Position estimation device and traffic control system

Abstract

To highly accurately estimate information relating to a present position and an attitude of an own vehicle for performing desired operation control of the vehicle even without loading a satellite positioning sensor on the vehicle.SOLUTION: A position estimation device comprises: an information reception unit for receiving first mobile information including at least a position, an angle and a speed of a mobile and environmental information including road information around the mobile; a recognition unit for creating integrated environmental information by integrating the first mobile information and the environmental information; and an information transmission unit for transmitting to the mobile the integrated environmental information including positional information of the mobile.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a position estimation device and a traffic control system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been active development of autonomous driving technology for automobiles. For autonomous driving, and not only for autonomous driving but also for controlling the desired vehicle operation, it is necessary to obtain information on the current position and attitude of the vehicle with high accuracy. A position estimation device is a device that estimates the current position and attitude of the vehicle.

[0003] There is a satellite positioning method as a method for estimating the current position and attitude of a vehicle using a position estimation device. This method estimates the position using a satellite positioning device mounted on the vehicle. However, when using the satellite positioning method, it is necessary to correct sensor errors when the satellite positioning is unstable. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that when estimating a position, errors in the satellite positioning sensor are corrected by using not only the satellite positioning method but also other methods such as a method for calculating the relative position between a feature and a vehicle and information such as road alignment data.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for complementing the error of the satellite positioning sensor of the vehicle from another vehicle whose satellite positioning sensor has a small error. It describes how the relative position of the vehicle is determined and corrected in a relay format by inter-vehicle communication from another vehicle whose satellite positioning sensor has a small error. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7034379 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-118535 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Although satellite positioning sensors are expensive, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if an expensive satellite positioning sensor is installed in a vehicle, it may be necessary to use it in combination with other methods. In addition, even when estimating the vehicle's own position using dead reckoning, there is a limit to the estimation accuracy. Furthermore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, unless at least one of the other vehicles is equipped with an expensive satellite positioning sensor, the current position and attitude of the vehicle cannot be estimated accurately and stably.

[0007] The present application discloses technology for solving the problems described above, and aims to provide a position estimation device and a traffic control system that can estimate with high accuracy information relating to the current position and attitude of a vehicle in order to perform desired vehicle operation control, even if the vehicle is not equipped with a satellite positioning sensor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The position estimation device disclosed in the present application is an information receiving unit that receives first moving object information including at least a position, an angle, and a speed of a moving object and environmental information including road information including at least a white line around the moving object from a plurality of environmental information acquisition devices; a recognition unit that integrates the received environmental information to generate integrated environmental information including position information of the moving object; an information recording unit that records the first moving object information and the environmental information received by the information receiving unit, and the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit; and The system further includes an information transmission unit that transmits the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit to the mobile body. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present application, even if the vehicle is not equipped with a satellite positioning sensor, it is possible to estimate with high accuracy information relating to the current position and attitude of the vehicle in order to perform the desired vehicle operation control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traffic control system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of each component of a traffic control system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the position estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a position estimation device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traffic control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing each component of a traffic control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the position estimation device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 8A is an overhead view for explaining the calculation of the reliability, and FIG. 8B is an example in which the vehicle is traveling along the lane, and FIG. 8B is an example in which the vehicle is facing obliquely to the lane. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining calculation of reliability as viewed from the environment recognition device, where FIG. 9A corresponds to FIG. 8A, and FIG. 9B corresponds to FIG. 8B. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating correction information corresponding to reliability. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating correction information corresponding to reliability. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing each component of a traffic control system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of the position estimation device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for predicting a future position of a vehicle. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for predicting a future position of a vehicle. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for predicting a future position of a vehicle. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for predicting a future position of a vehicle. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traffic control system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing each component of a traffic control system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of the position estimation device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21] 21A and 21B are diagrams for explaining a method for generating an instruction to change the detection range of an environment recognition device, in which FIG. 21A is a diagram showing a state before adjustment, and FIG. 21B is a diagram showing a state after adjustment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing each component of a traffic control system according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the position estimation device according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 24] 24A is a diagram for explaining a method of generating instructions for an operation to confirm reliability, where FIG. 24A is a diagram showing the state as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, FIG. 24B is a diagram showing the state as viewed from the side of the vehicle, and FIG. 24C is a diagram showing the state after the confirmation operation in FIG. 24A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the position estimation device and traffic control system disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an automobile will be described as an example of a moving body that is a controlled object to which the position estimation device and traffic control system are applied. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted to avoid duplication.

[0012] Embodiment 1 The position estimation device and the traffic control system according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. <Traffic control system configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a traffic control system according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of each component of the traffic control system. The traffic control system 1 includes a vehicle 3, which is an object to be controlled, an environment recognition device 4 installed on the roadside of a route along which the vehicle 3 travels, and a position estimation device 2 that receives surrounding environment information X of the vehicle 3 from the environment recognition device 4, generates integrated environment information Za from the surrounding environment information X, and transmits the integrated environment information Za to the vehicle. Fig. 1 shows only one environment recognition device 4, but as shown in Fig. 2, there may be multiple environment recognition devices 4. In Fig. 1, the area within the dashed line hatched with dots indicates the detection range S of the environment recognition device 4, the solid lines above and below the vehicle 3 indicate lanes, and the white dashed lines indicate the center lines of the lanes.

[0013] <Configuration of environment recognition device 4> The environment recognition device 4 includes at least one of a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), a millimeter wave radar, etc. as a sensor that is an environment information acquisition unit 41, and a communication device as a communication unit . The camera acquires information from the captured images that indicates the environment in which the vehicle 3 is located, such as information about the vehicle 3 and the lanes and obstacles around the vehicle 3. LiDAR detects the position of objects within its detection range by emitting a laser and detecting the time difference between when the laser reflects off the object and when it returns. A millimeter wave radar irradiates millimeter waves and detects the reflected waves to measure the relative distance and relative speed of objects within its detection range and output the measurement results. A sonar sensor detects the position and distance of an object by emitting ultrasonic waves to the area around the vehicle and detecting the time difference between when the waves reflect off the surrounding objects and when they return.

[0014] The environment recognition device 4 acquires information on the vehicle 3 within the detection range S of the sensor described above, as well as information on the shape, type, position, attitude, speed, and other information of other objects in real time, and transmits this information to the position estimation device 2 as surrounding environment information X. Note that in FIG. 2, the surrounding environment information acquired by each of the two environment recognition devices 4 is shown as surrounding environment information X1 and X2.

[0015] <Vehicle 3 Configuration> The vehicle 3, which is an object to be controlled, is a vehicle equipped with a vehicle driving system that is an information receiving unit 31 that receives information transmitted from the position estimation device 2, and a control unit 32 that controls the driving of the vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 also acquires its own position based on the integrated environmental information Za transmitted from the position estimation device 2, and performs desired operational control. In the following explanation, a detailed explanation of the processing inside the vehicle 3 will be omitted.

[0016] <Configuration of position estimation device 2> The position estimation device 2 collects, as information about the vehicles 3, controlled object information about each vehicle and surrounding environment information in which the vehicle operates. Here, the "controlled object information" includes at least the position, attitude (direction), and speed of each vehicle recognized by the environment recognition device 4, which are obtained from the surrounding environment information X. In addition, the "environment information" is road information including at least white lines, which is obtained from the surrounding environment information X, and includes the center line, road width, white lines, road curvature, etc.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2 , the position estimation device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21 that receives information sent from the environment recognition device 4, a recognition unit 22 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X by a publicly known sensor fusion technique, an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits the integrated environment information including at least the position and attitude information of the destination vehicle 3 to the vehicle 3, and an information recording unit 24 that records at least the detected vehicle position, attitude information, each determination result, the reason for the determination, and the like.

