Information processing apparatus, right turn lane shape generation method, right turn lane shape generation program, and recording media

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus for generating a right turn lane shape which is a kind of a route on which a vehicle travels at an intersection.SOLUTION: There is provided an information processing apparatus for generating a right turn lane shape for turning right from an entrance road entering to an intersection to an exit road exiting from the intersection. The information processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires lane information of each road connected to the intersection; a setting unit that sets, as an intersection center region, a region surrounded by a route in a case where a vehicle goes straight along a road from an entry lane closest to a center in a widthwise direction of a road including the entry lane among entry lanes in which the vehicle can go straight after entering the intersection, and goes out of the intersection; a specification unit that specifies a center of gravity of the intersection center region; and a generation unit that generates a right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside an arc passing through the intersection center region and drawn by the right-turn lane shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for generating a right-turn lane shape, a method for generating the right-turn lane shape, a program for generating the right-turn lane shape, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, driving support technologies for vehicles including autonomous driving have been developed. An autonomous vehicle is basically set to travel along a driving route set for each lane registered in map information. However, it is time-consuming to generate this driving route manually. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving trajectory data generation apparatus that appropriately generates driving trajectory data for an intersection for autonomous driving.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the driving trajectory data generation apparatus described in Patent Document 1 identifies the intersection of the extension line of the entry lane side network and the extension line of the exit lane side network as the center coordinates of the intersection, and generates driving trajectory data by matching the trajectory when an actual vehicle travels through the intersection. However, this is a generation method in which the right-turn lanes in lanes that oppose each other may intersect, and in that case, there is a problem that autonomous vehicles may come into contact with each other.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of generating a right-turn lane shape, a method for generating the right-turn lane shape, and a program for generating the right-turn lane shape.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection, including: an acquisition unit that acquires lane information of each road connected to the intersection; a setting unit that sets, as an intersection center region, a region surrounded by a route when going straight in line from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can go straight when entering the intersection and exiting the intersection; a specifying unit that specifies the center of gravity of the intersection center region; and a generation unit that generates a right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center region.

[0007] Also, in order to solve the above problems, a method for generating a right-turn lane shape according to an aspect of the present invention is a method in which a computer that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection executes: an acquisition step of acquiring lane information of each road connected to the intersection; a setting step of setting, as an intersection center region, a region surrounded by a route when going straight in line from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can go straight when entering the intersection and exiting the intersection; a specifying step of specifying the center of gravity of the intersection center region; and a generation step of generating a right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center region.

[0008] Also, in order to solve the above problems, a right-turn lane shape generation program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection to have an acquisition function of acquiring lane information for each road connected to the intersection, a setting function of setting, as an intersection center area, an area surrounded by a route when going straight in a row from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can go straight when entering the intersection and exiting the intersection, a specifying function of specifying the center of gravity of the intersection center area, and a generation function of generating a right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passing through the intersection center area.

[0009] Further, in the above information processing apparatus, it may be provided with a registration unit that registers the right-turn lane shape generated by the generation unit in the map information.

[0010] Further, in the above information processing apparatus, the generation unit may generate a right-turn lane shape passing through the entry point and the exit point, with a point moved a predetermined distance away from the center of gravity as a control point.

[0011] Further, in the above information processing apparatus, the predetermined distance may be 1 / 2 or more of the width of the lane.

[0012] Further, in the above information processing apparatus, the generation unit may move along with the tangent line so that the intersection of the tangent line at the entry point of the approach road to the intersection and the tangent line at the exit point from the intersection of the exit road coincides with the center of gravity, and provide a control point on the line that bisects the interior angle formed by the two moved tangent lines to generate a right-turn lane shape.

[0013] Further, in the above information processing apparatus, the right-turn lane shape may be a Bézier curve that passes through the entry point and the exit point and is generated based on the control point.

[0014] In the information processing apparatus, the intersection may be an intersection to which a road including a right-turn only lane is connected as an approach road for entering the intersection.

