Map data creation system

Abstract

To provide a map data creation system capable of easily performing desired map data creation.SOLUTION: In a map data creation system 100, travel route data are recorded in a vehicle VE which travels along a route subjected to create map data, and when traveling along the route corresponding to the travel route data, landmark data are acquired from an infrastructure-side communication unit IM. In a control unit 50, map data including data for automatic travel are created based on the travel route data and the landmark data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a map data creation system that creates map data including automatic driving data that is applied to the autonomous driving of an automatically driven vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A known map generation system is one in which a measurement vehicle equipped with a measuring device acquires three-dimensional point cloud information of the area around the road on which the vehicle has traveled, and captured images of the area (Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 obtains data by measuring vehicle movement, so it may not be possible to obtain information necessary for autonomous driving, such as the exact location of intersections or the names of bus stops, and it may be necessary to manually input this data one by one. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] WO2019 / 239477 specification Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a map data creation system that can easily create desired map data.

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the map data creation system records driving route data, acquires landmark data from an infrastructure-side communication unit when driving on a route corresponding to the driving route data, and creates map data including data for automatic driving based on the driving route data and the landmark data.

[0007] In the above map data creation system, by using landmark data containing information about landmarks obtained from the infrastructure-side communication unit when traveling along a route, the effort of manual input, for example, can be eliminated or reduced when creating map data containing automatic driving data applicable to automatic driving from driving route data, making it easy to create the desired map data.

[0008] In a specific aspect of the present invention, the landmark data is transmitted from the infrastructure-side communication unit to the vehicle traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data by I2V communication. In this case, the landmark data can be acquired through communication while the vehicle is traveling.

[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, the landmark data includes the names and location coordinates of the landmarks, and the names of the landmarks indicated in the landmark data are automatically input into the corresponding positions in the driving route data. In this case, desired map data can be created easily and quickly.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the landmark data includes information on intersection locations or bus stop names. In this case, it becomes possible to create map data that includes information that is important for autonomous driving.

[0011] In yet another aspect of the present invention, an in-vehicle communication unit provided in a vehicle traveling on a route corresponding to the travel route data communicates with an infrastructure communication unit to automatically acquire landmark data. In this case, the communication between the in-vehicle communication unit and the infrastructure communication unit allows the automatic acquisition of landmark data necessary for creating map data to be performed accurately.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle communication unit acquires landmark data based on pre-registered installation location information of the infrastructure communication unit and location estimation by the in-vehicle self-location estimation unit. In this case, the in-vehicle side can identify the infrastructure communication unit based on the pre-registered information.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present invention, when traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data, the locations of communication errors between the in-vehicle communication unit and the infrastructure communication unit and locations where landmark data cannot be acquired due to the absence of the infrastructure communication unit are recorded. In this case, the locations where landmark data could not be acquired can be identified.

[0014] In yet another aspect of the present invention, when traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data, landmarks corresponding to the acquired landmark data are displayed on an in-vehicle display unit, allowing a passenger in the traveling vehicle to visually confirm the acquisition of the landmark data.

[0015] In yet another aspect of the present invention, information about a plurality of landmarks stored in a single infrastructure-side communication unit is acquired as landmark data, making it possible to acquire more information from a single infrastructure-side communication unit.

[0016] In yet another aspect of the present invention, after traveling a route corresponding to the travel route data, information on landmarks that exist outside the range of map data to be created is excluded from the acquired landmark data. In this case, information that may become noise is removed, and accurate map data is created. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a map data creation system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a map data creation system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of visualized map data that has been created. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an application example of map data created by the map data creation system. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of map data creation and use of the created map data. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a block diagram for explaining a map data creation system according to a modified example. [Figure 7] 10A to 10D are conceptual diagrams showing the procedure for creating map data. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are flowcharts illustrating an example of the operation of the map data creation system and the operation of an application example. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of accepting a manual input in a map data creation system according to a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of a map data creation system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An example of a map data creation system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 and other figures. As shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 1, the map data creation system 100 according to this embodiment creates a map by acquiring driving route data by surveying the surrounding area while driving a vehicle VE capable of various types of sensing using an MMS (Mobile Mapping System). In particular, the map data creation system 100 of this embodiment acquires landmark data required for autonomous driving from the infrastructure side in addition to acquiring driving route data using an in-vehicle system. Here, the landmark data includes the name and location coordinates of the landmark. More specifically, landmarks are assumed to be, for example, intersections (traffic lights installed at intersections), bus stops (bus stops), or parking lots, and information on the location of the intersection and the name of the bus stop corresponds to the landmark data. Accuracy is required for information used in autonomous driving, and it is particularly desirable for the location information of landmarks to be pinpoint, indicating a reference position.

