JP4049069B2 - Vehicle travel control system, information center, in-vehicle device, and vehicle travel control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular travel control system, an information center, an in-vehicle device, and a vehicular travel control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, with respect to a vehicle control apparatus that performs automatic steering, a travel line indicating a vehicle position in the width direction of the travel lane is recorded, and at the time of automatic steering, a target travel line is set based on the recorded travel line. It is known that the vehicle is steered along.

Further, in this device, a travel line is recorded for each travel position where the host vehicle travels, and when the vehicle travels a certain travel position by automatic steering, of the travel lines recorded in the past, A target travel line is set based on the travel line. Then, the vehicle is automatically steered along this target travel line. Thereby, in the conventional apparatus, it is made to drive | work the driving | running line which a passenger | crew likes suitably according to a driving | running | working position (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2003-162799 A

  However, since the conventional apparatus is configured to acquire information only on the travel route on which the host vehicle travels, the travel line data is not acquired on the route that has not traveled, and the data is As a result, the reliability of the target travel line is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular travel control system and an information center capable of improving the accuracy of a target travel line in automatic steering. An in-vehicle device and a vehicle travel control method are provided.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle travel control system that performs automatic steering control of a vehicle based on vehicle travel information, an information center, and an in-vehicle device that is mounted on the vehicle and receives information from the information center. It has. The information center includes a center-side receiving unit that receives travel information including travel line information indicating a vehicle position in the travel lane width direction from a plurality of vehicles, and a center based on the plurality of travel information received by the center-side receiving unit. Center-side recommended travel information generating means for generating recommended travel information including recommended travel line information indicating the recommended travel line on the side, and a center for transmitting center-side recommended travel information generated by the center-side recommended travel information generating means Side transmission means. On the other hand, the in-vehicle device receives the center-side recommended travel information transmitted by the center-side transmission means, and the target travel based on the center-side recommended travel information received by the on-vehicle device-side reception means. Control means for setting the line and controlling the steering of the vehicle so that the host vehicle travels on the target travel line .

According to the present invention, travel information including travel line information indicating a vehicle position in the travel lane width direction is received from a plurality of vehicles at an information center, and the center side recommends travel based on the received plurality of travel information. Recommended travel information including line information is generated. The in-vehicle device controls the steering based on the recommended travel information on the center side. For this reason, even if the host vehicle is traveling on a route that has never traveled in the past, if the other vehicle is traveling on the route, travel information including travel line information on the route is displayed at the information center. As a result, the data of the target travel line does not become the initial value. Therefore, the accuracy of the target travel line in automatic steering can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the vehicle travel control system according to the present embodiment performs automatic steering control of a vehicle based on vehicle travel information, and includes an information center and an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle device 1 shown in the figure can communicate with an information center, and provides traveling information to the information center through communication. Here, the travel information refers to a travel line that indicates a vehicle position in the travel lane width direction, a travel position that indicates a traveling route, a point, and the like, and travel time information when the travel position is traveled. That is, the in-vehicle device 1 collects these information and provides it to the information center.

  The in-vehicle device 1 receives recommended travel information from the information center and performs automatic steering control. Here, the recommended travel information is information used for automatic steering control, and includes information on a recommended travel line indicating a recommended travel line. That is, the in-vehicle device 1 performs automatic steering control based on information from the information center. Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 1 will be specifically described.

  The in-vehicle device 1 includes a data transmission / reception unit (on-vehicle device side receiving means) 10, a travel line detection unit 11, a position detection unit 12, and a time detection unit 13. The data transmitter / receiver 10 exchanges information with the information center through communication. The data transmitter / receiver 10 transmits travel information and travel conditions described later, and receives recommended travel information.

  The travel line detection unit 11, the position detection unit 12, and the time detection unit 13 acquire travel information. Among these, the travel line detection part 11 detects the travel line of a vehicle. Specifically, the travel line detection unit 11 detects the travel line of the vehicle using GPS, an in-vehicle camera, and a map matching method.

  Further, the position detection unit 12 detects a traveling position indicating a traveling route, a point, or the like. Specifically, the position detection unit 12 detects information on the travel position using GPS or a map matching method. The time detection unit 13 detects the time when the vehicle travels at each travel point or the like as the travel time. Specifically, the time detection unit 13 detects time from an article having a timekeeping function such as a clock installed in the vehicle. The time detection unit 13 may receive and detect time information from outside the vehicle.

  The in-vehicle device 1 includes a road surface condition detection unit 14, a weather detection unit 15, a vehicle speed detection unit 16, a vehicle type category selection instruction unit 17, and a sports travel instruction unit 18. Each of these units 14 to 18 detects traveling conditions. Here, the traveling conditions indicate the conditions of the vehicle itself and the surroundings of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling. Specifically, the travel condition is at least one of a vehicle speed, a road surface condition of a road surface on which the vehicle is traveling, a weather condition of a region in which the vehicle is traveling, a vehicle type, and a traveling state such as a sports travel.

