JP2003337029A - Position detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect an actual relative positional relation between own vehicle and another vehicle by receiving positional information, which is used to detect the position of a vehicle, from the other vehicles traveling near the its own vehicle and specifying positions of its own vehicle and the other vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: The position detecting device is provided with an own vehicle information generating section 12 which generates positional information of its own vehicle, an other vehicle information receiving section 13 which receives positional information of the other vehicles generated by the other vehicles, a map reading section which reads a map, and a position specifying section 14 which calculates the relative positional relation between its own vehicle and the other vehicles based on both GPS information contained in the positional information of its own vehicle and GPS information contained in the positional information of the other vehicles, makes the positions of its own vehicle and the other vehicles match with the read map and specifies them while keeping the relative positional relation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position detecting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a large number of traffic accidents have occurred, and a large number of casualties have been caused by the traffic accidents. Moreover, even if a traffic accident does not occur, it is considered that more dangerous situations that may cause a traffic accident, such as a situation where vehicles are abnormally approaching each other, occur. Preventing a situation from occurring will reduce the number of traffic accidents.

Analysis of the causes of traffic accidents suggests that about half of the traffic accidents that cause fatalities are caused by delays in finding vehicles. From this, it is clear that it is necessary for the drivers of the vehicles to accurately grasp the positions of the vehicles with each other in order to reduce traffic accidents. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle can accurately grasp the position of another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle, and the driver of another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle can accurately grasp the position of the own vehicle. What is needed is a device to assist driving.

Therefore, GPS (Global Posi)
There is proposed a position detecting device that utilizes a positioning system (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-43517). In this case, the position detection device receives the position information of the other vehicle transmitted by the other vehicle, identifies the position of the other vehicle based on the position information, and on the other hand, based on the GPS information received by the own vehicle. Locate the car. Then, the current locations of the own vehicle and the other vehicle are specified, and the driver is displayed and notified of the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional position detecting device, there is a large error and the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle cannot be accurately detected. In this case, the position detection device receives the other vehicle position information transmitted by the other vehicle, identifies the other vehicle position based on the other vehicle position information, and determines the own vehicle position based on the GPS information received from the GPS satellite. By specifying, the positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle is specified. At this time, position information is calculated and transmitted for the own vehicle and the other vehicle by different calculation methods. Here, when the calculation method of the position information is different, in addition to the error originally included in the GPS information, an error occurs due to the different calculation method. Therefore, the error in the positional information between the own vehicle and the other vehicle becomes large.

The present invention solves the problems of the conventional position detecting device described above, and receives positioning information, which is information for detecting the position of a vehicle, from another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle, An object of the present invention is to provide a position detection device that can detect the actual relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle with high accuracy by specifying the vehicle position and the other vehicle position.

[0007]

Therefore, in the position detecting device of the present invention, the own vehicle information creating section for creating the own vehicle position information and the other vehicle information for receiving the other vehicle position information created by another vehicle. The relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the receiving unit, the map reading unit that reads the map, and the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information. A position specifying unit that specifies the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position by matching them on the read map while maintaining the relative positional relationship.

In another position detecting apparatus of the present invention, the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information are G from a common satellite.
This is PS information.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, the own vehicle position information is based on yaw rate information, vehicle speed information or traveling locus information.

[0010] In still another position detecting device of the present invention, it further has an own vehicle information transmitting section for transmitting the own vehicle position information to another vehicle.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, the position specifying unit further comprises a GP from a common satellite.
The relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the S information, and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected based on the yaw rate information, the vehicle speed information, or the traveling locus information.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, when the position specifying unit determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are on an actual road, the own vehicle and the other vehicle are While maintaining the relative positional relationship with, the vehicle position and other vehicle position are corrected so that the vehicle position matches the road on the map, and the other vehicle position matches the road on the map. Thus, the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle are corrected.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, when the position specifying unit determines that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position is on an actual road,
While maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position matches the road on the map.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, further, in the position specifying unit, both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on an actual road, and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. When it is determined, the matching candidate point of the point determined to have the own vehicle position on the map is selected, and the matching with the smallest penalty on the map is maintained while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle. The own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that the own vehicle position matches the candidate point.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, the position specifying unit determines that neither the own vehicle position nor the other vehicle position is on an actual road and the vehicle speed is not higher than a predetermined value. In this case, while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so as to match the point on the map where the own vehicle position is determined to be.

In still another position detecting device of the present invention, there is further provided a notifying unit for notifying the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle specified by the position specifying unit by an image or a sound.

In the position detecting method of the present invention, the own vehicle position information is created, the other vehicle position information created by another vehicle is received, the map is read, and the GP included in the own vehicle position information is received.
Based on the S information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information, the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated, and while maintaining the relative positional relationship, the own vehicle position and the The other vehicle position is matched and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are specified.

In the position detecting program of the present invention,
A computer is included in the own vehicle information creating unit that creates the own vehicle position information, the other vehicle information receiving unit that receives the other vehicle position information created by another vehicle, the map reading unit that reads the map, and the own vehicle position information. The relative position relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information and the other vehicle position information, and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are read while maintaining the relative positional relationship. It is made to function as a position specifying unit that matches and specifies on the map.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the position detecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention from the viewpoint of function, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the position detecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, 11 is a vehicle such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a motorcycle, a work vehicle or the like traveling on a road, 31 is another vehicle traveling around the vehicle 11,
That is, it is the other vehicle and includes the first other vehicle 31-1 and the second other vehicle 31-2. Reference numeral 41 is a GPS satellite that orbits around the earth and transmits GPS information.

Here, another vehicle 3 traveling around the own vehicle 11
The number of 1 may be any number, and may be one or three or more, but in FIG. 2, the first other vehicle 31-1 and the second other vehicle 31-2 are shown. However, it is shown as a representative of the other vehicle 31 as all the peripheral vehicles traveling around the own vehicle 11. Moreover, although there are actually a plurality of GPS satellites (for example, 24 in 6 orbits),
In, a single GPS satellite 41 is shown as representative of all GPS satellites. Further, the first other vehicle 31-1 and the second other vehicle 31-2 are also the own vehicle 11
However, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the position detection device 20 of the own vehicle 11 will be described, and the first other vehicle 31-1 and the second other vehicle 31 will be described. The description of the configuration of the position detecting device No. 2 will be omitted.

In the position detecting device 20 of the own vehicle 11, reference numeral 21 is a navigation control device for executing basic processing as a navigation device such as displaying a map, recognizing the current position of the own vehicle 11, route guidance and the like. Further, 22 is the own vehicle 1
This is a position detection control device that executes processing for detecting the positions of the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 31, and is configured to transmit and receive various information to and from the navigation control device 21. And 23
Is a signal transmission device that wirelessly transmits information such as GPS information received by the vehicle 11 and various vehicle state information indicating the state of the vehicle 11 in response to a command from the position detection control device 22. Further, 24 is the GP from the GPS satellite 41.
GPS that receives S information and sends it to the navigation control device 21
The receiving device has the same configuration as that used in a normal navigation device. The vehicle state information includes accelerator opening, movement of the brake pedal operated by the driver, and steering of the steering wheel operated by the driver.
Angle, movement of the winker switch operated by the driver, movement of the shift lever of the transmission operated by the driver, vehicle traveling speed, that is, vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, yaw rate indicating changes in the direction in which the vehicle is heading, etc. Is included.

Here, 25 is the GP transmitted by the other vehicle 31.
The signal receiving device receives information such as S information and various vehicle state information indicating the state of the other vehicle 31 and transmits the information to the position detection control device 22. An alarm device 26 includes a lamp, a buzzer, a speaker, and the like, and issues an alarm to the driver of the own vehicle 11 in response to a command from the position detection control device 22. 27 is a CRT, a liquid crystal display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode)
e) A display device that includes a display, a holographic device, etc., and displays the position, map, route, etc. of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 in response to a command from the position detection control device 22.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a sensor information receiving device that receives various vehicle state information indicating the state of the own vehicle 11 from various sensors and sends it to the position detection control device 22.
In this case, the sensor includes an accelerator opening sensor for detecting an accelerator opening, a brake switch for detecting a movement of a brake pedal operated by a driver, and a steering wheel for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel operated by a driver. Sensor, winker sensor for detecting movement of winker switch operated by driver, shift lever sensor for detecting movement of shift lever of transmission operated by driver, own vehicle 1
A traveling speed of 1, that is, a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed,
An acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 11 and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate indicating the change in the direction in which the vehicle 11 is heading are included.

