for changing driving lanes, following driving for following a preceding vehicle, lane keeping driving for maintaining a lane so as not to leave the driving lane, decelerating driving or accelerating driving. When generating a target trajectory, the action plan generation unit 15 first determines the driving mode and generates the target trajectory based on the driving mode.

[0042] The driving control unit 16 controls each actuator AC in the automatic driving mode so that the vehicle travels along the target trajectory generated by the action plan generating unit 15. More specifically, the driving control unit 16 calculates the required driving force for obtaining the target acceleration per unit time calculated by the action plan generating unit 15, taking into account the driving resistance determined by the road slope, etc. in the automatic driving mode. And, for example, the actuator AC is feedback-controlled in such a way that the actual acceleration detected by the internal sensor group 2 becomes the target acceleration. That is, the actuator AC is controlled so that the vehicle travels at the target vehicle speed and target acceleration. It should be noted that in the manual driving mode, the driving control unit 16 controls each actuator AC according to the driving instructions (steering operation, etc.) from the driver obtained by the internal sensor group 2.

[0043] While driving in manual driving mode, the map generation unit 17 uses the detection values ​​detected by the external sensor group 1 to generate an environmental map of the surrounding area of ​​the road that the vehicle has traveled as internal map information. For example, from the multi-frame camera images obtained by the camera, the edges representing the outline of the object are extracted based on the brightness and color information of each pixel, and the feature points are extracted using the edge information. Feature points are, for example, the intersection of edges, corresponding to the corners of buildings, the corners of road signs, etc. The map generation unit 17 estimates the position and posture of the camera in a manner that the same feature point converges to one point between multiple frame camera images based on the algorithm of SLAM technology, and calculates the three-dimensional position of the feature point at the same time. By performing this calculation process on multiple feature points respectively, an environmental map consisting of three-dimensional point cloud data is generated.

[0044] It should be noted that, instead of a camera, data obtained by radar or lidar may be used to extract feature points of objects around the vehicle and generate an environment map.

[0045] In addition, when the map generation unit 17 generates an environmental map, when it is determined that important features on the map (such as road markings, traffic lights, signs, etc.) are included in the camera image through object detection such as template matching processing, the location information of the points corresponding to the feature points of the features based on the camera image are added to the environmental map and recorded in the storage unit 12.

[0046] The vehicle position recognition unit 13 performs the position recognition processing of the vehicle in parallel with the map making processing of the map generating unit 17. That is, the position of the vehicle is estimated based on the change in the position of the feature point over time. The map making processing and the position recognition (estimation) processing are performed simultaneously according to the algorithm of the SLAM technology. The map generating unit 17 can generate an environmental map not only when driving in a manual driving mode, but also when driving in an automatic driving mode. In the case where the environmental map has been generated and stored in the storage unit 12, the map generating unit 17 can also update the environmental map based on the feature points newly extracted from the newly acquired camera image (also referred to as new feature points).

[0047] However, the feature points used in generating an environmental map using SLAM technology need to be unique feature points that are easily distinguished from other feature points. In view of this, in actual vehicle control, information on features such as road markings needs to be included in the environmental map. In an embodiment, an environmental map containing information required for vehicle control is appropriately generated by configuring a map generating device that performs the following processes (1) to (4).

[0048] (1) Feature points used in generating the environment map are selected from the feature points extracted from the camera image, which are unique and can be easily distinguished from other feature points. This is because if the feature points are not unique, it is difficult to track the same feature points between multiple camera images. Therefore, on the one hand, it is preferred to select unique feature points based on edge information such as window frames of buildings, and on the other hand, avoid selecting feature points based on edge information of prescribed features such as road markings, signs, and signals, which are difficult to track the same feature points between multiple camera images.

[0049] (2) Adding information useful for identifying (estimating) the vehicle's position to the environment map. According to (1) above, since the environment map does not contain information such as road lines required for identifying the vehicle's position, the road lines and other information are then added (also called filled) to the environment map.

[0050] (3) When the environmental map is corrected, the information added in (2) above is re-appended. Generally speaking, in SLAM technology, since the position of the vehicle is identified while the vehicle is moving, errors are accumulated. For example, when the vehicle is traveling around a rectangular closed loop road, the positions of the starting point and the end point become inconsistent due to accumulated errors. Therefore, in the case where the position of the vehicle is identified as being on the past driving trajectory, a loop closure process is performed, in which the position of the vehicle identified using feature points (called new feature points) extracted from a newly acquired camera image at the same driving location as in the past and the position of the vehicle identified in the past using feature points extracted from a camera image acquired during past driving are made to have the same coordinates. In an embodiment, the loop closure process is referred to as correction of the environmental map, and the information of the three-dimensional position contained in the environmental map is corrected. At this time, the information added in (2) above is deleted and re-appended to the corrected environmental map.

