Lane estimation device

Abstract

To estimate a position of a travel lane on which an own vehicle is traveling without executing advanced image processing.SOLUTION: A lane estimation device is the device mounted on a first vehicle so as to estimate a travel lane on which the first vehicle is traveling, and including a position information acquisition section, a communication section, and a control section. The position information acquisition section acquires first position information indicating a position of the first vehicle. The communication section is communicable with a vehicle different from the first vehicle. The control section acquires travel lane information indicating the travel lane of the second vehicle and second position information indicating the position of the second vehicle from the second vehicle traveling in the periphery of the first vehicle via the communication section. The control section estimates the travel lane on which the first vehicle travels on the basis of a first travel trajectory of the first vehicle based on the plurality of elements of first position information acquired in time series, a second travel trajectory of the second vehicle based on the plurality of elements of second position information acquired in time series, and travel lane information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lane estimation device. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been proposed that analyzes images captured by a camera to recognize the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and other lanes. For example, a lane detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a camera to capture an image of the area around the host vehicle and recognizes other vehicles and the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the captured image. This lane detection device then determines the presence or absence of lanes other than the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling based on the positional relationship between the other vehicles and the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-301603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional technology requires a high-performance onboard camera to recognize the driving lane and high-performance image processing capabilities to analyze the images output from the onboard camera.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a lane estimation device that can estimate the driving lane in which a vehicle is traveling without performing advanced image processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A lane estimation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a lane estimation device that is mounted on a first vehicle and estimates the driving lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, and includes: a position information acquisition unit that acquires first position information that indicates the position of the first vehicle; a communication unit that is configured to be able to communicate with a vehicle different from the first vehicle; and a control unit that acquires, from a second vehicle traveling around the first vehicle via the communication unit, driving lane information that indicates the driving lane of the second vehicle and second position information that indicates the position of the second vehicle, and estimates the driving lane in which the first vehicle is traveling based on a first driving trajectory that is the driving trajectory of the first vehicle based on a plurality of the first position information acquired in time series, a second driving trajectory that is the driving trajectory of the second vehicle based on a plurality of the second position information acquired in time series, and the driving lane information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to estimate the position of the driving lane in which the host vehicle is traveling without performing advanced image processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of a lane estimation device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a lane estimation system including a lane estimation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a travel path when a second vehicle travels in the travel lane immediately to the left of a first vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a travel path when a second vehicle travels in the same travel lane as a first vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a travel path when a second vehicle travels in the travel lane immediately to the right of a first vehicle. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a method for identifying deviations due to errors occurring in position information. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a lane estimation process executed by a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensions and ratios in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual dimensions and ratios.

[0010] (Overview of overall operation) 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of a lane estimation system 1 including a lane estimation device 11 (see FIG. 2) according to the present disclosure. Vehicles in the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, passenger cars, trucks, buses, large and small special-purpose vehicles, etc.

[0011] The first vehicle 10 is a vehicle that is not equipped with a detection device such as a camera for recognizing the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on a road. The first vehicle 10 has a means for detecting the position of the vehicle. The first vehicle 10 can detect the position of the vehicle using a geographic coordinate system such as latitude and longitude. Information indicating the position of the first vehicle 10 is referred to as first position information. The first vehicle 10 cannot identify the lane in which it is traveling due to detection errors in the position of the vehicle and incompleteness of map information, etc.

[0012] The second vehicle 20 is a vehicle traveling on the same road as the first vehicle 10, in the vicinity of the first vehicle 10. The "surrounding area" is, for example, within a range of 50 meters to 300 meters. The second vehicle 20 is, for example, a vehicle traveling ahead of the first vehicle 10 on the same road. The second vehicle 20 is a vehicle capable of recognizing the lane it is traveling in using sensing technology. The second vehicle 20 also has a means for detecting its own position. Information indicating the position of the second vehicle 20 is referred to as second position information. The first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 are configured to be able to communicate with each other. The second vehicle 20 transmits the second position information and traveling lane information indicating the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling to the first vehicle 10. Here, the traveling lane information is information that identifies the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling among multiple lanes on the road.