[0015] In the information processing apparatus, the generation unit may generate a right-turn lane shape that enters the intersection from the right-turn only lane and makes a right turn.

[0016] In the information processing apparatus, when there are a plurality of lanes as exit roads, the generation unit may generate a right-turn lane shape for each of the plurality of exit roads.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] The information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention can generate a right-turn lane shape for an intersection.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0020] <Embodiment> <Configuration> An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is, as shown in FIG. 1, an information processing apparatus (see 100 in FIG. 1) that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection, and includes an acquisition unit (see 105 in FIG. 1) that acquires lane information for each road connected to the intersection, and a setting unit (see 105 in FIG. 1) that sets, as an intersection center area, an area surrounded by a route when going straight through the intersection from the approach lane that is closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can go straight when entering the intersection, and a specifying unit that specifies the center of gravity of the intersection center area, and a generating unit (see 105 in FIG. 1) that generates a right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center area. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the information processing apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, an output unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a CPU 105.

[0022] The information processing apparatus 100 is a computer system realized by a server device, a PC, etc., but is not limited thereto, and may be realized by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The information processing apparatus 100 may be a device that generates a lane shape based on the road shape of a road included in map information. Here, a lane refers to a traffic lane on a road, and in the present embodiment, it may be described as a lane or a traffic lane in some cases. The lane shape is the shape of a path along which a vehicle preferably travels in each traffic lane of each road, and may be data indicating the shape. The lane shape usually becomes a line passing through the center of the traffic lane of the road along the traveling direction. This lane shape may be used as a line along which a vehicle should travel in a traffic lane when executing automatic driving of the vehicle. Therefore, it is desirable that the lane shape be determined so that the vehicle does not encounter any accidents during travel. Here, in the case of a straight road, the setting of the lane shape is easy, whereas when making a right or left turn, particularly a right or left turn through an intersection, the setting becomes difficult. The information processing apparatus 100 may be a device that generates a right-turn lane shape when turning right from the dedicated right-turn lane, particularly at an intersection with four or more branches. The right-turn lane shape generated by the information processing apparatus 100 is registered in the map information and may be used, for example, as a line when an autonomous vehicle travels.

[0023] The communication unit 101 has a function of transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices by wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 101 may, for example, receive map information from an external device and transmit it to the CPU 105. The external device may be a server device or a system that stores map information. Further, the communication unit 101 may also transmit specified information to a specified destination according to an instruction from the CPU 105. As an example, the communication unit 101 may transmit information on the right-turn lane shape generated by the information processing apparatus 100 to an external device. The information on the right-turn lane shape may include information indicating which intersection, from which approach road to which exit road the right-turn lane shape is, and may be information indicating the shape on the map (the position and shape of the curve).

[0024] The input unit 102 has a function of receiving an input from a user of the information processing apparatus 100 and transmitting it to the CPU 105. The input unit 102 can be realized by, for example, a hardware key provided in the information processing apparatus 100, or a soft key such as a touch panel or a touch key. Note that the input to the input unit 102 may be an input by voice. In this case, the input unit 102 is realized by a microphone. The input unit 102 may, for example, receive a specification of an intersection for generating a right-turn lane shape and its approach and exit roads from a user of the information processing apparatus 100 and transmit it to the CPU 105.

[0025] The output unit 103 has a function of outputting the instructed data according to an instruction from the CPU 105. The output unit 103 may output, for example, information on the right-turn lane shape generated by the CPU 105. The output of information by the output unit 103 may be output by characters or images to a monitor (display device) attached to or connected to the information processing apparatus 100, or may output voice from a speaker attached to or connected to the information processing apparatus 100, or may output information by communication to an external device via the communication unit 101.