[0051] (4) Completion judgment of the environmental map is performed. Specifically, it is checked whether the environmental map required for safe vehicle control has been generated. If it is judged that it is not completed, the section information of the driving section is first stored in the storage unit 12, and the map is generated based on the feature points extracted from the camera image newly acquired when driving in the same section during the next driving. If it is judged that it is completed, the environmental map can be used for the vehicle control for automatic driving in the driving section.

[0052] The four points (a) to (d) in the following examples are specific examples of determining that the environment map is incomplete.

[0053] (a) The identification information acquired while the vehicle is traveling is defective (also referred to as insufficient or inadequate).

[0054] (b) When the host vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode for completing the environment map, the traveling control unit 16 lowers the automatic driving level of the automatic driving mode to a level lower than the current level.

[0055] (c) When the vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode using the environment map, a signal indicating that the driver has intervened in the driving operation is input from the internal sensor group 2 .

[0056] (d) When the difference between the position of a new feature point obtained based on the position of a road line or the like captured in a newly acquired camera image and the position of a point corresponding to the feature point of the road line or the like recorded in an environment map generated during the previous travel exceeds a predetermined value.

[0057] In the embodiment, when at least one of the above (a) to (d) is met, it is determined that the environment map is incomplete, and the map is regenerated based on feature points extracted from camera images newly acquired when traveling in the same section during the next travel.

[0058] It should be noted that in the above (a), the situation where the identification information obtained during the driving of the vehicle is incomplete corresponds to the following situations, for example, the lane next to the driving lane is blocked due to the influence of other driving vehicles, resulting in the inability to produce a road map including lanes other than the driving lane (even if it can be produced, it is also incomplete as an environmental map); and the number of lanes on the road being traveled is large, and there are lanes outside the camera's field of view (the side of the road is not captured), resulting in the inability to produce a road map for the lanes not captured in the camera image (even if it can be produced, it is also incomplete as an environmental map).

[0059] The map generating device that performs the above-mentioned processes (1) to (4) will be described in further detail.

[0060] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing the main structure of the map generating device 60 according to the embodiment. The map generating device 60 is used to control the driving behavior of the host vehicle, and is composed of Figure 1 As part of the vehicle control system 100. Figure 2 As shown, the map generating device 60 has a controller 10, a camera 1a, a radar 1b, and a laser radar 1c.

[0061] Camera 1a Configuration Figure 1The camera 1a is a part of the external sensor group 1. The camera 1a can be either a single-lens camera or a stereo camera, and captures the surroundings of the vehicle. The camera 1a is, for example, installed at a predetermined position in front of the vehicle, and continuously captures the space in front of the vehicle at a predetermined frame rate, and sequentially outputs frame image data (referred to as camera images) as detection information to the controller 10.

[0062] Figure 3A 1 is a diagram showing an example of a frame of camera image acquired by camera 1a. Camera image IM includes another vehicle V1 traveling in front of the vehicle, another vehicle V2 traveling in the right lane of the vehicle, traffic lights SG around the vehicle, pedestrians PE, traffic signs TS1, TS2, buildings BL1, BL2, BL3 around the vehicle, lane outer lines OL, lane boundary lines SL, etc.

[0063] Figure 2 The radar 1b is mounted on the vehicle and detects other vehicles and obstacles around the vehicle by irradiating electromagnetic waves and detecting reflected waves. The radar 1b outputs the detection value (detection data) as detection information to the controller 10. The laser radar 1c is mounted on the vehicle and measures the scattered light generated by the omnidirectional irradiation light of the vehicle to detect the distance from the vehicle to the surrounding obstacles. The laser radar 1c outputs the detection value (detection data) as detection information to the controller 10.

[0064] The controller 10 includes a calculation unit 11 and a storage unit 12. The calculation unit 11 has an information acquisition unit 141, an extraction unit 171, a selection unit 172, a calculation unit 173, a generation unit 174, a determination unit 175, and a vehicle position recognition unit 13 as functional components.

[0065] The information acquisition unit 141 includes, for example, Figure 1 The extraction unit 171, the selection unit 172, the calculation unit 173, the generation unit 174 and the determination unit 175 are included in, for example, Figure 1 In the map generating unit 17.

[0066] Furthermore, the storage unit 12 includes a map storage unit 121 and a trajectory storage unit 122 .

[0067] The information acquisition unit 141 acquires information for controlling the driving action of the vehicle from the storage unit 12 (map storage unit 121). More specifically, the information acquisition unit 141 reads landmark information included in the environment map from the map storage unit 121, and further acquires information on the positions of road lines indicating the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the extending directions of these road lines (hereinafter referred to as road line information) from the landmark information.