[0013] The first vehicle 10 can calculate a travel trajectory of its own vehicle based on a plurality of pieces of first position information of the own vehicle acquired in time series. Hereinafter, the travel trajectory of the first vehicle 10 will be referred to as a first travel trajectory. The first vehicle 10 can calculate a travel trajectory of the second vehicle 20 based on a plurality of pieces of second position information acquired in time series from the second vehicle 20. The travel trajectory of the second vehicle 20 will be referred to as a second travel trajectory.

[0014] By comparing the first driving trajectory with the second driving trajectory, the first vehicle 10 estimates the relative position of the driving lane of the first vehicle 10 with respect to the driving lane of the second vehicle 20. That is, the first vehicle 10 can estimate whether it is traveling in the same lane as the driving lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling, or in an adjacent lane on either the left or right. The first vehicle 10 can estimate the driving lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling based on the relative position of the second vehicle 20 with respect to the driving lane and the driving lane information of the second vehicle 20 acquired from the second vehicle 20. Here, estimating the driving lane means estimating one of multiple lanes on the road in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0015] The first vehicle 10 may be further configured to transmit information about the estimated lane of travel of the vehicle and a plurality of pieces of first position information acquired in time series to a third vehicle 30 different from the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20. Like the first vehicle 10, the third vehicle 30 is a vehicle that does not have a detection device such as a camera for recognizing the lane on the road in which the vehicle is traveling. Like the first vehicle 10, the third vehicle 30 is equipped with a lane estimation device. The third vehicle 30 is, for example, a vehicle traveling behind the first vehicle 10 in the traveling direction on the same road as the first vehicle 10. Like the first vehicle 10, the third vehicle 30 can estimate the lane in which it is traveling.

[0016] (Configuration of lane estimation device) The schematic configurations of the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 are shown in FIG. 2. If a third vehicle 30 is present, the third vehicle 30 may be configured in the same manner as the first vehicle 10. The lane estimation device 11 is mounted on the first vehicle 10. The lane estimation device 11 may be a standalone device or may be incorporated into another device in the first vehicle 10. The other device may be, for example, a navigation device that provides route guidance to the driver. The lane estimation device 11 is configured to include, for example, a communication unit 12, a position information acquisition unit 13, a control unit 14, a memory unit 15, and an output unit 16. The lane estimation device 11 may further include a direction information acquisition unit 17.

[0017] The communication unit 12 includes an antenna and a communication circuit that transmits and receives information to and from a system external to the first vehicle 10 using wireless communication. The communication unit 12 is configured to be able to communicate with different vehicles, including the second vehicle 20, via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communication unit 12 may perform communication using one or more of the fourth generation mobile communication system (4G), the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). In addition to or instead of the above communication means, the communication unit 12 may also perform communication using narrowband communication such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) and short-range communication such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark)).

[0018] The position information acquisition unit 13 is configured to be able to acquire information on the current position of the first vehicle 10 from the GNSS receiver 18 mounted on the first vehicle 10. The position information acquisition unit 13 passes the acquired information on the current position to the control unit 14 as first position information.

[0019] The GNSS receiver 18 is a receiver compatible with a global positioning system that uses artificial satellites. GNSS includes systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, and BeiDou. Furthermore, to improve the accuracy of position measurement, an augmentation signal from a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) may be used. Systems that provide augmentation signals include the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). Using the signal from the GNSS receiver 18, the lane estimation device 11 can obtain information on the latitude and longitude of the current position of the first vehicle 10.

[0020] The control unit 14 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit is, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The dedicated circuit is, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 14 controls each part of the lane estimation device 11 and executes various arithmetic processes related to the operation of the lane estimation device 11. The control unit 14 operates each part of the lane estimation device 11 to make the lane estimation device 11 function.

