Vehicle control system and vehicle control device

Abstract

Vehicle control unit (1) comprising a vehicle control unit (2) mounted in a vehicle (5) and a server (40) connected to the vehicle control unit (2) via a network, wherein the server (40) includes a section (49) for generating a virtual track, which generates information of a virtual track in relation to a virtual track laid on a road at least on the basis of driving position curves of vehicles other than the vehicle (5), and a server communication section (42) which sends the information of a virtual track generated by the section (49) to create a virtual track to the vehicle control device (2), and the vehicle control device (2) comprises a vehicle communication section (14) that receives the information of a virtual track from the server (40), a target course generation section (28) that generates a target course of the vehicle based on information from a virtual track, and a vehicle control section (39) which causes the vehicle (5) to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section (28), wherein the virtual track between a first link and a predetermined position in the intersection with respect to an intersection for connecting the first link with a second link is defined, characterized by the fact that the target course generation section (28) generates the target course according to the virtual track and a linear target course (410) connecting an endpoint of the virtual track with the second link.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system and a vehicle control device. Background Art

[0002] PTL 1 discloses an invention for detecting a white line on a road and causing a vehicle to automatically travel along the white line. Furthermore, PTL 2 discloses a data processing device for an autonomously or semi-autonomously operated vehicle, which is configured to control the vehicle according to a detected road condition. PTL 3 discloses a method for developing geospatial information about a specific area using a plurality of uncoordinated measurement systems moving within said area to expand and refine conventional digital maps. PTL 4 discloses a more flexible operation of an automated guided vehicle, wherein a path between a starting node and a destination node is automatically determined, and edges of the determined path are combined to form a virtual track.Finally, PTL 5 discloses a method for operating a lane keeping assistance system for multi-lane turning in a vehicle, wherein a virtual lane course is used to inform and / or assist a driver of the motor vehicle. List of citationsPatent literature PTL 1: JP 2014- 136 480 A PTL 2: DE 10 2015 203 155 A1 PTL 3: DE 100 41 277 A1 PTL 4: DE 10 2013 207 899 A1 PTL 5: DE 10 2010 014 499 A1 Summary of the inventionTechnical problem

[0003] In the invention disclosed in PTL 1, a target locus for traveling similar to that of other vehicles can be detected. Technical solution

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a vehicle controller comprising a vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle and a server connected to the vehicle control device via a network, the server includes a virtual lane generation section that generates virtual lane information relating to a virtual lane laid virtually on a road at least based on travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle, and a server communication section that sends the virtual lane information generated by the virtual lane generation section to the vehicle control device, and the vehicle control device includes a vehicle communication section that receives the virtual lane information from the server, a target course generation section that generates a target course of the vehicle based on the virtual lane information, and a vehicle control section,which causes the vehicle to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle comprises: a vehicle communication section that receives virtual lane information related to a virtual lane virtually laid on a road; a target course generation section that generates a target course of the vehicle based on the virtual lane information received by the vehicle communication section; and a vehicle control section that causes the vehicle to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle comprises: a storage section that stores virtual lane information relating to a virtual lane virtually laid on a road at least based on travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle; a target course generation section that generates a target course of the vehicle based on the virtual lane information stored in the storage section; and a vehicle control section that causes the vehicle to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section. Advantageous effects of the invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a target locus similar to that of other vehicles can be detected. Short description of the drawings [ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle controller 1. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 shows a diagram illustrating a data structure of map information 13a. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 shows a diagram illustrating the data structure of the map information 13a. [ Fig. 4] Fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram explaining a node and a link. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating a main processing operation. [ Fig. 6] Fig. 6 shows a flow chart illustrating a process for detecting a current position of an own vehicle. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 shows a flow chart illustrating a processing procedure for detecting current positions of other vehicles. [ Fig. 8] Fig. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating a processing procedure for route calculation. [ Fig. 9] Fig. 9 shows a flowchart illustrating the processing for determining a target locus. [ Fig. 10] Fig. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a virtual map correction. [ Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a calculation result of a route. [ Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of virtual tracks are present. [ Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the plurality of virtual lanes are present at a circular intersection. [ Fig. 14] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example in which the virtual lane is interrupted at the circular intersection. [ Fig. 15] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a generation example of the virtual lane at a toll station exit of a highway. [ Fig. 16] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a generation example of map information 43a at a roundabout. [ Fig. 17] Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing a procedure of main processing according to a second embodiment. [ Fig. 18] Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing for determining a target locus according to the second embodiment. [ Fig. 19] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual lane when obstacles occur on a road. [ Fig. 20] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example in which the virtual lane is placed on a wide road on which no lane boundary line is drawn. [ Fig. 21] Fig. 21 shows a diagram illustrating a driving situation of a vehicle in each time zone on a Fig. 20 upper street shown. [ Fig. 22] Fig. 22 is a flowchart showing a procedure of main processing according to a third embodiment. [ Fig. 23] Fig. 23 shows a flow chart illustrating travel locus transmission processing. [ Fig. 24] Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a virtual track generation processing. [ Fig. 25] Fig. Figure 25 shows a diagram illustrating an example of a transmission locus curve. [ Fig. 26] Fig. 26 shows a diagram showing travel loci S1 to S7 stored in a server and transmission loci P1 to P7 sent to the server. [ Fig. 27] Fig. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device according to a fourth embodiment. Description of the Embodiments (First Embodiment)

[0008] The following is a first embodiment of a vehicle control and a vehicle control device with respect to Fig. 1 to 14 described.

[0009] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle controller 1. The vehicle controller 1 includes a vehicle control device 2 and a server 40. The vehicle control device 2 is mounted in a vehicle 5. The vehicle control device 2 and the server 40 are connected to each other via a network. The server 40 is connected to a plurality of vehicle control devices 2; in Fig. However, only one vehicle control device 2 is shown in Figure 1. All vehicle control devices 2 are mounted in a vehicle.

[0010] The vehicle control device 2 comprises a navigation device 10, an electronic control unit for course calculation 20 and an electronic control unit for vehicle control 30.

[0011] The navigation device 10 includes a display 11 that displays information to a user, a switch 12 that receives input from the user, a storage section 13 that stores information used for processing described below, a vehicle communication section 14 that communicates with a server 40, a GPS tuner 15 that calculates a position, a gyroscope 16 that calculates an attitude, a speaker 17 that provides information to the user, a route calculation section 18 that calculates a route to an input destination, and a navigation control section 19.

[0012] The switch 12 includes a plurality of buttons, and a driver uses the switch 12 to set the destination or to set the presence or absence of an automatic operation request.

[0013] The storage section 13 is a non-volatile memory or a magnetic disk, and the storage section 13 stores map information 13a. A data structure of the map information 13a is described below. This map information 13a includes not only information about a lane defined by a marker line drawn on a road, but also information (hereinafter referred to as "virtual lane information") about a lane virtually laid on a road on which no marker line is drawn. Hereinafter, the virtual lane defined by the virtual lane information is referred to as a "virtual lane," and a lane defined by a marker line drawn on a road is referred to as a "real lane." The map information 13a is used for detecting a position of one's own vehicle, detecting positions of other vehicles, calculating a travel route, and the like.

