Avoidance route search device and avoidance route search program

Abstract

To accurately estimate a probability that a vehicle encounters an oncoming vehicle on a narrow path on a scheduled travel route, and propose a route avoiding the narrow path according to a result of estimation.SOLUTION: An avoidance route searching device 101 comprises: an information acquisition unit 15 that, when a scheduled travel route to a destination for a first vehicle includes a narrow path that is a road having a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, acquires passage actual result information representing actual results of passage of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle through the narrow path; a facing probability calculation unit 16 that calculates, on the basis of the passage actual result information, a facing probability that is a probability that the first vehicle faces an expected oncoming vehicle that is at least one second vehicle in the narrow path; an avoidance route searching unit 19 that, when the facing probability is equal to or more than a predetermined second threshold, searches for a route to the destination for the first vehicle avoiding the narrow path as an avoidance route; and an output control unit 20 that causes an output device 53 mounted on the first vehicle to output information on the avoidance route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to route search that avoids narrow roads where it is difficult to pass oncoming vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a difficult-to-pass section avoidance system that provides guidance on routes that avoid difficult-to-pass sections. This difficult-to-pass section avoidance system determines whether there is an oncoming vehicle in the difficult-to-pass section based on the position information of the traveling vehicle, route information, and the estimated time of arrival at the difficult-to-pass section, and if there is an oncoming vehicle, provides guidance on a route that avoids the difficult-to-pass section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-100763 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The difficult-to-pass section avoidance system in Patent Document 1 uses route information to determine whether there are oncoming vehicles, so vehicles for which no planned route is set are not included in the judgment, and there is a problem in that it is not possible to accurately determine whether there are oncoming vehicles.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to accurately estimate the probability of encountering an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road included in a planned driving route, and to propose a route that avoids the narrow road based on the estimation results. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The avoidance path search device of the present disclosure is configured to, when a planned travel route of a first vehicle to a destination includes a narrow road that is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, generate travel history information indicating the past travel history of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle that have traveled through the narrow road. The travel history information is stored in a travel history database. an opposing probability calculation unit that calculates the opposing probability, which is the probability that the first vehicle will oppose at least one expected oncoming vehicle, which is a second vehicle, on a narrow road based on the traffic history information; an avoidance route search unit that searches for a route to the destination that avoids the narrow road for the first vehicle as an avoidance route when the opposing probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; and an output control unit that outputs information about the avoidance route to an output device mounted on the first vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The avoidance path search device of the present disclosure calculates the probability of a first vehicle coming into contact with a predicted oncoming vehicle on a narrow road on a planned travel route based on travel history information that indicates the past travel history of multiple second vehicles, different from the first vehicle, that have traveled through the narrow road, and is therefore able to calculate the probability of an oncoming vehicle coming into contact with a second vehicle for which a planned travel route is not set. Thus, the avoidance path search device of the present disclosure can calculate the probability of an oncoming vehicle coming into contact with a predicted oncoming vehicle on a narrow road on a planned travel route, and is able to calculate the probability of an oncoming vehicle coming into contact with a predicted oncoming vehicle on a narrow road on a planned travel route. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an avoidance path searching device according to a first embodiment and its peripheral devices; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an avoidance path search device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a process for generating a travel history by the avoidance route search device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process for generating a passing record by the avoidance path search device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of searching for an avoidance route by the avoidance route searching device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]It is a flowchart showing the narrow road notification process by the avoidance route search device according to Embodiment 2.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <A. Embodiment 1> <A-1. Configuration> FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an avoidance route search device 101 according to Embodiment 1 and its peripheral devices. The avoidance route search device 101 is connected to an information acquisition device 40, a route setting device 52, and a display device 53 and is configured to be able to use these. Further, the avoidance route search device 101 can communicate with a server device 30 via a communication device 51.

[0010] The avoidance route search device 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81 and a memory 82. Each function of the avoidance route search device 101 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the CPU 81 executing a program stored in the memory 82. That is, programs for executing each function of the avoidance route search device 101 are stored in the memory 82. Also, map data is stored in the memory 82.

[0011] Although a CPU is shown in FIG. 1, the CPU is an example of a processor. Processors include, in addition to the CPU, for example, a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and the like.

[0012] The memory 82 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and its drive device, or any storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0013] The avoidance path searching device 101 is typically an in-vehicle device, but may also be applied to a system by appropriately combining a PND (Portable Navigation Device), a communication terminal (for example, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet), the functions of applications installed thereon, a server, etc. In this case, the functions or components of the avoidance path searching device 101 described in Fig. 2 may be distributed among the devices that make up the system, or may be concentrated in one of the devices.