Here, the navigation control device 21 uses the CP
U, MPU and the like computing means, semiconductor memory, magnetic disk and other storage means, communication interface and the like. The storage means includes a database including a map data file, an intersection data file, a node data file, a road data file, and a facility information data file in which information on facilities such as hotels and gas stations in each region is recorded. . Then, in the storage means, in addition to data for searching a route, a guide map is displayed along the searched route on the screen of the display device 27, a distance to the next intersection, a next intersection, etc. Various data for displaying the traveling direction and the like and other guidance information are recorded. The storage means also stores various data for outputting predetermined information by voice. The storage means is a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, magnetic drum, flash memory, CD-ROM, MD, DV.
It includes a recording medium of any form such as a D-ROM, an optical disc, an MO, an IC card, an optical card, and a memory card, and a removable external storage medium can also be used.

Then, intersection data is recorded in the intersection data file, node data is recorded in the node data file, road data is recorded in the road data file, and the road condition is recorded by the intersection data, the node data and the road data. It is displayed on the screen of the display device 27. The intersection data includes the type of intersection, that is, an intersection where a traffic signal light device is installed or an intersection where a traffic signal light device is not installed. The node data constitutes at least the position and shape of the road in the map data recorded in the map data file, and includes actual road branch points (including intersections, T-junctions, etc.), node points. , And data indicating links connecting the respective node points. Further, the node point indicates at least the position of the bending point of the road.

The road data includes, for the road itself, width, gradient, cant, altitude, bank, number of lanes on the road, a point where the number of lanes is reduced, a point where the width is narrowed, and the like. Is included. In the case of a highway or a main road, each of the lanes in the opposite direction is stored as separate road data and processed as a two-way road. For example, in the case of a highway having two or more lanes on each side, it is processed as a two-lane road, and the up lane and the down lane are stored in the road data as independent roads. Further, regarding the corner, data such as a radius of curvature, an intersection, a T-shaped road, and a corner entrance are included. Further, the road attributes include data such as level crossings, highway entrance / exit ramp ways, highway toll gates, road types (national roads, major local roads, general roads, highways, etc.).

Further, the communication interface of the navigation control device 21 communicates with the position detection control device 22 and exchanges various data with the FM transmission device, telephone line network, Internet, mobile phone network and the like. It is desirable that it can transmit and receive. For example, it is desirable to receive various kinds of data such as road information such as traffic jam received by an information sensor (not shown), traffic accident information, D-GPS information for detecting a detection error of the GPS sensor, and the like.

Then, the navigation control device 21 executes various processes such as searching for a route to a destination, driving guidance on the route, determining a specific section, searching for a point, facility, etc., and displaying the map on the display device 27. On the map, the current position of the vehicle, the route from the current position to the destination, guidance information along the route, and the like are displayed. The guidance information may be output as voice by a sounding unit. further,
The navigation control device 21 can detect the current position of the other vehicle 31 based on the information such as the GPS information from the other vehicle 31 received by the signal receiving device 25, the traveling locus, and the signals of various sensors.

The position detection control device 22 includes a CPU,
An arithmetic unit such as an MPU, a semiconductor memory, a storage unit such as a magnetic disk, and a communication interface are provided. here,
The storage means is a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a magnetic drum, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, an MD, a DVD-.
It includes all types of recording media such as ROM, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, and memory card, and a removable external storage medium can also be used.

Then, the position detection control device 22 follows the GP according to the control program stored in the storage means.
G received from the S satellite 41 via the GPS receiver 24
Based on various vehicle state information received from the PS information and the sensor information receiving device 28, and the GPS information and various vehicle state information transmitted by the other vehicle 31 received via the signal receiving device 25, the own vehicle 11 and others The relative position and relative distance to the vehicle 31 are output. In this case, by performing map matching, the relative position and relative distance between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are corrected.

In the present embodiment, the position detecting device 20
As shown in FIG. 1, from the viewpoint of function, the own vehicle information creation unit 12 that creates the positioning information of the own vehicle 11 as the own vehicle position information, and the own vehicle information created by the other vehicle 31 as the other vehicle position information. The other vehicle information receiving unit 13 that receives the positioning information of the vehicle 31, the relative position of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 based on the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information. While calculating the relationship and maintaining the relative positional relationship,
A position specifying unit 14 that specifies the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position by matching them on the read map, an informing unit 15 that notifies the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position specified by the position specifying unit 14 by image or sound, It has a vehicle information transmission unit 16 for transmitting the positioning information of the vehicle 11 to another vehicle 31, and a map reading unit (not shown) for reading a map.

Here, when the positioning information is the traveling state information, the sensor information receiving device 28 and the navigation control device 21 function as the own vehicle information creating section 12, and when the positioning information includes the GPS information, the GPS reception is performed. The device 24 also functions as the own vehicle information creation unit 12. Then, the signal reception device 25 functions as the other vehicle information reception unit 13. In addition, the navigation control device 2
1 and the position detection control device 22 function as the position specifying unit 14. Further, the alarm device 26 and the display device 27 function as the notification unit 15, and the signal transmission device 23 functions as the own vehicle information transmission unit 16.

The traveling state information is yaw rate information, vehicle speed information or traveling locus information. In this case, the yaw rate information includes the yaw rate detected by a yaw rate sensor such as a vibration gyro, a gas rate gyro, or an optical fiber gyro, as well as an absolute azimuth or an absolute traveling direction detected by a geomagnetic sensor or the like. Further, the yaw rate information also includes information similar to the yaw rate calculated based on the deviation from the white line on the road detected by the steering angle of the steering wheel, the CCD, the laser detector, and the like. Also,
The vehicle speed information includes, in addition to the vehicle speed, information for calculating a moving distance of the vehicle such as a traveling distance of the vehicle. Further, the traveling locus information is a traveling locus when the yaw rate information is a yaw rate, but when the yaw rate information is an absolute azimuth or an absolute traveling direction, the point where the vehicle was located immediately before is uniquely determined. Any information may be used as long as it is possible position information.

Next, the operation of the position detecting device 20 having the above structure will be described.

FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing the outline of the operation of the position detecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing the outline of the operation of the position detecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 and FIG. 5 are flowcharts showing the operation of the position detecting device in the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 41-1 to 41-5 are GPS satellites, and in this case, five GPS satellites are shown.

Here, the overall flow of the operation of the position detection device 20 will be described. First, the position detecting device 20 executes basic navigation processing. In this case, own vehicle 1
1 detection of the current position, search for a route to the destination, driving guidance on the route, determination of a specific section, search for points, facilities, etc., display the map on the screen of the display device 27, and display on the map. The current position of the vehicle 11, the route from the current position to the destination, guidance information along the route, and the like are displayed.

Next, the position detecting device 20 executes the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process. A part of the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process overlaps with the navigation basic process. In this case, G
Based on the GPS information received by the PS receiving device 24, the vehicle state information such as the vehicle speed detected by the sensor information receiving device 28, and the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11 recorded by the navigation control device 21, the current state of the own vehicle 11 The position, that is, the vehicle position is specified. In addition, the GPS received by the GPS receiving device 24
The information, the vehicle state information detected by the sensor information receiving device 28, the information such as the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11 recorded by the navigation control device 21, is transmitted via the signal transmitting device 23 as shown in FIG. It is transmitted to another vehicle 31 traveling around 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the GPS information transmitted by the other vehicle 31, the GPS state information of the other vehicle 31, the information such as the traveling path, and the like received by the other vehicle 31 are received via the signal receiving device 25 as shown in FIG. To be done.