[0021] The control unit 14 acquires, from a second vehicle 20 traveling around the first vehicle 10, driving lane information indicating the driving lane of the second vehicle 20 and second position information indicating the position of the second vehicle 20 via the communication unit 12. The control unit 14 can estimate the driving lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling based on a first driving trajectory based on a plurality of pieces of first position information acquired in time series, a second driving trajectory based on a plurality of pieces of second position information acquired in time series, and the driving lane information. Details of the operation of the control unit 14 will be described below using Figures 3 to 7.

[0022] The storage unit 15 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). The RAM includes, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The ROM includes, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The magnetic memory may include, for example, a hard disk. The optical memory may include, for example, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD). The storage unit 15 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 15 stores programs executed by the control unit 14, data used in the operation of the control unit 14, data obtained by the operation of the control unit 14, and the like. The storage unit 15 may sequentially store the first location information and the second location information acquired by the control unit 14.

[0023] The output unit 16 is an output interface that outputs the driving lane estimated by the control unit 14 to another device. For example, the output unit 16 outputs information identifying the driving lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling to a navigation device mounted on the first vehicle 10. The navigation device can use the information identifying the driving lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling to provide the driver of the first vehicle 10 with detailed guidance, such as recommending that the driver change the traveling lane.

[0024] The direction information acquisition unit 17 acquires information about the traveling direction of the first vehicle 10 from a direction sensor 19 that is mounted inside the first vehicle 10 and detects the traveling direction. As the direction sensor 19, for example, a gyro sensor is used. The gyro sensor can detect the rotational angular velocity of the first vehicle 10 and integrate the angular velocity to determine the traveling direction of the first vehicle 10. The information about the traveling direction of the first vehicle 10 can be used to verify the accuracy of the first position information of the first vehicle 10.

[0025] (Configuration of lane information providing device) As shown in FIG. 2 , the second vehicle 20 is equipped with a lane information providing device 21 that provides the lane estimation device 11 of the first vehicle 10 with information about the lane the second vehicle 20 is traveling in. The lane information providing device 21 may be a standalone device or may be incorporated into another device in the second vehicle 20. The lane information providing device 21 includes, for example, a communication unit 22, a position information acquisition unit 23, an image acquisition unit 24, and a control unit 25. The lane information providing device 21 may further include a direction information acquisition unit 26.

[0026] The communication unit 22, like the communication unit 12, transmits and receives information to and from a system external to the second vehicle 20 using wireless communication. The communication unit 22 is configured to be able to perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the communication unit 12 of the first vehicle 10.

[0027] Like the position information acquisition unit 13, the position information acquisition unit 23 acquires information on the current position of the second vehicle 20 from the GNSS receiver 27 mounted on the second vehicle 20. The position information acquisition unit 23 passes the acquired information to the control unit 25 as second position information.

[0028] The image acquisition unit 24 acquires images captured by a camera 28 mounted on the second vehicle 20. The camera 28 captures an image of the road ahead of the second vehicle 20. The camera 28 may be disposed, for example, on the upper inside part of the front windshield of the second vehicle 20. The camera 28 is disposed so as to capture an image including the road surface, both ends of the road, white lines on the road separating lanes, and the like.

[0029] The control unit 25 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof, similar to the control unit 14 of the first vehicle 10. The control unit 25 includes an image processing unit 25a that processes the images acquired by the image acquisition unit 24.

[0030] The image processing unit 25a may include hardware and software modules dedicated to image processing. The image processing unit 25a recognizes the road surface, white lines, and the like from the road image acquired by the image acquisition unit 24, and generates information specifying the number of lanes on the road on which the second vehicle 20 is traveling and the lane on which the second vehicle 20 is traveling as traveling lane information.

[0031] The control unit 25 can transmit the second position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 23 and the driving lane information to the lane estimation device 11 of the first vehicle 10 via the communication unit 22.

