Map update system, in-vehicle device and management server

Abstract

In a map update system (100), if surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor (21) mounted in a vehicle (200) and map information are different, change information indicating a difference between the surrounding information and the map information is generated by an information generation unit (61). The change information is information including the change amount of the position of a feature if the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the feature. This makes it possible to know the change amount of the position of the feature, thereby making it possible to grasp whether the change of the position is minor or not.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2022-010350 filed in Japan on January 26, 2022, and the contents of the original application are incorporated by reference in their entirety. [Technical field]

[0002] The disclosure in this specification relates to a map update system for updating map information, an in-vehicle device, and a management server. [Background technology]

[0003] The device described in Patent Document 1 compares the position and shape of features detected by an external sensor mounted on the vehicle with feature information stored in a storage unit as map data. If it determines that there has been a change in the features detected by the external sensor, it transmits difference information to a server. The server updates the advanced map database based on the difference information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 212639 Summary of the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, when feature information included in the advanced map database differs from the position and shape of the map detected by a sensor mounted on a vehicle that actually traveled through the area, the advanced map database is updated. However, even if the map information does not correctly represent the actual roads, features, etc., it is not always necessary to update the map information. When the map information is used to control the behavior of the vehicle, it is not always necessary to update the map information if there is no effect on vehicle control.

[0006] The device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 uploads only a flag indicating the presence or absence of difference information, so there is a problem in that it is not possible to grasp the degree of change of a feature. For example, when the change specification flag described in Patent Document 1 indicates a change in the position of a feature, there is a problem in that it is unclear whether the amount of position change was the limit that could be a change specification flag, or whether the position has changed significantly. If detailed difference information such as the amount of position change is unknown, it is not possible to determine whether or not the map needs to be updated. Therefore, even if the difference is minor and updating of the map information is not necessary, there is a problem in that the effort of updating the map information increases if the map information is always updated just because there is a difference.

[0007] Therefore, the disclosed object has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a map update system, an in-vehicle device, and a management server that can suppress updates of non-essential map information.

[0008] The present disclosure employs the following technical means to achieve the above-mentioned objectives.

[0009] The map update system disclosed herein is a map update system that updates map information stored in a storage unit located in a vehicle, and includes an information generation unit that generates change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information when surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information, and an update determination unit that uses the change information to determine whether or not the map information needs to be updated. a threshold value determination unit that determines a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information; When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the information generating unit generates change information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. When the update determination unit acquires change information from a plurality of vehicles, the update determination unit statistically processes the plurality of change information, the threshold determination unit changes the threshold according to the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information, and the update determination unit determines whether or not it is necessary to update the map information using the threshold determined by the threshold determination unit. It is a map update system.

[0010] According to such a map update system, when the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information, the information generating unit generates change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information. When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the change information is information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. This allows the amount of change in the position of the feature to be known, making it possible to grasp whether the change in position is minor. This allows the update determining unit to determine not to update the map when the change in position is minor, making it possible to suppress updates of non-essential map information.

[0011] The in-vehicle device disclosed is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle for use, and includes a storage unit for storing map information, and an information generating unit for generating change information indicating a difference between the surrounding information and the map information when the surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information. a threshold value determination unit that determines a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information; A vehicle communication unit that communicates with the management server, and threshold a vehicle communication unit that transmits the map information to a management server and receives new map information from the management server, and a map update unit that updates the map information in the storage unit when the new map information is received from the management server, and the information generation unit generates change information including an amount of change in the position of the feature when the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the feature. The threshold value determining unit changes the threshold value based on the time series change information and the statistically processed change information. It is an in-vehicle device.

[0012] According to such an in-vehicle device, when the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information, the information generating unit generates change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information. When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the change information is information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. This makes it possible to know the amount of change in the position of the feature, and therefore to grasp whether the change in position is minor. Since such change information is transmitted to the management server, the management server can determine not to update the map when the change in position is minor, and can suppress updates of non-essential map information.

[0013] The management server disclosed further communicates with vehicle-mounted devices mounted on a plurality of vehicles, and manages map information stored in a storage unit of the vehicle-mounted device, and includes a server communication unit that communicates with the vehicle-mounted device, and an update determination unit that, upon receiving change information from the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices, performs statistical processing on the plurality of change information and determines whether or not to update the map information, a threshold value determination unit that determines a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information; and a control unit that controls the server communication unit to transmit the updated map information to the vehicle-mounted device when updating the map information. The change information is information generated when the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information stored in the storage unit, and when the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of a target feature, the change information includes an amount of change in the position of the feature. When the change information is acquired from a plurality of vehicles, the update determination unit statistically processes the plurality of pieces of change information, the threshold determination unit changes the threshold according to the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information, and the update determination unit uses the threshold determined by the threshold determination unit to determine whether or not it is necessary to update the map information. This is the management server.

