Map storage device

Abstract

To provide a map storage device that automatically determines and stores necessary maps to generate a map without any user's operation.SOLUTION: A map storage device comprises: a map generation part which generates map data on a course that a vehicle travels; a map data temporary storage part which temporarily stores the map data; a map data storage part which non-temporarily stores part of the map data stored temporarily in the map data temporary storage part; a behavior history information retention part which retains behavior history information on a history of behavior of the vehicle; and a vehicle behavior determination part which determines whether to store the map data, stored temporarily in the map data temporary storage part, in the map data storage part based upon the behavior history information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to map storage devices. [Background technology]

[0002] To achieve safe driving and autonomous driving, a technology for estimating the position of a vehicle using an environmental map and information obtained from sensors installed on the vehicle is known. Conventional map generation systems for generating environmental maps include a map generation system (e.g., Patent Document 1) that generates a map based on road surface images from an on-board camera, and a map generation system (e.g., Patent Document 2) that generates a high-precision three-dimensional environmental map by generating three-dimensional position information from distances measured by irradiating a laser beam from a laser range finder. Also known is a map storage device (e.g., Patent Document 3) that, when saving data while the vehicle is traveling, stores data stored in a temporary data storage means in a non-temporary storage means only when the vehicle is traveling at a set speed.

[0003] In a map generation system, when a user generates a map at will, the user operates buttons on a user interface such as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) to issue an instruction to start map generation and to complete map generation. Also, when a navigation system guides the user to a destination, the system can determine the sections to be stored as a map by obtaining information indicating that the user has arrived at the destination from information on the location registered as the destination.

[0004] However, in everyday driving, such as commuting from home to work or driving from home to a nearby commercial facility, users often drive their cars without registering destinations, and in such cases, the necessary maps cannot be stored or generated. Storing and generating maps requires user operation and external information, which is time-consuming for the user generating the map. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-10393 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-66595 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-264074 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention provides a map storage device that generates maps by automatically determining and storing necessary maps without user operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the map storage device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle; a map data temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the map data; a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit; a behavior history information storage unit that stores behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle; and a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not to store the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a map storage device that can automatically determine and store a required map without requiring a user's operation input. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2]1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating reverse parking including a turning operation of the vehicle, which is detected as vehicle behavior by the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a map information storage operation in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating forward parking, which is detected as a vehicle behavior by the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system of the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a map information storage operation in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an intersection entry detected as a vehicle behavior by the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 in the map storage system of the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a map storage system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a map information storage operation in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, functionally identical elements may be designated by the same numerals. Note that the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, but these drawings are for the purpose of understanding the present disclosure and are not to be used to interpret the present disclosure in a limiting manner. The descriptions in this specification are merely typical examples and are not intended to limit the scope or application of the present disclosure in any way.

[0011] Although the present embodiment has been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure, it should be understood that other implementations and forms are possible, and that changes in configuration and structure and substitutions of various elements are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the technical ideas of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following description should not be interpreted as being limited thereto.

[0012] [First embodiment] The overall configuration of a map storage system according to a first embodiment will be described briefly with reference to the functional block diagram of Fig. 1. This map storage system is mounted on a vehicle and includes a map generation unit 100, a map data temporary storage unit 101, and a map data storage unit 102. The map generation unit 100 is configured to be able to communicate with the map data temporary storage unit 101 and the map data storage unit 102 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The map generation unit 100 has a function of temporarily storing a generated map in the map data temporary storage unit 101, and also, under predetermined conditions, non-temporarily (long-term or permanently unless an erasure command or the like is issued) storing the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102.

