JP2004184089A - Present position specifying device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the present position from being matched erroneously to a road near thereto when intruding from a road into a parking lot or the like, and to quickly conduct a guide to the road in the vicinity thereto when going out to the road. <P>SOLUTION: A step difference and a side-ditch in the road are detected by a change of a road surface condition detected by a road surface condition detecting part 130, and the existence of a vehicle on the road is determined by an existence-on-road determining part 144. A map matching control part 147 prohibits execution of map matching processing in a map matching processing part 142 when not existing on the road, and allows the execution of the map matching processing in the map matching processing part 142, when on the road. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a current position specifying device and a current position specifying method capable of performing a map matching process for correcting a current position of a measured vehicle to match a position on a road.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a current position specifying device of this type records measurement means for detecting a current position of a vehicle using a direction sensor, a speed sensor, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit, and road data indicating a parking lot. And a storage medium storing the map information stored in the storage unit. The current position measured by the measuring unit is map-matched to the road data of the map information to obtain a vehicle position candidate, and the candidate with the highest reliability is set as a display candidate. When traveling in a parking lot or a parking area, it is possible to match a parking lot or a parking area without erroneous matching to a nearby road (see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-116570 A
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a conventional current position specifying device, if road data indicating a parking lot or a parking area is stored in a storage medium, erroneous matching is eliminated, but the data is stored near roads or intersections and stored as road data. Mismatches were difficult to avoid in places where there were not (many parking lots, gas stations, convenience stores, etc.).
[0005]
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, when there is a parking lot 40 in the upper right of the road 20 and the road 30 which cross each other, the travel locus R (indicated by a dotted line) of the measured current position of the vehicle Go straight along the road 20 from the left side to the right side in the figure and cross the intersection. Then, turn left into the parking lot 40 and proceed along the road 30 upward in the figure to the position R10. Without the indicated road data, even if the vehicle actually enters the parking lot, the measured current position is matched with the road 30 near the parking lot 40 and pulled in as shown by the arrow 11, Since the vehicle travels on the traveling locus M (shown by the solid line) and is corrected to be at the position M10, the vehicle is shifted from the actual position.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. Even if road data indicating a parking lot or the like is not stored in the map information storage unit, a parking lot outside the road existing near the road or near the intersection is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a current position specifying device and a current position specifying method for preventing a current position of a vehicle from being attracted to a nearby road by erroneous matching when the vehicle is moved to a similar position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, even when road data indicating a parking lot or the like is not stored in the map information storage unit, the vehicle is moved to a road from a parking lot or the like outside a road near a road or an intersection. It is an object of the present invention to provide a current position specifying device and a current position specifying method capable of promptly pulling the current position of a vehicle to a nearby road.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, When it is determined that the vehicle is outside the road, a map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit the execution of the map matching process by the map matching processing unit is provided.
With this configuration, when a vehicle is moved off the road near a road or an intersection (parking lot, gas station, etc.), even if the vehicle is not recorded on the road data in the map information storage unit, Can be prevented from being pulled in by the matching process on the road.
[0008]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit when it is determined that the vehicle exists outside the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. On-road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when detecting the status and detecting that the road status detected by the road status detection unit has changed. And it has a configuration with a.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting a change in the road surface condition, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is subjected to the matching process and pulled into the nearby road. Can be prevented.
[0009]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit when it is determined that the vehicle exists outside the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. A situation detector, a road presence determiner that determines that the vehicle is off the road when the road situation detector detects a change in the road situation, and a current position measurement. Is compared with the direction of the road read from the map information storage unit. If the difference between the direction of travel of the vehicle and the direction of the road is equal to or greater than a certain value, it is determined that the vehicle is outside the road. And a heading difference determination unit. When the vehicle is outside the road by the road presence determination unit, and the vehicle is outside the road by the heading difference determination unit, the vehicle is outside the road. Is determined.
With this configuration, by comparing the traveling direction of the vehicle with the direction of the road, the reliability of detection outside the road is further increased, and the current position is drawn onto a straight road by the matching process when moving from a straight road to outside the road. Can be prevented.
[0010]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit when it is determined that the vehicle exists outside the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. A situation detector, a road presence determiner that determines that the vehicle is off the road when the road situation detector detects a change in the road situation, and a current position measurement. Is compared with the direction of the road read from the map information storage unit. If the difference between the direction of travel of the vehicle and the direction of the road is equal to or greater than a certain value, it is determined that the vehicle is outside the road. An azimuth difference determining unit, and a peripheral road investigating unit that selects a peripheral road in which the azimuth difference between the traveling azimuth of the vehicle and the azimuth of the road in the vicinity of the current position is within a certain value and within a certain distance from the current position. When the on-road presence determination unit determines that the vehicle exists outside the road, and the azimuth difference determination unit determines that the vehicle exists outside the road, and the peripheral road investigation unit does not select the corresponding peripheral road Has a configuration for determining that the vehicle is outside the road.