[0019] To create map data for autonomous driving, it is not enough to simply acquire route data, i.e., information about features such as the shape of roads and the shapes of buildings around roads, obtained by surveying the route using an on-board device, for example, an MMS. Information about the locations and names of landmarks, such as intersections, that exist on the route corresponding to the route data, i.e., landmark data, is also required. In other words, the map data described above must be linked to the route data and landmark data that exists within the route. Conventionally, linking this information required, for example, manually inputting separately created landmark data into the data obtained by the MMS, which was extremely time-consuming to create the desired data.

[0020] Meanwhile, on the roadside, the installation of infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication modules, or infrastructure-side communication units (IM), that provide information from the infrastructure to the vehicle, is progressing. Specifically, for example, in the case of a traffic light SG at an intersection, as shown in the figure, the infrastructure-side communication unit IM is a device for monitoring the situation at the relevant intersection and its surroundings. The infrastructure provides information to the vehicle, such as the timing of the traffic light SG's switching and the results of monitoring areas at the intersection and its surroundings that are prone to blind spots, thereby enabling driving assistance to the vehicle. For this reason, the infrastructure-side communication unit IM retains information on the locations and names of landmarks, such as the intersection (traffic light SG) where it is installed and other intersections in the vicinity. In addition to being installed at intersections, the infrastructure-side communication unit IM may also be composed of equipment that manages the arrival and departure of buses at bus stops (ST), as shown in the figure. In this case, the infrastructure-side communication unit IM is also capable of I2V communication and retains information on the locations and names of the bus stops (ST) it manages and other landmarks in the vicinity. In particular, this information held by the infrastructure-side communication unit IM is a fixedly stored result of accurate measurements taken in advance, and is extremely accurate compared to information that may contain elements of error, such as measurement results taken at the site each time using measuring equipment installed in the vehicle VE.

[0021] Therefore, the map data creation system 100 uses the MMS to obtain driving route data, which is the survey result of the route traveled, and also obtains landmark data for landmarks that exist within the driving range corresponding to the driving route data from the infrastructure side communication unit IM via I2V communication.By linking these data through automatic input, it is possible to omit or reduce the effort required for inputting landmark data, for example, by manual input, and to easily create the desired map data.

[0022] To enable the above-described data creation, the map data creation system 100 includes vehicle-side equipment for acquiring various data, such as an on-board sensor 10 provided in the vehicle VE to constitute an MMS, a communication unit 30 for communicating with the infrastructure, and a control unit 50 for performing various calculation processes for creating map data. Meanwhile, the road-side (infrastructure-side) equipment includes an infrastructure-side communication unit IM. While the infrastructure-side communication unit IM can be considered to be equipment external to the map data creation system 100, the map data creation system 100 can also be considered to be configured to include the infrastructure-side communication unit IM.

[0023] The communication unit 30 of the vehicle VE is an in-vehicle communication unit provided in the vehicle VE traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data provided by the MMS configured with the in-vehicle sensor 10, and communicates with the infrastructure communication unit IM via the communication unit 30. As a result, in the map data creation system 100, the vehicle VE automatically acquires landmark data. In other words, the communication unit 30 communicates with the infrastructure communication unit IM, thereby enabling the vehicle VE to obtain landmark data from the infrastructure communication unit IM. Note that various communication modes are conceivable between the communication unit 30 and the infrastructure communication unit IM depending on, for example, the required communication content, and while modes capable of long-distance communication and the use of public lines are conceivable, short-range wireless communication, for example, is also conceivable.

[0024] As described above, one infrastructure-side communication unit IM has data on multiple landmarks. Therefore, in communication with the infrastructure-side communication unit IM as described above, the communication unit 30, i.e., the vehicle VE, acquires information on the multiple landmarks stored in one infrastructure-side communication unit IM as landmark data.