[0014] When a planned driving route is set for a vehicle and the planned driving route includes a narrow road, the avoidance path search device 101 searches for a route that avoids the narrow road depending on the situation (hereinafter referred to as an "avoidance path") and provides the avoidance path to the driver of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the vehicle for which the avoidance path search device 101 searches for an avoidance path will be referred to as a first vehicle, and the other vehicle will be referred to as a second vehicle.

[0015] The information acquisition device 40 acquires information necessary for processing by the avoidance path search device 101 and provides it to the avoidance path search device 101. The information acquisition device 40 is configured to include a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 41, a camera 42, and a millimeter wave radar 43.

[0016] The GPS receiver 41, camera 42, and millimeter-wave radar 43 are all mounted on the first vehicle. The GPS receiver 41 receives GPS signals from GPS satellites as position information of the first vehicle. The camera 42 captures images of the area around the first vehicle. The millimeter-wave radar 43 measures the positions of objects around the first vehicle relative to the first vehicle. The images captured by the camera 42 and the measurement results of the millimeter-wave radar 43 are used by the avoidance path search device 101 to detect narrow roads and oncoming vehicles.

[0017] The route setting device 52 sets a planned driving route for the first vehicle. Once the planned driving route is set, a navigation device (not shown) or the like mounted on the first vehicle displays guidance for the planned driving route.

[0018] The display device 53 is mounted on the first vehicle and is used to notify the passengers of the first vehicle of an avoidance route or other information. The display device is, for example, a CID (Center Information Display) or a HUD (Head-Up Display). The display device 53 is an example of an output device that performs notification. In addition to the display device 53, an audio output device or the like may be used.

[0019] The server device 30 stores a traffic record database (DB) 31 and a passing record database (DB) 32. The traffic record DB 31 is a database that accumulates traffic record information. The traffic record information is information that represents the record of a first vehicle or a second vehicle passing through a narrow road in the past. The passing record DB 32 is a database that accumulates passing record information. The passing record information is information that represents the record of a first vehicle or a second vehicle passing an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road in the past. Hereinafter, the "first vehicle or the second vehicle" in the passing record information will also be referred to as the "third vehicle," and the "oncoming vehicle" in the passing record information will also be referred to as the "fourth vehicle."

[0020] In this specification, a "narrow road" refers to a road that is so narrow that it is impossible or difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. For example, a "narrow road" is defined as a road whose width is equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold.

[0021] When the first vehicle passes through a narrow road, the avoidance path search device 101 creates passage history information related to the passage and transmits it to the server device 30. Furthermore, when the first vehicle passes a second vehicle on a narrow road, the avoidance path search device 101 creates passing history information related to the passing and transmits it to the server device 30. The passage history information and passing history information transmitted in this manner are stored in the server device 30 as a passage history DB 31 and a passing history DB 32.

[0022] It is assumed that a device similar to the avoidance path search device 101 mounted on the first vehicle is also mounted on the second vehicle. As with the first vehicle, when the second vehicle travels through a narrow road or passes another vehicle on a narrow road, passing history information or passing history information is created and stored in the server device 30. Therefore, the passing history information and passing history information of the first vehicle and the second vehicle are stored in the server device 30.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the avoidance route search device 101. As shown in Fig. 2, the avoidance route search device 101 is configured to include a narrow road detection unit 11, a passage history generation unit 12, an oncoming vehicle detection unit 13, and a passing history generation unit 14.

[0024] The narrow road detection unit 11 detects when the first vehicle is traveling on a narrow road. Specifically, the narrow road detection unit 11 acquires images captured by the camera 42 and measurement information from the millimeter-wave radar 43 from the information acquisition device 40, and measures the width of the road using this information. Then, the narrow road detection unit 11 detects that the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road when the measured road width is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value.

[0025] When the first vehicle is traveling through a narrow road, the travel history generating unit 12 creates travel history information that indicates the travel history of the narrow road and transmits it to the server device 30. The travel history information is information indicating that the first vehicle has traveled through a narrow road, linked to the following related information: The related information includes, for example, location information of the narrow road, vehicle width information of the first vehicle, the traveling direction of the first vehicle within the narrow road, or information on the time of day, day of the week, season, or weather when the first vehicle is traveling through the narrow road.

[0026] The travel record information created by the travel record generating unit 12 is stored in the server device 30 as a travel record DB.

[0027] The oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 determines whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle when the first vehicle is traveling on a narrow road. The oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 acquires images captured by the camera 42 and measurement information from the millimeter-wave radar 43 from the information acquisition device 40, and determines whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle using this information. Furthermore, when there is an oncoming vehicle on the narrow road, the oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 determines whether or not the first vehicle can pass the oncoming vehicle.

