JP2006236247A - Controlled-lane detection device and route recommending device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controlled-lane detection device capable of detecting a lane where traffic is regulated. <P>SOLUTION: The controlled-lane detection device is provided with a lane control information acquisition means for acquiring information of a zone, where the lane is regulated, and a traveling information acquisition means for acquiring traveling information of other vehicles which are traveling, or have traveled in the zone. The controlled lane where traffic is regulated is detected, based on the traveling information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a restriction lane detection device that detects a restriction lane in a section where lane restriction is performed, and a vehicle route recommendation device that uses the restriction lane detection device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a navigation apparatus that performs guidance according to a set route to a destination set by a user, a technique is known in which a road map lane information is provided in a map database and guidance is performed in lane units with reference to lane information (for example, , See Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-321085 A

  By the way, information on lane regulation that dynamically changes due to an accident or construction is generally provided to the vehicle side as so-called VICS information from a VICS (Vehicle Information Communication System) center. However, since the VICS information only indicates a section in which the lane restriction is performed, it is not possible to know which lane of the plurality of lanes in the section is subject to the traffic restriction.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a restricted lane detecting device capable of detecting a restricted lane in which traffic is restricted and a vehicle route recommendation device using the restricted lane detecting device.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a lane restriction information obtaining unit that obtains information of a section in which lane restriction is performed;
Travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information of a vehicle traveling or traveling in the section,
Based on the travel information, a restricted lane detection device is provided, which detects a restricted lane in which traffic is restricted in the section.

  In this aspect, a lane in which the vehicle is not traveling may be detected as a restricted lane among a plurality of lanes in a section where the lane restriction is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle route recommendation device including the restricted lane detection device according to the above aspect,
The vehicle has a travel lane estimation means for estimating the travel lane of the host vehicle,
When the estimated travel lane corresponds to the restricted lane detected by the restricted lane detector, a lane change is recommended, and a vehicle route recommendation device is provided.

  In this aspect, the planned travel lane estimation unit includes a lane detection unit that detects a lane in which the host vehicle is currently traveling, and the lane when the host vehicle travels according to the currently traveling lane is defined as the planned travel lane. It may be an estimate.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the regulation lane detection apparatus which can detect the regulation lane where traffic regulation is made, and the vehicle route recommendation apparatus using the same can be obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a restricted lane detector 10 according to the present invention. The restricted lane detector 10 is set on the center side. The center is a facility for providing various information installed in a specific area or each area.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, roughly, traveling information is supplied from a plurality of vehicles to the center side (restricted lane detecting device 10), and lane restriction is performed on the center side based on these traveling information. A system is constructed in which information is generated and provided to the vehicle as needed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration on the center side (the restricted lane detection device 10) and the main configuration on the vehicle side.

  The restricted lane detection device 10 includes a communication device 12 and is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the vehicle-side communication device 40 via an appropriate communication network 14. Between the communication device 12 on the center side (restricted lane detection device 10) and the communication device 40 on the vehicle side, travel information and lane restriction information described in detail below are transmitted and received. When a plurality of centers are installed, the restricted lane detection device 10 may be provided for each center or only for a specific center. In the latter case, the centers are interconnected via a communication network such as the Internet so that a specific center can send and receive information to and from other centers.

  The restricted lane detection device 10 includes a restricted section information acquisition unit 20, a restricted lane detection unit 22, and a map database 24.

  The restriction section information acquisition unit 20 acquires basic information regarding a section in which lane restriction is performed (hereinafter referred to as “lane restriction section”). This basic information includes information on the position information of the start point and end point of the section where the lane restriction is performed, the restriction time zone, and the like, and may be based on VICS information from the VICS center, for example.

  The map database 24 holds detailed map data in the center area. The map data in the map database 24 is usually more detailed data than the map data in the map data (map database 52 to be described later) of the in-vehicle navigation device, and in particular, the number and position of the lanes for each road. Detailed data on width, etc. are included.

  The restriction lane detection unit 22 detects the lane restriction section based on the basic information, and detects the restriction lane in the lane restriction section based on travel information received from the vehicle side via the communication device 12. Here, the restricted lane is not only a lane subject to traffic regulation among a plurality of lanes in the lane regulation section, but substantially restricts traffic due to other restrictions such as the presence of parked vehicles and obstacles. Including the lane you are receiving.

  Here, the travel information is information that can identify which lane the vehicle has traveled, and is specifically travel trajectory data (a set of position information). This travel information is acquired by the own vehicle position detection means 58 mounted on the vehicle side.

  The own vehicle position detection means 58 includes various sensors such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a beacon receiver, an FM multiplex receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The own vehicle position detection means 58 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite via a GPS antenna by a GPS receiver. The own vehicle position detection means 58 calculates the current vehicle position based on GPS signals and signals supplied from various sensors. The own vehicle position detection means 58 preferably detects the current vehicle position using an algorithm capable of highly accurate position detection, such as carrier phase GPS positioning.

