Map storage device

Abstract

To provide a map storage device that automatically determines and stores necessary maps to generate a map without any user's operation.SOLUTION: A map storage device comprises: a map generation part which generates map data on a course that a vehicle travels; a map data temporary storage part which temporarily stores the map data; a map data storage part which non-temporarily stores part of the map data stored temporarily in the map data temporary storage part; a behavior history information retention part which retains behavior history information on a history of behavior of the vehicle; and a vehicle behavior determination part which determines whether to store the map data, stored temporarily in the map data temporary storage part, in the map data storage part based upon the behavior history information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to map storage devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to realize safe driving and automatic driving, a technology is known that estimates the position of a vehicle using an environmental map and information obtained from sensors installed in the vehicle. Conventionally, as a map generation system that generates an environmental map, a map generation system that generates a map based on a road surface image from an on-board camera (e.g., Patent Document 1) and a map generation system that generates a high-precision three-dimensional environmental map by generating three-dimensional position information from a distance measured by irradiating a laser light from a laser range finder (e.g., Patent Document 2) are known. In addition, a map storage device (e.g., Patent Document 3) is known that, when saving data while the vehicle is traveling, stores data stored in a temporary data storage means in a non-temporary storage means only when the vehicle is traveling at a set speed.

[0003] In the map generation system, when a user generates a map at will, the user operates a button on a user interface such as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) to instruct the start of map generation and to instruct the completion of map generation. In addition, when a navigation system guides the user to a destination, the system can determine the section to be stored as a map by obtaining information indicating that the user has arrived at the destination from information on the location registered as the destination.

[0004] However, in daily driving such as commuting from home to work or driving from home to nearby commercial facilities, users often drive their cars without registering destinations, and in such cases, the necessary maps cannot be stored and generated. Storing and generating maps requires user operation and external information, which is troublesome for the user generating the map. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-10393 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-66595 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2001-264074 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention provides a map storage device that generates maps by automatically determining and storing a required map without user operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the map storage device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle, a map data temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the map data, a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit, a behavior history information storage unit that saves behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle, and a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not to store the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a map storage device that can automatically determine and store a required map without user operation input. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating reverse parking including a turning operation of the vehicle, which is detected as vehicle behavior by the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a storage operation of map information in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating forward parking, which is detected as a vehicle behavior by the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a map information storage operation in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an entrance to an intersection detected as a vehicle behavior by a vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system of the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a map information storage operation in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, functionally identical elements may be indicated by the same numbers. Note that the accompanying drawings show embodiments according to the principles of the present disclosure, but these are for understanding the present disclosure and are not to be used to interpret the present disclosure in a limiting manner. The description in this specification is merely a typical example and does not limit the scope or application of the present disclosure in any sense.

[0011] In the present embodiment, the description is given in sufficient detail for a person skilled in the art to implement the present disclosure, but it should be understood that other implementations and forms are possible, and that changes in configuration and structure and substitutions of various elements are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the technical ideas of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following description should not be interpreted as being limited thereto.

[0012] [First embodiment] The overall configuration of a map storage system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of Fig. 1. This map storage system is mounted on a vehicle and includes a map generation unit 100, a map data temporary storage unit 101, and a map data storage unit 102. The map generation unit 100 is configured to be able to communicate with the map data temporary storage unit 101 and the map data storage unit 102 wirelessly or via wire. The map generation unit 100 has a function of temporarily storing a generated map in the map data temporary storage unit 101, and also has a function of non-temporarily storing (long-term or permanently unless there is an erase command or the like) the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 under a predetermined condition.

[0013] The map data temporary storage unit 101 is an auxiliary storage means configured to temporarily store various data, and is configured as a semiconductor memory. The map data temporary storage unit 101 is configured to temporarily store a predetermined amount of map data for a predetermined period or condition, and to discard the map data appropriately at a timing when it is determined that non-temporary storage is unnecessary. The semiconductor memory constituting the map data temporary storage unit 101 may be a volatile memory such as a DRAM, or a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, an MRAM, or a ReRAM. On the other hand, the map data storage unit 102 is a storage means capable of non-temporarily storing various data, and is preferably a hard disk, a flash memory, an MRAM, a CD-RAM, a DVD-RAM, or the like, which is a storage device capable of reading and writing a large amount of data and storing data non-volatilely. Note that the map data storage unit 102 does not necessarily need to be mounted on the vehicle, and may be mounted on a server or the like capable of communicating with the vehicle.