[0028] When the first vehicle passes an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road, the passing record generating unit 14 generates passing record information related to the passing. The passing record generating unit 14 determines the location where the first vehicle passed an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road as a candidate evacuation location, and associates the position information of the candidate evacuation location and the vehicle width information of the first vehicle with surrounding information to generate passing record information. The surrounding information includes, for example, the gradient or road surface paint condition of the road surface around the candidate evacuation location. The surrounding information of the candidate evacuation location may also include information on the presence or absence of roadside ditches, utility poles, buildings, guardrails, or pedestrian paths around the candidate evacuation location. The surrounding information of the candidate evacuation location may also include information on the vehicle width of the oncoming vehicle.

[0029] The passing record information created by the passing record generating unit 14 is stored as a passing record DB 32 in the server device 30.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the avoidance route search device 101 is configured to include an information acquisition unit 15, an opposing probability calculation unit 16, an evacuation location calculation unit 17, an evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18, an avoidance route search unit 19, and an output control unit 20.

[0031] When a narrow road is included in the planned driving route of the first vehicle, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires traffic history information from the traffic history DB 31 of the server device 30 and acquires passing history information from the passing history DB 32 of the server device 30.

[0032] The oncoming probability calculation unit 16 calculates the probability that the first vehicle will encounter an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road (hereinafter referred to as "oncoming probability") using the actual traffic information and actual passing information acquired by the information acquisition unit 15. Note that an oncoming vehicle that is expected to encounter the first vehicle based on this oncoming probability is also referred to as an expected oncoming vehicle.

[0033] When the probability of an encounter is less than a predetermined second threshold, the possible evacuation location calculation unit 17 determines whether there is an evacuation location candidate on the narrow road based on the passing history information. If there is an evacuation location candidate on the narrow road, the possible evacuation location calculation unit 17 determines whether the first vehicle can pass the predicted oncoming vehicle at the evacuation location candidate based on the passing history information. Specifically, based on the passing history information, the possible evacuation location calculation unit 17 compares the vehicle widths of two vehicles (i.e., the third and fourth vehicles) that have previously passed each other at the evacuation location candidate, the vehicle width of the first vehicle, and the vehicle width of the predicted oncoming vehicle, and determines whether they can pass each other. For example, if the total vehicle width of the first vehicle and the predicted oncoming vehicle is less than or equal to the total vehicle width of the third and fourth vehicles, the possible evacuation location calculation unit 17 determines that the first vehicle can pass the predicted oncoming vehicle at the possible evacuation location candidate. For example, even if the predicted oncoming vehicle is a passenger car, it may be possible for them to pass each other, but if it is a large vehicle such as a bus, it may not be possible for them to pass each other.

[0034] When it is determined that the first vehicle can pass the predicted oncoming vehicle at the candidate evacuation location, the possible evacuation location calculation unit 17 sets the candidate evacuation location as the possible evacuation location. This possible evacuation location is a location where the first vehicle can pass the predicted oncoming vehicle, and is also referred to as the first possible evacuation location.

[0035] The evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 calculates the evacuation difficulty of an evacuation possible location based on the road surface condition of the evacuation possible location included in the passing-by performance information acquired by the information acquisition unit 15 from the server device 30. The evacuation difficulty represents the difficulty for the first vehicle to evacuate to the evacuation possible location. For example, the road surface gradient of the evacuation possible location affects the evacuation difficulty. When the road surface gradient when the first vehicle reverses and evacuates to the evacuation possible location is an uphill, the evacuation difficulty is higher than when it is flat, and when it is a downhill, the evacuation difficulty is even higher. The evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 determines whether the gradient during backward movement at the evacuation possible location is uphill, downhill, or flat based on the traveling direction when passing through a narrow road and the road surface gradient condition of the evacuation possible location included in the passing-by performance information, and calculates the evacuation difficulty.

[0036] When there is no evacuation possible location with an evacuation difficulty less than a predetermined third threshold value on the narrow road, the avoidance route search unit 19 searches for a route (hereinafter, "avoidance route") to avoid the narrow road. The avoidance route is a route that avoids narrow roads that meet the following conditions. (1) The oncoming probability is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. (2) The oncoming probability is less than the second threshold value, and there is no evacuation possible location with an evacuation difficulty less than the third threshold value.

[0037] The output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to display the avoidance route searched by the avoidance route search unit 19. Further, when the avoidance route searched by the avoidance route search unit 19 is set as the planned traveling route of the first vehicle by the route setting device 52 and there is a narrow road on the planned traveling route, the output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to display to that effect.

[0038] <A-2. Operation> FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the passing-by performance creation process by the avoidance route search device 101. The passing-by performance creation process is performed by the narrow road detection unit 11 and the passing-by performance generation unit 12 of the avoidance route search device 101.

[0039] 3 starts when the first vehicle starts traveling. First, in step S101, the narrow road detection unit 11 acquires images captured by the camera 42 or measurement information from the millimeter-wave radar 43 from the information acquisition device 40, and measures the width of the road on which the first vehicle is traveling using this information.