[0013] The map data temporary storage unit 101 is an auxiliary storage unit configured to temporarily store various data and is composed of a semiconductor memory. The map data temporary storage unit 101 is configured to temporarily store a predetermined amount of map data for a predetermined period or under predetermined conditions, and to discard the data as appropriate when it is determined that non-temporary storage is unnecessary. The semiconductor memory constituting the map data temporary storage unit 101 may be a volatile memory such as DRAM, or a non-volatile memory such as flash memory, MRAM, or ReRAM. On the other hand, the map data storage unit 102 is a storage unit capable of non-temporarily storing various data, and is preferably a storage device capable of reading and writing large amounts of data and storing data non-volatilely, such as a hard disk, flash memory, MRAM, CD-RAM, or DVD-RAM. Note that the map data storage unit 102 does not necessarily have to be installed in the vehicle; it may be installed in a server or the like that can communicate with the vehicle.

[0014] The map generation unit 100 has a function of generating a map from three-dimensional position information and feature points obtained from a distance measurement sensor (not shown), such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or SONAR. The map generation unit 100 also has a function of detecting three-dimensional objects such as signs and traffic signals, and road surface features (painted marks) such as lanes and crosswalks from images captured by an in-vehicle camera (not shown), and generating a map. The map generation unit 100 can generate a map by measuring images obtained while the vehicle is traveling. After system startup, the map generation unit 100 also has a function of constantly generating a map and storing the map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in a cyclical manner as a ring buffer. The amount of data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 can be determined according to conditions such as the size of the temporary storage data, the vehicle's travel distance, and the travel time.

[0015] The map generation unit 100 is configured to start storing map data in the map data storage unit 102 when a predetermined behavior of the vehicle in which it is installed is detected. For this reason, this map storage system includes a vehicle behavior determination unit 103, a vehicle speed input unit 104, a vehicle steering input unit 105, a vehicle shift input unit 106, a vehicle parking brake input unit 107, a behavior history information storage unit 108, and the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 as components for determining the behavior of the vehicle. In this specification, the "behavior" of a vehicle is interpreted in a broad sense to include not only a case where the main body of the vehicle is moving, but also a case where only some of the components of the vehicle are performing some kind of operation. The "behavior" herein also includes a case where the vehicle itself is stopped and not moving.

[0016] As an example, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has been parked backward, including a turning operation as shown in FIG. 2, determines that the vehicle has arrived at the destination, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the map that is temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102.

[0017] The vehicle speed input unit 104 has a function of inputting information about the vehicle speed (vehicle speed information) obtained from a speedometer (not shown) mounted on the vehicle or the like. The vehicle steering input unit 105 inputs information about the steering amount of the vehicle's steering wheel (steering information) from a power steering system (not shown) or the like. The vehicle shift input unit 106 inputs shift information about the vehicle's gear shift from an automatic transmission of an automatic transmission system. The vehicle parking brake input unit 107 inputs parking brake information about the control of the vehicle's parking brake.

[0018] The behavior history information storage unit 108 receives various pieces of information about the vehicle behavior over a certain period of time from the various input units 104 to 107 and stores the information as behavior history information. The vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines the vehicle behavior based on the various pieces of information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108.

[0019] It should be noted that the various behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 described above is one example of information for determining the behavior of the vehicle, and needless to say, is not limited to the combination shown in FIG. 1. Additional input units other than those shown in FIG. 1 may be employed, or the various input units shown in FIG. 1 may be replaced with other input units. For example, an input unit for inputting information related to brake operation may be employed, or an input unit for inputting sensing information from a sensor that detects the opening and closing of a door may be employed. Furthermore, in addition to information from operating units operated by the driver, such as the steering wheel, brake, and shift lever, control signals and driving assistance information from an automatic driving function or a driving assistance function may be input.

[0020] As an example, the behavior history information storage unit 108 starts storing the behavior history information when the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed input unit 104 becomes equal to or less than a threshold value. The threshold value here can be, for example, 20 km / h. Similarly, when predetermined conditions are satisfied, the behavior history information storage unit 108 starts storing various pieces of information from the other input units 105 to 107. Multiple types of behavior history information can be collectively stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 when conditions for the multiple types of behavior information are satisfied. Alternatively, the behavior information may be stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 when the conditions for each of the multiple types of behavior information are satisfied. The vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines the behavior of the vehicle from the behavior information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 in this manner.