  When such traveling information, that is, traveling locus data of a vehicle, is supplied from a large number of vehicles, the use status of each lane in a certain road section can be grasped. Since lanes subject to lane restrictions inevitably have a small amount of vehicle traffic, using this principle, the restricted lane detector 22 is a lane in which a vehicle is not traveling among a plurality of lanes in the lane restriction section. Is detected as a restricted lane.

  For example, the restricted lane detecting unit 22 is based on the travel information in the same lane restricted section acquired from a predetermined number of vehicles or more, for example, among the three lanes present in the lane restricted section, the travel locus in the leftmost lane. If there is no lane, the leftmost lane is detected as a restricted lane.

  At this time, in order to efficiently increase the detection accuracy, other factors such as traffic volume and road width may be added. For example, in the previous example, if it is expected that the leftmost lane will be used less frequently because of the low overall traffic volume at the present time, based on the travel information from more vehicles, You can confirm that the left lane is a regulated lane, and conversely, if the left lane is expected to be used relatively frequently due to heavy overall traffic, driving information from fewer vehicles Based on the above, it may be determined that the leftmost lane is a restricted lane. For this purpose, the average traffic volume may be statistically managed (databased) for each road section and / or for each lane in the road section. It may be subdivided and managed according to date and time.

  Moreover, the lane change situation of each vehicle before the lane restriction section may be taken into consideration. For example, if there are many lane changes from the leftmost lane to the central lane before the lane restriction section, the leftmost lane in the lane restriction section is likely to be a restriction lane. May be judged.

  When the restricted lane in the lane restricted section is detected in this way, the restricted lane detecting device 10 provides information (lane restriction information) for notifying the vehicle side of the restricted lane via the communication device 12. . In this case, the restricted lane detection device 10 applies lane restriction information to a vehicle in a predetermined area before the lane restriction section where the detected restricted lane exists (that is, a vehicle predicted to pass through the lane restriction section). May be broadcast, or only lane regulation information useful for the requesting vehicle may be individually transmitted in response to a request from the vehicle side.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to detect which lane is the restricted lane in the lane restricted section by using the travel information supplied from a large number of vehicles. Thus, by providing the detection result to the vehicle side as lane restriction information, it is possible to effectively support the traveling of the vehicle. For example, when such lane restriction information is received on the vehicle side via the communication device 40, it is output to the vehicle occupant via the display 54 of the in-vehicle navigation device, a voice message, etc., so that the driver can Since it is possible to know in advance which lane in the lane regulation section ahead of the direction of travel is regulated, it is possible to run in preparation for the regulated lane from an early stage by appropriately changing the lane etc. .

  In this embodiment, the restricted lane detector 22 uses only the travel information within a predetermined time from the present time in consideration of various conditions such as the lane restriction section and the position of the restricted lane dynamically changing. It is good also as detecting a regulation lane.

  Next, as a preferred embodiment of the use mode of the above-described lane restriction information on the vehicle side, a specific function / configuration of a vehicle route recommendation device that recommends an appropriate travel route using the lane restriction information will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle route recommendation device of the present embodiment is embodied centering on a navigation ECU 50. The navigation ECU 50 is composed of a microcomputer and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and the like.

  The navigation ECU 50 is connected to various electronic components (various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor and various ECUs) in the vehicle including the communication device 40 via an appropriate bus such as a CAN (controller area network).

  The navigation ECU 50 includes a map database 52 that holds map data on a recording medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, a display device 54 such as a liquid crystal display that outputs a map display or route guidance display as a video, and an audio including a speaker and a microphone. An input / output device, an operation input unit 56 such as a touch panel serving as a user interface, and the like are provided.

  The navigation ECU 50 includes own vehicle position detection means 58. The own vehicle position detection means 58 includes various sensors such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a beacon receiver, an FM multiplex receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The own vehicle position detection means 58 receives a GPS signal output from a GPS satellite via a GPS antenna by a GPS receiver. The own vehicle position detection means 58 converts the GPS signal into a signal of a predetermined format and supplies it to the navigation ECU 50. The navigation ECU 50 calculates the current vehicle position and vehicle direction based on GPS signals and signals supplied from various sensors.

  The map database 52 stores map data. In the map data, as usual, the coordinate information of each node corresponding to the intersection / branch point of the intersection / highway, link information connecting adjacent nodes, the number of road lanes corresponding to each link , Width information, road types such as national roads, prefectural roads, and highways corresponding to each link, traffic regulation information for each link, traffic regulation information between each link, and the like.