  The road surface condition detection unit 14 detects a road surface condition from among the travel conditions described above. For example, the road surface condition detection unit 14 detects a road surface condition from wet, dry, frozen, and unpaved. The weather detection unit 15 detects a weather condition such as rain or snow in an area where the host vehicle is traveling. The vehicle speed detector 16 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle.

  The vehicle type category selection instructing unit 17 is for instructing input of the vehicle type of the host vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle type category selection instructing unit 17 is configured by a switch, and a vehicle type can be selected from, for example, a general sedan, a wagon, a sports car, a minivan, and RV by operating the switch. The vehicle category selection instruction unit 17 is operated at the time of manufacture of the vehicle, and cannot be changed thereafter by the user.

  The sport running instruction unit 18 is used to input an instruction for the current running situation. Specifically, the sport travel instruction unit 18 is configured by a switch, and can select whether the vehicle is a sport travel or a normal travel by operating the switch.

  The in-vehicle device 1 includes a first control unit 19. The 1st control part 19 is connected to each above-mentioned part 10-18, and is set as the structure which inputs information from each while controlling these. Moreover, the 1st control part 19 has the statistical process calculation part (vehicle equipment side recommended travel information generation means) 19a by the side of vehicle equipment inside.

  The statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the vehicle-mounted device side generates recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device side separately from the recommended travel information transmitted from the center side. The in-vehicle device side statistical processing calculation unit 19a generates recommended in-vehicle device travel information based on a plurality of travel information acquired in the past by the host vehicle. Further, when generating the recommended travel information, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a obtains the travel information acquired in the past by averaging. Furthermore, the averaging is performed for each traveling condition acquired by the elements 14 to 18 described above. For this reason, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side averages past traveling information and generates recommended traveling information on the in-vehicle device side for each traveling condition.

  The in-vehicle device 1 also includes a storage unit (storage means) 20 on the in-vehicle device side and a travel record instruction unit 21. The storage unit 20 on the in-vehicle device side inputs and stores the travel information detected by each of the detection units 11 to 13. In addition, the storage unit 20 on the in-vehicle device side stores the traveled route separately for each travel position. Furthermore, the storage unit 20 stores the travel information stored separately for each travel position according to travel conditions. That is, the storage unit 20 divides the travel information for each travel position, and classifies and stores the travel information for each vehicle type, vehicle speed, weather condition, and road surface condition.

  Furthermore, the storage unit 20 on the vehicle-mounted device side has a map DB 20a that stores precise map information. For this reason, said position detection part 12 will match the GPS electromagnetic wave and the map information of map DB20a, for example, and will detect the latitude, the longitude, a lane, and a vehicle advancing direction.

  The travel record instruction unit 21 is for determining whether or not the travel information is stored in the storage unit 20 and is configured by a switch. Here, when the travel recording instruction unit 21 is switched by the user, the first control unit 19 controls the travel line detection unit 11, the position detection unit 12, and the time detection unit 13 to acquire and acquire travel information. The information is given to the storage unit 20.

  Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 1 includes a route setting unit 22, an automatic steering instruction unit 23, and a second control unit 24. The route setting unit 22 is for setting a vehicle travel route when actual automatic steering control is performed, and is configured to be operable by the user. The automatic steering instruction unit 23 is for determining whether or not to perform automatic steering control, and is configured to be switch-operable by the user.

  The second control unit 24 inputs recommended travel information and performs automatic steering control. The second control unit 24 includes a travel condition switching unit 24a, a determination unit (determination unit) 24b, a target travel line setting unit 24c, and a steering angle control unit (control unit) 24d.

  The traveling condition switching unit 24a is for switching traveling conditions during traveling by automatic steering. Specifically, the travel condition switching unit 24a is connected to a switch (not shown), and reads the current travel condition via the first control unit 19 when the switch is operated. The travel condition switching unit 24a reads the current travel condition in response to a switch operation when there is a change in the travel condition, for example, when rain suddenly falls during automatic steering.

  The determination unit 24b determines whether or not the currently traveled position is a past travel. Specifically, the determination unit 24b performs the above determination based on at least one of the travel information stored in the storage unit 20 on the vehicle-mounted device side and the recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device side.

  The target travel line setting unit 24c sets the target travel line based on the recommended travel information transmitted from the center side, in particular, the averaged travel line information. Specifically, the target travel line setting unit 24c sets a target travel line based on the recommended travel information on the center side and the recommended travel information on the in-vehicle device side.