[0040] Next, in step S102, the narrow road detection unit 11 determines whether the road on which the first vehicle is traveling is a narrow road. Specifically, if the road width measured in step S101 is equal to or smaller than a first threshold, the narrow road detection unit 11 determines that the road is a narrow road.

[0041] If the road on which the first vehicle traveled is not a narrow road in step S102, the travel history creation process ends. If the road on which the first vehicle traveled is a narrow road in step S102, the travel history generation unit 12 acquires related information about narrow road travel in step S103. The related information includes, for example, location information of the narrow road, vehicle width information of the first vehicle, the traveling direction of the first vehicle, or information about the time of day, day of the week, season, or weather when the first vehicle is traveling through the narrow road.

[0042] After step S103, in step S104, the travel history generation unit 12 links the history of traveling through the narrow road with the related information acquired in step S103 to create travel history information. The travel history information created in this step is transmitted from the avoidance route search device 101 to the server device 30 via the communication device 51, and is stored in the travel history DB 31 of the server device 30. This ends the travel history creation process.

[0043] 4 is a flowchart showing the passing record creation process by the avoidance path search device 101. The avoidance path search device 101 starts the passing record creation process when it determines that the first vehicle is traveling on a narrow road. Here, the determination of whether the first vehicle is traveling on a narrow road may be made in step S102 of FIG. 3. The passing record creation process is performed by the oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 and the passing record generation unit 14 of the avoidance path search device 101.

[0044] First, in step S201, the oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 acquires an image captured by the camera 42 or measurement information from the millimeter wave radar 43 from the information acquisition device 40, and determines whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle using this information.

[0045] If there is no oncoming vehicle in step S201, the passing record creation process ends. If there is an oncoming vehicle in step S201, the oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 determines in step S202 whether or not the oncoming vehicle has been passed.

[0046] If the first vehicle is unable to pass the oncoming vehicle in step S202, the passing record creation process ends. If the first vehicle is able to pass the oncoming vehicle in step S202, the passing record creation unit 14 acquires peripheral information about the candidate evacuation location where the first vehicle passed the oncoming vehicle on the narrow road in step S203. The peripheral information includes, for example, the gradient or paint condition of the road surface around the candidate evacuation location. The peripheral information may also include information about the presence or absence of grooves on the road shoulder, utility poles, buildings, guardrails, or pedestrian paths around the candidate evacuation location. The peripheral information may also include information about the width of the oncoming vehicle. This peripheral information can be obtained from images captured by the camera 42, measurement information from the millimeter-wave radar 43, or map data stored in the memory 82.

[0047] After step S203, in step S204, the passing record generation unit 14 generates passing record information by linking the position information of the candidate evacuation location and the vehicle width information of the first vehicle with the surrounding information acquired in step S203. This ends the passing record generation process. The passing record information generated by the passing record generation unit 14 is transmitted from the avoidance route search device 101 to the server device 30 via the communication device 51, and is accumulated in the server device 30 as the passing record DB 32.

[0048] 5 is a flowchart showing the avoidance route searching process by the avoidance route searching device 101. The avoidance route searching process is performed by the information acquisition unit 15, the opposing probability calculation unit 16, the available evacuation place calculation unit 17, the evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18, and the avoidance route searching unit 19 of the avoidance route searching device 101.

[0049] The avoidance route search process is performed when the planned driving route of the first vehicle is set by the route setting device 52. First, in step S301, the information acquisition unit 15 determines whether or not the planned driving route includes a narrow road, using the map data stored in the memory 82. If the planned driving route does not include a narrow road in step S301, the avoidance route search process ends.

[0050] If the planned travel route includes a narrow road in step S301, the information acquisition unit 15 calculates the time when the first vehicle is expected to pass through the narrow road (hereinafter, the expected passage time) in step S302, and acquires passage history information from the passage history DB 31 based on the expected passage time. Here, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires passage history information of vehicles that passed through the narrow road in the opposite direction to the first vehicle during a time period that includes the expected passage time of the first vehicle. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 15 may acquire passage history information that satisfies conditions such as the day of the week, season, or weather that match the timing when the first vehicle is expected to pass through the narrow road.

[0051] In step S302, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires, via the communication device 51, information on potential evacuation locations and road surface conditions on narrow roads included in the planned travel route from the passing record DB 32.

[0052] After step S302, in step S303, the oncoming vehicle probability calculation unit 16 uses the traffic history information and passing history information acquired by the information acquisition unit 15 in step S302 to calculate the probability that the first vehicle will encounter an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road on the planned driving route, i.e., the oncoming vehicle probability.