[0014] According to such a management server, when the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information, change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is received. When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the change information is information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. Since the amount of change in the position of the feature is known from this, it is possible to grasp whether the change in position is minor. This allows the update determination unit to determine not to update the map if the change in position is minor, and makes it possible to suppress updates of non-essential map information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a map updating system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an in-vehicle system 10. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the in-vehicle device 60. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a management server 80. [Diagram 5] 6 is a flowchart showing the process of a server control unit 83. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart showing a process of an in-vehicle device 60 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of a server control unit 83 in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a map updating system 100 of the present embodiment. The map updating system 100 updates map information stored in a vehicle storage unit 30 located in a vehicle 200. The map updating system 100 includes an in-vehicle system 10 mounted on the vehicle 200, and a management server 80 installed at an arbitrary position outside the vehicle 200. The in-vehicle system 10 and the management server 80 can communicate with each other via a communication line network 300.

[0017] First, the configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The in-vehicle system 10 includes an in-vehicle sensor 20, a vehicle storage unit 30, a vehicle communication unit 40, a vehicle control unit 50, and an in-vehicle device 60. These are connected to an in-vehicle LAN 11 and communicate with each other via the in-vehicle LAN 11. The vehicle communication unit 40 is a communication unit that performs wireless communication, and communicates with other devices, for example, a management server 80, via a communication line network 300.

[0018] The on-vehicle sensor 20 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 200 to detect various information used for vehicle control. The on-vehicle sensor 20 includes a surroundings detection sensor 21, a GNSS receiver 24, an inertial sensor 25, and a driver operation detection sensor 26. In addition to these, the on-vehicle sensor 20 may include other sensors, such as a sensor that detects the state of the driver.

[0019] The periphery detection sensor 21 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 200 and detects various objects present around the vehicle 200. The objects include planar objects such as road markings and lane lines. FIG. 2 shows a camera 22 and a Lidar 23 as the periphery detection sensor 21. The camera 22 captures an image in front of the vehicle 200. The camera 22 may also capture an image of the sides and rear of the vehicle 200. The Lidar 23 detects the positions of objects present around the vehicle 200 by projecting and receiving light. In addition to or instead of these, the periphery detection sensor 21 may include other sensors that detect objects present around the vehicle 200, such as a millimeter wave radar.

[0020] The GNSS receiver 24 receives navigation signals transmitted by navigation satellites included in a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), which is a satellite navigation system, and sequentially calculates the current position based on the received navigation signals. The inertial sensor 25 is a sensor that detects inertia occurring in the vehicle 200, and includes one or both of an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor. The GNSS receiver 24 and the inertial sensor 25 are sensors for sequentially detecting the current position of the vehicle 200. Since a change in the current position indicates the behavior of the vehicle 200, the GNSS receiver 24 and the inertial sensor 25 are sensors that detect information indicating the behavior of the vehicle 200.

[0021] The driver operation detection sensor 26 is a sensor that detects an input operation performed by the driver to change or maintain the behavior of the vehicle 200. The driver operation detection sensor 26 is an accelerator sensor, a brake sensor, a steering sensor, a shift position sensor, or the like.

[0022] The vehicle storage unit 30 is writable and stores various information. The vehicle storage unit 30 does not need to be always mounted on the vehicle 200, and may be detachable from the vehicle 200. For example, after the user stops the vehicle 200, the vehicle storage unit 30 may be detached and connected to another information terminal in another location, for example, a company, so that it can be used.

[0023] A flash memory can be used for the vehicle storage unit 30. A map database (hereinafter, referred to as map DB) is stored in the vehicle storage unit 30. The map DB includes map information. The map information includes specific information for identifying road signs, road markings, and dividing lines. Road signs, road markings, and dividing lines are stipulated by law and are provided to ensure safe and smooth traffic movement on the roads. Road signs are, for example, guide signs, warning signs, regulatory signs, and directional signs. The specific information is information for identifying the types and contents of these. The map information is realized, for example, by map information called a high-precision map.