[0014] The vehicle communication section 14 receives new map information from the server 40 and updates the map information 13a of the storage section 13.

[0015] The GPS tuner 15 demodulates a signal from a GPS satellite received by a GPS antenna (not shown) to calculate the position of the vehicle control device 2. A plurality of positions calculated by the GPS tuner 15 are summarized, forming a locus (hereinafter referred to as a "travel locus") along which the vehicle 5 in which the vehicle control device 2 is mounted has traveled.

[0016] The route calculation section 18 calculates the route for the input destination using the map information 13a stored in the storage section 13.

[0017] The navigation control section 19 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). It develops a program stored in the ROM in the RAM and executes the program. The flow of this program is described below. In addition to the flow of the program described below, the navigation control section 19 sends the vehicle's travel locus to the server 40 at predetermined intervals.

[0018] The course calculation electronic control unit 20 includes a radar 21 and a camera 22 that monitor the perimeter, a road-to-vehicle communication unit 23 and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 24 that detect positions of other vehicles through communication, and a target course generation section 28 that calculates a course (hereinafter referred to as “target course”) representing a travel destination of a vehicle, and a control section 29.

[0019] The target course generation section 28 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). It develops a program stored in the ROM in the RAM and executes the program, thereby calculating the target course. When calculating the target course, the target course generation section 28 refers to the position of the vehicle control device 2 calculated by the navigation device 10 and the map information 13a stored in the navigation device 10. The flow of this program is described below. The target course generation section 28 corrects the target course to avoid obstacles as necessary based on information obtained from the radar 21 and the camera 22, and the positions of other vehicles obtained through road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0020] The control section 29 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). It develops a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes the program. The flow of this program is described below.

[0021] The vehicle control electronic control unit 30 includes a sensor 31 such as a steering angle sensor and vehicle speed sensor, an actuator 32 for controlling a steering, an accelerator pedal and a brake, and a vehicle control section 39.

[0022] The vehicle control section 39 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). It develops a program stored in the ROM in the RAM and executes the program. This program outputs an operation command to the actuator 32 so that the vehicle 5 moves along the target course calculated by the course calculation electronic control unit 20.

[0023] The server 40 includes a server communication section 42 that communicates with the navigation device 10, a server storage section 43, and a server control section 49.

[0024] The server storage section 43 is a non-volatile memory or a magnetic disk, and the server storage section 43 stores map information 43a. A data structure of the map information 43a is similar to that of the map information 13a. The map information 43a is sent to the navigation device 10 via the server communication section 42, and the map information 13a of the storage section 13 is updated.

[0025] The server control section 49 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). It develops a program stored in the ROM in the RAM and executes the program. The program generates virtual lane information based on the travel loci received from the plurality of vehicle control devices 2 and updates the map information 43a. The map information 43a can be rewritten externally via the server communication section 42. <karteninformation>

[0026] The data structure of map information 13a is described below. As previously described, map information 43a also has the same data structure.

[0027] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show diagrams illustrating the data structure of the map information 13a. The map information 13a comprises six hierarchies from a first to sixth hierarchy, and elements of a certain hierarchy comprise elements of a plurality of lower hierarchies. In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is a first hierarchy shown at the left end and a sixth hierarchy shown at the right end. In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is a character consisting of "F" and numbers attached to the corresponding elements. In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 hierarchies differ under a third hierarchy. Fig. 2 shows information under link information F23 and Fig. Figure 3 shows a structure under node information F25. First, a Fig. The area shown in Figure 2 is described.

[0028] The map information 13a is generated by dividing it into a grid-like area called a mesh. The mesh is generally separated by constant values ​​for width and length. Each mesh size can be stored as a fixed length, and the data size can be stored as a variable length. Here, each mesh size is stored as a fixed length, and the data size is not stored. If the mesh size is stored as a variable length corresponding to the data size of each mesh, a capacity of all the data must be stored in the map data. This also applies to the following individual data.

[0029] The number of stitches stored in the map information 13a is stored as the number of stitches F11, the information of each stitch is stored in the stitch information F12, and the same number of stitch information F12 as the stitches is stored as stitch information 1, stitch information 2, ....

[0030] A configuration of the second hierarchy is described below.

[0031] The mesh information F12 includes a mesh number F21, the number of links F22, a plurality of pieces of link information F23, the number of nodes F24 and a plurality of pieces of node information F25.

[0032] The mesh number F21 stores a number that identifies the mesh. The number of links F22 stores the number of links contained in the mesh. The link is described below. The individual information about these links is stored in the link information F23, and the same number of the link information F23 as the link is stored as link information 1, link information 2, ... The number of nodes F24 stores the number of nodes contained in the mesh. The node is described below. The individual information about these nodes is stored in the node information F25. The following is a structure of the node information F25 with respect to Fig. 3 described.

[0033] The node and the link are related to Fig. 4. The node refers to specific points on a road, and the link connects the nodes. The nodes are usually located at an intersection; but the node can also be located at a boundary where the link information changes, such as the increase or decrease in the number of lanes. As shown in Fig. 4, the link information is information relating to a line segment in Fig. 4 and the node information is information related to a road indicated by a black circle point in Fig. 4. The description continues with reference to Fig. 2 continued.

[0034] A configuration of the third hierarchy is described below.

[0035] The link information F23 includes a link ID F31 in which a unique number is stored, connecting node information F32 in which information regarding the node connected to the link is stored, a coordinate character string F33 in which a coordinate of interpolation points for indicating start and end points and a road shape therebetween is stored, a link type F34 in which a classification of roads such as a highway or a national road is stored, lane information F35 in which the number of lanes or a type of lane marking line is stored, and additional information F36 in which a position of a traffic sign and the like is stored.

[0036] A configuration of the fourth hierarchy is described below.

[0037] The connection node information F32 includes a node ID (F51) to a starting point side as seen from a direction in which a vehicle can travel forward, and a node ID (F52) to an end point side as seen from the direction in which the vehicle can travel forward. Fig. 4, if the link has link ID = 4, a node ID on the start point side corresponds to 2000 and a node ID on the end point side corresponds to 1000.

[0038] The XYZ coordinate string F33 stores the information related to the coordinates for indicating the start and end points of the link and the road shape therebetween, and includes the number of coordinate points F53 in which the points of the coordinate points are stored, and a plurality of coordinates F54 in which specific XYZ coordinates, that is, longitude, latitude and altitude, from a reference point are stored.

[0039] The link type F34 includes a road type F55 to represent the classification of roads such as motorways or national roads and a road width F56. Furthermore, the classification can include an on-ramp / off-ramp to indicate an entrance or exit to a motorway and a roundabout to indicate a roundabout-like road.

[0040] The track information F35 includes the number of tracks F57 and a plurality of track information F58 in which the information about the track is stored.

[0041] The additional information F36 includes character information F59 in which information relating to a character is stored, and signpost information F60 in which information relating to a signpost with information corresponding to the character is stored.

[0042] A configuration of the fifth hierarchy is described below.

[0043] The track information F58 includes a track attribute F71 in which information for indicating a track attribute is stored, and a plurality of shape points F72 in which coordinates for indicating a shape of a center line of a track are stored.