  When the navigation ECU 50 is in operation, the navigation ECU 50 displays the current vehicle position and a road map in the vicinity thereof on the display device 54. Various input settings can be made by the user from the operation input unit 56 such as a remote controller, a voice input / output device or a touch panel. For example, the user can set a route to a desired destination via the operation unit. In this case, the navigation ECU 50 searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and after the route is determined, according to the route, travel guidance (right / left turn guidance) is given to a guidance branch point accompanied by a course change. Do. For example, when there is a guidance branch point to turn right 700 m ahead from the current position, route guidance with a voice of “700 m ahead right” is output via the voice input / output device.

  The navigation ECU 50 of this embodiment recommends an appropriate travel route according to the position of the restricted lane based on the lane restriction information received on the vehicle side via the communication device 40 as described above. For example, when the navigation ECU 50 detects a lane restriction section ahead in the vehicle traveling direction, and further receives lane restriction information indicating that the leftmost lane in the lane restriction section is a restricted lane, for example, “1 km ahead” , The leftmost lane is inaccessible. " Alternatively, the navigation ECU 50 may highlight the regulated lane on the map displayed on the display device 54, for example, by blinking. In addition, the information regarding the lane restriction section may be acquired from the VICS center, or may be acquired together with the lane restriction information from the center (the restriction lane detection device 10).

  Furthermore, the navigation ECU 50 may provide more accurate recommended guidance based on the planned driving lane of the host vehicle. For example, when the planned travel lane corresponds to a restricted lane, for example, a voice guidance such as “Please change to the right lane for 1 km ahead and the restricted lane” may be output. As described above, unnecessary guidance can be suppressed by performing the recommended guidance only when the planned travel lane corresponds to the restricted lane and when the lane change to the restricted lane is performed.

  Here, the planned travel lane may be predicted as the current travel lane is maintained based on the detection result of the current travel lane. The current traveling lane may be detected using, for example, an image recognition process (that is, a lane marker, white line recognition technology) and / or a carrier phase GPS positioning for an image captured by the front monitoring camera.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, an appropriate travel route is recommended according to the position of the regulated lane, so the driver can grasp in advance which lane is the regulated lane, and the sudden appearance of the regulated lane Therefore, it is possible to provide useful driving support information without being forced to change lanes suddenly.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the restricted lane detector 22 detects the lane restricted section based on the basic information related to the lane restricted section, and detects the restricted lane in the lane restricted section. Even in a lane restriction section that is not based on the restriction lane, the restriction lane may be detected by the same method. That is, the restricted lane detection unit 22 does not consider the basic information regarding the section where the above-described lane restriction is performed, and based on the travel information in each road section that can be obtained from a plurality of vehicles, Restricted lanes may be detected for road sections.

  In the above-described embodiment, the restricted lane detection unit 22 detects the restricted lane based on the travel locus supplied from the vehicle side, but other data obtained from the vehicle side (for example, an image captured by an in-vehicle camera). ) Or the like, the regulated lane may be detected. Further, from the viewpoint of communication economy, the travel locus data supplied to the center side is not necessarily raw data, and may be supplied to the center side after being thinned and compressed on the vehicle side. Moreover, it is good also as deriving the driving lane information showing each driving | running | working lane (history) on the vehicle side based on each driving | running track data, and supplying the said driving lane information to the center side.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a restricted lane detection device 10 according to the present invention and a vehicle route recommendation device using the same. It is a block diagram which shows the main structure of the center side (regulation lane detection apparatus 10), and the main structure of a vehicle side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Restriction lane detection apparatus 12 Communication apparatus 20 Restriction area information acquisition part 22 Restriction lane detection part 24 Map database 40 Communication apparatus 50 Navigation ECU
52 Map Database 54 Display Device 56 Operation Input Unit 58 Own Vehicle Position Detection Means

Claims (4)

Lane regulation information acquisition means for acquiring information on a section where lane regulation is performed;
Travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information of a vehicle traveling or traveling in the section,
A restricted lane detection device that detects a restricted lane in which traffic is restricted in the section based on the travel information.   The restricted lane detection device according to claim 1, wherein a lane in which a vehicle is not traveling is detected as a restricted lane among a plurality of lanes in a section where lane restriction is performed. A vehicle route recommendation device comprising the restricted lane detection device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle has a travel lane estimation means for estimating the travel lane of the host vehicle,
When the estimated travel lane corresponds to the restricted lane detected by the restricted lane detecting device, a lane change is recommended, and the vehicle route recommendation device is characterized in that The vehicle route recommendation device according to claim 3,
The planned travel lane estimation means includes lane detection means for detecting a lane in which the host vehicle is currently traveling, and estimates a lane when the host vehicle travels according to a currently traveling lane as the planned travel lane Route recommendation device.

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