[0068] It should be noted that, when the road line information does not include information indicating the extending direction of the road line, the information acquisition unit 141 may also calculate the extending direction of the road line based on the position of the road line. In addition, information indicating the position and extending direction of the road line on the road on which the vehicle is traveling may be acquired from the road map information stored in the map storage unit 121, the white line map (information indicating the position of white, yellow, etc. road lines), and the like.

[0069] The extraction unit 171 extracts the camera image IM (in Figure 3A The edge showing the outline of the object is extracted (as exemplified in FIG. 1 ), and the feature point is extracted using the edge information. As described above, the feature point is, for example, the intersection point of the edge. Figure 3B It is an example based on Figure 3A FIG. 1 is a diagram showing feature points of a camera image IM extracted by the extraction unit 171. Black circles in the diagram represent feature points.

[0070] The selection unit 172 selects feature points for calculating the three-dimensional position from the feature points extracted by the extraction unit 171. In the embodiment, feature points included in features other than predetermined features (e.g., road markings, traffic lights, traffic signs, etc.) are selected as unique feature points that are easily distinguished from other feature points. Figure 3C It is an example based on Figure 3B A diagram of feature points selected by the selection unit 172. Black circles in the diagram represent feature points. The illustrated predetermined features are only examples, and at least one may be excluded.

[0071] The calculation unit 173 estimates the position and posture of the camera 1a so that the same feature point converges to one point between the multiple frames of camera images IM, and calculates the three-dimensional position of the feature point. The calculation unit 173 calculates the three-dimensional positions of the multiple different feature points selected by the selection unit 172.

[0072] The generation unit 174 generates an environment map composed of three-dimensional point cloud data including information on each three-dimensional position, using the three-dimensional positions of the plurality of different feature points calculated by the calculation unit 173 .

[0073] The determination unit 175 determines whether the environment map generated by the generation unit 174 is complete. The determination unit 175 determines that the environment map is not complete if at least one of the above (a) to (d) is met, and determines that the environment map is complete if none of the above (a) to (d) is met. The determination process will be described in detail later.

[0074] In addition, the judgment unit 175 also has a function as a lane determination unit. When traveling in a driving section in which the environmental map is not judged to be completed (in other words, judged to be incomplete), the lane determination unit determines the driving lane traveled by the vehicle as the determined lane based on the position of the vehicle estimated by the vehicle position recognition unit 13 described later.

[0075] The vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the vehicle position on the environment map based on the environment map stored in the map storage unit 121 .

[0076] First, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. In detail, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 uses machine learning (DNN (Deep Neural Network) and other techniques) to recognize the road lines contained in the camera image IM newly acquired by the camera 1a. The vehicle position recognition unit 13 recognizes the position and extension direction of the road lines contained in the camera image IM on the environmental map based on the road line information obtained from the landmark information contained in the environmental map stored in the map storage unit 121. In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the road lines in the vehicle width direction (positional relationship on the environmental map) based on the position and extension direction of the road lines on the environmental map. In this way, the position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction on the environmental map is estimated.

[0077] Next, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the position of the vehicle in the traveling direction. Specifically, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the position of the vehicle in the traveling direction from the camera image IM ( Figure 3A ) identifies a landmark (e.g., building BL1), and identifies feature points on the landmark from the feature points extracted by the extraction unit 171. Furthermore, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the distance from the vehicle to the landmark in the direction of travel based on the position of the feature points of the landmark captured in the camera image IM. It should be noted that the distance from the vehicle to the landmark can also be calculated based on the detection values ​​of the radar 1b and the laser radar 1c.

[0078] The vehicle position recognition unit 13 searches for feature points corresponding to the landmark in the environment map stored in the map storage unit 121. In other words, it recognizes feature points matching the feature points of the landmark recognized from the newly acquired camera image IM from among the plurality of feature points (point cloud data) constituting the environment map.

[0079] Next, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 estimates the position of the vehicle in the traveling direction on the environment map based on the position of the feature point on the environment map corresponding to the feature point of the landmark and the distance from the vehicle to the landmark in the traveling direction.

[0080] As described above, the vehicle position recognition unit 13 recognizes the position of the vehicle on the environment map based on the estimated position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and the traveling direction on the environment map.

[0081] The map storage unit 121 stores information on the environment map generated by the generation unit 174 .

[0082] The trajectory storage unit 122 stores information indicating the travel trajectory of the vehicle. The travel trajectory indicates, for example, the position of the vehicle on the environment map recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 13 during travel.

[0083] <Description of Flowchart>

[0084] Reference Figure 4A , Figure 4B as well as Figure 4C A flowchart showing the process of Figure 2 An example of a process performed in the controller 10. Figure 4A The process before the environment map is created is shown, and is started in the manual driving mode, for example, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle. Figure 4B and Figure 4C Shown with Figure 4A The map production process is performed in parallel. In addition, Figure 4B and Figure 4C After the environment map is created, the automatic driving mode is started, for example, and the process is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

[0085] exist Figure 4A In step S10 , the controller 10 obtains the camera image IM as detection information from the camera 1 a and proceeds to step S20 .