[0025] The vehicle VE is equipped with, as on-board sensors 10, for example, a pair of front and rear laser measuring devices 11f, 11b, a GNSS device 12, an IMU (inertial measurement unit) 13, a camera 14, etc., which acquire various information about the surrounding environment of the traveling vehicle VE, thereby generating point cloud map data (point cloud data) and further generating traveling route data. Note that in the example shown in the figure, the on-board sensor 10 is shown with these various components mounted on a mounting base BA fixed by mounting fixtures AT on the top of the vehicle VE. Also, as on-board sensor 10, an encoder EN is provided on the wheel side of the vehicle VE (rear axle wheels in the illustrated example).

[0026] As the vehicle VE travels, sensing is performed by each component of the on-board sensor 10, collecting various information about the surrounding road environment while also acquiring position information through self-position estimation of the vehicle VE. This makes it possible to generate driving route data as the vehicle VE travels. More specifically, each component of the on-board sensor 10 is connected by wire or wirelessly to a control unit 50 installed inside the vehicle VE, and various sensed information is output to the control unit 50, which then performs calculation processing to generate driving route data as highly accurate three-dimensional spatial information.

[0027] Meanwhile, before or while the vehicle VE is traveling, the communication unit 30 communicates with an infrastructure-side communication unit IM within its communication range, whereby the control unit 50 can acquire landmark data held by the infrastructure-side communication unit IM, i.e., information on the locations and names of the infrastructure-side communication unit IM and its surroundings. As described above, the landmark data is transmitted from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM to the vehicle VE traveling along a route corresponding to the traveling route data by I2V communication.

[0028] Regarding the communication mode between the vehicle side and the infrastructure side, it is conceivable that the vehicle VE side constantly searches for the infrastructure side communication unit IM, and when the infrastructure side communication unit IM is detected on the vehicle VE side, communication with the detected infrastructure side communication unit IM is started.

[0029] In another embodiment, for example, the vehicle VE (controller 50) may register installation location information of the infrastructure communication unit IM in advance, and communication between the vehicle and the infrastructure may be performed based on the pre-registered installation location information of the infrastructure communication unit IM. In other words, the vehicle VE may know in advance where the infrastructure communication unit IM is located, and information may be collected when the vehicle reaches a communication range before reaching that location. In this case, for example, the vehicle VE may acquire landmark data by the communication unit (vehicle communication unit) 30 based on the pre-registered installation location information of the infrastructure communication unit IM and position estimation performed by the on-board GNSS device 12 or the like functioning as a self-position estimation unit.

[0030] The control unit 50 is configured with, for example, a CPU, a storage device, or various circuits to perform the various arithmetic processing and data management described above, and a PC or the like can be used to function as the control unit 50. When the control unit 50 is configured with a PC, it can have an input device (keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc.) 50k that accepts various operations by a passenger of the vehicle VE as a user (customer), and an output device (display, etc.) 50d that outputs and displays the processing results. In this case, for example, when the vehicle VE travels a route corresponding to the travel route data, landmarks corresponding to the acquired landmark data can be displayed by the output device 50d as an on-board display. Furthermore, it is also possible for the input device 50k to accept operations by the user as needed while traveling.

[0031] An example of the configuration of the map data creation system 100 will be described below with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

[0032] In the illustrated example, the control unit 50 of the map data creation system 100 has a map data creation unit 51 as a main part constituted by a CPU or the like, and a map / route database 52 constituted by a storage device or the like.

[0033] The map data creation unit 51 has or functions as a vehicle movement measurement tool 51a and a landmark data analysis tool 51b.

[0034] The map data creation unit 51 receives various information about the surrounding road environment output from the on-board sensor 10, and also receives landmark data from the infrastructure side communication unit IM, which is a roadside device (I2V), via the communication unit 30, and creates map data based on this information.

[0035] In the map data creation unit 51, the vehicle movement measurement tool 51a measures the movement of the vehicle VE based on information from the on-board sensor 10, and generates driving route data as the measurement results.