[0044] The sign information F59 includes a sign type F73 in which a classification of a no-stopping / no-parking zone, a speed limit sign, or the like is stored, a sign position F74 in which a position of a sign is stored, and sign contents F75 in which the contents described in a sign are stored.

[0045] A configuration of the sixth hierarchy is described below.

[0046] The lane attribute F71 includes an up lane flag F91 in which information as to whether a lane is an up lane is stored, a lane change property F92 in which information as to whether a lane can be changed to left and right lanes is stored, a virtual flag F93 in which information as to whether a lane is a real lane or a virtual lane is stored, an access property F94 in which information as to whether a passenger car can be driven is stored, a connection source link ID (F95) which is a back link viewed from a forward direction between the links to which the lane is connected, and a connection destination link ID (F96) which is a front link viewed from the forward direction between the links to which the lane is connected.

[0047] The structure of the node information F25 belonging to the third hierarchy is in relation to Fig. 3 described.

[0048] The node information F25 includes a node ID F37 which is a unique number, a target point information F38 in which information on a target point used as a target position at the time of course generation when no virtual lane is present is stored, a signal information F39 in which information on a traffic light present in the intersection is stored, an inside intersection lane information F40 in which lane information in the intersection is stored, a connecting link information F41 in which information on a link connected to the node is stored, and an intersection size F200 indicating a size of a radius of the intersection.

[0049] Below is the configuration of the fourth hierarchy in Fig. 3 described.

[0050] The target point information F38 is information used when the virtual track is not specified, and a course is generated to the coordinates specified by this information. The target point information F38 includes the number of target points F61, in which a total number of target points is stored, and a plurality of targets F62, in which information about the target point is stored.

[0051] The signal information F39 includes the number of signals F63 in which the total number of target points is stored, and a plurality of signals F64 in which information relating to the signals is stored.

[0052] The configuration of the inside crossing lane information F40 is similar to that of the lane information F35. That is, the structure of the lane information F66 for configuring the inside crossing lane information F40 is identical to that of the lane information F58, and the configuration of the lane attribute F81 is identical to that of the lane attribute F71.

[0053] The connection link information F41 includes the number of connection links F76, in which the total number of links connected to the node is stored, and a plurality of connection link IDs (F78), in which the ID of the link to be connected is stored. Fig. 4, since four links are connected to a node with node ID = 1000, the number of connection links F67 stores "4" and the connection link ID (F68) stores ID = 1, 2, 3 and 4. The description continues again with reference to Fig. 3 continued.

[0054] Below is the configuration of the fifth hierarchy in Fig. 3 described.

[0055] The destination F62 includes an attribute F76 in which information indicating which of the tracks is stored, an XY coordinate F77 in which latitude and longitude are stored, and a corresponding link ID F78 in which a link ID corresponding to the destination point is stored.

[0056] The signal F64 comprises a signal type F79, in which information relating to the type of signal is stored, such as whether it is a suspended type or one installed in a post, and a coordinate F80, in which information relating to the latitude, longitude and height of the signal is stored.

[0057] The configuration of the track information F66 is identical to that of the track information F58 as previously described.

[0058] As described above, the information of a virtual lane in the map information 13a is indicated by the lane information F58 of the lane information F35 in which a virtual mark F93 indicates a virtual lane, and the lane information F66 of the inside intersection lane information F40 in which a lower mark F99 indicates the virtual lane. (flow chart)

[0059] The operation of the vehicle control device 2 is in relation to Fig. 5 to 10 described.

[0060] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the processing performed by the control section 29 of the course calculation electronic control unit 20. An execution unit of each step described below is the CPU of the control section 29. This processing starts, for example, every 50 ms.

[0061] In step S101, it is determined whether a request for automatic operation has been made by a driver operating switch 12. If it is determined that the request for automatic operation has been made, the process proceeds to step S201, and if it is determined that there is no request for automatic operation, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0062] In step S102, the navigation device 10 executes the processing of detecting the current position of the own vehicle as described in detail in Fig. 6, and when a processing result is received, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0063] In step S103, the processing of detecting the current positions of other vehicles is carried out as described in detail in Fig. 7 and then the process proceeds to step S104.

[0064] In step S104, it is determined whether the route to the destination is set, and if it is determined that the route to the destination is set, the process proceeds to step S105, and if it is determined that the route to the destination is not set, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0065] In step S105, the navigation device 10 executes the detailed in Fig. 8, and when the processing result is received, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0066] In step S106, the processing of determining the detailed in Fig. 9 and then the process proceeds to step S107.

[0067] In step S107, an operation command is issued to the vehicle control electronic control unit 30 so that the vehicle travels along the target course determined in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S108.

[0068] In step S108, the behavior of the vehicle is reported to the driver via the display 11 or the speaker 17 to give the driver a sense of security, and the operation of the Fig. 5 program ends.

[0069] In step S109, which is executed when the negative determination is made in step S101, processing for correcting the virtual lane is executed as detailed in Fig. 10 and the operating procedure of the Fig. 5 program ends.

[0070] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of detecting the current position of the own vehicle, which is executed by the navigation device 10 based on the operation command from the course calculation electronic control unit 20. An execution unit of each step described below is the CPU of the navigation control section 19.

[0071] In step S131, the current position or azimuth information of the vehicle is read from the GPS tuner 15 and the process proceeds to step S132.

[0072] In step S132, the current position read in step S131 is supplemented based on the information of the gyroscope 16 and the vehicle speed sensor, which is the sensor 31 connected to the vehicle control electronic control unit 30. Furthermore, if the current position or the vehicle's azimuth information is not read in step S131, the latitude, longitude, and azimuth of the subject vehicle are calculated based on an angular velocity in a yaw direction of the vehicle obtained from the gyroscope 16 or a travel path and an azimuth change amount obtained from the vehicle speed sensor. Then, the process proceeds to step S133.

[0073] In step S133, information about the road near the position of the host vehicle is read from the map data. In the following step S134, the position on the road is reliably specified based on the current position and the azimuth between the read roads, and a link number of the road is stored. The process then proceeds to step S135.

[0074] In step S135, an image photographed by the camera 22 is processed, and a result of discriminating whether the marker line on both sides of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling is a solid line or a broken line is obtained via the course calculation electronic control unit 20. In the following step S136, the current position, azimuth, and marker line information is compared with the map information 13a to specify the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and the specified lane is sent to the course calculation electronic control unit 20. However, if discrimination cannot be made solely based on the image recognition result of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, the lane may be specified by using the marker line information around the adjacent lanes, etc.

[0075] Thus, the operations in Fig. 6 shown flow chart.

[0076] Fig. Figure 7 shows a flow chart illustrating the process in relation to Fig. 5 described processing procedure for detecting the current positions of other vehicles. The execution unit of each step described below is the CPU of the control section 29.

[0077] In step S141, the map data contained in the map information 13a near the current position is read out from the navigation device 10, and the process proceeds to step S142.

[0078] In step S142, the distance and angle relative to other vehicles are calculated based on the information obtained from radar 21, and the distance and angle relative to other vehicles are calculated by analyzing a photographed image obtained from camera 22. The consistency between the information obtained from radar 21 and the information obtained from camera 22 is confirmed, and a relative position relative to other vehicles around the own vehicle is detected. The process then proceeds to step S143.