  Furthermore, the target travel line setting unit 24c sets a target travel line based on the determination result from the determination unit 24b. That is, the target travel line setting unit 24c sets the target travel line based on the recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device side when the determination unit 24b determines that the current travel position has been traveled in the past. It is supposed to be. On the other hand, when the determination unit 24b determines that the vehicle has not traveled in the past, the target travel line is set based on the recommended travel information on the center side.

  The steering angle control unit 24d controls the steering of the host vehicle according to the target travel line set by the target travel line setting unit 24c. A steering angle sensor 100 is connected to the steering angle control unit 24d. A steering wheel 101 is connected to the steering angle sensor 100. The steering angle sensor 100 applies a steering force to the steering wheel 101 during automatic steering. For this reason, the steering angle control unit 24d applies steering force to the steering wheel 101 via the steering angle sensor 100 and performs steering control during automatic steering.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the information center according to the present embodiment. The information center 3 includes a center side data transmission / reception unit (center side reception unit, center side transmission unit) 30, a control unit 31, and a center side storage unit 32. The data transmission / reception unit 30 on the center side is installed outside the center and transmits and receives information to and from the vehicle. Specifically, the data transmission / reception unit 30 on the center side receives travel information from a plurality of vehicles. Moreover, the data transmission / reception part 30 transmits recommended driving | running | working information with respect to one vehicle (vehicle which has transmitted the below-mentioned request signal), for example.

  The control unit 31 controls the data transmission / reception unit 30 and the storage unit 32. The control unit 31 is provided in the center of the center and has a statistical processing calculation unit (center-side recommended travel information generation unit) 31a therein.

  The statistical processing calculation unit 31a generates recommended travel information based on a plurality of travel information received by the data transmitting / receiving unit 30 on the center side. Specifically, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a generates recommended travel information by averaging a plurality of travel information for each travel condition.

  The storage unit 32 on the center side stores a plurality of travel information received by the data transmission / reception unit 30. The storage unit 32 stores the recommended travel information on the center side generated by the statistical processing calculation unit 31a for each travel condition.

  Furthermore, the storage unit 32 has a map DB 32a that stores precise map information such as lane information. For this reason, when the travel information is sent, the storage unit 32 refers to the map information in the map DB 32a and grasps the travel position where each vehicle traveled.

  Next, an outline of the vehicle travel control method will be described. First, when the travel recording instruction unit 21 is operated by the user, the first control unit 19 controls the detection units 11 to 13 and the road surface condition detection unit 14 and the like. Thereby, each detection part 11-13 detects driving | running | working information, and the road surface condition detection part 14 grade | etc., Detects driving conditions.

  And the 1st control part 19 inputs these information, and gives it to the storage part 20 by the side of vehicle equipment. When these pieces of information are input, the storage unit 20 stores travel information for each travel position information and travel conditions, which is one of travel information.

  Thereafter, the first control unit 19 stores the travel position information and the travel information divided for each travel condition in the storage unit 20 on the in-vehicle device side via the data transmission / reception unit 10 on the in-vehicle device side. 3 to send.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of travel information that the in-vehicle device 1 transmits to the information center 3. In FIG. 3, travel time information which is one of travel information is omitted. In FIG. 3, the vehicle speed is divided in units of 10 km, but is not particularly limited to units of 10 km.

  The traveling information to be transmitted is divided for each traveling condition. For example, as shown in the figure, the transmitted travel information is when the vehicle type is a general sedan, the road surface condition is wet, the weather is snow, the vehicle speed is 20 to 30 km, and there is no sports travel The travel line and the travel position are indicated.

The travel information (particularly travel line information) is divided for each travel position information. For this reason, the traveling information to be transmitted is divided into, for example, a traveling line when the link number is “K-A12 3 456” and a traveling line when the link number is “K-A12 3 457”.

  The information center 3 inputs such travel information via the data transmission / reception unit 30 on the center side and stores it in the storage unit 32 on the in-vehicle device side. Here, information similar to the travel information shown in FIG. 3 is transmitted to the information center 3 from a plurality of vehicles. The statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended traveling information on the center side when the traveling information stored in the storage unit 32 reaches a predetermined number or more.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of travel information stored in the storage unit 32 of the information center 3 and an example of generated recommended travel information on the center side. Note that the travel time information is omitted in FIG. 4 as in FIG. In FIG. 4, the vehicle speed is divided in units of 10 km, but is not particularly limited to units of 10 km.

As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 32 stores travel information from each vehicle for each travel condition and travel position information. For example, in the storage unit 32, the link number is “K-A12 3 456”, the vehicle type is a general sedan, the road surface condition is wet, the weather is snow, the vehicle speed is 20 to 30 km, and sports driving Collect and store driving information when there is no. Also, other travel information is collected and stored for each travel condition and travel position. At the time of storage, the storage unit 32 assigns a reference number to each piece of travel information.