[0024] High-precision maps are three-dimensional maps that contain information about features that exist around roads. Features include traffic lights and road signs. Information about traffic lights is traffic light information that identifies the traffic light, such as the coordinates of the traffic light, the shape of the traffic light, and its size. High-precision maps contain not only three-dimensional information, but also planar information that exists on the surface of the road. Planar information is, for example, the type of road markings, the position of the road markings, the position of the lane markings, and the type of lane markings.

[0025] The vehicle control unit 50 acquires behavior information indicating the behavior of the vehicle 200 and surrounding information indicating objects present around the vehicle 200 from the on-board sensor 20. The vehicle control unit 50 also acquires map information from a map DB stored in the vehicle storage unit 30. The vehicle control unit 50 uses the acquired information to execute vehicle control for controlling the behavior of the vehicle 200. The vehicle control unit 50 can be realized by a configuration including at least one processor.

[0026] An example of vehicle control is traffic light stop control. Traffic light stop control is control in which the vehicle stops at a stop line when the light of a target traffic light is red and the vehicle is not traveling in a driving lane in the direction indicated by an arrow light. When multiple target traffic lights are detected by the periphery detection sensor 21, which one is the target traffic light is determined from the position and orientation of the traffic light relative to the vehicle 200. Traffic light stop control identifies the target traffic light from the traffic lights detected by the periphery detection sensor 21 using traffic light information stored in the map information. Then, it is determined which light is on at the identified target traffic light.

[0027] Another example of vehicle control is lane keeping control. Lane keeping control is a control in which the vehicle 200 automatically travels in the same lane while successively detecting the positions of the lane markings and the vehicle 200 in the vehicle width direction. The lane keeping control is performed using the positions and shapes of the lane markings recognized by the periphery detection sensor 21 and the positions and shapes of the lane markings included in the map information.

[0028] The in-vehicle device 60 is mounted on the vehicle 200 for use. The in-vehicle device 60 can be realized by a configuration including at least one processor. For example, the in-vehicle device 60 can be realized by a computer including a processor, a non-volatile memory, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line connecting these components. The non-volatile memory stores a program for operating a general-purpose computer as the in-vehicle device 60. The processor executes the program stored in the non-volatile memory while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 60 has, as functional blocks, an information generating unit 61, an accuracy calculating unit 62, and a map updating unit 63. Execution by these functional blocks means that a method corresponding to the program is executed.

[0029] When the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor 21 differs from the map information in the map DB, the information generation unit 61 generates change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information. The difference between the surrounding information and the map information is, for example, a difference in the position of a feature, a difference in the position of a road marking, a difference in the line type of a lane marking, etc. When determining whether there is a difference between the surrounding information and the map information, the information generation unit 61 does not need to generate change information if the difference can be considered a detection error of the surrounding detection sensor 21.

[0030] When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the information generating unit 61 generates change information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is, for example, 100 mm, the change information includes information including the amount of change of 100 mm.

[0031] When there is a difference between the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information, the information generating unit 61 generates change information including both the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information. For example, when the dividing line is a broken line in the surrounding information and a solid line in the map information, the change information includes information that the dividing line is a broken line in the surrounding information and information that the dividing line is a solid line in the map information. In other words, the change information includes information of both the surrounding information and the map information.

[0032] The accuracy calculation unit 62 calculates the detection accuracy of the surrounding information of the surrounding detection sensor 21 using at least one of the position of the vehicle 200, the weather at the position of the vehicle 200, the road surface condition around the vehicle 200, and the detection time of the surrounding information. The detection accuracy of the surrounding detection sensor 21 changes due to various external factors. For example, when the vehicle 200 is traveling among a group of high-rise buildings, there are many shadows of the high-rise buildings on the road surface, and the detection accuracy decreases due to the contrast between the shadows and the sunlight. In addition, when the vehicle 200 is located in a downtown area, there is a lot of on-street parking in the downtown area, so the detection accuracy of the lane markings decreases due to the on-street parking. In addition, when the vehicle 200 is traveling through a tunnel, the brightness changes rapidly between inside and outside the tunnel near the entrance and exit of the tunnel, so the detection accuracy decreases. Therefore, the detection accuracy differs depending on the position of the vehicle 200.

