JP2001265436A - Traveling system for traveling object and traveling controller of traveling object and marker setting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a traveling object to properly travel on a traveling passage having plural branch passages extended from the same point in this traveling object traveling system and the traveling controller of the traveling object and a marker setting method. SOLUTION: Lane markers 24 magnetized by the same kind of polarity are arranged on branch passages 18, 20, and 22 of a traveling passage 12 so that intervals between those lane markers 24 and a lane marker 2430 of a single line part 14 can be made different by at least a distance d on each branch passage 18, 20, and 22. A vehicle 10 is provided with a lane marker sensor 48 for detecting magnetic fields generated by the lane markers 24. Also, a memory 46 of a vehicle ECU 42 is allowed to store information corresponding to the arranged positions of the lane markers 24 set on the branch passages 18, 20, and 22 on which the vehicle 10 should travel. When the interval between the two lane markers 24 detected by the lane marker sensor 48 is made to correspond to the branch passage on which the vehicle should travel, the steering angle of the wheels is controlled based on the lane markers 24, and in the other case, the control of the steering angle of the wheels is inhibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a moving body traveling system, a moving body traveling control device, and a marker installation method, and more particularly, to a moving body traveling system, a plurality of branching paths extending from the same place, TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a moving body traveling system, a traveling control device for a moving body, and a marker setting method that are suitable for causing a moving body to travel on a traveling path on which a vehicle is installed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1058
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 83, there is known a traveling system for automatically traveling a moving object such as a vehicle while detecting a lane marker constituted by a magnetic nail laid on a traveling path. In the above conventional system, for example,
A lane marker magnetized on the N pole is laid on the main line, and a lane marker magnetized on the S pole is laid on the branch line at predetermined intervals. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned conventional system, it is possible to make the moving body travel properly on the traveling path branched in two directions by making the moving body distinguish the polarity of the lane marker constituted by the magnetic nail.

[0003]

However, the lane marker constituted by the magnetic nail has only two polarities, ie, N pole and S pole. For this reason, in the above-mentioned conventional system, the moving body cannot travel properly on a travel path having three or more branch roads extending from the same location. In this regard, the above-described conventional system can be applied only to a traveling road branched in two directions, and cannot be applied to a traveling road branched in the same direction in three directions.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a moving body traveling system, a traveling control apparatus for a moving body, and a vehicle capable of appropriately traveling the moving body on a plurality of branched traveling paths. It is another object of the present invention to provide a marker setting method.

[0005]

The above object is achieved by the present invention.
As described in the above, a moving body traveling system that travels a moving body on a traveling path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location, wherein the plurality of branch roads each have a plurality of intervals with a reference marker. The marker stored differently for each branch road and the position information of the marker installed on the branch road to be traveled among the plurality of branch roads are stored, and travel is performed based on the position information. And a moving body whose traveling is controlled by detecting the marker corresponding to the branch road.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the traveling path on which the moving body travels has a plurality of branch paths extending from the same location. In each of the plurality of branch roads, a marker is provided so that the distance from the reference marker is different for each of the plurality of branch roads. That is, the intervals between the markers installed on the plurality of branch roads and the reference markers are different for each branch road. In addition, the moving body traveling on the traveling path stores the position information of the marker installed on the branch path to be traveled among the plurality of branch paths. When the position of the actually detected marker matches the stored position information, the moving object is controlled to travel assuming that the marker is a marker corresponding to the branch road to travel. That is, when a marker corresponding to a fork that should not travel is detected, travel control of the moving object is not performed. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to cause the moving body to travel properly on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location.

In this case, as described in claim 2, in the moving body traveling system according to claim 1, the interval is:
It may be different from each other by a predetermined value or more.

[0008] The object of the present invention is as described in claim 3.
A traveling control device for a moving object, comprising a marker detecting means for traveling on a traveling path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location and detecting a marker installed on the traveling path according to a predetermined rule. Storage means for storing the position information of the marker installed on the fork to be driven, position information stored in the storage means, and the position information of the marker detected by the marker detection means, Marker identifying means for determining whether or not the detected marker is a marker corresponding to a branch road on which the mobile body should travel, and a marker detected by the marker identifying means for determining whether the mobile body should travel. Traveling control means for controlling traveling based on the detected marker when the marker is determined to be a marker corresponding to the forked road, It is.

[0009] In the invention according to claim 3, the moving body is
The vehicle travels on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location while detecting a marker installed on the travel path according to a predetermined rule. The moving body stores position information of a marker installed on a branch where the moving body should travel. In the moving body, by comparing the detected position of the marker with the stored position information, it is determined whether or not the marker is a marker corresponding to a branch road to be traveled. As a result, when a positive determination is made, the travel control is performed based on the detected marker. That is, when a negative determination is made, the traveling control of the moving object is not performed even if the marker is detected. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to cause the moving body to travel properly on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location.