Next, the position detection device 20 executes a relative position calculation process. In this case, as shown in FIG.
GPS information received by the GPS receiving device 24, vehicle state information detected by the sensor information receiving device 28, navigation control device 2
The information such as the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11 recorded by No. 1 and the GP received by the other vehicle 31 received via the signal receiving device 25.
The relative position of the other vehicle 31 is calculated based on the own vehicle position based on the S information, the vehicle state information of the other vehicle 31, the traveling locus, and other information.

Next, the position detecting device 20 executes a map matching process. In this case, the own vehicle position specified by the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process, and the relative position of the other vehicle 31 calculated by the relative position calculating process are recorded in the storage means of the navigation control device 21. Map matching is performed so that the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle match the road on the map by comparing with the existing map data. In the map matching process, the relative position and relative distance between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 calculated by the relative position calculation process are not changed.

Finally, the position detecting device 20 executes an informing process. In this case, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position identified by the map matching process are displayed in a superimposed manner on the map displayed on the screen of the display device 27. As a result, the driver of the own vehicle 11 can accurately grasp the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position. Further, when the own vehicle 11 is highly likely to approach the surrounding vehicles, the warning device 26 notifies the driver of the own vehicle 11 to the driver of the own vehicle 11 as shown in FIG. 3 in response to a command from the position detection control device 22. To issue an alarm. As a result, the driver can take measures so as not to approach the other vehicle 31.

The navigation basic process, the own vehicle position specifying process, the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process, the relative position calculating process, the map matching process and the informing process are repeatedly executed in a predetermined cycle (for example, 16 [msec]). .

Next, the flow chart will be described.
In step S1, basic navigation processing is executed. In step S2, the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process are executed. Step S3 The relative position calculation process is executed. In step S4, map matching processing is executed.
In step S5, the notification process is executed.

Next, the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operations of the own vehicle position specifying process and the vehicle information transmitting / receiving process in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, in the position detecting device 20, the GPS receiving device 24 is capable of receiving GPS information.
It is determined whether the number of satellites 41 is four or more. Then, the GPS satellite 41 that was able to receive the GPS information
Is four or more, the position detection device 20
GP received from four GPS satellites 41-1 to 41-4
Based on the S information, the own vehicle position specifying calculation process for specifying the own vehicle position is executed. For example, in this case, various numerical values included in the GPS information are substituted into the four-dimensional simultaneous equations represented by the following equations (1) to (4) and solved to solve the coordinates of the own vehicle position and the four unknowns. The time of the GPS clock of the car 11 is calculated.

[0048]

[Equation 1]

Here, x, y and z are coordinates of the vehicle position, and t
Is the time indicated by the GPS clock of the own vehicle 11. Also, xn
, Yn and nz are the coordinates (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) of the nth GPS satellite 41-n, and tn is the nth GPS satellite 4
It is the time indicated by the 1-n GPS clock, and the GPS satellite 41
It is included in the GPS information received from -1 to 41-4. Note that c indicates the speed of light. As a result, the time t
The coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle position at are identified.

If the number of GPS satellites 41 that can receive GPS information is not four or more, the GPS satellite 41 that the GPS receiver 24 of the position detecting device 20 can receive GPS information is. Judge whether the number of is three. Then, when the number of GPS satellites 41 capable of receiving GPS information is three, the position detection device 20 is based on the GPS information received from the three GPS satellites 41-1 to 41-3, A vehicle position specifying calculation process for specifying the vehicle position is executed.

In this case, the four unknowns to be calculated are the time t and the coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle position, but the GPS satellites 41 that can receive GPS information.
Since there are only three, it becomes impossible to solve the quaternary simultaneous equations using the numerical values included in the GPS information. Therefore, in general, z, which is the coordinate component in the height direction at the vehicle position where the change amount is considered to be extremely small,
The numerical value of z is substituted with the numerical value of z calculated by the own vehicle position specifying calculation process in the previous cycle, and is treated as a known number. That is, the height z of the vehicle position is fixed. Accordingly, by substituting various numerical values included in the GPS information into the three-dimensional simultaneous equations composed of the equations (1) to (3), the coordinates of the own vehicle position, which is three unknowns (where z is a known number). Also, the time of the GPS clock of the own vehicle 11 can be calculated.

Furthermore, when the number of GPS satellites 41 that can receive GPS information is not three, that is, G
When the number of GPS satellites 41 that can receive the PS information is two or less, the position of the vehicle cannot be accurately specified based on the GPS information. The position specifying process based on the vehicle state information detected by the sensor information receiving device 28 is executed to specify the coordinates (x, y, z) of the own vehicle position at time t. In addition,
The position specifying process based on the vehicle state information will be described later.

When the coordinates (x, y, z) of the vehicle position at time t are specified, the position detecting device 20
Executes the own vehicle data transmission process. In this case, GPS
GPS information received by the receiving device 24, vehicle speed information detected by the sensor information receiving device 28, vehicle state information such as yaw rate,
Information such as the traveling locus of the vehicle 11 recorded by the navigation control device 21 is transmitted to the other vehicle 31 by the signal transmission device 23.

Subsequently, the position detecting device 20 executes the other person data receiving process. In this case, the signal receiving device 25
Receives from the other vehicle 31 GPS information received by the other vehicle 31, vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 31 detected by a sensor of the other vehicle 31, vehicle state information such as yaw rate, and traveling locus of the other vehicle 31.

Next, the flowchart will be described.
Step S2-1 GPS satellite 4 that could be received
It is determined whether the number of 1 is 4 or more. When the number of GPS satellites 41 that can be received is four or more, the process proceeds to step S2-4, and when the number is less than four, the process proceeds to step S2-2. Step S2-2 GPS satellite 4 that could be received
It is determined whether or not the number of 1 is three. When the number of GPS satellites 41 that can be received is three, the process proceeds to step S2-3, and when the number is less than three, step S2-.
Go to 5. Step S2-3: Fix the height z of the vehicle position. In step S2-4, the own vehicle position specifying calculation process is performed. Step S2-5: The position specifying process based on the vehicle state information is performed. Step S2-6 Car data transmission processing is performed. Step S2-7 Other vehicle data reception processing is performed, and the processing ends.

Next, the position specifying process based on the vehicle state information will be described.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method of updating the vehicle position based on the yaw rate according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
6 is a flowchart showing an operation of position specifying processing based on vehicle state information in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the position detecting device 20 determines whether or not the target of the position specifying process is the own vehicle 11, that is, whether the position of the own vehicle 11 or the position of the other vehicle 31 is specified. When the position of the vehicle 11 is specified, the position detecting device 20 uses the vehicle speed information detected by the sensor information receiving device 28, vehicle state information such as yaw rate, and the navigation control device 2.
The information such as the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11 recorded by No. 1 is acquired.
On the other hand, when the position of the other vehicle 31 is specified, the position detecting device 20 uses the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the other vehicle 31 detected by the sensor of the other vehicle 31 from the information received by the signal receiving device 25 from the other vehicle 31. And the like, and information such as the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31 is acquired.

Next, the position detecting device 20 executes a current position specifying process. Since the current position specifying process is the same whether the position of the own vehicle 11 is specified or the position of the other vehicle 31 is specified, here, the current position specifying process when specifying the position of the own vehicle 11 will be described. , FIG. 7 will be described. Note that FIG. 7A shows the current position calculated by the current position specifying process in the previous cycle, that is, the state of the current position before updating, and FIG. 7B shows the current position specifying in the current cycle. The current position calculated at the present time, that is, the state of the updated current position is shown.