[0079] In step S143, based on the information obtained in step S142 and the lane shape included in the map information 13a, the lane in which other vehicles are traveling is detected. In addition, a speed of other vehicles is also determined using the Doppler effect of the radar 21. After determining whether it is the same as the one previously detected using the image photographed by the camera 22, if it is the same, relative speeds of other vehicles can be determined based on elapsed time and a distance difference.

[0080] Thus, the operational processes end in a Fig. 7 shown subroutine.

[0081] Fig. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the route calculation performed by the navigation device 10 based on the operation command from the course calculation electronic control unit 20. The execution unit of each step described below is the CPU of the navigation control section 19.

[0082] In step S151, the current position is read from the GPS tuner 15 and the destination set by the driver with the switch 12 is read. In the following step S152, the map information 13a required for route calculation is read, and the process proceeds to step S153.

[0083] In step S153, the route from the current position read in step S151 to the destination set by the driver is calculated, that is, the link selection and exchange. In this route calculation, the route with the shortest distance from the current position to the destination or the shortest required time is calculated using an algorithm that calculates an optimal route for a network, such as the Dijkstra algorithm. The calculation results are determined as they are arranged in the travel order of the links for continuation from the current position to the destination. The calculated route is sent to the course calculation electronic control unit 20. The course calculation electronic control unit 20 stores the received route information in the RAM of the control section 29.

[0084] This ends the operational cycle of the Fig. 7 shown program.

[0085] Fig. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing details of step S106 in Fig. 5. Through processing in this flowchart, the target locus along which the vehicle travels is determined.

[0086] In step S111, the route is read from the RAM. The route stored in the RAM is, for example, Fig. 11 shown.

[0087] Fig. Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the route calculation result. As described above, the routes are displayed in the travel order of the link IDs of the travel links. The process then proceeds to step S112.

[0088] In step S112, the image photographed by the camera 22 is analyzed, and it is determined whether only one real lane exists on a road forward within the predetermined distance from the current traveling location. If it is determined that the real lane exists and the virtual lane does not exist, the process proceeds to step S118, and if it is determined that at least the virtual lane exists or neither the real lane nor the virtual lane exists, the process proceeds to step S113. The determination in step S112 may be made based on the link information and node information corresponding to the route ahead from the current position of the own vehicle specified by the navigation device 10 in step S102 from the map information 13a without using the analysis result of the image photographed by the camera 22.

[0089] In step S113, based on the link information and the node information corresponding to the route ahead of the current position of the host vehicle specified by the navigation device 10 in step S102, it is determined whether the virtual lane on the road ahead exists within the predetermined distance from the current traveling location. If it is determined that the virtual lane exists, the process proceeds to step S114, and if it is determined that the virtual lane does not exist, the process proceeds to step S116.

[0090] In step S114, the virtual lane is selected according to the route information, and in the following step S115, the target course along the virtual lane is determined. The process then proceeds to step S120.

[0091] In step S116, which is executed when it is determined that no virtual lane exists, the target point, which is the starting point of the next travel link, is selected, and in the following step S117, the target course along which the vehicle travels directly from the current position to the target point is determined. The process then proceeds to step S120.

[0092] In step S118, which is executed when it is determined that the real lane is present and no virtual lane is present, the target course along the real lane is determined and the process proceeds to step S120.

[0093] In step S120, it is determined whether the target start determined in step S115, S117, or S118 is the target course immediately requiring the lane change; if it is determined that the lane change is required, the process proceeds to step S121, and if it is determined that the lane change is not required, the process proceeds to step S123.

[0094] In step S121, on the basis of the data obtained in step S102 of Fig. 5 and the positions and speeds of other vehicles determined in step S103, it determines whether there is a possibility of collision of the own vehicle with other vehicles when the own vehicle performs the lane change according to the target course. If the collision possibility is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S122, and if the collision possibility is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S123.

[0095] In step S122, the change to the target course is performed without the lane change or the change to the target course as the lane change after a vehicle travels a predetermined distance, and the process returns to step S120.

[0096] In step S123, it is determined whether the distance from other vehicles in front of the vehicle to the own vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If it is determined that the distance is greater than the predetermined value, the operation of the Fig. 9, and if it is determined that the distance is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S124. However, in this step, the relative speed between other vehicles and the host vehicle may be considered in addition to the distance from other vehicles to the host vehicle.

[0097] In step S124, a deceleration command is issued to the vehicle control electronic control unit 30 to perform deceleration, and the process returns to step S123.

[0098] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing in detail step S109 in Fig. 5. The map information 13a is updated through the processing in this flowchart. As previously described, this step is performed when there is no request for automatic operation, i.e., when the driver is driving a vehicle.

[0099] In step S161, it is determined whether the driving locus along which the driver himself drives a vehicle follows the virtual lane. If it is determined that the driving locus follows the virtual lane, since it is not necessary to correct the map information 13a, the operation flow of the Fig. 10. If it is determined that the travel locus does not follow the virtual track, the process proceeds to step S162.

[0100] In step S162, the difference between the travel locus and the virtual track is recorded and the process proceeds to step S163.

[0101] In step S163, it is determined whether the number of times the vehicle does not travel along the virtual lane at this location is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of times. If it is determined that the number of times is greater than or equal to the predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S164, and if it is determined that the number of times is less than the predetermined number of times, the operation of the Fig. 10 to instruct the execution of the operations.

[0102] In step S164, the average value of the difference between the travel locus and the virtual lane is calculated, and the virtual lane corrected based on the average value is stored in the map information 13a as a new virtual lane, i.e., the map information 13a is updated. However, the average value of the travel locus can be regarded as a new virtual lane. Thus, the operation of the Fig. 10 to instruct the execution of the operations. (Operational Flow Example 1)

[0103] The data in steps S112 to S118 of Fig. 9 described processing is described below with reference to Fig. 2 to 4 and Fig. 11. As a prerequisite for the situation described below, the calculation result of the Fig. 11 is stored in a RAM, the map information 13a corresponding to the circumference of the vehicle 5 in which the vehicle control device 2 is mounted is stored in Fig. 4 and it is assumed that vehicle 5 is on the current link with link ID = 4.

[0104] First, the link information F23 with the link number is read from the map information 13a and the node ID on the endpoint side is determined in the link information. Fig. In the example shown in Figure 4, the node ID on the endpoint side is 1000. This processing corresponds to a process for searching for the next intersection through which a vehicle travels. The node ID information is obtained from the node information F25, and it is determined whether the target F62 or the lane information F66 in which the virtual license plate F93 is ON exists (step S112). If no such lane information F66 exists, the target course along the real lane is determined (step S118).

[0105] If the link with link ID = 2 exists, which is the next link on the route from the links in which a virtual link flag F95 is ON (step S113), the virtual lane is selected.