[0010] The above object is as described in claim 4.
4. The travel control device for a moving body according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit stores interval information between two markers,
When the interval between the two detected markers matches the predetermined interval information stored in the storage unit, the marker identifying unit corresponds to the marker detected later to correspond to the branch road on which the moving body should travel. This is achieved by a traveling control device for a moving body, which is characterized in that it is determined that the marker is a marker.

In the invention according to claim 4, the storage means stores information on the interval between two markers. If the interval between the two detected markers matches the stored predetermined interval, it is determined that the marker detected later of the two markers is the marker corresponding to the branch road to be traveled. You. In this case, the traveling control is performed based on the marker detected later. That is, when the interval between the two markers does not match the stored predetermined interval, it is determined that the marker detected later is not a marker corresponding to the branch road to be traveled, and the moving object is determined based on the marker. Is not performed. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to cause the moving body to travel properly on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location.

[0012] The object of the present invention is as described in claim 5.
A method of installing a marker installed on a traveling path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location to control traveling of a moving body, wherein the plurality of branch roads each have an interval with a reference marker. A marker installation method is characterized in that markers are installed differently for each of the plurality of branch roads.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the traveling path on which the moving body travels has a plurality of branch paths extending from the same location. In each of the plurality of branch roads, a marker is provided so that the distance from the reference marker is different for each of the plurality of branch roads. If the distance between the marker and the reference marker is different for each branch road, if the position of the marker installed on the branch road to which the mobile body should travel is known in advance, the moving body corresponds to the branch road that should not travel. Even when passing near a marker, it is possible to prohibit the travel control from being performed based on the marker. That is, erroneous detection of the marker can be prevented. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to cause the moving body to travel properly on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location.

In this case, as set forth in claim 6, in the marker setting method according to claim 5, the interval may differ by a predetermined value or more for each of the branch roads.

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an infrastructure facility of a mobile traveling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an infrastructure facility includes a traveling path 1 on which an automatic driving vehicle (hereinafter, simply referred to as a vehicle) 10 travels.
2 is provided. The traveling path 12 includes a single track section 14 and a double track section 1.
6 is provided. The double track section 16 has a first branch path 18, a second branch path 20, and a third branch path 22 branched from the single track section 14 into three. Hereinafter, when the first branch road 18, the second branch road 20, and the third branch road 22 are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as branch roads 18, 20, and 22.

On the traveling path 12, lane markers 24 are arranged along the center of the traveling path 12 at a distance in accordance with predetermined conditions as described later. Specifically, the lane markers 24 ₁₀ , 24 ₂₀ , 24 ₃₀ are provided on the single track portion 14 of the traveling path 12.
However, the lane markers 24 ₄₁ , 24
₅₁ , 24 ₆₁ , 24 ₇₁ , lane markers 24 ₄₂ , 24 ₅₂ , 24 ₆₂ , 24 _{72 on} the second branch 20,
Lane markers 24 ₄₃ , 24 ₅₃ ,
24 ₆₃ and 24 ₇₃ are provided respectively.

The lane markers 24 are all formed of magnetic nails magnetized with the same type of polarity (for example, only N poles), and generate a predetermined magnetic field. Lane marker 2
Numeral 4 is disposed at least a distance d such that magnetic fields generated from each other do not interfere with each other with respect to the lane marker 24 which is closest in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. In addition, the lane marker 24 is at least a distance d in which the magnetic fields generated from each other do not interfere with each other in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 10, that is, the lane marker 24 that is closest to the other branch roads 18, 20, and 22.
And a lane marker sensor mounted on the vehicle 10, which will be described later, is spaced apart by a distance enough to secure a detection width r in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle 10 has a function of detecting a traveling distance using the number of rotations of wheels. The lane marker 24 is used to determine the direction in which the vehicle 10 travels, specifically, to determine the steering angle of the wheel leading to the next lane marker 24, and to correct the traveling distance of the vehicle 10.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mobile traveling system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIG. 2, the infrastructure facility includes a vehicle 1
A control center 30 for giving instructions to 0 is provided. A road-to-vehicle communication device 34 is connected to the control center 30 via a communication line 32. The roadside-to-vehicle communication device 34 is disposed in the traveling direction before the point where the traveling path 12 changes from the single-track section 14 to the double-track section 16. The road-to-vehicle communication device 34 is configured by a loop coil, and the control center 30 and the individual vehicles 10
This is a transceiver for performing road-to-vehicle communication with the vehicle. The control center 30 transmits, from the road-to-vehicle communication device 34, an instruction signal indicating which branch road 18, 20, or 22 the vehicle 10 should enter in the double track section 16.