In this case, the position detecting device 20 firstly determines the current position calculated by the current position specifying process in the previous cycle, that is, the current position 33a before updating to the current position at the present time, that is, the current after updating. Position 33
The moving distance d as the distance to b is calculated based on the vehicle speed. In this case, the moving distance d is calculated by the following equation (5). d = v × T (5) where v is the vehicle speed, and T is the time from the time when the current position specifying process is executed in the previous cycle to the time when the current current position specifying process is executed. Yes, position detection device 2
0 is a cycle (for example, 16 [msec]) at which the current position specifying process is repeatedly executed. The T may be measured or may be calculated based on the time t included in the received GPS information.

Subsequently, the position detecting device 20 causes the traveling direction 35a of the own vehicle 11 at the current position 33a before updating.
Is set based on the acquired travel path 34 of the own vehicle 11. In FIG. 7A, the length of the arrow indicating the traveling direction 35a indicates the moving distance d. Subsequently, the traveling direction 35a is corrected based on the yaw rate 36 indicating the change in the azimuth of the vehicle 11, and the current traveling direction 35b is determined. In this case, the current traveling direction 35b
The length of the arrow indicating is equal to the length of the arrow indicating the traveling direction 35a and indicates the movement distance d. Therefore, in FIG. 7A, the position 35c at the tip of the arrow indicating the current traveling direction 35b corresponds to the current position at the present time, that is, the updated current position 33b in FIG. 7B.

The length of the arrow indicating the traveling direction 35a may not indicate the moving distance d. In this case, after the traveling direction 35a is corrected and the current traveling direction 35b is determined, the length of the arrow indicating the current traveling direction 35b is adjusted to be the length of the moving distance d.

Finally, the position detecting device 20 changes the current position from the current position 33a before updating to the current position 33 after updating.
After updating to b, the current position specifying process based on the vehicle state information is ended. As a result, even if GPS information cannot be received from three or more GPS satellites 41, the vehicle position of the vehicle 11 can be specified.

When the position of the other vehicle 31 is specified, the position detecting device 20 uses the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 31 received by the signal receiving device 25, vehicle state information such as yaw rate, the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31, etc. The current position specifying process is executed based on the information of. As a result, the other vehicle 31 has three or more G
Even when GPS information cannot be received from the PS satellite 41, the own vehicle position of the other vehicle 31 can be specified.

Next, the flowchart will be described. Step S2-5-1: It is judged whether or not the vehicle is the own vehicle 11. If it is the own vehicle 11, the process proceeds to step S2-5-2, and if it is the other vehicle 31, the process proceeds to step S2-5-3. Step S2-5-2: Obtain the own vehicle information. Step S2-5-3 Acquires other vehicle information. Step S2-5-4 The current position specifying process is performed, and the process is ended.

Next, the relative position calculation process will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of another vehicle position specifying calculation processing based on vehicle state information in the embodiment of the present invention,
10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the relative position calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the operation of the first other vehicle relative position calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a second other vehicle relative position calculation process in the embodiment of FIG.

In this case, the position detecting device 20 uses the other vehicle 31
Relative position of the other vehicle 31 with respect to the own vehicle 11 (Δx,
Δy, Δz) are calculated.

First, the position detecting device 20 receives the GPS information received by the GPS receiving device 24 and the signal receiving device 25.
The number of common satellites is counted based on the GPS information transmitted from the other vehicle 31 received by. Here, the common satellite means that the own vehicle 11 can receive GPS information, and the other vehicle 31 can also receive GPS information.
The PS satellite 41. Then, the position detection device 20
Executes the first other vehicle relative position calculation processing when the number of common satellites is three or more, and when the number of common satellites is not three or more, that is, two or less, the second The other vehicle relative position calculation processing is executed.

When the number of common satellites is three or more, the position detecting device 20 determines whether the number of common satellites is four or more. When the number of common satellites is four or more, the position detection device 20 uses the own vehicle position as a reference based on the GPS information received from the GPS satellites 41-1 to 41-4, which are four common satellites. And other car 31
Calculate the relative position of. In this case, the GP received from the four common satellites, GPS satellites 41-1 to 41-4
By substituting various numerical values included in the S information into the quaternary simultaneous equations represented by the following equations (6) to (9) and solving them, the coordinates of the relative position of the other vehicle 31, which is four unknowns, and others. The time of the GPS clock of the car 31 is calculated.

[0071]

[Equation 2]

Here, x, y, z are coordinates of the vehicle position, Δ
x, Δy, and Δz are coordinates indicating the relative position of the other vehicle 31 with respect to the own vehicle position, that is, deviations of the coordinates of the other vehicle position with respect to the coordinates x, y, and z of the own vehicle position. Therefore, the coordinates of the other vehicle position are x + Δx, y + Δy, and z + Δz. Further, tβ is the time indicated by the GPS clock of the other vehicle 31. The coordinates x, y, z of the vehicle position are calculated by the vehicle position specifying calculation process (step S2-4) described above. Further, xn, yn, and zn are the nth GPS satellite 4
1-n coordinates (n = 1, 2, 3, 4), tn are times indicated by the GPS clock of the n-th GPS satellite 41-n, and G
It is included in the GPS information received from the PS satellites 41-1 to 41-4. Note that c indicates the speed of light. As a result, the coordinates (Δx, Δy, Δz) indicating the relative position of the other vehicle 31 with respect to the own vehicle position at time tβ are calculated.

When the number of common satellites is not four or more, that is, when the number of common satellites is three, the position detecting device 20 determines that the three common satellites are GPS satellites 4
Based on the GPS information received from 1-1 to 41-3,
The relative position of the other vehicle 31 is calculated based on the own vehicle position.

In this case, the unknown to be calculated is the time tβ.
And four coordinates (Δx, Δy, Δz) indicating the relative position of the other vehicle 31 with respect to the own vehicle position, but there are only three GPS satellites 41 capable of receiving GPS information. , It becomes impossible to solve the quaternary simultaneous equations using the numerical values included in the GPS information. Therefore, in general, the numerical value of z, which is the coordinate component in the height direction at the vehicle position where the amount of change is considered to be extremely small, is added to the z calculated by the vehicle position specifying calculation process in the previous cycle.
The numerical value of Δz is substituted, and the numerical value of Δz is substituted with the numerical value of Δz calculated in the first other vehicle relative position calculation processing in the previous cycle, and is treated as a known number. As a result, various numerical values included in the GPS information can be calculated using the formula (6) to
By substituting it into the three-dimensional simultaneous equation (8) and solving it, it is possible to calculate the coordinates of the own vehicle position (where z and Δz are known numbers) and the time tβ of the GPS clock, which are three unknowns.

When the number of common satellites is not three or more, that is, when the number of common satellites is two or less, the position detecting device 20 executes the second other vehicle relative position calculation processing. In this case, the position detecting device 20 can receive GPS information from the three or more GPS satellites 41 by the other vehicle 31 based on the GPS information transmitted from the other vehicle 31 received by the signal receiving device 25. Determine whether or not. Then, when the number of GPS satellites 41 from which the other vehicle 31 can receive GPS information is three or more, the position detection device 20 executes another vehicle position identification calculation processing to identify the other vehicle position. To do.

Here, the other vehicle position specifying calculation processing is the same as the own vehicle position specifying calculation processing (step S2-4) described above, which is executed for the other vehicle 31. That is, the G that the other vehicle 31 was able to receive the GPS information
When the number of PS satellites 41 is four or more, the position detection device 20 includes the GPS satellites 41-1 to 41-in which the other vehicle 31 has four.
Based on the GPS information received from No. 4, the various numerical values included in the GPS information are substituted into the quaternary simultaneous equations represented by the equations (1) to (4) and solved to solve another unknown vehicle, which is four unknowns. The coordinates of the position and the time of the GPS clock of the other vehicle 31 are calculated. In this case, x, y, and z are the coordinates of the other vehicle position, and t is the time indicated by the GPS clock of the other vehicle 31. As a result, the coordinates (x, y, z) of the position of the other vehicle at time t
Is specified.