[0033] Furthermore, when road conditions deteriorate due to rain, snow, or the like, the detection accuracy of road markings decreases. Therefore, the detection accuracy differs depending on the weather at the location of the vehicle 200. For example, whether it is raining may be determined based on the operation status of the wipers, or weather information may be obtained from another device via the vehicle communication unit 40. Furthermore, at the detection times of the setting sun, the morning sun, and the like, the sun may be low in position, making it difficult for the camera 22 to take an image. Therefore, the detection accuracy decreases depending on the detection time.

[0034] The accuracy calculation unit 62 calculates the detection accuracy of the surrounding information taking into consideration factors that affect the detection accuracy as described above. As described above, for example, when the vehicle 200 is located in a busy area, the detection accuracy of the lane markings may be low, so the detection accuracy of the lane markings is set low. If there is a risk of the detection accuracy decreasing based on the position of the vehicle 200, the weather at the position of the vehicle 200, the road surface conditions around the vehicle 200, and the detection time of the surrounding information, the detection accuracy is set low.

[0035] Such detection accuracy is calculated using a calculation formula set based on a preset control map and a correlation. The accuracy calculation unit 62 calculates the detection accuracy periodically, for example, every few seconds. The accuracy calculation unit 62 stores the calculated accuracy together with the calculation time and the calculation position as accuracy information in the vehicle storage unit 30.

[0036] When new map information is provided, the map update unit 63 updates the map information in the map DB. Also, when the vehicle communication unit 40 receives new map information from the management server 80, the map update unit 63 updates the map information in the map DB.

[0037] Next, the control of the information generating unit 61 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 3. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed by the in-vehicle device 60 in a short period of time.

[0038] In step S1, the surrounding area information is compared with the map information, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, it is determined whether there is a difference between the surrounding area information and the map information, and if there is a difference, the process proceeds to step S3, and if there is no difference, the process ends.

[0039] In step S3, since there is a difference, change information is generated and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, control is performed so that accuracy information is transmitted from vehicle communication unit 40 to management server 80 together with the change information, and this flow ends.

[0040] As a result, if there is a difference between the surrounding area information and the map information, the change information and the accuracy information are transmitted to the management server 80.

[0041] Next, the configuration of the management server 80 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The management server 80 communicates with the in-vehicle devices 60 mounted on a plurality of vehicles 200, and manages map information stored in the vehicle storage unit 30 of the in-vehicle device 60. As shown in Fig. 4, the management server 80 includes a server communication unit 81, a server storage unit 82, and a server control unit 83. The server communication unit 81 is a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle communication unit 40 via the communication line network 300. The server communication unit 81 may be connected to the communication line network 300 by wire or wirelessly.

[0042] A delivery map DB is stored in the server storage unit 82. The delivery map DB is a database that stores map information to be delivered to the vehicle 200 in order to update a part or the whole of the map DB stored in the vehicle storage unit 30. Therefore, the delivery map DB stores the latest map information.

[0043] The server control unit 83 can be realized by a configuration including at least one processor. For example, the server control unit 83 can be realized by a computer including a processor, a non-volatile memory, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line connecting these components. The non-volatile memory stores a program for operating a general-purpose computer as the server control unit 83. The processor executes the program stored in the non-volatile memory while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM.

[0044] When the server communication unit 81 receives the change information and the accuracy information, the server control unit 83 controls the server communication unit 81 to store the received information together with the time of reception in the server storage unit 82. Furthermore, when the server control unit 83 updates the map information in the delivery map DB, it controls the server communication unit 81 to transmit the updated map information to the vehicle 200.

[0045] The server control unit 83 can grasp the change in the change information in chronological order by accumulating the change information and the accuracy information. For example, if the position deviation in the change information of a certain feature is initially several mm, but becomes several tens of mm after a few days, it can predict that the position of the feature has changed due to construction or other factors. Therefore, the cause of the change information can be grasped at an earlier stage.

[0046] 4, the server control unit 83 has, as functional blocks, a threshold determination unit 84, a detection accuracy determination unit 85, and an update determination unit 86. Execution by these functional blocks means that a method corresponding to a program is executed.

[0047] The detection accuracy determination unit 85 determines the detection accuracy of the surrounding information of the surrounding detection sensor 21 by using at least one of the position of the vehicle 200, the weather at the position of the vehicle 200, the road surface condition around the vehicle 200, and the detection time of the surrounding information. The detection accuracy determination unit 85 determines the detection accuracy by taking into account the accuracy information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 60. For example, when the accuracy information of the in-vehicle device 60 does not include information about the weather, the detection accuracy determination unit 85 acquires information about the weather from another device and uses it to determine the detection accuracy. In other words, the final detection accuracy is determined by using information that is not included in the accuracy information of the in-vehicle device 60 but is acquireable by the detection accuracy determination unit 85.