[0053] After step S303, in step S304, the opposing probability calculation unit 16 determines whether the opposing probability is equal to or greater than the second threshold value. If the opposing probability is equal to or greater than the second threshold value in step S304, the avoidance path search process proceeds to step S310.

[0054] If the opposing probability is less than the second threshold in step S304, the avoidance route search process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, the escape location calculation unit 17 searches for narrow escape location candidates from the passing record information acquired by the information acquisition unit 15 in step S302.

[0055] In step S306 after step S305, the possible evacuation place calculation unit 17 determines whether there is a possible evacuation place on the narrow road. Specifically, based on the passing history information, the possible evacuation place calculation unit 17 compares the vehicle widths of two vehicles (i.e., the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle) that have previously passed each other at the possible evacuation place with the vehicle widths of the first vehicle and the predicted oncoming vehicle, and determines whether they can pass each other. Then, the possible evacuation place calculation unit 17 sets the possible evacuation place that it has determined is possible for the vehicles to pass each other as the possible evacuation place.

[0056] If there is no available evacuation location in step S306, the avoidance route search process proceeds to step S310. If there is an available evacuation location in step S306, the avoidance route search process proceeds to step S307.

[0057] In step S307, the evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 acquires the road surface conditions of the evacuation location from the passing information. The road surface conditions include the road surface gradient.

[0058] After step S307, in step S308, the evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 calculates the degree of difficulty of evacuation to the evacuation location based on the road surface conditions of the evacuation location acquired in step S307.

[0059] After step S308, in step S309, the evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 determines whether the evacuation difficulty calculated in step S307 is equal to or greater than a third threshold value.

[0060] In step S309, if the evacuation difficulty level of the evacuation possible location is less than the third threshold value, the avoidance route search process ends. In step S309, if the evacuation difficulty level of the evacuation possible location is greater than or equal to the third threshold value, the avoidance route search process proceeds to step S310.

[0061] In step S310, the avoidance route search unit 19 searches for an avoidance route that avoids narrow roads.

[0062] <A-3. Effect> The avoidance route search device 101 according to Embodiment 1 includes an information acquisition unit 15, a confrontation probability calculation unit 16, and an output control unit 20. When the planned travel route of the first vehicle to the destination includes a narrow road, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires the traffic performance information of the narrow road. A narrow road is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold value. The traffic performance information is information representing the past traffic performance of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle passing through the narrow road. The confrontation probability calculation unit 16 calculates a confrontation probability, which is the probability that the first vehicle confronts an expected oncoming vehicle on the narrow road, based on the traffic performance information. The expected oncoming vehicle is at least one vehicle among the plurality of second vehicles related to the traffic performance information. When the confrontation probability is greater than or equal to a predetermined second threshold value, the avoidance route search unit 19 searches for a route to the destination of the first vehicle that has avoided the narrow road as an avoidance route. The output control unit 20 causes the information on the avoidance route to be output to an output device mounted on the first vehicle.

[0063] According to the above configuration, the avoidance route search device 101 calculates the confrontation probability of the first vehicle on the narrow road on the planned travel route based on the traffic performance information of the narrow road by a plurality of second vehicles. Since this traffic performance information can be acquired regardless of whether a route is set for the second vehicle, it is possible to accurately predict the confrontation probability from past performance.

[0064] Also, when the confrontation probability is high, the avoidance route search device 101 searches for an avoidance route. Therefore, the first vehicle can reduce the delay in arrival time due to detouring without unnecessarily detouring through narrow roads with a low probability of encountering an oncoming vehicle.

[0065] In the avoidance path search device 101, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires passing history information and vehicle width information of the first vehicle. The passing history information is information that indicates the past history of a third vehicle, including the first vehicle or multiple second vehicles, passing a fourth vehicle on a narrow road. The passing history information includes information on the passing location of the third and fourth vehicles on the narrow road and information on the vehicle widths of the third and fourth vehicles. In addition, the traffic history information acquired by the information acquisition unit 15 includes information on the vehicle widths of the multiple second vehicles. The avoidance path search device 101 also includes an escape location calculation unit 17. The escape location calculation unit 17 determines whether the passing location is a first escape location where the first vehicle and the predicted oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on the vehicle width information of the first vehicle, the predicted oncoming vehicle, and the third and fourth vehicles. Moreover, the avoidance route searching unit 19 searches for an avoidance route when the opposing probability is less than the second threshold value and there is no first evacuation possible place on the narrow road.

[0066] According to the above configuration, the avoidance path search device 101 searches for an avoidance path even if the probability of the first vehicle encountering an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road is low, if there is no first place of evacuation on that narrow road. If an oncoming vehicle encounters a narrow road without a first place of evacuation, it becomes difficult to pass each other, increasing the risk of an accident. In addition, it takes time to back up and avoid the oncoming vehicle. However, the avoidance path search device 101 can avoid such situations.