The vehicle 10 has a vehicle system 40 mounted thereon. The vehicle system 40 includes a vehicle electronic control unit (hereinafter, referred to as a vehicle ECU) 42. The vehicle ECU 42 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 44 and a memory 46. Memory 46
In the case where the vehicle 10 travels while selecting the first branch road 18, the second branch road 20, and the third branch road 22, the arrangement position of the lane marker 24 disposed on the travel path 12 That is, information corresponding to the interval between the two lane markers 24 and information corresponding to a road shape such as a road curvature or a road gradient from one lane marker 24 to the next lane marker 24 are stored.
The memory 46 stores a steering angle at which the wheels of the vehicle 10 from one lane marker 24 to the next lane marker 24 should be steered (hereinafter, this steered angle to be steered is referred to as an ideal steering angle).
May be stored.

A lane marker sensor 48 is connected to the vehicle ECU 42. The lane marker sensor 48 is provided, for example, below the bumper at the front of the vehicle body, and has a plurality of sensors in parallel in the vehicle width direction. The lane marker sensor 48 outputs a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the lane marker 24. The lane marker sensor 48
It has an area that can be detected in the vehicle width direction (hereinafter, this area is referred to as a detection width r). That is, the lane marker sensor 48 detects the lane marker 24 existing within the detection width r.
Can be detected.

The vehicle ECU 42 includes a lane marker sensor 4
8, the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the lane marker 24 is detected. Then, the relative position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the lane marker 24 is specified based on the magnitude of the detected magnetic field. The vehicle ECU 42 determines that the vehicle 10 has passed the lane marker 24 when the detected magnetic field indicates the maximum value. Then, the position in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle with respect to the lane marker 24 is specified based on the maximum value.

The vehicle ECU 42 is provided with a wheel speed sensor 50. The wheel speed sensor 50 generates a pulse signal every time a wheel of the vehicle rotates by a predetermined rotation angle. EC
U42 detects the traveling distance of the vehicle 10 based on the output signal of the wheel speed sensor 50, and calculates the number of pulse signals emitted from the wheel speed sensor 50 while the vehicle 10 passes between the two lane markers 24. The travel distance is corrected based on the travel distance.

The vehicle system 40 has a steering actuator 52. The steering actuator 52 is connected to the vehicle 1
0 is a mechanism for controlling the steering angle of the zero wheel.
It is connected to the. The vehicle ECU 42 reads information on the road shape at the lane marker 24 from the memory 46 every time the vehicle 10 detects the lane marker 24,
Based on the position of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the lane marker 24, a steering angle at which the wheel should actually be turned (hereinafter, this steering angle is referred to as a target steering angle) is calculated. Then, a command signal is supplied to the steering actuator 52 so as to obtain the target steering angle. The steering actuator 52 is connected to the vehicle EC.
The wheels are driven based on the steering instruction value supplied from U42, and the steering angles of the wheels are controlled.

The vehicle system 40 includes a road-to-vehicle communication device 54. The road-to-vehicle communication device 54 is, for example, disposed on the underside of the vehicle body, and is a transceiver for performing road-to-vehicle communication with the road-to-vehicle communication device 34 disposed in the infrastructure facility.
The road-to-vehicle communication device 54 is connected to the vehicle ECU 42. When vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 54 receives a signal indicating the approach direction of vehicle 10 in double track portion 16 transmitted by control center 30 (hereinafter, referred to as an approach direction instruction signal), vehicle ECU 42 transmits the approach direction instruction signal. Is executed to cause the vehicle 10 to enter in the direction according to. That is,
The vehicle 10 selectively travels in the approach direction in the double track section 16 according to an instruction from the control center 30.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an interval between two lane markers 24 in this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 18, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the second branch road 20, and the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the third branch road 22. , The distance between the two lane markers 24 that the vehicle 10 should pass through is shown.

In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 is
When the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 18 of the double track section 16 from the lane marker, the vehicle 10 has the lane markers 24 ₁₀ → 24 ₂₀ → 2
_{4 3 0 → 24 41 → 24} 51 → 24 61 → 24 71 follows the path of travel of the running path 12. In this route, the lane markers 24 are arranged so that the intervals between the two lane markers 24 are d, d, 3d, 3d, d, d in order.

The vehicle 10 is moved from the single track 14 to the double track 1.
When traveling toward the second branch road 20 of the vehicle 6, the vehicle 10
Is the lane marker 24 ₁₀ → 24 ₂₀ → 24 ₃₀ → 24
_The vehicle travels on the travel path 12 following the route of ₄₂ → 24 ₅₂ → 24 ₆₂ → 24 ₇₂ . In this route, lane marker 2
4 indicates that the interval between the two lane markers 24 is d, d,
They are arranged so as to be 2d, 3d, 3d, d.