  Then, when the travel information reaches a predetermined number, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended travel information. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended traveling information on the center side based on the traveling information with reference numbers “1” to “1000”. At the time of this generation, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side averages the traveling information with the reference numbers “1” to “1000” to generate the recommended traveling information on the center side (for example, information on the recommended traveling line). .

  In addition, when generating, when the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side determines that the information on the travel line included in the travel information deviates from the lane, it is not used for generating the recommended travel information. . FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the recommended travel information generation processing by the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side, and shows an example when the travel line deviates from the lane.

  As indicated by a broken line in the figure, it is inaccurate to obtain information on the recommended travel line for the travel line L1 that deviates from the lane. This is because if information on the recommended travel line is generated based on these, automatic steering may be performed along the target travel line deviating from the lane. For this reason, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side excludes these travel lines L1. Further, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side may exclude not only the travel line L1 that deviates from the lane but also the travel line L2 that fluctuates greatly in the lane.

  The center-side statistical processing calculation unit 31a eliminates the travel lines L1 and L2 and then averages the travel line L3 that does not deviate from the lane and does not fluctuate. The information shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the path branches in two directions. For this reason, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended travel lines for two directions.

  When the recommended travel line information is generated, the center-side statistical processing calculation unit 31a transmits the information to the center-side storage unit 32. The center-side storage unit 32 stores information on recommended travel lines. At this time, the storage unit 32 on the center side stores information on the recommended travel line for each travel position and travel condition in the same manner as the travel information.

  Moreover, while the said production | generation process is performed, in the vehicle equipment 1 the following processes are performed. That is, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side generates recommended travel line information separately from the center side. At this time, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side averages a plurality of pieces of travel information acquired in the past in the own vehicle, and generates information on the recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side. Then, the storage unit 20 stores the generated recommended travel line information on the vehicle-mounted device side. At this time, the recommended travel line information is stored for each travel position and travel condition.

  Thereafter, if the vehicle occupant operates the automatic steering instruction unit 23 and sets the route by the route setting unit 22, the first control unit 19 displays the recommended travel line information on the route on the in-vehicle device side storage unit 20 Read from. Then, the first control unit 19 gives recommended travel line information on the route to the second control unit 24. Further, the first control unit 19 transmits a request signal to the information center 3. When the information center 3 receives the request signal, the information center 3 transmits the recommended travel line information of the corresponding route to the in-vehicle device 1. Thereafter, automatic steering traveling is performed.

  Further, the determination unit 24b determines whether or not the vehicle has traveled in the past based on at least one of the travel information and the recommended travel line information stored in the storage unit 20. Here, when the determination unit 24b determines that the vehicle has not traveled in the past, the target travel line setting unit 24c sets the target travel line based on the recommended travel line information on the center side. On the other hand, when the determination unit 24b determines that the vehicle has traveled in the past, the target travel line setting unit 24c sets the target travel line based on the recommended travel line information on the in-vehicle device side. Then, the steering angle control unit 24d controls the steering according to the target travel line.

  Next, the vehicle steering control method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail along a flowchart. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the vehicle steering control method according to the present embodiment, and shows the operation until the first control unit 19 of the in-vehicle device 1 generates a recommended travel line.

  First, when the travel record instruction unit 21 of the in-vehicle device 1 is operated, the first control unit 19 executes the following processing. That is, as shown in the figure, the first control unit 19 of the in-vehicle device 1 inputs the vehicle type information of the vehicle based on the instruction state of the vehicle type category selection instruction unit 17 (ST10).

  And the vehicle equipment 1 starts recording of travel information. First, the first control unit 19 controls the time detection unit 13 to cause the time detection unit 13 to detect the current time (ST11). Then, the first control unit 19 inputs information on the current time from the time detection unit 13.

  Then, the 1st control part 19 controls the position detection part 12, and makes the position detection part 12 detect the driving | running | working position of a vehicle (ST12). After the detection, the first control unit 19 inputs the travel position information from the position detection unit 12.

  And the 1st control part 19 controls the travel line detection part 11, and makes the travel line detection part 11 detect the travel line of the own vehicle in a travel lane (ST13). After the detection, the first control unit 19 inputs information on the travel line from the travel line detection unit 11.

  Next, the first control unit 19 controls the road surface condition detection unit 14, the weather detection unit 15, and the vehicle speed detection unit 16 to detect the traveling condition (ST14). And the 1st control part 19 reads the information on a road surface condition, a weather condition, and a vehicle speed. Furthermore, the 1st control part 19 recognizes the instruction | indication state of the sports driving | running | working instruction | indication part 18, and acquires the information of a driving | running state.