[0014] The map generating unit 100 has a function of generating a map from three-dimensional position information and feature points obtained from a distance measuring sensor (not shown) such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or SONAR. The map generating unit 100 also has a function of detecting three-dimensional objects such as signs and traffic lights, and road surface figures (paint) such as lanes and crosswalks from images captured by an in-vehicle camera (not shown) and generating a map. The map generating unit 100 can generate a map by measuring images obtained by a vehicle traveling. The map generating unit 100 also has a function of constantly generating a map after the system is started, and storing the map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in a cyclical manner as a ring buffer. The capacity of the data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 can be determined according to conditions such as the size of the temporary storage data, the travel distance of the vehicle, and the travel time.

[0015] The map generating unit 100 is configured to start storing map data in the map data storage unit 102 when a predetermined behavior of the vehicle in which the map generating unit 100 is installed is detected. For this reason, the map storage system includes a vehicle behavior determining unit 103, a vehicle speed input unit 104, a vehicle steering input unit 105, a vehicle shift input unit 106, a vehicle parking brake input unit 107, a behavior history information storage unit 108, and the vehicle behavior determining unit 103 as components for determining the behavior of the vehicle. In this specification, the "behavior" of the vehicle is interpreted in a broad sense to include not only the case where the main body of the vehicle is moving, but also the case where only some of the components of the vehicle are performing some kind of operation. The "behavior" referred to here also includes the case where the vehicle itself is stopped and not moving.

[0016] As an example, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has been parked backwards, including a turning operation as shown in FIG. 2, determines that the vehicle has arrived at the destination, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the map that is temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102.

[0017] The vehicle speed input unit 104 has a function of inputting information on the vehicle speed (vehicle speed information) obtained from a speedometer (not shown) mounted on the vehicle or the like. The vehicle steering input unit 105 inputs information on the steering amount of the vehicle's steering wheel (steering information) from a power steering system (not shown) or the like. The vehicle shift input unit 106 inputs shift information on the vehicle's gear shift from an automatic transmission of an automatic transmission system. The vehicle parking brake input unit 107 inputs parking brake information on the control of the vehicle's parking brake.

[0018] The behavior history information storage unit 108 receives various information related to the behavior of the vehicle over a certain period of time from the various input units 104 to 107 and stores the information as behavior history information. The vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines the behavior of the vehicle based on the various information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108.

[0019] It should be noted that the various behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 described above is an example of information for determining the behavior of the vehicle, and is not limited to the combination in FIG. 1. An input unit other than that in FIG. 1 may be additionally adopted, or the various input units in FIG. 1 may be replaced with other input units. For example, an input unit for inputting information regarding the operation of the brake may be additionally adopted, or an input unit for inputting sensing information of a sensor that detects the opening and closing of a door may be adopted. In addition to information on the operation units operated by the driver, such as the steering wheel, brake, and shift lever, control signals and driving assistance information from an automatic driving function or a driving assistance function may be input.

[0020] As an example, the behavior history information storage unit 108 starts storing the behavior history information when the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed input unit 104 becomes equal to or lower than a threshold value. The threshold value here can be, for example, 20 km / h. Similarly, various information from the other input units 105 to 107 starts to be stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Multiple types of behavior history information can be collectively stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 when the conditions for the multiple types of behavior information are satisfied. Alternatively, the behavior information may be stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 when the conditions for each of the multiple types of behavior information are satisfied. The vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines the behavior of the vehicle from the behavior information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 in this manner.

[0021] The map information storage operation in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. Here, the operation is shown for the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 to determine whether the vehicle approaches a parking lot at a low speed, switches to reverse gear, starts backing up, and is parked facing backwards.

[0022] As described above, the map generation unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc. while the vehicle is traveling, and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During that time, when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 20 km / h), the behavior history information storage unit 108 receives various behavior history information (vehicle speed information, steering information, shift information, parking brake information) from the various input units 104 to 107, and starts storing (acquiring) the information (step S100).

[0023] Next, in steps S101 to S106, it is determined whether or not the behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 satisfies a predetermined condition. If a negative (No) determination is made in any of steps S101 to 106, the process returns to step S100, and the same operation is repeated.

[0024] In step S101, whether the vehicle is moving forward and traveling at a low vehicle speed (for example, 10 km / h or less) is determined based on the vehicle speed information in the vehicle behavior determination unit 103. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0025] In step S102, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the steering wheel of the vehicle is steered by a threshold or more based on the operation information. The threshold is set to a value that determines whether the steering wheel is steered by a certain amount or more, which is not performed in normal driving, in order to cause the vehicle to enter the target position backwards. If the determination in step S102 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0026] In step S103, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the shift lever has been changed from the "D" range (forward) to the "R" range (reverse) in order to move the vehicle backward, based on the shift information, and determines whether a change in direction has been performed. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S103, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0027] In step S104, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle is moving backward to park at the target parking position based on the shift information and the vehicle speed information (step S104). If the determination in step S104 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0028] In step S105, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the shift information whether the shift lever has been changed from the "R" range to the "P" range (parking) after the vehicle has reached the target position. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0029] In step S106, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether or not the parking brake has been operated on the vehicle based on the parking brake information (step S106). If all of the determinations in steps S101 to S106 are determined to be positive, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has completed parking at the target parking position, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 and store it therein (step S107). After the storage operation in the map data storage unit 102 is completed, a display unit of the navigation system of the vehicle may display a message indicating that storage of the map data in the vicinity of the parking lot has been completed. This allows the user (driver) to know that the map data has been stored. In addition, if the user considers that storage of the map is unnecessary, a data deletion button may be displayed on the display unit so that the user can instruct deletion of the data. This prevents the capacity of the map data storage unit 102 from being wasted.