[0036] In the map data creation unit 51, the landmark data analysis tool 51b analyzes the landmark data from the infrastructure side communication unit IM and enables the landmark data to be linked with the driving route data generated by the vehicle movement measurement tool 51a.

[0037] The map data creation unit 51 creates map data applicable to autonomous driving based on the processing by the vehicle movement measurement tool 51a and the landmark data analysis tool 51b as described above.

[0038] The map / route database 52 stores the map data created by the map data creation unit 51, driving route data, and the like.

[0039] The map data created in this manner is installed in an autonomous vehicle and becomes available for use when the autonomous vehicle operates autonomously. A typical example is when the autonomous vehicle is a route bus. In this case, map data is created by first driving the vehicle VE equipped with the on-board sensor 10 along the route of the bus from the start point to the end point, and the created map data is made available for use by the route bus as an autonomous vehicle.

[0040] FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing an example of visualized map data created by traveling a vehicle VE. Specifically, in image data GI that visualizes the map data, a travel route TR is indicated by a dashed line. In this example, the vehicle VE travels along a bus route, passing bus stops ST1, ST2, and ST3 in this order. The figure also shows an infrastructure-side communication unit (I2V: roadside device) IM and images of traffic lights SG and bus stops ST corresponding to landmark data acquired as a result of communication with the infrastructure-side communication unit IM. During travel along the travel route TR, various data about features such as structures present in an area RD including the travel route TR and its surroundings are acquired as point cloud map data (point cloud data) based on various pieces of information acquired by the on-board sensor 10. In other words, these data constitute the travel route data.

[0041] By installing the above map data on, for example, a route bus as an autonomous vehicle, the route bus can be driven automatically (autonomously), but the use of the map data is not limited to use as information on the vehicle itself. For example, it is also possible for the map data to be used by a control system that manages the operation (operation) of an autonomous vehicle (route bus). The control system that manages the operation of route buses could create, for example, image data for monitoring purposes from the created map data.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4 , in the operation control unit 500 of the autonomous vehicle (routed bus) comprised of a computer or the like, first, a measurement data deformation tool 510 receives map data as measurement data from the map data creation system 100 and creates deformed map image data for the section subject to operation control based on the map data. Next, an operation control monitor 520 in the operation control unit 500 displays the map image data created by the measurement data deformation tool 510. Note that in the above process, since the map data from the map data creation system 100 includes information on the names of bus stops corresponding to each location, as described above, the measurement data deformation tool 510 can easily and quickly create map image data with bus stop names assigned.

[0043] To summarize the above, in the map data creation system 100, as shown in the conceptual diagram of Figure 5, it is possible to simultaneously acquire driving route data (and further point cloud data) and landmark data while driving, and furthermore, by automatically linking these, map data can be created simply and quickly. Note that the illustration shows visualized map data.

[0044] As described above, the map data creation system 100 of this embodiment records driving route data in the map / route database 52, and further, in order to record the data, when the vehicle VE travels along a route corresponding to the driving route data, it also acquires landmark data consisting of information on the positions and names of landmarks (intersections, stops, etc.) from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM. Then, the map data creation unit 51 creates map data including automatic driving data based on the driving route data and the landmark data. As described above, the map data creation system 100 can easily create map data including automatic driving data that is applicable to automatic driving.

[0045] In addition, the created map data can be used for a variety of purposes, in addition to being used as data for autonomous driving in self-driving vehicles.For example, in control centers that manage self-driving vehicles, the map data can be deformed to create monitoring image data that shows the operating status based on the map data.

[0046] A modified example of a map data creation system will be described below with reference to the block diagram shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 4, and differs from the example shown in Fig. 4 in that it has a manual input button 53 that accepts manual input by the user.

[0047] For example, depending on the route that the vehicle VE is planning to travel, there may be some locations where the infrastructure-side communication unit IM capable of I2V communication is not present, making it impossible to acquire information about landmark data. Alternatively, a communication abnormality may occur for some reason. In such cases, it may be possible to address the situation by adopting an example configuration as shown in FIG. 6, i.e., by making it possible to accept manual input from the user. Note that, regarding the manual input button 53, for example, it is possible to configure a part of the input device 50k in the case where the control unit 50 is configured by a PC as shown in FIG. 1 to function as the manual input button 53.