[0086] In step S20 , the controller 10 extracts feature points from the camera image IM through the extraction unit 171 and proceeds to step S30 .

[0087] In step S30, the controller 10 selects a feature point through the selection unit 172 and proceeds to step S40. As described above, by selecting feature points included in features other than road markings, traffic lights, and traffic signs, unique feature points that are easily distinguishable from other feature points can be selected.

[0088] In step S40 , the controller 10 calculates the three-dimensional positions of a plurality of different feature points respectively through the calculation unit 173 , and then proceeds to step S50 .

[0089] In step S50 , the controller 10 generates an environment map composed of three-dimensional point cloud data including information on the three-dimensional positions of a plurality of different feature points through the generation unit 174 , and proceeds to step S60 .

[0090] In step S60, the controller 10 obtains the position information of the feature points extracted in step S20 that are not selected in step S30, in other words, obtains the position information (the distance from the vehicle to the feature) of the above-mentioned specified feature (road marking, signal, traffic sign, etc.), and proceeds to step S70. The position information is obtained by estimating the distance from the vehicle to the feature based on the position of the feature point of the feature captured in the camera image IM. It should be noted that the distance from the vehicle to the feature can also be obtained based on the detection value of the radar 1b or the laser radar 1c.

[0091] In step S70, the controller 10 adds information of points corresponding to the feature points of the above-mentioned features to the point cloud data of the environment map, and proceeds to step S80. Due to such a configuration, information of features such as road markings is filled into the environment map. By adding information of road markings, signal lights, and traffic signs to the environment map, information of the positions of road markings, signal lights, and traffic signs seen from the position of the vehicle estimated based on the information of the environment map can be provided to the vehicle based on the information of the environment map.

[0092] In step S80 , when the controller 10 recognizes that the position where the host vehicle is traveling is located on the past travel trajectory, the controller 10 corrects the three-dimensional position information included in the environment map through the above-mentioned loop closure processing, and proceeds to step S90 .

[0093] In step S90, the controller 10 determines whether there is an obstruction. Figure 3A When there is a lane that is blocked by other vehicles V2 and is not captured in the camera image IM, such as the right lane in FIG. 1 , the controller 10 determines that step S90 is positive (S90: Yes) and proceeds to step S100. In the case where there is a lane that is not captured in the camera image IM, since an environmental map of the road including the lane cannot be created, the controller 10 proceeds to step S100 so that the controller 10 leaves information indicating that there is blocking. On the other hand, in the case where there is no lane that is blocked by other vehicles and is not captured in the camera image IM (in other words, all lanes in the same direction are captured in the camera image IM), the controller 10 determines that step S90 is negative (S90: No) and proceeds to step S110.

[0094] In step S100 , the controller 10 records the section information indicating the section where the shielding is detected during the travel of the host vehicle in the storage unit 12 , and proceeds to step S110 . The section information includes the position information indicating the position of the host vehicle estimated by the host vehicle position recognition unit 13 .

[0095] In step S110, the controller 10 will Figure 4AThe map information of the environment map produced in the process is recorded in the map storage unit 121 of the storage unit 12, and the process ends. Figure 4A processing.

[0096] exist Figure 4B In step S201, the controller 10 determines whether there is interval information. If the above-mentioned interval information is stored in the storage unit 12, the controller 10 determines that step S201 is affirmative (S201: Yes) and proceeds to step S202. If the interval information is not stored, the controller 10 determines that step S201 is negative (S201: No) and proceeds to step S210.

[0097] In step S202, the controller 10 outputs information of the determined lane (hereinafter referred to as determined lane information) to an external device, and proceeds to step S210. The determined lane is the driving lane that the host vehicle has driven in the driving section determined as an incomplete environment map as described above.

[0098] In step S210 , the controller 10 obtains a camera image IM as detection information from the camera 1 a , and proceeds to step S220 .

[0099] In step S220, the controller 10 extracts new feature points from the camera image IM through the extraction unit 171, and then proceeds to step S230. Figure 4B The feature points extracted by the processing are Figure 4A In the case where the feature points extracted during the processing are points on the same object, they are also called new feature points.

[0100] In step S230, the controller 10 selects new feature points through the selection unit 172 and proceeds to step S240. In step S230, new feature points based on edge information of specified features (road markings, signs, and signals, etc.) and new feature points based on edge information of buildings, etc., which are not specified features, are selected.

[0101] In step S240 , the controller 10 recognizes (estimates) the vehicle position based on the environment map by the vehicle position recognition unit 13 , and the process proceeds to step S250 .