[0018] The information receiving unit 21 receives surrounding environment information X (respectively, X1, X2, ...) from one or more environment recognition devices 4. In the recognition unit 22, the information integration unit 221 integrates the received surrounding environment information X using a known technique. The integrated environment information is added with position information including at least the type, position, and angle of the vehicle. In other words, the integrated environment information includes the position information of the vehicle. Environment Information In this way, integration of the surrounding environment information X when there are multiple environment recognition devices 4 is performed by the recognition unit 22 of the position estimation device 2. The information transmitting unit 23 transmits the integrated environment information Za integrated by the recognition unit 22 to the vehicle 3.

[0019] Based on the integrated environmental information Za transmitted from the position estimation device 2, the vehicle 3 acquires its own position and attitude, and the control unit 32 performs the desired operational control.

[0020] <Operation of the position estimation device 2> Next, the operation of the position estimation device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S101, the position estimation device 2 collects surrounding environment information X (surrounding information collection step). That is, the information receiving unit 21 of the position estimation device 2 receives the surrounding environment information X acquired by a sensor that is the environment information acquiring unit 41 of the environment recognition device 4 installed on the roadside.

[0021] Next, in step S102, the information integration unit 221 integrates each piece of surrounding environment information X by a known technique (information integration step). This makes it possible to integrate object information from multiple environment recognition devices 4 and obtain more accurate information.

[0022] Next, in step S103, integrated environmental information Za, which is the integrated surrounding environment information, is transmitted to each vehicle 3. The position estimation device 2 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 3 at a predetermined cycle (for example, one second).

[0023] In this way, the surrounding environment information X acquired by the environment recognition device 4 is integrated by the position estimation device 2 and received as information including the vehicle position information, so that the vehicle 3 can acquire information regarding the current position and attitude of the vehicle with high accuracy for performing the desired operation control even if the vehicle 3 is not equipped with a satellite positioning sensor. If the environment recognition device 4 is placed inside a tunnel, between buildings, or the like, this embodiment makes it possible to estimate the vehicle position that is difficult to obtain using a satellite positioning sensor.

[0024] <Hardware Configuration of Position Estimation Device 2> Next, a hardware configuration of the position estimation device 2 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the position estimation device 2 according to the first embodiment. The position estimation device 2 includes a processor 201, a memory 202 as a main storage device, and an auxiliary storage device 203. The processor 201 is configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0025] The memory 202 is composed of a volatile storage device such as a random access memory, and the auxiliary storage device 203 is composed of a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk. A predetermined program executed by the processor 201 is stored in the auxiliary storage device 203, and the processor 201 appropriately reads and executes this program to perform various arithmetic processing. At this time, the predetermined program is temporarily saved from the auxiliary storage device 203 to the memory 202, and the processor 201 reads the program from the memory 202. Various arithmetic processing of the control system according to the first embodiment is realized by the processor 201 executing the predetermined program as described above. The results of the arithmetic processing by the processor 201 are temporarily stored in the memory 202, and are then stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 according to the purpose of the executed arithmetic processing.

[0026] Furthermore, a transmitting device 204 and a receiving device 205 are provided as communication modules for communicating with the vehicle 3 and the environment recognition device 4 .

[0027] Similarly, the hardware configuration of the vehicle 3 and the environment recognition device 4 may each include a processor 201, a memory 202 as a main storage device, and an auxiliary storage device 203.

[0028] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the position estimation device includes an information receiving unit that receives, as surrounding environment information, controlled object information, which is mobile body information including at least the position, angle, and speed of the vehicle, which is a mobile body, and environmental information including road information around the vehicle, from multiple environment recognition devices installed on the roadside, a recognition unit that integrates the environmental information to create integrated environmental information, an information recording unit that records the controlled object information and environmental information received by the receiving unit and the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit, and an information transmitting unit that transmits the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit to the mobile body as information including the position information of the vehicle. This makes it possible to estimate the vehicle position with high accuracy from the integrated environmental information, even if the vehicle itself does not have an expensive sensor such as a satellite positioning sensor.

[0029] In addition, since the traffic control system is equipped with a vehicle, an environment recognition device, and the above-mentioned position estimation device, the information obtained from the environment recognition device is integrated by the position estimation device and provided to the vehicle, allowing the vehicle to estimate its own position and angle (attitude) with high accuracy, thereby enabling stable driving.

[0030] Embodiment 2 The following describes a position estimation device and a traffic control system according to the second embodiment with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted. <Traffic control system configuration> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a traffic control system according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of each functional unit constituting the traffic control system. In Fig. 5, the traffic control system 1 includes a vehicle 3, an environment recognition device 4, and a position estimation device 2, similar to the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the position estimation device 2 receives controlled object information Y, which is vehicle information, from the vehicle 3, generates integrated environment information Za that integrates the surrounding environment information X, reliability information Zb of the surrounding environment information X and the controlled object information Y, and correction information Zc, and transmits these to the vehicle 3. The configuration of the environment recognition device 4 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0031] <Vehicle 3 Configuration> The vehicle 3 includes an information receiving unit 31 that receives each piece of information transmitted from the position estimation device 2, a dead reckoning unit 34 that estimates a position from an arbitrary position, a vehicle driving system that is a control unit 32 that controls the driving of the vehicle 3, a self-information acquiring unit 33 that acquires its own vehicle information including at least a target route, a target vehicle speed, its own vehicle position, and an attitude, and an information transmitting unit 35 that transmits controlled object information Y that is its own vehicle information to the position estimation device 2. The vehicle 3 also appropriately corrects its own position based on the integrated environment information Za, reliability information Zb, and correction information Zc according to the reliability transmitted from the position estimation device 2, and performs the desired operation control, but in the following explanation, an explanation of the internal processing of the vehicle 3 will be omitted.

[0032] <Configuration of position estimation device 2> The position estimation device 2 collects, as information related to the vehicle 3, control object information of each vehicle and surrounding environment information in which the vehicle operates. Here, the "control object information" includes at least the target route, target vehicle speed, vehicle position, and attitude transmitted from the vehicle 3. Here, the "environment information" includes the position, attitude, and speed of each vehicle recognized by the environment recognition device 4 obtained from the surrounding environment information X as in the first embodiment, as well as road information including at least white lines obtained from the surrounding environment information X, including the center line, road width, white lines, and road curvature.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6 , the position estimation device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21 that receives information sent from the environment recognition device 4 and the vehicle 3, a recognition unit 22 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X by a publicly known sensor fusion technique, an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits the integrated environment information to the vehicle 3, and an information recording unit 24 that records at least the detected position and attitude information of the vehicle, each determination result, the reason for the determination, and the like.

[0034] The information receiving unit 21 receives surrounding environment information X from one or more environment recognition devices 4 and control object information Y from one or more vehicles 3, the control object information Y including at least a target route, a target vehicle speed, a target vehicle speed of the vehicle, a host vehicle position, and an attitude.