[0026] The storage unit 104 is a recording medium that stores various programs and various data required for the operation of the information processing apparatus 100. The storage unit 104 is realized by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 104 may store a right-turn lane shape generation program for generating a right-turn lane shape based on the shape of an intersection and the approach and exit roads of the intersection. Further, the storage unit 104 may store map information 141 including information on intersections and roads connected to the intersections. The storage unit 104 may be realized by a cloud storage accessible to the information processing apparatus 100.

[0027] The CPU 105 is a processor that executes the processing to be performed by the information processing apparatus 100 by using various programs and various data stored in the storage unit 104. That is, the CPU 105 executes the right-turn lane shape generation program stored in the storage unit 104, and generates a right-turn lane shape as an ideal form of the path when the vehicle makes a right turn at the intersection. The CPU 105 may function as an acquisition unit, a setting unit, a specifying unit, a generation unit, and a registration unit.

[0028] The acquisition unit acquires the lane information of each road connected to the intersection. The acquisition unit acquires from the information of the intersection included in the map information 141 and the roads connected to the intersection. The acquisition unit may acquire, from the map information 141, an intersection at which the right-turn lane shape is not set. Further, the acquisition unit may receive, from the user of the information processing apparatus 100 via the input unit 102, an input of information on an intersection for which the right-turn lane shape is to be set, and acquire information regarding the intersection.

[0029] As the lane information of each road connected to the intersection, the acquisition unit acquires from the map information 141 information such as the number of roads connected to the intersection, the road width of each road connected to the intersection, the number of lanes of each road connected to the intersection, the width of each lane, the presence or absence of a right-turn only lane, and the shape of the intersection and each road connected to the intersection. Hereinafter, these information will be referred to as intersection information. The acquisition unit transmits the acquired intersection information to the setting unit.

[0030] The setting unit sets, as the intersection center area, an area surrounded by a path when going straight in the same lane from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can enter the intersection and go straight and exiting the intersection. The intersection in the present embodiment may be an intersection with four or more roads.

[0031] The setting unit identifies the approach lanes for each road connected to the intersection. These approach lanes include exclusive right-turn lanes, combined right-turn and straight-ahead lanes, exclusive straight-ahead lanes, combined left-turn and straight-ahead lanes, exclusive left-turn lanes, and the like. Here, since the intersection is an intersection with four or more roads, there are at least four approach lanes that can enter this intersection. The number of approach lanes included in the approach road may be one, or may be two or more. First, when there is one approach lane in the approach road entering the intersection, the setting unit identifies the approach lane as the approach lane to be used for setting the intersection center area. When there are two or more approach lanes in the approach road entering the intersection, the setting unit checks for the presence of an exclusive right-turn lane. If there is an exclusive right-turn lane, the lane immediately to the left of the exclusive right-turn lane is identified as the approach lane to be used for setting the intersection center area. The lane immediately to the left of the exclusive right-turn lane may be a combined right-turn and straight-ahead lane, an exclusive straight-ahead lane, a combined right-turn, straight-ahead and left-turn lane, or a combined straight-ahead and left-turn lane. If there is no exclusive right-turn lane, the rightmost lane (combined right-turn and straight-ahead lane) among the lanes included in the approach road entering the intersection is identified as the approach lane to be used for setting the intersection center area. The number of approach lanes identified is equal to the number of roads (approach roads) connected to the intersection. Therefore, in the case of a four-road intersection, four approach lanes are identified, and in the case of a five-road intersection, five approach lanes are identified.

[0032] When the setting unit identifies the entry lane used to set the intersection center area, it sets the intersection center area using the identified entry lane. The setting unit identifies the route that the vehicle passes through when driving straight along the lane from the identified entry lane. Here, driving straight along the lane means entering the intersection from the entry lane, driving without changing lanes, and exiting the intersection without turning on the right-turn signal or left-turn signal according to the Road Traffic Law. That is, driving straight along the lane may include cases where it is not a complete straight line. The setting unit sets, as the intersection center area, the area surrounded by the routes formed when driving straight along the lane from each entry lane and exiting from the exit route of the intersection. The information on the intersection center area set by the setting unit includes at least information indicating the position where the intersection center area is set and its range, and may include information on which intersection the set area is for. The setting unit transmits the information on the set intersection center area to the identification unit.