[0106] If no link with link ID = 2, which is the next link on the route, exists in step S113, the destination point of link ID = 2, which is the next link on the route, is selected from the destination point information F38 in the node information (step S116), and the target course along which the vehicle travels directly to the coordinates of this point is generated (step S117). The coordinates of the node on the start point side of the next link on the route can be used instead of the destination point. (Operational flow example 2)

[0107] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of virtual tracks are present. In Fig. 12, four links with link IDs = 1 to 4 are connected to a node with node ID = 1000, and link ID = 4 is connected to a link with link ID = 5 at a node with node ID = 2000. However, the node with node ID = 1000 is specified by the size for indicating the intersection based on the intersection size F200 stored in the map information 13a. In addition, as in Fig. 12 shown in the map information 13a, the link with the link ID = 2 of two tracks and as the virtual track connected from the link with the link ID = 4 to the link with the link ID = 2, a total of two virtual tracks connected to the corresponding tracks are recorded.

[0108] For example, when the link with link ID = 2 is located next to the link with link ID = 4 in the calculated route, the target course generating section 28 selects the virtual lane as follows ( Fig. 9, step S114). That is, if a route on which a vehicle turns right after the vehicle travels on the link with link ID = 2 is set, a route with a lane below Fig. 12 is selected, and in other cases the virtual track connected to the track above Fig. 12 connected virtual track selected. (Operational Flow Example 3)

[0109] Fig. Figure 13 shows an example in which a plurality of virtual lanes are present at a circular intersection. 8 links with link IDs = 10 to 17 are connected to the one in the middle of Fig. 13. Vehicle 5 is traveling on the current link with link ID = 10. In addition, two virtual lanes connecting the link with link ID = 10 to the link with link ID = 12 are recorded in map information 13a.

[0110] For example, when the link with link ID = 12 is located next to the link with link ID = 10 in the calculated route, the target course generating section 28 selects the virtual lane as follows ( Fig. 9, step S114). That is, the target course generating section 28 determines which of the two virtual lanes the vehicle is traveling on, according to the number or positions of vehicles detected using the camera 22 or the radar 21. (Operational Flow Example 4)

[0111] Fig. Figure 14 shows an example in which the virtual lane is interrupted at a circular intersection. 8 links with link IDs 10 to 17 are connected to a lane in the middle of Fig. 14 is connected to the node with node ID = 20. However, the node with node ID = 20 is specified by the intersection size based on the intersection size F200 stored in the map information 13a. The vehicle 5 is traveling on the current link with link ID = 10. In addition, the virtual lane extending from an intersection point of the link with link ID = 10 with the circular intersection near the center of the circular intersection is recorded in the map information 13a. Furthermore, the destination point 400 is an intersection point of the link with link ID = 14 with the node with node ID = 20.

[0112] For example, the target course generation section 28 generates the target course as follows at the circular intersection where the link with link ID = 10 and the link with link ID = 14 are connected to the node with node ID = 20 corresponding to the node with node ID = 20 among the links with link ID = 10 to link ID = 14. That is, a target course corresponding to a virtual track shown in a dashed line on which an intersection point of the link with link ID = 10 with the circular intersection is set as a starting point, and a linear target course 410 for connecting an end point of the virtual track to the link with link ID = 14 at the target point 400 are generated.

[0113] According to the first embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0114] (1) The vehicle controller 1 includes the vehicle control device 2 mounted in the vehicle 5 and the server 40 connected to the vehicle control device 2 via a network. The server 40 includes the virtual lane generation section (i.e., the server control section 49) that generates the map information 43a including the virtual lane information related to the virtual lane virtually laid on the road at least based on travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle 5, and the server communication section 42 that sends the map information 43a including the virtual lane information generated by the virtual lane generation section to the vehicle control device 2.The vehicle control device 2 includes the vehicle communication section 14 that receives the map information 43a including the virtual lane information from the server 40, the target course generation section 28 that generates the target course of the vehicle 5 based on the virtual lane information, and the vehicle control section 39 that causes the vehicle 5 to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section 28.

[0115] Because the vehicle controller 1 is configured in this way, a target locus similar to that of other vehicles can be achieved. Even if a lane boundary line is drawn, a vehicle moves without traveling along the lane boundary line at a specific node or link. Thus, a vehicle can avoid a collision by moving along a target locus, which is the virtual lane similar to that of other vehicles.

[0116] Furthermore, as can be seen from the fact that only the difference in the virtual number plate F93 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, since the information of a virtual lane can be processed in almost the same way as the information of the lane boundary line, the vehicle control can be easily carried out using the information of a virtual lane.

[0117] (2) The vehicle control device 2 includes the storage section 13 that stores the map information 13a including the node indicating the predetermined point and the link connecting between the points. The target course generation section 28 generates the target course corresponding to the virtual lane with the intersection point of the first link with the intersection as the starting point and the linear target course connecting the end point of the virtual lane with the second link when generating the target course at the intersection where the first link and the second link are connected to the first node, and corresponding to the first node from the first link to the second link.

[0118] Thus, the vehicle control device 2 can generate the target course even if the virtual lane information does not reach the next node, and can cause the vehicle control section 39 to move the vehicle 5 along the target course. (Modification 1)

[0119] The server control section 49 of the server 40 can generate virtual lane information by setting a virtual lane, particularly, on a toll station exit of a highway or a roundabout, based on the traveling locus received from the vehicle control device 2.

[0120] Fig. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of generating the virtual lane at a toll station exit of a highway. The vehicle enters a toll station in the middle of Fig. 15 from the bottom of Fig. 15 and drives into Fig. 15 upwards. The server control section 49 generates a dotted line in Fig. 15 based on the travel locus received from the vehicle control device 2. The server control section 49 can detect a position of a toll station based on data indicating that the toll station is a toll station included in the map information 43a, estimate the position of the toll station based on a road shape pattern included in the map information 43a, or estimate the position of the toll station based on the travel locus received from the vehicle control device 2. Furthermore, this virtual lane can be in Fig. 15 upwards. By setting the target course along this virtual lane, the vehicle can be prevented from approaching other vehicles immediately after passing a toll station.

[0121] Fig. Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating a virtual lane at a roundabout. The hatched section at the left end in Fig. 16 shows a reserved bus lane, and thus driving with a normal vehicle is not allowed on it. Therefore, the server control section 49 generates three dash-dotted lines in Fig. 16 indicated virtual lanes on the basis of the traveling locus received from the vehicle control device 2 and then estimates that traveling is not allowed because no vehicle is on the lane at the left end in Fig. 16, and stores information about the fact that a vehicle is not allowed to drive, depending on whether driving in the lane is permitted (F102). However, it is desirable to retain virtual lane information if it is considered that driving in a reserved bus lane may be necessary in an emergency, such as when two lanes on which a vehicle normally travels are blocked by an accident.

[0122] According to the previously described modification 1, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0123] (1) The server 40 generates the virtual lane information corresponding to the virtual lane laid on the exit of the toll station of a highway.

[0124] This prevents the vehicle 5 equipped with the vehicle control device 2 from approaching other vehicles immediately after passing the toll station. (Modification 2)

[0125] The server control section 49 of the server 40 can generate virtual lane information at a position where no lane boundary line is drawn on the road. Thus, at a position where the behavior of other vehicles is difficult to predict due to the absence of a lane boundary line, a collision with other vehicles can be prevented because it can be predicted that other vehicles are also moving along the virtual lane. Furthermore, if virtual lane information is not generated at the position where the lane boundary line is drawn on the road, overlap between the real lane and the virtual lane can be avoided. (Modification 3)

[0126] In the first embodiment described above, the vehicle control device 2 receives the map information 43a from the server 40 via the communication section 14 and stores the received map information 43a as map information 13a in the storage section 13. However, a method for acquiring the map information 13a is not limited to this.