[0035] In the recognition unit 22, the surrounding environment information X received from each of the sensors is integrated by the information integration unit 221 using a known technique. At least vehicle type information, position, and angle information are added to the integrated environment information. In this way, integration of the surrounding environment information X when there are multiple environment recognition devices 4 is performed by the recognition unit 22 of the position estimation device 2. In addition, in the recognition unit 22, the reliability calculation unit 222 calculates the reliability indicating the accuracy and reliability of the information obtained from each sensor from the surrounding environment information obtained from each sensor. Also, the reliability calculation unit 222 calculates the reliability indicating the accuracy and reliability of the control object information Y, which is the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle 3. The reliability comparison unit 223 compares the calculated reliability, determines which information is the most reliable, and selects the content of the correction information to be transmitted to the vehicle according to the result. The information transmission unit 23 transmits to the vehicle 3 the integrated environment information Za integrated by the information integration unit 221, the reliability information Zb calculated by the reliability calculation unit 222, and the correction information Zc corresponding to this reliability.

[0036] Based on the integrated environmental information Za, the reliability information Zb, and the correction information Zc transmitted from the position estimation device 2, the vehicle 3 corrects its own position and attitude, and the control unit 32 performs the desired operation control.

[0037] <Operation of the position estimation device 2> Next, the operation of the position estimation device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. Note that the same operations as those in Fig. 3 of the first embodiment will be described briefly. First, in step S201, the position estimation device 2 collects surrounding environment information X in the same manner as in step S101 in the first embodiment (surrounding information collection step).

[0038] Next, in step S202, vehicle information, which is control object information Y including at least the target route, the target vehicle speed, the target vehicle speed of the vehicle, the vehicle position, and the attitude, transmitted from the vehicle 3 is received (vehicle information collection step).

[0039] Next, in step S203, similarly to step S102 in the first embodiment, the information integration unit 221 integrates each piece of surrounding environment information X by a known technique (information integration step). This makes it possible to integrate object information from a plurality of environment recognition devices 4 to obtain more accurate information.

[0040] Next, in step S204, the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor, and the reliability of the control object information Y are calculated (reliability calculation process). The calculation of the reliability will be described later. The environment recognition device 4 or a sensor equipped thereto may also be referred to as an "environment information acquisition device."

[0041] Next, in step S205, the calculated reliability is compared to determine which environmental recognition device 4 or sensor (environmental information acquisition device), or controlled object information Y, has the highest reliability, and the position estimation result with the highest reliability is selected as the information to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 (reliability comparison process).

[0042] Next, in step S206, it is determined whether or not correction information needs to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 (correction information creation determination step). Whether or not correction information needs to be generated is determined based on, for example, the result of the reliability comparison step. If the highest reliability value is smaller than a preset first reference value (No in step S206), it is determined that correction information is generated, and the process proceeds to step S207.

[0043] If the highest reliability value is smaller than a preset first reference value and it is determined in the correction information creation determination step that correction information should be created, in step S207, correction information Zc to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 is created (correction information creation step). For example, the correction information Zc may be created by transmitting information on the area in which the vehicle 3 is located. However, this is not limited to the above. Then, the process proceeds to step S208.

[0044] In step S206, if the highest reliability value is equal to or greater than a preset first reference value and it is determined in the correction information creation determination step that creation of correction information is not required (Yes in step S206), the process proceeds to step S208.

[0045] In step S208, each piece of information, that is, the integrated environmental information Za which is the integrated surrounding environment information, the most reliable position information, the reliability information Zb, and correction information Zc as necessary, are transmitted to each vehicle 3. The position estimation device 2 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 7 at a predetermined cycle (for example, one second).

[0046] <Calculation method of reliability information Zb> Next, a reliability calculation method in the reliability calculation step of step S204 will be described using an example in which the sensor of the environment recognition device 4 is a LiDAR. Note that in this application, reliability is a value indicating how close the information acquired by the sensor is to the true value, and high reliability means closeness to the true value. Fig. 8 is an overhead view for explaining a method of calculating the reliability, Fig. 8A is an example in which the vehicle 3 is traveling along a route along a lane, and Fig. 8B is an example in which the vehicle 3 is facing diagonally to the lane, and the two examples are different in posture (angle). Fig. 9 shows the state as seen from the environment recognition device 4, and Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B correspond to Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B, respectively. For convenience, the vehicle 3 as seen from the environment recognition device 4 is represented as a hexahedral perspective view.

[0047] 8A and 8B, the thick lines on the side of the vehicle 3 indicate surface 3S recognized by the environment recognition device 4. As shown in Fig. 8A and Fig. 9A, when the vehicle 3 is traveling along a route, three surfaces can be recognized by the environment recognition device 4. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 8B and Fig. 9B, when the vehicle 3 faces diagonally with respect to the lane and is parallel to the environment recognition device 4, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the detection direction of the sensor of the environment recognition device 4, only one surface can be recognized by the environment recognition device 4.

[0048] 9A and 9B show reflection points for each surface of the vehicle 3 detected by the environment recognition device 4, with the horizontal length of each surface being Lsi and the vertical length being Lli. That is, in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, the reflection points of the surface consisting of the horizontal Ls1 and vertical Ll1 are shown as black circles ●, the reflection points of the surface consisting of the horizontal Ls2 and vertical Ll2 are shown as white circles ◯, and the reflection points of the surface consisting of the horizontal Ls3 and vertical Ll3 are shown as squares □. Here, the number of reflection point groups of the vehicle 3 is Npi, i is the number of the surfaces of the detected vehicle (maximum Nf), j is the type of evaluation method, and the weighting coefficient is Wj. In FIG. 9A, the number of reflection point groups Np1 is the total number of black circles ●, the number of reflection point groups Np2 is the total number of white circles ◯, and the number of reflection point groups Np3 is the total number of squares □, and in FIG. 9B, the number of reflection point groups Np1 is the total number of black circles ●.

[0049] In the case where the sensor is a LiDAR as in the second embodiment and the reliability of the vehicle attitude (angle) is evaluated by the number of reflection points of the LiDAR, the reliability Rij of the sensor alone (LiDAR) can be defined by the following equation (1).

number

[0050] In this way, the reliability evaluation is not limited to the example in which the reflection point cloud number of the LiDAR is used according to the attitude (angle) of the vehicle 3, but the reliability for the attitude (angle) can be evaluated by using the detection distance of the vehicle 3 in combination, or the reliability for the detection distance can be evaluated. Also, in the above example, the evaluation is centered on the side of the vehicle, but the front and rear sides may be captured. The evaluation method is not limited to these.

[0051] Next, a method for calculating the reliability of the vehicle position information of the control object information Y, which is another reliability, will be described. The time calculated by the dead reckoning unit 34 of the vehicle 3 is denoted by t(s), the acceleration of the vehicle is denoted by αt, the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is denoted by St, and the weighting coefficient is denoted by Wk. When using a method for calculating the reliability of self-position estimation by dead reckoning in the control object information Y, the reliability Rij of a single sensor can be defined by the following formula (2).

number

[0052] Although two examples of the reliability calculation method have been given, the reliability evaluation method and calculation method are not limited to these.

[0053] The reliability described above is calculated and integrated in the reliability calculation unit 222 for each reliability evaluation method, or for each environment recognition device 4, or for each sensor, or for each controlled object information Y. There are various integration methods, and for example, it is possible to take the average of the reliability of each individual sensor. If N is the number of sensors mounted on the environment recognition device, and Ri is the reliability for each reliability evaluation method or for each sensor, the integrated reliability Rall of the environment recognition device 4 or sensor is obtained by the following formula (3).

number

[0054] The reliability of each integrated environment recognition device 4 or each sensor or the reliability Rall of the controlled object information Y is compared, and as a result, the vehicle information output from the environment recognition device 4 or sensor having the highest reliability or the vehicle information of the controlled object information Y is output as the position information. At this time, if the value of the highest reliability is less than a preset first reference value, correction information is created with the granularity of information according to that reliability.