With this configuration, the surrounding road is also included in the determination target of the movement outside the road, so that it is possible to prevent the current position from being pulled into the road by the matching process when the vehicle turns and moves outside the road near the intersection.
[0011]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to prohibit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present outside the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects a step on the road A road surface condition detecting unit; and a road presence determining unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detecting unit detects that there is a step on the road. Has a configuration was.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting the step on the road, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is matched to the nearby road and pulled in. Can be prevented.
[0012]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit for controlling execution of the map matching process by the map matching processing unit when the vehicle is determined to be present outside the road; and a road inside / outside determination unit for detecting a road gutter. A road surface condition detection unit and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects the presence of a road gutter. Has a configuration was.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting it in the gutter of the road, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is subjected to the matching processing and pulled into the nearby road. Can be prevented.
[0013]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. When it is determined that the vehicle exists outside the road, a map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit is provided. When the road surface condition detecting unit detects the presence of a change in the pavement of the road and the road surface condition detecting unit detects that the vehicle is outside the road, the vehicle is present on the road. It has a structure in which a tough.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting the change in the pavement of the road, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is matched with a nearby road. It can be prevented from being pulled in.
[0014]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to prohibit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present outside the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects the inclination of the road A road surface condition detection unit, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects the inclination of the road. It is.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting the inclination of the road, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is matched to the nearby road and pulled in. Can be prevented.
[0015]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit for controlling execution of the map matching process by the map matching processing unit when the vehicle is determined to be present outside the road; and a road inside / outside determination unit for detecting a painted line on the road. When the road surface condition detection unit and the road presence determination unit detect that there is a painted line on the road, the road surface condition detection unit determines that the vehicle is outside the road. It has a configuration in which a road on the existence determination unit.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting the painted line of the road, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like, the current position is matched to the nearby road and pulled in. Can be prevented.
[0016]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to prohibit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit is installed at the entrance of the parking lot. Has a vehicle-mounted wireless communication device that communicates with the wireless device that has been received, and the vehicle-mounted wireless communication device detects the entrance of the parking lot by receiving a signal from the wireless device on the parking lot side Includes determining configuration that the vehicle is out of the road. With this configuration, even if the parking lot is not recorded on the road data in the map information storage unit, it is possible to reliably prevent the current position from being pulled into the nearby road by the matching process even when traveling in the parking lot.
[0017]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle position, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process to match on the road data read from the map information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. And a map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to execute the map matching process when it is determined that the vehicle is on the road.
With this configuration, when the vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the current position can be quickly pulled into the road by the matching processing.
[0018]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. It has a configuration that includes a situation detection unit and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on the road when the road condition detection unit detects a change in the road condition. That.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily detect the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road by detecting a change in the road surface condition. When a vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the vehicle can be quickly detected by the matching process. The current position can be pulled into the road.
[0019]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. A situation detector, a road presence determiner that determines that the vehicle is off the road when the road situation detector detects a change in the road situation, and a current position measurement. Is compared with the direction of the road read from the map information storage unit. If the difference between the direction of travel of the vehicle and the direction of the road is within a certain value, it is determined that the vehicle is on the road. An orientation difference determination unit, and when the on-road presence determination unit determines that the vehicle is on the road, and when the orientation difference determination unit determines that the vehicle is on the road, the map matching control unit A configuration is provided in which control is performed to allow execution of the map matching process in the matching processing unit.
With this configuration, by comparing the traveling direction of the vehicle with the direction of the road, the reliability of detecting the movement to the road is further increased, and the current position is determined when the vehicle moves from a parking lot outside the road to the road. The current position can be quickly drawn on the straight road by the matching process while preventing the current position from being drawn into the inside.
[0020]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and a road surface determination unit that detects a road surface condition. A situation detection unit, a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition, and a traveling method of the vehicle. And a peripheral road investigation unit that selects a peripheral road existing within a certain distance from the current position and a direction difference between the direction of a road around the current position and a predetermined distance from the current position. When the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the vehicle is determined to be present on the road by the heading difference determination unit, and the corresponding peripheral road is selected by the peripheral road investigation unit, the vehicle is determined to be present on the road. It has a configuration for determining.
With this configuration, the surrounding road is also included in the determination target of the movement to the road, so that when the vehicle moves from the outside of the road to the road, matching is performed without being affected by the error of the current position at the exit of the parking lot or the like outside the road. By the processing, the current position can be quickly drawn on the straight road.