[0033] The identification unit identifies the centroid of the intersection center area transmitted from the setting unit. The identification unit may identify the centroid of the intersection center area by a known algorithm.

[0034] The generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape such that the centroid identified by the identification unit is located outside the arc described by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center area set by the setting unit. That the right-turn lane shape passes through the intersection center area may mean that at least a part of the right-turn lane shape generated by the generation unit overlaps with the intersection center area. The outside of the arc means the side opposite to the side where the center of the arc described by the right-turn lane shape is located with respect to the arc of the right-turn lane shape.

[0035] Specifically, the generation unit first determines the entry lane and the exit lane for which the right-turn lane shape is to be generated. The generation unit identifies the intersection of the first tangent line to the entry lane at the entry point connecting to the intersection of the entry lane and the second tangent line to the exit lane at the exit point connecting to the intersection of the exit lane. The generation unit moves the first tangent line, the second tangent line, and the intersection of the first tangent line and the second tangent line while maintaining their respective positional relationships so that the intersection overlaps with the centroid of the intersection center region. Then, the generation unit generates a control point for generating the right-turn lane shape on a straight line that passes through the identified intersection (centroid) and divides the angle formed by the first tangent line and the second tangent line after movement (the interior angle of the portion including the location where the right-turn lane shape is to be formed) in half. That is, an arc (for example, a Bézier curve) passing through the control point on the straight line, the entry point, and the exit point is generated. The control point on the straight line may be set at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the identified intersection toward the center of the generated right-turn lane shape. Here, the predetermined distance may be a distance of at least half of the lane width of the entry lane or the exit lane. When the predetermined distance is at least half of the lane width, the possibility that the right-turn lane shapes of oncoming lanes will contact each other when the same vehicle travels through them is reduced. Note that the predetermined distance is limited to the distance from the intersection (centroid) to the outer edge of the intersection center region in order to pass the formed right-turn lane shape through the intersection center region.

[0036] When the right-turn lane shape is generated in this way, it is possible to generate the right-turn lane shapes formed from the entry roads facing each other through the intersection so that they do not intersect with each other. Therefore, if an autonomous vehicle travels through the right-turn lane shape generated by the generation unit, the possibility of a collision between vehicles turning right at the intersection can be reduced.

[0037] Note that the generation unit does not necessarily generate the right-turn lane shape for all the entry lanes entering the intersection. Also, when there are a plurality of exit roads that can turn right from the entry road and exit from the intersection, the generation unit may generate the right-turn lane shape for each of the plurality of exit roads.

[0038] The registration unit registers the right-turn lane shape generated by the generation unit in the map information 141 stored in the storage unit 104. The right-turn lane shape registered in the map information 141 may be referred to, for example, as the route along which a vehicle travels when making a right turn when the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle or a driving support vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may control the steering wheel and engine of the vehicle so as to travel on the route indicated by the right-turn lane shape. The above is a configuration example of the information processing apparatus 100.

[0039] <Operation Example of Information Processing Apparatus> Hereinafter, the operation of the information processing apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing apparatus 100.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the acquisition unit of the CPU 105 acquires information on intersections with four or more branches from the map information 141 stored in the storage unit 104 (step S201). Then, the CPU 105 acquires lane information of each road connected to the intersection from the acquired intersection information (step S202). The lane information may include information such as the number of lanes included in the road, the width of each lane, the attribute of each lane (attribute regarding the traveling direction such as dedicated straight lane, dedicated right-turn lane, etc.), and the shape of the road. In addition, other information may be included, and some of the information shown here may not be included.