When the number of GPS satellites 41 that can receive GPS information from the other vehicle 31 is three, the variation in the height direction at the other vehicle position, which is generally considered to be extremely small, is considered. The numerical value of z, which is the coordinate component, is substituted with the numerical value of z calculated in the other vehicle position specifying calculation process in the previous cycle, and is treated as a known number. That is, z, which is the height of the position of the other vehicle, is fixed. This allows
The various numerical values included in the GPS information are expressed by the above formulas (1) to (3).
By substituting it into a three-dimensional system of equations
It is possible to calculate the coordinates of the position of the other vehicle (where z is a known number) and the time of the GPS clock of the other vehicle 31, which are three unknowns.

Furthermore, when the number of GPS satellites 41 that the other vehicle 31 was able to receive GPS information is not three or more, that is, the number of GPS satellites 41 that the other vehicle 31 was able to receive GPS information. Is less than or equal to two,
Since the position of the other vehicle cannot be accurately specified based on the GPS information, the position detecting device 20 executes the other vehicle position specifying process based on the vehicle state information such as the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the other vehicle 31, The coordinates (x, y, z) of the other vehicle position at time t are specified. Here, the other vehicle position specifying process is the current position specifying process (step S2-5) for specifying the position of the other vehicle 31 in the position specifying process (step S2-5) based on the vehicle state information described above. 4)
Since it is the same as the above, the description of the current position specifying process when specifying the position of the other vehicle 31 and the description of FIG. 7 are cited. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, even if the other vehicle 31 cannot receive GPS information from the GPS satellites 41, the position detection device 20 of the own vehicle 11 is not able to receive the other vehicle 31.
The position of can be specified.

Next, the flowchart will be described.
First, a flowchart showing the operation of the relative position calculation process will be described. Step S3-1: Count the number of common satellites. Step S3-2: It is judged whether the number of common satellites is three or more. If there are three or more common satellites, step S
If the number of common satellites is less than three, the process proceeds to step S3-4. Step S3-3 The first other vehicle relative position calculation process is performed, and the process is ended. Step S3-4 A second other vehicle relative position calculation process is performed, and the process is ended. .

Next, a flow chart showing the operation of the first other vehicle relative position calculation processing will be described. Step S3-3-1: It is determined whether or not there are four or more common satellites. If there are four or more common satellites, the process proceeds to step S3-3-2, and if there are three common satellites, the process proceeds to step S3-3-3. Step S3-3-2 G received from four common satellites
Based on the PS information, the relative position of the other vehicle 31 (Δx, Δy,
Δz) is calculated, and the process ends. Step S3-3-3 G received from three common satellites
Based on the PS information, the relative position of the other vehicle 31 (Δx, Δy,
Δz) is calculated, and the process ends.

Next, a flow chart showing the operation of the second other vehicle relative position calculation processing will be described. Step S3-4-1: It is determined whether or not the other vehicle 31 receives information from three or more GPS satellites 41. When information is received from three or more GPS satellites 41, the process proceeds to step S3-4-2, and three or more GPS satellites 41 are received.
If the information is not received from step S3-4-3
Proceed to. Step S3-4-2 Performs another vehicle position identification calculation processing,
The process ends. Step S3-4-3 Other vehicle position specifying processing is performed based on the vehicle state information, and the processing ends.

Next, the map matching process will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the outline of the operation of the map matching process in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the operation of the first own-other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention. 15 is the second in the embodiment of the present invention
Showing the operation of the own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing, FIG. 16 shows the operation of the fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is the map matching in the embodiment of the present invention. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing, FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first own-other vehicle position correction processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 19 is the operation of the own-other vehicle road matching processing in the embodiment of the present invention. 21 is a flow chart showing the operation of the second own-other vehicle position correction processing in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
23 is a flowchart showing the operation of the third own-other vehicle position correction processing in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fourth own-other vehicle position correction processing in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation of a fifth own-other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation of a sixth own-other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

Generally, in the vehicle navigation device, the map matching process is executed so that the current position of the vehicle specified based on the GPS information is located on the road on the map. This is because, as shown in FIG. 13A, the current position of the vehicle specified based on the GPS information includes an error, and thus often deviates slightly from the road on the map. Therefore, based on the premise that "the vehicle normally runs on the road," the GP
A map matching process for moving the current position of the vehicle specified based on the S information onto the road on the map is executed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, the current position of the vehicle is located on the road on the map.

Here, in the present embodiment, the position detection device 20 is adapted to identify the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 based on the GPS information received from the common satellite. In this case, the relative position and relative distance between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are considered to be accurate. Therefore, in the map matching process in this embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 13C, the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31
If the current position of the vehicle is specified based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, the relative position and the relative distance between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31, that is, the relative positional relationship is maintained, and the own vehicle 11 And the map matching process for moving the current position of the other vehicle 31 to the road on the map is executed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13D, the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are located on the road on the map.

First, when the relative position of the other vehicle 31 is specified, the position detecting device 20 determines whether or not the calculation is performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite. That is, the first other vehicle relative position calculation process (step S3-3).
Or the second other vehicle relative position calculation process (step S3-4) is executed.

When the calculation is performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, the position detecting device 20
Determines whether or not the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are on the road on the map based on the traveling locus. First, the position detection device 20 determines whether or not the vehicle position is on the road on the map based on the traveling locus of the vehicle 11, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate. When it is determined that the own vehicle position is on the road on the map, the position detection device 20 determines whether or not the other vehicle position is on the road on the map based on the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31. Accordingly, when it is determined that the other vehicle position is on the road in the map, the position detection device 20 determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are on the actual road, and the first own and other vehicle is detected. Position correction processing is executed.

In this case, the position detecting device 20 first obtains the node data recorded in the storage means of the navigation control device 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 14A, the own vehicle position 42, which is the current position of the own vehicle 11 at the position represented by the coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ , z ₁ ), is changed to the own vehicle 11
The vehicle is moved to a position determined based on the traveling locus, the vehicle speed and the yaw rate, that is, the current position 42 ′ based on the traveling locus, the vehicle speed and the yaw rate. Here, the current position 42 'based on the vehicle speed and the yaw rate is on a node on the road 44 in the map. At this time, the coordinates (x ₂ , y ₂ ,
The other vehicle position 43, which is the current position of the other vehicle 31 at the position represented by z ₂ ), is also moved so that the relative positional relationship 46 is not broken, that is, Δx and Δy are maintained. Note that FIG. 14 is a plan view, and a change in coordinates in the height direction is omitted. Further, 47 is the traveling direction of the own vehicle 11, and 48 is the traveling direction of the other vehicle 31.

Subsequently, the position detecting device 20 determines whether or not the other vehicle position 43 matches the position determined based on the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31, that is, the other vehicle position 43 'based on the traveling locus. To determine. Here, the other vehicle position 43 ′ based on the traveling locus is on a node on the road 45 in the map. Then, when the other vehicle position 43 matches the other vehicle position 43 ′ based on the traveling locus on the road 45, both the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are on the road 44 on the map.
And the road 45, the map matching process ends.

If the other vehicle position 43 does not match the other vehicle position 43 'based on the traveling locus, the position detecting device 20
Executes the own vehicle / other vehicle road matching process. In this case, the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are as shown in FIG. 14 (b). Here, the own vehicle position 42 has moved to a node on the road 44, and the other vehicle position 43 has moved to a position where the relative positional relationship 46 with the own vehicle position 42 is not broken. . That is, Δx and Δy are maintained. In addition, in FIG. 14B, 42a indicates the own vehicle position before the movement, that is, the own vehicle position 42 in FIG. 14A, and 43a indicates the other vehicle position before the movement, that is, the other vehicle position in FIG. 14A. The vehicle position 43 is shown.

Subsequently, the position detecting device 20 determines that the other vehicle position 43 is currently located on the road 4
5 and the other vehicle position 43 ′ are determined based on the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate. And other vehicle position 4
3 is road 45 which is considered to be located at the present time
The other vehicle position 43 and the own vehicle position 42 are moved so as to be located above. At this time, the own vehicle position 42, which is the current position of the own vehicle 11 on the road 44, does not deviate from the road 44, and the relative positional relationship 46 is not broken, and the other vehicle position 43 and the own vehicle position Position 42 is moved.