[0102] In step S250, the controller 10 calculates the position difference and enters Figure 4CStep S260. The position difference is the difference between the position of the new feature point of the specified feature selected in step S230 and the position of the point corresponding to the feature point of the specified feature added to the environment map in step S70. The position information of the new feature point of the specified feature is obtained by, for example, estimating the distance from the vehicle to the road line etc. based on the position of the road line etc. captured in the camera image IM. It should be noted that the distance from the vehicle to the road line etc. can also be obtained based on the detection value of the radar 1b or the laser radar 1c.

[0103] exist Figure 4C In step S260, the controller 10 determines whether the position difference is within a predetermined value. If the position difference is within a predetermined allowable value, the controller 10 determines that step S260 is positive (S260: Yes) and proceeds to step S280. Figure 4B The situation where the environment map reaches the level required for vehicle control under autonomous driving by processing the position difference in the area traveled.

[0104] On the other hand, if the position difference exceeds the prescribed value, the controller 10 determines that step S260 is negative (S260: No), and proceeds to step S270. Figure 4B The situation where the position difference in the area traveled during the processing is not enough and the environment map does not reach the level required for vehicle control under autonomous driving.

[0105] In step S270 , the controller 10 deletes the information added to the environment map in step S70 , and re-adds the position information of the new feature point of the predetermined feature selected in step S230 to the environment map, and proceeds to step S340 .

[0106] In step S280, the controller 10 determines whether there is no obstruction. Figure 4A In the case where the determination in step S90 is negative (in other words, Figure 4A In the case where the storage unit 12 does not record the interval information during the processing of ), the determination step S280 is affirmative (S280: Yes), and the process proceeds to step S290. On the other hand, in the case where the determination step S90 is affirmative (S90: Yes) (in other words, in Figure 4A In the case where the section information is recorded in the storage unit 12 during the processing), step S280 is determined to be negative (S280: No), and the process proceeds to step S340.

[0107] In step S290, the controller 10 determines whether there is no unfinished lane. Figure 4A and Figure 4BIf all lanes of the road on which the vehicle is traveling are captured in the camera image IM obtained in the process of , the determination in step S290 is affirmative (S290: Yes), and the process proceeds to step S300. Figure 4A and Figure 4B When there is a driving lane that is not captured in the camera image IM obtained during the processing, the determination in step S290 is negative (S290: No), and the process proceeds to step S340.

[0108] In step S300, the controller 10 determines whether there is no reduction in the automatic driving level. When the vehicle is driving in the automatic driving mode for determining the completion of the environment map, if the driving control unit 16 does not reduce the automatic driving level of the automatic driving mode to a level lower than the current level, the controller 10 determines that step S300 is affirmative (S300: Yes) and proceeds to step S310. On the other hand, if the driving control unit 16 reduces the automatic driving level of the automatic driving mode to a level lower than the current level, the controller 10 determines that step S300 is negative and proceeds to step S340.

[0109] In step S310, the controller 10 determines whether there is no intervention of the driving operation. When the controller 10 is driving in the automatic driving mode using the environmental map, if the internal sensor group 2 does not input a signal indicating that the driver has intervened in the driving operation, the controller 10 determines that step S310 is affirmative (S310: Yes) and proceeds to step S320. On the other hand, when the controller 10 is driving in the automatic driving mode using the environmental map, if the internal sensor group 2 inputs a signal indicating that the driver has intervened in the driving operation, the controller 10 determines that step S310 is negative (S310: No) and proceeds to step S340.

[0110] In step S320, the controller 10 rewrites the section information stored in the storage unit 12 during the previous driving to the latest information, and proceeds to step S330. In the embodiment, by determining that all of step S260 and steps S280 to S310 are affirmative, it is determined that the environmental map is completed. The section information stored in the storage unit 12 is rewritten to delete the old section information indicating the reason why the environmental map was determined to be incomplete in the past.

[0111] In step S330, the controller 10 passes Figure 4B The information of the environment map generated by the processing is recorded in the map storage unit 121 of the storage unit 12, and the process ends. Figure 4C processing.

[0112] In step S340, the controller 10 indicates that Figure 4B and Figure 4CThe section information of the section where the shielding is detected, the section where the existence of the unfinished lane is detected, the section where the automatic driving level is reduced, and the section where the driver intervenes in the driving operation is recorded or rewritten in the storage unit 12, and the process proceeds to step S330. As described above, it is assumed that the section information includes the position information indicating the position of the host vehicle estimated by the host vehicle position recognition unit 13.

[0113] In the embodiment, when it cannot be determined that all of step S260 and steps S280 to S310 are affirmative (when any one of them is determined to be negative), it is determined that the environment map is not completed (not completed). The recording of the section information in the storage unit 12 and / or the rewriting of the section information stored in the storage unit 12 is to re-record the old section information indicating the reason why the environment map was determined to be incomplete in the past as the latest information.