[0055] 8A and 9A, when the calculation time in the dead reckoning unit 34 is short, the reliability according to formula (2) is higher than that according to formula (1), and it is determined to be the most reliable among the other sensors. Therefore, in order to obtain high position estimation accuracy, it is useful to compare the reliability and select the highest reliability, and output the vehicle information or the vehicle information of the controlled object information Y output from the environment recognition device 4 or sensor having the highest reliability.

[0056] <How to create correction information Zc> Next, a method for creating correction information Zc when the value of the highest reliability is less than a preset first reference value will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of creating correction information corresponding to the reliability. FIG. 10A in FIG. 10 shows a method of creating correction information about the vehicle position to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the reliability is less than a first reference value. Based on the target route along which the vehicle 3 travels or the road information recognized by the environment recognition device 4, the center line of the lane is used as a dividing line, and an area secured by a certain distance D1 (for example, 12 m) in the traveling direction from the position recognized by the environment recognition device 4 is divided into two areas a1 and b1. Here, by making the set certain distance D1 variable depending on the reliability, the granularity of the correction information can be changed according to the reliability. After that, it is determined in which area a1 or b1 the vehicle exists based on the current recognition by the environment recognition device 4, and the coordinates (a1_p, a1_q, a1_r, a1_s) of the four corners of the existing area a1 are created as correction information.

[0057] FIG. 10B in FIG. 10 shows a method of creating correction information on the vehicle position to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the reliability is less than the first reference value but higher than that in FIG. 10A. At this time, the vehicle is divided into two areas a2 and b2 using the same method as in FIG. 10A described above. However, the fixed distance D2 in the traveling direction is shorter than the fixed distance D1 in FIG. 10A (for example, 6 m). After that, it is determined in which area a2 or b2 the vehicle exists based on the current recognition by the environment recognition device 4, and the coordinates (a2_p, a2_q, a2_r, a2_s) of the four corners of the existing area a2 are created as correction information.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of creating correction information corresponding to the reliability, and is an example in which the number of driving lanes is greater than that in FIG. 10. FIG. 11A in FIG. 11 shows a method of creating correction information related to the vehicle position to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the reliability is less than a first reference value. Based on the target route along which the vehicle 3 travels or the road information recognized by the environment recognition device 4, the center line of the lane is used as a partition, and an area secured by a certain distance D1 (for example, 12 m) in the traveling direction from the position recognized by the environment recognition device 4 is divided into two areas in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The partition is further divided into areas a3, b3, c3, and d3 according to the separated lanes. Here, by making the set certain distance D3 variable depending on the reliability, the granularity of the correction information can be changed according to the reliability. Thereafter, it is determined in which of areas a3, b3, c3, or d3 the object exists based on the current recognition by the environment recognition device 4, and the coordinates (b3_p, b3_q, b3_r, b3_s) of the four corners of area b3 in which the object exists are created as correction information.

[0059] Fig. 10B in Fig. 10 shows a method of creating correction information related to the vehicle position to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the reliability is less than the first reference value but is higher than that in Fig. 10A. Similarly, Fig. 11B creates the coordinates (b4_p, b4_q, b4_r, b4_s) of the four corners of the area in which the vehicle 3 exists as correction information. Here, the fixed distance D4 is smaller than the fixed distance D3.

[0060] Although the coordinates indicating the area in which the vehicle 3 exists, which is the position information of the vehicle 3, have been described as an example of the correction information, the correction information is not limited to this. The correction information includes at least the position information of the vehicle, and may additionally include the attitude of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, etc.

[0061] The correction information created as described above is information for a vehicle position estimation system such as the dead reckoning navigation unit 34 installed in the vehicle 3, and by using this correction information, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of errors caused by long-term estimation in the dead reckoning navigation unit 34.

[0062] As a method of calculating the fixed distance D in the traveling direction, for example, if the reliability is Rall and the coefficient is K, it can be obtained by the following formula (4). D = Rall × K (4) However, the calculation method is not limited to this.

[0063] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, even if the vehicle itself does not have an expensive sensor such as a satellite positioning sensor, it is possible to estimate the vehicle position and angle with high accuracy based on the integrated environmental information transmitted from the position estimation device. Furthermore, the position estimation device of embodiment 2 further includes a reliability calculation unit that calculates the reliability of each environment recognition device or each sensor equipped thereto, and the reliability of the controlled object information Y, and a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability. The reliability comparison unit selects the integrated environment information from the environment recognition device or sensor having the highest reliability, or the vehicle information of the controlled object information Y, and outputs it as the vehicle position information, thereby making it possible to estimate the position and angle with even higher accuracy.

[0064] In addition, when the highest reliability is smaller than a preset first reference value, correction information including at least the position information of the moving body is created with an information granularity corresponding to the reliability and output together with the selected integrated environmental information, so that the vehicle can estimate or correct its own position and angle by referring to the correction information.

[0065] Embodiment 3 A position estimation device and a traffic control system according to the third embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions overlapping with those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted. In addition to the configuration of the second embodiment, the position estimation device according to the third embodiment has a function of predicting whether the vehicle will deviate from the target route based on at least two or more pieces of information among at least the target route provided by the vehicle, control object information including the target vehicle speed, map information, and vehicle travel route information (travel history) recorded in the position estimation device.

[0066] <Traffic control system configuration> 12 is a functional block diagram of each functional unit constituting the traffic control system according to the embodiment 3. The configuration of the traffic control system according to the embodiment 3 is similar to that of the embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 5. The configuration of the environment recognition device 4 is similar to that of the embodiments 1 and 2, and the configuration of the vehicle 3 is similar to that of the embodiment 2.

[0067] <Configuration of position estimation device 2> 12, the position estimation device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21 that receives information sent from the environment recognition device 4 and the vehicle 3, a recognition unit 22 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X and controlled object information Y by a known sensor fusion technique, an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits each piece of information to the vehicle 3, and an information recording unit 24 that records the detected vehicle position information, etc. The recognition unit 22 includes an information integration unit 221 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X and controlled object information Y, a reliability calculation unit 222 that calculates the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor and the reliability of the controlled object information Y, a reliability comparison unit 223 that compares the calculated reliability and creates correction information according to the comparison result, and a vehicle position prediction unit 224.

[0068] The vehicle position prediction unit 224 predicts whether the vehicle 3 will deviate from the target route and the behavior of the vehicle 3 based on at least two or more pieces of information among the control object information Y including at least the target route, target vehicle speed, vehicle position, and attitude provided by the vehicle 3, map information, and the vehicle's driving trajectory information to date recorded in the information recording unit 24.

[0069] <Operation of the position estimation device 2> Next, the operation of the position estimation device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 13. Note that operations similar to those in Fig. 3 of the first embodiment and Fig. 7 of the second embodiment will be described briefly. First, in step S301, the position estimation device 2 collects surrounding environment information X in the same manner as in step S101 in the first embodiment (surrounding information collection step).

[0070] Next, in step S302, similar to step S202 in the second embodiment, vehicle information, which is control object information Y including at least the target route, target vehicle speed, target vehicle speed of the vehicle, vehicle position, and attitude, transmitted from vehicle 3 is received (vehicle information collection step).