[0041] The setting unit of the CPU 105 specifies a right-turn lane from among the approach roads entering the intersection from each road connected to the intersection based on the acquired lane information (step S203). Here, the right-turn lane may be a dedicated right-turn lane, a lane that allows straight and right turns, or even a lane that allows left turns as well.

[0042] Then, the setting unit sets an intersection center area at the intersection based on the acquired right-turn lane (step S204). The specifying unit specifies the center of gravity of the intersection center area set by the setting unit (step S205).

[0043] The generation unit of CPU 105 generates the right-turn lane shape from the right-turn lane entering the intersection to the exit lane exiting the intersection (step S206). That is, the generation unit generates the right-turn lane shape from the right-turn lane entering the intersection so that the center of gravity of the intersection center region specified by the specifying unit is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape passing through the intersection center region.

[0044] CPU 105 registers the information of the generated right-turn lane shape in the map information 141 (step S207) and ends the process. Note that when registering the right-turn lane shape in the map information 141, CPU 105 may register it when receiving a permission input from the user of the information processing apparatus 100, or may cause the output unit 103 to output an image showing the generated right-turn lane shape by superimposing it on the image information of the intersection. The above is an operation example of the information processing apparatus 100.

[0045] <Specific Example 1> The method for generating the right-turn lane shape will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3(a) is an example of an intersection 301 for which the information processing apparatus 100 generates a right-turn lane shape. As shown in the figure, the intersection 301 is a four-way intersection. As shown in the figure, for the left-right direction of the paper surface, roads with two lanes in both the uphill and downhill directions are connected. Also, for the up-down direction of the paper surface, although the roads in both the uphill and downhill directions have two lanes, a road with a dedicated right-turn lane is connected. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing examples of the right-turn lane shapes 311 and 321 set for this intersection 301. In the example of FIG. 3(b), examples of the right-turn lane shapes 311 from the entry lane 310 to the exit lane 341 and 321 from the entry lane 320 to the exit lane 331 are shown.

[0046] FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing an example of an intersection center area. The information processing apparatus 100 (setting unit) acquires information on the lanes of each road from the information on the intersection 301 shown in FIG. 3(a). The information processing apparatus 100 identifies an intersection center area surrounded by a route when going straight in the same lane from the entry lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the entry lane among the entry lanes that can enter the intersection and go straight, and exiting the intersection. In the intersection 301 shown in FIG. 3(a), there are 3 lanes that can enter the intersection 301 on the road 312 on the upper side of the paper surface, 2 lanes that can enter the intersection 301 on the road 332 on the right side of the paper surface, 3 lanes that can enter the intersection 301 on the road 322 on the lower side of the paper surface, and 2 lanes that can enter the intersection 301 on the road 342 on the left side of the paper surface. Among these lanes, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the information processing apparatus 100 identifies the routes of routes 313, 323, 331, and 341 as entry lanes that can enter the intersection and go straight and are the entry lanes closest to the center in the road width direction of the road and can go straight in the same lane. Note that the right-turn-only lanes 310 and 320 shown in FIG. 4(a) can enter the intersection 301 but cannot go straight in the same lane because they are right-turn-only lanes. Therefore, the right-turn-only lanes 310 and 320 are not used as lanes (routes) for setting the intersection center area. The setting unit sets the area surrounded by the routes 313, 323, 331, and 341 as the intersection center area 401 as shown in FIG. 4(a).

[0047] FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the center of gravity of the intersection center area 401. The information processing apparatus 100 (specifying unit) specifies the center of gravity 411 of the intersection center area 401 set by the setting unit. The specification of the center of gravity may utilize a method for specifying the center of gravity of an area in a generally known plane.