[0030] During the backward movement of the vehicle in step S104, if the vehicle approaches or comes into contact with a surrounding object and is unable to park at the target position, the shift lever may be switched from the "R" range to the "D" range again, and the vehicle may travel forward again, and then the shift lever may be switched back to the "R" range again to resume the backward movement of the vehicle. Also, after the shift lever is switched from the "R" range to the "P" range in step S105, the shift lever may be returned to "R" or "D" again to resume the parking operation. In consideration of this point, in this embodiment, it is preferable to determine whether some steps are repeated or whether the same operation is performed by returning to the original position, not limited to the case where steps S101 to S106 in FIG. 3 are performed in that order. Also, if the turning operation shown in FIG. 2 is completed with the minimum necessary, a movement trajectory may be calculated from the speed information and steering information of the vehicle, and the completion of the parking operation may be determined from the movement trajectory.

[0031] As described above, according to the map storage system of the first embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a specific vehicle behavior has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to store a required map as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0032] [Second embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. In the map storage system according to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred, the map generation unit 100 is instructed to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. However, the second embodiment is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle has been parked forward, and to store map information in the vicinity of the parking position of the forward parking.

[0033] Fig. 4 shows an example of forward parking. Fig. 4(a) illustrates a situation where a car is parked forward in a parking lot with a parking space. Fig. 4(b) illustrates a situation where a car is parked forward in a home parking lot.

[0034] The overall configuration of the map storage system of the second embodiment will be described briefly with reference to the functional block diagram of Fig. 5. In addition to the components of the first embodiment, the map storage system of the second embodiment further includes an external environment information acquisition unit 109 that acquires external environment information, and the vehicle behavior is determined in the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 based on the information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109 and the behavior history information. The external environment information acquisition unit 109 is configured to acquire spatial information in the traveling direction of the vehicle and acquire information regarding the presence or absence of vehicles around the host vehicle.

[0035] In forward parking as shown in Fig. 4, turning is not performed as a rule, and therefore it is difficult to determine that the vehicle has arrived at the destination using the system configuration and determination method of the first embodiment. In the map storage system of the second embodiment, an external environment information acquisition unit 109 is added to the configuration of the first embodiment, and a determination is made according to the procedure described in Fig. 6, so that it is possible to determine that the destination has been reached even in such forward parking. Then, map information around the position of the forward parking can be acquired and stored without user instructions.

[0036] The procedure for determining that the vehicle has been parked facing forward as shown in Fig. 4 and storing the map information in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart in Fig. 6. This procedure is an example and is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that similar steps may be substituted, other steps may be added, etc. as appropriate.

[0037] As in the first embodiment, the map generating unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc. while the vehicle is traveling, and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During that time, when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 20 km / h), the behavior history information saving unit 108 receives various behavior history information (vehicle speed information, steering information, shift information, parking brake information) from the various input units 104 to 107, and starts saving (acquiring) the information (step S200).

[0038] Next, in steps S201 to S206, it is determined whether or not the behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 satisfies a predetermined condition, and it is determined whether or not the situation around the vehicle has become a predetermined situation based on the information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109. If a negative (No) determination is made in any of steps S201 to 206, the process returns to step S200, and the same operation is repeated.

[0039] In step S201, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle is moving forward and traveling at a low vehicle speed (for example, 10 km / h or less) based on the vehicle speed information. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202. Note that before proceeding to step S202, the external environment information acquisition unit 109 may detect a parking frame and determine whether the host vehicle is moving to this parking frame.

[0040] In step S202, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the shift information whether the shift lever has been changed from the "D" range to the "P" range in order to park the vehicle in the parking position. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S202, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0041] In step S203, after the vehicle reaches the parking position, it is determined based on the parking brake information whether the parking brake is operated in the vehicle behavior determination unit 103. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S203, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0042] In step S204, the external environment information acquisition unit 109 acquires external environment information. Then, in the following step S205, it is determined based on the external environment information whether or not there is a wall in the space in front of the vehicle and no other objects are present (step S205). If the determination in step S205 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S206.