Further, the vehicle 10 is moved from the single track section 14 to the double track section 1.
When the vehicle travels toward the third branch road 20 of the vehicle 6, the vehicle 10
Is the lane marker 24 ₁₀ → 24 ₂₀ → 24 ₃₀ → 24
_The vehicle travels along the travel path 12 following the route of ₄₃ → 24 ₅₃ → 24 ₆₃ → 24 ₇₃ . In this route, lane marker 2
4 indicates that the interval between the two lane markers 24 is d, d,
d, 3d, 3d, and d.

That is, in this embodiment, the vehicle 10
After passing through the lane marker 24 ₃₀ in the single track portion 14, the distance between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the next lane marker 24 to be passed is determined by the branch road 1 to which the vehicle 10 should travel.
It varies according to 8, 20, 22. Specifically, the vehicle 1
Lane marker 24 when 0 runs on the first branch road 18
Distance between ₃₀ and lane markers _{24 41} (= 3d), lane markers 2 when vehicle 10 travels on a second branch passage 20
4 ₃₀ and the lane marker interval between _{24 42} (= 2d), and the interval between the lane marker _{24 3 0} and lane markers _{24 43} when the vehicle 10 travels a third branch passage 22 (=
d) differs from each other by at least a distance d at which the magnetic fields generated by the two lane markers do not interfere with each other.

The distance between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 ₅₁ (= 6d), the lane marker 24 ₃₀
And the distance between the lane marker 24 ₅₂ (= 5d), and
The distance (= 4d) between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 ₅₃ is also different from each other by at least the distance d, and the lane markers 24 ₅₁ , 24 ₅₂ , 24 _{5 3}
Are separated from the other lane markers 24 by at least the distance d. That is, all the lane markers 24 arranged on the traveling path 12 are separated from each other by at least the distance d.

The interval between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 ₆₁ and the interval between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 ₆₃ are the same, the interval between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 ₇₁ and the interval between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ and the lane marker 24 since the distance between ₇₃ are identical to each other, the interval between the lane markers _{24 61} and lane markers _{24 63,} and the spacing between the lane markers _{24 71} and lane markers _{24 73,} respectively, at least, the magnetic field between the two lane markers emitted does not interfere It is assumed that the distance d is ensured and the lane marker sensor 48 is vacant by a distance enough to ensure the detection width r. In this case, the lane marker sensor 48 mounted on the vehicle 10 is connected to the lane markers 24 of the fork roads 18, 20, and 22 to be driven, and the foregoing fork roads 18, 20,. Detection of the 22 lane markers 24 is prevented.

For this reason, according to the method of arranging the lane markers 24, the branch road 1 on which the vehicle 10 should not travel is provided.
Even if the vehicle 10 passes near the lane markers 24 of 8, 20, and 22, the arrangement positions of the lane markers 24 on the forks 18, 20, and 22 on which the vehicle 10 should travel are known, and the traveling distance is accurately detected. If so, the passed lane marker 24 can be ignored. That is, erroneous detection of the lane marker 24 caused by disposing the lane marker 24 in close proximity can be reliably avoided.

In this case, no problem occurs even if the lane markers 24 having the same polarity are used. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to use the lane markers 24 having the same kind of polarity, and it is possible to realize a vehicle traveling system at low cost.

In the above configuration, the memory 4 of the vehicle 10
6 stores information on the intervals of the lane markers 24 to be passed for each of the branch roads 18, 20, and 22 as a map as shown in FIG. The vehicle 10 is connected to any of the branch roads 18,
When traveling on the roads 20 and 22, the lane markers 24 ₃₀
Follow the same route up to. Lane marker _{24 3 0}
After passing through the lane marker 2, the steering angle is controlled in accordance with the branch roads 18, 20, and 22 to be traveled.
4 _{41, 24} 42, it travels toward the _{24 43.} When it detects a lane marker 24, the distance between the lane marker 24 ₃₀ calculates using the wheel speed sensor 50,
And the calculated distance, the next lane markers ₂₄ 41 identified when detecting lane markers _{24 3 0, 24} 42, 2
4 by comparing the distance to _43, lane markers 24 detected is, it should travel branch passage 18, 20, 22
Lane markers 24 ₄₁ , 24 ₄₂ , 24 ₄₃ corresponding to
Is determined.

The lane marker 2 corresponding to the branch roads 18, 20, 22 on which the detected lane marker 24 should travel
In the case of 4 ₄₁ , 24 ₄₂ , 24 ₄₃ , the travel control is executed based on the detected lane markers 24 ₄₁ , 24 ₄₂ , 24 ₄₃ . Lane marker 24 detected
Is not the lane marker 24 ₄₁ , 24 ₄₂ , 24 ₄₃ corresponding to the forked roads 18, 20, 22, that is, if it is the lane marker 24 corresponding to the forked roads 18, 20, 22, for example, , Vehicle 10
When the vehicle 10 travels on the second fork 20 and detects the lane marker 24 ₄₃ on the third fork 22 after the vehicle 10 has passed the lane marker 24 ₃₀ , the travel control is performed based on the detected lane marker 24 _43. Is prohibited.