[0048] One possible use of the manual input button 53 is that, when the vehicle VE reaches a landmark (intersection or bus stop) whose name, etc., should be written, the user (passenger) in the vehicle VE presses the manual input button 53, and the control unit 50 records the position of the vehicle VE at the time of pressing the button (self-estimated position) as the position of the landmark, and then the landmark information for that time (time) and position is manually entered.

[0049] In this case, depending on the timing of pressing the manual input button 53 and the position where the vehicle VE passes, the accuracy of the location information may be slightly less than when data is obtained from the infrastructure side communication unit IM, and the location information may be corrected after the fact if necessary.

[0050] Also in this modified example, as in the previous example, the traffic control unit 500 can create data of a deformed map image for traffic control based on map data.

[0051] An example of the procedure for creating map data will be described below with reference to the conceptual diagrams shown in Figures 7(A) to 7(D). Figures 7(A) to 7(D) conceptually show various data acquired for creating map data visualized on a diagram, and can be displayed, for example, on an output device 50d (see Figure 1), which is an in-vehicle display unit.

[0052] Here, an example of the procedure for creating the map data shown in Fig. 3 will be described. That is, it is assumed that the vehicle VE travels from the bus stop (stop) ST along a predetermined bus route (a predetermined route on which the bus can travel) in the order of bus stop ST1 → bus stop ST2 → bus stop ST3. In this case, as the vehicle VE travels, travel route data is created along the travel route TR. That is, the region RD expands.

[0053] Here, the vehicle VE is assumed to be driven by a person, and the control unit 50 mounted on the vehicle VE is assumed to be provided with a manual input button 53 (input device 50k) and a display unit (output device 50d). In other words, the user is assumed to be able to check the status of information acquisition and operate the control unit 50 as necessary. For this reason, it is conceivable that the vehicle VE may be operated by a driver as well as an operator who operates the control unit 50.

[0054] As shown in Figure 7(A), in this example, first, at the starting point (the location of bus stop ST1) before the start of travel, communication is enabled between the vehicle VE and the infrastructure side communication unit IM, and landmark data around the planned travel route TR (see Figure 7(D)) held by each infrastructure side communication unit IM is obtained in advance.

[0055] When the vehicle VE starts traveling, the region RD of the traveling route data expands as the traveling route TR advances, as shown in Fig. 7(B). If, for example, data of a landmark (e.g., an intersection) that should be acquired cannot be acquired while traveling, the vehicle VE can acquire its own current position coordinates by pressing the manual input button 53, and can input the data of the relevant landmark on the spot or later.

[0056] As the vehicle VE continues traveling, it reaches the destination point (the location of bus stop ST3) as shown in Figure 7(C), at which point travel route data for the region RD corresponding to the travel route TR is acquired. Meanwhile, the landmark data may include landmarks that exist outside the range of the map data to be created, as indicated by the arrows (three locations) in Figure 7(C). This is because the landmark data held by each infrastructure-side communication unit IM may also include data about landmarks that are located outside the travel route TR.

[0057] If such landmark data exists, the control unit 50 will subsequently remove, for example, data outside the region RD, to create map data such as that shown in FIG. 7(D) or FIG.

[0058] An example of the detailed operation of the map data creation system 100 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8(A). Note that the operation will be described here as corresponding to the example described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0059] In the map data creation system 100, the control unit 50 checks whether communication with the infrastructure side communication unit IM via the communication unit 30 is possible (step S101). If communication is possible (step S101: Yes), the control unit 50 acquires landmark data from the infrastructure side communication unit IM (step S102) and, as illustrated in Figure 7(A), displays an image of the acquired results on the output device 50d as a display unit (step S103).

[0060] After acquiring landmark data based on communication with the infrastructure side communication unit IM (steps S102, S103), or if communication is not possible in step S101 (step S101: No), the control unit 50 starts measuring vehicle movement (step S105) in response to the vehicle VE starting to move (departing from bus stop ST1) (step S104).

[0061] As the vehicle movement measurement, various information is acquired by the on-board sensor 10, and the control unit 50 generates point cloud map data and further driving route data based on the various information acquired by the on-board sensor 10 (step S106a).