[0021]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to allow execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects a step on the road. It has a configuration including a road surface condition detection unit and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a step on the road. That.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily detect the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road by detecting the step on the road surface. When a vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the vehicle can be promptly detected by the matching process. The current location can be pulled into the road.
[0022]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects a road gutter. It has a configuration including a road surface condition detection unit and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a road gutter. That.
With this configuration, the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road can be easily detected by detecting the gutter on the road surface. When the vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the vehicle can be quickly detected by the matching process. The current location can be pulled into the road.
[0023]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to allow the execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects a change in the pavement of the road. A road surface condition detecting unit for detecting, and a road presence determining unit for determining that the vehicle is on the road when the road condition detecting unit detects a change in pavement of the road. I was having the configuration.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily detect the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road by detecting a change in pavement on the road surface. The current position can be quickly pulled into the road.
[0024]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to allow the execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects the inclination of the road It has a configuration including a road surface condition detection unit and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects the inclination of the road. That.
With this configuration, the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road can be easily detected by detecting the inclination of the road surface. When the vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the vehicle can be quickly detected by the matching process. The current location can be pulled into the road.
[0025]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and the road inside / outside determination unit detects a painted line on the road A road surface condition detection unit that performs the operation, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a painted line of the road. A.
With this configuration, the movement from the parking lot or the like to the road can be easily detected by detecting the painted line on the road surface. When a vehicle comes out of the road near the road or near the intersection, the vehicle can be quickly detected by the matching process. The current position can be pulled into the road.
[0026]
Further, the current position specifying device of the present invention includes a current position positioning unit that positions the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit that stores map information including road data, and a current position measured by the current position positioning unit. A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process that matches the road data read from the information storage unit, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit. A map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to permit execution of the map matching process when the vehicle is determined to be present on the road, and a road inside / outside determination unit is installed at the exit of the parking lot. Has a vehicle-mounted wireless communication device that communicates with the wireless device that has been detected, and the vehicle-mounted wireless communication device detects the exit of the parking lot by receiving a signal from the wireless device on the parking lot side Has a determined configuration that the vehicle is on the road.
With this configuration, it is possible to reliably detect that the vehicle has left the parking lot, and to quickly pull the current position onto the road by performing the matching process after leaving the parking lot.
[0027]
In addition, the current position specifying method of the present invention detects the current position of the vehicle, detects a signal different from the signal for detecting the current position, and determines that the vehicle exists outside the road. It has a configuration that prohibits the execution of the map matching process that matches the road data read from the section.
With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine that the vehicle has moved from the road to the outside of the road by detecting a signal different from a signal for detecting a vehicle position such as a change in road surface condition, and even when traveling in a parking lot or the like. It is possible to prevent the current position from being pulled into the nearby road after the matching process.
[0028]
In addition, the present position specifying method of the present invention detects the current position of the vehicle, detects a signal different from the signal for detecting the current position, and determines that the vehicle exists on the road. It has a configuration for executing a map matching process to match the road data read from the section.
With this configuration, the fact that the vehicle has moved from the parking lot or the like to the road can be easily detected by a signal different from the signal for detecting the current position, for example, a change in the road surface condition, etc. When the vehicle comes out of the road from, the current position can be quickly pulled into the road by the matching process.
[0029]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a navigation device 100 including a current position identification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a current position detection unit 110 that generates a signal for detecting a current position of a vehicle, a map, and a map. A map information storage unit 120 that stores information, a road surface condition detection unit 130 that detects a road surface condition, and specifies a current position of a vehicle based on a signal input from the current position detection unit 110 and performs map matching processing and the like. An operation processing unit 140 to be executed, a memory 150 storing programs and data executed by the operation processing unit 140, an input unit 160 for inputting a destination point and the like, and an image processing result of the operation processing unit 140 It has a display unit 170 for displaying, and a sound output unit 180 for outputting the processing result of the arithmetic processing unit 140 as sound. Note that the current position detection unit 110, the map information storage unit 120, the road surface condition detection unit 130, the arithmetic processing unit 140, and the memory 150 constitute a current position specification device of the present invention.
[0030]
The current position detection unit 110 employs a hybrid system here, and includes a GPS antenna 111 that receives a signal from a GPS satellite, a vehicle speed sensor 112 that detects a vehicle speed signal, a gyro, and the like, and detects a traveling direction of the vehicle. And an orientation sensor 113. These signals are input to the arithmetic processing unit 140. Note that the current position detection unit 110 may be configured with only the GPS antenna 111 other than the hybrid system.
[0031]
The map information storage unit 120 stores map information on road data such as intersections and road connection status, coordinates, shapes, attributes (road types such as ordinary roads, toll roads, and expressways), and regulation information (one-way traffic). Various types of information necessary for navigation, such as index information for setting a point, are stored. The map information includes nodes that define intersections, turns, dead ends, and the like, links that define roads, and the like.