[0048] Furthermore, when the detection accuracy determination unit 85 receives accuracy information from a plurality of in-vehicle devices 60, it performs statistical processing on the plurality of accuracy information to determine the detection accuracy. For example, when there is variation in detection accuracy during the same time period or in the same weather, the detection accuracy is determined using the variance, standard deviation, median, and average value of the detection accuracy. In other words, when accuracy information is received indicating that the detection accuracy is extremely low in a certain in-vehicle device 60, but high in the other plurality of in-vehicle devices 60, there is a possibility that the information indicating that the detection accuracy is low is incorrect. Therefore, the detection accuracy is determined by statistical processing, with low detection accuracy information being treated lightly and detection information from the other plurality of in-vehicle devices 60 being treated heavily.

[0049] The threshold value determination unit 84 determines a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information. The threshold value has an initial value at the time of manufacture, and is then appropriately corrected. In this embodiment, the threshold value is updated using the change information and the detection accuracy. In this embodiment, the threshold value is a value that requires updating of the map information when the change information exceeds the threshold value, and does not require updating when the change information is equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0050] When the change information is the amount of change in the position of a feature, the threshold value is also a value corresponding to the amount of change. For example, when the threshold value is 1 m and the amount of change in the position of the feature in the change information is 1.1 m, the threshold value is exceeded.

[0051] In addition, when the change information is specific information, it is a value corresponding to the degree of change in the sign. For example, when the difference between the signs is completely different, specifically when the speed limit signs are 40 km / h and 60 km / h, the difference level is level 10, and when the colors of the signs are different, the difference level is level 1, and the change information can be expressed on a 10-level scale. The threshold is set to level 5, for example.

[0052] Also, for example, if a lane marking has become difficult to see due to deterioration over time, there is a difference between the lane marking in the map information and the lane marking in the surrounding information, so change information is generated by the information generating unit 61 of the in-vehicle device 60. The change information includes information on the lane marking in the map information and the lane marking in the surrounding information. By performing image analysis or the like on the change information, the threshold determining unit 84 can determine that the lane marking in the surrounding information is a section line that has deteriorated over time from the lane marking in the map information, and that there is no difference, i.e., the difference level is low. In this case, there is no need to update the map information. Therefore, the threshold determining unit 84 sets the threshold for the lane marking at the detection point of this change information to a larger difference level of the threshold, so that updating is not required.

[0053] Similarly, for example, when a sign is difficult to see due to the shadow of a roadside tree, there is a difference between the sign in the map information and the sign in the surrounding information, so change information is generated by the information generating unit 61 of the in-vehicle device 60. The change information includes information about the sign in the map information and the sign in the surrounding information. By performing image analysis or the like on the change information, the threshold determining unit 84 can determine that the sign in the surrounding information is a sign that is covered by another object and there is no difference. In this case, there is no need to update the map information. Therefore, the threshold determining unit 84 sets the threshold for the sign at the detection point of this change information to a side where update is not required, that is, to a larger side.

[0054] Furthermore, the threshold determination unit 84 determines the threshold by using the detection accuracy determined by the detection accuracy determination unit 85. Specifically, the threshold is determined by using change information with high detection accuracy, without using change information with low detection accuracy, i.e., poor detection accuracy.

[0055] The threshold determination unit 84 also updates the threshold as appropriate. When the threshold determination unit 84 receives change information and accuracy information from multiple vehicle-mounted devices 60, it performs statistical processing on the multiple change information and accuracy information to determine the threshold. For example, even if the change information has high detection accuracy, if there is variation in the change information, the threshold is determined using the variance, standard deviation, median, and average value of the change information with high detection accuracy. In other words, if a certain vehicle-mounted device 60 receives change information indicating an extremely small positional deviation in the change information, but the other multiple vehicle-mounted devices 60 receive change information indicating a large positional deviation, there is a risk that the information indicating a small positional deviation is incorrect. Therefore, the threshold is determined by weighting the change information through statistical processing.

[0056] For example, if the threshold for positional deviation of a feature is initially 500 mm, and the average value of positional deviation in the statistically processed change information increases day by day to 450 mm, the threshold is lowered to 480 mm. By changing the threshold in this way based on the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information, map information can be updated at an appropriate time.