[0032] Like the direction information acquisition unit 17 of the first vehicle 10, the direction information acquisition unit 26 acquires information on the traveling direction from a direction sensor 29 mounted in the second vehicle 20 that detects the traveling direction of the second vehicle 20. The information on the traveling direction of the second vehicle 20 can be used to verify the accuracy of the second position information of the second vehicle 20.

[0033] (Lane estimation method) Next, a method for estimating a driving lane by the control unit 14 of the lane estimation device 11 will be described. FIGS. 3 to 5 are top views showing an example in which a first vehicle 10 and a second vehicle 20 are traveling on a road 40 with a total of three lanes. The lanes are designated, from left to right, as a first lane 41, a second lane 42, and a third lane 43 in the direction in which the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 travel. In FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 6, which will be described later, the x direction is the direction in which the road 40 extends and in which the first vehicle 10 travels. The y direction is the width direction of the road 40, which is perpendicular to the x direction. The positive y direction is the left direction when facing the x direction.

[0034] In FIG. 3, the first vehicle 10 is traveling in the third lane 43. Behind the first vehicle 10, a first position 44 of the first vehicle 10 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 13 at each of past times t1 to t4 is plotted as a square. However, in FIG. 3, only the first position 44 at time t1 is labeled with a reference symbol. Furthermore, the second vehicle 20 is traveling in the second lane 42. Behind the second vehicle 20, a second position 45 of the second vehicle 20 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 23 at each of past times t1 to t6 and transmitted to the first vehicle 10 via the communication unit 22 is plotted as a circle. However, in FIG. 3, only the second position 45 at time t1 is labeled with a reference symbol. t1 to t6 are labeled in reverse chronological order from the present time. Therefore, from time t1 to time t6, the time points become earlier.

[0035] Based on the driving lane information obtained from the second vehicle 20, the control unit 14 can recognize that the road 40 has three lanes and that the second vehicle 20 is driving in the second lane 42.

[0036] The control unit 14 determines a first traveling trajectory 46, which is the traveling trajectory of the first vehicle 10, from the first position information of the first vehicle 10 at each past time point t1 to t4. The position information detected by the GNSS receiver 18 contains some error. For this reason, the control unit 14 can calculate an approximation curve for each first position 44 to determine the first traveling trajectory 46. Similar to the first traveling trajectory 46, the control unit 14 can determine a second traveling trajectory 47, which is the traveling trajectory of the second vehicle 20, from information on the second position 45 of the second vehicle 20 at each past time point t1 to t6, which is included in the second position information.

[0037] In the above example, the lane estimation device 11 can sequentially acquire second position information corresponding to the second position 45 of the second vehicle 20 one by one from the lane information providing device 21 of the second vehicle 20. However, the lane information providing device 21 may collectively transmit a plurality of second positions 45 together with information on the time at which each position was detected to the lane estimation device 11 at a predetermined timing when the control unit 14 estimates the driving lane. Alternatively, the lane information providing device 21 may calculate a second driving trajectory 47 using the control unit 25 based on the time-series position information of the second positions 45, and transmit the calculated second driving trajectory 47 to the lane estimation device 11 via the communication unit 22.

[0038] The control unit 14 compares the first driving path 46 with the second driving path 47. Because the second lane 42 and the third lane 43 are parallel, the first driving path 46 and the second driving path 47 have substantially the same shape along the road 40. Furthermore, when the second driving path 47 is offset to the right by a predetermined distance L corresponding to the lane width, the second driving path 47 matches the first driving path 46 at a certain rate behind the first vehicle 10. In this case, the control unit 14 can estimate that the first vehicle 10 is traveling in the third lane 43, which is located to the right of the second lane 42 in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling. In this application, "offset" means to shift in the width direction (y direction) of the road 40. "Matching at a certain rate" means matching within a range that allows for lateral deviation (y direction) between the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 within the same lane.

[0039] 4, the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 are both traveling in the second lane 42. In this case, the calculated first traveling path 46 and the second traveling path 47 coincide to a certain extent behind the first vehicle 10. In this case, the control unit 14 can estimate that the first vehicle 10 is traveling in the same second lane 42 as the second vehicle 20.