[0032]
The road surface condition detection unit 130 detects the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle travels. Here, an acceleration sensor that is attached to the vehicle and detects vertical acceleration according to the vertical movement of the vehicle is used.
[0033]
The arithmetic processing unit 140 calculates the current position of the vehicle based on the signal input from the current position detection unit 110, and the current position obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 deviates from the road. A map matching processing unit 142 that executes a map matching process in the case; a road inside / outside determination unit 143 that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road based on an acceleration signal or the like detected by the road surface state detection unit 130; A map matching control unit 147 that controls execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit 142 according to the determination result of the road inside / outside determination unit 143.
[0034]
The current position calculation unit 141 calculates the current position based on signals from a plurality of GPS satellites received by the GPS antenna 111, and calculates the vehicle travel distance based on the vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 112, The current position is obtained by integrating this with the traveling direction of the vehicle obtained from the direction sensor 113. One of these two current positions is mainly used, and the other is used as an auxiliary to obtain the current position of the vehicle. The position is specified. Note that the current position calculation unit 141 and the current position detection unit 110 constitute a current position positioning unit of the present invention.
[0035]
The map matching processing unit 142 compares and compares the current position of the vehicle obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 with the road data read from the map information storage unit 120 corresponding to the current position, and moves the current position of the vehicle most. The correction is performed so that the vehicle is likely to be located on a road with a high possibility. In this map matching process, for example, a vehicle travels while sequentially checking and confirming a link of road data within a required range for each traveling distance of a unit and a traveling locus such as a traveling distance, an azimuth, and a movement position. The road with the highest degree of coincidence is selected from among the multiple routes that are likely to be located, so that the current position of the located vehicle is on the road even if the current position of the vehicle is some distance from the link in the road data. I am trying to correct it. Further, the most similar location on the road may be found from the road network based on the traveling locus of a certain length.
[0036]
The road inside / outside determination unit 143 detects a change in the road surface state based on the acceleration signal from the road surface state detection unit 130, and determines whether or not the vehicle is on the road. An azimuth difference determining unit 145 that determines whether or not the vehicle is on the road based on the azimuth difference between the azimuth and the azimuth of the road, an azimuth difference between the traveling azimuth of the vehicle and the azimuth of the road, and a distance between the vehicle and the road And a peripheral road investigation unit 146 that investigates a road around the vehicle based on the difference.
[0037]
The arithmetic processing unit 140 includes, in addition to the above units, an information search unit (not shown) including POI (Places of Interest), a route for automatically searching for a route to a destination desired by the user. It also has a search unit, a route guidance unit for guiding along the route selected by the route search unit, and the like.
The memory 150 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs and data to be executed by the arithmetic processing unit 140.
[0038]
The input unit 160 includes a touch panel (not shown) provided on the screen of the display unit 170, a switch (not shown) provided on the front of a case body (not shown) of the navigation device 100, and a remote control device (not shown). ), A voice input unit (not shown), and the like, allowing the user to input a starting point and a destination desired by the user, and to input search conditions such as whether or not to prioritize a toll road. is there.
[0039]
The display unit 170 includes a liquid crystal display, a CRT, a driving unit thereof, and the like, and visually displays characters, images, and the like to a user. The audio output unit 180 includes a speaker, an amplifier, and the like, and transmits audio information to a user. With the display unit 170 and the audio output unit 180, it is possible to present the user with the current position, guide the guidance route, present search information, and the like.
[0040]
Next, the operation of the navigation device 100 will be described.
Based on signals detected by the GPS antenna 111, the vehicle speed sensor 112, and the direction sensor 113, the current position calculation unit 141 calculates the current position of the vehicle.
On the other hand, the road surface state detection unit 130 also detects the vertical acceleration generated due to the vertical movement of the vehicle and inputs the acceleration to the road presence determination unit 144.
[0041]
When the condition of the road surface, that is, the vertical acceleration changes by a predetermined value or more, the road presence determination unit 144 estimates that the sidewalk or the gutter between the road and the outside of the road has been changed. The azimuth difference determination unit 145 determines whether the vehicle is on the road based on the magnitude of the azimuth difference between the traveling azimuth of the vehicle and the azimuth of the road. In addition, based on the current position of the vehicle measured by the current position calculation unit 141 by the surrounding road investigation unit 146, the vehicle is considered while considering the azimuth difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of the road, and the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the road. If there is a nearby road that may be passing, select this. The road inside / outside determination unit 143 determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road by summing up these determination results. The details of this determination method will be described later.
[0042]
If the road inside / outside determination unit 143 determines that the vehicle has entered a parking lot or the like outside the road, the map matching control unit 147 prohibits the map matching processing unit 142 from executing the map matching process. As a result, the current position of the vehicle obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 is specified as the current position of the vehicle.