[0071] Next, in step S303, similarly to step S102 in the first embodiment, the information integration unit 221 integrates each piece of surrounding environment information X by a known technique (information integration step). This makes it possible to integrate object information from a plurality of environment recognition devices 4 to obtain more accurate information.

[0072] Next, in step S304, similarly to step S204 in the second embodiment, the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor, and the reliability of the control object information Y are calculated (reliability calculation step). The calculation of the reliability is similar to that in the second embodiment.

[0073] Next, in step S305, similar to step S205 in the second embodiment, the calculated reliabilities are compared to determine which of the environment recognition devices 4, sensors, or controlled object information Y has the highest reliability, and the position information with the highest reliability is selected as the information to be transmitted to the vehicle 3 (reliability comparison process).

[0074] Next, in step S306, similarly to step S206 in the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not correction information needs to be transmitted to vehicle 3 (correction information creation determination step). Whether or not correction information is needed is determined, for example, based on the result of the reliability comparison step. If the highest reliability value is smaller than a preset first reference value (No in step S306), it is determined that correction information is to be created, and the process proceeds to step S307. In step S307, similarly to step S207 in the second embodiment, correction information Zc to be transmitted to vehicle 3 is created (correction information creation step), and the process proceeds to step S310. The creation of correction information Zc is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0075] In step S306, if the highest reliability value is equal to or greater than a preset first reference value and it is determined in the correction information creation determination step that creation of correction information is unnecessary (Yes in step S306), the process proceeds to step S308. In step S308, the vehicle position prediction unit 224 predicts whether the future position of the vehicle 3 will not match the target route and will deviate from the target route based on at least two or more pieces of vehicle information (control object information Y) including the target route and target vehicle speed provided by the vehicle 3, map information, or the driving trajectory information of the vehicle 3 up to the present recorded in the information recording unit 24 (vehicle position prediction process).

[0076] In step S308, if the future position of the vehicle 3 does not match the target route and is predicted to deviate from the target route (Yes in step S308), correction information Zc is created. Here, the correction information Zc may be created in the same manner as described in the second embodiment. Then, the process proceeds to step S310.

[0077] In step S308, if it is predicted that the future position of the vehicle 3 will match the target route and will not deviate from the target route (No in step S308), the process proceeds to step S310. In step S310, the information transmission unit 23 transmits each piece of information to the vehicle 3, including the correction information Zc that was generated when the future position of the vehicle 3 does not match the target route and is predicted to deviate from the target route.

[0078] The position estimation device 2 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 13 at a predetermined cycle (for example, one second).

[0079] <Method of predicting the future position of vehicle 3> A method for predicting the future position of the vehicle 3 in the vehicle position predicting unit 224 will be described. Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method for predicting the future position of the vehicle 3. In Fig. 14, the attitude of the vehicle 3 does not match the direction of the target route R1, and if the vehicle continues moving forward, it will deviate from the target route R1. Therefore, it is predicted that the vehicle 3 will deviate from the target route R1 in the future. An example of the judgment criterion is when the angle θ of the vehicle 3 deviates from the target route R1 by ±45 degrees or more. Note that the judgment method and judgment criterion are not limited to this.

[0080] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining another method of predicting the future position of the vehicle 3. FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the driving history R2 recorded in the information recording unit 24 of the position estimation device 2 and the vehicle 3. From the driving history recorded in the information recording unit 24, the driving history R2 extracts a scene close to the target route of the current vehicle 3, and compares the vehicle position in that scene with the current position of the vehicle 3. If the difference d between the positions exceeds a preset reference value, or if the angle θ of the vehicle is clearly different as in the example of FIG. 14, a future deviation is predicted. Examples of the judgment criteria include a case where the angle θ of the vehicle 3 is ±45 degrees or more away from the driving history R2, or a case where the vehicle 3 is one vehicle away from the driving history R2, etc.

[0081] 16 and 17 are diagrams for explaining yet another method for predicting a future position of the vehicle 3. The other vehicle 3b is a vehicle different from the vehicle 3 that is the control target, and may or may not be the control target of the traffic control system according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 16, vehicle 3 is traveling in the center of the lane, so another vehicle 3b is also traveling in the center of the lane along a travel route R3. However, in Fig. 17, vehicle 3 is traveling in the center line of the lane, so another vehicle 3b is traveling on a travel route R4 on the left side of the lane. When the position estimation device 2 detects this situation and the other vehicle 3b is not traveling in the center of the lane with no obstacles ahead, it predicts that vehicle 3 is traveling or may deviate from the target route.

[0082] In addition, the correction information Zc, which is created when the future position of vehicle 3 does not match the target route and it is predicted that the vehicle will deviate from the target route, preferably includes at least the vehicle's position information, and the vehicle's angle (attitude) and speed used to determine whether or not the vehicle will deviate from the target route.

[0083] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, even if the vehicle itself does not have an expensive sensor such as a satellite positioning sensor, it is possible to estimate the vehicle position and angle with high accuracy based on the integrated environmental information transmitted from the position estimation device. Furthermore, the position estimation device according to the third embodiment receives second control object information, which is second moving body information including at least a target route, a target vehicle speed, a position, and an attitude, from the moving body, and the recognition unit further includes a vehicle position prediction unit that predicts a future position of the moving body. When the reliability comparison unit has the highest reliability value equal to or greater than a first reference value set in advance, the vehicle position prediction unit predicts whether or not the future position of the moving body and the target route match based on at least two or more pieces of information among the second moving body information, the map information, and the driving route history recorded in the information recording unit, and when it predicts that they do not match, creates correction information including at least the position information and angle of the moving body and transmits it to the vehicle. This makes it possible to provide information for the vehicle to travel along the target route, and enables the vehicle to travel stably.

[0084] Embodiment 4 A location estimation device and a traffic control system according to the fourth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions that overlap with the first to third embodiments will be omitted.

[0085] <Traffic control system configuration> Fig. 18 is a diagram showing the configuration of a traffic control system according to the fourth embodiment, and Fig. 19 is a functional block diagram of each functional unit constituting the traffic control system. The configuration of the environment recognition device 4 is the same as that of the first to third embodiments, and the configuration of the vehicle 3 is the same as that of the second and third embodiments. In addition to the configuration of the second embodiment, the position estimation device 2 according to the fourth embodiment has a function of adjusting the detection range of each sensor of the environment recognition device 4 according to the reliability created by the position estimation device 2. Therefore, each sensor of the environment recognition device 4 receives detection range change information Zd from the position estimation device 2, and recognizes an object in the detection range corresponding to the information.

[0086] <Configuration of position estimation device 2> 19, the position estimation device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21 that receives information sent from the environment recognition device 4 and the vehicle 3, a recognition unit 22 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X and controlled object information Y by a known sensor fusion technique, an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits each piece of information to the vehicle 3, and an information recording unit 24 that records the detected vehicle position information, etc. The recognition unit 22 includes an information integration unit 221 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X, a reliability calculation unit 222 that calculates the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor and the reliability of the controlled object information Y, a reliability comparison unit 223 that compares the calculated reliability and creates correction information according to the comparison result, and a detection range change instruction creation unit 225.

[0087] The detection range change instruction creation unit 225 judges whether the detection range of each sensor is appropriate or not based on the reliability created by the reliability calculation unit 222 and the reliability comparison unit 223 and the comparison result, and generates an instruction to change the detection range of each sensor if it is judged that the detection range is not appropriate. For example, when a vehicle is located far away from the sensor and the detection resolution is smaller than a preset resolution, the method of judging whether the detection range of the sensor is appropriate or not may be a method of narrowing the detection range of the sensor so that the vehicle can be clearly seen. However, the method is not limited to this.