[0040] 5, the first vehicle 10 is traveling in the first lane 41. The second vehicle 20 is traveling in the second lane 42. When the second traveling path 47 is offset to the left by a predetermined distance L corresponding to the lane width, it coincides with the first traveling path 46 to a certain extent behind the first vehicle 10. In this case, the control unit 14 can estimate that the first vehicle 10 is traveling in the first lane 41 located to the left of the second lane 42 in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling.

[0041] In this way, the control unit 14 recognizes the direction and amount of deviation between the first driving trajectory 46 and the second driving trajectory 47 in the direction (y direction) perpendicular to the driving direction (x direction) of the first vehicle 10. This allows the control unit 14 to estimate the relative position of the driving lane of the first vehicle 10 with respect to the driving lane of the second vehicle 20.

[0042] (Discarding abnormal data) Position information acquired using GNSS may be subject to temporary deviations. For example, if signals from some of the multiple GNSS satellites cannot be accurately received, a large error in the position information may occur. FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which a large error occurs in the first position 44 at time t4. In such a case, the control unit 14 determines whether the first vehicle 10 actually traveled the route shown in FIG. 6 at time t4.

[0043] For example, the control unit 14 calculates a first direction 51 in which the first vehicle 10 will travel between time t5 (first time point) and time t4 (second time point) based on the position information of the first position 44 at each of time t5 (first time point) and time t4 (second time point) acquired by the position information acquisition unit 13. The first direction 51 is a direction that can be determined with the first position 44 at time t5 as the starting point and the first position 44 at time t4 as the end point. The control unit 14 also acquires from the direction information acquisition unit 17 a second direction 52 in which the first vehicle 10 will travel between time t5 and t4, detected by the direction sensor 19. For example, if there is no change in the second direction 52 output from the direction sensor 19 corresponding to the change in the first direction 51 calculated from the first position 44, the control unit 14 can estimate that a large error has occurred in the first position 44. 6, for example, the first orientation 51 calculated from the position information changes before and after time t5, while the second orientation 52 indicated by the orientation sensor 19 remains unchanged. In this case, the control unit 14 estimates that there is a large error in the first position 44 at time t4, and can discard the position information of the first position 44 at time t4. That is, the control unit 14 can calculate the first traveling locus 46 by deleting the information at time t4 from the first position information.

[0044] Furthermore, the control unit 14 can calculate the amount of deviation in the width direction (y direction) of the driving lane by integrating the second orientation 52 indicated by the orientation sensor 19 with respect to the direction of the driving lane (x direction) between times t5 and t4 when the position information of adjacent first positions 44 is acquired. The control unit 14 compares the amount of deviation in the width direction (y direction) of the driving lane of the position information of the first position 44 acquired from the position information acquisition unit 13 with the calculated value of the deviation based on the second orientation 52 indicated by the orientation sensor 19. If the difference is greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 14 may determine that there is a large error in the first position 44 and reject the position information of the first position 44.

[0045] The above describes a method for verifying the first position information of the first vehicle 10. The second vehicle 20 may also employ a similar method, and if the error in the position information of the second position 45 at any time is estimated to be large, the data may be rejected. The second vehicle 20 may be configured to transmit only the position information of the second position 45 that is estimated to have a small error as the second position information to the first vehicle 10. In this case, data acquired from the orientation sensor 29 by the direction information acquisition unit 26 of the second vehicle 20 is used.

[0046] (Processing performed by the control unit) An example of a processing method for estimating a driving lane by the control unit 14 of the lane estimation device 11 will be described below using the flowchart in Figure 7. The processing method disclosed in this specification can be executed by a processor included in the control unit 14 according to a program. Such a program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, RAM, ROM, flash memory, CD-ROM, optical storage device, magnetic storage device, etc.