[0043] In step S206, it is determined whether or not there are other vehicles around the host vehicle based on the external environment information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S206, the process proceeds to step S207. Note that in step S206, walls around the host vehicle may be detected based on the external environment information, and it may be determined that the host vehicle is in a space surrounded by the walls of the parking lot. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S206, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has completed parking at the intended parking position, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 for storage (step S107).

[0044] As described above, according to the map storage system of the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a specific vehicle behavior (forward parking) has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to store a required map as appropriate without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0045] [Third embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the map storage system according to the third embodiment, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiments, when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred, the map generation unit 100 is instructed to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. However, the map storage system according to the third embodiment is configured to determine the entry of a vehicle into an intersection as the behavior of the vehicle, and transfer map information in the vicinity of the intersection from the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 and store it non-temporarily.

[0046] The overall configuration of the map storage system of the third embodiment can be the same as that of the second embodiment (FIG. 5), with an outside world information acquisition unit 109 added to the system of the first embodiment.

[0047] In the third embodiment, when it is detected that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value and the steering amount of the vehicle steering wheel is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the external environment information acquisition unit 109 acquires images of roadside lines, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, traffic lights, etc. as external environment information. By judging these images, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has entered an intersection, and map data captured and stored in the vicinity can be transferred and stored from the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102.

[0048] As described above, according to the map storage system of the third embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a specific vehicle behavior has occurred (entering an intersection), and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to store a required map as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0049] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. In the map storage system according to the fourth embodiment, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiments, when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred, the map generation unit 100 is instructed to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102.

[0050] However, in the system of the fourth embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, an earth coordinate input unit 110 that acquires coordinate information from a terrestrial position detection device such as a GPS is connected to the behavior history information storage unit 108. GPS data (coordinate information) is provided as behavior history information from the earth coordinate input unit 110, which is different from the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, frequently traveled roads are acquired as GPS data, and the behavior of the vehicle is judged according to this GPS data, and it is determined whether or not to store the data in the map.

[0051] The behavior history information storage unit 108 appropriately stores the coordinate information input from the earth coordinate input unit 110, including past information, and the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the past coordinate information is similar to the current coordinate information, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 according to the determination result. As an example, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 can determine that the past coordinate information and the current coordinate information are the same when the same coordinate information is obtained a threshold number of times (e.g., three times) or more over a predetermined range.

[0052] The procedure for determining whether a road is a frequently used road and storing the map information in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. This procedure is an example and is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that similar steps may be substituted, other steps may be added, etc. as appropriate.

[0053] As in the case of the above-described embodiment, the map generating unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc. while the vehicle is traveling, and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During this time, the behavior history information saving unit 108 appropriately acquires current coordinate information of the vehicle from the earth coordinate input unit 110 (step S300).

[0054] When a predetermined amount of current coordinate information is obtained, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 acquires past coordinate information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 (step S301), and determines whether the degree of match between the stored coordinate information and the current coordinate information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and whether a match has been confirmed multiple times at the same location in the past (step S302). If this determination is affirmative (Yes), the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the location is a frequently passed location (road, etc.), and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 for storage (step S303).

[0055] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a specific vehicle behavior (passing a frequently used road) has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to store a required map as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0056] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the configurations described. In addition, a part of an embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of an embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 100…Map generation section 101...Map data temporary storage unit 102...Map data storage unit 103...Vehicle behavior judgment unit 104...Vehicle speed input section 105...Vehicle steering input unit 106...Vehicle shift input section 107...Vehicle parking brake input section 108...Behavior history information storage unit 109…External world information acquisition department 110...Earth coordinate input section

Claims

1. A map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle; a map data temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the map data; a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit; A behavior history information storage unit that stores behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle; a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not to store the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information; An external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A map storage device comprising: the map creation unit creates the map data all the time after the map storage device is started, and stores the created map data in the map data temporary storage unit in a circular manner as a ring buffer; when the behavior history information indicates that the vehicle has moved forward at a vehicle speed equal to or less than a threshold and parked, the vehicle behavior determination unit instructs the map creation unit to non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the external environment information; The map creation unit non-temporarily stores the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit in accordance with the instruction from the vehicle behavior determination unit.

1. A map storage device comprising:

2. A map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle; a map data temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the map data; a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit; A behavior history information storage unit that stores behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle; a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not to store the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information; An external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A map storage device comprising: the map creation unit creates the map data all the time after the map storage device is started, and stores the created map data in the map data temporary storage unit in a circular manner as a ring buffer; When the behavior history information indicates that the vehicle has traveled at a speed equal to or less than a threshold and has performed steering equal to or more than a threshold, the vehicle behavior determination unit determines whether or not the vehicle has entered an intersection based on the external environment information, and instructs the map creation unit to non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on a result of the determination. The map creation unit non-temporarily stores the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit in accordance with the instruction from the vehicle behavior determination unit.

1. A map storage device comprising:

Images