[0048] Here, it is assumed that the information processing apparatus 100 (generation unit) generates a right-turn lane shape from the entry point 501 of the right-turn only lane 320 (entry lane) shown in FIG. 5(a) to the exit point 502 of the lane 330 (exit lane). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the generation unit forms a tangent line 506 of the entry lane 320 at the entry point 501 and a tangent line 504 of the exit lane 330 at the exit point 502. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the generation unit identifies the intersection point 505 of the tangent line 504 and the tangent line 506. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the generation unit moves the identified intersection point 505 together with the tangent line 504 and the tangent line 506 so as to coincide with the centroid 411. The generation unit identifies a line 601 that bisects the angle formed by the tangent line 504 and the tangent line 506 after the movement as shown in FIG. 6(b). Then, the generation unit sets a point that has moved a predetermined distance d1 from the intersection point 505 (centroid 411) of the two tangent lines on the line 601 as a control point when generating the right-turn lane shape. That is, the generation unit sets the point 602 as the control point.

[0049] Then, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape 701 passing through the entry point 501, the control point 602, and the exit point 502. The generation unit generates the right-turn lane shape so that the centroid 411 specified by the specifying unit is located outside the right-turn lane shape 701. As shown in the figure, the centroid 411 is located outside the right-turn lane shape 701, which is on the side opposite to the side where the center of the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape 701 exists. By generating the right-turn lane shape in this way, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the right-turn lane shapes (311, 312) generated for the opposing right-turn lanes can be generated without intersecting each other. As a result, when a vehicle passes on this right-turn lane shape, the possibility of opposing vehicles contacting each other is reduced.

[0050] Note that FIG. 7(b) shows an example in which a right-turn lane shape 702 from the entry point 501 of the entry lane 320 to the exit point 703 of the exit lane 331 is generated. Also in this case, the generation unit generates the right-turn lane shape in the same manner as when generating the right-turn lane shape 701.

[0051] That is, the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape 702 from the entry point 501 to the exit point 703 of the lane 331 (exit lane). The generation unit moves the intersection of the tangent line 506 of the lane 320 at the entry point 501 and the tangent line of the exit lane 331 at the exit point 604 to the centroid 411 together with the engagement, and moves a point 602 by a predetermined distance d1 on a line 601 that bisects the angle formed by the two tangent lines after the movement, and generates the right-turn lane shape 702 using the point 602 as a control point. The tangent line 504 based on the exit lane 330 and the tangent line based on the exit lane 331 have substantially the same shape. Therefore, the control point 602 for generating the right-turn lane shape 701 becomes substantially the same point as the control point 602 for generating the right-turn lane shape 702. Thus, when generating the right-turn lane shapes for both exit lanes 330 and 331, the control point 602 may be shared.

[0052] <Specific Example 2> In Specific Example 1, an intersection in the form of a crossroads was used as an example for explanation. However, at an intersection, the shape of the road does not necessarily have to be such a crossroads that intersects at a right angle. Therefore, as Specific Example 2, an example of the case of an intersection that does not intersect at a right angle will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. Since the basic processing is the same as that in Specific Example 1, the description will be simplified compared to Specific Example 1.

[0053] FIG. 8(a) shows an example of an intersection 801 where two roads do not intersect at a right angle. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the intersection 801 is an intersection where a road 810 with 2 entry lanes and 1 exit lane shown on the upper side of the paper, a road 820 with 2 entry lanes and 1 exit lane shown on the right side of the paper, a road 830 with 1 entry lane and 1 exit lane shown on the lower side of the paper, and a road 840 with 2 entry lanes and 1 exit lane shown on the left side of the paper are connected.

[0054] For this intersection 801, as shown in Fig. 8(a), an intersection center area 401 surrounded by four paths is set: a path that goes straight from the entry lane 811 along the road and exits from the exit lane 832; a path that goes straight from the entry lane 821 along the road and exits from the exit lane 843; a path that goes straight from the entry lane 831 along the road and exits from the exit lane 813; and a path that goes straight from the entry lane 841 along the road and exits from the exit lane 823. These paths, as shown in the figure, are not straight even though they are described as going straight, but are curved. As described above, in this document, going straight along the road includes paths that are not straight like this, and refers to a path along which a vehicle can move without changing lanes and without the need to output a turn signal for a right turn or a left turn.