[0062] On the other hand, as described with reference to Fig. 7(B) etc., the control unit 50 receives input from the user through the manual input button 53 (input device 50k), and when the input is received, performs landmark registration (semi-automatic registration) processing (step S106b). The processing of step S106b will be described later with reference to Fig. 9.

[0063] In this manner, various data for generating map data are acquired or generated.

[0064] The control unit 50 continues the above-described vehicle movement measurement process, that is, the process of acquiring and generating various data, until the vehicle VE finishes traveling (arrives at the bus stop ST3) (step S107).

[0065] After the vehicle VE has finished traveling the route corresponding to the travel route data, the control unit 50, as described with reference to Figures 7(C) and 7(D), excludes from the various acquired or generated data, data about locations not included in the map data included in the landmark data, i.e., information about landmarks that exist outside the range of the map data to be created (step S108).

[0066] After excluding the data in step S108, the control unit 50 accepts confirmation and correction operations by the user on the input device 50k (step S109). That is, the user checks whether there are any corrections to be made to the generated map data from the various information displayed on the output device 50d, and makes corrections as necessary. For example, in step S106b, as described above, there is a possibility that the accuracy of the location information may be slightly reduced compared to when data is obtained from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM. In this case, the location information may be corrected.

[0067] When it is received that the confirmation and correction in step S109 has been completed, the control unit 50 confirms the contents of the map data, stores the confirmed map data in the map / route database 52 (step S110), and ends the series of processes.

[0068] An example of detailed operations relating to application of map data created by the above-described map data creation system 100 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8(B). Note that the operations will be described here as corresponding to the example described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0069] First, in the traffic management unit 500, the measurement data deformation tool 510 acquires map data created by the map data creation system 100, aligns the information on intersection positions and bus stop positions included in the map data (step S201), and connects these various landmarks with edges (step S202). As a result, it becomes possible to display the deformed map image data (route image for management) as shown in FIG. 5 with the names of the bus stops assigned on the traffic management monitor 520. After the above processing, the traffic management unit 500 accepts confirmation and correction operations by the user (step S203), and ends the series of processes when the confirmation and correction are completed.

[0070] Below, with reference to FIG. 9, the landmark registration process (semi-automatic registration including manual registration) shown in step S106b of FIG. 8(A) will be explained in more detail.

[0071] First, the control unit 50 checks whether the manual input button 53 has been pressed by the user (step S301), and if the manual input button 53 has been pressed (step S301: Yes), acquires the current position coordinates of the vehicle VE (step S302). There are various methods for calculating the current position coordinates of the vehicle VE, and for example, the GNSS device 12 can be used to estimate the self-position of the vehicle VE.

[0072] After the current position coordinates of the vehicle VE are acquired in step S302, the control unit 50 accepts a landmark name input by the user via the input device 50k (step S303), and stores the content of the accepted name input as landmark data in a predetermined area of the map / route database 52 (adds it to the list) (step S304). In this way, the landmark is registered by manual input.

[0073] In step S301, if the manual input button 53 has not been pressed (step S301: No), the series of processes ends without any special processing. Also, after the list is added in step S304, the series of processes ends. However, the series of operations described above is repeated until the vehicle VE has finished traveling (arrived at bus stop ST3) (steps S105 to S107 in FIG. 7). In other words, after the series of processes, the processes from step S301 are repeated again.

[0074] 7 and 8, landmark data from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM is acquired at the starting point before the start of driving, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, landmark data at the destination of driving may be received from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM and processed while driving. For example, such an embodiment may be used when the range of map data to be created is wide and the communication range between the vehicle and the road is limited.

[0075] Furthermore, as a premise for communication between the vehicle VE and the infrastructure-side communication unit IM, as described above, the vehicle VE may always detect the location of the infrastructure-side communication unit IM without knowing it in advance, or the vehicle may know its location in advance and start communication at an appropriate time. If the location is known in advance, for example, when the vehicle VE travels along a route corresponding to the travel route data, the control unit 50 may record the location of a communication error between the communication unit (vehicle-mounted communication unit) 30 and the infrastructure-side communication unit IM and the location where landmark data cannot be acquired due to the absence of the infrastructure-side communication unit IM. This allows, for example, the location where landmark data could not be acquired to be identified and recorded as a location to be corrected.