Then, the position detecting device 20 uses the road 4 which is considered to be the other vehicle position 43 at the present time.
It is determined whether or not it is above 5. Here, when it is determined that the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45, the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are as shown in FIG. 14 (c). In addition, in FIG. 14C, 42b shows the own vehicle position before the movement, that is, the own vehicle position 42 in FIG. 14B, and 43b shows the other vehicle position before the movement, that is, FIG.
The other vehicle position 43 in (b) is shown. in this case,
Other vehicle position 43 and own vehicle position 42 in FIG.
Can be seen to have been moved along the direction of road 44. When the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45, both the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are on the roads 44 and 45 in the map, so the map matching process is ended.

If the other vehicle position 43 is not on the road 45, the other vehicle 31 may have come off the road, for example, by entering a parking lot. Therefore, the position detection device 20 again sets the vehicle position 42 to the traveling locus of the vehicle 11,
Move to a node on road 44 that is likely to be currently located based on vehicle speed and yaw rate. At this time, the other vehicle position 43 is also moved without breaking the relative positional relationship 46, that is, while maintaining Δx and Δy. Then, the map matching process ends.

Then, as described above, the position detecting device 20 determines the other vehicle position 43 when the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45 in the map based on the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31. Is not on the road 45 in the map, it is determined that the own vehicle position is on the actual road, and the second own-other-vehicle position correction process is executed.

In this case, the position detecting device 20 first obtains the node data recorded in the storage means of the navigation control device 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 15A, the own vehicle position 42, which is the current position of the own vehicle 11 at the position represented by the coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ , z ₁ ), is changed to the running locus, the vehicle speed, and the It is moved to the current position 42 'based on the yaw rate. Here, the current position 42 'based on the vehicle speed and the yaw rate is on a node on the road 44 in the map. In this case, so as not to disturb the coordinates _{(x 2, y 2, z} 2) vehicle position 43 is the current position of the other vehicle 31 in the represented position also, the relative positional relationship 46, i.e., [Delta] x and It can be moved while maintaining Δy. Note that FIG.
Is a plan view, and changes in the coordinates in the height direction are omitted. Further, the reference numerals in FIG. 15 are the same as those in FIG. 14, and therefore their explanations are omitted.

As a result, the vehicle position 42 is located on the node on the road 44, as shown in FIG.
It should be noted that the second own-other vehicle position correction process is executed when it is determined that the other vehicle position 43 is not on the road.
In the own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process, the position detection device 20
Does not perform the process for moving the other vehicle position 43 on the road 45 as performed in the first own / other vehicle position correction process. Then, the map matching process ends.

As described above, the position detecting device 20 determines whether the vehicle position 42 is on the road 44 in the map based on the traveling locus of the vehicle 11.
When the own vehicle position 42 is not on the road 44 on the map, it is further determined whether or not the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45 on the map. Then, when the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45 in the map, the position detection device 20 determines that the other vehicle position is on the actual road and executes the third own / other vehicle position correction process.

In this case, the position detecting device 20 first obtains the node data recorded in the storage means of the navigation control device 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 15A, the other vehicle position 43, which is the current position of the other vehicle 31 at the position represented by the coordinates (x ₂ , y ₂ , z ₂ ), is changed based on the traveling locus. It is determined whether or not it matches the vehicle position 43 '. Here, it is assumed that the other vehicle position 43 ′ based on the traveling locus is on a node on the road 45 in the map. At this time, the own vehicle 11 at the position represented by the coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ , z ₁ )
The vehicle position 42, which is the current position of, is also moved without breaking the relative positional relationship 46, that is, while maintaining Δx and Δy.

As a result, the other vehicle position 43 is located on the node on the road 45. The third own-other vehicle position correction process is executed when it is determined that the own-vehicle position 42 is not on the road 44. Therefore, in the third own-other vehicle position correction process, the position detection device 20 is used. Does not perform the processing for moving the own vehicle position 42 on the road 44 as performed in the first and second own and other vehicle position correction processing. Then, the map matching process ends.

The other vehicle position 43 is the road 4 on the map.
If the vehicle speed is not 5, the position detection device 20 determines whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle 11 is a predetermined value (for example, 30 [km]) or more. Here, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value, it is highly possible that the vehicle 11 is traveling in a place other than the road 44, for example, a parking lot, while the vehicle speed is the predetermined value or more. In this case, it is considered highly likely that the vehicle 11 is traveling on the road 44, that is, the vehicle position 42 is on the road 44.

Therefore, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 11 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, it is determined that neither the host vehicle position nor the other vehicle position is on the actual road, and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.
The fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process is executed. In this case, first, a plurality of matching candidate points are selected based on the vehicle position 42. That is, with respect to the road existing within a predetermined radius centered on the vehicle position 42, the vehicle position 42
A perpendicular line is drawn from, and the foot of the perpendicular line is selected as a matching candidate point.

Then, the penalty at each matching candidate point is calculated based on the relationship between the traveling direction of the own vehicle 11 and the traveling direction at the matching candidate point, the distance from the own vehicle position 42 to the matching candidate point, and the like. The traveling direction at the matching candidate point may be calculated,
It may be stored as road data in advance.

Subsequently, the matching candidate point having the smallest penalty is determined as the current position, and the vehicle position 42 is moved to the current position. At this time, the other vehicle position 43 is also moved without breaking the relative positional relationship 46, that is, while maintaining Δx and Δy.

Not only the own vehicle position 42 but also a plurality of matching candidate points based on the other vehicle position 43 are selected, and a combination of matching candidate points having the smallest penalty with respect to the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 is selected. It may be determined as the current positions of the vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31, and the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 may be moved to the current positions. Further, the matching candidate point having the smallest penalty is determined as the current position of the own vehicle 11 or the other vehicle 31 from all the hatching candidate points, and the own vehicle position 42 or the other vehicle position 4 is set at the present position.
3 may be moved.

On the other hand, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 11 is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that both the host vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on the actual road, and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. Fifth
The own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process is executed. In this case, the position detecting device 20 first acquires the node data recorded in the storage means of the navigation control device 21. And FIG.
As shown in 6 (a), the coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ , z ₁ )
The own vehicle position 42, which is the current position of the own vehicle 11 at the position represented by, is moved to the current position 42 ′ based on the traveling locus, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate. At this time, the coordinates (x ₂ , y ₂ ,
The other vehicle position 43 which is the current position of the other vehicle 31 at the position represented by z ₂ ) is also moved without breaking the relative positional relationship 46, that is, while maintaining Δx and Δy. Note that FIG. 16 is a plan view, and changes in the coordinates in the height direction are omitted. Further, the reference numerals in FIG. 16 are the same as those in FIG. 14, and therefore their explanations are omitted.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the vehicle position 42 coincides with the current position 42 'based on the traveling locus, the vehicle speed and the yaw rate. Since the fifth own-other vehicle position correction process is executed when it is determined that the other-vehicle position 43 is not on the road, the position detection device 20 performs the fifth own-other vehicle position correction process. The processing for moving the other vehicle position 43 on the road 45 as performed in the first own-other-vehicle position correction processing is not performed. Then, the map matching process ends.

When the relative position of the other vehicle 31 is specified, if the calculation is not performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, the position detecting device 20 executes the sixth own / other vehicle position correcting process. To do. In this case, since the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are specified by independent calculations, it is not necessary to maintain the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43. Therefore, the position detection device 20
Executes the map matching process separately for the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43.

First, the position detecting device 20 determines whether or not the GPS information from the GPS satellite 41 is used when the position of the own vehicle position 42 is specified. And G
When the PS information is used, it is considered that the position detection device 20 will position the own vehicle position 42, which is the current position of the own vehicle 11, at the present time based on the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate. Move to a point. If the GPS information is not used when specifying the own vehicle position 42, the position is already specified based on the traveling locus of the own vehicle 11, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate. And the process of moving to a point which is considered to be located at the present time based on the yaw rate is not executed. Then, the map matching process ends.