  Thereafter, the first control unit 19 outputs the information acquired in steps ST10 to ST14 to the storage unit 20 on the in-vehicle device side. And the storage part 20 memorize | stores these information for every driving | running condition and driving | running | working position (ST15).

  Next, the first control unit 19 uploads the travel line information to the information center 3 (ST16). That is, the first control unit 19 transmits traveling information stored in the storage unit 20 on the vehicle-mounted device side to the information center 3. Thereby, the information center 3 performs the process of FIG.

  In addition, after transmitting the travel information, the first control unit 19 transmits a request signal for recommended travel line information (ST17). Thereby, the information on the recommended travel line on the center side is transmitted for the corresponding route.

  Next, the first control unit 19 determines whether or not the recommended travel line information has been received (ST18). Here, when the recommended travel line information of the corresponding part is not generated in the information center 3, the in-vehicle device 1 cannot receive the information (ST18: NO), ends the processing, and enters a standby state. On the other hand, when the recommended travel line information of the corresponding part is generated in the information center 3, the in-vehicle device 1 receives the information (ST18: YES).

  After reception, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a of the first control unit 19 obtains a recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side based on the travel information of the own vehicle. Specifically, the statistical processing is performed by merging the recommended travel line information on the center side and the travel line information stored in the vehicle (ST19). That is, the recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side is not generated based only on the travel information recorded by the in-vehicle device 1, but is generated from the travel information recorded by the in-vehicle device 1 and the recommended travel line information on the center side.

  More specifically, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a synthesizes the travel line of the own vehicle (for one travel) and the recommended travel line on the center side at a ratio of 1: 5, and the recommended travel line information on the in-vehicle device side. Is generated. That is, the recommended travel line on the center side has a weight corresponding to five travels of the travel line of the own vehicle (for one travel).

  Thereby, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the vehicle-mounted device side reflects the user's preference on the route that the host vehicle has traveled a lot. On the other hand, many recommended travel lines on the center side are reflected on a route on which the host vehicle has not traveled much.

  And if the statistical process calculation part 19a produces | generates the information of a recommended travel line, a process will be complete | finished and the vehicle equipment 1 will be in a standby state.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the recommended travel line information on the vehicle-mounted device side generated in step ST19 shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the travel line of the host vehicle is indicated by a broken line, the recommended travel line on the center side is indicated by a one-dot chain line, and the generated recommended travel line on the vehicle-mounted device side is indicated by a bold line. Further, in FIG. 7, since the route is branched in two directions, a travel line for two directions, a recommended travel line on the center side, and a recommended travel line on the vehicle-mounted device side are shown.

  As shown in the figure, the host vehicle passes the route shown in FIG. 7 four times. Among them, the host vehicle passes twice on one side of the branch and passes twice on the other side. Here, assuming that the recommended travel line on the center side is obtained, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side performs statistical processing on the travel line for two times and the recommended travel line on the center side for one direction of the branch. Then, a recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side is generated. That is, the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side reflects the travel lines for two times of the host vehicle on the recommended travel line on the center side by “1/5”, and sets the recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side. Generate.

  As described above, since the travel line of the host vehicle is only two times and only “1/5” is reflected, the recommended travel line on the vehicle-mounted device side is closer to the recommended travel line on the center side. The statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the in-vehicle device side similarly generates the recommended travel line on the in-vehicle device side for the other direction side of the branch.

  Next, the operation of the information center 3 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the vehicle steering control method according to this embodiment, and shows the operation until the information center 3 generates and stores the recommended travel line.

  First, the control unit 31 of the information center 3 determines whether or not travel information (particularly travel line information) has been received from the vehicle (ST20). Here, when it is determined that the travel information has not been received from the vehicle (ST20: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, when determining that the travel information has been received (ST20: YES), the control unit 31 stores the received travel information as sample data in the storage unit 32 (ST21).

  Then, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the number of sample data stored in the center storage unit 32 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value X (ST22). That is, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the traveling information has reached a predetermined number or more.

  Here, when it is determined that the number is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number (ST22: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined number or more has been reached (ST22: YES), the statistical processing calculation unit 31a statistically processes the traveling line information for the predetermined number or more of sample data, and generates recommended traveling line information (ST23). Here, the statistical processing calculation unit 31a generates the recommended travel line information on the center side by averaging the travel line information as described above.

  Since the information on the recommended travel line is generated, the control unit 31 stores the information on the recommended travel line on the center side in the storage unit 32 and that the information on the recommended travel line can be distributed. The distribution possible flag shown is set (ST24). Thereafter, the process ends.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing recommended travel information stored in the storage unit 32 when the distributable flag is set (ST24). As shown in FIG. 9, the recommended travel line information is classified and stored for the link number “K-A122456”, the vehicle type, the road surface condition, the weather, the vehicle speed, and the presence / absence of sports travel. Each recommended travel line information is given information on the number of samples and information on the presence / absence of a distributable flag.