In this embodiment, each time the vehicle 10 detects the lane marker 24, it repeatedly executes the above processing. Therefore, according to the system of the present embodiment, the travel path 12
The vehicle 10 can run properly even when there are a plurality of branch paths 18, 20, 22 extending from the same location.

FIG. 4 shows a vehicle 1 using the lane marker 24.
In this embodiment, the vehicle ECU 42
3 shows a flowchart of an example of a control routine executed by the computer. The routine shown in FIG. 4 is a routine that is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. When the routine shown in FIG. 4 is started, first, the process of step 100 is executed.

In step 100, it is determined whether or not the road-to-vehicle communication device 54 has received an approach direction instruction signal from the control center 30. As a result, if it is determined that the approach direction instruction signal has not been received, the current routine is terminated without any further processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the approach direction instruction signal has been received, the process of step 102 is executed next.

In step 102, on the basis of the approach direction instruction signal received by the road-to-vehicle communication device 54, the fork roads 18, 20, and 22 on which the vehicle 10 should travel in the double track section 16 are specified, and the specified roads are specified. Forks 18, 20,
The arrangement position of the lane marker 24 corresponding to 22 is specified.

In step 104, it is determined based on the output signal of the lane marker sensor 48 whether or not the lane marker 24 has been detected. As a result, if it is determined that the lane marker 24 has not been detected, the current routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the lane marker 24 has been detected, the process of step 106 is executed next.

In step 106, the location of the lane marker 24 detected using the lane marker sensor 48 is determined by the branch paths 18 and 2 specified in step 102.
It is determined whether or not the lane marker 24 is located at the position corresponding to 0,22. As a result, if an affirmative determination is made, it can be determined that the vehicle 10 has passed the lane markers 24 of the forks 18, 20, and 22 on which the vehicle should travel, and the wheels are turned by the target steering angle until reaching the next lane marker 24. It is appropriate to steer and correct the mileage.
Therefore, if such a determination is made, then step 1
08 is executed.

In step 108, a target steering angle is calculated from the relationship between the detected lane marker 24 and the relative position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the lane marker 24, and the steering actuator 52 is operated so that the wheels are steered at the target steering angle. Thus, a command signal is supplied and a process of correcting the traveling distance of the vehicle 10 is executed. When the process of step 108 ends, the current routine ends.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 106, it can be determined that the vehicle 10 has passed the lane markers 24 of the forks 18, 20, and 22 that should not travel. Running control is not appropriate. Therefore, if such a determination is made, the current routine ends.

According to the above-described processing, the detected lane marker 24 indicates that the vehicle 10 is to travel on the forked roads 18, 20,
When the lane marker 24 corresponds to the lane marker 22, the travel control of the vehicle 10 can be executed based on the lane marker 24. That is, the detected lane marker 2
If 4 is a lane marker 24 corresponding to the fork roads 18, 20, and 22 that should not travel, execution of travel control based on the lane marker 24 in the vehicle 10 is prohibited.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when the vehicle 10 passes near the lane marker 24 corresponding to the fork roads 18, 20, 22 that should not travel, the traveling control is performed based on the lane marker 24. Can be avoided. Therefore, according to the system of the present embodiment,
A plurality of branch roads 18 and 2 extending from the same location on the traveling road 12
Even when 0 and 22 are present, it is possible to make the moving body run properly.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing an infrastructure facility of the mobile traveling system of this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, lane markers 60 are arranged along the center of the travel path 12 at a distance according to a predetermined condition as described later. Specifically, the lane marker 6 is attached to the single track portion 14 of the traveling path 12.
0 ₁₀ , 60 ₂₀ , 60 ₃₀ , and lane markers 60 ₄₁ , 60 ₅₁ , 60 ₆₁ , 60 ₇₁ ,
60 _{8 1} has a lane marker 6 on the second branch road 20.
0 _{42, 60 52,} 60 62, _{60 7 2,} the third branch passage 22 lane markers _{60 43,} 60 53, _{60 63,}
60 _{7 3 60 83,} are disposed respectively. Like the lane marker 24, the lane marker 60 is formed of a magnetic nail magnetized with the same polarity and generates a predetermined magnetic field.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an interval between two lane markers 60 in this embodiment. In FIG. 6, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 18, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the second branch road 20, and the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the third branch road 22. , The distance between the two lane markers 60 that the vehicle 10 should pass through is shown.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 18, the vehicle 10 moves to the lane marker 60 ₁₀ → 60 ₂₀ → 60 ₃₀ → 60 ₄₁ → 60 ₅₁
The vehicle travels on the traveling path 12 following the route of → 60 ₆₁ → 60 ₇₁ → 60 ₈₁ . In this route, the lane marker 60
Is that the distance between the two lane markers 60 is d, d, 3
d, d, 2d, d, d.