On the other hand, when the inside / outside road determination unit 143 determines that the vehicle has exited the road from a parking lot or the like outside the road, the map matching control unit 147 executes the map matching processing in the map matching processing unit 142. Tolerate. As a result, the current position of the vehicle obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 is drawn to the peripheral road selected by the peripheral road investigation unit 146 by executing the map matching process, and specified so as to be located on the peripheral road. .
[0043]
The current position of the vehicle specified in this manner is displayed on the display unit 170 together with the map read from the map information storage unit 120, and the current position and the surrounding conditions are presented to the user. When a destination or the like is input from the input unit 160 and route guidance is desired, an optimal route is selected by the route search unit of the arithmetic processing unit 140, and the route guidance unit displays an image on the display unit 170 or outputs audio. The user is guided by the audio output from the output unit 180.
[0044]
FIG. 2 is a control flowchart of a map matching process executed by the road inside / outside determination unit 143 of the arithmetic processing unit 140. Hereinafter, the above processing will be described based on this control flowchart.
[0045]
The road surface condition detection unit 130 detects the vertical acceleration generated due to the vertical movement of the vehicle and inputs the detected acceleration to the road presence determination unit 144. On the basis of this acceleration, the on-road presence determination unit 144 detects the state of the road surface (for example, a sidewalk or a side ditch next to the road) (step 100).
[0046]
The on-road presence determination unit 144 determines whether there is a substantial change in the road surface condition that can distinguish between the road and the outside of the road, from the data on the road surface condition obtained at present and the data on the road surface condition immediately before (step S1). 110). Here, whether or not there is a substantial change in the road surface condition is determined by whether or not the absolute value of the detected change in acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value set in advance so as to be distinguishable between traveling on the road and traveling outside the road. If it is equal to or more than the predetermined value, it is determined that the road surface condition has changed, and if it is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the road surface condition has not changed. Note that the predetermined value may be set so that the size differs in the vertical direction.
[0047]
When it is determined that the road surface condition does not change by a predetermined value or more, the map matching control unit 147 does not switch between prohibiting and permitting the execution of the map matching process of the map matching processing unit 142 and keeps the process up to that point. Continue execution. On the other hand, when it is determined that the state of the road surface has changed by a predetermined value or more, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling outside the road on the basis of the vehicle position obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 (step 120).
[0048]
If the result of this determination is that the vehicle is traveling off-road, it is presumed that the vehicle may have exited, for example, the entrance of the parking lot, whereas the result of determination is that the vehicle is not traveling off-road (ie, If the vehicle is traveling above, it is presumed that the vehicle may have exited from, for example, the exit of the parking lot.
Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling off the road, the azimuth difference determination unit 145 uses the azimuth sensor 113 (or the current position detected by the current position calculation unit 141 and the vehicle position immediately before it) to calculate and derive it. The obtained heading difference is compared with the road heading at that time to detect these heading differences (step 130), and it is determined whether or not the heading difference is equal to or greater than a certain threshold (step 131). .
[0049]
If the azimuth difference does not exceed a certain threshold, the map matching control unit 147 controls the map matching processing unit 142 to allow execution of the map matching process. Continue to run.
On the other hand, if the azimuth difference is equal to or more than a certain threshold, the surrounding road investigation unit 146 investigates the peripheral road within a certain distance from the current position based on the map data read from the map information storage unit 120. (Step 132). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not a peripheral road substantially matching the traveling direction of the vehicle at the current position has been found among the peripheral roads within a certain distance from the current position (step 133).
[0050]
If a nearby road that substantially matches the traveling direction at the current position is found, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the road, and the map matching control unit 147 continues the processing in the map matching processing unit 142 as before. Let it.
On the other hand, if no peripheral road substantially matching the traveling direction at the current position is found, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling outside the road, and the map matching control unit 147 sets the map matching processing unit 142 to “run outside the road”. Mode (step 134), the execution of the map matching process is prohibited, and the current position obtained by the current position calculation unit 141 is used without correction to display the current position. As a result, the current position of the vehicle is specified outside the road without being pulled into the road.
[0051]
On the other hand, as a result of the on-road presence determination unit 144 determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling outside the road (step 120), if the vehicle is not traveling outside the road, the vehicle has just exited the road at the parking lot and has just exited the road. It is estimated to be. Therefore, as described above, the azimuth difference between the traveling azimuth of the vehicle detected by the azimuth sensor 113 and the azimuth of the road from the road data is detected (step 140), and whether or not this azimuth difference is within a certain threshold value is determined. This is determined by the azimuth difference determination unit 145 (step 141).
[0052]
If the azimuth difference is not within the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the vehicle has not exited the road. , And continue the processing as before.