  If the number of samples is less than the predetermined value, the recommended travel line information is not generated, but as shown in FIG. 9, it is generated and stored with the number of samples less than the predetermined value, and the distributable flag is omitted. You may make it set.

  When a request signal is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1, the information center 3 executes the following processing. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the vehicle steering control method according to this embodiment, and shows the operation by the information center 3 from when the in-vehicle device 1 transmits a request signal until the information center 3 transmits a recommended travel line. ing.

  First, the control unit 31 of the information center 3 determines whether or not a request signal for recommended travel line information has been received (ST30). If it is determined that the request signal has not been received (ST30: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the request signal has been received (ST30: YES), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the distributable flag is set for the recommended travel line information at the corresponding location (ST31).

  If it is determined that the distributable flag is not set (ST31: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the distributable flag is set (ST31: YES), the control unit 31 distributes the recommended travel line information of the corresponding place from the storage unit 32 (ST32). Then, the process ends.

  Thereafter, when the user operates the automatic steering instruction unit 23, the processing shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the vehicle steering control method according to this embodiment, and shows the operation when the in-vehicle device 1 performs automatic steering.

  First, the first control unit 19 controls the units 22 to 28 such as the position detection unit 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the second control unit 24 reads time information via the first control unit 19 (ST40) and reads the travel position (ST41).

  Thereafter, when the route setting unit 22 is operated, the second control unit 24 reads the operation content and sets a route for automatic steering (ST42). Thereafter, the second control unit 24 selects the current traveling condition (ST43). Here, the selection is performed by the second control unit 24 automatically reading the traveling condition. Further, after the travel condition is selected, when the switch connected to the travel condition switching unit 24a is operated, the travel condition is read again and the selection is performed.

  Next, the determination unit 24b selects one of the links on the route (ST44). Then, the determination unit 24b determines whether or not there is traveling experience for the selected link (ST45). At this time, the determination unit 24b determines whether or not there is travel experience based on at least one of the travel information and the recommended travel information stored in the storage unit 20.

  When it is determined that there is traveling experience (ST45: YES), the second control unit 24 reads information on the recommended traveling line on the vehicle-mounted device side from the storage unit 20 on the vehicle-mounted device side (ST46). Then, the second control unit 24 gives the read information on the recommended travel line to the target travel line setting unit 24c.

  On the other hand, when it determines with having no driving experience (ST45: NO), the 2nd control part 24 transmits a request signal again. Thereby, in the information center 3, the process shown in FIG. 10 is executed again, and the recommended travel line information on the center side is transmitted. Thereafter, the data transmitting / receiving unit 10 on the in-vehicle device side receives the recommended travel line information on the center side, and the second control unit 24 inputs the received information (ST47). Then, the second control unit 24 provides the input recommended travel line information on the center side to the target travel line setting unit 24c.

  Thereafter, the determination unit 24b determines whether or not the process of step ST46 or ST47 has been executed for all links (ST48). If not all have been determined (ST48: NO), the process returns to step ST44. On the other hand, when all the determinations are made (ST48: YES), the target travel line setting unit 24c sets the target travel line based on the input recommended travel line information (ST49). At this time, the target travel line setting unit 24c combines the recommended travel line information obtained for each link to set a target travel line in the route. Then, the steering angle control unit 24d controls steering according to the set target travel line (ST50). As a result, even if the vehicle has no travel experience, the reliability of the target travel line is prevented from being lowered, and automatic steering without a sense of incongruity is performed.

  Thereafter, for example, when the user applies a large force by operating the steering wheel 101 or deviates from the route, the processing illustrated in FIG. 11 ends. The process is also terminated when the automatic steering instruction unit 23 is turned off.

  Thus, according to the vehicle travel control system and method according to the present embodiment, the information center 3 receives travel information from a plurality of vehicles, and the recommended travel on the center side based on the received plurality of travel information. Information is generated. The in-vehicle device 1 controls the steering based on the recommended travel information on the center side. For this reason, even if the host vehicle is traveling on a route that has not traveled in the past, if the other vehicle is traveling on the route, travel information on the route is collected at the information center. The data of the target travel line never becomes the initial value. Therefore, the accuracy of the target travel line in automatic steering can be improved.

  In addition, the accuracy of the target travel line can also be improved for the information center 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In some conventional automatic steering devices, automatic steering cannot be performed on a route that has not traveled in the past. In this embodiment, a target travel line is set regardless of whether or not past travel has been performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the automatic steering itself from being disabled.

