Data Structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle support system, transmission device, and program capable of appropriately supporting driving of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle support system 1 includes a control section 10. The control section 10 identifies a position coordinate point sequence of a lane along a scheduled route on which a vehicle 2 travels with reference to information indicating the position coordinate point sequence along an advance direction of the lane and information indicating a lane connection (lane network data 22). The control section 10 identifies impartment points on the position coordinate point sequence of the lane along the route with reference to information (link data group 25) indicating the impartment points being points on the position coordinate point sequence of the lane related to features (e.g. traffic lights SG1) erected on the lane as attachments. The control section 10 generates control information for controlling the position or speed of the vehicle 2 based on information indicating the positions of the features or display contents related to the impartment points with reference to a feature data group 24 having feature information including the information indicating the positions of the features or the display contents for each one of the features.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle assistance system, a transmission device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been disclosed that accurately estimates the position of a vehicle and assists driving of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-293380 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle assistance system, a transmission device, and a program that can more appropriately assist the driving of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle assistance system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: By referring to information indicating a sequence of position coordinate points along a travel direction of the lanes and information indicating connections of the lanes, a sequence of position coordinate points of the lanes along a route on which the vehicle is to travel is identified; Identifying an assignment point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane along the route by referring to information indicating the assignment point, which is a point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane associated with a feature erected in association with the lane; The control unit refers to a group of feature data having feature information for each feature, which includes information indicating the location or display content of the feature, and generates control information for controlling the position or speed of the vehicle based on the information indicating the location or display content of the feature related to the assigned point.

[0006] In this case, a vehicle-mounted sensor is provided for detecting information regarding a positional relationship between a feature in front of the vehicle and the vehicle, The feature information includes information indicating the location of the feature, The control unit is Detecting current position information of the vehicle on the lane as the control information based on information regarding a positional relationship of the feature from the vehicle detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor and information indicating the position of the feature included in the feature information; This may also be the case.

[0007] a detection possibility information indicating whether or not a feature related to the assigned point can be detected by a vehicle-mounted sensor of a vehicle that has reached the assigned point; The control unit is excluding a feature that is related to the assigned point reached by the vehicle and for which the detection feasibility information indicates that the feature is not detectable from detection targets for the current position information of the vehicle on the lane; This may also be the case.

[0008] The display content of the feature includes vehicle speed limit information, The control unit is generating, as the control information, a speed profile of the vehicle along the route based on speed regulation information displayed on a feature related to the grant point; This may also be the case.

[0009] A transmitting device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises: A transmitter unit that transmits map data to a vehicle, The map data is A data group including information indicating a sequence of position coordinate points along the travel direction of the lane and information indicating connections between the lanes; A data set including, for each feature, information indicating an attachment point, which is a point on a sequence of position coordinate points of the lane associated with the feature attached to the lane; and a data group having feature information for each feature, the data group including information indicating the location or display content of the feature.

[0010] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises: Computer, By referring to information indicating a sequence of position coordinate points along a travel direction of the lanes and information indicating connections of the lanes, a sequence of position coordinate points of the lanes along a route on which the vehicle is to travel is identified; Identifying an assignment point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane along the route by referring to information indicating the assignment point, which is a point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane associated with a feature erected in association with the lane; The device functions as a control unit that refers to a group of feature data having feature information for each feature, including information indicating the location or display content of the feature, and generates control information to control the position or speed of the vehicle based on the information indicating the location or display content of the feature related to the assigned point. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately assist the driving of a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle assistance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] (A) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of road network data. (B) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of lane network data. (C) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of an attribute data group. (D) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a feature data group. (E) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a link data group. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a traffic light. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a correspondence relationship between traffic lights and traffic lanes. [Diagram 5] 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a path, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a look-ahead table. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control unit. [Figure 7] 2 is a flowchart of an automatic driving process performed by the vehicle assistance system of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart of the position identification process of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle assistance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a feature data group, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a link data group; [Figure 11] 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a path, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a look-ahead table. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart of an automatic driving process by the vehicle assistance system of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. A vehicle assistance system 1 according to the first embodiment assists, for example, automatic driving of a vehicle 2. Specifically, the vehicle assistance system 1 generates control information for automatic driving of the vehicle 2. The control information is information used to control the position or speed of the vehicle 2. In this embodiment, current position information of the vehicle 2 is generated as the control information.

[0015] [Overall configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle assistance system 1 includes a control unit 10 which is a computer mounted on a vehicle 2, and a server 11 which is a server computer installed in, for example, a road management center which manages the traffic conditions of roads.

[0016] The control unit 10 performs overall control of the vehicle 2. The server 11 has map data 20 necessary for controlling the position of the vehicle 2. The control unit 10 has a transceiver unit 18, and the server 11 has a transceiver unit 30. The transceiver unit 18 and the transceiver unit 30 are capable of communicating with each other via a wireless communication network 3. The transceiver unit 30 of the server 11 transmits the map data 20 to the control unit 10 mounted in the vehicle 2 via the wireless communication network 3. The control unit 10 generates control information for the vehicle 2 based on the map data 20 received from the server 11.