[0047] First, the control unit 14 starts acquiring first position information indicating the position of the first vehicle 10 from the position information acquisition unit 13 (S01). The control unit 14 sequentially acquires the first position information detected at predetermined time intervals. The control unit 14 may constantly acquire the first position information while the first vehicle 10 is traveling. The control unit 14 may sequentially store the acquired first position information in the storage unit 15.

[0048] The control unit 14 uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to find a second vehicle 20 that can recognize the driving lane from a vehicle traveling ahead. For example, the control unit 14 may inquire of vehicles traveling in the vicinity by broadcast communication via the communication unit 12 whether any vehicle can provide driving lane information. When the second vehicle 20 is found, the control unit 14 starts acquiring second position information indicating the position of the second vehicle 20 through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the second vehicle 20 (S02). The control unit 14 may sequentially acquire second position information detected by the second vehicle 20 at predetermined time intervals. The control unit 14 may sequentially store the acquired second position information in the storage unit 15.

[0049] The control unit 14 starts acquiring, from the second vehicle 20, driving lane information indicating the driving lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling (S03). The driving lane information may include the number of lanes of the road 40 in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling, and information specifying the driving lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling from among the multiple lanes.

[0050] The order of S01 to S03 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 7. S01 to S03 may be executed in any order.

[0051] The control unit 14 calculates a first travel trajectory 46, which is the travel trajectory of the first vehicle 10, based on the plurality of pieces of first position information acquired in time series (S04).

[0052] The control unit 14 calculates a second travel path 47, which is the travel path of the second vehicle 20, based on the plurality of second position information acquired in time series (S05). Either S04 or S05 may be executed first, or they may be executed in parallel. In addition, in S04 and S05, the process of discarding the abnormal data described above may be performed.

[0053] The control unit 14 compares the first traveling path 46 with the second traveling path 47 (S06). The control unit 14 may compare the first traveling path 46 with the second traveling path 47 that are located behind the current position of the first vehicle 10.

[0054] If the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47 match to a certain degree in S06 (S07: Yes), the control unit 14 determines that the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 are traveling in the same lane (S08). For example, the control unit 14 can determine that the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47 match to a certain degree when the deviation between the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47 in the width direction (y direction) of the road 40 at the position in the extension direction (x direction) of the road 40 is within a predetermined length. The predetermined length can be set to, for example, 1 m, 1.5 m, or 2 m, taking into account the typical lane width of 3 m to 3.5 m. In addition to the above method, the control unit 14 may employ a method for determining the degree of match between any curves to calculate the degree of match between the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47 and determine whether the two paths match by setting a threshold value for the degree of match. If the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47 do not match at a certain rate (S07: No), the control unit 14 proceeds to the process of S09.

[0055] The control unit 14 offsets the second driving trajectory 47 to the right (negative y direction) and compares it with the first driving trajectory 46. If the trajectory obtained by offsetting the second driving trajectory 47 to the right by a predetermined distance L matches the first driving trajectory 46 to a certain extent (S09: Yes), the control unit 14 can determine that the first vehicle 10 is driving in a lane adjacent to the right of the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is driving (S10). The predetermined distance L is determined based on the lane width and can be set to, for example, 3 m to 3.5 m. When the road 40 has three or more lanes, the control unit 14 may set the offset distance to twice the predetermined distance L and determine whether the first vehicle 10 is driving in a lane two lanes to the right of the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is driving. If the path obtained by offsetting the second travel path 47 to the right does not coincide with the first travel path 46 at a certain rate (S09: No), the control unit 14 proceeds to the process of S11.

[0056] The control unit 14 offsets the second traveling trajectory 47 to the left (positive y direction) and compares it with the first traveling trajectory 46. If the trajectory obtained by offsetting the second traveling trajectory 47 to the left by a predetermined distance L matches the first traveling trajectory 46 to a certain extent (S11: Yes), the control unit 14 can determine that the first vehicle 10 is traveling in a lane adjacent to the left of the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling (S12). If the road 40 has three or more lanes, the control unit 14 may set the offset distance to twice the predetermined distance L and determine whether the first vehicle 10 is traveling in a lane two lanes to the left of the lane in which the second vehicle 20 is traveling. If the trajectory obtained by offsetting the second traveling trajectory 47 to the left does not match the first traveling trajectory 46 to a certain extent (S11: No), the control unit 14 proceeds to the processing of S13.