[0127] The map information 13a may be stored in advance in the storage section 13, or the vehicle control device 2 may read the map information 13a from the recording medium into the storage section 13 using a recording medium reading device (not shown).

[0128] According to the previously described modification 3, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0129] (1) The vehicle control device 2 is mounted in the vehicle 5. The vehicle control device 2 includes the storage section 13 that stores the map information 13a including the virtual lane information related to the virtual lane virtually laid on the road at least based on travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle 5, the target course generation section 28 that generates the target course of the vehicle 5 based on the virtual lane information stored in the storage section 13, and the vehicle control section 39 that causes the vehicle 5 to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section 28.

[0130] Thus, the vehicle control device 2 can determine the target locus similar to those of other vehicles without communicating with the server 40. (Second embodiment)

[0131] The following is a second embodiment of a vehicle control and a vehicle control device with respect to Fig. 17 to 19. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Points not specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in that the server generates virtual lane information based on accident information.

[0132] The configurations of the vehicle controller 1 and the server 40 are similar to those of the first embodiment. However, the operation of the program stored in the control section 29 of the course calculation electronic control unit 20 differs from that of the first embodiment. Further, the server 40 communicates with a traffic incident notification server (not shown) and immediately receives a notification of the occurrence location of an incident when an incident such as a traffic accident occurs on the road. When the server 40 receives the notification of the occurrence of the incident, the virtual lane is set based on the travel locus of the vehicle traveling near the occurrence location according to the time for generating the virtual lane information. (flow chart)

[0133] Fig. Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the processing performed by the control section 29 of the course calculation electronic control unit 20 in the second embodiment. Processing similar to that in the first embodiment is denoted by the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0134] When the main processing begins, unlike the first embodiment, without determining whether automatic operation is required, steps S102 and S103 are executed, and the current positions of the host vehicle and other vehicles are acquired. Then, the process proceeds to step S171.

[0135] In step S171, the current position of the own vehicle acquired in step S102 is sent to the server 40, and a response is received from the server 40. The server 40 sends a response indicating that the virtual lane information is present when the virtual lane information is present near the current position of the vehicle, and sends a response indicating that the virtual lane information is not present when the virtual lane information is not present near the current position of the vehicle. Then, the process proceeds to step S172.

[0136] In step S172, it is determined whether there is a response indicating that the virtual track information has been received from the server 40. If it is determined that there is a response indicating that the virtual track information has been received, the process proceeds to step S173, and if it is determined that there is a response indicating that the virtual track information has not been received, the operation of the Fig. 17 of the program shown.

[0137] In step S173, the processing of determining the detailed in Fig. 18 and then the process continues with step S107.

[0138] The operations after step S107 are similar to those in the first embodiment; therefore, a description thereof is omitted.

[0139] Fig. 18 shows a flowchart for detailing step S173 in Fig. 17. The processing in this flowchart determines the target locus along which the vehicle travels.

[0140] In step S181, the map information 43a including the virtual lane information is received from the server 40, the map information 13a stored in the storage section 13 is updated with the map information 43a, and the process proceeds to step S182.

[0141] In step S182, the optimal virtual track is selected from the map information 13a, in the following step S183, the target course along the virtual track selected in step S182 is determined and the process returns to Fig. 17 back. (Operational process example)

[0142] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual lane when an obstacle occurs on a road.

[0143] When an obstacle occurs on the road, the traffic incident notification server notifies the server 40 that an obstacle OB has occurred on the road. Since vehicles traveling on a road travel while avoiding the obstacle OB through the driver's own operation, the traveling locus for avoiding the obstacle OB is sent from the vehicle control device 2 mounted on these vehicles to the server 40. The server 40 generates virtual lane information based on the traveling locus of the vehicle traveling near the location where the obstacle OB occurs after receiving the notification.

[0144] Subsequently, when the vehicle control device 2 of the vehicle traveling near the location of occurrence of the obstacle OB sends the current position to the server 40 (step S171 in Fig. 17), the response indicating that the virtual lane information is present (step S172: YES) is received from the server 40. Thus, the vehicle control device 2 generates the target course for avoiding the obstacle OB based on the virtual lane information.

[0145] According to the second embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0146] (1) The server 40 includes the server storage section 43, which stores the map information 43a including a node indicating a predetermined point and a link connecting between points. The virtual lane generation section, i.e., the server control section 49, determines the node or link where the accident occurs when the accident information is received from the traffic incident notification server, and generates the virtual lane information based on the travel locus of the vehicle traveling on the node or link.

[0147] Thus, the vehicle control device 2, which has received the new map information 43a from the server control section 49, can keep up with the flow of the vehicle changed due to the occurrence of the accident. (Modification of the second embodiment)

[0148] The server control section 49 can set different virtual tracks depending on the time zone.

[0149] Fig. Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example in which the virtual lane is placed on a wide road on which no lane line is drawn. A road in an upper part in Fig. 20 is a one-way street with no lane markings.

[0150] Fig. 21 shows a diagram showing the driving situation of the vehicle by time zone on the road in the upper part in Fig. 20.

[0151] Driving on the road like in Fig. 21, the vehicles travel on 4 lanes during the day when traffic volume increases, and the vehicles travel on 3 lanes at night when traffic volume decreases. Therefore, the server control section 49, which has received the travel locus from the vehicle control device 2 of these vehicles, sets virtual lanes by time zone as shown in Fig. 21 shown.

[0152] The server control section 49 may send the map information 43a to which the time zone information has been added to the vehicle control device 2, and send the map information 43a including the virtual lane information corresponding to the changed traffic volume to the vehicle control device 2 at the time point when the traffic volume changes. (Third embodiment)

[0153] The following is a third embodiment of a vehicle control and a vehicle control device with respect to Fig. 22 to 25. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described. The points not specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the vehicle control device partially generates the virtual lane information at the intersection, whereas in the first embodiment, the virtual lane information is entirely generated by the server.

[0154] The configurations of the vehicle controller 1 and the server 40 are similar to those of the first embodiment. However, the operation of the control section 29 of the course calculation electronic control unit 20 differs from that of the first embodiment. In addition, the server control section 49 of the server 40 performs the following processing for generating the virtual lane information. (flow chart)

[0155] Fig. Fig. 22 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the processing performed by the control section 29 of the course calculation electronic control unit 20 in the third embodiment. Processing similar to that in the first embodiment is denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof will be omitted. The only difference from Fig. 5 in the first embodiment is the processing when the negative determination is made in step S101.

[0156] In step S101, it is determined whether there is a request for automatic operation by a driver operating switch 12. If it is determined that there is a request for automatic operation, the process proceeds to step S201, and if it is determined that there is no request for automatic operation, the process proceeds to step S300.

[0157] The operations after step S102 are similar to those in the first embodiment; therefore, a description thereof is omitted.

[0158] In step S300, processing of the transmission of the travel locus is carried out as detailed in Fig. 23 and then the operation of the Fig. 22 shown program.