[0017] The vehicle assistance system 1 also includes a vehicle-mounted sensor 16. The vehicle-mounted sensor 16 detects information on the relative position of a feature having a three-dimensional structure in front of the vehicle 2, such as a traffic light SG1, with respect to the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 is equipped with a millimeter wave radar, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), a camera, or the like, as the vehicle-mounted sensor 16. In this embodiment, the information on the relative position with respect to the feature detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 is used to detect the position of the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 also includes a position acquisition unit 17 that detects position information of the vehicle 2 using a GPS (Global Positioning System) system or the like.

[0018] [Map data] The map data 20 includes road network data 21 , lane network data 22 , an attribute data group 23 , a feature data group 24 , and a link data group 25 .

[0019] [Road network data] The road network data 21 is information on the road network on which the vehicle 2 travels. The road network data 21 is composed of nodes, which are branching points such as intersections, and links, which are roads between the nodes on which the vehicle 2 can travel. In the road network data 21, the links and nodes are connected to each other to represent the road network.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2(A), the road network data 21 has road section information 21a for each link and node. Fig. 1 shows a node N1 and its surrounding links LR1, LR2, and LR3. In the road network data 21, road section information 21a for the node N1 and road section information 21a for each of the links LR1, LR2, and LR3 are set in correspondence with the node N1 and the links LR1, LR2, and LR3, as shown in Fig. 2(A). Hereinafter, a link or a node may also be referred to as a road section.

[0021] The road section information 21a is a data set including a road ID, which is identification information of a road section, the position coordinates (latitude, longitude) of a representative point of the road section (e.g., the center of the road section), and a connection ID, which is the ID of a road section connected to the road section. The control unit 10 generates information on a route from the departure point to the destination of the vehicle 2 based on the multiple road section information 21a constituting the road network data 21.

[0022] [Lane network data] The lane network data 22 as a lane data group has a plurality of lane information 22a as shown in Fig. 2(B). Fig. 1 shows lanes LL1 and LL2 constituting link LR1, lanes LL3 and LL7 constituting link LR2, and lanes LL4, LL5, LL8, and LL9 constituting link LR3. Corresponding to the lanes LL1 to LL9, the lane network data 22 has lane information 22a for each of the lanes LL1 to LL9 as shown in Fig. 2(B). That is, the lane information 22a is set for each lane.

[0023] The lane information 22a is a data set including a lane ID, which is identification information of a lane, a sequence of position coordinate points along the travel direction of the lane, an exit lane ID indicating the lane ID following the lane, and an entry lane ID indicating the lane ID preceding the lane. In FIG. 1, the sequence of position coordinate points is represented as a sequence of points on a line segment indicating each lane. The sequence of position coordinate points is the position coordinates (latitude and longitude) of a sequence of points arranged at a predetermined interval along the center line of the lane extending in the travel direction of the vehicle 2, and corresponds to information indicating the sequence of position coordinate points. The exit lane ID and the entry lane ID are information indicating the connection of lanes. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, for lane LL5, the exit lane is lane LL9 and the entry lane is lane LL2.

[0024] [Attribute data set] As shown in Fig. 2(C), the attribute data group 23 has attribute information 23a that associates road sections (nodes and links) with lanes. For the road shown in Fig. 1, in the attribute data group 23, as shown in Fig. 2(C), attribute information 23a that associates link LR1 with lanes LL1 and LL2, attribute information 23a that associates link LR2 with lanes LL3 and LL7, and attribute information 23a that associates link LR3 with lanes LL4, LL5, LL8, and LL9 are set.

[0025] In this way, the road ID, which is identification information of the road section, and the lane ID, which is identification information of the lane, are registered in association with each other in the attribute information 23a. The control unit 10 can refer to the attribute data group 23 to read out the lane corresponding to the identified road section.

[0026] [Geometric data set] The feature data group 24 has information indicating the position of features attached to lanes. In this embodiment, the feature is a traffic light. Although FIG. 1 shows a traffic light SG1, in reality, a large number of traffic lights are installed on a road. As shown in FIG. 2(D), the feature data group 24 has feature information 24a for each traffic light. The feature information 24a is a data set including a traffic light ID, the left edge coordinate of the traffic light, the right edge coordinate, the height, and the height from the ground.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the left edge coordinate is information (latitude, longitude) indicating the position of the left edge when the traffic light is viewed from the front. The right edge coordinate is information (latitude, longitude) regarding the position of the right edge when the traffic light is viewed from the front. The height is the vertical width of the traffic light, and the height from ground level is the height from the road surface to the bottom surface of the traffic light. The height and height from ground level are information regarding the vertical positions of the bottom and top surfaces of the traffic light relative to the road surface. In summary, the feature information 24a is composed of a data set of traffic light identification information and information indicating the position of the traffic light.