  Furthermore, since the travel information is received from a plurality of vehicles and the recommended travel information is obtained, when there is an obstacle such as a fallen object on the travel route of the own vehicle, the other vehicle travels first in that location. Then, it is possible to collect travel information when the obstacle is avoided. In other words, the information center 3 generates recommended travel information based on the travel information when the obstacle is avoided and provides it to the host vehicle. For this reason, the own vehicle travels automatically along the recommended travel information when an obstacle is avoided.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even if an obstacle is present, accurate recommended travel information for avoiding the obstacle is generated based on information from another vehicle, so that a falling object that suddenly occurs is generated. It can be said that the real-time property is excellent. Moreover, it can respond similarly to traffic regulation etc., and can perform the optimal automatic steering driving | running | working according to the condition change of a travel location.

  Further, not only the recommended travel information from the information center 3 but also the recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device side is generated based on the travel information of the host vehicle, and the steering control is performed based on the recommended travel information of both sides. The accuracy of the target travel line can be further improved than when steering control is performed based only on the recommended travel information.

  Moreover, since the statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended traveling information on the center side for each traveling condition of the vehicle, for example, when the recommended traveling information changes depending on traveling conditions due to weather such as rain or sunny weather. Even so, appropriate recommended travel information corresponding to the conditions is generated. Then, appropriate recommended travel information according to the conditions is transmitted, and the target travel line is set based on this information. Therefore, in the in-vehicle device 1, it is possible to set an appropriate target travel line according to the travel conditions.

  Similarly, an appropriate target travel line corresponding to the travel condition can be set for the statistical processing calculation unit 19a on the vehicle-mounted device side.

  Further, the traveling condition is at least one of a road surface condition, a weather condition, a vehicle speed, and a vehicle type. That is, an element that easily affects the traveling of the vehicle is set as the traveling condition, and a more appropriate target traveling line can be set in the in-vehicle device 1.

  The statistical processing calculation unit 31a on the center side generates recommended traveling information on the center side when the traveling information received by the data transmission / reception unit 30 on the center side exceeds a predetermined number. By setting “1000” or the like, it is possible to prevent generation of biased recommended travel information due to a small amount of information. Therefore, it is possible to improve accuracy in generating recommended travel information.

  When the information center 3 receives the travel information including the travel line information and determines that the travel line information deviates from the lane, the information center 3 uses the travel information as the recommended travel information on the center side. It is not used for generation. For this reason, inappropriate information is excluded when the recommended travel information is generated. Therefore, it is possible to improve accuracy in generating recommended travel information.

  Further, the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether or not the travel position in which the host vehicle is traveling has been traveled in the past, and if the vehicle has traveled in the past, it is based on the recommended travel information on the in-vehicle device side. To control the steering of the vehicle. On the other hand, when the vehicle has not traveled in the past, the steering of the host vehicle is controlled based on the recommended travel information on the center side.

  Here, on a route having travel experience in the past, travel information based on the travel of the vehicle is reflected, and recommended travel information is obtained. For this reason, the fact that the steering control is performed based on the recommended traveling information on the vehicle-mounted device side means that the automatic steering control is performed reflecting the own traveling. On the other hand, steering control is performed based on the recommended travel information on the center side on a route that has not traveled in the past. For this reason, the data of the target travel line does not become the initial value.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the target travel line data from becoming the initial value after reflecting the user's preference, and to further improve the accuracy of the target travel line.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the travel information refers to a travel line of a vehicle in a lane, a travel position indicating a travel route or a spot, and a travel time when the travel position is traveled. In the present invention, the travel information may be at least one or two of these. Furthermore, other information may be added.

It is a block diagram of the information center which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram of the vehicle equipment which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the driving information which the vehicle equipment 1 transmits to an information center. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the driving information memorize | stored in the storage part of an information center, and an example of the produced | generated recommended driving information on the center side. It is explanatory drawing of the production | generation process of the recommended driving | running | working information by the statistical process calculation part by the side of a center, Comprising: An example when a driving | running line deviates from a lane is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the steering control method for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment, and has shown operation | movement until the 1st control part of a vehicle equipment produces a recommended travel line. It is explanatory drawing which shows the recommended driving | running | working line information by the vehicle equipment produced | generated in step ST19 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the steering control method for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment, and has shown operation | movement until an information center produces | generates and memorize | stores a recommended travel line. It is explanatory drawing which shows the recommended driving | running | working information memorize | stored in the storage part of an information center when a delivery possible flag is set (ST24). It is a flowchart which shows the steering control method for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment, and has shown operation | movement by the information center 3 after the vehicle equipment 1 transmits a request signal until an information center transmits a recommended travel line. It is a flowchart which shows the steering control method for vehicles which concerns on this embodiment, and has shown the operation | movement at the time of an onboard machine performing automatic steering.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle equipment 3 ... Information center 10 ... Data transmission / reception part (vehicle equipment side receiving means)
19a ... Statistical processing calculation unit (on-vehicle device recommended travel information generation means)
20: Storage unit (storage means)
24b ... determination unit (determination means)
24d: Steering angle control unit (control means)
30: Data transmission / reception unit (center side reception means, center side transmission means)
31a ... Statistical processing calculation section (center side recommended travel information generation means)