[0159] Fig. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing in detail the processing of the transmission of the travel locus in step S300 of Fig. 22.

[0160] In step S190, the same processing as in step S102 is performed, and the detected current position is stored in the RAM of the control section 29. Subsequently, the link ID corresponding to the current position is detected with respect to the map information 13a and also stored in the RAM of the control section 29. Then, the process proceeds to step S191.

[0161] In step S191, once the previous step S190 is executed, the current position stored in the RAM is read, and it is determined whether the position is inside or outside the intersection. Whether a specific position is inside the intersection can be determined, for example, using the map information 13a as follows. First, the nearest node from the current position is determined, and the intersection size F200 of the node is acquired. It is determined that the current position is inside the intersection when the current position is smaller than the intersection size F200 of the node, and it is determined that the current position is outside the intersection when the current position is equal to or greater than the intersection size F200 of the node.If it is determined that the previously acquired current position is outside the intersection, the process proceeds to step S192, and if it is determined that the previously acquired current position is inside the intersection, the process proceeds to step S196.

[0162] In step S192, it is determined whether the current position detected in the present step S190 is inside or outside the intersection. If it is determined that the currently detected current position is outside the intersection, the subroutine for illustrating the operations in Fig. 23, and if it is determined that the currently detected current position is within the intersection, the process proceeds to step S193.

[0163] In step S193, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the intersection, and the link ID stored in the previous step S190 is again stored in the RAM of the control section 29 as a transmission start point link ID. Then, the process proceeds to step S194.

[0164] In step S194, it is determined whether the vehicle has traveled 5 m or more since the previous position was recorded, and if it is determined that the vehicle has traveled 5 m or more, the process proceeds to step S195, and if it is determined that the vehicle has not traveled 5 m or more, the operations in the step S195 end. Fig. 23 shown subroutine.

[0165] In step S195, the current position determined in the current step S190 is again stored in the RAM of the control section 29 as a transmission travel locus and the operations in the Fig. 23 shown subroutine.

[0166] In step S196, which is executed when the current position is within the intersection in step S191, it is determined whether the current position detected in the present step S190 is inside or outside the intersection. If it is determined that the currently detected current position is outside the intersection, the process proceeds to step S197, and if it is determined that the current position is within the intersection, the process proceeds to step S200.

[0167] In step S197, it is determined that the current position is outside the intersection, and the link ID stored when executing the present step S190 is again stored in the RAM of the control section 29 as a transmission endpoint link ID. Then, the process proceeds to step S198.

[0168] In step S198, the transmission start point link ID, one or a plurality of transmission travel loci, and the transmission end point link ID stored in the RAM of the control section 29 are sent to the server 40, and the process proceeds to step S199.

[0169] In step S199, the buffer for storing the position information is cleared, that is, the transmission start point link ID, the transmission travel locus and the transmission end point link ID are deleted from the RAM of the control section 29 and the subroutine for displaying the operations in Fig. 23 ends.

[0170] In step S200, which is executed when the current position is within the intersection in step S196, it is determined whether the vehicle has traveled 5 m or more since the previous position was recorded. If it is determined that the vehicle has traveled 5 m or more, the process proceeds to step S201. If it is determined that the vehicle has not traveled 5 m or more, the subroutine for displaying the operations in Fig. 23.

[0171] In step S201, the current position acquired in the present step S190 is again stored in the RAM of the control section 29 as a transmission travel locus. However, if the transmission travel locus is already stored in the RAM of the control section 29, it is stored as an additional transmission travel locus. That is, through the processing of the present step, the current position is stored each time the vehicle has traveled a certain distance within the intersection. This ends a subroutine for displaying the operations in Fig. 23.

[0172] Fig. Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed in the server 40 when the transmission of the information from the vehicle control device 2 is performed in step S198 of Fig. 23. The execution unit of each step described below is the CPU of the server control section 49.

[0173] In step S210, the information received from the vehicle control device 2 is read out by the server communication section 42, and the process proceeds to step S211.

[0174] In step S211, it is determined whether a combination of the same link IDs exists as the currently received data among the data accumulated so far. However, the combination of link IDs means the combination of link IDs in which the transmission start point link ID matches the transmission end point link ID. If it is determined that the data match, the process proceeds to step S212, and if it is determined that no data match, the process proceeds to step S214.

[0175] In step S212, the existing transmission travel locus and a newly received transmission travel locus are averaged. Averaging means that the collected data is averaged over the received data, and weighted averaging is performed on the currently received transmission travel locus. Since it is not necessary to calculate the average of the coordinate values ​​in order from the first point of the travel locus by setting the position of the starting point of the received transmission travel locus and keeping the interval of the travel locus constant, processing can be simplified. The process then proceeds to step S213.

[0176] In step S213, the travel loci averaged by the processing of step S212 are connected to each other to be represented by a line segment, a predetermined road width is assigned, and they are stored in the map information 43a as virtual lane information together with the transmission start point link ID and the transmission end point link ID. Thus, the operation of the Fig. 24 of the program shown.

[0177] In step S214, the received travel loci are connected to each other to be represented by a line segment, a predetermined road width is assigned, and they are stored in the map information 43a as virtual lane information together with the transmission start point link ID and the transmission end point link ID. Thus, the operation of the Fig. 24 of the program shown. (Operational process example)

[0178] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission travel curve sent from the vehicle control device 2 to the server 40. In Fig. In the example shown in Figure 25, the vehicle equipped with the vehicle control device 2 moves from the link with the link ID = 4 to the link with the link ID = 2 via a node with the node ID = 1000. At this time, the vehicle equipped with the vehicle control device 2 had the travel locus from P1 to P1 in the intersection. Fig. However, Figure 25 shows the size of the node with node ID = 1000 according to the size of the intersection.

[0179] In this case, the link ID = 4 as the transmission start point link ID, the link ID = 2 as the transmission end point link ID, and the position information of P1 to P7 as the transmission travel locus are sent from the vehicle control device 2 to the server 40.

[0180] Fig. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing the transmission travel loci S1 to S7 accumulated in the server 40 and the transmission travel loci P1 to P7 sent from the vehicle control device 2 to the server 40, which is related to Fig. 25. In Fig. 26 is only the inside of the node with the node ID = 1000 in Fig. 25. In step S212 of Fig. 24, the server control section 49 calculates the average value of each coordinate of the transmission travel loci S1 to S7 and the transmission travel loci P1 to P7, for example, when the collected transmission travel loci S1 to S7 are generated from data received once. When the collected transmission travel loci S1 to S7 are generated from data received twice, the server control section 49 calculates the weighted average of the transmission travel loci S1 to S7 and the transmission travel loci P1 to P7, that is, a value that internally divides each coordinate into 1:2.

[0181] According to the third embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0182] (1) The vehicle control device 2 includes the storage section 13 that stores the map information 13a including the node indicating the predetermined point and the link connecting between the points, and the navigation control section 19 that sends the information related to the course along which the vehicle has traveled to the server 40 via the vehicle communication section when the vehicle 5 has traveled at the intersection corresponding to the node.