[0028] The control unit 10 detects the current position information of the vehicle 2 on the lane based on the information on the positional relationship of the traffic lights from the vehicle 2 detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 and the information indicating the position of the traffic lights included in the feature information 24a. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle 2 (see FIG. 1) is traveling toward the traffic light SG1 and is located at a position (X1, Y1), the image of the traffic light detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 (see FIG. 1) is S1, and when the vehicle 2 is located at a position (X2, Y2) closer to the traffic light, the image of the traffic light detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 is S2. The images S1 and S2 are different in position and size. Using this, the control unit 10 detects the current position information of the vehicle 2 on the lane based on the actual position and size of the traffic light based on the position coordinates of the left end, right end, bottom surface, and top surface of the traffic light registered in the feature information 24a, and the position and size of the image of the traffic light detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16.

[0029] [Link data group] As shown in FIG. 2(E), the link data group 25 includes link information 25a. The link information 25a is data that associates features with lanes. As described above, in this embodiment, the features are traffic lights. In the link information 25a, a lane ID, a traffic light ID, an assignment point, and a visibility-related flag are each set for each traffic light. Basically, a traffic light is associated with the closest lane. For example, on the road shown in FIG. 1, traffic light SG1 is associated with lanes LL8 and LL9.

[0030] However, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), because various straight, left-turn, and right-turn lanes are intertwined within an intersection, the lanes within the intersection are excluded from the lanes associated with traffic lights. Traffic lights installed at an intersection are associated with lanes before entering the intersection or lanes after leaving the intersection. For example, as shown in Figure 4(A), if traffic light SG2 at an intersection is installed near lanes LL10 and LL11 entering the intersection, traffic light SG2 is associated with lanes LL10 and LL11, respectively. Also, as shown in Figure 4(B), if traffic light SG3 at an intersection is installed near lanes LL12 and LL13 leaving the intersection, traffic light SG3 is associated with lanes LL12 and LL13, respectively.

[0031] [Grant location] The assigned point is a point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane information of the lane related to the feature. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the assigned point is a point in the sequence of position coordinate points included in the lane information 22a that is closest to the point where a perpendicular line dropped from the traffic light SG1 intersects with the road surface. Information indicating the assigned point registered in the link information 25a may be information indicating the ordinal number of the point along the travel direction in the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane information indicated by the lane ID.

[0032] 4(A), when a traffic light SG2 at an intersection is associated with lanes LL10 and LL11 entering the intersection, the last points P1 and P2 in the sequence of position coordinate points included in the lane information 22a for the lanes LL10 and LL11 become the assigned points. Furthermore, when a traffic light SG3 in the intersection is associated with lanes LL12 and LL13 leaving the intersection, the first points P3 and P4 in the sequence of position coordinate points included in the lane information 22a for the lanes LL12 and LL13 become the assigned points.

[0033] [Visibility related flags] The visibility-related flag is detection feasibility information indicating whether or not a feature can be detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 of the vehicle 2 that has reached the given point. As described above, the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 detects features ahead of the vehicle 2. The visibility-related flag is determined depending on whether or not a traffic light falls within the detection range of the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 of the vehicle 2 that is located at the given point.

[0034] For example, as shown in Fig. 4(A), when a traffic light SG2 falls within a range SA where the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 of the vehicle 2 traveling on the lanes LL10 and LL11 having the points P1 and P2 as the designation points can detect the traffic light SG, the visibility-related flag of the feature information 24a relating the traffic light SG to the lanes LL10 and LL11 is set to 0 indicating that the traffic light SG is detectable. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 4(B), when a traffic light SG3 does not fall within a range SA where the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 of the vehicle 2 traveling on the lanes LL12 and LL13 having the designation points can detect the traffic light SG3, the visibility-related flag of the feature information 24a is set to 1 indicating that the traffic light SG3 is not detectable. Note that the visibility-related flag may be set to 1 as a value indicating that the traffic light SG2 is detectable and 0 as a value indicating that the traffic light SG3 is not detectable.

[0035] [Functional configuration of the control unit] 1, the control unit 10 includes a storage unit 12, a point sequence specification unit 13, an assignment point specification unit 14, and a control information generation unit 15. The storage unit 12 stores map data 20 including the above-mentioned road network data 21, lane network data 22, an attribute data group 23, a feature data group 24, and a link data group 25.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 5(A), the point sequence specification unit 13 refers to the road network data 21 to generate a route MP on the road from the starting point S of the vehicle 2 to the destination G. In reality, the route MP curves along the road, but in Fig. 5(A), the route MP is shown as straight lines. The route MP is composed of links and nodes connected together.

[0037] Furthermore, the point sequence identifying unit 13 searches for a route MT on a lane along a route MP on a road along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel, as shown in FIG. 5(A), with reference to the attribute data group 23. There may be cases where the route MT is the same as the route MP on the map (a one-to-one relationship between a road and a lane). The point sequence identifying unit 13 reads a position coordinate point sequence corresponding to the lane ID of the searched lane with reference to the lane network data 22, and identifies a position coordinate point sequence along the route MT on the lane. In FIG. 5(A), the line segments between the black circles indicate the lanes, and the scales on the lane indicate the position coordinate point sequence.