[0021] The map information storage operation in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. Here, the operation is shown in the case where the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle approaches a parking lot at a low speed, shifts into reverse gear, starts backing up, and is parking backward.

[0022] As described above, while the vehicle is traveling, the map generation unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc., and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During this time, when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (for example, 20 km / h), the behavior history information storage unit 108 receives various types of behavior history information (vehicle speed information, steering information, shift information, parking brake information) from the various input units 104 to 107 and starts saving (acquiring) the information (step S100).

[0023] Subsequently, in steps S101 to S106, it is determined whether or not the behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 satisfies predetermined conditions. If a negative (No) determination is made in any of steps S101 to S106, the process returns to step S100, and the same operation is repeated.

[0024] In step S101, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle is moving forward at a low speed (for example, 10 km / h or less) based on the vehicle speed information. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0025] In step S102, vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the steering wheel of the vehicle is being steered by a threshold or more based on the operation information. The threshold here is set to a value that determines whether the steering is being performed by a certain amount or more, which is not performed in normal driving, in order to cause the vehicle to enter the target position backward. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S102, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0026] In step S103, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the shift information whether the shift lever has been changed from the "D" range (forward) to the "R" range (reverse) in order to move the vehicle backward, and determines whether a change in direction has been performed. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S103, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0027] In step S104, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle is moving backward to park at the target parking position based on the shift information and the vehicle speed information (step S104). If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S104, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0028] In step S105, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the shift information whether the shift lever has been changed from the "R" range to the "P" range (parking) after the vehicle has reached the target position. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0029] In step S106, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the parking brake of the vehicle has been operated based on the parking brake information (step S106). If all of the determinations in steps S101 to S106 are affirmative, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has completed parking at the target parking position and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer and store the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 (step S107). After the storage operation in the map data storage unit 102 is completed, a display unit of the vehicle's navigation system may display a message indicating that storage of map data around the parking lot has been completed. This allows the user (driver) to know that the map data has been stored. If the user deems it unnecessary to store the map, a data deletion button may be displayed on the display unit so that the user can instruct deletion of the data. This prevents unnecessary consumption of the capacity of the map data storage unit 102.

[0030] During the reverse movement of the vehicle in step S104, if the vehicle approaches or comes into contact with a surrounding object and is unable to park at the target position, the shift lever may be switched from the "R" range to the "D" range again, and the vehicle may travel forward again, and then the shift lever may be switched back to the "R" range again to resume the reverse movement of the vehicle. Also, after the shift lever is switched from the "R" range to the "P" range in step S105, the shift lever may be returned to the "R" or "D" position again to resume the parking operation. Taking this into consideration, in this embodiment, steps S101 to S106 in FIG. 3 are not limited to being executed in this order, but it is preferable to determine whether some steps are repeated or whether the same operation is performed by returning to the original position. Furthermore, if the turning operation shown in FIG. 2 is completed with the minimum necessary time, a movement trajectory may be calculated from the speed information and steering information of the host vehicle, and the completion of the parking operation may be determined from the movement trajectory.

[0031] As described above, according to the map storage system of the first embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it is possible to store the necessary maps as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0032] [Second embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Similar to the first embodiment, the map storage system according to the second embodiment instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred. However, the second embodiment is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle has been parked forward, and to store map information about the vicinity of the parking position of the forward parking.

[0033] Figure 4 shows an example of forward parking. Figure 4(a) illustrates a situation where a vehicle is forward-parked in a parking lot with a parking space. Figure 4(b) illustrates a situation where a vehicle is forward-parked in a home parking lot.

[0034] The overall configuration of a map storage system according to a second embodiment will be described briefly with reference to the functional block diagram of Fig. 5. In addition to the components of the first embodiment, the map storage system according to the second embodiment further includes an external environment information acquisition unit 109 that acquires external environment information, and the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines the behavior of the vehicle based on the information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109 and behavior history information. The external environment information acquisition unit 109 is configured to acquire spatial information in the vehicle's traveling direction and to acquire information regarding the presence or absence of vehicles around the host vehicle.