Further, the position detecting device 20 executes the same process for the other vehicle position 43 as for the own vehicle position 42 described above.

Next, the flowchart will be described.
First, a flowchart showing the operation of the map matching process will be described. Step S4-1: It is determined whether or not the calculation is performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite. When the calculation is performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, the process proceeds to step S4-2, and when the calculation is not performed based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, step S4-1.
Go to 1. In step S4-2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle position 42 exists on the road 44. If the vehicle position 42 is on the road 44, the process proceeds to step S4-3. If the vehicle position 42 is not on the road 44, step S4.
Go to -6. In step S4-3, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle position 43 exists on the road 45. If the other vehicle position 45 exists on the road 45, the process proceeds to step S4-4. If the other vehicle position 43 does not exist on the road 45, step S4.
Go to -5. Step S4-4 Performs the first own / other vehicle position correction process,
The process ends. Step S4-5 Perform the second own / other vehicle position correction processing,
The process ends. Step S4-6: It is judged whether or not the other vehicle position 43 exists on the road 45. If the other vehicle position 43 exists on the road 45, the process proceeds to step S4-7. If the other vehicle position 43 does not exist on the road 45, step S4.
Go to -8. Step S4-7 Perform the third own / other vehicle position correction processing,
The process ends. Step S4-8: It is judged whether the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, step S4-
9. If the vehicle speed is not higher than the predetermined value, go to step S9.
Go to 4-10. Step S4-9 Performs a fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process,
The process ends. Step S4-10 Performs the fifth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing, and ends the processing. Step S4-11 A sixth own-other vehicle position correction process is performed, and the process ends.

Next, a flow chart showing the first own and other vehicle position correction processing will be described. Step S4-4-1 The vehicle position 42 is moved to the node 44-1 on the road 44 which is considered to be currently located. Step S4-4-2: It is determined whether or not the other vehicle position 43 is located on the node 45-1 on the road 45. If the other vehicle position 43 is located on the node 45-1 on the road 45, the process ends, and if the other vehicle position 43 is not located on the node 45-1 on the road 45, step S4-.
Go to 4-3. Step S4-4-3 The own / other vehicle road matching process is performed, and the process ends.

Next, a flow chart showing the own / other vehicle road matching process will be described. Step S4-4-3-1 It is determined on which road the other vehicle position 43 exists. Step S4-4-3-2 The own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 are moved so as to be located on the road. In step S4-4-3-3, it is determined whether or not the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45. If the other vehicle position 43 is on the road 45, the process ends, and if the other vehicle position 43 is not on the road 45, the process proceeds to step S4-4-3-4. Step S4-4-3-4 The vehicle position 42 is moved to the node 44-1 on the road 44 which is considered to be currently located, and the process is ended.

Next, a flow chart showing the second own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing will be described. Step S4-5-1: The vehicle position 42 is moved to the node 44-1 on the road 44 which is considered to be currently located, and the process is ended.

Next, a flow chart showing the third own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing will be described. Step S4-7-1: The other vehicle position 43 is moved to the node 45-1 on the road 45 which is considered to be currently located, and the process is ended.

Next, a flow chart showing the fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing will be explained. Step S4-9-1 A matching candidate point is selected based on the vehicle position 42. Step S4-9-2 The penalty of the matching candidate points is calculated. Step S4-9-3 The matching candidate point with the smallest penalty is determined as the current position. Step S4-9-4 The vehicle position 42 is moved to the matching candidate point.

Next, a flow chart showing the fifth own-other vehicle position correction processing will be explained. Step S4-10-1 The vehicle position 42 is moved to the point 42 'which is considered to be currently located, and the process is ended.

Next, a flowchart showing the sixth own-other vehicle position correction processing will be described. Step S4-11-
1 It is determined whether or not the GPS information from the GPS satellite 41 is used for detecting the vehicle position. If the GPS information from the GPS satellite 41 is used for detecting the own vehicle position, step S4-
Proceed to 9-2 to detect the position of the vehicle using G from the GPS satellite 41
If the PS information is not used, the process ends. In step S4-11-2, the vehicle position 42 is moved to a position that is considered to be the current position, and the process ends.

By executing the first own / other vehicle position correcting process in the map matching process, the position can be corrected while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31. The processing accuracy is improved as compared with the position correction performed only by the vehicle 11 or the other vehicle 31.

When either the own vehicle 11 or the other vehicle 31 is on the road by executing the second or third vehicle / other vehicle position correction processing, while limiting the position of one vehicle, Since the position can be corrected while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31, as compared with the conventional correction in which the position is corrected so as to be on the road existing around the vehicle, The processing accuracy is improved.

By executing the fourth own / other vehicle position correcting process, the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and the own vehicle 11 is traveling on the road 44, that is, the own vehicle position 42 is on the road. When it is considered that there is a high possibility of being above, the current position is moved on the road, so that the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 can be moved to appropriate positions.

By executing the fifth own / other vehicle position correction processing, the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined value and the own vehicle position 4
When it is considered that there is a high possibility that 2 is not on the road, the own vehicle position 42 is determined to be appropriate, so the own vehicle position 42 and the other vehicle position 43 can be set to appropriate positions.

Next, the notification process will be described.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart showing the operation of the notification processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the position detecting device 20 superimposes the current position of the own vehicle 11 and the current position of the other vehicle 31 specified by the map matching process on the map displayed on the screen of the display device 27. indicate. This allows the driver of the own vehicle 11 to accurately grasp the positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31.

Further, the position detecting device 20 is used for the own vehicle 11
When it is determined that the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are too close to each other and the vehicles may come into contact with each other based on factors such as the position, the traveling direction, and the speed of the other vehicle 31, the alarm device 26 Send a command to. Then, the alarm device 26 issues a warning to the driver of the own vehicle 11. As a result, the driver can take appropriate measures so as not to approach the other vehicle 31 too much. It should be noted that the position detection device 20 executes a control device for a vehicle, for example, an engine control unit E
A command may be directly transmitted to the CU or the like to perform control such as reducing the engine speed.

Next, the flowchart will be described. Step S5-1 The current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are displayed on the screen of the display device 27. Step S5-2: The contact between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 is judged and notified, and the processing is ended.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the position detecting device 20 uses the GPS information received by the other vehicle 31, various vehicle state information of the other vehicle 31, information such as the traveling locus, that is, the positioning of the other vehicle 31. Information is received from the other vehicle 31. Then, the position detection device 20 is provided in the own vehicle 1
1 based on the received GPS information, information about various vehicle states of the own vehicle 11 and information about the traveling locus, that is, the positioning information of the own vehicle 11 and the positioning information of the other vehicle 31, and the current position of the own vehicle 11, and , The current position of the other vehicle 31 is specified. Therefore, the relative position and the relative distance between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31, that is, the relative positional relationship 46 can be accurately grasped.

For example, when the position detecting device of the other vehicle 31 is a model different from the position detecting device 20, the processing methods such as data processing and arithmetic processing often differ. In such a case, the position detection device of the other vehicle 31 executes the process to receive the current position of the other vehicle 31 specified, and based on the current position of the other vehicle 31, the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 Relative positional relationship 46
When calculating, the calculated relative positional relationship 46 includes an error.

However, in this embodiment, the other vehicle 3
The position detection device of No. 1 receives information before executing the process, that is, the positioning information of the other vehicle 31 as raw data from the other vehicle 31, and determines the position based on the positioning information of the other vehicle 31 as the raw data. The detection device 20 executes calculation to identify the current position of the other vehicle 31. Therefore, since the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are specified by the same processing method, the relative positional relationship 46 between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 can be accurately grasped.

Further, in the map matching process of this embodiment, when the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are specified based on the GPS information received from the common satellite, the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31. A map matching process for moving the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 to the road on the map without disturbing the relative position and relative distance between the vehicle and the relative position 46 is executed. Therefore, the accuracy of the map matching process is high, and the current positions of the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 are accurately located on the road on the map.