[0038] The assigning point identification unit 14 identifies an assigning point on the sequence of position coordinate points by referring to the lane network data 22 and the link data group 25. That is, the control unit 10 sequentially identifies lane information 22a along the route MT, which is a route along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel, using the exit lane ID, and reads out link information 25a having the lane ID included in the sequentially identified lane information 22a from the link data group 25 to sequentially identify the assigning points, thereby pre-reading the assigning points on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lanes along the route MT. In the example shown in FIG. 5(A), GP10 to GP14 indicate the assigning points. The assigning points are points on the sequence of position coordinate points that are closest to the traffic lights SG10 to SG14 on the route MT. The assigning point identification unit 14 has, for example, a pre-reading table shown in FIG. 5(B). This pre-reading table has items of feature ID, position information, assigning point, and visibility-related flag. The position information is a compilation of the left end coordinate, right end coordinate, height, and height from the ground shown in FIG. 2(D). The assignment point identification unit 14 searches for the route MT, and registers the following items along the travel direction: feature ID, position information, assignment point, and visibility-related flag.

[0039] The control information generator 15 refers to the feature data group 24 and generates control information for controlling the position of the vehicle 2 based on the position information of the feature related to the pre-read given point. As shown in Fig. 5(A), in section L1 just before traffic light SG1, the control information generator 15 detects traffic light SG10 with the vehicle-mounted sensor 16, and detects the position information of the vehicle 2 based on the detection result. Similarly, in sections L2 to L5, the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 detects traffic lights SG11 to SG14 on the vehicle 2 in each section, and detects the position information of the vehicle 2 based on the detection result.

[0040] [Hardware configuration] The functions of the control unit 10 of the vehicle assistance system 1 shown in Fig. 1 are realized, for example, by the hardware configuration of a computer shown in Fig. 6. The control unit 10 includes one or more processors 101, a memory 102, a storage 103, a communication interface 104, and an input / output interface 105. The processor 101 executes an operating system and application programs. The storage 103 is composed of a storage medium such as a hard disk, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, or a removable magnetic disk or optical disk, and stores the operating system and application programs. The memory 102 temporarily stores the programs loaded from the storage 103 or the results of calculations performed by the processor 101.

[0041] The processor 101 executes a program in cooperation with the memory 102 to realize the functions of the above-mentioned components. The communication interface 104 performs data communication with the server 11 via the wireless communication network 3 according to a command from the processor 101. The input / output interface 105 executes input / output of electrical signals with an input / output device that can be operated by a passenger, such as a monitor or a touch panel, according to a command from the processor 101. The hardware configuration of the control unit 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 6. It is sufficient that the control unit 10 has a hardware configuration capable of executing a program that causes the control unit 10 to function as the storage unit 12, the point sequence identification unit 13, the assigned location identification unit 14, and the control information generation unit 15 shown in FIG. 1. The hardware configuration of the server 11 is also substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 6. The map data 20 is stored in the storage 103, and is stored in the storage 103 of the control unit 10 via the communication I / F 104 of the server 11, the wireless communication network 3, and the communication I / F 104 of the control unit 10.

[0042] Next, an operation of the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, an automatic driving process executed in the control unit 10 will be described.

[0043] 7, the point sequence specification unit 13 generates a route MP (see FIG. 5(A)) on a road from a starting point S to a destination G (step S1). Here, the starting point S is a position on a road that is closest to the current position of the vehicle 2 determined by the position acquisition unit 17, and the destination G can be a position specified via, for example, the input / output I / F in FIG.

[0044] Next, the point sequence identifying unit 13 generates a route MT on the lane along the route MP on the road by referring to the road network data 21, the lane network data 22, and the attribute data group 23 (step S2). Furthermore, the point sequence identifying unit 13 refers to the lane network data 22 and the attribute data group 23, reads ahead the lane information 22a of the lane along the route MT on the lane of the vehicle 2, and identifies a position coordinate point sequence (see FIG. 5(A)) of the lane along the route MP (step S3).

[0045] The assigning point identification unit 14 refers to the link data group 25, reads ahead the sequence of position coordinate points of lanes along the route MT, and identifies the assigning point on the sequence of position coordinate points (step S4). As a result, the feature ID, position information, assigning point, and visibility-related flag of the traffic light on the route MT are set in the look-ahead table, as shown in Fig. 5(B). By referring to the look-ahead table, it is possible to know at what point (how far ahead) the traffic light is located on the sequence of position coordinate points along the route MT along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel, before the vehicle 2 reaches a position in the vicinity of the traffic light (for example, at a position far ahead of the traffic light so that the traffic light cannot be seen).

[0046] Next, the control unit 10 starts sensor detection and traveling (step S5). After starting traveling, the control information generating unit 15 performs a position identification process (step S6). In the position identification process, the position of the traveling vehicle 2 is identified. The details of the position identification process will be described later.

[0047] After the position specification process, the control information generator 15 determines whether or not the destination has been reached (step S7). The control unit 10 repeats steps S6 to S7 until the destination has been reached (step S7; No).

[0048] When the vehicle 2 arrives at the destination G (step S7; Yes), the control unit 10 stops the automatic driving of the vehicle 2 (step S8) and ends the automatic driving process.

[0049] [Location identification process] 8, in the position identification process of step S6, first, the control information generator 15 acquires sensor information from the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 (step S11). This sensor information is information indicating a three-dimensional structure existing in front of the vehicle 2.