On the other hand, if the azimuth difference is within the certain threshold, it is determined that the vehicle has exited the road, and the surrounding road investigation unit 146 investigates the surrounding road within a certain distance from the current position (step 142). Then, it is determined whether or not a peripheral road substantially matching the traveling direction of the vehicle at the current position has been found among the peripheral roads within a predetermined distance from the current position (step 143).
[0053]
If the result of this determination is that a peripheral road substantially matching the traveling direction at the current position is not found, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling outside the road, and the map matching control unit 147 causes the map matching processing unit 142 to Let the process continue as before.
On the other hand, if a nearby road that substantially matches the traveling direction at the current position is found, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the road, and the map matching control unit 147 causes the map matching processing unit 142 to “run on road”. Mode ”(step 144), and permits the map matching processing unit 142 to execute the map matching process. Therefore, if the vehicle exits the road from a parking lot or the like outside the road, the current position of the vehicle is quickly pulled into the road.
[0054]
Next, a method for detecting a change in the road surface condition will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 when a vehicle enters a parking lot next to the road from a road.
In FIG. 3, the traveling locus R of the current position of the vehicle obtained by the current position calculating unit 141 goes straight from the left side to the right side of the road 20 as in the case of FIG. After crossing the intersection, turn left into the parking lot 40, go straight to the back of the parking lot parallel to the road 30, and come to the current position R10.
[0055]
FIG. 4 shows a state of the road surface condition detected by the road surface condition detection unit 130 where the vehicle enters the parking lot 40 from the road 20 in FIG. The upper half of FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a road surface portion when traveling from the road 20 to the parking lot 40. Therefore, the height of the road surface is also indicated at the same time. The lower half of the figure shows the vibration of the vehicle corresponding to the position of the road surface.
[0056]
When the vehicle is traveling on the road 20 toward the parking lot 40, there is substantially no change in the vibration V10 (representing the road surface condition, measured here by the vertical acceleration). The change in the vibration V20 when the vehicle further proceeds and rides on the sidewalk has a mountain shape that rises greatly and returns to the original position. Therefore, if the change in the vibration V20 at this time is detected, it is possible to detect a climb from the vehicle road 20 to the sidewalk 50, that is, a step on the road.
[0057]
Further, the change in the vibration V30 when the vehicle travels from the sidewalk 50 to the groove 60 on the side of the vehicle, largely drops downward, and then largely bounces to the information. By detecting a change in the vibration V30 at this time, the side gutter 60 of the road can be detected.
[0058]
When entering the unpaved parking lot 40 over the side gutter 60, the change in the vibration V40 at that time vibrates with a smaller amplitude and a higher frequency than when climbing on the sidewalk 50 or over the gutter 60. Thus, it is possible to detect that the vehicle is traveling in the unpaved parking lot 40 and the pavement state of the road.
The change of the road surface from the road 20 to the parking lot 40 is not always the same as in the case of FIG. 4, but the detection method in these cases will be described later.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 3, the map matching control unit 147 performs the map matching process until the on-road existence determination unit 144 detects the movement of the vehicle from the road 20 to the parking lot 40 due to the change in the road surface condition as described above. As a result of permitting the execution of the map matching process of the section 142 and pulling the current position obtained by the current position calculation section 141 onto the road 20, the traveling locus R of the current position obtained by the current position calculation section 141 (horizontal portion indicated by a dotted line) ) Is like a traveling locus M on the road 20 (a horizontal portion indicated by a solid line).
[0060]
When detecting the movement of the vehicle from the road 20 to the parking lot 40, the map matching control unit 147 switches the map matching processing unit 142 to the “out-of-road driving mode” and prohibits the map matching processing unit 142 from executing the map matching processing. As a result, the traveling locus R (vertical portion indicated by a dotted line) of the current position obtained by the current position calculating unit 141 becomes the traveling locus M (vertical portion indicated by a solid line) on the road 20 and remains in the parking lot 40. Is not drawn into the road 30.
It should be noted that when exiting from the parking lot 40 to the road 20, the order is reversed.
[0061]
As described above, the current position specifying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the on-road presence determination unit 144 that detects a change in the road surface state and determines whether the vehicle is on the road. Therefore, it is determined whether the vehicle is on the road by detecting a step or a ditch on the road. If the vehicle is on the road, execution of the map matching process by the map matching processing unit 142 is permitted. The execution of the map matching process in the matching processing unit 142 can be prohibited. As a result, it is possible to prevent the current position from being pulled into the road when moving from the road to a parking lot or the like outside the road only by detecting a change in the road surface condition. In addition, when moving to a road from outside the road, the current position can be quickly drawn on the road.