[0088] <Operation of the position estimation device 2> Next, the operation of the position estimation device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 20. Note that operations similar to those described in the first to third embodiments will be described briefly. First, in step S401, the position estimation device 2 collects surrounding environment information X in the same manner as in step S101 in the first embodiment (surrounding information gathering step).

[0089] Next, in step S402, similar to step S202 in embodiment 2, vehicle information, which is control object information Y including at least the target route, target vehicle speed, target vehicle speed of the vehicle, vehicle position, and attitude, is received from vehicle 3 (vehicle information collection process).

[0090] Next, in step S403, similarly to step S102 in the first embodiment, the information integration unit 221 integrates each piece of surrounding environment information X by a known technique (information integration step).

[0091] Next, in step S404, similarly to step S204 in the second embodiment, the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor and the reliability of the control object information Y are calculated (reliability calculation step). The calculation of the reliability is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0092] Next, in step S405, it is determined whether the highest reliability value among the calculated reliability values ​​is smaller than a preset second reference value (reliability confirmation step). If the reliability value is equal to or greater than the preset second reference value (No in step S405), the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, correction information Zc to be transmitted to vehicle 3 is created (correction information creation step). The correction information Zc is created in the same manner as in embodiment 2. Here, the second reference value is set to a value equal to or smaller than the first reference value described in embodiment 2.

[0093] In step S405, if it is determined that the highest reliability is smaller than the preset second reference value (Yes in step S405), the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, the detection range change instruction creation unit 225 creates an instruction to change the detection range of the sensor corresponding to the reliability determined to be smaller than the second reference value (detection range change instruction creation step). The created instruction is transmitted to the environment recognition device 4 as detection range change information Zd.

[0094] The position estimation device 2 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 20 at a predetermined cycle (for example, one second).

[0095] <Example of creating an instruction to change the detection range> Next, a method for generating an instruction to adjust the detection range of the sensor will be described. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating an instruction to change the detection range of the sensor equipped in the environment recognition device 4, with FIG. 21A showing the state before the change and FIG. 21B showing the state after the change. In FIG. 21A, the distance between the vehicle 3 and the environment recognition device 4 is far, and the vehicle 3 looks small from the environment recognition device 4. In this case, by changing the detection range so as to enlarge the upper right corner of the screen in the figure, the vehicle 3 can be captured larger, which can lead to improved reliability. FIG. 21B shows the state after the detection range has been changed. In this way, it can be seen that reliability is improved by creating an instruction to change the detection range and changing the detection range.

[0096] 21 shows an example in which the sensor is a camera and the detection range for acquiring images is changed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the sensor is a LiDAR, the direction or angle of laser irradiation is changed, and if the sensor is a millimeter wave radar, the direction or angle of radar irradiation is changed to change the detection range, thereby improving reliability.

[0097] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, even if the vehicle itself does not have an expensive sensor such as a satellite positioning sensor, it is possible to estimate the vehicle position and angle with high accuracy based on the integrated environmental information transmitted from the position estimation device. The position estimation device according to the fourth embodiment further includes a reliability calculation unit that calculates the reliability of each environment recognition device or each sensor equipped thereto, and the reliability of the control object information Y, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, and a detection range change instruction creation unit that creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environment recognition device or the sensor. When it is determined that the calculated reliability is smaller than the second reference value, the detection range change instruction creation unit creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environment recognition device or the sensor related thereto. This allows the detection range to be optimized and the reliability to be improved, making it possible to perform highly accurate position estimation.

[0098] Furthermore, as a result of the improved reliability, if the recognition unit 22 of the position estimation device 2 is equipped with a vehicle position prediction unit 224 that predicts the future position of the vehicle 3, as shown in embodiment 3, the prediction accuracy of the vehicle's future position is further improved.

[0099] Embodiment 5. A location estimation device and a traffic control system according to the fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions overlapping with the first to third embodiments will be omitted. In addition to the configuration of the third embodiment, the location estimation device according to the fifth embodiment has a function of generating a reliability confirmation operation instruction to the vehicle when the reliability generated by the reliability comparison unit is low.

[0100] <Traffic control system configuration> 22 is a functional block diagram of each functional unit constituting the traffic control system according to the embodiment 5. The configuration of the traffic control system according to the embodiment 5 is similar to that of the embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 5. The configuration of the environment recognition device 4 is similar to that of the embodiments 1 to 3, and the configuration of the vehicle 3 is similar to that of the embodiments 2 and 3.

[0101] <Configuration of position estimation device 2> 22, the position estimation device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21 that receives information sent from the environment recognition device 4 and the vehicle 3, a recognition unit 22 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X and controlled object information Y by a known sensor fusion technique, an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits each piece of information to the vehicle 3, and an information recording unit 24 that records the detected vehicle position information, etc. The recognition unit 22 includes an information integration unit 221 that integrates the acquired surrounding environment information X and controlled object information Y, a reliability calculation unit 222 that calculates the reliability for each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor, a reliability comparison unit 223 that compares the calculated reliability and creates correction information according to the comparison result, as well as a confirmation operation instruction creation unit 226 and an operation confirmation unit 227.

[0102] Based on the reliability created by the reliability calculation unit 222 and the reliability comparison unit 223 and the comparison result, the confirmation operation instruction creation unit 226 selects an operation to be performed by the vehicle 3 to confirm the reliability of the sensor of the environment recognition device 4 if the highest reliability is smaller than the third reference value, and creates a confirmation operation instruction Ze. The operation confirmation unit 227 confirms whether the expected result is obtained by the vehicle executing the confirmation operation instruction Ze created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit 226. A method of creating the confirmation operation instruction Ze and a method of confirming the operation will be described later. Here, the third reference value is set to a value equal to or smaller than the second reference value described in the third embodiment.

[0103] <Operation of the position estimation device 2> Next, the operation of the position estimation device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Operations similar to those in the first to third embodiments will be explained briefly. First, in step S501, the position estimation device 2 collects surrounding environment information X in the same manner as in step S101 in the first embodiment (surrounding information collection step).

[0104] Next, in step S502, similar to step S202 in the second embodiment, vehicle information, which is control object information Y including at least the target route, target vehicle speed, target vehicle speed of the vehicle, vehicle position, and attitude, transmitted from vehicle 3 is received (vehicle information collection step).

[0105] Next, in step S503, similarly to step S102 in the first embodiment, the information integration unit 221 integrates each piece of surrounding environment information X by a known technique (information integration step).

[0106] Next, in step S504, similarly to step S204 in the second embodiment, the reliability of each environment recognition device 4 or each sensor, and the reliability of the control object information Y are calculated (reliability calculation step). The calculation of the reliability is similar to that in the second embodiment.

[0107] Next, in step S505, it is determined whether the highest reliability among the calculated reliability is smaller than a preset third reference value (reliability confirmation step). If the reliability is equal to or greater than the preset third reference value (No in step S505), the process proceeds to step S506. In step S506, correction information Zc to be transmitted to vehicle 3 is created (correction information creation step). The correction information Zc is created in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

[0108] In step S505, if it is determined that the highest reliability is smaller than the preset third reference value (Yes in step S505), the process proceeds to step S507. In step S507, it is confirmed whether a confirmation operation instruction Ze for confirming reliability has been created within several cycles (operation instruction confirmation process). If a confirmation operation instruction Ze has not been created within several cycles (No in step S507), the process proceeds to step S509, where a confirmation operation is determined based on the location of the vehicle and the vehicle state that can be detected by the environment recognition device 4, and an instruction is created (operation instruction determination and instruction creation process).