[0050] Next, the control information generating unit 15 judges whether or not there is a candidate traffic light (step S12). In this case, if there is an unselected candidate traffic light remaining in the look-ahead table generated by the grant point identifying unit 14, the judgment is positive, and if there is no candidate traffic light remaining, the judgment is negative. If there is a candidate traffic light (step S12; Yes), the control information generating unit 15 selects a candidate traffic light (step S13). In this case, the control information generating unit 15 refers to the look-ahead table and selects, from among the traffic lights within a range detectable by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 from the current position of the vehicle 2, in order from the top, as a candidate traffic light. In the example shown in FIG. 5(B), traffic light SG10 is first selected as a candidate.

[0051] Next, the control information generator 15 determines whether or not a traffic light has been detected based on the sensor information of the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 (step S14). Among the features detected by the sensor information of the vehicle-mounted sensor 16, those whose shape characteristics match those of a traffic light are detected as traffic lights. If multiple traffic lights are detected, the largest one among them (the one closest to the vehicle 2) is selected as the target for position detection.

[0052] If it is determined that a traffic light has been detected (step S14; Yes), the control information generating unit 15 determines whether or not the vehicle 2 has reached the point where the traffic light candidate is assigned (step S15). If the vehicle 2 has not reached the point where the candidate is assigned (step S15; No), the control information generating unit 15 performs position identification using the traffic light candidate (step S16). This position identification is performed, for example, by comparing the position and size of the traffic light with the position and size of the image of the traffic light detected by the vehicle-mounted sensor 16, as shown in FIG. 3. When step S16 is completed, the control information generating unit 15 ends the position identification process.

[0053] On the other hand, if the vehicle has reached the grant point (step S15; Yes), the control information generator 15 determines whether the visibility-related flag corresponding to the grant point is 0 (step S17). If the visibility-related flag is 0 (step S17; Yes), the control information generator 15 performs position identification using candidate traffic lights (step S16). When step S16 is completed, the control information generator 15 ends the position identification process.

[0054] For example, if the candidate traffic light is traffic light SG11, the visibility-related flag corresponding to traffic light SG11 in the look-ahead table is set to 1, indicating that it is not detectable. As in this example, if the visibility-related flag is not 0 (step S17; No), the control information generating unit 15 excludes the candidate traffic light, which is linked to the assigned point reached by the vehicle 2 and has the visibility-related flag indicating that it is not detectable, from the detection targets of the current position information of the vehicle 2 on the lane (step S18). Next, the control information generating unit 15 determines whether there is a new candidate (step S12). In this case, if there is still a candidate traffic light in the look-ahead table shown in FIG. 5(B) (step S12; Yes), the control information generating unit 15 executes the process from step S13 again.

[0055] On the other hand, when all the traffic light candidates in the look-ahead table have been selected and there are no more traffic light candidates that have not yet been selected (step S12; No), the control information generator 15 identifies the position of the vehicle 2 by another method (step S23). Here, the identified position is, for example, the position acquired by the position acquisition unit 17. When step S23 is completed, the control information generator 15 ends the position identification process.

[0056] If no traffic light is detected in the sensor information of the vehicle-mounted sensor 16 (step S14; No), the control information generator 15 determines whether the vehicle 2 has reached the point where the candidate traffic light is assigned (step S20). If the vehicle 2 has not reached the point where the candidate traffic light is assigned (step S20; No), the control information generator 15 identifies the position of the vehicle 2 by another method (step S23). When step S23 is completed, the control information generator 15 ends the position identification process.

[0057] Even if the vehicle 2 has reached the grant point (step S20; Yes) and the visibility-related flag is not 0 (step S21; No), the control information generator 15 identifies the position of the vehicle 2 by another method (step S23). When step S23 is completed, the control information generator 15 ends the position identification process.

[0058] However, if the vehicle 2 has reached the grant point (step S20; Yes) and the visibility-related flag is 0 (step S21; Yes), the traffic light that should be present has not been detected, so the control information generating unit 15 reports information to the server 11 via the wireless communication network 3 that the traffic light that should be present has not been detected, or adjusts the vehicle-mounted sensor 16, such as by increasing the sensitivity (step S22). Upon receiving this report, the corresponding traffic light is investigated, and the feature data group 24 and the link data group 25 are updated as necessary in the server 11. The map data 20 in which the feature data group 24 and the link data group 25 have been updated is transmitted to the control unit 10 via the wireless communication network 3 and stored in the storage unit 12. Then, the control information generating unit 15 identifies the position of the vehicle 2 by another method (step S23). When step S23 is completed, the control information generating unit 15 ends the position identification process.

[0059] The control unit 10 executes the automatic driving process including the above-mentioned position identification process to identify the position of the vehicle 2, and while updating the position, automatically drives the vehicle 2 along the route MT to move from the starting point S to the destination G. Basically, as shown in Fig. 5(A), the control unit 10 reads ahead the point where the nearest traffic light is indicated ahead of the vehicle 2, detects the traffic light with the vehicle-mounted sensor 16, and calculates the current position information of the vehicle 2. When the vehicle 2 passes the traffic light, the detection target is switched to the next traffic light.