[0114] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0115] (1) The map generating device 60 includes: a camera 1a for detecting the external conditions of the traveling vehicle; a recognition unit (external environment recognition unit 14) for recognizing the surrounding environment based on the camera image IM of the camera 1a; a generating unit 174 for generating a map (environmental map) based on the recognition information of the recognition unit; a vehicle position recognition unit 13, which, as a position estimation unit, estimates the position of the vehicle on the map generated by the generating unit 174; a determination unit 175 for determining whether the map generated by the generating unit 174 is complete; and a storage unit 12 for storing map information showing the map generated by the generating unit 174, wherein the generating unit 174 includes a first generating unit 174A and a second generating unit 174B, wherein the first generating unit 174A and the second generating unit 174B are respectively 74A generates a map of the driving range based on the camera image IM recognized by the camera 1a, records the map information corresponding to the range determined as completed by the determination unit 175 in the storage unit 12, and records the range information showing the range determined as uncompleted by the determination unit 175 and the position information of the vehicle in the storage unit 12. The second generation unit 174B generates a map for the range determined as uncompleted based on the camera image IM of the range recognized by the camera 1a during the next driving, and adds the map information of the range to the map information recorded in the storage unit 12 by the first generation unit 174A for updating, and rewrites the range information recorded in the storage unit 12 by the first generation unit 174A.

[0116] Because of this configuration, when it is determined that the environmental map required for safe vehicle control has not been generated (not completed), the section information of the driving section can be stored in the storage unit 12, and the map newly generated during driving in the same section can be added to supplement it during the next driving. As a result, compared with the case of newly generating an environmental map for a large driving section, the driving distance and the number of driving times can be suppressed, and the environmental map can be completed as soon as possible. That is, the environmental map required for safe vehicle control can be appropriately generated.

[0117] (2) The map generating device 60 of (1) above further includes a controller 10, which receives information indicating that the automatic driving level is reduced or that the driver of the vehicle is involved in the driving operation from a driving control unit 16 as a control unit as an input unit, and the driving control unit 16 performs automatic driving control for automatically controlling at least acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle using the map information recorded in the storage unit 12. When the information is input from the driving control unit 16 to the controller 10 during the execution of the automatic driving control, the determination unit 175 determines that the automatic driving control is not completed.

[0118] With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the environment map required for safe vehicle control has been completed.

[0119] (3) In the map generating device 60 of (1) or (2) above, the determination unit 175 determines that the process is incomplete when the camera image IM recognized by the camera 1a contains insufficient information about adjacent driving lanes of the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling or insufficient information about features on the road in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0120] Because of this structure, when a newly generated environmental map is used in autonomous driving control, situations involving a high possibility of reduced control (for example, a state where occlusion occurs, or a part of the lane of the road being traveled is out of the field of view of camera 1a) can be judged as incomplete, and it can be properly determined whether the environmental map required for safe vehicle control has been completed.

[0121] (4) In the map generating device 60 of (1) to (3) above, the determining unit 175 includes a lane determining unit, which determines the driving lane in which the vehicle has traveled as the determined lane based on the position of the vehicle estimated by the vehicle position recognition unit 13 in the section determined to be incomplete.

[0122] With this configuration, when the environment map cannot be completed due to, for example, occlusion, the lane in which the host vehicle has traveled can be determined in advance, and thus the information on the determined lane can be used when the host vehicle travels next time.

[0123] As an example, when the vehicle approaches within a certain distance from the interval indicated by the interval information recorded in the storage unit 12 during the next trip, information about the determined lane (determined lane information) is output, thereby requiring the driver of the vehicle to drive in the determined lane or a driving lane different from the determined lane. In this case, when the environmental map is not completed due to the obstruction of other vehicles, the information (display information, sound information, etc.) requiring driving in the determined lane is included in the determined lane information. On the other hand, when the environmental map is not completed due to the obstruction of objects or the existence of a lane that is out of the field of view of the camera, the information requiring driving in the determined lane is included in the determined lane information. In addition, information prompting the driver to drive next time on a week or time different from the week or time when the driver drove in the determined lane can be included in the determined lane information and output before the next trip starts.

[0124] As a result, if occlusion can be avoided during the next travel, the environment map can be completed earlier than when occlusion occurs in the same section during the next travel.

[0125] (5) In the map generation device 60 of (4) above, the determination unit 175 as the lane determination unit further determines which of the determined lane and the driving lane adjacent to the determined lane the driving lane at the next time of driving corresponds to, based on the camera image IM recognized by the camera 1a in the section determined as uncompleted by the determination unit 175. The second generation unit (generation unit 174) generates a map of only the determined lane based on the determination result of the determination unit 175 as the lane determination unit. More specifically, when it is determined that the driving lane at the next time of driving corresponds to the determined lane or the driving lane adjacent to the determined lane, the second generation unit generates a map of only the determined lane.