[0035] In forward parking as shown in Figure 4, no turning is performed as a rule, and therefore it is difficult to determine that the vehicle has arrived at the destination using the system configuration and determination method of the first embodiment. The map storage system of the second embodiment adds an external environment information acquisition unit 109 to the configuration of the first embodiment, and performs determination according to the procedure described in Figure 6, making it possible to determine that the destination has been reached even in such forward parking. Map information around the forward parking position can then be acquired and stored without user instructions.

[0036] The procedure for determining that forward parking has been performed as shown in Figure 4 and storing the map information in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. This procedure is an example and is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that similar steps may be substituted, other steps may be added, etc. as appropriate.

[0037] As in the first embodiment, the map generation unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc. while the vehicle is traveling, and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During this time, when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (for example, 20 km / h), the behavior history information storage unit 108 receives various types of behavior history information (vehicle speed information, steering information, shift information, parking brake information) from the various input units 104 to 107, and starts storing (acquiring) the information (step S200).

[0038] Subsequently, in steps S201 to S206, it is determined whether or not the behavior history information input from the various input units 104 to 107 satisfies predetermined conditions, and it is also determined whether or not the situation around the vehicle has become a predetermined situation based on the information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109. If a negative (No) determination is made in any of steps S201 to S206, the process returns to step S200, and the same operation is repeated.

[0039] In step S201, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the vehicle is moving forward and traveling at a low speed (for example, 10 km / h or less) based on the vehicle speed information. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202. Note that before proceeding to step S202, the external environment information acquisition unit 109 may detect a parking space and determine whether the host vehicle is moving to this parking space.

[0040] In step S202, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the shift information whether the shift lever has been changed from the "D" range to the "P" range in order to park the vehicle in a parking position. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S202, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0041] In step S203, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines based on the parking brake information whether the parking brake has been operated after the vehicle has reached the parking position. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S203, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0042] In step S204, external environment information is acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109. Then, in the following step S205, it is determined based on the external environment information whether or not there is a fence in the space ahead of the vehicle and whether or not other objects are present (step S205). If the determination in step S205 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S206.

[0043] In step S206, it is determined whether or not there are other vehicles around the host vehicle based on the external environment information acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 109. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S206, the process proceeds to step S207. Note that in step S206, walls around the host vehicle may be detected based on the external environment information, and it may be determined that the host vehicle is in a space surrounded by the walls of a parking lot. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S206, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has completed parking at the target parking position, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 and store it there (step S107).

[0044] As described above, according to the map storage system of the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior (forward parking) has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it is possible to store the necessary maps as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0045] [Third embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Similar to the above-described embodiments, the map storage system according to the third embodiment also instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred. However, the map storage system according to the third embodiment is configured to determine that the vehicle is entering an intersection as vehicle behavior, and to transfer map information in the vicinity of the intersection from the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 and store it non-temporarily.

[0046] The overall configuration of the map storage system of the third embodiment can be the same as that of the second embodiment (FIG. 5), with an external world information acquisition unit 109 added to the system of the first embodiment.

[0047] In the third embodiment, when it is detected that the vehicle speed has fallen below a predetermined threshold and the steering amount of the vehicle's steering wheel has exceeded a predetermined value, the external environment information acquisition unit 109 acquires images of roadside markings, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, traffic lights, etc. as external environment information. By judging these images, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has entered an intersection, and map data captured and stored in the surrounding area can be transferred and stored from the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102.

[0048] As described above, according to the map storage system of the third embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred (entering an intersection), and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it is possible to store the necessary maps as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0049] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a map storage system according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Similar to the above-described embodiments, the map storage system according to the fourth embodiment also instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the map temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 when the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior has occurred.