[0060] In the above-described automatic driving process, after reading the assigned point in step S4, steps S5 to S8 are executed, but step S4 and steps S5 to S8 may be executed in parallel. That is, the control unit 10 may execute steps S5 to S8 while reading further assigned points after reading the assigned point up to a certain distance from the starting point S, rather than reading the assigned point up to the destination G.

[0061] As described above in detail, according to the vehicle assistance system 1 of the present embodiment, the position information of the vehicle 2 can be detected with high accuracy, and therefore the position of the vehicle 2 can be appropriately controlled.

[0062] [Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 9, the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the first embodiment in that the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the second embodiment generates control information related to the speed of the vehicle 2. In this embodiment, the feature is a sign on which speed regulation information is displayed. In Fig. 9, a sign restricting the maximum speed to 50km / h is illustrated as the feature.

[0063] The vehicle assistance system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a control unit 10, a server 11, an on-vehicle sensor 16, and a position acquisition unit 17. It is also the same in that the map data 20 includes road network data 21, lane network data 22, an attribute data group 23, a feature data group 24, and a link data group 25. The contents of the road network data 21, lane network data 22, and attribute data group 23 are also the same as those shown in Figures 2(A) to 2(C).

[0064] [Geometric data set] In this embodiment, the features are signs indicating speed regulation information. These signs include a sign indicating "Stop" and indicating the stopping of the vehicle 2. Although a sign LB1 is shown in Fig. 9, in reality, many signs indicating speed regulation information are erected on the road. For each sign, the feature data group 24 has feature information 24a as shown in Fig. 10(A).

[0065] The feature data group 24 has feature information 24a for each sign. As shown in Fig. 10(A), the feature information 24a is a data set including a sign ID, the left edge coordinate of the sign, the right edge coordinate, the height, the height from the ground, and the display content. The display content indicates the speed regulation information displayed on the sign. The display content includes the maximum speed, the minimum speed, or "STOP" which encourages the driver to stop. In this way, the feature information 24a includes the identification information of the sign, information indicating the position of the sign, and information indicating the display content.

[0066] [Link data group] As shown in FIG. 10(B), the link data group 25 has link information 25a. The link information 25a is data that associates features with lanes. As described above, in this embodiment, the features are signs. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a sign LB1 is provided for a vehicle 2 that travels on a lane that constitutes a link LR3. In this case, link information 25a that associates the sign LB1 with the link LR3 is generated. As shown in FIG. 10(B), in the link information 25a, a lane ID, a sign ID, and an assignment point are each set for each sign. The sign is associated with the closest lane. For example, in the road shown in FIG. 9, lanes LL8 and LL9 are associated with the sign LB1. Also, the sign is not associated with lanes in an intersection, as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0067] [Grant location] The assigned point is a point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane associated with the sign, as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the assigned point is a point in the sequence of position coordinate points included in the lane information 22a that is closest to a point where a perpendicular line drawn from the sign LB1 intersects with the road surface. The information indicating the assigned point may indicate the ordinal number of the point in the sequence of position coordinate points along the traveling direction.

[0068] [Functional configuration of the control unit] As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 10 includes a storage unit 12, a point sequence specifying unit 13, an assignment point specifying unit 14, and a control information generating unit 15, which is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0069] The point sequence identifying unit 13 generates a route MP on a road from a starting point S of the vehicle 2 to a destination G with reference to the road network data 21, as shown in Fig. 11(A). Furthermore, the point sequence identifying unit 13 searches for a route MT on a lane along the route MP on a road along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel, as shown in Fig. 11(A), with reference to the attribute data group 23. The point sequence identifying unit 13 reads a position coordinate point sequence corresponding to the lane ID of the searched lane with reference to the lane network data 22, and identifies a position coordinate point sequence along the route MT on the lane.

[0070] The assigning point identification unit 14 identifies an assigning point on the sequence of position coordinate points by referring to the lane network data 22 and the link data group 25. In the example shown in FIG. 11(A), GP10 to GP14 indicate the assigning points. The assigning points are points on the sequence of position coordinate points that are closest to signs LB10 to LB14 on the route MT. The assigning point identification unit 14 also has a look-ahead table, for example, as shown in FIG. 11(B). This look-ahead table has items of feature ID, position information, assigning point, and display content. The assigning point identification unit 14 searches the route MT and registers the items of feature ID, assigning point, and display content along the traveling direction. The display content is information related to the speed that the vehicle 2 should observe at the time when the sign is installed.

[0071] The control information generating unit 15 refers to the feature data group 24 and generates a speed profile from the departure point S of the vehicle to the destination G as control information for controlling the speed of the vehicle 2 based on the positions of the features linked to the pre-read assigned points. As shown in Fig. 11(A) and Fig. 11(B), the control information generating unit 15 pre-reads the display contents related to the speed of the signs LB10-LB14 corresponding to the assigned points GP10-GP14 to generate a speed profile of the vehicle 2. For example, when the display contents of the sign LB10 are the maximum speed V1, the speed of the vehicle 2 after passing the position P10 of the sign LB10 is within the speed V1, and when the display contents of the sign LB11 are the maximum speed V2, a speed profile is generated in which the vehicle 2 decelerates to the maximum speed V2 when it reaches the position P11 of the sign LB11.