[0057] The update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the change information and the detection accuracy. In this embodiment, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the threshold determined by the threshold determination unit 84. Therefore, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the threshold determined by statistically processing a plurality of pieces of change information. When updating the map information, the update determination unit 86 controls the server communication unit 81 to transmit the updated map information to the in-vehicle device 60.

[0058] When it is determined that the map information needs to be updated, the update determination unit 86 creates update map data from the delivery map DB. Then, the created update map data is transmitted to the in-vehicle system 10. When the vehicle communication unit 40 receives the update map data, the map update unit 63 updates the map DB. The update map data may be transmitted to a specified recipient, or may be transmitted in a broadcasting manner without specifying a recipient. When the update map data is transmitted in a broadcasting manner, the receiving side determines whether or not to update the update map data based on the version of the update map data, etc.

[0059] Next, the control of the server control unit 83 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 is repeatedly executed by the management server 80 in a short period of time.

[0060] In step S11, the change information and accuracy information are acquired via the server communication unit 81, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the detection accuracy is determined by the detection accuracy determination unit 85 using the accuracy information, and the process proceeds to step S13.

[0061] In step S13, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated, and if an update is necessary, the flow proceeds to step S14, and if an update is not necessary, the flow ends. In step S13, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not an update is necessary using a threshold value and the statistically processed change information.

[0062] In step S14, since an update is necessary, the map information in the delivery map DB is updated using the change information, and the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the server communication unit 81 is controlled to transmit the updated map information to the in-vehicle device 60, and this flow ends.

[0063] As described above, in the map updating system 100 of this embodiment, when the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor 21 mounted on the vehicle 200 differs from the map information, the information generating unit 61 generates change information indicating the difference between the surrounding information and the map information. When the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature, the change information is information including the amount of change in the position of the feature. Since the amount of change in the position of the feature can be known from this, it is possible to grasp whether the change in position is minor. This allows the update determining unit 86 to determine not to update the map when the change in position is minor, and makes it possible to suppress updates of non-essential map information.

[0064] In this embodiment, when there is a difference between the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information, the information generating unit 61 generates change information including both the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information. This makes it possible to clarify the basis for the difference between the surrounding information and the map information using the change information. Therefore, the change information can provide information necessary for determining whether or not the map information needs to be updated.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the change information and the detection accuracy. The detection accuracy is determined by the position of the vehicle 200, etc. The detection accuracy of the surrounding information varies depending on the detection conditions due to the advantages and disadvantages of the sensor used. Since the necessity of the update is determined using such detection accuracy and change information, it is possible to make a determination using change information with high detection accuracy without using change information with low detection accuracy, in other words, with detection errors or large noise. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress updates of non-essential map information.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when change information is acquired from a plurality of vehicles 200, the update determination unit 86 performs statistical processing on the plurality of pieces of change information to determine whether or not the map information needs to be updated. It is difficult to determine from a single piece of change information whether the information is correct or incorrect, but by performing statistical processing on a plurality of pieces of change information, it is possible to obtain the likelihood, i.e., the reliability, of the change information. In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the statistically processed change information with a high reliability.

[0067] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. This embodiment is characterized in that it determines whether or not there is a malfunction in the autonomous driving application and in that a lane ID is used. The lane ID is also called lane information. The lane ID is information that specifies the lane in which the vehicle 200 is traveling. For example, in the case of a road with three lanes in each direction, different lane IDs are assigned to the six lanes. The lane ID is included in the surrounding information detected by the surrounding detection sensor 21.

[0068] The periphery detection sensor 21 performs map matching between the map information and the current position, and acquires the lane ID held in the map DB. The periphery detection sensor 21 also identifies the driving lane using, for example, the number of detected lane lines and the number of lanes included in the map information, and acquires the lane ID. If the periphery detection sensor 21 cannot identify the driving lane, it outputs information indicating that it cannot be identified. Examples of cases in which the driving lane cannot be identified include rain, nighttime, and when the lane lines cannot be detected due to damage to the lane lines.

[0069] The autonomous driving application is a vehicle control that controls the behavior of the vehicle, such as traffic light stop control and lane keeping control. The autonomous driving application controls the behavior of the vehicle 200 using surrounding information and map information, and may not operate normally depending on the change information.

[0070] Next, the control of the information generating unit 61 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is repeatedly executed by the in-vehicle device 60 in a short period of time.