[0062]
In addition, the azimuth difference determining unit 145 detects the azimuth difference between the traveling azimuth of the vehicle and the azimuth of the road to determine whether the vehicle is on the road. Compared with the case, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of determining whether the vehicle is on or off the road. That is, the matching process can prevent the current position from being drawn into the straight road when moving from the straight road to the outside of the road, and can prevent the current position from being moved to the road from a parking lot or the like outside the road. The current position can be quickly drawn on the road by the matching process while preventing the current position from being drawn into the interior.
[0063]
In addition, as the road inside / outside determination unit 143, only the presence determination unit 144 on the road may be used, and the addition of the azimuth difference determination unit 145 to this determination unit 143. 146 may be included.
[0064]
Further, the surrounding road where the heading difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of the road is within a certain value within a certain distance from the current position of the vehicle is investigated by the surrounding road investigation unit 146, so that the on-road existence determination unit 144 is determined. It is possible to further improve the accuracy of determining whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, as compared with the case where only the determination result is used. That is, the current position can be prevented from being pulled into the road by the matching process when the vehicle moves to the outside of the road near the intersection by turning, and when the vehicle moves from the outside of the road to the road, such as a parking lot outside the road, etc. The current position can be quickly drawn on the road by the matching process without being affected by the error of the current position at the exit.
[0065]
The road surface condition detecting unit 130 of the navigation device 100 including the current position specifying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention detects a step on a road, a gutter, or a change in pavement of a road. Instead of detecting the inclination of the road or the painted line of the road, a change in the road surface condition can be easily detected.
[0066]
In this case, if the road surface condition detection unit 130 detects a change in vertical acceleration, speed, position, or the like with an acceleration sensor, or detects a stroke difference between left and right wheels with a suspension sensor, a road step, a gutter, The pavement state of the road can be detected. Further, if the acceleration sensor detects a change in the traveling direction and the vehicle speed of the vehicle, or an angular velocity sensor detects a change in the pitch direction of the vehicle, it is possible to detect the inclination of the road or the level difference of the road. Further, if a change in the running noise is detected by the microphone, a step on the road, a groove, a pavement state of the road, and a painted line drawn on the road can be detected. If a change in the road surface condition is detected in these ways, it is possible to detect a groove, a road pavement condition, and a painted line on the road. Note that whether or not the road surface condition has changed is determined based on whether the absolute value of the value detected by each of the above sensors has exceeded a predetermined value, whether the pattern has changed, or whether the frequency has changed by a predetermined value or more.
[0067]
Next, a navigation device including a current position specifying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This navigation device has an in-vehicle wireless communication device instead of the road surface condition detection unit 130, the road presence determination unit 144, the azimuth difference determination unit 145, and the surrounding road investigation unit 146, and has an entrance and an exit of a parking lot. The first point is that the road inside / outside determination unit 143 determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road by receiving the entrance signal and the exit signal from the parking lot side wireless communication device provided respectively in This is different from the navigation device of the embodiment.
[0068]
Even in this case, it can be reliably determined whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and when entering a parking lot or the like outside the road, the current position is prevented from being drawn into the road by the map matching process, When the vehicle returns from the outside of the road to the road, the map matching process is executed so that the current position can be quickly drawn on the road.
[0069]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when road data indicating a parking lot or the like is not stored in the map information storage unit, when entering a parking lot or the like off the road from the road, the map matching process is executed. It is possible to provide a current position specifying device and a current position specifying method that can prohibit a current position of a vehicle from being drawn into a road by prohibiting the current position. Further, another embodiment of the present invention allows the execution of the map matching process when a vehicle exits a road from a parking lot or the like outside the road even if road data indicating a parking lot or the like is not stored in the map information storage unit. Thus, it is possible to provide a current position specifying device and a current position specifying method that can quickly pull the current position of a vehicle onto a road.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device including a current position specifying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a control flowchart of a map matching process executed by the current position specifying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a comparison between a traveling locus of the current position specifying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a traveling locus of a measured current position when entering a parking lot from a road.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing road surface conditions and vehicle vibration when entering a parking lot from a road.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a comparison between a traveling locus of a conventional current position specifying device and a traveling locus of a measured current position.