When the vehicle 10 moves toward the second branch road 20,
When traveling, the vehicle 10 has the lane marker 60₁₀→
60₂₀→ 60₃₀→ 60₄₂→ 60₅₂→ 60₆₂→
60 ₇₂The vehicle travels on the traveling path 12 following the route of (1). This sutra
On the road, the lane markers 60 are two lane markers 6
The intervals of 0 are d, d, 2d, 3d, 2d, d in order.
It is arranged as follows.

Further, the vehicle 10 moves toward the third branch road 20.
When traveling, the vehicle 10 has the lane marker 60₁₀→
60₂₀→ 60₃₀→ 60₄₃→ 60₅₃→ 60₆₃→
60 ₇₃→ 60₈₃Follow the path of the road and travel on the travel path 12
You. In this path, the lane marker 60
The intervals of the marker 60 are d, d, d, 3d, 2d,
d, d.

That is, in this embodiment, after the vehicle 10 has passed the lane marker 60 ₃₀ in the single track portion 14, the distance between the lane marker 60 ₃₀ and the next lane marker 60 to be passed is determined by the branch road on which the vehicle 10 should travel. 1
8, 20, and 22 differ by at least the distance d. All the lane markers 60 disposed on the traveling path 12 are separated from each other by at least the distance d. Also,
The memory 46 of the vehicle 10 stores information on the intervals of the lane markers 60 to be passed for each of the forks 18, 20, and 22 as a map as shown in FIG.

The interval between the lane marker 60 ₅₁ and the lane marker 60 ₅₃ , the interval between the lane marker 60 ₆₁ and the lane marker 60 ₆₃ , the interval between the lane marker 60 ₇₁ and the lane marker 60 ₆₂ , the interval between the lane marker 60 ₆₂ and the lane marker 60 ₇₃ , the lane marker The interval between the lane marker 60 ₇₁ and the lane marker 60 ₇₃ , the interval between the lane marker 60 ₈₁ and the lane marker 60 ₇₂ , the interval between the lane marker 60 ₇₂ and the lane marker 60 _83, and the interval between the lane marker 60 ₈₁ and the lane marker 60 ₈₃ are at least: It is assumed that a distance d at which the magnetic fields generated by the two lane markers do not interfere with each other is secured, and that the magnetic field is vacant by a distance at which the detection width r of the lane marker sensor 48 is secured. In this case, the lane marker sensor 48 mounted on the vehicle 10 is connected to the lane markers 60 of the fork roads 18, 20, and 22 to be driven and the foregoing fork roads 18, 20, and The detection of the 22 lane markers 60 is prevented.

In this configuration, each time the vehicle 10 detects the lane marker 60, the vehicle 10 calculates the distance from the previously detected lane marker 60 and stores the distance in the memory 46 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. By comparing the detected lane marker 60 with the interval information, it is determined whether or not the detected lane marker 60 is the lane marker 60 corresponding to the branch roads 18, 20, 22 where the vehicle 10 should travel. Then, the running control is executed according to the result of the determination.

For this reason, also in the present embodiment, the first
As in the case of the embodiment, even if the vehicle 10 passes near the lane marker 60 on the forks 18, 20, and 22 where the vehicle 10 should not travel, the forks 18, 20, and 22 on which the vehicle 10 should travel.
Knows the location of the lane marker 60, and
When the traveling distance is accurately detected, the lane marker 60 that has passed can be ignored. Therefore, according to the system of the present embodiment, even when there are a plurality of branch roads 18, 20, and 22 extending from the same location on the travel road 12, the vehicle 10 can travel properly.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an infrastructure facility of the mobile traveling system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the double track portion 1 of the traveling path 12
6 has a first branch 80 extending in a curved manner from the single wire section 14 unlike the first branch 18 of the first embodiment. When the vehicle 10 travels on the traveling path 12 having a large curvature, compared to when traveling on the traveling path 12 having a small curvature,
The possibility that the vehicle 10 deviates from the traveling path 12 increases.
Therefore, on the traveling road 12 having a large curvature, it is desirable to arrange the lane markers through which the vehicle 10 passes at a reduced interval.