[0057] After determining the lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling in S08, S10, or S12, the control unit 14 causes the output unit 16 to output information about the lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling (S14).

[0058] If the second travel path 47 and any of the paths obtained by offsetting the second travel path 47 to the right or left do not match the first travel path 46 to a certain extent (step S11: No), the control unit 14 outputs from the output unit 16 a signal indicating that the travel lane cannot be determined (S13). Cases where the travel lane cannot be determined include cases where at least one of the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 is changing lanes. The control unit 14 may be configured to recognize that either vehicle is changing lanes based on the first travel path 46 and the second travel path 47.

[0059] As described above, the lane estimation device 11 can estimate the position of the driving lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling without performing advanced image processing such as recognizing the surface of the road 40 and recognizing white lines that indicate lane boundaries. The lane estimation device 11 can output the estimated driving lane to another device such as a navigation device. This enables the other device to control the first vehicle 10 and / or provide guidance to the user according to the lane in which the first vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the second vehicle 20 is described as traveling ahead of the first vehicle 10. However, the second vehicle 20 may travel to the side or behind the first vehicle 10 as long as it is traveling around the first vehicle 10 on the same road 40 as the first vehicle 10 is traveling on. Also, in the above embodiment, the third vehicle 30 is described as traveling behind the first vehicle 10. The third vehicle 30 is also described as traveling around the first vehicle 10 on the same road 40 as the first vehicle 10 is traveling on, and it may travel to the side or ahead of the first vehicle 10.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many variations and modifications are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 Lane Estimation System 10 First car 11 Lane Estimation Device 12 Communications Department 13 Location information acquisition unit 14 Control Unit 15 Storage section 16 Output section 17 Direction information acquisition unit 18 GNSS receivers 19 Orientation sensor 20 Second vehicle 21 Lane information device 22 Communications Department 23 Location information acquisition unit 24 Image Acquisition 25 Control Unit 25a Image processing unit 26 Direction information acquisition section 27 GNSS receiver 28 Camera 29 Orientation Sensor 30 Third vehicle 40 Road

Claims

1. A lane estimation device mounted on a first vehicle for estimating a driving lane in which the first vehicle is traveling, comprising: a location information acquisition unit that acquires first location information indicating a location of a first vehicle; a communication unit configured to be able to communicate with a vehicle different from the first vehicle; a control unit that acquires, from a second vehicle traveling around the first vehicle, via the communication unit, driving lane information indicating a driving lane of the second vehicle and second position information indicating a position of the second vehicle, and estimates a driving lane in which the first vehicle is traveling based on a first driving trajectory that is a driving trajectory of the first vehicle based on a plurality of pieces of first position information acquired in time series, a second driving trajectory that is a driving trajectory of the second vehicle based on a plurality of pieces of second position information acquired in time series, and the driving lane information; A lane estimation device comprising:

2. 2. The lane estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates the relative position of the driving lane of the first vehicle with respect to the driving lane of the second vehicle by recognizing a deviation between the first driving trajectory and the second driving trajectory in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first vehicle is traveling.

3. The lane estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit compares the first travel path located behind the current position of the first vehicle with the second travel path.

4. 2. The lane estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising a direction information acquisition unit that acquires information on a traveling direction of the first vehicle, wherein the control unit determines whether to reject the first position information at the second time point, based on the traveling direction of the first vehicle calculated from the first position information at a first time point and the first position information at a second time point that are sequentially acquired, and based on the traveling direction of the first vehicle acquired by the direction information acquisition unit between the first time point and the second time point.

5. 2. The lane estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit, via the communication unit, information about the estimated driving lane of the first vehicle and the first position information to a third vehicle traveling around the first vehicle.

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