[0126] With this configuration, by generating and supplementing only a map of the determined lane during the next travel, the environment map can be completed earlier than when maps of other travel lanes other than the determined lane are generated and supplemented.

[0127] (6) The map generating device 60 of (4) above is further provided with a controller 10, which serves as an output unit and outputs information (determined lane information) indicating the determined lane determined by the determination unit 175 as the lane determination unit in the section determined as incomplete by the determination unit 175 to an external device (a navigation device 6, a camera 1a as the external recognition unit 14, an input / output device 3, etc.).

[0128] Because of this configuration, the input / output device 3 can be used to inform the driver of the lane to be driven, or the controller 10 can be used to output an instruction to change the shooting direction to the camera 1a, so that, for example, the center of the field of view of the camera 1a is on the side of the determined lane when driving next time. This can create a map making environment that is less prone to occlusion, and can achieve the desired map with fewer driving times (in other words, fewer executions). Figure 4B and Figure 4C The number of times the environment is processed) completes the environment map.

[0129] The above-described embodiment can be modified in various forms. Modifications will be described below.

[0130] (Variant 1)

[0131] As examples of specified features that the selection unit 172 does not select based on feature points of the camera image IM, road markings, traffic signs, and traffic lights are exemplified, but the configuration may also be such that feature points are not selected for features other than the above-mentioned features as long as the objects are difficult to track between multiple frames of camera images IM.

[0132] (Variant 2)

[0133] In the implementation mode, for the sake of simplicity and ease of explanation, Figure 4A The processing shown in the figure is described as processing before the environment map is created. However, even after the environment map is created (after it is determined that the environment map is complete), it is possible to Figure 4B and Figure 4C The vehicle position recognition processing is performed in parallel Figure 4A By performing processing even after the environment map is completed, for example, when the road environment changes, the information can be appropriately added to the environment map.

[0134] (Variant 3)

[0135] In the embodiment, an example of generating an environment map as internal map information used by the vehicle itself is described, but in Modification 3, the environment map generated by the vehicle can also be provided to other vehicles through, for example, a cloud server. That is, in Modification 3, the environment map is shared among multiple vehicles.

[0136] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a map generation system 400 according to Modification 3. Figure 5In the map generation system 400, a server 200 connected to a communication network 300, a vehicle control system 100a and a vehicle control system 100b configured to be communicably connected to the communication network 300. The vehicle control system 100a is a vehicle control system 100 mounted on a host vehicle 101, and the vehicle control system 100b is a vehicle control system 100 mounted on another vehicle 102.

[0137] The server 200 is operated by, for example, a business entity that provides an information sharing service for an environment map. The configurations of the vehicle control systems 100a and 100b are the same as that of the vehicle control system 100 in the above-described embodiment.

[0138] The vehicle control systems 100 a and 100 b are connected to a communication network 300 such as a wireless communication network, the Internet, and a telephone network via the communication unit 7 , respectively.

[0139] Figure 5 Two vehicles, namely the own vehicle 101 and the other vehicle 102 , are shown in the figure, but the number of vehicles connectable to the communication network 300 is not limited to two, and a plurality of vehicles may be present.

[0140] The vehicle control systems 100a and 100b of the own vehicle 101 and the other vehicle 102 transmit the information of the environment map of the own vehicle stored in the storage unit 12 to the server 200 via the communication unit 7 at a predetermined transmission time. The driver can set the transmission time appropriately, for example, once a week or after a predetermined driving distance.

[0141] The server 200 includes a storage unit (database) not shown, and when the information of the environment map is transmitted from the vehicle control systems 100 a and 100 b mounted in the own vehicle 101 and the other vehicle 102 , the storage unit (database) stores the information of the environment map.

[0142] In addition, the server 200 has a computing unit such as a CPU (microprocessor) not shown in the figure, and the computing unit functions as follows: when receiving information requesting an environmental map from the vehicle control systems 100a and 100b mounted on the host vehicle 101 and other vehicles 102, the computing unit reads information on the environmental map of the area in which the requesting vehicle is traveling from the above-mentioned database and sends it to the requesting vehicle.

[0143] In the third modification, when the controller 10 of the host vehicle 101 or the like receives an instruction from the driver requesting the server 200 for information on the environment map, for example, via the input / output device 3, the controller 10 requests the server 200 for information on the environment map in the area where the host vehicle 101 or the like is traveling. At this time, information indicating the position information and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 101 or the like is notified to the server 200. As a result, the server 200 can transmit the corresponding environment map information to the requesting vehicle.