In the traveling path 12, lane markers 82 are arranged along the center of the traveling path 12 at a distance according to predetermined conditions as described later. Specifically, the lane markers 82 ₁₀ , 82 ₂₀ , 82 ₃₀ are provided on the single track portion 14 of the traveling path 12.
However, lane markers 82 ₄₁ , 82 are provided on the first branch 80.
₅₁ , 82 ₆₁ , 82 ₇₁ , 82 ₈₁ are connected to the second branch 2
0 has lane markers 82 ₄₂ and 82 ₅₂ , and the third branch 22 has lane markers 82 ₄₃ , 82 ₅₃ , 82 ₆₃ ,
₈₂₇₃ are provided respectively. Lane marker 8
Reference numeral 2 is, similarly to the lane marker 24, formed of a magnetic nail magnetized with the same polarity and generates a predetermined magnetic field.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an interval between two lane markers 82 in this embodiment. In FIG. 8, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 80, the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the second branch road 20, and the case where the vehicle 10 travels toward the third branch road 22. , The distance between the two lane markers 82 that the vehicle 10 should pass through is shown.

In this embodiment, when the vehicle 10 travels toward the first branch road 80, the vehicle 10 moves to the lane marker 82 ₁₀ → 82 ₂₀ → 82 ₃₀ → 82 ₄₁ → 82 ₅₁
The vehicle travels along the traveling path 12 following the route of → 82 ₆₁ → 82 ₇₁ → 82 ₈₁ . In this route, the lane marker 82
Is that the distance between the two lane markers 82 is d, d, 3
d, 2d, d, 3d, and 2d.

When the vehicle 10 travels toward the second branch road 20, the vehicle 10 moves to the lane marker 82 ₁₀ →
The vehicle travels on the traveling path 12 by following the route of 82 ₂₀ → 82 ₃₀ → 82 ₄₂ → 82 ₅₂ . In this route, the lane markers 82 are arranged such that the distance between the two lane markers 82 is d, d,
d, 2d, and 6d.

Further, the vehicle 10 moves toward the third branch road 20.
When traveling, the vehicle 10 is₁₀→
82₂₀→ 82₃₀→ 82₄₃→ 82₅₃→ 82₆₃→
82 ₇₃The vehicle travels on the traveling path 12 following the route of (1). This sutra
On the road, the lane markers 82 are two lane markers 8
The intervals of 2 become d, d, d, 3d, 3d, 3d in order.
It is arranged as follows.

That is, in this embodiment, the vehicle 10
After passing through the lane marker 82 ₃₀ in the single track portion 14, the interval between the lane marker 82 ₃₀ and the next lane marker 82 to be passed is determined by the branch road 8 of the vehicle 10 to travel.
The lane markers 82 which are different from each other by at least the distance d for each of 0, 20, and 22 and which are disposed on the traveling path 12.
Are all separated from each other by at least a distance d.
In the first branch 80 having a large curvature, a lane marker 82 is preferentially arranged with a smaller interval than in the second branch 20 and the third branch 22. The memory 46 of the vehicle 10
Stores the information on the intervals of the lane markers 82 to be passed for each of the branch roads 80, 20, and 22 as a map as shown in FIG.

In this configuration, each time the vehicle 10 detects the lane marker 82, the vehicle 10 calculates the distance from the previously detected lane marker 82, and stores the distance in the memory 46 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. By comparing the detected lane marker 82 with the interval information, it is determined whether or not the detected lane marker 82 is the lane marker 82 corresponding to the branch roads 80, 20, and 22 where the vehicle 10 should travel. Then, the running control is executed according to the result of the determination.

Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the first
As in the case of the embodiment, even when the vehicle 10 passes near the lane marker 82 of the fork roads 80, 20, and 22 where the vehicle 10 should not travel, the fork roads 80, 20, 22 that the vehicle 10 should travel on.
Knows the location of the lane marker 82, and
When the traveling distance is accurately detected, the lane marker 82 that has passed can be ignored. Therefore, according to the system of the present embodiment, the vehicle 10 can travel properly even when there are a plurality of branch roads 80, 20, and 22 extending from the same location on the travel road 12.

In this embodiment, as described above,
Since the lane marker 82 is preferentially arranged on the first branch 80, the vehicle 10 is
It is possible to drive the vehicle appropriately without deviating from the vehicle.

In the first to third embodiments,
The first branch roads 18, 80, the second branch road 20, and the third branch road 22 are described as "plural branch roads" described in the claims, and the lane markers 24, 60, 82 are described in the claims. to have been "marker", the lane markers 24 30 disposed single wire section _{14, 60 30,} 82 ₃₀ have been described in the claims, "serving as a reference lane marker", described in the scope vehicle 10 claims The distance d at which the magnetic fields generated by the lane markers 24, 60, and 82 do not interfere with each other is defined as a "predetermined value" described in the claims.
In addition, the memory 46 of the vehicle ECU 42 corresponds to a “storage unit” described in the claims.