[0067] Furthermore, in the avoidance path search device 101, the passing record information includes information on the road surface conditions at the passing location. The avoidance path search device 101 includes an evacuation difficulty calculation unit 18 that calculates the evacuation difficulty level of the first evacuation possible location based on the information on the road surface conditions. The evacuation difficulty level represents the difficulty level for the first vehicle to evacuate to the first evacuation possible location. The avoidance path search unit 19 searches for an avoidance path when the oncoming probability is less than the second threshold and the first evacuation possible location where the evacuation difficulty level is less than a predetermined third threshold is not located on a narrow road.

[0068] According to the above configuration, even when the probability of encountering an oncoming vehicle in a narrow road of the first vehicle is low, if there is no first evacuation possible location with a low evacuation difficulty in the narrow road, the avoidance route search device 101 searches for an avoidance route. Even if there is a first evacuation possible location in the narrow road, if the evacuation difficulty of the first evacuation possible location is high, the risk of an accident increases, and it takes time to evacuate to the first evacuation possible location. However, according to the avoidance route search device 101, such a situation can be avoided.

[0069] <B. Embodiment 2> <B-1. Configuration> The configuration of the avoidance route search device 102 according to Embodiment 2 is as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is the same as the configuration of the avoidance route search device 101 according to Embodiment 1.

[0070] <B-2. Operation> In addition to the processing performed by the avoidance route search device 101 according to Embodiment 1, the avoidance route search device 102 performs processing for notifying the passengers of the first vehicle of information regarding narrow roads on the planned travel route of the first vehicle, that is, narrow road notification processing.

[0071] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the narrow road notification processing by the avoidance route search device 102. Hereinafter, the narrow road notification processing will be described along with FIG. 6. The narrow road notification processing is performed after a planned travel route is set for the first vehicle and the avoidance route search processing described in Embodiment 1 is performed.

[0072] First, in step S401, the information acquisition unit 15 determines whether there is a narrow road on the planned travel route using the map data stored in the memory 82. This step is the same as step S301 in FIG. 4. If there is a narrow road on the planned travel route in step S401, in step S402, the information acquisition unit 15 determines whether the first vehicle is approaching the narrow road, for example, within 1 km. The information acquisition unit 15 determines whether the first vehicle is approaching a predetermined distance from the narrow road based on the position information of the first vehicle acquired from the GPS reception unit 41 and the position information of the narrow road.

[0073] If the first vehicle is not approaching within 1 km of the narrow road in step S402, the information acquisition unit 15 repeats step S402. If the first vehicle is approaching within 1 km of the narrow road in step S402, the output control unit 20 performs a narrow road warning using the display device 53 in step S403. Specifically, the output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to output information indicating that a narrow road exists on the planned driving route, whether there is an evacuation location in the narrow road, and, if there is an evacuation location, the road surface conditions at the evacuation location. The narrow road warning allows the driver to decide whether to continue driving along the planned driving route and pass through the narrow road, or to take an alternative route that avoids the narrow road. In other words, even if the avoidance route search device 102 selects a planned driving route that passes through a narrow road based on the probability of oncoming traffic on the narrow road and the evacuation difficulty level at the evacuation location, the driver can consider changing to an alternative route after understanding local conditions such as snowfall or frozen roads.

[0074] After step S403, in step S404, the narrow road detection unit 11 determines whether the first vehicle is traveling through a narrow road. This step is similar to steps S101 and S102 in FIG.

[0075] If it is determined in step S404 that the first vehicle is traveling through a narrow road, then in step S405 the oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 determines whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle. This step is the same as step S201 in FIG. 3. If it is determined in step S405 that there is no oncoming vehicle, then in step S406 the narrow road detection unit 11 determines whether or not the first vehicle has passed through a narrow road. If it is determined in step S406 that the first vehicle has passed through a narrow road, the narrow road notification process ends. If it is determined that the first vehicle is not passing through a narrow road, then the narrow road notification process returns to step S405.

[0076] If it is determined in step S405 that there is an oncoming vehicle, the avoidance route search device 102 performs an available evacuation location notification process in step S407.

[0077] In the avoidance possible location notification process, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires the vehicle width of an oncoming vehicle from the information acquisition device 40. Then, the avoidance possible location calculation unit 17 searches for an avoidance possible location within a narrow road where the first vehicle can pass by the oncoming vehicle based on the vehicle widths of the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle and the passing history information. Since this avoidance possible location is a location where the first vehicle can pass by the actual oncoming vehicle instead of the predicted oncoming vehicle, it is also referred to as the second avoidance possible location to distinguish it from the first avoidance possible location for the predicted oncoming vehicle. For example, when the sum of the vehicle widths of the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is less than or equal to the sum of the vehicle widths of two vehicles (i.e., the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle) that passed by in the passing history information, the avoidance possible location calculation unit 17 determines that the first vehicle can pass by at the same location as the oncoming vehicle, and sets that location as the avoidance possible location.