[0109] In step S507, if an operation instruction to confirm reliability has already been created within several cycles (Yes in step S507), proceed to step S509 and determine whether the instructed operation was performed as expected or whether it has been confirmed that the vehicle has performed the instructed operation and thus become able to detect an easily detectable ground landmark that was in the vehicle's blind spot (instructed operation execution confirmation process).

[0110] In step S509, if it is not possible to confirm that the instructed operation has been performed (No in step S509), the process proceeds to step S511, where correction information corresponding to the reliability is created or corrected. In step S509, if it is confirmed that the operation has been performed according to the instruction (Yes in step S509), the process proceeds to step S511, where the reliability is recalculated (reliability recalculation step). This reliability recalculation may be performed using the same method as the current calculation, or a different calculation method. After the reliability is recalculated in step S510, the process proceeds to step S511, where correction information corresponding to the reliability is created or modified.

[0111] The position estimation device 2 repeatedly executes the flow shown in FIG. 23 at a predetermined cycle (for example, one second).

[0112] <How to create an action command to check the reliability> Next, a method for generating an instruction for an operation to check reliability will be described. Fig. 24 is a diagram for explaining a method for generating an instruction for an operation to check reliability, in which Fig. 24A is a diagram showing a state seen from the rear of the vehicle, Fig. 24B is a diagram showing a state seen from the side of the vehicle, and Fig. 24C is a diagram showing a state after the checking operation in Fig. 24A. In Fig. 24A, the rear of the vehicle can be seen from the environment recognition device 4. However, the vehicle 3 is in the blind spot of the environment recognition device 4, and the white line on the road cannot be detected. In this case, an example of an operation for checking reliability to be instructed to the vehicle 3 is to drive slowly while turning the steering wheel to the right.

[0113] 24B, the side of the vehicle 3 can be seen from the environment recognition device 4, but the vehicle 3 is in the blind spot and some of the lanes (center lines) on the road cannot be detected. In this case, the reliability confirmation action to be instructed to the vehicle 3 is to turn the steering wheel to the left and drive slowly.

[0114] In comparison with FIG. 24A, in FIG. 24C, it is possible to detect the white lines on the road, and it can be confirmed that an action instruction to slow down while turning the steering wheel to the right has been executed in the state of FIG. 24A. In this way, the checking action may be, for example, moving the vehicle forward diagonally or moving the vehicle forward and backward on the spot, but is not limited to this. The reliability confirmation operation is an operation for improving reliability. Furthermore, checking whether the instructed operation has been performed leads to checking whether the reliability has improved. However, whether the reliability has improved depends on the magnitude of the effect or the presence or absence of a delay, so here it is referred to as checking whether the instructed operation has been performed. Furthermore, being able to detect the white lines or center lines on the road as in the above example improves reliability and enables position estimation with a clear fixed point, thereby contributing to improving the accuracy of position estimation.

[0115] As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. That is, even if the vehicle itself does not have an expensive sensor such as a satellite positioning sensor, it is possible to estimate the vehicle position and angle with high accuracy based on the integrated environmental information transmitted from the position estimation device. The position estimation device according to the fifth embodiment further includes a reliability calculation unit that calculates the reliability of each environment recognition device or each sensor equipped thereto, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, a confirmation operation instruction creation unit that creates an instruction to perform a confirmation operation on the moving body, and an operation confirmation unit that confirms whether the operation according to the instruction created by the operation instruction creation unit has been performed. When it is determined that the highest reliability value among the calculated reliability values ​​is smaller than a third reference value, the confirmation operation instruction creation unit creates a confirmation operation instruction to increase the reliability, and the operation confirmation unit confirms that the operation according to the instruction created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit has been performed, and the reliability calculation unit recalculates the reliability. This makes it possible to improve the reliability and perform highly accurate position estimation.

[0116] Furthermore, since the reliability is improved, if the recognition unit 22 of the position estimation device 2 is equipped with a vehicle position prediction unit 224 that predicts the future position of the vehicle 3, as shown in embodiment 3, the prediction accuracy of the vehicle's future position is also further improved.

[0117] <Other embodiments> (1) In the present disclosure, the traffic control system 1 includes a position estimation device 2 described in any one of the first to fifth embodiments, an environment recognition device 4 installed on the roadside of a route along which the vehicle 3 travels and transmitting the surrounding environment information X of the vehicle 3 to the position estimation device 2, and the vehicle 3 to be controlled. At least the position estimation device 2 and the environment recognition device 4, and the position estimation device 2 and the vehicle 3 communicate with each other. The position estimation device 2 receives the surrounding environment information X including at least the position, attitude (direction, angle) and speed of the vehicle within the detection range S of the environment recognition device 4 from the environment recognition device 4, generates integrated environment information Za from the surrounding environment information X and transmits it to the vehicle. Therefore, even if the vehicle 3 itself is not equipped with a device for measuring its own position, the vehicle 3 can obtain its own position estimated with high accuracy. The vehicle 3 uses this self-position information and also uses information on obstacles and the like on the travel route included in the integrated environment information Za to generate control signals for the speed and handling of the vehicle by the control unit 32, and the actuators for driving the vehicle, such as the brakes and steering wheel, are driven and controlled.

[0118] If the vehicle 3 is capable of autonomous driving equivalent to level 3 or 4 as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE Intervention), for example, the vehicle 3 will be able to achieve the desired autonomous driving based on the integrated environmental information Za including its own position obtained from the position estimation device 2.

[0119] (2) In the first to fifth embodiments, the vehicle 3 is not equipped with a device for measuring its own position, but an advanced self-position measuring device may be installed. By reducing the error of the self-position measuring device based on the integrated environmental information Za including the self-position acquired from the position estimation device 2, the vehicle can be stably controlled.

[0120] (3) The hardware configuration for realizing the position estimation device 2 according to embodiment 1 is illustrated in FIG. 4, but the hardware configuration for realizing the position estimation device 2 according to embodiments 2 to 5 is also similar to that illustrated in FIG.

[0121] (4) In the traffic control system 1, wide-area communication and short-range communication are used as communication means. Wide-area communication is based on a predetermined wide-area wireless communication standard, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G or 5G (5th Generation; 5th generation mobile communication system). Short-range communication is based on, for example, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), and although not described in the above embodiment, it is possible to obtain information about other vehicles around the vehicle by using it for communication with other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). A certain communication speed is guaranteed for these communications. The environment recognition device 4 and the position estimation device communicate with each other using, for example, LTE or 5G. In the vehicle 3, the environment recognition device 4 and the position estimation device communicate with each other using, for example, a Control Area Network (CAN: registered trademark) or the like.

[0122] (5) Note that, although an automobile is used as an example of a moving body to be controlled, the application is not limited to an automobile, and the present invention can be applied to various other moving bodies. The traffic control system can be used as a system for controlling the behavior of moving bodies such as an in-building mobile robot that inspects the inside of a building, a line inspection robot, and a personal mobility. When the moving body is other than an automobile, the information acquired by the environmental road recognition device may be information from an obstacle information detection unit installed within a building, a line, or within the range in which the personal mobility operates.

[0123] Although the present application describes various exemplary embodiments and examples, the various features, aspects, and functions described in one or more embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations. Therefore, countless modifications not exemplified are assumed within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification, including, for example, modifying, adding, or omitting at least one component, and further, extracting at least one component and combining it with a component of another embodiment.