In the first to third embodiments, when the vehicle ECU 42 executes the process of step 106, the "marker identifying means" recited in the claims is processed by the process of step 108. The "running control means" described in the claims by executing
Have been realized respectively.

In the first to third embodiments, the lane markers 24, 60 and 82 are provided on the double track portion 16 as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 or FIG. Is not limited to this, and the intervals between the lane markers 24 ₃₀ , 60 ₃₀ , and 82 _{30 of} the single-line section 14 are set for each of the branch paths 18, 20, and 22 or the branch paths 80 and 80.
What is necessary is just to arrange | position so that it may differ more than distance d for every 20,22.

In the first to third embodiments, the direction in which the vehicle 10 should travel in the double track 16 of the travel path 12 is determined by an instruction from the control center 30 on the infrastructure side. Alternatively, the information may be stored in the vehicle ECU 42 before traveling. Alternatively, the vehicle ECU 42 may store the information in advance before traveling, and then give an instruction to change the stored approach direction when the vehicle passes over the road-to-vehicle communication device 34.

In the first to third embodiments, the double track section 16 has three branch paths 18, 20, 22 or branch paths 80, 20, 22. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to four or more branch roads. In the first to third embodiments, the present invention is applied to the vehicle 10 traveling on the traveling path 12,
It is also possible to apply to a transportation vehicle and the like.

[0075]

As described above, according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to properly move a moving body on a traveling road having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an infrastructure facility of a mobile traveling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of the mobile traveling system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interval between two lane markers disposed on a traveling path in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control routine that is executed to perform travel control using a lane marker in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an infrastructure facility of a mobile traveling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interval between two lane markers disposed on a traveling path in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an infrastructure facility of a mobile traveling system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interval between two lane markers disposed on a traveling path in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 12 Running path 16 Double track section 18, 80 First branch road 20 Second branch road 22 Third branch road 24, 60, 82 Lane marker 42 Vehicle electronic control unit (vehicle ECU) 46 Memory 48 Lane marker sensor 50 Wheel speed Sensor 52 Steering actuator

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B60R 21/00 628 B60R 21/00 628A 628E B62D 6/00 B62D 6/00 G08G 1/00 G08G 1/00 X // B62D 101: 00 B62D 101: 00 137: 00 137: 00 (72) Inventor Masahiro Michio 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Koji Taguchi Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture 1 Toyota Town Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Mitsunori Hosokawa 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Toru Tanaka 2-88 Toyoemachi Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Stock F-term in Toyota Techno Service (reference) 3D032 CC20 CC26 DA24 DA27 DA84 DA88 EB04 EC34 GG01 5H180 AA01 BB04 CC19 CC24 5H301 AA01 AA09 BB05 CC03 CC06 DD01 DD15 EE06 EE13 EE28 FF04 FF11 FF16 FF17 FF18 FF27 GG12 GG14 KK03 KK18

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A moving body traveling system for moving a moving body on a traveling path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location, wherein each of the plurality of branch roads has a plurality of intervals with a reference marker. The marker installed differently for each branch road and the position information of the marker installed on the branch road to be driven among the plurality of branch roads are stored, and the vehicle should run based on the position information. A moving body whose traveling is controlled by detecting the marker corresponding to the branch road. 2. The moving body traveling system according to claim 1, wherein the distance differs by a predetermined value or more for each of the branch roads. 3. A traveling control device for a moving object, comprising: a marker detecting means for traveling on a traveling path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location and detecting a marker installed on the traveling path in accordance with a predetermined rule. A storage unit for storing position information of the marker installed on a branch road on which the mobile body is to travel, position information stored in the storage unit, and position information of the marker detected by the marker detection unit. On the basis of the,
Marker identifying means for determining whether or not the detected marker is a marker corresponding to a branch road on which the mobile body should travel; A traveling control device for a mobile object, comprising: traveling control means for controlling traveling based on the detected marker when it is determined that the marker corresponds to a power branch road. 4. The travel control device for a moving body according to claim 3, wherein the storage means stores information on an interval between two markers, and the marker identification means determines that the interval between the two detected markers is equal to or less than the interval between the two detected markers. When the predetermined interval information stored in the storage means is matched, a marker detected later is determined to be a marker corresponding to a branch road on which the moving object should travel, and the traveling of the moving object is characterized by the following. Control device. 5. A method of installing a marker installed on a travel path having a plurality of branch roads extending from the same location to control the traveling of a moving body, wherein each of the plurality of branch roads is used as a reference. A marker installation method, wherein a marker is installed so that an interval from the marker is different for each of the plurality of branch roads. 6. The marker setting method according to claim 5, wherein the interval differs by a predetermined value or more for each of the branch roads.