[0144] It should be noted that the host vehicle 101 etc. may also transmit the identification information acquired by the host vehicle 101 etc. to the server 200 together with the information of the environment map or instead of the information of the environment map.

[0145] The server 200 also records the identification information obtained by the vehicle 101, etc. in the above-mentioned database. When receiving the information and / or identification information requesting the environmental map from the vehicle 101, etc., the server 200 reads the information and / or identification information of the environmental map of the area where the requesting vehicle is traveling from the above-mentioned database and sends it to the requesting vehicle.

[0146] When the vehicle that has issued the request obtains the identification information of the section for which the map of the vehicle has not been completed from the server 200 , the vehicle can generate the environment map based on the obtained identification information.

[0147] The map generation system 400 described in the variant example 3 described above includes the above-mentioned map generation device 60 and a server 200 which is an external server configured to communicate with the own vehicle 101 and the like. The server 200 stores identification information obtained from the own vehicle 101 and other vehicles 102 and information on environmental maps generated by the own vehicle 101 and other vehicles 102, and uses the stored identification information and / or environmental map information to provide information to the own vehicle 101 and / or other vehicles 102.

[0148] With this configuration, the scope of application of the environment map generated by the own vehicle 101 and the like is expanded compared to the case where the environment map is used only by the own vehicle, and convenience is further improved.

[0149] It should be noted that the configuration may be switched between a case where the environment map is shared with other vehicles and a case where the environment map is used only by the own vehicle.

[0150] The above description is merely an example, and the above embodiment and modified examples do not limit the present invention unless the features of the present invention are impaired. One or more of the above embodiment and modified examples can be arbitrarily combined, and the modified examples can be combined with each other.

[0151] According to the present invention, a map required for safe vehicle control can be appropriately generated.

[0152] The present invention has been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments, but it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A map generating device, characterized in that: have: A recognition unit (14) for recognizing the surrounding environment of the traveling vehicle; a generating unit (174) for generating a map based on the identification information of the identifying unit (14); a position estimating unit (13) for estimating the position of the vehicle on the map generated by the generating unit (174); a determination unit (175) for determining whether the map generated by the generation unit (174) is complete; and a storage unit (12) storing map information showing the map generated by the generating unit (174), The generating unit (174) includes a first generating unit (174A) and a second generating unit (174B). The first generating unit (174A) generates a map of the travel section based on the identification information identified by the identifying unit (14), and records the map information corresponding to the section determined as completed by the determining unit (175) in the storage unit (12), and records the section information indicating the section determined as uncompleted by the determining unit (175) together with the position information of the host vehicle in the storage unit (12), The second generation unit (174B) generates a map for the section determined to be incomplete based on the identification information of the section identified by the identification unit (14) during the next travel, adds the map information of the section to the map information recorded by the first generation unit in the storage unit (12) for updating, and rewrites the section information recorded by the first generation unit (174A) in the storage unit (12).

2. The map generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also comprises an input unit, which inputs information indicating that a reduction control of the automatic driving level has been performed or that a driving operation has been intervened by the driver of the host vehicle from a control unit (16), and the control unit (16) uses the map information recorded in the storage unit (12) to perform automatic driving control for automatically controlling at least acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle. When the information is input from the control unit (16) to the input unit during the execution of the automatic driving control, the determination unit (175) determines that the automatic driving control is not completed.

3. The map generation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The determination unit (175) determines that the process is not completed when the identification information identified by the identification unit (14) contains insufficient information about a lane adjacent to the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling or insufficient information about features on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling.

4. The map generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determination unit (175) includes a lane determination unit that determines, based on the position of the host vehicle estimated by the position estimation unit (13) in the section determined to be incomplete, a driving lane in which the host vehicle has traveled as a determined lane.

5. The map generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lane determination unit further determines which of the determined lane and the driving lane adjacent to the determined lane the driving lane at the next time of driving corresponds to based on the identification information identified by the identification unit (14) at the next time of driving in the section determined as incomplete by the determination unit (175). The second generation unit (174B) generates a map of only the determined lane based on the determination result of the lane determination unit.

6. The map generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: have: An output unit outputs determined lane information indicating the determined lane determined by the lane determination unit in the section determined as incomplete by the determination unit (175) to an external device.

7. The map generating device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The determined lane information includes information requesting the driver of the host vehicle to travel in the determined lane or a driving lane different from the determined lane.

8. The map generating device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The determined lane information includes information requiring the next travel to be made at a time period different from the day of the week or the time of the previous travel in the determined lane.

9. A map generation system, characterized in that: have: The map generating device (60) as claimed in claim 1; and an external server (200) configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle, The external server (200) stores the identification information obtained by the host vehicle and other vehicles, and map information generated by the host vehicle and other vehicles, The stored identification information and / or the map information is used to provide information to the host vehicle and / or the other vehicle.

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