[0050] However, in the system of the fourth embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, an earth coordinate input unit 110 that acquires coordinate information from a terrestrial position detection device such as a GPS is connected to the behavior history information storage unit 108. GPS data (coordinate information) is provided as behavior history information from the earth coordinate input unit 110, which is different from the previous embodiments in this respect. For example, frequently traveled roads are acquired as GPS data, and the behavior of the vehicle is determined according to this GPS data, and it is determined whether or not to store the data in the map.

[0051] The behavior history information storage unit 108 stores the coordinate information input from the earth coordinate input unit 110, including past coordinate information, as appropriate, and the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines whether the past coordinate information and the current coordinate information are the same, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to non-temporarily store the data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102 according to the determination result. As an example, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 can determine that the past coordinate information and the current coordinate information are the same when the same coordinate information is obtained a threshold number of times (for example, three times) or more over a predetermined range or more.

[0052] The procedure for determining whether a road is a frequently traveled road and storing the map information in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9. This procedure is an example and is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that similar steps may be substituted, other steps may be added, etc. as appropriate.

[0053] As in the case of the above-described embodiment, the map generation unit 100 generates map data based on information from an on-board camera, LiDAR, SONAR, etc. while the vehicle is traveling, and stores the generated map data in the map data temporary storage unit 101. During this time, the behavior history information storage unit 108 appropriately acquires current coordinate information of the vehicle from the earth coordinate input unit 110 (step S300).

[0054] When a predetermined amount of current coordinate information is obtained, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 acquires past coordinate information stored in the behavior history information storage unit 108 (step S301), and determines whether the degree of match between the stored coordinate information and the current coordinate information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and whether a match has been confirmed multiple times at the same location in the past (step S302). If this determination is affirmative (Yes), the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the location is a frequently passed location (road, etc.), and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102 for storage (step S303).

[0055] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that a predetermined vehicle behavior (passing a frequently used road) has occurred, and based on the determination result, the map generation unit 100 can non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 in the map data storage unit 102. Therefore, it is possible to store a required map as needed without relying on user operations or navigation information.

[0056] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, a part of one embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or substituted for a part of the configuration of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 100...Map generation unit 101...Map data temporary storage unit 102...Map data storage unit 103...Vehicle behavior determination unit 104...Vehicle speed input section 105...Vehicle steering input unit 106...Vehicle shift input section 107...Vehicle parking brake input section 108...Behavior history information storage unit 109…External world information acquisition department 110...Earth coordinate input section

Claims

1. a map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle; a map data temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the map data; a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit; a behavior history information storage unit that stores behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle; a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit should be stored in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information; an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A map storage device comprising: the map creation unit constantly creates the map data after the map storage device is started, and stores the created map data in the map data temporary storage unit in a cyclical manner as a ring buffer; When the behavior history information indicates that the vehicle has moved forward at a vehicle speed equal to or less than a threshold and parked, the vehicle behavior determination unit determines, based on the external environment information, whether or not the vehicle has completed parking at a target parking position, and when it determines that the vehicle has completed parking, instructs the map creation unit to non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit; the map creation unit non-temporarily stores the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit in accordance with the instruction from the vehicle behavior determination unit.

2. a map creation unit that creates map data of a route traveled by a vehicle; a map data temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the map data; a map data storage unit that non-temporarily stores a portion of the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit; a behavior history information storage unit that stores behavior history information that is a history of the behavior of the vehicle; a vehicle behavior determination unit that determines whether or not the map data temporarily stored in the map data temporary storage unit should be stored in the map data storage unit based on the behavior history information; an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A map storage device comprising: the map creation unit constantly creates the map data after the map storage device is started, and stores the created map data in the map data temporary storage unit in a cyclical manner as a ring buffer; When the behavior history information indicates that the vehicle has traveled at a speed equal to or less than a threshold and has steered at a speed equal to or greater than a threshold, the vehicle behavior determination unit determines, based on the external environment information, whether the vehicle has entered an intersection, and instructs the map creation unit to non-temporarily store the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit based on the result of the determination. the map creation unit non-temporarily stores the map data stored in the map data temporary storage unit in the map data storage unit in accordance with the instruction from the vehicle behavior determination unit.

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