[0072] Furthermore, if the display content of sign LB12 is "Stop," a speed profile is generated that allows vehicle 2 to stop when it reaches position P12 of sign LB11. Thereafter, because there are no speed signs between sign LB12 and sign LB13, a speed profile is generated in which the maximum speed is the legal speed limit applicable to general roads, and a speed profile is generated in which the speed of vehicle 2 is 0 at destination G without exceeding maximum speed V3 displayed on sign LB13 or maximum speed V4 displayed on sign LB14. Control unit 10 controls the speed of vehicle 2 in accordance with the generated speed profile.

[0073] The hardware configuration of the control unit 10 is also the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The same is true of the server 11.

[0074] Next, an operation of the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, an automatic driving process executed in the control unit 10 will be described.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 12, the point sequence identifying unit 13 generates a route MP (see FIG. 11(A)) from a starting point S to a destination G (step S21). Next, the control unit 10 refers to the road network data 21, the lane network data 22, and the attribute data group 23 to generate a route MT on lanes along the route MP (step S22). Furthermore, the point sequence identifying unit 13 refers to the lane network data 22 and the attribute data group 23 to pre-read the lane information 22a of lanes along the route MT on the lane of the vehicle 2 to identify a position coordinate point sequence (see FIG. 11(A)) of the lane along the route MP (step S23).

[0076] The assigning point identification unit 14 refers to the link data group 25, reads ahead the sequence of position coordinate points of lanes along the route MT, and identifies the assigning point on the sequence of position coordinate points (step S24). As a result, the feature ID, position information, assigning point, and display content of the sign on the route MT are set in the look-ahead table, as shown in Fig. 11(B). By referring to the look-ahead table, it is possible to know at what point (how far ahead) a sign is present in the sequence of position coordinate points along the route MT along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel, before the vehicle 2 reaches a position in the vicinity of the sign (for example, at a position far ahead of the sign so that the sign cannot be seen).

[0077] Next, the control unit 10 performs a speed profile generation process to generate a speed profile from the departure point S to the destination G based on the pre-read sign attachment point and display content (step S25). After the speed profile generation process, the control unit 10 starts the automatic driving of the vehicle 2 (step S26). The control unit 10 controls the speed of the vehicle 2 according to the generated speed profile. Next, the control unit 10 judges whether the destination G has been reached (step S27). The control unit 10 repeats step S27 until the vehicle arrives at the destination (step S27; No). In this way, it is possible to realize a speed control in which the vehicle 2 grasps where (how far ahead) a sign is present in the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane along the route MP along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel (for example, at a position far ahead of the sign so that the sign cannot be visually recognized) before the vehicle 2 reaches a peripheral position of the sign, pre-reads the display content of the sign, and performs deceleration, acceleration, or stop according to the speed regulation information at the current position or a position a certain distance from the current position according to the pre-read display content.

[0078] When the vehicle 2 arrives at the destination G (step S27; Yes), the control unit 10 stops the automatic driving of the vehicle 2 (step S28) and ends the automatic driving process.

[0079] The control unit 10 executes the above-mentioned automatic driving process, reads signs related to speed on the route MT in advance to generate a speed profile, and automatically drives the vehicle 2 along the route MT while updating the speed, moving from the starting point S to the destination G. At this time, the control unit 10 performs automatic driving while detecting position information of the vehicle 2 based on position information of features (e.g., traffic lights) like the vehicle assistance system 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Note that the control unit 10 may perform automatic driving while acquiring the position of the vehicle 2 by the position acquisition unit 17, that is, by identifying the position of the vehicle 2 using GPS information.

[0080] In the above-described automatic driving process, steps S25 to S28 are executed after reading the assigned point in step S24, but step S24 and steps S25 to S28 may be executed in parallel. That is, the control unit 10 may not read the assigned point up to the destination G, but may read the assigned point halfway and then execute steps S25 to S28 while continuing to read the assigned point.

[0081] As described above in detail, the vehicle assistance system 1 according to this embodiment is capable of accurately predicting signs related to the speed of the vehicle 2 on the route MT, thereby enabling the speed of the vehicle to be appropriately controlled.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the vehicle assistance system 1 is described as assisting an autonomously driven vehicle 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The vehicle assistance system 1 may also assist a manually driven vehicle 2.

[0083] Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the feature is a traffic light, and in the above-mentioned embodiment 2, the feature is a sign. However, this is not limited to this. Any three-dimensional structure provided near a road can be used as the feature to control the position or speed of the vehicle 2. For example, the position of the vehicle 2 can be specified using a sign.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the vehicle assistance system 1 has been described on a road with left-hand traffic, but the vehicle assistance system 1 can also be applied to roads with right-hand traffic.

[0085] Furthermore, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the vehicle assistance system 1 are merely examples and can be changed or modified as desired.

[0086] The program for causing the control unit 10 to function includes program codes for causing the control unit 10 to function as the storage unit 12, the point sequence specifying unit 13, the assignment point specifying unit 14, and the control information generating unit 15.