[0076] Also, with regard to data processing in the control unit, it is conceivable that only data acquisition and confirmation of the acquisition are performed while driving, and map data creation processing and the like are performed after driving has ended.

[0077] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram outlining the configuration and operation of the map data creation system 100 described above. As shown in the figure and as described above, the map data creation system 100 records driving route data in the vehicle VE traveling along a route for which map data is to be created. When the vehicle VE travels along the route corresponding to the driving route data (before or during travel), landmark data is acquired from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM. The control unit 50 then creates map data including data for autonomous driving based on the driving route data and the landmark data. In this manner, the map data creation system 100 uses landmark data including information on the positions and names of landmarks (intersections, bus stops, etc.) acquired from the infrastructure-side communication unit IM while traveling along the route. This eliminates or reduces the effort of, for example, manual input when creating map data including data for autonomous driving applicable to autonomous driving from driving route data. In other words, the desired map data required for autonomous driving can be easily created.

[0078] 〔others〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0079] First, in the above, a route bus was given as an example of an autonomous vehicle, but the created map data can be used for various autonomous vehicles, not just this.

[0080] In the above, intersection bus stops (bus stops) and parking lots are exemplified as landmarks, but they are not limited to these and may include information about other landmarks. In this case, even if an infrastructure-side communication unit IM for providing information to vehicles (I2V) is not present at the location of the landmark, it is possible to respond by, for example, having landmark data about the landmark in the vicinity of the landmark.

[0081] Furthermore, the created map data can be used not only for the traffic control monitors mentioned above, but also for creating bus route maps, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 10...on-vehicle sensor, 11f, 11b...laser measuring device, 12...GNSS device, 13...IMU (inertial device), 14...camera, 30...communication unit (on-vehicle communication unit), 50...control unit, 50d...output device (display unit), 50k...input device, 51...map data creation unit, 51a...vehicle movement measurement tool, 51b...landmark data analysis tool, 52...map / route database, 53...manual input button, 100...map data creation system, 500...operation management unit, 510...measurement data deformation tool, 520...operation management monitor, AT...mounting device, BA...mounting base, EN...encoder, GI...image data, IM...infrastructure communication unit, RD...area, SG...traffic light, ST...bus stop (stop), ST1-ST3...bus stop, TR...driving route, VE...vehicle

Claims

1. Records driving route data, When traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data, landmark data including names and position coordinates of landmarks is acquired from an infrastructure-side communication unit; A map data creation system that creates map data including data for automatic driving based on the driving route data and the landmark data.

2. The map data creation system according to claim 1 , wherein the landmark data is transmitted from the infrastructure-side communication unit to a vehicle traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data by I2V communication.

3. A map data creation system as described in any one of claims 1 and 2, which automatically inputs the names of landmarks indicated in the landmark data into the corresponding positions in the driving route data.

4. 4. The map data creation system according to claim 1, wherein the landmark data includes information on intersection positions or names of bus stops.

5. The map data creation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an in-vehicle communication unit provided in a vehicle traveling on a route corresponding to the driving route data communicates with the infrastructure communication unit to automatically acquire the landmark data.

6. 6. The map data creation system according to claim 5, wherein the landmark data is acquired by the in-vehicle communication unit based on installation location information of the infrastructure communication unit registered in advance and a location estimation by an in-vehicle self-location estimation unit.

7. 7. The map data creation system according to claim 5, wherein, when traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data, a location of a communication error between the in-vehicle communication unit and the infrastructure communication unit and a location where the landmark data cannot be acquired due to the absence of the infrastructure communication unit are recorded.

8. 8. The map data creation system according to claim 1, wherein, when traveling along a route corresponding to the travel route data, landmarks corresponding to the acquired landmark data are displayed on an in-vehicle display unit.

9. 9. The map data creation system according to claim 1, wherein information on a plurality of landmarks stored in one of the infrastructure-side communication units is acquired as the landmark data.

10. The map data creation system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, after traveling along a route corresponding to the traveling route data, information on landmarks that exist outside a range of map data to be created is excluded from the acquired landmark data.

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