[Explanation of symbols]
20, 30 road
40 parking lot
50 Sidewalk
60 grooves
100 Navigation device
110 Current position detector
111 GPS antenna
112 Vehicle speed sensor
113 direction sensor
120 Map information storage
130 Road surface condition detector
140 arithmetic processing unit
141 Current position calculation unit
142 Map Matching Processing Unit
143 Road Inside / Outside Judgment Unit
144 Road presence determination unit
145 Heading difference judgment unit
146 Road Survey Department
147 Map matching control unit
150 memory
160 input section
170 Display
180 audio output unit

Claims (22)

A current position positioning unit for positioning the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit for storing map information including road data, and road data read from the map information storage unit for the current position measured by the current position positioning unit A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process to be aligned above, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and the vehicle is outside the road by the road inside / outside determination unit. If so, a current position specifying device including a map matching control unit that controls so as to prohibit execution of the map matching process in the map matching processing unit. The road inside / outside determination unit determines that the vehicle is outside the road when detecting that the road surface condition detected by the road surface condition detection unit detects the road surface condition has changed. The current position specifying device according to claim 1, further comprising a road presence determining unit. The road inside / outside determination unit includes a road surface condition detection unit that detects a road surface condition, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition. And comparing the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by the current position positioning unit with the direction of the road read from the map information storage unit, and determining that the direction difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of the road is equal to or more than a predetermined value. A direction difference determining unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road, the vehicle presence determination unit determines that the vehicle is outside the road, and the direction difference determination unit determines that the vehicle is outside the road. 2. The current position specifying device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle exists, the vehicle is determined to be outside the road. The road inside / outside determination unit includes a road surface condition detection unit that detects a road surface condition, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition. And a peripheral road investigation unit that selects a peripheral road that is within a certain value and has a direction difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of a road around the current position and that is within a certain distance from the current position. The vehicle on the road is determined to be outside the road by the road presence determination unit, and the vehicle is determined to be on the road outside by the heading difference determination unit; 4. The current position specifying device according to claim 3, wherein when is not selected, the vehicle is determined to be outside the road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a step on a road. The current position specifying device according to claim 2, wherein the road surface condition detection unit detects a side gutter of the road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the road surface condition detection unit detects a pavement condition of a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a slope of a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a painted line of the road. The road inside / outside determination unit has an in-vehicle wireless communication device that communicates with a wireless device installed at the entrance of the parking lot, and the in-vehicle wireless communication device receives a signal from the wireless device on the parking lot side and receives the signal from the parking lot. The current position specifying device according to claim 1, wherein when the entrance of the vehicle is detected, it is determined that the vehicle is outside the road. A current position positioning unit for positioning the current position of the vehicle, a map information storage unit for storing map information including road data, and road data read from the map information storage unit for the current position measured by the current position positioning unit A map matching processing unit that executes a map matching process to match the position above, a road inside / outside determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is on the road or outside the road, and the vehicle is on the road by the road inside / outside determination unit. If so, a current position specifying device including: a map matching control unit that controls the map matching processing unit to execute the map matching process. The road inside / outside determination unit, a road surface condition detection unit that detects a road surface condition, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on a road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition. The current position specifying device according to claim 11, comprising: The road inside / outside determination unit includes a road surface condition detection unit that detects a road surface condition, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition. And comparing the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by the current position positioning unit with the direction of the road read from the map information storage unit, and if the direction difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of the road is within a certain value. An orientation difference determination unit that determines that the vehicle is on a road, the on-road presence determination unit determines that the vehicle is on the road, and the orientation difference determination unit determines that the vehicle is on the road. The current position specifying device according to claim 11, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle exists on the road, the vehicle is determined to be on a road. The road inside / outside determination unit includes a road surface condition detection unit that detects a road surface condition, and a road presence determination unit that determines that the vehicle is outside the road when the road surface condition detection unit detects a change in the road surface condition. And a peripheral road investigation unit that selects a peripheral road that is within a certain value and has a direction difference between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the direction of a road around the current position and that is within a certain distance from the current position. The vehicle on the road is determined by the road presence determination unit, and the vehicle is determined to be on the road by the heading difference determination unit, and the corresponding peripheral road is determined by the peripheral road investigation unit. The current position specifying device according to claim 11, wherein when is selected, it is determined that the vehicle is on a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a step on a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a side gutter of a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the road surface condition detection unit detects a pavement condition of a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a slope of a road. The current position specifying device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the road surface condition detecting unit detects a painted line of a road. The road inside / outside determination unit has an in-vehicle wireless communication device that communicates with a wireless device installed at an exit of the parking lot, and the in-vehicle wireless communication device receives a signal from the wireless device on the parking lot side and receives the signal from the parking lot. The current position identification device according to claim 11, wherein when the exit of the vehicle is detected, it is determined that the vehicle is on a road. While detecting the current position of the vehicle, if a signal different from the signal for detecting the current position is detected and it is determined that the vehicle exists outside the road, the current position is adjusted on the road data read from the map information storage unit. Current position identification method that prohibits the execution of map matching processing. While detecting the current position of the vehicle, if a signal different from the signal for detecting the current position is detected to detect a change in the road surface condition and it is determined that the vehicle is on the road, the current position is determined by map information. A current position specifying method for executing a map matching process to match on the road data read from the storage unit.

Images