[0055] And, as shown in Fig. 8(a), a specific part is specified for the intersection center area 401 to identify its centroid 411. Here, for example, assume that the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape from the entry lane 831 to the exit lane 823. In this case, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape from the entry point 861 of the entry lane 831 to the intersection 801 to the exit point 851 of the exit lane 823 from the intersection 801. That is, the generation unit identifies the tangent line 862 of the entry lane 831 at the entry point 861, the tangent line 852 of the exit lane 823 at the exit point 851, and the intersection point 873 of the tangent line 852 and the tangent line 862. As shown in Fig. 9(a), the generation unit moves the identified intersection point 873, together with the tangent lines 852 and 862, so as to coincide with the centroid 411. Then, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the generation unit sets a point obtained by moving a predetermined distance d1 on the line 901 that bisects the angle formed by the tangent line 852 and the tangent line 862 after the movement as the control point 902. And the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape passing through the entry point 861, the control point 902, and the exit point 851.

[0056] As a result, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the information processing apparatus 100 can generate a right-turn lane shape 1001 from the entry lane 831 to the exit lane 823. Further, as shown in Fig. 10(b), the information processing apparatus 100 can generate a right-turn lane shape 1003 from the entry lane 812 to the exit lane 843, a right-turn lane shape 1002 from the entry lane 822 to the exit lane 813, and a right-turn lane shape 1004 from the entry lane 842 to the exit lane 832. As shown in Fig. 10(b), all the right-turn lane shapes 1001 to 1004 pass through the intersection center region 401, and the center of gravity 411 of the intersection center region 401 is generated so as to be located outside the arcs drawn by the respective right-turn lane shapes. As a result, the right-turn lane shape 1001 and the right-turn lane shape 1003 generated for the entry lanes facing each other are generated so that vehicles do not contact each other even if they travel on the lane shapes. Similarly, the right-turn lane shape 1002 and the right-turn lane shape 1004 generated for the entry lanes facing each other are generated so that vehicles do not contact each other even if they travel on the lane shapes.

[0057] <Summary> As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 can generate a right-turn lane shape from the entry lane entering the intersection to the exit lane exiting the intersection for an intersection with four or more roads. As a result, the information processing apparatus 100 can reduce the labor of creating such a right-turn lane shape, compared with the conventional method of manually creating such a right-turn lane shape. In addition, the right-turn lane shape created by the information processing apparatus 100 can be referred to, for example, as a driving route when an autonomous vehicle travels.

[0058] <Supplementary Note> Needless to say, the information processing apparatus according to the above embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment and may be realized by other methods. Hereinafter, various modification examples will be described.

[0059] (1) In the above embodiment, the information processing apparatus 100 may be an apparatus that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from the dedicated right-turn lane and exiting the intersection only for intersections to which the dedicated right-turn lane is connected. In this case, since the information processing apparatus 100 only needs to extract intersections to which the dedicated right-turn lane is connected from the map information 141 and generate the right-turn lane shape, the number of right-turn lane shapes to be generated can be suppressed, and the processing load on the information processing apparatus 100 can be reduced.

[0060] (2) In the above embodiment, the right-turn lane shape generated by the information processing apparatus 100 may be used as a route to be displayed on the screen of the navigation apparatus when the navigation apparatus guides the route of the vehicle, for example.

[0061] (3) In the above embodiment, the line formed between the two tangents (the tangent of the entry lane with respect to the entry point and the tangent of the exit lane with respect to the exit point) used to set the control points does not necessarily have to be a line that bisects the angle formed by the two tangents. It may be a line that divides the angle formed by the two tangents in the ratio of α:β, and α and β may be set according to the distance from the entry point to the intersection of the two tangents and the distance from the exit point to the intersection of the two tangents.