Claims (12)

In a vehicle travel control system that performs automatic steering control of a vehicle based on vehicle travel information,
An information center, and an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and capable of communicating with the information center;
The information center
Center-side receiving means for receiving travel information including travel line information indicating a vehicle position in the travel lane width direction from a plurality of vehicles;
Center-side recommended travel information generating means for generating recommended travel information including recommended travel line information indicating a recommended travel line on the center side based on a plurality of travel information received by the center-side receiving means;
Center-side transmission means for transmitting the center-side recommended travel information generated by the center-side recommended travel information generation means,
The in-vehicle device is
On-vehicle device side receiving means for receiving the recommended traveling information on the center side transmitted by the center side transmitting means,
Control means for setting a target travel line based on the recommended travel information on the center side received by the vehicle-mounted device-side receiving means, and for controlling the steering of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle travels the target travel line ; A vehicular travel control system comprising: The in-vehicle device is
The vehicle-side recommended travel information generating means for generating recommended travel information including travel line information on the vehicle-mounted device side based on a plurality of travel information of the host vehicle,
The control means is based on the vehicle-side recommended travel information generated by the vehicle-mounted device-side recommended travel information generating means, and the center-side recommended travel information generated by the center-side recommended travel information generating means, The vehicle travel control system according to claim 1, wherein a target travel line is set and steering of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle travels along the target travel line .   3. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 1, wherein the center-side recommended travel information generation unit generates center-side recommended travel information for each travel condition of the vehicle.   The vehicle travel control system according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle-mounted device-side recommended travel information generating unit generates recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device for each travel condition of the vehicle.   5. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 3, wherein the travel condition is at least one of a road surface condition, a weather condition, a vehicle speed, and a vehicle type.   The center-side recommended travel information generating means generates the recommended travel information on the center side when the travel information received by the center-side receiving means reaches a predetermined number or more. Item 6. The vehicle travel control system according to any one of Item 5. The center side receiving means receives driving information including information of the driving line,
When the center-side recommended travel information generation unit determines that the travel line information included in the travel information received by the center-side reception unit deviates from the lane, the center-side recommended travel information generation unit The vehicle travel control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle travel control system is not used for generating the recommended travel information. The travel information, in addition to the traveling line information, the vehicle traveling control according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that one of the running time and the running position is intended to include at least one system. The in-vehicle device is
Storage means for storing the traveling information of the own vehicle and the recommended traveling information on the vehicle-mounted device side;
Determining means for determining whether or not the traveling position where the host vehicle has traveled has been traveled in the past based on at least one of the travel information stored by the storage means and the recommended travel information on the vehicle-mounted device side; Further comprising
The control means is based on the recommended travel information on the in-vehicle device side generated by the on-vehicle device-side recommended travel information generation means when the determination means determines that the travel position has traveled in the past. When the target travel line is set and the steering of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle travels on the target travel line, and the determination unit determines that the travel position has not traveled in the past, the center side recommendation 3. The steering of the host vehicle is controlled such that the target travel line is set based on the recommended travel information on the center side generated by the travel information generating means and the host vehicle travels on the target travel line . The vehicle travel control system according to claim 8. Center-side receiving means for receiving travel information including travel line information indicating vehicle positions in the travel lane width direction from a plurality of vehicles;
Center-side recommended travel information generating means for generating recommended travel information including travel line information recommended on the center side based on a plurality of travel information received by the center-side receiving means;
Center-side transmission means for transmitting center-side recommended travel information generated by the center-side recommended travel information generation means;
An information center comprising: An in-vehicle device-side receiving means for receiving recommended travel information including recommended travel line information indicating a recommended travel line on the center side transmitted from the information center;
Control means for setting the target travel line based on the recommended travel information on the center side received by the on-vehicle device side receiving means and controlling the steering of the vehicle so that the host vehicle travels the target travel line ;
An in-vehicle device comprising: In a vehicle travel control method for performing automatic steering control of a vehicle based on vehicle travel information,
The information center receives travel information including travel line information indicating a vehicle position in the travel lane width direction from a plurality of vehicles, and a recommended travel indicating a recommended travel line on the center side based on the received plurality of travel information Generate recommended travel information including line information, send the generated recommended travel information on the center side,
The in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle receives the recommended travel information on the center side transmitted from the information center , sets the target travel line based on the received recommended travel information on the center side, and the own vehicle A vehicle travel control method comprising: controlling steering of the host vehicle so as to travel on the vehicle.

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