[0124] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0125] (Appendix 1) an information receiving unit that receives first moving object information including at least a position, an angle, and a speed of a moving object and environmental information including road information including at least a white line around the moving object from a plurality of environmental information acquisition devices; a recognition unit that integrates the received environmental information to generate integrated environmental information including position information of the moving object; an information recording unit that records the first moving object information and the environmental information received by the information receiving unit, and the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit; and A position estimation device comprising an information transmission unit that transmits the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit to the mobile body. (Appendix 2) The information receiving unit is receiving second moving body information including at least a target route, a target vehicle speed, a position, and an attitude from the moving body; The recognition unit is A reliability calculation unit calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the environmental information and a reliability of the second moving object information, and a reliability comparison unit compares the calculated reliability, the reliability comparison unit selects the integrated environmental information or the second moving object information from the environmental information acquisition device having the highest reliability; 2. The position estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the information selected by the reliability comparison unit to the moving body as the position information. (Appendix 3) The reliability comparison unit of the recognition unit A position estimation device as described in Appendix 2, which creates correction information including at least the position information of the moving body when the highest reliability is smaller than a predetermined first reference value, and outputs it together with the integrated environmental information or the second moving body information from the environmental information acquisition device having the selected highest reliability. (Appendix 4) The recognition unit is A vehicle position prediction unit that predicts a future position of the moving object, In the reliability comparison unit, when the highest reliability is equal to or greater than a first reference value set in advance, The position estimation device described in Appendix 3, wherein the vehicle position prediction unit predicts whether or not a future position of the moving body will match the target route based on any one of the second moving body information, map information, and driving route history recorded in the information recording unit, and if it predicts that the future position of the moving body will not match the target route, creates correction information including at least position information and angle of the moving body. (Appendix 5) The recognition unit is a reliability calculation unit that calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the environmental information and a reliability of second moving object information, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, and a detection range change instruction creation unit that creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environmental information acquisition device, the reliability comparison unit compares whether the highest reliability among the calculated reliability is smaller than a second reference value; The position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection range change instruction creation unit creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environmental information acquisition device when the reliability is determined to be smaller than a second reference value. (Appendix 6) The recognition unit is The method further includes a reliability calculation unit that calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the environmental information and a reliability of second moving body information, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, a confirmation operation instruction creation unit that creates an instruction for the moving body to perform a confirmation operation, and an operation confirmation unit that confirms whether an operation according to the instruction created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit has been performed, the reliability comparison unit compares whether the highest reliability among the calculated reliability is smaller than a third reference value; the verification instruction creation unit creates a verification instruction for increasing the reliability when the reliability is determined to be smaller than a third reference value; The operation confirmation unit confirms that an operation according to the instruction created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit has been performed, The position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reliability calculation unit recalculates the reliability. (Appendix 7) A traffic control system comprising the position estimation device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to 6, a plurality of the environmental information acquisition devices, and the mobile body, wherein communication is performed between the position estimation device and the plurality of the environmental information acquisition devices and between the position estimation device and the mobile body, The moving body is A traffic control system that acquires its own position based on the position information received from the position estimation device, and travels based on the integrated environmental information and its own position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1: traffic control system, 2: position estimation device, 21: information receiving unit, 22: recognition unit, 221: information integration unit, 222: reliability calculation unit, 223: reliability comparison unit, 224: vehicle position prediction unit, 225: detection range change instruction creation unit, 226: confirmation operation instruction creation unit, 227: operation confirmation unit, 23: information transmission unit, 24: information recording unit, 3: vehicle, 3b: other vehicle, 31: information receiving unit, 32: control unit, 33: self information acquisition unit, 34: dead reckoning unit, 35: information transmission unit, 4: environment recognition device, 41: environment information acquisition unit, 42: communication unit, 201: processor, 202: memory, 203: auxiliary storage device, 204: transmission device, 205: reception device, S: detection range, X: surrounding environment information, Y: Control object information, Za: Integrated environment information, Zb: Reliability information, Zc: Correction information, Zd: Detection range change information, Ze: Confirmation operation instruction.

Claims

1. an information receiving unit that receives, from a plurality of environmental information acquisition devices, first moving object information including at least a position, an angle, and a speed of a moving object and surrounding environment information including road information including at least a white line around the moving object; a recognition unit that integrates the received surrounding environment information to generate integrated environmental information including position information of the moving object; an information recording unit that records the surrounding environment information including the first moving object information and the road information received by the information receiving unit and the integrated environment information created by the recognition unit; and A position estimation device comprising an information transmission unit that transmits the integrated environmental information created by the recognition unit to the mobile body.

2. The information receiving unit receiving second moving body information including at least a target route, a target vehicle speed, a position, and an attitude from the moving body; The recognition unit is a reliability calculation unit that calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the surrounding environment information and a reliability of the second moving object information, and a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, the reliability comparison unit selects the integrated environmental information or the second moving object information from the environmental information acquisition device having the highest reliability; The position estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the information transmitting unit transmits the information selected by the reliability comparing unit as the position information to the mobile object.

3. The reliability comparison unit of the recognition unit 3. The position estimation device of claim 2, further comprising: when the highest reliability is smaller than a predetermined first reference value, correction information including at least the position information of the moving body is created and output together with the integrated environmental information or the second moving body information from the environmental information acquisition device having the selected highest reliability.

4. The recognition unit is A vehicle position prediction unit that predicts a future position of the moving object, In the reliability comparison unit, when the highest reliability is equal to or greater than a first reference value set in advance, 4. The position estimation device according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle position prediction unit predicts whether or not a future position of the moving body will match the target route based on any one of the second moving body information, map information, and driving route history recorded in the information recording unit, and if it predicts that the future position of the moving body will not match the target route, creates correction information including at least position information and angle of the moving body.

5. The recognition unit is a reliability calculation unit that calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the surrounding environment information and a reliability of second moving object information, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, and a detection range change instruction creation unit that creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environmental information acquisition device, the reliability comparison unit compares whether the highest reliability among the calculated reliability is smaller than a second reference value; The position estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection range change instruction creation unit creates an instruction to change the detection range of the environmental information acquisition device when the reliability is determined to be smaller than a second reference value.

6. The recognition unit is The method further includes a reliability calculation unit that calculates a reliability of each of the environmental information acquisition devices that has acquired the surrounding environment information and a reliability of second moving body information, a reliability comparison unit that compares the calculated reliability, a confirmation operation instruction creation unit that creates an instruction for the moving body to perform a confirmation operation, and an operation confirmation unit that confirms whether an operation according to the instruction created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit has been performed, the reliability comparison unit compares whether the highest reliability among the calculated reliability is smaller than a third reference value; the verification operation instruction creation unit creates a verification operation instruction for increasing the reliability when the reliability is determined to be smaller than a third reference value; The operation confirmation unit confirms that an operation according to the instruction created by the confirmation operation instruction creation unit has been performed, The position estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the reliability calculation unit recalculates the reliability.

7. 7. A traffic control system comprising the position estimation device according to claim 1, a plurality of the environmental information acquisition devices, and the mobile body, wherein communication is performed between the position estimation device and the plurality of the environmental information acquisition devices and between the position estimation device and the mobile body, The moving body is A traffic control system that acquires its own position based on the position information received from the position estimation device, and travels based on the integrated environmental information and its own position.

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