[0062] (4) In the above embodiment, regarding the method for generating the right-turn lane shape in the information processing apparatus, it is specified that the processor of the information processing apparatus executes a predetermined program or the like. However, this may also be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)) or the like in the apparatus, or a dedicated circuit. Further, these circuits may be realized by one or a plurality of integrated circuits, and the functions of the plurality of functional units shown in the above embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit. LSI may also be referred to as VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra LSI, etc. depending on the degree of integration. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the information processing apparatus 100 may be composed of a communication circuit 101a, an input circuit 102a, an output circuit 103a, a storage circuit 104a, and a control circuit 105a, which respectively correspond to a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, an output unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a CPU 105.

[0063] Further, the above program may be recorded on a recording medium readable by the processor. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium", for example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. Also, the above program may be supplied to the above processor via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. That is, for example, it may be configured to download and execute the program from the network using an information processing device such as a smartphone. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0064] Note that the above program can be implemented using, for example, script languages such as ActionScript and JavaScript (registered trademark), and object-oriented programming languages such as Objective-C, Java (registered trademark), C++, Python, and R. However, these languages are just examples. (5) The various examples shown in the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

Explanation of Signs

[0065] 100 Information processing apparatus 101 Communication unit 102 Input unit 103 Output unit 104 Storage unit 105 CPU (acquisition unit, setting unit, specifying unit, generation unit, registration unit) 141 Map information

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for generating a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting from the intersection, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire lane information for each road connected to the intersection; a setting unit configured to set, as an intersection center region, a region surrounded by a path when going straight through the intersection from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane that can enter the intersection and go straight; a specifying unit configured to specify the center of gravity of the intersection center region; a generation unit configured to generate the right-turn lane shape such that the center of gravity is located outside an arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center region; an information processing apparatus comprising the above.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit configured to register the right-turn lane shape generated by the generation unit in map information.

3. The generation unit generates the right-turn lane shape passing through the entry point and the exit point, with a point moved a predetermined distance away from the center of gravity as a control point. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. The predetermined distance is not less than 1 / 2 of the width of the lane. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The generation unit moves along with the tangent lines such that the intersection of the tangent line at the entry point of the approach road to the intersection and the tangent line at the exit point of the exit road from the intersection coincides with the center of gravity, and provides the control point on a line that bisects the interior angle formed by the two moved tangent lines to generate the right-turn lane shape. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

6. The right-turn lane shape is a Bézier curve passing through the entry point and the exit point and generated based on the control point. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

7. The intersection is an intersection to which a road including a right-turn only lane is connected as an approach road entering the intersection. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that.

8. The generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from the right-turn only lane into the intersection. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. When there are a plurality of lanes as the exit road, the generation unit generates a right-turn lane shape for each of the plurality of exit roads. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. A computer that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection, an acquisition step of acquiring lane information for each road connected to the intersection; a setting step of setting, as an intersection center area, an area surrounded by a path when going straight from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can enter the intersection and exit the intersection straight ahead; a specifying step of specifying the center of gravity of the intersection center area; a generating step of generating the right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center area; A right-turn lane shape generation method for executing the above steps. **Claim 11** In a computer that generates a right-turn lane shape for turning right from an approach road entering an intersection to an exit road exiting the intersection, an acquisition function of acquiring lane information for each road connected to the intersection; a setting function of setting, as an intersection center area, an area surrounded by a path when going straight from the approach lane closest to the center in the width direction of the road including the approach lane among the approach lanes that can enter the intersection and exit the intersection straight ahead; a specifying function of specifying the center of gravity of the intersection center area; a generating function of generating the right-turn lane shape so that the center of gravity is located outside the arc drawn by the right-turn lane shape and passes through the intersection center area; A right-turn lane shape generation program for realizing the above functions. **Claim 12** A recording medium on which the right-turn lane shape generation program according to Claim 11 is recorded.

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