[0078] If there is an avoidance possible location, the output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to output the position of the avoidance possible location. Also, if the avoidance possible location is only behind the first vehicle, the output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to output a notification prompting the driver of the first vehicle to reverse the first vehicle. Further, if the avoidance possible location is not within the narrow road, the output control unit 20 causes the display device 53 to output information to that effect. The above process is the avoidance possible location notification process.

[0079] According to the above process, based on the vehicle widths of two vehicles that have passed by in a narrow road in the past, and the vehicle widths of the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, it is possible to accurately notify the driver of the first vehicle of the avoidance possible location within the narrow road.

[0080] <B-3. Effect> In the avoidance route search device 102 according to the second embodiment, when the first vehicle reaches within a predetermined distance from a narrow road on the planned travel route, the output control unit 20 causes the output device to output information indicating that there is a narrow road on the planned travel route and information on the first avoidance possible location within the narrow road. Thereby, even when the avoidance route search device 102 does not search for an avoidance route, the driver of the first vehicle can consider changing to a route to avoid the narrow road after grasping the local conditions such as snowfall or road surface freezing.

[0081] The avoidance path search device 102 according to the second embodiment includes an oncoming vehicle detection unit 13 that measures the vehicle width of an oncoming vehicle while the first vehicle is traveling on a narrow road. Furthermore, an available evacuation location calculation unit 17 determines whether the candidate evacuation location where the third and fourth vehicles have passed each other in the actual passing information is a second available evacuation location where the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on the vehicle widths of the first vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, the third vehicle, and the fourth vehicle. Furthermore, an output control unit 20 causes an output device to output information about the second available evacuation location. According to the above configuration, when the first vehicle actually encounters an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road, the driver of the first vehicle can be accurately notified of the second available evacuation location within the narrow road, thereby assisting the driver in passing the oncoming vehicle on the narrow road.

[0082] Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0083] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0084] (Appendix 1) an information acquisition unit that acquires, when a planned travel route of a first vehicle to a destination includes a narrow road that is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, travel history information that indicates the past travel history of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle through the narrow road; an opposing probability calculation unit that calculates an opposing probability, which is a probability that the first vehicle will oppose at least one predicted oncoming vehicle, which is the second vehicle, on the narrow road, based on the traffic history information; an avoidance route search unit that searches for a route to the destination that avoids the narrow road for the first vehicle as an avoidance route when the opposing probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control unit that outputs the information about the avoidance route to an output device mounted on the first vehicle, Avoidance route search device.

[0085] (Appendix 2) the information acquisition unit acquires passing history information indicating a history of a third vehicle including the first vehicle or a plurality of the second vehicles passing a fourth vehicle on the narrow road in the past, and information on the vehicle width of the first vehicle; the passing record information includes information on potential evacuation locations that are passing locations on the narrow road between the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle, and information on vehicle widths of the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle; the travel history information includes information on the vehicle widths of the plurality of second vehicles, further comprising an available evacuation location calculation unit that determines whether the candidate evacuation location is a first available evacuation location where the first vehicle and the expected oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on information on the vehicle widths of the first vehicle, the expected oncoming vehicle, the third vehicle, and the fourth vehicle; the avoidance route search unit searches for the avoidance route when the opposing probability is less than the second threshold value and the first evacuation location is not present in the narrow road. 2. An avoidance path search device according to claim 1.

[0086] (Appendix 3) The passing history information includes information on road surface conditions at the candidate evacuation location, an evacuation difficulty calculation unit that calculates an evacuation difficulty level that indicates a degree of difficulty for the first vehicle to evacuate to the first evacuation location based on the information on the road surface condition, the avoidance route searching unit searches for the avoidance route when the first evacuation possible place where the opposing probability is less than the second threshold and the evacuation difficulty level is less than a predetermined third threshold is not located in the narrow road. 3. An avoidance path search device according to claim 2.

[0087] (Appendix 4) the road surface conditions include a gradient of the road surface when the first vehicle enters the first evacuation location while backing up, 4. An avoidance path search device according to claim 3.

[0088] (Appendix 5) the output control unit, when the first vehicle arrives within a predetermined distance from the narrow road, causes the output device to output information that the narrow road is on the planned travel route and information about the first evacuation location within the narrow road. 5. An avoidance path search device according to any one of Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 4.

[0089] (Appendix 6) an oncoming vehicle detection unit that measures the width of an oncoming vehicle that is approaching while the first vehicle is traveling on the narrow road; the evacuation location calculation unit determines whether the evacuation location candidate is a second evacuation location where the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on vehicle widths of the first vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, the third vehicle, and the fourth vehicle; the output control unit causes the output device to output information about the second evacuation location. 6. An avoidance path search device according to any one of Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 5.