[0087] The core part of the processing of the control unit 10 can be realized by using a normal computer system, not a dedicated system. For example, the computer program for executing the above-mentioned operations may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium (flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.) and distributed, and the control unit 10 for executing the above-mentioned processing may be configured by installing the computer program on a computer. Also, the computer program may be stored in a storage device of a server device on a communication network such as the Internet, and the control unit 10 may be configured by downloading the computer program by a normal computer system.

[0088] When the functions of the control unit 10 are realized by sharing between an OS (operating system) and an application program, or by cooperation between the OS and the application program, only the application program portion may be stored in a recording medium or storage device.

[0089] It is also possible to superimpose a computer program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the computer program may be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on the communication network and distributed via the network. Then, the computer program may be started and executed under the control of the OS in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be performed.

[0090] Various embodiments and modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are for the purpose of explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 vehicle assistance system, 2 vehicle, 3 wireless communication network, 10 control unit, 11 server (transmission device), 12 memory unit, 13 point sequence identification unit, 14 assigned point identification unit, 15 control information generation unit, 16 vehicle-mounted sensor, 17 position acquisition unit, 18 transmission / reception unit, 20 map data, 21 road network data, 21a road section information, 22 lane network data, 22a lane information, 23 attribute data group, 23a attribute information, 24 feature data group, 24a feature information, 25 link data group, 25a link information, 30 transmission / reception unit (transmission unit), 101 processor, 102 memory, 103 storage, 104 communication interface (I / F), 105 input / output interface (I / F), GP10, GP11, GP12, GP13, GP14 Assignment point, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 Section, LB1, LB10, LB11, LB12, LB13, LB14 Sign, LL1, LL2, LL3, LL4, LL5, LL6, LL7, LL8, LL9, LL10, LL11 Lane, LR1, LR2, LR3 Link, MP, MT Route, N1 Node, P1, P2, P3, P4 Location, P10, P11, P12, P13, P14 Position information, V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 Speed, S1, S2 Image, SA Detection range, SG, SG1, SG2, SG3, SG10, SG11, SG12, SG13, SG14 Traffic light

Claims

1. A data structure of map data used by a control unit of a vehicle to grasp the driving state of the vehicle and stored in a memory unit, The map data is Lane information including information indicating the location of lanes and the connection between a given lane and the lanes before and after it; Assigned point information is information indicating an assigned point that is a point on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane and is related to a feature attached to the lane; and detection possibility information indicating whether or not a feature related to the assigned point is a feature used to identify the current position of the vehicle, A data structure in which the lane information, the point of assignment information, and the detection possibility information are stored in association with each other.

2. A data structure of map data used by a control unit of a vehicle to grasp the running state of the vehicle and stored in a memory unit, The map data is Lane information including information indicating the location of lanes and the connection between a given lane and the lanes before and after it; assigned point information, which is information used to identify the position of the vehicle based on points on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane on the map data, and which indicates assigned points that are points on the sequence of position coordinate points and that are associated with features attached to the lane; and detection feasibility information indicating whether or not a feature related to the assigned point is a feature used to identify the vehicle's position, the detection feasibility information being information used to determine whether or not the vehicle's position is to be identified by detecting the feature. A data structure in which the lane information, the point of assignment information, and the detection possibility information are stored in association with each other.

3. A data structure of map data used by a control unit of a vehicle to grasp the running state of the vehicle and stored in a memory unit, The map data is Lane information including information indicating the location of lanes and the connection between a given lane and the lanes before and after it; assigned point information, which is information used by the control unit to identify the position of the vehicle based on points on the sequence of position coordinate points of the lane on the map data, and which indicates assigned points that are points on the sequence of position coordinate points and that are associated with features erected along the lane; and and detection feasibility information indicating whether or not a feature related to the assigned point is a feature used to identify the vehicle's position, the detection feasibility information being information used by the control unit to determine whether or not the vehicle's position is to be identified by detecting the feature, A data structure in which the lane information, the point of assignment information, and the detection possibility information are stored in association with each other.

4. The lane information and the grant point information are The process is used to identify the assigned point on the route to the destination before the vehicle starts traveling. The data structure of claim 2 .

5. The detection feasibility information is After it is determined that the vehicle has reached the identified assigned point, the information is used in a process of determining whether or not to use a feature related to the assigned point to identify the position of the vehicle. The data structure of claim 2 .

6. The detection feasibility information is After it is determined that the vehicle has reached the specified assigned point, if it is determined that a feature related to the assigned point will not be used to detect the position of the vehicle, the feature is used in a process of excluding the feature from candidates to be used to detect the current position of the vehicle. The data structure of claim 5.

7. The detection feasibility information is After it is determined that the vehicle has reached the specified assigned point, the process is used to detect that a feature associated with the assigned point does not actually exist. The data structure of claim 2 .

8. Display information showing display content related to the speed of the vehicle displayed on the feature, The lane information, the grant point information, and the display information are used in a process of generating a speed profile of the vehicle to the destination based on features associated with the assigned points on a route to the destination before the vehicle starts traveling; The data structure of claim 2 .

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