[0071] In step S21, the surrounding area information is compared with the map information, and the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, it is determined whether there is a difference between the surrounding area information and the map information, and if there is a difference, the process proceeds to step S23, and if there is no difference, the process ends.

[0072] In step S23, since there is a difference, it is determined whether or not there is a malfunction in the autonomous driving application due to the difference, and if there is a malfunction, the flow proceeds to step S24, and if there is no malfunction, the flow ends. A malfunction in the autonomous driving application is when it does not operate normally due to a difference.

[0073] In step S24, since there is a difference and the application is malfunctioning, change information is generated and the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, it is determined whether the lane ID can be acquired, and if it can be acquired, the process proceeds to step S26, and if it cannot be acquired, the process proceeds to step S27. This is because the lane ID may not be acquired as described above.

[0074] In step S26, since the lane ID can be acquired, control is performed so that the lane ID and accuracy information are transmitted from the vehicle communication unit 40 to the management server 80 together with the change information, and this flow ends. In step S27, since the lane ID cannot be acquired, control is performed so that the accuracy information is transmitted from the vehicle communication unit 40 to the management server 80 together with the change information, and this flow ends.

[0075] As a result, if there is a difference between the surrounding information and the map information and there is an application malfunction, the change information and accuracy information are transmitted to the management server 80. If there is an application malfunction, information on the application side relating to the cause of the application malfunction, such as the type of malfunctioning application, may also be transmitted together. Furthermore, if the lane ID can be identified, the lane ID is also transmitted together with the change information.

[0076] Next, the control of the server control unit 83 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The flowchart shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed by the management server 80 in a short period of time.

[0077] In step S31, the change information, accuracy information, and lane ID are acquired via the server communication unit 81, and the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the detection accuracy is determined by the detection accuracy determination unit 85 using the accuracy information and the lane ID, and the process proceeds to step S33.

[0078] In step S33, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated, and if an update is necessary, the flow proceeds to step S34, and if an update is not necessary, the flow ends. In step S33, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not an update is necessary using a threshold value and the statistically processed change information.

[0079] In step S34, since an update is necessary, the map information in the delivery map DB is updated using the change information, and the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the server communication unit 81 is controlled to transmit the updated map information to the in-vehicle device 60, and this flow ends.

[0080] In this embodiment, the detection accuracy determination unit 85 also uses the lane ID to determine the detection accuracy. Specifically, the detection accuracy determination unit 85 uses the lane ID to set the detection accuracy higher when the vehicle is traveling in a lane with a short distance to an object with a difference than when the vehicle is traveling in a lane with a long distance. In other words, when the lane ID can be specified, the detection accuracy of the difference information when traveling in the nearest link of the feature is increased, and the detection accuracy is decreased as the lane becomes more distant, so that when there is only difference information from a distant lane, updating in a state of low reliability can be suppressed.

[0081] Generally, the detection accuracy is higher when driving in a lane close to a feature, so for example, the detection accuracy of signs and road edges is higher when driving in the right or leftmost lane. Therefore, in this embodiment, lane IDs are used, so for features whose detection accuracy varies depending on the driving lane, for example, on roads with three or more lanes, the detection accuracy can be set low except for driving in the edge lanes. Also, in this embodiment, it is possible to specify which lane the difference information is for, and if the difference is due to a specific lane, statistical processing can be performed in association with the lane ID.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there is a difference but the autonomous driving app operates normally, it is determined that there is no problem with the map, and the difference information is not sent to the management server 80. Conversely, in the case of an app malfunction that causes the autonomous driving app to not operate normally, information such as the type of malfunctioning app is sent to the management server 80 along with the change information. This makes it possible to send difference information that requires an update of the map information.

[0083] (Other embodiments) Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] The structures of the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of these descriptions. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the description of the claims, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the claims.

[0085] In the first embodiment described above, the management server 80 is configured to be located outside the vehicle 200, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The management server 80 may be mounted on the vehicle 200. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 60 may have the functions of the server control unit 83, such as the update determination unit 86. The specific information may be information that identifies the type of at least one of road signs, road markings, and lane markings.

[0086] In the first embodiment described above, the map update unit 63 of the in-vehicle device 60 updates the map DB online based on the update map data distributed from the management server 80, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The map DB may be updated offline.

[0087] In the first embodiment described above, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the change information and the detection accuracy, but is not limited to such a configuration. The update determination unit 86 may determine whether or not the map information needs to be updated using only the change information without using the detection accuracy.