[0090] (Appendix 7) Computer, an information acquisition unit that acquires, when a planned travel route of a first vehicle to a destination includes a narrow road that is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, travel history information that indicates the past travel history of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle through the narrow road; an opposing probability calculation unit that calculates an opposing probability, which is a probability that the first vehicle will oppose at least one predicted oncoming vehicle, which is the second vehicle, on the narrow road, based on the traffic history information; an avoidance route search unit that searches for a route to the destination that avoids the narrow road for the first vehicle as an avoidance route when the opposing probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control unit that outputs the information about the avoidance route to an output device mounted on the first vehicle; An avoidance route search program to function as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 11 narrow road detection unit, 12 traffic record generation unit, 13 oncoming vehicle detection unit, 14 record generation unit, 15 information acquisition unit, 16 opposing probability calculation unit, 17 possible evacuation location calculation unit, 18 evacuation difficulty calculation unit, 19 avoidance route search unit, 20 output control unit, 22 display device, 30 server device, 31 traffic record DB, 32 passing record DB, 40 information acquisition device, 41 GPS receiver, 42 camera, 43 millimeter wave radar, 51 communication device, 52 route setting device, 53 output device, 81 CPU, 82 memory, 101, 102 avoidance route search device.

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires, when a planned travel route of a first vehicle to a destination includes a narrow road that is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, travel history information from a travel history database that stores travel history information indicating the past travel of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle through the narrow road; an opposing probability calculation unit that calculates an opposing probability, which is a probability that the first vehicle will oppose at least one predicted oncoming vehicle, which is the second vehicle, on the narrow road, based on the traffic history information; an avoidance route search unit that searches for a route to the destination that avoids the narrow road for the first vehicle as an avoidance route when the opposing probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control unit that outputs the information about the avoidance route to an output device mounted on the first vehicle, Avoidance route search device.

2. the information acquisition unit acquires passing record information indicating a record of a third vehicle including the first vehicle or a plurality of the second vehicles having passed a fourth vehicle on the narrow road in the past, and information on the vehicle width of the first vehicle; the passing record information includes information on potential evacuation locations that are locations where the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle pass each other on the narrow road, and information on vehicle widths of the third vehicle and the fourth vehicle; the travel history information includes information on the vehicle widths of the plurality of second vehicles, an available evacuation location calculation unit that determines whether the candidate evacuation location is a first available evacuation location where the first vehicle and the expected oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on information on vehicle widths of the first vehicle, the expected oncoming vehicle, the third vehicle, and the fourth vehicle; the avoidance route search unit searches for the avoidance route when the opposing probability is less than the second threshold value and the first evacuation location is not present in the narrow road; The avoidance route search device according to claim 1 .

3. The passing history information includes information on road surface conditions at the candidate evacuation location, an evacuation difficulty calculation unit that calculates an evacuation difficulty level that indicates a degree of difficulty for the first vehicle to evacuate to the first evacuation location based on the information on the road surface condition, the avoidance route searching unit searches for the avoidance route when the first evacuation possible place where the opposing probability is less than the second threshold and the evacuation difficulty level is less than a predetermined third threshold is not located in the narrow road. The avoidance route search device according to claim 2.

4. the road surface conditions include a gradient of the road surface when the first vehicle enters the first evacuation location while backing up, The avoidance route search device according to claim 3.

5. the output control unit, when the first vehicle arrives within a predetermined distance from the narrow road, causes the output device to output information that the narrow road is on the planned travel route and information about the first evacuation location within the narrow road. The avoidance route search device according to claim 2.

6. an oncoming vehicle detection unit that measures a vehicle width of an oncoming vehicle that is approaching while the first vehicle is traveling on the narrow road; the evacuation location calculation unit determines whether the evacuation location candidate is a second evacuation location where the first vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other, based on vehicle widths of the first vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, the third vehicle, and the fourth vehicle; the output control unit causes the output device to output information about the second evacuation location. The avoidance route search device according to claim 2.

7. Computer, an information acquisition unit that acquires, when a planned travel route of a first vehicle to a destination includes a narrow road that is a road with a width equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold, travel history information from a travel history database that stores travel history information indicating the past travel of a plurality of second vehicles different from the first vehicle through the narrow road; an opposing probability calculation unit that calculates an opposing probability, which is a probability that the first vehicle will oppose at least one predicted oncoming vehicle, which is the second vehicle, on the narrow road, based on the traffic history information; an avoidance route search unit that searches for a route to the destination that avoids the narrow road for the first vehicle as an avoidance route when the opposing probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold; an output control unit that outputs the information about the avoidance route to an output device mounted on the first vehicle; An avoidance route search program to function as a

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