[0183] (2) The link included in the map information 13a is associated with an identifiable code, i.e., the link ID, and the navigation control section 19 sends the link IDs associated with the links corresponding to the roads, respectively, to the server 40 as information for identifying the road on which the vehicle 5 traveled just before and after the intersection, together with the information regarding the locus along which the vehicle 5 traveled.

[0184] Thus, the server control section 49 can easily generate the virtual lane information regarding the virtual lane for connecting the first link to the second link by using the information received from the vehicle control device 2. (Modification of the third embodiment)

[0185] In the third embodiment, if the combination of the same link IDs as currently received data is present in the data collected up to that point (in step S211: YES in Fig. 24), the server 40 performs an averaging of the existing transmission travel locus and a newly received transmission travel locus (step S212). However, if the distance between the existing transmission travel locus and the newly received transmission travel locus is separated by a predetermined distance or more, a new virtual lane may be generated with the received transmission travel locus without performing the averaging processing on the existing transmission travel locus. Furthermore, when the transmission travel locus is received from the plurality of vehicle control devices 2, the virtual lane may be generated only with the received transmission travel locus within the predetermined distance. In this case, as in Fig. 14 shows the virtual track that does not reach the start point of the link with the send end point link ID. (Fourth embodiment)

[0186] Below is a fourth embodiment of a vehicle control system with respect to Fig. 27. In the following description, the same components as those in the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the difference from the third embodiment will be mainly described. Points not specifically described are the same as those in the third embodiment. The fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment mainly in that the vehicle control device generates the virtual lane information.

[0187] Fig. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device 2a according to the fourth embodiment. The configuration of the vehicle control device 2a includes a map information generation section 28a in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0188] The navigation control section 19 transmits the traveling locus of the vehicle to other vehicles via the communication section 14, the road-to-vehicle communication unit 23, and / or the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 24. The traveling locus of the vehicle may be temporarily stored in other devices and then transmitted from other vehicles.

[0189] The map information generating section 28a receives the traveling loci from other vehicles via the communication section 14, the road-to-vehicle communication unit 23, and / or the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 24, and performs processing similar to the server control section in the second embodiment or the third embodiment to generate the map information 13a.

[0190] The map information generation section 28a can transmit the generated map information 13a in whole or in part to other vehicles via the communication section 14, the road-to-vehicle communication unit 23 and / or the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 24.

[0191] According to the fourth embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0192] (1) The vehicle control device 2a includes the vehicle communication section that receives the traveling loci from other vehicles, that is, the communication section 14, the road-to-vehicle communication unit 23, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 24, the virtual lane generating section (that is, the map information generating section 38a) that generates the virtual lane information related to the virtual lane virtually laid on the road based on traveling loci from other vehicles received by the vehicle communication section, the target course generating section 28 that generates the target course of the vehicle based on the virtual lane information, and / or the vehicle control section 39 that causes the vehicle to move along the target course generated by the target course generating section 28.

[0193] Thus, the target locus similar to those of other vehicles can be obtained with the virtual lane information generated by the vehicle control device 2a.

[0194] All previously described embodiments and modifications can be combined.

[0195] Although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents thereof. Other aspects considered within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0196] The contents of the disclosure of the following application, which may serve as a basis for a priority claim, are incorporated herein by reference.

[0197] Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-204670 (filed on October 16, 2015) List of reference symbols 1 Vehicle control 2 Vehicle control device 5 vehicle 10 Navigation device 13 Storage section 13a Map information 14 Vehicle communication section 18 Route calculation section 19 Navigation control section 20 Electronic control unit for course calculation 30 Electronic control unit for vehicle control 28 Target price generation section 29 Tax Section 39 Vehicle tax section 40 servers 42 Server communication section 43 Server storage section 43a Card information 49 Server control section< / karteninformation>

Claims

[1] Vehicle control (1) comprising a vehicle control device (2) mounted in a vehicle (5) and a server (40) connected to the vehicle control device (2) via a network, wherein the server (40) includes a virtual lane generating section (49) that generates virtual lane information relating to a virtual lane virtually laid on a road at least on the basis of travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle (5), and a server communication section (42) that sends the virtual lane information generated by the virtual lane generation section (49) to the vehicle control device (2), and the vehicle control device (2) comprises a vehicle communication section (14) receiving the virtual lane information from the server (40), a target course generating section (28) which generates a target course of the vehicle based on the virtual track information, and a vehicle control section (39) which causes the vehicle (5) to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section (28), wherein the virtual lane is defined between a first link and a predetermined position in the intersection with respect to an intersection for connecting the first link with a second link, characterized by , that the target course generating section (28) generates the target course corresponding to the virtual track and a linear target course (410) connecting an end point of the virtual track to the second link. [2] The vehicle controller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the virtual lane generating section (49) generates the virtual lane information at a position where no lane boundary line is drawn on the road. [3] The vehicle controller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device (2) comprises a control section that sends information relating to a locus along which the vehicle (5) has traveled to the server (40) via the vehicle communication section (14) when the vehicle (5) travels to an intersection. [4] The vehicle controller (1) according to claim 3, wherein the control section sends to the server (40) information for identifying a road on which the vehicle (5) has traveled just before and after the intersection, together with the information relating to the locus along which the vehicle (5) has traveled. [5] The vehicle controller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the virtual lane generating section (49) generates the virtual lane information with respect to a virtual lane arranged at a toll station exit of a highway. [6] The vehicle controller (1) according to claim 1, wherein the virtual lane generating section (49) generates the virtual lane information based on a traveling locus along which the vehicle (5) has traveled in the vicinity of a location where a disturbance occurs when the disturbance occurs on a road. [7] A vehicle control device (2) mounted in a vehicle (5), comprising: a vehicle communication section (14) which receives virtual lane information relating to a virtual lane laid virtually on a road, a target course generating section (28) that generates a target course of the vehicle based on the virtual track information received from the vehicle communication section (14), and a vehicle control section (39) which causes the vehicle (5) to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section (28), wherein the virtual lane is defined between a first link and a predetermined position in the intersection with respect to an intersection for connecting the first link with a second link, characterized by that the target course generating section (28) generates the target course corresponding to the virtual track and a linear target course (410) connecting an end point of the virtual track to the second link. [8] The vehicle control device (2) according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle control device (2) comprises a control section that sends information relating to a locus along which the vehicle (5) has traveled to a server (40) via the vehicle communication section (14) when the vehicle (5) travels to an intersection. [9] The vehicle control device (2) according to claim 8, wherein the control section sends to the server (40) information for identifying a road on which the vehicle (5) has traveled just before and after the intersection, together with the information relating to the locus along which the vehicle (5) has traveled. [10] A vehicle control device (2) mounted in a vehicle (5), comprising: a storage section which stores information of a virtual lane o relating to n a virtual lane virtually laid on a road at least on the basis of travel loci of vehicles other than the vehicle (5), a target course generating section (28) which generates a target course of the vehicle on the basis of the virtual track information stored in the storage section, and a vehicle control section (39) which causes the vehicle (5) to move along the target course generated by the target course generation section (28), wherein the virtual lane is defined between a first link and a predetermined position in the intersection with respect to an intersection for connecting the first link with a second link, characterized bythat the target course generating section (28) generates the target course corresponding to the virtual track and a linear target course (410) connecting an end point of the virtual track to the second link.

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