[0088] In the first embodiment described above, the update determination unit 86 determines whether or not an update is required by using a threshold value that is changed by the threshold value determination unit 84, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The threshold value may be a fixed value.

[0089] The functions realized by the in-vehicle device 60 and the server control unit 83 in the first embodiment described above may be realized by hardware and software different from those described above, or a combination of these. The in-vehicle device 60 and the server control unit 83 may communicate with, for example, another control device, and the other control device may execute part or all of the processing. When the in-vehicle device 60 and the server control unit 83 are realized by electronic circuits, they may be realized by digital circuits including a large number of logic circuits, or analog circuits.

[0090] In the above-described first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 60 is used in the vehicle 200. However, the in-vehicle device 60 is not limited to being mounted on the vehicle 200, and at least a part of the in-vehicle device 60 may not be mounted on the vehicle 200.

Claims

1. A map update system for updating map information stored in a storage unit (30) located in a vehicle (200), comprising: an information generating unit (61) that generates change information indicating a difference between the surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor (21) mounted on the vehicle and the map information when the surrounding information differs from the map information; an update determination unit (86) that determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated using the change information; a threshold determination unit (84) that determines a threshold for determining whether or not to update the map information, the information generating unit generates the change information including an amount of change in the position of a target feature when the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature; When the update determination unit acquires the change information from a plurality of the vehicles, the update determination unit statistically processes the plurality of pieces of change information; The threshold determination unit changes a threshold based on the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information; The update determination unit determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated by using the threshold determined by the threshold determination unit.

2. The map information includes specific information for identifying the type of at least one of road signs, road markings, and dividing lines, The peripheral information includes the specific information, 2. The map update system according to claim 1, wherein, when there is a difference between the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information, the information generation unit generates the change information including information of both the specific information of the surrounding information and the specific information of the map information.

3. a detection accuracy determination unit (85) that determines the detection accuracy of the surrounding information of the surrounding detection sensor using at least one of the position of the vehicle, the weather at the position of the vehicle, the road surface condition around the vehicle, and the detection time of the surrounding information; 3. The map updating system according to claim 1, wherein the update determining unit determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated by using the change information and the detection accuracy.

4. The surrounding information includes lane information that identifies a lane in which the vehicle is traveling, 4. The map updating system according to claim 3, wherein the detection accuracy determination unit uses the lane information to set the detection accuracy higher when the vehicle is traveling in a lane in which the distance to the object having the difference is short than when the vehicle is traveling in a lane in which the distance is large.

5. An in-vehicle device for use in a vehicle (200), A storage unit (30) in which map information is stored; an information generating unit (61) that generates change information indicating a difference between the surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor (21) mounted on the vehicle and the map information when the surrounding information differs from the map information; a threshold value determination unit (84) for determining a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information; a vehicle communication unit (40) that communicates with a management server, the vehicle communication unit transmitting the change information and the threshold value to the management server and receiving new map information from the management server; a map update unit (63) that updates the map information in the storage unit when new map information is received from the management server, the information generating unit generates the change information including an amount of change in the position of a target feature when the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of the target feature; The threshold determination unit changes a threshold based on the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information.

6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 5, wherein the change information is transmitted to the management server if the change information is information that may cause a malfunction in vehicle control that controls the behavior of the vehicle, and is not transmitted if there is no risk of a malfunction.

7. A management server that communicates with an in-vehicle device (60) mounted on a plurality of vehicles (200) and manages map information stored in a storage unit (30) of the in-vehicle device, A server communication unit (81) that communicates with the in-vehicle device; an update determination unit (86) that, when receiving change information from a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, performs statistical processing on the plurality of change information and determines whether or not to update the map information; a threshold value determination unit (84) for determining a threshold value for determining whether or not to update the map information; a control unit (83) that controls the server communication unit so as to transmit the updated map information to the in-vehicle device when the map information is updated; The change information is information generated when surrounding information detected by a surrounding detection sensor mounted on the vehicle differs from the map information stored in the storage unit, and when the difference between the surrounding information and the map information is a difference in the position of a target feature, the change information includes an amount of change in the position of the feature, When the update determination unit acquires the change information from a plurality of the vehicles, the update determination unit statistically processes the plurality of pieces of change information; The threshold determination unit changes a threshold based on the time-series change information and the statistically processed change information; The update determination unit is a management server that determines whether or not the map information needs to be updated, using the threshold determined by the threshold determination unit.

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