Further, in this embodiment, the other vehicle 3
If the GPS information of No. 1 cannot be received, the other vehicle position 43 can be specified based on various vehicle state information of the other vehicle 31, information such as the traveling locus of the other vehicle 31, and the like. Therefore, even when the other vehicle 31 cannot receive the GPS information from the GPS satellite 41, such as in the shade of a large building, the relative positional relationship 46 between the own vehicle 11 and the other vehicle 31 is grasped. be able to.

Further, when the own vehicle 11 cannot receive the GPS information, the positioning information of the own vehicle 11 is transmitted. Therefore, in the other vehicle 31, the own vehicle 11
It is possible to grasp the relative positional relationship 46 between the vehicle and the other vehicle 31.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0134]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the position detecting device, the own vehicle information creating unit for creating the own vehicle position information and the other vehicle position information created by another vehicle are received. The other vehicle information receiving unit, the map reading unit that reads the map, and the relative position between the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information. A position specifying unit that calculates the relationship and maintains the relative position relationship to match and specify the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position on the read map.

In this case, since the position detecting device specifies the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position based on the relative positional relationship and the map, the error is reduced and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are specified with high accuracy. be able to. Further, since the raw GPS information is received from the other vehicle and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are specified based on the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle calculated by the same processing method, the own vehicle and the other vehicle are identified. It is possible to detect the relative positional relationship of the.

In another position detecting device, the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information are GPS information from a common satellite.

In this case, since the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is specified based on the common GPS information, when the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is specified based on the GPS information from different satellites. The error is reduced as compared with, and the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle can be grasped extremely accurately.
Further, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position can also be specified with high accuracy.

In still another position detecting device, the own vehicle position information is created based on the yaw rate information, the vehicle speed information or the traveling locus information.

In this case, since the own vehicle position information is created based on the yaw rate information, the vehicle speed information or the traveling locus information,
The accuracy of the vehicle position is improved.

Still another position detecting device further includes a vehicle information transmitting section for transmitting the vehicle position information to another vehicle.

In this case, also in the other vehicle, the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle can be grasped.

In yet another position detecting device, the position specifying unit calculates the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle based on GPS information from a common satellite, and then yaw rate information and vehicle speed information. Alternatively, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected based on the traveling locus information.

In this case, since the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected based on the yaw rate information, the vehicle speed information or the traveling locus information, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position can be specified with high accuracy.

In still another position detecting device, further, when the position specifying unit determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are on an actual road, the relative position between the own vehicle and the other vehicle. While maintaining the positional relationship, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that the own vehicle position matches the road on the map, and the other vehicle position is matched on the road on the map. Correct the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position.

In this case, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position can be specified on the road, and the accuracy of the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position is improved.

In still another position detecting device, when the position specifying unit determines that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position is on an actual road, the position identifying unit determines that the own vehicle and the other vehicle are The vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position matches the road on the map while maintaining the relative positional relationship.

In this case, the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position can be specified on the road, and the accuracy of the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position is improved.

In still another position detecting device, further, when the position specifying unit determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on the actual road and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. , Selecting a matching candidate point at a point determined to have the own vehicle position on the map, while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle, to the matching candidate point with the smallest penalty on the map The own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that the own vehicle position matches.

In this case, the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position can be specified on the road, and the accuracy of the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position is improved.

In still another position detecting device, further, when the position specifying unit determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on the actual road and the vehicle speed is not higher than a predetermined value, While maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so as to match the point on the map where the own vehicle position is determined to be.

In this case, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position can be specified even if the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on the road.

The still another position detecting device further includes a notifying unit for notifying the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle specified by the position specifying unit by an image or a sound.

In this case, the driver can take appropriate measures so as not to get too close to the other vehicle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a position detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention in terms of functions.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a position detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing an outline of an operation of the position detection device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing an outline of the operation of the position detection device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the position detection device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing operations of own vehicle position identification processing and vehicle information transmission / reception processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method for updating the vehicle position based on the yaw rate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of position specifying processing based on vehicle state information in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of another vehicle position identification calculation processing based on vehicle state information in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of relative position calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of a first other vehicle relative position calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a second other vehicle relative position calculation processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation of map matching processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an operation of a first own / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation of a second own-other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an operation of a fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation of map matching processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of a first own / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation of own vehicle / other vehicle road matching processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation of a second own-other-vehicle position correction process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an operation of a third own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an operation of a fourth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an operation of a fifth own vehicle / other vehicle position correction process in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation of a sixth own-other vehicle position correction process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing an operation of a notification process in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 own vehicle 12 Vehicle information creation section 13 Other vehicle information receiver 14 Position identification unit 15 Notification section 16 Own vehicle information transmitter 20 Position detector 21 Navigation controller 22 Position detection control device 23 Signal transmitter 24 GPS receiver 25 signal receiver 26 Alarm device 27 Display 28 Sensor information receiving device 31 Other vehicle 34 Running track 42, 42b Own vehicle position 43, 43b Other vehicle position 46 Relative positional relationship

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC14                       AD01                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 FF04 FF05                       FF22 FF25 FF27 FF32 FF37                 5J062 AA05 AA07 BB01 CC07 HH05

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle information creation unit for creating (a) own vehicle position information, (b) another vehicle information receiving unit for receiving other vehicle position information created by another vehicle, and (c) reading a map. A relative position relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle is calculated based on the map reading unit and (d) GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and GPS information included in the other vehicle position information, and the relative position is calculated. A position detecting device comprising: a position specifying unit that matches and specifies the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position on a map that has been read while maintaining the relationship. 2. The position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information are GPS information from a common satellite. 3. The vehicle position information is yaw rate information,
The position detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle position information is created based on the vehicle speed information or the traveling locus information. 4. The position detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle information transmission unit that transmits the vehicle position information to another vehicle. 5. The position specifying unit uses a G from a common satellite.
5. The relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated based on the PS information, and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected based on the yaw rate information, the vehicle speed information or the traveling locus information. The position detection device according to item 1. 6. The position specifying unit, when determining that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are on an actual road, maintains the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle while maintaining the relative position relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle. Correcting the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position so that the vehicle position matches the road on the map, and correcting the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position so that the other vehicle position matches the road on the map The position detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The position specifying unit maintains the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and the other vehicle when determining that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position is on an actual road,
The position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are corrected so that either the own vehicle position or the other vehicle position matches the road on the map. 8. The position specifying unit determines that the own vehicle position on the map is determined when the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on the actual road and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Select a matching candidate point of a point determined to be, so that the own vehicle position matches the matching candidate point with the smallest penalty on the map while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle. The position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle are corrected. 9. The relative position between the own vehicle and another vehicle when the position specifying unit determines that both the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are not on an actual road and the vehicle speed is not higher than a predetermined value. The said vehicle position and other vehicle position are correct | amended so that it may match with the point judged that the said vehicle position exists on a map, maintaining a positional relationship. Position detection device. 10. The position detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle specified by the position specifying unit by an image or a sound. 11. (a) Creating vehicle position information, (b)
The other vehicle position information created by the other vehicle is received, (c) the map is read, and (d) the own vehicle position information is acquired based on the GPS information included in the own vehicle position information and the GPS information included in the other vehicle position information. The relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the other vehicle is calculated, and while maintaining the relative positional relationship, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are matched on the read map, and the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are specified. A position detection method characterized by the above. 12. An (a) computer, (b) own vehicle information creating section for creating own vehicle position information, (c) other vehicle information receiving section for receiving other vehicle position information created by another vehicle, and (d) ) A map reading unit for reading a map, and (e) a GPS included in the own vehicle position information and a GP included in the other vehicle position information
A position specification in which the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle and another vehicle is calculated based on the S information, and while maintaining the relative positional relationship, the own vehicle position and the other vehicle position are matched and specified on the read map. A position detection program characterized by causing it to function as a unit.